A holiday...really???

Everyone is twittering about "Oh no, back to school, clock watching and homework".

AND all i am thinking is 'peace at last!'

Have you ever tried working from home with four children in the house?  Music blaring, TV full blast and everyone fighting over who's turn it is for the computer?....Not forgetting the constant whining of "Muuuummmmyyy" every five minutes and "I'm hungry!"

My concentration on a good day is pretty poor, but holidays....well, the only time to work is after story time.  So whilst most people look refreshed after the Easter break, I am generally in need of sleep and a real holiday (not to mention prosac)!!!

On the world and national 'news' front considering I volunteer to help with a local news blog I know very little of the world outside facebook/twitter and island gossip at the moment.  I'm however becoming an expert on 'accidents' that have taken place around the island, as that seems to be the only thing in the news lately...(and the crisis of course, mustn't forget that...as if we could!!!)

So yes, it's tourist season again!!! Watch out for motorcyclists, push bikes and cars in Kos (especially those with hire car stickers on).  In fact, probably best  not to drive at all.

My car is surprisingly still going and finally has a new radiator so i even managed a trip to Kefalos last week!  The window system is a bit dodgy and will need changing, but hoping to win the lottery (haha), so i can just get a whole new car instead.

I quickly managed to read (or flick really), through a magazine over the weekend so as far as FASHION  (and what I have seen in the shops lately) goes, although don't forget I am no expert (still wearing the same pair of jeans for the last 3 years, although since Easter slightly tighter)....

You can pick and mix your styles up this season with pastels shades and lacy vintage, or go loud and bold with bright block colours or imaginative prints.  For evening go shimmery whites, bronze or silvery greys. 

A tan helps of course, which is all you will probably get if you are living under the Greek sun this summer!!!

OMG has to be that for some reason (it could be an age thing) , I cannot seem to look at a man in the face lately for very long.  I seem to have developed a  habit of looking at their crotches.  Of course I then realise I've done it,   go bright red, stutter (if in conversation), and then do it again...ahhhhh!!!!

(Please tell me it's not just me that does this!!!)

So sunglasses it is....morning, afternoon and evening from now on!!!

Short post, but best go have a cold shower now just thinking about 'things'!!!

Easter Hols...

Well it is, well was only day 3 of the holidays from school and wondering what to do today as play mates are away in England thanks to Ryanair and Easy jet and their fantastic offers at this time of year.

The weather cloudy and unpredictable we decided on Friends, with a friend we haven't seen for a while!

Friends (in Kos Town) is great for small children with an inside safe play area and cafe bar that serves good coffee.  Much needed at 10.00am in the morning having already been up for hours!

There's a bouncy castle too and ball park area with slides and lots of fun for the kiddies. 

So after a few hours and games of air hockey ,catching up and trying to sip coffee, talk and play with balloons later, we were not only exhausted but hungry!

Friends do  lots of delicious snacks but today was special as it was the first day that the restaurant my husband and his partner have owned for 20 years opened for the summer season.

Good news...no cooking or washing up today!

 Although I only ate Greek salad, it tasted so much better than at home.  The children ate calamari (fried squid) served with rice and sauteed potatoes.

Everything was perfect.

Until we got in 'the car', the car that recently we have spent so much money on getting fixed all the time because it is still (only) just cheaper than buying a new one....

Today as the gentle rain started we had an ultra air conditioned car.  The window on the passenger side would not go up .....and was stuck.

A quick trip to the garage and a nice electronic engineer later and it was fixed for the time being...at least it was closed so we weren't getting splashed from the rain drops!

I guess even if I left it in the centre of town with all the windows open no-one would want to steal it anyway!

We had as usual a welcome reception when we arrived home, the puppies from next door barking madly and a recent addition that has  just been put outside my fence...a calf

moo-ing!!!

A little excursion to get petrol (which I had forgotton to put in the car) drew our attention to a new shop that seemed to have popped up from nowhere over night!

The Candy House, mmmmm, pick n mix sweets galore.  So of course we had to try some.  Rude not to!

Efi who owns the shop which has been open only 2 days was really friendly and helpful.

We spent the rest of the afternoon with our mouths full of yummy delights and making mermaid sea scenes thanks to the book and cardboard we had brought for an Easter present from Thalassinos Book Shop.

