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Post by kelso on Jun 29, 2014 10:44:59 GMT
Rumour has it Dennis, that you and Vera are in training for the Commonwealth Games! Is that true? If you did go to the airport and ruined your hairstyle, could you not just leave it with the hairdresser whilst you went and did something more interesting? Bob
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Post by dennisn on Jun 29, 2014 11:21:03 GMT
I don't think the hairdresser could do anything. I mean, I thought when I got plastic teeth I would see an end to teeth problems - just post them through the dentist's letterbox and call round for them later after he had drilled them like mad. But no. They don't eat stuff, they get tomato pips under them and they fall around when I'm talking. Fortunately, I can well cope with fish 'n taters with my gums, but I always thought plastic teeth would be the dog's whatsits and they're not.
I've just been playing hide and seek with Angela's daughter and her friend. It seems peeping isn't allowed since I grew up and running is important - I'm good at one of them, rubbish at the other. So I lost. So I've come in to sulk.
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Post by *Di* on Jun 29, 2014 19:59:13 GMT
Been out n about on the bike again today, loved the Monastry so much went back again. Lovely day ended with a quick swim in the sea then had the BEST meal at Calma restaurant where Maria the cook signed her fabulous recipe book I bought for my friend, one Ive had for 3 years and cant recommend enough. Quality food at its highest... Superb day Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Post by Tre on Jun 29, 2014 20:16:14 GMT
Loving hearing about your stay in Skiathos Di, Dennis. As for your early morning swims Dennis, it's something I've promised to do for as long as I can remember, yet to date have never done. Why? Too b****y lazy to get up! Lol. Interesting comments about eating out. We both enjoy a drink or 3 so perhaps that's why our average meal came to €45 per night!! Always plan to have a "cheap" night but never do. Wishing you a continued fabulous stay. Not jealous of the fact that our son & fiancée fly out for 2 weeks on Tuesday !
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Post by dennisn on Jun 30, 2014 15:32:40 GMT
The early morning swim is easy enough for us. We don't stay up late. Vera is bound by Insulin injection first thing in the morning, so 6am we wake up , sometimes earlier! Let me assure you it's worth the effort if you can make it - with next to nobody there we just lazily and gently swim up and down Troulos beach several times. And we had the skipping fishes again this morning. I won't bore my fans with telling them I was first in again at 7:30 this morning.
Believe it or not, that early exercise is more than I get all the rest of the year - gentle 20 minut stroll, then about an hour gently paddling along or on my back, then 20 minutes stroll back. At home, my exercise is the upstairs toilet - sometimes I even rush there.
We don't "budget" for our meals, they cost what they cost. We fund them two ways. First Vera puts her weekly housekeeping food money for the two weeks into the pot. Then we draw our pensions in cash every week at our local sub-post office (to support its existence) and as we collect it, we each put a fiver into the pot - £500 a year! Oh and every lottery win (isn't worth putting in our pockets) goes in there too. It has to pay for odd meals out in England too, but you can see we don't feel the pain. Vera only ever drinks water or a frappé and more than one beer is beyond my capacity - a glass of wine maybe, but I can't drink half a bottle by myself. Not counting the ripoff at the old port two days ago, our dearest meal was last night at Vareli's - tzatziki, pork steak plus jacket potato for Vera, chicken a la crème for me, litre of water and two pineapple juices - to see if going on the wagon at night will help me to sleep. Apparently it certainly helped me to snore resoundingly, although I heard absolutely nothing except "Stop (Word Deleted) snoring" repeatedly.
Jeep coming tomorrow morning for two days. Will not interfere with the morning swims.
Funny thing is I NEVER went in the sea to swim until two years ago, then suddenly discovered it after years of Vera trying to persuade me. And now I've been looking forward to it ever since last June and starting this Saturday (back home) will be looking forward to it on 13th September, just a few weeks away.
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Post by kelso on Jun 30, 2014 20:13:16 GMT
Another great read Dennis. I love your positive outlook on life. Long may it continue. bob
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Post by Woody (Admin) on Jul 1, 2014 14:25:48 GMT
I can see the grin from ear to ear Dennis! Somehow, we must come back next year.
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Post by dennisn on Jul 1, 2014 14:44:23 GMT
Sympathy, please, fans. Today, Vera handed me her beach dress to put in the bag when we got to the beach, turned and ran in to beat me. Utterly, despicably underhand. The sea was slightly choppier, so we only had one small shoal of skipping fish. We couldn't stay a full hour as I had to be back to take delivery of the Jimny - which had been parked outside Villa Maria all night anyway.
