SURROUNDED

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In 2003 I holidayed in a Sicily for 2 months from the end of May. I used up about 5 small Notebooks with scribbles in the usual way. At the end of Notebook One on Tuesday 17 June I noted

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“had decided to walk from Geraci Siculo to Gangi at a little after 3pm and plotted an itiniery for next week – it was a really really lovely sunny afternoon – with breezes following or either to my left side. Portella dei Bifolchi as ever lovely to take a drink at, and then the lovely lovely grasses and wayside plants from there down to Bivio Geraci – really lovely - as ever. Then the walk from there to Gangi was lovely too – found many items of wayside ephemera I’ll try to utilise for Cards – including my 2nd “Route 66” packet. Time for a Notebook No. 2. What a lovely lovely walk in the sun and not the first one”.

I’d woken up on that Tuesday morning having slept on the old abandoned pizzeria patio below Geraci Siculo’s Castello, had made the above walk to Gangi and slept beyond the town’s eastern side (but well before Bivio Comunello) next to a big haystack in a field – very comfortable. I’d already slept at this spot for 3 nights between the 5th and 7th June. On the first night of this 3 day period, very nearby in the hedgerow of that haystack field a Nightingale sang and sang for hours and hours – it was incredible, the first Nightingale I had ever heard. Fantastic – hence the reference to a Gangi Nightingale in my 7th June 2003 poem “SO NICE TO BE BACK IN SICILY” (>see). -

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In that June I also made and posted several ephemeral home made "on the road" postcards to London friends. They’d included “SURROUNDED” and "ROUTE 66". For a fuller appreciation of the inspiration that helped to create this item of ON THE ROAD ephemera click on the following ROLLING STONES link >> “ROUTE 66”.
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Tomorrow - “YOU CANT DO MUCH BIZ WITH THE LIZ”.

GOBSMACKED! ANGLO-SICILIAN REFRESHERS.

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Just before noon on Sunday 23 June 1997 I arrived at BIVIO COMUNELLO (>see<) after the 3 mile walk from GANGI and after having amusingly photographed 2 contrasting road signs just yards apart – one warned against fires the other about “snowy road conditions”.. At Comunello I rested up for 4 hours. I ate 3 chicken pieces and a ham sandwich and also noted

“there was some breeze, tho’ the sun is very warm – also a few spots of rain! The water is running … my ankle is a bit sore – it’s a nuisance. Bag not too heavy but heavy all the same. Nice in the grasses under these small trees opposite the water point…that lovely goat was with the sheep and nearby, and a shepherd (a nice man). The sheep all ran off in a great pack along the Nicosia road – the shepherd had to run to keep up – they were all over the road. The goat was extraordinary – he’d
previously jumped down off the roof to land right beside me! He did it again a little later”.

I still remember him right by my side, he stood for a second or two kind of shook himself down then toodled off.

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I set off along the ST MAURO road to a small bivio intersection then forked right in the MISTRETTA direction and after about 3 miles rested up at GIOVANNI NAPOLI’s small wood where I slept the night. Next morning I went on at 8am towards MISTRETTA and a little before noon arrived at an intersection (ST LUCIA/ MISTRETTA) and rested up. Here I ate one or two thirst quenching REFRESHERs and for amusement wrote “ANGLO-SICILIAN REFRESHERS”.

I’d also bought REFRESHERS with me in July 1995. Walking north of ST MAURO towards POLLINA and the blue sea I popped a REFRESHER into my mouth and in that very same split second instant totally out of the blue a butterfly flew straight into my mouth along with the REFRESHER. I reacted absolutely immediately, spat out both, tasting a powdery residue on my lips which I took to have been deposited by the unfortunate butterfly. It had had pale blue wings. An enormously surprising event. GOBSMACKED indeed! GOBSMACKED by the BUTTERFLY and GOATSMACKED by you can easily guess who.

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Tomorrow - SURROUNDED!

"CHIROPO DI DOO DA".

CLICK on each image individually to ENLARGE detail. With the sun still rising the landscape photo was taken en route to BIVIO CALABRO with distant GERACI SICULO just visible.

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Here we re-locate across the wide beautiful valley below Geraci’ Siculo’s Contrada S. Antonio to visit BIVIO CALABRO (mentioned in passing in an earlier post >see< ). Always en route to ST MAURO CASTELVERDE from time to time I passed this way on a number of occasions. There was one particular CALABRO tree that I always liked to re-visit to take the shade and rest up under before making the demanding 6 mile (10 km) climb up to ST MAURO. Sometimes – as on this occasion – I had foot blisters to contend with hence CHIROPO DI DOO DA.

