Well what can I say, believe it or not we have been very busy. Since we arrived back here after a super stay in Slovenia we had three days to ourselves then from the end of August to the middle of October we had one set of visitors after the other. It started with Reg, then Wendy, then my mum and her sister, then my dad, finally topped off with another visit from Reg. Then last week in October we had a flying visit to the UK.
We are now in the process of planning the driving trip back to the UK which starts with the ferry to Venice on the 24th November. If all goes to plan we will be back in Middleton by the end of November armed with thermals and firelighters.
Yet again we have had another super summer. The job list as usual got longer but we did manage to get through some of the things we wanted to do this year. The sitting room is finished, the extra units for the kitchen are in, the apotheki is in better shape than when we arrived (which is more than can be said for the Greek economy) and we have managed a couple of trips along the way.
In July we went to Meteora on the mainland for a couple of days. In August we had 10 days in Slovenia near Lake Bled in a lovely house in a village called Krnica pronounced ‘Krinitsa,’ (that’s the end of the Slovenian for beginners.) We went with our good friends Mick and Sue. They flew out to Venice from the UK, we ferried to Venice from Corfu and all the connections worked out perfectly. We had a wonderful time in a truly beautiful country. We walked through gorges, down river valleys, alpine mountains, used cable cars, chair lifts, hired bicycles and even used local buses. We also swam in Lake Bled in a purpose made fancy swimming come sun bathing area roped off from the rest of the lake with fancy bouys. It is a fantastic place with so much to offer, well worth a visit. We went down the village shop 7.30ish most mornings and some of the locals were already sat outside the nearby bar with a beer!! A bit early for me…….We had a drive through the Karavanke tunnel and 8km long tunnel through the mountains into Austria, quite an experience. We also had an afternoon in the capital Ljubljana, an excellent time was had by the four of us.
On the way back we called in at Ikea in Padova near Venice and filled the car with kitchen table, chairs and another kitchen unit along with a few other things. We then headed for the ferry back to Corfu which wasn’t too bad for the middle of August.
We then had a string of visitors which went very well and they all seemed to have a good time to the tune that they all want to come again!! We must be doing something right or they just like Corfu, not sure which……….
We then had a week back in the UK before the direct flights finished to see the folks back home, sort out a few things, a couple of socials and I got to see my two grandchildren who arrived within two weeks of each other at the end of September and the middle of October. Max, Aurora and their parents are all doing well with their respective fathers smitten, giddy and very proud of what they helped to make!!!
That brings us up to November where we are on last minute jobs ensuring all will be OK for the winter out here. The weather is lovely with warm sunny days and cool evenings, a far cry from the 30dgs nights of the summer but very nice all the same. We are hoping for a day out this week down south of the island with a few jobs to sort in Corfu town on the way. Other than that we are managing a bit of cycling, walking through the olive groves, the odd social through the week and an occasional coffee in Acharavi.
Slim the cat is still knocking about and was here to greet us when we got back from Slovenia and the UK. It will not be the same back in the UK without his noisy scrounging tones at the back of the door! He is obviously being fed elsewhere, still catching birds and geckos so he is not entirely dependant on us. He will be fine, it’s Mrs D I worry about.
Mrs D has had a good summer I think, there a few things she misses but the weather does help. It’s not been the same for her this year without her friend Vonny. Feet have been the theme of the late summer but I wouldn’t mention them unless you have plenty of time. Her tomato patch was still ripening well into September and has been a success apart from a watering mix up with the neighbours when were away in Slovenia. Some fool left the hosepipe running for a couple of days!! We have limes, lemons and oranges all coming on the trees in the garden, the oranges which we will sadly miss but we should have some limes and lemons to take to Middleton.
The car has gone extremely well and we are very pleased with it. We hope it does the same going back to the UK as it did coming and all will be well. We have been using the motorbike quite a bit, indeed we used it for our trip to the mainland. It has also been a winner with the guests who have been out for a spin with me.
Not much else to say now apart from my apologies for not scribbling sooner and we hope we’ve not lost the small following we had.
I’ll do a return journey scribble when we get back to the UK and look forward to catching up with you all at some point over the coming months ‘Yamas’ Mr D
pictures from top are - Agia Triada Monastery in Meteora, Lake Bled and the church, Mrs D with Mick & Sue in the Vintnar Gorge near Bled, L&D looking down on lake Bohinj near Bled, Reg, Wendy, my mum and her sister Dot, my dad, Reg in October, Tom & Max, Sam & Aurora, Slim, sunset at Acharavi, beach near Acharavi and bonfire time in October.
