The Sixth Week

Day 40 - Friday 9.5.14

Beautiful day again to wake up to, weather has warmed up very nicely now. No more jumpers! We went down to the beach for Poppy to have her daily dip.

Sharons pool bar is up and running now and the '4 o'clock club' was in full flow, a little bit early. I finally met Dave Smith who introduced my grand-daughters to the 4 o'clock club last year. Emily is officially the youngest member.













Then spent a very happy couple of hours with Eileen and Keith at Villa Linakis - it is so beautiful - such a tranquil setting.

 Nice wine too!

It was lovely hearing the story of how it came about. They are very pleased to have bookings for the whole of the Summer up to September.

We went for a Pizza tonight and then back to the Marvel for a nightcap and a piece of Apple Pie.

Phil played Darts - he won so was a happy bunny.











Day 41 - Saturday 10.5.14              9am and the temperature is 18.4deg C 

Kato Savatokiriako = Happy weekend. I am trying to learn a few more Greek words - other than Yiamas = cheers and Efharisto = thank you.
We went to the Marvel while Vasso cleaned and watched Kath and Ann swimming in the very cold pool. Then walked down to the beach for Poppy to have her swim we joined in with the 4 o'clock club. I had 'my first of the season'  piece of Sharon's delicious Lemon cake. There were 10 of us at one point. This evening we went to the Marvel to watch the Eurovision Song Contest - what was that all about? 

We drowned our sorrows with a boozy coffee and Chocolate cake to share.












Day 42 - Sunday 11.5.14

When I got up my feet were swollen, haven't had that for a while as I have been  elevating my feet in bed but stopped a few days ago - must restart! Poppy and I were home alone as Phil went to watch the Grand Prix with Spiros at the Marvel. So I had a bit of a pamper. Poor Poppy has a rash on her tummy. I think she may have to go to the vets. We didn't take her swimming today. Went to Mon Amour for dinner, with Kes, Kath, Ann and John. I do like going there because they pick you up and drop you off - I don't have to drive.

Day 43 - Monday 12.5.14

Sun is still shining beautifully - usually 18 deg in the morning rising to 24-25 in the afternoon - 19 deg at 9pm. We cant complain about that! We went down to Sharon's for lunch and to find out the details for the Vet in Roda as Poppy still has her rash and is scratching it quite a lot. We drove to Roda and found the vets easily so we sat and had a fresh orange juice in the sun, at a Taverna opposite the vets, while we waited for opening time. The vet is called Antonogeorgou Matoula - everyone calls her Matoula - she is really lovely and thorough. She is not sure what has caused it - some sort of allergic reaction, maybe from a sand fly, which has got infected or it could be from being damp for a long while.. So she dabbed it with some stuff which looks like Iodine, then rubbed some cream on it, gave her an antihistamine injection and also some antibiotic tablets. No swimming for a week, we have to go back next Tuesday for her to be checked and she will groom her at the same time. We are all quite tired today so we stayed home this evening, I cooked Chicken and chips for dinner.

Day 44 - Tuesday 13.5.14

Woke to wall to wall clouds this morning - but it is still nice and warm 19 deg and not at all breezy.

We went for a walk and had a chat to Perry in the Coconut, then Eggy came and joined us. He was looking for a game of darts but was disappointed as Perry is making a new cabinet, and had removed the board. While we were sat there we spotted this wonderful bit of parking. 

We were going to go to see the Splinter band tonight, but just as we finished our dinner it started to rain so we changed our minds and stayed home.





Day 45 - Wednesday 14.5.14


Sunshine and showers forecast for today. Phil said there was a thunder storm in the night, but I didn't hear it.

Elegant wine glasses at Ammos

We walked down to Ammos for our lunch, it was really windy and there were some big waves breaking over the bench.

Dimitris at Brouklis makes me laugh, he spotted us reading the Menu board outside the taverna, and said 'stop looking - that is for tourists' meaning we have been here a long time!







I love taking photos of all the beautiful flowers in bloom!

Angels' Trumpet Yellow (Brugmansia suaveolens

Pretty pink and white roses

Day 45 - Thursday 15.5.14

We woke up to no water or internet this morning, apparently the overnight storms knocked one of the phases out - so no pump for water. All restored by 10.30am though :-)

Very sad day today it is our friend Barry's funeral. Even though I am in Arillas my heart and head, are in Yorkshire with Janis. I lit my Infinity candle at 13.15 because we never forget the ones we love!
Lazy afternoon because I had a headache - went for a snooze.











