Garden

We have cut the grass and done some tidying in anticipation of our landlady’s visit this week. Sarah met us in town to show us how to pay our rent directly into Angela’s bank account. She has also got us a tax number so that we can have a phone line installed, and therefore have internet access of some degree. There are slow broadband connections in the internet cafes, but we aren’t sure if broadband has penetrated the hills of Zakynthos yet.

Tusk

Andy, Chris and Caroline arrived on Friday after 24 hours travelling. They flew from Dublin to Athens via Amsterdam, then took the 4 hour bus journey to Kyllini before boarding the ferry to Zakynthos. Amazingly, they stayed awake to go to David’s gig in Casa, then to Deano’s Place, then to the beach party!

Tusk rehearsed at our house on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Sound regulations meant that a full drum kit was out of the question, so Chris picked up the bongos for the first time on Saturday. To prevent them slipping off his sweaty knees, they were ingeniously attached to him using some garden twine and one of David's belts! The first Tusk gig in Zakynthos was at Deano's Place on Sunday night. The bar was packed, people danced, and girls joined David on stage to sing!

Successful first Swing Show

Two Pikeys hoping to get lucky?

I've got my eye on you, David!

Rudgey's departure and Rehearsing for the Swing show

Dean insists that the Swing show should go ahead ... despite only 2 hours of a rehearsal!

Rudgey has gone home, how quiet it is without him! I was quite proud of myself, I took Rudgey to the airport all by myself and it was an uneventful journey, except for a minor digression onto the left side of the road - too much to think about - Rudgey talking while trying to work out how to get to the airport - thank goodness for the deserted back roads on Zakynthos!

"Hotel McVeigh" is vacant until Friday when the next house-guest arrives. The other members of David's band are arriving - Andy is staying with us, while Chris and his girlfriend are staying in Alykes. Through Sarah, we have organised them a lovely studio, a 30-second walk to the beach! We hope they'll be pleased. Andy will have to make do with our spare room, but we're going shopping in Zakynthos town tomorrow and will buy some things to brighten it up a bit.

Spikey and the Pikeys - Deano's Place, 2nd July 2007

Monday 2nd July

The past few days have been more of the same: David recording and gigging, me pottering about and trying to do some work, and Rudgey coming and going in his little red Hyundai shoebox.

The heatwave lasted until Wednesday and I believe temperatures topped 42 degrees (that’s over 100 Fahrenheit). On the hottest days, Kefallonia wasn’t visible at all! On Thursday it cooled down to 36 degrees, 32 on Friday – a lot more manageable. There is now a cool breeze and the heat feels very pleasant indeed.

On Friday, David took a few hours off and we went for a long overdue drive through the mountains in the north of the island. At one point we could see the sea on all sides, Kefallonia was clear as a bell and so was the Greek mainland. Zakynthos really is a beautiful island.

David, John and Rudgey did a gig in the Artemis bar in Argassi. They called themselves "Spikey and the Pikeys." They are giving a repeat performance in Deano’s Place on Monday night before Rudgey goes home. Thursday was the Safari Bar in Kalamaki and Rudgey took the cordless mike down the street to talk to potential customers!

Rudgey leaves on Tuesday. The Tusk boys arrive on Thursday. Andy will be staying with us, while Chris and his girlfriend are going to stay in a studio nearby.

I don’t have any photos yet but Irene rescued a little 5 week old kitten which she found wandering in the middle of a main road. The kitten has been named Shadow because she follows Tasha everywhere she goes. Shadow was skin and bone when Irene rescued her, weighing in at 300 grammes, but she is now eating around the clock, and sleeps beside Tasha in Tasha’s bed!