Now they tell me!!

So, the band with no name were actually very good so I had a lovely Thursday evening with some decent entertainment!  I was then invited to a beach party on Saturday night. There were about 20 of us and several people had brought guitars and each did a 'turn'.  It took me back to my youth when my biker friends used to set up a fire in a old quarry, play guitars and get stoned! (not this time of course:))
We had a great night and even my NZ neighbour, Jill, was persuaded to give us a song once we found out that she played the ukulele....much to her embarrassment (but she was great!).  However, during the meal Dave was telling everyone about my stint as a Marshall at the marathon.  He then proceeded to tell me that my white trousers had gone completely see through in the deluge and stated "nice arse Amanda"....I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me!  I had wondered why the same taxi passed me about 5 times, as did the local police car!
Karen invited myself and Mark and Jill out for Ouzo meze on Tuesday (24th) which was lovely and she then insisted that she and Kostas pay the bill....then we headed up to the roof terrace for a couple of lemoncello's and to put the world to rights!
Today is my birthday and I got a card and a bottle of fizz from K & K so that was lovely and had cards from home to open. Off to the old village this evening to listen to some music and have a meal and a few drinks.  Then tomorrow I'm off to Skopelos for the afternoon with Dave and Gerry and Paul (hubby) arrives on Friday so my blog will probably go very quiet for the next couple of weeks.
My eczema is non existent, as is my asthma and my hair is now platinum blonde and I actually have a tan...well for me anyway. Greece is obviously where I need to be, I just wish I could bring all the people I love with me and 'work from home' from my little studio!

End of the first month

So that's it, I'm completed my first month and I'm into my 5th week.  I'm shopping at the local butchers and asking for my meat in greek, although having looked up 'chicken' - kotopoolo I realised I didn't know how to ask for chicken breasts so I'll leave it up to you to imagine the mime!!!
The Aloni band were playing in the old village on Monday night and I was told they sound much better up there than in Patitiri because of the acoustics so I gave them another go along with my current neighbours, Jill and Mark......unfortunately they didn't! We caught the last bus back and I suggested we go up to the roof terrace to sample my 'lemoncello' (lemon juice, sugar syrup & tsiporo).  Karen joined us and we all had a tipple or two. Well, it hit me like a sledgehammer and I don't remember anything about the Skype call with my husband apart from slurring at him a lot which he found highly funny!!!
I gave aqua a miss on Tues as I didn't exactly feel 100%. It was a rather cloudy day but really humid so I spent the day chilling out with my kindle.
Went dancing Weds and met some more new neighbours, Colin and Delia and then went to a quiz night in aid of the Animal Protection Society.  We came 3rd out of 8 so were quite happy with our performance and then we went to pay the bill....there were 7 of us and we'd had 3 litres of wine, 2 large bottles of water and 2 cans of soda and we were charged 2 euro each.....mad!
Spent today by the pool and on the beach and Leftos Yialos and there is an inaugural performance by a band yet to be named tonight at the Sunset Bar near the old village so that's where the action is tonight..it's all go!

What a week!

 

Monday started a bit cloudy with a bit of a breeze so I decided to go dancing.  I'm getting better at the steps (I think) and was talking to one of the ladies about the festivals in the summer and whether there was any professional dancing. "Oh yes" she said, "and you'll be part of the group by then". When I enquired "what group?" the reply was "the dancing group"!!!!  So, I could be dancing in front of lots of tourists come August....eek! After the dancing I walked down to the beach and chilled/baked for a couple of hours and then started the laborious walk back. Having puffed to the top of the hill I surveyed my surroundings and thought...could I do this every year?  The answer is a resounding YES!

 

 

That evening there was the grand opening of a new dive shop in Patitiri so I went along to see what it was all about.  I was greeted by a taverna owner I had chatted to in Steni Vala with an embrace and kisses so I'm definitely feeling part of the community. There was plenty of free wine and lots of nibbles and a good time was had by all.  By 9pm I thought I'd better go home and have my dinner as several glasses of wine on not that much to eat was starting to tell!

 

Tuesday was Aquafit at the Yalis pool so I walked along to join the class and then spent a couple of hours by the pool.  On the way home I stopped off at Roussoum beach and chatted to a few of the ladies I have met.....one of the local children jumped of the side of the harbour but breathed in at the wrong time so came up coughing and spluttering and crying and promptly went back under.  Luckily a girl on the beach waded in and managed to get him out before he drowned! 

