White Almond Sicily

“Travel from wartime Wales to sixties Sicily in this breath taking cross-generational saga about a daughter rocked by her family's secret"  One of the things I love about writing my Blog is some of the wonderful emails and messages I receive from all over the world. Last year I received a message from one of my lovely followers author Jan Baynham who explained that she would be travelling to Sicily with her daughter on holiday and also for research into her fourth novel. I was thrilled as I was already a fan of Jan's novels after she had previously recommended to me to read her second novel ‘Her Sisters Secret’ which ended in the Sicilian town of Messina. Fascinated by family secrets and "skeletons lurking in cupboards" Jan's dual narrative, dual timeline novels explore how decisions and actions made by family members from one generation impact on the rest of the next. Her first three novels look at the bond between mothers and daughters as well as forbidden ...

When in Sicily it is such a temptation to eat out in tempting trattorias and restaurants all the time but I also really do enjoy cooking in my Sicilian kitchen and trying new recipes. I have always loved Italian food and always dreamed of having a Mediterranean kitchen so when we bought our Sicilian home in 2007 finally I had the Mediterranean kitchen that I always dreamed of and it is an absolute pleasure to cook whilst looking out to the sea and I have my barbecue grill outside the door on the balcony which wafts amazing smells up to the roof terrace where my husband is hungrily waiting to eat.  I am not a chef I am a home cook and I have self taught myself through family and friends, cooking classes and recipes I discover online.  One of my favourite things to eat and something I am addicted to is   Salsiccia , Sicilian sausage.  If I had my way I would eat it every day and would probably end up looking like one. When my “adopted” Sicilian big brother came to stay...

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Sicily during World War II codenamed Operation Husky. There are many memorials and events taking place this year to commemorate those who fought in battle on the island.   The battle for Sicily is an extraordinary story ... The Allied Invasion of Sicily was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island in July 1943 and took control of Sicily from the Axis powers (Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It began with a large amphibious (by sea) and airborne operation, followed by a six week land campaign. The 38 day battle for Sicily was one of the most dramatic of the entire Second World War and the island acted as a strategic stepping stone to Hitler's fortress Europe.  To divert some of the Axis forces to other areas, the Allies engaged in several deception operations, the most famous and successful of which was Operation Mincemeat. Operation Husky began on the night of 9th/10th July 194...

My regular Blog followers will remember that in October 2021 Daisy and I headed to Syracuse on a Quest in Search of Indiana Jones after we found out that filming was in progress for the fifth instalment of the movie franchise in the Archaeological Park and at Castello Maniace. Sadly when we arrived we found out that we were a day too late and that the cast and crew had already moved on to the western side of Sicily. Boooooooo !!!! At that time we did not know much about the movie or its title although a time travel theme was suspected.  This weekend I finally went to the cinema in London to watch Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Were my suspicions of film locations and the story line as I anticipated?  Read on and find out …. *** Warning - Spoiler Alert *** Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is directed by James Mangold and features Harrison Ford reprising his role as Dr Indiana Jones plus a new cast including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas and Mads Mikkelsen....