Cariad in Crete

What Have You Been Up To???

2011-06-28T11:45:00.001+03:00

I see this gorgeous bush each time I go to my Zumba class

Lily likes to find a cool place to see

Geoff spent some time dusting the vines with sulphur (the traditional way, of course..by filling a pop-sock with the sulphur dust, tying said sock to the end of a stick and dust!)

I've loved perusing my new books and practising making flowers.

Here's my completed shawl

I've used these steps often

oh, and this is Jack, isn't he gorgeous? He's joined our little family

I visited a green fair in Heraklion with a friend...just look at these huge chuncks of soap

and these interesting fruits

oh, and I squeezed in lunch and a lovely walk around a village near here called Forni

I'd love to have a courtyard which was covered like this...so cool

We're are still having odd weather, it rained a couple of days ago and we've had incredible wind for about a week now causing huge waves at one of my favourite beaches.

Lastly, we are still enjoying our get togethers, which consist of a little sewing, quilting, knitting, crocheting and.....eating cake!
What have you been up to??

A Day with Donkeys...

2011-05-20T15:00:00.001+03:00

A couple of days ago, Chris and I went off for the day to visit Suzanne and Alistair, they are friends who run 'Walk With Donkeys', a sanctuary for injured, unwanted, old or neglected donkeys. I have blogged about the once before. This time we were delivering some cuddly hand-made donkeys...

..which Chris, Sylvia and Joyce had made for the shop.
Over the last 6 months I am responsible for Suzanne and Alistair aquiring their last 2 donkeys..

Bobby

and,last week..Joy............

The sanctuary nestles in the rugged mountain crops above Ierapetra on the south coast, it a very special place.

We spent a wonderful few hours with these fabulous animals, each one has a completely different identity, some quiet, some wanting attention and some, just doing their own thing

Chris found a friend in Loukas, he realised she had carrots so followed her everywhere!

We were made very welcome and it seemed donkeys were coming out of bushes to say hello.

Suzanne had us working, brushing several of the donkeys but we enjoyed it as much as the donks obviously did!

It's so nice to see these old animals living in such a happy home after all they've been through.
Some have been mistreated or tied up for many years...some have been left because their owners have grown too old to look after them.
When I moved into our village, there was 3 donkeys living and working around the olive groves, but in 3 years it has dwindled to just 1. The older residents of the community are dying and the younger folk don't have the time to care for these creatures.
The sad thing is though that many of the donkeys are sold to the meat wagons that drive around and buy old donkeys, they then go to be fed to circus animals... but I've also been told that some end up in Italy being made into salami, perish the thought!!! Gross!!!

Isn't it much better that they end up in places like this, with loving, patient, people like Alistair and Suzanne?

They can be visited by families who enjoy stroking and chatting to them.

We ended our day, in the shade, drinking tea, chatting to 2 lovely people who work 7 days a week caring for donkeys other folk don't care about ..thanks Suzanne and Alistair, we thoroughly enjoyed our day and will be back very soon.
Please 'like' and follow Walk with Donkeys Crete on Facebook.
or follow Donkeycarecrete's Blog

Sunday Catch-up

2011-05-08T09:43:00.008+03:00

Good Morning

Things are looking better today, my cold seems to be finally coming to an end and my head doesn't feel like it's full of cotton wool anymore.

And the sun is out ....and the wind has stopped...fingers crossed!! I feel sorry for the tourists that are arriving, we've not had sunshine holiday weather!!
The huge amount of rain has been good for these roses, they are glorious
....the perfume, divine...just like Turkish..oops..nooo!...Greek Delight!!
Can you believe it, this is the only bloom on my lilac bush...very sad state of affairs..
So, we are far behind with the seedlings too, many have not germinated
but some have done really well and will be soon moving from their little toilet roll and egg box homes to the kypos.
Oh, yes, more about the first photograph next time I think,

Take care

Dragon Arum...again!!

2011-05-04T21:10:00.001+03:00

You may know already, if you've been following my blog for a while,
how much I love these plants...

and this year, maybe because of the rain we've had, they are in profusion admidst the olive groves.

so, I thought they deserved a whole post to themselves.....

Yes, I know they are rather phallic

but it's the wonderful, deep, velvety colour, so fabric .

The latin name is Dracunculus Vulgaris

So velvety, and the colour is stunning

and

SO.......

smelly!!

(like rotting flesh!!!)
so much for perfection!!

Lime Wash (Asvesti)

2011-04-23T14:44:00.000+03:00

I'm often asked why are Greek trees painted with white paint,

It's lime wash and the villages are being tidied up for this special weekend.

I caught this chap painting the church yard walls this morning, he'd already done the trees above.

Lime wash is used to freshen everything up , it's also an insecticide, it's cheaper than paint.
You buy it in powder form, ready mixed or still in large pieces which you soak in water.
A man comes around the village in a van and informs everyone through a loudspeaker that he has asvesti for sale.

The villagers generally take charge of their part of the village, weeding and tidying outside their homes and then slapping some of the milky substance around.

Our house is painted with it too....
it lets old houses breath and I believe is getting more popular elsewhere.
You can add a stain if you prefer. Each layer hardens into a solid waterproof covering
and it's much kinder to the environment.

Snail Mail....

2011-04-08T12:42:00.004+03:00

I joined Emily from Mousy Brown's House in her Snail Mail Swap last year.

My month was February, which, when I joined was 'next year' and a long time away..

Emily, being much more organised, was true to her word, so look what came winging it's way to me at the end of February..

It's a beautiful Valentine inspired paper cut picture..which Emily is so clever at making.

It will be framed and hung on a wall here so I can admire such a lovely work of art, made specially for me..

Thank you Em, hoping you get my package very soon..

"Do You Ever Finish Anything?"

2011-03-19T15:01:00.000+02:00

A few weeks back I was asked this question and it made me think about other crafters habits...
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has several projects and test pieces on the go at the same time??

I enjoy dabbling in different projects,

testing out ideas,

and making sure that there are no mistakes before I proceed onto
an important piece. Anybody notice what's wrong with the
blackwork below??

Anyhow!! the answer is yes...yes!! I do!!

I so enjoyed knitting this lovely little wraparound top, in the beautiful Sirdar Baby Crofters yarn
I'm knitting a different style cardi in the same yarn..

I admit that sometimes my experiments lead me to a dead end and I suspect these
little devils might be lying at the bottom of my knitting basket for a while..

but this has a home already....

So, what do you do??
Work at one piece until it's complete?
Or, do you, like me, enjoy having several pieces on the go at the same time??
I'd love to hear from you.

Blossoming....

2011-03-14T12:26:00.001+02:00

Pheew!! after a rather wet and cold few weeks...the weather went from worse to WORSE last week
we had several days of sleet and snow

but...we are now back on course and the sun is out and we have a beautiful blue blue sky

The colours are stunning and I shall be off on my scooter to see what's about now

in the countryside.
Thanks for everyone who got in contact regarding my 'lost' blog list. As you can see, the majority of you are back where you belong, thank heavens!! Some of you will be joining when I can sort out why I still get a message saying..wrong!

Bit of a Muddle..

2011-03-11T17:48:00.003+02:00

Last weekend I decided it was time to do a wee bit of

tidying on my blog

Sadly, I went a little too far....

and deleted ALL my blog list

ALL those scrummy little reads I look forward to every day

ALL those snippets

of information

of recipes

of hookery

of knitting

of quilting

of photographs....

ALL my bloggy friends

disappeared into the depths of ???

I was mortified...

So, it's taken a 5 days of me muttering and scribbling

I have some more addresses but I keep getting messages saying no, can't !! when I try to enter them.

Anybody out there, who knows I commented on your blog, please, leave me a comment

and I'll happily add you on to my daily read again.

P.S. the photo is of the centre of a wirlygig osteospernam..lovely, isn't it?

A Walk to Milatos Cave....

2011-03-06T08:52:00.007+02:00

We drove to Milatos Cave for our walk yesterday.

It's perched high above the hamlet of Milatos, which is on the north coast.

The caves are approximately 200 metres along an old footpath which winds

around the side of a steep ravine.

The sound from the grazing goats and assorted birds is truly magical, echoing through the ravine.

This is delicate white bryony, a poisonous climber.

The hillsides are covered in carob, sage, myrtle and euphorbia.

As we approach the cave entrance it seems unimpressive.

Inside though, it spreads out into a series of caves covering 2100 sq. metres.

In February, 1823, 2700 local inhabitants took refuge here, hiding from

the Turkish troops of Hassan Pasha. They were plundering and pillaging the area.

For 13 days. approximately 150 Cretan rebels fought off the Turks until, starving and desperate the beseiged tried to break out.

They were cut down and massacred by the Turks.

The children were sold into slavery in Egypt and 18 priests were burnt to death.

This church is inside the caves and was built to commemorate this event.

Bones from some of the dead can be seen in this glass-fronted ossuary.

One of the icons in the church.

When I was a member of The Rainbow Choir, we sang here at the commemoration that is held every May.

As we meandered back to the car, we reflected on how such a tragedy could have taken place in such a peaceful spot.

St. David's Day Walk

2011-03-01T19:03:00.000+02:00

We went for a walk this afternoon...on Almyros Beach.
Althought the weather has been pretty dismal for weeks now...rain, rain, rain...it stayed dry today!
I noticed these tiny flowers on the tamarisk trees, so delicate!

......and sea holly popping up, with fresh new shoots.

The sea washes up and leaves tiny shells and slivers of angels' tears, though we don't have tide in the Med. there is a gentle mark.

I also came across a giant sea-monster emerging from the waves!! Happy Birthday Dewi....we've loved having you with us this last 2 years...unbelievable how time flies!!

The island of Crete is inundated with 15,000 Chinese refugees this week..the Greek government sent the ferries, that normally sail between the Greek islands, to Libya. There were also Brits and other nationalities with them. They will be repatriated within a few days and leave...I'm proud this was accomplished without any pomp and palaver.
Take care

Short...and Annoying!!

2011-02-19T19:46:00.002+02:00

I can't believe what's happened..

I've tried all day to download some photos onto this blog,

you know the usual..beautiful orchids, poppies..and some breath taking scenery, though a tad wet scenery, covered in mizzle scenery...

but no such luck, I tried 4 times...then I tried with Picasa...success!! but then...I deleted 3 of the photos by accident!!

Silly me, I'll try again tomorrow..

Take care

Handmade Gifts..

2011-02-09T14:13:00.006+02:00

I love making gifts...and last Christmas was chockablock with homemade goodies...

first up, these leggings for Lirys...

and the crocheted wrist warmers for Bethan, pattern from Lucy
Always difficult to take a photo of a 6 month old...
This little dress...it will fit just right in the summer...I used the pattern from here

Oh dear...guess who forgot to iron it before taking the photo..?
and this...I enjoyed making this...the pattern is here at Marmalade Rose.

I made more goodies, decorations for the tree, crochet snowflakes, paper snowflakes, engraved pebbles and used them as place settings.....such fun....but we were all so ill over the holiday, I just didn't take many photos...never mind...!

A Walk in December

2010-12-05T15:15:00.003+02:00

Hello, just found this post...sitting...doing nothing..