Now if only I had some wine.......!!!

Strikes Back....!!!

Well, I guess  it is that time of year again....yep, birthday time.  The time when you start to look back and wonder ....where, oh where did  the year go, (and what did I accomplish this time?).  Not forgetting the  'OMG, look at the wrinkles', every time you dare look closely in the mirror (with glasses on) !!!

I'll have you know, that I have been kind of 'working my socks of' any way I can with helping to promote the little Greek island that my family and I, live on, and hold dear! (Thats the excuse for the bags under my eyes!!!)

It hasn't been easy either!!! OHHHHH NOOOOOO!!!!

In a world , that I love, and I chose to be part of, that is Greek, it's a learning step every step of the way.....as in  terms of communication, internet and websites ....at times, believe me we have managed to move mountains!!!  (and reached levels of patience, unimaginable!!!)

I don't want to blow my own trumpet, but I think that you should know that www.kosexplorer.com and www.kos-explorer.com have gone above and beyond to help, from promoting the island for tourism, to volunteering in the field (and via the  internet), listening, (often being a shoulder to cry on), helping to motivate others, and generally assisting in any way they can, for the good of the island, whether it is to do with tourism, human or animal welfare, highlighting certain issues, translating every day news, green issues and environmental awareness.  I am proud to be part of such a wonderful team!!!

Not only have we achieved all of this, but we have managed to reach out to those who have wished to voice their opinions, and were never heard before ....Thanks to the Newswire, (and The Brits Abroad on facebook),  the comments, the letters to the editor, and posts that people have sent , it can be said that people (in high places) are really starting to sit up and listen to what we and our members, have to say!!! 

It couldn't of course been achieved without the dedication from all the team members, that have given up their time voluntary to do it, they deserve medals!!!

So, apart from that......(and general housekeeping duties, that I've managed to keep to a minimum),  I have written a children's adventure story (which hopefully will turn into a series), that has also kept me busy. 

I have  really enjoyed doing this, and it came 'out of the blue' as I had always thought I would write more of an 'adult' book, when I ever got round to it that is.  To be honest it was a great  excuse to disappear to the flat  and have some peace and quiet for a few hours (plus a few glasses of wine)...and write. 

I am certainly not expecting it to ever get  published, (although that would be nice, and might help us out of the financial crisis...haha!!!).  It  will be wonderful to just have it printed and then  hand it down to my children so they can read it to theirs.

Umm let me see, I daren't say much about politics at the moment because 'they'  are either all on one side, covering each others arses,  or on opposite ones tearing each other apart.  It would be good if, for once everyone could just come together for the greater good....and for the saviour of a nation. 

Hard times are upon those living in Greece as basically every ones incomes (unless you are an aging politician....or even I guess a young one), is far less than your basic living 'outgoings' for the necessary things such as a roof over your head (rent/or mortgage), food, keeping warm/having hot water to bathe your kids, petrol to drive a vehicle, pay the bills, and and.....

Most citizens openly cry, and no,  it is not because they are lazy and they haven't all paid their taxes, no they are just human.....like anyone else!!!  The sums just don't add up anymore!!!

So,  many rumours going around the internet at the moment, all I can think of is that with all the new bail out rules, austerity measures to be inflicted on the nation and promised organisation, Greece might as well be 'occupied' again.  Yes, some organisation (as well as corruption must be stamped down on), needs to be implemented, for the country to move forward, but really, isn't it just moving backwards again, and aren't they just being held by their balls?

And people wonder why there is a revolution...and strikes........!!! ?????  Helllooooo...........???!!!

So enough said and on to fashion....Ummmm, is all I can say.  From a girl about town who knew what was in all the shops to a girl who just shoves on what isn't in the ever increasing wash pile...that could be a difficult subject right now.  The thing is, it's carnival time, so whatever.....goes!!!

As far as hotties, well,  being involved in a slimming group lately, a bar of chocolate or a  tube of pringles would send me to unimaginable heights right now (who needs 6 packs, only if they are kitkat ones and on offer)!!!

So, all in all, I guess I have had to grow up this year (although, I still can't spell or punctuate!!!) and for those of us in Greece, have had to keep smiling (through clenched teeth)!!!

