Tuesday 11th - Weather forecast was rather wrong for this week. Sunny skies again today and lots of blue sky everywhere. Below - Lahos

Above - Frikes Bay with not alot of yachts in the harbour yesterday. It was so quiet, the restaurants seemed to have closed down after lunch, with some not opening at all until evening. Restaurants or not, the views across to the Mainland were very clear and crisp. Just beautiful. Below - More of Frikes.

Above - Dodonis on the far side of Frikes Bay is still open in the mornings, as is Fiorendino Bar opposite. Ian and Julie enjoying a little sun after a couple of chilly and wet days. Below - Cephalonia Strait between Lefki and Ag. Ioannis.

Right - The big black ants are being industrious again. Wherever there's a space, you can bet they're making nests. Perfect circles in the dirt.

Above - View from Apostolata, Stavros down to Frikes and across to Mainland Greece where the mountains tower over the very calm Ionian sea. Left would take you up to Ioannina/Albania, and Right, down to Patras and to the Peleponnese. In summer these views are mostly obscurred by a heat mist lasting for months, but in Autumn and winter, we get a view that is just 'Magic'.

... and just when you think it's over, in comes the wind and the bad weather starts all over again.

Monday 10th - Oh Boy! The weather has really hit bottom over the past few days and going by the forecast, all of this week will be wet and mostly stormy too. Todays top only a mere 18C. Brrrrrrrrr!! Time for socks and jackets again.

Above and Left - Day turns into night as one storm after another passes over the island yesterday. How quickly we forget just how restricting rainy days can be. I would hazard a guess that the restaurants, now without tent cover, may have had a quick end to their season.

Jessica Bell (my lovely daughter) has her first pulbished novel coming out in November 2011. 'String Bridge' published by Lucky Press in the USA. With the novel, Jessica decided to put out an album to go along with the book. You can find all the info on her website for the novel and album

To promote her album and book she will be doing a live interview on Greek Radio - Kokkino 105.5 FM which also has online streaming for those who are not in Greece or can't find the station.

Date - Thursday 13th October 2011

Time - 16.30 - 17.30

Interview and feature on String Bridge Soundtrack

String Bridge album stands alone, without the novel. I personally love it, but with and without bias, I think you will too.

Above - Platrithias with Taxiarchis church on the hill overlooking Afales bay. Below - Frikes Houses.

Below - Angela and David are here from the UK. Out of their 12 years going on holiday together, they have come to Ithaca 8 times, each time staying in the south of the island in Ithakis capital of Vathi. Seems like no place matches the attraction of Ithaki for these two. We caught up with them in Kioni on a day out north after hiring a car.

The rumour about the Frikes Oil Press not working this season appears to be true. The waste from the press is supposedly toxic and as there is no means to dispose of it safely, olive pressing for oil will need to head south.

Thursday 13th - A little warmer again yesterday with lots of sunshine amidst a black forecast for the country. There's no doubt that Greece's debt is now affecting even the small corners of the country, such as Ithaki. Seems that many businesses are making 'closing down' noises and the rest are getting their 'Plan B' ready. We are certainly heading toward an uncertain future. The only people that haven't gone on strike are private sector tax payers and tax dodgers. The rest of the workforce has more strikes planned over the coming weeks. Left - Exoghi. Below - A handful of yachts coming into Frikes yesterday. The village looks quite deserted in the early afternoon, with only Symposium restaurant, Dodonis and Fiorendino bar open for business until the evening.

Below - Frikes Windmills. Left - Raxi church, overlooking Kioni Bay.

Above Left - Afales Bay. Left and Below Left - Vathy Bayside.

Above - Afales Bay has some interesting rock formations around its coast. Below - Fire Brigade Look Out over the south of the island.

Left - Ag. Ioannis Beach. Above - Sotiros Church in Stavros. Below - Laertis Farm Fruit and Vegetable Market opening up for its evening shift.

Left - Lefki in the middle of Ithaca, facing Cephalonia. Lefki has really stunning sunsets.

Left - Roussano Plateau beneath Exoghi. There's a walking track that leads to it from the road to Exoghi, but you can also climb up from Polis Beach through Kalivia (Below Left)

Left - Not everything is beautiful (as the plant above) but some things are necessary.

Friday 14th - Ithacans and visitors to the island are all enjoying 'The small summer', something that happens annually on the island. A week or two of warm weather in October that resembles a mild summer with warmer than usual temperatures for this time of year. Left and Below Left - Vathy around the bayside.

The views have just been stunning over the past days. The thing that is striking at this time of year is that there is hardly any noise. In the morning you hear the birds and maybe a couple of bees buzzing, but the traffic noises have almost completely halted except for a few key times during the day. Although the bayside can still occasionally be busy in the evenings, day time is very quiet. Rementzo restaurant in Frikes is open every night and during the day only on the weekends now. Odysseas Taverna looks like its closed for the season, as has Penelope Taverna. Not to worry though, Symposium is open all day for those looking for a lunchtime spot to eat.