The winter dragged by, and I couldn't wait for summer to arrive. And then, suddenly, a year had gone by and I was to go home for a month and decide whether I wanted to come back or not. My house did not feel welcoming, and I went from room to room but the feeling of loneliness engulfed me like a cloak, and I visited all my friends, even the ones that I did not really have anything in common with, just to not be in that empty house. I went swimming every morning, as I lived only about two hundred metres from the most beautiful beach that stretched for miles to either side. But when for two nights in a row I heard the front door open, and then footsteps that went into Trienkie's bedroom, and me shouting a glad hello, just to realise that it was my imagination, I decided to pack my clothes and go for an extended visit to Irma, my eldest. This empty nest was just not my cup of tea!
So I started painting again, and went to the art and craft markets where I did quite well, in fact, I made quite a good living copying some old masters for some of the lodges at one of the golf estates. I knew however that I could not stay forever with my kids, so I had to decide whether to go back to Greece, or do something else untill Trienkie came back.
Then one day the agent from Greece phoned, and asked whether I didn't want to go to America instead of back to Greece. After a lot of thought I decided on America, as I am a bitty restless, and although I loved the two Greek kids, I felt that to go back would be a bit of an anticlimax! So shortly after that I was on a plane back to Greece, but this time to a family that lived for three months of the year in Athens, and the rest in Miami. Waau, Miami!, everyone sighed, but my old neigbour was again like a fly in the ointment, grumbling and rumbling about my being so wanton, seriously, she thought me off my rocker, but I think she was a bitty jealous, as she had to stay with her always moaning and chainsmoking hubby.  When I got a few photo's of Trienkie, and saw her for the first time as a young lady and not my baby, I knew that she would never really come 'home' again!, and I was quite happy and very excited to be going to live in Miami!
Back in Greece I was tempted to go and see the children, bur felt too guilty to face Dorah, although I had written and told her I was not coming back, I felt like a traitor to be in Greece with another family. The photo's are of Trienkie in Holland, and a few Modigliani copies I painted for the market. Greece was welcoming me with open arms, and the day I left for Miami, Liz cried a lot, as we had such a lot of fun together. Katrien was back in South Africa. I had one child to look after, and he was a very shy and quiet little thing, but I missed my little Nikos with his tantrums!

The week after Xmas went oh so slowly, and I kept busy by taking Ermioni down to Dorah's private gym, and the little girl enjoyed my antics on all the apparatus, and also liked to be taken onto some of the things. I felt a lot more positive towards the Ya-Ya, and the jersey she knitted me was absolutely gorgeous and fitted me like a glove.
And then it was new year's eve! I knew that I would not be part of the festivities this year, and I was quite upset, as Dorah had said that after Ermioni was in bed, I could go out and meet my friends. The Ya-Ya was adamant that I could not go out, and it wasn't long before the reason became apparant.  I was just making myself comfy in front of the television, having made peace with the fact that I would not be out amongst the fun, when the Ya-Ya told me to wake Ermioni up and gave me a blue velvet dress to dress her up in. I was aghast, tried to remonstrate, but the old woman was adamant, Ermioni had to be dressed, and when I completed that stupid command, with Ermioni showing her unhappiness by screaming to high heavens, I was told to also go and dress up. By now I realised that either we were going out, or we were getting visitors. I soon knew what was what as a very dour Petra arrived, and after she and the Ya-Ya had one amazing battle of wits, we went down and got into the car, and I was wondering where we were off to. From what I could make out, Petra said that the roads were congested, and that to try and get anywhere by car was almost impossible, but Gran just jutted out her chin at a dangerous angle, and stood her ground. We slowly made our way to Kiffisias rd, and then, with the Ya-Ya giving instructions and Petra trying to concentrate, her lip by now very thick from disgust, we stopped and started until we were almost at the junction where Kiffisias runs into Vassilissis Sofias. And then we were stuck. Luckily, or so we thought, there was a small road to the right that led to Oktovriou Pattision, and Petra turned, and we made some progress, but just when we thought we were going strongly, we came to a standstill again, and this time there was no getting out. Petra got out to enquire about the state of the traffic, and came back looking murderous indeed. She was told that Oktovriou Pattision was blocked, and as there were now cars behind us for as far as we could see, we could be there for the night. Och, the fight the two ladies had! And inbetween all this, Ermioni suddenly sat up and said as clearly as I would: 'Ya-Ya, ta rat a tat, ta rat a tat!', exactly as I taught her! Gran stopped her abuse of Petra in mid-air to glare first at Ermioni and then at me, but I just sat trying to look innocent! So there we sat, Ermioni at long last fell asleep, and then suddenly people started getting out of their cars, all of them with bottles of wine or champagne, and I realised that it was almost twelve midnight, so Petra and me also got out, and when the sky was suddenly lit with thousands of fireworks, people started kissing each other, giving swigs of their drinks to the ones that had nothing! Never kissed so many strangers in all my life, and when I saw the Ya-Ya taking a swig whenever one was offered, I was so surprised I almost sang a balad, but all was spared that ordeal when people started dancing, and I was grabbed and tossed and turned and made to do steps I never thought possible, and gasped when I saw Petra and The Ya-Ya do the same! It had started drizzling lightly, but nobody cared, and it was getting light when most people got into their cars, too tired to dance any further. We all slept until the cars at last started moving!

Christmas morning dawned cold and dark, and as snow was predicted, I could not even go for a walk with Ermioni, so I sat in the kitchen where the Ya-Ya was busy since early morning to prepare our Xmas lunch or dinner. I saw her put one almighty big and fat chicken into a huge pot with a lot of herbs and water, and cooked it for ages. Then the chicken was taken out and the water left in the pot put aside. Then she peeled some potatoes, onions, butternut and brinjal, and left that in a pan of water to boil later. I sat with my drawing book and pencil, wanting to catch the spirit of this old woman on paper. Later the pot with the chicken stock were put back on the stove, a carrot cut in, then a handfull of rice, and when that was soft, a couple of eggs were broken in and stirred with vigour, also salt, pepper and other herbs. The chicken was put in the oven to brown, and the veggies roasted, and voila, our Xmas dinner was ready, complete with lovely salad! The soup could and would not pass further than my mouth, it being I think the vilest food I ever tasted, and I am not full of bulldust!! It was the yellow fat on top that tasted like yellow fat that made my bally tonsils clamp up so that the stuff just could not pass! I really tried, I chewed every rice korreltjie separately, I sucked the carrots to a pulp, but when it came to swallowing, I just could not! And all this time Ya-Ya was watching me with her black beady eyes while she slurped with relish on her soup, and nodding her head now and then, enquired of me: 'Oreia?', and I smiled a bally Judas smile and assured her that it is 'poli-oreia' meaning very nice. I thanked heavens for small mercies when she left to check on the chicken, and my brain almost burned out thinking of where to dump the soup. I thought of the toilet, but that was too far, but then I noticed the potplant! As quick as bally lightning I had deposited the stuff in the pot, and scratched around a bit to bury my crime, and all this time Ermioni, who thought this hilarious, clapped her hands and laughed excitedly. When the Ya-Ya came back, I was sitting very sedately waiting for the next course, but Ermioni kept on pointing her finger at the potplant, and tried to tell her grandma about what was done, but luckily she could not talk properly yet! When the Ya-Ya frowned at Ermioni and then at the potplant, my heart plunged a good way down, but she then left againt to get the chicken. 'Hella, hella', she called for me, and I exhaled loudly and thankfully, and followed on her heels to carry some of the food. The rest of the meal was delicious, and when I opened my present from Ya-Ya, and it was the lovely mohair jersey she had been knitting while on Leonidios, I almost cried, and gave her a big hug. She hugged me back and held me close for a minute or two, and I felt so horrible and mean that it caused me to cry!

