At last, I'm putting my thoughts down on my new life on the most beautiful place on earth.

It all started about 18 years ago when I saw a picture in a magazine of a clear azure sea lapping the white beach at the foot of dramatic cliffs. Something happened to my heart that day & although I didn't know where it was, I dreamt that one day I would visit that 'paradise' The caption underneath the picture explained that it was Myrtos Beach on the Ionian island of Kefallonia. I didn't even know where it was, but the dream was sewn in my being. I later discovered that the island was Greek, but to a single mother it might as well have been on the moon, there was no way that I could ever afford to go there.

In 1982 I started to take 'Package Holidays' usually to the various Costas of Spain, being well within my price range. Kefallonia wasn't featured in any of the magazines, so the dream was lying dormant, maybe the roots were forming. Eventually the island started to appear in the travel magazines, but with young children, well out of my income range, & most were accomodation only, again far too expensive with young children. But the aching was still there, the call was a small voice deep within. In 1995 I was booked to go to the Carribean with a friend, but when she lost her job, the agency agreed to alter our booking, and all they had available at the last minute was 2 weeks in Zakynthos. We flew out in the September, & one day we took a boat trip round the island. As we were nearing the northern tip of the island, I glanced over to my right, and could see the outline of a huge dark landmass. I shivered & the hairs on my arms & neck stood up, then the guide on the boat said that the land to the right was .... KEFALLONIA. I knew that now the time was right to fulfill my dream, and I said to my friend Julia that I was going there the following year, on my own.

When I returned to England, I went straight to the travel agent & booked 2 weeks in the village of Lourdata on the southern coast. This was my 50th birthday present to myself, and I knew that I had to go alone, as how could anyone else share my dream & feel as I did about the island!!? I wrote to a well known TV programme about my plans & they were really moved by the 'story' and arranged to accompany me for the first week to film my holiday & record my thoughts & feelings.

As I flew down the coast on the approach to the airport, beneath me laid Myrtos!! I was lost for words, and when I stepped off the plane into the warm May I was overwhelmed, the feelings just swamped me, I was at home!! The 2 weeks flew, and as I left to return to England the tears flowed, but I vowed that I would return, that I would sell up & move over.

I flew out to Kefallonia on 15th May 1997, and found a small house to rent, and various part time jobs. I felt so at home & the locals took me to their hearts, helping me out in various ways during periods when I was 'unemployed' As I had no employment for the winter months, I knew that I would have to return to England to earn money, & then to return to the island the following summer. Greek friends, Costas & Dionissia, offered to store my belongings in their apartments until my return. Then, an English tour operator took me on as a Holiday Representive, and after a week back in England for training, I was flown out to Cyprus for the winter.

For many reasons, this wasn't my sort of job, and I decided that I would return to England for the remainder of the winter. My manager asked me to stay in Cyprus until after Christmas, that I would be flown back in January. A week later another group of guests arrived, among them a widowed man, who used to attempt to buy me a drink at the bar!! After he'd been there for 2 weeks, we did get chatting & went to the nightclub under the hotel. We had a dance after talking about his wife's death from cancer, and of my mother's death also from cancer. During the dance it was as if I'd been hit by a sledgehammer, I knew that this was the man I'd been waiting for!! Unbeknown to me, he also felt the same. The next day he asked me to marry him, and my reply was that I couldn't as I was going back to Kefallonia. The next day I said yes!!

We married 9 weeks later, & I gave up the dream of living on the island. We drove down to Kefallonia the week before we married, to collect my belongings, Barrie could see why I love the island. We'd booked to go to Lourdata in the May, and again, I was 'Home' My Greek friends took to Barrie easily, and were genuinly happy that I'd met someone to love & who loved me. The next few months were horrendous healthwise, I was diagnosed with more melanoma deposits, a lump was removed from above my right breast, and after being scanned, three showed in my brain. These were removed by stereotactic radiosurgery, and then after this another small lump appeared on my left hip!! This was removed & more scans done.

We went to the Canaries for a winter holiday in February 1999. While there, Barrie surprised me by saying that when we got back, if I had the all clear from the hospital, how would I feel about selling up & moving out to ...... Kefallonia!! He needn't have asked really!! We returned, and there was a letter from the hospital - All Clear!!

We were booked to go to Lourdata again in the August, so we put the house on the market in Bath in the July. The house sold quickly & when we left for our holiday we already had contacts via the Internet reached through Tammi's Kefallonia Links site. We agreed that we would need to have an address when we returned from holiday.

