What On Earth Was I Thinking?

I enjoy lots of beachcombing in the winter months here on Crete, especially when the weather is so glorious and the weather has been glorious for the whole of January so far.  Bright, sunny and warm…perfect beachcombing weather.

So Debbie and I decided we’d scope out Georgioupoli beach and then move on to Skaleta, which is about half an hour’s drive further along the coast.  Sometimes I’ve had to drive onto some pretty rough dirt tracks or scary roads, in order to access or get close to some remote beaches and I’m usually fairly sensible about what I will drive onto.  The last couple of years we’ve had to change the place we park at Georgioupoli beach, due to deteriorating tracks.  So I now drive around the back of one of the beach bars (that are obviously closed at this time of the year) and this time I decide to park practically on the beach.  What on earth was I thinking when I did this?!

My little Hyundai with it’s two front wheels buried in the sand!

You’d think that after 15 years of living on Crete and all the beachcombing I’ve done – I’d know better, duh?!  I think Debbie tried to say something… but I wasn’t listening, more the fool me..  I turned onto the sand and that was it!  I got stuck and the two front wheels wouldn’t budge.  The more I tried to get out, the worse it got!  There didn’t appear to be anybody around to help either.  Where are the big strong surfer dudes when you need them? Strong guys to help push my car out of the sand?  Debbie and I looked about for some wooden planks to help give some traction under the two front wheels.  We were frantically shovelling the sand out from around the tyres and under the front of the car.  But I think the more I tried to reverse out, the deeper into the sand we sank!

People started appearing on the beach and I asked everyone I saw for their help to try and push my car out of the sand but it wouldn’t move at all.  It dawned on us that the only way my car was going to get out of the sand was if it was towed out.  Suddenly a tall and fit man in swim trunks, waded through the freezing stream from the other side of the beach and asked if we needed some assistance?  Well yeah, we sure did, but did he have a car? As luck would have it, he had a brother who had a big van.  So firstly he called over for his brother to join us.  These were two young, fit and healthy German guys but my stubborn little Hyundai wouldn’t budge an inch!

my car could not be towed out by the large white van behind it!

So the brother went and fetched his van and parked it behind my car and luckily he had a tow rope.  Earlier on Debbie and I had spent some time scouring the beach for some strong rope, without success.  Quite often we come across heaps of washed up rope on the beaches we explore… so where was this rope when we actually needed it?
Anyway, because of the angle and position of my car, this towing idea was not going to be easy!  The van didn’t have enough power and its front wheels started churning up sand and sinking just like mine had done.  Of course he stopped immediately and explained that we needed a much heavier and more powerful vehicle.

Luckily this helpful German guy was able to free his van from the sand and then offered to drive us back into the town so that we could find a friendly Greek man with one of those huge trucks they all drive around in!  But it didn’t help that it was a Sunday and most garages and businesses are closed.  Also the Greeks like to go out on a Sunday, especially on a glorious day like this was.  Anyway we wandered around the deserted village until I sppotted a gleaming new and powerful looking truck parked outside some holiday apartments.  I went straight up to the door and knocked, calling “Yassoo!”, “Hello, help!”  I was on a mission!

A lady came out of the building and luckily she spoke some English.  I explained what had happened with my car, showing her the photographs I’d thought to take before we left the beach.  She asked us to wait a moment whilst she spoke to her husband.  A few minutes later they both came out of the building and I showed her husband the photos as well.  He beckoned for us to get into the truck, which had a small back section for Debbie and I to sit, whilst his wife got into the front.  When he started driving in the opposite direction to the beach, his wife explained that they were going to his building yard to pick up a steel tow rope.  This truck was brand new and looked like it could tackle any problem!  So after many hours of worry, I started to feel extremely hopeful.

It turned out they knew exactly where my car was stuck because the wife’s brother used to run the beach bar, Mike’s Oasis, which is just a little further up the beach.  I used to take all my family and friends to Mike’s Oasis for years!  I didn’t realize he had passed away…
Within a few minutes, this kindly Greek man had parked up, attached the tow rope and asked me to get into my car, start it up and put it in reverse.  Less than a minute later he had pulled me out!  I felt such relief!  We thanked them both profusely, trying to give them some money to buy a drink, but they wouldn’t take it.  We promised to come and see them in the summer at Mike’s Oasis and/or their other restaurant – Arkadi – which has a very good reputation so we will definitely eat there.