I forgot to publish it.. so it's not really the poor post's fault....

...but I do like the photos still...

so, I thought they could still have their 5 minutes of fame.

Another Day....

2010-12-05T15:06:00.005+02:00

......we spent high in the mountains..

Dewi was practising to be Zeus,

while we craned our necks watching griffon vultures

cavort in the sky...the wingspan of these birds is over 240 cms!

There must have been something very tasty down there...can you see the heads of 3 vultures in amidst the boulders?... and the ravens trying to get in on the act too..

Unseasonal Weather..

2010-12-05T15:01:00.002+02:00

Since Geoff finished working at the end of October, we've had some wonderful weather, so we've made the most of it and we've been out on day trips.

So, I thought I'd share some photos with you, showing the views, wild life and flowers.

Crete needs lots of water after the summer..we've not had nearly enough, but even a small amount brings out the gorgeous flora that this island is famous for.

Completed Projects..

2010-11-28T12:55:00.002+02:00

Some of you may be wondering what I've been doing lately on the crafty side of my life..

Well, quite alot really but have not been able to show and tell until we had our first visit from Bethan and Lirys.

As you can see from above Lirys loved her new jacket, made from Sirdar Snuggly, Baby Bamboo.

Below, is another pattern from the same book, Debbie Bliss Simply Baby. I used Debbie Bliss yarn for this.

Lirys and her mummy loved them..

They came for a week, which was extended to 10 days when Lirys was diagnosed has having chickenpox and was unable to fly back..she had a couple of grizzly days but, all in all, for a nearly five month old, smiled through it!!

That gave Bethan and myself some more time to make an Advent Calendar that we are sure will become a family heirloom, cherished for many years to come by Lirys and any other siblings that may arrive..

We couldn't have spent so long on it if it hadn't been for 'pappoo' (see behind Bethan's elbow) who valiantly spent hours entertaining Lirys.

We raided my stash box, cut out 24 rectangles, ironed hems and zig zagged the top of each pocket. Bethan wrote the numbers on 24 stars and then appliqued them on to the rectangles.

The finished piece was hemmed and will have a length of dowelling threaded through the panel at the top. Ribbon will be tied to the dowelling and it will be hung on a wall in Bethan's home.. I'm looking forward to seeing it full of little presents when we go to the UK for Christmas in December.

ps...apologies for the poor quality of photos..since having my super duper new camera ( which produces wonderful high quality photos) the res of photos on my blog have deteriorated.. has anyone got any ideas why or what I could do about it??

Take care

Bit of an odd Bloggy Summer...

2010-10-15T14:50:00.005+03:00

My summer here has been a bit off kilter, to say the least...I suppose it was my extended holiday in the UK that did it...

But I don't seem to have got over it..blog-wise..I've taken loads of photos but not been able to sit down and put them in any order.

Another reason is I'm still working away from home at night.

So, I'm still trying to catch my tail!

So, hence...some bits and pieces from over the summer months.

Our vines have finally made it up to the first floor, sadly, the grapes were no good!

A lovely ceramic display from some friends of mine, it was a great success.

We also managed to have a bag tutorial by Jenny..

Dominic had a wonderful birthday party!

.....and this quilt managed to get to England

More soon.....

The Arrival....

2010-10-01T17:10:00.003+03:00

The day finally arrived and we welcomed Lirys Erin into the world.

We were all very tired and emotional after a long labour and a sudden emergency c section.

But just look at Bethan's face!!

Matt's first cuddle.

And mine!

Then there was some much needed skin to skin contact .

Lirys decided it was all too much and went to sleep in her Daddy's arms.

Isn't she gorgeous???

Uncle Gareth came to visit and you can see he was overjoyed!!

It didn't take too long before he was having lessons on nappy changing....

Lirys was 7lb 3ozs and was born on the 29th June ..

What do you do when you're waiting..?

2010-09-26T12:23:00.004+03:00

Hello...Yes, I'm still alive!

Just been really busy.

I'm going to do some quick posts so you can catch up with what's been going on.

So..... we have to go back to June to start..

Remember, I was off to sunny Surrey, to support my daughter as she and her husband Matt prepared for The Arrival of Bean!!

We entertained ourselves in various ways, taking silly photos, as Bethan wondered whether she would ever see her knees again...

.......cooking delicious cupcakes

.....walking on Box Hill with...

my son Gareth and his partner Heather,

it was lovely to see so much GREEN after Crete..

Bethan and I met friends for lunch and did some retail therapy in London town,

we also fell upon Westminster Abbey, such a beautiful interior..

We were visited by my parents, they travelled down from North Wales

and my brother arrived, (he's fed up of waiting, isn't he??)

We had a photographic session, so we've got a lovely photo of 3 generations of Welsh girls.

and some of us got really really fed up!!!

Time to say Goodbye....

2010-05-31T12:04:00.001+03:00

Ernest has been busy packing this week, I am joining him on a flight to Gatwick on Friday (just to make sure he gets there!!) Just look at all the goodies he's got, his home as a wonderful lavendar bag in it too so the aroma is gorgeous.

He'll then make his way to Wipso
I do hope her eye is better by then, she'll need all her wits about her to keep Ernest in check...

We've had so much fun with him but it's time to move on now.

I love hollyhocks and we have many of them around here.

Don't you think they look like fabric?

Yammas! to you 2, we had a wonderful week with you, hope to see you over here again very soon.

Job Experience.......

2010-05-18T11:04:00.006+03:00

Dear Mum and Blogland friends..
Firstly, I must apologise for 'slipping into my old ways'.
I promise I'll try not to do it again (hic!)
Well, yesterday, Geoff made me get up very early and he soon had me doing his job... while he went back to bed..

I was the celebrity guide on the Jeep Safari...had the best seat..can you see all the poor folk in the back (look in the rear mirror..tehe!)

I was nearly a goat's lunch...

but look at that spectacular view..well worth the bumps, hair pin bends and heat..

Thanks to these guys..I had a great day ( I reckon I worked twice as hard as them..)

We're at Zeus's Cave here.

What do you reckon??? Suits me?? Can I have one when I get home?? Please, please??

ps. I feel I've outstayed my welcome somewhat...anybody up for taking on a recovering delinquent?

Love you, miss you mum..xx

pps. if the link isn't working go to www.safariclub.gr

Who's Got a Headache from Hell?

2010-05-17T08:04:00.000+03:00

Dear Ernest's Mother...
We haven't seen Ernest for a couple of days, but I do know where he is....
I'm sorry to report he's blotted his copybook big time!!

We took him out with us so he could enjoy a typical Cretan evening eating out with some friends of ours on Friday night.

He hit the raki BIG time, thought the tiny glasses were just his size...we did try to stop him but no, he said he could handle it..

He decided he was having his own party when we arrived home..we were still getting complaints from the neighbours early morning..
I think it's time we started thinking of who he's going to entertain next???

An Artistic Adventure with Ernest..

2010-05-14T08:15:00.004+03:00

Dear Mum and friends.

Woke up yesterday morning. Believe it or not, it was very comfortable and I survived!! Lily seems to be lethargic because of the heat and she's always being chased by the bouncy Dewi so she's not bothered that I snuggle down with her..

Jude, Geoff and I went to Fodele for the day.

We visited El Greco's (Ο Δομηνιχος Θεοτοχοπουλος) old house, which is now a small museum.

He was born in 1541 in Fodele. He trained as a traditional icon painter but then travelled to Venice and trained under Titian. Then he travelled to Madrid and Toledo...he worked ceaselessly and became a genius.....

Do you think that could happen to me????

Mary Magdelane

1614

Dear Mum...

2010-05-13T10:02:00.001+03:00

Dear Mum
I had a dreadful journey over, couldn't see a thing and must have flown round and around in the volcanic ash cloud.
I slept outside last night as it's so hot here but I must admit I miss my perch at home, this wasn't very comfortable.

I think the locals, though rather odd looking, are very friendly..

I've even had a pedicure....
We are off for the day today...it's 29 degrees already and it's only 10.00 am.
Miss you all

Love Ernest
x

Ernest has Survived!!

2010-05-12T10:39:00.001+03:00

As I sat on my balcony this morning enjoying the warm sunshine, I heard a sad, tweeting from within the grape vines that grow up the pillars of our house..
I finally discovered an ash-covered, disoriented little fellow..It's Ernest..I was expecting him last week..and had begun to think something awful had happened...
Ernest has come all the way from the UK and obviously got lost in the volcanic ash clouds.
He last visited Cathy, who gave him his knotted hankie, which amazingly he's still wearing..
His family are here. so I best send them a message to say he's arrived safely.
He's relaxing in the dark at the moment..I think he's finding the sun a tad bright!
More pics soon...

One Year

2010-05-01T22:36:00.002+03:00

One year ago ( Sunday)this happened...
http://cariadincrete.blogspot.com/2009/05/its-raining-in-my-heart.html
I still can't believe it..
hope you're watching Jose...my mate x

Birthday Present From Afar...

2010-04-28T17:02:00.001+03:00

I've been so busy these last few weeks, working at night, but also 2 of our favourite friends from Cornwall came to visit for 2 whole weeks..
During that time, I had a birthday...eek! So, we had even more adventures...and some presents..for me...
I had the trilogy by Stieg Larsson beginning with ' The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.'..very good it is too!!
I also had Victoria Hislop's 'The Return'
I had some fat quarters, a table mat and a cookery book all the way from an Amish farm in Philidelphia ( thank you Heather and Gareth!)

But...but!...but!!...look at this ...look!!.... it's a bowl, not just any bowl.. but a bowl brought all the way from Cornwall.
I used to make bowls and ceramics is still close to my heart...so when this beauty was brought, by hand, by my friends, all the way from Cornwall I was stunned (clearly not into silence!)

Look at the tones, the colours, the lines...don't they remind you of Cornwall? I can see dry stone walls, hedgerows, the sea and sky...yes, I can...
Can you tell I love it???
And to add to all the excitement...I know the woman who constructed this bowl...
she lives in Mabe Burnthouse, which is very close to Penryn where I lived for over 20 years.
Her name is Charlotte Jones, she lives with her husband and boys in a converted chapel. Her husband Ron is equally talented and I advise you to go and check out both their websites now...without further ado.... it's well, well worth it....
Thank you Julie and Mark...you know I love it!!

The Island...Revisited!

2010-04-06T10:28:00.004+03:00

I discovered another 'The Island' film set a couple of weeks ago, this time in Pano Elounda
I had heard some friends of mine had been 'extra' extras so I asked if I could incorporate photos of Sybil and Mike into my post.
In addition to that, I also received a photo of the author of The Island, Victoria Hislop, as an extra too..she's the woman in the above photo sitting on the wall. My friend Sybil is standing below the wall on the right.
Above is a close-up of Sybil's make-up, she was acting as one of the unfortunate lepers that lived on the island of Spinalonga...

There's Mike in the middle standing and Sybil is sitting in the middle..

Sybil told me it was very cold and uncomfortable on the island that day and they filmed the scenes of the last day when everyone was taken off in small boats..she said it was very emotional and a fantastic experience.

