Getting into the Christmas Spirit!

I have found it very difficult to tear myself away from my work lately. So three weeks has all but flown by again and means I have had to remember everything else that I’ve been doing during that time.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to Jeff and Shauna’s Thanksgiving Dinner again. I say fortunate because only about ten of us received an invite. What a feast and a spread they put on! The turkey was enormous yet somehow Jeff and Shauna managed to cook it to perfection and the whole meal was wonderful – very American! A great evening was enjoyed by all of us! Continue reading

Success with my Exhibition and Relaxation with Dear Friends

Two weeks ago I was starting my exhibition with David in the Old Mosque on Chania Harbour Front. In terms of sales I am pleased to say that it’s been my most successful September exhibition to date. This is good news because from what I have been told, tourists are still being careful with their money and generally have less to spend these days. The UK’s economy may well be improving but elsewhere, signs of this long recession are still apparent. Continue reading

Happy Welcome Hugs and Teary Goodbyes

I very nearly didn’t write this post because I honestly didn’t think I’d find time to do it. But I always think that it’s amazing how much you can actually achieve if you put your mind to it!
As always I had a brilliant week with my Mum and sisters, Karen and Leonie. This is the fifth consecutive year that we have spent a quality week together and we all know that we will have many more happy family holidays together. Continue reading

More Memories to Treasure for Always

The last 9 days have gone by in a whirlwind! I’ve enjoyed real quality time with my brother Mark and fun, games and laughter with my Niece, Honey and nephew, Ted. They arrived on their first ever visit to my home on Crete a week last Tuesday. The weather has been characteristically hot and sunny but has luckily always been accompanied by a good breeze, making perfect conditions for a lively beach holiday. Continue reading

Sadly, all good things must come to an end.

My eyes still start filling with tears when I think of the lovely week I’ve recently spent with my daughter Emma and niece Sophie. The tears are springing up because I miss their company lots now that they have gone back. I miss having them around the apartment, giving the place an air of lively youthfulness. I miss hearing in turn, their laughter one minute followed by complaints of sore sunburn from too much sun exposure or where carelessly applied sun cream didn’t quite reach! Continue reading

Fun Days and Nights with Fran

During these past two weeks, every day that I haven’t been selling, Fran and I have been on days and trips out. We couldn’t have packed any more into our days and nights than we did! We both thoroughly enjoy exploring new places and share a love of adventure. So this has been another wonderful opportunity for us to spend real quality time doing all the things we love doing – which we haven’t done since Fran visited Crete two years ago in May 2012. Continue reading

Crete’s Dirty Red Rain!

Believe it or not the weather has been quite unsettled here on Crete – given the time of year. Perhaps it is down to global warming and if other countries have had uncharacteristic weather then why not Crete? Everyone who lives here agrees that the weather we’re having for June – is definitely not usual. I remember it was like this last year too and yet in previous years you could pretty much say it would be blue skies and wall to wall sunshine from May through to the end of September. Continue reading

One to Avoid – A Company Called Cretan Life (AKA rentapropertyincrete.com)

During these last five years there has been only one black cloud over my otherwise wonderful horizon. I have been trying to secure the return of a considerable sum of money that I loaned to a company called Cretan Life. You may think I am completely mad to do such a thing but you see I knew the owner of the company very well. He was my employer and a dear friend for about 15 years. Cretan Life started out as a UK based company and was then changed to a Greek one. Continue reading

I Love Chania

It never fails to amaze me how quickly time can pass without me realising it! Already it has been two weeks since I wrote my last post and thinking back, I have to really concentrate on remembering everything I’ve done during this period of time.

First and foremost springing to mind is the visit I had from some customers who have now become good friends – Paul and Sheila Vernier and their son John. Continue reading