If there is one thing I will  always say about the Greek people, it’s that they will go out of their way to help you if you are in distress.  They are very kind and nothing is too much trouble for them.  But this whole incident has highlighted the need for me to get breakdown cover added to my car insurance – as a priority!

All said and done it had taken 3 and a half hours to free my car from Georgioupoli’s sandy beach, but the day wasn’t over yet!  I turned to Debbie and said, “Right… it’s only 3.30… we’ve still got time to do Skaleta before it goes dark..  Even if it’s only for a couple of hours, it’ll be worth it.  So let’s go!”
And it WAS worth it!

 

So Much Going On During My Christmas Holls in the UK!

After arriving at Manchester Airport on December 9th, I had a wonderful 10 days stay with Karen and Mike in Bramhall.  Now that Karen is no longer spending much time at Warrington Gymnastics Club, she was free to go shopping with me.  I always have a list of stuff to buy which isn’t available on Crete.  I rarely shop in Crete so hey – we shopped a lot!  Several days of just taking our time and stopping somewhere nice for lunch.  I managed to buy all the Christmas pressies that I wanted for my 4 grandchildren, plus some bits and bobs for myself.  All very productive.

with Karen & Mike at the Bramhall Golf Club Christmas Dinner Dance

with Karen & Mike at the Bramhall Golf Club Christmas Dinner Dance

Now that Mike has officially retired he is concentrating his time and efforts more on his passion for golf.  He is in line to be captain of Bramhall Golf Club in the next year or so and therefore is keen to attend all the social functions there.  Because I was staying with Karen and Mike I was invited to join them for the Annual Christmas Dinner Dance on the Friday Evening.  This consisted of a tasty 3-course dinner followed by a DJ playing all the top tunes from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.  I met lots of interesting new people and danced till my feet ached. It was a really great night which I thoroughly enjoyed.

With Caroline at the golf club Christmas lunch

With Caroline at the golf club Christmas lunch

On the Sunday, a large family table was booked at the golf club for the traditional annual Christmas lunch.  There were 12 of us altogether and I was so pleased that Caroline and Tony were there, as I didn’t know if I would get the chance to catch up with them during my 3 week stay in the UK. The 3-course lunch was really good and was rounded off by everyone singing carols.  After everyone had left for ongoing engagements (Karen, Sophie and Hannah for the Christmas Gym “do” in Manchester), Mike and I moved to the members’ lounge to watch the Manchester United vs. Manchester City football match.  There I bumped into a former colleague from my TCW advertising days whom I’d not seen for over 17 years!

The next day my close and dear friend Gill cooked a delicious fish pie for lunch at home, where husband Rick was recovering from a hip operation.  Gill and Rick stayed with me in Crete for a week last summer and we spent an enjoyable afternoon catching up with all our news.

With my four wonderful grandchildren at Ava's 1st birthday party

With my four wonderful grandchildren at Ava’s 1st birthday party

So these first ten days actually flew by and then on the Thursday I caught a train from Manchester Airport to Huddersfield, where Zoe picked me up from the station and I checked into the Cedar Court Hotel for two nights.  Sadly there just isn’t the room for me at Zoe and Rich’s home anymore, now that they have Ava too.  But I really don’t mind having the space for sleep and breakfast in the morning.  When I am at theirs, it is pretty full on with the kids but I cherish every moment I have with Arthur and Ava.

Ava on her 1st birthday...so cute!

Ava on her 1st birthday…so cute!

Emma, Ash, Ralph and Neve picked me up after I’d checked out of the Cedar Court Hotel and we returned to Zoe and Rich’s, where they had laid on a little party for Ava’s first birthday.  It was a wonderful family day and we all had lots of fun and I drank lots of mulled wine again.  Ha, I’ve been drinking mulled wine ever since I arrived in the UK!  I left with Emma and Ash to go back to the other side of Yorkshire where I would be spending the run-up and Christmas Day at theirs.  It was awesome to spend quality time with Ralph and Neve again and when Emma and Ash went to York for Ash’s birthday, we all had fun playing games and watching a Christmas movie together.

