Back in Blighty!!!!!

Well here we are back in good old Blighty!! We had a wonderful drive across Europe from Venice to Dunkirk. We had two stops, one in Altenstadt in southern Germany and the other in Metz France. The weather was good apart from a bit of mist around the Rhine crossing. We saw the autumn leaves turning at their best.

Both ferry crossings went OK and we knew before we left Corfu that the worst part of the journey would be up from Dover! We were not disappointed the traffic was the heaviest. the weather was the worst and so was the congestion.

We were well looked after on our two night break on the south coast at our favourite hotel in Winchelsea with Marian and Keesha.

Coincidentally, some of our friends from Corfu came back to the UK on the Friday ferry from Corfu. (We came back on the Tuesday ferry earlier in the week.) How's this for chance, when we set off from Marians to head north on the Sunday, we passed them on the M20!! What are the chances of that then!!

We did the dreaded drive up north on Sunday as we thought it would be easier. OK so we were wrong again. It was the last weekend of half term and every man with his wife, kids and dog was out on the roads. Getting round London was awful, the M11 was blocked and it seemed to take years to get the A1M turnoff. What a farce. Too many cars and too many people, I guess we forgot how bad the roads are here.

Anyway, we arrived in Middleton around 6pm and despite our motorway assault course it is a lovely place to come back to. The house was OK and the view out the back is still there and unchanged. It took us a few days to adjust to life in Middleton. Trying to remember where we put things, which cupboard things were in and getting used to the cold. Boy is it cold here!! I've been wearing my best Damarts to keep warm, gone are the lazy warm autumnal days of Corfu.

So what now!!! Well we are catching up with family and friends, filling the diary with social events and looking through out list of things we need to get or put on the going back to Corfu pile!! Not that we are going back imminently as we are here until early February next year. It's just that there is so much to do and time will fly. In among we have doctors and dentists to catch up with and adjust to drinking real ale, eating fish & chips and pork pies. (That's me I think as Mrs D doesn't do fish & chips or pork pies!!)

So many people to see, so many things to do and plan for next year it's a full time operation!! We are not grumbling though as it is nice to see everyone and have people calling and wanting to meet up for coffee (or a a beer.)

Well it's getting dark now so it's fire lighting time and see whats going on in the food and drink department so will sign off for now and bid yee all farewell 'til next time.

PICTURE INFO - The 1st picture is across the Italian Dolomites from Cortina D'Ampezzo. The second is our brew stop in the Dolomites. The third is a painting on the gable end of the fire station in Ennery where we stayed near Metz, France. The video below shows the lovely autumn colours coming through France and at the end (if you are quick and pause) you will see the best Smart car showroom you will see!! Apologies for Meatloaf belting out in the background!!

Almost the end of a wonderful summer.....

With the autumn fires starting in the olive groves and the storm clouds rolling in it signals three things - the end of the tourist season, the start of the olive season and the fact that we have to head back to England.

We ferry up the Adriatic on Tuesday next week, three days across Europe, two nights in the Winchelsea guest house and then we hope to be back in Middleton on the 1st November.

We headed this blog ....wonderful summer although you wouldn't think so today with the winds howling, dark skies and tropical rain it's like we're back in the UK already!! I'm sure it won't be as bad as this (we hope.)

All summer visitors been and gone and all major chores done with just a few last minute tasks to ensure all will be well in Kopsocheilades over the Corfiot winter. Our departure pretty much marks one year since we arrived out here and so much we have learnt and many new acquaintance's have been made over the last twelve months.

Mrs D penned some ramblings on the subject on an e-mail to some friends which I think, says it how it is. I attach her rambling thoughts below (after receiving copyright consent to do so first....)

"The calendar now shows October and the notes we pencilled in - oh so many weeks ago (seemingly) - 'Venice ferry' - are now in view to remind us daily that we set off for 'home' on the 27th of this month. In spite of the fact that we are still enjoying time with friends who are over here on holiday and indeed we still have one more set of visitors due to arrive next week, our thoughts are inevitably turning towards our return to England: what do we need to do to make the house secure against the winter storms, what do we need to take with us and most importantly will the old car make it! But we are also asking ourselves how we actually feel about 'going home' and we have to confess to mixed and somewhat confused feelings.

When we first arrived here almost one year ago, we definitely felt like strangers in a foreign land: we knew only our Property Agent, we had never met our Greek lawyer and we certainly didn't know any other English people here. Not only was the language unknown to us, most aspects of daily life, from shopping, to taking out the trash, presented us with a so-called 'learning curve'. But we learned, we gradually made a few friends and we steadily got used to a different way of life. We already knew what a beautiful island we were living on so further exploration over the winter months only re-enforced our delight in the place. We saw plenty of rain in winter but we also enjoyed many warm and sunny days. The first hints that we were beginning to feel a little more settled showed themselves in two ways: firstly, I quietly noticed that D's trips down to the local wood yard not only became more frequent but he no longer showed the earlier reluctance I used to see - in fact he began to come back with amusing anecdotes relating to his dealings with the locals. In essence, he was feeling more comfortable, more at ease. But secondly, when the time arrived for our planned trip home last March, we detected slight feelings of doubt and we questioned why we were in fact going back at all?