Knowing how long it takes in the UK to sell / buy a property, we were stunned by the speed of doing the same here. We met with the realtor (known as Estate Agents in the UK) and he took us to view 3 properties. He then took us to the solicitor who filled in the forms for us to apply for our Greek Social security numbers. This is a necessity for buying property here now. We went to the tax office & walked out an hour later with our numbers. The estate agent & solicitor were on holiday for 4 days, but on their return we agreed that we would like to buy our house in Mazarakata. We'd already had the key for a few days so that we could measure up etc. The meeting was arranged for us to meet the owner, and a contract was drawn up at the notary's office. We handed over the deposit of 1 million drachmas, the owner shook our hands & a date was set when we would pay the balance, but the house was now ours. We flew back to England with the keys in our pocket!!

The sale in England was eventually completed & we loaded a small lorry & set off for our new life in Kefallonia. Being cat lovers, we asked about taking Rosie our moggie with us. The vet sorted out the injections etc, and we had to have her examined the day before we left so that the export / import papers for each country we were passing through were valid. We made quite good time, leaving England in torrential rain, me following Barrie & the lorry. I was driving the car we'd bought in England but with a left hand drive, with Rosie in the back of the car. She was quite vocal to start off, but soon got used to travelling & spent a lot of the time sitting in the back window watching the other cars etc. The small lorry that we'd bought turned out to be a disaster!! The suspension was under a great strain, and at every bend in the road it leant right over, I nearly had kittens at each manoevre as I could imagine it toppling over!!

We were driving down the Motorway in France, the stretch just before the Frejus Tunnel which links up with Italy, when I needed to stop so I overtook the lorry & signalled that I was going off at the next service area. When we got there I took the exit, which then divided into 2, I went sharp right .... WRONG!! I missed the service area & ended up on another road with no way back onto the motorway!! I stopped at the toll payment booth, no one spoke English, and my French leaves a lot to be desired!! Eventually the policeman there managed to explain that I needed to follow the road back to a large town & then get back onto the motorway. I was nearly in tears, & drove like a maniac!! I got back onto the motorway, and on nearing the service area, there was Barrie walking down the side of the road. The service area had been coned off for some reason, but he moved the cones for me & I drove through, got out of the car & promptly burst into tears!! We set off again, and then .... the van died on us!!

We managed to get to a picturesque village of St Michel du Maurrianne, not that we appreciated the beautiful views!! The village was closed it being 2 in the afternoon, but we found a garage that was open. No one could help!! Realising that we would have to find somewhere to overnight, we found a lovely little hotel, who let us take Rosie to our room. The next day the local garage put the lorry onto the back of his break down assistance lorry & took us to the nearest city to get it repaired. I followed and again was having palpitations watching our lorry sway from side to side on his lorry as he sped round the small twisting roads. On reaching the garage in Chambery we were told that they couldn't do anything about it, wrong make of vehicle!! Fortunately there was a very helpful girl in reception who managed to get through to a rental company & we drove out to see them & book a lorry for the next day on a 10 day rental. We had to be here in Kefallonia for 30th September to finalise our house purchase, it was now 23rd!!

The next day we collected the 7.5cwt lorry & unloaded the 'yellow peril' as we (lovingly!!) called the disaster. We then had to pay a French company to take it away for scrap. But now we had a decent vehicle so really motored down to the Italian port of Ancona, arriving there on the Saturday 25th. Oh No!!! There were no spare spaces on any of the ships for the lorry!! We were told that maybe Tuesday by one company, but Strinzis said we could go on a waiting list for the sailing at 11 p.m that day. There was no problem with the car, it was the lorry. We went back as advised at 9 p.m, along with the many lorry drivers who were clamouring for a ticket. I got chatting to Hetty, the woman in the ticket office, telling her of our horrendous journey, all I wanted was a shower & to shampoo my hair. At 10 pm we went back again, & Hetty called us over asking me where we'd been as her boss wants to look at the lorry. We went outside with him, he walked round the lorry then walked off to look at another one. We didn't know what was happening, but went back inside the booking hall, and at 10.30 pm Hetty called us over & said to the lad there to write out tickets for us, a car and a MINI BUS!! (This obviously stopped war breaking out among those lorry drivers denied a ticket) She also gave us complimentary onward tickets to Kefallonia. I would have kissed her if I could have got across the counter. We dashed out to the car & lorry & drove like crazy to the pier where the Strinzis ship was being loaded. We boarded with minutes to spare, and while I was waiting for Barrie to arrive from the lorry deck I got chatting to the purser Iannis. Telling him about the trip I mentioned that we had a cat & I couldn't leave her in the ships kennels, the space between the railings wouldn't have constrained her. He asked if she was a nice cat, I said that of course she was, so he said that we could take her to our cabin. Imagine the faces of other passengers when they saw the porter carrying our bags through the lounges to our cabin, followed by Barrie carrying Rosie in her travel box in one hand & her enclosed litter tray in the other!!

