Sunday 8 June 2014

Educating Greek kittens about the delights of yarn, amongst other things!


Oh my goodness, a whole week has gone by in a blur. My body clock is still on Greek time, very slowly adjusting to being back in the UK. School has been full on this week and all my good intentions of blogging about our holiday in Greece just vanished! So sorry about that! Anyhow, here I am with a little spare time (in between writing school reports!) to bring you up to date on our recent holiday.
 
Mr JK and I have been holidaying on the Greek island of Kos for many years. It holds a special place in both our hearts and neither of us can imagine a year when we don't fit in a trip at some time or other. This year, we decided to visit in May. The flight over was with easyJet and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The views over the Alps were spectacular.
 
 
Greece May 2014 005


I managed to get some knitting done during the flight too - a little 'secret' something I'm currently working on. More details in due course!

 
Greece May 2014 007


People often ask us if we get bored going back to the same place, and quite simply, the answer is a resounding NO! Our holiday starts the minute we land, we are greeted as old friends, and it is the most perfect place to relax and recharge your batteries. The locals go about their daily business and most of the accommodation is owned by them, so you really feel like you are supporting the village rather than the big travel companies.
 
Once we've unpacked, a walk down to the harbour is usually next on the agenda to stretch our legs as well as to see which cat families are currently residing in the rocks around the harbour. We always take over a couple of boxes of cat food pouches as well as biscuits.
 
 
Greece May 2014 043
 
Greece May 2014 025
 
Greece May 2014 023

Greece May 2014 055

Greece May 2014 130


We were greeted by a little family of cats - a mum and her three young kittens - who became our surrogate family for the week. Given how young they were, we were amazed at how friendly the kittens were, which bodes well for their survival.
 
 
Greece May 2014 074

Greece May 2014 117

Greece May 2014 183

Greece May 2014 208

Greece May 2014 197


There are loads more photos in my Flickr album if you want to take a look! We made them a little toy using some wool and paper. The first day, they were quite cautious and didn't quite know what to do with it, but by the time we left, they were having loads of fun, trying to drag off their paper trophy to their little home in the rocks. We let them keep it on our last trip down! You can see just how much they enjoyed it from the videos.

 

 
 



Of course there were plenty more cats. This was another kitten family who got some of our attention. They were a little more timid than the ginger trio, but still wanted food and attention each day! It is heart breaking to see how they live, finding shelter in the rocks, with a bed of dried seaweed. Florence doesn't know quite what a lucky pussycat she is, with her furry igloo, a lap to sit on any time and meals whenever she is hungry.



Greece May 2014 045

Greece May 2014 163

Greece May 2014 047

Greece May 2014 222

Greece May 2014 154

Greece May 2014 131


We had a guest join us for  breakfast a couple of mornings too - she looked a little familiar and when I checked up on photos back home, we were delighted to see that it was the same little (or not so little!) cat who had breakfasted with us four years previously!
 
 
Greece May 2014 190


Part of the pleasure of a holiday in Greece for us is the delicious food - fresh fish, salads and sweet treats like baklava and yoghurt with honey. We enjoyed tasty meals every day. Feast your eyes on this little lot!
 
 
Greece May 2014 061
 
Greece May 2014 134
 
Greece May 2014 261
Greece May 2014 262
 
Greece May 2014 278
 
Greece May 2014 157
 
Greece May 2014 264
 
Greece May 2014 221
 
 
Much of the days are spent soaking up the sunshine, people watching in the tavernas and generally observing the life in a small Greek fishing village going about its daily business. The pace of life is slow, no one is in a hurry to do anything, so it is just the most relaxing place to be.
 
 
Greece May 2014 258

Greece May 2014 279

Greece May 2014 100

Greece May 2014 021

Greece May 2014 019

Greece May 2014 060

Greece May 2014 054

Greece May 2014 022

Greece May 2014 082


There was plenty of time to knit too, you'll be pleased to hear, having seen the large collection of project bags that accompanied me on the trip. I worked on my Twig and Leaf shawl for part of the time, although it was quite antisocial knitting as the rows have more than 400 stitches of lace knitting! So once I had finished one pattern repeat, I put it to one side and concentrated on my 64 Crayons blanket. I managed to pretty much finish the last wide and narrow strips. All I need to do now is the finishing off! I also worked on my secret (plane knitting) project at odd moments.
 
 
Greece May 2014 084

Greece May 2014 108


May is a beautiful time to visit Greece - it's not too hot and you are usually guaranteed wall to wall sunshine (although we had one stormy night during our week) - and the flowers are in full bloom. I love the bright, vibrant colours. I couldn't believe all the snails that had gathered on the thistle. Not quite sure what was in it for them, but it must have been worth all those prickles!

 
Greece May 2014 195

Greece May 2014 058

Greece May 2014 085

Greece May 2014 089

Greece May 2014 090

Greece May 2014 246


So with the sun setting for the final time, it's time to say goodbye to Kos for this year. One thing's for certain though - we'll be back again in 2015! Hope you have enjoyed a little taste of Greece too. xxx
 
 
Greece May 2014 243

9 comments:

snoopydogknits said...

I just love seeing the little kitty cat families each time you return from your favourite holiday haunt. The little ginger family are super cute! No, they are ALL super cute! Rosx

Helsie said...

Glad you've had time to recharge your batteries . Don't blame you for returning to a place you enjoy so much.

Anonymous said...

LOVED your pictures of Kos, it looks stunning! Where abouts did you stay? I might well book a trip in for me and the boys.....and we would bring cat food too :-) Regards - Ruth

Cherie said...

So lovely...I can feel the warmth of the sun in the photos!

loavesandstitches said...

Looks like a wonderful week! Kitties are adorable.

Jennyff said...

A big fat Greek blog indeed, lovely pictures. I still love the kitties best.

melissa said...

oh so much to see!!
thank you for posting so so many gorgeous photos! i love when you go to greece, it's such a feast for the eyes!
and oh the kitties!!! i love it! everywhere one vacations should have kittens! :)

Lynne said...

The Greek kitties are gorgeous! It must be very hard to leave them all behind.

Unknown said...

Oh, you take the most fabulous photos - just seeing them made ME relax! Thank you for sharing...