Ava and Neve on Christmas Eve at the Beck & Call

Ava and Neve on Christmas Eve at the Beck & Call

On Christmas Eve we drove to a large family pub called The Beck & Call, where Emma had booked a table for all of us to meet at 4pm and enjoy a big Christmas family meal together.  It’s a half way point between the two families and we all met there when I was over in June.  We enjoyed the food, drink and hours we spent together and were back home by about 8.30pm, with enough time to sort out all the last minute arrangements for Christmas Day.

All of us on Christmas Eve after our meal at the Beck & Call

All of us on Christmas Eve after our meal at the Beck & Call

Christmas Day was quite chilled and not hectic, it just being the five of us.  Ralph and Neve were so lucky with all the presents everyone had bought them.  Christmas dinner was a breeze as Emma had ordered the M&S package and so a lot less work was involved.  She’s just been too busy with a full time job, a degree and bringing up two kids alone as Ash is always away with the military.  The prepared food was excellent and freed up more time for us to relax and play some games.

Ash had booked a surprise trip to Disneyland Paris for 3 days, leaving on Boxing Day so Ralph and Neve were super excited!  At lunchtime they left for the airport and Rich and Arthur arrived to take me back to theirs for the rest of the day and night.  I got a bonus day of playtime and fun with Arthur and Ava before catching a rail replacement coach back to Stockport and Karen and Mike’s for the last few days.

Ralph & Neve on Christmas morning

Ralph & Neve on Christmas morning

Within a couple of hours of my arrival back in Bramhall, Karen and Mike had a real houseful.  My niece Hannah, her boyfriend Matt and their little boy Jacob were already staying there along with my niece Sophie.  Then my Nephew Rob and his family arrived to spend a couple of days there too!  It’s just as well that Karen and Mike have a home large enough to be able to accommodate everyone.  Because the next day my brother Mark and his partner Emma arrived from London with my niece Honey and her boyfriend Brad and my nephew Ted and his girlfriend Grace, who’d both returned from New Zealand.  Wow, what a crowd we were!  I take my hat off to long-time super social hosts, Karen and Mike for organizing a full day and night of fun, laughter and entertainment.

At Karen & Mike's - tucking into our chinese takeaway

At Karen & Mike’s – tucking into our chinese takeaway

We split into groups for the picture quiz and Mike organized a tournament which consisted of Sjoelen  (our Dutch-inherited large shuffleboard game), indoor darts and golf.  Again, splitting us all into 3 groups for the competition.  In the middle of it all we sat down to the largest Chinese takeaway I have ever seen!  Of course copious amounts of alcohol were consumed and what a great time we all had!  Even the kids had a ball and Rob’s boys Jack and Alfie couldn’t get enough of the hot tub whilst little Jacob was quite the centre of attention with his older cousins.

The next and last day of my holiday, Rob, Emma, Jack and Alfie left to return home to London.  Hannah, Matt and Jacob left and some hours later, Mark and Emma also left with Honey, Brad, Ted and Grace. I got the unexpected pleasure of seeing Caroline again, as she popped round for a couple of hours in the afternoon.  We had a much quieter last evening, where Karen, Sophie and I finished a jigsaw puzzle.  I had another red-eye flight to catch back to Athens the following morning.

Celebrating the New Year with friends Lisa, Yianni and Robert at Vangeli's in Plaka

Celebrating the New Year with friends Lisa, Yianni and Robert at Vangeli’s in Plaka

Back home, I had New Years’ Eve to unwind, unpack and doll myself up for the “Dress to Impress/Secret Agent New Year’s Eve party at my local, Vangeli’s taverna.  All in all, these past 3 weeks have been rather a whirlwind of socializing with all my family and friends and I loved every minute of it!  Here’s to 2025… may it bring to everyone the happiness they deserve.

 

 

I’m Always Happy When I’m Walking on This Beautiful Island!