Now look at Mike...eek!! Isn't that effective?? Obviously lesions from the condition..

Sybil also said she was so entranced my Mike's make-up she didn't notice that they'd shaved Mike's beard off..

Locals have been wondering why so much of the old buildings have had to have been covered and rebuilt with plaster of paris and fibreglass 'fronts'

As you can see from these photos the surrounding buildings are very similar...and more authentic as they are covered with detritus, stains and aging..

Obviously, one of the reasons was to hide modern day pieces, telephone kiosk, meters, wires etc.

I still find it very interesting though..I'm very glad I found this scene and I'm grateful to Mike and Sybil for allowing me to use their photos..it helps to make it more personal..Thank you!!

String-Along Round Up and More...

2010-03-30T16:29:00.003+03:00

As March ends, so does the String-Along 2010 Challenge held by Mousybrownshouse and Rattling On.
I've thoroughly enjoyed joining in as it dragged me out of my comfort zone screaming and shouting... The above string bag was crocheted and I had to follow a pattern...successfully!I was disappointed by the size though, it's more hand bag size than shopping bag size, never mind I'll still use it..

I do have a collection of reuseable shopping bags as you can see ..

They all come in handy when I shop for veg from the mobile veg. van which comes around the villages twice a week. Here he's in Limnes, a neighbouring village to us..I always forget to take a camera when I go down to shop. You know when he's reached the village because of the very loud greek music he plays.

Here's a very bad photo of the finished ear-rings I designed at the bead shop last week. Geoff took the photo...

but to show he can take a very good photo just look below.

This is what greeted us last week when we opened the balcony door early one morning...stunning isn't it?

I've bought some plants to pretty up the exterior of the house for Easter so I thought I would share this gorgeous fuschia with you.

We're all getting excited about the coming weekend. As you may well remember Easter is a very big deal here....and the weather is going to be great for bbqs and outside eating.

Finally, thought I'd point out a new blog on my list. As many of you know my daughter and her husband live in Saudi Arabia and J is a friend of Bethan's, explaining some of the realities of life as an ex-pat in Riyadh. I find it extremely interesting and thought provoking..

Take care.

My Wednesday

2010-03-25T17:55:00.003+02:00

This is the tale of 2 country bumpkins......

trying to be 'cool' in the "Big Smoke" of Iraklion

We ooo'd and aar'd at the architecture

Looked like tourists..taking photos of Lion Square......

and bumping into people as I took photos of the magnificent pods??

slurped gelato before they melted.........

wondered whether we could hitch a lift to Athens.........

designed earrings..

tried not to get run down crossing the road..

had coffee in the Talos Centre.......

The concept of paying ( 2 euros) to park your car still hasn't arrived in Crete...the Greeks prefer to park haphazardly within 2 steps of where they are going...

so we get the car-park to ourselves virtually.......

Most importantly, we laughed and enjoyed ourselves...looking at clothes, shoes and best of all ...people!!!!

String-a-long 2010, Week 3.

2010-03-22T10:13:00.002+02:00

Here it is...ta da!!
My knitted string bag.
I'm rather proud of it!

It's small but strong and as you can see, holds rather alot.

Because I had to print the pattern I didn't have photos to check so when it came to joining the rim to the handle I was rather flumoxed..
A quick email to Rattling On and I was delighted how easy the whole Kitcheners technique worked..

As there's only one more week to go on this challenge I'm not sure whether I'll complete a whole bag but I'm jolly well going to try.
This lovely little bag will used to carry produce from the kypos..(allotment)

You can see more string bag knitters on Mousy Browns House.

Thanks you 2 for arranging this challenge, I've enjoyed it,

Grow...Baby ..Grow!!

2010-03-20T16:12:00.008+02:00

Hello,
Look at this little thing,,,dropped on the road..covered in ticks!! No, we didn't pick it up, my neighbour Leonie has taken him in.

Here's the 50 odd year old donkey that was treated a fortnight ago, he's looking well, taking in the rays in the olive grove..
I was on my way down to the kypos, to see how things are growing.

Our usual 2 eggs were there..

...and just look at these!!! in March...strawberries..yummy!

I spied some broad beans tucked away

We planted some artichokes this year, we probably won't get any this year but the spikey plants are huge and very sculptural.

My parsley is prolific...I can freeze that.

The tomato plants are thriving

Some courgettes are ready and waiting to be transplanted (or is that a cucumber? ek! Lost the label!)

There's some mandarins on the furthest tree whilst the one closer is flowering..

The vines are sprouting..gorgous colour, so vibrant.

Dewi, waiting ..patiently in the shade.

The sky was a wonderful colour and it's been warm today..this is a redundant windpump, it's such a shame that they've been left to collapse.

The field gladioli are in bloom under the olive trees, just a glimpse of colour.

A huge 'pithoi' left in the undergrowth..

Oh dear....our potates are rearing their heads out of the ground but my photographs were so out of focus I couldn't use them...so you'll just have to believe me when I say we've got rows of spuds too...

A Brief Interval...

2010-03-19T15:13:00.002+02:00

Hello....

I'm still here..

Just finished my stint of working away from home for a month...

I've LOADS of photographs to show you but I need a few hours to gather my thoughts together...

Everything is growing madly at the moment...

Everywhere you look, folk are digging and planting veg...

Just look....

the almonds have arrived!!

I'll be back soon with some more tales and photos..

Promise...

The Tale of 3 Donkeys

2010-03-05T11:17:00.011+02:00

It's a normal thing to see around our village, donkeys are part of the older folks' lives, they are still used as transport and the carrier of all that is needed to be carried.. they also provide compost for the kypos. One can only hope that they are fed well and basically cared for, after all, it's in the owners own interest to keep the animals healthy .

Having said that...many of the villagers cannot afford the fees of a vet.

So, enter...Suzanne and Alistair ...'Walk With Donkeys'

I've blogged about them before here, they have as donkey sanctuary above Ierapetra, taking in and caring for abandoned and abused donkeys
. They also try to get vets to volunteer to spend some time with them, travelling around the surrounding villages giving free health checks, free treatment including dental checks and 'pedicures'...

So, this is where we come in..Leonie and I have discussed our worries about the health of the donkeys we see here in Houmeriakos, and yesterday..Suzanne, Alistair and 2 vets arrived..hoorah!!

The adhoc 'clinic' was on the street and 2 donkeys were quickly seen to..their hooves were cut and cleaned and their teeth were checked and scraped. The owners were given medicine and information on what they could do to help the health of these stoic beasts.
Erini, the owner of one of them told us that he'd been in her family for 50 years...can you believe that!!!! He's still a working beast, carting and carrying every day.

They were given new harnesses and the old ones were cut off and thrown away after finding sores where the rope had cut into the neck. I don't want to think of how long that had been rubbing.

I spied a fellow that was wondering what all the noise and hulabaloo was about!

After they'd had the full treatment, it was time for a bit of fun so Dominic had a ride down the street

So, off we went in search of one donkey I was particularly worried about...

we'd seen it in the lanes, carrying huge piles of wood and it's hooves were evidently in need of treatment.........................................

Luckily, we did find it and sadly, I was told it was the worst case Suzanne and Alistair had seen..

You can see from the above photo that the front hooves are severely overgrown

but the vet was more worried about the back legs and hooves

as a lay person, it's hard for me to describe what has actually happened so I hope the photo above helps my explanation... they donkey is actually walking on 'twisted ankles' the furthest hoove in the above photo, if you zoom in...well, that is supposed to be underneath... that is the 'sole' of the hoof. How painful is that..!!! it's been like that for years and the legs ar so deformed

You can imagine ...the best possible ending to this is that the poor thing is put to sleep immediately

When it was explained to the owners that the most humane thing to do was to have it put to sleep..they refused

saying they had no other transport.....no other way of carrying their wood.....their grain.... their veg fron the kypos.

So, the best was done of a bad job...it's front hooves were clipped and filed

The donkey struggled and slipped on it's back hooves when the front 2 were being seen to...such a sad sad sight!

As you can see, things are a little better at the front now.

Neighbours come to see what's going on and give their expert advise..

Now the hunt is on for another donkey so this one can be put out of it's misery and pain forever..
Please mention/pass this post around..the more people see what is being done by a handful of folk the more chance of people donating money/help/food. Thank you

For more info please go to Suzanne and Alistair's official site www.walkwithdonkeys.com/

They are on Facebook.

I've also noticed they have already written about this donkey on their site..

Gifts..

2010-02-22T13:50:00.004+02:00

Isn't the internet a wonderful thing???
A couple of months ago I asked a question on the Ravelry site, of which I'm a member.
And look what arrived in the post in answer to my question...a spindle! and some roving!!!
A very generous lady in the USA posted it to me. Her name is Rebecca Smith and she lives in Alaska USA...how cool is that!!
She wrote me a note saying the spindle is a St. Helens from Cascade Spindles and the roving is from The Vichara Monastery. I can't wait to have a go!! but I think I'll be having some lessons via You Tube first.

This was also send to me...from France.
This is so lovely, it's from John and Lindsay, who are Matt's parents.
They've had a calendar made up of some of the hundreds (thousands!!) of photographs that were taken at Bethan and Matt's wedding last September. The cover is of Trevor Hall lit up and with the marquee in front

I think if you click the collage you will be able to view the individual months a little clearer.

The quality is fantastic and the reproduced photographs are so clear.

It was made by a company called Shutterfly

I've just looked at their website, they make photobooks, cards, the lot!Definitely a closer look is needed..

Just to finish off, take alook at the seedlings...aren't they doing well?

Lily was a very brave cat this week, she went off to the vets and had a little operation...

so she won't be arriving home with some sorry tale about being pregnant and not knowing who the father is. Dewi has been very gentle with her and she seems to have recovered quickly.

In total we had 15 eggs in our first week of egg producing..does that seem average for 4 hens?

Clean Monday

2010-02-16T14:51:00.007+02:00

It's that time again..February is a busy month in Greece...There are festivals every weekend. Though alot of the towns are feeling the pinch and some celebrations have been down scaled or cancelled all together. Must admit we didn't go to any this year.

Yesterday was Clean Monday, I think I explained it last year...it's a Bank Holiday, to prepare for the coming 40 days of 'fasting', the mums spend the morning cleaning the house of all the food they will be not eating ....meat, anything with a 'backbone', eggs and dairy products. Thank goodness kalimari is excluded (a fave of mine).

The afternoon is spent partying, using up all the excess, bbqs and flying kites!! (must find out why kites, it pops up everywhere doesn't it..China, Afghanistan, but why???)

Visibility was not good to start with but as we set off for a long walk...I know, I know, we like walking!! the clouds cleared.
And so did the crowds...isn't this heavenly? 2 bays of white sand and not another person around...granted we did have to do some clambering to get there but it was very well worth it.

The sea was clear and like a mill pond, the sun was warm and soon I was paddling with our 4 legged friend
He bounded in and out of the sea..ears aflapping,
bouncing along....
quick rest...
then start again...
Dewi, behaving for a moment!!

As I wandered around looking for little gems.
Truly a wonderful afternoon. I can't wait to spend the day there in the summer especially if it stays that quiet.

