Hi again, I'm back with more on my travels in Italy.

First, though, I have some exciting news to tell you!

I was awarded 4th prize overall in the Kiama Art Exhibition!

My awarded artwork 'Kite Flying'

This is one of the states most popular and well attended exhibitions, over 300 entries this year, so I was thrilled to receive an award plus some very appreciated prize money! This will come in very handy now that I quit my part time job to pursue my art career!

Now back to my travels; starting at Naples.....

Wed May 5.-Capri & Naples

 We hop on a boat and head for the Island of Capri - the sea is that amazing jade colour.

The Island has incredibly beautiful coves of translucent blues and greens-including the famous. 'Blue grotto'.

After getting off the boat we climb aboard a small mini bus and hang on for dear life as it hurtles up the narrow winding streets.

It is truly a beautiful place, we walk around the narrow, traffic free streets with our local guide, Leonardo. Visiting Piazza Victoria in Anacapri, Villa San Michele and viewed the majestic cliffs from the public gardens.

We stroll more streets and outside the numerous clothing shops women's cloths are displayed-gorgeous white linen trousers and blouses, Bright colours, scarves and hats.

 I buy my usual postcards Including one of two cats who live in the centre and are well known to all. I met them when I first got off the bus.

          Ian and some others go up the mountain on single chair lifts.

I'm not good with heights so I opt for coffee at a cafe with another lady from the tour group.

 I drink cappuccino and take more photos, admiring the geraniums in  terracotta pots scattered around the alfresco area.

 Later in the day,after more food, (awesome Pizza Margerite) we catch the mini bus back down the steep, narrow roads to the bay.

 Ian and I are horrified as we notice the bus driver is busy texting on his mobile phone whilst hurtling us at full speed down the hill!

 The road is so narrow it's barely able to accommodate traffic coming in the opposite direction. I say one of my many prayers on this trip and we arrive at the bottom in one piece!

To make up for being too scared to go on the chair lift I hop on a speed boat for a tour of a different kind - one with more speed but without the height!

The waves are a bit rough but I get into a kind of rhythm with the movement of the boat-actually it's a bit like riding a horse, at a gallop that is!' The wind in my hair, my sunglasses covered in salt spray, it is exhilarating.

We scoot in and out of the rocky alcoves enjoying the postcard scenery eventually returning to the pick up point for the boat back to Naples.

Well, I'll have more for you tomorrow, I've just arrived back from a weekend in Sydney.

Our kids bought us tickets to the Ben Hur spectacular and a night in a very nice Sydney hotel.

The show was fantastic, very well done. The sight of seven, 4 horse chariots racing around the ANZ Olympic stadium was quite breath taking! Magnificent animals!

Anyway, we'll talk more tomorrow, I have to go make dinner (back to the real world)!

Ciao for now

Liv