Yes, I cannot believe that I have lived on this wonderful Island of Crete for ten years! Those ten years have seen me living out my dreams because I have always wanted to live like this… by the sea and so close to nature and all her awesome glory. The lifestyle I’ve enjoyed has been so perfect for me and is everything I could have hoped for and more! How far removed it is from the life I led in the UK because here I have lived a simple, busy but contented, peaceful and happy life from the moment I stepped onto Cretan soil.

One of the awesome views from my balcony in winter!

Without doubt – I am a different person to the one I was when I left the UK all those years ago.  I am so much happier, for starters!  I really know myself so much the better now.  Seriously?  The list is endless and I won’t bore you with the details, but I can assure you that it’s all positive stuff!  The fact that I have funded my wonderful expat lifestyle from selling my unique Seashell Mosaic Collages is in itself a dream come true! I live in a wonderful apartment that boasts the best views in the area. I have it all – the awesome White Mountains, vast expanses of ocean fringing Almyrida, Kalyves and Souda Bays, the rocky cove at the bottom of the hill below me and countless olive groves. Surrounded by this wonderful vista – I am uplifted and feel a deep sense of inner peace and calm which I sadly, never experienced in the UK and which has so helped me to cope better with all the sadness and grief of the past 18 months.

Another awesome sunset view as seen from my balcony this week!

For the years now to come, I want to create more balance in my life. I have worked long, countless but happy hours on my Seashell Mosaics for the past ten years and I need and want to slow down now! I want to free up more time to socialize again… something I’ve definitely not felt like doing for over a year and a half.

So it is with a fresh attitude that I started beach-selling during mid May. Now that the pressure is off – I am feeling more relaxed and so even though we are at the middle of June – I am still only setting up in Almyrida for 2 days a week.   This seems to be working out fine, given that it is still early in the season and Almyrida doesn’t really get busy until July. Nevertheless, I sold 12 Artworks last week and I am more than happy with that! One of my latest designs has been really popular and I’m not surprised! Living in and visiting a beautiful place like this, it’s easy to believe that something wonderful is going to happen!

Inspiration and hope written in the sand

I have always said how much I love selling by the beach in Almyrida! I have loved meeting all the new and returning tourists that visit Almyrida in the summer and I love talking to all the people I know here. I guess this part of my life is where I have done the most socializing during the past ten years!

Talking of socializing, it was so nice to meet up with Paul and Sheila again. They are such a lovely couple and have bought so many of my Artworks over all the years I have known them. They came to Plaka and treated me to a lovely lunch in Almyrida recently where we enjoyed a long and over-due catch-up.

it was also really good to see Jill, Rick and their family when they visited a few weeks ago. I joined them all for a couple of afternoons on the beach and so enjoyed lunch and dinner with just Jill and Rick on the nights we met up. We had a lovely meal in Psaros on their last night – good food, nice wine and great company – these lovely people are such good friends to me! I miss not seeing more of them.

Eating out at Psaros with Jill & Rick on their last night.

I have over ten years of jam-packed fabulous memories of the kind that could only have come from my life on this most beautiful Island of Crete. More recently I gave both my beautiful daughters away at two fabulous family weddings in 2016 and 2018. Zoe and Emma have come to Crete almost every year since the beginning and sometimes twice a year. I have countless uplifting memories of their visits, sometimes both together, sometimes with boyfriends or sometimes – just on their own. Now for the last 3 years I have enjoyed spending ‘holiday’ time with my gorgeous grandchildren, Ralph and Neve as well!  All the members of my family and many friends have been out to visit and stay with me over these past ten years.

Just a few weeks ago – on Kalyves beach with Ralph & Neve

I have been to so many beautiful and fantastic places here and met so many different people. I have also made some good close friends here on Crete.   I’ve enjoyed fantastic times with family and friends alike and Crete’s wonderful climate has made all these memories the best!  All in all – there’s simply every reason to be optimistic about the next ten years of happily living on Crete! I feel as though I am entering a new chapter in my life and it’s all looking positive for the future.