Happy New Year!

Happy new year to everyone, I hope you all had a really fine Christmas and Santa brought you everything you wanted if not everything you deserved!

Although it didn't snow on Christmas day here it was a white Christmas and we have had snow on the ground for about the last three weeks barring a couple of days when it cleared temporarily. We have seen night time temperatures down to about -10 C and daytime temps bearly reaching 0C if so it probably been the coldest yuletide for some considerable years. Things look much rosier in Greece although I have just read on a friends facebook site that there have been 40 knot winds in Lefkas she says she was pleased they were in the marina with their yacht. This is quite a storm for this area of the med so I hope everyone out there managed to baton down the hatches.

We had a good Christmas with Sandra's dad and one of our sons with his wife and three kids for Xmas lunch. Had to have the telly on at 3 o'clock so Geoff (Sandra's dad) could watch the Queen! All the Grandchildren have been inundated with presents, some of which they are bored with already but I suppose this is the way of all children. Sorry I can't put any photo's in just yet but the lead for my camera is in Greece and I don't have a card reader on this computer but I'll add some next week when I get back home!

We had a bit of an old timers (some of them Octogenarians) party on New Years eve but we had a really great time as Sandra produced a marvellous spread with a mixture of British and Greek dishes as a mezze in the Greek style, and surprisingly they all seemed to enjoy it, it's not often you see old people tucking into dolmadies, stuffed peppers and Greek salads with such relish and then coming back for more.

Well we are now preparing for our return to Assos, I think we have got everything we need to take back with us although I have still the bit's I need for extending the short bed to manufacture but it's been too cold to be stuck in the garage for any length of time. I have managed to pay my Cosmote Internet bill over the Internet while I've been at home which is no mean achievement with the web site being entirely in Greek, but I also arranged for Jorgos to pay it in my absence in case I couldn't find a way of doing it so now it's been paid twice, oh well less to pay this month!

I now have to add some luggage allowance to our Easyjet booking in order to get things back which we are taking. We came home with hand luggage only but not we will need at least one case and possibly two to go back with. I think there is a charge of about 22 euros to add a item of hold baggage so it's not too bad.

We have decided that given the current bad weather that we will be setting off on Sunday morning to Gatwick and stay in a hotel overnight before catching out flight on Monday morning, at least this means that we can stay in bed four hours longer before getting booked in. Our flight arrives in Athens about 14:30 so hopefully we should be in plenty of time to catch the bus back to Arta and be home for about midnight, another long day but that's the price you pay.

Sandra's Cousin is coming out to stay with us in mid May this year and she has booked a flight to Corfu, this is probably the best bet for cheaper all round traveling ie you don't have to get from Athens etc. The ferries from Corfu to igumenitsa are cheap as a foot passenger so it shouldn't be any hassle really.

Anyway that's all for now, I'll let you know what's happening Greek side in a couple of weeks. Happy, Healthy and Prosperous new year to you all.