Tonight we went to the Rainbow to see 'The Worried Men' with Ann and Keith Marshall. We had a great time, good company, nice food, excellent wine. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Phil, Keith, Ann and Anne

Worried Men

Rainbow's fountain

Well the end of another week, we are almost halfway through our trip now.  114 days without a cigarette.

The Fifth Week.

Day 33 - Friday 2.5.14

Beautiful sunny, hot day! Lots of walking today. First to have a coffee and say hello to Jimmy in Rainbow on his opening day. Then on to visit Georgia in the New Silver Moon shop. Popped into the Coconut and said hello to Kostas, Perry, Maria and Yiota - they were very busy getting ready for their opening tomorrow night. Said hello to Vas at the Marina, working very hard. We walked to both ends of the beach today and Poppy had lots of swims. We had lunch at the Beachpoint then back to upload some photos for my blog. This evening we walked down to Portofino for Spiros'  opening night. My grilled lambs liver was to die for. We walked past the Coconut at about midnight and the boys were still working.

Day 34 - Saturday 3.5.14

Dull and cloudy start to the day, we drove down to Sharon's pool bar as she had very kindly got us some dog food from her supplier. Phil mended her table while we were there. I called in at Yiotas shop and bought some Lemon marmalade, looking forward to breakfast tomorrow. Then we went for a drive up to Afionas to have a look at a property we fancied buying a few years ago, thinking it would be a lovely villa now, but no - it is still a wreck.

 Had lunch in the Marvel while Vasso cleaned for us. I was reading the cocktails menu and spotted 'Bloody tourist' - that's what Spiros calls us - but he does love us. I think I may have to try one - it sounds interesting.














 When we got back Phil decided to put the awning up on the side of Mercy. Eileen and Keith came to visit us, just as the heavens opened so we all dove into the campervan and spent a pleasant afternoon drinking wine and putting the world to rights. they have guests going into their beautiful villa next Saturday and are driving round trying to find an apartment to rent without much luck.

http://www.villalinakis.com

Tonight we were going to the opening of the Coconut but it was cold and wet so we decided to stay in.

Day 35 - Sunday 4.5.14

Had a very sad start to the day, our friend Janis messaged me to say that her husband, Barry had passed away at 4am. He was diagnosed with Cancer on 7th February. We have had some good times with them, both in Arillas and the UK He was a lovely fellow and will be greatly missed, especially by Janis - he was the love of her life. Sweet dreams Barry - out of pain now.

What a funny day, started off cloudy, then thunder and the heavens opened and now it is sunny. We walked down to the beach for Poppy to have her swim.I love this photo, all the different colours of the sea and the cloud formation.

This evening we had a meal in Brouklis, Meze and Galactabourika. Then we went over to the Coconut for a nightcap with Eileen, Keith and Anne. Hannah was there briefly, but was sent home to put her feet up - she only has about a month to go before her baby girl is born. We met Hannah's replacement, Vicky, she is Russian and has a lovely smile. I am sure she will fit in beautifully.

Day 36 - Monday 5.5.14

Sunny but windy today.

We went over to the Rainbow for lunch and were there to greet some more friends, John and Dot, who arrived this afternoon. Phil took Poppy down to the beach while I had a siesta as I had, had a bad night. We have more friends arriving tonight, our next door neighbours Ann and John, also Kes and Kath who are staying at the Marvel. We popped over to welcome them and had a quick nightcap and catchup as we missed them last year. The lovely thing about friends like these is - that you carry on where you left off!

Day 37 - Tuesday 6.5.14

Beautiful blue sky - 18° - before lunch - it's a lovely day!  

                                                                   

Walked down to the beach and had breakfast in Portofino - he does do a good one!


We had a long play with Poppy - she did lots of swimming. Came back and had a siesta, then I made Greek Salad for dinner, with some things Yiota had picked out of her garde. It was gorgeous and I made a lemon/olive oil dressing to go with it - we seem to have lots of lemons.






Tuesday 9:00 PM 16.9°C Humidity:72 1.0 ENE 1018.5 hpa Sunset at:9:00 PM Dry

Day 38 - Wednesday 7.5.14
18° and very sunny when I woke up. Apparently there was an earthquake during the night, I didn't hear it - one of the joys of being deaf :-). We had a lazy day today as the temperature rose to a lovely 24°, went over to the Marvel for a drink with Kes, Kath, John, Ann and Spiros. Then we all walked down to the Akti hotel, where Kes and John had a Table tennis match. We stayed home tonight.

