The season is not quite over but I am back in the UK for a
wedding. Within hours of my return I was sitting on the M25 in traffic in the
rain! Welcome back to Blighty hey!
After months of being in hot weather, wearing shorts and sandals it’s been hard adjusting to the cold, wearing closed shoes, jackets and covering up my legs. In Kefalonia I would wake up each day to blue sky and temperatures in the late 20’s/30’s. Sometimes it was too hot but other times there was a gentle warm breeze that the trees swayed to.
Now......No flowers, no scent of jasmine, no animal sounds, no
animal smells, no goat bells, no Greek music, no wasps, no church
bells......the only sound I hear is the motorway buzzing in the distance and
the drilling of my neighbours DIY project!
In the UK I wake up in the morning to what feels like a
black and white unreal world. I feel disorientated. I’m unsure where the floor begins and where the
sky ends....it’s all different shades of grey! After months of not watching any TV, now the
only way to see any colour IS on the TV! But what a load of rubbish I
watch....... listening to pathetic MP’s justifying their existence and news
that really isn’t news!
As I go about my business even the people in the UK look
grey! It hits me just how much the weather effects our physical and emotional
well being and I remember my time in Kefalonia that was not even a week ago but
seems like a lifetime ago.
It was so nice to be in the real world, living my life in
real time. Needless to say I am definitely having withdrawal symptoms! I would
get up early in the morning, do the shopping, get the meat from the butchers
and fresh vegetables from the market stall in Argostoli and go down to the Lady
O getting ready for the day ahead. If we were lucky, Areti would have bought
the crew something fresh and warm for breakfast from the local bakery.
The day ahead was sure to be a busy one. We have a coffee,
preserve our energy and wait for the customers to arrive. Once everyone was on
board, we’re off! I would be talking to people all day long, ensuring they were
happy and cared for, hearing their stories, them hearing mine (you know the
one.....I was looking to buy a house but bought a boat!), serving cocktails on
the beach, dancing to ‘Raining Men’ and ‘Desposito’. By the end of the day
Dennis, Andrea, Areti and I would all be exhausted but on a high. We would do
this every day and we loved it.
We met some lovely people, some of which have now become
friends and I look forward to seeing them again. We were very fortunate and we
are very grateful for the wonderful reviews we received this year, which I
enjoyed reading and responding to. I strongly believe if someone takes the time
to write a review it’s only right that we should take the time to read them and
respond to them individually.
I’m looking forward to going back in a few weeks time to wrap
up the season where Dennis and I will
also sit down to reflect on how our first season together has been, and think about how to make things even better
next year.
I can’t wait!
Let’s cruise
together!............
Nicos Nicolaou
