Thursday 30th January

After a lovely day yesterday we had a wet and windy and wild one today.  With access to the centre of the village being limited and messy we were trying to work out whether we could walk into Finnikas this evening as it happened we couldn't as it was too wet.  We ended up driving and parking near Les and Clare's which is still a bit of a walk!

We were eating out tonight - having a meze to say goodbye to Stacey who is leaving the island and returning to the UK to live with her family.  Over the last 13 years or so she has lived both dream and nightmare but gave it her best shot and has now decided that her future lies elsewhere.  She had seen a photograph of us at Finnikas enjoying a night out last year and said she wanted to go and Di organised it for 30th (January) and poor Stacey thought she meant 30th December so pitched up then!!  Fortunately she could see the funny side of it.

It is always unsettling when someone you have known for some time leaves - in fact it is unsettling when things change at the best of times but this is most definitely the right decision for her.

Tonight Di and Rob, John and I were saying our 'goodbyes' along with Stacey's best friend Eoin and Sonia.  The weather was so appalling that we had a right old slippery and muddy journey getting there but once inside Phillipos had the fire lit and John had taken some wood to keep it going so it was pretty warm and the food and the company were excellent so it was a lovely evening and Stacey, Eoin and Sonia all seemed to enjoy themselves.   We had the standard Meze and did it justice and Phillipos ensured we went home with some internal central heating as he gave us all shots of his new recipe zivania liqueur!!

I am really glad that the rain held off so we managed to get home and indoors in the dry although during the night it absolutely hoofed it down.