Fourth week

Thursday 23rd April 2015 – St. George's Day!

Very cloudy start to the day, but brightened up and the sun appeared.It took me 3 hours to upload last weeks Blog – blumin Internet! We all went to the quiz this afternoon – I thought the questions were hard – we came 4th – not too bad considering there were 4 teams lol. My friend Linda brought me some eggs today, beautiful free range ones with almost orange yolks. As we have had a few hectic days we decided to stay in tonight and I cooked a crustless quiche with chips and Greek salad, followed by fresh fruit salad and ice cream. I went scrumping for oranges again.

Archie has had to go on a Neo mat and be cared for in the Neonatal unit, he has a tube inserted to help him feed. Come on little man get well soon. He will be in hospital for a few more days.

Friday 24th April 2015

We were invited to the Marvel at lunchtime as the Makris family were having a BBQ. The highlight for me apart from the meat was Sophia had made a pie, similar to a Spinach pie but made with Wild greens. It was delicious and very popular, Phil and Barbara went off for a Siesta and I sat in the garden and did some more of Archies shawl. This evening we picked Steve up and drove into Sidari for a pizza at his favourite restaurant Pizza Romano.

Larissa looks so well, and Archie is just so adorable – I cant wait to have a cuddle with him. He is doing fine, Jaundice is fading, but his feeding is not good enough yet.

Saturday 25th April 2015

This afternoon we drove over to San Stefanos as Jackie at Hippopots has made me a personalised teddy bear money box for Archie – it is beautiful! Barbara bought a few bits to take home with her and I ordered another Butterfly for our garden.

We called at the Bakery on the way back to Arillas and had Baklava and coffee. Barbara has never tasted it before – she loved it. We took her to Brouklis tonight for a traditional Greek meal in the best Taverna in Arillas. Of course we had to finish with Roula's orange cake.

Sunday 26th April 2015

I was up early, before the alarm went off as I was so excited to be going home to see my Great grandson. We flew to East Midlands airport, where Barbara had her car, she gave me a lift to Newark, where Gary picked me up from. He said we could not go to the hospital until 6.30. Anja had cooked dinner for us and I booked a flight to go back to Corfu on 1st May from Doncaster – on the same flight as my friend Sandra and her daughter Carol, who were coming out to visit us. We arrived at the hospital to find that Archie was no longer in the Neonatal unit, but was in the family room with Larissa and Joe.

This photo is my first cuddle. It is a magic feeling to have your own children, it is a very special feeling to have grandchildren, but it is out of the world, awesome to have a Great grandchild. I just feel so proud and ecstatic.

Larissa, Anja, Gary, Archie and I

Larissa, Joe, Gary, Archie and I

Four generations!

Archie is still having a slight problem feeding, The situation is a bit more complex than they told me about, His kidneys were not functioning 100% with him being early. They have to give him 60ml. of milk, every 3 hours by bottle, but if he does not take it – they have to suck some of the milk he has drunk out through the tube with a syringe. Then test it on a litmus strip – this tells them if his kidneys are working properly. – if it goes into the purple colour – it is a problem – but if it goes to the yellow end it is OK. Then they feed him the balance of the milk he hasn't drunk through the feeding tube – straight into his stomach. It was fascinating to watch Larissa and Joe, doing this procedure – what a great team they are.

Monday 27th April 2015

I called round to see my brother and sister in law this morning for a coffee and catch up. At lunchtime I met my friend Sandra for lunch.

Later on my friend Helen (Doz) and I went to the hospital to see Archie.

I was just in time to give him his first feed without his feeding tube. The staff had removed it, as they thought it was making him lazy. It encouraged him to keep on sucking and he took almost 70ml. They said if he keeps on like this he may go home tomorrow, Fingers crossed – I must finish his shawl tonight – Phil has a theory – that Archie is waiting for his shawl to go home in!

Tuesday 28th April 2015

Last night I almost finished crocheting, but by 1am my eyes were very strained – so I finished it off this morning.

An hour later Larissa said he was being discharged as he had done very well with his feeds and his kidneys were working fine.

Going home

Nana babysitting

Grandad time

Archies first feed from his Grandad

Great nana cuddles

Even more Great nana cuddles

It was great to have him home at last – Larissa and Joe went off to register the birth and we just enjoyed our Grandson/Great Grandson. It also snowed today, which is ironic because it snowed in 1968 when I took Gary home from the Maternity home.

