hathycol | (no subject) (Reply)

Firstly, BIG MASSIVE APOLOGIES to the people I spoilt. I should be shot. I feel mortified.

With that unpleasentness out of the way, I present What I Did On My Holidays - transcribed word for word how I wrote it while I was there with the same headings and everything. Except a picture of my car. I added that is JUST BECAUSE I COULD.

Well, in the interest of chronology, I should begin, as they say, at the beginning. I will ignore the fact this is written lying on a sunlounger with the sea lapping just beyond my feet because I am such an ardent diarist.

I went out on Thursday night in MY CAR [and here I add the pictures]

Reversing

By some miracle, making it off the drive

Vroom vroom, baby!

- and drove around like a maniac, except a maniac that checks mirrors and does signals and stuff. It was fab. Iona came with me and we listened to her iPod whilst going on what accidentally turned out to be a mystery tour of the North-West. A good night, although I got back rather late.

There. A quick paragraph for the sake of history. It's all good.

Let's jump to Friday. Clare turned up the night before and there was lots of manic pacnking in the morning, as well as changing money, etc. We then managed to successfully find Manchester airport, alas, with Dad driving. What shocked us more, I think, was the fact that we chcked in with no hassle at all. Egads!

Manchester Airport, for those who haven't seen it, is big. Really big. (There should be a Hitchhicker's joke here, but I'm too lazy. Whatever.) Yet not only did we check in, we successfully found something to eat, our departure gate and even the new issure of SFX. Oh yes. We're good.

So, next stop was the plae. I'm okay with flying, except for the bits going up and down. Clare laughed across the aisle from me was I ~~clinged~~ clung onto the seat, frantically whispering the Hail Mary and hoping for the best.

But after four hours, some truly dreadful food and the WORST LANDInG EVER (my eyes were shut and I was scratching at the armrest) we had made it to Skiathos. The heat struck us immediately. Despite being about 8 in the evening, it was 26 degrees. Phew.

The transfer wa somewhat strange, given that weird Greek music was playing on the coach and I was knackered and starving. Still, such is life. We did, in the end, reach our accomodation - we're in Paraschos for future references, and a tiny little Greek lady gave us sign language for finding our room.

The room is spartan (appropriate joke there) but it'll do. There was last minute shopping too - water, bread, jam and toilet paper. What else did we need?

Today was a strange start. The heat is cloistering, so we went on an early-morning expedition before we went to the reps meeting. We found Troulos Beach, which I'm currently sitting on, and then went to the weird meeting. Can't see us interacting with the rep much, but you don't need to, really.

And now, we at the beach. I'm going to go and buy lunch in a minute (I'm so the woman) and then it's a lazy day. There may be trips later on. This is so luxurious that there may not be.

(Oh, Daleks cowed fairly on.)

What amazes me here in how much more intense everything here is. Senses, I mean. Right now my foot is going a golden brown as I sit under an impossibly hot sun. The waves are lapping at the shore, loud music is playing to my left and the sun makes everything bright and shiny - there's a sort of rock island think out there with little trees that's a shadowy beauty across the sea.

It's everything, though. Last night, we went out for a meal in a little taverna that looks over the sea. The meal was beautiful - stuffed (veggie!) tomatoes and all I could smell was this gorgeous cheesy stuff, plus the sea breez. The water is so blue that I can't begin to describe it - seeing my feet under the waves is just strange, but I could grow to like it. It's just paradise here.

Of course, I'm skint already. This morning we paid for an Excursion, since left to our own devices we'd just laze every single day away. We would have loved the trip to Athens, but at 200 Euros it was a wee bit out of the price range. We've settled for island -hopping - we get to all the islands in the Skolades archipelago, as well as Delphi! And dolphins. That swung it for us, I think. At 0 Europs, though ((which I ran down and paid the rep this morning) it means I'm almost cleaned out, sigh. So depressing.

We're still getting drunk tonight, though. We got absolutely slaughtered last night on cheap wine and pina coladas - don't I feel sophisticated? We're going for Happy Hour tonight, though. Tomorrow, maybe a trip to Skiathos town as we need to find a bank.

So, that's all there is to tell from my suitably whimsical post.

Let's continue. Last night, we ate bad pasta (homecooked, which is why) and discoverd Happy Hour at a really pretty bar just down the road. Tequila Sunrises are lovely, Blue Mondays taste and smell and look almost exactly like the toilet cleaner at work, Nock Outs are so alcoholic that they burn and Banana Daquiri, which we bought for the reference, turned out to be rather lovely.

We then staggered up the road for another drink and nothing else is clear except for lying on the bathroom floor and praying to any god listening that I wasn't sick and could the mausea go away now please. Ugh.

Just the one cocktail tonight. And, un, bottle of wine between us. This is now a habit, however, and it would be silly to break it.

I had the most spectacular dreams. There was one awful one, where I was out walking with Enid. Some people came along and started to beat me up. I asked Enid for help, but she whispered 'Sorry', put the boot in and shouted 'FREAK!' I woke up feeling very alarmed from tghat one. The nect one was a strange Star Trek fanfiction waiting to happen, involving murderer!DatA in the holodeck, Tasha Yar being alive and a flaming lesbian, a Civil War (US) holodeck game and the holodeck having what looked like passport control. Seriously, it was so vivid.