Katrien and myself decided to have a day of shopping for xmas presents for our loved ones, and as I also saw the Ya-Ya put a large parcel with my name on under the tree, I felt I had to get her something too. The shops in Athens were dressed up beautifully, and it was nice just to walk around and shop with our eyes, and after  some really hard looking, as I did not know what the old battle-ax would like, I settled on a beautifully packed soap and body lotion set for the gran. Very unimaginative, but I was desperate! Then we sat down in a coffee shop, Skippy's, in Pattision, where all the presents were wrapped, ready to be send off. It was heavy, and at one stage Katrien carried her box on her head. We loved the Santa with his long straw beard and beautiful mustache! Meantime at the homefront Dorah Informed me that she and Yannis are going to Spain with Nikos, and as Ascala was going on a two week break, it will be me,  the Ya-Ya and Ermioni who will spend xmas together. But a week before they left, Dorah came home with a doormat garishly adorned with xmassy themes, to be put in the entrance to the sitting rooms and kitchen, and if that was not enough, this thing, when tread on, gave one hellishly loud: 'Ho, ho,ho, Merry Xmas before it sings in a hoarse smoke impaired voice: 'We wish you a merry xmas'! It was enough to give one the willy nillies, and I have made a few creditable acrobatic jumps myself when that thing let rip early mornings when I was still a bitty sleepweary! Then a huge Santa arrives, and this thing, when you press a little button, came alive, moving his arms, rolling its head from side to side, while his eyes flickers like some demon from the underworld! And to put the cherry on the cake, it then started also to bally sing! In a high pitched, nasal voice he would bawl:' Silent night, Holy night", flickers his eyes seductively,
roll his head, then went on with the next line! Ermioni was hysterical, but the Ya-Ya loved it, and would press the button whenever she passed it! Then a huge xmas tree arrived, a real one, and that surprised me, as all else was so superficial. Spiros, who brought the tree, and jumped about six feet when he tread on the croaking mat, was send down to get the boxes of decorations from the store room. We had already hung some of the new ones Dorah  bought, and we were very quiet, admiring our handiwork, when Spiros came back with the rest, forgot about the mat, and when that thing started  to 'ho,ho,ho', underneath his feet, he just lost it, gave a full throated scream, and threw the boxes about six feet high into the air before he abruptly left, very cross, and I think with his manliness a bitty impaired! We were very much startled, as red and green balls were covering most of the floor and streamers tangled around everything! I could feel a small spark of a hysterical scream rising from the pit of my stomach, and before I could control it, it burst from my mouth, coinsiding with screams from both Dorah and Ascala!Poor Ermioni was a wreck, but Nikos enjoyed it to the full! Then the other three left for Spain and left us with the bally talking and singing mat, and the lecherous looking  and tone deaf Santa! The Ya-Ya loved both the mat and the Santa, and would push the button every time she passed it, sending Ermioni into a fresh fit of the vapours! After a few days of almost being frightened to death by the doormat, my nerves were worn very thin! After again forgetting about the thing, and poor Ermioni getting very hysterical when I accidentally stepped on it, I had enough, and put it away deep in a closet. For half a day peace reigned, but then the Ya-Ya realised that the mat was gone, and such a bally row flared up, and after she and Ascala had shouted some real beauties at each other, I thought it prudent to go and get the thing! I tried to sabotage it, but this horror of horrors was of stern stuff, and withstand all my devious schemes! I was to sleep in Ermioni's room, and was driven quite insane when the Ya-Ya, the moment Dorah and the others closed the door behind them, climbed on the phone, and sat talking for hours, and this went on to the early hours of the morning, keeping me out of my sleep! So I taught Ermioni to say:  tat-tat-a-rat-tat-tat-a-rat, Ya-Ya wants to chat-chat-chat! Then Ascala left for her holiday!!!!

I dressed fairly smartly the next day, and met Liz, Hannah, Fiona and a young man called Vassilis at Plaka from where we would walk to the Alexandros, our best loved taverna. Vassilis was a young man who grew up partly in South Africa, and when he heard that I was A South African too, he became my kind of bodyguard, always watching out for me. Liz, who knew the owner and staff quite well, as she  had been living in Greece for a number of years, must have tipped them off, for I was not even seated when a glass of red wine was put in my hand, and the waiters all came to wish me a happy birthday! The food was excellent as usual, and I was told to order what I wanted, and it would be on the house! As the other guests realised that it was my birthday, more and more glasses of wine and ouzo were put in front of me, and although I gave most of it to my companions, I was starting to feel very giddy indeed! When the dancers came on to entertain us with their weird and wonderful steps and jumps, I was feeling quite excited, and when they finished and said something to Vassilis in Greek, and he stood up and pulled me up, then led me to the small raised piece of floor where the dancing was done, I was only too willing! I think I must have made a real cake of myself, but Liz assured me that I was very entertaining, specially when I insisted to show everybody how to do Zorba's dance! Ya, right!!! OH MY GOSH!!!! I  knew I jumped and slapped my thighs, and hopa'ed with zeal and passion, that is of course when I could still register what was what, and vaguely remembered Vassilis trying to get a reluctant me off the stage when it was time to go, and that was all!
I woke up with a mouth tasting like I have eaten through a rubbish dump, and a head that would not lift from the pillow. When at last I managed to open my bleary eyes I got the bally shock of my life, but my effort to jump up was hampered by my head that threatened to explode, and I had to fall back on the pillows. I was in a strange room, in a strange bed, and tried as I might, I could not remember where I was, or how I got to be there! Tell you, I was hyperventilating! Badly! I was again trying to get my head off the pillow when the door opened and in walked Vassilis with a cup of steaming coffee. Was I overjoyed to see him, as I did not know what to expect, and I knew he would never harm me.After we had a second coffee , he told me that he was off to work, and that I could sleep my hangover off as long as I wanted, which I did, seeing that I really couldn't lift my head. By late afternoon I felt much better, put on my jacket, the only garment that was removed from my body, and very slowly made my way home.
Spiros was frowning heavily when he saw me entering through the gate, but when I assured him that all was well, he beamed, and told me that everyone was worried. Indeed, they were, as Ascala knew I did not come home, and as I always tell when I will be away for the night, they thought something happened to me, and phoned the bally police when I wasn't home by two! I then (finally) ha-ha, denounced all alcohol, specially ouzo, as I could not bear another headache and nausea like I had that day! Apparantly Vassilis got a taxi for me the previous night, but I was in no fit state to tell them my address!! At least I had completely forgot to lament over my empty nest, and wondered what my kids would say about their misbehaving mother!!! But there is a saying that if you are over forty, the only way to behave is very, very badly! Ha-Ha again!

I found that life in Kiffisia was going on much the same, and Nikos, who apparantly have been a little menace during our absence, told me over and over that I must never go away again! Poor boy, the reason he loved me so was that I taught him to play. Once at a kid's  evening a party, where I had to play in the kitchen with Ermioni as she got hysterical when seeing a clown, he refused to play with the other kids, stating that they can't play, so he didn't love them. Thing is, they couldn't play, and after the clown, an institution at all kid's parties, left, all they did was running around and screaming, driving their nannies crazy! The Greeks are all for  making academics of their children, and kids like Nikos had a roomful of toys that he had no idea what to do with! Anyhow, then it was my birthday! Firstly Dorah had brought a cheesecake and other goodies the previous day, and I had no inkling of the treat in store for me until Ascala started putting small plates and glasses on the table in the diningroom. Then she prepared the big room where the formal dinners were held, shining glasses, polishing furniture, dusting in every corner, until I, having a huge sense of forboding, asked her what was going on, and she said she was preparing for a party. At four people started arriving, the diningroom table now decked out with the cake, one candle in the middle of it, and juices, and crisps and sweeties on the sideboard. While we waited for what I soon realised was my guests, to all arrive, Nikos almost wrecked the cake when Dorah told him that he was not blowing out the candle, as it was my birthday, and  when I saw the stubborn look on his face, I knew that we were in for a tantrum. He calmed down a bit when his best friend from school arrived, and we blew out the candle together, but  after they all, parents included, sang to me, and when it came to cutting the cake, he stated that he would do it, and on his mum trying to take the knife from him, he gave a loud scream and smashed the cake to a pulp! Some of the kids started to cry, and  as if  that was a bally sign, all the grown-ups disappeared into the big room, leaving me and Ascala to cope with the little ones who took Nikos's tantrum as a cue and started running around like a lot of maddened monsters. On this photograph Nikos was already working himself up into one of his famous tantrums, and as we were still waiting for most of the guests to come, I felt a bitty apprehensive! And what then happened is that the poor overworked Ascala and me had to entertain half a dozen sugar charged kids until midnight while in the big room the mummies and daddies had a whale of a time, and I suppose Dorah had told them not to bring their nannies, as we were capable of supervising the lot! Trienkie phoned from Holland, but I could not make out one word she said, then Jan, my son living in Denmark phoned, and I also had to tell him to phone the next day, as the children were running on high revolution, and the noise was just unbearable! But all bad things have an ending, and I was overjoyed when I thought of the next day,when I will have the afternoon and the next day off, and I was happy that we were going to have my real grown-up party at our favourite taverna, The Alexandros in Plaka. Blush-blush!!!!