Day 39 - Thursday 8.5.14

19° and very sunny when I woke up quickly rose to 21 by lunch time. We decided to have a drive to Sidari for lunch and shopping today. We stopped off at a taverna right on the waters edge, it was their first day of opening for the season and only had drinks no food. I asked if he minded us eating our own food, and I went off and bought us a Chicken Gyros. Very pleasant sat in the sunshine watching the world go by and chatting to others in the Taverna. After shopping, we took Poppy down for her swim and walk - the temperature had risen to 26 by this time. Back for a shower and then I drove us all up to the Night Owl for dinner. Food was superb as usual and Petros had baked Brownies very nice too.

            I love the sign above the door - OPEN most of the time. CLOSED some of the time.

Parking Greek style!
















Well we have come to the end of our Fifth week - each one has been so different, we are loving our life, especially now the weather has warmed up considerably. We are certainly living our dream!

The Fourth Week.

Day 26 - Friday 25.4.14  
A beautiful day today, sunny and warm. Such a change from yesterday.  We decided to have a mooch round Sidari and to try and find the place we stayed at 20 odd years ago when the place was a sleepy little fishing village. No luck, it has grown so much, there has been so much development that it proved impossible. We do not like Sidari now, much too busy and one road is just wall to wall bars and restaurants. We struggled to find a 'Greek' restaurant open and settled for  a cafe where we had a 'Full English' and very nice it was too. We shopped for our essentials, water etc. then drove back to our lovely little Arillas for Poppy to have a run and swim. There were quite a few people on the beach enjoying the late afternoon sunshine.
Sad night tonight, we went to the Marvel to say goodbye to Bob and Nicola they are on a late flight back to the UK. Bob says he has done lots of writing while he has been here, so we can look forward to his new book very soon, we can't wait for it and hope it is as good as his others, which I am sure it will be.

Day 27 - Saturday 26.4.14     Beach cleaning day!
 Lots of locals, Greeks, English and others descended on the beach to help tidy it up before the influx of visitors. We helped, as did Poppy, she was a great help collecting sticks between swims. She is getting very brave and goes further out now she has got used to the waves - talking of which - I found the following on the Arillas Forum and found it interesting:-

The size of the beach in Arillas Corfu
The size of the sandy  beach of Arillas is different almost  every day. It all depends on the current of the sea and the direction of the wind which moves the waves.
Sand is a liquid element with specific dynamic.
The shape of the beach depends on whether or not the waves are constructive or destructive.
Constructive waves move sand up the beach while destructive waves move the sand down the beach.
If the wind is from the south then the waves move the sand towards the sea resulting to a decrease of the width of our beach. When the wind blows from the north , then  it moves the sand out of the water making the beach wider. Three days of north west wind ( Maistro ) can give us a width up to 2 meters a day.
This is why most of you who regularly return to Arillas  are most of the times surprised by the shape of our beach .The beach profile changes seasonally due to the change in wave energy experienced during summer and winter months. It  is higher during the summer due to the gentle wave action during this season. Conversely, the beach profile is lower in the winter due to the increased wave energy associated with storms'

     

Painted pebbles. 

 As I was picking up litter, I found these 3 painted pebbles, I placed them on a flower bed. Someone has taken a lot of trouble to paint them, I wonder who!

     Poppy swimming   

     

Surfing

Poppy is getting more adventurous with the waves and is  surfing some of them.                              












The people of Arillas do take pride in their village, there is a great community spirit here and they do a lot to make the place attractive. One example of this is a  few years ago when we came we found they had been re-cycling cans - big time! This was the result - no longer here now they were replaced with permanent bins.

                                                         
The notice says 'We do recycling for our environment - nothing goes to waste'


When we got back from the beach Vasso came to clean, her hubby Yannis came with her and walked me round the garden, and told me the names of some of the plants. He assures me the Loquats/Nespoless will be good to eat in a weeks time. We have a Peach Tree with lots of fruit on it, a Pomegranate tree, a Red Olive tree, lots of lemon and orange trees. A satsuma, and a Seville orange tree to make jam with - not for eating. Also the most gorgeous Bottle Brush tree - Callistemon.
       