[I have now traced this dream. I atched 'In the Mirror Darkly' or something like that, which was the best EVER episode of Enterprise involving the evil alternate universe. It was superb whenI got back I watched the second half. Alas, Jolene Blalock looking as sexy as she did has not turned up my dreams. Seriously though, the Defiant uniform! Wow!]

Anyway. We were forced to move today as the tiny little Greek woman was doing the cleaning, so we went into Skiathos town. It was surprisingly cosmopolitan - Macdonalds, natch - and hundreds of little bars and restaurants. We were very tempted to spend more than we did, but in the end e just bought postcards, which hopefully you'll have got now.

I don't want to go home. I'cve made a point of buying an up to date paper every day, which was unfortunately always been the Mirror, but it's the most high-class paper available, unfortunately. It mught be so scary at home. I can only imaghine, but the paper seems tense and ugh it's just awful.

[Mum didn't tell me this while I was away, even when I phoned home to check, but my aunty Soo was evacuated from her home in Dudley as the police searched the houses. Three doors down, they found guns and bomb-making equipment. Shit.]

Moving away from that depressing train o thought, it's a little bit cooler today. This has not stopped me from swanning around in a tankini and a bright pink sarong. A good look, even if I do say so myself.

I write this on our little porch. There was roses here and night-blossoming jasmie. I think it's jasmine, it might be honeysuckl. Either way, it starts to smell divine around 7pm.

I suppose that's about it for now at least. Update later.

Don't remember a lot of last night except that we ended up going to a walk down the beach at the dead of night. The sea was black and beautiful, the mainland just a row of glittering lights and the little island just a black lump. I'd never seen a beach at night before.

There's something about the relaxation that just makes you want to relax, so that was what we did. I managed to read all of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist today whilst lounging at the poolside. The Beatles Best Of was playing, occasionally hindered by the slightly drunk woman next to us who sang at random intervals. I spoke to Clare about this later on:

"She was just singing. Out of key. And with no resemblance to the Beatles."
"Probably with no resemblace to what was playing on her headphones, actually."
"Headphones? I thought she was just pissed and singing along to the songs in her head."

Speaking of, no cocktails tonight - hurrah! We went down to the little taverna by the sea again, where we were served by the same waiter and invited to sit at the same table and everything. Lovely. e insisted on learning our names and recommending something for next time. It may have just been a plot for a big tip, but it worked.

Not that I paid. I have seven Euro in my purse, hence the fear that the Ragged rousered Philanthropist entailed whemI realised we had no food. Am borrowing off Clare but am paid soon, so it's all okay.

I really so like it here, bloody annoying mosquito that's flying around or not.

Little to report, I'm afriad. Today as meant to be the Day Trip - missed it. To be precise, we actually saw the coach leaving. I nearly cried, it has to be said. I had really been looking forward to it, but such is like. We spoke to the holiday rep - she got angry down the phone but alas couldn't secure a refund - honestly, losing the money when we scrounging for food is the worst thing. However, we went to the other side of the island, Koukinaries, instead. It's the big tourist beach, but today its absolutely pissing it down./ It's sunny now, but still a little chilly with lots of grey clouds and a blustery wind.

It's a sort of disappointing end, I suppose, but I've enjoyed my holiday, despite the fact we mostly spent it lounging. Seriously, that's been fab. The chance to just sit around and eat food that's back for me and read strange books and get a little bit sunburnt is a rare one, given that I've spent the last nine months worrying about now working hard enough and that summer will not be a langorous nine weeks but instead working six days a week in a job that's bloody exhausting is absolute bliss.

Speaking of, my Susan!fic is coming along apace.

That was my last diary entry. That evening, we went to the beach and watched the sunset as we perched on a little rock and held hands. It was a really touching and beautiful moment. The evening was even better, given that it was actually cool enough to curl up. Normally I spent the nights showing in cold water and wishing it would cool down but getting a cuddle as I slept was really sweet. I needed i, though. The heavens opened in the evening to the most godawful thunderstorm known to man, with huge cracks of thunder rather just grumbles and you could even hear the lightening. There was no way I was moving, because I have seen too many bad films. All I could think of was all the bad horror films I'd seen and ugh it was scary.

The next day the thunder kept on going. When it cleared up a little, we donned Sensible Clothes and went tot he beach again. As it got steadily sunnier, I rolled up my trouser legs and paddled a little bit like the god English rose that I am. I didn't, however, think of the consequences of not putting on suncream.I haven't burnt all wek - I am even slightly tanned, an achievement in itself, but by god my legs are now burnt on my shins. It's surprisingly painful.

You all know what I spent yesterday doing, of course, and today I was reserved for family. Except I had to dash off to Clare's in the middle because I'd left my purse. I got horribly lost on the way there, and I had such anxiety like you wouldn't believe the whole time on the Wirral. Getting back was easier - not lost once - but it wasn't quite the way I wanted to go my first solo drive. That was meant to be work tomorrow. Still, never mind. I'll have to leave early and get more petrol too. Gah.

So, that was What I Did On My Holidays. Residents who are home, by the way, look at