I’m feeling wonderful!  I’ve enjoyed life at a much slower pace this past month or so.  Now that I no longer have to create so many artworks for next season, I have more time to spend on the other things I enjoy doing, whilst living on Crete.  Much as I love making my Seashell Mosaic Collage Paintings, I’m also loving that there’s no pressure anymore.  In November I only completed 2 artworks, to replace those I sold on Etsy. Continue reading

Excited to be Planning My Winter On Crete

This is the time of year for reflecting on the busy summer season I’ve just had and looking forward to all the joys that the winter brings into my wonderful life.  I love the winters here on Crete as much as I do the summers.  It always seems as though summer finishes and winter begins in such a few short days.   The temperatures have dropped from the mid 30’s consistently through the summer months, to the now much more comfortable early 20’s. The heat saps your energy but now I’ve been feeling all my energy returning and I am enjoying making plans for all the amazing adventures I will have.

So here I am..sitting on my amazing balcony, writing up this post.  For me it is the perfect climate up here, calm and comfortably warm.  When you live in hot temperatures for so many months, you start to crave days like this.  And thank goodness we have them!  The change is utterly refreshing and more than welcome!  These temperatures are perfect for being outdoors.  I live amongst all the beautiful nature I could wish for and still after 15 years, I am always blown away with the sheer experience of it all.  I never forget how lucky I am…

The view from my balcony as I write up this post

The view from my balcony as I write up this post

I am thrilled to share that I’ve had yet another successful season of selling from my stall and display by Almyrida beach. Considering all the days I missed, I am more than pleased to have sold 139 Seashell Mosaic Collage Paintings to tourists and visitors to Crete.  This is more than enough for me now.. as I strengthen my resolve in continuing to create more balance in my life.  Less hours creating my artworks and more free time to travel and explore my awesome environment.  I simply can’t do this if I am working all winter.  Albeit such pleasant work… it’s time for a change.  However, I can’t ever forget that without my Art, I would never have experienced these wonderful 15 years.  Selling my Seashell Mosaic artworks has enabled me to live a simple yet most wonderful life here on Crete.

Tropical Goldfish in Seashell Mosaic Collage Painting - 20x20cms sold from my beach stall in September

Tropical Goldfish in Seashell Mosaic Collage Painting – 20x20cms, sold from my beach stall in September

For the last two weeks the sea has been so rough that it again flooded the centre of Almyrida.  This coincided with my last couple of selling days.  Last week I set up at a different place further along the edge of the beach, for more shelter from the wind.  I noticed the seawater some distance away but didn’t imagine it would get any worse and it was far enough from me not to be a concern.  Or so I thought…  Within the space of two hours the water had reached my table and display boards.  I packed up as fast as I could and pitched up again in my usual spot.  I have never set up twice in one day!  But back where I felt comfortable – I sold well and instantly all the effort was worthwhile.

During these past weeks I have enjoyed some lovely days out with Debbie at Stavros, Kissamos and Skaleta.  These wonderful days were a mixture of beach relax, some seashell collecting and lots of exploring on foot.  We’d take our little low deckchairs, a parasol (if it wasn’t too windy to put up) and our rucksacks.  Late afternoon we’d go and find a nice taverna to eat and then round up the day with a long last walk on the nearest beach.  Perfect!

Beautiful Stavros

The far long beach at beautiful Stavros

This week I went on the first walk of the season with David’s group.  We walked all around the outskirts of Kournas village.  We were quite a large group of about 15 and so I was mostly chatting with people I’d not seen since last April.  We had a really nice lunch afterwards, at a traditional taverna in Kournas village.

I have really enjoyed some fun nights out with friends.  There have been the usual live music gigs at Vangeli’s and a party at Nikita’s.  I have also enjoyed spending time with my Norwegian friend Solveig, who joined us at some of the music nights in Vangeli’s, as well as keeping me company sometimes on my selling days, like Lisa does after work on Mondays.  Other people I know sometimes sit down to join me for a chat and it’s part of the socialising I do on my selling days .

