Merry Christmas!

A Christmas flower...

There's a whole Christmas flower tree below my balcony.

One day left for Christmas and Corfu is full of sunshine! The weather forecast predicted rain but no, here it is spring time! But you never know! Tomorrow it may rain though there isn't a single cloud in the sky. If you stroll along Garitsa bay and look at the horizon, you will see the mountain peaks of the Greek mainland and Albania covered in snow. That's why it is cold at night. But the sky is blue, the sea is blue and the birds are singing! That's why I love Corfu. It's a small paradise but some people still haven't realised that. They ruin things. Like those who broke into a small monastery on the 22nd of December and stole a couple of holy items such as the Bible (Evaggelio), which is 200 years old, the holy Cup and other church things. The monastery of Ayios Noufris is administered by the villages of Ano Korakiana, Skripero, Gardelades and Doukades. The villagers beg those who have taken these items to give them back. Those who know something about this incident, to report it to the police. The police are investigating this case and hopefully they will find the holy items. It is the citizens' responsibility to care for their possessions and deeds like that should not be allowed in our community.

ART at Kassiopi village!

Corfu and Food

Corfu Paintings, 3 The Square,

Kassiopi

Corfu

I was recently given an invitation to an Art Gallery at Kassiopi village, on the north of Corfu. As I wasn't able to go there in person, I visited the site, and here's what I found out:

The site is http://www.corfupaintings.com

The first artist is Richard Hewlett, and he is the one who owns the site. The second artist is Chris Stephens and I can only see his paintings on the small card I've got. Both use vivid colors and feel what they see-this is clear from the way they paint.

I can't actually tell much as I can only see Richard's paintings online, but it is clear that he likes colorful images and uses bright and impressive colors. I would say he paints the joy of living in the countryside, that's what comes to me when I look at his paintings. The houses with the red tiled roofs are a typical characteristic of the Corfiot villages and he has certainly succeeded in

depicting the small village of Petalia (see above) which is a very poor, yet full of colors village perched on the mountain of Pantokrator. I've been there many times.

Chris, on the other hand,has got a different style. I would like to see more of his paintings to form a view though. Maybe, next time I have a trip to Kassiopi!

Richard runs painting classes both for individuals and groups, so if you are interested, email him. You can find his email on his site at

http://www.corfupaintings.com