Never a dull moment when with this Ya-Ya! I marveled at the difference between the other old battle ax and this one who is so happy and on the go. Her husband used to be a doctor with his practice in Nafpaktia, but he also looked after the people in the small villages who were mostly elderly, and she loved to accompany him. After his death she kept up his kindness, but as she was a very knowledgeable herbalist, she treated the people's afflictions with her own concoctions, and I wondered how many she has doctored into now residing six feet underground! But I soon realised that she really knew what she was doing, and the people had a great respect for her, and also loved her. We spent a lot of time on the road, and after I realised that she wasn't going to send the car with the three of us rolling down the mountain, I relaxed, and thoroughly enjoyed the excursions. While driving she told me the most amazing facts and stories about how life used to be in this small villages, and the one that really made me shudder a bit, is the one about murderers. Many years ago they believed that if a person was murdered, and his murderer never brought to justice, this person's soul would never be at peace, and he would rise at night and go around looking for his murderer to revenge his death. Such a ghost was called a Vrykolakas, and when he started getting out at night to wander around, I suppose scaring people to death, all the graves were opened up, and all the bodies that still had hair or nails, or havent't decomposed, was taken out, and the Priest would then do a solemn prayer. If this bodies did not immediately decompose, it was then either burned to nothingness, or the heart cut out and boiled in vinegar, and that they believe, should put the poor wandering ghost to rest! But for three years after there would still be regular prayers to keep the poor victim's soul at peace if there was still a wee spark left! She also showed me an empty and very sad looking house, where, she said, a woman called Amalia sat watching the road almost all day and all night for most of her life, awaiting the return of her runaway lover. It is still the practice in this small villages to fix marriages when children are small, and it used to work well, until the youngsters got more and more in contact with the civilised world and realised that they should have a choice. Poor Amalia was betrothed, but her beau went to America to seek his fortune, promising to return as soon as he could. He never did, and neither Amalia, nor his parents ever heard from him again, and so the poor girl sat year in and year out, waiting for her lost love to come back to her, until she had pined away completely. Sad! Then suddenly it was time to go home, and both the Ya-Ya and me were quite teary when we said goodbye. Even Ermioni, who had at long last decided that a laughing Ya-Ya was good fun, started to enjoy the holiday. Poor baby, so used to the doom and gloom of her battle ax granny that too much gayity quite unsettled her!

The next morning I woke up with one very sore head, and decided to stay off the ouzo! The Ya-Ya was sympathetic, wanted to give me a swig of vodca, as she said it helped for her to get over a hangover, but I just could not face it. While I was busy with Ermioni, the Ya-Ya got busy in the kitchen, and the smell of frying bacon made my tummy turn, and when I went down and found a full English breakfast laid out, I almost shot a cat! But, said the Ya-Ya, it will do me the world of good, so I ate some of the beans, then felt much better, and with Gran encouraging me, I managed to eat the whole platefull, and I must say, I did feel better after.I thought the English breakfast was just because of me, but the Ya-Ya assured me that she loved it, and eat like that every day! I went for a short walk with Ermioni before her nap time, and I was glad that Yannis told me to take warm jackets, as it was quite cold. From all the little houses people came out and shouted 'calimêra Kyria' to me, and it gave me such a good feeling of belonging! While Ermioni slept, the Ya-Ya skillfully pulled a lot of personal information from me, and She sympathised about my husband, and it wasn't long before I told her about my strange sisters! The oldest one, Lida, was wonderfull, and we were great friends, but Sue, the one just younger than me, who was a great beauty in her youth, had become so paranoid that I do not visit her, as she always accused me of either stealing from her, or wanting to steal her husband, and she wanted to take everybody to court. Then my youngest sister fell into the hands of  one or other sect, and once told me I was like a big bird in paradise, flying around wrecking everything in my way!  I often wondered if she said a bird IN paradise, or a bird OF paradise! Oh my! She married very young, and went to live in Namibia, and this beautiful young man was much in love with her, but he had one flaw, he loved to entertain! Now, entertaining is one thing but brother in law loved his friends and he loved his Windhoek beer, and would come home in a state of happy innebriation most nights, while she had to skimp and scrape to keep the house going. One night he came home singing loudly in German, stopping now and then to call for his schnumfy, his pet name for her when intoxicated and suddenly she just had enough and she wanted to slam the door in his face, but his head was halfway in, and she knocked him unconscious! She thought she had killed him, and phoned the police, who assured her that he was breathing strongly, and the doctor confirmed it when he came. This little interlude had as a result that he stopped drinking, and she of course started worshipping, I suppose as penance for almost killing her husband, at this funny church, where they apparently sang a lot, and also did a lot of clapping. I knew poor brother in law complained a lot about his wife's singing, but I never knew how bad it was until I went visiting for a week and had some firsthand experience of Sister praising the Lord! I was still deep in dreamland that first morning, when I woke up thinking that ten cats  were being brutally tortured. And inbetween this there was a sound like a huge machine sawing through a very thick piece of wood! It was absolutely unbelievable, as my sis now and then had to stop to take a breathe and  then hubby must have thought 'peace glorious peace', and went back to sleep, and of course would commence with his snoring! And having taken a good breather, Sis would start at a lower note, but not for long, as she could not stay on the right notes, taxing her voice to the utmost to rise above the snoring and ended up screeching like a soprano who went beserk! Now, my mum was very artistic, and liked to write, and we all got this from her, but one thing we can NOT do, is sing! When I was younger I thought I was just the best front singer in the church, but after leading the whole congregation astray and off note when I married and went to my husband's church, and the preacher, after the third Sunday asked me to cool it a bit, I stopped singing altogether, and felt so unloved in church that I also stopped going, and took up painting. The Ya-Ya thought it very funny, but said that she could not believe that, with a little help from her, I would not learn to sing like a songbird! Ha-Ha!!!! That night after dinner the bazouki came out, and I realised that it was the beginning of my singing lessons. Ya-Ya first gave me the notes with the bazouki, then with her voice, and I thought I was doing quite well, when, after about fifteen minutes she suddenly put the bazouki down and asked if I would rather watch a video! Needless to say, there was no more attempts to make a nightingale out of me!!

As I started putting Ermioni into her chair, The Ya-Ya said 'ochi! ochi!' don't put her in, she is so upset, and it was not far to her home! So I got into the front seat with Ermioni on my lap, and typically Greek, the Ya-Ya shot away like a bally bullet train, and, talking non stop, she manouvered the old car around the bends with amazing skill, just letting her eyes rest on the road now and then, as she was looking at me while she talked! We were driving through a never ending fir plantation, the biggest in Greece, she told me proudly, but I was not really taking anything in, as my eyes were riveted on the road, and every time we manouvered another bend, I was sure we were going to roll down the mountain slope! I was quite hysterical, and scarcely took in the tiny villages that peeped from inbetween some Fir trees now and then, but I then realised that small as she was, Ermioni was a true Greek, as she had forgotten her anxiety, and was laughing and shouting every time we went round a bend almost on two wheels!
But all bad things have to end, and I was intensely relieved when at last we came to a small village, and the Ya-Ya actually slowed down, then came to a halt in front of a small two storeyed house, and I exhaled thankfully when I realised that we were home. The house was not big, with two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, and the kitchen, diningroom and a small sitting room downstairs, but from what I have seen of the other houses, this one was a mansion. The house was expensively but tastefully furnished, with a big leather sofa, and two comfy looking chairs in front of a huge fireplace. The Ya-Ya said that the fireplace used to be the cooking place where all the meals were cooked over an open fire. After we had a coffee each, I was left to unpack while the Ya-Ya cooked dinner. Ermioni had not completely relaxed yet, but she had stopped her crying, although she was still almost throttling me with her arms firmly round my neck. Dinner was delicious, with the filled peppers my favourite, but the pastitsio was also delish! After dinner there was a knock on the door, and an old man and two women entered the sittingroom, there eyes riveted on me, and I knew that they came to look me over. At first their eyes were full of distrust, but they slowly relaxed when they realised that South Africans were actually human, and then the Ya-Ya brought out a bazouki, and the old man started playing, and Ermioni fell asleep. I thanked the gods for that, as my neck was becoming quite sore. Then the old ladies got up and started dancing, very sprightly seeing they were about a hundred years old, and it was not long before the Ya-Ya pulled me up to join the fun! I tried to get to bed, but with the ouzo flowing freely, and my hand never without a filled glass, I wasn't allowed to leave, and this jolity went on till early morning, when the old man fell asleep with the bazouki on his lap! I was pooped!

