Friday, December 30, 2005

A brief 'Post Xmas' post

Life is good. We seem to have settled in to the new house quite nicely despiet a few teething problems such as a flooded living room, leaking window, failing central heating, buying a new kitchen, etc etc. Ha Ha, seriously, it is a lovely house and I think we will be happy here.
Christmas was nice, I only had two days of which was something of a culture shock but still, needs must.
Anyway, just a short one today, I hope my posts finds you all in good health.
Keep Safe
Simon

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Back in Zakynthos

So, we got back, cleared up a few finer details regarding the move, it is literally next door but we had not confirmed the price and there was a few things that needed doing, i.e, a repaint, a new kitchen, lighting to be fitted (and purchased). Not quite sure but I ended up paying for that. Not really my responsibility but if and when we move, at least I get to keep the fittings etc. It is a lovely house and so very much bigger than the last one. It has a balcony around most of the house with views of Kefalonia in one direction, Marathonisi in another direction and the hills in two other directions. It also has central heating which was sadly missing from the last house.
As I mentioned, I have recently started a book by Iain Banks. I must confess, I had seen his books for many years as they had quite funky black and white covers but I had never purchased one. Until I saw "Dead Air". It has gripped me in a way that resembles a few of the Dan Brown books. In typical "Simon" fashion, I went out and bought his full collection from play.com! I hope they keep my interest, ha ha. Well either way, I have them forever now and there is no rush to read them, despite the rush to purchase them!
I really do not want to tempt fate and tell you about earthquakes but suffice to say, I am happy! That is until on the news recently there was a warning that we are about to have an absolutely massive one which will surpass anything we have ever seen. New underpants please.
The saving grace is there is a website that I read frequently which has every earthquake around the world (here) and that states that it is impossible to predict when they are going to happen. I do hope that they are correct. I have passed this web address on to a few people and it seems to have captured their imagination so, as and when you look, we are classed as "Ionian Sea" although you will see loads for Greece.
Its actually quite weird, before I came here, I purchased a few books about moving to Greece and they want to ensure they make you fully aware of the potential problems that lay ahead, basically so you do not make a huge mistake. The "laid back / lazy (delete as applicable) attitude was one, the searing heat another, I mean loads of things. Yet I have not read a single article that warns me that we will get earthquakes every few days. That would have put me off for sure! With my hand on my heart, I currently see that as the only reason that I would move back to the UK.
Not sure if I will be posting again before Xmas, if not, I hope yo uall have a wonderful time and that Santa brings you what you want.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
x

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Long time no speak....

Oh come on, cut me some slack, I have been busy. I think back to when I first started this and I said that I wanted to write every few days. Unreal. I am down to once and month. So, this one will probably come in a couple of posts, they will include, a trip to the UK, a good concert, a trip to France, getting a cold (of course, I went to France!), moving house and a new found obsession with author Iain Banks. Probably more stuff as well but we will make that up as we go along.
This kind of serves as a useful reminder for me as well to ensure that I revisit these topics.
Before I start, an apology to those who read this from work. I let the staff down today, I was convinced it was my day off (and much deserved after five days without one) but I got it wrong. It was only when Matt (boss) rang to ask if I was ok that we even knew I should have been at work! Luckily I got a lie in out of it, a trip to town to pay the bills etc etc. Luckily they were very understanding and seemed suprised it had taken this long to get it wrong (our days off change each week). As I said to them, schoolboy error.
Poker is going pretty well as I am on a decent upward turn. I made a deposit in to PokerChamps about three weeks ago and already at a 350% profit. Nice.
The trip to the UK was ok, I arrived into Heathrow and was fearful as I had heard horror stories of 12" of snow etc. It was about 10pm by the time that I had arrived and it seemed warm enough. I drove up to Nottingham that night, got parked up and went to the hotel. Noisy, noisy aircon, noisy fire alarm. All added up to a free night!
The next day was spent wondering around town before realizing that the concert actually started at 2pm and not 8pm as it was an all day festival. At least I had not traveled half way around the world to watch a concert and missed half of it.... ayya.
Anyway, I got to see the bands that I wanted to, the end of Blue Tears, all of Vaughn, Danger Danger and Harem Scarem. It was good to meet up with Ted as it had been a long time (he is the singer of Danger Danger and lives in the USA. We have been on holiday a few times together, France, Belgium, Holland and also in the USA).
I actually missed the last band as I was so tired and also had not eaten a thing all day.
The following morning I got up fairly early and went to meet Tony (mindin) and watch his son, Louis, play football. He scored a couple of goals and also set three up if memory serves me. Not bad as he came on as a substitute just before half time!
Sunday night it was dropping Justine of at her Mothers and heading over to Birmingham ready for my flight to France. I couldn't find much to complain about so ending up paying for the hotel. That's is actually inaccurate, I got the stay for free using my reward points!
The flight to France was fairly uneventful but it was lovely to see them both again as it had been the best part of six months since they came here. Unfortunately my cold seemed to get worse again so I was not on top of it for most of the week which was shame. The weather was lousy and it rained most of the time but to be honest, that was largely irrelevant, the main objective was to spend time with my parents, not sunbathe! We went to a lovely Restaurant / Cafe where the food was ten euros a head I believe. They gave you more food and wine than you could shake a stick at and it was nice as well. Again, as I was feeling pretty crap, I didn't eat too much.
They have a new dog which looks like a teddy bear!
The week went by pretty quickly until the last day which dragged beyond words, mainly because it was spent sitting at the airport all day because of delay after delay. Just two days before, because I could not stand the thought of two more days in England, I brought my flight home forward by two days, to the Friday night. Now the delays were causing major problems as I had to get from Birmingham to Heathrow in about six hours. That was not a problem until the delays kicked in! To cut a VERY long story short, I ended up running from the plane to get my luggage, renting a car from Birmingham Airport and driving to Heathrow as no trains or buses would have got me there in time. We made with 50 minutes to spare! That was at least until it was delayed there as well!
So, we arrived in Athens at about 3am, luckily the Sofitel is only about a minute form the airport and we stayed for two days there including a few trips to stock up on new times for the new house.
More on that next time as I am tired and it is 1:20am here.
Until then, Keep Safe.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Poker Champs

A couple of people have asked me about the Poker Champs web site where I play now (as I am unable to play at PokerStars) and what my affiliate code is. It is: YDBUMFUQ

Simply go to the PokerChamps website open an account and when prompted enter my code.

