This was a commission for an apartment. My friend wanted something in grey and white, not too dark, large in size, to go above the bed.
I worked on this for a while to get it right and I’m quite happy with how it turned out. Up close it has quite a bit of texture, but on this piece I only used acrylic paint, no added paper as I do for some of my art.
Here are some pics of the work in progress. You can see it changed quite a lot as I worked on it to achieve the look she wanted, starting with blocking in the basic shapes, then layering from dark to light.
Its a large piece as I mentioned, about 90cm square. On recycled canvas.
Over the last few days (lots of days) I’ve been working on some sea urchin ideas. First I finished a painting I’d started ages ago… then I made some clay fridge magnets.
Here is a closer up of the urchin painting… a mix of acrylic, watercolour and newsprint on canvas paper. As yet unframed.
And here is a closer up of the magnets. I’ll be selling these guys in sets of 3, I began by thinking I’d make them 3 of the same, then thought it might be more fun to sell them in sets of 3 different ones.
These were made by rolling out the clay and cutting the circles using a little plastic shot glass. Of course, as they dried they buckled a bit but hey… nothing in nature is perfect, right?
I added some great little magnets to the back (Neodymium magnets – the same type I used on the little fish stones I made a few years ago – you can see those holding up the paper).
I personally hate dislike weak magnets that can barely hold up a postcard, so I love these guys. Tiny but mighty.
Anyhow, the weather continues to be hot, but at least we have some wind today… The Cyclades are well known as being the ‘windy islands’, and the wind is both a blessing and a curse. On days like this it’s a blessing cause at least the air is moving around so you don’t just melt into a puddle.
The downside is that the beaches closest to me are in the face of the northern winds, which means the beaches are messy (the waves bring out seaweed and any plastic crap people throw into the sea) and rough. I don’t like rough beaches; I prefer to swim where the surface is like that of a swimming pool… spoilt rotten I am!
Still, at least the breeze going through my house means I don’t need the air-conditioning on today.
I realised I’d never posted about the apartment I’d been renovating this winter – just one in a long line of apartments I’ve had to renovate since I got to Greece. One more to go. Then I begin working on MORE houses… but that’s another story.
So, here are the photos of the place finished. The photo above is what you see when you first step in the front door.
This is what you used to see more or less, a bit more to each side – mind you, I was in the middle of packing up when I took the before photos, so its a mess.
This is the corner opposite the front door before:
And now with the bookcase gone and the floor re-finished:
(You can see the plain flat normal white door to the hallway in the above pic – replacing the old swinging doors.)
Far corner before.
Same corner after. I absolutely love the new (non-yellow) floor!!
But starting at the beginning – the entrance. It used to be a dark peachy colour which, with the red marble floor, made it very dark and gloomy. Its now bright and cheerful.
Right next to the front door as you enter, is a kitchenette. There used to be a radiator along the wall next to the front door, then a door into the kitchen. Since the place is now divided into two apartments instead of 1 large one, I put a small kitchen where the bar used to be.
This was how it was, with the bar and the door to the kitchen (yes, another swinging door, dad loved those – terrible when bringing food or drinks from the kitchen to the dining room):
This is the same area now, with the bedroom to the right:
I got rid of the bar (gave it away to anyone who would come take it, it was a big heavy, solid mahogany piece. I blocked in the awful coloured glass brick bottle shelves and put cabinets from the old kitchen in its place.
Below is a different angle on the same area now. There is room for a fridge and stove. In Greece the stove doesn’t come with the house. Most tenants have their own I was told.. Therefore, there is space for a stove.
The dining room is now a bedroom, with a wall alongside the fireplace.
This is what it was like before:
Now the dining room is a spacious bedroom with tons of wardrobe space. (Sorry, photos below are before the floors were re-finished.)
There is now a proper door to the smaller hallway. This is how that looked before. Swinging doors are so awful!
And now. A shorter hallway with a floor to ceiling cupboard:
This was the small, crowded, impractical little bathroom before. It had a door into the master bedroom far right, the shower to the left right behind the door which was so small the shower curtain would stick to you when you showered, a tiny sink to the right and barely enough space to swing a cat.
Now it feels so spacious. The door to the bedroom was closed off. The large window was replaced by a smaller PVC one and the shower now takes up the entire back wall which is so much better. The sink and space for a washing machine with cabinet above all sit on the left side, including the toilet which was moved over a bit to where there had been a bidet.
Outside there is a wrap around balcony and we put up a wall to separate the two apartments.
I don’t have the money to replace the bannisters yet, but one day I will. Something a little prettier than the Perspex which has discoloured so much over the years.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed the tour. The place is rented now finally, which is one less worry on my mind.
I needed a pepper mill. I have peppercorns and no pepper. No ground pepper… So instead of buying ground pepper I thought it would be better to buy a pepper mill and use the peppercorns.