My job became much easier as Nikos had started pre-primary school, and when I had a rest after the exhaustion of getting him ready, and after Ermioni had her early morning nap, we took to the road. It was nice now that all the nannies were back after the summer, and on the nice days while the children played in the park's sandbox, which all of them loved, we chatted away likw a lot of sparrows. But this lovely state of affairs did not last, and one morning Dorah told me to pack clothes and stuff for Ermioni and myself, as we were going on a visit to Yanni's mother, who lived in a small village just outside Nafpaktos, in Sterea Ellada. Petra was in a gay mood, as the old Ya-Ya was not going this time, and even Ermioni was laughing all the time. Our first stop was at Livadi, and I suddenly realised that it was one the vilages where we had so enjoyed the fight of the poor passengers on our way to Delphi, to get out of the bus! The scenery again was a feast for the eye, and Livadi is beautuful, almost built like an amphtheatre down the mountain. Our next stop was Amphissia , a biggish town, and the Capitol of Falida. I knew that we were near Delphi as I recognised the mountains, and the road winding through them. We stopped for lunch at Amphissia, where I changed Ermioni's nappy while Petra ordered lunch. I opted for baked, filled tamatoes, Fish, and salad. Yummy! Amphissia is also lovely, with huge stretches off greyish green olive trees as far as the eye could see, and up to where the huge mountains grew majestically out of the earth, and it is onto one of this mountains that Amphissia with it's wonderful castle clings to for dear life. After a while we came to Mount Parnassos along which slopes Delphi was built. Late that afternoon, with Ermioni starting to get a bitty tired from sitting in her chair, we came to Nafpaktos, where Yanni's mother would meet us. Nafpaktos is unbelievably pretty, with an old harbour chipped out of stone  dating long-long back, that is struggling not to just disappear under the sea.We stopped to wait for Yanni's mother, and I could have spent hours just looking down onto the beautiful harbour with the colourful fishing boats that rocked lazily in the afternoon breeze.I got out to walk around a bit, and saw an old, but impeccably clean car stop next to our car, and a very pretty older woman getting out, so I hastily went back, as I knew Ermioni's dislike of people she did not know well. This woman was a treat, the opposite from the Other Ya-Ya, stylishly dressed, with hair cut short, and dyed a reddish brown, and bloodred lips. After she greeted Petra with a huge hug, she turned to me, and thank heavens, she spoke a fluent English! Ermioni was sitting with eyes like saucers, and when the Ya-Ya tried to take her out of her chair, she put up such a bally bawl that I had to take her for a walk to calm her down. Petra was to sleep in a hotel and go back in the morning, and while she transfered our luggage to the other car, the Ya-Ya tried to make friends with a very upset Ermioni. At last we were on our way to the Ya-Ya's house that was apparantly deep in the mountains in a very small village!

As the days became colder, and I couldn't go out every day with Ermioni, I became a bitty bored. Sometimes a few of the nannies would assemble at Steers in Kiffisia, so I would take the bus down. It was so nice, all the pushcarts parked around us, the children quite happy to sit and "talk" to each other. One morning I found the bally old Ya-Ya in the kitchen making Ermioni's bottle, and my heart dropped right down to my shoes, as that meant that my employers were again off on one of their excursions, and I had to suffer the old woman. Shortly after Ermioni had her milk Dorah came down, explaining that they were off to France, and that both kids would stay this time. Then Petra arrived, and the luggage were brought down, and then Yannis came down in a cloud of very expensive and good smelling perfume. It is a rumour under the nannies that the men in Greece smelled better than their wives, and I had firsthand knowledge of that! But little did I know that disaster would not long stay away from me, and when Ermioni went to bed and Nikos asked me to go and have a look at his father's bikes, I had no complaint, so I told Ascala, and down we went to the basement. Yannis loved his bikes, and in the garage was a brandnew glittering monster, and also a black, very old Gold Wing that he was busy restoring. Nikos was allowed to get on the Gold Wing, according to Ascala, and I was happy to put him in the saddle, where, typically male, he whined round imaginary bends and roared on straight stretches, and I was happy that he enjoyed it so much! But then the bally child started whining and begging for me to get onto the back. To stem his tears I decided that no harm could come from getting on, so I did, and I was still busy shuffling my backside into position, when the bally bike suddenly and without warning, fell over! I screamed and saw in my mind how the two of us were going to be crushed to a pulp, but the wall was just near enough to stem the fall, and there we lay, my one leg still over the saddle, my other knee suspended in mid-air between wall and bike, while my shoulder was squashed against the wall, and it was painful. Luckily I had the savvy to try and shield the child, who was also trapped, but at least I had my arm underneath him softening his position against the wall! We SCREAMED! The garage was in the basement, and Ascala only came down to wash or iron, but my hopes for a rescue was on Spiros the gardener and handyman, as I knew he was busy in the garden and would maybe hear our screams. After what felt like a year, the outside door opened and in came Spiros, whose eyes nearly popped out of his head! He was not a big man, and his efforts to get the bike up was useless, so he gave me an encouraging smile and disappeared up the stairs! I prayed that the Ya-Ya was out, and that Ascala would come to help, but no, in strutted the old woman, and when she saw us, she had one kingsize fit instead of helping the other two. My shoulder was aching and my arm that was stuck underneath Nikos was having pins and needles, but I tried to look unconcerned to stop the old woman's tirade. After one helluva effort the two heroes managed to free us, and the scold the old woman gave me was terrific. Luckily I understood only a little! My legs were quite dead and it took a few minutes for me to stand comfortably, but I just thanked God that the child was not hurt. Ya-Ya climbed on the phone, and according to the amount of spit that flew from her yapping mouth, she was telling Dorah what a menace I was. Ok, it was stupid of me to get on that bike, but we all do silly things sometimes, even the old Ya-Ya when she damaged the BMW at Leonidios! Felt a wee bit silly though!

We got off at the little village about half a kilometer from the sacred sight of Apollo's temple, and after we gorged ourselves at the small restaurant, we walked down to have a look at this wonderful place. There are still some beautiful, if battered works of art, but the the statues of the two brothers that dates back to 610 - 580 B.C. really intrigued me. The one who still have hands stands with clenched fists, and both of them look extremely innocent. They are the brothers Kleobis and Biton, the sons of the Priestess of Hera Kydippe. The story goes that the priestess wanted to visit the Heraion, and when her white oxen could not be found, her two sons yoked themselves to the ox cart and dragged her all the way to her destination. She was praised for her wonderful boys who so loved their mother, and because she was so proud, she asked the godess to reward her two boys. The poor boys died that night in their sleep, and as a token of the esteem for the boys, the Argives  commisioned the sculptor Polymedos to make a statue of each. I felt a lot of sympathy towards the two young men, as in my mind I could see the priestess giving instructions for the boys to be yoked in front of her cart, and then standing like a bally gladiator from Rome, cracking her whip over the heads of the suffering boys shouting "Yoo-Ha!" terrorising them and shouting at them to move their bally backsides! My opinion is that they were made to pull the cart and then died from exhaustion!
 Another interesting story is that of the beautiful young man named Antinous Claudiopolis, The only man who achieved immortality because of his beauty. This poor young man was loved by the Emperor Hadrian, and lived with Hadrian for a short time, then the gods revealed that Hadrian was dying, and his death could only be averted by someone who loved him so much as to sacrifice his life for him. Antinous loved the Emperor so much that he threw himself into the river Nile, and drowned. This selfless act was the result of his deification throughout the Roman Empire, and his cult was established at Delphi. All this happened between 76-138 A.D, long after the poor young men died after pulling their mum's cart! Sounds a bitty corny to me, but according to his statue, he was indeed beautiful After we had our fill of all this wonders, we went back to the village, where we found rooms for the night, and then we went for a nice meal, after which we became quite happy on umpteen glasses of ouzo!

 After their victory over the Persians in 490 BC, the Athenians put up this treasury building as a thank-offering to Apollo. We were absolutely awed by the workmanship of the craftsmen of those times. It is indeed a beautiful building that stood the ravages of time and climate quite well.

The huge mountain of Phaidriades towers over the sanctuary at Delphi. The locals call the two rocky summits Yambeia and Nauplia. The buildings were terraced up the mountainside, and the Temple of Apollo stood in the middle of this sanctuary on a terracesupported by the Polygonal wall.

 This is the Temple of Athena, a goddess, not quite as powerful as Apollo. This shrine to her was built just below the Kastalian spring, It was destroyed a few times by earthquakes, and rebuilt, and today, with the havoc that time and the elements played, it is hard to imagine how beautiful it really was. Athena was not as popular as Apollo, but a good many people liked to worship a woman goddess.

The Temple of Apollo stood at the heart of this sacred place, surrounded by a lot of other buildings and collonades. This was the house of the god himself, and was also destroyed by earthquakes. Today only this ruin is left, but once it was from here that the powerful Apollo prophetised to the Pythoness, who then gave council and advice to the mere mortals who came to consult him.

