Purple haze and tiny kittens...

Hello folks! Not posted anything for a while 'cos we've been super busy recording demos of the songs we've written for the film since we arrived in Crete. Things are going well and the music has a cool 70s vibe (the film's set in '72) - Matt's even started growing some hilarious sideburns!

Anyway I just wanted to share some photos taken with my iPhone and the Hipstamatic app. You can buy loads of cool add-on films and lenses and flashes for it and these are using the Pistil film, Roboto Glitter lens and the Berry Pop flash - and don't worry, Matt's not really turned into Violet Beauregarde from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it's just a trick of the light!

Oh, and the photos at the end are of the tiniest kitten that thought I was his mum for the day until Matt got fed up of him trying to scramble up onto the sun lounger - then I nearly wet myself laughing as Matt tried to lead the kitten away. He ended up walking in circles around the apartment complex with the tiny kitten trailing behind obediently - it was like the Pied Piper!

See ya soon...

I love love this one of Matt emerging from the sea - Daniel Craig? Pah! One of the best pics I've taken on my trusty iPhone I think!

This was during one of the music theory lessons that Matt's started giving me - it's brill, and I'm making things all the more appealing by writing everything down using rainbow coloured pens in a rainbow coloured book!

Spinalonga...

Last Thursday we visited Elounda on the north coast of Crete and then took a boat to the old leper colony Spinalonga.

Mary and I have both been reading the Victoria Hislop novel, The Island, which is about the everyday life of people on the island around the time of the second world war so it was very eerie to step foot on the island. It's so strange to think about the people who were sent there and the supposedly normal life of school, cooking, drinking in the cafes, bartering at market and going to church that went on there, despite all the inhabitants having this awful illness. One of the cruellest things is that it is so close to the village of Plaka on the mainland that the lepers on the island would have been able to see normal life going on but not be able to be part of it.

The island itself is beautiful and after walking for about 10 minutes we came across this lovely little jetty with the most amazing crystal clear water and lovely trees. 

We found out that the author of The Island has made a deal with a Greek TV network to make a series based on the novel so hopefully that will make its way across to the UK soon enough.

Our visitors are now back home and we had a lovely time with them. We still have four weeks left here and we are working like bees to record demos of all the songs we have written so far so we can show them to the director/writer of the film we're writing the soundtrack for. The script is superb folks, so we'll let you know as soon as it hits a cinema near you!

Now I'll leave you with some snaps - enjoy!

Here's Captain Mattos on the boat!

And the view of the island from the water; the land behind it is part of the mainland that stretches round in a big curve

Here are some houses on the first street you see when you come through the big tunnel that separates the jetty area from the rest of the island

A little shaded courtyard bit

Look how beautiful the sea is:

Here are the two Kassells having a little rest - always happy to pose for a photo!

Now this was taken at 'Dragon's Den' restaurant (Dragon's Cave really) and from here you can see the whole town of Makrigialos where we're calling home until October. (and as usual, Matt's doing the 'dog face'!)

An update!

Good afternoon from Crete folks. Hope you're all well. Sorry for not posting for a while but we've been having so much fun with our visitors that I forgot to write!

So here's an update followed by some more lovely Greek eye candy...

Monday: As soon as Mike touched down on Cretan soil, his first thought was, 'MEAT'! So on Monday we went to some local supermarkets and the Greek-speaking only butchers in town where Mike managed to have a full conversation with the butcher even though neither spoke the other's language - bonding over meat, eh?! Then Mike proceeded to cook a fantastic meal and he let me be his trainee potato chef. We also went to the 'secret beach' and jumped in the waves (well, I did, until I saw two of the tiniest fish ever and then I jumped out and ran for my life up the beach...)

Tuesday: Mary and Mike tackled the walk into town and totally breezed it - fit as fleas they are!

