Social Skopelos

I’ve never been much of a social butterfly (that’s actually a massive understatement) and since having junior I think Sean and I had only been out in the evenings a couple of times before moving to Skopelos. Over here it’s completely different, people expect children to be out and about in the evening. In England, although we have taken junior out for meals in the evening, I was always conscious of her behaviour and how other people would view her. Fortunately she’s always really well behaved when she’s out eating (or not eating as the case may be!) so that was generally okay but you could always sense people thinking ‘Oh God, not a child’.
Pre-junior, when Sean and I used to go out to eat and the waiter would ask smoking or non-smoking, we’d say no smoking and no children! That’s generally because a child eating out in England would not be used to going out and sitting to have a meal and would usually (in my experience) tend to act up when bored. I’m not saying that there aren’t kids over here who will make a fuss and noise but because it’s safer they can wander around when they start to get bored of sitting still. Junior usually eats up and then follows the waiters around or goes to sit with someone else – she doesn’t have to know them, everyone’s a potential friend for junior!
Sean’s sister and her family came over from Skiathos yesterday much to junior’s delight as she wanted her Aunty Lynn to see her bedroom! Strange what little ones consider important. We had lunch and junior had lots of attention and cuddles which she can never get enough of and then as they went back over on the Dolphin, junior went to get ready for her friends birthday party. Being the little trooper that she is, although she was dog tired, she rallied at the sight of balloons and children to play with. Her friend is half Danish so birthday wishes were sang in Greek, Danish and English – very cosmopolitan is Skopelos. Junior had a grand time playing with her friends and being chaperoned by a boy from school in his speedo’s! If they’d been any older I would have been concerned as they kept disappearing into the playhouse together but as they’re only 4 and 5 it was really rather sweet. She does seem to bring out the protective side in any little boy she meets – don’t know where she gets all this girliness from, certainly not me as anyone can attest.
Apart from a flying visit to Amarantos yesterday just to show Sean’s family a scene from Mamma Mia, we haven’t been to a beach for over a week. Will have to rectify that one afternoon this week I think so junior can get her fix.