Christmas 2018

On December 22nd we sailed to Vancouver Island for visits with family and friends. Our first stop was in Qualicum Beach where our friend Carol had prepared a delicious lunch of clam chowder and cheese buns. We reminisced and caught up on family events before driving north to Campbell River where my sister Tara has relocated. It was a nasty drive through rain and snow and we were very thankful to get there before sunset.

Tara and Ted's family has expanded with the addition of Winnie.

The weather was clear on Sunday morning so we took Winnie for a short walk before heading down to the beach for a longer tour of the foreshore and the neighborhood. When we returned there was a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle waiting for us to finish...and a delicious roast beef/yorkshire pudding dinner to share that evening.

John spent many hours with Ted in his "man cave" listening to Ted's massive vinyl collection. The garage has been converted into a gaming, listening, watching, collecting and creating space for Ted's many interests.

On Christmas eve we drove to Heather, Chris and August's home in Comox. August wrote a note for Santa to explain that there were no carrots so he left celery for the reindeer.

There was also the traditional cup of milk and cookies.

After gift opening and breakfast we enjoyed the fresh sea air at Kin Beach.

Heather spent the afternoon in the kitchen creating a delicious turkey dinner for us to share. The turkey was golden as it emerged from the oven, the stuffing was laced with fresh herbs, the potatoes were mashed to perfection and the gravy captured flavors from the roast pan. We toasted each other and got totally "frunk"...August's descriptor for being overfed!

Santa's gift to August was a Casio keyboard.

He entertained us with exploratory compositions 

and looks forward to piano lessons in 2019!

We sailed back to the mainland on Thursday 

after spending special time with our special people!

Christmas baking

A perfect day for baking!

RAIN...RAIN...RAIN!

MY MOTHER'S CHRISTMAS COOKIES!

Christmas tree

All of our Christmas decorations and lights were donated to friends 

when we left Salmon Arm three years ago. 

This is our first Christmas in the new home so I decided that we needed to have a tree.

This tree will probably be resurrected for next year's celebrations.

Finally finished

Now I need a name?

Getting there

Just a few more hours and days until completion!

Major transition

Love to see the background painting peeking through!

Sun in the studio

Condo life

Condo life certainly has its intrigues.

Apparently there is a new Bylaw that disallows fun in the elevator.

The Grinch removed all of the pins from the bulletin board except two.

I posted a notice on the bulletin board informing residents that Grinch 

had taken away our pins...no more creative designs with pins allowed.

The notice disappeared the next day.

Maybe there is a Bylaw that states only one special person can post notices in the elevator!

Since I am new to condo life...I am not up to date on the hidden details.

The painting has taken a hiatus and a major transformation...more photos next week.

Day 6

This is a tough one to live with...not sure whether to continue!?

Day 5

Definitely do not understand where this is going!

Day 4

Hmmh!

Day 3

Something is happening but it is still a mystery.

Day 2

Still lacking inspiration...

...I have decided to play with it every day!

Maybe a surprise will emerge?

Day 1

Yesterday I forced myself to buy two large canvases at Opus. Today I am experiencing that familiar frustration that comes with having a blank canvas combined with lack of inspiration. So I decided to slap some color onto the canvas and see what happens.

It is interesting to note that the initial colours are warm tones. To further delay any possible progress on this painting I was compelled to research the psychological meaning of my color choices!

Good luck, prosperity and money are all linked to the warm colors...also excitement, heightened emotions and even violence! So...am I seeking any of these things...or do I need to add any of these to my life?

Stay tuned as this painting progresses...unless I manage to find other distractions.

Adult entertainment

Someone decided to install a bulletin board in the elevator.

The intention was to allow space for building notices...

...but it has become a source of entertainment...

...for residents...

...as we ride up and down!!

Remembrance Day

The nights have been cold...below zero

and the days have been sunny!

This morning we woke to fog and ice.

On my morning walk I noticed the icy poppies

that were painted on the grass around the cenotaph

for today's Remembrance Service.