You don't need to play for real money if you do not wish as it has play money games as well. Please do enter my code as it earns me a few pennies! Thanks.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Justine and Tena



I am on holiday from 25th November until December 5th. We are flying to the UK on 25th and going to a concert in Nottingham on the 26th. On the Monday I fly over to my parents until the Friday. That will be followed by either a) a trip to Glasgow to watch Rangers or b) a trip to Sunny Stoke to watch QPR. Still undecided. The Saturday night (if I watch QPR) will be a trip to London for the Gutshot Poker Club. I have not been for a long time and will look forward to it if the opportunity arises. After that, a slow trip back on the Sunday, a day in Athens on the Monday (Ikea and the BMW dealership) and home hopefully late Monday evening (although I am off on Tuesday sa well should we wish to stay there for another day).
Anyway, for now, Keep Safe. Posted by Picasa

Simon, Roy and Tena


The last couple of posts have been so miserable, I bet you are really glad you came! Well, we are still having earthquakes but nothing as big as "those two". I am sleeping in my living room which is stupid but, an easier exit if things fall down!
The picture above was taken during the summer on a night out with our very good friends, Roy & Tena. I met Roy in April of this year, jsut before the tourist season started. We were in a local bar (about the only one open) to watch Rangers play the League Cup final against Motherwell (won 5-1 if my memory serves me correctly). We hit it off and had so much in common. He runs one of the tour operators for the Island. In addition to football, it turned out he was a fan of poker. As a consequence we had many home games and a lot of fun as well. He is back in Scotland now before going to Cyprus for the winter season. After that, it may be Zakynthos again or Mexico. Posted by Picasa

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Earthquakes & Tremors Continue.....

We have now had about 20 earthquakes / tremors in the last 3 or 4 days. The worst thing is, you just start getting over it and calming down and then another comes. The small ones are not a major problem but the issue is this; we have experienced a big one (relatively speaking) now and the fear is, as soon as one starts, it will lead to one of the big ones. Living on edge like this is not healthy. Sleep is at a premium and to be honest, I am exhausted, I really need a good nights sleep. If I have had 10 hours sleep in the last 3 days I would be suprised. We have essentials lined up by the door, warm clothes, a bit of food and drink and my laptop so, if worst came to worst, I could work at some point. A week ago I thought I was the luckiest man alive, maybe I still do but my current outlook on life is not the most positive it has ever been. Fear is not a pleasant thing. When you see what has happened in Pakistan as a result of an earthquake, it does actually make you realise how lightly we have got away so far.
On a slightly lighter note (for us), we have now heard about the worst injury from the "big one". A woman was so scared that she ran out of her house, in to the road and was hit by a car! That my friends is a bad day.
Keep Safe

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Horror Day (updated)

Just a quick update as there has been quite a lot happening. Most of you may know the biggest news from me already, we had 8 earthquakes in as many hours yesterday, two of which were huge. It was without doubt the most frightened I have been in my entire life (or a very close second to when I broke my back). It sounds odd but after the first two we actually packed some provisions and clothing in to the car in case of the eventuality of the house coming down (following the first, there was a real fear this may happen). The last one happend at about 5am this morning. As you can imagine, I did not get a lot of sleep, luckily I am off work for a few days so did not have an early start.
I just found this on the internet:

EARTHQUAKES
Western Greece rattled by earthquake
Two strong quakes, measuring 6.0 and 5.2 on the Richter scale, struck the undersea area off the coast of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea yesterday afternoon, causing widespread damage but no injuries. The quakes, which occurred at around 6.30 p.m. in close succession, caused sections of the Kokkinos Vrachos (Red Rock) on the island to crumble while cornices fell off old houses and windows were smashed.
I then loooked on the internet for what these numbers actually mean and we seem to fit into the borderline for two categories:
  • 5.4-6.0 - Slight damage to well-designed buildings. Can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings over small regions. (guess which Greece falls in to!)
  • 6.0-6.9 - Can be destructive in areas up to about 100 kilometers across where people live.
Scary stuff indeed...
The reason I had four days off work was that we had planned to go on a Motorbike tour of Northern Greece and see Meteora which is an incredible range of Monastaries high up on "columns" of mountains. On the way, my back failed me so we ended up returning home before we were even close. A huge disappointment. I do not think it was connected to my accident and was possibly a trapped nerve or similar.
Keep Safe.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

I bought myself a Xmas present


So, I have just made the biggest single purchase (houses aside!) I have ever done. Thank you to Party Poker and Full Tilt Poker! A nice shiny new BMW F650GS. After much debating with Adrien as to the best bike to go for, he swayed me from the Ducati MultiStrada to the bike pictured above. And I am glad. I got a superb deal, as well as discount, they "threw in" heated hand grips, ABS, etc. I also purchased a lovely set of BMW panniers, a Givi top box (was about the same price as the BMW one but was 46 litres as opposed to 31 litres. No contest!). They also gave me handle bar grip covers as well as a few other bits. No my only problem is convincing Mum that I will (probably) not kill myself on it. My first trip is already being planeed, a ride over to France via Italy (and possibly Switzerland). Still planning an ideal route though. I am thinking an overnight stop in Lyon or Torino would work well....
Most of the tourists have about gone home now, I am pretty glad to be honest.
Our Greek lessons have restarted and I am enjoying getting back in to the swing of that. Despite that, my frustrations with some parts of Greek life continue. (although no regrets at all!) I had to take the best part of two days off work this week because the internet failed. The plan was to fix it immediately but by the time the engineer managed to get out of bed and get here (from Athens) two days had past. I love the Greeks, I really do however, sometimes, you just want to throttle some of them. Their laid back attitude can be a positive and a negative.
Justine thinks so even more as she split up with her "boyfriend". They only went out a few times but he spits and smokes too much apparently.
Justine has also managed to get a job sorted for next year already which is pretty good. Considerably bettter wages than last year so that is great news.
I have now watched all of the "Lost" DVD's and what a great series. It started out a little weird but I have real gotten in to it.
Anyway, as the tourist season is coming to an end, that means McDonalds, Pizza Hut and KFC are about to close for the winter so, a Pepperoni Pizza is calling my name.
Keep safe.

Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

The End of Summer

The end of summer is not far off now. It has been amazing how quickly the tourism has died off. Obviously understandable as the weather has declined, almost over night. We have had some of the most amazing thunderstorms, losing electricity almost every four or five days. You actually ring the electricity company and complain, all they reply with is "its because of the weather". You get even more cross with them so they say "OK, well there will not be anymore now then." A few days later.....
The worst thing is that the weather is considerably worse in December / January and February....that does not even bear thinking about. Last year was fine so I have no idea why it should be so bad this time around although I suspect it is probably because of Electricity Overload or something as it only happens in the day (and when the tourists are here.
I recently bought the DVD box set of "Lost" so have been watching a lot of them lately, not all that exciting but I enjoy it.
Work is ok, it's been busy.
Sia and Otto (landlady/landlord) have gone to Switzerland for the winter now (although will be back for a week or two in November).
Other than that, nothing too exciting happening! Hopefully I will be planning a holiday in the not too decent future.....

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

TV Times

A Very quick one.
It appears that I will be on TV this coming Thursday the 1st at 12:30am. That is actually the Friday but early hours at 12:30am. Apparently they work on a 30 hour day. Or Something.
Anyway, don't blink or else you will miss me! It doesn't last long. The good thing is, it means it will not be too much of a late night!
The fires appear to have stopped now, there were actually several more than I posted. Also in various parts of the island. The sad thing is, a lot of it is arson. They want the land to build on but the government do not let them unless something like this happens. Oh well.
I want to buy a boat. If anyone knows anything about them, please let me know. Nothing too fancy you understand.

Sunday, July 31, 2005

Fires Further Along The Coast


This is taken from the beach front in Kalamaki. Again, as the picture below, this is a huge area that you can see. In a perverse kind of way, it looked so nice seeing the flames reflecting off the sea. I am not sure what the repercussions have been for the people that live in this area but it appears to have, miraculously, missed all of the houses. The smoke is thick and going out to sea for miles. Posted by Picasa

Fire takes over part of the island


We have had huge fires tonight. They have spread so quickly and seem to cover an area about 4 or 5 miles wide. Whilst the pictue above is quite blurred, it is the hills towards the airport (for those that know the area). This really is a huge peice if land in view. Posted by Picasa

J's New Tattoo


A picture of Justines new tattoo. It is on her lower back and is a man and a woman. Most people dont notice that, hence why I point it out!! Posted by Picasa

Justine and Greek Mum


The last picture of myself and the one above are both of us with our "Greek Mum" She is actually our landlady although she treats us like her children. Always bringing my dinner around. Wheneverwe may go out in to Laganas (the local holiday resort) she always makes sure she sees us off and tell us to beware! She bought Justine the most lovely tree/plant for her Birthday. (It was yesterday). It must stand 5ft tall. The vase was perfectly wrapped and lovely red and yellow ribbon all over it. Posted by Picasa

Television did not spoil me!


Well, I am back from the UK, I had an absolute ball. It was a tremendous experience appearing on the TV and it was way beyond my expectations. Unfortunately I did not make the money so, that was a disppointment but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. My fear is, it will not show the early hands that I played where I was picking up poker chips. That part was not good TV. I would raise, then a fold. I was then knocked out very early when my pockets tens, with a ten on the flop did not hold up. (I lost to a straight). Poker is going well online though so, I am a happy bunny. Posted by Picasa

Monday, July 04, 2005

Live 8 and vaguely big news!

Easy title today as it is highly topical in light of yesterdays events. I actually did not watch too much of it as it was on BBC. BBC and ITV are really the only channels that we do not pick up here. Shame. So, I was pretty excited as one of my favourite bands of the moment were playing. The Killers. I got to the bar about an hour and a half before they came on and was giving a great deal of thought as to what 2 or 3 songs they would play. Some bands even played 4 songs so, I was hopeful. Finally Snow Patrol finish and I am getting excited about their impending arrival. I take a quick wee wee (far too excited to watch them apparently) and they Come on stage. They are looking pretty cool. They just start the opening of "All These Thing's That I've Done.....perfectly timed with a large group of girls entering the bar. No it is pretty busy in there anyway so seats are at a premium. So, the helpful workers find a hidden table and put it RIGHT IN FRONT of the large screen and a chair with 12 inches of my face. Cue very Pis**d off Simon. Anyway, Justine managed to make a fairly load derogatory comment (involving profanity!) and they moved. OK, so, i wonder what song they will play next. Song finishes. I know, what a great time to take a look back at what happened earlier in the day at Live 8. You are kidding me right? Ayya....... So I wait an hour and a half to partially see The Killers on TV. Oh well. The only other band I was bothered about seeing were Velvet Revolver. We decide that we are going out after they have played. So, they just walk on to the stage and guess what. They lose the satellite signal. Marvelous. Exit.
I mentioned in my last blog I played a few poker tournaments lately. To cut a very long story short, I won the tournament that I mentioned. The outcome is, on July 20th, I will be going to England to appear on a TV programme called Late Night Poker. I think it is showing on Channel 4 sometime in August but I will post on here if I remember. (What I actually mean is, I will post on here if I don't make a complete fool of myself!) First prize equates to about £50,000 (£25,000 cash and £25,000 of tournament entry fees) although I have decided to donate half of any money I make to a charity. (www.poker4charity.org). They are "auctioning off parts of me" and will hopefully make some decent money out of it. It is actually worth visiting the site as they do some great work. Pop over and donate!!
But save £10 to buy 'The Killers' album as well.
Keep Safe

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

The Runaway Ostrich

(strch, ôs-)n. pl. ostrich or os·trich·es
A large, swift-running flightless bird (Struthio camelus) of Africa, characterized by a long bare neck, small head, and two-toed feet. It is the largest living bird.
A rhea.

OK. Largely irrelevant but seriously, I really struggle to think of titles for these blogs. How tedious would it be if they were all called "Another Baking Hot Day".
Anyway, after my weeks holiday last week, I worked Sunday and then had my two days off for the week. It has been hard to actually go outside and do anything as the heat gettinging ridiculous. At 2:30am today, it was still 30 degrees. This obviously makes sleeping difficult.
The new airport is still not open. We were told that it woudefinitelyely be last year! Then this year before the tourists arrived. Then the end of May....First week of June etc.
They did a test run a few days ago, took the bus down the ramps to the runway to see how long it takes. The answer was several days. They did not bother to make sure they had got their angles correct at the bottom of the ramp. The bus went down and crashed into the floor at the bottom of the ramp. I love this place, I love Greek people but they are insanely relaxed about stuff. Someone probably said "oh well, we will fix it tomorrow". Someone also said "Tomorrow Never Comes".
I went fishing a few days ago, I caught a piece of rope and a rock. Enjoyable day but the rope and rock do not sit comfortably next to potatoes avegetables.
Been playing a fair bit of poker lately and it is going well.
Tomorrow night I play in a tournament, I have already won one to get this far. If I get a top finish tomorrowrow I will be on TV in August (although filming is in July) on Late Night Poker. Should be fun!
Anyway, for now, keep safe.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Three in a Day Again.....


