tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36952843454134291032024-03-16T20:51:02.052+02:00Liz & Keith In CorfuLiz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-40679580265901955552014-06-24T16:43:00.000+03:002014-06-24T16:43:46.068+03:00Wild Wood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>"....High tide - mid afternoon<br />
People fly by in the traffics boom<br />
Knowing - just where you're blowing<br />
Getting to where you should be going......"<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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With the summer season in full swing, the temperature is
rising and many of our friends are turning up in San Stefanos for holidays; including
Enid and John from Preston and Dee and Paul Woodruff from Lancaster (‘Woodie’ to his friends).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Woodie and Dee stay in San Stefanos for a few weeks and then
go to Kalami for a few weeks.
It was their recommendation that got Keith the superb gig in Cocktails
and Dreams in Kalami, so we took them with us to the Tuesday night gig! Half way through the gig, Woodie was ‘persuaded’
to get up and sing! ‘Reluctantly’ he did, and with a great rock’n’roll
performance he went down a storm!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">\Woodie being great fun as always</td></tr>
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Enid and John have visited us in San Stefanos for the last 4
years and have completely fallen in love with the place! And they have made many friends here, whilst
staying at the <a href="http://www.romanzahotel.com/">Romanza Hotel</a></div>
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We always try to go out walking with them at least once
during their holiday. We (Keith) had
planned to do the 17k walk to Paleokastritsa with them but the weather suddenly turned hot and we opted to revisit
the Sidari walk, a mere 7k!</div>
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At 9.30am prompt, five went forth to walk to Sidari.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keith, Sue, John and Enid</td></tr>
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Leaving Liz in charge of the village and on
standby to do an emergency pick up; if
(a) anyone couldn't complete the walk, (b)
the ferry home wasn't running or (c) too long had been spent in the various
pit stops along the way, resulting in missing the ferry or being too drunk to
be allowed on board! Liz reluctantly
agreed to stay at home and put her phone next to the bed and retired to her
office!<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Coincidentally, the first people we saw at the start of our
walk, were Woodie and Dee on their balcony,<br />
catching some early sunshine before
their own adventures with a beach buggy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woodie and Dee travel in style</td></tr>
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After exchanging a few pleasantries, we trekked up into the steep olive
groves above the village. At this time
of year there is still lush vegetation everywhere and plenty of wild life to
spot and photograph.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful olive grove</td></tr>
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Up in the olive grove an Eco-friendly house is being built
and since last summer significant progress has been made in completing the
structure made out of mud, recycled materials and a wattle and daub principle
of rendering. We scrambled down to take
a closer look and some of the ingenious art and glass work used in the
construction. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After an uphill hike we arrived in Avilotes and meandered
the quaint and interesting back streets, viewing parts of the village tourists
seldom see, which is largely unspoilt or changed by modern life or
tourism. Stopping by the local chemist
in Avilotes, we again bumped into Woodie and Dee, now with their beach buggy; a
few more pleasantries exchanged and onward again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doing her washing on a scrub board in the garden</td></tr>
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We walked on to Peroulardes
for lunch, firstly taking a detour through the village to visit the Lagos
beach resort with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/7thHeavenCafe">The 7th Heaven Cafe Sunset Bar</a>'s spectacular viewing
platform!</div>
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It was
a must have photo opp for John and Enid but as we turned round to leave, who
should we bump into? Yep Woodie and Dee,
looking very chilled, sitting at a table drinking cocktails!<o:p></o:p></div>
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We headed off back through the village towards Yiannis
Taverna for lunch; passing houses festooned with colourful window boxes /old
feta tins / and pots with an array of bright flowers and coloured grasses. And of course during our very pleasant lunch
stop we saw Woodie and Dee ‘flying’ past
in the buggy and into the distance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We followed lunch by visiting a must see café neon with an
enchanted garden, one of Keith and Sue’s discoveries; it is an oasis of wild
plants and flowers in a garden constructed in the shell of a old collapsed
building. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The next section of the walk is the hardest, up the long
long hill to Cape Drasis ........<br />
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<br />
......for the most magnificent views of the coast and the
beautiful blue/green waters in the cape.
Again many flowers and butterflies around, also an abundance of ‘critters’,
either locust, grasshopper or crickets about the size of a cigarette packet.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is a walk that Keith and Sue often do during the summer,
as an organised day out for tourists for <a href="http://www.san-stefano.gr/">San Stefano Travel</a> and this was the trial first outing of the
year. We had some reservations about
whether the paths may not have all been cleared yet, and as it turned out we
were right to be concerned. The path we
needed down to Canal d’amour was completely overgrown with long grass, and brambles, so using
some local land marks and John’s in built sense of direction we followed
a farm track, arriving on the main road ½ a mile up from our expected arrival point In Sidari for a well-earned
beer stop.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then a quick trek across the ‘smelly bridge’ and the beach,
to the harbour just as the ferry arrived.
We were greeted warmly by Nikos the boat captain and seconds later we
were on our way home with some spectacular views of the walk we had just
done. We phoned Liz on route and she was
waiting quayside as we disembarked and ran us all home, enough walking for one
day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEV0NNBlTk-P48MgEw0xvjEwv3sc9lfl0RmYBOA6-3PCQ_vm3k5endsPeMpoY0uT6MwbXR9y5Qe82nYbirJ-miwWITeQ_hQLrQiJBHv78KJ9_W94JGEGmVCjw0kFE_OCaReY7LvWSPjGS/s1600/SAM_2016+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEV0NNBlTk-P48MgEw0xvjEwv3sc9lfl0RmYBOA6-3PCQ_vm3k5endsPeMpoY0uT6MwbXR9y5Qe82nYbirJ-miwWITeQ_hQLrQiJBHv78KJ9_W94JGEGmVCjw0kFE_OCaReY7LvWSPjGS/s1600/SAM_2016+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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As we pulled into the harbour, on board a boat next to the ferry berth, two
guys were making steaks from a large
freshly caught monster fish, using what
seemed like a hacksaw, a priceless’ living in Greece’ moment. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RipBXxmT2PCMl9vliGHW4Em4ziRMRiviZ4TVil1VqBD1DgL_Z_FCrQDfH8JpEu2sRJTbetiRlNoqcuhDhORFV0BEUSyUA5JnGb8JDm_6Us4jB2N5HH1J3obAKVH6R2YusfYcZ7pO37HJ/s1600/SAM_2018+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RipBXxmT2PCMl9vliGHW4Em4ziRMRiviZ4TVil1VqBD1DgL_Z_FCrQDfH8JpEu2sRJTbetiRlNoqcuhDhORFV0BEUSyUA5JnGb8JDm_6Us4jB2N5HH1J3obAKVH6R2YusfYcZ7pO37HJ/s1600/SAM_2018+(2).jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvy5WKqwHA2Uv0Z3sCslIbbfB209ae3w3kOiLC4tu_qqdWgJsJ8L2otyYlteD9LUtBJbv2XGGBd4IN-uL5nuA6hHsZ8zsssxkuhhiRyB6ng5-KhH-LLOwOHnB1Nm8pVIT67-hQ-nMpqVf/s1600/SAM_2019+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvy5WKqwHA2Uv0Z3sCslIbbfB209ae3w3kOiLC4tu_qqdWgJsJ8L2otyYlteD9LUtBJbv2XGGBd4IN-uL5nuA6hHsZ8zsssxkuhhiRyB6ng5-KhH-LLOwOHnB1Nm8pVIT67-hQ-nMpqVf/s1600/SAM_2019+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Many people come to Corfu for the walking and there are various
resources and marked out walks to do. </div>
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Here
are some useful links:-<o:p></o:p><br />
<a href="http://www.thecorfutrail.com/">The Corfu Trail.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.arillas.com/trail">The Arillas Trail</a><br />
<a href="http://www.corfucastaway.com/seriouswalks.htm">Corfu Castaway Serious Walks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.corfuwalks.com/">The Complete Book of Corfu Walks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.corfuvillages.eu/">Corfu Villages</a><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">......Back
home, a quick siesta, then I sent Keith off to his gig in Roda … well he says
he’s not on holiday!</span> </o:p><br />
<o:p><br /></o:p>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>".....You're gonna find your way out - of the wild wild wood<br />
Said you're gonna find you way out - of the wild
wild WOODIE!….."</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-30897790257176406572014-06-07T17:50:00.001+03:002014-06-07T20:14:57.732+03:00Distant Sun.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="color: blue;">"....When your seven worlds collide<br />
Whenever I
am by your side<br />
And dust from a distant sun<br />
Will shower over everyone....."</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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As we settle down into our work routine it’s nice to take a
day out and do something completely different, and last week we had a day off! We
took our local friends Keith and Sue to the airport, as they were flying back
to the UK for a quick family visit and to collect their car and drive it back
to Corfu. Coincidentally on the same
morning our friends from Preston, Lynda and Steve, who are on a Mediterranean
cruise, arrived in Corfu Town for the day as part of their itinerary.<o:p></o:p></div>
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On our way to the airport, we made our usual pit stop at the
Emeral bakery, which is the best pit stop/ coffee shop/ transport café you’ll
ever visit here. All the world calls in there,
either on a lunch/coffee break or to pick up sandwiches/cakes/pastries or a delicious
ice cream treat, it’s also a fabulous people watching location.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We had arranged to meet Lynda and Steve at midday on the
Liston. We arrived in town early knowing
it was a bank holiday and celebration day, some of the main roads were closed
due to the processions being held around the Liston and sea front areas, but
with a bit of skill and local knowledge we have picked up over the years, Keith
managed to steer us via some back streets to the old port. Parking was difficult because of the bank
holiday and all the car parks were only letting the parade ‘band’ members park.
Luckily we found one small space just
outside the car park and in any other city we would've been causing an
obstruction and had the car towed away but when Keith asked a policeman if it
was OK, he just shrugged, nodded and walked away, so we took it as a yes! We abandoned the car and set off on foot through the streets of Corfu Town to the Liston.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit and veg shop - Corfu Town</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was ‘Unification Day’; marking the unification of the
Seven Ionian Islands with Greece in
1864. You’d have thought the Corfiots would be ruing such an event, in the
current circumstances; however the streets were full of marching bands, local dignitaries
and thousands of tourists, all in all a great atmosphere, not quite like the
Easter celebrations we witnessed last year but a great sense of occasion.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAe0HYQj4gGqw_WQdj6xOTv_naf-lhalxf65D7YiD_dqMUrv63XNIjdt5svHmxb8zp6L1a7GBCzARz_VCs0eEeAaPF-IafMCvR66PKSpj3Nhi_HhaV3ex4MBJGWoeb0tL9hqhBMgzvGmj/s1600/SAM_4767+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAe0HYQj4gGqw_WQdj6xOTv_naf-lhalxf65D7YiD_dqMUrv63XNIjdt5svHmxb8zp6L1a7GBCzARz_VCs0eEeAaPF-IafMCvR66PKSpj3Nhi_HhaV3ex4MBJGWoeb0tL9hqhBMgzvGmj/s1600/SAM_4767+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIwKRTbKdkSLoH5MJvZCaSZ0vSbEtZqs2cTSkpueGE-dT15q8ol9eKtgMuWCm07MaGU7P_L0zj2isG1rCryQ_2Kvy0BbM9JCSMyFr9S5t385yKQWOHWVFRO-kBP_GZV2q5AwQciaLCOiI/s1600/SAM_4764+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIwKRTbKdkSLoH5MJvZCaSZ0vSbEtZqs2cTSkpueGE-dT15q8ol9eKtgMuWCm07MaGU7P_L0zj2isG1rCryQ_2Kvy0BbM9JCSMyFr9S5t385yKQWOHWVFRO-kBP_GZV2q5AwQciaLCOiI/s1600/SAM_4764+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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There was one point when local MPs /officials/high ranking
clergy, walked through the main street flanked by paparazzi and police armed
bodyguards, followed by hundreds of scouts and guides, it was a scene straight
out of the Godfather movies!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5x5yD8fhKsPalZf7kFJIiRi2GkFsP33ItBUNJC-1EwQU3qL48cXZg1lNL6nZKimDwwxyFjZOk3YQVN81mjgHhOSg2K4oYZB5uKwg0-oWTDU6mYIJVilaDHjRpTdLc0Y-SaxE13wAPaPZz/s1600/SAM_4769+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5x5yD8fhKsPalZf7kFJIiRi2GkFsP33ItBUNJC-1EwQU3qL48cXZg1lNL6nZKimDwwxyFjZOk3YQVN81mjgHhOSg2K4oYZB5uKwg0-oWTDU6mYIJVilaDHjRpTdLc0Y-SaxE13wAPaPZz/s1600/SAM_4769+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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We met Lynda & Steve on the edge of all this chaos in a café on the Liston, and after a quick planning meeting over a cheeky red wine
and ouzo meze we decided we should explore out of town because it was so
crowded. Lynda & Steve have stopped
off in Corfu a couple of times before and we wanted to try and show them
something of the island they wouldn't get by following a tour guide off the
ship!<o:p></o:p></div>
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This time we went out of town and up to Kaisers Throne. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlUrosF-tT1Zj78k55FruyMS3Mbqy_IXu3k7PZcXnN8lm3T1hJSJIOqWgd1BtaASsg6SmoTK0KxaRXVOWubcfy0gC8jJugy4kmbFprGzP7apcy13tJM_k6GwlTtqVJFSGfgbZfntYSsPt/s1600/SAM_4770+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlUrosF-tT1Zj78k55FruyMS3Mbqy_IXu3k7PZcXnN8lm3T1hJSJIOqWgd1BtaASsg6SmoTK0KxaRXVOWubcfy0gC8jJugy4kmbFprGzP7apcy13tJM_k6GwlTtqVJFSGfgbZfntYSsPt/s1600/SAM_4770+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keith, Lynda and Steve</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A place of interesting history and some of
the best views of the middle of the island, dominated by the 2 huge cruise
ships anchored at the port in Corfu Town.
Between 1908 and the first world war, Kaiser Wilhelm II spent his
summers at Achillion Palace but his favourite location was the village of
Pelekas. It’s not difficult to understand why. Standing at his ‘throne’ you have a 360 degree
panoramic view of the island and one of the most impressive sunsets.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kaiser's Throne</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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After a few photo opportunities we came back down to the
small town of Pelekas for lunch. The location of one of my all time favourite films, the 1964 film Zorba The Greek,
starring Anthony Quinn! Across the road from the taverna is a blue and white
painted old 2<sup>nd</sup> WW mine which featured in the film!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pelekas now</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anthony Quinn 1964</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigoUSfvyLEMvhSNf3kj-lW9P_o8skRNtXm91skz-msWTRscF_rkEFIiPD9WLYI2_ztnH6DD3FhkFudIdVN9xc4-RQetI2e1vMnX1k4IKt3mfCDTMIRn2SOgu0PXyaeSKpCN2y_Sx8SxFy3/s1600/zorba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigoUSfvyLEMvhSNf3kj-lW9P_o8skRNtXm91skz-msWTRscF_rkEFIiPD9WLYI2_ztnH6DD3FhkFudIdVN9xc4-RQetI2e1vMnX1k4IKt3mfCDTMIRn2SOgu0PXyaeSKpCN2y_Sx8SxFy3/s1600/zorba.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
After a pleasant lunch we still had some time on our hands before
they had to be back on board no later than 5pm.
We checked the map and satnav and decided we could do a quick trip to Paleokastritsa; ½ hour later we were sat on the waterfront
in Paleo, beer in hand, basking in beautiful sunshine, watching people jumping
on and off boats and swimming in the sea, which could only be icy water at this time of year. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYk6-n_Mpf_hVo2QEeSIPj9BPCTlv3Ok4iFjxaTyvua6tIYjdpZAl93MqZ51tynR3pz_QS6UJCFx4Qz_nIsyiHV-jz9MMIRTZekr6be9CFcLfjqo2IeFEBt8gDH3dMURSqAJ4McFLblWPC/s1600/SAM_4780+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYk6-n_Mpf_hVo2QEeSIPj9BPCTlv3Ok4iFjxaTyvua6tIYjdpZAl93MqZ51tynR3pz_QS6UJCFx4Qz_nIsyiHV-jz9MMIRTZekr6be9CFcLfjqo2IeFEBt8gDH3dMURSqAJ4McFLblWPC/s1600/SAM_4780+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palio Bay</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6K6P6VMae57UgUD1rhxAABkaaF0hIgomlYvWDnIyu_14mFTh7Z4RoPxVdsWk33ZySZB2rZvnoviAV44QTxZMFgIx8qnTpJwPr6ZztY5MbCUMPswwrEvjDahyphenhyphenbc1pctg8hTNcyF4gXRcN/s1600/SAM_4783+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6K6P6VMae57UgUD1rhxAABkaaF0hIgomlYvWDnIyu_14mFTh7Z4RoPxVdsWk33ZySZB2rZvnoviAV44QTxZMFgIx8qnTpJwPr6ZztY5MbCUMPswwrEvjDahyphenhyphenbc1pctg8hTNcyF4gXRcN/s1600/SAM_4783+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fixing the windows on the submarine in Palio</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Beer drunk and no time for souvenir shopping, we piled back
into the car and returned our guests back to their ship! We made our way home leisurely via the east
coast taking in Ipsos, Kalami, Kassiopi and Roda en-route.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We are now looking forward to our next day off, which will
be this Monday, 3 weeks since our last one and Keith’s first night off since 22<sup>nd</sup>
May!<br />
(Keith made me put this.... I think he is looking for some sympathy?) (*shrug*)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corfu flowers in May</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">.....You're still so young to travel so far<br />
Old enough to know who you are<br />
Wise enough to carry the scars<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">When your seven worlds collide……</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-35960332664328699382014-05-24T16:12:00.000+03:002014-05-24T20:28:21.355+03:00'Guitar Man'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="color: blue;">........“Who draws the crowd and plays so loud? Baby it’s the guitar man”</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Last week we went out and about knocking on doors for
gigs, as is our custom every season. Although
we arrive hoping that all the places that booked Keith last year will be doing
the same again this year, the reality is that nothing is certain. Sometimes the
owners have changed, bars have closed down or it’s too early in the season etc.
With all of this in mind, we drove over to visit a couple of last year’s venues
in Acharavi and Kassiopi and finished up in Kalami on the North East coast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">We had stayed overnight here last year with Paddy & Lorraine
and Woodie & Dee and had been recommended to try one of Woodie’s favourite
watering holes “Cocktails & Dreams” as a venue and </span></span><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">unknown</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> to us they had
been recommended Keith as an act for their bar!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Keith and Sue had joined us on our gig hunting
trip out, so we also had a wander round Kalami, and a spot of lunch and a
beer. Kalami is a beautiful, peaceful, getaway which maintains its Greek
character.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A former fishing village
nestling between the sea and a mountain backdrop of olive and pine trees which
has 3 tavernas, 3 cocktail bars, 3 minimarkets and 2 gift shops.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The sheltered beach is covered in white shiny
pebbles and is a perfect spot for a swim in the stunningly clear water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here a white two-storied house on a rocky
promontory was for several years the home of Lawrence Durrell and his Wife
Nancy. Lawrence, (brother of Gerald – ‘My family and other animals) poet and
novelist, is the well-known author of</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> Prospero's Cell and several other books which have Corfu settings as their background. In
this same house Henry Miller, perpetrator of Tropic of Cancer, was Durrell's
guest during the summer of 1939.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Kalami has also been used as a James Bond
location, in ‘For your eyes only’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We called into the hotel bar, Cocktails and
Dreams, to negotiate the gig for the following Tuesday. Then we had a delicious, leisurely lunch at the
Thomas Taverna on the beach.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tuesday soon came around and it turned out to be Keith’s
first gig of the season. Which, as a new venue, in a new location, plus a new
song sheet, it could have been tricky. But
as usual, Keith set up, plugged in and played for 2 ½ hours, with loads of
requests and CDs sold at the end of the gig!
Despite a thunderstorm at the start of the gig, a good proportion of the
audience were outside dancing on the terracing in front of the bar, a cracking
1<sup>st</sup> night!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On Sunday nights Keith has negotiated another lovely new
venue, “Nino’s on the Beach” which is a hotel in Roda.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s a small family run hotel with a large
bar and dining area. Run by Nino and his son Danny. It has the benefit of being
independent, so unlike a Thomson hotel, they don’t have mass changeover days and
they also have regular guests who return year upon year. As the name suggests
it is on the sea front which will provide superb sunsets whilst Keith plays a
chill out set for the guests during their evening meal!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We have always liked Roda, it was the first place we stayed
on our very first visit to Corfu in 1998, at the Coral Hotel. It’s an old fishing village on the North West
coast and a small, friendly, family beach resort; which is mostly used by
British tourists. There is a pretty sandy beach and you can walk all along the
sea front to Acharavi which is close by. The original town has developed, but you still
see locals continuing their traditional everyday life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Keith’s first gig there went really well, more Cd’s were
sold and they have asked him to do 2 gigs a week all season, Sundays and
Wednesdays.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now, a week later, The Athens Bar gigs have started every
Saturday night, unless there is a football match on the TV or a wedding (which
there will be next week) This is Keith’s 8<sup>th</sup> season playing in this
bar and it’s our favourite and our local gig, so Keith has been flexible. So far it’s been 1x Saturday, 1x Friday, and
2 x Mondays in this month’s schedule! Keith has also secured a bar in Acharavi
and a hotel in Sidari every week, so it’s keeping him out of mischief! But I’m still not convinced he’s not on
holiday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;"> ........<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Something keeps him going miles and miles a day to find
another place to play”</span></span></b><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-21830675207393367822014-05-12T22:20:00.003+03:002014-05-13T00:38:37.359+03:00Run for home.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">"....I've travelled the land with a guitar in my hand</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">And an eye ever open for some fun......"</span></b></span></div>
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Hello world…… after a hectic and sometimes stressful winter
in the UK, we are now back on the tranquil island of Corfu. We have been here for 10 days now and feel completely
chilled, leaving all our worries from our UK winter behind us.</div>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our journey here was just as eventful and interesting as
previous years. Since the ferry has
stopped sailing from Venice to Corfu a few years ago we have varied the route
on our road trip to Corfu. This year we sailed
P&O from Hull to Rotterdam, then drove through Holland, Germany, Austria,
Slovenia and Italy. We have visited and
explored bits of these countries before except Slovenia. We had 2 overnight stops in Heidelberg with family;
Paul & Milena, warmly welcomed us as always and treated us to a now familiar
traditional meal with the seasonal asparagus washed down with German beer.
Wonderful as ever!<o:p></o:p></div>
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We left Heidelberg at 9am after we stocked up in a German
wholefood supermarket with enough food and drinks for our 26 hour ferry
crossing. As our ferry didn't sail to
Igoumanitsa (Greek mainland) till 6am, we had plenty of time. We drove
leisurely through the scenic countryside of Germany and Austria to Slovenia to
visit Ljubljana for a few hours of sightseeing before a quick hop over the border
into Italy to Trieste. It was well worth
the detour, the capital of Slovenia is a beautiful city on the river, with many
ancient land mark buildings, beautiful shops and pavement cafes and bars.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Ljubljana</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We arrived in the city just as it was going dark, managed to
park in a 24 hour underground car park in the heart of the old town and walked
out into a beautiful park/square surrounded on 3 sides by old buildings. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2smBcCnBcxwIoHmvgPx4HxybbIQ8g0sXqDenn8iYSiUpuMrseijRXRdmfc5MEYwKUvhBGBK88ky-2YfnnkHL8Dak5hZDEhuZI05s61ncIaEfTYXbleKsWNHdicXgX5xuQZGIGBgTLTJTw/s1600/SAM_4679+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2smBcCnBcxwIoHmvgPx4HxybbIQ8g0sXqDenn8iYSiUpuMrseijRXRdmfc5MEYwKUvhBGBK88ky-2YfnnkHL8Dak5hZDEhuZI05s61ncIaEfTYXbleKsWNHdicXgX5xuQZGIGBgTLTJTw/s1600/SAM_4679+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Ljubljana</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We walked to the river 100 metres away and
crossed one of the 5 ornate bridges situated in the heart of the town. On both sides of the river there were
cafes/bars/restaurants and as it was going dark all the prominent buildings and
bridges were illuminated to further highlight the stunning architecture. We walked through tiny winding cobbled
streets around the area, spoilt for choice of outdoor bars, which were filling
up rapidly, as people settled down to watch the champions’ league semi-final
between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid on the large tv’s that seemed to spring
up outside every bar. We sat down and
soaked up the atmosphere, and the local wine and beers for a couple of hours. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHav1XSOL5NPPSJRC0fI9t_WWVHkpniZTKUWMGyvwjYrdfrq-P7_VQ4TWkcNPSFatmYHEXL89UmDxWwfqPwFcRQQKRShl_ilbxjUjMxuMovf37n_BN2hD3w8XymNOqlNWNEidtsx_insM/s1600/SAM_4686+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHav1XSOL5NPPSJRC0fI9t_WWVHkpniZTKUWMGyvwjYrdfrq-P7_VQ4TWkcNPSFatmYHEXL89UmDxWwfqPwFcRQQKRShl_ilbxjUjMxuMovf37n_BN2hD3w8XymNOqlNWNEidtsx_insM/s1600/SAM_4686+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Ljubljana</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23gO2W95Ffgl6s0CFaPm7_SHt1paN1Qm1EqBKzglyuudU6dlKRfeT5r1MwRYoKXMkOmJZZylaQRrYEP9WgznbqNc66fnPY0pXss6FCXjaahDs6YNDls1gCzU5WKWgpND270t-arCxAgeU/s1600/SAM_4691+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23gO2W95Ffgl6s0CFaPm7_SHt1paN1Qm1EqBKzglyuudU6dlKRfeT5r1MwRYoKXMkOmJZZylaQRrYEP9WgznbqNc66fnPY0pXss6FCXjaahDs6YNDls1gCzU5WKWgpND270t-arCxAgeU/s1600/SAM_4691+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Ljubljana</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlsLSrUWS9eBpAy-JZRvThB7h1Ln6wjZfq9X0mnn_qsrpwRxnv0MEDhZkS72VKdNOh0SBsrZJHNO8b2eNbpTPk2A2dQvAB-ke0veiBX60AufHGqe53PdMNtsG5bB5Lx3kgzpd60Uvpthd/s1600/SAM_4692+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlsLSrUWS9eBpAy-JZRvThB7h1Ln6wjZfq9X0mnn_qsrpwRxnv0MEDhZkS72VKdNOh0SBsrZJHNO8b2eNbpTPk2A2dQvAB-ke0veiBX60AufHGqe53PdMNtsG5bB5Lx3kgzpd60Uvpthd/s1600/SAM_4692+(2).jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Ljubljana</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vtP_NRBmcgGP_SR2n7Hd5YMumMnh6oCnyuY7KTD82OzApi_fSRE2dr1avN8pZNCOlnKYtvdsB1Upq3B6D0BS_nvkLEnYFdO9orM3W1bF5LVScMFnYy1AZm9smdzMTNs_7iDlXte0BE__/s1600/SAM_4697+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vtP_NRBmcgGP_SR2n7Hd5YMumMnh6oCnyuY7KTD82OzApi_fSRE2dr1avN8pZNCOlnKYtvdsB1Upq3B6D0BS_nvkLEnYFdO9orM3W1bF5LVScMFnYy1AZm9smdzMTNs_7iDlXte0BE__/s1600/SAM_4697+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Ljubljana</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then to complete the evening on the way back
to the car spotted a street café that sold the most amazing chicken kebab
(maybe we were just hungry) but it could have been the best kebab in the world
ever!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A short 35 minutes later we were in Italy and within the
hour at the port of Trieste.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our Ferry departs from Trieste at 6.30am and we had arrived
at midnight in plenty of time to get our tickets, park the car in line ready
for loading (which was anticipated to be at 3.30am) and a quick snooze in the car
before boarding! We hadn’t allowed for
the chaos of Greek/Italian check in and technology; checking in was slow, but we were 3<sup>rd</sup>
in the queue …….. 12.10am now and we were next in line and as they printed off
the tickets for the people in front of us the computer went into meltdown. We waited……… the Greek staff went off for a
coffee and a few fags, came back shouted a bit, went off for more coffee, then disappeared upstairs, away from the growing agitated queue, blaming Italian
telecom for the problem. We didn’t want
to lose our place so queued patiently, as brits do. Finally at 2.30am the
computers spluttered into life and we got our tickets, got back to the car and
15mins later started to board, got our cabin, poured ourselves a gin &
tonic and went on deck to see some of the usual boarding mayhem, then went
happily to bed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaoF45QFK8RUIa4IyGuAPVjGBca8IEvs3UNtRXNx39yJZTlWKLrek20H6XVIjxVejoMXbMxrnALg4hKuPJKr4HR9E-PW5vL9-NUUzhDQpM-fis8AI0s0g15ZCR4qArtnS2HfvV7vIloriH/s1600/SAM_1739+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaoF45QFK8RUIa4IyGuAPVjGBca8IEvs3UNtRXNx39yJZTlWKLrek20H6XVIjxVejoMXbMxrnALg4hKuPJKr4HR9E-PW5vL9-NUUzhDQpM-fis8AI0s0g15ZCR4qArtnS2HfvV7vIloriH/s1600/SAM_1739+(2).jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Selfie on the ferry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgce-5hUBtGAw4iVNsFqciYvKzekEaeuXxWTmsDMlf_wetC7UdV7Q_Odb-8_FlYv7xECb1KWirCuhf9uLF-3EewXxlPL2p-lUKbMB3hJIeYCr42hZZW00HuiTKMm8RszkUJ-6c63-hyOHdi/s1600/SAM_1742+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgce-5hUBtGAw4iVNsFqciYvKzekEaeuXxWTmsDMlf_wetC7UdV7Q_Odb-8_FlYv7xECb1KWirCuhf9uLF-3EewXxlPL2p-lUKbMB3hJIeYCr42hZZW00HuiTKMm8RszkUJ-6c63-hyOHdi/s1600/SAM_1742+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trieste to Ancona</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZ3EoK5-cFVGoRZpdXW95GSoI4bljtSyuEzVUg4eRwmVkbOCjqFQA-OZuUnl1QuJoHIun61QP89yIEHMNeM7-NlA96ZJRUFcToJ8WGu8fgymnGtDoIMGR3fwp3i8l40A9FltQpcXYI09u/s1600/SAM_1748+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZ3EoK5-cFVGoRZpdXW95GSoI4bljtSyuEzVUg4eRwmVkbOCjqFQA-OZuUnl1QuJoHIun61QP89yIEHMNeM7-NlA96ZJRUFcToJ8WGu8fgymnGtDoIMGR3fwp3i8l40A9FltQpcXYI09u/s1600/SAM_1748+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Ancona</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsq2oGwYlQAGuSqj3mevL5fusl4G0KU0ll89egpEBSCG6rDGFB1QbHwqIitv98ukn9barQn_5Y1gJI4BqrgSa5Pm4e_EIJS1_rk8GnYDWvwsEabgDpUGDeeFWft0KfHUvygMRvTa3_WLD/s1600/SAM_1753+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsq2oGwYlQAGuSqj3mevL5fusl4G0KU0ll89egpEBSCG6rDGFB1QbHwqIitv98ukn9barQn_5Y1gJI4BqrgSa5Pm4e_EIJS1_rk8GnYDWvwsEabgDpUGDeeFWft0KfHUvygMRvTa3_WLD/s1600/SAM_1753+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With a police escort</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
May 1<sup>st</sup>, arrived refreshed in the port of
Igoumanitsa and drove to the Corfu ferry ticket office only to find it was Mayday,
a bank holiday and a 1 day strike NO Ferries till tomorrow!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What do we do? Stay in
Igouminitsa? Or have an adventure and find somewhere on the mainland? …….yep
adventure it is! Heading south along the coast, with beautiful scenery and
empty roads we stopped at Loutsa, a small sea front of a village overlooking the
island of Paxos. We spotted a taverna that
all the locals were using, which turned out to be a great choice, a swift drink
with a complimentary meze of whitebait and fresh tomatoes covered in oregano followed
by our order of fresh fried calamari with chips…. 17 euros the lot! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn724sML2JDmQocIvWwhcEv5sUtZkWhMWNrzFNuaBuvRWsfWI4TyqEyYvgu2Hd42WWssMki453ua8AMwdIlT1XldWTnuHtXlkixnBmAG0ei6Aod3DKIev1pkAhb_JicfJbGa-eTOihvbsl/s1600/SAM_1780+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn724sML2JDmQocIvWwhcEv5sUtZkWhMWNrzFNuaBuvRWsfWI4TyqEyYvgu2Hd42WWssMki453ua8AMwdIlT1XldWTnuHtXlkixnBmAG0ei6Aod3DKIev1pkAhb_JicfJbGa-eTOihvbsl/s1600/SAM_1780+%25282%2529.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOO88DIG9BBQSDsxkJzOVm45t8_PyPb_UVJS30pSqEkeJMYKRfraWBW0IgZ4yP53Hj_MehsVLMtPXGiofJSYY4ITFXngfL0i4tkOXNNcxb587TRGNqOb-BLQaW9d2QyjczAAnIkDW0qMXc/s1600/SAM_1790+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOO88DIG9BBQSDsxkJzOVm45t8_PyPb_UVJS30pSqEkeJMYKRfraWBW0IgZ4yP53Hj_MehsVLMtPXGiofJSYY4ITFXngfL0i4tkOXNNcxb587TRGNqOb-BLQaW9d2QyjczAAnIkDW0qMXc/s1600/SAM_1790+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We travelled on, heading towards our chosen destination of Lefkados. As we have discovered before, when you
see a sign depicting a cow, it doesn’t mean there is a farm near by and the
farmer might be crossing the road with a few cows from field to farm. Nope, it means there are cows grazing on the