As we left Athens behind, the terrain became mountainess and the road winding. I had my work cut out to stay on the small piece of seat the old woman left for me. The cat that was next to one of the other nannies called Hannah must have had motion sickness, as it started screaming and scratching the inside of the box. My old lady had indeed unpacked a meal consisting of some lovely sandwiches and a flask of coffee, and I felt my empty tummy calling out for something to fill it up. Our driver was typically Greek, hooting, shouting and throwing signs at his fellow road users. The trouble started at the first little village where a few people wanted to get off, but couldn't get to the door, the assortment of stuff in the isle blocking them off. They tried to walk over it, but such a roar went up from the owners of the stuff, that they froze on the spot. The driver, not very patient from the outset, had to get out of his seat to try and get the poor passengers to the front, but when he touched the cage with the two rabbits the owners started verbally abusing him, and this driver being no push-over, one helluva fight broke out, resulting in the driver grabbing the cage and making for the door, the old man, red in the face, shouting abuse, as he was also trapped in his seat. Then the driver had to remove a lot of the stuff to open up the isle, and at last the people could make their way to the door. By this time the driver was a ball of fury, as we were falling quite behind schedule, and we still had a long way to go, so the stuff he had to take out was literally just chucked back into the bus, setting off something like a bally shouting contest! I don't think the airconditioning system was strong enough for the blend of smells emanating from us all. Spices, garlic, herbs and so forth are wonderful in food, but when it is released through the open mouths of half a bus full of snoring old people, some with hideously bad teeth, others with no teeth at all it is NOT nice! I was very thirsty, and hungry, and when we were told at the next stop that we could get off for a pee and food, but that we had only fifteen minutes, pandemonium broke out, as everybody wanted to locate their pieces in the isle, but the driver having just chucked it in helter skelter, it was almost impossible, with the result the fifteen minutes were up before we even made it to the door! We begged the driver to allow us to just get some water, so while we got back to our seats, Harry, the male nannie and Hannah just about walked on the stuff blocking their way and went for water. They also got us each a packet of crisps. Most of the people never got to the shop, so they were grumbling and calling down all kinds of bad luck on the hapless driver! The scenery was just beautiful, the road winding its way through the most awe inspiring mountain passes with huge plantations of pines growing high up on the slopes. My back was aching from sitting so skew  on my 5 square cm of seat, as it was impossible to salvage another cm from under the old lady's stuff! I tried for one of the seats that had emptied, but found that every inch was already taken up by someone else's bits and pieces! So it went on, at every village the fighting to get out, but by the time we reached Delhpi there still was no empty seat, but the isle was almost open and I marvelled at this mainly elderly lot who could get their stuff onto a seat in  seconds!

The days were getting a bit shorter, and you could feel that the sun was not quite as hot as always. I seriously wanted to take the bus to Delphi before winter set in, and when I asked Liz if she wanted to go with she was very enthusiastic, and rounded up another four nannies who were back, to go with, one of them a young man. The week went too slow for my impatient soul, but at last it was Tuesday, and  at six in the morning I was waiting outside waiting for the taxi to take me to the busstation. The others were waiting when I arrived, and I loved the station with the hordes of people milling around, shouting at each other, some friendly, others crossly, but all intent on finding the right bus for their journey. It was like a wrestling match, the effort to get to your seat, and then to find that some piece of luggage, or a parcel with strong smelling fish, or a cat in a box was sharing your seat, the other person too wide to accommodate all his belongings which could not go in the luggage holder, so without a bally blink they just take up half of your seat! I ended up with a very old lady all in black and a chin jutting out about 20cm in front of her toothless face who had parked on my seat a bag full of groceries, a potplant in a ceramic pot, a huge handbag, and a plastic cannister that could be holding her lunch! I gave her a stare, but she just stared back as if she had bought the whole bus, and I did not have the vocabulary to tell her to take her things away. The bus was full, and I was not the only one having trouble, a lot of the Greeks and tourists had the same, so it was an absolute chaotic scene. I tried to get to the driver, who was shouting at an old couple with two rabbits in a huge cage, parked smack bang in the middle of the corridor, together with umpteen pieces of luggage and even an old part of a bicycle, but the effort was just too great, and I went back, resting my one bum on the tiny piece of seat the old woman left for me. About twenty minutes passed our departure time we were on our way, and another bally chink in the cable appeared. The young male nanny, sitting directly behind me started talking! And I mean TALKING! Incessantly and loudly into my ear, the noise made by the other passengers so loud that he really had to shout at the top of his voice if he wanted to be heard. The bus was swaying like a drunken sailor, and I had to clung desperately to the headrest in front of me if I did not want to go sprawling onto the stuff filling up the isle, so I could not even put my fingers in my ears to get away from the young man's talking! But this was only the beginning of our trip, and the lack of fresh air was already taking a bit of a toll!

The other lot did not arrive till after I came back from the park with Ermioni, and the atmosphere between Yannis and the Ya-Ya was so thick you could cut it with a knife! That night Ascala also came back looking fresh and rested. She actually worked too hard! But I was happy as the next day was Monday, when I had a half-day off, and Tuesday of course I had a full day all to myself. Most of the nannies were still away with their employers, so Katrien and me decided to climb the Filopapou Hill  from where you could see the whole of Athens, and have a lovely view of the Acropolis, and we also wanted to see the huge monument on the top. We had to change busses a few times, as we kept on taking the wrong ones, but after deciding to just walk to the foot of the hill from Plaka, we finally arrived. We were already a bitty tired, as it was warm and the road we took quite steep, and to crown it all, my new socks kept creeping down into my shoes, and I got so irritated I took it of and chucked it in the nearest trash bin! The small road leading to the top was steep, and our legs took some battering, and on top of all that, Katrien's bladder was giving a bit of trouble. So after every few minutes we had to stop, and while Katrien made a pee behind a bush, I had to keep watch. I must have looked like a bally streetwoman on the prowl as quite a few old men tried to pick me up, but I stared so fiercely at them, that they gave up and left me alone! The hardier ones I sent on their way by giving them the 'finger', a sign one of the nannies told me to use in case of this kind of situation, and she was right, it sent them on their way in great rage, and me smiling victoriously! It was worth all the effort, as the view over Athens from the top was just awesome, and so was the huge monument, forgot what it was called!  It was quite late when we left, as we first watched the most glorious sunset over the Acropolis!
The going down was not easy, as you had to sort of brake all the time, and at one stage our legs were so lame that we had to lie down and rest. It felt like pieces of jelly hanging from my hips! Then we went to Pattision, where we had a nice meal, and drank Heineken biera, and as we still felt a bit washed out after what felt to me like conquering Kilomanjaro, we bought a lot of very sweet and syrupy cakes and tartlets, and sat in one of the beautiful parks and had a feast! Then we felt so bally sick that we had to look for something to get rid of the nausea, and then we decided to call it a day, go home, and sleep it off!

 It was a lovely day, and the next morning I was up early and ready for Nikos! The time with his parents did not leave him in a good space, as they so pamper him, and cater for his every wish, and then when he is again spoiled to the point of them not able to handle him, off they go to Paris, and leave him to the devices of the nanny! But I am not easily cowered by a five year old, and when he screamed that he was not going to the park with me and Ermioni, I waved him goodbye and started to get into the lift. Did such a little Greek have a fright! Within a second or two he was in the lift! It was a lovely day, the yellow sun shining down warmly, inspiring the cicadas in the cyprus trees lining the street to give their ultimate, deafening one's ears, while the smell of the cyprusses tickled one's nose! I was in a good place at the moment, the climb up the Filopapou having blown away most of the cobwebs, and, best of all.....The Ya-Ya went home! My empty nest felt indeed far removed from my present situation, and I was contemplating whether to phone Paolo or not, as I am very scared of holiday romances!

A last thought on poor Jack, who later became a coach, and I remembered how I used to giggle uncontrolably when I visualised his little pupils in future, doing their delicate ballet steps all over the tenniscourts of South Africa and maybe abroad, with their opponents languishing like the 'Dying Swan' on the other side, waiting for a ball to come over the net!
I spent the next day going around to all the small farms to say goodbye to all the wonderful people I became friends with, although we almost never spoke a word, just communicated with hands and facial expressions. The old woman who baked the lovely bread was quite sad, and we both shed a few tears.
The next morning I just dressed Ermioni after she had her bottle and the two of us went down to the jetty to wait for the Flying Dolphin which would bring Petra. I had a last coffee and a croissant at the taverna, which the waiter said was on the house, and after promising that I would come back one day, we said our goodbyes, with advice from all of them to bring my own bicycle next time, which made us all laugh uproariously! I was so so sad when Petra arrived, and I threw a last glance over the little harbour where I had so much fun!
Poor Petra almost went bezerk when she saw the car, and gave the old woman a good piece of her mind, which was taken badly by the Ya-Ya, and for about half an hour the sparks that flew between them was enough to light a bonfire!
But at last they cooled down enough to go on with life, and within an hour all was ready for us to leave.
The trip this time was not very different from the previous one, as the old Ya-Ya sat in deathly silence, Petra was just catching my eye in the mirror now and then, then smiled as of course she could not speak English, and Ermioni slept. We stopped for lunch at the most beautiful cafe amongst the mountains, with vines growing far up the slopes. This time the Ya-Ya, still stiff and cross, asked me what I want, so I ordered Pastitsio, which was delicious, and I fed some to Ermioni. The Ya-Ya, who have an amazing sweet tooth, again bought us ice creams, but this time she got a yogart for Ermioni, and both Petra and me thought about the havoc with Ermioni and the ice cream when we came, and how we sort of induced the Gran to clean up the mess, and we turned our faces away and giggled deliciously! It was early evening when we at last got home, and as Ascala was still on holiday, we had to get everything into place again ourselves, but it was not too late when The Ya-Ya called me for dinner which we ate in silence, but not a hostile silence, and the Ya-Ya's 'calinichta Christina' was quite friendly. I slept like a baby that night as I knew that in the Morning Nikos would be back, shattering our quiet times!

