'T'is the season....

 The photo's this week are all taken in Lefkas just before we left.  It amazes me how much more the Greeks are getting "westernised" with regards to Christmas.  When we first retired and went out there it was very much just another religious celebration and in second place by a long long way to Easter.  Now, some eight years later, the gap between them is much smaller although Easter is still the primary festival in Greece.  The plethora of decorations and lights about this year is hugely more than we have seen previously.

Last Thursday we set off on our first leg to getting back to the UK for Christmas by driving to Athens and staying in  Peri's Hotel near the airport.  In effect this pays for itself as they look after the car for the month we are away at no extra charge.  Airport parking would cost us something in the region of €150 for the period we are away so it's a bit of a "no brainer".

The Easyjet flight the next day was uneventful apart from being sat next to a guy who smelt of pee and had very severe halitosis, I don't think we have ever been so pleased to get off an aeroplane in our lives.  At Manchester we had arranged to pick up an hire car and thought it would just be a case, having done all the paperwork on-line, of showing the license and picking up the keys.  No it took us 3/4 of an hour and then when we got into the car park the car wasn't there.  Another 15 or 20 minutes and we had another (upgraded) car.

Unfortunately, when we got back to good old Yorkshire we found Sandra's dad was full of flu and not in good health at all.  We have had him to the doctors since and he's now improving but we think our current way of life may be in for some radical changes sooner rather than later.

Sandra and I would like to wish everyone who reads our musings, a very happy Christmas and a fantastic New Year and all of 2016 in fact.