San Stefanos Online ~ North West Corfu
Welcome to San Stefanos (NW Corfu) => San Stefanos news and views => Topic started by: tonyco1 on November 09, 2012, 01:12:25 AM
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I was thinking what San Stefanos might be like today as winter closes in.
Maybe a touch chilly there, but I suspect fresh and clean from the sea breezes.
I was up at 04:00 this morning, :'( - it's cold and dark outside, and an hour later after the "wake-you-up-shower", I was sitting at my desk busy and sorting my staff out.
Nice office and sitting in my shirt sleeves, a few coffee's later after lunch and lots of banter, I was on the M4 driving home to walk the dogs.
Damn cold breeze and the air was very damp.
Sitting here (in outer west London), at home this afternoon, it's a mix between a few odd rays of a very low sun, escaping between thick clouds,
to warm you briefly through the glass windows of the car or house, & looking up, I could see the clouds gathering as some were dark and heavy looking.
The garden is damp, the air is damp, wood is turning green with a winter growth and the weather holds no welcome for a seat outside, on the patio - I don't like the UK winter!
It's cold here - it must be very cold in the north and Scotland, and probably even damper!
I always associate San Stefanos with sun and warmth, both from the weather and the locals.
Here in Greater London it's remarkably busy, everyone rushing around, but few make eye contact, let alone speak, like the way New York was.
My neighbourhood has changed a lot over the last 15 years, the population has changed. My local British Legion is now a mosque, as is the attached scout hut.
The Doctors Clinic a mile away is also gone and is another mosque, but for Somalians' mainly.
Everywhere, (except for a minority) the houses are rented, not owner-occupied.
The Polish and other Eastern Europeans have little insular area's locally, where they have congregated, moved out the previous Asians and British.
They don't mix like the old WWII polish, who integrated so well, just a few seem to do so. Polish shops everywhere, and lots of little Arabic and halal fast food outlets.
There is a lot of work here around Heathrow Airport, for those who are happy to take lower wages, and take jobs the Brits don't want, (they'd rather live on benefits!!).
Apart from some good neighbours you could actually almost be alone here - makes you think!
That's why we put so much value on our circle of friends and keep up contact, often having to travel.
We will move when I retire in less than two years, someone will buy us out and rent the house to the itinerates, but we will be outside the M25 circle, & won't care.
We will move to one of several areas we identified as ideal for our needs.
Small town, not too much crime, decent local population, good facilities, NHS etc... & not too far from the grand-children.
I expect we will continue visiting San Stefanos (until we pop our clogs, or until we simply can't), and probably more often.
Meanwhile I am sitting here tonight, thinking of the next holiday to San Stefanos....... waiting out the damp, cold winter........
Luckily - - we'll be in Dubai in December, soaking up some sun and heat, and planning the next holiday....
It's now a quarter past ten in the evening, in around twenty minutes the next episode of Corfu a tale of two Islands will be on - I feel good already!!
;D ;D ;D
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What a great post Tony and an insight to your everyday life post like this keep me going 8)
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Agree totally with dibully super post Tony. Wonder how many forum members felt you could have been describing their home their home Town or City (Doncaster in my case) not wanting to get political but frightening how much this country has changed in the last ten years. Role on July back to San Stefanos :D
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Good post Tony. The world as we used to know it is definitely changing and in most cases for the worst me thinks. Personally I get despondant about the youths of today. Not all of them I may add. I honestly think respect for elders is long gone with todays young uns.
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Good post Tony.Sounds just like i was ten years ago.
I decided to sell up and get out of the rat race, mooved to Belgium, out in the sticks.
A quaint small village, 2 pubs a butcher , baker where you get real bread every day.
Our local bank who dosent hit you with crazy charges.
People who you dont know say good morning and chat with you, and the kids are so polite.
Even have vending machines that sell sweets and beer in the street, never any damage.
Its a totally different life, and im sorry to say but i wouldnt return to the uk to live.
So Tony, live your dream, dont let it pass you wont regret it.
Time to put another log on the fire, let the cats out and enjoy a good glass of red.
Yammas
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Thanks folks, I was just reminiscing, and it occurred just how much it has changed here, when I bought the house, there was an orchard at the rear, and horses.
Now it's a little housing estate of 1 or 2 bed maisonettes, built for Air-Crew.
Plus side - I now have a road up to my back gate and now I have a Garage.... down-side - they moved out and rented the flats out.... lost my lovely view...