We had two more days before going home, and the next morning I stood on the jetty waving goodbye to a screaming Nikos, who had to be carried kicking and shouting onto the yacht. I asked his parents why he couldn't stay and go home with us, but they were adamant to keep him at their sides. If it was for his safety, it was horrible, as they were happy to leave Ermioni to drive back with us.
But the sun was shining, the sea was like a piece of blue glass, and after Ermioni was fed and put to bed, I went for a swim. I have extremely porous bones I think, as I could float for hours lying on my back, bobbing like a piece of cork! after lunch I put Ermioni in her pushcart and walked to the little bay where we had such fun with Paolo, and I cried some more, but on noticing that it upsets Ermioni when I am sad, I told myself bluntly that I was not a bally teenager, and that I have the man's telephone number.
I was looking forward to going back, as us nannies had a lot of things we wanted to do. Also I have a date with one of the South African nannies for a game of tennis. Now, I am not the world's best player, my lack of speed standing in my way but I have some beautiful shots, my double backhand being my best. With this speed handicap and all, I played in the lower leagues for my club for years, and loving it, that is, until one year with the mixed doubles, when I got......., lets call him jack! Jack was a youngish guy, always beautifully dressed, his nails perfectly manicured, his hair cut in the latest style, his shoes shining fit to use as a mirror! And of course this fetish for perfection was carried over and onto the tennis court!
Oh my good heavens, this woman nearly had a nervous breakdown that Saturday afternoon as we had to go on for our first match. Jack was first doing his preparation, never giving any sign that he knew we were standing grinding our teeth as he slowly and carefully pulled  knee-guards over both his knees, then two wristguards came on, then a kind of a fingerless glove, then a headband, and with me and the opponents steaming with impatience, he then powdered his hands, before he started walking to the court, his white tennis shoes blinding the eye!
Now, Jack had the most beautiful style, so, so gracious, and he glided over the court like a bally fairy, but oh lord, he was what you call all show and no play, as he concentrated so much on his style that he hardly ever got a ball over the net!  His serve was executed like a piece of ballet, the motions fluent and beautiful, but if he ever got one bally serve over the net, it could be the world's eighth miracle! And to top it all, he thought himself so good that he kept on taking my balls, smashing them far out, or spinning them into the net. I hyperventilated so badly I had to stop for a drink of water, and when I saw the sympathy on the opponents faces, I cried! Needless to say, we lost both matches 6-0, 6-0! Anyhow, I had to stop thinking about that, as it was time for Ermioni's dinner.

Nobody slept again, except the cause of the uproar, who fell asleep on my lap, and did not even stir when I put him to bed. Ermioni was now very upset, her sleep having been disturbed and she cried and cried and would not settle. I was watching the clock, praying for the child to fall asleep so that I might still see Paolo before they left. No chance! The child would not go to her mother, just clung to me for dear life, and it again made me so sad that this lovely little baby did not know her mother. I clothed and fed her, thinking that as Nikos was still sleeping I could get away, but Dorah said for me to wake and dress him, as we were all going to the taverna for breakfast. By the time I had the disgruntled child, who spit his Ya-Ya when she tried to help, dressed, it was Ermioni's naptime, but no, Dorah insisted that she had to go with! It was not a happy group who walked down to the harbour, as the Ya-Ya was again rumbling and grumbling, Ermioni was crying, and Nikos was screaming to high heavens! My eyes were riveted on the harbour to see whether the yacht was not there still, but only a few fishing boats and my employer's yacht were dancing to the rhythm of the waves. I could feel the hot tears running down my cheeks, and I hoped that Paolo realised that it was impossible for me to came.
It was a breakfast straight from hell, me walking in circles with the tired Ermioni, trying to calm her down, then Nikos decided that he was not hungry and when his Ya-Ya tried to feed him, he threw the plate at her, and for the first time, peeping through the mess on her face, I detected a bit of impatience emanating from her.
Just as we were leaving, one of my favourite waiters came up to me, and gave me a small folded note. I wondered about it all the way home, as with the effort of handling the kids there was no time to read it. While making Ermioni's bottle I unfolded the note, and my heart stopped for a few seconds, and I just cried! It was a note from Paolo, written on a piece of crumpled paper torn out from the waiter's order book, and it read: 'Bella Christina, I love you, and please phone me in Italia when you are back in Athens.' And his telephone number at the bottom. But my duties called, and there was not a lot of time to lament, so I put the little note in my pocket and went to fetch Ermioni.
Then ten hells broke loose! Yannis was taking the lot of them on a sightseeing trip with the BMW, and as he pulled out of the lean-to, Dorah spotted the broken rear light and the damage. I was standing on the verandah so Ermioni could wave them off, and when Dorah gave a scream, and then Yannis let out a bellow, I knew that the Ya-Ya was in for a huge row! And what a row! A row as only the Greeks knew how to do! The bally old woman tried to play innocent, but when Dorah asked me what happened, I had to come out with the truth. The Ya-Ya, now in a state of apoplexy, removed herself to her room, and Yannis calmed down, and after some lamenting, the lot set off on their trip, and I went back to my crying for a lost love!

I just waited to see whether Ermioni was asleep, then I asked the Ya-Ya if she would mind looking after the child as I would be out a bit late. Paolo was waiting for me at the jetty, and informed me that he had phoned for a taxi to take us to Leonidios where we would dine and watch Greek dancing. It was one of my most memorable nights ever, as he was so warm and caring, and we had a lovely meal, and drank some lovely wine, and we were oh so gay and carefree! The Greek dancers were fantastic, and it wasn't long before the diners got carried away, shouting 'Hopa!' along with the dancers every time they jumped up and hit their thighs! And then the dancers came down, and I was one of the lucky ones to be asked onto the little stage, where I was shown the steps, and encouraged to dance! Of course I was a bitty lightheaded from all the wine, so it did not take a lot of encouragement to get me going, and with all the clapping and shouting I became quite laf, jumping and slapping my thighs, and shouting as loud  as anyone else. Paolo was wonderful, and he was so taken with me and my antics, and praised my effort so enthusiastically that I felt a warmth towards him that I have not felt for a long time! The rest of the night was a dream so beautiful that I do not want to write about it. It was early morning when he kissed me goodnight before I silently let myself into the villa. I was now so sad, as it was the yacht's last night, and I promised to come to the harbour early enough to say goodbye.
I was just falling into a fitful sleep, when suddenly the quiet of the villa was shattered by the most terrible noises, and someone was hammering on the door. I bally just about broke my small toe on a chairleg in my haste to get to the door to see what was going on! The Ya-Ya joined me, and together we peeped through the window, and there in the moonlight was Dorah, Yannis, another couple, and two children, one of them a roaring Nikos. Gosh, I never heard such a voice on a child, it being loud enough to wake the bally dead! I opened the door, and I heard Ermioni cry, but Nikos just about jumped into my arms, sobbing now as if his heart was breaking. I wondered why the stupid people could not wait till morning before rousing us, but Dorah explained that Nikos, when he heard that I was near, wanted to come to me! Poor boy, he must have been bored to death, as the little girl of the other couple was much younger than him, and his parents did not know how to entertain him. We made coffee for all, and as the time flew by, and my jetty time came closer, I knew that there was no way that I would get down to the harbour to say goodbye to Paolo. I cried silently!

The next morning I could hardly wait for dawn to break, and my joy must have influenced Ermioni as she gaily spit out all the surplus porridge her Gran tried to force into her, and Gran got fed-up, and left the two of us to our own devices. So it was too laughing beings that set out for the harbour, and then the morning coffee at the taverna, where I was now known to almost everyone. I was talking away to one of the waiters who knew a splattering of English, when Paolo arrived, looking a wee bit disheveled, and telling me that I should be honoured, as he is on holiday, and on holiday one slept till noon! Paolo was one of a group of Italians on a cruise of the Greek islands! I told him that I did not ask him to come! We drank our coffee and talked a lot of nonsense, and all too soon I had to go back for Ermioni to have her nap, but he promised to wait for me at the end of our driveway at two to go for a walk.
I was quite exited as I did not have a decent conversation since we came to Leonidios, apart from the boy Franko, who was actually very knowledgeable. We took a small road over the little hill at the side of the harbour, and after a good sweat we came to the loveliest little bay, where we bought ice-creams and lay on the hot sand, talking about our lives so far! He was a widower, his wife having died a couple of years ago, and his friends insisted on him joining them on this holiday, and I told him of my live that was thrown in turmoil, forcing me to go out into the world to fend for myself. He laughed at my empty nest syndrome, but with empathy, as he did not have children that could be leaving him soon, but understood that it could be traumatic. Ermioni was happily playing in the sand, I think only too glad that she escaped the incessant 'bravo Corritsi's' of her Ya-Ya! We then played in the water, which Ermioni enjoyed enormously, sreaming from pure pleasure as I dipped her in the cool sea! But all too soon we had to start back, but I had to promise to meet him on the beach after I put Ermioni to bed. Back at the villa the Ya-Ya almost had a kingsize fit on seeing Ermioni's and also my disheveled state, and grumbled and rumbled like an old lorry going up a steep hill! I was too happy to really be worried, just gave Ermioni a nice warm bath before I put her to bed. I was becoming more at ease with my situation, as I haven't worked for a boss since my kids were born, and to also be confined like this with the boss's  impossible mother, was quite hard! But for now I was indeed very happy!