Hearts and ...Eggs!!

2010-02-15T12:51:00.003+02:00

Great excitement in the kitchen this weekend...................
Our first 4 eggs from the Dixie Chicks

and another 3 today...woo hoo!!

Of course we had to have lightly boiled eggs for breakfast yesterday...words fail me!! (Never! I hear you all shout) The yolks were the most gorgeous colour...sunshine on our plates..

I'm still sticking to my 20 Minutes a day pledge.

I've been making something for Geoff for Valentine, something for our bedroom wall.

Sorry about the poor quality photos..

each heart is a different red fabric and I've been sewing the lyrics to a Van Morrison song around the edge.. I'm a bit slow at embroidery writing.......................maybe I'll finish by next Valentine's Day.

(Geoff has promised me a small gift , that's late too, but he's been making it on the quiet.

In the last couple of years I've had a stool with a heart cut out on the seat, a wittled spoon with a heart on the handle...............so watch this space!)
Best get a move on....

20 minutes a day is a wonderful idea, keeps me motivated. Of course, 20 minutes usually leads to 30, 40..minutes..... and I knit most evenings. It all adds up.
ps. Joan emailed to say her wooden leg was playing her up again after Friday's hike...my legs don't work when I try to walk downstairs....hehe

Mardati to Kroustas,

2010-02-13T19:22:00.011+02:00

Since January we have undertaken a series of hikes with friends Joan and Russell.

They normally take all day and always include scrambling, climbing, picnics, brew ups, getting lost and alot of scratched legs!!

We started this trek by driving towards Kritsa from Aghios Nikolaos. Just after Mardati, we pulled over and parked in a lay-by.

If you look carefully at the above photo, on top of the mountain centre left, you will be able to make out a radio mast....that's where we are heading, yeah!!

First hurdle is trying to get through the river without getting our feet wet...

You can see the mast clearly now and the first part of the walk is on concrete and is up a slow incline

First brew up, we sit in the church yard enjoying the wonderful sunshine.

As the track gets steeper, we enter an area shaded by trees where the flora enjoy damp and shade.

Looking over the Mirabello Bay, you can see the visibility is hindered by the dust laden breeze coming from the south, giving very pleasant temperatures for this time of year.
The track is an old donkey trail and as you may have noticed has now fallen into disuse.

This part of the walk is a little uncomfortable as these bushes have very sharp thorns, note to myself...cover legs up next time!!
Soon, we are back on a wide path and enjoying the fresh air and jolly banter..
That's Aghios Nikolaos in the mist!!!!
Over there is Sandy's house...remember the photos from the last post...how crystal clear it was!!
And here is the radio mast...I made it!
Here is a Snakes Head Iris. Below, is some almond blossom, the perfume was gorgeous!

We finally entered Kroustas...the village is 500 metres (1700 ft) above sea level. It's known for it's almond growing. Later in the year, the old ladies sit outside their houses cracking the almonds open, just as they've done for centuries.
Joan's wooden leg has decided not to work at this moment!!

Geoff's legs got their first airing!!
As usual, we had to peek in to some derelict houses, I do believe that's a sewing machine case balancing on that pithoi!

Look at the colours!! And the abandoned family photos!!

This is a very common sight at this time of year, trucks over laden with olive prunings...they are taken to feed the sheep and goats.
As we start walking back the air has cleared slightly and you can see the road the car is parked on way down below.
That is Kritsa Gorge beyond Kritsa...maybe one day we'll walk that gorge.
Last year I concentrated on the flowers of Crete but this year I'm going to tell you more about the walks/treks. But, as orchid season is just getting underway, I can't really leave this out...
This walk took us 6 hours, some parts were uncomfortable due to the stony surface. We stopped for a picnic at Kroustas.

Once back down again we all fell into the car and went home for a well earned glass of wine(or 3) and a lovely supper cooked by Joan... we slept well last night!!!!

p.s. Joan does not have a wooden leg really!!

Sewing at Sandy's

2010-02-11T16:25:00.002+02:00

It was Sandy's turn to kick her husband out of the house this morning, as we descended upon her for our weekly sewing get-together.

Do you remember this stunning view from their house? This is how it looked this morning, gorgeous!

You too could wake up to this view, if your interested... look here
We have a new addition to our little sewing group, she is also called Chris, she's the Chris on the right, above.That's Chris on the left too...and Sandy's husband is called Chris .....
Above, is Judith on the left and of course, the infamous Sandy!!
'New Chris' has introduced us to a new technique. She does 'Drawn Thread Work', it's so intricate but very effective. She must have so much patience as you have to count the threads of the fabric..
She is hoping to complete 4 and make them into cushion covers.
This is 'Original Chris's' quilt, it's for her 2nd grandchild due at the end of March. She's hand embroidered a sweet little fairy in the centre.
This is my latest quilt, made from recycled and vintage fabric. I like it... It's going to be backed with a deep red cotton.
Above and below are Sandy's latest quilts, she's our most prolific quilt maker...

The quilt below was taken from the Shabby Roses BOM on Elefantz blog last year.
And, last but by no means least is Judith's....she's been working on this for 35 years...maybe she should take a leaf from Sandy's book....oops!! Sorry Judith!! Aww, that hurt!!!

20 Minuters

2010-02-05T15:08:00.005+02:00

I recently joined a lovely little group of bloggers who have promised to craft for at least 20 minutes a day for a year. If you'd like to see more pop over to MarmaladeRose and click on the '20 Minuters' button. There's also a Flickr page dedicated to us.

For some strange reason I can't attach the button to my page at the moment but I'll keep trying.

I've got so many ideas and projects on the go at the moment my little note book is very handy...

This is a 'baktus', a traditional Norwegian scarf. It's very easy and quick to make. I first saw them on here. I then looked them up on Ravelry, found there are loads of different versions. This one is made from sock yarn so it's light but soft and warm.
I'm now knitting a mohair 'spiral scarf', I'm using a simple pattern from a stash busting book my friend Judith lent to me (thanks Judith..) This is also easy to knit and as there are only 10 stitches to deal with, I can sit in the evenings, by the 'somba' (wood burner) and enjoy clicking away to my hearts content.
I've just had a new consignment of this wonderful yarn delivered...you know who this is for don't you?? I've got a couple of projects ticked off in the Debbie Bliss baby books and will be starting something very soon....That reminds me!! I haven't photographed the last thing I knitted for the 'Bean'.
Quilt News....

For those of you who have been following for a while, I'm sure you will recognise these squares.

I believe this will be my first and last hand-sewn quilt!! I'm now starting to sew all the squares together so I'll let you know how it goes.

I've also cut out and sewn together a quilt using some vintage fabric, it's made up of 10 inch hexagons. I've got the backing fabric but I'm still sourcing the wadding, it's not easy to get over here and we've discovered it would cost in the region of 50 UK pounds to be sent by post....hahaha!!! `

A Dilapidated Post

2010-01-31T15:31:00.008+02:00

On Friday I went on a very long and strenuous walk/ramble with some friends. It took us 5 and 1/2 hours. Yesterday I was rather....tired!!

But it was well worth it and I thoroughly enjoyed it, the weather was fantastic and the company was excellant... Our husbands complained that we were too slow and if we stopped talking for a while we could walk a little faster, but of course that didn't stop us!!

I digress...

We ended up at a hamlet Geoff and I visited last year, Adrianos. It's virtually desolate, I think there's only a handful of old folk living there but some people return during the summer and the olive-picking season.

We stopped here for our picnic lunch and spent a little while peering into the windows and doors of desolate houses so this post is mainly photographs. I think they speak for themselves.....
Above is a bread oven in a delapidated house.

Just right for renovation...
Above is the outside kitchen of an old lady who has died and the whole place has just been left as if she's popped to the shops.

Below, is Joan telling me about when she used to walk past and the old lady would be sitting there, so pleased to have someone to talk to for a few minutes...

Above, another room, left just as it was when the occupant was alive.

I hope you enjoy the photographs as much as I do...It's such an insight into a Crete that very few people see.

I shall post the photographs of the walk/climb/ramble during the next week.

A Trip To Knossos.....

2010-01-20T16:24:00.005+02:00

You may or may not remember, last November we had a visit from both my daughter Bethan and my son, Gareth.

After Bethan had returned to Saudi, Geoff, Gareth and I had a trip to Knossos on the outskirts of Iraklion.

Knossos is one of the archeoligical wonders of the world as, until the start of the last century, it was thought to have existed only in mythology but the Homeric tales of King Minos, his wife Pasiphae, the Labyrinth and the Minotaur all came to life as Arthur Evans, in the early 1900's slowly uncovered this massive site.

There was habitation there for over 8 thousand years. The first palace, built 4 thousand years ago, was destroyed and then rebuilt on an even grander scale.At the height of this second period,the palace consisted of more than a thousand rooms on 5 floors. A whole town existed around it and it controlled an empire covering the whole Mediterranean linking the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe.

The Minoans were the first great civilisation of the Mediterranean Basin, they were extremely artistic and peaceable prefering to cooperate and trade rather than use military might. They traded near and far using the produce of Crete- olive oil, wine, timber, grain and imported gold, silver and gems which were used to create the wonderful artefacts that have been unearthed.

To put it in perspective, Tutankhamun, ruled Egypt, as this great palace was in decline.

Below, are some small examples of the frescoes found during excavation. The originals are to be seen in Iraklion Archeological Museum.
Contention has always dogged this site regarding Arthur Evans's reconstruction of parts of this palace. (see below)

The detractors claim that nobody knows what the palace originally looked like and of course, this sort of reconstruction would not be permitted nowadays.

In Arthur Evans's defence,many of the walls were timber-framed and as excavation proceeded these walls collapsed due to the rotten wood, therefore if nothing had been done, there would be even less to look at today. He claimed he was 'preserving' rather than rebuilding.

The above photo is a reconstructed area, if it had not been rebuilt we would never have any idea of what may have been there. Personally, I don't mind it!!
We were very lucky to be able to go out of season and the site was nearly empty of tourists but I can imagine at the height of summer it might be rather different with thousands of people there every day.

It has a lovely open air cafe and a good museum shop.

I also noticed some shady picnic areas which would be much-needed in the summer.

Hmmm!! What do you think??

2010-01-09T16:12:00.001+02:00

Can you hear the knitting needles clicking away??
I started with a Debbie Bliss pattern from her book,Simply Baby, with some gorgeous Debbie Bliss cotton yarn.
Even though Bethan says Matt has large feet, I'm not sure the baby will ever have feet big enough for these.. It could well have started school and be wearing them as socks..

So, I tried another pattern, these cute Mary Jane's look more like 0-3 months, don't you think??

I'm rather pleased with them, I know it will be June/July and it's rather hot in Saudi...
but, but, but!! Ok, shall I start knitting items that are for an older baby? For when they go to live in the UK??
But, but I like knitting tiny things...any suggestions??

What do you think of this then?
I knitted this from the home spun, hand dyed alpaca I was sent from A Bag of Olives
It's really lovely and soft and fits around my neck, brilliant idea! I can wear it with jumpers and cardies, just what I need here when I don't need a huge scarf..neat!!

