.... is blinkin' taters in Suffolk, so the call which saw me swiftly departing the fix for Naples, was very welcome.

As the sun rose over Vesuvius the next morning, the cable-laying barge was in place ready for us Magneteers to get on with the job. We had 27km of cable to process which ordinarily would take about seven or eight days but the Italians don't seem to be in so much of a rush as the rest of us so ten days in temperatures of 14°C was a welcome interlude.

In my wanderings I spotted another plant on the beach below our loading jetty which I hope Mike, my botanist reader from Western Australia, will identify for me.

Early one evening, I noticed a light moving across the bay towards our station. I'm not sure what these fishermen were after but the chap standing on the prow had a five-pronged harpoon which would have made a mess of a passing Turbot; squid or eels perhaps?

The Gulfo di Pozzuoli. That's Pozzuoli on the left and in the right conditions as you pan right, Capri would come into view just ahead of where the barge is anchored at the end of the jetty. It was odd but, all around us there were thunder storms and rain while our little bay remained sunny and clear for the most part.

I had my railway moment with a snap of the station at Arco Felicé.

And on the way home, we stopped in Milan as the sun was setting.

I nearly forgot to mention something about cars - we had some fun getting this 1908 Swift started before I went away but I regret to say that I still haven't been out in the Hillman this year as there's still too much salt on the roads and it won't be the last of it either at the rate the temperature is dropping.

And here's something interesting: http://www.oldtimerdaglelystad.nl/nieuws/item/691-een-unieke-austin-7-special