Our latest

It's been a while since I wrote a proper entry with our news. It's been a busy time. We still haven't completely settled in. Still got some curtains to put up. Not a picture on the walls yet! How pathetic are we?

Of course there has been plenty going on. My parents came for a visit and we spent a few days going to the beach and generally doing not much really. It's hard to get going again after the summer. We needed the rest (and still do) but it has left me feeling like we haven't really got everything done that we needed to.

We have one or two teething problems with the house, too. It's a new house so it is to be expected that some little problems would surface when things were used for the first time. We had a dripping pipe under the kitchen sink which caused a mini kitchen flood. It seems like the weather suddenly changed with September coming in. We have had some amazing storms. The kids have been thrilled watching the lightening and listening to the thunder from their loft bedroom. The other night was one of the loudest and most violent storms I have seen in Greece for a long time. The basement flooded! Alex happened to go downstairs for something and spotted the muddy water pouring in. I had a small carpet down there which was floating! We had some nice books which we hadn't unpacked yet. Lovely Architecture and Design coffee table type books. Fortunately the card boxes held up quite well and we managed to rescue most but not all of them. Just as well Alex went down for whatever it was. If we hadn't noticed until the next morning we would have lost lots more. All my picture frames with paintings and prints were still in boxes as well. Phew!

The vacuum broke. The washing wouldn't dry because of all the rain!

Anyway, all these things are getting worked on and it still doesn't put us off living here!

The kids are back at school. That took a bit of looking around and searching. The first week is always hard. Getting back into a routine of getting up early and getting breakfast and out the door by a certain time. Next week will be easier.

As far as the shop is concerned, we have been busy with that, too. Scouting the area for locations, while doing our research about costs and permits and grants etc. It takes a lot of time and will-power. Not so easy when you are already tired! We've also been reading guide books on starting a successful business.

No matter how tired I feel or how many little hiccups may have happened so far, I am still so pleased that we made the decision to move to Nafplio. I am so glad I don't have to face the apartment block across the street in Palaio Faliro when I look out of the window or the traffic in Athens while dropping my daughter off at nursery. Out of my window I see an orange grove and on the way to nursery I look left and see the different shades of mountains as the sun comes over them. They look like they have been cut out of enormous pieces of card and placed to make the set for some beautiful show at the theater. Out of the right side of the car I see the Palamidi. In the evening we get beautiful views of the sun's rays beaming out from the clouds and then heading off behind the mountains.

Update September 21, 2009: The basement flooded again on Saturday night! As I write we have got workmen outside trying to make sure it doesn't happen again!

Liz

PS My mother brought me this lovely new book. I have tried one or two things in it. I am sure you can gain a kilo or two just by reading it.