roadside or even in the middle of the road if they choose to.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DU0FKhT6SpSRbI9obQ48IplKN0mrysN1FCxpxo7u_QMg3I2BH1a2ExzkDU2XML2ppXop9gBrYfw9HxESD5W86r7b1nvn-VjAp4tER8axLP5JEzGkS_BdmSfpBgO5jtvmcBKA7NoNd8SZ/s1600/SAM_1791+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DU0FKhT6SpSRbI9obQ48IplKN0mrysN1FCxpxo7u_QMg3I2BH1a2ExzkDU2XML2ppXop9gBrYfw9HxESD5W86r7b1nvn-VjAp4tER8axLP5JEzGkS_BdmSfpBgO5jtvmcBKA7NoNd8SZ/s1600/SAM_1791+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sign for cows</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6QD5WCU3dXI3wksaKGy5VIOMw6Ef7zl0EUWFKbLzcKeg_tzofBQog1MLZJxasmzd9E3dJgPQEJGu9n8Kqi-cB_RzP39A2QEkuNN2OsSHaPVe2BsCoNHwwOtYVmKooNA6Nc8TanuCN2gKs/s1600/SAM_1769+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6QD5WCU3dXI3wksaKGy5VIOMw6Ef7zl0EUWFKbLzcKeg_tzofBQog1MLZJxasmzd9E3dJgPQEJGu9n8Kqi-cB_RzP39A2QEkuNN2OsSHaPVe2BsCoNHwwOtYVmKooNA6Nc8TanuCN2gKs/s1600/SAM_1769+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Actual Cows</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0j7epGPtjRNmWbC087bakxEIJfSN_1ekq08K92NWEP11B2uq5SGmBp0p3Eg1M25y5An_CHUmisGwSODG-pxUczuyOrJddmv5usuiQQFr3z1_TqvNaDkwkHaevCAq1LBjxHx7nFy0ZeoYM/s1600/SAM_1770+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0j7epGPtjRNmWbC087bakxEIJfSN_1ekq08K92NWEP11B2uq5SGmBp0p3Eg1M25y5An_CHUmisGwSODG-pxUczuyOrJddmv5usuiQQFr3z1_TqvNaDkwkHaevCAq1LBjxHx7nFy0ZeoYM/s1600/SAM_1770+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not actually cows</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The local landscape was amazing; whole valleys flooded and a
couple of serious river deltas with huge areas of land, either under water or irrigated
with canals and streams. At Prevezia, we
experienced a Greek phenomenon, a tunnel under a river (can the Greeks build
these?) and we emerged 3 euros lighter for the experience but it saved us a
detour of 75 miles. As we arrived at
Lefkada, we were greeted by a beautiful outcrop of land overlooking the island
of Kefalonia, populated and frequented by the young, rich and beautiful
people of mainland Greece and a yachting fraternity. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRjoBnglIXjd2eOUx9qY-yvNWamPqlShS-TwZUMDlOXYACJb6pslV6S7ltwDzjPKThJvGEs5qoitXdFioneUq9g-OrdN0fAeFFEPahhJKETywQIO2bpRTGjRO5swoswvcb5C3iAHxiFuO/s1600/SAM_4705+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRjoBnglIXjd2eOUx9qY-yvNWamPqlShS-TwZUMDlOXYACJb6pslV6S7ltwDzjPKThJvGEs5qoitXdFioneUq9g-OrdN0fAeFFEPahhJKETywQIO2bpRTGjRO5swoswvcb5C3iAHxiFuO/s1600/SAM_4705+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hotel room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="goog_895656054"></span><span id="goog_895656055"></span><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMI4O0OWPKhpWG_6imJPWGfIWIdoSVDKBjn-XiDBjdz_NQ54mFgd-Jb_NIYq2ia8BjvgCbSJHUr_E9GwZubZ-MJth5hWckWioNWFKDM2CtFSnxv4gNni6-psg7kbc8tUln6b48V5oolTf/s1600/SAM_1803+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMI4O0OWPKhpWG_6imJPWGfIWIdoSVDKBjn-XiDBjdz_NQ54mFgd-Jb_NIYq2ia8BjvgCbSJHUr_E9GwZubZ-MJth5hWckWioNWFKDM2CtFSnxv4gNni6-psg7kbc8tUln6b48V5oolTf/s1600/SAM_1803+%25282%2529.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our hotel room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Lefkada is several miles of sea front with pavement café’s
and bars, a few hotels and a main street that went on forever with shops of all
types of designer goods. We found a
hotel right on the sea front 50 euros inc breakfast, with a sea view and wifi
and settled into our room. “perfect”
using our supply of duty free gin and beer we sat on the balcony and watched
the world go by…..A coach driver trying to negotiate a car park with double
parked vehicles and every man on or off the bus giving “expert” advice on how
to manoeuvre the coach out of the space he was in. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7ZxGq7cMbdeQN4b4eogc5dHJb6fLfIVoggyGRQzsM-wkIwVSTT_KfvJRwnxMeMn1tsszr5RFoKAOcjq7sESwy-9zrPvOhASe8dpCaYc-bR6UxiYPhhhyphenhyphenz1R4LUOaFLcmvOgSfYWtam7G/s1600/SAM_1812+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7ZxGq7cMbdeQN4b4eogc5dHJb6fLfIVoggyGRQzsM-wkIwVSTT_KfvJRwnxMeMn1tsszr5RFoKAOcjq7sESwy-9zrPvOhASe8dpCaYc-bR6UxiYPhhhyphenhyphenz1R4LUOaFLcmvOgSfYWtam7G/s1600/SAM_1812+%25282%2529.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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We had a pizza in a local restaurant run by an Athens Greek
and his son, who sported (much to his dad’s annoyance) a Jimi Hendrix tattoo! We had long chats about politics/music/food;
he even gave Liz a present of a miniature ice bucket and tongs, to use for ice
in gin ‘n’ tonic servings.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The following day, after a reasonable continental breakfast
and a Lavazza in our room (one of the delights of our trip to Corfu this year
is that we brought our portable espresso coffee machine. So on the ferries and in the hotel room we
could avoid the dire Nescafé serving and have fresh lavazza every morning) We got on the road headed for the port and
arrived in Igoumanitsa with 10 minutes to spare for the next ferry. Keith had to climb out of the car as it
loaded whilst Liz was forced to park hard up against the bulkhead of the boat (no
concession made for right hand drive
cars) and had to climb over the passenger seat to get out!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOeVD8u4Wh9UfAXMPMqECOSo6bgEpAnhMQvojUScTnBJoZ_C-H3wuaQ65cKEJCVu7MEJBEqeyamjWWBiawpogIKyLHpIr0sYI5BajreW3jNkKHAEpIQt2IBePxNe9B7En8Qavz4-yJ8Zt/s1600/SAM_1863+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOeVD8u4Wh9UfAXMPMqECOSo6bgEpAnhMQvojUScTnBJoZ_C-H3wuaQ65cKEJCVu7MEJBEqeyamjWWBiawpogIKyLHpIr0sYI5BajreW3jNkKHAEpIQt2IBePxNe9B7En8Qavz4-yJ8Zt/s1600/SAM_1863+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
1 ½ hours later and into a thunderstorm, we
landed in Corfu.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBOauEsWD3sOJoBeoOSOENs__5nJtQwHu-TuyoJm-9MAOzPRSNkQGqYsSIykKzP_MJ65vgiXe-FzCDufABSjqwn7agysoLa3-W58jdto80vt1tYdabRIbNUEB6MSmC1U4JtZ2W-DSMME9h/s1600/SAM_1865+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBOauEsWD3sOJoBeoOSOENs__5nJtQwHu-TuyoJm-9MAOzPRSNkQGqYsSIykKzP_MJ65vgiXe-FzCDufABSjqwn7agysoLa3-W58jdto80vt1tYdabRIbNUEB6MSmC1U4JtZ2W-DSMME9h/s1600/SAM_1865+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8x0Q_zsXyo7ICpr0m9fOUhxFgM-L9Qrim8ThUELE_FECtSzIYf2XY0ld27kLvBktFwgPECpHdmoyytUU7g4Q27RhKA-UVyY-2uBQQtC3OZ8ukEaP1E8kJHhVDyFzp2evzmo5i1Cb5RcC8/s1600/SAM_1873+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8x0Q_zsXyo7ICpr0m9fOUhxFgM-L9Qrim8ThUELE_FECtSzIYf2XY0ld27kLvBktFwgPECpHdmoyytUU7g4Q27RhKA-UVyY-2uBQQtC3OZ8ukEaP1E8kJHhVDyFzp2evzmo5i1Cb5RcC8/s1600/SAM_1873+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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1 hour later and WE ARE HOME!!!!!! Driving down the hill in
San Stef to our home again for the next 6 months is one of the priceless
sensations we never lose, as the village unravels before our eyes at every turn
and bend till we reach the main street<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDJNRHPOnVH55NbUZDrUQw5WstBGd42_0Ef8bGhQkp1pdIMxMzAw6PqLWJC5IucB8cVeXjrG3B7ioakQQXFFISzHcDTqRoLRVdmZud-tWCvEk2S30OW4pVp5KSD0Ytlm0ffp7RzrRC0Di/s1600/SAM_1890+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDJNRHPOnVH55NbUZDrUQw5WstBGd42_0Ef8bGhQkp1pdIMxMzAw6PqLWJC5IucB8cVeXjrG3B7ioakQQXFFISzHcDTqRoLRVdmZud-tWCvEk2S30OW4pVp5KSD0Ytlm0ffp7RzrRC0Di/s1600/SAM_1890+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
...... then up the hill to our home and then ‘that’
view from the balcony Yamas!!!<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizghO3QsxSV1nPgraRPWFFA76RwwlnSIHNpOvyAcRoLHLWnpmb1IXnEmpqTRuRje8YSoQc8J1BEfA1v6zB3crs3dUUc8DkFywyUUTxJCDDXnYffsSfy6yNcfS2c89QneCS5vpSeC1EHwEW/s1600/SAM_0516+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizghO3QsxSV1nPgraRPWFFA76RwwlnSIHNpOvyAcRoLHLWnpmb1IXnEmpqTRuRje8YSoQc8J1BEfA1v6zB3crs3dUUc8DkFywyUUTxJCDDXnYffsSfy6yNcfS2c89QneCS5vpSeC1EHwEW/s1600/SAM_0516+(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-90994098264000608572013-05-28T20:00:00.001+03:002013-05-28T20:57:45.679+03:00'Summer come along'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>".....<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Summer come, I finally made it</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I never thought I'd get to see the
winter through<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I watched the birds race their shadows
cross the cornfield<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Well, you can't catch them, but I can
catch you....."</b></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here we are again, back in our lovely San Stefanos home, about
to enjoy our 7<sup>th</sup> summer over here. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7nSir7SF7ytAlcl9jYnvea_SBFDSpR6g-8IeIikU8e6yb4jvuOGaNylVnDo8YtQImUk6DnPwUtc1IJ8brvrWOlY2i8Wt_otXcYjl_J_kchbnR31HClrwowznHir3B8wSB0TjhUU86bYp/s1600/SAM_2230+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7nSir7SF7ytAlcl9jYnvea_SBFDSpR6g-8IeIikU8e6yb4jvuOGaNylVnDo8YtQImUk6DnPwUtc1IJ8brvrWOlY2i8Wt_otXcYjl_J_kchbnR31HClrwowznHir3B8wSB0TjhUU86bYp/s1600/SAM_2230+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We left the UK at the end of April and took our usual route across
Europe. As you know we have family
strategically placed for our overnight stops, which is a real bonus for many
reasons. We now see our overseas based
family twice a year whether they like it or not! Thank you Paul, Milena, Liam
& Antonia in Heidelberg and thank you Deborah, Franco, Eleonora & Georgio in Milan! This year we caught
the ferry to mainland Greece from Trieste with the usual amusing chaos that boarding
seems to involve. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyUqZechtksiq-abtcxokT3NepGPbaNJIxNwPcPqsX33xMUu8Xw039hCL7clll4pPlV4W8bWic3Jik1nTo_8PP_pQc2OolfJ1wL79z9yY-rkmJ_Z5hF7Yi_9T7UotKAjc6SEEz1H3YKG0/s1600/SAM_0292+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyUqZechtksiq-abtcxokT3NepGPbaNJIxNwPcPqsX33xMUu8Xw039hCL7clll4pPlV4W8bWic3Jik1nTo_8PP_pQc2OolfJ1wL79z9yY-rkmJ_Z5hF7Yi_9T7UotKAjc6SEEz1H3YKG0/s1600/SAM_0292+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Trieste</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately the ferry
was half the size of our usual one and was rammed with Greek people returning
home for Easter. It took over an hour to
unload when we arrived because all the destinations had been loaded in no
particular order, which meant whole sections of vehicles were blocked in on the
decks. But with lots of shouts, gestures
and whistles being blown we were home, in Corfu, in time to celebrate Easter.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlFdVtGA9avSgZorbC92tM3nPW4y4LH5Y8Wiic3v1ulvFeUJDCn7Mz56C7FPlydW7VIzQqukkvXTIlLTyR8gz73WrScfUFSJeFKDrt3UzanVzthrRpHqQUu0vYVJoFZyWKKf98FIFnXCh/s1600/Easter+Parade+Corfu+Town.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlFdVtGA9avSgZorbC92tM3nPW4y4LH5Y8Wiic3v1ulvFeUJDCn7Mz56C7FPlydW7VIzQqukkvXTIlLTyR8gz73WrScfUFSJeFKDrt3UzanVzthrRpHqQUu0vYVJoFZyWKKf98FIFnXCh/s1600/Easter+Parade+Corfu+Town.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2013 Greek Easter fell on the 5th of May, a full five weeks after
the holiday was marked in Western Europe. Easter within the Greek Orthodox Church is
usually (but not always) on a different date to that observed by other
Christian churches. The main reason for this is that the Orthodox church uses
the Julian calendar (named after Julius Caesar) to determine the date of
Easter, rather than the Gregorian calendar (adopted in the time of Pope Gregory
XIII in the 16th century). To avoid the temptation to fill this post with the
unintelligible mathematical formula used to make the calculations of the date
(yes, it really is that complicated) let’s leave it at that. It’s enough to say
that this is the latest date for Easter for 30 years. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7iQtl5viZzgyBq0YmK_ixnGQlD4i_gkdOh22pstsRjASmwKzb6yqLYGJiItKV6sWcNEdfRzKv1JxE0LVIssR4gr3gSHcGidKb7VdzOq8siiLO4gHiVbX7Kj3ypjcGqD0P6a2j9Z01kGu/s1600/SAM_0319+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7iQtl5viZzgyBq0YmK_ixnGQlD4i_gkdOh22pstsRjASmwKzb6yqLYGJiItKV6sWcNEdfRzKv1JxE0LVIssR4gr3gSHcGidKb7VdzOq8siiLO4gHiVbX7Kj3ypjcGqD0P6a2j9Z01kGu/s1600/SAM_0319+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;">For many people in Corfu Easter is considered a more important event
than Christmas, during this period the preparations, ceremonies and
celebrations that take place across Corfu and over several days are well worth
experiencing. Precise festivities vary
between communities but throughout Corfu during Easter there was a lot of good
food and wine, plenty of noise and a healthy mix of religious observance and
wild celebration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Festivities began on Holy Thursday, with the painting of eggs; </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmR5jFISMOQ6yviD4rPKxoLYN-k4mhRvggpnuOG3U3326Pk4KcxuKVOGaO65fWbT7elhDcoViT2f8M1JUgqneI1Zfl6mZWK8hZxBlevr_N1y6Cq8Y17KQqo9qhR-IThk6swJD_qE2Q3Xn/s1600/easter+eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmR5jFISMOQ6yviD4rPKxoLYN-k4mhRvggpnuOG3U3326Pk4KcxuKVOGaO65fWbT7elhDcoViT2f8M1JUgqneI1Zfl6mZWK8hZxBlevr_N1y6Cq8Y17KQqo9qhR-IThk6swJD_qE2Q3Xn/s1600/easter+eggs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the
people of Greece laugh at our childish chocolate eggs and sweet-filled Easter
baskets. In accordance with a long,
macabre tradition in the Greek Orthodox faith, Easter eggs in Greece are dyed a
deep shade of crimson to represent blood – both the special, magical blood of
Christ and regular old human blood that symbolizes life and wellness. Our friend Sue gave me an Easter gift of
traditional sweet bread, tsoureki. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjTRkmw_ek2n8khfBse2RrG3Rs1guE23oZYEOIcy3y3aLNx51e-PRR54h46yJXie-lQ0vnse3lbHAxHcf3oCYruaMl_o26W8gjDNAuLLoKx4sRbK_OaZDpggHkLuhDuW-vjUioF7E36nS/s1600/easter_tsoureki_sliced.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjTRkmw_ek2n8khfBse2RrG3Rs1guE23oZYEOIcy3y3aLNx51e-PRR54h46yJXie-lQ0vnse3lbHAxHcf3oCYruaMl_o26W8gjDNAuLLoKx4sRbK_OaZDpggHkLuhDuW-vjUioF7E36nS/s1600/easter_tsoureki_sliced.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Similar to Italian Panettone) which seemed
to take forever to finish! The church service
on the Thursday evening remembers Christ’s final night before
his crucifixion, with women often keeping vigil in the churches all
through the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good Friday is a somber day, with candlelit processions and flowers
brought to the churches. In many homes no cooking is done on Good Friday, with
only the simplest food eaten as a mark of mourning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We decided we wanted to join in with it all and see the famous Corfu town celebrations,
So on Easter Saturday we picked Keith and Sue up at 8.30am and headed for Corfu
Town, to witness the ‘throwing of pots’, a tradition unique to Corfu. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aCVRkEML1l1dvhG37dKj_HXQPnblGn0_QMckwBEOw8geFmwBDuEDv2N72vGs9PPu-GdonEAwmBIhWwTKnoDQY_DgI0kqfr74wn7djb6mhkW1EuKxGcFa61dKcZ2b4G7LzM-zBj8WRm98/s1600/SAM_0389+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aCVRkEML1l1dvhG37dKj_HXQPnblGn0_QMckwBEOw8geFmwBDuEDv2N72vGs9PPu-GdonEAwmBIhWwTKnoDQY_DgI0kqfr74wn7djb6mhkW1EuKxGcFa61dKcZ2b4G7LzM-zBj8WRm98/s1600/SAM_0389+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was so well organised car parking on the
harbour, police directing traffic, shuttle buses to the centre of the town, it
felt like a festival back home! We went straight to the Liston to watch a huge
procession of priests, religious icons being carried and several bands. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeu7cRnjIdgU5Nj2XfcCPSc7mH2qHX3oI881AnBpeZi4O-uFlkucOaFTv0f0aL3gmrgQEeal3eJm3ACk8JlUVlrdxnaB1unwlKrV0B4J23hnzFPIzcwnq91J8Wo_MvT6h20kbohd8DHZl/s1600/SAM_0329+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeu7cRnjIdgU5Nj2XfcCPSc7mH2qHX3oI881AnBpeZi4O-uFlkucOaFTv0f0aL3gmrgQEeal3eJm3ACk8JlUVlrdxnaB1unwlKrV0B4J23hnzFPIzcwnq91J8Wo_MvT6h20kbohd8DHZl/s1600/SAM_0329+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pot throwing all started at 11am when
people threw large terracotta pots from their balconies onto the street below
with the belief that bad spirits in the house will be thrown out with them. We all came away with a piece of broken pot
for good luck.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1UkigPQtXCNOpdCPbbJvZim3xXIZ-_I15BN4eQqv_544oYOS6p0P6BIDshz_lP-si26GiGnXe_hk4kSc8ZJL5fCMq0Dl6QIDLmoOY1bbxzW6cPZDMwgerxwT76eL8zPRNhuRxQQgM7Rb/s1600/SAM_0406+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1UkigPQtXCNOpdCPbbJvZim3xXIZ-_I15BN4eQqv_544oYOS6p0P6BIDshz_lP-si26GiGnXe_hk4kSc8ZJL5fCMq0Dl6QIDLmoOY1bbxzW6cPZDMwgerxwT76eL8zPRNhuRxQQgM7Rb/s1600/SAM_0406+(2).jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;">In the evening we walked up to Avliotes (the village above San
Stefanos), to the church service with crowds of people we know for midnight to
mark the Resurrection. The celebration began with all our candles being lit
from one person to another as we gathered outside. The service ended with
fireworks flying in every direction. All the locals were in their finest
clothes, which for the younger women it mean wearing what could only be
described as “stilts” (huge wedges). The
only problem with this is the church is at the top of a very steep hill, best
described as a 1 in 3, so going up was no problem but many had to be given a helping
hand to get back down again with some having to walk backwards to navigate the
steep incline.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFT869d_SijxteZ_8-UcikgBdxmmwmn5nXekDb4VZsGm5Gg_BcDP5BpOGmIvy_3VUHTcoxUnx-Qqk5gfWyRNdJCMdMV4bBHGVZ0op8SfVlFMEgHB7Or8oTisF4gZU_lyMz3cOHYnIITA9z/s1600/553806_377870282319236_1439993288_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFT869d_SijxteZ_8-UcikgBdxmmwmn5nXekDb4VZsGm5Gg_BcDP5BpOGmIvy_3VUHTcoxUnx-Qqk5gfWyRNdJCMdMV4bBHGVZ0op8SfVlFMEgHB7Or8oTisF4gZU_lyMz3cOHYnIITA9z/s1600/553806_377870282319236_1439993288_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1chl0BL5MSK0c61u6j61fzUUglXWCNVhH9L0FV55KYut7Qh_lfGPjDf02HQqWcM41miHMsh10-015AN1QO5Ygp9tM21l_UdS1ZP8mBhucRqcLcFRYo8Dr3HYryfbEOL4zcF8Z-_Tsrjv/s1600/SAM_2189+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1chl0BL5MSK0c61u6j61fzUUglXWCNVhH9L0FV55KYut7Qh_lfGPjDf02HQqWcM41miHMsh10-015AN1QO5Ygp9tM21l_UdS1ZP8mBhucRqcLcFRYo8Dr3HYryfbEOL4zcF8Z-_Tsrjv/s1600/SAM_2189+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday is the main day of celebration, with spit roast lamb or goat and
generous quantities of wine flowing freely. The parties started early and went
through the night, some lasting well into the next day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we first arrive back here we spend the first few weeks cleaning,
fixing, sorting and planting. There is
always a lot to do after the rainy winters here. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRUfjX6-APW7NzlDUFdgByRXc5_MSRUAgMxBzyIeXYXzupabRzTA370SQbEU79xevoZS84H34-S2zfpUnJcZLKFI3XBXauYOqaQLcDF3uGH4ZAaEpWg8ZmlnI5BUlfPPDx6pEy6DOYkX1/s1600/SAM_2233+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRUfjX6-APW7NzlDUFdgByRXc5_MSRUAgMxBzyIeXYXzupabRzTA370SQbEU79xevoZS84H34-S2zfpUnJcZLKFI3XBXauYOqaQLcDF3uGH4ZAaEpWg8ZmlnI5BUlfPPDx6pEy6DOYkX1/s1600/SAM_2233+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our friend Bob came round and
plumbed in our washing machine and built the new kitchen shelving we had
brought with us. Our landlord has
finally piped hot water into our kitchen so I no longer have to fill a bucket in
the bathroom to wash up! And we bought ourselves a new fridge freezer!</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0ODzRhf7oM9Io08-c0DeyVyTLiYoagIkv4bnaMVeaVYqNqFcI29Fu_MJM6Ri10u42E8uJ5J3NEPYhjX8_FYQyYqatT9EBROKte4V6QpqwafuHxoZ5BSbvY9SVjrgQQrDgh-j-6OsGJRZ/s1600/971064_376585185781079_547524058_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0ODzRhf7oM9Io08-c0DeyVyTLiYoagIkv4bnaMVeaVYqNqFcI29Fu_MJM6Ri10u42E8uJ5J3NEPYhjX8_FYQyYqatT9EBROKte4V6QpqwafuHxoZ5BSbvY9SVjrgQQrDgh-j-6OsGJRZ/s1600/971064_376585185781079_547524058_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chuckle brothers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;">Keith and Sue have donated lots of plants to start our
veg garden. And we have bought some plants
to trail around our balcony.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFk9oQpou6TwUu912642eZpYcuoHhdpb0s9YTI_xsPHOWwWEmMbIi7azH2ws2WPxciuCqmiM0ZkasHZQQdqHTr7y2zwkdW94tlvO1_0t171gEmpmlUTvOdxQuktqGHXt0STdFrzBtGQkQ9/s1600/SAM_2226+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFk9oQpou6TwUu912642eZpYcuoHhdpb0s9YTI_xsPHOWwWEmMbIi7azH2ws2WPxciuCqmiM0ZkasHZQQdqHTr7y2zwkdW94tlvO1_0t171gEmpmlUTvOdxQuktqGHXt0STdFrzBtGQkQ9/s1600/SAM_2226+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And of course we spent our first few weeks chilling and winding down
from our stressful UK winter. We have caught up with all our friends and feel
part of the community again, feels like we have never been away.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpLe9uXunReESymoOFPtiEHPEFKmkJexSHCyQI0-wY9lDFXaOMzxrZFOfhshOSPjbl8HiLOwBbNussst95UFMxtT4WMmwcrKRIv-RVDmSF7OKVQVhU55nc0cfbNnYF4P4VOUrRcMAqkBB/s1600/friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpLe9uXunReESymoOFPtiEHPEFKmkJexSHCyQI0-wY9lDFXaOMzxrZFOfhshOSPjbl8HiLOwBbNussst95UFMxtT4WMmwcrKRIv-RVDmSF7OKVQVhU55nc0cfbNnYF4P4VOUrRcMAqkBB/s1600/friends.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdv8N42C6CuYYGDrof3HXPJosdh8-fRlaqkjZhqekbebWtRHeY0JmETSnIsWOlvp117wWhPCnmfmwDODkGREZkpBNFcNgKMr6HH-hmxlP4AKOvnRnAtrm7T5ps78EibpU47dEdcmPXHnI/s1600/SAM_2204+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdv8N42C6CuYYGDrof3HXPJosdh8-fRlaqkjZhqekbebWtRHeY0JmETSnIsWOlvp117wWhPCnmfmwDODkGREZkpBNFcNgKMr6HH-hmxlP4AKOvnRnAtrm7T5ps78EibpU47dEdcmPXHnI/s1600/SAM_2204+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh yes, and Keith has already done 12 gigs throughout May, meeting up
with many fellow singers and musicians……....<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyl_0iltIeDH7OIQ60QeUliLGZi4QaQeVES4GjeLdVcxNZJRdXYREMxEztfxn4pdtAEsLISpWZbTRFphRLpDGJmipLnvte-U3VMRMI0BMsqesWsm-OmI1ht0nkCdPu05QgrQ94F3ojxHPY/s1600/keith+and+george.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyl_0iltIeDH7OIQ60QeUliLGZi4QaQeVES4GjeLdVcxNZJRdXYREMxEztfxn4pdtAEsLISpWZbTRFphRLpDGJmipLnvte-U3VMRMI0BMsqesWsm-OmI1ht0nkCdPu05QgrQ94F3ojxHPY/s1600/keith+and+george.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoXaT_gWnEB7ZIDUHbCKIkVsIb6Ax3NbVwPJ-iAoMFoR0Wz_rbPui8sUiMatBpGglaVUFcC9XqzEVSFfg2KfEsA49Zj0K8HDhq0sBQMWa_uC78m_R7RTS9jS45JxwrNPp19g5lJfsnZiH/s1600/keith+and+elvis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoXaT_gWnEB7ZIDUHbCKIkVsIb6Ax3NbVwPJ-iAoMFoR0Wz_rbPui8sUiMatBpGglaVUFcC9XqzEVSFfg2KfEsA49Zj0K8HDhq0sBQMWa_uC78m_R7RTS9jS45JxwrNPp19g5lJfsnZiH/s1600/keith+and+elvis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCKJmQyRdtBxoqoRYdoUpCrzb3qgs_o_cgRp9FXOpOlBPRKQyYfnycAHTEafWV86VdFnzsBc3BNxtirikjP819kn90QTkg2gJG4hsQeDJRWOxqhzizHFAL5EG9s4VqRLUkBepF39SNIw2/s1600/keith+and+dave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCKJmQyRdtBxoqoRYdoUpCrzb3qgs_o_cgRp9FXOpOlBPRKQyYfnycAHTEafWV86VdFnzsBc3BNxtirikjP819kn90QTkg2gJG4hsQeDJRWOxqhzizHFAL5EG9s4VqRLUkBepF39SNIw2/s1600/keith+and+dave.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihB7sEn9p6UY3zwa8Mc_5Bp6bVhXKrcfyleXMScjV90hsvmVYckt_h18eRnsqT1H19Zb1n0f2OFXWNwZjzyneznFvlasXvcz9p50LWlRSQhxanXJDlx1lwY1OcjyMXwb8R982J7RQA8YSq/s1600/keith+and+kerry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihB7sEn9p6UY3zwa8Mc_5Bp6bVhXKrcfyleXMScjV90hsvmVYckt_h18eRnsqT1H19Zb1n0f2OFXWNwZjzyneznFvlasXvcz9p50LWlRSQhxanXJDlx1lwY1OcjyMXwb8R982J7RQA8YSq/s1600/keith+and+kerry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25JuxgK4D4eND7hwnssLdKnN5xpy8RawVUp_dyL4BZL-YQ_DDmkcY8VI8Vz1hW_j-mknL7ZLG9e-ugMb9okPEc5P4w-3_hKUY515Ubvrw-JCcSiZkK9ENaPsvuZsAjUrvh6NZvYCFWGuT/s1600/keith,+woody+and+colin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25JuxgK4D4eND7hwnssLdKnN5xpy8RawVUp_dyL4BZL-YQ_DDmkcY8VI8Vz1hW_j-mknL7ZLG9e-ugMb9okPEc5P4w-3_hKUY515Ubvrw-JCcSiZkK9ENaPsvuZsAjUrvh6NZvYCFWGuT/s1600/keith,+woody+and+colin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.Nearly forgot ..........we are not on holiday!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32HbxVMZymbEcA7Nr6aqAleUU2EK3oEhdpjDFg-yWhLJ9rEZOn8Vc7qZW0mc7NP3PN3dTICWzdU12vVf6Vb_hpUaKbGII8ypuDxGSfl22WY6U0OSBlLt1C1o5OeCwvdLVZOGvKZOhLRAU/s1600/SAM_2192+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32HbxVMZymbEcA7Nr6aqAleUU2EK3oEhdpjDFg-yWhLJ9rEZOn8Vc7qZW0mc7NP3PN3dTICWzdU12vVf6Vb_hpUaKbGII8ypuDxGSfl22WY6U0OSBlLt1C1o5OeCwvdLVZOGvKZOhLRAU/s1600/SAM_2192+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yamas!</span></div>
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Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-45520076744017734082012-07-05T20:28:00.003+03:002012-07-05T20:29:28.439+03:00"A Lovely Day......."<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="color: blue;"><strong>......"</strong></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>When I wake up in the morning, love<br />
And the sunlight hurts my eyes<br />
And something without warning, love<br />
Bears heavy on my mind<br />
<br />
Then I look at you<br />
And the world's alright with me……."</strong></span></span><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The season is well under <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>way now,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>more tourists are arriving each week onto the island; amongst them<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>were our friends Katherine & Shirley<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(aka Pepsi <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘n’ Shirley) who had opted to stay with us for
a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We managed to cram 10 days worth
of stuff into 7 action packed days and nights, and I’m sure they went home more
tired than when they arrived.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had several great days out with them, one road trip to Paleaokastritsa<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> where we stopped at our favourite honey seller and then onto </span>a beachside taverna lunch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This was followed by a
trip up to the Monestary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And for the
first time since we’ve been coming to Corfu (over 9 years) the doors were open
and we were able to walk around the beautiful gardens and buildings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of Pepsi’s favourite sayings was <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“oooh its lovely here”… a phrase we heard a lot
of for the next 7 days!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
We were also treated to seeing a goat herder with his flock walking down the Paliokastritsa main street. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Keith had to visit a hotel in Agios George one evening, so
we decided to combine the visit with a meal out in a restaurant overlooking the
beautiful bay where we shared a fish platter, wine and an amazing sunset. To get
to the taverna you have to drive along a narrow road that is crumbling into the
sea and has some interesting sections where it hangs over an empty space left under
the tarmac from the winter storms! Coming back seemed easier as we had all had
a few scoops so getting back seemed to be plain sailing! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We called into the Golden
Beach Hotel in Agios George on the way back that Keith works in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We received the usual warm greeting and
suddenly discovered that we were roped in to doing karaoke with the staff and
owners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “girls sang songs from Mama Mia
and Keith dueted with Dimitris (the owner) on the classic “sailing” with arms
locking and lots of swaying in time to the music.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course no visit to us is complete without a Keith Mitchell
gig, and a couple of hours before the Athens Bar gig we had an email and text
contact from our friend and fellow musician Simon Hayes, who just happened to
be on Corfu <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for a few days<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>sailing a yacht<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with 7 Dutch girls on board as crew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we felt sorry for him, we invited him to
come over to San Stefanos<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and drink beer
and play some guitar! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not really
expecting him to turn up as he was based in Govia<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>30km away on the other side of the island but
he appeared on a 50cc scooter having ridden over the mountain pass to get to
us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Being the rugged outdoor type and having sailed boats around
the world for the past few years, it sadly hasn’t <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>improved his looks but Pepsi & Shirley were,
to say the least, slightly in awe of actionman friend dropping in to see us,
and certainly increased the enjoyment factor of the gig for the girls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another must do for our visitors is to visit the bar above
the bay called Akritiri, which has the combination of superb views over the bays
of San Stefanos and Arillas but also the best uninterrupted sun set views and………<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>fantastic red wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another ‘Oooh this is soooo lovely’ moment
for the girls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It wasn’t all sun sea sand and ….. relaxing though, in fact the
girls got to the beach just once in the whole week, we persuaded them to come
on a long walk with us to Sidari via the olive groves and country lanes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact it was the inaugural walk of the weekly
walk to Sidari and we were the guinea pigs for the walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
girls decide to take part and splashed out on some proper walking sandals<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for 6 euros each, so armed with correct
footwear bottles of water ,we spent 6 hours walking (with a pit stop at a cake
shop, lunch in a taverna and a beer stop just before the ferry home) we walked
through lanes that hadn’t been used for years and saw some of the finest scenery
in the area that you could never see from the roads, we caught the local ferry
home, with sore feet and dozens of spectacular photos,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and it proved to be ‘another lovely day out’!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the girls last day we planned another adventure, to Corfu
Town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met up with our local friends
Keith & Sue who caught the bus to visit the British cemetery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a quiet part of Corfu Town there is a cemetery
dating back to pre-Victorian times and dedicated to British victims of wars in
the area and other epitaphs to ex pats from days gone by to present day. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is one of the most beautiful and peaceful
places we have ever been, we were greeted on arrival by the gardener and
curator “George” who at the age of 83 was the last of 3 generations who had looked
after the gardens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The grounds were full
of rare orchids, tortoises and lovely trees and bushes, a most delightful place
to visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Thanks to Pepsi and Shirley
for a great week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>..."Then I look at you<br />
And the world's alright with me<br />
Just one look at you<br />
And I know it's gonna be<br />
A lovely day......"</strong></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-68304835619542600292012-06-06T18:28:00.001+03:002012-06-06T18:40:40.889+03:00'Country Road.....'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong>".....Take
to the highway won't you lend me your name<br />
Your way and my way seem to be one and the same, child<br />
Mamma don't understand it<br />
She wants to know where I've been...."</strong></span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">May has now come to an end and what a full on month
we have had! 2 lots of visitors, several nights of gigs each week and a series
of beautiful walks in the countryside surrounding San Stefanos, organised by
our friends and neighbours Keith and Sue. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Keith (big Keith) and Sue Stanton, who are living in San Stefanos
all year round, work during the summer season for San Stefanos Travel and take groups of
tourists on organised walks. We were invited to be guinea pigs for a couple of
new walks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first one was from San
Stef via Avilotes, Peroulades, Cape Drasis, Canal d’amour and finally our
destination was Sidari to get the ferry home! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About 8k or 5 hours, with pit stops for cake,
beer, a lunch and more beer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We started the walk in San Stef at 10.30am with a small posse
of holiday makers who had decided to try the inaugural walk and our friends Kathryn
(Pepsi) and Shirley, who were staying with us to have a complete chill out week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little did they know we had several epic
walks planned for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had to go
and buy a pair of walking sandals each. Unfortunately Sue couldn’t make it as
she had damaged her foot from our series of beach jogging and aerobics but we
promised lots of photos of the adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We walked through the olive groves up the hills towards Avilotes
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>grateful for the shade provided by the tree
cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we reached the outskirts of
Avilotes, we decided to climb the steep hill to the church overlooking the
village and the impressive views towards Sidari and the coast line. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1LRB3Wj2QvM7HUfBGpD4ShZzaQfE2XrZLt5zLJi7M2fq5Xt30bWFaemfGA9KEVPPowcN8BhWNLhennDTpaoQLIosjhy83x0rXvFovwGQELQ1raB8NoqWaHodbtAahQZZHZA6M2o2_j57g/s1600/SAM_0643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1LRB3Wj2QvM7HUfBGpD4ShZzaQfE2XrZLt5zLJi7M2fq5Xt30bWFaemfGA9KEVPPowcN8BhWNLhennDTpaoQLIosjhy83x0rXvFovwGQELQ1raB8NoqWaHodbtAahQZZHZA6M2o2_j57g/s320/SAM_0643.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had our
1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> stop in a cake shop in the village, with coffees and cakes consumed
we moved on again, off the beaten track and main roads towards the village of Peroulades,
again through olive groves and beautiful farming landscape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a great lunch here in Yannis Taverna,
</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWO4UWCz1Yp7yUQRC96j7U5AMBB1qZ0qsCckl9nac1689ENQwXHeyetZbAbY1sauBDNeOJ5Dxi1mW1Zy_7G3Z4gEk6wYL-mETlEfcknkcj1exp87IkWQDt3SjbinxdeyrEVJtvf93rAxFq/s1600/yiannis+taverna+vouraldes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWO4UWCz1Yp7yUQRC96j7U5AMBB1qZ0qsCckl9nac1689ENQwXHeyetZbAbY1sauBDNeOJ5Dxi1mW1Zy_7G3Z4gEk6wYL-mETlEfcknkcj1exp87IkWQDt3SjbinxdeyrEVJtvf93rAxFq/s320/yiannis+taverna+vouraldes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">where we consumed souvolaki , salads, beer, local pies and very local wine,
