Driving The Duchess to Drama.

 It was time to take The Duchess out for a trip longer than the usual supermarket run. We were heading up towards Drama in the north-east, inland from Kavalla. Instead of the Egnatia Road, we took the old road by the Volvi lakes and along the coast – a lovely route.                          

 And it was as if the local gendarmerie appreciated her status for, on two occasions, two separate squad cars appeared to provide us with an ’escort’ – VIPs, indeed!   

  The reason for our outing was a reunion of Z’s fellow-students, graduates of the Academy at Alexandroupolis.  There were thirteen of them, the proverbial baker’s dozen, with two of us as hangers-on! Most had travelled from nearby places in the northern region.

Our venue was a lovely green oasis by a stream, a restaurant called ‘The Plane Tree’ in the village of Kephalara. We were a little late in arriving and I was concerned that we might have missed Mimi’s repertoire of the day – he’s the stand-up of the group. But we were in good time to catch his comic contribution! Mind you, I have a problem following him as his delivery is rapid-fire and he chuckles mid-joke, especially mid-punch-line! :o

The pescetarians in the group enjoyed fresh river trout – a special local treat. Z had his usual souvlaki and I went for my fave feta-stuffed bifteki.

We were staying at the lovely Kouros Hotel, a little south of Drama so we didn’t actually go into the town. Its beautiful neo-classical features were even more impressive when floodlit.  

The word kouros comes from the Ancient Greek word for ‘a young man’, hence the statue at the front entrance. A tricky shot to take as Z was bent on doing silly things with his mask. :(

There was also a pool – one reason for selection – and we had a pleasant swim in the afternoon. Later, with the entire poolside area to ourselves, we enjoyed a bite to eat and a glass of wine in that very relaxing setting.

 Breakfast was a buffet comprising of the usual eggs, bacon, savoury and sweet pastries but I was delighted to find Scots pancakes there in the spread - and very tasty they were too.

Time to leave. The Duchess and my driver (!) pose outside the hotel, ready to head home.

Pushkin, Our Precious Pussycat.

 Our summer sadness was to say goodbye to our precious Pushkin, the Big Daddy of our feline family. It’s very hard to find words to express how much he meant to us.

From the very beginning, he had enormous, expressive eyes and an adventurous spirit.   

 He learned to face intruding snakes head-on – he was fearless – and an intrepid hunter. Many was the night when he woke us up with his special call, letting Z know there was a gift waiting for him on the doorstep. Thanks to Pushkie our homestead was a mouse-free zone.

He was a very affectionate kitty and our mornings began with one of his leg-brushing greetings. If he couldn’t find me in the kitchen he would come to find me mid-Pilates and brush an outstretched leg!

                                                     

He loved to snuggle up against us, more often than not with an embracing paw, at once demonstrative and protective.

 We Scots have a verb ‘to coorie’ which means to snuggle and to take comfort. At bedtime as kids we’d be told to ‘coorie doon’ and go to sleep. Pushkin took delight in coorying in boxes, crates, suitcases.

                                              

  His favourite thing was to accompany me in my gardening tasks and insinuate himself into my weed bag. Sometimes, I hadn’t noticed his arrival and suddenly finding him in there could be a bit of a shock!

 We spent a lot of time together, but I miss him most in the morning. Together we would share the sunshine and a balcony chair. I can think of no better way to start your day: coffee, a crossword and a cuddly cat.

                                              

 Pushkie, we miss you so very much – happy hunting grounds, precious puss!