HEY - HEY , IT'S ME! TURNED OUT NICE AGAIN AIN'T IT! Sorry, that's George Formby isn't it, not me, oh well.
So the weather here is starting to turn now, high winds, monsoon rain, thunder, lightning, frogs, plagues of locusts. Sorry that's bible isn't it, not Zakynthos, oh well.
You can tell the winter is moving in quite quickly this season, never known an Oct in 13 years to have the weather change so quickly from day to day, hour to hour. One minute I'm actually getting some sun time then within half an hour the clouds are over and raining.
The bar is now in bad weather lock down mode, the inside is now a comfortable cosy lounge and outside is also lovely and cosy with my outdoor heater burning away keeping the last of the tourists warm and happy.
My lovely little bar, I quite like it like this.
The old road last night at 7.30pm, well its not completely true that I'm the only one open but I am the only bar open, you have Hera, Angelina and Nikos at the supermarket, Dennis next door to me open till 5pm and Yo Yo's and just around the corner Zepos is still going.
The new strip, its just as empty, pity anyone coming out for the last 2 weeks, poor sods LOL.
I have already made my new menu for next season and added some new creations including this one "Elegantly Wasted", Archers, Kiwi liqueur, pineapple and milk. The trial runs have been very popular so its on there ready for next season.
Over the season I have been asked about my crumpet creations, everyone has said they look lovely but a few of the creations have been a bit weird, so I'm told. But as you've seen I can actually cook real good food. Now being as I've run out of crumpets there will be no more crumpet creations this season. I know, I know your all gutted, so I have been doing a bit of cooking. So Kevlars School of Cooking excellence brings you 3 meals ideal for a cold mornings at 4am after you close a bar.
First we have a standard classic, minced beef with onion and gravy over butter & cream mashed potatoes, mmmmmm, just look at that steam coming off it, now that's proper food,
Next a chicken and mushroom pie with cream, now this wasn't a complete success, I greased the pie dish with butter so I could turn it out to take a pic for you all but the pastry slid down the sides of the greased dish and just created a thick base instead, DOH!
Again this wasn't a complete success as the pastry shrank on the top, it was looking really good when I popped it in the oven, this is a steak and onion pie. This was my favourite even though it looks like a car crash in a pot it tasted wonderful, as I've said before, just because something looks fancy doesn't mean it will taste good.
As you know the weather is pretty changeable these days so on my travels around the town and resort I have taking a few snap shots that have caught my eye.
This was a rainbow that I saw on my way down from my house, shame its out at sea as I would have chased it, I'll find that leprechaun one day and when I do that pot of gold is mine and if he won't give it to me I'll beat the living snot out of him for it LOL.
This is one of the rare days that I got to a pool, I went to the Sirocco Hotel, lovely there. 30 Min's after taking this pic I was laid by the pool and it started to rain, bloody typical, thought that the cloud was stuck on Mount Skopos as it wasn't moving anywhere, bloody stupid cloud.
This is a rare glimpse of blue sky from our house yesterday. I thought it was going to stay bad all day but at 6.45pm it broke just for 15mins, enough time for me to get to bar then the heavens opened again, god must be on my side, well after all, I do work for him ha ha.
As you know I can't drive a car so its motorbikes all the way come hell and high water. But with everything when biking you must check that all lights are working before you head out, headlight, indicators, back light, brake light and not forgetting the reflective strips on my waterproof suit. Check, they work.
And this is me auditioning for a lead role in the next Power Rangers Movie. I may look stupid but not as stupid as the wet locals on their bikes in hoodies and puffer jackets who are soaked through and freezing.
Before I go home I decided to take in a Zakynthos Town football match, unfortunately instead of going to the pitch I had been to watch them at before I went to the one by the hospital, guess what, they were playing at the other pitch. So here I am sat alone watching an empty pitch.
I took my good friends Jan and Phil for lunch to a restaurant I hadn't eating in before on the port road. Now I will say over the years I have eaten in most of the port road restaurants and to be honest was never overly impressed with them, the smaller tavernas on the back streets are much better.
