Christmas '07 & New Year
6th January 2008
I've had a couple of complaints that I haven't been updating my site. "Finished" doesn't show finished house.
Well, of course this is because it isn't finished! No permanent electricity, path 3ft wide instead of 3 metres although for once this isn't the architect's fault, when the path was built 20 years ago it was built on soil with a brick retaining wall. Over time the mortar of the wall became eroded, the soil had had loads of water from the house above (our neighbour) leeching into it and when we had the awful floods October 2006 laws of gravity and all that...
We still only have temporary electricity which the architect is supposed to be sorting out. hah. It hasn't been painted (too hot, painters too busy - now the rains are here and they can't - although the painter's available I was told!
Otherwise, we had a great Christmas and New Year. Christmas Eve Anne from New Zealand, married to Yiorgos, "did" drinks and nibbles. Quite a few there, some whom we hadn't met before. Those we know were Jim and Sue, Fred and Sue, Michael Winters the artist, Anne's daughter Christina who was shortly to head off to NZ to school, Steve and Cathie and Anne's niece-by-marriage Fotini and her husband Manos. I hadn't previously met Don from Agmar Boatyard (although Rich had when shopping for portaloo stuff) and his nice wife from Chile. The couple of hours' drinks and nibbles turned into a 1am home evening, like so many others. Sue-Fred was playing Tavli (backgammon) with nuts against Richard who unfortunately didn't have a clue that's what she was doing. She accused him of cheating when he ate her counters!
Christmas Day afternoon we were at Sue and Fred's with Tom, Jim and Sue. It was a lovely meal and we had a great time. Jim and Sue brought Izzy, their German Shepherd and we took Tzouma. They're not exactly friends but get along OK. Sue and Fred's cooking was, as ever, superb. Christmas music in the background (fore as well when we sang), booze and good food. What could be better? Well, family and England-friends would have been nice, but in their absence, the best!
New Year's Eve we had a dinner party up at our house. None of the tavernas or bars stay open past midnight, apparently it's a family time. Jim and Sue, Fred and Sue, Simon (from Savana Bar who's staying in Leros until the end of January, then going to Denmark for his birthday and returning here early February), Tom, Anne and Christina. We saw in the New Year nicely. I went to bed at 4.30 leaving Rich, Simon and Tom still up. When I woke at 10am New Year's day, Tom was still sitting in his chair, Simon texted at 5pm to say he'd just woken up and Richard snoozing soundly in bed. Tom and I had several cups of tea and coffee respectively and he went home for a rest.
All in all, a thoroughly good festive season!