Now we are reaching the end of our first Summer here and we are about to set off for winter in England. And what a Summer we have had. We have awoken every day to constant sunshine which has enabled us to plan our days fearlessly! We have been challenged by our DIY projects, we have walked, cycled, shopped, drank ice-cold beer, spent lazy days on a variety of beaches, we haven't worn shoes, socks, long trousers or jumpers for months and we have partied with the tourists until 3am. On a more serious note, I think we also feel we have 'become localised' in that we experience a sense of familiarity, a sense of this life being the norm rather than a new experience. But the best of times have been spent with our visitors and perhaps this reflects the fundamental reason for our return: we want to see our family & friends; we want to spend time with them and exchange news.

So, at this point in time, honesty must prevail: the fat lady is not singing yet but she is waiting in the wings. We feel settled here, we really have no great desire to return to England, in fact I suspect there may be a few tears shed on my part when the day arrives; we have made new friends here and we are flattered that they have expressed disappointment at the fact of our not being here for Christmas, but friendships take years to build: we will be very happy to see our friends back home in England and I think we will always want to spend time with them no matter where we are living."

So, after such short ramblings and if you are still awake I will bid thee all farewell for now as this will probably be the last Greek episode for a while. We have our flight booked to come back out here in February 2010 and we have one or two other things planned for next year but more on those later. If from reading this you get the impression it's all doom and gloom, not so at all. We have three months in the UK and I'm sure we will fill, enjoy and use the time the best we can. Hope to see y'all soon for a pint, pork pie, fish and chips, sausages, curry oh and a catch up. . . . . . . . . . Mr & Mrs D

PICTURE INFO - Stormy seas across from Acharavi beach and an apotheki clear out burning in the garden.

It started off as a good ride . . . .

The long party nights with Tom and Caz now gone and organs semi recovered we took to the lanes on our bikes with Jack and Andrea who have been out here for a couple of weeks. We introduced them to this lovely island and cycling Corfu style.

With quiet roads, sleepy back lanes, tracks that ran out, were worn out or simply under repair, we rode them all. Jack and I had a run to the top of the island up Pantokrator which was a good day out. We met Mrs D and Andrea in Acharavi for coffee after our descent. We all had a good time out on the bikes or in the sea and yes we managed to get Andrea into the water more than once!!

We managed a couple of BBQ's (all doning our anti mozi outfits,) a couple of meals out oh, and Jack gave us a daily nautical lesson (so in addition to DIY and mopping we are now competent sailors, don't think Jack would agree though.)

We had a day with them in Corfu town and had the obligatory gyro and beer lunch - you've just got to do it!! We called in at Gouvia on the way back so Jack could go and pick a boat from the marina but sadly we didn't have a boat trailer. They were here from two weeks and the time as usual seemed to fly by.

With time now running out here for this summer in Corfu we are looking to the journey back to the UK and making sure we have done all we need to do to leave the place for winter. We leave here on the 27th October at the crack of dawn and hope to be in the UK by the end of the week.

We've been sat out this afternoon and it's been glorious, 95 degrees and sunny. All making the leaving here more difficult looking at the UK weather temperatures, brrrrrrrrrrr!!

Well, sign off time again with jobs to do, places to go and people to see - (go to fridge, get drink, go outside to decking and see Mrs D!!) See y'all soon Mr D .............

It's hard work playing host....

Its October tomorrow, Tom and Caz have been and gone and we have some cycling friends here with us now. It's all go you know.

So how was it with T&C? Well we partied ('til 0500hrs one night, 0300hrs other nights.) Swam in the sea, leapt off rocks in the Canal D'Amour, saw Corfu town, Kassiopi, drove up Pantokrator - highest point on the island, had some sun, some cloud and sadly some rain but all in all we all had a great time.

Tom became a gyro monster - gyros are a Greek fast food which is salad, sour cream, chips and either pork or chicken wrapped in pitta bread, they are delicious but Tom took them to extremes and did 3 or 4 one day, what a hog.

We dropped them in Sidari most days and they messed about on the beach, down the Sidari strip and had a daily fix of pedaloes out in the bay. There is a bar in Sidari which we frequent as they have live music every night. We took them in on Wednesday night (we had to make up for the appalling Freddie Mercury tribute we subjected them to the previous night.) Well Wednesday night went well with plate smashing, fire dancing and an excellent band. This turned into the silly long night out. Tom said he would like to see the band again before he left and sadly they were on again in the same bar the following night so we had to go again, more free shots and good music, thankfully not quite as late. Friday was our early doors ritual at Neil and Laura's Internet cafe then on to the pallet arms for some weekly abuse from the staff and some good wholesome food. Saturday we were all wrecked after the three previous nights so a night in front of the box with a movie was had. Sunday night Tom managed to get us back into Napoleons 1 for the road bar again claiming it was their last big night out and that's where he wanted to be, so more dancing and Tomfoolery - sorry Tom...

Their last day, Monday, was spent on the beach on Sidari, in pedaloes and leaping from the rocks into the sea at Canal D'amour - see videos below. We ate out Monday night before an early night due to getting up the following morning at 0300hrs to get them to the airport. They seemed to have a great time and enjoyed what Sidari had to offer and we enjoyed having them here. Now they've gone our organs can have a rest and rebuild themselves - what it is to be young - we wish!!!

Well I'd best get some shut eye now as I am cycling to the top of Pantokrator with Jack tomorrow at 0900hrs. Mrs D is having a leisurely drive into Acharavi with Andrea where we hope to meet them at lunchtime after our ride. Mrs D is also suffering with a severe cold given to her by me for which I am extremely popular - I think she is sleeping now........