Love to all of you, and I hope the Goddess in me or the 'NOT so', will have a come back SOON!!!

Love Tracey

XXX

HOME ALONE.....sort of....!!!

Home Alone (well not quite)....2012


Never thought I would see the New Year in with a cup of coffee, (unless ill, or being forced to sober up) to welcome 2012. Of course it had nothing to do with any new year's resolutions, (which don't usually start anyway till the fridge is bare), and everything to do with taxi duty.



So, I've ironed, (even thought about doing the veggies for tomorrow), and watched every firework display possible, even posted some on Facebook, but the wrong year, duh....then sat and watched in memory of all the sports people who have died this year...a very Happy and Cheery start to the New Year.....



So now as I munch my way through the first Basilopitta of the day (which I forgot to put the coin in), and actually is pretty tasteless, I am wondering what to do next. Cannot go on Facebook, as I might just look like one of those people that are sat home alone, with no one for company.....well 3 people and the cat, but they are all snoring their heads off!!!



So might just go back to savory in the next hour, and open the crisps, then sweet....if I can manage to tackle the ice on the freezer, that is acting as a barricade...where's that hammer?



In fact I feel a little sick thinking about everything I've eaten during the run up to Christmas, and over...and spreading (like my body) into the New Year! So glad to be starting Kos Killer Kilo's on Monday....might be able to detect those cheekbones without all that bronzing powder again!!!



OMG would have to be that surprise, surprise Greece is in a recession.....hellloooo didn't we write about that last year, and the year before, well of course the sh1t really did hit the fan and could no longer be ignored...in 2011, difficult times for so many. As Greece politicians dominated the stage in Oscar nominating performances, as the nation plunged further into despair. A so called hand smacking group is going to be put into force (a stability union), to help stop overspending....hmmm just wondering which country will be enforcing the rules, as we head for a quote I just read from somewhere..."A more...German...Europe"!



So enough said and lets talk about Fashion, or in my case the complete lack of it...All you need for Christmas is....certainly not Mariah Carey, but the kind of pajamas you can answer the door in, that you can dress up (i.e. wear with a underwear and some makeup), or dress down, which parts will obviously be doing if you aren't wearing a bra or nickers....slippers that look like UGGS are good too...as are blankets around shoulders too when at home (as long as they co-ordinate with the sofa colours), as people in Greece cannot afford heating!!!



So another year over and a new one just begun.....a year of turning the big 40, reaching my ideal weight (for one week), and managing to do without AA membership....!!!



and looking forward to 2012, bring it on!!!
 
Happy New Year
 
Lots of Love

DREAMS.....

OMG, I had one of those dreams the other night where you're behind the bar and the orders are coming in thick and fast, 3 Margarita's (now did he mean pizza's or cocktails)???   Milkshakes every flavor possible, fresh juices, and club sandwiches, English Breakfast, Continental......and you've run out of glasses, you just managed to stretch the bacon on the last order and you're thinking, shit what was the first order again???  Trying not to panic cos the waiter already repeated it twice!!!.....

AHHHHHHH!!!  But then you realise of course it's just a dream.....we are in 2010....everyone eats breakfast in the hotels, oh and lunch, tea and all the other snacks and drinks in between too....!!!  They might park their backsides on your chairs and take out their packed up rolls, and even  order a small bottle of water between the four of them if you are lucky, but long are the days when you really are stressed behind the counter, unless of course you do work at an all inclusive.....and then you don't stop....ever!!!

The crisis in Greece continues....not only is it unremitting but we are being crushed and trampled into the ground.  Why...???  Well, even  if you did manage to make any money, you're taxed every way possible on it, dead or alive, and even if your business closed years ago....they still find ways of making you pay!!!

So the strikes go on, as the politicians sit in there luxury villa's wondering  where it all  went wrong, while the general public are facing  battles and  frontiers with adversity and little hope of a new and brighter future...
BUT, on a happier note it's Christmas soon. (HO!HO!HO!).....!!!.....I just hope Santa is exempt, Mary & Joseph weren't!!!

DO DREAMS REALLY COME TRUE???