Welcome the Dixie Chicks!!!

2010-01-04T16:09:00.000+02:00

Just a quick post to introduce you to the newest members of our little family.

They are the Dixie Chicks....I'm not naming them individually for obvious reasons!
We've had them a couple of months now, they were scrawny little things when we bought them, hardly a feather between them!!
Now look at them, fat, shiny feathers and a sparkle in their eyes.
Geoff sits and talks to them and, of course, he says they understand every cluck and coo.

So, I ask you, why are they not laying?????

Drassi Valley Walk.

2009-12-30T11:29:00.005+02:00

We set off to try to walk off some of the over eating and drinking we've had to do over the last few days and enjoy some of the wonderful weather we are having at the moment...it's been in the mid 20's!! Very unusual for us. Yes, I know and I'm sorry to everyone who has been suffering hardships due to the awful weather many of you are having at the moment.
Firstly, look at these!! composting toilets!! In a play/bbq area. We were amazed when we first saw them.
This area is open to all and is very popular in the summer time, there's an oven, bbqs and 2 sinks with running water. Take a closer look at the sinks.. they've been hewn out of a huge piece of stone.
The valley is full of orange and lemon trees groaning with fruit at the moment, (guess what I'll be making in the coming weeks..loads of lemon curd and marmalade, yum!
There are also olive groves here and as we walked along we could hear the hum of the generators being used to enable the electric pickers to work.

This is an ancient tree, probably been producing olives for hundreds of years. The texture of the bark is fantastic.
No, I don't think we'll climb up there today, just an amble around, it gets cold very quickly at the moment.
Back to the bbq area and the plane trees with the strange fruit. There's a source of water here which all the locals come to collect assuring us it's the best water for miles...
I'd like to wish everyone who reads my blog... peace, love and happiness in the coming year.

I, for one will try to be more peaceful, more loving and happier, I said TRY..... people who know me will chuckle at that! I'll have alot to be happy about in June when the new arrival makes it's first appearance.....can't wait!!

Take care x

Celebrations...

2009-12-26T10:26:00.007+02:00

Christmas Day 2009

Geoff joined a group of friends for a swim at Potamos Beach, Malia.

The sun was shining and the sea was like a millpond!!

He described it as 'bracing'.
My friend Chris's husband Jeff also took the plunge, along with Jane.
Jane also entertained us with carols played on her cello.
Sandy, Chris, Geoff and I then set off for our alternative day.

We found a gorgeous little church tucked into a cave, halfway down a cliff facing the sea. We brewed up the camping kettle and settled down to eat Homity Pies, butterfly cakes and mince pies.
The view from the church was tranquil, just the sound of the waves gently lapping the shore and the distant sound of the goats' bells jangling as the goats scampered precariously on the rocks above us.
We ambled back, stopping to explore a tiny cove which we will be revisiting to gather driftwood and pebbles (more later!)
On arriving home, we enjoyed a marvelous feast that Sandy had brought with her, which consisted of delicious mousaka and a stunning apple and mincemeat crumble with home made custard....along with ample alcohol.

Another Christmas adventure with Sandy and Chris,

enjoyed by all !!

How was your day?

Some Wonderful News...

2009-12-15T18:13:00.000+02:00

Remember this glorious day??
Bethan and Matt's wedding day in Sept?
Guess what? They are pregnant.....
Hoorah! Congratulations to you both!
We are all so happy, it's our first grandchild and Gareth is so looking forward to being an uncle.
Matt's parents are on their way to to Saudi at this moment to celebrate Christmas with them.
I have no photos of the wedding at the moment..eeek!! as they were all in my laptop when it died.
Yes, I've learnt a lesson!!
The baby is due in June, as soon as January comes it won't be long at all!!
I'm so excited!!!

Remember the kittens we saved?? Well, this one is the one we kept..meet Lily (Savage)
This is one of her quiet moments.

Oh, yes, can't forget Dewi... he's not learnt anything yet. Saying that, he does obey Geoff. Me??? no way, he just eats my things..Crocs, boots, scark, pjs, you name it, if it smells of me, he chews it! Any ideas on how we can stop him?

Lastly, look who will be going to live in Saudi? He needs some eyes then he'll be winging his way to wait for a little friend to be born. My knitting needles are steaming!!
Take care

The Camera Never Lies.......

2009-12-12T12:47:00.001+02:00

Whilst dog walking last week, I though I'd try to take some evocative photographs. You know the sort,

classic tiny white Greek church in the middle of nowhere.

But, no, what's this?? Where did that come from??

Oh no, there's dozens of them!!!
I can hear you say it..Hasn't she got better things to do with her time? Doesn't she know Christmas is nearly upon us? Why isn't she shopping/cooking/ wrapping presents??
My excuse..I have a cold and we don't really make a big commercial thing of Christmas. None of my neighbours will be out buying Christmas trees, turkeys, presents they can't afford.

p.s As you can see from a comment left on my last post, my son was not the only visitor we had...more later!!

While I've Been Away...

2009-12-11T16:59:00.005+02:00

...I've completed several projects and I've started a few too.
Some people like knitting socks, some people like knitting hats, others....??
I really enjoy knitting lacy scarves..don't know why..maybe it's repetition of the pattern? the soft yarn? Just don't know!

Now this looks abit strange, I must admit, I didn't have a model at hand when I took the photo. It's aran yarn, and when worn should look like the photo below...

This pattern was kindly sent to me by Cocoa and Blankets after I'd admired it on her blog.

I don't often do soft furnishings or "useful" things, give me a quilt anyday!! But I thought I'd try my hand at this little make up/ toilet bag.. What do you think??
Just to the right of it you can see my son Gareth's arm (in a t-shirt) He was over last week for a short break and the weather was truly wonderful. He made his way over from the UK to Crete by train and ferry stopping at Budapest, Sofia and Athens. On his return trip he went back to Athens then to Patras, ferry over to Bridisi, up to Rome, then to Zurich and back to the UK. He works for Rail Bookers so it was a fact finding tour as well as a quick visit to see us. So, if you ever want to know what the trains are like between Sofia and Athens or want a hotel room in Budapest, you know who to call... he's assured me his article will be blogged on Rail Bookers website next week.

Morning has Broken

2009-12-11T15:17:00.000+02:00

As I mentioned yesterday there are a several reasons I've not been blogging recently.
One is that I've spent the majority of nights for the last 5 weeks sleeping away from home... working obviously!
I love early mornings and when you rise and have this view from your window it's a bonus, well, I think!!

Even though some morning skies are the colour of dishwater, I still find it breath-taking!!

Some are simply magnificent.
Dawn is early here, approximately 6.30 am. Which is good as I sit for ages and just stare at the sky as it changes minute by minute.

All is Not What it Seems..

2009-12-10T16:20:00.004+02:00

Hello there!!
I'm back...
I'm using a dinasaur of a PC after my laptop decided to die.
It's not the only reason I've been away and I'd like to thank all the kind emails I've recieved from so many blogging friends.
So, look at these photos..
they are of the small village of Plaka near Elounda.

It's become part of the set for the film 'The Island' based on the book of the same name written by Victoria Hislop. You can see the island, Spinalonga, behind the fake wall in the above photo.

The story is fictional but based on the last years of the occupation of Spinalonga by lepers.

It's was amazing to see how authentic the set was!

Cheese anyone??

2009-10-23T11:36:00.008+03:00

Yes, it's a cheesecake!!
A delicious concoction from the best wedding in North Wales..
I'm sorry I've not been around, many reasons..but I promise to do better soon.
If anybody wants a taster of what's to come, go to
John and Lindsay's blog
Hopefully, I'llbewith you very soon
Byeeeee!!

Animal Farm...

2009-08-24T14:29:00.000+03:00

I just don't know where the time is flying to..
I blink.. another week has gone by.. is it a sign of old age??
Geoff is working everyday,but we had a bit of a scare last week when he came home feeling rough.. as he has 8 or 9 people in the Land Rover 7 days a week, it's inevitable that he worries about contracting some nasty bug.
So, Thursday night, Geoff exploded from both ends all night.. nasty nasty nasty!, He looked awful and had to cancel the Friday's drive.
I nursed him all day, he didn't want for anything!! Such a saint, I hear you whisper!!
Saturday he was still not 100% but went off to work..
Saturday night, I felt rather weird..guess what!! All hell let loose, I didn't leave the bathroom all night...
Of course, morning comes and I'm left, home alone...
Today, my headache has gone and I've eaten toast but don't make me laugh, feel like I've broken all my ribs( from all that retching!!)
Enough!!! I hear you cry!!
Ok,so, above, photos are latest of kittens. Yes, they do leave the cage but I can't photograph them then as they run faster than me!!

These are some donkeys that live at a Donkey Farm above Ierapetra. It's a charity run by an English couple.
We go there to dig up the donkey poo for the kypos.

And lastly, look at Dewi..hasn't he grown!!
He's fine, loves to go on long walks, but can be a stubborn little (not so much little anymore) cuss!
We've only one angel fish now!
I'm on nights for a week now, then a plane trip to Wales, can't remember why though....
AAAAaaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!
I'm SO excited!!!

Why Don't I Keep My Nose Out of Things..

2009-08-10T13:19:00.002+03:00

Ok, there I was waiting for a lift..
minding my own business.... a neighbour walks past with a heavy bin bag....we pass the time of day.... Only one thing.. I can hear a persistant meaowing, it's only when she passed I realised the sound was coming from the bin bag that she was the throwing into the communal refuse bins across the road.
With Leonie and Judith, we foraged in the smelly bin and amidst the maggots and other daily rubbish we found 4 kittens tied inside another bag.

We all know the Greek attitude to cats and dogs is rather, shall we say.....ok!... dubious.
But why, oh, why, didn't this woman, if she didn't want the kittens,drown them at birth.. they were well fed, cared for and tame and 5-6 weeks old. Instead she stuffed them in a plastic bag and then piled all her other rubbish on top and walked down to a refuse bin with them squealing..

They are being looked after and will be hopefully adopted by people in the Netherlands, Germany and other European countries.
The charity V.O.C.A.L. arranges fostering (which I'm doing, much to Dewi's excitement) and adoption. They also arrange neutering of cats .

Neither Geoff or I are cat lovers but hate the fact that people here are reluctant to have their cats and dogs neutered, claiming it weakens them. or, best of all, the males are not so macho!!

p.s.
As some of you may know Greece tried for the 3rd time to go smoke free from July..
We thought it was going really well, until we went to a reopening of a pizza restaurant, owned by a local Cretan . Brand new premises in the centre of Neapoli (not a tourist area)
The guy at the cash till, next to the sevice area, lit up!! He was serving all the takeaways with a cigarette hanging from his bottom lip..
It's count down to wedding now..5th Sept..
Really excited, Geoff has time off, we have the tickets to Manchester..
I've NOT got my outfit
I'm NOT at the weight I expected to be
but I'm still walking miles up mountains at 6.30 in the morning (and enjoying it)
Geoff is working every day with the Jeep Safaris, which is better than we expected at the beginning of the season.
I'm still cooking all the fab produce from our kypos and am planning to make jars of tomato sauce tomorrow.