As I said, my Parents are over at the moment. I would publish a photo of them but, my Mother hates having her photo taken (I know where I get it from now!) so instead, I will post a picture that I took whilst I was with her!
We have done quite afew things so far, Adrien had loved the warm waters for swimming, a far cry from the French Sea that he is used to. We went on a trip the the Shipwreck , also taking in the Blue Caves (as shown above). The weather has been a little hot and it has reminded me how harsh the sun can be. I am used to staying out of it. Now I am doing a few 'touristy' things, I realise why so many people get burned (burnt?).
Quite a short post as I am going to see them however, I wanted to show you a link to one of the most amazing blogs I have seen. It is where people send postcards of their most intimate secrets. Great design on the site as well. http://postsecret.blogspot.com/ Take a look at it, I can guarentee you will hooked on it! There is a lot of fun there but also some quite heavy matters.
I can not possibly put in this link without crediting the source of the information, and her blog, my work colleague, Ms B. She is a remarkably funny young (ish!) lady, she really should be in comedy, not Poker but, life takes us in some funny direction.
Keep Safe. Posted by Hello

A Week of Many Friends


Our Landlady has friends over for the last week so it has been quite hectic. They have just gone back to Switzerland today. On the left is Sonja, Sia (our Landlady) is in the middle and Erika is on the right. Posted by Hello

Cross Eyed Cats ROCK!!!


I know that this picture is not clear, and that I am easily pleased, but please tell me that this "Cross Eyed Cat" is not the funniest thing that you have ever seen. Just for the record, it does not have red eyes as well, that is purely my inability to take a photograph. Posted by Hello

Monday, May 16, 2005

For People visiting (and my third post today!)

Quite a few people have asked about visiting again and are too lazy to search back for the old post. Anyway, here is the link to it:

http://simoncook1969.blogspot.com/2005/01/so-you-are-thinking-of-visiting.html

Keep Safe

Summer Time part 2

It is great with the summer being here, we get all the fresh fruit etc. The smell of fresh bread I have made in the mornings, fresh fish and tomatoes to die for. I made fresh Lemonade tonight as well which was GORGEOUS! (Lemons from the garden)
Not sure why I felt the need to tell you about this but......
The people we rent the house off (who live next door) are away in Switzerland at the minute, they are great. We always spend a lot of time with their dogs who are fab. However, last week, we got home and somebody had left the gate open and the dogs had escaped. One was sitting by the gate and I didn't see the other immediately. She eventually came running towards me from her kennel and would not leave my side. She was also shaking. Justine said it must have been gunshots (we get quite a few around here) as she is really nervous anyway but I sensed something more. There was a look in her eyes that I can not describe. Anyway, because of this I decided to stay outside with her for 10 minutes. over the next ten minutes she went from looking a little odd to weeing and pooing (my Mum reads this you know...) everywhere, collapsing and foam coming from her mouth. To cut a VERY long story short, I managed to get the Vet from his bed and made it to the surgery where Cindy (the dog) collapsed outside. The vet gave her injections and various other things to try and keep her going. It turns out she had been poisoned (probably ate food near a bin that was put down for any rats that may have been lurking after Easter) After about an hour we left, she was ok but we didnt know if she would make it through the night. At the time the vet said that we only just made it and another 10 minutes and she would be gone. We got home very weary to find the other dog with foam coming out of her mouth. Back on the phone to the vets, vet back to the surgery. The following morning 'Chocolate' (the second dog) was fine. This amazed us as we thought she was the bigger worry. Unfortunately Cindy had gone downhill rapidly. She did not move for four days literally, not even her eyes although they were open. They put tiny bits of food next to her both to try and get her to move and eat (she was on a drip). We took the other dog in to see her in the hope it might brighten her up, it was so funny.... we lifted Chocolate onto the table so Cindy could see her and, although she didnt move, she realised that Chocolate was near her food so started growling at her! That gave us hope. As we left, the vet said that the following day she would probably die. We went in to see her the following day (as we did everyday) and as I went in I saw her eyes following me so we knew there was a little progress. The followng day she was well enough to be bathed, which was a good job because she stunk (imagine she could not move and still needed the toilet, not pleasant). Two days later she was lifting her head up a little and they left the kennel door open but she would not move to come out. We arrived quite late that day and they explained the situation. She was wagging her tail a lot when I got there so I moved about 5 metres from her kennel and called her. You could see the desperate look in her eyes as she wanted to come to me so badly. She started trying to get up, fell about a bit and slid out of her kennel and VERY slowly staggered all the way to us. There is a youngish girl (23) that works there and she had really fallen for Cindy. She saw and went running to the vet so excited that we had got her to move and walk a little. She then went and did the biggest wee all over the floor (Cindy, not the girl that works there. They would have sacked her for that I think.). I mean literally two or three minutes. Having told us she wouldn't be going home for a day or two, the vet let her go home that night! She had to go back for injections for a few days but now, we think she is fine. A nice end to a horrible story.
One of the worst things about the whole episode was ringing Switzerland to tell her owners. My Greek is not great but trying to explain that on the first night was not easy. They were so thankful for what we did. Anyway, thats it for now
Keep Safe

Summer is Here!

