We, at Casa Napier, are suffering from some pretty obnoxious jet lag.  We’ve been asleep by 8:45 and up between 4:30 and 5 am. It’s been like that for five days.  It’s horrible.  Last night, we managed to stay up until 10:30 and I slept in until 6:30!  Actually, my ideal time to wake up would be 7:30ish so I’m almost there. 5am is a tad early.  Especially on a Saturday.  But on Saturday, I gave up and pulled out a notepad to jot down a to do list.  I’ve had a bunch of little projects on my mind and I finally got them on paper.  We made a decent dent in the list this weekend.

I can’t say I contributed overly much to the project list.  I came back from vacation with a nasty cold and though every day I felt a little better, I still took things very easy.  But I helped a bit. Sunday was a much more productive day for me.  Saturday, we went shopping for two new chairs for our patio.  We have two comfy chairs with a footrest and one not as comfortable love seat. I’ve always wanted a chair where you could lean back and close your eyes for a little nap.  At one of our hotels in Greece, they had a papasan chair on the patio, and it got me thinking.  We are now the proud owners of two comfy papasan chairs and I can easily see myself putting my feet up, reading, and taking a little nap.  We wiped down all our patio furniture, vacuumed the “lovely” green carpeting that covers the concrete, and rearranged the furniture.  I think it looks very cozy out there.  (There’s no cushions in the chairs because I’m waiting for my covers to arrive.  I’m a big fan of covers; things get pretty dirty otherwise.) We turned our dining table and chairs 90 degrees and it gives us a little more room.  And the finishing touch is a colorful new doormat from Pier 1.  We still have a few more things to put away.  I’ll have to post a better picture later, cushions and all.

I’ve also had the attention span of a gnat lately, but one project that I’ve been able to concentrate on is needlepoint.  I’m finding it very relaxing and it requires less concentration than knitting.  It’s been at least two years since I’ve done any needlepoint and I’m really enjoying it.

I wish we could blame our lack of sleep on Bill’s minor biking mishap yesterday.  Unfortunately I think it was just bad luck.  Bill was biking to work on a trail, coming off a bridge, and he hit a slippery spot and ended up on the ground.  He thought he was okay at first and finished the remaining mile and a half.  Once the adrenaline wore off and he tried moving his left elbow, he realized he wasn’t 100%.  I picked him up at the office, dropped him at the ER, went to an appointment (I never have anything going on, but of course this happens on the one day I have something scheduled), picked him up at the ER, took him out for a special lunch, stopped  for dog food, and then brought him home to relax.  He’s doing pretty well, but not enjoying the inconvenience.  Thankfully, it’s temporary.

And that’s all for Casa Napier.  I think it’s enough, don’t you?

I am on my way home from a wonderful yet exhausting trip to Greece.   It is a beautiful country and we barely scratched the surface with stops in Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini.  I prepared for this trip not as much as I should have.  We did very little research and had just a vague plan of what we wanted to do.  That part worked out well.  We saw our “must see” things and then played everything else by ear.  The part I should have done more preparation for was the physical aspect.  I am a walker and a hiker, but if I’m going to a national park to hike, I put in some extra work at the gym.  I should have prepared for this like a national park trip.  Everything was either up or down.  Very little was flat.  I was not prepared.  I got around,  but not as comfortably as I would have liked.

The trip was a wonderful mix of busy and relaxing.  We did a lot of walking and sightseeing, but also took breaks at sidewalk cafés and gelatin stands.  We also had 3 days of relaxing on the beach.

This was a great time of year to go.  It us still early in the season, not too hot and not too crowded.  I can’t imagine doing this trip in July or August.  I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much.  Today, 6 cruise ships are due in Santorini. We only had to deal with 2, but there were 4 in port in Mykonos and it makes for a lit more people.

We are about 5 and a half hours into our 28 trip home but I am looking forward to my furry babies, shower and bed.  Fingers crossed, prayers said for a safe trip home.