| Travel? When I was a child I was obsessed with horses and all things horsy. Western movies and series were a MUST in my life. I think from about the age of 8 or 9 it had been an ambition to be a cowgirl. Everyone knew this. Now � I started to develop osteo-arthritis when I was about 30, and as time was going on I knew that I had to make this dream come true sooner rather than later, whilst I was still able to get up in a saddle and ride. Throwing caution to the wind I got myself a bank loan and in 1999 spent my first holiday on a Dude Ranch in Tucson in Arizona becoming the cowgirl I�d always wanted to be. When my ex-hubby found out that�s what I was doing even he said how pleased he was because it was something that had �bugged� me for so long. Did I get it out of my system? No way! The first 2 weeks of November 1999 were the beginning of something I hope will continue for many years � I met a group of people from all over the world, Scotland, England, Canada, Australia, United States, Fiji and Japan, and they�ve become like an extended family for me. I�ve managed to visit the ranch on 2 subsequent occasions meeting up with the same core group of people, and we all keep in touch to this day, although they no longer stay at the same Ranch (change of management and way of doing things spoiled it for us). So last year and this year too, although I haven�t been able to go, the �family� have upped-sticks and moved to a new Ranch in New Mexico, and I get to hear all their exploits and calamities. It�s not quite as good as going there myself � but at least we all still keep in touch. March 2003 saw my return to Arizona � but this time with my ex-sister-in-law. She house-swapped with a couple from Tucson, and we actually did the touristy thing of visiting the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley, with a visit to Tombstone and Mexico tagged on too. Click here for a couple of the more splendid photos I managed to take of that trip and I hope you�ll enjoy those. September 2003 � Graham and I, after a year of neither of us being that particularly glowing with health � headed for the sun on the Greek Island of Zante. I think I caught a chest virus on the plane on the way over and although I thoroughly enjoyed myself it was slightly marred by the fact I coughed non-stop for 12 of the 14 days. Sleep was pretty elusive for me too, so I came home even more exhausted than I was before I went! Sod�s law I suppose. However, Graham (whom I have never in the year of knowing him, has never looked or felt that fantastic) started to glow � not one day of illness � no migraines, tummy problems, anything to disrupt the fun. It was fantastic. Even the hair started growing back on his thinning head and this I can tell you caused a pleased little giggle from him every time I mentioned it. I think we�ve become addicted to Greece � the laid-back way of life � no stress � beautiful weather, gorgeous scenery, fantastic food. Graham sang most nights in the Pink Panther Bar and has more or less decided that this is the way he wants his career to go � not singing in karaoke bars, but to actually take his singing to new heights. There are some pictures here one of which shows him singing one of his favourites "New York New York", one of his Frank Sinatra favourites. Another photo shows him with one of the barmaids ... Tracy. We also made friends of a couple who ran the "Seashells English Cafe" down the hill from the Hotel Castelli where we stayed, occupying Rom 105 for 14 nights. Mick and Irene had come to start their business in Zakynthos 2 years ago, and could not contemplate living anywhere else. "Is that a Cardiff accent I hear?" I said when I first heard Irene speak, her replying being, "Well born in Cardiff but lived in Bridgend from the age of 10!" The friendship went on from there, and I've promised to send Irene some cross-stitch patterns from a shop near where I live which she loves and can only get to once in a blue moon when she comes back to visit her family. He really has to go for it now. He�s seriously considering spending the next summer season in Zante to see whether or not he can succeed, and if he can � then I�m more than seriously considering selling up and going there too. Enjoy my retirement while I�m still young enough to? Why not? Seems to me you can get most things over the counter in the Pharmacies in Zakynthos, as long as it doesn�t contain Codeine! I'm not too happy with the photos Graham took of me while we were away ... he always managed to catch me totally unawares or perhaps in the middle of trying to change clothes or delving into my handbag for something or other. I hope the ones he took of me on my camera are slightly better, we'll see once I've had them processed. One of these days somebody will manage to take a good photo of me ... or - maybe it's me ... I really do pull all those faces! I've included some photos of the waiting staff at the Vezal Restaurant, a beachfront restaurant/bar, where we ate nearly every day. Angelos, Yiannis, Phillipos and Maria. They looked after us so well, and they were always prepared for a laugh and a joke, waiting duties permitting. The Vezal was populated with a family of cats who soon got to know what pushovers we were for titbits. There are a series of photos of the day I wore my long skirt which the kittens found to be a wonderful new playground. Unfortunately, the lighting wasn't so good and most of the time the kittens seemed to be up my skirt rather than playing around the outsides. (Pic1, Pic2, Pic3). woo hoo - i've managed to get back into this and now I know how to do it ... I'll be back with the next thrilling instalment!! |
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