First night at home.

Wednesday 29th April 2015

It is my youngest son Andy's birthday today. I wish I was back in Arillas, blumin cold, very windy and raining. We had hailstones the size of peas today.

On a lighter note, my friends Alan and Claire came to visit in their Motorhome, it is huge – makes ours look like the poor relation. We had a good catch up – it is 6 years since I have seen Claire but we do keep in touch. We will be going to a Motorhome rally with them in Cheshire when we get back from Corfu.

This afternoon I went for my haircut and then went for a Carvery for my friend Helen's grandson William's 9th birthday tea. I couldn't end the day without seeing Archie, so I called for a cuddle – just in time to feed him. He is doing so well now and gulped it all down quite quickly. He is just so adorable!

I am going to miss you so much my ickle treasure.

I was able to 'talk' to Phil tonight – he has had no Internet for 2 days, but it is sorted now with a whole new system – so fingers crossed we may stay online a bit more.

Well the end of another perfect week – although most of it was spent in the UK. I apologise to anyone who was expecting lots of Greek photos. It is not everyday you get to visit your brand new Great grandson.

Third week

Thursday 16th April 2015

Sunny and up to 22° today was lovely sat in the garden, crocheting. Poppy had her first swim in Arillas today, she loved it.

As you can see there is a lot of seaweed and stones on the beach, we need a North wind to bring the beach back. We went to Sharons for the quiz, and teamed up with a new couple (sorry I forget their names) and Alison. We came 2nd – much better than last week. There was a good turn out again. We also got talking to George who is raising money for an animal charity.

After the quiz we popped along to see Spiros at Portofino, he was busy working, getting ready to open at the beginning of May. He was telling us he has not been too well over the winter, he has stones in his Gall Bladder and is waiting to have an operation to remove it. He has been to hospital twice the first time he went they could not do it because he had not stopped taking his blood thinning tablets and the second time his blood sugar was too high. He is expecting to have to go in during the summer sometime. We had a coffee with him and a lovely piece of home made apple pie, with sultanas and walnuts in it mmmmm.

Friday 17th April 2015

Cloudy today and much cooler than it has been 16° this morning. It warmed up later though so we relaxed in the garden again. Poppy could hardly walk today, she was very stiff, I think she overdid it yesterday. I only walked her up the lane a couple of times. The Marvel pool is looking great, Kostas and Spiros have been working very hard cleaning and painting it, now they are filling it ready for the season.

This evening we went to the Night Owl with Christine, Steve, Spiros and Alison. The food as usual was excellent, we had our usual Souvlaki, Spiros had a pork chop which almost filled his plate. As we were leaving, Jimmy from the Rainbow was there I confessed to stealing some of his oranges, he was happy I had taken them (phew) and offered me some more, I just love the Greeks. We all went back to the Marvel for a nightcap. Kostas (Coconut) was there, it was lovely to see him again. Steve is the life and soul of the party, he tells some great jokes, all of which I have forgotten. We got round to talking about the quiz some of the questions were thought provoking. As is this one of Steve's – What is it that the maker doesn't want, the buyer doesn't need and the user doesn't see? Answer at the end of this blog. We welcomed some more friends, Frank and Sue, they flew in this evening. Sue is 12 weeks post Quadruple heart bypass, and she looks as amazing, as always. Then we had to say goodbye to Alison as she is flying back to the UK on a morning flight, it has been great to spend some quality time with her. The end of another memorable night, with good friends, good food and a drink or two.

Saturday 18th April 2015

Cloudy start, but up to 20° later. The internet is really playing up today, we think it is to do with the phone lines. I did some washing and ironing, also moved the furniture around in the bedroom. Sat out in the sun for an hour before showers and hair wash ready to go and meet Steve and Christine. We went to Litharo – for Pizzas – they were as good as ever. Back to the Marvel for a nightcap – another great evening.

Sunday 19th April 2015

Quite cloudy this morning, the sun did shine later but there was a biting cold wind. I went to the airport with Kostas to meet our friend Barbara, it is her first time to Greece. I can't believe she has been all over the world but never Greece. She is staying next door to us at the Marvel. When we arrived we had drinks and a snack then I took her for a ride down to the beach, for her to see what we are always raving about. Called in and introduced her to Spiros at Portofino, Steve and Christine were helping him put new fans up. Then we drove around the village for her to get a quick glimpse of Arillas. She went to have a lie down for an hour before watching the Grand Prix with Phil and Spiro. We had Sophia's Sofrito tonight, was lovely as always. Earlyish night for Barbara as she didn't have much sleep last night. Phil and I watched Poldark.

