Dear friends. I'm back with a review of last month. June was predominantly about our annual trip to the idyllic Greek island of Skiathos. There was also a seaside meetup with friends, various fitness activities, wildlife and daily observations.
Sunday June 1
Sunny, cooler than yesterday. We did forest walk 5 miles. Published post about kitchen refurbishment. Steak for dinner.
Mon June 2
Sunny intervals. Did 30 mile bike ride, Lee Valley Country Park the long way. Plus new coffee stop on the canal! It was sad to see some low life had been fly tipping in a country lane. Masses of bricks.
Re-joined X (Twitter) now that Musk has partially redeemed himself by being critical of Trump. Had to create a new ID. Not worth it. I have no followers and can't be bothered.
Tues June 3
Cloudy with showers. Went in town to take a clock intended for the kitchen back to John Lewis (aka The Mothership). It was too big. Went round a couple of stores but didn't buy anything.
Weds June 4
Sunny intervals. Cycled to LV, different route along National Cycle Path 1. This goes as far as Scotland! Saw some different coos along the towpath. Spoke to Uncle Brian, 90, recently widowed. He's staying in a home for 3 weeks while his son is on holiday.
Thurs June 5
Cool, showers. Did a lot of admin then went to gym. Felt quite shattered afterwards. Another casting agent contacted me on IG. They seek out feisty old crones! This one was recruiting for a new game show. I don't respond or follow them. Ever watchful of scams.
Friday June 6
Had to wait for a delivery which came at 11. Weather had brightened up so we went for a walk. Did some weeding pm. The UK building of the company where I had 20 amazing years, Intel, closed today. The lovely garden and fish pond already look neglected I'm told.
Sat June 7
Storms were forecast and the local festival's outdoor activities were cancelled. We did bike ride, 29 miles, LV & cycle path 1. I went to Sains to get weekend niceties. Watched last 2 episodes of Clarkson's Farm. Started The Last Anniversary (BBC iPlayer).
Sunday June 8
Sunny intervals. Did walk, just under 4 miles. Attempted roast gammon but wasn't cooked through so had to improvise. The new oven is a big learning curve. As a joke I googled "I hate my Neff oven" and the AI assistant told me not to be negative! Er thanks.....(I now love my Neff oven BTW).
Monday June 9
Mostly cloudy, 20 degrees. Did a shoot in the morning ready for tomorrow and my first Tuesday Twirl link up. Did a 5 mile walk in the afternoon. Saw this year's cygnets for the first time at Connaught Water.
Tues June 10
Cloudy. Did a trails bike ride. Coffee at High Beech. Was a short ride, not much of a calorie burner. Went to Waitrose as I didn't have anything in the fridge J would like. He is incredibly fussy.
Weds June 11
Our 15th wedding anniversary. We didn't mark it. Cloudy morning. Did a lot of cleaning, shopping delivered. Did walk in afternoon and Reel. Rachel and Olive came round.
Thurs June 12
Sunny intervals but not yet the heatwave forecast. Alarm system was upgraded. Weights, Pilates. Did some weeding in rose bed.
Fri June 13
Did bike ride, 29 miles. LV. Lovely day. Has to be careful cycling around the geese as they get very protective over the goslings. Decided on my outfit for tomorrow's seaside outing with friends. It'll be an early-ish start so need to avoid dithering.
Sat June 14
Showery start, sun came out later. Got an early train to get to Whitstable. Met up with 6 others on the train. There were 13 altogether. Had a great time. Swimming, swishing. We each took something for lunch. Here we are in the sea. Can you spot me?
This is what I wore. Old Boden skirt (exactly the same as one I gave away, and regretted. Found a replica on eBay!) and Kettlewell 2 way top.
Sun June 15
Continued good weather. Did walk. Roast lamb for J (too hot for me, I had a salad). Changed beds. Christopher came round with J's Father's Day present. Started Fallen, Prime.
Mon June 16
Did bike ride, short, to LV. Had coffee at Orchard cafe for 1st time. Met R and O in the forest. She gave J his cards. Started Vinnie Jones Life in the Country on Discovery.
Tues June 17
Mum 93 today. She went out for lunch with my brother and his family. I did shopping and cleared nettles and ivy in lane so it wouldn't be too overgrown when we get back from Skiathos. Wrote 2 blog posts. V hot. J's fan came. No exercise today. Watch said I needed a rest day.
Weds June 18
V hot. Bike ride LV. Saw 2 people from the Pilates class we used to do on a group ride. 27 miles. Bit weary. Watered garden.
Thurs June 19
30 degrees. Had my pre-holiday pedicure. Not a good day. Mum told me she didn't want he to come down because she feels she is too decrepit and she wants me to remember her as she was.
Took a pic of the garden. It's been low maintenance this summer. I haven't bought any new plants. I figured the perennials would do their thing and I'd think about doing some containers after the holiday.
Friday June 20
Off to Skiathos! Taxi on time at 8.30. Smooth trip and fast check in at Gatwick. Arrived 6pm. It's our 8th time at Kassandra Bay. The room had been redecorated. There was a bottle of sparkling to welcome us back. Had dinner in the hotel's restaurant Black Olive. I had noodles with fresh tuna. J had caprese, beefburger and we shared a choc souffle. Storm expected tomorrow, darn it.