More on our cycling antics next time.

Finally, October tomorrow the month we set off back to the UK after a truly memorable summer out here so, looking forward to seeing y'all soon!!!!

A Grand Day Out - Gromit..............

Kaleespera bloggers, with Mrs D now in the kitchen making tzatziki (as all her cucumbers are about ready at the same time and she is looking for things to do with them) I thought I would sneak a few words on the old blog.

Saturday today and we've done a few jobs this morning and been down on the beach all afternoon. Had a good swim in the sea and it's still quite warm. There is a storm rumbling over on the mainland now and we may cop for it later. Oh, by the way we had a bit of an earthquake here on Thursday night only a minor tremor but the windows were rattling a bit.

On to our grand day out. We promised ourselves a trip over to the mainland in August to see Ioanina and the Vikos Gorge, we planned to go for a few days but due to the unmentionable (room with the sink and bog in it) taking so long we did not get there. However, on Wednesday armed with flasks and butties we took the bike over on an early ferry to Igoumenitsa and rode across a super road to Ioanina. Ioanina is a Greek town sat on the edge of a lake in a valley surrounded by mountains. The road across was very quiet and Ioanina has an old walled part to it and within it is another walled citadel. We had a wander round the old citadel and a stroll on the lakeside before setting off for the gorge.

The Vikos Gorge is in the Guinness book of records as the third deepest in the world and when you walk up to it and look over you can see why. It must be one of Greece's best kept secrets. We followed this climbing winding road and suddenly round a bend without any warning it ended - just stopped and ran out - what a surprise (see video below.) It is approx 9 kilometers long, with small villages dotted along the way. It certainly gave us food for thought for a hiking trip there next year sometime.

Back here in Kopsocheilades, things are a little cooler. When I say cooler I mean we are down in the low 30s which is loads better for sleeping!! The chores list all but done for this year, quite good to be resting up. Tom and Caz arrive on Tuesday at the crack of dawn - that will be a shock to the system getting up at 0345hrs!!! We have all sorts lined up for them. After them our friends Jack & Andrea from Leeds are over here for a couple of weeks which will take us into October and then the journey back to the UK is looming.

It was early doors last night, a well established ritual and we ate out in the pallet arms with friends for a change. A good time was had by all and much was consumed leading to a splendid headache this morning for me!! A dry night tonight for me I think, we'll see.

Sign off time now as the splendid aroma of curry is wafting over from Mrs D's kitchen. Much as I would love to talk to you all night I'm afraid I must go and eat. Kaleenichta y'all......

Nice to be on holiday and not jobbing

September already, where does the time go?? Reg on the left here has been and gone, the first of our autumn string of guests. The weather was good for him and we spent most of the time messing about on various beaches. That was of course with the exception of the two mornings following the two wild nights out we had with Reg 'til 4am.

We ate out a few times, had a couple of BBQs and generally had a good time.

We did manage to find him a job as he likes to help out. Sadly it was the dirtiest, filthiest of tasks cleaning out the apotheki with me. It was a right mess in there but now we can see the floor and it is in an orderly fashion. We now know exactly whats in there and where it is. There is a right heap of stuff to burn tho' but this will have to wait 'til October when we are permitted to have outside fires again. No outside fires allowed here between May and September due to the risks to the olive groves.

We have a week to do a few small jobs before my son Tom arrives with his girlfriend Caz. They are coming out on one of those anti social night flights which gets in at 0500hrs but I'm sure we'll all get over it. Another fun filled week with more wild nights out...watch this space.

We've had a bit of exercise today out on the pushbikes over to Arillas to the sea, got off to a good start with a puncture on my bike and also on the spare (Regs bike) so I had to fix one before we could go. It was lovely ride, hot sunny and warm sea. We are out tonight with some friends, some family of friends and some holiday makers we met on our last wild night out with Reg. Hopefully we will be home a bit before 4am but you never can tell.

Oh just remembered a small task, I have put a new light outside at the back so we can see when it's dark and 4am - always useful I hear you say. We did have a light but it was above the door, which attracted every type of insect you did not want near you or in the house. So we left it off to keep the little blighters away from the door. The new light is away from the door, so they can fly around it to their hearts content with hassling us or trying to get into the house (we hope.)

Not much else to excite you with now so will sign off and go and get myself organised for tonight.

Almost time for a rest!!

Now then hommes and hommesses (a bit of French to kick off this week.) Back in the hot seat again after Mrs D stepped in last week for her take on the DIY, damn good it was too!!

With my stint in the unmentionable (bathroom, sorry said it) now over I have managed to escape outside to sit on the decking with the old feet up. Well not quite as I managed to engage Mrs D in some concrete mixing duties whilst we concreted the area to the side of the decking prior to fitting some proper steps. The old ones, carefully constructed by Mrs D (see blog Feb 5th 2009) are now past their best and have been demolished. I fell down them once and tripped up them a couple of times but without too much injury.

Concreting done, Mrs D on painting the unmentionable above, I am left with knocking up some wooden steps and a bit of rendering then Reg will be here on Friday!! Wow is it September already, so much for our break over on the mainland. Oh well hopefully there will be another year.

Regs' arrival signals the start of a stream of visitors through September and into October. This means we get a rest and chance to play host and show folks around this lovely island. We have a few chores lined up for some of our guests, nothing too strenuous though.