Monday 20th April 2015

Very windy today, but it is a North wind, so hopefully the beach will come back. I had a message from Larissa this morning saying she was in hospital and in Labour. What good timing is that, she finished her last shift at McDonalds yesterday. I am very excited and booked a flight for Sunday to return home for a few days to meet my Great Grandson. We drove up to Akrotiri for lunch, Barbara loved it and was bowled over by the views.

I love this aerial photo showing both beaches on my photos.

San Stefanos

Arillas

We all went up to Mon Amour this evening and had a great meal.

As soon as we sat down I got a message from Gary that baby was born, followed by a photo of him. Meet Archie – my beautiful Great grandson, born today at 18.03 (UK time) weighing 6lb 10oz. Mother and baby are fine. I am feeling ecstatic and emotional.

Archie 5 minutes old

We sure did wet his head this evening!

Tuesday 21st April 2015

One of the first posts I read on Facebook this morning is from Joe, Larissa's partner –
'Just want you to know how proud I am of you, not once have you moaned or kicked up a fuss just got on with it all, you are a lot stronger than you realise and just from seeing you with him I know your going to be a great mum.. it's been a lot for me to take in so I know you must be exhausted by the whole experience but you still manage a smile.. I still can't believe how we've made something so perfect and no doubt there's going to be ups and downs and times were we are tested but I have no doubt in my mind that we will pull together and do the very best we can to bring our baby boy up right… So let's enjoy this journey and cherish every second… Welcome to parent hood “mummy” ' – how lovely is that!
Larissa's reply to Joe – 'Big softy joe so proud of you too I managed because I had you by my side every minute of the way and you was so brave and even though you felt like you didn't do a lot believe me you did you have no idea how happy you and our little boy have made me xxxxxx'

I am just so happy for them, a lovely little family.

Archie has his Greek hat on!

We went for a drive up to Afionas today, to show Barbara the beautiful village, we had cakes and coffee too. In the evening we drove up to Steve and Christine's house, they invited us for a meal. We all had a wonderful memorable night with them and some Greek friends too. I am amazed how there are no language barriers when you have some vino to share. Steve is so funny Barbara and I had aching jaws from laughing so much. They are wonderful hosts, the food and drinks were excellent and they insisted we stayed the night. It was a privilege to be invited, and an honour to be asked to share their home.

Wednesday 22nd April 2015

Christine cooked breakfast next morning too. We just can't thank them enough, it is a good feeling to have such lovely friends. Here are a few photos of their beautiful house and views.

This afternoon we drove over to Sidari to Sea Monkeys.

It is Andy's 50th birthday and we were invited to a BBQ to celebrate it. It was a lovely atmosphere and the BBQ was delicious. Poppy enjoyed herself too, playing with Toffee, their dog. There were lots of people willing to throw toys for them. She was shattered when she got back to Arillas. This evening we went to Armourada to watch a Winter league darts presentation. I heard this evening that Archie has had to go in an incubator as he is not feeding too well and is jaundiced. The Doctors said it may be that he has an infection and they want to keep a closer eye on him. Apparently it is common in early babies, but very worrying especially for Larissa and Joe. We hope it is better news tomorrow.

End of another eventful and unforgettable week from a very happy Great Nana.

Answer to the conundrum – Coffin.

Second week

Thursday 9th April 2015

Bright and sunny this morning only 9° though. It did get up to 17° but never felt that warm because of the cold wind.

Phil and Fox – the Marvel puppy

We went over to the Marvel to meet Alison, who arrived today, she is the lady who gave me the photo of Spiros when he was 18 years old. I had some T-shirts printed for the May, Marvel regulars a few years ago – commonly known as the Mayhems.

We went down to Sharons for a quiz. This time to raise money for Roz and Nick. Roz was diagnosed with Breast cancer a few years ago. After being given the all clear over a year ago, she is now poorly again. We are raising funds for some things she desperately needs. There were about 20 people attending, but we raised €170.

