Arraviderci...

SO, kids, I already know what you're all going to say, but really,  no need to hate,  it's not always like this, nor has it always been. I'm off on a little road trip with two of my best gal buddies, so won't be able to post while I'm away for the next fortnight. How all this happened so fast is anybody's guess, suffice to say that some unsuspecting friend called to ask my advice on the Cinque Terre on the Ligurian coast of Italy where we were lucky enough to have had our big family holiday last year, and before you could say, "Bob's your auntie" she and her mum had booked and invited me to join them. (Some sales gal your Suzy Q hey?)

Come the weekend, and we three shall be leaving our husbands, children and cares behind. It promises to be a fun filled time of swimming, hiking, laughing, and eating fabulous Italian food and sampling the local village wines. We have an apartment so will be able to cater for ourselves with the freshest of ingredients from the little local deli and the mind blowing daily market where the most beautiful fruits and veggies and delectable buffalo mozzarellas and salamis are in tempting profusion. Pick 'n' Pay move over, why can't shopping for food always be so much fun?

We all have a few causes for concern, mostly to do with wine and men, contemplating having our aging (I swear I never once said "sagging") bottoms pinched at least once by those hunky Italian stallions, but my major concern is that we might just die laughing as I think we are going to have so much fun. What a wonderful opportunity for dear old friends who get together too seldom to have the chance to yak and yak without responsibilities and the usual distractions.

The Cinque Terre is a linked group of five picturesque villages along the cliffs above the Ligurian Sea, where I have had the most delightful swims of my life. There are walks of varying degrees of difficulty through vineyards and olive groves, offering the most spectacular sea views. Each village produces it's own wine, so we should be able to taste the odd one along the way, and luckily there is an excellent train service should we fall into bad company or a wine vat.

All this to say, I'll soon be on my way, once I've stocked the larder and done the usual detailed list of what needs to be done in my absence which will be totally ignored, and will be thinking of you all as we wend our merry way through the Cinque Terre. Please bear with me (forgive me?) and please please please don't forget me. I really do value all your loyal support and feedback so much. You never know, I may just be able to access an Internet Cafe I can manage to use to give you a holiday broadcast, otherwise I'll be back in the first week of October with all the stories and more, or does what happen on tour stay on tour!?

I've had fab team t-shirts printed for a laugh, and had such fun organizing and designing them with Kevin and Rusty from ReproClinic at the Valyland Centre in Fish Hoek.  Call  021-7823750 if you need any reproduction work done for great art advice, value and service or email:print@reproclinic.co.za

Ciao bellissimo, Suzy Q (of The Three Cinque Terrors!) xx