The Travellers Return

At last Justine and Simon are back from their travels to Australia (taking in both Hong Kong and New Zealand too)
It was great to see them appear through the doors when I met them off the 6.35am arrival from Athens at Zakynthos airport on Monday.

It's seemed a long time that they have been away and particularly as it spanned over the Christmas and New Year period. They saw in the New Year watching the traditional firework display on Sydney harbour bridge.
So things won't be quite so quiet around here from now on and I'm glad that I managed to 'get through' their long absence and in just a couple of months Sia will also be due back from Switzerland.

I've continued to make new friends here and had a really enjoyable night out last Thursday when Island Radio held a 'Soul Train' night at Tslivi. This is going to be a regular thing through the remainder of the Winter hopefully & will be held at different places. Debbie & a couple of other friends went with me & both Debbie & me hardly stopped dancing all night. We both enjoy dancing & as neither of us had done so for some time we made the most of it. Oh, how our feet ached by the end of the night but well worth it.

By rights we should have had a lot of rain by now and everyone is saying that it's very late coming this year. We continue to have lots of sunny days and once again today I've enjoyed another long walk along the beach. It was quite windy but still very pleasant to just walk & talk in good company and be out in the fresh air.

I'm also hopeful of having my own car soon, as now that Justine & Simon are back I no longer have theirs at my beck & call. I'm just sorting out the finance to buy one from someone I know as it involves transferring money & changing into Euros etc so fingers crossed on that one that the deal gets done.

As the end of the month draws nearer & the tenant leaves my UK house I shall also be looking out for it being advertised for sale & hoping for an early settlement. I have everything in place including solicitor etc in the UK & am just sorting out Power of Attorney too. This means that they can sign all the necessary paperwork on the house sale without me having to either return to the UK to do so or have documents going to & fro between UK & Greece delaying proceedings.

So I think that's brought you up to date with everything for the time being. I must perhaps post some more photos soon as I haven't put any up for a few posts. I'll see what I can do.

The Big Decision

Those of you that have followed my progress from my arrival on Zakynthos last July will know I came to test the waters, to trial whether I wanted to make a permanent move here.

You will also know that I came on a career break from my Civil Service job which, following my request to extend the break from 6 to 9 months, is due to end on 30th April 2007 at which time I would have to return to work if I decided to return to the UK.

I could wait until the end of my career break to make my final decision but I already know what my decision is and in my heart I have known it for some considerable time now.

Zakynthos is to be my new permanent home. I love the island and what it has to offer and I am privileged to be able to have this opportunity to live a very different lifestyle.

There are still many things I don't understand about the systems and procedures here, but will become more familiar with in time I'm sure. I have a long way to go to get to grips with the language. I am still adapting to the laid back approach here, learning that there is absolutely no point in expecting anything to get done when you are told it will get done. Invariably it will get done eventually, maybe today but more likely tomorrow or maybe the next day or maybe in a couple of weeks time. This is how it is so don't stress about it, just accept it. I have come here for a slower paced, less stressed lifestyle so why should I expect that anyone here should stress themselves racing around for me.

Already I've put several wheels in motion. People who know me well will not be at all surprised to hear that, knowing as they do that once my mind is made up there's no holding me back.
I said in earlier posts that I was considering taking my Civil Service pension early, well I've had the figures confirmed, thought about it, applied for it and had it confirmed that it is being sorted out. I've asked that it be effective from 1st January this year so technically I am a 'retired civil servant' and that has a very 'old and tweedy' ring to it but again I think all those that know me well would agree that isn't me. I'm not ready to take up residence in a rocking chair with my tartan travel rug and my knitting yet.

The tenant that has been renting my house in the UK is vacating at the end January. So I have also now instructed the agents to put the house up for sale. Also, as there will be no rental income coming in to cover my mortgage payments I have negotiated a 6 month mortgage instalment break with my lender and hope that a sale at a reasonable price is secured within that time. I shall be keeping a keen eye out for a small property to buy here.

When I receive the lump sum part of my pension I will probably use part of it to arrange for my belongings, currently in storage in the UK, to be shipped out here so I'm no longer paying storage costs. I also hope that I'll be able to buy a car.

I'm looking forward to seeing family and close friends visiting during the year so that I can proudly show them my Zakynthian home.

New Year On Zakynthos

You may recall my list of Winter Challenges which I talked about in an earlier post. These had been set by my on-line message board friends. The first challenge I agreed to was to capture a photograph of the very first sunrise of the New Year on Zakynthos.
I had decided to take the photo from a beach & I'd talked about this with my friend Debbie who was keen to accompany me.
During New years Eve daytime we spent a very pleasant day at Debbie's house & then in the evening, Debbie, her 7 year old daughter, Simone, & me made our way to my house where we saw in the New Year. We put Simone to bed for a while & Debbie & me enjoyed watching The Green Mile on dvd. I'd never seen this film & had always wanted to, an excellent film, though very much a tear jerker on what was already a very emotional time, so a few tears were shed. We'd already decided there was not much point in us trying to sleep as neither of us were tired & so we chatted the night away. We knew the sunrise was going to be around 7.30am but wanted to be on the beach in good time. We prepared a flask of coffee, woke Simone & wrapped ourselves up against the cold. At around 6.30am we loaded the car with quilts, cameras, flask, torches & books as we were unsure exactly how long we would be sitting waiting. Much to our surprise the windscreen on the car was iced up & we had to switch on the hot air & wait for it to clear before we could set off.

When we arrived at Kalamaki beach it was still pitch black with a very clear sky & lots of stars visible. There was already a very slight glow over to the east, a sure sign that the sun was on it's way. As we sat in the car & watched we noticed the glow becoming more & more colourful & soon we decided to leave the car & brave the cold to start to capture some photos.
It was very atmospheric as there was also a mist hovering over the sea as you can see on the second photo. It was also very, very cold. After taking quite a few photos we went back to the car for a short while to have a coffee to warm us back up but were keeping a keen eye to spot when the actual sun made it's very first appearance.


We were not disappointed, in a short while the sun came up over the horizon & we left the warmth of the car yet again to capture the moment.

You can also see a photo below of a very cold Debbie (left) & me (right) on the beach after our photo session.

So a New Year starts & I wish everyone a Happy & Healthy one.



This is also the start of my first full year on Zakynthos & I have my own hopes & dreams for what this year might bring & those people who are close to me know what those hopes & dreams are.
I have not lost faith.