Hello. As the title suggests, it has been so hot here for the last few days. Not that I am complaining but I am not getting to see to much of it because of work! Talking of which, it seems to be going quite well. In the main I am enjoying it although I am not entirely happy with the hours, more precisely the days off. You work a 5 day week for three weeks and then a 6 day week. It doesn't sound that harsh but, the days off change and as a consequence it can mean a tough few weeks. Four weeks ago I didn't have a day off (well, I did but they count the day it takes to get to London and the day It takes to get back as days off!!!), last week I only had one day off, next week I only have one day of and then three weeks after that I only get one day off. So I am sulking! I do actually get a week with three days off but that falls right before my holiday (for Mum & Adrien coming over) so the timing is not great. Anyway, I promised myself three months to see how it goes and we will see how I feel then.
I ordered a new computer which arrived last week. The laptop is brilliant but when you are sometimes in front of the screen for 12 hours in a day (with work and playing poker after) it can be brain numbing as the screen is so close. You try and move it further away but then you can't reach the keyboard. D'oh. Anyway, it is really cool.
I bet you are really glad you came to read this now, I have done nothing but moan, ha ha.
We went out for quite a nice meal yesterday (it was very average actually but I don't want to moan again!). The wine was superb (really!). It is fast becoming my favourite drink. The wine is called Niko Lazaridis. It really is a remarkable red. Of late that is getting preference over Moet & Chandon or Veuve Cliquot so that gives you and idea how much I like this wine. Try and find some if you can. It is not too expensive either, maybe £10-£15 a bottle in the UK if you can find it.
Whilst we were having the meal yesterday we had another earthquake/tremor. It was pretty funny how we (and the Greeks) just went about their business but the tourists were amazed..... And talking of which...... The tourists have started to arrive now and the island is starting to get pretty busy. Its frustrating because all of the prices go up so much. In the winter the shop owners know we live here because there is no tourism, now, if it is a shop we have not been in before, we get charged more. It was funny, I went to our usual phone shop to purchase a Bluetooth headset for 'Skype' (see the past post) and the price was 70 euros. I talked to the shop owner about it and he said, "oh, that is not the price for you, you only pay 40 euros!!"
The Greek language is soming on now as well. I went to the supermarket (where we normally go) and was in the queue talking to an English woman in front of me. The guy at the till heard us speaking English. So, he talks to her in English. Then I arrive and as he knows I live here, he insists on speaking Greek (very fast at that). They make us work for it here.....
Poker has been going ok. The start of the month was great and I was up quite a lot, the last week or so has been dreadful though. Not getting any good cards and what I do get I play badly. Still doing well over the month but now it will just be average instead of excellent. Won a couple of $100 entry SNG tournaments and even did ok in a cash game the other day!
I am wanting to start thinking about a holiday soon. Maybe a long weekend in the middle of July to go and watch the Grand Prix at Donington (motorbikes!). I fancy somewhere new. I still want to see the Northern Lights but I am not convinced they are that easy to see at this time of year? Maybe Canada around December / January, perhaps take in some Skiing as well (don't worry, no snowboarding this time, I am not sure this job will be as understanding if I need over three months of work again! Also, I think learning to walk twice in a lifetime is enough for anyone!)
Oh well, my apologies for the 'miserable git' type post this time around, that's what work does for you ;-)
Keep Safe.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Lightning Strikes......

This is a joke right? It surely has not been nearly a month since I last updated my blog. Wow, time really does fly. Sorry!
OK, so what have I been up to. Alot.
Firstly, we went Athens for a week, mainly to go to the hospital for Justine and find out about her allergies (Hair Dye!). It wasn't very pleasant for her, the put about 60 small 'plasters' on her back, each with a different ingredient on. We had to wait for two days, then go back. The plan was, if we did not find any answers, we would then have to go back again and have another 60-ish plasters on. Within about an hour of the first lot going on we knew we had found the asnwers but still, they wanted to wait for the two days. It really was not nice for 'J' as she was blistering quite badly. Anyway, after all of the pain and discomfort, they said to her 'Yes, you have an allergy to something in the hair dye'. OK. Thanks for that. In the end they did actually give us a list of 6 things she is allergic to, one of which can be found in anesthetic at the dentist.
After that, we came home and it was a quick turn around for me as I had to go to England for a week to start my training course. (I think I said earlier but, I ogt the job that I applied for). It was good but very tiring. The trip also gave me possibly the scariest moment in my life.
We were about 10 minutes outside Heathrow, after a smooth flight, when all of a sudden ew heard the LOUDEST bang you could imagine, everything lit up incredibly bright. At this point I really thought we were under a terrorist attack or something. Then, as calm as you could imagine, the Captain of the plane came on to the tanny..... 'Hello Ladies and Gentleman, just to let you know about the very loud bang ew all just heard, we have just been hit by lightning. There is absolutley nothing to worry about, we will land safely without any problems at all. We have lost our radar but Heathrow control room will guide us in without problems. There is no damage to the plane.' And that was it! When we landed, there were what appeared to be 'bullet holes' all of the nose of the plane. Apparently there is a 'conductor' at the tail of the plane and the lightning went out of that. One of the most worrying things about it was, it seems, my last 4 or 5 flights have been getting worse and worse. Then I get hit by lightning. I was dreading my flight home.
Anyway, the course went well. The only downside was the dreadful Hotel I stayed at but.....
I got back on the Monday and started work the following day. I worked until this Sunday when it was Easter here. The celebration were brilliant. The food was even better but I am not sure I could eat another piece of Lamb if my life depended on it.
I am also off today and we have been at the beach for most of it. It has been incredibly hot the last few days, 30 in the shade. The tourists also started arriving on Sunday so, my peace and quiet has now gone for the rest of the year!
Finally, a quick word about a superb 'program' I discovered whilst I was in the UK. It is called 'Skype'. It is the same as MSN Messenger except for phone! If both parties are running it, it is free to talk for an unlimited time. If the other party does not have it, you can call there land line. It doesnt matter where yo uare in the world, just where you are calling to. An example is the UK. It costs only $0.03 per minute. Very cheap!! The web address is www.skype.com and is certainly recommended. Until next time...
Keep Safe

Friday, April 08, 2005

A Busy few weeks


So much has been going on for the last few weeks, it is difficult to know where to start!
The festivals were very good and things are building up nicely towards Easter here (which I have no doubt said a million times, are on May 1st here).
A week or two ago we helped one of Greece's best artists with his exhibition on our island. It was a lovely event and it was a joy to see all of his work. It is called 3D relief art and sculpture. There was quite a collection of peices on display, varying in cost from about €500 to €100,000 !
It is incredible the amount of depth that he achieves with his art. His site is in the process of being built (by me!) and you will find it online in a month or so at www.nikosmarkopoulos.com
Worth a visit!
Because of the help Justine and I gave him throughout the duration of the exhibition, he very kindly gave me one of my favourite peices of his, the sculpture pictured above. It stands about 4ft tall with the base (it has a lamp underneath it) although the actual visible part above is only 1.5ft.
The Weather has been incredible over the last few weeks, so much so that we have had to stay out of the sun a little!
I got good news about the job, all being well I start on April 18th. It will be a shock to the system to start back to work but I am looking forward to it. Also I have had a great few weeks playing poker as I have been in such good form, winning in the region of $800. Hopefully the good form will continue although I will now not be allowed to play on my usual site as that is who my job is with!! I also played a live game for the first time on the island on Saturday night, only 5 runnres but still a lot of fun. Made better by the fact that I won it!
I stated that I will probably start work on the 18th April, that is for training in London of all places. It was either there or Costa Rica but, I hate planes now!
Justine is feeling a lot better after the problems with the hair dye. As a treat we bought here a small scooter so she can get to work and back! (Well, I say we did, actually the compensation did!)
Anyway, that is all for now, I will add more updates soon but we go out to Athens on Sunday for a week (tests to try and find out what Justine was allergic to) and then onto the UK although this is still to be confirmed.
Keep Safe Posted by Hello