Jet lag

Tuesday was a long day! Up at 5:00am for a taxi ride to Athens airport followed by a 3 1/2 hour wait at London Heathrow for our connection to Seattle. Departure from Heathrow was delayed over an hour due to "technical issues" but the pilot managed to make up time enroute. It was an uneventful flight with several movies to keep me occupied. In Seattle we found our way, via three train rides, to our next departure gate and waited another 3 hours. By the time we arrived in Vancouver, at the furthest possible arrival gate, it was 7:00am in Greece (9pm in Vancouver). We had been awake for 26 hours!

I pulled our phone out of my purse and prepared to call Adrian, our son, who was waiting for our call before picking us up at YVR. Unfortunately I discovered that the phone battery had died! Uh oh! Neither of us could remember his phone number so we couldn't use a pay phone to call him. Then I remembered facebook messenger and sent him a message from my iPad to say that we were on our way to collect the luggage...except that the luggage never arrived!...and, among other things, the phone charger cable was in a suitcase!

We filled out the necessary "lost luggage" form with address, phone number and were reassured that the bags would be delivered to us...in Langley. It wasn't until after we left the airport that I realized the impossibility of contacting us. We had a dead phone and, as I mentioned, the charger cable was in one of the suitcases. Also...we didn't know when Adrian would be available to take us to Langley!

The next morning, after several attempts to contact "lost luggage", we managed to speak to an Alaska Airlines agent in Seattle. She took our son's phone number and said the delivery company would call us...and they did. Adrian took us home yesterday afternoon and the luggage arrived before 11:00pm last night. Whew!!!

Today we are still suffering from jet lag "jelly brain"...but this will pass in a few days.

Heathrow

Sitting at Heathrow...

...watching red, white and blue birds

taking flight... in formation...

...following one another into the air

every thirty seconds.

Wait...here comes a very large bird...

...carrying over 400 guests on his flight

to a faraway land.

Pasteli

There will be a large wedding on the island next weekend

so this morning there were many people involved 

in the making of pasteli, a traditional sesame seed and honey sweet.

The mixture is heated in large vats and poured onto special tables

before being smoothed out into a consistent thickness.

After it has dried to the right degree it is sliced into diamond shapes.

Each piece is then placed on a diamond shaped cut piece of lemon leaf

before being wrapped in cellophane...all 1600 pieces for this wedding!

Villagers stopped by to check the progress,

to visit and to bring gifts.

Another special dinner

It was another fun night at Fotodotis for dinner

with Theo, one of our adopted sons and Mata, a special friend.

Of course every restaurant has feline visitors too!

He didn’t beg for food...just curled up beside me through the entire meal!

Last night’s dinner

Last night we were invited to share dinner with friends at a gorgeous home in the north.

The owner has kept the basic shape of the house and totally remodeled the interior.

Unfortunately we arrived after dark so I could not capture the beauty of the house in photos.

This light over the table caught my attention!

On display was a piece by a young woman artist 

who has developed a style of hand stitching on fine cotton

with thread that she makes from seaweed.

This is a small section of the piece that is about 6’ x 10’ in total!

Summer again

Summer days have returned to the island.

The hibiscus are blooming again...

...and the bougainvillea never seem to stop blooming!

Our writing group met for the last time this morning.

It was a real challenge to hear each other over the background noise

of school children inside the cafenion (on a free day)

and the old men yakking about the weather on the patio!

When we finished it was too late to go for a swim...

....maybe tomorrow!

Final Aegean swim?

John is learning the many intricacies of backgammon

from a series of young teachers.

Anton, from Paris, is his latest teacher.

At four years of age he has many tricks!

It is a rare windless day in Chora...maybe on the entire island! I decided that I should have my final swim at Agia Anna. It has always been my dream to imagine the beach to myself...not another soul in sight!  And...it finally happened. I was alone with the sea at my feet. The water was like silk...so cool and refreshing. I floated out and looked up at the monastery on the hillside. I listened to the tinkling of goat bells in the distance. Then I started to have doubts...what if something happened to me?...what if I had a heart attack?...what if an octopus grabbed my toe?...maybe I should head for shore? The old adage “be careful what you wish for!” popped into my head. Of course nothing happened and I totally enjoyed my time in the water.

