'Yassou Greece'

Now, the one thing my family, friends and colleagues will tell you I was apprehensive about, was getting to and from the apartment I had booked. I think perhaps it was the one thing I felt I had no control over. I had read comments about how lovely the hosts were ‘Clementina and Teo’ who own the Airbnb apartments but being on my own, somehow just made the thought of this journey feel a little uneasy for me.

I think the reason for this is that I had an unnerving experience during a photoshoot for ‘Prima’ magazine. I realise that sounds terribly pretentious, it is I would like to add, the only photoshoot I have ever done for a magazine.

A freelance journalist had contacted me through Twitter as she was looking for women who had gone back to a lost hobby after a long period of time, and having read online about my ‘Calendar Girls’ debut, thought that I may fit the bill.

I saw it as a chance to plug my book “Will it grow back Mummy?” (Amazon) and hopefully make a little money for the two cancer charities the book benefits.

After the photoshoot, the magazine had ordered an Uber to take me back to the station paid for by themselves. It was on this journey, back towards Fenchurch Street Station in London, that something strange (at least to me) happened.

We had stopped at traffic lights and the driver who had not yet really spoken, despite my first greeting when he picked me up, automatically locked the doors. This really scared me, I had no idea why? Or even how far away we were from the station? The fare had been paid for, so this made no sense to me.

The driver then proceeded to talk about how small the streets were in England and that back home when new streets are made, they are always wider. I wasn’t sure where back home was, and I didn’t ask because I was too busy imagining myself being brutally attacked and murdered!

However, I ended up talking about Victorian England and the streets being built for horse and carriages, not once did I ask why he had locked the doors?!

After a few minutes I saw a sign for Fenchurch Street and my panic subsided. He unlocked the door and I then ‘thanked him’ for the terrifying journey.

I later found out it is common practice for several drivers to lock their car doors in our city, when approaching traffic lights near to an intended destination. This being, that certain customers have a nasty habit of leaping out and ‘doing a runner’ thus having a free ride!

Perhaps it was force of habit that he locked the doors, despite the fact that my ride had already been paid for. This incident being the reason I was so fretful about my journey to and from the apartment in Greece.

So, I nervously and excitedly spied my name (as previously said) in large letters on a white squared piece of paper. Holding this was Teo, co-owner (the other being his wife Tina) of said apartments ‘Spiti Kritikos’ near Gaustori in Corfu.

Teo has kind eyes and a strong, warm, handshake, something my Mother swore by. “If a man has a strong, firm, handshake then it says a lot about good character.” There was something about him that made me feel safe, he constantly chatted the whole way, bombarding me with useful information, half of which I have already forgotten.

The streets were busy and noisy and full of life as we whizzed along the winding, strange, and makeshift roads towards the apartments. It was quite dark when we arrived, Teo carried my case and led me to my apartment, gave me my key and refused to be paid for the journey. “Later, later, is no hurry!” Those words confirmed my instincts.

It was too dark to see the view, the apartment I could tell was and is cosy, not beautiful or modern or designer fabulous.

In fact I have just one adjective to describe how it feels for me, that word being ‘perfect.’

So this is the view I woke up to:

I have not stopped smiling, every now and then I just smile, the island is already working it’s magic. The photo below I just like, I’m not sure why I like the image of my jacket and hat hanging in my current abode, I think it’s because they look like they belong.

I already know I will be sad to remove said jacket from It’s peg, because it will mean I will be heading home.

For now though, there are adventures that await.

My first full day in Greece…

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