Time wise we have almost done a year out here, give or take a few weeks break in the UK. We have thoroughly enjoyed it and love the very easy lifestyle out here. At first it took a bit of getting used to the culture, the shopping and the way things are done out here. The house has changed so much in the last twelve months and yet there is still so much we want to do to make it better. It feels more comfortable and like a home now than it did last November. Of course the unmentionable is the shining star in the place but the old one and separate toilet were not good at all. Mrs D has been very patient with my swearing, throwing of implements and other such antics when things were not going so good. I don't think this happened too often.

Next few weeks, in between guests we are going to get out and about a bit more. Deservedly so say I, after the weeks and weeks of bathroom entrapment!! There is still so much to see and do here as we have only scratched the surface.

We still manage to do early doors at the local in Sidari - this is a ritual just like at home in England, you've just got to do it!! They don't serve any Tims here but the old Mythos grows on you over time.

The veg garden continues to flourish with cucumbers, toms and beetroot all on their way. Another feather in Mrs D's cap of many tasks!

Talking of which, Id best sign off now and see how the painting of the boiler cupboard in the unmentionable is getting on. Mrs D and paint and varnish brushes on the loose really should carry government health warnings....bye y'all for now and see some of you soon.

The shower is now in the building........

I thought it was about time y'all got the female view point so while 'himself' puts the finishing touches to our re-built bathroom and before we open our chilled champagne, here are a few words. There's no doubt about it, the renovation of the bathroom has been a mammoth task. The grandiose array of laboring tasks assigned to me is worthy of note: get me a bucket of water; sweep/mop this floor; can I have an orange & lemonade drink; hold this door open for me; can you get me a new bag of cement please; hold this piece of wood while I saw it; stand on the end of this tile while I use the angle-grinder on it; you can paint this ceiling now; is it lunch-time yet ? ........... to name but a small few. Actually it has been very hard work, obviously exacerbated by the heat - sweat has quite literally dripped from our faces onto the floor - but I realise I cant expect any sympathy on that front! The tiling was a much harder job than I had expected but I did have a go. As to the grouting, well I was going to have a go at that but I was told, and I quote, "Well you can have a go but the job has to be done properly" In other words, just stick to your laboring duties - so I did. The only remaining job, apart from getting a new shower curtain, is for the boiler to be boxed in for tidiness and I dont think that will present much of a challenge to Mr 'No job too big'. Anyway I think that the bathroom is now just a wonderful room and I plan to move in there - I just hope Mr D thinks it has all been worth it - and I refer here to the swearing, the sweating, the bruised body parts, the aching back, the stiff joints, the eyes & lungs full dust and cement powder etc etc. He was certainly enthusiastic about actually being able to take a shower in the house last night so something was right. We may keep the outdoor one in place just for fun and to remind us of desperate remedies.

The next blog will not mention the bathroom (!) but there are photos and a video attached here so you can do a before/after comparison. This chapter of the house re-vamp is now closed ...........

Lazy, sunny, summer days - I wish!!

Saturday today, sunny, 34dgs in the shade and I am having a rest from bathroom chores. Mrs D is up to a spot of painting in, yes you guessed it - the bathroom. I will be glad when it is done and we can have a well earned rest. It gets a bit tedious looking out at the sunshine everyday (sorry.)

Apart from the bathroom whats happened this week......we went to see a Jacko tribute artist last Sunday - he was very good at it too...apparently he won stars in their eyes on UK TV. He does a slot here in Sidari twice weekly and turns up in a big black limo. It was quite funny because the same night there was an array of tribute artists within ten yards of each other; there was a Freddie Mercury, a Robbie Williams, a Meatloaf and an Abba....such choice. Wednesday eve we went to see some local guys doing rock covers in a bar we frequent called 1 for the road. It is run by a Greek guy who calls himself Napoleon (Nappy locally) and he runs a very good bar. There is always good music, free drinks in various colours, a grand little spot. Last night we went out with friends to see a comedian who was a little on the Bernard Manning side.....don't think we'll be rushing back to see him again. Tomorrow eve there is a beach party with live rock music happening over in St Stephanos beach, we thought we'd give it a try.

So you see we do have a little bit of playtime.....The bathroom this week has not gone without incident with 2 tap problems on Monday and plasterboard adhesive everywhere on Tuesday when we attempted to mix it. Mrs D learned some new choice words - not funny - I was seething. We hope to be tiling tomorrow so our make shift shower in the bathroom will be out of action.....but we have rigged up a temporary one - in the garden. A bit public, but it does the job. Problem is as it is usually evening when you shower & you have to leg it from the shower to the house and try and beat the mozzies!! If you don't move quickly you get bitten to buggery tripping across the garden. All good fun and makes for a good tale.

Well 4 weeks today our autumn visitors start to arrive and it looks like September and October will be like June was. Two rounds in September, one September/October and then another in October. Times flying, we will be making our way back to the UK before we know it at this rate.

We did promise ourselves a bit of a break over on the mainland after the bathrooms done, we will see how times looking. We fancy going over to Ioannia and camping and looking at the Vikos Gorge - which according the Guinness book of records is the deepest in the world!! Its about 60 miles from Igoumenitsa which is the mainland port we would sail too from Corfu.

With the gentle waft of paint fumes now blowing over I'd best go and see if Mrs D has keeled over in the heat - been struggling a bit the last few days....will keep you posted.

Y'all keep in touch now . . . . D & L

What a job . . . . .