I didn't take a photo because we were all huddled round the side out of the wind. So here is one of the van.

Poppy had the time of her life with some new victims to throw her stick for her. Sharon and Danielle made a gorgeous Lemon and Orange cake. We drove to Sidari after the quiz to get some shopping as the supermarkets will be closed for four days for Greek easter.

Friday 10th April 2015

Our cleaner came this morning, so we sat outside in the beautiful hot sunshine. When she had gone Phil and I made some Marmalade from our 'free' Oranges and Lemons.

This evening we decided to go to Lithero for a Pizza as we had seen that they are opening on Friday and Saturday at the moment. I messaged our friends Christine and Steve to see if they fancied joining us. They said they would drive down and meet us there. When Phil and I got there they were closed………I was gutted and our friends were on their way. When they arrived Steve said jump in we will go somewhere else.

He took us to Bavias Taverna, just outside Sidari.

We have never been there so I was looking forward to trying somewhere new. The place was almost full, our friends Andy and Fiona from Sea Monkeys were there too. The food was superb, I had a Stuffed Bifteki, it is the best one I have ever had, and I have had a few! We had 4 starters to share, 4 Main courses, 2 litres of wine, and the bill came to €60 – about £10 a head in UK.

Cozy fire!

When we left Steve drove us back to their house for a nightcap sitting in front of their wonderful fire.

Steve dropped us back home. We had a great evening, with good friends, food, wine and conversation.

Saturday 11th April 2015

What a glorious day we woke up to, no wind and sunny all day long. We had toast and our home made Marmalade for breakfast, and I must say it is delicious. We made our way down to Sharons for a Charity BBQ this afternoon in aid of Roz again. It was a great turn out, there must have been about 40 or 50 people there. We had a very pleasant afternoon, meeting up with old friends, eating and drinking in the sunshine. Bob White kindly entertained us with his great singing and guitar playing.

Poppy had a great time, 2 little girls took her under their wing and loved throwing sticks for her. They even came over when they were leaving and said what a clever dog she is and great fun to play with. Will and Danielle have just given a home to an abandoned puppy. It is the cutest little thing.

We sat and watched the sun go down, not the most spectacular sunset, but lovely just the same.

Sunday 12th April 2015

Another beautiful day today, up to 22° this afternoon. We had a lovely afternoon with Spiros and Alison, they brought us some Greek Lamb (Kokoretsi) and 'Red dyed eggs' We sat on our balcony drinking and chatting, it is really good to spend quality time with special friends. Phil watched the Grand Prix and he was very happy when Hamilton won.

Monday 13th April 2015

Granddaughter Larissa's 26th birthday today, I hope she has a lovely day.

It is another beautiful day here 20° we had a lazy day sitting out in our garden, sunbathing and I was crocheting a shawl for my soon to be born great grandson.

I love days like this it was so peaceful.

We have a beautiful Judas tree in the garden just coming into flower. Cercis siliquastrum from which Judas Iscariot is reputed to have hanged himself.

Tuesday 14th April 2015

20° again today – sunshine all day. We decided to drive to Acharavi for some shopping, lunch and to buy a Wi fi booster to see if we can get a better internet connection. Phil is a bit upset that he could have got one for £10 off ebay because we paid €30 – lets hope it works!

Lunch Greek Salad, chips and nice coffee

This evening we went along to the opening evening at Brouklis Taverna. Quite a few people were there locals and tourists too. Not sure which category we are!

Brouklis Taverna

Pumpkin pie

Spiros and Alison joined us and we had a lovely evening finding out more about what they got up to when they were 18. It is a privilege for us, for them to share their memories with us. We had Pumpkin pie, Stuffed Bifteki and Roula's famous Orange cake. Roula joined us after work, she is so happy to see Alison again after 30 years. Apparently she was like a mother to her. The Boss looked happy at the end of the evening so I guess all went well. I hope they have a good season.

Wednesday 15th April 2015

We woke up to sunshine again. I could get used to this. Phil decided to stay home and connect up the Wi Fi booster. I went out for lunch with Alison we went to a lovely little taverna between Stylo and Roda. There was a beautiful view over the countryside to the sea.

The food was delicious Alison had Calamari and I had spit roast Chicken breast with Greek salad. When I got back Phil had set the booster up but it was only working on my laptop and not his.