Opposite the front - playing fields - - now it's a long-term car park for the Airport, plus-side = none (lost a nice view),
down-side = they planted a concentration of high bushes and trees, and that is all I can now see....
rilo57 - what you have is on the lines of what I will look out for....
Rod... round this way.. lots of youths...Asian, white, black.... and they all try to talk like South East London Jamaicans - "Sauf Londin pattwa" init!! - - boyakka!!
rae21 - it happens in all the big citys
Thanks Dibully
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Tony - That's a great account of urban misery as the clocks change and darkness and winter fog descend.
I almost never regret moving back from London to Hull. My second-floor study window is parallel with the tree tops in the Victorian avenue outside, and the textures and colours change through the year.
At the back we have a very large garden - part of it used to be a tennis court in Edwardian times. There's no real road between us and the houses in the next avenue - just what's called a "ten foot" in Hull, a narrow rear access way. Along this are sycamores, chestnuts and a beautiful poplar that's at least 70 feet high. In the spring it changes colour very subtly from winter grey to a whisper of pale yellow, and then, as though by magic, you look up one day and it's green and flying a wonderful banner announcing summer. There's a mulberry tree in the garden. It's at least a hundred years old. When the fruit drops, cutting the grass is like a kind of blood-bath. But the jam is great!
In the garden you would never know that you were a fifteen-minute walk from the city centre. But just around the corner is a vibrant cafe and restaurant strip - live jazz, folk and comedy. Gillie and I went out for lunch today at the Pave wine bar; she had home-made pumpkin soup, big bowl - £3.50; I had venison and vegetable stew with mustard dumplings - £5.25.
This, of course, is in the city frequently described as the worst place to live in England by journalists typically living in some pokey house in Stoke Newington, for which they are paying astronomical money. Good luck guys - long may you stay there! I escaped.
All over the country there are nice places even in apparently awful cities. Just as, on Corfu, there are lovely places not far from the cynical tourist hot-spots. And my experience even in many parts of London was that in the winter, when you come in and shut the door and draw the curtains, you make your warmth and sunshine with love, friendship, and cooking!
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That last paragraph is a lovely sentiment Jim we all can't live where we would love to I suppose it's just making the most of where we are with our families and friends and enjoy our holidays to escape
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I was feeling depressed by the sad but true post, but Wow Jimbo you really have a way with words....back to the first post, we used to live in a quiet street, we were the youngest here! But no longer,alas, motorbikes and noisy youngsters whose parents don't give a .....damn. Seems to me that parents will just put up with anything
and will defend their kids whatever they do. Sorry, rant over....
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But don't you feel better now that you've said it?? - - - - I do!! LOL
Jim - I always had you figured as a Venison man, stuck in a Northern version of Utopia and loving it!
Home surely is what you make it when you close the curtains and door, but it has to be nice when you go out as well!!
The inner city has spread it's influence and it's wings, but I hope to escape it soon!
At least I am still in a fairly low crime area!!
Well said everyone - - now we can face the nasty old winter again - - enjoy a bit of Xmas cheer and Spring will soon follow.......
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Teamnickos - I do hope I have a way with words - I'm a writer!
Dianne - We saw how much care and love Tony gave you when we were all together in Nafsika.
Tony started this with his bleak but honest descriptions of the encroaching buildings, car parks, and the hope to escape to something else.
As one of the original writers of EastEnders I sometimes wonder why people want to watch extreme urban gloom. Maybe you can explain?
The lovely thing about this forum is that we can chat about how crap winter is, and how nice it will be next year in the sun.
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Life is what you make of it, we all work hard for what we get and looking at most of the posts we all tend to put our spare cash into travel and holidays.All wanting to just escape , be it for a long weekend or a week or two.
Jimbo, at the moment Belgium is awash with pumpkin soup,its the most popular in the winter, every garden grows them ,and for venison you cant go wrong.Its now the wild season here, so you get a good choice, boar, venison, duck, pheasant etc and all at good prices.
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From the back of my house you can see the green hills of the Peak District now aglow with colours of Autumn leaves. It is indeed an ideal setting to wash away the gloom of the damp miserable weather we have had of late. You would never guess that the beautiful area I live in was only a mile away or so from the horiffic murders of the 2 policewomen recently and also 40 odd years ago the Moors murders. Things like that happening so close by bring home to you how glad you are to be able to close your doors and windows and just relax in the cosy comfort of your own four walls. You can just get on with your own daily tasks and maybe have a few drinks and watch a bit of tv. During the cold Autumn and Winter months we don't see much of the neighbours but we do revel in each others cosy comfort.