G'day bloggers (if there is anyone following this!) Well, the tiling when we eventually get to it should be easy compared to the prep work so far. On Thursday I think I won the sweating for Corfu 2009 contest after mixing boatloads of concrete to fill the massive chasm left by the bath! Mrs D now adept at mixing the right proportions of sand gravel and cement was also dripping wet but sorry we were not allowed to enter her for the wet T shirt contest or take photos... Oh well, we have just about finished preparing the floor. The plaster boards came today, the tiles are here, all the adhesives are here too we just need the new taps, floor drains and a new bog then we are off. No, no not off to the bog.... off to a flying start with the tiling!! When this is done the rest of the house will look a little behind the times . . . oh no, more jobs and so it goes on.

Lets get this out of the way - it's almost 10 o'clock at night here and its 31dgs in the house. Mrs D is flagging with the heat (I mean she's tired not taken up a new occupation with her new building knowledge) I must admit it does get a bit much on a night sometime. We see from the BBC website that the met office are now back pedalling and are back on blaming the Azores High again for your awful wash out of a summer again! We do hope you get a little bit of sunshine.

So what news from Kopsocheilades . . . .hmmmm we went to a local festival last Sunday evening. We arrived around 6ish, nothing doing apart from 16 whole lambs all rotating on spits over coals. So we went for a beer, went back lots of chairs had appeared the lambs were doing nicely but still no people. We went back for another beer like you do and went back around 10 o'clock and half the island was crammed into the field, with beer flowing, souvlaki BBQing and lambs getting dizzy by now, all was in full swing. A good time was had by all especially the Greeks as they love to get up and do some traditional dancing. All ages and genders, no street cred issues, it is lovely to see it. Mrs D suggest we join in next time, depends on the beer amounts I think!!

What else, we now have in addition to several Elvis' in Sidari a Freddie Mercury, spitting image must have modelled himself on him and also a Jacko!! We will give them a try and report back. The veg patch continues to grow with the toms doing best closely followed by some sort of lettuce - rocket thing and trailing behind are the beets. We discovered today we had been nurturing some weeds (not carrots) so Mrs D dug them out. Didn't look much like the carrots I used to see on Bugs Bunny . . . ah well all good fun. Oh on the way back from the festival we picked up a dog - could have had something to do with the bag of lamb we bought, see him above..he stayed a while then we had to lock him out as he did not want to go or wanted more lamb not quite sure which!!

I had better get off now and see if Mrs D is OK as she was last seen sat by the back door fly screen trying to cool off and mopping herself down.......more later D&L

The Bathroom Job (not the Italian one)

With tapping fingers now on overtime mode a few bits on the bathroom overhaul. As you may or may not remember (as there has been so much drivel written here since we started) the toilet was very small and if you were over five feet five tall your knees were up round your chin somewhere. The bathroom was interesting in as much as when you showered you banged your head on the water heater (five feet five theory again) and the tiles in both rooms were hideous see pix above. The bottom 2 are the original bathroom and toilet the top 2 are where we are now.

We decided to make them one room, another wall demolition job. Once the wall was down the five feet five theory was gone - in the toilet at least. So what to do next, move the water heater to remove the other five feet five theory. So far so good. With walls down, heater moved what next. As the walls have gone this now left a nice hole in the ceiling where the walls used to be so it was new ceiling time - yipee!! More dust filth and sh*te coming down from the loft and yes it certainly came down.

With the new ceiling now up Mrs D who is now an accomplished demolition expert on both tiles and walls is now painting the new ceiling. We did the ceiling yesterday - Saturday and it was so hot even in the house that we were dripping sweat off all day. It was fairly intense heat yesterday and our little sun trap at the side of the house - not that we need one - was 43 degrees! Today for the painting task there is a bit of a breeze making it easier for the painting department to paint and I get some time off today to wear my finger tips out on this keyboard. I am not complaining though.

We have ordered a new window, fly screen and shutters for the now bigger bathroom window which will be here on Thursday and we have to block off what was the bog door this week. Once we have done this we can then start thinking about tiles.

Don't be thinking we are grafting here all the time we are still managing to cycle down to the sea for a swim every other day, have the odd beer with friends and get out to Acharavi once week to sit and have a coffee and get a few supplies in.

Sorry but the weather here is excellent up in the high thirties most days. We have been watching the UK weather on the net and hearing the tales of woe on the radio. It really is another washout of a summer for you guys, it is dreadful.

Mrs D's veg plot is doing OK with Toms, Beets and Lettuces all looking good. I continue to do battle with the bamboo which grows faster than I can cut it down - think I will get a panda. Hmmmm could be an island attraction, will have to sort the bog out first tho'.

Well its sign off time now, hope everyone's OK and please keep in touch via e-mail, this blog and also now on Skype - we do have the technology. Will keep you posted on our antics.......

There and back again - sadly not a hobbits tale . . .

All this talk of hobbits and tales whats it all about then? Well we have been back to the UK to sort out a tenancy problem! We had just got settled back in here and then we got some news which sadly meant we just had to go back. Reg was here so we had to wait 'til his jolly was over - we couldn't just hoof him out!

We managed to get ourselves on a budget flight home with easyjet, middle of the night jobby. We had a taxi waiting for us in Manchester and we arrived back in Middelton in the small hours. For some bizarre reason (lucky on our part) we left unsettled and wet weather in Corfu and enjoyed sunny gentle days in England.