To A Dear Uncle....R.I.P

2009-07-27T12:58:00.005+03:00

Some of you may remember Geoff and I travelling across the island last summer to spend the day with my aunt and uncle who were holidaying in Agia Galini.
Sadly,I have received the news he died suddenly yesterday.
Paul was married to my mum's youngest sister and I've known him for many, many years. He was a quiet, gentle chap with a cheeky sense of humour and will be missed by everyone who knew him. My love goes out to Sue.
In respect, I shall not be blogging for a while.

Sue, Geoff and Paul in Agia Galini last summer.

Celebrations

2009-07-26T16:51:00.009+03:00

See, I told you menopausalmusing , mad things...
Just to say, go look at John and his celebrations in France, looked like a wonderful time. Wine tasting and loads of fab food made by Lindsay. Congratulations John, looking forward to seeing you both at the do..

Friday Shoot-Outs.. Reflections.

2009-07-24T17:53:00.002+03:00

I'm away from home working this week so I best be quick....

I'd have to have one of a pool!

Friday Shoot-Out. Yard Objects

2009-07-17T09:25:00.004+03:00

My friend Jenny, visiting from England, relaxing in the shade, while I weed and water our kypos.
All important business is done over a Greek coffee. You can also buy anything you need for supper out of the back of a van while you're there...snails, raki?
A quiet,cool corner to relax and read.
Rather a bad photo but couldn't resist this al fresco area by the side of the road..
My neighbour Sofia, sitting outside her home, waiting to chat to anyone who has the time.
More important discussions.......notice the lack of women?? Probably, in the kitchens or working in the allotments.
A cool courtyard.

It's That Time of Year Again!

2009-07-15T09:07:00.003+03:00

I've not posted much about the kypos, it's fine.. everything is growing fast and we spend an hour most evenings watering, weeding and gathering our lovely home grown produce..
But, as usual we have the glut of courgettes, too many to eat and I must say, I do get slightly fed up with eating them every day!!
So, I took Maria, Organically Cooked advice and did some batch cooking. I made 10, yes, 10 trays of boureki.

The longest job was slicing courgettes, courgettes and more courgettes and potatoes.
They are then layered, courgettes and potatoes. A layer of mizithra cheese, ( feta would be easier for anyone living outside Greece, I think.)with a handful of chopped mint. Then another layer of potatoes and courgettes. Top that with a layer of sliced tomatoes. Add some stock or water, some olive oil drizzled over the top and season with salt.
Bake until the potatoes are cooked, remember to check that they don't dry up, just add some more stock when needed.

They can be frozen uncooked or cooked.
No, I'm not the next Nigella. I promise I shall not make a habit of trying to run through recipes for you.. just thought this was worth a mention. Delicious!!

Lastly,couldn't resist showing this photogragh of these 2 enjoying a day on the beach, don't they look funny!! Geoff is looking out to sea...not leering at some bikini clad floozy!

Friday Shoot Out, Texture.

2009-07-10T10:51:00.002+03:00

This is solid rock formations on the beach near us

My door knocker

A neighbours door.

Dooby, dooby, Dubai!!

2009-07-06T11:57:00.003+03:00

Ok, I know, I visited Dubai in May..
You can imagine how many photograghs I took, 100s....
I've tried to make a blog of it but it just didn't work, I couldn't choose!
So, I've taken the easy way out.
The first collage is mainly in and around Dubai. There's some photos of the ski slope!! and the ice skating rink inside one of the malls.
It's so hot over there, one just doesn't wander around like I'm so used to, I felt like a fish out of water sometimes. We did go to the beach and swimming was out of this world, it was so warm.Unfortuneately, it is illegal to take photos on the beach.
We had some fabulous meals out, one at the Buddha Bar, very swish..
Another activity not to be missed if you ever go to Dubai is a 'Dubai Brunch'.. it started at 12.30 and we finally crawled out dragging our heavy stomaches with us after 3.00. We met friends of Bethan's and had views to die for from the 30th floor.

Then the one above is of 2 trips we did, one was on the Big Red Bus, well recommended, to see the souks and waterside.
My friend Liz and I also went dune dumping, the desert was amazing, I loved it, I had a henna tattoo, and we ventured off on a camel.
I think I'll gradually drop more photos into different posts, I wanted to get these out and to thank Bethan xx and Liz and Kev xx
I had a wonderful time
It felt like a completely different world.

Naughty Blogger!

2009-07-06T10:59:00.005+03:00

I'm so so sorry, It was very rude of me, I forgot to post photographs of the lovely giveaways that have been winging their way to me in the last week or 2.
So, to Elizabeth Creates, who sent me the set of beautifully photograghed cards and that little bird, he happily sways in the breeze, though he looks as if he's talking to the wall now.. thank you.
to Soulbrush, for my South Africa tea towel, thank you.
and lastly, to Frieda Oxenham, who sent me my first ATC, it's gorgeous, all that work on such a tiny piece!!

Now, look, above, can you see the tree is laden with pomegranites and it right next to my back door!! I'll be keeping a very close, beady eye on them....... mind you, none of my neighbours seem terribly interested in them..

This, this little beauty is my absolute favourite at the moment.
I bought this when I lived on the boat and it was going dizzy growing around a wire hoop.
So, a few weeks ago, yes, only a matter of weeks, we gently unwound it and helped it up this trellis. Do you think it's happy? I think it's truly, truly estatic...it's running along.

And the perfume in the evening is exquisite!!
Sorry, for anyone who doesn't recognise it...stephanotis

A Quick Visit.

2009-07-04T11:06:00.000+03:00

I'm still here, just!
Firstly, I've designed, made and posted the invitations to the wedding of Bethan and Matt.
We are now getting a steady flow of replies.

Then, I spent a week sleeping away from home with this stunning view from my bedroom. This is early morning, just as the sun was rising and I was going to swim in the pool. Just before you all get the wrong idea, no, I wasn't on holiday..I was working!! Ha, ha! What a life, hmm??

Here's Dewi, he came running in with this dangling from his jaws!!
The neighbour was plucking a cockeral and gave Dewi this to chew on. The puppy is having teething problems at the moment and at one time last week barely had a tooth in his mouth, so he's enjoying sucking this to bits.

Last, this gorgeous flower is the caper. It's rampant in the countryside. I've picked a jar full of the buds and pickled them. It's the first time I've done this so I'll let you know how they turn out.
It's rather warm now so I'm walking at 6.30 am. Dewi and I now do about 7 to 7.50kms and get back just in time to say bye to Geoff as he heads off for the day.
I've not blogged for a while but I've been popping in to see what's going on...
Take care.

A Walk to Remember (my Mate)

2009-06-13T16:57:00.006+03:00

I was pleasantly surprised when I took the car in to be serviced this week.
The young chap asked if I wanted a lift somewhere, rather than sit in the garage for 2 hours.
So he dropped me at Almyros Beach. This was a favourite of Jose and mine when we lived on the boat. We'd walk to this beach on a 'pedestian only' path every day, then Jose would run up and down the beach while I threw sticks and beachcombed. Of course, it's covered in sun beds and umbrellas in the summer months but we'd be up extra early and sneek on at 6.30 am. before all the sun worshippers arrived.
That's Aghios Nickolaos in the distance and you can see the masts of the yachts if you enlarge the photo. I felt rather sad as I walked along, still expecting to see the little white mutt come running up to me. But the view is stunning and I love walking by the sea.
Looking back to where I'd started.
There's a beautiful cove along the way, a little stony for some but that means less people!
This taverna is new, wasn't here when we walked along here!

Looking over a fence I noticed this cockerel eating last nights left-overs from a cafe.

Now, talk about secluded! these 2 have found a lovely little spot, you can find these gorgeous spots if you have a dinghy. Maddie!!

These chaps must have been extremely important!! Fantastic views from the dead centre of Ag Nik!!
Bit too hot for Crazy Golf.
Well, we're nearly there now. This is Ammos Beach, one of the town's beach's, it's lovely and clean, close to loads of cafes, taverna and amenities. This is where I used to swim when I lived in the marina as it's next door.
I used to swim around that break-water.
I'll leave you now, time for a cold drink before I do some shopping and pick up the car.
Hope you visit again soon!

Friday Shoot Out

2009-06-12T12:23:00.004+03:00

Things beginning with M
That's the subject for the 'Friday Shoot Out'
So, first photo, above, is My Mountain Village (but also, for the eagle eyed amongst you, there's a M in them there mountains!!)
Second, above, Manifold. This is the contraption that all the water pipes from the main supply start from to water everyone's vegetable plots. Each has a water meter and a lock.
Next is Marble, this is embedded in our front door. It's a very old hand-made marble and glows when the sun shines through it. The shadows are the grape vine outside.
Lastly, this is Maria, with her sisters, chatting in the courtyard.

Flying By

2009-06-08T13:55:00.001+03:00

I can't believe how time is flying by...
I've got photos from Dubai that I've still not downloaded.
We've done some hill walking recently behind our village so I've got some lovely views to show you...
Can you guess what the first photo above is?? Yes, of course, they are carob pods. They'll turn brown soon. I heard them described as 'donkey's chocolate'.

This is my attempt at a typical Cretan recipe...it's hortopita, a wild greens pie! I found the recipe on Organically Cooked
Maria lives in Crete, but on the opposite side from me, in Hania.
A neighbour gave my a huge carrier bag of vlita, which is a wild green that grows here, it's very nutritious and grows everywhere. I added fennel, mint, oregano, onion and misithra (a cheese that's similar to ricotta) The pastry is filo and I threw some seeds on top. Very easy and it tastes divine. I made 2... one is in the freezer but I don't think it will be there long.

More food, gosh, what's up with me?? Must be hungry..
This is an example of the mezedes you would get at Nikos's when you order a jug of wine. There's dolmades, fava, pork in tomato, mixed vegetables, garlic toast and a salad, most of this is from produce that has been grown by Nikos's father. Imagine, a couple of jugs, with this amount of food each time, then you have greek salad, souvlaki, chips.... The bill for this feast, including a couple of rakis and fruit, for 4 is approx. 26 euros. Not bad!!

Need abit of a sit down in the shade now.
Believe it or not, this is our equivelent of the garden shed, ha ha!! There's still some oranges at the top of that tree.
Can you see my hammock chair? Well, you need a snooze after all the weeding and watering.

Local Transport

2009-06-03T12:19:00.003+03:00

The temperature yesterday was in the 30's,(85f+) rather hot and sticky.
But this dear neighbour is still covered head to toe in warm black woolies, including Nora Batty stockings/socks gathering in folds around her ankles. The donkey, carrying fodder back to it's home.

Although if she was a man... she'd probably be driving around in one of these delightful vehicles. They are all the rage here, you're absolutely nobody if you don't have one, dahling!! This one is seen being driven around Houmeriakos every day. Notice the stone in front of the front wheel, just in case!!

They're very helpful for getting up some of the steep hills, but not so good at cornering.

This is very smart, just look at the awning! Yes, I know it's a rotivator with a trailer on the back, but I want one!! They are like hen's teeth to get hold of.

