Skopelos wintertime

I know it will be difficult for those of you currently enduring cold winter weather to hear that I am typing this on my laptop whilst sat outside the house listening to the sea lapping against the rocks but hey ho someone has to live here! Yesterday was the first time this year that I’d sat outside (I know it’s only the second week of January) and had my lunch in the sun. Quite mad to think of the severe weather conditions going on throughout Europe and elsewhere and yet here I am!
Other mad things that have happened recently include Sean returning home on Saturday afternoon after doing a job in town, holding Jasper our vanishing tabby. We didn’t expect to see the menace again as he appears to have a penchant for wandering but Sean found him sat in a plant pot and carried him back home. He’s still a bit flighty but as long as we lock him inside the house so he can’t follow us when we go out he appears to be okay. Whether he wanders off again remains to be seen but he’s adapted well to the feeding and sleeping on the bed again!
Wandering around town with its few bars open and deserted pavements, it’s hard to imagine that come summer all the pavements will begin to fill up with tables, chairs and people. I like being able to sit outside a bar of a weekend enjoying a cold drink but this time of year, when it’s clear weather and people free, has to be the best time to enjoy the island and just appreciate the surroundings. As we walked up the steps from the house yesterday with the sun shining on the sea I stopped to tell Sean not to be so blase about the view and to turn to really look at it and remember how lucky we are to live here, although luck had nothing to do with our move to Skopelos.
The laid back living which people associate with a small greek island hasn’t materialised, as Sean went over to Volos again this morning and is off to Madrid next week, I think we actually see less of him now than we did in Blighty. Sean thinks he needs cloning so he can get through all the work he has on but I’ve told him I can only cope with one of him!