I called in at the UK shop as Laura had saved me 2 copies of the new Corfu Gazette. If anyone is interested in having an email copy every month- send your request to corfugazette@gmail.com – you can also find them on facebook.com/corfugazette.

We stayed in tonight and I made a casserole.

This is Poppy chilling after her dinner

Well the end of our second week, time is flying by, I am looking forward to next week as my friend Barbara is arriving on Sunday for a week. We have a birthday party next week too.I would imagine quite a few more places will be opening when they see the planes overhead and the coaches coming into the village.

First week in Arillas

Thursday 2nd April 2015

We docked at 7am and made our way across the port to catch the little ferry to Corfu.

Only in Greece would this white van be allowed to board

Beautiful sunny day, very calm sea and the cheapest Nescafe and Cheese and ham toasty in Greece.

Easter bunny for Sophia

When we docked we made our way North to Arillas and arrived about mid-day to a warm welcome from t'other Phil and Jen, our dear friends from Glastonbury, Kostas, Spiro and Sophia. We had a quick glass of wine and then went over to our apartment, we unpacked the van, Phil had a much needed siesta while I took Poppy for a run and also to buy some water. I drove down to the front, and had a quick welcome kiss from Dimitris at Brouklis. He is busy having a new extraction system fitted in the kitchen, also decorating ready for the opening after Easter. I saw Leon and Billy in Amourada they were laying a new floor, the whole place looked like a building site. I passed the new Beauty shop next to Theos car hire. The Malibu have also created a new cosy area, they look just about ready to open. Then on to Sharon’s, there was lots of activity going on, painting, cleaning and tidying. I saw Sharon, Gary and Poppy, Will and Danielle, Angie, Lezek and Bobby. I had a quick chat to Sharon while Poppy had a run around, it was too rough to take her on the almost non existent beach. Sharon leant me a 6 pack of water to save me going up to Berettas. We had a nice meal at the Marvel this evening with t'other Phil and Jen.

Friday 3rd April 2015

Good Friday in the UK. We have to wait for Easter until next weekend in Greece.

We had a lazy morning and then made our way down to Sharon's pool bar for a quiz..

Joined up with t'other Phil and Jen – our team name was 'The 4 Village Idiots' – we won!

I went in the pool lol.

This evening we drove up to the Night Owl and had the best Chicken Souvlaki in the world. I have never seen t'other Phil finish 2 skewers before lol. Neil joined us for a meal and we delivered his items we had brought over from England with us. When the other diners left, Linda and Nikos came and sat with us for a chat. Quality time with our Greek friends when they are not too busy – wonderful.

Saturday 4th April 2015

Another lazy morning for us then we picked t'other Phil and Jen up and drove over to Sidari. First stop was Sea Monkeys to say hello to Fiona and Toffee, she was very busy painting and cleaning, so we just showed t'other Phil and Jen the beautiful spot we love to chill out in. Then we had lunch on the strip, dropped t'other Phil and Jen off at Matts bar to meet up with Neil again. While we went to deliver some things we brought over from the UK for Laura, our friend at the UK shop. We did our weekly shop at Diellas, picked our friends up and drove back to Arillas. Ate at the Marvel again and said goodbye to t'other Phil and Jen, as they fly back tomorrow.

Sunday 5th April 2015

Easter Sunday in the UK. It was very cloudy in Arillas first thing this morning, the forecast is rain for the next two days. It was dull and rained on and off all day. As a thank you for delivering Laura's treasures, she gave us a pack of fresh English sausages. This is a new item in the shop this year, she has taught her Greek butcher how to make English sausages and I must say they are very good. There are several flavours and the one we had is called UK Gold which is a thick, in a round (similar to Cumberland) one. It was absolutely delicious, we do not eat much English food while we are here as we prefer Greek but as this was a gift we had to try it. I cooked it slowly for 45 mins in the oven, we had sausage butties for lunch and then finished it off for our evening meal with vegetables. I wish I had taken a photo of it, but I forgot! You can tell we loved it as we will be buying it again when we next go to Sidari. We still have no Wi-Fi in the apartment so we sat and watched an episode of Poldark our son Andy had downloaded and sent to my laptop before we left UK. He has sent some more as well but they are up there in space waiting for our Wi-Fi connection. We passed the evening away looking at all the old photos on the laptop, we have some wonderful memories of family events, and holidays. It was quite moving, chatting to each other and remembering people who are no longer with us.

