We’re in Rome! Well actually no, we aren’t, but before I go on about that let me just bring you up to speed ...

As many of you are no doubt (ahem) aware, we (18U) are proud members of the World Health Organizations Violence Prevention Alliance, and this, in short, means that every year or so I get sent against my will (no, really!) to another country, so far I have waved our flag in America and Switzerland, and every time I go I do a daily diary (that’s what this is).

The meeting this year is in Rome; Italy, and both Laurie and I are attending (also Sandra Hutton is here). But I digress, so! In my usual format, here we go –


The Journey and Day 1 –

Were uneventful to be honest, Laurie and I stayed up all night on Saturday (Sandra slept for a couple) as we had to leave at 3AM for our 630AM flight.

We caught the plane, and Laurie got her bag of sandwiches through security, we landed, found our hire car, and drove to our villa –



- which is amazing and we love it, Sandra and I swam in the pool,



we ate –



- (food supplies by a local wedding lol -

, and were in bed by 630PM lol!


Day 2 –

We were up for 9AM I was ready in 2 minutes due to the fact that I have no hair and by my reckoning I didn’t need to shower seeing as I had been swimming the previous evening (which was ace as I hate showering), and so after left over pizza and kebab for breakfast we were all ready to hit the road. –
- Where the first thing I did was steal some oranges off an actual orange tree! -



Our first port of call was a supermarket nearby, where after a LOT of messing about trying to figure out what weird food stuff was what, and the staff telling me off twice for picking up my own vegetables, we got what we needed and are now stocked for the next 3 days.

We took the food back to our villa and once again hit the road, this time bound for Pompei.

We drove for around 2 hours, stopped once for a bull at a service station, where I tried to ask the non English speaking checkout lady for sunscreen using various rubbing gestures and she directed me to the bathroom. We also stood outside for a minute watching an argument between an American and a 1 ball in 3 cups (ye right) Italian hustler with a fist full of American dollars, as we were watching the Italians all disappeared, table and all, in 2 seconds flat, right before a police car pulled up, I swear they were like cockroaches when the light goes on! And all they left was a confused, rather skint, American man looking more than a little bewildered!

So anyway after 245 ish kilometres of confusing toll charges and me shouting random words at crazy drivers (foccacio, for example) we reached Pompei.

Now iv been itching to visit old Pompei for some time now, and was even planning last year to ride my motorbike down here to see it, so I was REALLY looking forward to visiting, but, this is what I thought of it –



- boring and commercial, but worth seeing. laurie and sandra liked it -



OH! Before I forget! At one of the toll booths a strange man came over and offered me a teenie wee guitar for 20 Euros! (which I got for 10 + groans from Hutton lol) so was really happy! –



- until –



- broke a string during tuning

And that’s where I am now, sitting in our patio bit with wine and the radio, letting a delicious Italian meal settle, feeling great for my 50 lenghs in the pool despite the rain, typing this!

We are going to actually attempt Rome tomorrow, choi till then!


PS how great is it that I am now able to get pictures up here too? Very great! Just a pity I haven’t had any of my usual mishaps to amuse you all (see previous diaries), well, so far anyway!

just a quick note, the net in our villa is down so iv had to drive miles and have found a little place full o scallywags and graffiti, where im sitting now wive my expensive laptop, great,

anyway point is il write a diary thing every day but will have to post them as i can, il take a pic of this place so you can see how smelly it is, as long as no one then steals my camera il get the pics up with todays diary when i can,,

peace and love

K

heey so glad you're enjoying yourself . you look like you are and the palce with the internet it cant be that bad can it?? x

HAHAHA! I was saying to jerri yesterday i was wondering if you were going to do your daily diary but we figured you would have already posted if you were going to do it. There was bits in there that made me totally laugh out loud, (im getting funny looks from susan) and the pictures are totally ace! Gutting about your guitar though. If i knew how to post pictures then i would post one of Irene now as she looks like a stroke victim after her trip to the dentist for her cracked front tooth (BOOHOO) lol but for some reason instead of just her mouth being paralysed - the whole side of her body seems to be too! I know your bored now cos i just spoke to you but work isnt nearly as much fun without you and laurie causing some chaos or other. Maybe you should watch hannah montana the movie to cheer you up, it certainly did the trick for me last night :) looking forward to more daily diary and you guys getting back to work! x

ye its meant to have net, i fixed it now so hopefully be ok, lol theres nothing wrong with rome/italy/our villa i just dont like being out of dundee! lol

ha ha katy! remind me when i get back il show you how, tis easy dear silly girl, tis easy!