I appear to have a stalker as the greek man I extricated myself from the other day keeps popping up and inviting me to sit with him, which I keep declining.  I think I'm going to have to ask one of the taverna owners to tell him to leave me alone!

 

Yacht off Roussoum beach

                                           

Wednesday was dancing again and we became a bit of a tourist attraction!  We had just started 'Zorba's' when a coach party was dropped off and they all crowded into the taverna to watch.  There were photo's taken and a few video's and as the music got faster they all started clapping and then we had a huge round of applause at the end....bit embarrassing but all good fun!! 

That evening I wandered up to the roof terrace as it was rather stuffy in my studio but the table was laid for entertaining. I was about to leave when Kostas turned up and insisted I stay for a drink.  I ended up gate crashing the evening at their invitation and had a lovely time, although I drank far too much wine!!

 

 

The dance group with Yorgos (our teacher)

 

This morning I was feeling rather fuzzy headed (can't think why!) so I gave aquafit a miss but did end up going the venue with Karen later that morning.  There is a lovely beach, fabulous view and a pool.  The ladies were still there from aquafit, as was Ed.  A lovely Rhodesian Ridgeback cross that was found as stray as a puppy on the island and adopted by Julia.

 

 

Leftos Yialos

Ed

So that's now my life...a constant flow of dancing, aquafit, swimming, lazing by the pool, walking to the beach and generally getting involved and throwing myself into the whole experience of not getting up and going to sit behind a desk every day and so far, I'm loving every second.



Ladies who lunch

Once the challenge was complete and the trophies were handed out to the winners, I was invited to join Karen and some of her friends for lunch. We had a lovely couple of hours eating and drinking and chatting about Greece gone by and how the island has changed.  They are all lovely ladies and when I suggested some wine after the ouzo had been finished, they all agreed that I might just fit in quite nicely.  Pictured are Pauline (who is here on holiday), Julia (who owns a Rhodesian Ridgeback cross called Edward & lives on the island) Lesley ( who owns a house on the island and is here for the summer) and Karen (my landlady).  There was also another lady called Suzanne who was chatting to another table.

 

So that was Sunday.....it's now 4.30 and we've all gone for a lie down!  Tonight will be a quiet affair as I've spent up for the day...and what a day it had been!

Alonnisos Challenge

So, Friday evening there was a meeting to discuss what the volunteers would be doing and where they would be.  Unfortunately it was all in Greek and I didn't understand most of it!  I did manage to recognise my name and Votsi in the same sentence and once I had collected my T.Shirt I was free to leave!  I asked Kostas (husband of my landlady Karen) what my duties were and he said to point the runners and walkers in the right direction and to meet at the harbour front at 7.30am!  7.30AM....on holiday???
Having set my alarm for 6.30am, the day dawned bright but not too hot.  I put some long trousers and my Alonissos Challenge T.Shirt on and after a cup of tea and some toast, with homemade lemon marmalade and headed for the harbour. 

 

 A lovely lady drove me to my 'station' and dropped me off in the middle of the road saying Kostas would be along to show me the route for the runners/walkers to follow.  He duly turned up and said 'stand here and point this way'.  So that was it....I was left standing in the middle of the road, no table, no chair and most importantly, no umbrella!  I had been there all of 5 mins when it started to rain.  I had my sun hat but no brolly so I took shelter under an archway.  At this point various runners started to appear so I took my place in the middle of the road....at exactly the same time as there was a torrential downpour!!!  So, there I am, stopping traffic to allow the runners through whilst getting soaked to the skin....and that's how my morning began!  All I needed at some points was a hat a whistle and some white gloves and I could have been a NY traffic cop.  I could also have entered a wet t.shirt competition if someone had organised one! Once the last walkers (according to Kostas) had passed me I was able to leave my post. Unfortunately I couldn't get a lift back so I had to walk. By this time, I had been standing in soaking wet sandals for 2 hrs and they squelched when I walked so I ended up taking them off and walking back barefoot.  My sandals and hat will probably never be the same again! So that's it...my volunteering days are over, as are 6.30 starts to an alarm clock....my days are now my own once again!

A bit nippy & pulled!!