Luckily one of Gran's about eighty year old friends offered to drive us home and return by taxi, and I could kiss him, toothless mouth and all. Gran, full of wine and beaming with Dutch courage was not easily persuaded, but when I refused to get in the car with Ermioni, she capitulated, and grumbling like Vesuvius erupting, she got into the passenger seat, and we set off. The old man knew how to drive, and we reached home without any further mishap, but I couldn't help wondering what Yannis was going to say about the car! Ermioni was really tired, so I put her to bed and walked all along the beach to the harbour. I was so fed up with the old Ya-Ya and her exagerated attentions to the poor child. For every little thing that Ermioni did, whether it is getting a shape into place on a playboard, or drinking out of a cup, which she had been doing for two weeks now, the old woman got so worked up, and her 'bravo Corritsi, bravo, bravo!' all day long was driving me nuts! Corritsi means little girl. I met Franko, a young boy of about twelve along the way, and he could speak English, halleluja! He was visiting his granny, the old woman living just off the harbour in a tiny house where she baked the most glorious bread to sell. We were deep in conversation when I suddenly became aware of some-one next to me, and to my amazement it was the man from the yacht, and he was smiling at me so beautifully that my legs felt like jelly, and my heart started racing! He introduced himself as Paolo, and said I didn't have to tell him my name, as he already knew! He was tall, and handsome, and just the right age, and we made a date to meet the next morning on the jetty when I come for my morning walk with Ermioni, and would then go for a coffee. But later that night, after having put Ermioni to bed, I went down to the beach, and sat in awe as the moon came up, first as small as a copper penny, but getting bigger and bigger as it rose from behind the sea. It was magnificent, and I became very homesick as I watched the people in the camping area start their fires, and the smell of the barbequed meat blew over to me in the light breeze. And then suddenly Paolo was there, and my heart went BOOM_BOOM, and I did not even hesitate when he asked if he could join me. Oh, what a night! We laughed a lot as he described his own mirth on seeing me on that ancient bicycle, and when I told him I was also offered a donkey, he once more roared with laughter. Then we went for a long walk, and when he took my hand, I almost died from pure bliss! But I had to get back before the Ya-Ya locked the doors as she was scared of the riff raff lurking around. Must say, I never saw any! So we decided that he would join Ermioni and me for our morning walk through the veggie fields!

I was now so stressed about the nappies and the old woman driving the car that I never once during the night gave a thought to my kids or my empty nest! That morning the Ya-Ya told me that we would be leaving for Leonidios at ten, so I fed Ermioni and walked down to the harbour, where I had a coffee at the taverna, then sat at the jetty for a while. The big yacht that docked the previous day was gently rocking on the calm water, but all was deadly quiet, I suppose all the people still asleep. Just as I was leaving, a figure of a tall man appeared on the deck, and when he saw me looking at him, he smiled and waved. But it was time for the trip to Leonidios, and I hurried back before the old woman called down the wrath of the god's on me again. Soon I was sitting in the back of the car with Ermioni, my back feeling as stiff as a ramrod as the saying goes, as I was VERY worried.
The Ya-ya was about a hundred years old, and might have had one driving lesson in her life, as she knew where to put the key, and that you had to use the gears, but how to use them was another story altogether. On turning the key we jumped about a metre forward, as the car was in gear, and she didn't use the clutch. I implored her to let me drive, but she had a determined look on her rimply face, so I told her to use the clutch, and showed her which one it was. And I was PRAYING! But Gran knew better, and after about six false starts we had jumped almost out of the lean-to under which the car was parked. I tried to get out with Ermioni, but with all her fumblings The Ya-Ya must have activated the childlock, and the two of us were trapped like fish in a tank! I was now really worried, and again told her to push in the clutch, or take it out of gear when trying to start it. She then fumbled with the gears, and with a satisfied grin on her face she revved the car until it screamed like a thing possessed, and then she let go of the clutch that she finally pushed in, and we shot backwards, flattening a bed of yellow daisies, killing an earthenware pot with a red geranium, and with me trying to shield Ermioni in case of a serious crash, we hit a pole with the right side of the BMW, and the sound of breaking glass made my tummy turn! I was now seriously worried, becoming more cross by the second, and told the old woman to let me and the child out on the double, but I was still talking when she managed to get it in second gear, and off we shot, the poor car screaming to high heavens, as she never changed gears or applied the brakes, all the way on the small road to Leonidios! On reaching Leonidios, she ignored every stopstreet, and we stormed through the town causing one helluva racket, until she suddenly just swerved onto the pavement, and without pushing in the clutch, applied the brakes, and we came to a jumping stop about a centimeter from the low wall running parallel to the street.! From every house people came out to see what was going on, and it seemed they all knew the Ya-Ya, who was standing there as proud as a peacock while the people admired her driving skills! Until they saw the side of the car! When at last the old woman remembered that her grandchild was still in the car, she let us out, and I could hardly stand upright my legs were shaking so! We visited every house in the vicinity, where Gran was plied with wine, and when at long last we got to the shop for the nappies, I knew that she was in NO state to drive home, not that I was getting back in that car with her behind the wheel! And neither was I as I swallowed every drop of the red given to me to get my courage up!

From then on, after feeding Ermioni, my routine was firstly the harbour where I could watch the antics of the fishermen and the wonderfully colourful woman for ages. While Ermioni took her morning nap, I went swimming or down to the harbour where I would have a coffee in the taverna. People soon came to know me and greeted me with : 'Jassas Kyria Christina'! After lunch, and with the old Ya-Ya's eyes spewing fire, I would go walking all over. It was wonderful to see how everything worked in harmony, but the sweetest thing I saw was while sitting under a tree watching Ermioni play in the sand. I heard the droning of a small engin, and out of the dust appeared an ancient scooter. Driving the scooter was an elderly man, and on the back sat his wife, her legs very femininely hanging down to one side, a yellow scarf tied over her hair flapping gaily behind her, a huge wicker basket on her lap. The man parked the scooter under a tree next to us, and after watching us distrustfully for a while, they evidently decided that we were not a threat, so they greeted me, and after hanging the basket over a sturdy branch, they unhooked two long poles with a kind of a spade on one side, from the side of the scooter and before long they were bussily weeding between the tomato plants. I was not ready to leave, but I wanted to enquire from the cafe owner, almost the only person talking English, how far the town of Leonidios was, as Ermioni's nappies was almost finished. So I put Ermioni in her cot for her midday nap and legged it down to the harbour, where a huge yacht was busy docking. On telling the man that I wanted to walk to Leonidios, an old man standing nearby realised what was going on and he was aghast, and offered me his bicycle. I walked with him to his little house and then I was aghast, as this thing on two wheels was about a hundred years old. But nevertheless, it would be better than walking. His neigbour, who have been watching us from his verandah, came over to investigate what a foreigner was doing at his friend's house, and offered me his donkey, which I declined with a lot of startled 'Ochis' It took a fair bit of practising before I mastered the monstrosity well enough to be able to stay on the road and upright. Well, to tell the truth, I wasn't on a bicycle for a fair number of years! I must have looked a sight for bally sore eyes wobbling through the little village, as people stopped and stared, and I could hear a lot of laughter behind me as I proceeded on my precarious way! The Ya-Ya was knitting on the verandah, and when she saw me come fluttering down the lane, she almost shot her bolt, her voice reaching pitches I never heard on a human being! I didn't dare looking up too much, as the sand was thick at places, but on hearing the old woman howling, and me looking up, I hit a sandbank and went sprawling in the dust! After assessing my wounds, luckily only a few scrapes, I explained to the raving old woman the reason for the bicycle, and she shook her head vehemously and said that she will drive me! Oh my Good Lord! But THAT is a story for tomorrow!!!

