2016 - Is there anything to smile about?

Not much in the opinion of liberal, internationalist, ageing-hippy Greyrocks!

We have despaired over the trouble-spots of the World: Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Turkey, Korea, the Mediterranean .....

over the propensity of people to vote for simple, selfish and dangerous solutions, as in the UK referendum, US presidential election and in rising fascism in so many European nations ....

over the impotence of international bodies to stop carnage ..

over the prospect of Trump, Putin and Boris together in positions of power ...

and as UK taxpayers - if not residents - over domestic phenomena such as an imploding prison system, breakdown in social care, employers' freedom to exploit, plummeting standards in the Press, food banks, self-perpetuating Establishment .......

Oh Dear!!! And journalists don't seem able to "join up the dots"!

And then there are the numerous deaths this year!
In the field of music we have been saddened by - and driven to extensive You-Tubing of::

David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, Dave Swarbrick, two thirds of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, George Martin, Leon Russell, George Michael, Bobby Vee  and even Rick Parfitt of Status Quo

whilst UK TV lost:
Victoria Wood, Caroline Aherene, Carla Lane, Alan Rickman and Ronnie Corbett

At a personal level Greyrocks lost Ruth's father following months of ill health, Barry - a friend living in Crete - to a heart attack at too young an age, and Tim, who lived next door for his first seventeen years and took his own life in his twenties.

And what about natural disasters, and the bizarre weather in Greyrocks' chosen habitats??

Annus horibilis doesn't begin to describe this year!

We have enjoyed good times with other ex-pats, locals and old friends on their holidays in Crete and Fuerteventura, and in our tour of England, several little parties before and after birthdays, a great Fairport Convention gig in Coventry, some fun in France, and considerable (eventual) relief in first one - and now the second - knee.

It has also been a parental pleasure to help Chloë continue to improve the Little Blue House and share the joy of her engagement to Jack, and new jobs for them both.

For 2017 is that light at the end of the tunnel, or .......?

Greyrocks recommends cava at EUR 1.95 a bottle!

"SALUD!"

What's New? A Knee and more!

The new home of  exercise and occasional agony!

December started with a couple of weeks of serious recuperation for Ruth after the operation, centred on two sessions of physiotherapy per week at the newly re-located Brisamar. "Not before time!"some might say as the old place had been crowded, dingy and seriously compromised by the works going on around it to knock down an old apartment complex, set of locales and bar, and construct a hotel in the Barcelo group. It is now opposite the Campanario Shopping Centre, and a more expensive taxi-ride away from home, but worth it! Treatment is now in the hands of Maria-Jose, who raves about the progress, but in the third week started a manipulation of total agony which meant afternoons of complete rest and a lot of analgesia! Just before Christmas a session morphed into a "fiesta" with goodies the punters had brought in.

Notwithstanding the lack of mobility Greyrocks felt driven to organise a slightly delayed party for Bob - along the lines of that held in April as an early one! Jules and Clare at The Blue Rock were given the buffet budget, Eileen produced a decorated cake and Dave and Pete played all afternoon. Apparently a few stray Italians got a share of the spoils also, but it was a huge success and - as before - Facebook users can see more of the pics on the Blue Rock page.

The weather was glorious, and it remained so for a few days more, but we are now in the midst of some strange easterly and very forceful wind which will be with us for several more days. It gave the coldest Christmas Day in the 25 that Greyrocks has now experienced on the island.

As the festive season loomed Greyrocks took delivery of a new dishwasher to replace the original which had been dying for several years and now leaked. Every effort was made to ensure it would fit the tight space, but it was 1 cm too tall and thus it sat for a week in the middle of the kitchen like an over-staying guest until clever adjustments were made by our janitor the day before Chloë  would arrive.

Both  she and  fiancé  Jack were with us for about a week , and were pretty disappointed with the weather, but pleased to be with us. Jack's decision to come was last-minute and involved landing after 7 pm on Christmas Eve, getting the economy shuttle bus and turning up for our feast around 9 pm. The crab, prawns. goose, duck, multiple veg., cheese and profiteroles went down very well. Next morning with our Bucks Fizz and smoked salmon we played Cards Against Humanity - a new one on Greyrocks - and then used the wheelchair to go to the Rock as ever! On the way back later that afternoon a wheel was caught in drain cover and Ruth fell to the ground - onto both titanium knees!  A bit of a setback in the recovery process!

The youngsters stayed with us until today and don't seem to have minded the minimal seasonality of a Greyrocks Yule (cuisine excepted).