We had little over a week to sort out the problem, catch up on some folks and get the bike taxed, tested and insured as were going back to Corfu on it. It also gave us some time for a pork pie, fish and chips and a Timmy Taylors fix!! (There were some benefits from the visit.)

The diary was as usual chocker going here there and everywhere but it is always good to catch up with everyone and enjoy a pint of Tims. With problems resolved and in capable hands, bike ready and ferries booked off we set again this time on two wheels. The forecast was good along some of our route - particularly the UK section - Corfu was still under cloud and rain so e-mails from over there were telling us and away we went.

We left home on Thursday down the A1 then onto the world famous giant car park of London the M25, which sadly was living up to its name. Even on the bike we could not get thro' as everyone was out of their cars with the doors open - most inconsiderate. We took to the lanes and by some small miracle ended up on the Dartford bridge past all the mess.

We stopped off with Marian again at the splendid little Dover link hotel she runs in Winchelsesa and had a couple of good nights there - avoided Kwikfit Hastings after bad taste they left last time. We were on the 0800hrs Saturday ferry to Dunkirk, forcing down as usual a last full English for a while. The crossing as good and Mrs D once again hung onto her breakfast.

We rode down through France on the toll motorways - a great way to eat the miles across France and had a night in Verdun again as we liked the place and the site so much last time. It was then up early for the long haul to the Tirol across Germany. Unfortunately the roads in Germany were not like the French ones. Heavily congested and very slow although we did get the odd stretch where we could tailgate the Germans for a change as we were on the bike (like they do to us when we are in a full car!!) The weather was also changing and it was becoming cloudy and showery.

We arrived in Reutte in the Austrian Tirol early evening after a long ride and several numb bum stops. A lovely site nestled among the mountains. We were on a rest day the following day so that we could regain feeling in our bums as it was a 360 mile haul that day.

Weather now wet and cloudy and so that we had to walk into town and buy a couple of brollies so we could have a walk during the day - all part of the adventure you know. Mrs D now happy as we could walk into town and back again instead of the bike.

Later that day three English guys and a girl on bikes camped next to us and we ended up having a few beers with them at a bar in town. It was an entertaining few hours hearing their travelling tales. They went off every year for three weeks somewhere across Europe. Usually with a bit a of a tale to tell.

Next day it was early start as it was Alps crossing day. Fern Pass, Innsbruck, Brenner Pass, Dolomites down through Cortina to Venice for a night before the ferry. The Alps crossing was damp and grey for the most until we started to drop down from Cortina where it got drier, sunnier and hotter. By the time we arrived at the camp site we were dry and far too warm.

The camp site was very busy and the mozzies were the worst we have ever had. They were at us as soon as we had got off the bike. We were bitten to death. With this in mind it was a beer some food and into the tent to get away from the little t***s!!

Its ferry day again, its July and it was chocker. When we booked there were no air craft type seats left so we had to book to kip on the deck. This usually means find a piece of carpet somewhere on the ship and get down with your sleeping bag and your rolly mat. Not the case this time - too many people had already nobbled the best bits of carpet so we had to kip under the stars out on deck. Which wasn't too bad 'til the disco cracked up which was underneath us. It was good fun singing along to the better stuff whilst looking up at the stars from your cozy bag. It didn't matter it was very warm and a still crossing - always good, particularly for Mrs D of the sea sickness. However no sea sickness was had, but a reasonable nights sleep was.

We finally docked in Corfu at 1330hrs and after a very quick shop we arrived home at about 1430hrs. Now we have the bike here, the car and several pushbikes we have to start thinking about how we get all these back to the UK. A nice problem to have I suppose but hopefully a way off from now so we will put that on a back burner and think about - The Bathroom Job!! - more later. Y'all keep in touch now.......

Durrell and all that . . . . .

Having seen the varying wildlife and plants on the island the short time we have been here makes me understand why Gerald Durrell wrote his book - My family and other animals - about his experiences on Corfu in the 30's.

We have seen lizards in varying size and colour, butterflies like microlights, dragonflies like Concorde, beetles and bugs in an array of colour. Bees, wasps and hornets the size of small cats, vipers and adders slithering across the roads and best of all wild tortoises shinning across the garden and turtles in streams and water courses.

If we didn't have so much DIY to do we could make an occupation out of logging and identifying them all.

Oh by the way, the veg gardening came to a halt due to the heat and Mrs D retired to a cold shower. The seedlings will have to remain crammed in their pots for another day, watch this space.

Back to wildlife we have seen some lovely (feathered) birds and fish of all colours and size. The place is teaming with a wonderful array of wildlife and foliage. Anyway enough of this rambling there is work to be done outside now its a bit cooler - more soon D & L

In amongst the DIY

We have managed to get around a bit over the past few weeks with various guests being here with us. We have been showing them around the island but sadly as is always the case there is so much to see and only so much time to do it - but we did the best we could. We have had a trip over to the mainland port of Igoumenitsa which was OK not much to see there but it is the most north western mainland entry port. We have been around the local beaches and villages had some lovely walks and generally had a break from the DIY chores.

Talking of which, whats on the list this summer I hear you ask. Well we have demolished the wall between the toilet and bathroom so you can now use the toilet without contortionist skills. We have lowered the wall between the toilet and shower and are now considering where to start as it now looks like a construction site. We want to take the bath out and put in a walk in shower, tile the whole room, move the water heater and the small task of replacing the ceiling as it now has two large holes in it where the walls used to be.

