Well, back from Sicily to find our usually skittish and taciturn cat, Kitty  actually pleased to see us - most surprising and welcome to be deluged by purring and happy miows. Now I'm waiting to watch Heroes 3.04 & 3.05 with some wariness based on the feedback given to me by those of you ho have seen them already.

Today we went back to Etna. Day got off to a rocky start when we discovered our picnic bag had become utterly infested with ants. We spent the rest of the coach trip thinking bugs were crawling on us and every so often we were right. On the upside, we stopped at a lovely little honey farm and bought some more local honey and our guide was nice. At one point she excitedly made the driver stop our massive coach because she had spotted one of the local foxes. (They look like UK foxes except darker brown and with a white tip to the tail) She was thrilled, and that in turn pleased me to see her so happy.

Annoyingly, my non serious but utterly debillitating stomach thing kicked in, meaning I had to stay sat in the little cafe near the top for two hours whilst charlie explored the lunar type landscapes outside but that was okay. It was always going to be more his day than mine - I just hate it when this thing puts such a crimp in my day and the day of those around me. Hopefully I will be better for the trip to Syracuse tomorrow because I've really been looking forward to it :)

Also I saw what might be the cutest dog ever in Taormina - a miniature, caramel coloured Dachshund puppy! I could have popped it in my pocket - just adorable.

Oh and the local italian radio station has this amazing show where they play an hour of music from films. In a move that is both exciting and annoying in equal measure, there are no credits for any of the pieces played whatsover. We have recognised: Jerry Goldsmith's soundtrack to Basic Instinct, El Cid and some John Barry and Maurice Jarre work that we can't match to movies but some are lovely and we just can't get at all. Some I would  love to know just so I can buy the album.

With charlie (my flatmate) off seeing how long it takes to walk to the next town,Giardini Naxos, I am here checking out the world news and catching up, whilst trying to dodge Heroes spoilers. So far having a great time, actually. I always feel guilty that I 'm somehow not doing enough stuff on holiday and this is sort of no exception but other than that, it isn't too bad. Highlight has been seeing the lovely fiorediloto and her friends whom I hope to see later in the week too. Especially for the mushroom & honey festival on sunday.
The hotel is fantastic - like a relic from a bygone age. If it was a person, it would be Norma Desmond. Giant candelabra and chandeliers mix in with faded yet scrupulously clean fixtures and fittings. And the view is stunning - sea on one side, mount etna on the other. Also, there are little stray cats that get fed by the hotel staff and this makes me miss my own cat that little bit less.
Hope everyone is well!

 Well, it's now two in the morning and I'm wide awke. Such is jetlag! But I had a great flight and having been slagging off British Airways prior to the flight, they were actually pretty great. They had tons of films I wanted to watch, including Withnail & I! Withnail & I, people! - as the inflight movie. Like This Is Spinal Tap, Withnail is one of those few movies that actually does get better with repeated viewings - somehow Bruce Robinson's astonishing dialogue/ monologues just gets richer. So that was like meeting an old, dear friend unexpectedly. Also watched The simpsons movie which I thought was very disappointing - I'd heard it was good not great, so my expectations were dialled right back, but even so it still fell short of them. Ah well. Annoying, becuase I chose that over the new Casino Royale which I STILL haven't seen.

I also watched the first three episodes of Prison Break, Series one and I thought they were bloody brilliant! One of the first things I'm doing when I get back tothe UK is to get the rest of series one, pronto. So exciting! The women in it feel rather superflous at the moment. I wish they could be integrated more cohesively or just abandon them completely in order to just  fully explore masculinity, which seems to be the show's main interest. At the minute, the women characters feel tacked on. Do it properly or don't bother, guys. Still, it's early days in my watching of the show, so maybe that gets better.

Very sweet little toddler (about two? three? I'm rubbish at guessing infant ages) was on the flight inthe aisle next to me. I don't really see the appeal in having babies (although I am in awe of those who do - it seems so much work!) but THIS one was a complete sweetie. She kept looking round at everyone, smiling and then laughing and smiling when/if they smiled back to her, like they were making her day. Me smiling stupidly at her also was usually enough to get her to stop crying on the few occasions she got stressed out on the very long flight. Then, near the end of the flight, she escaped her parents and toddled over to me, and with great ceremony, presented me with a large crumb from her sandwich. Then looked shy. Her Dad grinned at me and said "Bon appetit!".  So adorable.

No real plans for tomorrow - will probably go shopping in Santa Monica and see what Banana Republic have got in at the moment. Odd shop - I find I either want to buy the entire shop or find it filled with stuff I wouldn't be caught dead in. Very uneven! We don't get it in the UK. I rather wish we did. Then later, I imagine I'll go for a walk by the Pacific. I could do that every day for the rest of my life and that would never get old.