Wednesday: We took a day trip to Sitia and had a big stroll up to the old fortress on the top of a very steep hill. We watched fish in the harbour, had a couple of drinks in seafront bars, looked at the fruit and veg and fish markets and then came back to the apartments for a swim. Mike got in a fight with a lilo and then we went out to Zorbas for a traditional Greek meal. The guys in Zorbas put on their usual excellent show of Greek dancing and even managed to drag Mary mouse up for a spin round the room - she was very good!

Thursday: M&M went to the beach for the day but poor Matt has an ear infection from the pool so he stayed at home.

Lovely lovely pork for tea and I was potato chef again!

Friday: Matt went to a very traditional and stern Greek doctor about his ear who was very thorough and gave him a bag full of lotions and potions to take for it - why can't they all be like that?!

And as I write this, M&M still have not returned from their two hour gorge walk that they set off for 4 and a half hours ago...so I'll keep you posted!!!

And as promised, some pics - enjoy :)

Happy Hillman...

Just thought I'd show off my tan a bit, hahahaha!

Mary and Mike landed here yesterday for two weeks so I'll blog with an update about them shortly - right now, we're off down the 'secret beach' so see ya later! x

Calling all astronomers...

...we really ned some help!
Last night, as we were standing outside the apartments watching the sun go sown behind the mountains, we saw this strange light in the sky. It looked huge, not sparkling white like a star and much bigger than that anyway. It was kind of pale orange and almost perfectly round and moving slightly too.
We decided to get in the car and look for it, and as we got closer the shape of it seemed to change until we saw it was one big red glowing light with a kind of vapour trail coming out behind it, kind of like this artists impression I made on photoshop:

We ruled out planes and helicopters and Chinese lanterns. Our minds then started racing with thoughts of asteroids and UFOs!

Then the glowing red bit kind of fizzled out, went black and the whole thing disappeared... And that was it. 

So was it something dead exciting or was it just a flare in the sky? Astronomers, we need your help! Or maybe my mum will know... :)

Bye for now xx

Happy Birthday Frankie!

Hello Frankie, and a very happy 8th birthday to ya! We hope you have a great day and are sorry that we are not there to have a bit of your birthday cake! See you soon when we are back in Barrow. Hope you like your present.
And now, what could be better than your sister and brother in law making complete fools out of themselves to bring you a birthday song...?!

Power cuts...

Morning folks. I have to keep looking at the clock as I write this as we have a discovered a cool baker man from town comes in his little van to the apartments where we're staying to sell bread and spinach pies and other goodies at around this time - we don't want to miss him!
On Sunday there was a big power cut to the whole apartment complex and to the whole of the town and beyond. It just all went dark and silent - it was quite romantic really, nice to get back to basics. We couldn't even light candles as it was too windy so we just sat on the balcony and looked for shooting stars in the sky and played brain games (like the one Matt makes me play on long car journeys, oh joy: one person has to  think of a person and tell the others the first letter of their surname. The others have to guess who the person is just by asking yes/no questions like 'are you male', 'are you famous', 'are you fictional' etc. Hours of endless fun - Matt was once 'D' all the way from Norwich to Barrow and it turned out he was 'Toilet Duck'!)
Anyway, the power and water and internet seem to come and go as they please here - oh well, it keeps things interesting!
I was very sorry to miss my brother Frankie's birthday party on Sunday (only 'cos I missed my mum's awesome egg sandwiches) but I hear he had a good time. Keep your eye out for a special post coming tomorrow for your actual birthday Frank...
Yesterday we discovered an immense cake and coffee shop in town - we didn't have cake, don't worry, but it was amazing just to look at the fridges upon fridges filled with such intricate, beautiful cakes, they were like works of art!
Then we hung out by the pool, went swimming, read our books, Matt had his siesta etc.
Today we are heading off out for the day to take Sunny to the airport as his holiday has come to an end. It was really great to have him here and to catch up properly.
So, be sure to check the blog tomorrow - until then, see ya!
Rose x
Oh and on Sunday we had a little trip to Irepetra so I'll leave you with this photo from the day! (Please feel free to add your own caption...!)