So I went looking. There were tons to choose from… but in the end I decided to try to personalise a simple wooden one I found in a local shop.
I gave it a quick light sand and began with a bit of leftover creamy white chalk paint. Then I painted circles in a stylized greek ‘evil eye’ design and finished off with some dots. Cause, why not.
Its random in its design but I think its unique and I’m happy with it.
Just one small bit of creativity finished quickly one afternoon. I’m ready to cook now.
Last Saturday was my niece Marouso’s wedding. The wedding was held at the small chirch of Agia Anna, at the top of the hill just at the end of the town of Parikia, with a glorious view of the sunset.
The reception was held at the Parasporos Beach Bar which is very close to my home. The weather was stinking hot that day and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who wished I’d brought my bathing suit with me…
The decorations were absolutely stunning. The theme was bougainvillea, a bloom that’s very greek island, and the colour chosen by the bride were fucsia, pink and gold. The beach bar is all white, set right above the beach, so the setting was gorgeous.
Bright colours are not usually my thing, but it worked so well. The bride is into more exotic colours, and it was her wedding after all!
But the reason I’m sharing this on my blog isn’t about the wedding and how pretty it all was… Its about my mom. Here she is with my aunt, the bride’s grandmother.
My mom is the third sister in her family. The older sisters are 95 and 94, mom is 90 years old. Here she is on the dance floor… The one wearing trousers.
They played a couple of Cycladic numbers, ‘balos’ its called. No matter how tired or unwell mom may be, she can never resist dancing balos. I filmed this one short video of her and the bride’s grandmother, then joined her. She’s pretty amazing, don’t you think?
I had an older video of mom dancing with a man older than her, but can’t find it… sorry.
Balos is my favourite of all greek dances. I’ve mentioned it before. Its got a jaunty rhythm and its a couple’s dance, unlike most greek dances which are either solitary (like the zembekiko) or the other ones where people dance in a line or a circle.
Balos starts at about 5 minutes into the video.
Its a pretty, flirty, courting dance where a couple dances around eachother. Such a lovely dance… that and the fiddle, no wonder I am so into rockabilly!
Yesterday I was in the sea cooling down for a total of about 3 hrs. Then I had to go out and it was not pleasant…
However it was fun. I went to see the presentation of a film made on Paros in the 40s, and see photos from before, during and after WWII. It was really interesting. You know I love old stuff!
Today I decided to stay at home as much as I can. I groomed a dog in the morning, and although its shady in my courtyard and there is a wind, it was still so HOT.
I came inside, had a coffee and got online and its already 4pm. I have no idea where the time went. I really need to set myself time limits on how long I am on the computer. Sure, it wasn’t all Facebook… I did a little research on paint pens. I created more ads for my FB Paros Dogs page and scheduled them for publication. (If you haven’t seen or liked it, please check it out, like and follow.)
OOOH. I just remembered… I have a ton of old family photos that I want to post on my FB albums… another reason to stay online!
Being dogless at the moment I’ve been able to do a bit of dog sitting, both in my home and in their own homes. Not that it was an issue with Lainee as she was so easy going and got along with all other dogs… but its so much easier when you don’t need to worry about things like that.
I’ve been a little creative as well, but this heat does my head in. I have to get off my butt and start a couple of new things I have orders for… plus two large canvases I need to finish. I will be sharing soon so stay tuned.
And… I have to update my Junk4Joy FB page – I put some stuff online for sale there and have forgotten to update it…
It never ends… Trying to sell is not an easy job if you want to keep up with all the social media. Especially if it doesn’t come naturally to you.
Yes, I did one of my famous disappearing acts again. However, I have been creating… now and then… not constantly… but trying to…
These fish were a kind of commission/inspriation. A friend wanted to buy some fish to add to her collection of ceramic fish for her wall, so I had a play with some air-dry clay and papier mâché pulp.
This is how the pulp ones started…
And this is them finished.
I love the way the little puffer fish turned out. But he’s pretty delicate… the spikes were hard to make AND keep from breaking while he dried…
I had a go at some flatter/simpler fish, made by cutting shapes out of air-dry clay. This time finishing them in a ‘different way’… ie not fish-like at all.
I decided I like the flower one best so I’ve made a few more of those. They’ll be on my FB Junk4Joy page soon. I decided against hanging them in a group so they each have their own little hook now, and they can be placed on the wall like flying ducks were placed back in the 50s…
I had a little clay left over, I made these fun little brooch fish. I mean, I had the brooch pins already, so why not?
If you see anything on my FB page or in any of the videos I share (not nearly often enough) that you’re interested in, please let me know. I do sell stuff and am happy to ship anywhere.