We arrived in Patras at 7.30 am on 27th September, the ferry left there at 12.30 & we reached Sami in Kefallonia at 3.15 pm ..... AT LAST!! Driving up out of Sami was too good to be true, the sun was shining, everywhere looked so good, so welcoming, my heart was singing again. I led the way as Barrie wasn't so sure of the route, no problem at all .... until we got to Troinnata, where some of the houses have balconies that overhang the narrow roads!! The lorry was nearly decapitated more than once.

On arriving at our new home, we were welcomed by the neighbours, and invited to join them for a cooling drink. They're Australian, just over on holiday for a month, and also there were the English couple Bill & Yvonne who live permanently at the first villa, us being in the fourth. Then Chris, the estate agent turned up to help us unload the lorry. Can you imagine an English one doing this? No way. Chris had even put light bulbs in for us in case we arrived on the late ferry. At last we could relax, then it was time for our evening meal, so we went down to Lourdata to one of our favourite tavernas run by Spiros a real character & loved by all those who visit him.

Into the bank the next day to make sure that the transfer had gone through to our account here, yes all OK. We met the owner on the 30th as agreed, after being shown by Chris Vallianos (Kefalonian Realtor) what we had to do. It was amazing!! We had 16 million drachmas in a cheque, and almost 9 million drachmas in cash!! We were walking through Argostoli the capital with all this in a carrier bag!! No fears whatsoever of being mugged, we even sat outside & had a cold drink while passing the time until the arranged meeting at the notary. This would be impossible in Bath, you'd get mugged for a few pennies there!! It's things like this that really make a difference, the safety here, especially for women, is practically unheard of in England.

By 4pm the house was well & truly ours, everything was signed & sealed, hands shaken all round, the deeds etc would be handed over to us at a later date. Of course we had to then return the lorry to the rental company in France, and this went quite uneventfully, at least we could leave Rosie behing as Bill & Yvonne offered to look after her for us.

When we got back we settled into our new life ..... and the vagaries of the Greek system!! As we had a large 'field' bordering onto our garden, we had to get that fenced off. No good planting anything in the 'wilderness' as we were visited regularly by the local flock of sheep who although they kept the grass short would also have taken a mouthful of any delicious plant!! Another 'must' was a telephone, essential to keep in touch with family & friends.

Off I went to the telephone company. Yes, we live here permanently, Ok, three days to get us connected. Great!! Now, as usual, the forms have to be completed. We're getting used to it now, but it was a bit strange at first. All companies, banks etc ask the following : Barrie's father's name, his mother's name, then my father's & mother's names. We had a hard time at one bank trying to explain the Barrie & I have the same surname, and his mum & dad have the same name as Barrie, further being complicated by the fact that Barrie's dad's Christian name is the same as Barrie's second name!!

Anyway, a week later still no phone. So, being typically British - but learning to be laid back & Greek - it was back to the phone company, where the man I'd spoken to at the beginning recognised me & said that it would be another 2 days, they had a lot of problems. Two WEEKS later we were connected!! The fencing company arranged to come along on October 20th or thereabouts. They didn't turn up, surprise surprise!! It was St Gerassimos day & Ochi day, so a public holiday!! A week later Barrie went to their yard, the boss said that they would be here on Monday. Nobody arrives. Later that week, another visit to the yard, OK we're told, Friday. On the Monday, the lorry turns up, all posts put in with the promise that they'll come back on the Wednesday to fix the fence - YES they did!! We've got so used to this now though, and are learning fast that there is always another day. We came here after all to live a stress free life, not to be chasing our tails & to get out of the rat race, and also to get away from the violence of British city life.