Monday, March 14, 2005

It has been a great week here with so many Carnival festiities going on. It has actually been for the last few weeks although last week was mainly for the children.
On Tuesday night we went to a Salsa / Latin night which was great fun. The band that played at a local club are very big in Greece. We also went with Ria, our Greek teacher. The Carnival week ended with the parade through town which was unreal, unlike any carnival I have ever seen, there were so many float and they were well put together.
I forgot my camera unfortunately so I will not be able to put any shots up (although I did take a few with my camera phone, I will look to see how they come out.
I got an email about the job I applied for on Friday saying I had made the last 20 and that I would recieve a phone call. I was pleased because they said they marked my exam and gave me a mark for evry question from A to E, apparently my worst was B+ so I was a happy bunny!
Anyway, Hope you are all well.
Keep Safe
Posted by Hello

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Sorry.....

Because of a few stupid comments left on the site, I have had to make comments accessible for members of this blog only.
Let me know if you wish to leave a comment and I will add your name to the list.
Thanks and sorry again.

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Life gets even wierd-er!

It seems about everybody in the world has been worried about Justine as just about her whole family have rang in the last few days to try and cheer her up.
I am pleased to say it seems to have worked and now she only looks a little bit like The Elephant Man / Woman!
She passes on her thanks to all!
My interview was a little surreal to say the least. It took the form of a written examination. I was sent it through at 11pm on the dot and had to have it returned by 2am sharp.
As you would expect, the first thing I did was check through the questions (15 of them) to see what they were like and draw a few early conclusions. At this point, panic set in! Not only did I know just 5 answers, 8 of the remaining 10 may as well have been in Greek. Err....Danish I mean!
Anyway, I spent about 1 hour 15 minutes on the first questions, trying to research it on the internet and after one line of writing, decided it was time to move on. With 30 minutes left, I had completed a grand total of 4 answers! I quickly got the remainder that I knew finished and promptly supplied a standard open ended answer for the last questions (most of them!)
I sent the answers back with literally 30 seconds remaining. So, off to bed, I lie there for hours trying to think how it could have gone so horribly wrong, I must have misread the job description or something, it certainly was not what I had expected. We live and learn.
The following morning, I wake up, check my email and see a mail from the company in question. I knew I had made it down to the final 40 to get this far so was pretty pleased as so many had applied.
Full of fear I open the mail to read......"We have sent you the wrong test paper!!" What a relief. With hindsight, my standard answers (something about escalating the problem to our technical department) probably was ok!
So, the new paper was sent out and completed. I should hear in the next few days how I got on.
News Flash ==== Sawing wood up is the most tedious, boring activity I have ever partaken in. I just get through a piece and it has already burnt so I need another.
I am hoping to buy a new computer (desktop) soon so, if anybody out there wants an almost brand new, top of the range laptop, let me know, it will be a good price!
Laptops are great but as I will be doing a lot of design work etc now I want a large flat panel screen one, nowadays I can not afford both!!
On Sunday, I will be playing in a "free roll" poker tournament, first prize is $1000, 2nd $600 and 3rd prize is $400. There are nine players taking part in it. I am actually very fortunate to be playing in it, one of my very good friends, Tony Kendall (not the Tony I used to work with), gave me the seat as he could not use it as he is playing in a live poker event at the same time. That guy really is so generous and a top bloke to boot. Thanks Tony.
Anyway, as usual, keep safe
S

Friday, March 04, 2005

Strange Days.....


What a very strange few days.
As some of you may know, I have been in the process of setting up a web design company and going through the steps required, one of which was getting the domain name and sorting out a holding page..... in fact, let me go back a step.....
Justine dyed her hair black a few days ago and, as pleasant as it sounds, seemed to have a bit of a reaction to it. At first she had a few "spots" around her hairline, next her scalp started weeping a little. Like I said, pleasant.....
Back to the original story. So, I start putting a possible logo onto the internet for my company and she wanders into the room saying there is a slight problem.
I turn around and she has a lump AT LEAST as big as a golf ball on her forehead.
Panic time! I am on the phone to one of my friends and find out where the nearest open doctors are at this time of night. My friends is in the middle of dinner so she can't come round at that exact minute. We decide the hospital is the best option. Anyway, to cut a very long story short(er), Justines whole face has now ballooned up out of all proportion. The lump is even bigger.
The hospital reassure us by saying they have never seen anything like it. Great. Anyway, that was a few days ago, she has been in hospital until her return home today. It appears the whole thing was down to this hair dye.
She seems to be ok now although still a little swollen around the right hand side of her face.
My course is going ok although I have not really done too much with it for a few days for obvious reasons.
Feel free to visit my website, as I said, it is just a holding page at the minute but will be up and running over the next few days / weeks. it is..... www.oneninesixnine.com
As it is not easy to decipher when written like that, it is 1969 !!! (That wasn't available, as numbers, as a domain name)
I have a job interview tonight so we shall see how it goes.
Posted by Hello

Friday, February 18, 2005

Short Update


Short update.
The nights are starting to get a little warmer now although I had to go out and purchase a small wood fire. That also brought some joy as we were driving round for ages to get wood!
It was actually a lot of fun until we got back and I had to start cutting the wood up into small pieces!
Had some pretty major thunderstorms but i guess that is part and parcel of living out here. Still great though.
Been getting further into my course work now, I think I am enjoying it but due to a small error on my part (not reading the details correctly!), I spent the whole first week doing the wrong thing. So, now it is playing catch up.
The Greek lessons are coming along well and we are using it more and more. I can now ask for 6 kebabs instead of one....just joking.
Still unsure when we will get back to the UK, may well be after the summer now. Time will tell.
We found a really nice taverna which is close by, apparently they slaughter the animals there daily so the meat is very fresh. Delightful.
The picture above is our small house, and even smaller car! How things change. It goes to show that size is not everything. The smallest house (and car) I have ever had but the happiest I have been.
Anyway, for now, keep safe

