Mavkos has done a runner, the little blighter. The above photo shows just how comfy he was with us as part of the family, and that lasted for over two years. He was not much more than a kitten when he adopted us (and it was his initiative, not ours, to begin with) and he eventually became like a shadow following us around, and we loved him.

For reasons known only to himself, though, about six months ago he began staying away, often for up to a week at a time. But then he’d come back and start hanging around the house like he’d never been away. Every morning he waited to be picked up for a cuddle before he’d eat his breakfast, and would always end up on one of our laps, like the photo above, as we drank our morning coffee together on the terrace. Of course, he also used to get a little puddy-tat treat when we had our coffee too, the crafty little devil.

His absences, though, gradually became longer and, this past few weeks, we haven’t seen hide nor hair of him, heartless fiend that he is. The last time he came by to see us he ate a good meal, then sauntered off again, and that was that. We’re convinced that there’s another family in the village that maybe gives him food to eat that’s not altogether good for him, but cats are like children, they’ll always eat junk food over healthy stuff all day long, won’t they. The annoying thing is, we really miss him. Mind you, at least we don’t have the headache that we’ve had in the past of finding someone to feed him while we’re away, and as it happens we’re going away on Saturday as it’s a mega-big anniversary for us on that day, April 20th. When he first began his absences, we’d worry sick that he’d been poisoned or something, but he’d always turn up again, looking fit and well. Oddly enough, though, Maria and Dimitri just below us have a ginger tom that adopted them when he was a kitten too, and he’s just as happy around humans as Mavkos is. ‘Ginge,’ as we call him, comes by most days and talks to us incessantly. I’ve never known a cat to talk as much as Ginge does. He also wants to be petted, he especially likes the back of his head smoothed, and only after he’s satisfied with that will he wander on through the garden and go somewhere else. So, at least we do get to fuss over a pussycat, even if it isn’t Mavkos. Ginge, too, will accept a little dried food with relish, whilst not being dependent on us, so we shouldn’t complain really.

Here are some recent photos…

Above: The upper garden’s looking lush these days, and we’re really happy with how it’s turned out.

Above: Saw this tree on the edge of town on April 7th, I think it’s a kind of magnolia, but I don’t really know. Nice blooms though, don’t you think?

Above: Couple of shots in the village. I just liked the aspects.

Above: These were from a walk we did on April 12th. I love the middle one, because it really draws your eye into the distance. Least, I think so!

Finally, for your amusement, below are a couple of shots from the past. The first is from when I was in the Raggamuffins in South Wales UK, a reggae band set up by my good friend Howie Grey from Trinidad and Tobago, who lived in South Wales around the time we did, but now lives back in the Caribbean with his wife Marilyn. Those fake dreadlocks were full of static electricity and we took them off after one number! The second was taken at Feraklos Castle, between Haraki and Agathi Beach on Rhodes. I’m pointing across the bay to what’s known as Red Sand Bay, which is only accessible by boat.

•

Click HERE to go to my Amazon Author Page. There you can browse all of my written works.