whilst the locals played backgammon.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSRuXLWrkeJuaygX5RIqdtXt0U9Do2NtXXuIT717DWPmbA-qb0KWtCtx0UDCLPZiscZOKPgeRWqmklPVwf_StBEc3gqxlsLR-dP1LVk6NZ-YT9aT3HfBXPSS44YWAiNR_o-g2X2RIiOwG/s1600/SAM_0653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSRuXLWrkeJuaygX5RIqdtXt0U9Do2NtXXuIT717DWPmbA-qb0KWtCtx0UDCLPZiscZOKPgeRWqmklPVwf_StBEc3gqxlsLR-dP1LVk6NZ-YT9aT3HfBXPSS44YWAiNR_o-g2X2RIiOwG/s320/SAM_0653.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The old village of Peroulades is steeped in History , so “Big”
Keith (our tour guide) told us some of the history of this fascinating village
as we made our way to the breathtakingly beautiful CapeDrasis.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZMP9WiBrgFnLDv1V71PoZOgfaMuxrBdXQ4wPJvUo_eLCVEOU6WDGM7P8RB6ZaYmhPuGZVgjF-TK4vclF_vKH6cQCzSlTwjoe7Os_Vl7NKWNK2kAvLe7e41mPP8mmz0QE33WZ0ePMCSMQ/s1600/SAM_0665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZMP9WiBrgFnLDv1V71PoZOgfaMuxrBdXQ4wPJvUo_eLCVEOU6WDGM7P8RB6ZaYmhPuGZVgjF-TK4vclF_vKH6cQCzSlTwjoe7Os_Vl7NKWNK2kAvLe7e41mPP8mmz0QE33WZ0ePMCSMQ/s320/SAM_0665.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We were walking on old trails and footpaths that hadn’t been
used for some time and the Mayor of the area had been informed we were doing
this walk, so the previous day he had arranged for the paths to be strimmed
of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>all the undergrowth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGwFJAhvZoCd_Se841ui5iV3V00GLWetIwM-OKGirzQ33DnZxljfIdc1SbPWI-w2Vful_FFOfT0GkvHc_OjinfT5fbRkeZQTKWfKpXOvb5FNDDyU6LotF5vm9pooKlona3Cv2q2U2NO5W/s1600/SAM_0696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGwFJAhvZoCd_Se841ui5iV3V00GLWetIwM-OKGirzQ33DnZxljfIdc1SbPWI-w2Vful_FFOfT0GkvHc_OjinfT5fbRkeZQTKWfKpXOvb5FNDDyU6LotF5vm9pooKlona3Cv2q2U2NO5W/s320/SAM_0696.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even so it was quite a treck along the cliffs
and valleys that are just not accessible any other way but on foot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMXm4mjBRee8mG8s-Gi6LWhl1MaSOZIKxwtbMiWthX_MBsvmdGjJrnDnRLBU66v1glfpypLKQ52f83cdvkP3K8oCWRSD0mByZrb7LN4K59feMJmdciQz7EdjaH4q5kNAUpIoe3M37uhZ6/s1600/SAM_0688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMXm4mjBRee8mG8s-Gi6LWhl1MaSOZIKxwtbMiWthX_MBsvmdGjJrnDnRLBU66v1glfpypLKQ52f83cdvkP3K8oCWRSD0mByZrb7LN4K59feMJmdciQz7EdjaH4q5kNAUpIoe3M37uhZ6/s320/SAM_0688.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We arrived at Canal d ‘Amour on the outskirts
of Sidari for a well-earned Beer before walking the length of the beach just in
time to get the 4pm Ferry back to base.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qm3aYJ9Nivc00fnpkHVKRBt1tWM1VK7kgFifsOZwGhZMo6OQOtlXJl6Sf6natUIzCZyHA9ox86UxTGm2CDfETekGgaPeMDPq_07qeEsszh65SJvQYDHaJ_rh5FhuzLpu73_bLAil__7p/s1600/SAM_0709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qm3aYJ9Nivc00fnpkHVKRBt1tWM1VK7kgFifsOZwGhZMo6OQOtlXJl6Sf6natUIzCZyHA9ox86UxTGm2CDfETekGgaPeMDPq_07qeEsszh65SJvQYDHaJ_rh5FhuzLpu73_bLAil__7p/s320/SAM_0709.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Arillas festival</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the same week a festival was taking place in the nearby
village of Arillas, again an organised walk was planned by ‘Big Keith’ for the
usual suspects. It was a great little festival in a packed school yard with a
live band, a BBQ and of course a beer stall. </span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We saw many familiar faces of local
people who we have come to know over the years, hundreds of white plastic
chairs filled the school yard </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nJK8iv-AtpBYhzu0nB8iisqOjdszUmW3OrLYDahupaJhrBnWxUmwoeLsiVKCFNby6ssUIdPO29fo1B07qm9nHmcHXbYvJu2SfOYlSAGC3G54AkK25621zhdZKGhJ93eZ9OBtxNaWTWwI/s1600/SAM_0731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nJK8iv-AtpBYhzu0nB8iisqOjdszUmW3OrLYDahupaJhrBnWxUmwoeLsiVKCFNby6ssUIdPO29fo1B07qm9nHmcHXbYvJu2SfOYlSAGC3G54AkK25621zhdZKGhJ93eZ9OBtxNaWTWwI/s320/SAM_0731.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">and the whole community joined in with the
festivities; <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the dancing and music were
fantastic , an event not to be missed.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sunday Stroll to the
‘church’</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the Sunday<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a walk
to “church” was suggested, which translated into walking down to the harbour to
the cantina for a coffee,</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">to watch the fishing boats and to soak up the
atmosphere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 2 Keith’s decided to jog
it whilst the girls strolled in their Sunday best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was apparent that all the men in the
village also “went to church” on Sunday, some tinkering with their boats, some
drinking coffee or tsipereo, swapping stories and also buying some of the local
catch as it was brought ashore on the boats that seemed to turn up every 10
minutes. </span></div>
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<br />
More walking blogs to follow......<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXJWUSLy6JF0WimhIVGX7Sadi6BwyRHaMCliTDFFVAMWSnRY0BDIHr9cBJKpRutRZsOTRoLmykTtJBPDHczc2HKlfyFZ_fOl_CzUT-nlCdzD7VROEajnN0aOCDp9FXNbZlRaUqaN3AGPv/s1600/SAM_0892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXJWUSLy6JF0WimhIVGX7Sadi6BwyRHaMCliTDFFVAMWSnRY0BDIHr9cBJKpRutRZsOTRoLmykTtJBPDHczc2HKlfyFZ_fOl_CzUT-nlCdzD7VROEajnN0aOCDp9FXNbZlRaUqaN3AGPv/s320/SAM_0892.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><span style="color: blue;">".....I'd have to be some kind of natural born fool <br />
To want to pass that way again<br />
But I could feel it <br />
On a country road....."<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
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</div>
</div>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-65169390501599117002012-05-25T15:02:00.002+03:002012-05-25T19:52:47.873+03:00"First of May.........."<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>......"When I was small and Christmas trees were tall<br />
We used to love while others used to play<br />
Don't ask me why, but time has passed us by<br />
Someone else moved in from far away....."</strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Here we are
in Corfu in May and the old adage <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘dont cast a clout until May is out’</i></b>
couldn't be more true! May in</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> Corfu</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">, brings a mixture of rough
winds, rain showers, but also hot days with blue skies full of brilliant white
fluffy clouds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2rPZKXvcqRX6BSz6asL8SkujZgEDkoPzjYkpRi5xLw76JrhxjepV5UZyg-MdTHYYO0S7BSXybtNugDorbFTzHleuKTxpKgxyWX-TMdhzZMGLWXYl7m_KcRE6uY40fZfS15aKVkJOBeVr/s1600/SAM_0667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2rPZKXvcqRX6BSz6asL8SkujZgEDkoPzjYkpRi5xLw76JrhxjepV5UZyg-MdTHYYO0S7BSXybtNugDorbFTzHleuKTxpKgxyWX-TMdhzZMGLWXYl7m_KcRE6uY40fZfS15aKVkJOBeVr/s320/SAM_0667.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Flowers are blooming in
abundance and we are starting to smell the intoxicating smell of honeysuckle
and jasmine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOO75siAjprgdb4CNwKJwo3tXhkH-H38_CkViruIAL0F1L9dCxsX32-Z3r1AJ6wFol28WzMWHpK_dSHOihQ1sTkgEvHPSXxZbz6thIxaEz4YJX-ys2u6AK527N8iD0QXNnE9pZVtnDmBJ/s1600/SAM_0647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOO75siAjprgdb4CNwKJwo3tXhkH-H38_CkViruIAL0F1L9dCxsX32-Z3r1AJ6wFol28WzMWHpK_dSHOihQ1sTkgEvHPSXxZbz6thIxaEz4YJX-ys2u6AK527N8iD0QXNnE9pZVtnDmBJ/s320/SAM_0647.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>And the swallows are back
and have spent the first 2 weeks of May building their nest above our door
(noisy little blighters !) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<br />
<span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>We can
also hear the noise of the frogs and toads, doing whatever frogs and toads do,
in the local stream, creating a very loud chorus that can be heard every
evening across the whole of San Stefanos.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaemhDAmYrGngZXhJS6mTIAMS1jubh-OP46EHxqTYMzW6dDzqhwclRb-4I_I6XITSIItg2wrBUbOdgksDbs3igvnm7X6TavTc1iTImqXC2I5fQckqrR2U0wWcllj-kNQQoFyZ-5SWHtu9E/s1600/SAM_0574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaemhDAmYrGngZXhJS6mTIAMS1jubh-OP46EHxqTYMzW6dDzqhwclRb-4I_I6XITSIItg2wrBUbOdgksDbs3igvnm7X6TavTc1iTImqXC2I5fQckqrR2U0wWcllj-kNQQoFyZ-5SWHtu9E/s320/SAM_0574.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The evenings
are still quite chilly; although Liz is now wearing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>only one pair of socks in bed instead of the
usual 3 which must mean the temperature is on the way up!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the beauty’s of the May evenings is
the fireflies which light up early every evening, particularly in the undergrowth
alongside the paths and in overgrown areas of gardens and orchards, this
dazzling display will last till early June then disappear as the summer nights
get hotter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The fruit
trees are full of fruit and the roadside sellers have strawberries, cherries,
oranges and melons for sale. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XFd5tOJMlae6aaSAadM8ggidRue1Ou9IM9vdl46DBJZgFM5LdljF5ckw5qRV2Wo10RPOyDfXS8q2wE_xvN4ZPfPVxYPTMqBtQg07SES32G5vGEjTtDZfSyhZicgsMq9mOC77dPmr_rcs/s1600/SAM_0444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XFd5tOJMlae6aaSAadM8ggidRue1Ou9IM9vdl46DBJZgFM5LdljF5ckw5qRV2Wo10RPOyDfXS8q2wE_xvN4ZPfPVxYPTMqBtQg07SES32G5vGEjTtDZfSyhZicgsMq9mOC77dPmr_rcs/s320/SAM_0444.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">We have bought a string of garlic from the gypsy
sellers who travel around the villages selling from the back of a truck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is something which has become an annual
event for us; listening out for the sellers and haggling for the best price,
I’m sure we could buy it cheaper in the supermarkets, but to have a string of
garlic hung up outside on the balcony next to the tub containing fresh basil is
esthetically very pleasing.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3U1kMSFdcbM1SV_exvb3GKhyphenhyphen0pFBOpYLiNA2arK-bYov2vai2Oi3l8thdwtm4jZ7mtHVu7QAj1-e8LxhUKNNpXgAtDU6lf_aNQ4I2VfFsH7mEQwAKskHY05AYtsw1CxCPEuSRcFbB-cDe/s1600/SAM_0593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3U1kMSFdcbM1SV_exvb3GKhyphenhyphen0pFBOpYLiNA2arK-bYov2vai2Oi3l8thdwtm4jZ7mtHVu7QAj1-e8LxhUKNNpXgAtDU6lf_aNQ4I2VfFsH7mEQwAKskHY05AYtsw1CxCPEuSRcFbB-cDe/s320/SAM_0593.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">We are
gently easing ourselves into our Greek lifesyle. We have planted our veg in the
garden, which our lovely neighbour and friend Keith Stanton had already
rotavated for us, ready for our return. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtea-dfl4KqEGCDR-Zb7bTWpuol0sZBYpwB2LLn2AWFjJMSRXH_ejpJh_Ozfw-2mZ4-dwUVulKlJcbBBXld8hORzLhuo-iPxQnp8UHYQ2LvridkVPOttWpg3kcNzHt-tWFQ9GcBFHI-d8r/s1600/SAM_0742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtea-dfl4KqEGCDR-Zb7bTWpuol0sZBYpwB2LLn2AWFjJMSRXH_ejpJh_Ozfw-2mZ4-dwUVulKlJcbBBXld8hORzLhuo-iPxQnp8UHYQ2LvridkVPOttWpg3kcNzHt-tWFQ9GcBFHI-d8r/s320/SAM_0742.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">It is not
yet summer but gradually we are starting to see the evidence of the charter
flights bringing much needed tourists here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have had our first tentative dip in the cold sea! The sun is shining
and the temperature is gradually getting higher – and everyone is ready to
start work again after the winter. </span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR;">Everything is freshly
painted, the taverna chairs and tables are out, new awnings and umbrellas up,
and beaches cleared of winter debris.</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The 21st of May was a</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> </span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Public
holiday here, it</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> is an important date in the calendar of Corfu as it is
the date the Ionian Islands were reunited with the rest of Greece. </span><span class="googqs-tidbit-0"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">After
the Napoleonic Wars Corfu became the property of the United Kingdom until 1864
when the island reunited with Greece.</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Corfu celebrates in style with huge banquets and lots of singing and
dancing. Or it used to do, in recent times the celebrations are more for a day
off from work rather than being happy to be part of mainland Greece and all its
financial troubles!</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The 21st May
was also the name day for all </span><span class="googqs-tidbit1"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Konstantinos, Kostas,
Konstantina, and Eleni.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Name
Days</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">, not
birthdays, are celebrated in Corfu. Great significance is attached to the name
given a child, and the process of choosing a name follows fairly rigid
conventions. The idea of a baby being given a name just because the parents
like the sound of it is unknown in Greece. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So there are no Kylies or Britneys!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The
eldest son in a family is often called after his paternal grandfather and the
oldest daughter after her paternal grandmother. Names are usually of religious
origin, and they often don’t name their baby for several months. Each island or
area in Greece has a patron saint, and people living in that area often name a
child after its patron saint. St Spiridon in Corfu, hence the number of Spiros
you are likely to meet here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Each
saint has a special feast day. A person's name day is the feast day of the
saint after which they were named. On someone's name day, open house is held
and a feast is laid on for the friends and neighbours who call. They will give
a small gift to the person whose names day it is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Also on
21<sup>st</sup> May we collected our next visitors from the airport, Pepsi & Shirley, so we have an excuse to behave like tourists for another week!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6vnlUIjuq9u9zmzdZz0HQkC8wkaYjmkTtCn8DszCbmuQSnD7SZlMl0RN3IjW18OoTfga7osVvsPp9JGekF1QWagCJG16BmrFnd3ZEzNxo0CjQJUFQylL75-7-C6Nd4F8PKgLw94wbwjc/s1600/SAM_0608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6vnlUIjuq9u9zmzdZz0HQkC8wkaYjmkTtCn8DszCbmuQSnD7SZlMl0RN3IjW18OoTfga7osVvsPp9JGekF1QWagCJG16BmrFnd3ZEzNxo0CjQJUFQylL75-7-C6Nd4F8PKgLw94wbwjc/s320/SAM_0608.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> Yamas!!</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
<span style="color: blue;"><strong>".....</strong></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>Now we are tall and Christmas trees are small<br />
And you don't ask the time of day<br />
But you and I, our love will never die<br />
But guess we'll cry come first of May......"<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></o:p></span></div>
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</div>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-89029535961435173422012-05-15T21:54:00.003+03:002012-05-15T21:54:44.731+03:00Lily the Pink.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: blue;">"</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: blue;">……..Here's a story, a
little bit gory, <br />
A little bit happy, a little bit sad,<br />
Of Lily the Pink and her medicinal compound,<br />
And how it slowly drove her to the bad……"</span></span></i></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">We have had our 1<sup>st</sup> visitors of the season here, Lizzy’s
daughters Pippa & Carmel came to San Stefanos and amidst all the sunshine
and partying and with the smell of perfume and hairspray…. they managed to turn
the place pink!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Living (in our house)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5vQ5Ja8degXnwhLaG4qEnELvYnS0HBjjqF_KnahYnZgmPJ8hPfOioKKnLsmSF2v0QaFpkxOqDBGFyEbOcvKsZciZpgG5biNqYT3auKOjtBdGbVYRsUWVuFAlYrR9-wFhoJezaiGQPB-E/s1600/SAM_0515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5vQ5Ja8degXnwhLaG4qEnELvYnS0HBjjqF_KnahYnZgmPJ8hPfOioKKnLsmSF2v0QaFpkxOqDBGFyEbOcvKsZciZpgG5biNqYT3auKOjtBdGbVYRsUWVuFAlYrR9-wFhoJezaiGQPB-E/s320/SAM_0515.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Swimming (pool side)</strong></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LbrXh3hFuw7SAFMAqIZq5UZGw-41_MELGMmfkxooh3E6svaqcragOGvNGxEPF4ey_X5dbw5y38MK8ic_FwF5U0E4O2MyUipU4zF70hslZ-MpLTUOB2C4zXl_aProMZKDVcikRmH29b7X/s1600/SAM_0365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LbrXh3hFuw7SAFMAqIZq5UZGw-41_MELGMmfkxooh3E6svaqcragOGvNGxEPF4ey_X5dbw5y38MK8ic_FwF5U0E4O2MyUipU4zF70hslZ-MpLTUOB2C4zXl_aProMZKDVcikRmH29b7X/s320/SAM_0365.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Synchronising (in the pool)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbw6JSaEhoJa7-vORWuIOyFcImEeogLPCae4XF34_qetPoQV1qGMSNyY824yJFva-q_BBV0KWsJHO6yJ4Wn9XLq_RLRc1E5SiNP-9_78daGKi3emI_uJN1zRqcfzR0-wb0iEahw-NTFHU/s1600/SAM_0368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbw6JSaEhoJa7-vORWuIOyFcImEeogLPCae4XF34_qetPoQV1qGMSNyY824yJFva-q_BBV0KWsJHO6yJ4Wn9XLq_RLRc1E5SiNP-9_78daGKi3emI_uJN1zRqcfzR0-wb0iEahw-NTFHU/s320/SAM_0368.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Matching (Pippa with roses)</strong></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCk_DmE0BSL80lvM4ChauLZkqXIowhp70k4sK-w9hoE-CDrs0veplkQcL2EmdjqXY0Vc-5VRefSzkd3W7mjC5yhgvxYIPDC_b4kdLtsKAuxHbLe2jZ9Yrk63N1YAZyZ1oYr_ANTHKzrif/s1600/SAM_0300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCk_DmE0BSL80lvM4ChauLZkqXIowhp70k4sK-w9hoE-CDrs0veplkQcL2EmdjqXY0Vc-5VRefSzkd3W7mjC5yhgvxYIPDC_b4kdLtsKAuxHbLe2jZ9Yrk63N1YAZyZ1oYr_ANTHKzrif/s320/SAM_0300.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Surfing (Windy day in the sea)</strong></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfUBNwtRMdZXiCQyTnNBSWNURPS_MVG6Wg3XMf21n_VAduxpG4EpsD9C8V1VcAyv_p-RS1ud8Fa3qIAUEYoUUv2pfNQQQneaJWcKwgE44FVAT_2sX4qD82ZQ12Yns1ci1BUrYYnpDBqWg/s1600/SAM_0200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfUBNwtRMdZXiCQyTnNBSWNURPS_MVG6Wg3XMf21n_VAduxpG4EpsD9C8V1VcAyv_p-RS1ud8Fa3qIAUEYoUUv2pfNQQQneaJWcKwgE44FVAT_2sX4qD82ZQ12Yns1ci1BUrYYnpDBqWg/s320/SAM_0200.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Walking (Afianos village)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMnBgar92IqbyUTFWy9n8t9srsQjUPy0vkQh2wf8p9TEgLm6IXyLJhntbqT5lHiaEP6mNF1rvfA8_O-lhCMJqpTBFRqntnBS4_hh63lAtdYdJ_DHTamVPu0-IVabwSNh054KQ3lqC3Lmf5/s1600/SAM_0309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMnBgar92IqbyUTFWy9n8t9srsQjUPy0vkQh2wf8p9TEgLm6IXyLJhntbqT5lHiaEP6mNF1rvfA8_O-lhCMJqpTBFRqntnBS4_hh63lAtdYdJ_DHTamVPu0-IVabwSNh054KQ3lqC3Lmf5/s320/SAM_0309.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Biking (New Avliotes by-pass road)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Eating (3 BrothersTaverna – Afianos)</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Drinking (Sunset Bar- Akrotiri)</strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Cocktailing (Athens Bar)</strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Baking (Carmel's Banana Bread)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Laughing (Afianos village)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Exploring (Avliotes walk)</strong></span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Beauty parlour…..ing (Sidari)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Fruit picking (Lemon Grove)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Gardening (at home)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Viewing (Pink lighting of the Sunset from our balcony)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Chilling (Arillas walk)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJXlCqe92bYRDTsO103N7Kmc1ZiNDE6kT-PhePOup0ofEKKnRTwPUDZSWCjow1KLD1NXgeUPuJ6ny8e87peVQM2c077pjkaasHhXFTRjpb5gqUbHnaJXikeST7rAyjNOEokCQGi50gtOHT/s1600/SAM_0525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJXlCqe92bYRDTsO103N7Kmc1ZiNDE6kT-PhePOup0ofEKKnRTwPUDZSWCjow1KLD1NXgeUPuJ6ny8e87peVQM2c077pjkaasHhXFTRjpb5gqUbHnaJXikeST7rAyjNOEokCQGi50gtOHT/s320/SAM_0525.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: magenta;"><strong>And a bit more chilling.....(Waves Taverna)</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>........Age old little old lady spotting</strong></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-NDxy0N6TC0rhy7TtLL96oHarYKWp_Bcv6Rbn9U6uK3_W4FfZf_MzniohCGo1I-18_MWGoYWyNjz3ijeN6HRa7cvke4YPumEJau5NQUwG5vFsbs1_qjb7vPBpaHTxPQL4XIjfHxQQfu5/s1600/little+old+lady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-NDxy0N6TC0rhy7TtLL96oHarYKWp_Bcv6Rbn9U6uK3_W4FfZf_MzniohCGo1I-18_MWGoYWyNjz3ijeN6HRa7cvke4YPumEJau5NQUwG5vFsbs1_qjb7vPBpaHTxPQL4XIjfHxQQfu5/s320/little+old+lady.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>"……We'll
drink a drink a drink <br />
To Lily the pink the pink the pink<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNm_cIBQ1ca-2zACGW0hsUVAcLTkt7p-wwq7cuYcc4kV9CjsF7_f-5mDmy3rQZcEIbaH6nvv1VbHUy2mgdjcvaez1-S0x5MzJBS3ks4_hpRF4rl14JcjfBZ7TVYKzFn765w4mIosmOgHC/s1600/SAM_0332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNm_cIBQ1ca-2zACGW0hsUVAcLTkt7p-wwq7cuYcc4kV9CjsF7_f-5mDmy3rQZcEIbaH6nvv1VbHUy2mgdjcvaez1-S0x5MzJBS3ks4_hpRF4rl14JcjfBZ7TVYKzFn765w4mIosmOgHC/s320/SAM_0332.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>The
saviour of the human race. <br />
She invented medicinal compound. <br />
Most efficacious in every case….."</strong></span></span></i></div>
<strong><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you for a fab week my gorgeous girls!!!</span></strong></div>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-7667628481860696832012-05-07T13:06:00.000+03:002012-05-07T13:06:11.027+03:00'Pilgrims Progress.....'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;"><strong>“……..I sat me down to write a simple story, which maybe in
the end became a song </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>In trying to find the words which might begin it? I found
these were the thoughts I brought along...”<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today it is Election Day in Greece and tonight there is a 'Supermoon'....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">will everything here go crazy? </span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">(Picture taken from our garden)</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As Greece goes
through the economic hoops set for it by the EU we expect to find more changes
and higher prices this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friends who
live here have already told us of exceptionally high fuel prices and strikes
affecting public services.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One change that has directly affected us, is the ferry
service from Italy to Corfu; for the past 5 years we have travelled by Minoan
ferry’s from Venice to Corfu, it’s always one of our highlights sailing out of
Venice. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we were more than a little
disappointed and confused to get an email telling us that Minoan have withdrawn
the service due to financial constraints and that we would have to sail from
Ancona instead, (400km further south), plus they will no longer call in to
Corfu, so our ferry would drop us off at the Greek mainland port of Igoumanitsa
and we would have to catch the local ferry from there to Corfu!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It would take more than this to put us off and we enjoyed
the adventure of seeing new sights on the Italian coast on route to Ancona plus
the adventure of disembarking at Igumanitsa (mainland Greece) and catching a
local ferry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We left behind the cold, wet, windy UK spring weather (Keith
& Paddy had to spend 2 very wet and cold hours packing and re-packing the
car, (we never travel light)), and we sailed out of Hull for a stormy nights
crossing to Holland. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we woke up on
Monday morning in Rotterdam it was clear blue skies and the temperature rose by
the hour as we headed towards Germany; the car temperature gauge reading got as
high as 29 degrees!!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc8oTOpky9auSgWplpdXpm6oXtXv-XHHQkDQ3edHLi5M12KVT9FPu5fimZzLJzZJXMYHHgqdnV5hXp2ip8iPBbdlLQGKHhFOCalJ565I0MoW1FLr3yBOUjEImeVIHKatLKzqsdJ0usY_4/s1600/SAM_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc8oTOpky9auSgWplpdXpm6oXtXv-XHHQkDQ3edHLi5M12KVT9FPu5fimZzLJzZJXMYHHgqdnV5hXp2ip8iPBbdlLQGKHhFOCalJ565I0MoW1FLr3yBOUjEImeVIHKatLKzqsdJ0usY_4/s320/SAM_0071.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We drove down wonderful empty motorways as we crossed from
Holland to Germany, because it was the May Day weekend, which is a European wide
bank holiday and as on all bank holidays and weekends, heavy goods are not
allowed on the motorways. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bank holiday was
also a bonus because when we arrived in Heidelberg at Paul’s House......</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">...... there was
the culmination of a weeklong festival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We went into their village square before dinner to watch Lizzy’s niece,
Antonia, sing in a local choir....</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oRaIvHYJa4StpYPkrrla-1_G2vdJQ7PQmYyydjoRBokDlW541FjPagSHtF9cds8SeoaFTNj2v_vEWyOncBO0QgnSAq2SZYTlcXV-h7kLeXcXjme2JNfDK4X1GaGeVGUzvo4AG0nqB7WV/s1600/SAM_0087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oRaIvHYJa4StpYPkrrla-1_G2vdJQ7PQmYyydjoRBokDlW541FjPagSHtF9cds8SeoaFTNj2v_vEWyOncBO0QgnSAq2SZYTlcXV-h7kLeXcXjme2JNfDK4X1GaGeVGUzvo4AG0nqB7WV/s320/SAM_0087.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">followed by several other traditional choirs who
entertained the local population in a packed park in the middle of the town. We
were also treated to a seasonal meal of local asparagus which is a delicacy at
this time of year in this part of Germany.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the old town of Heidelberg there is a tradition at this
time of year to celebrate the spring solstice event known as Walpurgis, which
featured in many folklore tales and in an epic tune, ‘Repent Walpurgis’ by prog
rock band, Procol Harem. Traditionally in the evening, many young people from
the town make their way up the hill to a natural amphitheatre, to camp out,
celebrate and get drunk etc. as part of the celebrations that form Walpurgis Night!
</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBsQed4YZjNCKh52HNR_149C5od2UgAWrc6go0ld1K35RrKhXsYmvfVaEF9C4PfsbVuz-v-YQAzAqiLz4evhwJIR4F5pL4gAuyswBHJ8Y3NVyK4u4JH-bzd6tJ_A6Q199GzM2Y7dvdC6w/s1600/Heidelberg_Walpurgisnacht.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBsQed4YZjNCKh52HNR_149C5od2UgAWrc6go0ld1K35RrKhXsYmvfVaEF9C4PfsbVuz-v-YQAzAqiLz4evhwJIR4F5pL4gAuyswBHJ8Y3NVyK4u4JH-bzd6tJ_A6Q199GzM2Y7dvdC6w/s320/Heidelberg_Walpurgisnacht.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Calibri;">See below a potted explanation from local historian and Lizzy’s brother Paul!</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">Walpurgis was an
English nun (she died in about 788 AD) who went as a missionary to Germany and
became abbess of Heidenheim; she is celebrated on the first of May, which is
coincidentally the date of the rites of an earlier (pagan) festival, one of the
Celtic quarter-days, in fact. On the night before May Day, Walpurgisnacht, the
witch-world holds its most elaborate revels particularly at The Brocken,
high-point of the Harz Mountains, in the presence of the Devil<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The following day we set off to travel to Milan via
Switzerland through impressive scenery of snow capped mountains, beautiful lakes,
long tunnels and the sound of cow bells clanking away in the fields at the side
of the motorway!</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We received the usual warm welcome from Keith’s sister
Deborah and family in Milan; we caught up on the winter's gossip, whilst Eleanora created
the most delicious pies, with ricotta, gorgonzola cheese and broccoli. We retired
fairly early as we needed a 5am start to beat the rush hour traffic of Milan
and Bologna on route to the port of Ancona. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Again all went smoothly, and we arrived at the
port around 11am straight onto a brand new ferry. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ancona is a quaint port in
a venetian style with some beautiful old buildings and architecture, the ferry
was very quiet in terms of passengers , only a party of French school children,
4 or 5 lorry drivers, half a dozen brits and maybe 20 or so others on a 3000 capacity
ferry! We upgraded to an outside cabin for less than £100 and had a great
night’s sleep, waking up just off the coast of Corfu at approx. 8am. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We also met fellow English travellers Paul & Gail, who
were coming back to their home in Corfu <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for
the summer and we shared the adventure of the switch to the local ferry from
Igumanitsa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which in the end turned out
to be quite painless and we arrived 2 hours earlier in Corfu than if we had
taken the original ferry from Venice! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1
hour later we were home, accompanied by nest building swallows and swifts that
had, like us, migrated for the summer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once we unpacked and stocked up with food, we caught up with
friends and bar and hotel owners and Keith has his first gig booked this Tuesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So today we had a wonderful long afternoon on
the beach with our friends Sue, Keith, Bob & Bev, with a picnic and wine
and beer!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAIgibqzVO7dm8vb0uZ2GkePT2p15IMMUHxfXO29r59wMiKutLVqfyXO___NI8HPZmYKTf1TMegBMgsmd9insNig-oS7g0WIl2lk718bQN8vLALF6uu_cgMAl2dZV5XCf3kTga0-CQuTM/s1600/SAM_0144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAIgibqzVO7dm8vb0uZ2GkePT2p15IMMUHxfXO29r59wMiKutLVqfyXO___NI8HPZmYKTf1TMegBMgsmd9insNig-oS7g0WIl2lk718bQN8vLALF6uu_cgMAl2dZV5XCf3kTga0-CQuTM/s320/SAM_0144.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lizzy’s <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>eldest
daughter, Carmel, has come over from Oz to spend 2 weeks in the northern
hemisphere for her friend’s wedding and also to visit us in Corfu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTwBCDJ1fkielo8ympd1JRJUWZiAXfCELv8uzR2JblgtMFwQBer06xwKSjt6bPBdBxWBSzB-2Mwm-OKiZaARrcsOtxayeQldUmHl09qn9JyeyALEohXr4UKCJvU9xpPyy6Ks4TJnz1V-e/s1600/SAM_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTwBCDJ1fkielo8ympd1JRJUWZiAXfCELv8uzR2JblgtMFwQBer06xwKSjt6bPBdBxWBSzB-2Mwm-OKiZaARrcsOtxayeQldUmHl09qn9JyeyALEohXr4UKCJvU9xpPyy6Ks4TJnz1V-e/s320/SAM_0043.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The night before we caught our ferry from
Hull, we had a great family gathering in Leeds followed by Keith’s final UK
gig, which many of the family turned up for, (the bar not realising this,
thought Keith’s fame had spread far and wide and he had brought many fans to
see him and as a consequence booked him for 2 more gigs when we return to the
UK).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are off now to collect our first visitors, Lizzy’s
daughters, from the airport. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pippa is
coming over from Leeds & Carmel is in London, after a friend’s wedding so
they will travel together from Gatwick to Corfu for a week’s holiday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It feels good to be here!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>“In starting out I thought to go exploring, and set my foot
upon the nearest road </strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>In vain I looked to find the promised turning ……….but only
saw how far I was from home…………”</strong></span></span> </div>
<br />