In an hour or so we are venturing out for a meal and a drink in the village and maybe have a chat with anyone we may know. It's great to live in a small viilage and it does have lots of merits. The 2 incidences I have mentioned probably could happen in any place in our country but are so random and we certainly wouldn't let anything like it spoil our lives. We just feel so glad to have each other.
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Some of you may be thinking why do you stay there, maybe you should have moved earlier???
One word - Convenience......
Linda until last year was working for World Duty Free, running the mystery customer program for all UK airports with a WDF (or subsidery) outlet.
She does not, (never did) drive. So the ability to jump on a bus for a 5 min ride to work (or walk), was a priority.
Where we live, 6 bus routes pass the front door, tube (Metro) stations in either direction.
For me doing shifts, I can drive to work (the 9 mile trip to my office via the M4), in 12 minutes off peak times (45 in traffic, but that is rare).
Grand-children 10-12 mins away by bus, and Linda now looks after them now.
Plus - - - my house is fully re-furbished with every thing as we like it - an oasis of comfort and calm when the door is shut, nice sunny private garden in summer.
That is why I will wait until nearer my retirement before moving... but for sure... the area has gone down & I would not move anywhere else locally...
also it's still a low crime area, (in spite of some of the new-world residents) and as we are not under a flight path, surprisingly quiet....
But yes I envy those of you with the sort of views we would love to have ...... soon though!!!
I have 11 more Night shift weeks to do, or 19 more pay days and then freedom!!
Now it doesn't seem so long!! LOL
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Great thread and most of us can identify with Tony's thoughts, I grew up in east Birmingham in the 70's and then it was an area of nice semi detached houses, well kept gardens and generally healthy families.
Now it is an awful place where the houses are run down having been turned into flats, the streets flow with litter and crime rates are high, its so depressing seeing such a nice area go down the toilet.
I moved to Cumbria 20 years ago and glad I did, its not perfect by any means and social problems still exist but Penrith is a nice town surrounded by hills and mountains and even on a grey day (of which there are many) there is always something nice to look at and lift the spirits.
I visit London frequently stopping in a hotel near Heathrow Airport before travelling into the Capital, I will never get used to how busy it is and I always think the best thing about London is the M4 out of it!
Dont worry Tony when you sell your house in London you will be able to buy a mansion anywhere else.
Andy
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Absolutely right, Andy.
There is definitely life outside of London.
Just got back from a wonderful gig at the Pave wine-bar, two minutes down the road from us. Stuart MacCallum is probably the best jazz/rock guitarist in the UK at the moment, and as he's a buddy of Gillie's son Dan, who is also an excellent professional guitarist, great to give him a hug after another night of excellent music.
Not to mention that he had a great Irish singer with him tonight - she has a powerful but controlled voice - and the special food offers were Irish themed.
Tickets (OAP) concessions cost £5.00. Small Irish stew (not that small) cost £4.50 Same for other options. Eating not at all compulsory, but no need for roasts today without grandchildren!
This little to spend an evening with a great international artist amongst many friends? An equivalent night in London would have been at least £50. And it would probably have taken and hour or more to get home.
Frankly, I don't miss a lot about London.
Here's a link for Stuart:
http://stuartmccallum.com/ (http://stuartmccallum.com/)
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Heard a sad story for Christmas yesterday.
Gill and I were shopping in ASDA when the check out girl told us a couple had just been stopped from walking out the shop with a trolley full of goods, we enquired what kind of goods and she informed us the trolley was full of food for a Christmas Dinner.......nothing else.
We dont know the story behind this of course because when challenged by security the couple ran off, but welcome to the UK Christmas 2012 where desperate people risk arrest just to put food on the Christmas table.
Its straight out of a Dickens story book, the fat cats in Brussels dining on the finest food and wine while half of Europe starves :'(
Andy
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Andy - must agree with your post above - shame things get so low at Xmas....
I am no fan of London really - - I have to work there and it's given me a good living,
I enjoy my job keeping London moving - but London has changed - - it's worse every year...
OK for a day trip - - live there, right in London ? - - no thanks - - I live on the outskirts of Greater London - -
the suburbs - - but London has now grown outwards - - the inner is slowly taking over the outer.
I want to live in a place like it was here, before uncontrolled (and illegal), immigration, where services could actually cope.
A place where the British were actually a majority and where our values held precedence -
where citizens respected the law and the rules of life...
I asked for a doctors appointment last week - - I was offered the 17th Jan'13 - -
if I was really ill - and not going for an M.O.T.,
(they didn't ask), I could be beyond help by then!!
London is now beyond help.....