Farmland, Cottage, Calm Sunshine, Birdsong, Protopappas

Heading says it all post not really required.

We think Protopappas means 'first priest'. It is in north west mainland Greece a short distance from Ioannina. If you don't look up at the bigger hills behind,  the farmland scenes here could be rural England... ploughed fields, winter oats or wheat coming up, big sheds of chickens,  hedgerows, copses, green...

We have a little farm cottage that smells of a wood fireplace, and has every accessory you could want for a perfect holiday (big big big barbecue and lots of outdoor seating under verandahs). F says it needs a swimming hole, but I am ambivalent about that. 

F is sitting on that chair to take my last photo today.

We have views over farmland in every direction. When we arrived there were farm dogs, and farm cats and a pony. One of the small orange cousins made a right nuisance of himself, but he was so young he was even trying to suckle on F's arm.  In the end she fed him and he ate a whole one of my meals in about two and half seconds flat. He wasn't looking at all hard done by before he ate; afterwards he looked decidedly overstuffed.

There are chrysanthemums in the cottage garden - and grape vines with toughskinned purple black grapes that taste like those growing over the garage of F's childhood home in South Canterbury NZ - sort of rich raisiny. (She might have over indulged slighty, but says they are delicious despite the huge pips.... which are also part of the nostalgia.)

We should have come here earlier and stayed longer and just relaxed a few days,. It would have been an excellent tonic for my farmgirl F. Mr B is not so rejuvenated by bucolia (is that even a word?) We are moving on.... next stop a castle I am told.

Me trying to convince my humans to make better use of the fireplace.

View of farmland....out there is a cousin off on a hunting trip.

I'm a town cat but I might have liked to be one of the country cousins.