This restaurant sells mainly fish and I've never been a fish food lover but over the years I've been trying more and more fish so thought now was the time to try this restaurant. Its called Thymalos, and wow was I impressed, so impressed I went back by myself for sunday dinner.
I had the usual bread and water, 1/2 Ltr white wine, Fried battered feta cheese with honey and sesame seeds, octopuss in vinegar, cheese croquets, stuffed vine leaves and white bait (38 of them). Guess how much all that cost, go on guess, I bet you can't guess (why do people say that about guessing).
18.50€, that's amazing, 18.50€ for all that. I usually pay 5-6€ just for octopuss in vinegar.
My meal fit for a king.
Man V Food got nothing on me, and here is the end result, bugger all left. Stuffed.
Talking of meals I come in to the bar one night and thought to myself "Whats that smell, I know it but can't remember what it is" as I made my way in behind the bar I looked down and there on the floor was a carrier bag with the remains of a Sunday roast. Only the veg was left. Someone (and I know who it was, people tell me everything) had come in to my bar, through the closed sign chain and placed the bag behind the bar for the cats that are around. WHAT THE .............! Now don't get me wrong, cats are OK, I'm not a big fan of them but I wouldn't harm one but when you feed a cat somewhere they keep coming back. So now I've got to keep a super soaker water rifle behind the bar to chase them off the little buggers, its like bloody animal kingdom in the bar now what with dogs, cats, lizards, frogs and beetles visiting at some point.
The evidence. how silly some grown ups are LOL.
After seeing that bag of left over Sunday roast I thought to myself, well even the cats get fed better than me.
I went home that night to my fridge freezer and decided to make myself some lovely food. I forgot you actually have to have food to make a meal, My freezer contained just freezer packs for picnics. Why have I got these? I have never used them in 13 years and always freeze them every year, never gone on a picnic to actually use them. My fridge wasn't much better, 1 small can of Mythos, 1 half used tub of butter, 1 packet of tortellini pasta, 1 haggis and 1 bottle of Bollinger, Not exactly a Ready steady Cook carrier bag is it LOL.
Once used as a hideaway by Saddam Hussain
Now what can I make out of this lot, I know, I got it!
As the season slows down I start to run down the stock for when I close and I've been drinking the John Smiths as its no good by next season. After numerous pints, I did it, all gone. Thank god as I was getting sick of drinking them. Then one day when I came in to open I could see a John Smiths can on the bar, "strange" I thought, I never had a Can last night, how is there an empty on the bar. It wasn't an empty, one of my lovely customers decided to make my nightmare continue by leaving me a full can and a note, all I can say very sarcastically is "THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH" LOL.
And to finish off this weeks blog I saw this poster by our house, is this the cheesiest advertising poster you've ever seen, the Greek singer looks like hybrid of Lionel Blair and Liberache (that's if you know who I'm talking about of course), could have done his lipstick properly though.
I've got a cat that sits outside the door of the house every day, I've never let it in, I've never fed it, I've never encouraged it but its got a meow like its smoked 100 cigs a day.
It looks like I got a final date of when I'm leaving the rock, 29th Oct to Gatwick. Still nothing booked yet but got a bit of work to do on the bar after I close ready for the work that's being done on it during the winter so that date looks the most likely.
Oh yes almost forgot, the great news about the bar. No, I'll leave that for my last update from the island. And no Lee and Emma its not a Bucks Fizz theme bar although there is a Depeche Mode Theme bar in Estonia, I feel a road trip coming on, Leighton, get the tent LOL.
Just been down (10.30pm) to supermarket opposite Drunk Corner as its the only one open late and you won't believe it but Oceanic has the most people in and I've only got 10 in, its so sad to see the resort so quiet and the season is still going, bloody tour operators.
So until my final blog entry from the island next week
Serve All, Love All, Peace All, Kevlar Out!
Hi Kev
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that the haggis we brought you on 5th August,is still in the fridge! It will be alive-please destroy it!! I hope you enjoyed the black/white puddings and crumpets from Scotland!
Keep up the blogs throughout the winter!