Monday was lovely and I spent the day on Roussoum beach which is the closest to me.  A couple of taverna's have opened now, Nostos, which is a snack bar and one I didn't see the name of.  Lots of people were going in the sea but by the sharp intake of breath it wasn't exactly warm so I didn't bother!!  Tuesday looked great to start with and I was all ready to go to Aquafit but as I stepped out of the door this bank of cloud came over and it got distinctly cooler so I changed my mind and thought I'd hop on the local bus to Steni Vala, a little fishing village popular with yachts and about 30 mins away.  I assumed the weather would improve so I just had my little sundress and lace shrug on ..... how wrong can you be??  I wandered around the headland and over to the beach on the other side, with the wind getting progressively cooler and wrapped myself in my sarong and read my kindle for a bit....not long after there were a few drops of rain so I headed back to the harbour.  I'd just bought a coffee when the heavens opened and they didn't shut for 2 days!!!!!  By the time I got back on the bus, 2 hrs later, I couldn't feel the backs of my hands!  My lovely landlady invited me for a glass of wine that evening..... a bottle later and I tottered downstairs to have my dinner and to apologise to Paul for being late by an hour for our evening chat.  I'm going to get my own back at some point and see how she goes with Vodka!
I went dancing again on Weds morning and met another couple who were there on hols and we got chatting so went for lunch.  I suggested meze and they were all for it so we went to the local Ouzeri.   Yesterday was nice again so I went to the pool as it was rather windy and had a nice evening reading a book Karen has lent me about this guy who eventually built a home on Skopelos having travelled around the Aegean...it's really good and tells of Greece in days gone by.
Tonight I have a meeting!!!!  I've volunteered to help out at the 10k walk and 30k marathon on Sunday and there's a volunteers meeting tonight at the town hall. End of the 3rd week and it's starting to feel like I belong.....I'm finding it way to easy to do nothing but relax all day (and all night too!).  Everyone is very friendly and I'm taking my little phrase book along to the butchers etc and trying new words.
We had another little earthquake this afternoon which was a bit disconcerting when you're lying on the beach and it moves!!!  I even ventured into the water today and yes, it's bloody cold.....ok once you've been in a while though, probably because you lose all feeling in your body!  No, it's not quite that bad!
Saturday was another lovely day so I headed for the beach and spent several hours dozing and reading.  Got peckish around 2.30 so headed for the nearest taverna. A guy at the next table said hello, so I said hello back.  Placed my order for Ouzo meze ( one drink and a little plate of food) and he said, you on your own, me on my own, come, come....so I joined him....mistake!  They brought my order and his and he tried to have a conversation which seemed to turn into, I am eating at taverna **** you come with me and me saying no, I've got other plans and I have a husband!  Didn't seem to sink in!  He ordered more food and ouzo and was telling me about his boutique (bric a brac shop) next to the Post Office and said he will drive me back so he can see where I am staying and I thought oh bloody hell, get out of this one!
I managed to make my escape on foot telling him I was meeting a girl friend around the corner. He looked rather disappointed but insisted on paying for lunch anyway.  Next time I'm taking my kindle and not engaging in polite conversation....it's safer that way!

Holiday period over!

Well that's it...I've officially been in Alonissos longer than the usual 2 week holiday period, so I suppose I'm gradually becoming a local from here onwards!  So, am I missing home? Honestly, the people I love and my cats obviously, my friends at work and even, dare I say it, the routine of work itself.....but only for a fraction of a second before my eyes drift back to the view in front of me.

and I think work, what work??
There was some excitement in town on Saturday night, we had a band playing on the harbour front!!  I strolled along to find a table in a tavern and to my amazement they were full! I'd not seen that many people in town since I've been here! Luckily I managed to find a table at a taverna I hadn't yet tried so settled in for the night. The band kicked off with 'Let me entertain you' and that they did.....not necessarily in time or singing/playing the same tune at the same time but hey, first gig of the season and all that! (Andy Holleran...get your band over here now!)
The taverna's at the beach closest to me, Rousoum, have finally started opening up, so I spent today on the beach and finished with a glass of wine before sprinting up the steps (yes really...got to get the heart pumping somehow!)  back to my studio. 
The two most annoying things I'm finding on this lovely island are the noise of the mopeds and the fact that everything shuts at 2pm and opens again at 5pm.  I come back from the beach/pool between 3 & 4 and would love an ice cream or to do my shopping on the way but no, I have to go back to my studio, fall asleep and go back out again when I wake up....I know, what a trauma!!!
So, that's it for now.  Aqua fit at the pool tomorrow and maybe some Greek dance lessons on Weds before quiz night Weds evening.....a whirlwind of activity me!!!