</div>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-17213644004205064452011-06-06T16:34:00.013+03:002011-06-06T17:41:24.269+03:00"The Day we caught the train....."<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32QNPiBGTyZhVcmEod7uHREdKGrLxa_dV4Yb5AKyleoo2xMB6c3Yz9QHwrh52fIIA9seTkI9T4CR599s2bXALQaYivKQNUE_E1YC9xXxobSHkOZoZbffjrKRCGycSXi91nj3zAyI243Qo/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615111748293736322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32QNPiBGTyZhVcmEod7uHREdKGrLxa_dV4Yb5AKyleoo2xMB6c3Yz9QHwrh52fIIA9seTkI9T4CR599s2bXALQaYivKQNUE_E1YC9xXxobSHkOZoZbffjrKRCGycSXi91nj3zAyI243Qo/s320/001.JPG" /></a><span style="color:#6633ff;"><em> "I never saw it as the start its more a change of heart<br />Rapping on the windows, whistling down the chimney pot<br />blowing off the dust in the room where I forgot I laid my plans in solid rock<br />Stepping through the door like a troubadour whiling just an hour away,<br />looking at the trees on the roadside feeling its a holiday.<br />You and I should ride the coast and wind up in our favourite coats just miles away......."<br /><br /></em></span>We are now getting into our usual routine over here:- with a late-ish start to the day; a bit of beach time; some great food, usually home cooking; then out to play some guitar; home at 1am; watch the ferries go by from the balcony; then sleep!<br /><br />Our first friends to arrive this year were Ian and Rachel, (Ian worked with us in the UK in the winter time).<br /><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMqdZXKu5bQbT0lOPAwrjE2Z9AruEpluzwOKGYbIDoci7JqGzbLIlJV2-utSX3JTSgV2t2EDLfAfNjaRInu7lM0A4pIU2wB0E9q2S9otJjEkeqquhN-h9qDpbVm6Cy0XCIJbRqmc_14EO/s1600/DSCF0597.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615112263210193474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMqdZXKu5bQbT0lOPAwrjE2Z9AruEpluzwOKGYbIDoci7JqGzbLIlJV2-utSX3JTSgV2t2EDLfAfNjaRInu7lM0A4pIU2wB0E9q2S9otJjEkeqquhN-h9qDpbVm6Cy0XCIJbRqmc_14EO/s320/DSCF0597.JPG" /></a> We knew they were coming over for a holiday but didn’t really know if we would meet up. They arrived on Friday for a 1 week stay in Arillas, the village over the hill from us. Keith had been out and about touting for work the week before, and had agreed to play at a new venue in Arillas (called Kaloudis Village); so imagine our surprise, when we walked in and the 1st people we saw were… Ian and Rachel, who were staying on the complex, and had seen the posters for the gig, but Keith couldn’t convince them he had laid it on especially for them!<br /><br />When we arrived, the owner Vasillis, (who calls himself Billy) insisted we had dinner on the house before the gig! (We now have 3 venues a week that feed us for free before each gig ;O))<br />The gig was great, lots of banter with the audience. By the end of the night it was agreed that this would be a regular booking for the summer and each week the gig and the food have got better and better.<br />All the gigs so far have been fantastic, I don’t know if its Keith’s playing, or the new format of handing out the song lists, or that the venues and the people in them are just right for what Keith does, but the feedback at the end of each night has been amazing.<br /><br />As Ian and Rachel had never been to Corfu before, we arranged to take them out and about one day, to show them some of the local sights, followed by lunch in a fish taverna. When we collected them the weather was a bit overcast with the threat of a bit of rain, so we did a quick trip up to Afianos, (regular guests will be familiar with this excursion into Lizzy’s little old lady paradise) Liz is still looking for that elusive ‘perfect little old lady’ picture.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsDcO_26QDxEzhyphenhyphenTbheyCrra2WTkGtLEAiJ5ClZ97sqYBykYTXSqk5pIqY6v6wK42OnXavKuTc1M9w3GMyggC0TdbfEol0e9xSiWs50HEm5txDs78-i5rs7K3vavRLx8PGPmkS6u4y64i/s1600/DSCF0596.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615111989418447394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsDcO_26QDxEzhyphenhyphenTbheyCrra2WTkGtLEAiJ5ClZ97sqYBykYTXSqk5pIqY6v6wK42OnXavKuTc1M9w3GMyggC0TdbfEol0e9xSiWs50HEm5txDs78-i5rs7K3vavRLx8PGPmkS6u4y64i/s320/DSCF0596.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn0aJ3WfN5SU2yVT2_1T2mDr8bziQbiiKZZ8YLH44nlTFodasbPResgJHOKsvu_Ss5IRd06C9fRmN2EhzTUo6kmACIyAPlrj-caoSdu9QtbmQZcbT93Yc-KCt8CoPeElWUXLu8ZrlHgoIn/s1600/DSCF0605.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615112703221537138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn0aJ3WfN5SU2yVT2_1T2mDr8bziQbiiKZZ8YLH44nlTFodasbPResgJHOKsvu_Ss5IRd06C9fRmN2EhzTUo6kmACIyAPlrj-caoSdu9QtbmQZcbT93Yc-KCt8CoPeElWUXLu8ZrlHgoIn/s320/DSCF0605.JPG" /></a> And Keith for his perfect vehicle!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj50PqTzkqwq6TpACa0SejFhCNgq-_KIRN-dlhuN37JmPS6I4is1qKhmwhiipdqtAZ_BCNaXiLoyZE5gMZHoJ8kBPFkbjTK7kNsghIVerLmnlUlwEXMcwsBTkHR3Is9oO8-i4FKl7wrrLC/s1600/DSCF0647.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615113754576090210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj50PqTzkqwq6TpACa0SejFhCNgq-_KIRN-dlhuN37JmPS6I4is1qKhmwhiipdqtAZ_BCNaXiLoyZE5gMZHoJ8kBPFkbjTK7kNsghIVerLmnlUlwEXMcwsBTkHR3Is9oO8-i4FKl7wrrLC/s320/DSCF0647.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghH4MASam8Mkhfavlxm4EXGPQirhjq2mmBxzi8Ycik96uvwlfxK08U1lpjxl1EBl5Os5ePxfLuQSgVqieja9N7mJ2eEmnnsjJWcQb5uS8xLWLjTkfZ2vmgjbiM8uLCkKX4c4bVVX3YHCZj/s1600/DSCF0602.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615112473311162610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghH4MASam8Mkhfavlxm4EXGPQirhjq2mmBxzi8Ycik96uvwlfxK08U1lpjxl1EBl5Os5ePxfLuQSgVqieja9N7mJ2eEmnnsjJWcQb5uS8xLWLjTkfZ2vmgjbiM8uLCkKX4c4bVVX3YHCZj/s320/DSCF0602.JPG" /></a> Next we set off to the deserted village of Ano Perithia, via some picturesque villages like Magoulades, with a World War 2 torpedo in the village square!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRnm-uf-k2USwXEGJKwfk9RHeIUGQryl0dK0_i-N97IkNhkqa6iyzekS51COXORvrmTfoq4rNnMk4XPFR6rAzeaek9a_vkFxWHOVg3sUtQxscJRLNlMeIKfHzchGcd7h_9bpRM56w-sdw/s1600/DSCF0608.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615112871447910978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRnm-uf-k2USwXEGJKwfk9RHeIUGQryl0dK0_i-N97IkNhkqa6iyzekS51COXORvrmTfoq4rNnMk4XPFR6rAzeaek9a_vkFxWHOVg3sUtQxscJRLNlMeIKfHzchGcd7h_9bpRM56w-sdw/s320/DSCF0608.JPG" /></a> We chased a rain cloud all the way along the north coast until we turned inland and climbed up towards Ano Perithia, where we found sunny skies and of course great views up the mountain and down across the channel towards Albania.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4t8AXDJmNSFfYG51GtVn0gmBud87dP7RjFOXevS7yWwmbetQSUYFfrnQt6cILMsp_-MRvYReCq-FzB8jpO7MOKrtscSs9QFlx6Ikc7VWC0agUiflPlac7lA7oeEG1br5jYbq8AHsi-LMa/s1600/DSCF0613.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615113047239918690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4t8AXDJmNSFfYG51GtVn0gmBud87dP7RjFOXevS7yWwmbetQSUYFfrnQt6cILMsp_-MRvYReCq-FzB8jpO7MOKrtscSs9QFlx6Ikc7VWC0agUiflPlac7lA7oeEG1br5jYbq8AHsi-LMa/s320/DSCF0613.JPG" /></a> During the 14th century, there were many attacks and pirate raids on Corfu. And the settlements and homes that had been established in the foothills of the mountains were vulnerable. So families sought refuge higher up and built second homes and communities, Ano Perithia became the perfect location for a ‘hidden’ village where you could see….but not be seen. The village has Venetian architecture and is surrounded by 8 churches. But by the 1940’s as these threats subsided, and many Greeks went to America, the village had gradually become more and more deserted and now no longer has any inhabitants. It does however have several tavernas for the tourists.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1VgHZYLoLjk1heZW4wlL2Z007WcIf9UxPuD-f2ME7802Y9xRyD74VbLAqWr7fwVACGwIzGldG0IdWNb1Xqbcr69bhXB-138oeeot8awgS5cI0fupdtYv6LLzRvjPUqBBRrUaa5isHPZI/s1600/DSCF0627.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615113257431556178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1VgHZYLoLjk1heZW4wlL2Z007WcIf9UxPuD-f2ME7802Y9xRyD74VbLAqWr7fwVACGwIzGldG0IdWNb1Xqbcr69bhXB-138oeeot8awgS5cI0fupdtYv6LLzRvjPUqBBRrUaa5isHPZI/s320/DSCF0627.JPG" /></a> As it is early in the season it was very very quiet up in the village which made it even more charming and curious, all those empty houses, over grown and lost in the foliage, it was so beautiful and full of spring flowers, all of these disappear as the temperature increases leaving a hot dusty landscape during the summer months.<br /><br />We managed to resist, sitting down in a village taverna for some local made walnut cake and headed for a sea food lunch. Ian & Rachel had not eaten much sea food on this holiday and they were keen to sample the local cuisine; so where better to take them than the 3 brothers in Astrakari, another of Lizzy’s favorite haunts for all sorts of reasons.<br />We were greeted handsomely by George and his family, we got the best table in the house (as we were the only ones there it was easy to do) although it started raining just as we sat down and Keith found the perfect position for the rain to drip down his neck through a small hole in the awning over the taverna.<br /><br />As Ian & Rachel, but particularly Ian, had limited experience of eating sea food they were keen to try, so asked for our recommendations, they didn’t want fish! So we suggested a meze of cuttlefish and octopus in a spicy red sauce, calamari, and courgette and feta balls deep fried, they though it sounded great, although Ian sounded a bit wary but thought ‘what the heck I’m on holiday lets give it a try’. The food arrived and as we have eaten there many times before we knew what we were getting, it is beautiful food though it is served in a very rustic way, so calamari is not those homogenized battered rubber rings you get in restaurants in the uk, this is the real deal straight out of the sea lightly dipped in flour and deep fried, beautiful! The same with the octopus and cuttlefish it’s in a tomato and onion sauce quite spicy and very oily, and although the octopus legs taste like chicken (doesn’t everything) the suckers are still on so you know you are eating octopus.<br /><br />To put it politely Ian was way out of his comfort zone, but to be fair he tried everything, even though before each mouthful he said “I am out of my comfort zone doing this”. We believe they enjoyed the experience, they both definitely loved the courgette balls and were pleased they’d tried the food; But maybe they were being polite?<br />As we took them back to their lovely resort of Arillas we drove through the main street of Sidari to show them what they ‘could have had’!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pF-cw7YVLZAwXP3tL1tP_PVQ3bDP65BXSmB5gld-lqN7cQIwZLvbJZPE7LrQyB0X8Z-uUyBaL2MmW9o6MJyFDFEYEG9-8mADaXEPsedGRtpvcQ5Han7W5GcRah1Ohesu4bVPTbnXADLz/s1600/DSCF0635.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615113539177973490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pF-cw7YVLZAwXP3tL1tP_PVQ3bDP65BXSmB5gld-lqN7cQIwZLvbJZPE7LrQyB0X8Z-uUyBaL2MmW9o6MJyFDFEYEG9-8mADaXEPsedGRtpvcQ5Han7W5GcRah1Ohesu4bVPTbnXADLz/s320/DSCF0635.JPG" /></a> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-56554047834155223052011-05-25T13:34:00.004+03:002011-05-25T13:36:41.123+03:00"5 YEARS TIME........"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Fertigo Pro', fertigo-pro-1, fertigo-pro-2, Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; "><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >“….Oh well in 5 years time we could be walking around a zoo</span></strong></em></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >With the sun shining down over me and you……”</span></strong></em></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "></strong>We have been here 2 weeks today, and have been pretty much incommunicado, with no phone or internet in our villa as promised :O( ……and today we received a text from Pippa which just read “BLOG??? X” …….we’d better get on with it then ……..</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">So here we go again! This is our 5<sup style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 10px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; bottom: 1ex; ">th</sup> season inCorfu, and guess what?…. it still feels like magic.<a href="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/109.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(238, 102, 51); "><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5" title="Lizzy by the sea" src="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/109.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-bottom: 1.5em; clear: both; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; " /></a>The day before we sailed from Hull to Rotterdam we stayed overnight at Paddy & Lorraine’s. And despite all our best intentions to take just the bare essentials this year, we have ended up with a car load of stuff, (bringing bits for Bob & Bev’s house in Corfu; a few pressie’s for Debbie and Franco; and 500 units of mosquito repellant c/o the company we work for in the UK to sell whilst we are over here).</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">So Sunday morning Keith & Paddy somehow managed to load the car. They spread everything out on the drive and amazingly after 3 hours of what looked like a complex Chinese puzzle, it all went in with just enough room for the two of us, with the overwhelming smell of citronella from the Mosiguard!<a href="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/012.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(238, 102, 51); "><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-6" title="To you...to me..." src="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/012.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-bottom: 1.5em; clear: both; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; " /></a>We have a new house in Corfu this year. It is only 100 yards away from our old one, so we are still on the coast, up a hill with stunning views over San Stefanos bay.</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><a href="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/103.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(238, 102, 51); "><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-7" title="New Corfu House" src="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/103.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-bottom: 1.5em; clear: both; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; " /></a></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">Our new landlord is Nikos; he is the brother of our previous landlord and just as friendly and chilled. We have taken half of a beautiful property this time and Keith’s muso friend Andy fromPrestonhas taken the other half. He has come over this year with his wife Emma and their 2 year old daughter, India for his 1st season gigging inCorfu.</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><a href="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/108.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(238, 102, 51); "><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-10" title="The Pilkingtons" src="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/108.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-bottom: 1.5em; clear: both; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; " /></a></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">We drove in tandem with Andy without any dramas across Europe, through Holland, Germany,Switzerland andItaly, to catch the ferry fromVenice.</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><a href="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/picture-005.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(238, 102, 51); "><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-13" title="Cable car in Koblensk" src="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/picture-005.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-bottom: 1.5em; clear: both; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; " /></a></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">The weather was great, and the scenery spectacular, the only hold up was the 17km long San Gottard tunnel where a car had broken down deep inside it, causing several miles of tailbacks in both directions.</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><a href="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/071.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(238, 102, 51); "><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-15" title="San Gottard Tunnel - 17km long" src="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/071.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-bottom: 1.5em; clear: both; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; " /></a></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">The only other thing of note were the Italian toll points, where Andy, on his own, in a right hand drive car and the toll booths are on the left, had to leap out, run around the car to pay, then jump back in and drive off, without causing any of the famous Italian road rage, he managed it all very well!.</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">As usual we were given superb hospitality by Paul & family in Heidelberg and by Deborah & family in Milan. Every year we have stayed at theirs on the way down toVenice and then again on the way back which has become a very special part of our trip. At Debbie and Franco’s we undertook a supermarket excursion to stock up on copious amounts parmesan cheese for our Corfu stay, although it was double wrapped and stored in a cool bag deep in the car, the smell of parmesan blended with the citronella oils, no wonder we passed through the border checks without anyone asking us for documents.</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><a href="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/076.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(238, 102, 51); "><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-17" title="The Sannelli family" src="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/076.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-bottom: 1.5em; clear: both; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; " /></a></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">At Paul’s as in previous years the asparagus season had just begun and the local crop was ready and freshly picked. Paul & Milana, traditionally feed us a tasty dish of fresh asparagus with a home made garlic mayonnaise which Keith swears he could still taste when we got on the Greek ferry 2 days later.</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><a href="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/060.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(238, 102, 51); "><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-19" title="Paul, Milena & family" src="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/060.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-bottom: 1.5em; clear: both; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; " /></a></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">We arrived early for the ferry and chatted to other brits doing the same trip as us and shared motoring experiences etc. we asked about the availability of cabins and we were told ask on board as it should be cheaper! So Keith left us on the quay side and wandered onto the ship, found the ships purser and asked about cabins. He was put 1<sup style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 10px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; bottom: 1ex; ">st</sup> on the list then made his way back out to the cars just as we were loading on, he jumped in to the car as it went up the gangway and we drove into the ships hold (can you imagine doing that on P&O?).</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">A message for Keith came over the tannoy just as we sailed and he was offered a 4 berth outside cabin for 75 euros! We decided to split it 3 ways 25 euros each (a bargain) Keith told them it was for 2 people so they had discounted the rate, and when we got the keys only 2 beds were set up, the top bunks were locked up to the bulkhead, but Andy being the enterprising chap that he is used a knife from his picnic box and managed to unlock one of the top bunks. Result!!! We had 3 comfy beds for the journey, and having spent 3 days on the road we all seemed to sleep the clock round.</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">We awoke Thursday morning to the sight ofCorfuIslandcoming into view through the early morning mist it was a beautiful site, our home for the next 5 months. Our newCorfuhouse is far more modern than our previous one, for example, we have hot water in the kitchen!! So we don’t have to fill buckets from the bathroom to wash up any more. It is still a traditional Corfiot villa but it has been well maintained. We have a large open plan kitchen, dining and living area, a large bathroom and a double bedroom. The garden is huge and the balcony and terraces are huge and beautifully tiled. As soon as we had unloaded the car, Keith unpacked his new toy we had brought over from theUK, his electric rotivator! After spending an hour or so building it up, and then being advised by both Andy & Liz that it wasn’t a good idea to use it wearing flip flops, he got to work on the garden!</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><a href="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/107.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(238, 102, 51); "><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-23" title="One man and his machine" src="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/107.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-bottom: 1.5em; clear: both; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; " /></a></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">Within hours Nikos (the owner) sent a guy over with his tractor to clear more land for us to cultivate; they drive tractors over here like they drive their scooters, on the edge and very fast, although Spiro the driver did wear a mask to keep the dust out!</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><a href="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/098.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(238, 102, 51); "><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-25" title="Spiros with his tractor" src="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/098.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-bottom: 1.5em; clear: both; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; " /></a></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">The following day another old guy came to strim for us, which he eventually did, but not until he told us his life story. We have now planted tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines and pepper plants, as well as spinach rocket and coriander seeds which are already coming up. With the extra land now cleared, Keith plans to grow other veg including lettuce, beetroot and lots of melons.</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">The season seems to be slow taking off this year; obviously things are changing here because of the Greek economic crisis, there is a real sense of uncertainty, but luckily Keith has managed to secure 3 gigs a week from last year and 1 new one and has the option of 2 more starting in June. And it looks as though Liz will be doing an airport transfer job for Thomson’s or Olympic 2 days a week starting in June. (Believe it when you see it)</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><a href="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/picture-024.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(238, 102, 51); "><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-27" title="Keith and Andy at a jam night in Sidari" src="http://lizandkeithincorfu.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/picture-024.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-bottom: 1.5em; clear: both; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; " /></a></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >“….And there’ll be sun sun sun…All over our bodies</span></strong></em></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Sun Sun Sun All down our necks</span></strong></em></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >And Sun Sun Sun all over our faces</span></strong></em></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >And sun sun sun so what the heck</span></strong></em></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Cos I’ll be laughing at all your silly jokes</span></strong></em></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >And we’ll be laughing about how we used to smoke</span></strong></em></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >All those stupid little cigarettes</span></strong></em></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >And drink stupid wine</span></strong></em></p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Cos it’s what we needed to have a good time…..”</span></strong></em></p></span>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-45810834636048739222010-09-11T16:37:00.038+03:002010-09-11T17:59:02.851+03:00"Thank you for the music......."<strong><span style="color:#000099;">".....Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing<br />Thanks for all the joy they're bringing....."</span></strong><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0f3I9yKPA751pbk-WlzO3lX6I-X5kStVu1MEe-_qFNDq5-j8cVOl3hakduVzd6pWqpZ6ynuL8zM04qDouWswrQNU0KjWylIjEjHKGbUZgVhjmtrKHz3RhyvanriaQQmITWHwsEpEY3D0/s1600/P1100979.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515661783585456866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0f3I9yKPA751pbk-WlzO3lX6I-X5kStVu1MEe-_qFNDq5-j8cVOl3hakduVzd6pWqpZ6ynuL8zM04qDouWswrQNU0KjWylIjEjHKGbUZgVhjmtrKHz3RhyvanriaQQmITWHwsEpEY3D0/s320/P1100979.JPG" border="0" /></a> After all Liz’s birthday visitors left at the beginning of July …… the weather finally settled down, the world cup finished and the gigs got back on track.<br />We have probably had our most enjoyable season here so far, and this has been largely due to having a constant stream of great visitors, many thanks to you all, especially as you came to so many of Keith’s gigs!!!<br />And especially to our friends Bob and Bev, who also spend all summer here, and come to the Athens bar gig every week!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8OczwAQ4mScUVzZvxb-NoVLF62dFl6HPnGWJqnENngXguxwKAYGcodcyGjZlse8vKnNeXe_wsLWH7ctytHWBDCc38L4_fYS_yNdMqFfdXMZUGAPfzWnDdPKNLSwNmXsZR9jT8B5yoWnQ/s1600/DSCN3553.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515660847758352978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8OczwAQ4mScUVzZvxb-NoVLF62dFl6HPnGWJqnENngXguxwKAYGcodcyGjZlse8vKnNeXe_wsLWH7ctytHWBDCc38L4_fYS_yNdMqFfdXMZUGAPfzWnDdPKNLSwNmXsZR9jT8B5yoWnQ/s320/DSCN3553.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Here is a brief flavour of the past few weeks<br /><br />Lorraine and Michael on a trip to Corfu Town after a week of sun bathing and chilling<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYN_K949QkXBQ3yAFkr5jvSs0fWLiRbiUNF2_wlAfXAWX8PFIk5AhxqJJKuNtOQrswekHHB9GAL6Y8DQNxE1AxzDr94y82sMW7sUg6J4uAJujU782w9RMhJUgQ6yfbnfKK2LBLmrhdIty2/s1600/DSCN3436.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515651595785574482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYN_K949QkXBQ3yAFkr5jvSs0fWLiRbiUNF2_wlAfXAWX8PFIk5AhxqJJKuNtOQrswekHHB9GAL6Y8DQNxE1AxzDr94y82sMW7sUg6J4uAJujU782w9RMhJUgQ6yfbnfKK2LBLmrhdIty2/s320/DSCN3436.JPG" border="0" /></a> Becky, Pig and Hannah ......“Mojitos are us” again and again and again<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvIdT7YD9mYo-AoixLTOEX6LBKwYa4a8hqvlWO_K5SW_AVnqQIG641F_Ga4quyEcXQG1DobJqaaDhCcWcJF9H3cFb0XOgJei1Vs_RJXbbnAo2O11YEMKkkzfovObycPTtBRWHAzZCEqnU/s1600/HPIM4351.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515655618899309586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvIdT7YD9mYo-AoixLTOEX6LBKwYa4a8hqvlWO_K5SW_AVnqQIG641F_Ga4quyEcXQG1DobJqaaDhCcWcJF9H3cFb0XOgJei1Vs_RJXbbnAo2O11YEMKkkzfovObycPTtBRWHAzZCEqnU/s320/HPIM4351.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8V20IOv745VIhP17U48eT_LsAB0_vna1N0eI9oVhrwEkY0iP8GyUVv3_BCCBoup96Fc4VYnSFDGk62nH3ju91V9C1aZRP4eUuU8tWSYwOZAplvJZHJ5vR4wCZXEUqYqnblAycZZaEjfE/s1600/HPIM4274.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515668941382465938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8V20IOv745VIhP17U48eT_LsAB0_vna1N0eI9oVhrwEkY0iP8GyUVv3_BCCBoup96Fc4VYnSFDGk62nH3ju91V9C1aZRP4eUuU8tWSYwOZAplvJZHJ5vR4wCZXEUqYqnblAycZZaEjfE/s320/HPIM4274.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimk1noe28LZrqpvkqE-5rE7cHx8UcXJcAUIRd4UDOzUcivPVpfLmWNSmmbpE78mEc0eNbjXm47xyhlBQtMf0E9bx_sWvW7488ULgEMC1t4dN07bbRdYex7T8z7jMlIyE3j_kBXR477JbM8/s1600/DSCN3493.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515651914760493698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimk1noe28LZrqpvkqE-5rE7cHx8UcXJcAUIRd4UDOzUcivPVpfLmWNSmmbpE78mEc0eNbjXm47xyhlBQtMf0E9bx_sWvW7488ULgEMC1t4dN07bbRdYex7T8z7jMlIyE3j_kBXR477JbM8/s320/DSCN3493.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Shirley and Kathryn “ the ladies wot lunched” & drink Pimms!!! ...and a spot og gardening<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Yj3cD4OnQQ9Y-J-L6t8Jl7YYVADNlL8WlF2Yn84y-ptRZvj4oMJR_sy6wgJdxMIQo5nKKyQe0hRYGvpV5VNgRKQhhxpkL7aztIoYjCYZ8J4KFoVOtjElT503_Y2PGNrXMOLNVmoPbeI7/s1600/HPIM4368.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515662400372501970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Yj3cD4OnQQ9Y-J-L6t8Jl7YYVADNlL8WlF2Yn84y-ptRZvj4oMJR_sy6wgJdxMIQo5nKKyQe0hRYGvpV5VNgRKQhhxpkL7aztIoYjCYZ8J4KFoVOtjElT503_Y2PGNrXMOLNVmoPbeI7/s320/HPIM4368.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyWTR4jRzlhnd6tUnv6hzYv748Tle10_8yQP-WMEnfzVkCcNmL7OTA6xFBlUQy9nxE-SSS9v0nckL5NS01YtJkyd8tYDbBof9TmzU2DV5-cQ4huJtW3sAtO3WJV7yn21OK87ytzpBLgyR/s1600/HPIM4385.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515656181549843538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyWTR4jRzlhnd6tUnv6hzYv748Tle10_8yQP-WMEnfzVkCcNmL7OTA6xFBlUQy9nxE-SSS9v0nckL5NS01YtJkyd8tYDbBof9TmzU2DV5-cQ4huJtW3sAtO3WJV7yn21OK87ytzpBLgyR/s320/HPIM4385.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gNEhaklqofghC30lvrB6EKiuojIA9v2IPTpy3qW8RJ1Dz1PGNUXKAzJqaM67UqttgbuTo8etoV2JPY9m2XKvaVWRjHetLE8YK9joNYuR1ZPtnBGGD3SFBVfZNS6fDwbwUGENoulU2Sew/s1600/HPIM4334.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515655317309647506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gNEhaklqofghC30lvrB6EKiuojIA9v2IPTpy3qW8RJ1Dz1PGNUXKAzJqaM67UqttgbuTo8etoV2JPY9m2XKvaVWRjHetLE8YK9joNYuR1ZPtnBGGD3SFBVfZNS6fDwbwUGENoulU2Sew/s320/HPIM4334.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Li0VrCn5hyphenhyphenIxi8I5wQqS9soVOkFnwYUOozsFCXl21qcp__RzAPcCYc1O0nuWkE7lujPsX-Juu1cE_5xGd9o_dGZo6QcCxT228pGiTFxx4UA1hi2tOPfG2dFgmI2KGR7kZn-WdgJGe1Bc/s1600/HPIM4316.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515667939143269506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Li0VrCn5hyphenhyphenIxi8I5wQqS9soVOkFnwYUOozsFCXl21qcp__RzAPcCYc1O0nuWkE7lujPsX-Juu1cE_5xGd9o_dGZo6QcCxT228pGiTFxx4UA1hi2tOPfG2dFgmI2KGR7kZn-WdgJGe1Bc/s320/HPIM4316.jpg" border="0" /></a> Lorraine, Paul, Oli and Laura<br />Much fooling around in the water, boats. Rings, midnight swims, cocktails and karaoke<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirf3ExlRALMnzE2stTF1eYKBdO7fAY1Xs3YFGe94xxWmMU5mGDYuM7RBoq-okTUopRYLQNWbAgUGbzCuTnKHxlCQESQ1zKhTj7jJP39KjSaSibWC5KY6kfOHmtuRAC1_PXIoEpE4vzRd8M/s1600/DSCN3498.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515652248653170578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirf3ExlRALMnzE2stTF1eYKBdO7fAY1Xs3YFGe94xxWmMU5mGDYuM7RBoq-okTUopRYLQNWbAgUGbzCuTnKHxlCQESQ1zKhTj7jJP39KjSaSibWC5KY6kfOHmtuRAC1_PXIoEpE4vzRd8M/s320/DSCN3498.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJwXl5kze-TZcc9NOQetiIlffc01AzUvwOdOUPZ5wy4e0wALKxteqTYRG6tIlJ8agyUMIgBuovFnYo3GGQ9lvsJbP0BvpEaWwlI4H7Au9yGkvggOtJmOEupHVYNHEnWHRomSPSFIUZ2Nx/s1600/P1110233.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515663223288711522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJwXl5kze-TZcc9NOQetiIlffc01AzUvwOdOUPZ5wy4e0wALKxteqTYRG6tIlJ8agyUMIgBuovFnYo3GGQ9lvsJbP0BvpEaWwlI4H7Au9yGkvggOtJmOEupHVYNHEnWHRomSPSFIUZ2Nx/s320/P1110233.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXC6zdGACSzLWjknfF0X-WpqZwILzlJp7X1usiQ2Y7YJINLJe1yCThZLA4Kb2OQlVEHL76ZLlVPxxZcint56DF8aC5I_dJPEMgJtCy7jsqFqVN7kC0wDfuH9ARs_21rW9HSgAdzE0dCC1p/s1600/kehs+camera+sept+2010+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515665537357119218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXC6zdGACSzLWjknfF0X-WpqZwILzlJp7X1usiQ2Y7YJINLJe1yCThZLA4Kb2OQlVEHL76ZLlVPxxZcint56DF8aC5I_dJPEMgJtCy7jsqFqVN7kC0wDfuH9ARs_21rW9HSgAdzE0dCC1p/s320/kehs+camera+sept+2010+003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvU-joE3fIeMZ2OHDLKJVLPh9_ZCPoJVfFRCTSPIxP-HO9VP53u3e0nz-KhuNTn5ZMjAsUpICLQDqDJH9v0bmpENpzEUi11wcTPGwQVHIrUw7sLnS5w3e4K9dZKpTb6XkV5nUuneG_rYw/s1600/HPIM4478.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515665530475488354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvU-joE3fIeMZ2OHDLKJVLPh9_ZCPoJVfFRCTSPIxP-HO9VP53u3e0nz-KhuNTn5ZMjAsUpICLQDqDJH9v0bmpENpzEUi11wcTPGwQVHIrUw7sLnS5w3e4K9dZKpTb6XkV5nUuneG_rYw/s320/HPIM4478.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRLLwYAiuIIPTtuAqY2M7Tg_GUg4odzMnoDSIlyHBb8R8vWtMyqQNNMbgWGEyGxlCJ-feSBQXtZKOf3RJuY-ioWKlKJi6AtPIUCC1PcjF20jEW8ECza0X3eurAMJ_DE6WvMnihum8MaP_/s1600/HPIM4413.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515665519793924482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRLLwYAiuIIPTtuAqY2M7Tg_GUg4odzMnoDSIlyHBb8R8vWtMyqQNNMbgWGEyGxlCJ-feSBQXtZKOf3RJuY-ioWKlKJi6AtPIUCC1PcjF20jEW8ECza0X3eurAMJ_DE6WvMnihum8MaP_/s320/HPIM4413.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Jules and Pete boats and bikes and gigging with Keith<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKleRqDZulY__WBFAaQCWUU1PvxIADX4n4i54Ya7SdS6JsMr3hTV_ogYmsj4nZwhlWTVUwKvq92mUOcNB3u5h1g6xK3xHyRnt-0VDYk96T9SF3qBuXEsz2WOQKaF6Tx7xs9ZDIGLV7KzGp/s1600/DSCN3521.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515652715020504690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKleRqDZulY__WBFAaQCWUU1PvxIADX4n4i54Ya7SdS6JsMr3hTV_ogYmsj4nZwhlWTVUwKvq92mUOcNB3u5h1g6xK3xHyRnt-0VDYk96T9SF3qBuXEsz2WOQKaF6Tx7xs9ZDIGLV7KzGp/s320/DSCN3521.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKbgdVhM7KhKanvyPTUI0JhX4CNVraRYWZ36Bwrf6Segikz04o130dzdR-BUXJnRdtn3NAIAbFuFVKDHjhul3Wg96WJLFkk5fm2X2oTC_QKpbC0gtdBV_Fd3fi03QnjVlayvdlq0SNpro/s1600/DSCN3519.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515652706133604082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKbgdVhM7KhKanvyPTUI0JhX4CNVraRYWZ36Bwrf6Segikz04o130dzdR-BUXJnRdtn3NAIAbFuFVKDHjhul3Wg96WJLFkk5fm2X2oTC_QKpbC0gtdBV_Fd3fi03QnjVlayvdlq0SNpro/s320/DSCN3519.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Andy and Emma, lots of sun and guitar playing<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Dkvj-Fg8TRdKT3YKicY7-rc_HHpfQ2NiGPeY7TsXWjq4XHXQ6TdXod6_osRYphZl49m6wSP_-J7X1P-Q43B2bjpJwt243ew17lsNPFM8bXUXpImc7WXtIdlkZSxTGfrn0AenjeZUmmuv/s1600/DSCN3535.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515653339224455970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Dkvj-Fg8TRdKT3YKicY7-rc_HHpfQ2NiGPeY7TsXWjq4XHXQ6TdXod6_osRYphZl49m6wSP_-J7X1P-Q43B2bjpJwt243ew17lsNPFM8bXUXpImc7WXtIdlkZSxTGfrn0AenjeZUmmuv/s320/DSCN3535.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzbsPhyphenhyphenwsqzvf80J8WPrV6_RbQHSxgi_eNlizVQccpgJpCEjYBNab5AwrlSpsF7sBe67RkNSofxcvfCDPHLc_rpcz_RI4uF0iR17u1ExjsrI3C_mGJEUsZ-JKa63CLtkAUy6bGN_SQ2ij/s1600/DSCN3529.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515653033778261170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzbsPhyphenhyphenwsqzvf80J8WPrV6_RbQHSxgi_eNlizVQccpgJpCEjYBNab5AwrlSpsF7sBe67RkNSofxcvfCDPHLc_rpcz_RI4uF0iR17u1ExjsrI3C_mGJEUsZ-JKa63CLtkAUy6bGN_SQ2ij/s320/DSCN3529.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31Xuzgbcyico-HmOjawC1ZGhlkUutXring2uphz1gzVmsrqWWdSClsnbGBzR7QxE4SoF5bbKaCTKVJNma_4JcFg6a4XKQfLmmnBod2sCewEOyNGKsVjjhUksdTPEHC13B1vN6XdtEd65V/s1600/kehs+camera+sept+2010+053.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515663663557473938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31Xuzgbcyico-HmOjawC1ZGhlkUutXring2uphz1gzVmsrqWWdSClsnbGBzR7QxE4SoF5bbKaCTKVJNma_4JcFg6a4XKQfLmmnBod2sCewEOyNGKsVjjhUksdTPEHC13B1vN6XdtEd65V/s320/kehs+camera+sept+2010+053.jpg" border="0" /></a> Sheila had a week of R &R before her next employment adventure<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4nJW7HMRQrPbIejAjVVf1UbJPWB_IKAoERq7UmnzRTurfx0xHQRx-wiWv75rHJn4HS4ZKBEZQvy-pG2ZIn6uTYIxOdeh39jplNkkA8Hstd6XGeCFMMxuz1TF_1UYvMfE7HBOUvNKGLwJQ/s1600/HPIM4089.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515654537111299154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4nJW7HMRQrPbIejAjVVf1UbJPWB_IKAoERq7UmnzRTurfx0xHQRx-wiWv75rHJn4HS4ZKBEZQvy-pG2ZIn6uTYIxOdeh39jplNkkA8Hstd6XGeCFMMxuz1TF_1UYvMfE7HBOUvNKGLwJQ/s320/HPIM4089.JPG" border="0" /></a> Sarah, Rebecca and Louise 'the 3 amigos' soaked up the sun, & some wind & rain, and souvenier shopped till we all dropped and Sarah was the toast of Corfu with her amazing singing<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBgPHbzNOsGtkhY_weCes1BEmowZ8JwCXa7KU_QRODTGKZID8TG-6rnBvngaC1I3V3Cx6u1yr0y3x35jFNV67nHoqKzMTc8X9AIRpwvj889CfZG81JKeKCOQVlMVg41PIYwks_hz8i5pH/s1600/DSCN3576.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515654179851894994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBgPHbzNOsGtkhY_weCes1BEmowZ8JwCXa7KU_QRODTGKZID8TG-6rnBvngaC1I3V3Cx6u1yr0y3x35jFNV67nHoqKzMTc8X9AIRpwvj889CfZG81JKeKCOQVlMVg41PIYwks_hz8i5pH/s320/DSCN3576.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9fZjCNZz4e-gc-v3vzVmfUeZbANJ5-XbgtcgJqfgKdELP3g0MmNwbSKR1G2yKvvIBTNAEFuCwRINtef3scgfKWrNqT_0Z84gHqnDNlayGoIrz4-VY5uwAA9pa-8XxBc3cjvqgr88pfrgE/s1600/DSCN3565.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515654159294383442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9fZjCNZz4e-gc-v3vzVmfUeZbANJ5-XbgtcgJqfgKdELP3g0MmNwbSKR1G2yKvvIBTNAEFuCwRINtef3scgfKWrNqT_0Z84gHqnDNlayGoIrz4-VY5uwAA9pa-8XxBc3cjvqgr88pfrgE/s320/DSCN3565.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2oqmfMkHA7rvLScI21hk8nQoltg9HtimG9QMSrRC-EeadrFI4aHI5bsx7cydT7AKHJq_VhyphenhyphenN6JZ3UKIVXesZMkOz9kp6zF_jQjLckyM2BD1whoRu0uutUyDY7DU5DWoeHQdjXWaaTbuN/s1600/kehs+camera+sept+2010+105.