Monday 6th April 2015

We had a really big thunderstorm in the night, it even woke me up. Poor Poppy was shaking and jumped up on the bed with Phil when the loud thunderclaps occurred. It lasted for quite a while and must have been right overhead as it lightened, then within a few seconds it thundered. It also lashed it down with rain. The car park was covered in puddles when we got up but it was bright and sunny. We popped over to the Marvel to have a drink this afternoon and took the opportunity to download some episodes of Poldark on the laptop, which we had missed. While we were there Bob and Nicola arrived, we had a good catch up with them. They invited us to a BBQ at their house tomorrow – looking forward to that. We stayed in tonight and watched Poldark. . I needed my Aiden Turner fix. We also watched the last episode of Mr Selfridge – what a strange ending!

Tuesday 7th April 2015

Bright, windy and sunny today but very cold, I hung some washing out and it dried quite quickly. We picked up our new German friends, Steffi and Nils and drove to Bob and Nics house for the BBQ. We had a great time, plenty of food, drinks, laughter and good music. Poppy had a whale of a time as she is allowed to roam around and there were plenty of people to throw her sticks. Sharon and Gary turned up with their Poppy so the two dogs were very happy playing together. It was very pleasant sat on the verandah out of the wind but as soon as the sun went in it turned cold. The chef de jour was Paul, and he did a fantastic job – shame about your burnt arms Paul lol. Will and Danielle were also there, such a lovely friendly couple. I originally thought she was French but it turns out she is a Lancashire lass.

Bob was going to a gig in Sidari so we made our way back to the Marvel for a drink with Steffi and Nils. They are a lovely couple who have been to Arillas three times now. Unfortunately as Steffi is a teacher she is not allowed to be on Facebook, it is such a shame as she is so friendly, I am sure they both would love Arillas Addicts. I have her email and promised to send her a link to my Blog. They are going to try and get to Arillas in August to see Roy Bumblefoot Thal, as they are Guns n Roses fans. We had a lovely evening, they enjoyed practising their English on us. We ended the evening with B52's and Baileys.

Wednesday 8th April 2015

Bright and sunny morning, still chilly though and the wind seems to have dropped. Two years ago today since Phil had his heart attacks, we are so thankful that his by-pass worked so well and that we are able to enjoy this lifestyle we have.

Our lovely friend Bob brought us a fresh loaf from his local bakery today,

We had it for lunch, I made some egg mayonnaise, why do eggs and bread taste better in Arillas? I had a quick chat to my grand daughter Larissa on Whatsapp today as we still have no Internet. She is having a baby boy – due on May 19th – I am missing out on seeing her bump grow. They are both fine and she will be giving up work for her Maternity leave in a couple of weeks. I will fly home for a week when he is born, to meet my new Great grandson, Leaving Phil and Poppy in Arillas. We went for a walk this afternoon the temperature got up to 15° but it was cool out of the sun. We had a chat to Dimitris at Brouklis, who is busy cleaning up after all the work he has had done in his kitchen. He also told us Noufris will not be the waiter this year, he will be working at the Brewery.

Testing the new bench

We had a quick chat to Billy, Amourada still looks like a builders site, they have installed a new ramp for prams, wheelchairs etc. We asked when they will be open and he more or less said when they see the first coachload of visitors they will rush around and open. The ATM is still covered and the notice says ' Open from April to October' hello…it is April lol. We went to the Marvel to say goodbye to Steffi and Nils who were flying back to Germany tonight.

On our way back to the apartment we picked some oranges and lemons.

Tonight we stayed in and finished off the fresh bread with good old fashioned egg and chips. For desert we had beautiful fresh picked, sweet and juicy orange. Then we watched 2 episodes of Poldark, I am sure Aiden Turner gets more good looking each episode.

The end of our first week – so busy and enjoyable. Lots more to come hopefully.

The Journey

24th March 2015
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Setting off from Hull to Zeebrugge on North Sea Ferries, we had a nice surprise when we boarded, as we could leave Poppy in the van and not have to put her in a kennel like we did last year. This is something they are going to introduce soon, there will also be a dog walking area. We went down to see her a few times, but she was perfectly settled in familiar surroundings.

Jean and I on the ferry – starting as we mean to go on!

