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Friday 12th - (Above - Polis Beach) Rain, wind, national strikes, ferry docked due to bad weather, flights cancelled, people stranded in transit, on the island, missing connections... just some of the news this week. I missed all of it, because this is the season to be 'sick'. Flu time. Today the sun is trying to come out, but there's still enough cloud to stop it from succeeding at any time. I think everyone here agrees. Enough of the rain and let's have some Ithacan sunshine again. |
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Saturday 13th - Another wet and grey day. Can we expect anything else? Doesn't feel like it. This winter has been pretty dreary. Still there are a few hours here and there without rain, so some people are getting out and on with their work. Below - Ester van Zuylen - Gardening keeps her in tune with nature while making our corner of Ithaki beautiful. Almond trees are also beginning to sprout new fruit. Now if we could only get some sunshine in this package, all would be great with the world. |
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Sunday 14th - A surprisingly chilly Sunday today, also grey and drizzly at times. There were some people out and about. It is Sunday afterall. |
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Below Left - On the edge of Frikes, workmen were paving the 'river' bed. Why? I'm sure there must be a good reason. Below Right - Margarita Cafe in Stavros is also getting things cleaned up and working before the Season starts. Once the weather clears, everyone with a business will be doing the same. |
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Above Left - Makis from Margarita Cafe still servicing the locals through winters after all these years. Below Left - Sunset Cafe - Sunday morning with our friendly baker, Sakis and owner Ekaterina in front of a warm open fire. Below Right - Winter Yefuri. Soon there'll be life in this corner of Ithaki again when the restaurant opens up for the season. |
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Left - The 'almost' new Asterida Apartments must have one of the best views over Polis Bay, having both mountain, sea and the island of Kefalonia in view. Polis Bay looks quite different during the winter months. The beach is taken up by a series of fishing boats dry-docked along the shore-line. By the time Lucky, our summer resident beach attendant, with umbrellas and lounges at hand, arrives back on the island, these fishing boats will be back in the water, leaving the beach ready for the Kosmos (people) to arrive for their summer holidays. Polis beach can be alot of fun, but it can also be a hotbed of Ithaki summer gossip. During the winter there are a few cats and some fisherman tending their boats |
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One of the many proposed tax increases took effect this week. Greeces FPA (like VAT|Consumption Tax) went up from 19% to 21%. Businesses on Ithaca are wondering why the Aegean islands have only around 15%. Why not the Ionian?? Surely it's not only the Aegean islands that attract tourism. Is it? It's hard enough for small islands to prosper without being impeded further by tax laws that seem not to be equal for all. |
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Thursday 18th - A sunny and blue-skied Spring day had locals out and about. Even the streets in the villages were buzzing with activity. Spring is definitely in the air. |
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Right - Laertes Farm Vegies from the shop and Below - Vegies from the back of a Lefkada ute, going street to street through the northern villages. |
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Wednesday 17th - It's chilly, but sunny. We have blue sky again. Now just to get the flu bugs out of the air so that the sneezy season can be over and done with too.
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Stavros locals taking a warm position in the sun for a chat after a long and wet winter. |
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The weather is expected to be sunny and clear for another day or so before more southern winds blow dust up from the desert again. It may be a good idea to keep things under cover because if it rains with the desert dust, we have mud to clean up. |
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Looks like Ithacan business owners are getting organized in regard to FPA tax with a meeting on Sunday. The Ionian islands should have the same consumption tax break as the Aegean islands. |
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