Later we joined Theo and Mata for our final meal at Jazzmin...pesto pasta and Horta...delicious!...with a glass of wine. Today is the last day that Jazzmin will be open during the day until next spring. They will continue to open in the evenings through winter. 

After the meal and the wine...it is time for a late afternoon nap!

A beautiful piece of land

Yesterday we visited a piece of land 

that our friend owns and hopes to build on.

There is a small stone house on the land...

...an oven to bake future pizzas

and a ladder to the rooftop.

From the rooftop we looked out to the port of Katapola.

A morning trek

We were awake earlier than usual this morning and our Cafe doesn’t open 

in the winter months until 10:00am so we decided to go on a trek.

We walked over to this small church.

From that point we could look down at the port of Katapola.

There are interesting rock shapes everywhere.

A view of our home base in Chora on the return trip.

Our morning coffee and tea tasted even better after the exercise!

Smoking in Greece

In 2010 a new “smoking ban” law was passed in Greece.  At that time Greece had the highest consumption of tobacco products in the European Union.

The passage of this law has had very little effect in cafes and bars around the country. Everyone still smokes! It is particularly challenging for non-smokers to join their friends for social outings during the winter months when everyone is inside and doors are often closed against the cold.

At Jazzmin Cafe/Bar the owners decided to show movies two evenings each week throughout the winter in the bar. They also decided that there would be no smoking allowed during the movie. To be fair...there is an intermission halfway through the film to give smokers time to step outside and have a puff!

They were hoping that non-smokers would welcome the opportunity to enjoy some weekly entertainment without having to inhale a room full of smoke.

Last night we watched “God’s own country” at the bar and it was a relief for us to breathe comfortably. Thank you Jazzmin!

A day trip to Schinoussa

Yesterday we joined Mata for a day trip to the small island of Schinoussa.

We boarded the Skopelitis at 7:00am for the two hour boat trip.

The Express Skopelitis has been sailing between the small Cycladic islands since 1958.

The island of Schinoussa has a population of about 250 inhabitants

but during the winter months this number decreases to around ninety.

We walked uphill from the port to the Chora village

where we stopped for a coffee at Cafenion Χαρά (Hara).

John stayed here with his book while Mata and I went on a trek

to explore other parts of the island...eventually finding a small beach

where we were discouraged from swimming...no sun...

...but we found some beautiful rocks to take back to John.

Enroute we saw only two people...working on a church restoration.

Instead of goats we were chaperoned by a herd of turkeys down the road!

We returned from our trek...after 2 1/2 hours.

John was halfway through his book and had consumed several cups of tea!

We shared lunch at Beer-aki before walking back to the port

and a smooth trip back to Katapola with a couple of “nappers” onboard.

Daily entertainment

Two days ago we were entertained by Dom and his friend.

Later in the day we were entertained...

...by the signage in Katapola!

Which way should we go??

Pathway to Katapola

Our friend Christina took our car to the port this morning

loaded with her stuff for the ferry trip back to the mainland.

She parked it near the port for us to find.

It was an opportunity for John to traverse the pathway to Katapola for the first time.

Fortunately our British friends had left a pair of walking poles behind for John to use!

I have to admit that the pathway was longer than I remembered!

At one point along the way we heard a cry from behind us

and one of our adopted sons flew past on his way to work.

It was probably about a 20 minute trip for him.

For us...it was 2 1/4 hours!

With rubbery legs we finished the trek and found our way to a cafe 

for refreshments before driving back to Chora.

Needless to say we both enjoyed a long afternoon nap!

A swim and dinner

Summer weather returned yesterday.

After our writing group met in the morning

I was forced to enjoy  another swim in the Aegean!

My favourite beach is just below the small church.

The water is crystal clear and warm...ish!

In the evening we were invited to share dinner

with our friends at Katina restaurant in Aegiali.

Their daughter, Anastasia, discovered “Simon’s Cat”!

The Greek Hacienda

This afternoon we visited Natasha and Fabio’s new home

in the south at Kolofana.

The property has many ancient olive trees.

Melina posed at the small church below their house.

There are also very old pieces of carved marble...possibly from an ancient temple.

This is a gracious, welcoming home!

Thank you!