With Lisa & Solveig on one of Vangeli's live music nights in September

With Lisa & Solveig on one of Vangeli’s live music nights at the end of September

I was also thrilled to meet up with a wonderful family I first met at least 12 years ago, through my Art.  They have been consistently good customers and have become special friends too.  It’s been at least three years since I’ve been able to meet Paul, Sheila, John and Adelle and so it was a delight to catch up with them again, over drinks on my balcony followed by lunch at Elpis in Plaka village.

I recently helped move Lisa to a new apartment in Neo Chorio.  The place is lovely but needed a deep and thorough clean before she could move in.  So I picked Debbie up one Saturday morning and Lisa collected Solveig and between the 4 of us we got her new home shipshape.  After working tirelessly for over 4 hours, we packed up and went straight to the large main taverna in Armenoi, for a much needed late lunch and refreshments. But from the moment she moved in, Lisa has had problems with the electricity supply.  It was cut off due to unpaid bills.  It’s a long story ..yet she is still without electricity – despite the bills having since been paid.  Poor Lisa… it’s not easy living here without electricity and she has all my sympathies.  Yesterday she stopped by mine for a cuppa after work and explained the latest about the situation.  Luckily I remembered my power pack.  The one I used to extend the life of my portable fan during the hot selling days by the beach.  It is perfect for extending the life of her iphone.  I am just pleased that I could help.

In the here and now, I am wrapping up this post so that I can continue my plans for another awesome winter on this beautiful Island of Crete.  I continue to live my life to the full… It brims over with all the things I love doing and I am never ever bored.  What a wonderful life!

 

A Wonderful Two Weeks Packed With Fun & Laughter

My daughter Emma and grandchildren, Ralph and Neve arrived for their two week holiday with me here on Beautiful Crete.  The children were so excited that we went straight from the airport to the poolside at the Almyrida Beach Resort.  We had to literally drag Ralph and Neve out of the water in order to grab a late poolside lunch there! Continue reading

Hottest Summer on Record For Greece and the Islands!

Since my last post it has continued to remain extremely hot here on Crete.  Although other islands, including the mainland, have suffered even higher temperatures – Crete’s have hovered around the mid 30’s for what seems like forever!  It is officially the hottest summer on Greece’s meteorological records.  From my point of view, this being my 16th consecutive summer on Crete, I have certainly found it to be the most consistently hot one I’ve ever experienced.  It is, of course, absolutely fine if you are on holiday here, but it’s a different story when you have to live and work in it. Continue reading

A Hot Month For Temperatures & Sales

June turned out to be a very hot month with temperatures exceeding all records.  I usually set up my beach stall twice a week – weather permitting.  But during a heatwave, when the cooling breezes are just not there – I stay away!  In contrast I have recently missed another selling day because it was just too windy!  Yet despite only selling on 6 days, sales figures for June have been the highest since 2015 and I sold a total of 29 Seashell Mosaic Collage Paintings. Continue reading

Creating Special Memories With My Family in Spain and in Yorkshire

I had the best time in Spain with my siblings, Karen and Mark and Brother-in-law Mike.  We spent 8 days of pure quality time at Karen and Mike’s wonderful villa in Algorfa.  This really was a special time for all of us.  Karen and I used to holiday once a year with our sister Leonie and our Mum.  Sadly we lost both our sister and Mum in 2017 and 2019 respectively and so I have not had this kind of holiday since 2017. Continue reading

More Day Trips Exploring the Stunning Coastlines of Crete

As is usual, these past four months I have put many long hours into creating my stock for summer 2024.  In this short time I cannot possibly produce the volume of artworks I sell during the summer months.  I endeavor to make the more time-consuming and difficult designs in the winter and the smaller, simpler designs I can replicate in between and during selling days.  I can certainly work mosaic whilst at my beach stall but I cannot paint or do any sand work because it is often too windy, too hot or both. Continue reading

Two Wonderful Days at Elafonisi

Here on Crete we’ve had the warmest January and February on record and March is looking to smash more records too.  I have saved lots of money on heating fuel and electricity during these last 3 months.  As a direct result of the fine and warm weather, I have done lots more beachcombing than I did in the same months last year.  Debbie and I just love it!  To have all these beautiful beaches to explore and practically to ourselves… is awesome! Continue reading