No problem as Mrs D is going to remove all the old tiles and have a go at fitting the new ones (better than mixing concrete was quoted!) The bathroom jobs could be a blessing as it is getting a bit hot for jobbing outside and the concrete mixer (Mrs D) has broken down in protest. We also hope to fit our new back door which we brought with us from England and anything else which pops up as urgent along the way.

We have a party to go to tonight with live music so that should be fun and then we will be starting on the bathroom next week I think so watch this space. This will of course be after satisfactory risk assessments and working practices have been done - think not have you ever seen Greek health and safety??? No neither have I. Mrs D is outside today putting some veg seedlings in which she has nurtured - picture above to prove it!

Will sign off now to check on the veg garden progress and see if any liquid refreshment is required. Y'all keep in touch now D & L

Back to the infinite job list, oh and the sun

Here we are back to the infinite job list. On the list of things to do whilst we are here this time is a bit of demolition and revamping of the bathroom and toilet, fitting a new back door, new steps outside and looking at the old door in the kitchen.

We have already done the outside decking area above, we had to do this to enable us all to sit together without sitting in a long line across the balcony. Mrs D was employed as a builders labourer mixing concrete and we managed to get the five supporting posts in before our first guests arrived. Such was the enthusiasm of our guests to have the job complete before they went that we got it done! This was a big relief for Mrs D who was spared from further labouring duties and I have to say it looks good and has been popular so far.

In amongst the DIY and other tasks we will hopefully find time for some cycling (early & late in the day as it is too hot) and some swimming in our local pool - the Ionian Sea. There may well be the odd beer here and there as and when required.

We are also thinking of exploring the western Greek mainland during the summer with the tent and the car so watch this space.

Well its getting on for sea swim time here so will sign off and promise to try to keep up to date!!

Y'all keep in touch now D & L

Here we go again

We left home early afternoon as we were only driving to Lincoln to call on some friends for a couple of days as we missed them on the journey home because of - oh no Kwikfit again.

We had a lovely stay with them and then we drove down to Margate where we had a night in a Travelodge before an early morning ferry the following day to Dunkirk. Sadly we missed our stay with Marion this time as she was holidaying at the time we set off back. Must try harder to co-ordinate the booking system next time!

Thankfully the sea was calm, the crossing good and this meant that Mrs D managed to hang on to the last full English for a while.

We arrived in Dunkirk at 11ish and then we drove down through France for our first nights camp at Verdun. Super camp site and a very old and pretty French town. We were just having the one night in France this time as we were staying a couple of nights in southern Germany near the Tirol region.

The drive to Fussen the following day was a long one but worth it as we found a cracking site just outside Fussen on the shores of a lake. The weather was good and the views from the site superb. The German autobahn is always entertaining, Mercs, Beemers and VWs tanking along at light speed which to us means we need a clear run of about a mile to pass anything due to the load and acceleration of our car. We seemed to manage OK but we did have one or two parked in the boot waiting to get past.

We had two nights in Fussen so we could have a look at the place. It would have been a lovely day had it not been spoiled by the fact we were almost out of camp stove fuel (we both forgot to put this on our mega shopping list in the UK, what a pair of muppets.) We walked miles around Fussen 'til we eventually got some from a garden centre!! The walk to and from Fussen was round the lake where we were camping. The old part of Fussen is beautiful and I think we racked up 20 kilometers that day it was a lovely walk apart from - oh no a call from Kwikfit trying to dig themselves out of the mess they gave us in the UK.

We left earlyish the following day for the drive over the Fern Pass to Innsbruck and the Brenner Pass into Italy then over the Dollies through Cortina and down to Venice for the last camp before the ferry. This time we managed to get in the right lane, miss rush hour in Venice and drove straight to the camp site. An OK site just functional for the ferry and maybe a little bit close to Marco Polo airport runway but we slept OK and were off at 11 the following day into Venice for the ferry.

We arrived at the port and the ferry was in and loading up. We got our tickets and then onto the ferry for the 24 hour crossing. This time in an attempt to save a few bob we decided to rough it in the aircraft seats as we only had a 40 minute journey at the other end to home in Corfu. I have to say it went pretty well even though there was a party of Italian schoolkids sleeping there too. We thought we would be awake all night with their noise but the good old Germans put them straight. Whenever the kids came in they were told in full volume by the Germans that it was a sleeping room and if they wanted to make noise to get out.

We arrived on Corfu 3ish the following day and after a quick bit of shopping we got home around four o'clock to a mega overgrown garden and drive area. Apart from that the house was OK, the weather was good and all was well. We prized everything out of the car dumped it in the office, had a bit of grub and went to bed earlyish. Thankfully a safe and non eventful journey back to Greece.

Pictures above show the car on the site near Fussen - bear in mind all the camping gear went on top of whats already in. The other picture shows the car bursting at the sides just down from Cortina in the Italian Dolomites.

Back in good old Blighty

Wow have we got behind here, we are back in Corfu and we haven't done a blog for the UK, the trip back here or anything since!!! Will try to catch up and get a grip on things.

So getting back home was good after the events with our friends Kwikfit in Hastings, which sadly had a second episode at home!! The house and garden were fine and Middleton hadn't changed much.

We spent most of our time catching up with family and friends closely followed by a series of shopping fixes for Mrs D. I had to ensure that I got a pork pie, real ale and fish and chip fix before we set off back.

The diary was full with social events, the shopping fixes gathered so much stuff we were on the verge of getting a trailer to get it all back to Corfu!! We piled it all up at home and wondered where it all was going to go.

