Above and Below - Exoghi. There's no beach, but no one cares about that. It's such a beautiful village. Left - Kolieri with Homers View Villas in the center. The popularity of these lovely villas prove that not everything on Ithaca has to do with the beach.

Left & Below Left - Summer is most definitely a time for fun and relaxation, but also for accidents. Being on holiday doesn't give you a free ticket to invincibility. While driving around, I notice so many pedestrians walking in the middle of the road, completely oblivious to the traffic around them. Not everyone drives carefully on the island, there are some reckless youngens around, so if your not looking after yourself, then be assured, no one else will either. Remember there are rocks at the bottom our pristine seas, so careful where you dive or jump unless you don't mind breaking your leg or foot.

Left - More chairs heading to the Stavros Panighiri yesterday. Below - Illiana and Marco are here from Melbourne putting some life back into Romanza (Illianas ancestral home) between Stavros and Kalivia. Romanza was in its heyday, a place for locals to drink, dance and listen to music..

Left - Frikes dockside. The great summer days are really bringing the sail boats out.

Sunday 7th - It's August. It's Hot! No wonder there are so many half naked people walking around our streets. Left - Frikes. Potatoes, just some of what comes off the back of a truck on Ithaca. Below - The vines of Polyfemos Garden Restaurant in Stavros.

Monday 8th - So far in August, the tourism everyone was waiting for was the Greek tourism that comes from the Mainland. Thus far, the Greeks are noticeably absent in their usual numbers. In the north of the island as in the south, weekdays are filled with flotillas sailing in. They make all the bayside villages look busy, but on the weekends, tourism is quite thin on the ground. Yes, the crisis has something to do with it, but so do the ad hoc strikes by taxis and sundry which have crippled the flow coming in and going out of Greece all summer. These are unsure days for most around the world, Greece is not the only country with economic problems, albeit it's Greece's problems that have tended to rule the airwaves and sound bytes in the international and local media, but talking endlessly about problems only prolongs the negative dialogue and encourages further speculation which only keeps us going down this slippery slope. Put on the brakes, smell the coffee, look at that blue, blue sea and try feeling poor when you are embraced by this. We have Ithaki as our Gem and if you can't get some pleasure from this, then you may as well never open your door to the world. The worlds problems will all still be there tomorrow, today, forget about them and enjoy a perfect summer day, a swim in the sea, a glass of ouzo and a few sticks of souvlaki in one of the many restaurants around the island that hug the baysides. Talk with your hands to the grocer or someone on the street who will make you welcome despite their broken English. You're on Ithaki now. Ithaki is more than just an island in the Ionian, it's a consciousness, a dream, an odyssey.

Above Left - Vathy Bay. Left - There's still much grass cutting going on despite the very hot days of August.

Left - Even the cat is lazily laying about having a good old summer holiday. The mice can wait.

Above - Maria Andrianatos has come back to Ithaki with a nice little surprise in her pouch. Maria is the daughter of Ithacas resident accordion player, Makis Andrianatos. She is also cousin to Nektarios (Above Right) from Rementzo Restaurant in Frikes. Congratulations Maria!!!!

A little while ago The Eptaniso ferry replaced The Kefalonia ferry which came twice daily from Patras via Cephalonia. The Eptaniso isn't as big and it doesn't have wings for the heavier weather days, but it is here for good at least for the time being and continues the route and timetable of the Kefalonia ferry. News is that on around the 15th August, the ferry will no longer dock in Vathy Ithaca overnight. It will be the end of an era and a decade long battle to keep the ferry coming to Vathy. The Eptanisa ferry will from that time on, do it's night run to Piso Aetos and return to Sami in Cephalonia to spend overnight, returning to Piso Aetos in the morning to collect passengers for Patras. Although Piso Aetos is not at all set up as a port to handle a great number of travelers, with only a narrow road leading in and out of the port and only a few parking spaces, which are an unreasonable luggage carrying distance from the ferry, it will mean a shorter travel time and half an hour more sleep before catching the early ferry. Keep checking back for updated ferry departure times with the travel agents on Ithaca and through ithacagreece.com

Tuesday 9th - Left and Below - Up close and personal with the Levendis family from Ag. Ioannis. I would hazard a guess that most of you with a Greek background will recognize George Levendis from the X Factor. George is on Ithaca, as he is each summer, with his family. The entire Levendis family has a passion for their ancesteral home even though their lives are planted elsewhere. A little birdie tells me that George is off to the UK exploring new horizons. Greece will miss him. He's one of the most loved TV personalities in the country, and it's not hard to tell why. He shows genuine interest in the people he meets and gets alot of love in return. Who knows, with UK weather being the way it is, we may even see him and his family on Ithaki more often, and maybe in the not too distant future, will get George to weave his magic with music and recognizing talent, right here on ithaca.

Wednesday 10th - So what's happening to the Mains water roster? We haven't had any water coming through the pipes in about 2 weeks. Kolpa? Shall find out today. Very hot days, but luckily, an evening sea breeze does alot to cool us down for an easy sleep at night. Left & Below - Beaches are filling up.

Above - Afales views from Kolieri in the north of ithaca island. Below - Lunch at Yiannis Taverna in Stavros.

Above - Athens Scouts in Kioni. Left - Diving from the pier in Frikes. It's at this point, the ferries dock. Below - Fresh sandwhiches at Spavento Bar in Kioni.

Above - Another Day Tripper arrives in Kioni. Put on the Biriki. It's Greek coffee time. Below - Niko, just one of the dedicated staff at Spavento. Left - Afales Bay with Marmakas Peninsula

Above Left - Mick Jagger in the corner of Kioni Bar, Spavento. Left - Jennie from Spavento, taking on a triple shift with one of her main staff away.

Left and Above - Another view of Afales Bay with a little of Lefkada in the distance under the orange sky of dusk.

Wednesday 10th - Today it really felt like the peak of August. People and traffic everywhere. Got caught in a couple of traffic jams due to no one wanting to move over on a road that only fits 1 and a half cars. Road rage was building. Below - Was on my way down to Polis Beach, but thought I'd just stop at the main road above to see it from high. It looked so great from that perspective, that I didn't make it down.

By midday yesterday, the wind started to blow a gale, stopping the smaller ferries from coming to Ithaca, including the evening ferry into Frikes. Some people were stuck in Lefkada and others on Cephalonia due to the heavy seas. The wind died down before midnight with a clear sky overnight.