There have been times when we've had to smile at the delivery service for goods bought. One good example was when we bought a dining room table and 4 chairs from a store in Argostoli. They said they would deliver them in the afternoon, well at 8 pm a car pulled up. It looked as though it had been rolled over in an accident, it was beaten up down one side, big dents in the doors, rust everywhere, and on the roof was strapped our new table!! Tied in the boot were two of the chairs, the other two were in the back seat. Out of the car spilled an old man, a middle aged man & a young lad. They all helped to bring in the table, with much shouting as they were having difficulties getting it through the front door. Then they bought in the chairs one by one. As they left, the old man put his finger to his temple & nodded his head to bid us farewell, and said 'Hello'

Since we've been here, we've done a lot to the house, which was new, (but built to be part of an hotel complex that didn't materialise) & lacking in storage room & electric points. Barrie's built cupboards, a canopy over the veranda, a car port complete with shed at the rear end of it, and thereby become a good friend of those at the timber yard. He's mastering the language, well, can ask for an ouzo & say Kalimera!! Another part of embracing the way of life was his visit to the barber shop, he came out smelling of roses & hugging two bottles of home made wine!!

We can honestly say that we don't miss the way of life in England one little bit. Admittedly I went through an episode of being home sick about 6 weeks after moving out here, but that is to be expected, and I know it was because a) I'd fallen down stairs and was feeling sorry for myself, & b) had just had a phone call from my youngest daughter Vikky, aged 24, who was weepy as she was missing me. Now, Vikky & I speak daily on the Internet & she will be coming over in July for 2 weeks. As I've said to her & other family & friends, we're only a phone call away, and a few hours by plane.

Barrie & I go out regularly for a drive to look for those places we haven't visited, having invested in a really good map which even shows the road to our house!! As we have at least 6 lots of family & friends visiting us in the summer, we want to take them to places off the beaten track. We've found some beautiful beaches, eg Megas Lakos near Xi, and have visited our favourites such as Trapezaki beach, Spartia, Assos & Fiscardo which all seem so different minus the tourists.

We've had our thoughts of imagined sunny warm winters dashed!! There has been snow on Mount Ainos, very reminiscent of Bing Crosby, especially at Christmas, and I captured it on film as our summer visitors will find it hard to believe. We also need a blazing log fire every day, particularly at night, as the temperature really does drop when the sun goes to bed. When in town, we still sit outside the Rock Cafe for my frappe, Barrie's beer, watching the to-ing & fro-ing of the crowds & the attempts of driving the wrong way down the road, accompanied with much arm waving, beeping of horns ...... but so noticeable, the LACK of road rage. It's so soothing though to watch the wooden fishing boats bobbing around at the harbour, with the shouts of the fishermen selling their freshly caught wares. In fact, with the sun shining on the calm turquoise water, it could be a day in the summer, except for the fact that the locals are huddled up in thick coats, we're in lighter jackets. I guess next year when we're acclimatised we'll be dressed up in our winter clothes against the elements!

Since we've been here we've also met quite a large part of the British contingent!! One Sunday in January, sixteen of us got together for an English breakfast (at 11 am!) in Katelios, ably cooked by Vikki who runs the Beach Bar with her boyfriend Fotis, and Julia who is married to Makis of the Renault service & repair garage in Platies. One of the mad Brits even went for a swim, and said the water was as warm as it is on an average summers day in England.

We've also taken in another cat!! Well to be honest we cat napped her from Trapezaki (beach) on Christmas Day. We'd seen her there before & decided we'd try to get her. She was starving, so we took some cat food & while she was gorging herself, picked her up, and after much hissing & spitting (on her part!!) got her into the cat carrier & brought her home. She's settled in so well, is a beautiful grey kitten with huge amber eyes, & we guessed about 12 weeks old when we got her. She is called Skia which is Greek for Shadow, a very fitting name. About a month ago she started wailing & we were sure she was coming into season. Knowing that the Cat Protection League wouldn't be coming over to the island until the spring, my friend Esme (who works closely with the C.P.L) put me in touch with a vet. I rang him & he asked us to take her in on the Saturday morning at 10 am. When he examined her he said she was very young, about 4 months old. He agreed though to spey her as she was definitely in season, we were so relieved as we'd heard that they don't usually do the op here until they're about 7 - 8 months old. Anyway, he then gave her an injection & I got the impression that he was expecting me to assist with the op!! Being VERY squeamish I asked if I could leave!! Barrie had already shot out of the room, amazing really as he's worked in a slaughter house for years, and could kill cows & pigs, but no way could he watch 'his little girl' being operated on!! Fourty minutes later Lefteris the vet, called us in from the waiting room, there was Skia still strapped to the table, all he wanted to do was show me what he'd removed. Ugh!! She's fine now, and a real ball of mishief, her & Rosie chase each other all over the place, fighting one minute, curled up together the next.

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