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515666449334694818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2oqmfMkHA7rvLScI21hk8nQoltg9HtimG9QMSrRC-EeadrFI4aHI5bsx7cydT7AKHJq_VhyphenhyphenN6JZ3UKIVXesZMkOz9kp6zF_jQjLckyM2BD1whoRu0uutUyDY7DU5DWoeHQdjXWaaTbuN/s320/kehs+camera+sept+2010+105.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92CQgt8atc55befU7lebbVJp99PdMfFTr1-SlswlXb4Dz4kM61NGl-OPCagZkcJV2v39JzgzaqUjN8QZHej6oSs0OLZLIvata3ji2iYX4a_wVas3BOb4cU_59jxEYxSUOG-JtESr05wdI/s1600/kehs+camera+sept+2010+065.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515666441254902114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92CQgt8atc55befU7lebbVJp99PdMfFTr1-SlswlXb4Dz4kM61NGl-OPCagZkcJV2v39JzgzaqUjN8QZHej6oSs0OLZLIvata3ji2iYX4a_wVas3BOb4cU_59jxEYxSUOG-JtESr05wdI/s320/kehs+camera+sept+2010+065.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxj6NF3dkP9CwC2O7lxNMBS4c3g67wpY1x2kMdBtsh00K8hLD49-npC8H5hEs_uhA6DkhEMgq7jnaOp_zhNHXoexzOl4JneXdTx-Bsw7tRnYlT39A-aLTrS51epWt_8MIwnbWbsESfZBe/s1600/kehs+camera+sept+2010+056.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515666427721163570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxj6NF3dkP9CwC2O7lxNMBS4c3g67wpY1x2kMdBtsh00K8hLD49-npC8H5hEs_uhA6DkhEMgq7jnaOp_zhNHXoexzOl4JneXdTx-Bsw7tRnYlT39A-aLTrS51epWt_8MIwnbWbsESfZBe/s320/kehs+camera+sept+2010+056.jpg" border="0" /></a> And today we are collecting out last visitors from the airport (Paddy and Lorraine….Again!!))<br />Keith needs the car for his gig tonight ....so I have hired another mode of transport to go and collect them from the airport ;O)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwsfR9jxp_qgrsXDc6A1H_i9TeaVASkKyxADEOPyCCH5hxCbGpR5VcvqSzlndC8zXuEHqLDRmjnyN5po7uNWbyF9eVzXPGpotLORUVEWkPrmMGqaRSBt-GIm_0NK_hVnibbmwSR0kxMLh/s1600/kehs+camera+sept+2010+058.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515664787293007490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwsfR9jxp_qgrsXDc6A1H_i9TeaVASkKyxADEOPyCCH5hxCbGpR5VcvqSzlndC8zXuEHqLDRmjnyN5po7uNWbyF9eVzXPGpotLORUVEWkPrmMGqaRSBt-GIm_0NK_hVnibbmwSR0kxMLh/s320/kehs+camera+sept+2010+058.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="color:#000099;">...."So I say</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing<br />Thanks for all the joy they're bringing<br />Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty<br />What would life be?<br />Without a song or a dance what are we?<br />So I say thank you for the music<br />For giving it to me"<br /></span></strong></p>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-22926327472087830862010-08-01T12:52:00.021+03:002010-08-03T13:58:00.315+03:00"Birthday............"<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;font-size:11px;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">"........I'm glad it's your birthday<br />Happy birthday to you.<br /><br />Yes we're going to a party party<br />Yes we're going to a party party<br />Yes we're going to a party party....."</span></i></b></span></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0udGaDH4QBvMpZ_KzfoEFsrQHnpYhyphenhyphenJVPMC7FMJUsn1m5sC8DZ2Ba6Rwug4dzS6HGY3aXivEn6lkm7ehdjM75aYA8QJ4_4j6sL2pVHpv77PZDda37L9LuvFGf9RyAKwXoqF7YJ0teSVUM/s1600/HPIM4084.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500378524370222738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0udGaDH4QBvMpZ_KzfoEFsrQHnpYhyphenhyphenJVPMC7FMJUsn1m5sC8DZ2Ba6Rwug4dzS6HGY3aXivEn6lkm7ehdjM75aYA8QJ4_4j6sL2pVHpv77PZDda37L9LuvFGf9RyAKwXoqF7YJ0teSVUM/s320/HPIM4084.JPG" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Birthday morning.......Liz and Lorraine on our balcony...still in their nighties!</span></b><br /><br /><div>On 21st June, 20 of Liz’s family arrived for her 50th Birthday bash! And an excuse for us to be tourists for a week!</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQa1EX0_VpIV97B-jeidVts3gW1B8FIMVda_2MAM7rSEak_cBKvpBazTP5N-1qtkREIbgpFBGn1LMvteO-YFIZZ34ijg9tZY9mqpLzxHaZMNqIkPc5mSJK7p0kCxdworIOPUwTHt-ZkI0/s1600/34510_407492844068_744809068_4498203_5576812_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500377370828729442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQa1EX0_VpIV97B-jeidVts3gW1B8FIMVda_2MAM7rSEak_cBKvpBazTP5N-1qtkREIbgpFBGn1LMvteO-YFIZZ34ijg9tZY9mqpLzxHaZMNqIkPc5mSJK7p0kCxdworIOPUwTHt-ZkI0/s320/34510_407492844068_744809068_4498203_5576812_n.jpg" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"> ....... Mum.........with her 4 girls.....x</span></b></div><div><br />It took 2 trips to the airport to collect everyone, a morning trip for Siobhan, Sammie & Ryan, then an evening jaunt to collect the bulk of the visitors on a flight from Leeds/Bradford. We collected some in our car and the rest had hired 3 cars between them, so we drove in convoy through the centre of Corfu and then the 1hr 15min journey to our village at San Stefanos (Avliotes)<br /><br />We all arrived safe and sound!<br /><br />Mum, Sheila, Paddy and Lorraine all stayed with us and the rest stayed in various accommodations in the resort. Siobhan, Maggie, Sammie and Ryan stayed at the luxurious Delfino Blu <a href="http://www.delfinoblu.gr/">http://www.delfinoblu.gr/</a></div><div><br />Pippa, Wolf, Michael and Elena stayed at Stamatis Apts<br />Martin, Helen, Emily, David, Ruth and James stayed at The Theresa Apts<br /><br />The weather remained unsettled for most of the week but this wasn’t an issue. Most days we all met up at the Athina Hotel pool, usually late morning or early afternoon, to chat swim and drink beer! Come rain or shine we swam in the pool and one afternoon in extremely heavy rain we were the only people on the beach and had a fantastic experience swimming in the sea.<br /><br />We had the ‘famous’ full English breakfast at the Condor bar, Bikes and quads were hired<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyQ1Lr02NFuQy77mbT2X15IovvhNXeVk_mim-epg_S4oiX4J5Ag0Bz2oeEeVbjYOY26y8Rcv6NFNw06uWW-Gh7XHsT8YgSgjSHEWRoWJjoEfPX0b6y-WCcIh7WQszgj_j1x1yQZu-V4R5/s1600/DSCN3430.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500378003135168770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyQ1Lr02NFuQy77mbT2X15IovvhNXeVk_mim-epg_S4oiX4J5Ag0Bz2oeEeVbjYOY26y8Rcv6NFNw06uWW-Gh7XHsT8YgSgjSHEWRoWJjoEfPX0b6y-WCcIh7WQszgj_j1x1yQZu-V4R5/s320/DSCN3430.JPG" /></a><br />and we all met up to watch England being knocked out of the world cup. A mob went to The Manthos Taverna Greek night, and then some of the younger ones went into Sidari for a night out.<br /><br />One evening we had all 20 sat round our table for a meal in our back garden.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqHcZVXDSFwLNrc1d6j6B72BfoZbM1c9RcHu0E7g1NInazNtLe98ShHv4kPDgp2aRuXKlxjvNdmop1sS6rqxTHv5HMvk7ZebXP65bRixduUfK-SfDsTp7OT9mUhi2YnSVMm7saxW6Bsn3/s1600/HPIM4166.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500382241884671186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqHcZVXDSFwLNrc1d6j6B72BfoZbM1c9RcHu0E7g1NInazNtLe98ShHv4kPDgp2aRuXKlxjvNdmop1sS6rqxTHv5HMvk7ZebXP65bRixduUfK-SfDsTp7OT9mUhi2YnSVMm7saxW6Bsn3/s320/HPIM4166.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Everyone came to Keith’s gig in the Athens bar<br /><a href="http://www.athens-bar.com/">http://www.athens-bar.com</a></div><br /><div><br />Birthday Party night was a superb meal at The Mythica restaurant,</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFEdzdnbGPmZqxF7givOlfnug8V44HhrTcnVbhbYKDa2ON_PgWSvbO9Na_2vLULNqkNVirj6X4y4Muc8I9o6ZgxwYDC_TjZF18HPDt1p1Q5H_aHZ2SNjL9-F9sezeorLKNstqfM2d6Scb/s1600/37291_407493239068_744809068_4498227_7421464_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500377666325648978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFEdzdnbGPmZqxF7givOlfnug8V44HhrTcnVbhbYKDa2ON_PgWSvbO9Na_2vLULNqkNVirj6X4y4Muc8I9o6ZgxwYDC_TjZF18HPDt1p1Q5H_aHZ2SNjL9-F9sezeorLKNstqfM2d6Scb/s320/37291_407493239068_744809068_4498227_7421464_n.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-pwAyX7Su04YAlWSzTLFdnq0O04FH7YRUQW7pi-MR6ArovO34HYp4ouPpwXFpO7OrzLfFpGkvZrmGl0lntek4Gu5h3TwwsgMvyFOQBCvjvZukxLKHjVNBRsgvAuD1ZHNqaAbxLyn1GQN/s1600/34570_407492639068_744809068_4498192_7404714_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500377511056748130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-pwAyX7Su04YAlWSzTLFdnq0O04FH7YRUQW7pi-MR6ArovO34HYp4ouPpwXFpO7OrzLfFpGkvZrmGl0lntek4Gu5h3TwwsgMvyFOQBCvjvZukxLKHjVNBRsgvAuD1ZHNqaAbxLyn1GQN/s320/34570_407492639068_744809068_4498192_7404714_n.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDUMqXumKitpo6vDpPZfLsTBx9WxqpunQcG-E11EYTiuQndKp8-XI0cp1U5pncglB8Oj6HOTk4Fvc3Fdv9o8_NB3etvViyUvCClcPPm-GguYKH3Wna0mrNshdWwtCWE5iAyW6dhrWTMNXT/s1600/HPIM4142.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 241px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500379015652169618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDUMqXumKitpo6vDpPZfLsTBx9WxqpunQcG-E11EYTiuQndKp8-XI0cp1U5pncglB8Oj6HOTk4Fvc3Fdv9o8_NB3etvViyUvCClcPPm-GguYKH3Wna0mrNshdWwtCWE5iAyW6dhrWTMNXT/s320/HPIM4142.JPG" /></a><br />followed by cocktails at the Athens bar, with a watermelon full of vodka shots,<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5V_rzLM2E9YuFYqjuWlvvfQHU84GyDOyJ2tSAq6TbksVlUR6QjmISTcKDC-oZtgqIfnePC5dren1vWDtnh7kTa0B5pqrJBeyQTOhju3ejkIH4DnxgFFY_0t4w28wZLzMqqVjCYTFXFsV-/s1600/HPIM4147.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500380133325093250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5V_rzLM2E9YuFYqjuWlvvfQHU84GyDOyJ2tSAq6TbksVlUR6QjmISTcKDC-oZtgqIfnePC5dren1vWDtnh7kTa0B5pqrJBeyQTOhju3ejkIH4DnxgFFY_0t4w28wZLzMqqVjCYTFXFsV-/s320/HPIM4147.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictXyO1dvmt-kudlHPPOcC80QUC79xNBbcYMp0nK9dSgFiWx_VBF43eJ4zplCTVsg19ARJhyDgcmjyVLTuc93AJ2j65S4i6dNSSk-bf_23pYRq6WCpHrF01gVOf-fHHTBZ_dZoBUIvJ1zc/s1600/HPIM4153.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500380853837357314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictXyO1dvmt-kudlHPPOcC80QUC79xNBbcYMp0nK9dSgFiWx_VBF43eJ4zplCTVsg19ARJhyDgcmjyVLTuc93AJ2j65S4i6dNSSk-bf_23pYRq6WCpHrF01gVOf-fHHTBZ_dZoBUIvJ1zc/s320/HPIM4153.JPG" /></a>then dancing the night away and karaoke in the Condor bar, till the early hours!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzl16JedraOLwwa0UWo0txdTXBAzb_n7-ubsDfy5Vs8E_WSmbwuVa0sCcgdR5ifrcMbeAm5J9AWYjAPHh5ZtzlaV3OKG4HkiGZUzwm4GHu1GFyoBngiUMqblQT8gMJGepl3xf2R7HX-dZc/s1600/HPIM4165.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500381581110779746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzl16JedraOLwwa0UWo0txdTXBAzb_n7-ubsDfy5Vs8E_WSmbwuVa0sCcgdR5ifrcMbeAm5J9AWYjAPHh5ZtzlaV3OKG4HkiGZUzwm4GHu1GFyoBngiUMqblQT8gMJGepl3xf2R7HX-dZc/s320/HPIM4165.JPG" /></a>Liz’s family will move heaven and earth to party! Thanks to everyone who made the trip! Love you x<br /><br />And the world premier of our wedding video was shown, a magical day in Corfu 2005 with 50 family and friends. Carmel in Oz has patiently and brilliantly pieced together bits of footage gleaned from all the footage taken by our wedding guests to make a fantastic lasting memory for us to treasure. Thanks sweetie!<br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczazntBE8NprJgoeRvkBINw84ueWoF4yKcrtbF9uNTAW0AdPLbEq0FVNz2Chosw9rW53eMk9AdBU3uMeM91j1OW0VNXRTNB7gO7wVMkCh09My0xVdNz_rCcOyn7one3P4L4SjhNCNxwfU/s1600/HPIM4170.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500382890834438834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczazntBE8NprJgoeRvkBINw84ueWoF4yKcrtbF9uNTAW0AdPLbEq0FVNz2Chosw9rW53eMk9AdBU3uMeM91j1OW0VNXRTNB7gO7wVMkCh09My0xVdNz_rCcOyn7one3P4L4SjhNCNxwfU/s320/HPIM4170.JPG" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;font-size:11px;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">".......I'm glad it's your birthday<br />Happy birthday to you......."</span></i></b><br /><br /></span>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-87568919648404874552010-07-08T21:39:00.025+03:002010-07-09T12:55:13.698+03:00"Gone fishing......"<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><span style="mso-fareast-Times: ;font-family:'Times New Roman','serif';font-size:12;" ><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;">"......I’m gone fishing, I got me a line<br />Nothing I do is gonna make the difference<br />So I’m taking the time........"</span></b><?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></span></p><br />.........Soup of the day, Kevin the fish & other stories…….<br /><br />We collected Liz's brother Paddy and Loraine and Michael from the airport, late Sunday evening, the Gatwick flight had been delayed by 2 hours, so a bit of hanging around in arrivals took place, where we got chatting to a wonderful lady who has lived on the island since the late 60’s, married to a Corfiot surgeon. And in the time we had to wait for the flight, she told us some amazing tales of her life in Corfu and some of the amazing people she has met, people we have read about in books written on Corfu. Amazingly every time we have been to the airport in the last 4 weeks she has been there, either dropping off or picking up family and friends, and she now refers to us as her “airport friends”.<br /><br />Anyway, back to our visitors, P, L & M were staying with us for a combined 3 week stay, with Liz’s birthday week in the middle of it all.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjndhq66q8LyFScCbwCumwDiIqxnUKKCsWNXMrHBopRmqVh_vW9KGB4GHnBSrjnnQG2yr3STZuUw3NpKu_sjAmlSledtfbMAlFGducM8J4qmQIyfcMVkRoi6kvT0vBiwbT-6YT5DXJZOFK_/s1600/HPIM4092.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491612321923846482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjndhq66q8LyFScCbwCumwDiIqxnUKKCsWNXMrHBopRmqVh_vW9KGB4GHnBSrjnnQG2yr3STZuUw3NpKu_sjAmlSledtfbMAlFGducM8J4qmQIyfcMVkRoi6kvT0vBiwbT-6YT5DXJZOFK_/s320/HPIM4092.JPG" border="0" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;">Our new neighbours for a few weeks</span></b><br />We made the most of our time together in the 1st week and went out and about, sight seeing, etc.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhplzchnRFhNyt-6wjDCa61cKZmbdtULcdl4xRcqxL2YbyGvzyXxK07mBxHJFgXeswd6jPhFwoY8lS4bfKwA8IGHx_GlfT60Qk1_PbHm4g4bR8WjnHeMFY0UTx3edpV1b79C5p9ESGUQ81/s1600/HPIM4039.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491608900183572210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhplzchnRFhNyt-6wjDCa61cKZmbdtULcdl4xRcqxL2YbyGvzyXxK07mBxHJFgXeswd6jPhFwoY8lS4bfKwA8IGHx_GlfT60Qk1_PbHm4g4bR8WjnHeMFY0UTx3edpV1b79C5p9ESGUQ81/s320/HPIM4039.JPG" border="0" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;">Walking along the cliff top to Arillas, with Paddy ahead checking out the Greek Health & Safety</span></b><br /><br />One of our first tasks was to stock up on the basics:- beer, olive oil & lemons!! In our bid for “the goodlife” and self sufficiency, our landlord and friend ‘Stephanos’ (or as Liz calls him, San Stephanos!) supplies us with olive oil from his olive groves, and Bob and Bev have introduced us to a deserted orchard, in the middle of an old olive grove, which is full of lemon trees still heavy with fruit.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBDnX264RqBGnucLm9NYzxEk9smXrfrgcA-dfZmJvCE1gmNHrZfRqFu7Ks_0mllSqBVssTzy_y_Q-d9nvyzOvQyM6OD7hMn7ndvfrUvrDCWw_dDxG5Ues5teNeMY7PeK36-fcUIYLuhyphenhypheni/s1600/keithscamerapostlizbirthday+005.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491613500262821794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBDnX264RqBGnucLm9NYzxEk9smXrfrgcA-dfZmJvCE1gmNHrZfRqFu7Ks_0mllSqBVssTzy_y_Q-d9nvyzOvQyM6OD7hMn7ndvfrUvrDCWw_dDxG5Ues5teNeMY7PeK36-fcUIYLuhyphenhypheni/s320/keithscamerapostlizbirthday+005.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>We took Paddy and family to the orchard and picked an abundance of lemons to use for home made lemonade, lemon cakes etc… but in the end they all got used up in gin & tonic.. Ooops! Maybe next time? They are the sweetest lemons you could ever taste and take G&T onto another level.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOV5oF5e70905ub1zfWklc5tJvHSszi69Vmooh96b6dgHL_17NG-sDScVY2kIPmTqFqmyt8rATRKVtmxLv7lXq9bpoiaeXUWr28fgM-wgvjsYbg54sGHEHOJjETUFINGOPwAaSBV_Bq0k/s1600/keithscamerapostlizbirthday+008.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491614100572580594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOV5oF5e70905ub1zfWklc5tJvHSszi69Vmooh96b6dgHL_17NG-sDScVY2kIPmTqFqmyt8rATRKVtmxLv7lXq9bpoiaeXUWr28fgM-wgvjsYbg54sGHEHOJjETUFINGOPwAaSBV_Bq0k/s320/keithscamerapostlizbirthday+008.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />One thing that was high on Paddy’s wish list was to catch his own fish and cook it, He’d brought some basic fishing gear with him from the UK. We discussed all the possibilities of achieving this, for example standing on the rocks surrounding the harbour for hours like the Greeks do, but in the end we decided that hiring a speed boat for the day would give us all a trip out and Paddy could fish and we would all be happy. It turned out to be one of the hottest days of the summer so far, the sea was calm with a nice breeze, and the best place to be in those conditions was on a boat.<br /><br />We set sail armed with one of Liz’s famous picnics in the direction of Paleokastritsa. And on route stopped and did a bit of fishing and swimming in the small bays. Somewhere between St George & Paleokastritsa we spotted a deserted beach under a steep rock face, we decided to drop anchor and swim and eat our picnic.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-Dfhfab_4AN4S9hb8PPSm-foStSPp9_UvF8qZfFPYytUb1LV2D21SUC1hsKl0pW_5oM9Bni4b5pAezbY5ndUARC8iyEkAMXl-U5UwNZAI4zqPWDJIF1SrVeqMm8NeSdTV7KIVFmnXabR/s1600/HPIM4046.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491610071734145426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-Dfhfab_4AN4S9hb8PPSm-foStSPp9_UvF8qZfFPYytUb1LV2D21SUC1hsKl0pW_5oM9Bni4b5pAezbY5ndUARC8iyEkAMXl-U5UwNZAI4zqPWDJIF1SrVeqMm8NeSdTV7KIVFmnXabR/s320/HPIM4046.JPG" border="0" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;">Sorry Lorraine,but I just love this photo of you .... lol ......x.......Bless!!!!!</span></b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rllmnBReySOOFE1BBVYYuR2-yIzNidkmpJ6pL75eZshnf8h2J8fyzA_1e_D6ouKsukW1Kmh87qAGkz_6EAqVQm4KfijS-j_WTuGPuPx2Z8u8FI5kmN1TzEgLrZLkm9kTcQBVUcJs14VT/s1600/HPIM4057.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491610616745758290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rllmnBReySOOFE1BBVYYuR2-yIzNidkmpJ6pL75eZshnf8h2J8fyzA_1e_D6ouKsukW1Kmh87qAGkz_6EAqVQm4KfijS-j_WTuGPuPx2Z8u8FI5kmN1TzEgLrZLkm9kTcQBVUcJs14VT/s320/HPIM4057.JPG" border="0" /></a>The water was so clear and we could see shoals of small fish swimming all around the boat, we threw bits of sandwiches and crisps, which drew more fish ever closer to the boat. It was inevitable that Paddy and Keith wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to try to catch a fish. Paddy assembled his rod and stuff and cast a line out,<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIG2Etng5spc6be0tFfvHFjnLEHajVAW20MUC7SXRSjRIty-rfL19t1fPil8-Gw7zwXDZNzRF4yBfdsLoxgOrPjOFUHHh76WdeAGcmpdmfrUnoixqL3VXeJ3c8VoLYvZuLdYQzEIieKbn0/s1600/HPIM4042.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491609442358109154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIG2Etng5spc6be0tFfvHFjnLEHajVAW20MUC7SXRSjRIty-rfL19t1fPil8-Gw7zwXDZNzRF4yBfdsLoxgOrPjOFUHHh76WdeAGcmpdmfrUnoixqL3VXeJ3c8VoLYvZuLdYQzEIieKbn0/s320/HPIM4042.JPG" border="0" /></a>Keith used Paddy's 1960’s army survival-fishing kit he’d also brought with him, which was a thick green line with a hook on the end! pretty basic stuff.<br /><br />Anyway, armed with this and a left over prawn as bait, Keith dropped the line over the side, and within minutes he had a bite! He yanked the line out of the water and on the deck of the boat landed ‘Kevin the fish’ …..Panic set in, nobody knew what to do, screams emitted from the girls and Michael, but Keith and Paddy were stunned. “Kevin “ fell off his hook and flapped about on the boat. In an attempt to put him out of his misery it was decided he should be knocked on the head, but what with?.... more panic. After what seemed like minutes, a 2-litre water bottle was found and used as a lethal weapon and Kevin was no more.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAbE6HV3Vtg86vV7cfDY_y6s4nCV2imFTppgmLzku2c5iTcLYYbMZ70kOCxRR8m2WspZb3Fnd6RLX4e_PVSil-gzU1G9DUMqw_NqcmvRzgz9vk7Fi8VcsBBj1IcA9i0rlaCnaMnkWgczy/s1600/HPIM4072.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491611779651999138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAbE6HV3Vtg86vV7cfDY_y6s4nCV2imFTppgmLzku2c5iTcLYYbMZ70kOCxRR8m2WspZb3Fnd6RLX4e_PVSil-gzU1G9DUMqw_NqcmvRzgz9vk7Fi8VcsBBj1IcA9i0rlaCnaMnkWgczy/s320/HPIM4072.JPG" border="0" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;">Keith & Kevin.....................................How Big?</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>He wasn’t exactly fish supper; we needed more, so lines were cast again. 5 minutes later Keith pulled another fish out, bigger than the 1st but instead of landing on the deck the line wrapped around the canopy pole and Kevin’s mate, flapped about suspended in mid air in slow motion. But once again our hardy fishermen seemed unable to deal with their catch, so much so that by the time they’d decided who was going to handle the fish he’d wriggled free of his hook and jumped back into the sea, he’d got away… He obviously warned his mates of Kevin’s fate because the boys never got anywhere near catching another fish.<br /><br />We gave up fishing and decided to cool off with a swim, although Michael was a little concerned about getting in the water in case the fish decided to gang up on us on their territory. We survived and spent the rest of the afternoon sailing the clear waters off Corfu’s beautiful west coast, with Michael driving the boat, we all took turns sitting on the front of the boat like a scene out of titanic.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhopB6NkxpHDmAcBcBiABVMvTRMr24ciIh5p5u6S-cXiBZT3hp9sMGLPjfnxLYbpOQawj0vXg6dUlr4cRuSivXkpWuBLj4knbnzdbipwdUULW_FvEXgoilexyo_YQNnCz8Vct7hUwHtkrcL/s1600/HPIM4059.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491611323307971458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhopB6NkxpHDmAcBcBiABVMvTRMr24ciIh5p5u6S-cXiBZT3hp9sMGLPjfnxLYbpOQawj0vXg6dUlr4cRuSivXkpWuBLj4knbnzdbipwdUULW_FvEXgoilexyo_YQNnCz8Vct7hUwHtkrcL/s320/HPIM4059.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />All week we shopped, cooked, drank and hung out together, and after Keith’s gigs we stayed up chatting till the early hours, usually about different business ideas we could start out here. But this would involve Liz ‘working’ so every morning she found flaws in the previous evenings idea.<br /><br />And good old Michael ‘soup of the day’ Daniels always did the washing up! (He can stay again!) Every time we went to a restaurant Michael got very excited if soup of the day was on the menu and usually ordered it, much to our amusement, so the name stuck all holiday.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARVSiVIFGw_NpT6IB7NndkpWcK7AjsUSJh5DvgyYt777_64Han0hgjxrT8Ye8rUYii7C7a-FcI8OuF9U7YF7S2BYHn_zgRqnfdQvHjT2aQSItxb48UWXm4ovRqBIDgV0peL5ZL0tif2MW/s1600/DSCN3414.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491607824344040306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARVSiVIFGw_NpT6IB7NndkpWcK7AjsUSJh5DvgyYt777_64Han0hgjxrT8Ye8rUYii7C7a-FcI8OuF9U7YF7S2BYHn_zgRqnfdQvHjT2aQSItxb48UWXm4ovRqBIDgV0peL5ZL0tif2MW/s320/DSCN3414.JPG" border="0" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;">Pasta bake........'soup of the day was off'</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Liz and Lorraine seemed to spend a lot of their waking hours on the balcony in their nighties. I think Liz was hoping Lorraine would stay out for the summer, because she was so good at cleaning & tidying, might have to buy her a little black dress and a<br />mop! And Paddy’s morning ritual would be to dance onto the balcony, totally naked, cracking jokes in a foreign accent, in that John Cleese, ‘A fish called Wanda’ sort of way.<br /><br />Paddy has been a star, when he wasn’t making us all laugh; he was doing various DIY jobs on our house. Not major stuff but those little things that make life more comfortable. He replaced all the mosquito netting on all the shutters, and stopped the front door sticking from years of paint, he cleaned fans, descaled all the taps with vinegar, fitted the portable air con units so that the warm air went outside. Fitted a screen at one end of the balcony to stop the sun dazzling the laptop screen!<br />And of course BBQ'd<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_6FV0dhkpa98kwjhTsdgLVLGe1cMPXKOUcgviMdLtfpwtWxjYbV9CrujqRoiKx6e08f4NRZLlBcFQ0Gial3HjbK7PMNcocP8GrWUzAKcXPCX9h80DMIJ9woRq11DOOoYvf9VbB7yQxIZ/s1600/DSCN3421.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491608214824706642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_6FV0dhkpa98kwjhTsdgLVLGe1cMPXKOUcgviMdLtfpwtWxjYbV9CrujqRoiKx6e08f4NRZLlBcFQ0Gial3HjbK7PMNcocP8GrWUzAKcXPCX9h80DMIJ9woRq11DOOoYvf9VbB7yQxIZ/s320/DSCN3421.JPG" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;"><b>Unfortunately this was not Kevin......</b></span></div><div><br />He also built up quite a rapport with the young Greek woman in the DIY shop in Sidari. She would always try and encourage him to do things the ‘Greek way’ For example, he wanted to buy some wood to build a frame to make a pergola, to grow vine at the front of our house; so she told him where he could find some really strong bamboo growing by the roadside, “that’s how my mother does it”, she explained. So we have collected several long lengths of bamboo to dry it out ready to use next year.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333ff;">Compost corner update.....one potato, 2 potato, 3 potato....4!!!!</span></b><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZAZmpqbccKy9_OucHTJCcoaOPg_31ESazd0mnqGhF2ln8r8ThFKwan8odQwAblCoXGeXHCPZzdTsjMlYy2cByVJcG0MnboutRNJgnWtdep4n6Pg_z2okhPlkZKIKeuUuqeV-h1_YoBq9/s1600/keithscamerapostlizbirthday+009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491614704844164130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZAZmpqbccKy9_OucHTJCcoaOPg_31ESazd0mnqGhF2ln8r8ThFKwan8odQwAblCoXGeXHCPZzdTsjMlYy2cByVJcG0MnboutRNJgnWtdep4n6Pg_z2okhPlkZKIKeuUuqeV-h1_YoBq9/s320/keithscamerapostlizbirthday+009.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />And finally.......Monday 21st June…….2 airport runs on the same day for Liz as 20 more of her family arrive to celebrate her birthday (Not all staying at our house thankfully ;O) Birthday blog to follow shortly.<br /></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;">"......You can waste a whole lifetime,</span></b></span><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;">Trying to be</span></b></span><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;">What you think is expected of you</span></b></span><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;">But you’ll never be free</span></b></span><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366ff;">........May as well go fishing"</span></b></span>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-57004597947895666322010-07-03T17:37:00.027+03:002010-07-04T14:30:20.959+03:00"You never can tell"<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">“.....</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">It was a teenage wedding, and the old folks wished 'em well<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">You could see that Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle....”</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:black"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It seems ages since we blogged but the past few weeks have been so busy, our lives have been a blur of events and visitors and gigs and gardening! So here goes with an update on most of the month of June! (2 more posts to follow in a couple of days)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It started with a wedding! …..2 years ago, we met a couple who were on holiday here called Luke & Katherine, who had seen Keith play in the Athens bar, and asked him if he would play at their wedding in Corfu in 2010. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We got a call in November to confirm dates etc… and the gig was on</span></span>. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:EN-GBfont-family:Calibri;color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpETnZTgmLbcFxBHfcEu0XJoIiMCCnuaEtahjdJdXu3caO2EKMyiVR3-vmOgIECE3Bqj2wKDB3GdQX_jupHVNj14h3VjEzROcihsiD3h0hvA-buj9niigmod8nCbxIrquVIS5sicMHngq/s1600/HPIM3997.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpETnZTgmLbcFxBHfcEu0XJoIiMCCnuaEtahjdJdXu3caO2EKMyiVR3-vmOgIECE3Bqj2wKDB3GdQX_jupHVNj14h3VjEzROcihsiD3h0hvA-buj9niigmod8nCbxIrquVIS5sicMHngq/s320/HPIM3997.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490000479713122370" /></a>......where a gazebo had been erected on the beach for the ceremony with the reception in the taverna.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7VVzd_2terSZ5_v-TcFdlHbyqIQdqMy97QaEeS6nc2vXpuCpLpjiLLNDtbvEMGIP_-MvxjMtsv1IbmP-VRytVHHFi9WvYXAPEQ2I6DEMFrYpTBE_zg6YliiJDXHEtJB_oW645vDcRznB/s1600/DSCN3403.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7VVzd_2terSZ5_v-TcFdlHbyqIQdqMy97QaEeS6nc2vXpuCpLpjiLLNDtbvEMGIP_-MvxjMtsv1IbmP-VRytVHHFi9WvYXAPEQ2I6DEMFrYpTBE_zg6YliiJDXHEtJB_oW645vDcRznB/s320/DSCN3403.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489985853468268386" /></a>Unfortunately, right next to the gazebo, sat a large shapely Czech lady in a skimpy bikini, catching the last rays of the sunshine, right in line of all the “official” photographs, she was persuaded to move by the wedding organiser “Noula” (who incidentally organised our wedding 5 years ago) and with the help of 4 very, very eager young men she was moved, with her sun bed, clothes and parasol, 20 metres the other side of the event!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7jsdzFKUB2DGrGw1b-kzeHussLB7ou2YnIwhULUI0z1QHsW8PNkdJvbBf21OZA-BekIENpUSKF3VYcHWWurR2T1Exp6GB773zxR8HG23HTNKrQI8Xitzfj5PvxFcOiPVJvtpfalJrjLv/s1600/HPIM3993.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7jsdzFKUB2DGrGw1b-kzeHussLB7ou2YnIwhULUI0z1QHsW8PNkdJvbBf21OZA-BekIENpUSKF3VYcHWWurR2T1Exp6GB773zxR8HG23HTNKrQI8Xitzfj5PvxFcOiPVJvtpfalJrjLv/s320/HPIM3993.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489998979549798930" /></a>The local registrar finally arrived to conduct the civil ceremony, he thought he was dressed to kill! With a David Ginola type hair cut (google it) a black suit and White patent shoes!!!!! It was like a scene from a Godfather movie!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBHhAwqFRSXDMjSwnE0lEprcFkVo166qkhd9fqgHktKVtSI5U1JWcCQDlo8DvVfQ5o-B4462uGWAutBYYVLv4qTb9Oa_xIaABXA7PffkZ0pBFaW87Q2DFeTIDQFP4exWTQNNXt201ngKa/s1600/HPIM3988.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBHhAwqFRSXDMjSwnE0lEprcFkVo166qkhd9fqgHktKVtSI5U1JWcCQDlo8DvVfQ5o-B4462uGWAutBYYVLv4qTb9Oa_xIaABXA7PffkZ0pBFaW87Q2DFeTIDQFP4exWTQNNXt201ngKa/s320/HPIM3988.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489997448069672306" /></a>With unusual Greek efficiency it took about 5 mins to pronounce them man & wife, several photo shots on the beach then up to the local church for some more before moving onto the reception.<br /><br />Keith’s role at the wedding was to play guitar and sing after the food and use his music system to play stuff to dance the night away to and of course the 1st dance! ‘for the happy couple’. Luke had compiled a memory stick with hours of songs for this purpose and given it to us to transfer onto the ipod. Keith knew that the 1st song was going to be an Aerosmith song, which he presumed was going to be “don’t want to miss a thing”; anyway ½ the music files were not in the right format for itunes and partway during the conversion process from memory stick to itunes the laptop crashed resulting in transferring all the song titles but only ½ the music… and wiping the memory stick clean! (bugger!). (Which isn’t quite what Keith said, but something close) <div><br /></div><div>So Keith spent the whole of the next 2 days finding the songs he needed from his ipod and external hard drive and managed to retrieve about 90% of the songs he needed, but no aerosmith! so we went on line and bought 3 tracks, certain that they were the ones he’d need!<br /><br />In the moments after the ceremony on the beach Keith told Luke a bit of what had happened but reassured him he’d got it covered, Luke said you’ve got the song “angel” then… ..nope he hadn’t got that one! so in the 20 mins photo taking gap, Keith raced home got the laptop, went to a bar with wireless internet, downloaded the song, transferred it to his ipod and set it up for the 1st dance phew!!!!!! After that it all went like clockwork we ate & drank too much we partied and danced until the very early hours and everyone left very happy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZke_Z9cnD7NiiSfFblopEqFW3iEM_DtdZCL2PPEfTC9sgG_ZNI9fJ2Fnm5mSAO1thWGzNbPeNi1MtA4MwHP5YO22VA5wVx7nLMrlphlJVj1aNZpzCFvpiciUkkKzrj_ogWWfl36r9nQ0/s1600/DSCN3401.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZke_Z9cnD7NiiSfFblopEqFW3iEM_DtdZCL2PPEfTC9sgG_ZNI9fJ2Fnm5mSAO1thWGzNbPeNi1MtA4MwHP5YO22VA5wVx7nLMrlphlJVj1aNZpzCFvpiciUkkKzrj_ogWWfl36r9nQ0/s320/DSCN3401.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489984893458515954" /></a><br />On June 13th we had arranged to meet our friends., Steve and Linda from Preston who were visiting Corfu Town for the day as part of their Mediterranean cruise. We often see the huge cruise ships, sometimes on the horizon from our balcony, late at night where they resemble a giant old Atari computer game shining bright against the pitch black sea & sky, or moored up in Corfu Town Port, where they look like floating hotels, dwarfing the buildings close by.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpcCI7NtSZfDDvl6ektipZ8ifTw0-2pntzZy7crtuq1hyyofzZWgoVnxgg3kydtudtgH_GbkNXflpfu3hxO2g_QGXyyDWnalyOj8fEayKattLX9_bpzU90XQICU01utmxGUzSPqq5WMYJ/s1600/DSCN3405.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpcCI7NtSZfDDvl6ektipZ8ifTw0-2pntzZy7crtuq1hyyofzZWgoVnxgg3kydtudtgH_GbkNXflpfu3hxO2g_QGXyyDWnalyOj8fEayKattLX9_bpzU90XQICU01utmxGUzSPqq5WMYJ/s320/DSCN3405.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489987109002050610" /></a>These cruise ships are a daily occurrence bringing close to 3000 tourists and their spending power into the shops bars and restaurants of Corfu town, this is an essential part of their revenue.<br /><br />When we met Steve & Linda at the old port, a steady stream of taxis and coaches had been lined up to whisk the day-trippers into the centre of town. We met just before midday and they had 5 hours before they had to be back onboard for their evening meal followed by an overnight sail to main land Greece. So we provided a whistle stop tour of some of our favourite attractions and scenic routes around the city.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaF4UhVThoepIgbQtg_FkT-tNLCwT7Yv0FRhq66l0a_MH7rVKX1v4vNAycfwzKLdJX5zsPx2kb0DfDFCKpSSE3NGHOVMtyUvU8RCyrOz_6kb_UKRXe3WYLGv2sLZIlKaSuK_T6JdAJXQvB/s1600/HPIM4006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaF4UhVThoepIgbQtg_FkT-tNLCwT7Yv0FRhq66l0a_MH7rVKX1v4vNAycfwzKLdJX5zsPx2kb0DfDFCKpSSE3NGHOVMtyUvU8RCyrOz_6kb_UKRXe3WYLGv2sLZIlKaSuK_T6JdAJXQvB/s320/HPIM4006.