                 

Pomegranate

Day 28 - Sunday 27.4.14  

This morning it was warm and sunny, but we heard a few rumbles of thunder. Luckily it did not rain and it turned out to be a glorious day, lots of lovely warm sunshine. We walked down to the beach and had a lovely long walk and play.

Mesembryanthemums on way down to beach

 Walking down!

A few years ago a restaurant owner, (Kostas on the beach), and friend to many people died at a very young age (40 something). We have a group on Facebook and Arillas.com, of friends who are regulars to Arillas, we were all devastated to hear the sad news about Kostas and we decided to purchase a bench in his memory. This we did and it is placed on the jetty every Spring and put in storage for the Winter, today was the day it was re-installed in its place, therefore we had to go and sit on it. We met our friend Ann Stewart, who had just returned from the UK, you can see her in the background walking down the jetty to say hello, she has invited us up to her and Roger's house to see her chicks.

Phil and Poppy

Poppy and I

     

                                           
While we were walking along the beach we got to the place where the stream joins the sea - and found a tiny turtle being washed down and out to sea.

The Stream

Baby Turtle

This evening we fancied a Pizza so we walked down to Pizzeria Lithero, and very nice it was too, all cooked in a wood burning oven. We had Saganaki and stuffed peppers for starters, which we shared. Then an amazing Chicken Pizza all washed down with a jug of local red wine. Excellent value for money. Vasilis the chef is a showman, we enjoyed watching him prepare the food, with his little twirls, flick of the wrist to flour the counter and everytime he took a pizza out of the oven he spun the huge spatula. Entertainment as well! We walked back up to the Marvel for a nightcap, and lo and behold the waiter who had just served our meal arrived with a takeaway order for Kostas and his friends at the bar. If the locals eat the food, you know it is good.

Day 29 - Monday 28.4.14

It rained quite heavily in the night, and this morning it is cloudy, cool 13 deg and persisting down - might have to get some turtles for the puddles in the garden. We stayed in all day, I made a nice Chicken Curry for dinner and did a lot of reading.

Day 30 - Tuesday 29.4.14        Andy's 42nd birthday!

There are so many birthdays today, Andy, Dot, William, Karen and Stella. It was pouring down with rain again, up to about 4pm. We had a good internet signal today therefore I did some reviews of books I have read on Amazon and also ordered some items for our friends Kes and Kath to bring out with them next week. We had a drive up to the supermarket and then took Poppy down to the beach to catch the early evening sunshine. She is loving the water and was jumping off the jetty to chase her ball. We were most impressed when she stood on the waters edge and had a wee. Beach front is looking really good, lots of new plants and some new benches have appeared. The locals are frantically getting their places ready - it seems most places are opening on 1st/2nd May. I made Spaghetti Bolognaise for tea with home made Garlic bread.

Day 31 - Wednesday 30.4.14

We woke to lovely sunshine today, but it had rained heavily in the night.

Loquats

Front garden

 The gardener came and cut the front grass, he picked some Loquats/Nespoles for me and I gave him a Mythos.











We decided to have a drive to Corfu town today, we wanted some bits from Lidl and to visit Jumbo for the first time. It is a huge 2 story store, took us ages to have a look round, some very unusual items there. Almost like Woolworths/Wilko rolled into one.
When we got back we went down to the beach for Poppy to have a run, we walked towards the North End. We were surprised to see that the old wooden steps have been replaced with a very smart looking ramp, again the locals have been very busy over the winter. The sunset tonight was lovely. Poppy did another wee on the waters edge, she is getting good at it, I suppose it is like me, when I hear running water, I want one too.

Day 32 - Thursday 1.4.14

100 days without a cigarette for me today!
1st May is a bank holiday here, apparently all the supermarkets are closed, but most of the tavernas and restaurants are opening for the new season.

Greece celebrates Spring… the Festival of Flowers. Protomagia!!! That is the name of this celebration  Our friend Sara picked wild flowers from along her track and made this beautiful wreath.

















We had a drive into San Stefanos today, we drove down to the Port and the beach - here are some photos we took.

We visited our friend Yiota's new shop - very nice it is too, so spacious!

Then we went for a coffee and took Poppy for a run on the beach. On the way back into Arillas we spotted the new sign which has been erected at the edge of the village.

Armourada for dinner tonight, we decided to have Saganaki between us for starters. We asked Leon how big they were, so he got his pen out and drew the size on the tablecloth. Only in Arillas! It was much bigger than he drew though.