At 4am there was no sign of any angry farmers or a police presence, so thankfully my taxi made it through to Chania Airport for the first leg of my journey to Athens and then Manchester UK. Karen picked me up from the airport and I was back in Bramhall by midday. I didn’t sleep much the night before and so I was really tired but thrilled to be starting the Christmas holidays with my family in the UK.
Karen & I having a nightcap after the Golf Club Christmas Dinner and Dance
I thoroughly enjoyed my week long stay at Karen and Mike’s lovely home. I visited close friends Jill and Rick and also Caroline, whom I don’t get to see very often. I spent a few of my days shopping with Karen and enjoying lunch out in between browsing the shops and stores. At the golf club in Bramhall, where Mike is going to be captain this year, I was a guest again at the Christmas Dinner and Dance. The food was excellent but the music wasn’t as good as last year. We also went out the following evening to a country pub in Higher Poynton, to watch a band that was playing live there. Mike wanted to hear and see them perform before booking them for a future golf club event. They were actually very good and Karen and I enjoyed dancing to a couple of their tracks.
I spent some of the time at Karen and Mike’s sorting through all the shell orders that had arrived at theirs. There were at least 5 separate packages to go through and I was able to filter out the seashells I could use from some of the larger orders. When I order from suppliers that send in bulk, I am unable to use about 70% of the seashells for one reason or another. There’s no point in weighing my case down so I leave the surplus at Karen and Mike’s house.
Ralph & Neve
After a week of quality time with the Whelans where I also got the chance to see Sophie and Hannah, I caught a train to Thirsk in Yorkshire. I was spending the next week at Emma’s and it was so lovely to see Ralph and Neve again. Neve greeted me at the station in her Christmas jumper and reindeer headband with a Christmas card she’d made especially for me! Ralph and Neve had just finished school for the Christmas Jumper day but did not break up until 3 days later.
With Emma and her birthday dessert at The Ivy Restaurant
So Emma had booked the Ivy restaurant in Harrogate for lunch for the two of us. It was as you’d expect – absolutely delicious with excellent service. It is Emma’s 40th on January 13th so I paid the bill as an early treat for her birthday and we both loved the experience. On the Saturday we all spent the whole day at Stockeld Park. School was finally out and Ralph and Neve were looking forward to having some fun and new experiences. For the first hour or so we walked through the beautifully illuminated grounds which were interspersed with all kinds of interesting things for the kids to see and do. Then we went ice skating…
On the ice rink with Ralph & Neve and before my spectacular fall!
I don’t know what possessed me as I stepped gingerly onto the ice and thought, ‘I can’t do this at my age!’ I used to skate well in my teens but yes – that was a very long time ago! Neve went whizzing around with the help of a penguin but Ralph and I kept close to the sides and hugged the barrier every time we wobbled. After some time on the ice, we were all improving and I was going round hand in hand with Emma. Ralph was determined to master the art and was stoically getting better on his own. I admit that my confidence gradually improved until I took a fall! I slipped and fell forward, my upper chest taking the full brunt of my weight as I fell. For a moment I was completely winded as I was helped up. At first I thought I must surely have broken all my ribs, but actually I was amazingly alright.
At Stockeld Park with Emma, Ralph & Neve
After the ice skating we walked around the wonderful grounds of Stockeld Park in the dark, the better to see all the colourful light shows including a spectacular display over the lake. Thankfully my injury didn’t stop me playing with all my grandchildren over the following 10 days. But without any proper rest my severely bruised rib muscles didn’t improve and it’s going to take some time for me to heal… I am a fool sometimes…I could kick myself!
Arthur & Ava
But hey, I had another wonderful week with Emma, Ralph and Neve and just managed to see Ash on his return from Qatar. They dropped me off at Zoe and Rich’s, on their way to spending Christmas with Ash’s family in Wales. It was great to see Arthur and Ava again. Zoe’s children are the youngest of my grandchildren at ages 6 and 2 and are quite a handful.. well Ava certainly is! Poor Zoe and Rich seemed exhausted as Ava does not sleep much. But she is just too cute! I was very happy to give them some help and a break from the endless demands two young children are capable of making. Luckily I didn’t have to get up with Ava in the night so I spent all my time playing with the kids during the day.
With funny Arthur on our Boxing Day walk.
Christmas Day was bedlam but everything went pretty smoothly and well. A yummy Christmas dinner, as always cooked by Rich, Arthur and Ava were engrossed with all their new toys and Zoe and I went for a brief walk with Ava (to give the boys a break!) to their local pub for a festive drink before Christmas Dinner. On Boxing Day it was cold but bright and sunny so we all went for a long walk. The fresh cold air was invigorating and we all enjoyed stretching our legs. It wasn‘t too muddy across the fields and trail tracks either, which was a bonus. But I still had the help of a walking stick for the tricky parts!
But talk about being in the wars! I went and got myself a really black eye by bashing into Arthur’s bunkbed ladders! He was sleeping on top and I was below… and I just momentarily forgot they were there! Haha… but it wasn’t funny as it hurt like hell. I really must try to be more careful…duh!
With Ava in Zoe & Rich’s local pub on Xmas Day
On the Saturday Zoe and Rich spent a few hours away from home, a much-needed break from their feisty kids! They left around 2.30pm and were home again by 9pm. It wasn’t long but was just enough to make them feel human again. I can totally sympathise with working parents that don’t have much of a life outside work and childcare. There’s a reason you’re supposed to have children while you’re still young as they can be truly exhausting!
On Sunday we went for another walk along the canal in the pretty Yorkshire village of Slaithwaite, where we also stopped for lunch and that was pretty much the end of another wonderful week with my family. The following day Zoe and Rich drove in two cars to drop me back at Karen and Mike’s in Bramhall, which is more convenient for Manchester airport. I also needed to reorganize the packing for my return flights to Crete the next morning.
At the New Years’ Eve Party in Vangeli’s
So here I am back home on Crete and even though it was chucking it down when I arrived at Chania airport on Tuesday night, it stayed dry in Plaka for our new Years Eve party and the fireworks. I joined my friends for another great night at my local Vangeli’s, with live music, good food and a free glass of prosecco as the New Year 2026 was ringing in..and all for 20 Euros!
ALBUM
