Former Shropshire man Colin Dodd writes about his life on the Greek island of Kefalonia

Blog: Well, here we are again. 11.30am on a September morning on the beautiful island of Kefalonia. The thermometer is nudging 30 already, oh the things I have to put up with.

I have just been in hospital in Argostoli to have my gall bladder removed and it was quite an experience.

I cannot fault the medical care, first class, but, ye gods, the food was from another planet. Breakfast: two small slices of toast with jam, no butter, and tea with no milk; Dinner: boiled chicken leg with rice or pasta, half a tinned peach and a small portion of something else, I’m not sure what but it was either sour custard or sweet soup, neither myself or my visitors managed to identify it. Tea: boiled chicken leg with rice or pasta, half a tinned peach etc. etc. etc. Never knock hospital food in the UK, people, it’s haute cuisine compared to here. Anyway, the operation was successfully done and the aftercare was exceptional. I even managed to lose a few pounds (can’t imagine how).

After my last contribution, a couple from Ireland, Jean and John, wrote commenting on their stay in Skala, which is 10 minutes from where I live, and they asked a few questions which I would like to answer here as the answers may prove informative to others:

Why did I opt to retire here?

Simple, it is such a safe, relaxed, friendly place to live, a different way of life. My car has just been left on the street outside my house for two days with the doors unlocked and the key left in. If I go out for couple of hours I don’t bother locking the door. What would happen if I tried that in the UK? For anyone thinking of retiring here the quandry is to rent or buy. My advice would be not to sell up in the UK but to rent out your house for 12 months, come here and rent for the same period. Some people find that the winter is too quiet for them, the large majority of the tavernas close from October 31st until May 1st the following year. There are some that stay open and in the capital, Argostoli, it is business as usual. We all have our own circle of friends here and we all visit each other for meals etc. in the winter. For those who work in the summer the winter passes all too quickly.There are many houses for sale here and prices vary according to location, but on the whole a home for two could be bought for far less than you would pay in the UK. There are also many rentals available. Again the price varies with location, but wherever you live a car is essential.

So, we manage quite well in the closed season and are never bored. I am only 25 minutes from Argostoli, so it’s not exactly a pilgrimage.

Travel to the UK is not a problem, but there are NO direct flights from Kef to the UK. So, out of season we havetwo options: take the island hopper from Kef to Athens then fly from there to the UK. That is the dearer option. The cheaper way is by coach from Argostoli to Sami, then the ferry to Patras on the mainland then the coach again to Athens bus station and finally the coach from the bus station to Athens Airport.

This may sound complicated but a ticket from Argostoli to Athens bus station costs just over 30 euros including the ferry fare and you go on the same coach all the way. The local bus from the bus station to the airport costs three euros and the total journey time from Argostoli to the airport is roughly nine hours and is quite a pleasant trip, whereas the island hopper costs around 200 euros but is much quicker. The choice is there to be made but the island hopper does not always gel with flights to the UK. A friend of mine once spent eight hours at the airport, Not a pleasant experience.

There you are, Jean and John, I hope that helps.

For anyone staying in or near Skala I can heartily recommend Mounda beach, about two kilometres from Skala towards Katelios, especially if you have children.

The beach is pure sand and the sea is very shallow there, you can wade out 70 or 80 yards and the water is only chest high, ideal for children and very safe. There is also a snack bar with toilets at hand.

This is the beach that the Loggerhead turtles nest on and they can be spotted at night coming ashore to lay their eggs. But you MUST take care not to disturb or approach them. Observe from a distance as they are beautiful creatures and some are very very old. They deserve respect – after all, they were here first.

‘Tis nearly time for the picking of grapes and olives which I will talk about next time, but it does make driving on Kef extremely interesting. You really need your wits about you. Why? All will be revealed.

It’s lunch time now, salad and a cold drink before my afternoon nap. I don’t know how I put up with it all.

Bye for now. Hope you’re not too hot over there.