Posted by Hello

Thursday, February 03, 2005

A few words

As you would expect, I am not really in the mood to do too much on here but I wanted to say something.
A lot of people have said that I am lucky in life. My normal response is "it is funny, the harder I work, the luckier I get" but, it dawned on me today. I am lucky.
I am lucky to have the best friends and family. Whether it is my parents knowing when to give me space and when to be at my side or, my friends who seem to know the right things to say (particular thanks to Tikay and Clare).
I am lucky.
Thank you, you are special to me, even if I do not say it enough.
xx

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Penny - My Best Friend


R.I.P 1993 - 2005

Sometimes words are not enough. I miss you.Posted by Hello

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

The real stories are the scariest

I was going to start by saying that not much has happened but, whilst true to a certain extent, it is devoid of complete accuracy!
The weather here can be erratic to say the least. We are in the middle of winter, the same as most people who are reading this are, however, we are fortunate enough to have some days where we can sunbathe. We also have some horrific storms that can last for hours (almost continuos flashing and banging!!!) and we lose electricity frequently. We also have tremors. Maybe every other week, certainly every month but last night....wow. I am not sure when a tremor becomes an earthquake but I have to say, last night was scary. At about three in the morning (whilst watching the Live Aid DVD!) I notice the plants moving. I look at Justine who is typing away on the computer oblivious to anything. It starts getting heavier so I mute the TV. She turns around and looks at me and the realism dawns. Over the next minute or so the intensity of this increases until I say "it is time we got out of the house". I was genuinely scared that the house was about to go down. As we are going down the stairs, Justine says we should go back and turn the fire off!!! So, like an idiot, I start going back up the (shaking) stairs then it starts to ease off. So, we go back into the living room (which is upstairs), sit back down and get back to what we were doing. It really was quite scary. I have experienced maybe 15 or so tremors since we have been here so they do not bother me too much but this one...... wow.
Other than that, we have started our Greek lessons again and already seeing improvement. They will be every Tuesday and Friday now. Also, I have unofficially started my Open University course. The site is now live but the official start date is the 5th February. It looks as though it is going to be fun although maybe a little heavy in places.
Whilst unlikely, I am thinking about a trip to UK / France in either April or May. Two great bands are touring the UK then but not sure which, if any I will go to. There is Danger Danger and Soul Sirkus. Soul SirkUS are basically a "super group" comprising members of Journey, Thin Lizzy / Whitesnake, Bad English etc. and are mighty fine!
Anyway, thats all for now
Keep Safe

Saturday, January 22, 2005

A great day at the office


Firstly I will get the poker chat out of the way as I know it is not everybodys cup of tea!
It was a great day, I played in four low limit SNG tournaments (honest it was low limit Mum!). Started off with two No Limit hold ems and got a first and second place, then moved onto to Limit Omaha H/L and won it and finally Limit Stud H/L and won that as well! I have very little experience of stud Poker but thought I would give it a go today. I was delighted with my performance and took an early lead and never gave it up. With five players left I had 7,500 chips, second place a mere 1,500. My Omaha game is developing in a big way and I am actually enjoying it more than NLHE. Tonight I am in a competition with the winner taking a place in the Eurpean Poker Tour at Deauville in France. Over 115 entrants so low chances but, we will see.
Poker chat over.
It has been really cold here the last week or so (yesterday aside when I was outside topless, not a pleasant site) I can see Kefalonia in the distance from our house and the mountain (pictured above) is snow capped. On Sunday, we took a drive to the North part of our island and had a good look at mountains over the water. Kefalonia really is a beautful part of the world and if you visit this year, I would certainly suggest a visit if you are here for two weeks. Unfortuantely you need 2 days to look around it so I think a weeks visit would mean you miss a lot of Zakynthos.
Most of my Open University stuff is hre now, it really is quite daunting starting study again, it has been nearly 20 years since I did anything like it (football qualifications aside) but, I am actually quite looking forward to it now. I had a flick through my course books. At best they can be described as "dull" but, I guess that is study for you. The biggest problem is I am reading two other very good books at the minute (Dan Browns "Deception Point" and Dan Harringtons "Advanced No Limit Hold Em Tournament Play") and want to read them, not "Accidental Empires" or whatever.
Anyway, another Blog on its way over the weekend.
Keep Safe
Posted by Hello

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

So you are thinking of visiting?


OK, so many people have asked about a visit to Zakynthos (or sometimes called Zante) that I thought it would probably be a good idea to put the details on here.
Visiting can be done either on the cheap (package holidays start from around £140 although some travel agents offered specials from only £89 including flight and accommodation last year) or by booking into a luxury stone villa. But, first things first, Flights: Many Airports service Zakynthos including Bristol, Cardiff, London (Gatwick, Stansted and Luton), Birmingham, East Midlands, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh. I feel sure they may be more. You can book "flight only" at various places including, MyTravel, Thomas Cook, Cosmos Holidays or Monarch Airlines (Charter Flights section). That said, depending on the time of year, you often find it is actually cheaper to book a complete package, even if you plan to book a villa separately. Have a look at both options.
You will find most flight times are very user friendly as we do not allow take off or landings between the hours of 10pm and 6am due to the Caretta Caretta mating season (see more below).
Villas and accommodation: There are many options but one place I would certainly recommend are The Castello Bellos Villas. Don't pay too much attention to the prices on the web site which I think in peak season are in the region of 200 euros a night. I have negotiated a special deal with them and depending upon the time of year, prices are as little as 400 euro for the week. Take a look at the site, the villas really are stunning. They are about 15 minutes away from where I live and about a minute from the sea. Another option, which is further away and in land, but very nice are the Aresti Villas. I believe they have their own pools and great views.
Slightly more "touristy" is the Louis Zante complex, about 5 minutes away from us and perfect spot for a great beaches. It is very close to Laganas, the liveliest place on the island although it is still quite family orientated.
If you choose to pick a resort in a brochure, the closest to us are Kalamaki and Laganas. I would not particularly recommend Laganas as a place to stay as it is full of half naked 18 year old girls in clubs. Second thoughts.......
In all seriousness, Laganas can get very noisy in the evening so bear that in mind.
Argassi, Alikes, Alikanas and Tsilivi are about 25 minutes away. If you are unsure on anything just ask me and i will do my best to help.
Whilst you are here there are plenty of options for renting cars, you may get a better deal doing it through me but if you want to have a look online, most of the major rental companies are here. I purchased a car from Budget so I trust the guys there. Avis, Hertz and Europcar are all at the airport, if you use these, book in advance, you get a better deal and often full insurance for the price of third party. I have used Hertz a few times and had no problems.
You will find the beaches on the island are amongst the best in the world. In a recent edition of FHM, they had a feature on the best 10 beaches in the world, we were at number 2. (For your information, Vilamendhoo in the Maldives was number 1, the same resort I visited last year!)
The beaches are very family friendly as the seas are calm and in some instances you can go almost 30 metres out and still not even be up to your waist. Almost all are very sandy.
Apart from hospitality, Zakynthos is also famous for the Caretta Caretta (Giant loggerhead turtles). From July to September you will almost be guaranteed a sighting of them and it is very easy to swim out a short distance and swim with them. Underwater goggles and snorkel are certainly a must. They are about the size of a dustbin lid.
Anyway, I think there is plenty here to be going on with, if you have any questions, just let me know and I will help where I can. I hope to see you in the summer!
Keep SafePosted by Hello

