The weather for the remainder of January was mostly fine, sunny and warm and so my beachcombing season has started with much enthusiasm. Having said that though, Debbie and I were disappointed to find very little at Georgioupoli in January. However I did stock up on the specific small flat grey pebbles which I use for the walls and steps in my cat designs. Last summer alone I sold 25 of them! Continue reading
I am sitting comfortably on my balcony writing up this post and reflecting on these past weeks. It’s the middle of October and it’s a gloriously sunny and warm day. October appears to be making up for the disappointing weather we had in September, as it has been like this for most of the time so far. During September I had 2 ‘no sales’ days because of the weather. On one particular day I went down to set up my stall only to find the sea had flooded the centre of Almyrida! Consequently and for various other reasons, September sales were as disappointing as the weather. Continue reading
We have been very lucky not to have experienced any further serious heatwaves since I last wrote in this blog. I know other parts of Europe and particularly Spain, have suffered with very high temperatures during August. For the most part though, I have been comfortable on my selling days at the edge of Almyrida beach and this is all due to the constant breezes coming off the sea. Continue reading
We are in the middle of a heatwave being experienced all over Europe and other parts of the world. It seems to be dragging on and on… My heart goes out to all the people and wildlife affected by the wildfires raging across the Greek islands and other parts of the world. Sadly this is going to be normal from now on, as the direct consequences of mankind’s total abuse of our planet and world governments’ refusal to do anything or make the necessary changes – despite knowing about climate change for many many years. Continue reading
So another month has flown by and time is moving too fast for me to fit everything in that I want to do! Something is going to have to give… Continue reading
We’ve been in lockdown here on Crete for almost 5 months and everyone is feeling totally fed up! A couple of weeks ago they tightened up the restrictions even further and we are now only allowed to shop locally. No more trips to the large supermarkets in Chania. Also we are not allowed to travel by car to exercise, which means we shouldn’t be going to Kalyves for our lovely walks along the beaches there. Curfews are still in place from 9pm until 5am and you must always have a valid reason for leaving your home. Continue reading
Having been in lockdown ever since my last post, there is very little to talk about and so this is just a short post before I leave for the UK for Christmas. It is only 3 days till I go yet I still have not had confirmation of an alternative flight I accepted after yet another was cancelled 2 weeks ago. I knew that because of this pandemic, trying to get to the UK for Christmas was never going to be easy. I expected cancelled flights but wild horses aren’t going to stop me from trying! Continue reading
Despite the UK adding Crete to their quarantine list – it didn’t stop my brother, Mark from enjoying his Cretan holiday with me. He works in the film industry, which like everything else has been greatly compromised and anyway, Mark has been working from home on his book and so the quarantine restrictions on his return to the UK weren’t an issue for him. Continue reading
I realize that I haven’t posted for many weeks, but then there hasn’t really been much to write about. For the first time in 11 years I have not been selling my unique Seashell Mosaic Paintings & Collages by the beach in Almyrida. I have dearly missed seeing the tourists that visit Almyrida every year and meeting all the new visitors that arrive from all over the world. I have missed that wonderful holiday atmosphere that is so normally prevalent in Almyrida during the summer months from May to October. I have missed all the buzz and the fun that comes with my beach selling season. Continue reading