So the man turned up early - I'd said 9:30 to give us time to shower after the beach, but he arrived at 9:00 when I was still in my towel. I paid an extra €10 to waive the €500 excess which he hadn't mentioned when he said fully comp insurance when I booked it! And he showed me the workings. When we were ready to set off, I looked to see which side the fuel cap was on and found I didn't know how to open it. Fortunately a fellow guest showed me and off we went to the petrol station at Victoria, halfway between bus tops 18 & 19. I at first had thought to put in 10 litres, but got 15 to be safe. I would reset the trip meter, or note the odometer and work on 10 km to the litre. Clever me - 95,000km a year driving in UK makes me a bright soul in these matters. So the speedo didn't work!
So off to junction 16, turn left to visit Elizabeth Studios where Vera stayed with her daughter and son in law over 20 years ago, to say hello to Elizabeth. She wasn't in. So off we went further on that road, to go to the beach recommended by Angela, Kechria beach. It looked slightly complicated on the map, but Angela said there are signs. I dunno where they are, but we didn't see any until long after I had performed as many seventeen point turns as roads we took which ended at gateways. I can't be sure if the best looking villa was Goldie Hawn's or Tom Hanks's or some rich bloke's. I don't think the patio was big enough to land a helicopter. So we ended up back at the main road, bus stop 12! On to get the turn at 10, but it slipped by unseen. OK, go for 9. The left turn there was an impossibility - I had to drive on to the next big hotel and turn round in their drive. Eventually after some challenging driving, we approached Kechria beach, to be faced by a sign saying STOP, 4 wheel drive only beyond here. Being thus equipped, I carried on and frightened the living daylights out of Vera - being the driver I felt quite confident, assuming the steering wheel stayed attached, but she had no such thoughts. So we had a lovely stop there - two pineapple juices, two frappés and a Xoriatiki, Greek salad and bread. It was gorgeous. Oh and two chocolate ice lollies. But mine broke in half some distance after I had paid for it! The taverna was full of Greek walkers, with those funny sticks like ski poles without the little round things. And hiking books. We loved the beach shower, piped through the trunk of a dead tree branch. We returned via Kastro and I am here to tell you the maps are mostly figments of somebody's imagination. They really don't seem to agree with the roads. When we got back, Angela's son Niko told me his dad had built that 4WD bit of road. I suggested that next time it might be good to make it wider and smoother!
When we got back we had a lovely soak in the pool. I did a really good kindness to a little grasshopper which was struggling in the water - carefully moved it to the side and lifted it out onto the tiles to dry off and go on its way. After a short time, a bird flew down and ate it. When I told Niko, he said I was still a Good Samaritan, I had fed the bird!
I wonder if there is only one Calma restaurant, as per Scottydi's post? There was one just up the road we took from bus stop 16.
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Post by *Di* on Jul 1, 2014 22:11:14 GMT
Yes Dennis if we got the bus it would be from stop 16... Its a fair walk from the main road past quite a few hotels/tavernas and apartment blocks, I think Calma restaurant is as far as you can go, on the right hand side, well worth it. We have been to Salt and Pepper tonight, we were part of a wedding party of a couple who had their wedding from last Autumn at home blessed on a little beach at sunset followed by lots of food ay S+P.. Top notch quality in every sense.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Post by dennisn on Jul 2, 2014 6:50:22 GMT
Ahah! So if Calma is as far as you can go, that might explain where we went wrong, because Elizabeth studios were further along and we then carried on along that road to find several wrong turnings until we found the final wrong one which brought us back to the main road at stop 12, four along from 16.
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Post by kelso on Jul 2, 2014 10:29:29 GMT
Dennis I do enjoy your reports. You have a definite gift for story telling. How very gallant of you not to blame your wrong turning on your navigator! Bob
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Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2014 11:55:41 GMT
I got confused after your first wrong turn Dennis!!but I agree....your posts are very entertaining to read!!
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Post by *Di* on Jul 2, 2014 14:04:13 GMT
Im sure I spotten Skiathian this morning, if so he popped somewhere into and out of the airport...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Post by kelso on Jul 2, 2014 15:07:51 GMT
Ah, but did he spot YOU! Scottydi? It's amazing where he pops up. Bob
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Post by *Di* on Jul 2, 2014 16:01:46 GMT
Doubt that very much Bob... Im not someone who tends to pop up on anyones radar lol i just saw this guy and thought, Im sure I know him then when he came back past us I just thought looked very much like the man himself. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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