Wasn't I supposed to leave?

Yes.

Still no fuel.

Don't you think that's cruel?

Greece, you're a touristic jewel.

But also an insensitive mule.

Should you look up the definition of 'rule'?

Yes, I think you should, you heartless tool.

What are you trying to do?

Perhaps I should sue?

Yeah, but who?

Poo.

(The sound that accompanies this Greek gesture is 'nah' - which basically means 'fuck you you fucking wanker'. Yes, this is the parliament building in the background.)
 

(PS: Count the syllables in each line of the poem. Notice anything?)

(PPS: If on Monday I post again, it means I'm still here. Ugh.)

(PPPS: Who wants a margarita, made by moi? I make 'em GOOOOD. I used to run a bar. Yes, I did. I bet you didn't know that, huh, huh?

And I used to like to make broom broom noises while I was actually riding a motorbike - you'd think the real thing was enough, I know.)

Question for ya: What is the first sign of aging?

My answer: When 20 somethings stop gawking, but 60 somethings do. Ugh.

How about you? What's your answer?

When my mind sways towards the morbid ...

Well, this is my last day (again!) of blogging until 16th August. This time for a REAL vacation. I don't have to work for two weeks! YAY!
So I'm going to leave you with a poem, which was actually inspired by a book, written by a fellow blogger of ours, Karen Gowen. It's called Farm Girl (the book, not my poem). 
Now I say inspired, not based on. Do not get these words confused :o) My mind can sway towards the morbid quite often, and in this case it has.

This could probably do with a little tweaking, but here you are anyway ...

As the fire burns, so does hate

Daddy’s children run through the open gate

The sun is hot and the grass is dry

Mummy cries as crops begin to die

The drought has lasted many months

And the carving tools have grown quite blunt

The baby cries – it tries to breathe

The mother sighs – she tries to weave

Father kills their last little lamb

And collects dirty water from the dried up dam

He prays to the heavens for it to rain

Prays for a savior to wash away their pain

They can no longer live on water and bread

Pretty soon he thinks they’ll all be dead

They huddle together on their collapsing porch

Waiting for the flames to burn and scorch

Believe in miracles, Daddy does not

Behind the pickles, he finds his last shot

To save his family – thier lives he must claim

And believe life must end, to begin again

On shot. Two shots. Three shots. Four?

He pokes his head through the fly wire door

His family lie dead on the crackling lawn

Begging for their souls to be reborn

As the fire burns, so does hate
He listens to it roar, past the open gate
The flames are hot, and his mouth is dry
The time has come
for the last
seed
to
die

Check back on the 16th August. I've got a really awesome surprise for you all during that week, and believe me, you won't want to miss it! ;o)

Happy Holidays!

Are They Jealous?

Ok, I've been reading through some readers' reviews in Goodreads lately, and I have to say, the state of them is appalling! Why do readers put authors down so viciously? Are they jealous? Do they not know a good book when they see one? Do they not know how to search for and appreciate the good things in a book? Fine, it may not be for them, but don't read the first 50 pages and say 'This book is a piece of crap.' Do they not realise that writers learn as they go? Obviously not. Give us writers some credit people! I'd like to see you try and write a novel and get it published!

Ugh.

Angry ...

How does it make you feel when you see people flippantly criticising authors when they clearly have no idea what they are talking about?

Fuel Strike Brings Us Home :o(

I'm back for the next week due to a fuel strike. We feared me might be stranded without any left in the tank! We got down to half a tank of fuel - just enough to get us back to Athens. So that's what we had to do. Boo.

Because of our plans to travel around the mainland this week, we have been hotel hopping, and a place to stay on Ithaca again isn't available until at least the 5th August. Can't stay with my parents right now, as there's some shit going down at their humble abode, but luckily, due to my mother's real estate agent status, we can get a cottage for free. Thanks, Mum!

So it looks like we'll have to make the most of home until we can return, but you know what that means, don't you? I'm back to blogging this week! Yay! Always squeeze a positive out of a negative. It prevents lasting disappointment.

So, on that positive note, I'll leave you with some snaps of our trip so far to ooh and ahh over :o)

Ithaca, view from where we were staying

Klitoria - clouds on the ground?

Lake Ladonas - again :o)

Xyropigaro - seaside village in the Peloponnese

After 30 years of lies, trust sounds like a hiss and a spit.

Say it over and over again and it doesn't sound so secure. It sounds like a hiss and then a spit. A hiss to scare the wits out of you, and then a spit because it doesn't actually taste as good as you thought. It sounds and tastes like a caution "taste me in small doses, because I can be deceiving."

Why, when we love someone, do we trust so easily?

Why, when we love someone, do we just expect it in return?

Why, when we love someone, do we believe that what we see is what we get?

Why, when we love someone, do we want to trust them more than anything?

Why, when we love someone, do we allow trust to be broken over and over again?

Why, when we love someone, and that trust is broken, do we lie to ourselves and say we will overcome it, and then pretend to trust them?

Why, when we love someone, and trust someone with all our hearts, do we lose trust in ourselves?

What would you do, if the only person you have loved and been devoted to for the last 30 years, breaks your trust? Not only breaks your trust, but makes you realise, that everything you thought was true over the last 30 years, is not, and you have actually been devoting yourself to a compulsive liar, and believing everything, simply because you love them, and trust them?

You feel a fool. You want to run. But you can't. Because you're haunted by the love, the history between you, what you thought was real, and you think you are going to get it back, but deep down, you know you won't, because trust is now a caution. It's a hiss and a spit. It's telling you to get out - to get out before is hisses and spits again - and again - and again - until you are so heartbroken that you don't know how to live any more.

(this is not about me, folks - so please don't be alarmed)

How do you quench the thirst to write on vacation?

Lake Ladonas, Peloponnese, Greece (artificial lake, made in 1955)

Ok, well, I'm not back, but I'm sticking my nose in (where it's wanted, I hope!), taking a sip of what I've been missing out on these past two weeks. I hope you don't mind ;o).

I tell you what, though, I sure have been missing writing my book. I haven't been able to sit still long enough to get stuck into writing, so I guess it'll have to wait until I return to my purple and turquoise office.

Do you ever feel guilty for not writing when you are on vacation? I know I shouldn't feel guilty, and I should just be enjoying my "time off". If only it was really "time off" - I've actually been working while I've been away, which has been a SHIT - PAIN IN THE BUTTOCKS! I just want to forget about work and enjoy the travelling. (Oh yeah, I suppose I should mention that we've left Ithaca for a week to spend some time on the mainland. See the photo I took above of where we stopped a couple of days ago.)

Anyhoo, how do you quench your thirst to write when you're away on vacation? I drown the urge with margaritas ... hehehe.

Just dropping in with a few photos :o)

Hi everyone!

I miss you all SOOOOO much, so I thought I'd drop in and share a couple of photos with you. These are snaps of where I'm at. The place is called Ithaca, and it's BEOOOTIFUL! :o)

View from Kathara Monastery

View of Aphales Bay from Exoghi

Aphales Beach (Just 10 minutes walk from where we are staying.)

Veiw from where we are staying (oh yeah ...)

Me (in blue) looking a little drunk and pleased with myself after participating in Greek dancing at Exoghi Panagiri (festival) ! :o)

Hope you are all having a great summer!!!!! Miss you and thinking of you all!!!!

MWAH!