The End of a Beautiful Day

2009-06-03T10:45:00.002+03:00

Time, as usual is flying by...
This is the afternoon of the last post.
Sadly, my camera battery died whilst I was taking all the photographs up at Katharo, so these were taken with my phone camera. Hence they are not as clear.

We walked beside the sea, taking in the gentle lapping of the waves and the crystal clear sea.
We're so lucky to live on such a diverse island, all those wonderful flowers and such a vista in the morning.
Then a quick drive down to the coast and just look....

Yes, that is Geoff on his hands and knees, he spied 2 parrot fish lying on the tiny jetty. Whether the fisherman forgot them or what, but it did seem such a shame they'd been left. There was no one around. No, we didn't take them.
Finally, we had a much needed swim here, from this tiny cove, not another soul around, it was delightful.
Dewi had his first ever swim too, took to it like a duck to water....so to speak!!
Well, no, of course not!!...you didn't really expect photos of me... with my swimming costume on, did you???

Busman's Holiday

2009-05-31T10:35:00.008+03:00

As this is photograghically heavy (what's new!!I hear you shout..)
I'll try to keep the blurb to a minimum, yes, I said try...
As you know Geoff works throughout the summer months driving a Land Rover on the Jeep Safaris. Considering we are in a recession, we've been very surprise at the amount of people who have been on the trip during May.
He loves it, showing people a wild and beautiful part of where we live, which most tourists would not normally see. So it's no surprise, that he wanted to take me up there, on his day off..
This is Katharo, a plateau above Kritsa.
Now, you have to remember looking at the photos, we are at a height that is, higher than Snowdonia.....
The whole of the plateau at the moment is awash no, ablaze, with colour. It's stunning and I'm so glad we went. I only hope you get some idea of the colour and diversity of wild flowers in bloom now. The most prolific at the moment is the vetch, which is from the pea family. We saw trucks brimming over with it being driven down the mountain roads to feed the sheep and goats on the coast. You can also see poppies, gladiolii,chamomile. If you want a closer view just click each photo.

We also spied one of the few orchids left of the season, pyramidal orchid.
Dewi chased tadpoles in some of the water that is still trickling down the mountainside from the remaining spots of snow,
This is Mount Dikti, yes, there's still snow up there!!

It's a shame my camera has not got all the singing and dancing lens of others. If it had, I could have shown you the dozens of larks or the choughs that were flying around making such sweet music.
We also saw 12 griffon vultures circling around. I'll try to get a photo sometime but most of the time they are up in the thermals looking out for lunch.

I tried to convince myself that walking for 2 hours up there, at altitude!!, does more for me than my daily walks down in Houmeriakos but I think I'm kidding myself.
It was so much cooler up there, that's why some families have summer homes up there. The shepherds also bring their herds of sheep and goats to graze on the lush grass that is lacking in the summer months on lower ground. There are also small orchards of apples and pears too.
It's a small place though, as we were driving off the plateau, we met the lovely Sandy (of the beautiful quilts, cushions and efilumps) and her husband Chris taking in the views with their friends.

Hey, guess what??
That was the morning...
want to see what happened in the afternoon??
Maybe tomorrow............

I've Come Home to......

2009-05-29T14:04:00.001+03:00

Yes, I'm back from my travels, still a little subdued, but better.
My photos from Dubai need sorting and it will take time so I thought I'd start small... with a few shots of what's been happening while I've been away.
Firstly, the pots around my back door are stunning, need a little tidying, but I'm not too happy with perfection in a garden!

Here's Geoff, last night, arranging the water pipes that will keep the veg from shriveling and dying in the hot summer months.
This is 'agricultural water', cheaper than tap water and not potable. You can also see the huge pile of grass/weeds etc. that we dug out of this area a few weeks ago. From 1st of May to the end of Oct. it's illegal to have a bonfire or burn anything here so that will have to wait.
It was dusk when I took this photogragh hence the quality is not good, but I think you can see the plants are thriving.We've got tomatoes, okra, cucumber, courgette, lettuce, peas, kohl rabi growing at the moment. we've also got seedlings waiting to be transplanted. We are behind most people but things grow so quickly in this climate,I think we'll be ok.
There's strawberries in another bed, I test them everytime I go down...

The wild hollyhocks are everywhere at the moment adding a splash of colour around every corner.

And these beautiful little campanulas were hidden in a wall crevice by a well.

Sincerely.......Thank You.

2009-05-17T09:55:00.004+03:00

Two weeks on, it seems like a lifetime sometimes, but then, it feels like minutes ago.
We are getting into different patterns in our daily lives.
Dewi is getting used to sleeping on his own.
Geoff is getting used to not having a little white shadow chasing him about.
Me?
I'm just getting used to it, whatever 'it' is.
Family, friends and bloggers have been marvellous, thank you. Thank you for all your comments left on my blog, 74! I can't believe it!
Thank you for all the emails, the phone calls and texts..
I actually went out yesterday, for the first time in 2 weeks, with Chris, Sandy and Judith, we went to Jean's coffee morning. Jean brought a huge amount fabric ,yarn, patterns, books and other crafty goodies over to Crete but now is unable to use most of it so she's selling it.

We have seeds, seedlings and plants growing in the kypos. Oh, yes we have.......John..!
I've got a couple of ideas up my sleevies...
I've borrowed a couple of ?? to do some carding, of a fleece that I've washed. Sorry, don't know the words but I'm sure someone will help me out??
From Jean's, I bought an old crochet pattern book and some fine yarn.............
Leonie has started her new business, good luck! Had my eyebrows waxed yesterday, thank you Leonie. It was painless, honest!She'll wax anything for you......................or your man!

The biggest news is, I'm off to Dubai on Tuesday...wow!!
It's a birthday gift from Bethan, my daughter.She organised it ages ago. We're going to stay with friends who we've known for 30 years.So I'm really looking forward to catching up with Liz and Kev, saw them 7 years ago last, when they came to our wedding (7 years ago TOMORROW!! Happy Anniversary Geoff xxxx)
I'm arriving a day earlier then Bethan. (Her weekend is Thurs. and Fri. in Saudi Arabia) Liz and I will have lost our voices by then.
We're going to do some shopping and some sight seeing, it's all very exciting. I'm desperately trying to find some 'tidy' clothes (sounds Welsh!!)
p.s. in case you're wondering, the black and white photo above?? It was taken on April 17th, Greek Orthodox Good Friday this year. Geoff is holding a basket which Thali, our neighbour gave us, full of Easter biscuits, cakes and dyed eggs.. Of course, Jose is keeping a close eye on them..

It's Raining, (in my heart)

2009-05-04T14:53:00.002+03:00

Jose, from San Jose, Almeria, Spain. Love at first sight for me, when I saw him. He was a scrap of a thing that fitted on my hand.
We thought about it for seconds, would he manage living on a boat, would he miss the smells, would he learn to cock his leg on a rocking boat?
The first week we had him,he fell overboard and nearly drowned, it put him off swimming and barked like mad when we went in the sea.
He learned all about sailing and could coil lines better than us. He was seasick a couple of times but aren't we all? He used to stop eating and hold on til we took him ashore, honest!
He travelled around the Med with us visiting exciting places, though he didn't much like Mount Etna, too hot on the paws.

Friends came to stay and played games with him, very sociable and he has his own FaceBook page with more friends than Geoff.

These photograghs were taken last week on the beach, he loves chasing waves.
When Geoff went back to the UK to work I stayed here, living on the boat and Jose and I had many great adventures. He went to the beach every day and raced up and down for hours. He was my constant, my mate, he knew everything, every mood, all the tears and laughter. We would dance together, shower together and yes, I admit it, he shared my bed, he was my shadow. We both shared a dislike for the horrid plank that we should have used to get on and off the boat so he had a harness that I used as his handle, then I would lift him into the dinghy and get ashore like that. He used to sit on my shoulder, being vertically challenged, he had a better view up there.
He and Dewi managed to live together and even share the same bed. Jose was not too keen when Dewi took him for a walk, holding his lead, it was so funny, Jose barked with indignation. Geoff came back to live here, we were a little family, he was our baby we couldn't have. We would walk for miles and miles, sniffing and peeing on everything. loved his wirey hair, his chocolate coloured eyes that could read my moods.
So.... we were standing laughing and joking yesterday, trying to get the rotivator to work,outside our house. It isn't a road, not a highway,it's a deadend. We get a couple of neighbours walking past every day.
Jose and Dewi were admiring the view and waiting for a walk, Geoff turned and Jose was convulsing........
He ran to Leonie's for the antidote, poisoning is rampant here. I picked him up and ran to our neighbours, time stood still but rushed as everyone shouted instructions, he'll be ok,we got the antidote quickly, make him sick. All the time my baby is convulsing, frothing, pooing.
Then he died, in my arms, I felt him die, just like that.............
I've not stopped crying. Can't see the keys.
I held him for hours, carried him around the house, put him on the bed. The neighbours came around and told me maybe he was in a coma, he shouldn't have died, we gave him the antidote.
There's no reason why poison should have been put down by my house. All my immediate neighbours are devastated, they have cats. It's illegal to leave poison around but who cares?
If I find out who did this I will rip their heart out and see if they feel a fraction of the pain we are feeling.
Finally we took him to the garden and Geoff dug a hole under the orange tree while I cradled Jose and told him how much we're going to miss him.He's got a new bandana on and he's wrapped up in Geoff's old fleece. As we left it started raining and hasn't stopped yet. Geoff had to work this afternoon, he looks awful.
I've taken Dewi for a walk and keep expecting to see Jose running away from his poo like he's got the devil chasing him, always done it, don't know why or wiggling his bum, did I tell you he was gay? He's 5 and still a virgin. Rest easy Jose, I love you.

I'm not going to blog for a while.

We Can Do It, Yes We Can!!

2009-05-02T08:46:00.004+03:00

Firstly, here's my May Day posy, pinned to the lintel above the door.
This post is for everyone who read the last post and tittered to themselves, thinking we'd gone mad, trying to clear an overgrown garden and get vegetables from it this season...

And, look, see! We cleared half the kypos in an afternoon..
We didn't find any long lost tribe, in fact we didn't find anything! I thought we'd at least see a snake or vole or spider but no, just an old tree, rotting. That's the start of our winter wood pile then...
Geoff climbed up the rickety old windmill to try and get a better view.
From May 1st, as a precaution, you are not allowed to have fires out in the countryside,(we've all seen those awful photos of the wild fires in Greece,) so we shall have to leave half the garden untouched and pile the weeds and rubbish up until the autumn.

There were loads of oranges lying beneath the tree, rather bitter though. I've just made 14 jars of marmalade so I think I'll leave well alone. We found a tree with tiny, satsuma type fruit. Some of the other trees are covered in blossom so the whole garden smells of a summery citrus perfume.

This is Houmeriakos in the foreground, it looks rather large and sprawling here but no, just narrow. The quality of photograghs is not good as Geoff was looking into the sun, but if you click the image it gets a little better.
Judith, from My Cretan Life lives in Vrissis which is the next village up above.
I'm off to look for more wool this morning. A friend came over here, bringing all her crafty things, now she's decided to sell alot of it as she has arthritis.
The weather is good most of the time, each morning starts with clear blue skies but by the evening it's clouded over.
Temperatures are good though.
Geoff has gone off to work already, the jeep safaris are picking up, which is good.
So, as long as I can pick up a spade this afternoon, you know where I'll be.......................................

