No ‘Turtling’ Here!

Even in Sicily, Winter is upon us!

Although in Modica, while the night-time temperatures have dropped (between 2c and 7c for the next 10 days), the daily temperatures are quite good (between 13c and 17c), and it can certainly feel nicely mild, at least in the sunshine.
You’re aware I cultivate cactuses and succulents, but you may not be aware the majority aren't at all cold-tolerant, given most are from the southern USA, Mexico, and South America in some cases. Which is why my cactuses enter a state of 'dormancy' during these colder months ... while my succulents will also slow down their growth and water requirements during this period too.
They're 'turtling', as I call it.
Now I've found some people also appear to display the same behaviour? As in: They'll also 'turtle' during the colder months; staying indoors or, at the very least, limit their travels about the place to the barest minimum.
I, however (and we), refuse to do so! This is our fourth Winter here, and we simply refuse to curtail our 'outdoor activities' during this period of relative cold.
Why would we, and why should we? In many ways, it's the best time of the year to be out-and-about the place. There are few if any tourists about, which means we often have the places we visit to ourselves. Case In point: Beaches are often bereft of all but a few dog-walkers.
And, given the sunshine, why wouldn’t you want to go?

Friends Can Help...

We recently had friends come visit all the way from New Zealand.
Over 18,000 kilometres away ... and big ups for that! Alright, they did visit other places first of course, but still...
Why am I bringing this up? Well, it’s because ‘virgin visitors’ to your wee corner of the world f’sure bring out the dormant ‘tourist guide’ in you! And I, for one, delighted in playing said ‘tourist guide’ for three first-time Kiwis.

Those drystone walls...

Now, before they arrived, I’d drafted up (I always do for most anything!) a list of ‘must-see’, ‘may-see’ and ‘if’n we have time-see’ sights I reckoned they’d all be interested in. An action vindicated by the fact they at least seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves.
We took in the local sights first, of which Modica has many I’m happy to report, before branching out into the local countryside on excursions to 4,000-year-old burial sites, Byzantine-era cave-homes, and two nearby beaches! Then it was off on a road trip to the nearby ‘big city’ of Siracusa (Syracuse), for its Greek temple, medieval castle, sacred spring and so many churches.
The road trip itself also proved ‘educational’, as we were, after all, driving through the heart of the countryside to get there. Those drystone walls in our province are awesome!
While it was Winter, the weather god (that’s Zeus or Jupiter here) blessed us with cool and sometimes even warm, non-rainy days, which we were able to take maximum advantage of.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself!

Resigned

I’d been an Admin for the 596-member “Kiwis in Italy” Facebook page since last year.
This Facebook group being for those “Kiwis intending to be in Italy or partners / family members of potential Kiwis in Italy to swap stories, tips and support each other.” A worthy cause, and a well worthy group too, of course.

However, unfortunately (fortunately?), I had to let go because my “All Things Modica” Facebook page has really taken off! I created this page back in September 2023, and posted for the first time on the 15th September. Alice (naturally) was my very first subscriber/follower but, over the next four months, this grew exponentially to its current total of 51 ‘Likes’ and 70 ‘Followers’!
Updating this page daily now takes up a lot of time y’see ... as I set myself the (albeit self-inflicted) task of trolling through each-and-every local news website; other Modican (in Italian/Sicilian) Facebook groups; and even ‘stalk’ the Polizia Locale (Local Police) and the Sindica’s (Mayor’s) pages ... all to come to grips with what’s actually going on in my home city.
Why? Well, because I saw the so-obvious need for such a page, given the singular lack of anything like such a forum, in English, covering what’s happening in la mia bella città (my beautiful city): From a ‘local interest’ and ‘what’s on’ point of view.
It’s been both a journey and a revelation, I must say.
But one that I’ve been happy to make, given my wonderful audience!

More Soon...