Saturday June 21
Woke up normal time (6am UK). Bit overcast. Some light showers. We sheltered in the bar after breakfast and then sat on our balcony. Sun came out after 1. Had lunch at hotel, Mediterranean (Greek) salad. Then went to beach. No swim today. Sea a bit choppy. Dinner at The Windmill, a beautiful restaurant with spectacular views. I had mushroom risotto and tiramisu.
Sunday June 22
Sunny from start. Decided to go into town as I like to watch ferries arriving and needed to buy a couple of forgotten items. Went to get the water taxi at 11.20. I waited to let people get off, as the floating platform is not very wide. There's a new sign asking people to wait.
But as I waited for the last 2 people, waving my arms, the boat left without me!
A man near me was shouting for them to stop. I then had the walk of shame back to the beach. Got bus instead. I did my shopping and came back on the water taxi. Different boat & crew on way back.
Stefano in the watersports hut showed me a video (of me) which proved they were in the wrong. Ah well.
Swam today, although still a bit rough. Dinner in hotel. Had green salad starter which was unfortunately but full of rocket, followed by chicken skewers. Shared a chocolate souffle.
Below: Skiathos town.
Monday June 23
Very hot, hardly any wind, sea was flat. Swam. A cruise liner, Explora 1, was moored in the bay. Couldn't see much unfortunately, even with my binoculars. It's shown below alongside the ferry Superstar. Dinner at Marmita. Gorgeous place. Had shrimps ceviche, Greek meatballs. Got talking to a family from Boston as we waited for boat.
Tuesday June 24
29 degrees. Swam twice in morning. a lot of laps today. Spoke to a nice couple from Notts, Roger and Jean.
Shared a feta pastry and salad with J for lunch. Had dinner at Black Olive. Bottle of Greek wine very nice. I had shrimps tempura, then tartuffo risotto.
Weds June 25
Seems hotter than ever. Careful today with sun exposure as my chest is a little red. Did long swim, rewarded myself with a cappuccino brought to the sun lounger. Tried new beach restaurant Soroko for lunch. V large Greek salad. Booked for tomorrow evening. They have Greek music on Thursdays.
Went to Paraxenos for dinner. Normally great but not today. My main of grilled squid was unadorned, tough and chewy. J had a salad which wasn't impressive. I mentioned the toughness when the waitress took the plates but she just shrugged. We decided to cancel our Sunday reservation. The hotel had a saxophonist playing, very good.
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Thurs June 26
Had planned to join the "singed hair people" watching the planes. Skiathos airport is notorious for its short runway, which is very close to the beach. It's a popular haunt of plane spotters who sometimes have to duck as the planes fly just above their heads.
But when I checked plane and ferry arrivals, there weren't many. Did a long swim. Went to the new cafe on beach for dinner. Two talented Greek musicians entertained us with traditional songs. Roger and Jean were also there but a long way from us. A few people made a fuss about various things. There weren't enough serving staff for the number of diners. But really, people should take a chill pill! Had sautéed mushrooms, kleftico and baklava.
Fri June 27
Very hot. In the 30s. Had to keep cool in the sea. Had dinner at Marmita, very nice. Had tuna tartare followed by moussaka (theirs is the BEST) and then chocolate ganache. Saw Roger and Jean in town.
Sat June 28
More breezy today which was welcome, as yesterday was too hot for me. Sea was calmer so did a swim. Went to the Windmill. Not a nice evening. Food was fine but we had had a row and didn't wait for dessert. What a pity.
Sunday June 29
Thunderstorms forecast. Very overcast. Woke up to see what I thought was a very large private boat in the bay with 2 tenders. Turned out to be a cruise ship called Evrima, from Ritz-Carlton. It was fun to watch the tenders going in and out all day, and people gathering at the "marina" at the ship's bow.
Tzaziki for lunch. Wind stopped the water taxis running until 3.20. I didn't swim - rough sea - and didn't sunbathe much.
Dined in Black Olive. Had tempura prawns and beefburger. We shared a chocolate souffle.
Said goodbye to Jean and Roger. They're leaving today.
Monday June 30
Leaving day. Went smoothly. Home by 5.30. Immediately went to get a few necessities (milk, bread, eggs etc). Had a Greek salad with pasta. Nice to be reunited with my LED masks and smart watch. Watered garden. The hot weather has taken its toll.
That was my June. Hope yours was good. What were your highlights? Do tell in the comments.
BEEN WATCHING
The Fallen, Netflix. Didn't finish. It was a bit slow.
The Last Anniversary, BBC iPlayer. As above!
Vinnie Jones in the Country, Discovery. Not my cup of tea. Too much swearing in this poorly executed copy of Clarkson's Farm.
The Diplomat, Netflix. We are re-watching series 1 and 2. Absolutely outstanding.
Tour de France Unchained, Netflix: the new series which goes behind the scenes.
And Just like That, Now (or Sky): in series 3 the show has finally found its groove. At last the story lines and characters have settled down. There's none of the chastising that seemed to be going on, suggesting over 50s aren't up to date, or say non-PC things.
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