Have We Bitten Off More Than We Can Chew?

2009-04-30T22:24:00.003+03:00

After going to the beach this morning ( see post below..)
we were given the key to our new kypos (key-pos)
Our neighbours Dimitris and Thalia live in Athens and come back to their family home for holidays so do not use their garden.They said we could use it, it means we don't have to go back and to to Limnes to do the watering etc.
Do you think we've bitten off more than we can chew, considering everyone else is planting their seedlings out???

It's surrounded by orange, lemon and pomegranite trees. There's a well for water. And it can be locked too which is good.
I'll let you know how we get on.....
I'm sure we brought 2 dogs down here with us........

Beachy Day

2009-04-30T21:46:00.003+03:00

I shouldn't really show you this place, it's a well kept secret.
This, believe it or not is one of the best places to go and eat al fresco.
Just look, it's 2 steps from the sea. Can you imagine it? You've had a relaxing day on the beach, reading, swimming, snoozing, then you saunter over to these make shift tables ( made from the cable drums) and sit under the trees and watch the stars appear in the sky as you sip retsina or ouzo over ice.
The menu is adequate..... greek salad, souvlaki and chips, everything made to order, fresh and tasty.
Maria, who runs the kantina has help, her daughter and her daughter's son. But the son is about 12 this year and always looks like he wants to be off playing with his mates, who can blame him??
It's best get here early because by 8 o'clock in the evening the place is filling up and by 9 it will be full of local people who know where to get a good meal. That is, of course, in a couple of weeks time, nobody rushes around here. I'll be here, waiting for you....
ps. don't forget to go to the loo before you come though, or else you'll be taking a trip into the bushes!

We went down there today to walk the dogs on the beach and collect some pebbles, I want them for decoration. It was warm and sunny and we were the only people on the beach, it's a local beach so the tourists who are out here now don't get to come down.
There's no sunbeds and umbrella, no facilities, just the sea, some tamarisk trees and a gorgeous view, we've seen kingfishers down here too.

Dewi had a paddle and really enjoyed himself.
It was bliss.
The temperature has risen to mid 20's now and the sea is warming up.
It's one of the best times of the year, everything is still quiet but there's some expectancy in the air.
Hope it's a good season for everyone.

Quilts and Crochet Catchup

2009-04-24T15:34:00.004+03:00

I haven't seen my friend Sandy for a while, the season has started early for her and she's already had guests in her beautiful apartments. So it was great when she popped by a couple of days ago with 2 completed quilts.....
They are so lovely!! The first one was made from her friend's father's shirts. He died and so Sandy has made this memory quilt for her. She's called it Heart Strings.

The pink one was made from recycled fabrics bought from the bazaars.That one is called Lasithi Windmills. She likes to give everything names.....don't ask what mine is!!

This is a close up of the middle of the squares of the first quilt so you can see the hearts and how she has used an embroidery stitch called the Cretan Stitch to applique them on.
Makes my little crocheted bag look rather insignificant...
I've made it as a test piece, think I might make it a bit bigger next time. This one is handy for keeping my ongoing crochet project in. This photo was rather rushed so you can't see the lovely little button in the middle of the flower.
I met Chris today for a walk, I'll make some arrangements with her so I can go and take photos of her finished projects very soon.
Keep forgetting to tell you, I've joined "Today's Title Is" It's a photograghic blog started by Helen of Heb Art, go have a look sometime, there's some lovely images to be seen......
I'm still ploughing through designing and making wedding invitations, nearly finished. I'll be back to completing my quilts then, I have a cunning plan.....

Everything Comes To Those Who Wait

2009-04-23T09:06:00.002+03:00

Throughout the season I've shown you many stunning examples of the wild and sometimes rare flowers we have here.
But for me this is the most stunning of them all. It's Dracunculus Vulgaris or Dragon Arum. It stands about 3 feet high and lives in the shady undergrowth of the olive groves.
The first time I saw one was about 4 years ago, we were out exploring in the car and I saw this flash of colour. The car screeched to a halt and I was out scrambling about trying to get close enough for a decent shot.
I've had my eyes peeled for any signs of them flowering for a couple of weeks now and I was finally rewarded yesterday.
I love the colour, it's so rich and sensuous. The texture is velvety, though it glows like satin.

The leaves too are beautiful in their own right. The stem is stripped like a tiger but sadly my photo was rather blurred.

Soon the undergrowth will be filled with these wondrous plants but for now I'm enthralled by the singular rareness of my favourite plant. Some might say it's too showy but I think it has a darkness to it, as it emerges from the bushes like an alien. It's life is very short and soon it looses it strength and collapses, deflated.
As with all things that are so beautiful, it does have one flaw......
it stinks like rotting flesh.

Get Your Dancing Shoes On

2009-04-21T13:08:00.005+03:00

Well, more of that later,.
Firstly I've got to thank Soulbrush for my award, "Certified Queen of Blogs"
Sorry I'm so late.
I'd like to pass it on to
My Cretan Life who writes about her craftwork and renovating a home here in Crete
A Quilters Journal who has been posting about a trip along Route 66 with her husband
Cocoa and Blankets a lovely blog and recent posts of a trip to Venice
Little Over Living another crafty blog, Jenny makes gorgeous quilts.
If any of you choose to accept, link back to me and send it off to as many fellow bloggers as you want. You can copy my button.

Also, a huge thank you to Lydia of 'Waving or Drowning, Reflections of a Working Mum' for sending this gorgeous parcel. I was suffering from some nasty germs a couple of weeks ago. So she kindly sent me a tub of Rose and Almond oil Vaseline for my sore lips, although I'm not suffering anymore, it's delicious! The gingerbread Adam and Eve were scrummy and just look at that pack of tissues!! One side says Bless and the other says You!!! Aren't they wonderful?? I'm saving them for the wedding, think I'll be sharing them with Mother of the Groom.......
Sunday was Easter Sunday here and also my birthday.
We were invited to our neighbours, Dimitri and Thalia. They live in Athens and come over to their family home for holidays.
I shall be posting about that within the next couple of days, just got sort photos out. The sparkly shoes were Little Thalia's who danced the afternoon away.

Falmouth Working Boats 1

2009-04-15T18:19:00.004+03:00

It seemed that several of my blogging friends were heading down to Cornwall over the Easter holidays. I felt... homesick... and I spent a while remembering happy times while I lived there.
We are still ploughing through boxes and boxes of our belongings which were in storage for a few years while we were sailing here but during the weekend I found this collage of photos of the Falmouth Working boats.They are rather grubby and a little torn around the edges but the memories are still intact....

I spent several summer seasons crewing on these wonderful traditional boats and had many friends who enjoyed it with me. If you are local you may recognise some faces, slightly older now as these photos were taken the the mid 1990's.

In fact, that's me, above, with Robin and Howard. Julian is on watch above.
We crewed "Agnes" who was one of the younger boats, some were nearly 100 years old. Some owners would not allow women on board, bad luck. The working boats belonged to a small fleet of oyster dredgers and Agnes had spent some of her life actually doing that. Some boats are built these days just to race. None of them race with engines so it's all the power of the wind and stratagy by the boss.

Falmouth Working Boats 2

2009-04-15T18:14:00.005+03:00

We had some adventures each summer, especially when we sailed to Fowey for Fowey Week, it mostly involved copious amounts of warm Bass. When the mast snapped just before the start of the racing season it was 'all hands on deck' to make another from a tree trunk....
It takes approximately 8 strong folk to sail Agnes, we all assigned our special jobs.

Above is Jane, my best friend, enjoying some damp weather.

Rounding a bouy when all the fleet was screaming along in full sail was hair raising to watch and to be in there was quite scary sometimes.
Below is Pamela, she thoroughly enjoyed her days out and I have many memories that I have to keep to myself but they do make me giggle even now.
I hope people get to see the fleet when they visit Falmouth in the summer months, it is a stunning sight and I'm very proud that I was, once, a part of it.

Still Waiting.....for Easter.

2009-04-12T10:22:00.000+03:00

I'd like to thank everyone who commented on my last post, I had over 40 between the 3 groups of flowers. I've never had so many!!
In typical Greek tradition my back door is surrounded by an array of plants, miniature roses (bought from Lidl last year and stll alive!)geraniums (cuttings collected from random places) honeysuckle, I thought it wasn't going to survive but it's now romping away! mint, gardenia and stephanosis, both of which are in bud now. They are in an assortment of recycled containers, including the large feta tins that the shops have. On the chair is the latest carrier bag of lemons to have been delivered by neighbours, they are so succulent and fresh.

I've completed this cushion. Following Attic 24's instructions it's made from recycled items. It's for a friend's 'big' birthday. unfortunately, I did not go to her party.

Today is Palm Sunday, some people are still fasting, not eating milk, cheese, anything with a backbone etc. The bells have been ringing and the priests chanting since very early this morning and this week is a build-up for next weekend, when there will be huge celebrations. Plenty of lamb and kid will be roasted and bbq'd.
Finally, the monster! Look at him, butter wouldn't melt??? He still doen't understand 'no' and loves chewing anything that I wear..
He clearly loves Geoff and dispairs of me, as I don't laugh when he scampers in with half of a beloved plant of mine in his needle sharp teeth.

This is What Crete is Famous for..........................1

2009-04-07T10:34:00.009+03:00

As some of you know Crete is known throughout the world for it's rare and wild flowers.
There are many species here that are not found anywhere else and many of those are becoming extremely rare. That is why my friend Julia has set up a charity, to help bring attention to and to try to educate people.
We are now in the middle of the very short season where Crete is in bloom. With the hedgerows and hillsides covered in wild flowers. Some are very common, the poppy, chamomile and borage for example but if you look a little harder there are hidden jewels.
As usual,this post is 3 posts long... so please scroll down after reading this 1 to 2 and 3!!

We were lucky enough to uncover this odd specimen, it's commonly know as Cretan Birthwort (Aristolochia cretica) or you may know it as Dutchman's Pipe. This species is only found on Crete and Karpathos and is quite rare.

The orchids are stunning, most are tiny though and can be overlooked quite easily. I do have the names of all the orchids, but if you want more information please visit Julia's site. I have only written the names which sound like fun..........The markings on the lip are to attract pollinating bees

This is What Crete is Famous for...........2

2009-04-07T10:26:00.004+03:00

All these have such wonderful names.
They were also found within 2 kilometres of where we live,, mostly on the kerbside or in the olive groves.

Below, can you see, each little cluster looks like a monkey?.....It's a Wavy leaved Monkey Orchid (orchis italica)

This is What Crete is Famous for...........3

2009-04-07T10:21:00.003+03:00

All along the lanes there's an abundance of sage and broom.

The black pipe you can see now and again is the watering system used for the olive groves, we are in the open countryside.
A cistus endemic to Crete.

There's no words needed really, the blooms speak for themselves.

Fields of gladioli