I bloody hope not, cos i would be dead having literally pulled a  piece of glass the size of a window  out of my own chest last night!!!  Then i spent the whole day worrying that maybe it meant someone near and dear to me might have a heart attack......and every time the phone rang, I jumped up expecting bad news, even when it was the Headmaster (again), I was quite relieved!!!
I think you can read into dreams what you feel or want to at the time.... (I'm still amazed that i actually have been having them, and remembering them too....!!!) 

If you're currently looking at the glass half full, the glass in my dream could symbol an illness that will go into remission.....half empty, well you're already looking on youtube for the all time top funeral songs...!!!

Yes, dreams can be interpreted any way you choose....or from a book (I have one upstairs, a little bit dusty since usually after several glasses of wine i don't seem to dream anymore.....it's only the last few days when  i've had a virus and pain medication , i've had to dig it out again!!!)

BUT, by the time you've looked everything up  (in Greek) that appeared in your dream, (half and hour later)you end up with something like....someone is jealous of you, maybe because the other bit in the dream says you're gonna win money, or maybe that you are about to turn direction....now does that mean have a new hairstyle or geographically ???  Mmmmmmmmm, all very confusing really.....

Or it might be as that i've had to fast (due to fear of throwing up again)....that the dreams are guiding me....or hold some divine inspiration???.....Drink wine, drink wine....drink wine......!!!

A dream is a succession of images, sounds or emotions that the mind experiences during sleep. 
Isn't it a shame though that the most recurrent ones are usually those which you are being torn to shreds by wolves.....(I blame it on Little Red Riding Hood), instead of  gently caressed by some tall, dark or fair, handsome stranger....(Mills & Boon).....ones.   The dream which you have never got passed first base, however long you lay there and will yourself back onto  the hot sand....bath.....alley....whatever!!!

Anyway, enough of dreams for today and on to:-

FASHION

(FOR US GIRLS ON SMALL ISLANDS - LARGE BAGS/HOLDALL/WHEELIES)

Christmas is coming, time to get glitzy, let your hair down & have fun!!!.....Whilst most people are looking forward to their office parties & mistletoe, those of us in Greece who are unemployed out of season (and some of us in season)....will be lucky enough to go out anywhere!!!....AND if we do....we will be carrying with us, a large bag/holdall or a wheelie- (think SEXY Air Hostess)....and WHY.... do you ask.....???  We will be bar crawling with a difference.....Drinking the contents (whatever is on offer at the time) of these beautiful items, in between the bars, as we can no longer afford the prices inside them.   Hmmmm, come to think of it suitcases could be fashionable too!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in America.

Happy list writing to all of us women everywhere.....it's only just begun!!!!....Hope your lead up to Xmas will be stress free!!!  (Haha)

Lots of Love

Tracey XXX

P.S. Prince William is oh soooooo hot!!!  Lucky Kate.

Miley Cyrus_Liam Hemsworth Abbraccio

Miley Cyrus_Liam Hemsworth Abbraccio
Originally uploaded by The Last Song Italia

Yes, Liam, voted one of the Future Faces, born in 1990, OMG i still think we are in the 90's.....that's when you know you've lost it, and realise, sadly he's half my age.......!!!

Anyway, another pretty face, and a great six pack. Check him out in The film 'The Last Son'g with Miley Cyrus - looking at him you even forget her annoying voice.....

Beautiful film, box of tissues required, and i was pretty impressed by Miley's performance, without a wig. Great song too!!!

IN THE SADDLE AGAIN???

OK, I'm sorry, my got up and go, got up and went......(to Scotland, I think....),writers block possibly, and the fact my memory has deteriorated, not only do i forget where the car is parked as before, but i literally have  to count the bath towels, to see if i had a shower or not !!!  So although i now carry with me (when i don't forget, a pen & notepad), by the time i actually manage to find it, i've usually managed to lose my train of thought, idea/information or comment that i had thought of moments  before!!!
BRAIN FOG, i'm told due to auto-immune disease.....thank god for that, i was beginning to think it could be caused by wine overdoses & Doritos's!!!.

So, for the BIG comeback, i thought about the layout, the pics i could add, the whole 'new look' blog, the hotties.....and do you know what??? Yep,  i haven't changed a thing!!!  Call me lazy, 'whatever', but you're still reading it aren't you???  (Thank you XXX).