Seeing the last bit of the yellow hydrofoil disappear in the morning mist was enough to dampen every bit of optimism I possess, but luckily just at that moment I noticed a very gaudy fishingboat amongst the four others that were docked in the small harbour. Every boat was a hub of activity as nets were checked, decks scrubbed, and the holding bins cleaned out. But what caught my attention was a smallish boat with what I presumed was a husband and wife team. This boat was painted in a variety of colours, as if the owners collected left over paint from all over to beautify their vessel. The man was also dressed quite unlike the other fishermen in their thick grey jerseys and blue overall pants or jeans, in a bright blue jersey and jeans. But it was the woman who delighted me most. She had on about three skirts of different lengths, one atop the other, and also a longsleeved, bright purple kind of a sweater with a bright orange shortsleeved top over it. Around her head was a bright multi- coloured scarf that was fastened at the back with a very cheeky knot, the loose pieces fluttering in the light breeze. She had just two teeth stuck like brown pieces of driftwood in her lower jaw, and she was not shy to smile! The lot was so happy shouting banalities at each other, and laughing outrageously at their own wit, the woman flirting with all the men, giving back their teasing and bantering as good as you get. Luckily her husband, if he was that, was not the jealous type, just laughing goodnaturedly at his wife's antics, and getting on with his jobs. The woman also never stopped working, and when Ermioni started moaning, I left the scene with great reluctance. I regretted again that I did not have a camera!
After her breakfast, leaving the Ya-Ya exhausted from trying to overfeed the child, Ermioni went to sleep, and I went swimming. Glorious! I was laughing quite spitefully, as Ermioni had suddenly realised that she did have a choice, and none of the Ya-Ya's cajolings could make her open her mouth after she had enough! The old woman was very upset because to her way of thinking the child would die of hunger if she did not at least vomit once, and then fed again!
When I got back from my swim feeling refreshed and happy, Ermioni was awake, and the bally old woman pointed to the only tree for miles, then to Ermioni and I looked at her as if she was mad! She wanted me to play with Ermioni under the tree, and this tree was a sad specimen, with a crown of about twenty shrivelled leaves, throwing a shadow of about the half a square metre. I tried to reason with her, but still upset by Ermioni's mutiny, she shouted: 'Volta!', (go) in a hysterical voice, and I got CROSS, and ignoring her verbal abuse, I put the now crying child in the pushcart and took to the road! We came to a brinjal field, and on the side of the road was a decent tree, where I took Ermioni out to play in the sand. I was thinking of packing my bags and taking the Flying Dolphin back to Athens, and then home, as another two weeks of this I could not stand, but the reality was that I could not leave the child to the old Ya-Ya's devices!

I could see that the Ya-Ya was cross! Very cross! She was scrubbing away with vicious intent to demolish the poor car seat. Ermioni's chair was standing on the grass, all clean but damp, and I decided to go to the grocery shop nearby and ask for a plastic bag to put underneath the child. Petra must have stood at a vantage point nearby, for as soon as the granny stood up straight and stretched her back, she appeared, all spruce and smiling. If looks could kill both Petra and myself would have been stone dead,  and it was three people with a wide assortment of feelings that got back into the not too good- smelling car. I could see that the Ya-Ya was biting her tongue almost to strips not to let rip at us, and Petra had an unholy gleam in her soft brown eyes! I was still cross, but shared Petra's glee in getting one up on the old battle axe. After another few long hours we reached the villa at Leonidion. It was large, it was beautiful, it was almost on the sea, and I loved it. After unpacking the car the old woman assigned us our rooms, me with Ermioni in a big room with a cot. Petra was sleeping only one night, and would be on the Flying Dolphin early the next morning. Then we were all herded into the car, and drove to the village store to get food, as we didn't bring anything with. I had some bottled veggies for Ermioni and that is all. I wanted nappies for Ermioni, as Dorah forgot to buy some, but the shop did not stock them, so I was quite worried, as there were only a few left. Leonidion was a beautiful little harbour village with a huge taverna where people sat and laughed and enjoyed themselves. I was jealous, as I had to sit at home with a very surly grandma! The villa was some little way from the harbour, and after dinner, that the Ya-Ya cooked, I put Ermioni to bed, then Petra and myself went down to the beach and had a long swim in the clean warm water. I never had time to get a spool for my camera, and the harbour shop didn't carry it, something I regretted a lot. The next morning I put Ermioni in the pushcart and we walked down to the harbour with Petra, and I felt a pang of sadness when the Hydrofoil disappeared over the horizon. Although we did not really understood each other, we both knew just enough to say, with a lot of help with arms and hands, what we wanted to.

From then on we drove through magnificant landscapes with pine forests interspersed with  a variety of fruit trees. First it was apricot trees as far as the eye could see, then suddenly we were in the midst of a huge orange grove, then a large field of tomatoes, or brinjals, and to make it just so unbelievably awesome, a pretty village would suddenly peep shyly from amidst all this beauty. Peace was reigning in the car, the two in front sitting as though they had both swallowed a stick, Petra just now and then catching my eye in the mirror and smiling. Ermioni was sleeping peacefully. But all good things come to an end, and our serenity was rudely shattered when in one of the villages the Ya-Ya spat out a few words to Petra, and we stopped at a small roadside cafe, where we all sat down in wrathful silence to have a meal. It was so nice under the reed-roofed verandah, but another war almost started when theYa-Ya ignored us, ordering without consulting either of us. Petra called the waiter back, and told the Ya-Ya that she would order her own food, even if she had to pay for it herself. I thought the two were going to start another fight, but Gran gave in, not wanting to loose face in public I think. Petra asked me what I wanted, but as I was tired of the bickering I said I was ok with what the Ya-Ya ordered. It was quite a nice meal, golden brown fried fish with boiled potatoes and a lovely salad. Petra had a kind of a stew that looked delicious. I fed Ermioni some of the fish after her bottled food I brought along, but then the Ya-Ya decided that it was not sufficient, and fetched another bottle from the car. Ermioni screamed blue murder, but the old woman managed to stuff it into her. After the Gran payed, she called us with a shrill : 'Hella, hella!', and she showed us the icecream fridge, telling us to choose. All was fine at this stage, but when I saw that she bought an extra one, and realised that it was for Ermioni, I tried to reason with her, asking to rather buy a yogurt, for I just knew what would happen after the amount of food the child had. But see, Gran was adamant to show who knew best, and she sat on a small bench under a huge old olive tree, and forced the stuff down the complaining Ermioni's throat. We were not long on the road when I noticed that Ermioni was looking quite green, and I started to ask Petra to stop, but too late, and both the child and myself was covered in the mish-mash of foods she took in.  Now, I myself was not strong when it comes to that kind of thing, and I flew out to also deposit my lovely lunch on the pavement! Petra lost it completely! I hopped in again, and we stopped at the nearest garage where both Ermioni's and my luggage had to be unloaded, clean clothes fished out, and before the old woman could say anything I hurried away with the child for a wash and a change. I saw Petra take off across the road, so I took my time, thinking that the one responsible should clean up the mess. When we came back all fresh and clean, The Ya-Ya was still struggling with a bowl of water, don't know where she got it from, and Petra was still missing.

I had to get the children ready for leaving at seven am, Dorah, Yannis and Nikos for the yacht, Ya-Ya, Ermioni and myself with Petra, one of the chauffeur's for the car, as we were going overland to a resort called Leonidios, that started off as a holiday from hell! The old Fire-eating Ya-Ya sat in front with Petra, and after shuffling and shaking her huge bulk into a comfortable position, she fastened her beady black eyes first on me, and told me to talk to Ermioni. Poor little girl! She was half asleep, so I shook my head vehemently and told her: Ochi! Ochi! in a very firm voice, as I was damned if I was going to talk the whole trip. Ochi means no, and the old woman exploded into a fit of anger, but I just ignored her and spoke softly to the now cowering child. Then she turned her attention to Petra! I would have stopped and put the old dame out on the sidewalk, as she ramped and raved with waving arms, pointing fingers, and spit escaping from her thin lipped mouth, flying all over the rigid Petra. Then she started directing Petra's every turn and move! At first Petra was trying very hard to keep her calm, and when I caught her stormy eyes in the mirror, I knew that a showdown was looming! That is when we came to a huge and busy crossroads where we had to go onto the road to Corinth, and the old woman tried to grab the wheel, shouting at Petra that she was taking the wrong road, and that is when Petra had enough! She was so cross she stalled the car, and there we sat in the middle of the crossroads, Ya-Ya spitting out words like bullets from a gun, and Petra, her face like thunder, trying to restart the car. Ermioni started crying and I sat like a bally snowman watching as the cars came at us with lightning speed, hands on their tooters, fists shaking and mouths shouting obscenities which I thought would be quite unrepeatable! Luckily Petra was of solid personality, and she regained her calm in what I thought was a miraculous way, and after telling the Ya-ya off good and solid, we were back on track, the two in the front sitting in frozen silence!
The first point of interest we came to was the Isthmus of Corinth, a land bridge made in the seventeenth century. It is quite awesome, as the land had split and came together a few times over time, and the Roman Emperor Nero had already considered a canal in his time. I am sure, thinking about all the wonderful building constructions the Romans built that such a canal would have been spectacular. Nevertheless, the one that was built in the end and is something that boggles the mind. It is beautiful driving over the bridge with the sea far down below. The bridge is only about six and a half metres long and twenty three metres wide, but something to see. Just after crossing the Isthmus Petra drove to the Ancient city of Corinth, and ignoring the Ya-Ya's protests, showed me some of the sights. I was wondering what the next days would bring, but I must say, I was not optimistic! Petra was taking the Flying Dolphin back to Athens, leaving the car for when Yannis and Dorah, who would be docking at Leonidion from time to time could use it, and me with the old battle-axe!