Kefalonia with Paul and Pip

I left Ringwood at  'silly o'clock' on Thursday 8th October 2015 on the National Express coach bound for Gatwick airport. After a good journey and a smooth but delayed flight I landed in a warm and sunny Kefalonia and was met by Dave.
We headed straight for St Thomas' beach and enjoyed a swim from the rocks. From there we went round to Jim and Denise's house where they were having a barbecue.
On Friday we woke up to a beautiful hot and sunny day and spent the morning down on 'No Shoes' beach.

 

 At lunch time we went up to St. George's castle and had a delicious lunch with superb views of the bay.
In the afternoon we had a swim and siesta at Makros Gelatos Beach in Lassi , and then had to go to the bus station in Argostoli to collect a tortoise that had been sent from Athens for Paul at Villa Mandalay.

On Saturday we collected Paul and Pip from the airport. We wanted to show them the castle but it was extremely windy and they weren't seeing Kefalonia at it's best. The harbour front at Pessada had huge rolling waves crashing over the sea wall and it was way too rough for a swim there. They checked in at the Sunrise Inn and we ate that evening at the Perratata Grill.
On Sunday we had fun playing in the waves on Trapezaki Beach and then had lunch at the newly renovated café at St. Thomas'. In the evening we invited Jim, Denise, Mick and Laney to the plot for chilli, rice and garlic bread. It was a good fun evening.
On Monday we spent the day at No Shoes Beach. The water was beautifully warm but rather murky after the previous days winds.
Tuesday was Paul's birthday so we did a tour of our favourite places to the north of the island. Myrrtos Beach looked fabulous, as usual,

 

Emblissi Beach to the south of Fiskardo looked beautiful. We climbed round the headland to the megaliths and added stones to some of the existing towers.

 

 

I love this photo of Pip behind a stone tower!!

 

We continued round to Fiskardo . The harbour looked lovely so we decided to have a meze lunch on the waterside. It was delicious.

From there we went on to Assos and had a swim and snorkel,

 

 

 

and then went back to a desserted Myrrtos Beach where we cooked steaks on the barbecue. Dinner was delicious and the fire was kept going with driftwood from the back of the beach.

 

 

I think Paul enjoyed his birthday!

 

On Wednesday we started off at No Shoes Beach with a quick swim, then I showed Paul and Pip the 'Secret Beach' but there was a bit too much swell so we decided not to swim there. Instead we went round to Spartia and Paul and I snorkelled from the rocks in a nice sheltered bay.

In the afternoon we left Paul and Pip to go off exploring while Dave and I packed the caravan away for the winter.

For our last evening together, we had a fantastic dinner at The Olive Grove, and then stayed the night at Paul and Pip's apartment.

On Thursday they took us to the airport and continued with their holiday while we flew home.

 

 

 

Andalucia September 2015

Dave and I flew out of Bournemouth Airport early on Wed 9th September 2015 bound for Malaga in Andalusia, southern Spain.
After a short flight we collected a hire car and started on our way to Sedella, a village high in the mountains to stay for five days with Helen and Stoney at their current house sit.
The drive took just over an hour. It wasn't far but once we left the motorway the drive up the mountain consisted of numerous hair pin bends.  Finally, after passing a 'no entry' barrier and then driving up a dirt track we arrived at the house that Helen and Stoney were house sitting at.

 

It was a huge, luxury log cabin with beautiful outside areas and a swimming pool. Lots of tropical plants decorated the terraces and patios, whilst slightly further away numerous plum, almond and apple trees were planted.

 

 

Having unpacked and had some lunch we got acquainted with the property and enjoyed a good catch up with Helen and Stoney. Later we drove into the nearby village of Sedella and had a wander and found a bar. Prices in this area were incredibly cheap so we had a few drinks outside with the locals.

 

The next morning we drove back down the mountain and visited the market at Velez-Malaga. We bought a few provisions and did some other errands then went to Torre del Mar and found a nice restaurant on the sea front. We all choose the set menu which cost 7 euros ( about £5 ) for a three course meal.  I had seafood pasta, followed by the fish dish of the day and then profiteroles.

After that we went over to the beach where we thought we'd have a swim, but there was a mass of jellyfish so we didn't fancy it at all. There was even a boat going along the shore line scooping the jelly fish out of the sea with a net. Instead we went back to the house and swam in the pool.

 

On Friday morning Dave helped Stoney to do some repairs on their car, and I picked some almonds with Helen which we would later shell, toast and salt to accompany evening aperitifs.

 

 

 

After lunch we went to a local waterfall and Helen and Stoney collected some more spring water.

 

 

Then we took one of the cars into Sedella and went back to the house in the other. We climbed up behind the house and took the footpath into the village. It was a nice walk and we picked some figs along the way.

 

 

We cooked a lovely barbecue that evening and watched the sun setting behind the mountains, and the stars come out. Another good day!

 

On Saturday I had the chance to collect some honey from the bee hives in the garden. I was very excited because I'd always wanted to learn more about bee keeping but hadn't had much opportunity to. I'd done a course, but not had much practical experience as it had been too cold on that occasion to lift the lids on the hives.

Anyway, after donning the apiarist's suit I collected my equipment and had some instruction from Stoney, then off I went to the hives.

 

 

Using the smoker to calm the bees, I took the lid off the hive and managed to replace two of the frames, laden with honey, with two new frames. I left two other full frames for the bees to feed from.

All went very well, no-one got stung, and I collected about 3kg of honey. Unfortunately we couldn't bring any back home in our hand luggage.

 

In the afternoon we had a short drive to a nearby village for an explore, and an ice cream, and then came back and relaxed by the pool.

In the evening we went back to Sedella for a meal with some of Helen and Stoney's friends. We had a steak, baked potato with aioli and vegetables for 5 euros. Wine was 1 euros a glass!!

Cheese and an Ameretto night cap back at the house, then a few hours sleep before the 4.15am alarm call at which time we had to get up and make our way back to the airport for our flight home.

 

We had a fantastic five days; great company, lots of laughs, delicious food, lovely sunshine and a stunning venue. Thank you Helen and Stoney for having us.

xxx