This year we had an extra passenger, my cousin Jean joined us to be dropped off at her sister Maggie's place in France. Maggie and Paul, her husband, live in Saint Sulpice Lauriere, which is not far from Limoges. They live there with their son Steve and daughter in law Sarah.

25th March 2015

We had a great journey opting to take the Toll (Peage) roads as we wanted to get to Maggie's as quickly as possible. Tolls were about €45. The traffic was very heavy on the Boulevard Peripherique around Paris. We completed the 420 miles at about 6pm. We had a wonderful, very late evening – drinking, eating and more drinking, putting the world to rights, catching up on childhood memories and lots of laughs.

26th March 2015

Breakfast today included some local honey,
3 different kinds, all different but equally delicious.

We had a lazy, relaxing day. More eating, drinking, talking and laughing. It was great to have a look round their place and meet their pets. They have a dog called Maya, a miniature goat called Fleur, some chickens, 2 geese, one called George who is quite grumpy and one called Gertie. and a hedgehog called Mille.

Millie

George

Fleur the miniature goat

Maggie and Paul live in the main house, Sarah and Steve live in a one bed 'gite' next door. Steve has his business, a brewery, in the barn. There are some beautiful views over the countryside.

Another evening of eating and drinking until very late. Maggie is a fantastic cook, she seems to whiz up food, including homemade breads, soup and meals at the drop of a hat.

27th March 2015

Maggie, Paul, Sarah, Jean, me and Poppy

Time for us to say goodbye to our great hosts and continue our journey to Greece. It was so good to spend time with our family, they made us feel very welcome, so much so, they have invited us back on our return journey in 3 months time.

Phil and Poppy snuggling down for the night.

We set off around lunchtime and had a pleasant drive. No toll roads for now as we want to see as much of the countryside as possible. We passed through some quaint little villages on our way to a Camperstop for the night. We even saw a deer at the side of the road. We arrived at Villefranche-de-Rouergue but unfortunately the place we wanted was closed until 1st April despite the Camperstops book saying it was open all year. We spent the night in a McDonalds car park.

28th March 2015

Again we drove along off toll roads and saw some beautiful countryside. Something we were looking forward to was driving over the Viaduct de Millau

Millau viaduct is an impressive 336 meters, making this the highest bridge in the world.

Poppy had a good run here

Stayed the night at Aire d'Ambrussum. It was a beautiful sunset

29th March 2015

While we drove along today we fathomed out how to put co-ordinates into our Sat-nav and spent the night in a Camperstop at Avenue Francis Teisseire, Port de St Laurent du var – between Cannes and Nice. For anyone interested the co-ordinates for here are – n43.66628 e7.19595

30th March 2015

Today we saw some spectacular scenery keeping close to the coast road, along the Mediterranean sea. One place we stopped off for a break was Eze. Apparently U2 hang out in a hotel here in the summer.

We decided to get onto the Autostrada A12. Genoa to Livorno and spent the night at a services. Our diesel prices have varied we found it as low as €1.15 per litre in France and €1.39 in Italy.

31st March 2015

We drove on to Ancona to the ferry port ready for our ferry tomorrow. Our check in was not open but we asked if it was OK to stay in their huge car park overnight, we were told it was allowed but the gates would be locked at 10pm – this was fine by us as we wanted to have an early night after driving 1300 miles altogether. We settled down in bed – at midnight – when we were fast asleep a security guard knocked on the door and told us it was not allowed to stay there for the night – so we had to get up and move to a car park about 100 meters away. Jobsworth!!

1st April 2015

First thing I did was send a text to my son Gary for his 47th birthday today. We got up and went back to the car park to check in for the ferry. We sailed at 2pm and had a 19 hour crossing to Igoumenitsa.

We were given a 'free' dog friendly cabin as part of our early bird booking deal.

The first thing we did was take the lift up to the dog walking area on the top deck. Poppy was a bit apprehensive of the engine noises but she was as good as gold walking with us and did a mahoosive poo on deck, first time ever on the lead. We told her she was a good girl and she seemed more relaxed about it. The cabin was very comfortable, with an excellent shower in the bathroom. Unfortunately there were hundreds of giggling, laughing, singing, Italian teenagers on the same deck as us and they kept Phil awake most of the night. Being deaf has its good points as I only woke a couple of times.

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First week in Arillas

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