My sister Debra enjoyed herself so much when she visited last November that she returned for another week, this time with her good friend Karen.

They certainly chose a great week for the weather which meant plenty of time for relaxing on the beach here in Marina di Ragusa, though they couldn't be tempted to dip their toes in the water.

The week whizzed by with visits to Scicli, Ragusa Ibla, Modica and Syracusa where we enjoyed another pilgrimage to our favourite deli for taster sandwiches, fresh local tuna from the market that we casseroled the same night, a visit to our favourite wine shop to order some boxes to be picked up next week, a visit to see the beautiful Caravaggio painting of St. Lucie and then a wander around the Archeological park where Debra just had to knock some lemons off a tree to take home - breaking a fence in the process (well, it was half broken already obviously by someone else trying to do the same thing!).

Karen did a fanastic job of negotiating the Sicilian way of driving and eventually gave up looking out of the rear-view window because it was just too scary to see a car just centimetres behind you, inching forward to overtake.

All too soon the week was over and they flew back to reality but with colour in their cheeks and with their waistlines only a little expanded!

Come again soon.