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490001922208580578" /></a> This included a meander through the little back streets and shops that lead to the main shopping area then an ouzo & wine meze’ in the tree lined cafes on the Liston. A walk along the sea front back to the car, parked at the old port. Then a drive through the city to Mouse Island for a browse around the monastery and then a beer overlooking the end of the runway for a bit of plane and motorbike spotting (see previous blogs)<br /><br />At the far end of the runway Keith spotted an unusual building, the roof of which resembling a British shopping arcade, it was the cruise ship Steve & Linda had arrived on, this was probably 5 miles away and looked even more impressive than close up.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IO-sMoj7Ra3_6CjRM301glBdj3WCvfyGEsNbwiiRpqQwPEL4IAETTd8WS1Q1OtcBvzZg8nma-rtT9Qz-N3UAPGAKf9CdNF9UWxBUNHLx8dmqZS5Ao8gCmvE8w1QGMH8ikBpLiblez3XI/s1600/HPIM4012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IO-sMoj7Ra3_6CjRM301glBdj3WCvfyGEsNbwiiRpqQwPEL4IAETTd8WS1Q1OtcBvzZg8nma-rtT9Qz-N3UAPGAKf9CdNF9UWxBUNHLx8dmqZS5Ao8gCmvE8w1QGMH8ikBpLiblez3XI/s320/HPIM4012.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490002748468460770" /></a>We made time for one more stop, to a café in the old part of Corfu Town for a beer or two at local (non tourist) prices, then we drove our visitors back to the gates of the new port where their ship awaited their return. It’s great to meet friends from the UK in our summer habitat, and it was nice for them to visit places they had only seen on our blogs!<br /><br />On the same day as Steve & Linda’s visit, Paddy, Lorraine & Michael were arriving to stay with us and as their flight arrived at 11pm we decided to stick around in Corfu Town, rather than drive back again later. We had a very pleasant evening on the Liston, drinking iced coffee and watching the world go by. Lots of beautiful young Corfiots spend there evenings meeting up here and it gets very lively.<br /><br />As we sat there we were unexpectedly treated to a huge parade from the St Spiridon Catholic Church.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0S9kWH-xnICd7e4OZs_ib3dEufH-zHxYjdZ0ap7tizk-A1O_JLyCMFO1fO3x02ZueY5W_WaqnnbTVEpXkxkAPG84_Ew8fs1Fn1U5Ukkccqu3gUQE8hhC4ZIqdeQ1Jc4Q_veSHlZ9FRYvh/s1600/DSCN3410.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0S9kWH-xnICd7e4OZs_ib3dEufH-zHxYjdZ0ap7tizk-A1O_JLyCMFO1fO3x02ZueY5W_WaqnnbTVEpXkxkAPG84_Ew8fs1Fn1U5Ukkccqu3gUQE8hhC4ZIqdeQ1Jc4Q_veSHlZ9FRYvh/s320/DSCN3410.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489990961132753682" /></a>It snaked through all the narrow streets with a full brass band leading the way.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlLEkvkhEA7C6RyvrjEZ65PEq5hdM1v3YbzpdKCiGqXrq2VuYsVBKoAbSqp6vTl_tznsN5_eOUinqwwts4oqY6ajVB0izSZfqxXbTQN16oeJqwhOksM7gMpLncQMfXw2A96qErgnn-9NO/s1600/DSCN3407.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlLEkvkhEA7C6RyvrjEZ65PEq5hdM1v3YbzpdKCiGqXrq2VuYsVBKoAbSqp6vTl_tznsN5_eOUinqwwts4oqY6ajVB0izSZfqxXbTQN16oeJqwhOksM7gMpLncQMfXw2A96qErgnn-9NO/s320/DSCN3407.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489988157509855874" /></a>Paddy, Lorraine and Michael have arrived to stay with us for 3 weeks!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPpGHESKPQMRFKKZcBBDqWLApCXqHB5XPtv9GqRAh4NpHBqigBOLGKR3wTWPRidOjLfDdfKM_1AyfCBM3y7adbOBMeNSyJ_gBEFFgRdzG0ZO4cypnpClVsBHap85p1YQYPB5q2cYe7Chn/s1600/DSCN3412.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPpGHESKPQMRFKKZcBBDqWLApCXqHB5XPtv9GqRAh4NpHBqigBOLGKR3wTWPRidOjLfDdfKM_1AyfCBM3y7adbOBMeNSyJ_gBEFFgRdzG0ZO4cypnpClVsBHap85p1YQYPB5q2cYe7Chn/s320/DSCN3412.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489992095363476290" /></a><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">And now........Gardeners world update……</span></b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ugg5w7t-Oq2k_u7pKTv3wqyriPiDZaeubnIt_An-MKPhl4xXtrtxOwYodcPd7r76ZKfKtOb2xOOlXQa2KV50KZVIgZK5hGeoEX9PWsULUj0O-_dMY8m2b4I-ubN4QAvyDkuSOz3OOGP1/s1600/DSCN3442.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ugg5w7t-Oq2k_u7pKTv3wqyriPiDZaeubnIt_An-MKPhl4xXtrtxOwYodcPd7r76ZKfKtOb2xOOlXQa2KV50KZVIgZK5hGeoEX9PWsULUj0O-_dMY8m2b4I-ubN4QAvyDkuSOz3OOGP1/s320/DSCN3442.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489993184509024226" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">........Freshly picked from our garden......</span></b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWgeTxtkuyHISwoQIyhYGxfX_rP-H0wE52Qw6xLVnI13_MbRwn7Z5AjO4e63UhlDraxF63L5yGBDr9N-uEtZ-kIoTcX0J8O9T96gl-fm8GDf3cWuy3SV2LrlInmcZorw0VL34JD0esFV7K/s1600/DSCN3448.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWgeTxtkuyHISwoQIyhYGxfX_rP-H0wE52Qw6xLVnI13_MbRwn7Z5AjO4e63UhlDraxF63L5yGBDr9N-uEtZ-kIoTcX0J8O9T96gl-fm8GDf3cWuy3SV2LrlInmcZorw0VL34JD0esFV7K/s320/DSCN3448.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489994210891868194" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">....and then cooked the same day..........YUM!</span></b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHToVLr6RMwiCqAkbWHt0SL8RlAMfha6lV-tYlfzWElQAzEN0FXhnfNDZWhmrJOpeb1akh1b4ZKlpaRY-2ykksJjvYs5GJ6LfJ47EEwgiZfFV-llQj3QYxApsc8jTMYBx8HbkOE49-mxwb/s1600/DSCN3450.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHToVLr6RMwiCqAkbWHt0SL8RlAMfha6lV-tYlfzWElQAzEN0FXhnfNDZWhmrJOpeb1akh1b4ZKlpaRY-2ykksJjvYs5GJ6LfJ47EEwgiZfFV-llQj3QYxApsc8jTMYBx8HbkOE49-mxwb/s320/DSCN3450.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489995094827023778" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dkcAf9HoxXVqHXYVdk5e9FcxM6AZrgKOKPM512_m7-yowoymKCUIPLt1-uXuQ5MOuO1tg30Gl3hBvhLBkVyjtenEFQ7_3MqsZjLJ2ghIhUNfMNEDwzn2RxhQLkqeayfrxF6cuDBO3fwI/s1600/DSCN3453.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dkcAf9HoxXVqHXYVdk5e9FcxM6AZrgKOKPM512_m7-yowoymKCUIPLt1-uXuQ5MOuO1tg30Gl3hBvhLBkVyjtenEFQ7_3MqsZjLJ2ghIhUNfMNEDwzn2RxhQLkqeayfrxF6cuDBO3fwI/s320/DSCN3453.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489995842583863202" /></a></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;tab-stops:45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;color:#3366FF;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">"........But when the sun went down, the volume went down as well</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;tab-stops:45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;color:#3366FF;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">...."C'est la vie," say the old folks, "It goes to show you never can tell......"<o:p></o:p></span></p>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-71945184996622278362010-06-16T21:10:00.018+03:002010-06-19T16:29:32.764+03:00"First there is a mountain......."<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">“ .....then there is no mountain, then there is.........”</span></b><div><br />While we’ve been waiting for the summer here to kick in, we have been out and about exploring.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNYZM_BoTJ_RGO-Adp5L3aHNDvGOVY9r2yhyphenhyphen4rIW1ZR9IA1_KbJY0zWgHk565Mf0wzYeQ6jwuyXjKsJIwN6GzCO61CyH2DYWRclp6FCFSb5zG9U8cxJ_OzPIOkQViasA2FG5o3kaxJRNv/s1600/HPIM3779.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNYZM_BoTJ_RGO-Adp5L3aHNDvGOVY9r2yhyphenhyphen4rIW1ZR9IA1_KbJY0zWgHk565Mf0wzYeQ6jwuyXjKsJIwN6GzCO61CyH2DYWRclp6FCFSb5zG9U8cxJ_OzPIOkQViasA2FG5o3kaxJRNv/s320/HPIM3779.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484464071936628146" /></a><div><br />We decided to visit the old medieval castle outside Paleokastritsa, called the Angelokastro, perched dramatically on an impossibly abrupt hill around 6miles up the coast from town.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QFveHLLyVLtaXAu5213j7RqW05aiSd_uxLVB7DvzkHaunCrEIwIDMlDfSyaLEFC0qgzZcaaADTyYcbB9pMze2QrF0bGaG0pDflATMqptYE8u-fduydz2kPS4j42yZJ8dWzwNN9UvzFtC/s1600/blog+4.12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QFveHLLyVLtaXAu5213j7RqW05aiSd_uxLVB7DvzkHaunCrEIwIDMlDfSyaLEFC0qgzZcaaADTyYcbB9pMze2QrF0bGaG0pDflATMqptYE8u-fduydz2kPS4j42yZJ8dWzwNN9UvzFtC/s320/blog+4.12.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484464061996089106" /></a></div><div>Its been closed for a few years due to ‘renovation’, and we heard it was open again. On the way we passed through a small village called Krini, which was “little old lady heaven” for Liz; there were so many elderly people in the streets, doorways and balconies, that she didn’t know which way to turn. It was a wonderful quaint and unspoilt village with no sign of tourism around.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1CKd7RtLiq7lM6epVEwRb9E5nvh6fa-ip4T9EMtoHS1Lgjn5uq6NxP6KlZaPQByha8LehjSTG6g29JAlyRQEgFwz99wDaTPs9rinDukJrqL0RsJZZfjIc1iQIOlNuryEgtxgujSFaewr/s1600/HPIM3768.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1CKd7RtLiq7lM6epVEwRb9E5nvh6fa-ip4T9EMtoHS1Lgjn5uq6NxP6KlZaPQByha8LehjSTG6g29JAlyRQEgFwz99wDaTPs9rinDukJrqL0RsJZZfjIc1iQIOlNuryEgtxgujSFaewr/s320/HPIM3768.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484464064644924514" /></a></div><div>The weather was cool enough for the hike (we thought). We arrived at the foot of it armed with walking sandals and bottles of water and set off.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiJsToYy2HV00hLlP5jhKDqLJ4Wk7zmmWY_5-ZFaQh4COOLc37alPBy-5OdB4WlJTuW4BNcKHht_VKOgmnbLWzdzmNlW6piZFEfD9yZKHtx_hoVeCXC3yGSfK6yImdB-1Y9_UlS8ohT8D/s1600/HPIM3780.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiJsToYy2HV00hLlP5jhKDqLJ4Wk7zmmWY_5-ZFaQh4COOLc37alPBy-5OdB4WlJTuW4BNcKHht_VKOgmnbLWzdzmNlW6piZFEfD9yZKHtx_hoVeCXC3yGSfK6yImdB-1Y9_UlS8ohT8D/s320/HPIM3780.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484464373505899330" /></a></div><div>We climbed the steep steps, with very little in the way of ‘health and safety’, no hand rails or level surfaces, but luckily there were warning signs strategically placed.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTSAJRLOW6P1OSdiVKt6Lvb3EcK-IvuacnEjiZmKBfM6fHhAvV0W05-GlOy-1qidL_SzP22IGto3xR0OJsWs49gExZHTqGGS-m6ppnhfdxZei0YGCoML3th7EURLRMqFrptPCbTRJM5XQ/s1600/blog+4.3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTSAJRLOW6P1OSdiVKt6Lvb3EcK-IvuacnEjiZmKBfM6fHhAvV0W05-GlOy-1qidL_SzP22IGto3xR0OJsWs49gExZHTqGGS-m6ppnhfdxZei0YGCoML3th7EURLRMqFrptPCbTRJM5XQ/s320/blog+4.3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484463150054408626" /></a><br /></div><div>The view over the ropes.....</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjed1tr6c1VR7eS54jpeym6_OXi5V831tBJNzgB6opH7hz9dWIv9pExrgM6BgtVp1Oa_1ok-2w7CPnlNInEbZIbANPiuMmWugE2EBs49brMHr7T4-4IfQhFX6NDzx92ZqUa1u3_LEQgXo_q/s1600/HPIM3787.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjed1tr6c1VR7eS54jpeym6_OXi5V831tBJNzgB6opH7hz9dWIv9pExrgM6BgtVp1Oa_1ok-2w7CPnlNInEbZIbANPiuMmWugE2EBs49brMHr7T4-4IfQhFX6NDzx92ZqUa1u3_LEQgXo_q/s320/HPIM3787.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484464379952773618" /></a></div><div>The ruined castle is a stiff 20 minute walk up a steep, stepped path from the car park, but the effort is rewarded by stunning, almost circular views of the surrounding sea and land - on a clear day, it's possible to see Corfu Town. . Little remains of the fort but it was well worth the climb.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZIUUJij6_aooqeqwAllfCKEwthM7awjGg1bDM82tgCuuu3V3i9RJiiH1pKGBIhGTRxBJ2SjslzoOXH_bI7Q2ZvrEBLNkZWrCeg0nrYfbGe-IP8SRoVMLQz_C4cAcERMTGxBy3llNo1cT/s1600/HPIM3804.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZIUUJij6_aooqeqwAllfCKEwthM7awjGg1bDM82tgCuuu3V3i9RJiiH1pKGBIhGTRxBJ2SjslzoOXH_bI7Q2ZvrEBLNkZWrCeg0nrYfbGe-IP8SRoVMLQz_C4cAcERMTGxBy3llNo1cT/s320/HPIM3804.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484464383176490130" /></a></div><br />When we started out it was clear blue skies,but as we reached the top the clouds were rolling in. So we didn’t hang around for long. </div><div><br /></div><div>We made our way back down, in the car and went into Paleokastritsa for a stroll round the harbour. Paleokastritsa is a very popular tourist destination, even with the Corfiots it seems, because as we parked up, a coach load of elderly day-trippers were all just getting back on their coach. Not only did they bring the kitchen sink but their donkey to help them carry everything came too!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg210u1QeX5dwB8vdNRmMrGrPRUpWLn17f9X3w_zPim5060YTz61pixr6hlGUfw4LRk-f0dbWJS9ofyedEmXMUZ7SDPDxK1lE2TfP-IZbCkoZ3tMw4s4bkpsi4uApogXTXaXTM7QNkrzd5a/s1600/blog+4.4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg210u1QeX5dwB8vdNRmMrGrPRUpWLn17f9X3w_zPim5060YTz61pixr6hlGUfw4LRk-f0dbWJS9ofyedEmXMUZ7SDPDxK1lE2TfP-IZbCkoZ3tMw4s4bkpsi4uApogXTXaXTM7QNkrzd5a/s320/blog+4.4.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484463696444671074" /></a><br />It was so funny, because as they were walking to their coach, the donkey that was grazing in the nearby field, spotted one of the little old ladies and followed her across the road, much to the amusement of all her friends. It wouldn’t leave her alone, it clearly thought it knew her and had to be persuaded by several of the men to go away!<br /><br /><br />We have done the usual trips down to Corfu Town (to go to Lidl for cheap toilet paper and washing powder) so while we were there, we popped down to Mouse Island, where we have been many times before with various friends & relatives, to view the sites, watch the planes and of course, watch the motorcycles navigate across the narrow causeway for a 5 mile shortcut out of Corfu Town. But it’s a lot safer now because new signs have been installed, to encourage people to be more responsible when using the causeway.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tpqlkmNgnQRXkIx0RBGriMp4YDQfZMJ21nUEF7qJpHcKUJoqY8JT_pIvgfbrAJYT6ukfANq5InkjjrWYXOIudIXOTSZFzSS4nV6lWD2SMgMDIgCCoPJt46N4z_66AyeXl4apBdsvyAfn/s1600/blog+4.1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 241px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tpqlkmNgnQRXkIx0RBGriMp4YDQfZMJ21nUEF7qJpHcKUJoqY8JT_pIvgfbrAJYT6ukfANq5InkjjrWYXOIudIXOTSZFzSS4nV6lWD2SMgMDIgCCoPJt46N4z_66AyeXl4apBdsvyAfn/s320/blog+4.1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483437010372330498" /></a><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><b>We saw this sign outside the Thomas Bay Hotel in San Stefanos.......</b></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1wUJx_XFYdOhSB8zmeBTvMiAB-1pAEsdScBTjhivGCK2ShkZ_rgg_ixudxtirUQohyL2U5MKKa8MWv_fDFPJSbU_PI9HiU0X4slXWePv6KsKPJD-iw0TsudNacnCgboFvjfBPx6imL0H/s1600/blog+4.2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1wUJx_XFYdOhSB8zmeBTvMiAB-1pAEsdScBTjhivGCK2ShkZ_rgg_ixudxtirUQohyL2U5MKKa8MWv_fDFPJSbU_PI9HiU0X4slXWePv6KsKPJD-iw0TsudNacnCgboFvjfBPx6imL0H/s320/blog+4.2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484462934145834882" /></a>As we couldn’t see any feathered birds or local live stock, on their starting blocks, we assumed it was formula one racing??</div><div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><b>......Bob and Keith out for a quick spin in Bobs kit car</b></span><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKIvgD5POMeEdTZhNdxcmb2eGqvvg3yyEeVDRMv47fMVca3ediIL0xiLT3fLdZv2wJhU6BRqBNgR2kyNpdpMCjv4pSSgh-JIF_5sIlhvt36EVsVlbB5MOc3HNrtJJOquxWixv0sg26CV9/s320/blog+4.11.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484463716623410178" /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">(Ralf and Teds new ‘sit and ride’ rotivator?)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Meanwhile back in compost corner: the upper & lower fields are blooming marvellous!! We have tomatoes everywhere, potatoes & peas that are nearly ready and all the other assorted veg we planted is growing like mad, it’s probably the combination of sunshine & lots of water. And we are eating our own salad and rocket and spinach etc already.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TDeXN8Ks27UqP7lNM_RDUpcz-P8AIlLQ9r8k7RC5azd4jlDPHd2bmfBhyG2UYdfQeEpF3n_ijCrU6pFxet_4KR_ty1z-KLt7BqPa1Vo__kVLLJwgGUHUxz-A9z6HZ2bu2fRAjLMiYd5O/s1600/blog+4.6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TDeXN8Ks27UqP7lNM_RDUpcz-P8AIlLQ9r8k7RC5azd4jlDPHd2bmfBhyG2UYdfQeEpF3n_ijCrU6pFxet_4KR_ty1z-KLt7BqPa1Vo__kVLLJwgGUHUxz-A9z6HZ2bu2fRAjLMiYd5O/s320/blog+4.6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484463709496858850" /></a><br />More updates to follow.......<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">“.....The lock upon my garden gate's a snail, that's what it is....”</span></span><br /></div>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-60682010632909048052010-05-30T15:32:00.019+03:002010-05-30T16:41:30.740+03:00Reasons to be cheerful.........(part 3)<strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">"......Summer, Buddy Holly, the working folly<br />Good golly Miss Molly and boats<br />Hammersmith Palais, the Bolshoi Ballet<br />Jump back in the alley and nanny goats......."</span></strong><br /><strong>…..Part 1<br />The 2010 Season starts:-</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjDh0yrNSy5zgPwvA0M4lGvz6-PC5am6wtEDk0DTDyKzTqzxgKvV7x9Ixewk-cloevf-zQS0EBib1MUr9wqW32AjgMlrP4BFkk_9MHCeSXy9wMN_lD_79CM7B5YzvIfB8Hh8vbl3zUgDL/s1600/01.JPG"><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477044649014249394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjDh0yrNSy5zgPwvA0M4lGvz6-PC5am6wtEDk0DTDyKzTqzxgKvV7x9Ixewk-cloevf-zQS0EBib1MUr9wqW32AjgMlrP4BFkk_9MHCeSXy9wMN_lD_79CM7B5YzvIfB8Hh8vbl3zUgDL/s320/01.JPG" /></a></p>When we arrived on the 1st of May everywhere was deserted, no sun beds on the beach, no bars or restaurants open and nobody on the streets or beach, San Stefanos had a sort of melancholic tranquillity about it.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56vUZr0yP1buR6hwOAJyFeY_gIPJCtF4Z3UE0uB655Ylff7DJn_2j7l6qhrd7pXiEW4pbCUm_sJ6OdD_O93X5eeSgoUnoEW75LWLJAT-v-xMG-XnVVLrz-CAdCaNKdz5jUn_vcbZzS7gp/s1600/HPIM3678.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477052933808069090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56vUZr0yP1buR6hwOAJyFeY_gIPJCtF4Z3UE0uB655Ylff7DJn_2j7l6qhrd7pXiEW4pbCUm_sJ6OdD_O93X5eeSgoUnoEW75LWLJAT-v-xMG-XnVVLrz-CAdCaNKdz5jUn_vcbZzS7gp/s320/HPIM3678.JPG" /></a> Over the next few days the locals got stuck into cleaning, painting, tidying and building work:-<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7spvrqtijrijUMFMSNCsMyjKjd9qf4amlXB3sj7ncnHNejFTuSr1x1owz4VeFinIHxKQyTPWmKEuRtkxsBVlZHW4wgckFn2snYI6V4ym-rO-riJPe2XHpsllQrs-HGGznbTkv7od_PZXd/s1600/becky+%26+pigs+room.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477050078743739202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7spvrqtijrijUMFMSNCsMyjKjd9qf4amlXB3sj7ncnHNejFTuSr1x1owz4VeFinIHxKQyTPWmKEuRtkxsBVlZHW4wgckFn2snYI6V4ym-rO-riJPe2XHpsllQrs-HGGznbTkv7od_PZXd/s320/becky+%26+pigs+room.JPG" /></a><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;"> The hotel where Becky and Siobhan are staying is nearly finished......</span></strong><br />and the village gradually came back to life. It has been a very wet and windy winter here, not as cold as the UK, but pretty stormy for many months and the evidence of this could be seen on the beach where all the winter’s debris and litter had accumulated and countless tonnes of sand had been washed away;<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGVx1eUeRBYfPVrYFNnuXjMqs0Od-r0p8gsYfiaNfFMNTdwNqazj7Kgkr4Q_m9RqGaJAAflKzuSiEcm6fkNku47ME6bUtkN5K1mUWtMik28XOacO181kl5yC34Pth8TSjBYECGSyALIqn/s1600/HPIM3683.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 241px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477052241510406370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGVx1eUeRBYfPVrYFNnuXjMqs0Od-r0p8gsYfiaNfFMNTdwNqazj7Kgkr4Q_m9RqGaJAAflKzuSiEcm6fkNku47ME6bUtkN5K1mUWtMik28XOacO181kl5yC34Pth8TSjBYECGSyALIqn/s320/HPIM3683.JPG" /></a><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;"> The leaning lifeguards chair</span></strong><br />Mountains of seaweed and debris had piled up, and a caravan that provides hot and cold drinks on the beach during the summer had been completely washed away! Although someone had rescued the drinks fridge and tied it to a pontoon to stop it washing away. Parts of the caravan are now being washed up a mile away up towards the far end of the beach.<br /><br />There has been an air of anticipation all over Corfu; locals, bar owners & ex-pats all wondering what will happen to the Greek economy and what effect this will have on the coming season. One major change has been the introduction of loads of tax inspectors, checking and checking again the books of all the business’s. Everybody is having to issue receipts for things so it can be traced back for tax purposes, this is so against the Greek & Corfiot way of life, tax is to be avoided at all cost! There is a sense of injustice locally, as many high paid lawyers, doctors and of course politicians seem able to avoid paying tax and politicians are immune from prosecution, for any crimes they may commit, (that sounds familiar) VAT has gone up twice in recent weeks (meaning that shops bars couldn’t give receipts until their tills had been changed each time). Drinks, cigarettes & petrol have all gone up in price, petrol prices reaching the dizzy heights of 1.60 a litre at the start of May. The only bonus for the average man is all this has meant that the smoking ban has fallen by the wayside.<br /><br />But life goes on and we all fall into doing what we do best! Keith has been out getting gigs, 4 nights a week lined up with further opportunities of work as the season progresses.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESFnZXVqTp15n1QGdQZk6XVNy4uYjR2-vbncsRMg8fdzCneK3ggO8-cWpQBcsNqNGT0AAxlL16dfMoqVPmdmorEz05DVS6Jzfc5jo2OoY3MMHJ174ekbmDknChuJ-P9pEJL6zNBGR2U4W/s1600/08.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477048175379887858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESFnZXVqTp15n1QGdQZk6XVNy4uYjR2-vbncsRMg8fdzCneK3ggO8-cWpQBcsNqNGT0AAxlL16dfMoqVPmdmorEz05DVS6Jzfc5jo2OoY3MMHJ174ekbmDknChuJ-P9pEJL6zNBGR2U4W/s320/08.JPG" /></a> And we have had our first visitors, Kate, Jason & their 3 year old daughter Ella.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLMgXBXVEAUAC5Jor8R-CPwwFL89146hFRkBPnt5nelpIpkJqqRY04Xq9Hp2UI-Vxelq4_4yVWO_czVUca8V_e02MhbioEd31qCS_-Urb20jg65QfHC3Ak-QgItFq6_1z4TsP8Mc0jw3-/s1600/03.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477045214580093314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLMgXBXVEAUAC5Jor8R-CPwwFL89146hFRkBPnt5nelpIpkJqqRY04Xq9Hp2UI-Vxelq4_4yVWO_czVUca8V_e02MhbioEd31qCS_-Urb20jg65QfHC3Ak-QgItFq6_1z4TsP8Mc0jw3-/s320/03.JPG" /></a> They are friends of Bob & Bev’s and they stayed with us in our studio for the 1st week of the season, we showed them some of the delights of the island and our resort and of course, ‘you know who’s’ gig at The Athens bar!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnr4zR5Tj-MLD4KYFzFRYE1rWSuYEQCIVBATQr_Lytnm0wyL6WkrEHqzja2vXOfu7ohBqfyvz52bI5pDO20bLznZNoGqi1GF3amhPrmP7lNZzweDsU1VO-sNNYTGkxyr9rKyjaonuMxFUr/s1600/07.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477047580218584562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnr4zR5Tj-MLD4KYFzFRYE1rWSuYEQCIVBATQr_Lytnm0wyL6WkrEHqzja2vXOfu7ohBqfyvz52bI5pDO20bLznZNoGqi1GF3amhPrmP7lNZzweDsU1VO-sNNYTGkxyr9rKyjaonuMxFUr/s320/07.JPG" /></a> The weather was kind to them and there was only one day when it was cold and windy, but the day they left, storms came in high winds, rain,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3D7fn44O7IWEZtCtldlxv3-7UJyBwD1QCMFuj0WxVjJ1X5M4bb6D7wtv11XwKxFu5ItLhK3chhsIlUE061pQrHm9zun53OUVnI_wTViqO6DDm58IkHAKNLFtsWopA0zQgCCrDRlacbkY/s1600/06.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477046489219288034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3D7fn44O7IWEZtCtldlxv3-7UJyBwD1QCMFuj0WxVjJ1X5M4bb6D7wtv11XwKxFu5ItLhK3chhsIlUE061pQrHm9zun53OUVnI_wTViqO6DDm58IkHAKNLFtsWopA0zQgCCrDRlacbkY/s320/06.JPG" /></a><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;"> The view from our balcony</span></strong><br />more wind lots more rain and thunderstorms; in all, the next 6 days it peed down and was so cold at night we retreated back into our sleeping bags which we bought to keep warm on the boat overnight!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-NFs-hpwnMapvQe0hDE-yAy2dFjMHe-Gz5QUmRTJksXm6iYZbXUl6EUuTpf-Wuu5Z5JkfNovk7wyar0PQZSGRk1kKtnrtjZWuSqT2J8LJWLNsqBzvqCx4z8Pl1p8fctx1gn_GM1NEUlz/s1600/05.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477045813007381858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-NFs-hpwnMapvQe0hDE-yAy2dFjMHe-Gz5QUmRTJksXm6iYZbXUl6EUuTpf-Wuu5Z5JkfNovk7wyar0PQZSGRk1kKtnrtjZWuSqT2J8LJWLNsqBzvqCx4z8Pl1p8fctx1gn_GM1NEUlz/s320/05.JPG" /></a><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;"> The veg we planted at the house were flooded,</span></strong><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;"> but the ones in the' lower field' have thrived.<br /></span></strong><strong>…..Part2<br />Liz’s dentist experience:-<br /></strong>For several weeks, possibly months Liz has had an ongoing problem with a tooth ache, she’s been to the dentist in the UK umpteen times, had some major work done on it, lots of antibiotics and spent loads of money trying to get it sorted. Only to arrive in Corfu with….. Toothache. Having consulted locals about how good or possible it was to visit a dentist over here, she decided enough was enough and we went to Sidari to “book” an appointment.<br />The dentist is over a parade of shops so we trudged up the stairs and through the glass doors of a waiting room, there was no one around so we walked in sat down, then decided after a few minutes to see if there was anyone around! Liz opened a door to see a female dentist working on some blokes tooth; she quickly closed the door and waited.<br />This turned out to be a lucky move because 5 minutes later this man came out dressed in oily overalls, if we hadn’t popped our heads around the door Liz would have thought he was the dentist and run like hell!<br />The dentist then called Liz into the room, she told her the problem, still thinking she was booking an appointment, and was promptly sat in the chair, given an injection and minutes later she was minus a tooth and 50 euros lighter! She had never had a tooth out before and was rather shocked by the force required and the amount of blood that ended up all over the dentist! She said it reminded her of a scene out of a horror movie! Still it’s done and now she has one thing less to complain about after the weather, the heat, the cold, the sun, the rain, the hard beds, the birds, the cockerels, the noise of the strimmers etc…. (and keith!)<br /><strong>…..Part 3<br />Our first month here</strong><br />Liz is all better now!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdn76WLmbnFCrX1Js5AVZjVi3Ge7_hbPoYxK0Ziz9456unglFiHIZHk1EysSHt4VaywBdaWxtfrcb0Ulmxv_tU6GnmAophjwlBLqoMaYabns5Pcv_VKzvFOIB_wQ-s-JgN6dQedglYgp3v/s1600/09.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477049234743014370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdn76WLmbnFCrX1Js5AVZjVi3Ge7_hbPoYxK0Ziz9456unglFiHIZHk1EysSHt4VaywBdaWxtfrcb0Ulmxv_tU6GnmAophjwlBLqoMaYabns5Pcv_VKzvFOIB_wQ-s-JgN6dQedglYgp3v/s320/09.JPG" /></a> We have been meeting up with all our friends that we have made here over the last 4 years. The veg is growing well. We have filled our new freezer that we brought over in the car from the UK. Keith has work.....<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLDiHwxFsBoElaOCj8cUldq2UWl6Ost-UUvKYdD5lFn9_mWtYatN4yxEj70dlZ6kFzpszn09ClJIYCqnBG__p2EL3EDEUbUYLJGBcgldBAHkyyW2nnaugY06gGpJNGfIX_193ezTVHmkk/s1600/DSCN3369.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477051150773820754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLDiHwxFsBoElaOCj8cUldq2UWl6Ost-UUvKYdD5lFn9_mWtYatN4yxEj70dlZ6kFzpszn09ClJIYCqnBG__p2EL3EDEUbUYLJGBcgldBAHkyyW2nnaugY06gGpJNGfIX_193ezTVHmkk/s320/DSCN3369.JPG" /></a> ...... (and Liz hasn’t) Although she is happily employed using our Italian made washing-machine that we bought from an expat (Kath), on line before we arrived. We arranged to collect it from a man who was storing it for her in an old house in the back of beyond somewhere near Sidari! We loaded it into the car got it home, and with a 'bit of help' from Bob ('Keith and DIY' is like 'Liz and work') it is now plumbed in, the only issue with it, is that all the operating instructions are in Italian, so we have worked out temperature & spin and where the powder goes, then Liz donnes her black dress and hey presto becomes “domestica greek godess!!”<br /><br />And finally……. the good weather is here:O)! <p></p><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>"....Why don't you get back into bed<br />Why don't you get back into bed..."</strong> </span>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-70328577217714569412010-05-26T23:14:00.000+03:002010-05-26T23:14:05.147+03:00James Taylor & Carly Simon - Close Your Eyes<object style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/E_D0i7UC9UY/hqdefault.jpg)" height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/E_D0i7UC9UY&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/E_D0i7UC9UY&hl=en_US&fs=1" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-64500357380892354942010-05-16T21:31:00.010+03:002010-05-18T14:23:45.139+03:00"Me and the Farmer get on fine........."<div><div><div><div><div><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>"............Through stormy weather and bottles of wine........”<br /></strong></span><br />In our aim to become more self sufficient this year, we have decided it would be a good idea to grow some of our own veg . So Keith and our friend Bob (in the guise of Ralph and Ted from the “FastShow”); Have been mostly...... working in the lower field! <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472301916348103410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcNF5ufvokW2LSvBDdIYREAF8pw0FvSZGq7FScelVdm9ATvVRsbIlO-9z88ArG-KR34wQDhNEQF4gBRQ-UByJxa7WsApA-QEcE6OfwcnryMskhlx6N-4YQN970U-oAlKyLe0PjjIUzRJN/s320/ted+005.JPG" />Last year, over a glass or two of Ouzo, with our friends Bob ‘n’ Bev, we talked about using the large expanse of wilderness behind their house in Aviolotes. It was an old olive grove, long since deserted and sold off to them to build their house, we concluded that if it could be ploughed and rotivated we could grow some veg for our communal use. And what seemed like a good drunken idea turned into reality when Bob arranged for “Spiro”and his tractor to pull out some old tree stumps and clear his land. We were committed to the ‘goodlife’ ! </div><br />We all arrived back here in Corfu in May having acquired various gardening tools and packets of seeds, bulbs and plants to stock our veggie experience. Bob proudly showed off his latest purchases; an electric rotivator and having watched a programme of the “hairy bikers” showing off some speciality potatoes (red & blue coloured) they’d brought some of those as well! We were mightily impressed.<br /><br />A couple of days after arriving we got to work on the lower field, Keith & Bob doing most of the donkey work<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfQDnYVWt9wkIJONZ4Ka885mM_sbt9Tx9RSur9YOBcnN5Wq3JS0494eCL1nEwkKHgG9Kr5PRreKJaHzdm0CVaG_t1l4sQKLBlEsi2pCUhg9AF3svByzmm3E7FAmWPjPXuQomYmszoeltI/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 238px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471940608124870402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfQDnYVWt9wkIJONZ4Ka885mM_sbt9Tx9RSur9YOBcnN5Wq3JS0494eCL1nEwkKHgG9Kr5PRreKJaHzdm0CVaG_t1l4sQKLBlEsi2pCUhg9AF3svByzmm3E7FAmWPjPXuQomYmszoeltI/s320/006.JPG" /></a><br />although Liz and Bev were allowed to drive the rotivator a couple of times when the boys had finished playing , <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472298792130947410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGSLcCpPUWdWHZ1WQGCZYjXP4NAGVPw1u2jWGKUARA7UX866KcePDclcH6xyTjNVf2lJPv70QNOoTED5mQvOZOQJd8aq8fx9IEXniRsILpaKXTTReMCaJazjjkY104pcm3DkiHmhsWFMZ/s320/ted+003.JPG" /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 241px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472301043510260354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1MrIH-PDiUpTwM51Y4ORd4_CU23ozsZvH4cJtWrZ22TsgGbOxrSxwOldtXrZtmmN7N2WN03a-08-FQ-2pCz-97ARm7OxoCThvY3y44wQw04RMfq94rFGMg4lXuVlzB4dvrstEnlw4sbDo/s320/ted+007.JPG" /> and Liz planted all the peas, (which is nice)....... then had a well earned cigarette or two!! <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472296300105979138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinR12mvUgviVku1H_jcwzbMENmQiCuOkE5XCx7BSLxHz85uE4TkMYyPlZIXStd28kqIGTFzwg4_MoUvumaCoCYRmKwGWCycc-Om-5h6VkFxX8-jPrqKq0wNfw8z6klW_zaW8ASmOSaansW/s320/021.JPG" /> We have planted seed potatoes, onions, carrots, beetroot, peppers, garden peas, various salad seeds, some tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, courgettes, and melons.<br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472568449882931026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoh6pFra03KdNDYhT8b3rWwromMs3S1260FsTwfoDqv5ne9wV4kwvwDp5tueaYnzZ-o2uzw-HT4moT9HM3zWQuFpb0IMZBRo0hVT2Jeyu6FZvt-A_5b2ZIfrmNa2VQJOYTO8hYS5bMidX/s320/ted+009.JPG" /> It is amazing how fast everything grows here, within days things started sprouting up, we have now been here 2 weeks and already things are coming up, tomato plants are flowering, all the seeds we planted are coming through, this weekend we had a 12 hour downpour followed by hot sunshine and as a consequence our little plantation looks like a school experiment; you know, the one, when you leave cress on blotting paper on a window ledge...... <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472293685156361810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQLK2OCrMrCBaAGsjXhU8xk6dHSNJiMxyg6t3SRtcZB38bsM8cI5FHK4JubJaNGNXNZlk_vRangYvY_amUxJIK2W_QRw75YgTWzpYPxGEGLCGUp9kvRJC7xKZ2nUEs7fyBtYvVahQA3n7/s320/019.JPG" /> Today we have been mostly ........putting netting up for our peas, and banking up the beds around the potato plants, and sitting watching it all grow!!<br /></div><div>It is going to be so nice eating our own produce, although Liz is still unsure about eating anything that is grown in soil, as all her veg normally arrives clean from the supermarket! There is still a bit of educating to be done there I think!<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#000099;">“......Me and the farmer like brother like sister<br />Get on like hand and blister,<br />Me and the farmer.......” </span></strong></div></div></div></div>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-56414688712976264032010-05-09T14:36:00.011+03:002010-05-09T16:06:21.693+03:00"Wherever I lay my hat (or sleeping bag)......that's my home..."<strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">.........I’m the kind of guy who’s always on the roam.......<br /></span></strong><br />This year we started our journey with an overnight stop at Paddy and Lorraine’s new home just east of Leeds. In the morning we had one last trip to Morrisons to stock up on food for the journey (we are trying to do it cheaper this year ;O))<br />Once on the Hull ferry, and loaded down with the finest deli picnic that Morrisons in Knottingley could muster, we set off on our fourth annual 1000 mile road trip across Europe! “We dined on mince and slices of quince, wrapped up in a 5 euro note”. The only cash we spent on board was to stock up on duty free fags and Gin for the journey south. We had imagined this time that the car would be relatively empty compared with previous years but it was rammed full as usual! We had presents for relatives along the way and holiday essentials for some of our visitors, and what seems like a years supply of tins of tuna & tomatoes, oh and an upright freezer! There seemed to be just about enough room for the two of us in the front.<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQitktNiPrwwnP_VV4LUutlQ7wekxpm7CPPg8AL5uYNUa-8E8SZ9dSdHOI1HCKCUAAoRVIyi3UoirKwAgsZm8NNsWN_EGWVMhVxaQoJzl_KzWVoXAb5Lo8f_RQqGHoSOsu85Uh5CgXaXU/s1600/HPIM3534.