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NOTEBOOK (July 1st) - “….9.40am at Bivio Calabro – a really glorious morning … Geraci Siculo is immediately in view across from (this) bivio … new road sign says 10 km to St. M. …Now a knob of STALE bread, ham, water, new dressings (as necessary) to my tootsies (feet) then ’ey up and on we go – with a very modest Yo Ho Ho (all the way). A really lovely morning tho’. Scrumptious, gorgeous, The Knob and Ham was molto buono”. (I then wrote the verse “Chiropo Di Doo Da” ) and then noted “Depart 10.45am” and added a few more observations:
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“You certainly get the impression that the insects sense there is something new about and they’re curious and attracted and want to be around. That spider this morning … also that Shooting Star** – must follow-up back in London”.
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**I had just spent 2 days and nights on a hillside between Bivio’s Calabro and Comunello (>see<) at a spot that I’d so much enjoyed briefly visiting the previous year that I had named it “MY SICILIAN BEDROOM”. At the latter location I also wrote “IN LONDON IN LONDON” – about HEAVENS and SHOOTING STARS (>see<). I walked the non-stop up to St Mauro and Noted: “a really nice steady walk up compared to some years. Not any real hassle this time from “Guard Dogs””. (The latter dogs had tended to run out onto the road and bark and fiercely threaten etc.,).
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Tomorrow - GOBSMACKED ANGLO-SICILIAN REFRESHERS.

"BISHOP IN THE GRASSES"

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I wrote a postcard from Sicily (obviously not the above postcard) in late June 1997 to London friends. My message partly read: “am okay – a few lousey blisters but coping. Pretty hard going first few days – the last 9 kilometres up hill all the way. Knackered I was but I still overtook an Ant lugging a full ear of Corn!! Today a sad grass-hopper with no right leg …”.

The above mentioned one-legged grass-hopper was spotted in long luxuriant grasses at SELLA DEL CONTRASTO on the beautiful MISTRETTA / NICOSIA road (top 2 photographs) where I’d stopped under lovely trees to take some rest. I went on to stay 2 nights at LA VIGNETTA motel at Portelle – where at midnight I wrote BISHOP IN THE GRASSESS, photographed as above my VINO ROSSO prize blister, and having drunk wine also wrote “I’M ALL WINED UP!”

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Tomorrow - "Chiropo Di Doo Da" at Bivio Calabro.

SUPERMARKET CAR PARK

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At just 5 minutes walk from GERACI SICULO’s Bivio S. Giuseppe (>>see<<) we have a CONAD supermarket car park. From an exceptionally scenic point of view it certainly compares extremely favourably with London supermarket car park phenomina. Situated on the CONTRADA SAN ANTONIO mountain-side it provides a fabulously peaceful summertime vantage point from which to rest up, day dream and take in the beautiful landscaped countryside. Exit CONAD with a refreshment or two and sit relax and enjoy. With binoculars you can trace the distant peaceful lower road (SP 60) from BIVIO COMUNELLO (>>see<<) to where it eventually intersects at BIVIO CALABRO from where the options are to continue seawards (SP 60) or make the winding viaducted climb up (SP 52) to ST MAURO CASTELVERDE.
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TOMORROW – “BISHOP IN THE GRASSES” etc.,

IN SICILY "IN LONDON IN LONDON".

If you are (1) in love with London stupor-market Seven-til-Eleven shopping and (2) endless crowds and (3) absolutely adore light pollution take this warning to heart "don't plonk yourself down on a Madonie wide-open-to-the-sky hillside along the Bivio Comunello / St Mauro road or you'll truly miss out". On the other hand do do so if you like nature and peaceful starry nights.

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Tomorrow - "SUPERMARKET CAR PARK".

"I CALL TO MY SOCKS" - BIVIO COMUNELLO.

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Departing GERACI SICULO with it's "premier class" free hotel accommodation (previous post) we now showcase tranquillo BIVIO COMUNELLO an oft re-visited homely spot 3 miles east of GANGI. In recent years it has become a little less accessible with extra fencing introduced but earlier visits there were extremely homely. Set in beautiful countryside it was a staging point for destinations such as St Mauro Castelverde, Mistretta and locations even further afield namely Nicosia, Cerami, Capizzi, Troina, Cesaro. With open accessible drinkable water and local herds of visiting sheep and/or goats BIVIO COMUNELLO had additional attractions. There were small trees to take shelter beneath from the blazing sun and upon which socks freshly washed could be hung. About 2 miles away towards St Mauro a small road viaduct came in very useful for overnights or if the weather deteriorated and Giovanni Napoli’s small peaceful accessible woodland lay a mile or two (albeit up-hill) further on along towards MISTRETTA.

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For Madonie Region map locations information click >here<.

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For the FULL chronological list of all SICILY ABLAZE pages click >> here <<.

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Tomorrow - "IN LONDON IN LONDON" - in SICILY!!