Saturday, January 15, 2005

The Year That Was 2004........


As it is January, it seems only fitting to have a quick look back at a few of last year's highlights. Obviously the major point was leaving work to move to Greece, not a small step under any circumstances, but one that has so far had been a complete success.
Travelling again was a large part of the year, visits to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Iceland, Venice, The Maldives, Paris, Athens and America etc were brilliant fun.
The Olympics were way beyond expectations and we got very lucky with our selction of events. When we attended the athletics, Great Britain were in top form. We were fortunate enough to see Kelly Holmes and the relay team collect gold, possibly Steve Backleys goodbye and Amir Khan secure the silver medal. Wheeling and dealing in a huge market square called Monistaraki was quite a thrill as we secured tickets valuable to others, which meant we could swap them for more important events to us. We also saw Basketball and the final of the football amongst others.
Continuing along this theme, one of the funniest moments of the year had to be our pursuit of tickets for the closing ceremony. We did originally have them but sold them as we got a very good offer which meant we made a profit and got tickets for the final of the boxing. This was three or four days before the ceremony. Anyway, we had no joy finding any more throughout the actual day so we went to the Olympic Stadium to see what we could do. The going rate appeared to be in the region of 500 euros at best....that is until I stumbled upon a small guy, well built, trying to sell one ticket. After MUCH debate on price, I finally got him to sell it for 100 euros. I was ecstatic. I saw Tony about 100 yards away and approached him as he was trying to buy two tickets for us, at 300 each. I said I had just got one, worth 750 euro for only 100. Well, it turns out matey boy, who just sold me the ticket, saw this. Tony was actually talking to his "council". The guy I got the ticket from was the coach of the Azerbijan Wrestling team, recently awarded the Gold Medal. I have to say, a huge row ensued as he tried to get the ticket back from me. It actually got pretty scary at one point. Anyway, I gave him a bit extra money and he went on his merry way. Tony also managed to get a 100 euro ticket at face value.
Tony was kind enough to provide me with another highlight of the year. I mean, who could possibly forget the sight of him rolling down the inside of a dormant volcano in Iceland as he tried to beat me to the bottom. The frozen lake at the bottom beckoned but unfortuantely his somewhat rotund frame did not reach the bottom. The comedy value involved in that was unrivalled.
I know I have a photo of the clean up process, I will try and publish it soon.
Keep Safe. Posted by Hello

Friday, January 14, 2005

Viva Las Vegas


I made reference to my recent trip to Las Vegas, well, whilst there i played in two satellites (poker competitions with the winner advancing to a more expensive competition!) to try and win a place in...another Super Satellite....to win a place in the prestigious main event of the World Poker Tour (WPT)(Confusing or what?!?). The normal entrance fee for this was $15,000 (£1.8 million first prize) so a £185 satellite seemed a better option! I won one of them but failed in the final Super Satellite after over 4 hours play. So near, yet so far.
The picture above is the host hotel for the event, the rather fabulous Bellagio Hotel. To my mind, the finest hotel in Las Vegas. Other than poker, the hotel is also famed for a big part in the movie "Ocean's Eleven" and its incredible water fountain display, all to music.
Whilst I was unsuccessful in the WPT event, a nice win at Binions Hotel & Casino (also famed for holding the World Series of Poker) on the final Sunday of my trip, made the holiday even more memorable.
Whilst there, I got a chance to see one of my favourite bands, Journey and also a Prince tribute band called Purple Reign.
The hotel we stayed at very kindly gave us two free tickets to an event called the "Billboard Music Awards Ceremony". As the name suggest, it is the music industry acknowledging achievements throughout the year and also a "lifetime achievement award".
Many of the worlds top artists played including Usher, Nelly, Alicia Keys, Destiny's Child, Green Day, Evanescence, Gwen Stefani, Sheryl Crow, Diana Ross and the final award going to Stevie Wonder. There were also appearanecs by Britney Spears, Duran Duran, Paris Hilton ;-) Maroon 5 and many more.
I suspect Justine enjoyed the show more than I did but still a lot of fun.
Keep Safe
Posted by Hello

It all starts here.....

A Big Welcome and thank you for visiting the Blog of Simon Cook.
This venture ties in nicely with my 36th birthday although the jury is still out whether it will reach my 37th!
At this point in time I am not 100% sure of how the site will progress. The main objective is to keep my friends and family updated on how my new life is progressing in Greece but we will see what other developments occur.
Nothing hugely exciting to report since Xmas although I think that this is typically a quiet time of year. Usually getting over the festive season. Not that we experienced a huge amount of that here as we were in Las Vegas for most of the lead up.
Looking forward, in a couple of weeks I begin an Open University course, entitled "You, Your Computer and the Net". The plan is that this will lead on to me studying web design. The internet is still very much in it's infancy in Greece, certainly in Zakynthos, so any progress I can make in this field should benefit me in the future.
Anyway, again, thanks for visiting and please come back soon, I intend to update this at least every other day but again, time will tell! Feel free to make comments on the site, all you need to do is let me know the first time you want to and I will ensure that you have suitable access rights
Keep Safe.