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469244695135194338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQitktNiPrwwnP_VV4LUutlQ7wekxpm7CPPg8AL5uYNUa-8E8SZ9dSdHOI1HCKCUAAoRVIyi3UoirKwAgsZm8NNsWN_EGWVMhVxaQoJzl_KzWVoXAb5Lo8f_RQqGHoSOsu85Uh5CgXaXU/s320/HPIM3534.JPG" /></a><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"> Arriving at Europort, Rotterdam</span></strong><br />The weather was glorious all the way through Holland and Germany!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUniLbyr5zjm8gSKpVBombpowI1HQdNXAoVi5ALcPXoAVx6XqZRkX3ufTK2xLKAnUh09ooGgrxJ6O0a8CzVaxxgNVBiftjMNjDfFFbnRbmNk7BgDNUlZ4gSDCgbXWA_nxwUa8WxAKmMan8/s1600/HPIM3539.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469245910506310338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUniLbyr5zjm8gSKpVBombpowI1HQdNXAoVi5ALcPXoAVx6XqZRkX3ufTK2xLKAnUh09ooGgrxJ6O0a8CzVaxxgNVBiftjMNjDfFFbnRbmNk7BgDNUlZ4gSDCgbXWA_nxwUa8WxAKmMan8/s320/HPIM3539.JPG" /></a><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"> Picnic in Holland</span></strong><br />We did our usual overnight with Paul and Milena in Heidleburg, where we dined on fresh seasonal asparagus with Paul’s home-made garlic mayo. We had an equally glorious day travelling through the Alps to Milan,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_6JZmdaDQm-u_VDGLcfK-XjaAbuUQ3JKyX8WfYsfVqPelMAS1fAiApiz7IdXUB9QjjWDPSKZEaosGCU1Z3cS7tTVUdzbPz6o_XiIf62kLxfgpSEkolWIKbj69h3CJu6OdnnE_c6eSO3b/s1600/HPIM3549.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469248157972153810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_6JZmdaDQm-u_VDGLcfK-XjaAbuUQ3JKyX8WfYsfVqPelMAS1fAiApiz7IdXUB9QjjWDPSKZEaosGCU1Z3cS7tTVUdzbPz6o_XiIf62kLxfgpSEkolWIKbj69h3CJu6OdnnE_c6eSO3b/s320/HPIM3549.JPG" /></a>and we considered going over the San Gottard pass instead of doing the 17km tunnel but as it turned out the pass was closed due to an avalanche and too much snow...... so tunnel it was!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleN4j8NijGM5Cqt2bPxUpKA2Dt08K_UDHSDa-nPKXUWW12ZKAkCdVujPUevvt45I5YHy7MzjX-MHkF-GQMAKL2-wvZ_HTVU_JwMdZTKNCbyN_YYFbrGCPSBSZy4kpQgJJV0Tmkj5bwzfs/s1600/HPIM3555.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469249212077617202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleN4j8NijGM5Cqt2bPxUpKA2Dt08K_UDHSDa-nPKXUWW12ZKAkCdVujPUevvt45I5YHy7MzjX-MHkF-GQMAKL2-wvZ_HTVU_JwMdZTKNCbyN_YYFbrGCPSBSZy4kpQgJJV0Tmkj5bwzfs/s320/HPIM3555.JPG" /></a> We spent two nights in Milan as Debbie and Franco’s guests; the first night we all went out for a meal and sampled the delights of Milan City by night.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xqtNj309Ut8RIGvN0ykxDV4SitACPuZcVsvNGyTef6DoQghLZhdNuk3uUC3zNhvvDcRdr8iVU1ADLAYFWrXLGhxizetJ8Kf0T2ifKEzeYbO5xPQaLa1XbnDztTkN8a_2mE1k1pyBqjEp/s1600/HPIM3565.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469250283780955698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xqtNj309Ut8RIGvN0ykxDV4SitACPuZcVsvNGyTef6DoQghLZhdNuk3uUC3zNhvvDcRdr8iVU1ADLAYFWrXLGhxizetJ8Kf0T2ifKEzeYbO5xPQaLa1XbnDztTkN8a_2mE1k1pyBqjEp/s320/HPIM3565.JPG" /></a> Starting with a happy hour in a bar where Elle’s friend Vanessa works! The happy hour here is not a cheap “drink all you can” option; but an 8 euro “buy a drink and eat as much hot and cold buffet as you want!” </p><p>We later wandered to the city centre square where the Duomo Cathedral is. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAu8Chgqnr3NVOWSYxGm7HRFz7j0NOtj5Y_t5RPjK_30wYtXidbTsKKxP0soPaQcNCL-gwIW8tdvzH0Zew0MgjGlLyd3S2sg02OyO-UNYnAUcRUeHx4gmcYw0Z2mUNpIbKLCMVD5nbJQP/s1600/HPIM3570.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469250930857166274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAu8Chgqnr3NVOWSYxGm7HRFz7j0NOtj5Y_t5RPjK_30wYtXidbTsKKxP0soPaQcNCL-gwIW8tdvzH0Zew0MgjGlLyd3S2sg02OyO-UNYnAUcRUeHx4gmcYw0Z2mUNpIbKLCMVD5nbJQP/s320/HPIM3570.JPG" /></a> As we wandered back to the car we heard shouts and horns etc... it turned out that Inter Milan had just beaten Barcelona to get to the final of the Champions League, so as many fans as possible on scooters or in cars were blowing their horns and waving giant flags heading for the city square to celebrate into the small hours.<br />The following day we went shopping with Debbie to the local Carrefour hypermarket to stock up for the journey and buy things that you just can’t get cheaply in Corfu, like pasta and parmesan cheese. We spent another pleasant evening with the Sannelli family, eating, drinking and watching football.<br />In the morning, as the sun rose we hit the road to avoid the morning rush hour madness on the Milan motorways and arrived in Venice before 10am. We were on board the ferry by 11.30!! This year we have booked as foot passengers with NO cabin (to save money!) but we were well prepared, with 2 sleeping bags and 2 self inflating mattresses and we had seen many people camping out on deck on previous trips and thought it looked easy. We picked our spot to camp and set up our beds, cool box and got the wine out ready for the long haul!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheklYNxv1GzlGkvSEWZqgO5nhyphenhyphenmCZRYxdFCFZU4OFCH1Xmm56qRGTMajkXWvfcdFsdmSE3kliqP0T9DVWjjutGZAjV6-PHLXe4gmH0pJhonMqX18T49JsQHzuYCFL3VY6fkt6Ve5IM2NdB/s1600/HPIM3595.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469251667361224050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheklYNxv1GzlGkvSEWZqgO5nhyphenhyphenmCZRYxdFCFZU4OFCH1Xmm56qRGTMajkXWvfcdFsdmSE3kliqP0T9DVWjjutGZAjV6-PHLXe4gmH0pJhonMqX18T49JsQHzuYCFL3VY6fkt6Ve5IM2NdB/s320/HPIM3595.JPG" /></a> There were plenty of other people doing the same around us and it all felt very cosy. (Although Keith did feel quite apprehensive, Liz and camping are never together in the same sentence and he knew there was always the possibility that she could wake up in the middle of the night shouting “I can’t cope with this”)<br />The ferry was fairly quiet and as we sailed out of Venice it felt quite chilly!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEXLTzU9ttNvM9pBR7St3n0WT6zJ8tby5EJ1vFvLtXYihO_cTAYKsOGR-C5bTIQfoUF9gTAFQULYGjgG_EC-tHiTCbVYctlUboDruhlTym2xwyW4G7ENMOSd-YXqzE8DfxQD10vB0L7YI/s1600/HPIM3616.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 239px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469252653941216978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEXLTzU9ttNvM9pBR7St3n0WT6zJ8tby5EJ1vFvLtXYihO_cTAYKsOGR-C5bTIQfoUF9gTAFQULYGjgG_EC-tHiTCbVYctlUboDruhlTym2xwyW4G7ENMOSd-YXqzE8DfxQD10vB0L7YI/s320/HPIM3616.JPG" /></a><br />We had lunch, followed by a nap to try the sleeping bags out for a couple of hours. But when we woke up we were the only ones left on deck! Everyone else had retreated to the warmth of indoors. Because it was absolutely blowing a gale...... plastic chairs were blowing past us on deck and as we tried to pack our stuff away we just felt ridiculous!! We managed to get inside eventually and sat in a lounge to plan our next move.<br />It didn’t take us long to decide to get a cabin and as the ship was so quiet they were offering cabins for next to nothing. Liz booked a cabin just for herself which turned out to be only 80 Euros and a 4 berth! Result!! So we sat in our warm cabin ate all the salami, cheeses & seafood deli stuff we’d bought in Italy drank our wine and felt quite smug as we tucked up for the night in a warm cabin.<br />So all of you who were laying bets that we wouldn’t be able to cope with camping on board, that will be the easiest few quid you have ever made. </p><p><br />We woke up just off the coast of Corfu with the sun beating down while we watched our destination sail into view. We arrived in Port at 1pm drove off the ferry and within an hour we are in San Stefano for the summer.<br />We are back at our lovely house on the hill, overlooking the sea.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkm6z-zSnzm3woPG63Yfko2aLPY4RvaySk31Q7Wmt6XmWgfA1ic_uVnKVURwqPJqXrK4fUTA23ZzaOJBsgh4HCNfTanYzHararki5V15KGxbYibIERdp858QnwsFxNIk6fUAJRJfbYUUh/s1600/010.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469243799616243922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkm6z-zSnzm3woPG63Yfko2aLPY4RvaySk31Q7Wmt6XmWgfA1ic_uVnKVURwqPJqXrK4fUTA23ZzaOJBsgh4HCNfTanYzHararki5V15KGxbYibIERdp858QnwsFxNIk6fUAJRJfbYUUh/s320/010.JPG" /></a> <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>...."For I'm the type of boy who is always on the roam,<br />wherever I lay my hat that's my home,<br />I'm telling you that's my home....."</strong> </span></p>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-17564139579271274532009-10-19T20:57:00.027+03:002009-10-22T17:05:52.869+03:00"On the road again....."<strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">".........Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway<br />We're the best of friends.<br />Insisting that the world keep turning our way........"<br /></span></em></strong><br />As we came to the end of what has been a very successful season, (90 gigs in 18 weeks; an average of 5 per week) our last visitor arrived. Carmel flew into Corfu all the way from Oz, (via London, Paris, York & Leeds) <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZEPTChiI_-XQC2_ajH1_UOy7MIXXjMqcRn5vavOraOMXoy8kw7QX43iuarBhEe41vlLz3-SvPJLu1TdQNcpWwY-Kqz1o2k08YOMvemk5I8pmRK_yaYpsgekTjSGaVeiBZA8CsVcIcVY1m/s1600-h/IMG_0346.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394373213570211234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZEPTChiI_-XQC2_ajH1_UOy7MIXXjMqcRn5vavOraOMXoy8kw7QX43iuarBhEe41vlLz3-SvPJLu1TdQNcpWwY-Kqz1o2k08YOMvemk5I8pmRK_yaYpsgekTjSGaVeiBZA8CsVcIcVY1m/s320/IMG_0346.JPG" /></a><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Carmel and Liz ..........(our house is just over the hill behind them!)</span></em></strong><br /><br />She spent 3 days with us on the island chilling, as part of her 4-week trip to see family & friends in Europe. So we treated her to sea, sun, fine dining and of course a Keith gig.<br />The weather held fine for the duration of her visit. The first day though the sea was rough which gave Carmel chance to show off her body surfing skills she has picked up in Oz,<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCB_wzvYekj7vElai06ZB2H5Lo8NL_aMu8QdkdnCsZWW8k6tLfI0jlfICTvVZxF8_L87MnyeA1MqwUP2MqYy0iUO46q2dqEMFM8NwUpJ5A5gU866Pmuu2cRAZ9jnZ0tUqa0_eBQIZGcUov/s1600-h/Picture+065.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 239px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394375096756591922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCB_wzvYekj7vElai06ZB2H5Lo8NL_aMu8QdkdnCsZWW8k6tLfI0jlfICTvVZxF8_L87MnyeA1MqwUP2MqYy0iUO46q2dqEMFM8NwUpJ5A5gU866Pmuu2cRAZ9jnZ0tUqa0_eBQIZGcUov/s320/Picture+065.jpg" /></a><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">.........plenty of surf</span></em></strong> </p><p>but the next 2 days the sea was like a lake so swimming across the bay before breakfast was the order of the day. (Obviously not Liz ;O))<br /><br />As we were winding down from all the gigging we had most nights free and we reintroduced Carmel to Jenny, they last met at our wedding 4 years ago, she is now running the Mythica restaurant with her partner Leo; and to Stefano & Athina and family at the Condor Bar. She also had the pleasure of meeting some of the other musos from the UK, who live this strange lifestyle of gigging all night, sleeping all day or just hanging out in bars. She was amused to find that we were known as Keith & Keithena (Liz) or Keith & Mrs Keith and Carmel became known as Miss Keith by some of the local bar owners.<br />We ate out with our friends Bev and Bob, and took Carmel to their house to see their new baby chickens. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCljGOqWMrDt1UjY5ZU3X0aprNci6SkuA_EZyd5tUGu7MnF4s4Q0Sr1afRzydWPewmH_rNAE_JiXAiVcwWwamOCQ5olCRFERl2Ds07CcpMZdpF9rP5CIQvGr1-Gs4OwffS8Su2nq9KdpS0/s1600-h/IMG_0322.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394373207991412610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCljGOqWMrDt1UjY5ZU3X0aprNci6SkuA_EZyd5tUGu7MnF4s4Q0Sr1afRzydWPewmH_rNAE_JiXAiVcwWwamOCQ5olCRFERl2Ds07CcpMZdpF9rP5CIQvGr1-Gs4OwffS8Su2nq9KdpS0/s320/IMG_0322.JPG" /></a><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Keith, Bob, Bev and Liz in the Athens Bar</span></em></strong> </p><br /><p><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">And of course we did the “Waves” Taverna lunch,</span></em></strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3n2bDsjHfkT_UYKXdfZdR-s88rafvR4BQxdTtS7ZLJiyijCyernXjQ39ZlF4oV8K6dY-YKOzXKMMJumLT5nuE2C9Z5XfAra0sfOo2KlatfosvI2ITMVf4FGspT3vZ_KT2NlrId75sZPy/s1600-h/Picture+089.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394375104958410034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3n2bDsjHfkT_UYKXdfZdR-s88rafvR4BQxdTtS7ZLJiyijCyernXjQ39ZlF4oV8K6dY-YKOzXKMMJumLT5nuE2C9Z5XfAra0sfOo2KlatfosvI2ITMVf4FGspT3vZ_KT2NlrId75sZPy/s320/Picture+089.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></em></strong></p><p>the Condor breakfast, and the final gig of the season was fittingly at the 5 star hotel “Restina Suites” for a chill out evening with a great atmosphere. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1QS8ytk9ruc5zCaSefjaIpjWwhkDzbG9nv7OfOIYM1baNoI5KKqlhWswAlvUK8LXmpxZPX4w_9REkLXwN2HG6JDlvM8TJYVpNDpVUJL-ZAgc4PH5ml3-xOu95ZuCQP_wOPLu1X3v3gFA/s1600-h/IMG_0367.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394373647081083490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1QS8ytk9ruc5zCaSefjaIpjWwhkDzbG9nv7OfOIYM1baNoI5KKqlhWswAlvUK8LXmpxZPX4w_9REkLXwN2HG6JDlvM8TJYVpNDpVUJL-ZAgc4PH5ml3-xOu95ZuCQP_wOPLu1X3v3gFA/s320/IMG_0367.JPG" /></a><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Keith played at the 5 star every Sunday night all season</span></em></strong></p><p>It was sad to say goodbye to people who have become good friends over the past 5 months but we can look forward to seeing them again next year as lots of work has been pencilled in for the 2010 season.<br /><br />It took us no time at all to pack up our house having done this for the last 3 years. We stored away our belongings ready to do this all over again next year. Our house overlooks the sea and even in the height of summer everything is fairly damp, so all our clothes, bedding and towels are vacuum packed, and stored in breathable boxes, so that they don’t rot away during the winter. We gave everywhere a quick clean, turned everything off and locked the door for the last time until May 2010.<br /><br />We set off before sunrise for the ferry and arrived at the port and loaded on at 7am for the 26-hour journey to Venice.<br /></p><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yaJxjcuyqWrEI2oHoVIxGtiuLI1oBAvw5lqmrMHmI9RKsrd69jIaZ5uofPYLPlY2ARqNo3fMfMm12KS1v_4xDgIbtQZMT4EAPSrG9db_k_YaJBN_Uf4ZTj9DhBxtfgjGgS5WNmA2efu5/s1600-h/Copy+of+Copy+of+IMG_0372.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394372762831136482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yaJxjcuyqWrEI2oHoVIxGtiuLI1oBAvw5lqmrMHmI9RKsrd69jIaZ5uofPYLPlY2ARqNo3fMfMm12KS1v_4xDgIbtQZMT4EAPSrG9db_k_YaJBN_Uf4ZTj9DhBxtfgjGgS5WNmA2efu5/s320/Copy+of+Copy+of+IMG_0372.JPG" /></a> <strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">This is our ferry pulling in with its doors opening at the same time (will the Greeks ever learn?)</span></em></strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSchcdKMgandXs2Hi6CrOYOyBJ372NmwQ6FjtCNvOsK61I7lim0i0u94PgPwdNLHn7E_o6DoBJrvnvgC032eIHc0vMmGqo3jedKfRe-KtbyWcPofndrwM0z1oiima610-07TeNs5kneKOx/s1600-h/Copy+of+Copy+of+IMG_0374.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394372771825796514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSchcdKMgandXs2Hi6CrOYOyBJ372NmwQ6FjtCNvOsK61I7lim0i0u94PgPwdNLHn7E_o6DoBJrvnvgC032eIHc0vMmGqo3jedKfRe-KtbyWcPofndrwM0z1oiima610-07TeNs5kneKOx/s320/Copy+of+Copy+of+IMG_0374.JPG" /></a><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"> .....A Beautiful sunrise at the ferry port</span></em></strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75wD5PTgH2vstTDQ1DMnRnEDpBteJOSGsHO3PLluwstHyFfmJiGEt5tq3ZtZmHpG_b-U5WpOtV1zbkkYws_GGmPmcikbOdFPTozxF4lkvWaB3KY5F3IyonUY2MmeBssOiIrYZjUYjJ5uP/s1600-h/Copy+of+IMG_0370.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394372782158639298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75wD5PTgH2vstTDQ1DMnRnEDpBteJOSGsHO3PLluwstHyFfmJiGEt5tq3ZtZmHpG_b-U5WpOtV1zbkkYws_GGmPmcikbOdFPTozxF4lkvWaB3KY5F3IyonUY2MmeBssOiIrYZjUYjJ5uP/s320/Copy+of+IMG_0370.JPG" /></a><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"> ........Our ferry from Corfu to Venice</span></em></strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVth55n12BoityVLIXO0HEL8dtsmKPp5BTiLr5MskG5RxsUysgTwRjHzrNbS3Dc0BOCqrklbDaFxrvw5Hx16NHBqY4lY5lryeTcfGObl79-86Ao70O2NGKFxk-n9j4sqPEWmGWhaU_y-E/s1600-h/Picture+111.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394375654978073058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVth55n12BoityVLIXO0HEL8dtsmKPp5BTiLr5MskG5RxsUysgTwRjHzrNbS3Dc0BOCqrklbDaFxrvw5Hx16NHBqY4lY5lryeTcfGObl79-86Ao70O2NGKFxk-n9j4sqPEWmGWhaU_y-E/s320/Picture+111.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Carmel watching the sun rise at the start of our 26 hour journey across the Ionian Sea</span></em></strong> </p><p>Keith managed to catch a few hours of sunbathing on deck, whilst Liz & Carmel caught up on their sleep. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3UPJcOjDkv2AOoBndAaxxnayNJqkvTZQUCmpZeVZNeAS322IWXl_0fStMyp9cRNju8E5qg904_GkgKecXymrh3luB_CkqJJn6_e7WaQpXJ7M0yhAjAl2vlPYp0a4BhxtJ8QDX38urJzu/s1600-h/DSCN3233.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394373201014563490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3UPJcOjDkv2AOoBndAaxxnayNJqkvTZQUCmpZeVZNeAS322IWXl_0fStMyp9cRNju8E5qg904_GkgKecXymrh3luB_CkqJJn6_e7WaQpXJ7M0yhAjAl2vlPYp0a4BhxtJ8QDX38urJzu/s320/DSCN3233.JPG" /></a><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Carmel just about managed to shut the world out </span></em></strong></p>Then we spent the evening in the dining room on board before retiring to our cabin for the night. We woke up to a superb breakfast in our cabin, before we all piled out on deck to watch Venice go past on both sides of the ferry.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKm-5MpRQIs0Sbg2cHPpVFjTzCiSJduEWaeUAaU8Cu2UQfdWVHMosBDr7Jx92LbPX5MZsyHgIaENCneQ-a2pre_HjGbvOlEyu2vAEm8CfWaTdACoDnMbZp6EUx1TmzAWU6iqnO4OIBi4XI/s1600-h/IMG_0413.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394373655727736706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKm-5MpRQIs0Sbg2cHPpVFjTzCiSJduEWaeUAaU8Cu2UQfdWVHMosBDr7Jx92LbPX5MZsyHgIaENCneQ-a2pre_HjGbvOlEyu2vAEm8CfWaTdACoDnMbZp6EUx1TmzAWU6iqnO4OIBi4XI/s320/IMG_0413.JPG" /></a> <strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">The view of Venice as we sailed up the Grand Canal</span></em></strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirY49ONHo8qNb_rMFOHn2NbgsQ1gCD_1opfAi8J-ySsOUCg7t41ixCNpUr7NaFaCRpPZ6CnJ-Ir-QJi0kMa2GVL7uwDT_g6CpxZQPQyv1KJ3kfMpeLgUy2thL-OsOWbewCA8Ur1CghxYTb/s1600-h/Picture+136.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394375676335560690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirY49ONHo8qNb_rMFOHn2NbgsQ1gCD_1opfAi8J-ySsOUCg7t41ixCNpUr7NaFaCRpPZ6CnJ-Ir-QJi0kMa2GVL7uwDT_g6CpxZQPQyv1KJ3kfMpeLgUy2thL-OsOWbewCA8Ur1CghxYTb/s320/Picture+136.jpg" /></a> <strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Poor Carmel didn’t know which side of the boat to film from as there is sooo much to see.<br /></span></em></strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdjjhL_2174JmYUdrQAWXsBRECYyehiqzua7I_5T3TVVa6jfcNlKJYqpm6iwW1nO3UIwAgyuGKtZcHh-sz3NX7LEcwYaejIPD43JNtvL20pM8ziawOiYdn9P13JY0sSgvZxvg-kckSR6y/s1600-h/Picture+125.jpg"><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 239px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394375668233542178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdjjhL_2174JmYUdrQAWXsBRECYyehiqzua7I_5T3TVVa6jfcNlKJYqpm6iwW1nO3UIwAgyuGKtZcHh-sz3NX7LEcwYaejIPD43JNtvL20pM8ziawOiYdn9P13JY0sSgvZxvg-kckSR6y/s320/Picture+125.jpg" /></span></em></strong></a> We docked and made our way to the town of Verona where we had arranged to meet up with Shiela (Liz’s sister, one of our strategically placed relatives when planning our route home)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizueP0DrdrC4MFpP7iLuovVK8avE-E8fVpIPk25067ZQGNi_EZ9kYr8aU34HCMzz3xO4rjpYrn0Yk282GWkwtDdEHgVayTAfm_Ov-6VCxzylxJ6m2n0vKRERqVYD3tK7Ny45vA2DbzB8ja/s1600-h/Picture+143.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394376331609357650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizueP0DrdrC4MFpP7iLuovVK8avE-E8fVpIPk25067ZQGNi_EZ9kYr8aU34HCMzz3xO4rjpYrn0Yk282GWkwtDdEHgVayTAfm_Ov-6VCxzylxJ6m2n0vKRERqVYD3tK7Ny45vA2DbzB8ja/s320/Picture+143.jpg" /></a> <strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Sheila, Carmel and Liz in Verona </span></em></strong><br /><br />We had a few hours to kill so we saw the sites, <strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">including Juliet’s balcony!</span></em></strong><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJa2y6FVcrZyncwEG1niX2Mmw8h10YJT4zMXLFmkU0ITCQmI6papemJ_0MSroURz2wyrmqYwX4tMqfNiX7xau82J-Fi6Pm520w8n3m4Sea1DAaCEZ5NrpbZmaEoqHQAVbz1oJGR8T6YIV/s1600-h/Picture+150.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394376338377725170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJa2y6FVcrZyncwEG1niX2Mmw8h10YJT4zMXLFmkU0ITCQmI6papemJ_0MSroURz2wyrmqYwX4tMqfNiX7xau82J-Fi6Pm520w8n3m4Sea1DAaCEZ5NrpbZmaEoqHQAVbz1oJGR8T6YIV/s320/Picture+150.jpg" /></a> <strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">and the Coliseum<br /></span></em></strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcO3E3Ag7CCUN8EM_YgiBhT_pi4MCN9w2WwxeAEVXC9Sj0joYQOhhsPdbO9_lrxiHpDaFGOsMpneCMHYsMW1w1f9PzXU1d4kJBNXdYjl14C4_1RUelQtOztMvahpkt8kYI1UiGafS5m7N/s1600-h/IMG_0442.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394373665047206242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcO3E3Ag7CCUN8EM_YgiBhT_pi4MCN9w2WwxeAEVXC9Sj0joYQOhhsPdbO9_lrxiHpDaFGOsMpneCMHYsMW1w1f9PzXU1d4kJBNXdYjl14C4_1RUelQtOztMvahpkt8kYI1UiGafS5m7N/s320/IMG_0442.JPG" /></a> We had several great Italian coffees and Pizza and wine for lunch with Sheila<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTU054zB3S38Os5nQR44a7SaoGLtB5BO8hkMkUGWnoY6M0MgxAhjWP2X4auLiAo3aOb4W5BXRHU7H0m4xb2SZ00WGr_0kLn90HforLbnDOw6UC6UihSaz5iMtkJsXkp9TjDU4mi65HGUAL/s1600-h/IMG_0452.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394375087768678514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTU054zB3S38Os5nQR44a7SaoGLtB5BO8hkMkUGWnoY6M0MgxAhjWP2X4auLiAo3aOb4W5BXRHU7H0m4xb2SZ00WGr_0kLn90HforLbnDOw6UC6UihSaz5iMtkJsXkp9TjDU4mi65HGUAL/s320/IMG_0452.JPG" /></a> before getting back on the road to Keith’s sisters home in Milan (yep, another strategically placed relative)<br />That evening, Keith went with Franco to watch his nephew Georgio play football whilst the girls (Liz, Deborah, Carmel and Eleonora) chatted and chatted. A fab meal later with kilo’s of home made tiramisu,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsBkeyMB-ECqSj8rgn7E9QNklY1aTcVR0B6oUjuxTcnRWqn9DbTyIuX50GV7ezIjsQqivH2milvZuwpXuRQosPUDar-hNFnmbvTiiqc56gFYdSfHLSXjDxMPWKkTjJAmFnv6CMtXXorynA/s1600-h/Tiramisu+homemade.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395424047114609938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsBkeyMB-ECqSj8rgn7E9QNklY1aTcVR0B6oUjuxTcnRWqn9DbTyIuX50GV7ezIjsQqivH2milvZuwpXuRQosPUDar-hNFnmbvTiiqc56gFYdSfHLSXjDxMPWKkTjJAmFnv6CMtXXorynA/s320/Tiramisu+homemade.JPG" /></a> <strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Deborah's Home made Tiramisu......yum!</span></em></strong></p><p>we retired to bed to get a good sleep ready for the next leg,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQcWX5fuZtO1bhFiQwamdOogcXIZ4MHMnVOOmAnSxL0QHz2L_OCMv-bqDhL8bkap1fzWimwJTE6RCBT0hpd0QKD2QLSTd4b-F88YRBfyZXMg48lgZB6W_pXC7TNYbwKuKtPGy4mWiUs4V/s1600-h/Picture+201.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394377312542637234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQcWX5fuZtO1bhFiQwamdOogcXIZ4MHMnVOOmAnSxL0QHz2L_OCMv-bqDhL8bkap1fzWimwJTE6RCBT0hpd0QKD2QLSTd4b-F88YRBfyZXMg48lgZB6W_pXC7TNYbwKuKtPGy4mWiUs4V/s320/Picture+201.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">This is just before we drove through the 17km long San Gottard Tunnel, one of the longest tunnels in Europe, which takes you from the Italian side of Switzerland to the German side of Switzerland</span></em></strong></p><p>....then through the Swiss Alps to Germany <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AulfbxL-GbqLvMZia3dkmFLuRh_8ZzsqqF4PHRbBqpBPUqbom7A7uFg7P5I7C7punVqMlpR5yyU7MMUhsPZqHT8UYjE_skihzB65oTTgrNMh6hJzFSDaEAQgtOyojzlA2K5nWIfDVR1p/s1600-h/Picture+202.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394377319839291442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AulfbxL-GbqLvMZia3dkmFLuRh_8ZzsqqF4PHRbBqpBPUqbom7A7uFg7P5I7C7punVqMlpR5yyU7MMUhsPZqHT8UYjE_skihzB65oTTgrNMh6hJzFSDaEAQgtOyojzlA2K5nWIfDVR1p/s320/Picture+202.jpg" /></a> and another overnight stop with our 3rd strategically placed relatives, Paul and Milena in Heidelberg.<br /><br />Paul, Milena and Carmel had a lot of catching up to do having not seen each other for over 3 years; we decided this was best done over a meal. So that evening the five of us walked into the old town of Heidelberg. It is an amazing town full of old buildings and cobbled streets, ornate bridges over the river and lots and lots of restaurants and street cafes, all overlooked by a beautiful castle.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TMh8W3S3xlWf6fcZ-8dq6dwMBX5lZdqokBPlkkbhRngc290Mq4nPZKuqQKukDdoYsIVmCnygbdHr0uxamCRZF95A_AXip-lOYb_qjeyN-_fY7pNmgbhki5S7hQeFA4kuCVS5ijCBRISE/s1600-h/Picture+213.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394377327909326914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TMh8W3S3xlWf6fcZ-8dq6dwMBX5lZdqokBPlkkbhRngc290Mq4nPZKuqQKukDdoYsIVmCnygbdHr0uxamCRZF95A_AXip-lOYb_qjeyN-_fY7pNmgbhki5S7hQeFA4kuCVS5ijCBRISE/s320/Picture+213.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">View across the river to the Castle in Heidelberg</span></em></strong> </p><p>It was a great evening; we ate fantastic local food and drank some pretty good German wine & beer! The following day we set off for the last leg of our journey to the coast, the long schlep to Rotterdam to catch the ferry home!<br /><br />Once again the weather was kind to us, we detoured slightly to drive up the Rhine valley, then across Germany and a bit of Belgium & Holland. As this was the middle of September, the autumn colours were starting to come in with the trees changing from green to red and yellow hues; the massive wind turbines towered over the trees as the scenery changed from the rolling hills of the vineyards of Germany into the flat landscape of the Netherlands.<br /><br />For the whole of the journey through Europe we’d had bright sunshine, clear skies, and open roads! A totally smooth journey! But as we got closer to Rotterdam the roads got bigger, with more lanes and the rush hour traffic was starting to build and it quickly became apparent just how big the City of Rotterdam is. It was quite stressful to drive through, (but still not as mad as the Italian motorways near Milan). This was a new route for us because we have always sailed from Zeebrugge before. We seemed to drive forever through endless miles of oil tanks and petrochemical works, before we reached the ferry port. We got on board, found our cabin, then settled down on the ”sun deck” with large drinks to watch the sun set over the docks and chemical works. And congratulated Carmel for surviving the 1000-mile road trip with us!<br /></p><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQpjQlyWTrN6me00fCHe753XVioDSOUj3eqt5thioSmUI4_8YOHL1BVBBIG0IJBoaNAlfuLi1NNxopYAoi3IJTvF2eVVI1-Kbqr2-N14ESKS1g73OnBdfDdQhb5MRDapewm98E7o9D9ks/s1600-h/Picture+235.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394377337823643362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQpjQlyWTrN6me00fCHe753XVioDSOUj3eqt5thioSmUI4_8YOHL1BVBBIG0IJBoaNAlfuLi1NNxopYAoi3IJTvF2eVVI1-Kbqr2-N14ESKS1g73OnBdfDdQhb5MRDapewm98E7o9D9ks/s320/Picture+235.jpg" /></a><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">...... Rotterdam docks at sunset</span></em></strong></p><br /><p>We woke up Sat morning with the ferry in <strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">the Humber estuary,</span></em></strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WIVxL1xHTNrVNPhDwkiBQujSBTmpQT-CKkx5v8C0CB_fUyFE67Nyj3gQ0pSWd5sG4KJBqPMT3wacpFddn3fxIhW5SKiAdyAc3ACPfOxYnnw_WSoRufBtf9EmEkZA964_k1wJdFNV2oTT/s1600-h/Picture+237.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394377347631120914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WIVxL1xHTNrVNPhDwkiBQujSBTmpQT-CKkx5v8C0CB_fUyFE67Nyj3gQ0pSWd5sG4KJBqPMT3wacpFddn3fxIhW5SKiAdyAc3ACPfOxYnnw_WSoRufBtf9EmEkZA964_k1wJdFNV2oTT/s320/Picture+237.jpg" /></a> and gorged ourselves silly, on a massive “eat all you can” breakfast buffet, before heading west on the M62 towards home!<br /><br />More of the same next year!!! Love L&K<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">"........Just can't wait to get on the road again.<br />The life I love is making music with my friends<br />And I can't wait to get on the road again..........."</span></em></strong><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfm93ap2gYQPxVYD1UbwbTJubRE8V0kLtdEsODdyltJ0NzfBUb5PlFNkrLA5iM6Icrrj5MHA-B7a4y3z5QWnQyMrW3F0T_wiToNKBJfbmKkabVW4GozI16T0g3LrudBDoFdYhfZ-KVf3Q/s1600-h/Picture+156.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394376346263374098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfm93ap2gYQPxVYD1UbwbTJubRE8V0kLtdEsODdyltJ0NzfBUb5PlFNkrLA5iM6Icrrj5MHA-B7a4y3z5QWnQyMrW3F0T_wiToNKBJfbmKkabVW4GozI16T0g3LrudBDoFdYhfZ-KVf3Q/s320/Picture+156.jpg" /></a><span style="color:#009900;"> </span><strong><em><span style="color:#33cc00;"><span style="color:#009900;">ps ....see you Christmas 2010 Carmely Choc x</span> </span></em></strong></p>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-4592428922902841252009-09-16T14:24:00.010+03:002009-09-16T16:13:00.049+03:00"Hey You!!! .....don't watch that......"<strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">".........watch this!</span></em></strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg37DsHz2mAaToU1ROCETPWOomOHmUlxoJLjVp0Rhyi9DE0NKO8B7xZGZQzMZG_cDuSxNzvjlQFeOGVSvK7kIxrPwcS6VmtPp5TvpQpDBim1cfKHFl_CnvDHeN439foV5ZemZBcRQMq7yA/s1600-h/jema+%26+kids+199.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382031507528591266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg37DsHz2mAaToU1ROCETPWOomOHmUlxoJLjVp0Rhyi9DE0NKO8B7xZGZQzMZG_cDuSxNzvjlQFeOGVSvK7kIxrPwcS6VmtPp5TvpQpDBim1cfKHFl_CnvDHeN439foV5ZemZBcRQMq7yA/s320/jema+%26+kids+199.jpg" /></a> <strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">.......This is the heavy, heavy monster sound………..</span></em></strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwMLICSuQ1fmxGZIb-mP7eyDZCNFBgp6HTWqP64VVAsyyrMPImbKEA0hgxpR9j907x1s4HoZcBFuUU0CP0neLaPoZ8e1zzbLfrgKJeX3gsfHRlW9auk63xOgdt12I62Qu9Jrg8-Qod6UP/s1600-h/jema+%26+kids+002.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 238px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382026804007197810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwMLICSuQ1fmxGZIb-mP7eyDZCNFBgp6HTWqP64VVAsyyrMPImbKEA0hgxpR9j907x1s4HoZcBFuUU0CP0neLaPoZ8e1zzbLfrgKJeX3gsfHRlW9auk63xOgdt12I62Qu9Jrg8-Qod6UP/s320/jema+%26+kids+002.jpg" /></a> <strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">........one step BEYOND!!!!!!"</span></em></strong><br /><br />Last year Gemma, Caitlyn, Finley & Arwen came to stay with us for what seemed like the whole summer, 6 weeks of fun! And it didn’t look like they were going to get out here at all this year. But Gemma, always one for a bargain, spotted a last minute deal, so they booked, it packed it and F***ing arrived!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrj0oUq_-SpXOIW9jWC1cpNc3f_SnFLCK0akCEhv9WmRgWdPyE4taACVALrP2EMDW6Hqkrs_e7XOKnPGVIlvPj1c1U95235EjiAvw-jqxmBTpVjM5jJgVwXPAgKDr2QS-8i5GBD6rR31ZW/s1600-h/DSCN3202.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382026796644410946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrj0oUq_-SpXOIW9jWC1cpNc3f_SnFLCK0akCEhv9WmRgWdPyE4taACVALrP2EMDW6Hqkrs_e7XOKnPGVIlvPj1c1U95235EjiAvw-jqxmBTpVjM5jJgVwXPAgKDr2QS-8i5GBD6rR31ZW/s320/DSCN3202.JPG" /></a> For 2 weeks our house was very busy and noisy and lots of fun!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2I7O20kSuJBk_f0IDzSfNtTWXUHC7Whq9kBkmAeecJ1VGTf7jZwvnYt8kz_l66qLGC4sD8IxDFSYrI3m2xEIO0ytNEoNBv1yI-HINS5QclBehbE51bh5uROtKippfwTSpWLklzjeSd0K/s1600-h/jema+%26+kids+038.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382028020441893890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2I7O20kSuJBk_f0IDzSfNtTWXUHC7Whq9kBkmAeecJ1VGTf7jZwvnYt8kz_l66qLGC4sD8IxDFSYrI3m2xEIO0ytNEoNBv1yI-HINS5QclBehbE51bh5uROtKippfwTSpWLklzjeSd0K/s320/jema+%26+kids+038.jpg" /></a> ...especially at bedtime!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5la-iZtDMaSR-x-0Ydcx3JFTAF5DqQyLyV-x4OLmmA_Rq7co0jwWCdzflcuQOJ1uyUr90XgRpwq0alRQWYe5o9PNv7ltomACAkt5H2b0MQmohCK4Y0WSJt9Tm0z_59biXzjzPexFWPbC/s1600-h/jema+%26+kids+053.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382028039057267330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5la-iZtDMaSR-x-0Ydcx3JFTAF5DqQyLyV-x4OLmmA_Rq7co0jwWCdzflcuQOJ1uyUr90XgRpwq0alRQWYe5o9PNv7ltomACAkt5H2b0MQmohCK4Y0WSJt9Tm0z_59biXzjzPexFWPbC/s320/jema+%26+kids+053.jpg" /></a> And for 2 weeks it was sun, sun, sun….. so we did beach.... pool......<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-V6pw8lzVSnzW-iPiXvsZ2fjbTzMxxkKvzy4yb-j-oSB1Hk-BwStIPXFI28IJDmNbKde7Q0HRsA-5RhJQMxJ4gi119TKagheZC4tv_QVTCpCilWkKD6A7CjEVxpaOmd0wWNHu7D08SfR/s1600-h/jema+%26+kids+167.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSO8HXi59MmYaFmNjk2mTR98e5FS5GpxYy2izZRwX_tjdfXPtLq5u1CzF1MjMCRZf2FjY9vVU7no1ZjesARNrfu92j-xSusktHHMZcdzhfkC_Up25xSjiY5PhnDi3r470fO-hqZjhTRUPz/s1600-h/jema+%26+kids+115.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382030560749265634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSO8HXi59MmYaFmNjk2mTR98e5FS5GpxYy2izZRwX_tjdfXPtLq5u1CzF1MjMCRZf2FjY9vVU7no1ZjesARNrfu92j-xSusktHHMZcdzhfkC_Up25xSjiY5PhnDi3r470fO-hqZjhTRUPz/s320/jema+%26+kids+115.jpg" /></a> .....pool.... beach and a bit more beach. We stayed mainly in San Stef, as the beach we used last year in Arillas was washed away in the winter storms, leaving a tiny strip of sand and loads and loads of pebbles.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwS3bE2LV7nV6EWYqEN9a1spxjG3dwL2X4O1T8K-Q7Y9lkTyy1gFlUm_buxXSZKKk5ATpmbhO6P0sl1QZsgeQWxcv760SBF97TBA319jSViZcMgyYEa4b9thPNL99Ww1mWPbPi6fn0dqv/s1600-h/jema+%26+kids+207.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382033240892416082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwS3bE2LV7nV6EWYqEN9a1spxjG3dwL2X4O1T8K-Q7Y9lkTyy1gFlUm_buxXSZKKk5ATpmbhO6P0sl1QZsgeQWxcv760SBF97TBA319jSViZcMgyYEa4b9thPNL99Ww1mWPbPi6fn0dqv/s320/jema+%26+kids+207.jpg" /></a> The beach here is perfect, especially for small children, the water is very shallow for a long way out, no rocks and hardly any current or undertow,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfPWsdtrIs2y9buL_GranuR_Ru3tgu7v3O5fNSQvxV8FG_TqtGPPRkCGd8fHVV4Gk8oMzcG_J8aP3WfxJHpWYSjOaQuA5JMXG-XL6a5pEgGz9ErY2fQAG31PXb81HSoEyPFjsrRxNpuvf/s1600-h/jema+%26+kids+178.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 239px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382031501927042562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfPWsdtrIs2y9buL_GranuR_Ru3tgu7v3O5fNSQvxV8FG_TqtGPPRkCGd8fHVV4Gk8oMzcG_J8aP3WfxJHpWYSjOaQuA5JMXG-XL6a5pEgGz9ErY2fQAG31PXb81HSoEyPFjsrRxNpuvf/s320/jema+%26+kids+178.jpg" /></a> so there is less likelihood that they would get into any difficulties compared to the local pools. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_3Vzr8Cwr6N3h_GlTZV8ar7oV9VEnurUjwnWekjnCOvP66VjinFb7CUpzzkvRcB73CgIEwfPUaBTcwB-zup2AVzdkz9TI5Xb1CHgnJKabVYtQ1DBeai_iIv4_bkMvHLFNbyffZXmPikr/s1600-h/week16+025.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382033266818139490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_3Vzr8Cwr6N3h_GlTZV8ar7oV9VEnurUjwnWekjnCOvP66VjinFb7CUpzzkvRcB73CgIEwfPUaBTcwB-zup2AVzdkz9TI5Xb1CHgnJKabVYtQ1DBeai_iIv4_bkMvHLFNbyffZXmPikr/s320/week16+025.jpg" /></a> .....which can be full of Crocodiles!!!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eQEI1zc9F1F2Ptbkja8q4ZeIsSGeE9C73_Q9S9lHmklVT20UWbPWAbj85DtTfE_nSjp0W3WaEkJVvYonfW9x36yW2JAMrSQlPTLitJ-5TlsyD-K79OUA0VLNxpE15k804kw1dPnb9uLt/s1600-h/jema+%26+kids+004.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382026812357148994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eQEI1zc9F1F2Ptbkja8q4ZeIsSGeE9C73_Q9S9lHmklVT20UWbPWAbj85DtTfE_nSjp0W3WaEkJVvYonfW9x36yW2JAMrSQlPTLitJ-5TlsyD-K79OUA0VLNxpE15k804kw1dPnb9uLt/s320/jema+%26+kids+004.jpg" /></a> ..........and Dolphins<br /><p>The 4 of them quickly familiarised themselves with places they went to so often last year,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Bmu_XMqCxgGuDETioXvpJ8vfiB4MM_At6e7qqk6hPLwExyTzolFkkPD32Zdlod3sXVqMRSQa51O7YAvJ3mK7eodHUlYfH4rwAXMvIvCIP4Yq9Md6cl9nS2D1CkdOIaG62uG0EemBOK6c/s1600-h/week16+014.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382033260816800402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Bmu_XMqCxgGuDETioXvpJ8vfiB4MM_At6e7qqk6hPLwExyTzolFkkPD32Zdlod3sXVqMRSQa51O7YAvJ3mK7eodHUlYfH4rwAXMvIvCIP4Yq9Md6cl9nS2D1CkdOIaG62uG0EemBOK6c/s320/week16+014.jpg" /></a> ........Athina pool<br /><br />and many happy hours were spent digging in the sand, swimming in the sea, and that was just Keith! He thinks that he can get away with digging up ½ the beach cos he has his grandkids with him, even though most of the time they are not interested in his latest recreation of Windsor Castle or the Hoover dam, until he turns his back and it becomes a race to see which of the 2 little ones can destroy it first. Still it keeps him quiet for a few hours (for a change)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeSB6QqXZpcrKWZZe7FvF8x5wwaFwF_XO37kMLftbsAPdqz7SuXbcpvXJZN6fg8cYn69zr8-ZlUkuBhPfSX2GrZUqaOpDO1iFcdxflRlMJCWAlwecR3olKonqj9rHxCCtvY4EQdUbdn8K/s1600-h/PHOT0188.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382033251978453474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeSB6QqXZpcrKWZZe7FvF8x5wwaFwF_XO37kMLftbsAPdqz7SuXbcpvXJZN6fg8cYn69zr8-ZlUkuBhPfSX2GrZUqaOpDO1iFcdxflRlMJCWAlwecR3olKonqj9rHxCCtvY4EQdUbdn8K/s320/PHOT0188.JPG" /></a> Its amazing what a difference 12 months can make; last year both Arwen & Finley seemed too young to appreciate the full “at the seaside” experience, but this year they had the time of their lives. This year Finley has learnt to jump in the water and hold his breath (thank goodness) as last year every time he jumped in the swimming pool he swallowed ½ the contents and promptly brought it back up again! Gemma spent a couple of hours successfully teaching him how to hold his nose and dive as he leapt into the water.<br /><br />Arwen wasn’t even walking last year so it has been a big change for her, running into the sea, splashing everyone in the water, she has turned out to be a water baby just like her brother and sister.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFL58D2nZxUGIigv7ZNU2EaPVyP1YM9w8jBuDS6m_lfuMynsKNQBfHJ1EOCb72jL88PzcD8pX6vQ_YEigqJyD_E_XfsjFeV5yBCCqGxUpY22d7BBOeH7Aspqedxw7fEsEUJdbp9p3dpDI/s1600-h/jema+%26+kids+043.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382028032181670866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFL58D2nZxUGIigv7ZNU2EaPVyP1YM9w8jBuDS6m_lfuMynsKNQBfHJ1EOCb72jL88PzcD8pX6vQ_YEigqJyD_E_XfsjFeV5yBCCqGxUpY22d7BBOeH7Aspqedxw7fEsEUJdbp9p3dpDI/s320/jema+%26+kids+043.jpg" /></a> Caitlyn, being much older than the other two, enjoyed the bits she got to do without the 2 little ones, like going to a couple of Keith’s gigs with Liz, drinking cocktails (non alcoholic….. we think?) shopping trips (when the little ones were asleep), and mixing with older kids, both family and acquaintances she met by the Athina pool. At one of Keith’s gigs in Sidari she ended up playing pool and exchanging email addresses with a group of girls from Birmingham, her self-confidence has been amazing this year.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4GJ36efl3bJLMOLnFXlg5lfssfBsRr0nHLj7f7eYnfT5jj3-rqfe5lIRDheSDgt5iq9iVaSaTRh_GZsqxdTm_2Fy2cJ-4Rynu1r1_nmKgIhG0bk1vFgLu7cCi0jlX23c9I9LT-rJn45I/s1600-h/jema+%26+kids+060.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382030546584030674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4GJ36efl3bJLMOLnFXlg5lfssfBsRr0nHLj7f7eYnfT5jj3-rqfe5lIRDheSDgt5iq9iVaSaTRh_GZsqxdTm_2Fy2cJ-4Rynu1r1_nmKgIhG0bk1vFgLu7cCi0jlX23c9I9LT-rJn45I/s320/jema+%26+kids+060.jpg" /></a> One night Liz took a night off from her role as tour/merchandise manager for Keith, and took Gemma and co to see a Michael Jackson tribute act playing in the Condor Bar in our village. They had fun, although Finley found it too loud and walked around with his hands over his ears all night, much to everybody’s amusement.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbsog5X4SQEh3uc7zEhd8gSeHvJxj7GOq1s1VLcce3v-avW3jOjeeqWmrSuDRAykj73LG4jJBsSPJx8z0fFPI5XYXSMFy2Wns14Tm1NufqquDy6td5ttOoDCYuCTiuUOXB6dR2t_IG56W/s1600-h/DSCN3141.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382026789085070210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbsog5X4SQEh3uc7zEhd8gSeHvJxj7GOq1s1VLcce3v-avW3jOjeeqWmrSuDRAykj73LG4jJBsSPJx8z0fFPI5XYXSMFy2Wns14Tm1NufqquDy6td5ttOoDCYuCTiuUOXB6dR2t_IG56W/s320/DSCN3141.JPG" /></a> Just as he did a couple of nights later when they all trooped down to see Keith (Papoo) do his weekly gig at the Athens bar, Arwen danced, Caitlyn chattered (and chattered) to the adults, and Finley was frankly not amused and wanted to go home! (A man of taste)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpCkiktZgVjhxLT5bcIvg5PQweAttR1a966F1SDcuKYZatNKVm_Z4N0W_dnncZjNaOAevcjEJWLF124N9z-ZtaaLUPricWf4pS0kkJ84SOAWDgHA6LeK8X9J0b1vgY9VB8WcgQkUko80O/s1600-h/jema+%26+kids+020.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382026816581047778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpCkiktZgVjhxLT5bcIvg5PQweAttR1a966F1SDcuKYZatNKVm_Z4N0W_dnncZjNaOAevcjEJWLF124N9z-ZtaaLUPricWf4pS0kkJ84SOAWDgHA6LeK8X9J0b1vgY9VB8WcgQkUko80O/s320/jema+%26+kids+020.jpg" /></a> The two weeks flew by,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlrAa_cVuSMQUtHNO_rDSFQeHGw5htK18IAq-f9VporbOshxII01fjaMLiZTKG2ybEkiXfLvI5uUid9-YFAjIzbZ00HHRnNnsquOpUaRA3RYi84jcDE4gLPIkShqs59bBivWYFP3OLMBF/s1600-h/PHOT0141.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382033247481858994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlrAa_cVuSMQUtHNO_rDSFQeHGw5htK18IAq-f9VporbOshxII01fjaMLiZTKG2ybEkiXfLvI5uUid9-YFAjIzbZ00HHRnNnsquOpUaRA3RYi84jcDE4gLPIkShqs59bBivWYFP3OLMBF/s320/PHOT0141.JPG" /></a> and soon it was time to take them to the airport for the flight home,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYOOzbV_60n9mIyoe8LZcrXipW0i7wHNcc_2TYjphsVZsgau1VTL4d6m-TRWyCgZs9fdRK3w-hqpDjZO_SXs4DLNd_jW09sZV1shLIEwa03ywriNrUlssaBrSDlPTDnooSfR_gzMFJZdk/s1600-h/jema+%26+kids+056.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382030538425048354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYOOzbV_60n9mIyoe8LZcrXipW0i7wHNcc_2TYjphsVZsgau1VTL4d6m-TRWyCgZs9fdRK3w-hqpDjZO_SXs4DLNd_jW09sZV1shLIEwa03ywriNrUlssaBrSDlPTDnooSfR_gzMFJZdk/s320/jema+%26+kids+056.jpg" /></a> it was such a good fortnight, a great example of having lots of fun without going mad and not spending loads of money, on eating out, trips out, or hiring boats or bikes ‘n’ stuff.<br /><br />Keith was working on the night of the airport run so we dropped him off in Sidari, and then carried on to Corfu airport. I picked him up about midnight and we got back to our lovely, empty and quiet house for a nightcap on the balcony. When we woke up in the morning, the beach was suddenly empty the town felt so sleepy, It was soooo quiet, it seemed like not only Gemma and family had gone home but most of the other holidaymakers had as well. It is now September and the summer season is drawing to a close and in a few weeks we will be back in the UK reflecting on the summer just gone and who knows next year?<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">It all seems like “Madness”<br /><br />“One step beyond”. Do do do, dodododododo…. </span></em></strong></p>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-43238162328133405372009-09-06T18:13:00.016+03:002009-09-08T13:17:12.000+03:00"Pulling mussels from a shell"<strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">......."They do it down on camber sands<br />They do it at Waikiki<br />Lazing about the beach all day,<br />At night the crickets creepy<br />Squinting faces at the sky<br />A Harold Robbins paperback<br />Surfers drop their boards and dry<br />And everybody wants a hat"<br /></span></em></strong><br />Phew! August is over and the end of the silly season!<br />We have had a deluge of visitors, just as Ele and Vanessa left………….. Do, Dan, Paul, Milena and Family arrived and then Gemma and the kids. One warm barmy evening, when our friends Bob and Bev popped round on their way home from work, we were throwing a BBQ and it resulted in 14 of us all on the balcony, eating, drinking and partying.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WQgsBUKb4XxuatbtYSghV-yXgCioe6728cPCjgI9lEfvQAOSff_-dHMDRplyhs8RS8qbWYd97GMG3WQw1uw_s1SRcl8CY4seTYqzTvCWHkJqAKcXqT561HfaPyi8zjERJ7HgcbNPZAWr/s1600-h/PHOT0139.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378377393360712498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WQgsBUKb4XxuatbtYSghV-yXgCioe6728cPCjgI9lEfvQAOSff_-dHMDRplyhs8RS8qbWYd97GMG3WQw1uw_s1SRcl8CY4seTYqzTvCWHkJqAKcXqT561HfaPyi8zjERJ7HgcbNPZAWr/s320/PHOT0139.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBZ59a6zWwpPV7ZCCdz6O4o2tIXw0aikxhkwdf2BWNCbVuAFu1RamZGexb0IfU29oBOlJpWyaZhuzuFZh1Y_M9XkJAjfKbNxsHNaq_ffr2KhxQpJPC70i8ArYVpfqAgnJ55cJifGKi2gQ/s1600-h/PHOT0140.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378377387945341378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBZ59a6zWwpPV7ZCCdz6O4o2tIXw0aikxhkwdf2BWNCbVuAFu1RamZGexb0IfU29oBOlJpWyaZhuzuFZh1Y_M9XkJAjfKbNxsHNaq_ffr2KhxQpJPC70i8ArYVpfqAgnJ55cJifGKi2gQ/s320/PHOT0140.JPG" /></a> We enjoyed doing the usual sightseeing duties, and took Do and Dan to Kassiopi, then up to the Monastery on the mountain <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378374251201298306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7Wa7ns2ZgrdPuzFi0CVg9V0PNaNQXEst2vGsbFGyNAhgspRT-nR8QNS47b2bSZQ-uIWOcDX9pdYcx5vAS-_bNGGHlKGn6Bp5DR5H6hTN43IsykmOFVyiZtcAklDyfKmH5XXY4ha1yO7P/s320/DSCN3146.JPG" />........and then to one of Do’s favourite restaurants in Strinilas under the old Elm tree,<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378374252894156658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWxRxDJ6LnIJni4d8BV0ZRQcPFSd7VYIDgUu-l_y1J4lMIW2lzr7q5rQ3y46AtjaDAK6YoXBgOxO-EA9hJN5-rSO2r6qJXZCU_3qVzxw6i8xJbr6SQg_9WrfUk70haQvBibKjdnOQqhSb/s320/DSCN3148.JPG" /> also a fish treat for Dan at the Three Brothers in Astrakari. Liz took them for a day out to Paleokstritsa for a browse round the monastery there, and then lunch in a village on the way home, away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist beaten track.<br /><br />It really highlights different aspects of the environment here when we have visitors because obviously everyone’s needs and experiences are unique. From Liz’s Mum who is 80 next year to Arwen who will be 2 in October. There are challenges and issues every time we set foot out of our door.<br />Because, whilst the Greeks are very clearly, family orientated, they have no concept of good old British ‘health and safety’. Everywhere you go there are uneven steps with no handrails, or hand rails 3 feet high and nothing beneath them to stop toddlers falling off the cliff, unfinished roads, pot holes so deep you could hide in them, or great big ridges of concrete, left where a cement mixer had dribbled the last drops of its load onto the road surface, there are very few pavements and of course pedestrian crossings, painted on the road are “just for decoration”, there is at least one bar we know has a children’s playground right on the road side with a fence to separate the children from the bar area, but no gate to stop little ones running straight onto the road!<br />But whilst this is a challenging environment for my Mum, she felt as though she had stayed on a health farm by the time she left. She swam in the sea or the pool every day and did her exercises<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378374262320432290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIUj986VKJW7xp590UlMOK-fMnRYnm8wrZj2abF4SV3HGHGO_aR38eRo_FzXX8Kl1gHDNDTg_uLKRzNZNKRJKDY6oGwWZ0lk6oCqCg7GmoF-QfA580sMnb3ShW6r3s6Qud73vF9iN8o5i/s320/DSCN3153.JPG" /> And we managed to do quite a lot of walking. This is a very hilly island, so everywhere you walk is pretty demanding. Also the heat wave we have waited for all season has now arrived so it is very hot ‘n’ sticky both day and night. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtF3_T2W4tOJutdiTHCOINqEEpdR8fgDujqmxabe4cgFQuDpIILJAEDu3i0fpwGhhckB_miXsHdcyjyAsxHdB3gnh9lnms9vDLjME1NvZLss_svax5jmlFRuVcLLTT0NY-gvVjzyFFiXgf/s1600-h/week15+020.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378377379394322722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtF3_T2W4tOJutdiTHCOINqEEpdR8fgDujqmxabe4cgFQuDpIILJAEDu3i0fpwGhhckB_miXsHdcyjyAsxHdB3gnh9lnms9vDLjME1NvZLss_svax5jmlFRuVcLLTT0NY-gvVjzyFFiXgf/s320/week15+020.jpg" /></a> Paul and family arrived on the overnight ferry from Brindise at 5am, they were staying in the nearby village of Afionas, so we drove over at 8am to say hello and have breakfast with them. This is a great time of day to spot locals doing local things and we were not disappointed, there was a great photo opportunity for Keith with a little old lady and her donkey! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIp53cECSAZvU6vDU9oepqKFdNWVNMtaxLOun-Z7uoK2S1Gy3U0jOrbQiz6m3bkYqPQD6yB5T1TuCwEqoGeSy5Hk0cjq1p9bQWgx79s4rKm0Yk67pzCuILMZSmGoTUEtqT_OEQwlqcMKfE/s1600-h/week15+030.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378379449733921458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIp53cECSAZvU6vDU9oepqKFdNWVNMtaxLOun-Z7uoK2S1Gy3U0jOrbQiz6m3bkYqPQD6yB5T1TuCwEqoGeSy5Hk0cjq1p9bQWgx79s4rKm0Yk67pzCuILMZSmGoTUEtqT_OEQwlqcMKfE/s320/week15+030.jpg" /></a> We met Paul ‘n’ family, checked out their apartment, then drove down to the bay below (Agios Georgios) for food. We found a taverna on the sea front that offered full breakfast at a reasonable price; so 7 full fry-ups were ordered. Agios Georgios is a more cosmopolitan resort than San Stefanos, and they cater for more German, Italian and Dutch taste, so when the breakfast arrived it was eggs, English bacon, brockvorst, tomatoes and mushrooms!! Perfect start to a perfect Greek experience! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBJn73SUTXdWWnqBPhq8yTJjByHYOKeGxlzI26LYHolkDpydT5KPUhFbv_zNvM3UWI88Y7BoeREl6tU2L1uxy0h18if-bqn8Te5uKzzpf8BlFa4KEqIb8WgZmgo9ThajqNKFO7JzrsDFn/s1600-h/DSCN3165.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378375345152733762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBJn73SUTXdWWnqBPhq8yTJjByHYOKeGxlzI26LYHolkDpydT5KPUhFbv_zNvM3UWI88Y7BoeREl6tU2L1uxy0h18if-bqn8Te5uKzzpf8BlFa4KEqIb8WgZmgo9ThajqNKFO7JzrsDFn/s320/DSCN3165.JPG" /></a> Agios Georgios is a deep water bay, great for swimming straight off the shore and ideal for snorkelling, and perfect for sailing. We returned the following day, the sea was as expected, much colder than San stef, as it is a very enclosed bay and deep water but we all had a great swim, <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 238px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378380201941537410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3jrPfSqIg7pgLKWSGaCzdCmPa1YWPjP9T8C_uoUa_z6CnMGYjSQucEheKj2tSFKyKT2jDP2mn9JfmRxoA8dUdjtFYi67-k4ZumcDlEUb7FZMPG39l3FC04GkEwy2vssBYSZaaU5G_klp/s320/week16+059.jpg" /> with Dan, Liam and Keith challenging each other to swim around the yachts moored in the bay. The sand here is very gritty and soft so sandcastles are out of the question and getting in and out of the water proved to be a challenge for those of us less agile, although Liam and Antonia were on hand to help the stranded onto the shore.<br /><br />We had a family meal in a restaurant on netural ground between Arillas and Afionas, a taverna called the Night Owl. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNXKlMw84MDOBGpxWiNEi57xKWp3U2g5N9UjC3iAkd6gOuj9jIuUHIgapV7xl1VzqUkQE4KZOyK_ClD1lOwFt5bw6M34_TibSomaH3IXfJqmcXZGaJzsHEXu9Ktuo0sQLi7rEcuv2Ybrf/s1600-h/DSCN3169.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378376315737400034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNXKlMw84MDOBGpxWiNEi57xKWp3U2g5N9UjC3iAkd6gOuj9jIuUHIgapV7xl1VzqUkQE4KZOyK_ClD1lOwFt5bw6M34_TibSomaH3IXfJqmcXZGaJzsHEXu9Ktuo0sQLi7rEcuv2Ybrf/s320/DSCN3169.JPG" /></a> Which did not include a lot of the typical Greek oven dishes but was all charcoal grilled stuff, with some nice specialities of octopus stuffed calamari and souvalaki plus lots of local wine and Retsina, which I must confess we are starting to get a liking for. We all piled back to Paul’s apartment for a quick nightcap and a really sweet flute recital by Antonia, then home for a last ouzo on our balcony before bed. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2O7zI4W_sQoRlHWK1gocOnrX9AsK-bvLBsoU_MnRw-4jJ-Oo05VFr22Weja973CYjLexZxdPVZji4X7ZfOMaKxWUjiyqbvpb8PprpYn4h7oowz_kEomxgkclIsgN_qlWw6ZiHrD9-AKY/s1600-h/week16+001.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378379461332861698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2O7zI4W_sQoRlHWK1gocOnrX9AsK-bvLBsoU_MnRw-4jJ-Oo05VFr22Weja973CYjLexZxdPVZji4X7ZfOMaKxWUjiyqbvpb8PprpYn4h7oowz_kEomxgkclIsgN_qlWw6ZiHrD9-AKY/s320/week16+001.jpg" /></a> Paul and Milena walked over to our resort a few times and when Gemma and the kids arrived, a great inter family rapport developed. Caitlyn and Antonia played together in and out of the Athina pool; Liam mixed his time between playing with the girls and keeping Finley occupied. Leaving us adults to chill either by the pool, or on the beach and able to swim in peace in the increasingly calm and very warm sea.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3SY7dO8rfSDdk5ZjrrrwzwQay1bEQ6pVsbkwCpa4SA8foUviHTP5dk6q-Fl1npG71m4wPtlC28UrlvRAR1UPdugu7JQwYQesBIdq2r44ZDa1yn5cnGVV8HrdRU0UE6tpAkGwQZ6v_lYr/s1600-h/week16+046.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378380208532355970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3SY7dO8rfSDdk5ZjrrrwzwQay1bEQ6pVsbkwCpa4SA8foUviHTP5dk6q-Fl1npG71m4wPtlC28UrlvRAR1UPdugu7JQwYQesBIdq2r44ZDa1yn5cnGVV8HrdRU0UE6tpAkGwQZ6v_lYr/s320/week16+046.jpg" /></a> Paul was persuaded by the older children that it would be ‘fun’ to hire a pedalo; so he was duly dispatched to cost it out; the deal was done and Paul, Liam, Caitlyn and Antonia set sail in a very choppy sea for an hour. They didn’t get very far but had fun taking it in turns to slide into the water and generally fool around 100 metres off shore, whilst Paul bailed the water out with his hat! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmo2i2kb7-y6WbWsU0dm7IR-IoqqorCPm8RKWjCakDPWvCtWHHBLR3Mws89_g51GKa0R5nSffZ_P5-v6oemED_z6kIGHRWAAAaVGo4jLYeiVdvq7RavhxIddOpFhNHnmupNk2ukwgtPcY6/s1600-h/week16+107.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378380196689097314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmo2i2kb7-y6WbWsU0dm7IR-IoqqorCPm8RKWjCakDPWvCtWHHBLR3Mws89_g51GKa0R5nSffZ_P5-v6oemED_z6kIGHRWAAAaVGo4jLYeiVdvq7RavhxIddOpFhNHnmupNk2ukwgtPcY6/s320/week16+107.jpg" /></a> One afternoon, Paul, Milena, Keith, Liz, Liam and Antonia decide to take a long walk to the far end of San Stef beach (yep, the bit where people take their clothes off)<br />As soon as we got there, Milena left her clothes on the beach and headed for the sea, as did Keith and then Liz; the youngsters were horrified and wanted to go back to where ‘normal’ people bathed, much to the amusement of the adults!<br /><br />A visit to a Keith Mitchell gig is compulsory if you come and visit us here, so on Thursday night we all trooped down on mass to the Athens bar to do our duty and a good night was had by all. The last time Paul and Milena had seen Keith play was last Christmas in Harrogate, where the entire audience consisted of Liz’s family and our friend Shirley and her mate. So it was a treat and a surprise to see Keith work with a ‘real’ crowd.<br /><br />Do, Dan, Paul and family left us on Friday, after we took them into Corfu town for a quick look round and an ouzo meze, then onto the airport.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5DVAeCvBwiznfsqxUk82_CvxWbkgqORfNSnXqjSmkcsjpo4aYFpn_dUm4-2MC9Xe3ixEC2G-HXy2qLG0QIoOSKf6pv7vyqurT5WpwhxyEQ14kz30U5QfrcitifKblgZZnKR2rFznuVgJ/s1600-h/DSCN3196.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378376326701697602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5DVAeCvBwiznfsqxUk82_CvxWbkgqORfNSnXqjSmkcsjpo4aYFpn_dUm4-2MC9Xe3ixEC2G-HXy2qLG0QIoOSKf6pv7vyqurT5WpwhxyEQ14kz30U5QfrcitifKblgZZnKR2rFznuVgJ/s320/DSCN3196.JPG" /></a> So now just a few more days of excitement and mayhem, (beach, gig, pool, beach, gig, pool!!!) with Gemma and the kids, then tranquillity for 10 days before the final countdown to our journey home when Carmel arrives from Oz and we travel home together through Europe and back to the UK.Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695284345413429103.post-24393137788148488402009-08-23T12:29:00.024+03:002009-08-23T18:30:30.247+03:00"Wild Night"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssHd8XiEWZtyrnAkhR7dXA8bHD-k6BNBrfygYXpN27mo78qe0DIiZjdJoJotLnR91RmWQfKUGct1SbPmn4rlP6n2wG-xmk4kHNAWBG-lpmNMYIkLSN15R5oeobrgmn29xuNdW-EY2OPux/s1600-h/thelma+%26+Louise.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 185px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 114px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373161749090782818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssHd8XiEWZtyrnAkhR7dXA8bHD-k6BNBrfygYXpN27mo78qe0DIiZjdJoJotLnR91RmWQfKUGct1SbPmn4rlP6n2wG-xmk4kHNAWBG-lpmNMYIkLSN15R5oeobrgmn29xuNdW-EY2OPux/s320/thelma+%26+Louise.jpg" /></a> <div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373155808138454018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMWH2gMmfxg8fLULtTL5YZpm0-agJ8O6e8Pa3NSs38rGiGZrfA2GuSXVrvfu9WvVwHa3ltrdrQsJd2z2O3CznOLnD4h8mbUiT8B2_gEe-yAbLaF6qYjLlq1KFT4KmzLIPgv26K-BY2_2S/s320/SDC12710.JPG" /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"> ................................................. Thelma & Louise </span></em></strong></div><div><span style="color:#ff0000;"><br /></span><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong><em>“The Wild night is calling<br />All the girls walk by, dressed up for each other<br />And the boys do the boogie woogie, on the corner of the street<br />And the people passing by just stare in wild wonder, yeah<br />And inside the jukebox roars just like thunder”<br /></em></strong></span><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373153900557226610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHgdfSQJ4QTRgQuTsUJPQDVeUGiVrj8o8Mz-QN7CZXkHmxv2PIgFJDIHf23w3PSZYLtcDfc_FTmsyIrb8lD-TLlL7M6qVY2gd4GtSRWxsJFKEPHOdaujVDSQsHDYoEkdjFxfJW69fE0JG/s320/week13+042.jpg" /><br />August is so different here compared to the rest of the season. It’s Hot, hot, hot, too hot! The island is in a blaze of heat and sunshine, and whilst the sea breeze is soothing on the beaches, it can feel a bit like a fan-assisted oven sometimes! The temperature has really changed, the days are hotter but shorter and the evenings are really warm and sticky. The landscape is not as green, there are a lot less flowers, and everywhere has become dustier.<br /><br />And busy, busy, busy….. This is the 4th month of the tourist season and the bar and restaurant owners have become frazzled. The atmosphere generally is not as chilled as the rest of the season. Usually everyone is frazzled due to overwork and too many late nights, but this year it’s been compounded by the lack of tourists, lack of spending and the lack of any real income from the season! Traditionally the bars have dropped the live music in their bars in August because the punters are coming in anyway but not this season. They are all being so affected by the current economic climate. Therefore Keith is still doing 6 gigs a week (so we are getting frazzled too!!) <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373149836211839330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUJuBnvSBolASI8OJDdqHclwamjtCKvg2qycisgTS04-xoGjl8w9RVgJRz_RNq3-1ebVXNnIMUddmFvoUTlsTCyOje_LbjSUPyCsz_gwOxlU636fB9oSsT25MH_m4-5tiFSdOghoSE3q9/s320/P1040371.JPG" /></div></div><div><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>the empty beach early in the season</strong></span></em></div><div><br /></div><div>The beaches are a lot more crowded, including more Greek families. We often sit on our fold away chairs on the beach; watching the world go by and the Greek families usually provide us with great entertainment. The way they park on the beach is hilarious, double parking is almost compulsory and they bring everything but the kitchen sink with them; all shapes and sizes of sun beds and elaborate parasols and tents, radios, cool boxes and the all essential bat and ball games! They are masters of outdoor living!<br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373152894701237554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkldYDtgsHIC8g7SoSqprQcp-oJnXZBvz_D6TAIIYUGEnMgvrG1d5UxKTe4aziO8-aGlD1oQA6E9hOR7ofSBrMmNcVlVi60OX97nOmqOCka1z1KuuR5XDnjGNhq-tOvuX1AqqA-Ex_E0dG/s320/week14+001.jpg" /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>The same view of our beach in August</em><br /></span></strong>The roads are full of transfer coaches, hired cars and scooters and Italians!! They come to Corfu in August in their 100’s. And the visitors in our annex apartment were no exception! Eleonora (Keith’s niece) and her friend Venessa (aka Thelma & Louise); arrived in Corfu on the Venice ferry for a 2 week vacation/road trip! Their little ford fiesta was loaded to the gills with supplies of food and clothes and of course lots of shoes!! If all the Italian tourists arrive here as well stocked up as this, it’s no wonder the locals class them as ‘poor spenders’, cos you name it…. they had it, food, drinks, toilet rolls and lots and lots and lots of pasta!!!!!!<br /><br /><div></div><div>They soon settled in and from a quiet beginning of just going down to the beach, </div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373150990386632722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoqZkFV7SUBPQo4JuPmeZk0nbkhP9UFtNwNQUltTAWG1ihAljc04WWdtZD-m96jGdT_ecwZq1eIQry2D2f6tPcfOuSDJ_v3CIzl-TegeHOby16PpUjJ8FXIePLvmUgnHv409qZ2pcfyGm/s320/P1040462.JPG" /> ..............<strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">in a beach taverna</span></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></em></strong><br /><div>and having dinner on the balcony and sometimes coming to Keith’s gigs they soon spread their wings and ventured into the night in Sidari. They explored the clubs and bars arriving home just before dawn like vampires, having left a trail of lovesick puppies in their wake!!! <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373150996937269730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP2NxLzbpbAmr4iS3HPka66kErhq44ff34B5DjfoH-1B9AR71vXxKjxNIuRhGR_z4THmj-pq1T5zBtWCRJoxNtlGEM7-eK6l9YhmbOXS2d4gNv8wOnYkk3AbxrcIcuje4WrVqSZr8l8j1Z/s320/P1040404.JPG" /></div><div>It was the same when they had a day out in Paleo (with Liz as chaperone.) </div><br /><div><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></em></strong></div><br /><div><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373094091166025522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbgb3rikZAGPWBT7-_chHnrNioZymy51EQ75ifZ0RyT0EOi__2bmyBHPc4xQ1Xm6uSG-VKy_iRnU-u6e_RO5Rg987FErStqRe8Rpd4GgsLqYCr46h-3XAmRwAImtF1KQnVs1j3OZ_wARk/s320/DSCN3129.JPG" /></span></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">the harbour in paleo</span></em></strong></div><br /><div>Paleokastritsa is a traditional Italian holiday destination on Corfu and full of beautiful people. So Liz was dispatched to a beach side taverna to spend a couple of hours, drinking frappe and people watching from afar, whilst the girls sunbathed on the beach and swatted off the speedo clad masses with supreme ease. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373155819983667858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUDWseFzSHdNRJlvMRQ8lydu7b0aJDZsGtQgQAzYPEmoZ8baDMctstjUtqxq-R8_4P_ZpXL3LFm-ikkFuiasOn9OEuBP38CgOx0aF2qiue_jwMrXTVCSm5xvgfUF47gidXO-LRW1rEmVb/s320/week13+035.jpg" /></div>It was astonishing to watch the young Greek/ Italian and English boys fall over themselves just to take a second look, on the beach, in the street and in the bars, it was always the same!! But the girls didn’t seem to notice; they were more interested in buying shoes or sampling elaborate cocktails. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373094748343945378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpV2agxORa1SgMtUa6ZJQGgL-w8PjDWM6uMO5yGS_Za8amIP7-PVWa_FhPYd4mpc0eogdWoR4Q4jsIC3IYn02Pvg6VOTCAWK6XhoN61OMT5aND1bzyoubOqvHdKw55ly1Qu4_cNJC2gRFB/s320/DSCN3136.JPG" /> <div><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">a lunch in corfu town</span></em></strong></div><br /><div>Over the years we have met lots of people who have told us about mishaps they have had with hired cars on the island, mainly burst tyres or going off the road or hitting potholes but we must say this has never happened to us (yet!) So as part of our induction to the island we warned Thelma & Louise about potholes in the road, oncoming coaches and motor bikes. But what we didn’t say was don’t run over the edge of pavements in Sidari!! So guess what? They accidently ran over a pavement, and got a puncture right in the middle of the main Sidari strip of bars @ 2am in the morning!!!<br />So being the enterprising, good looking, Italian girls that they are, they got a local man and his son to change the wheel for them! <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373152064799761666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg374uHpGK7UYKVBzNMzU1yDgtazbmTMFTqLXu7rxHLPqTZFlkRGq1dWFwJMOPvWkkJzSNcAgIdat8-KI48mOybU1ejioieYujfNc4nAxz4tBHxnMg_kqLygaSdKh7V4flwkpGj5cgTggqP/s320/week15+003.jpg" />He was out picking up his teenage daughters from the nightclub opposite, so when the daughters noticed the girls’ plight, they persuaded their dad to help change the wheel and the local girls disappeared back into the nightclub! Much to the irritation of their dad who’d had a struggle getting them out of there in the first place!!!! <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373161752287786738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6jfNh7B2B51Bc6JCrjtBCvTfZRyiSwL1tWw7wDkC5_Yh0kapoEL-RWOCJFYER2WwuvGsWDHD_CVWxWNswQA2TYo4-2JorPB_hK9xceMyjBGKcEOgozK-nvMzpmLWRQ9gpH5LoEBU6Afi/s320/SDC12511.JPG" /><br /><div>With the wheel fixed they made their way back to base and the following day we arranged for the tyre to be changed at a local garage. And with a smile and a wink from the girls the price was dropped from 80 euros to 20! It was a bit like a scene from one of those ZZ top videos in the 90’s (Legs!) <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373153898422195730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUe2FvTwadROOHLKZ5yjR-9ycY5m3C11dfvKMfzqwG6bzEbGNsFvoTrfEYdAPermz1YWG_Y-s7XHT7_2lgV94CMFsqf6pzajXx7H7YqM_jdnEbLsKZtFp-iERu58TFpZHqojlzcoDrFND/s320/week13+045.jpg" /> <strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><br /></span></em></strong>On the middle Sunday of their stay a beach party was advertised for our beach in San Stef. Live bands & a DJ, starting at 6pm sounded a good idea and although Keith was working we said we would get back to see the end of it. On the day not much seemed to be happening, they’d organised the bar and oil barrels as tables but no sign of a stage or electrics etc.<br />Then at 7pm using the local speedboat and JCB, a spare pontoon was dragged from the corner of the beach to become the stage<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373152080719376674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZaAmSgDXB_d-eKqJ9XIgR3kvpFKXLJ8S8qNqnWKbP17nCEScMxbmzAH0HOuBa_yANWU14NIaB7x921YHzibUlDQ82Uh3Vq6_9Z_cuHF1I_IGKY92poKP4Qc7wT3Sz9jgpudhhW13BX2OA/s320/week14+026.jpg" /> </div><div><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">The stage arrives</span></em></strong></div><br /><div>and in ‘Greek time’, a generator, lights, band gear and BBQ all arrived and were set up. It all started close to midnight and at 1am when we returned a local trash metal band was in full flow playing Pink Floyd covers and some original material (quite well as it turned out). At 1.30am the DJ took over to play dance music and bass and drum stuff, we left about 2.30am and went to be bed but the party continued till 5.30am with our windows rattling away from the bass sound ½ mile away! <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 313px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 199px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373152071488469554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtA787yHUmHlHpj-N-8brm72msGbTXL8x1nOBDwlyysPJMGgRlelhRUE10voTi47w2bocfh_0O8uF3KLfADSURlWGes5fLicpp9HUGjRFdmEeFFc3gRUEluB7Bhimzk8UVP_61hdwJVQ/s320/week14+038.jpg" /></div><div><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>the band on the beach</em></span></strong></div><br /><div>The 2 weeks rapidly drew to a close and we got up at 4.30am to accompany Thelma & Louise to the ferry port for their return trip. The night before Keith had played locally at the Athens bar, we escaped there at about 1.30am and with the ferry due out at 7am we left home at 5am to get to the port on time, but as we passed the Athens bar, it was packed and still going strong with drinkers, tourist & locals alike.<br />We waited till the girls drove onto the ferry before returning home. It was so nice to drive through Corfu town at that time of the day with the sun coming up and the town just starting to come alive without all the noise and ‘caffuffel’ of the usual daily routine.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373155818950343762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hjKvQziLlbT4Qd8GFDIhO-uhlG1QCpaC5jtd4Sm2AX1-m_bKawenwEVjy9RE_2Sxj3-1EHzU7KvuG24hXObDCJZfGmbfEZj48qpeQa0ZAHyALwJzPeZA2XddNygag3LnsqnQRZ2LWo4M/s320/SDC12714.JPG" /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"> on their last day soaking up the sun<br /></span><span style="color:#3333ff;">“…..And everything looks so complete,<br />when you’re walkin down on the streets<br />And the wind catches your feet, sets you flyin', cryin'…..”</span></em></strong> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373149826102720834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvxmvaY6FHSb-8YYMOVD7w8X_aplLxEpTgMq98zxcqumdVvmjPp7ANc_FtQofejmpe-TtmK9ey6BljyIH49Z49YGeZuV15pL_n8Wy5DqaE4rv8Db35oW2X44bV9fNUhMmUx2M_Jx1SqwB/s320/DSCN3156.JPG" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">.........they are missed so much, someone has built a memorial to them on the spot where they sunbathed everyday!</span></em></strong>Liz and Keith ......on the beachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00897622408480040606noreply@blogger.com0