FRIENDS ARE what makes the world go round, or upside down, you stick side by side, BUT when they disappear your life can turn itself inside out......God, this sounds like some dodgy lyrics to a song!!!Which reminds me, there are far to many lovely songs out there about friends.  Will now have to spend the next few hours looking on YouTube......& it's my husbands first night home in months......!!!  Ahhha, you're thinking, is this why the NOT so Greek Goddess is back????

YES, of course.......IT IS.....!!!   It's Football season (again)....and i no longer have any control over the remote or the volume!!!

But really, husbands come & husbands go, but friends are forever!!! (Even when they are far away....). What I really  want to say is, it's totally crap when  friends decide to move away....and you lose your bubble/real partner. I mean you can hardy moan about your husband to your husband can you???  That's just called nagging!!!  It certainly isn't as  much fun 'walking the dog', without coffee & cakes or several bottles of wine!!! (Smirnoff Ices/North....or whatever dregs of alcohol you can find....!!!).
My dog got walked frequently last winter, and often needed a rest outside friends houses!!!

YEP, there are many people  leaving 'The Island'.....not for sunnier shores, but possibly brighter ones.  The future is not looking so great in Greece at the moment......and rougher seas are yet to follow.....it's getting harder and harder to keep your head above the water.

BORED is....
The most frequently used word in our house at the moment, (due to teenage daughters), and possibly the longest one, in English that is, because it is pronounced 'boooooooooored'!!!  It's all 'yes', and 'no' answers and 'don't know....don't care'!!!

There is a book that has had some great reviews called 'Help, my teenager is an Alien'  it is  already in the basket on my Amazon list, which is getting longer & longer by the day.....!!! (Now, i just need a credit card).
 Perhaps i should also buy 'them' a Thesaurus for Christmas, and there must be a book for children to 'Help, my mum is turning into a dragon & an alcoholic', that i could add also!!!

Don't  you just  love being a mum sometimes, all that gushing that "ohhhhhhh yes, it's soooo rewarding".  Well i'm still waiting, and quite honestly most of the time, i think i deserve as most mums do, a bloody medal!!!
Due to stress, not only do i have to buy Clearasil for them, i now have to use it too!!!  The spot on my nose is soo big, it keeps interfering with my wine glass, ouch!!! My face (apart from the laughter lines of course, resembles a teenager, if only my body would follow suit!!!)

All my 'things' mysteriously disappear......turning up a few weeks later.....empty!!!  My husband has got it all sussed, he actually puts his razors in the safe....not sure if this is because teenage girls have a tendency to leave them hairy....or because he thinks his wife has 'lost it' completely, and it's all part of his suicide watch !!!
OMG would have to be ....it's Local Election time in Kos, and throughout Greece.......and funny, there hasn't been any real news for weeks ......  just lots of smiling faces in the newspapers, ...quite honestly the best thing is to put them up on the wall, throw a dart.... and that's who you vote for!!!  (If you fixed your papers that is!!!)  Politics, all very confussing, especially on a small island, where people are not just voting for the best party/Mayor, it's wether they are related to them & friendships too!!!

By the way:- thanks to http://www.kos-explorer.com/ we now have a better understanding in true English, what it's all about!
 FASHION

Finally, ripped tights/leggings are in.....(i've been wearing them for years!!!).....Just a shame that 'slightly' overweight  almost 40 year old's shouldn't really still be wearing them.   Yes, you REALLY know you are getting old, when you actually consider your 'age' before buying something!!!
 Scary!!! I didn't really want those lace leggings anyway :-( ....!!!

It's soooo NOT fair when your daughters friends come in wearing a similar outfit,......they look fantastic, whilst you are trying to  control all the appropriate parts, including your chins......& walk in heels that you are  not used to wearing anymore, (cos you spend more time at the swing park/supermarkets than anywhere else these days!!!)

God, help you if anyone wants to take a photograph, not only have you forgotten which side is supposed to be your good one......you actually realise it doesn't even exist anymore!!!   Even worse if it turns up on facebook, someone has tagged you, and OBVIOUSLY added even more wrinkles.....and for sure they have enlarged you.....yeah....they must have one of those aging/fat cameras......!!!

Nice to be back, Lots of Love

Tracey XXX