We have a dwarf apple tree that every year gives us a massive crop of fruit that unfortunately are usually all rotten just at the very core, so each year I spend days peeling, chopping and freezing to use in baking all year through, filling an entire freezer shelf.
However, this year no rot at the core but a harvest of only THREE APPLES. I peeled and chopped and immediately cooked them into two apple and cinnamon sponge cakes. Daughter came over with R and O so one cake was enjoyed and the other went into the freezer.
Son and fiancé have declared all their house rebuild as finished, yaay, so we were invited over Saturday so I could see it all. However, Son messaged late Friday to say he now has a full on head cold and as we are about to go on holiday it's best we don't come. We've postponed till we get back. A sensible decision but disappointing of course.
Son and fiancé have declared all their house rebuild as finished, yaay, so we were invited over Saturday so I could see it all. However, Son messaged late Friday to say he now has a full on head cold and as we are about to go on holiday it's best we don't come. We've postponed till we get back. A sensible decision but disappointing of course.
It did mean that packing could be done at a more relaxed pace over Saturday and Sunday.
Discovered Monday afternoon that Son actually had covid, thankfully mildly, but still an uncomfortable inconvenience for him.
Monday for us was coffee morning and my nails in the afternoon then buying the last birthday cards I needed. Not much else as it was all done but we do keep wondering what we've forgotten.
Tuesday
Up by 6am although alarm was set for 6.30am. We'd planned to leave home at 8am but totally ready by 7.20am so we left and lucky we did as the A12 crawled far far longer than the roadworks we had allowed for. Took three hours to get to Gatwick.
Found the other two couples we were travelling with in Weatherspoons and all had breakfast together. Of course we had a very long walk to our gate and then all boarded easily at 12:30pm. Hubby and I only had cabin bags so they went in the overhead lockers. Our booked flight time came and went and the captain apologised that other planes had jumped the queue so our flight to Zakynthos was late taking off rather than the 13.30pm on our tickets and it should have landed three hours later. We actually landed at 20.30pm local time (2 hours ahead) in ATHENS! We had diverted due to dreadful storms in Zakynthos making it unsafe to land. Pilot and crew kept us informed all the time and a while later we took off again and finally landed in Zakynthos about 10.10pm instead of 6.30pm. Sat on that plane for nearly eight hours for what should have been a three hour flight! Don't know why I keep mixing the 12 hour clock and the 24 hour clock sorry.
So this to see Leo was waiting for us with his mini bus and gave us all a big welcome of old friends. Finally at the hotel at 11pm and we were given plates of fruit, toasted sandwiches and drinks on the house! Then we were checked in.
Our home for the next week is Clio Hotel a family run hotel that Hubby and I have been to twice before with friendsL&K who have been many many times, and they've also been with friendsL&M so we are all well known. This was the first time for friendsM&G although they have been to the island twice before. The family are two brothers Leo (who also runs his own hotel nearby) and Fotis (runs the Clio), Silver (their dad who no longer works), Alexandra (mum who runs the kitchen) and not family but almost is Ellenor (cleaner who has been there for ever) they all gave us a huge welcome.
Wednesday
All bar one made it down to breakfast and no plans for the day so nobody minded. Later six of us took a leisurely walk across the salt flats (flooded from the storms) to the main street of Alykes. We haven't been here since 2010 but it's all so familiar as the hotel and town have barely changed.
Like my big hat? FriendsL&K bought it for my birthday.
After a relaxing afternoon we changed and all of us headed out for dinner.
Thursday
Happy birthday friendK. Breakfast was the happy birthday singalong. FriendM was missing as he'd been unwell all night.
FriendL (his wife) had organised for a cake to be brought out around 4pm ish, so another rendition of the world famous melody.
From the restaurant we stopped at another bar that had a live guitarist and he was really good and got some of us up and dancing.
Back at the Clio the remaining half of the cake was brought out of the fridge and it would have been rude to refuse.
Friday
No rain and a bit hotter, but thankfully for me still a good breeze. Not as hot as the UK by the messages I was getting from E and K. A lazy sunbathing, swimming in the pool day was declared. I sat in the shade and Hubby was restless and a bit bored moving from by my side or back up in the room.
We'd been saving ourselves for Greek Night at The Hotel Clio.
The meal was a BBQ plate with chicken pork and lamb, oven potatoes, tsatsiki, coleslaw and a brown roll, followed by lots of cut melon. The live music played the whole time. Then came the dancers.
And they involved everyone
A fun evening and late to bed again.
We are here for another four days so you'll get the rest next week.
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