Life has been pretty busy. What with grooming and trying to keep up with everyone socially, swimming as often as I can manage, etc. I started water aerobics classes early morning 3 days a week and love it. I really need to force myself to get up the same time every morning and just swim. It’s so quiet at that time and usually not windy… ideal beach time for someone like me who hates the sun and the heat.
(So why live in Greece you ask? Well, it’s a long story!)
I’m still missing my little shadow (Lainee) a lot but having dogs to groom, and sometimes look after, helps… I get kisses and cuddles, so I don’t feel so ’empty’.
And I’ll soon be looking after a senior dog I groom cause his old lady mom is having health issues. I really hope she recovers quickly… and can come back to him. As much as I love him, I’m not ready for another senior dog…
Last time I was on Ios was in the early 80s. A LONG time ago.
Back then I was a punk and my boyfriend and I camped at Mylopota beach, behind the Far-Out beach bar and spent the day on the beach and nights at Chora on top of the hill, drinking and generally having fun. Back then it was THE party island, and I remember it being very busy. Then again, I think we were there in July and August which are generally busy months in Greece.
It’s still got the reputation of being a party island so is frequented by a lot of the younger crowd, but the island is changing, going more upmarket and much nicer than it was back then.
This time I took a day trip to Ios with friends, and we hired a car to explore a little more of the island. The one thing that hit us straight away was how quiet and peaceful it was. Made me think that this is a place I’d love to get away from it all and just relax for a while. Apparently their season starts at the end of June, unlike Paros which now seems to be busy from April till the end of October.
Rocks.
Ios is little more than a rock. It’s a decent size island with great roads and almost nothing on it. We hired a car and drove from one end of the island to the other, so we saw a LOT of rocks.
Big rocks.A rock wall.Just rocks. Everywhere.We were lucky enough to run into a goat traffic jam. Poor things must eat rocks.
We visited Homer’s monument/grave, whatever. The story is he was probably buried here…
It’s like the Small Wall of Ios on the way to the site.With a shady spot on the way back for the weary traveler.A marble monument marks the spot. But the beauty of the site is the view and the rock piles.
It’s a great spot, right at the top end of the island with expansive views. People have made it even more beautiful by leaving behind little rock piles. I can boast having been there and leaving 2 small piles of my own!
The biggest, welcome rock pile when you arrive.Before our visit…After our visit – this is one of my rock piles.
On the way to Homer’s monument, we had quite a surprise when we came across these 4 marble statues (or parts of marble statues). Maybe someone can explain this one to me? I can’t find any reference to what this first one is meant to be… Prudes may want to skip the next 2 images.
The Great Ass of Ios?
We felt like we had to visit the beach at Manganari, apparently the bluest clearest waters on the whole island. I don’t know about that. I still think Mylopota is the best beach. Manganari is shallower and I prefer beaches that get deep faster. But its deinitely a quieter beach. There’s almost nothing there and its so far away, I doubt many people will make the drive there!
(Ok, to be fair, we did go to Manganari from Homer… its probably a lot closer from town.)
I do know that the cost of the umbrella and 2 sunbeds at 10e blew my mind. Its been years since they were so cheap on Paros. Maybe its cause its still early in the season for Ios.
Manganari beach.Peaceful and beautiful Manganari beach.
One place we stopped at was Skarkos.
Skarkos is an early Bronze Age settlement on the island of Ios in Greece. Owing to its well preserved state, Skarkos is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the Aegean and especially the Cyclades.
My photo of the site from below.
Of course, we decided it wasn’t worth walking uphill in the sun just to see rocks when the arial photos do such a great job… At times like these you wish you had a drone!
A web image of the site from above. See what I mean?
We ran out of time so didn’t get to walk around Chora, the main town of Ios, but eh, once you’re walked the cobblestone streets of one Cycladic island, you’re pretty much seen what you’ll see. Though it would have been nice to compare Ios of the 80s with Ios of the 2020s.
The town on top of the hill.
The best place, in my opinion of course, was Mylopota. Its where my fondest memories of Ios are.It was so different from what it was in the 80s. We stopped at a great bar/restaurant to have breakfast because its where I was sure the old Far Out bar used to be. And I was right. Apparently, according to a local, the Far Out still exists but its bigger and better and further down at the other end of the beach now.
But for our little group of older, wiser, people, it was a lovely spot to sit and enjoy the view and atmosphere.
Turns out prices are comparable to Paros for food in Mylopota, but they know what CRISPY BACON is!!!
Crispy bacon is bacon that shatters when you stick a fork in it.
I love this beach. Not just for the memories or the deep water, but also because its one of my favourite beaches on a Greek island.
The clear blue waters of Mylopota beach.
Being inherently incapable of resisting blue waters, I had to swim. If I do a tour of the Greek islands, it will be to swim in as many beautiful beaches as possible.
A much busier beach lined with many bars, water sports and sun lounges.
All in all, it was a great day and I’m glad I went. Stay tuned for whatever islands we decide to visit next!
