A Room with a View

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IMG_2222.JPGAfter a fairly easy crossing from Mykonos, we arrived into Folegandros last night. Compared to Mykonos, it might as well be another planet!

The first thing one notices is how sparse the island is. Rocky, very little vegetation. So quiet and unassuming. No wild times here, my friend….the only wild thing at the moment is the howling wind of the summer meltemi. At least it is giving respite to the very high temperatures which we have experienced over the last few days.

The view is of the sun brilliantly highlighting the magnificent church of the Panaghia (Virgin Mary) overlooking the small town.

Leavin’ on a Jet Plane

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An earlyish start. an overcast, grey, dull, rain-sodden sky. Could there be any better reason for jetting off to Greece?

Easy run up to Manchester airport. Just a lot of waiting around to check in. Finally, checked in and went through security….the part I absolutely love😡…NOT. But hey…it was my day…yep…I got taken to the side and had a complete ‘pat-down’ by the official ‘pat-down’ police…you’ve got to love those gals😉😉

Lots of people in terminal…very much only elbow room. Revelry at the bars…young men & booze at 11 am=lots of loud noise and impromptu singing.

See pic above…looking down on the crowded and noisy bar.

Flight delayed….sitting on plane for nearly two hours.

Hey ho, off we go….see you in Mykonos!

Looking Forward

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At this point in one’s life, I’ve realised there is far more to look back on than to look forward to. That’s just the way it is for us baby boomers.

I’m not being pessimistic here….I am very thankful I have so much to look back on…good, bad, sad, happy. Many people have not had that chance….their lives shortened by whatever circumstance.

In the past few weeks I have garnered a lot of things to look forward to.

At the beginning of November I received the news that my last surviving uncle…Theo Manoli….my father’s younger brother….had passed away in his adopted country of Australia. The news really affected me. Theo Manoli was the last direct link for me to my beloved father. Seeing pictures of him recently flooded me with memories of my Dad….they looked so much alike. I felt so much sadness, but also remorse. Remorse for not having taken that trip to Australia to see my uncle one more time. This is something that can now never be. An important lesson to be learned here.

Amongst all this sadness though, I have found joy. I have connected with cousins I have never met and cousins I met briefly a lifetime ago. Now there is a whole new chapter in life to look forward to….meeting up with my cousins….in our ancestral home of Greece. So much to catch up on….so much to look forward to.

Next week I return to my birthplace of the Bahamas. It is something I am really looking forward to. To be with my immediate family…my children, my husband, my sister, my niece and nephews and now….great nieces and great nephews. Looking forward to meeting the newest additions to our family…newborn Bruce and 5 month old Irene. There will be a family celebration. It is truly something to look forward to.

Seeing my old friends….some I have known and grown up with….through school and beyond. Reconnecting. We dip in and out of each other’s lives, but the cord that binds is forever present. Looking forward to this .

These past few weeks have made me see more clearly. Coming to realise that, no matter how much of your life you see behind you, there is still so much in front to look forward to. Perhaps not all of it will come to be, perhaps it will….but that’s life. Look forward to it…it’s the only thing we have that is truly ours. It’s up to us to go forward with it in the best way possible.

 

All at Sea on a Black Rubber Boat

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It all started with a ‘fun run’ in December 2015. A ‘Colour Fun Run’ to be exact. This is where you get multi-coloured powders thrown at you as you run/jog/walk on a 5 k course for charity. It is fun, no one takes it seriously. People dress in outlandish costumes and enjoy the event.

This was not my first Colour Run. The first one I did and I did run. This one I walked because my friend, whose son organises the event, is not a runner, so, I walked it with her. At the end of this saunter everyone congregated at a local tavern for breakfast and  a raffle of prizes donated by local sponsors. To my delight my number came up and I won a harbour safari for 4 persons! How lucky was I?!

So, there I was with 4 free tickets for a cruise …through Nassau Harbour and around Paradise Island. Then I got a bit creative….what if I filled the 12-seater boat with a few more friends? We could make it a private charter. If it is private, then we can make it an early evening cruise….with cocktails. If we have cocktails, then we can follow on with dinner at a nearly eatery. You get the picture….

And there we were…..ten ladies….I did not include men….as we did not want monologues on politics, football, etc, etc.

Yes, ten ladies and 3 gallons of rum punch. Not to mention a crew of two very nice men….Lee and ‘Grouper’. We cruised smoothly through the harbour, picking out sites of interest which we almost never see from this aspect. It was a balmy evening, sky was clear, sun setting lazily in the west. Rum punches being poured over clinking ice cubes…..constantly being poured over clinking ice cubes. With the wind in our hair and the libation flowing through our veins it was the perfect way to unwind. We chatted, we laughed, we enjoyed.

An hour and 15 minutes later we re-docked at the marina. A good time had by all at sea in our black rubber boat. And now it was on to dinner…..