We were very lucky whilst at home as the weather was almost perfect every day. We walked locally and saw the spring lambs and super flower displays, cycled in the dales, caught up with almost everyone and shopped for England. You just don't get the choice of shops or products out in Corfu, so much so, that there are a couple of guys with big vans who do shopping runs to the UK four to five times a year coming back loaded with Argos and other such outlet supplies for deprived Brits!

So having seen and done all we could in eight weeks and bought out all shop stocks we started to think about the drive back to Corfu and the mountain of stuff we had take back with us. Some of which was shopping orders for some friends out in Corfu.

With route planned, ferries booked, car tested we started to load the car. All I can say is that it is a good job we had some new shockers fitted all round because did we have some gear in the car.

All set, loaded up it was off again for another 1250 mile trek across Europe to Venice and the ferry to Corfu.

The pictures show the canal at Kildwick in North Yorkshire and a couple of local lambs near Middleton.

Back to the UK. . . . .

It's the week we set off back to Corfu and we haven't blogged the journey home from Corfu yet!!! What are we like.

So how was it? Well, the Venice ferry was an hour late to Corfu, an hour late into Venice. We got on an A road instead of the motorway in Italy, we then found the motorway and missed the Brenner road over the Alps, a short double back detour rectified this one. We crossed the Alps into Innsbruck without any problems. The second section was the concern as there was snow about and snow forecast. We got across the second Alps section easily and the snow started as we got through. We made it to our first overnight stop in a lovely hotel in Altenstadt in Germany in reasonable time and without incident.

Day two we were heading for France and Metz specifically. We had the obligatory detour, this time 80 miles as we missed the turn for Stuttgart - what a pair of Muppet's! We did however make good time to our overnight in a motel in Metz. Friday was the day we were heading for Dunkirk and the ferry to Dover - more boats - was the complaint from the passenger!! We made good time and managed to get on the earlier ferry.

Coming off the ferry in Dover we heard some dodgy sound coming from the rear wheels so we made tracks to Marians where we were staying for a couple of nights. The following day the car went to Kwikfit in Hastings for repairs and I do not have the time or patience to go through the saga here which took five days to resolve. Thankfully Marian was extremely accommodating, looked after us well and let us use her car to get to and from the plonkers in Hastings who were allegedly repairing our car.

We eventually set off for home and got back to Yorkshire and our lovely cottage in Middleton, it really is a super place to come back to.

The last Greek chapter for a while . . . . .

Well this is it - captains blog, stardate 150309 (one for the trekkies among you.) Job list (for now) complete, route planned, ferries booked, digs booked as its too cold for camping sadly and UK stop offs confirmed. Its all systems go for the UK on Tuesday 17th March at 0600hrs. The ferry to Venice takes 24hrs and gets in at 0800hrs Wednesday morning. We then head out of Venice and we are hoping to cross both sections of the Alps in one day so we can put the snow worries behind us, approx 350 miles. So we head first towards the Alps, then up and over the Brenner pass - not too worried about this one as it is the lowest of the crossings and a major route through. We then drop into Innsbruck at the other side and head out towards Switzerland. Long before Switzerland, we then head north over the Fern Pass which we are concerned about as it has been snowing quite heavily there. We do have a plan B in case it is closed, along the valley and out through the lakeside of Switzerland and then up to the Tirol region and southern Germany. Our first nights stay is at Altenstadt in a small hotel. Thursday morning, another 300 miles planned and we head off towards Ulm, then Stuttgart and Karlsruhe all in Germany before heading south into France and Strasbourg. From here we follow the main A4 motorway towards Metz where we have a French type travelodge booked. Friday, another 300 miles and we are heading for Dunquerke and the ferry to Dover. Ferry booked for 1800hrs so we have a steady day to get there. From Metz we head towards Reims then up towards St Quentin, Lille then on towards Dunquerke. Ferry to Dover then down to Winchelsea where we will stay with a friend for a couple of nights. We head up north on Sunday to call on another friend and have a night with them, before making the last stretch up to Cowling on Monday.Well that's the plan, 1200 miles, the Alps, five countries and two ferry crossings - we hope it runs as smoothly as it sounds!! We will be sad to be leaving here but on the other hand so much looking forward to seeing family and friends in good old Blighty. The next episode of the blog will be from the UK reporting back on how the journey went so look forward to blogging the trip home when we get back. See y'all very soon love D & L x x

A couple of movies of the place . . . .

Well as promised, here are a couple of movies of the place, one from the outside and one from within. Last night and today we have been having one stonker of a storm - can't be much sand left in the deserts from where they came as most of it is in our house!! We had the door open this morning whilst we had some work done by an engineer. Mrs D was not best pleased, she nearly set up a bucket and spade stall as there was so much sand... What about our job list I hear you ask . . job list (for now) just about done - yippee!!!! Nearly time to start thinking about a route home and where to stay along the way as it may be a bit cool for camping coming back. We are looking forward to seeing everyone and catching up on whats been going on in good old blighty in our absence. Apart from the storm, weather generally picking up here with warmer longer days. Just hope it's a still and calm day for the ferry back to Venice - 24hrs of a crossing. Still Pushbikes stll out weekly and we have probably done more miles here this year so far than we did all year last year in England. Its time to get the fire going now - been cutting some more wood this afternoon - so will sign off and see y'all soon....D

A few pics for you . ..