This is a photo of Lainee taken on a ferry trip we went on together with friends a couple of years ago. Somehow its the right photo for the start of this post, because it makes me think of rainbow bridges and travels to another place.
I lost Lainee about 3 weeks ago now, which is why I haven’t posted in ages. It has been very hard to lose her and the house feels empty and I constantly feel like something is missing.
Lainee had been having issues since about Christmas but the vets couldn’t find anything wrong with her. Still, she would be up and down, having diarhhea one moment, vomitting the next, but tests showed nothing. We were in Athens at the time so I took her to a specialist for an ultrasound and he said she had some sludge in her gall bladder but that shouldn’t be a problem…
On returning to Paros, more tests, the vet said her white blood cell count was very high, and kept getting higher, and thought it was a problem with her liver. So she went on antibiotics and pills for her liver, as well as daily doses of IV fluids for a while but continued to get worse.
I had originally tried a different diet for gastro issues, that helped, but then she lost her appetite. She ate boiled chicken and rice for a while, then stopped eating that. She was eating roast chicken ravenously when we decided to take her to Athens for another specialist ultrasound.
The second ultrasound, only a month after the first, showed her she had a cystocelle gallbladder and it had to be removed asap or she would die. I took her to the animal hospital that evening and they monitored her for 24 hours before surgery. I had googled it and there was a decent chance she would make it… however the first 72 hours were the most dangerous. However, they said that when they opened her up things were way worse than they expected. Her gallbladder was stone hard and stuck to her diaphragm and liver, and there were abnormalities on her spleen so they removed that as well. It was a HUGE operation.
She made it through the surgery and seemed to be recovering. Unfortunately, she went downhill and died 3 days after surgery.
Here are some memories of my baby girl.
When I first got her, almost exactly 4 years ago.Lounging on the aqua flokati throw at home.Snuggled up in our bed.Resting at home on a cushion made from one of my old jumpers.Laine always loved cushions and pillows. The more the merrier.What did I say, the more cushions, the better she liked it.On the new fluffy cushions.What? Is it morning already?I just love this silly face!On the couch with my first teddy bear, now her bear.On an armchair with the teddy.Where is Lainee?Trying a new look with close clipped ears.Back to bands!Back to being fluffy again!Sharing the couch with Erik, our kitten.On my lap, where she belonged.At the beach, with the wind in her ears, was one of her favourite places.She loved to run on the sand.She loved to lounge at beach bars.Always the best spot in the house.Lainee was a person. No lying on the floor for her. Chairs or couches were the only way to go.Out and about in the car, always on the way somewhere.Trying the new pompom look.Guess what mom just bought… a flower pot full of blooms!Showing off one of her many winter coats.Queen of all she surveyed.Looking pretty against the poppies.Out at another cafe somewhere, always with me.Lying on my coat when out at a cafe so no one would complain that she was on an armchair.On the ferry to Sifnos.In her small travel bag.Who’s the pretty girl in the mirror?Out in the wind on a winter’s day.Sitting pretty in a friend’s framing shop.Visiting family.Making their couch her own.In Athens, with one of my childhood stuffed toys.Spending time at grandmas house.Keeping an eye on grandma cause she’s always cooking something nice.This is grandma’s chair, but she lets me sit here.In Athens, keeping an eye on things.Visiting my cousin Zefi, who she loved, always wanting to sit next to her.Aunty Zefi doesn’t really mind if I sit on her cushions…Visiting friends – this is where I learned that she loved teddy bears.Winter in Athens… brrr, its cold.Visiting my aunt, who never let dogs on her furniture before.Just the cutest face ever.A happy face!!!!Sleeping at the office while I was at work.Her own comfy spot at the office.Looking over the landscape from a friend’s verandah.Lainee’s first visit to a cafe when I first got her. I think she enjoyed it!From then on, she loved going out for drinks…Or maybe a beer…Or cocktails…She especially liked the cream on top!Out for dinner with her aunty Barbara.Mmmm apple cider is good too.Where is my drink? I ordered ages ago!Hot rakomelo is great on a cold evening.What? You ordered the mojito for me, didn’t you?Thats for me?Well, maybe I can lick the cream off the top?Nah… I don’t think I want the strawberry.Coffee by the sea… what a life!I’ve finished my coffee. Can I get something to eat now?Lainee, after she’d had surgery to remove her mammary glands due to cancer.Yeah, she didn’t like the neck brace option almost as much as she hated the cone of shame.Right before her last surgery.
The above is one of the last photos I took of Lainee, the afternoon I dropped her off for surgery. I was sure I would have her back and that she would live another 2 years or so.
I have had her cremated and she is now close to me, where she always wanted to be. I couldn’t bear to leave her in a grave somewhere far away.
I try to remember the good times as much as I can.
junk4joy 