Monday 18th June

Our house is finished, and we had our first visitors yesterday: John, Dean and Ivan came for a band meeting. David worked hard sorting the house over the weekend, most of the time it’s just too darn hot for me. Friday we continued unpacking and doing bits and pieces of shopping for the house. We went to Kalamaki where we’d seen cheap adaptors. We called in to see Chris at the Safari Bar and David came away with a gig! It’s not ideal as it’s on a Thursday night, which is when he plays with The Ride in Lagana (10 minutes from Kalamaki) but to help Chris out, he’s doing the Safari Bar from 9pm-11pm, then hoofing it to Lagana for an 11.30/midnight start! We also went to Argassi (beautiful scenery in that part of the island) to check out a possible gig at a hotel there on a Saturday.

"Diamond Dave" was playing at Casa in Planos on Friday night. There was competition opposite: a singer with backing tracks, and the audience wasn’t as good as we might have hoped. Still, Nicos seemed delighted and wants David back again next Friday. The Argassi gig went ahead on Saturday. There was a sizeable and receptive audience. John and Tani came too for moral support, afterwards we went to another bar for a drink and a laugh at their entertainment – a sleazy-looking "singer/guitarist" who was miming badly to his backing tracks! Then it was back in Deano’s Place on Sunday night. Looked like it was going to be a VERY quiet night but after David started, the customers came piling in and the bar was about ¾ full. There was an Irish contingent who enjoyed the Pogues, and some Scottish who enjoyed the Proclaimers.

Here are some photos of the house taken before the band arrived yesterday.