Winter & Spring flowers in a Village in NW Corfu

It will soon be the 'real' start of the Summer season here in Corfu for 2024.

With many direct flights from European hubs which started back at the end of March and watching the app via flight radar every morning this is gradually growing with the number of flights arriving daily as the island opens up once again after a sleepy Winter.

Those who follow my Face Book page Corfu Selections will know I also provide links for independent travellers, especially those coming or choosing the North West part of the island. 

My services include many Holiday Related products see www.corfuselections.com if I can assist or advise you ...

However apart from this little hobby, I enjoy the laid back life here in our village on the North West part of the island, called Avliotes.  With a population of around 1.100 we enjoy a year round village community offering it's residents and holidaymakers: a butchers, bakers, post office, chemist, a few local coffee shops, known as Kafenions, minimarkets for your daily essentials and even a year round taverna for evening meals, overlooking the valley below. This all supports our local owners and their businesses.  Pertched on the hillside between the main resorts of Agios (San) Stefanos, Peroulades with the stunning Logos Beach and Sidari. 

A very happy place to live. We are away from the maddening crowds, can grow later in the Summer many veggies, tomatoes, cucumbers.peppers, aubergines, lettuces which are ready now for a sald and have several fruit trees including Peaches and apricots.  There is something very rewarding in popping into the garden to 'pick your own'. No green house or gown fast needed - just natural sun, water and warmth. So far this Winter, Beetroot, Lettuces, Spring Onions, Cabbage, Brocoli and Cauliflowers.

So today I offer you a few photos from the Winter & Spring before we enter into the warm, hot & heady days of Summer captured in a few photos from our little garden where whenever we can we relax and enjoy the Winter temperatures afforded to our island.  Many of our flowers are from visitors who have become friends whom know I love my flowers and brought over packets of seeds for us to experiment to see which grow happily here.

A F.A.Q is what the weather like in the Winter or even early Spring when the direct flights start?

Yes it can be cold sometimes -3c in December & Januaryin the evening but a mild 12c daytime. Yes you need a form of heating during these months.  February tends to be wetter - hence the Emerald Green Island that greets you.  And March & April, well so far we have had a range of daytime tempsbetween 18c even hitting 30c a few days ago however dropping to 15c once the sun disappears, I have found that heating is no longer required come mid March and we clean our open fireplace as no longer use it for the main source of heating.  Air conditioning for an hour or so on a warm mode will comfortably survice.

Most days now we can sit outside in a tee-shirt, although not quite flip flop weather at the moment, well for me.  My more hardy friends have even swam in the sea!!! 

As always if I can assit you with Living here questions or holidaying via our services then just check out my website www.corfuselections.com or follow me on my Facebook page Corfu Selections.

If you are visiting this Summer - I wish you a wonderful holiday filled with great memories. If it is your first time enjoy the Filoxenia offered by the Corfiots and for those returning 'welcome back'...........

Lesley @ Corfu Selections.

Avliotes Doors & Windows

 Avliotes Doors & Windows

Where is Avliotes? Many ask me? Where do you Live?

Snuggled on the hillside between the popular and well known resort of Sidari on the North coast of Corfu the road meanders upwards before dropping down to Agios Stefanos, the quieter corner of North West Corfu also often referred to by many as San Stefanos, Avlioten.

There is a bypass now, so many new visitors may have actually missed our hillside village where over 1,000 people live and often work in either resort come the holiday season. Years back the holiday coaches from tour operators passed through the narrow highstreet thus being a source of enteratainment as the drvier negoiated his way expertly through and holidaymakers gasped and clapped at the driver's skills  - but back then everyone knew where was Avliotes when they asked the waiter, barman or owner where do you live?  ah yes they said  we went through your village up the road!!!!

Avliotes has a Post Office, a Butcher (fresh meat), minimarkets, chemist, various coffe shops (known as  Kafeneions), a patisserie for fresh cakes also made to order for special occasions, a lovely taverna overlooking the valley below and real houses where the locals have lived for centuries...... 

You can reach the village on the local Green Bus - known as KTEL or as many do with a quad, bicycle or walk.  Here you will be greeted with the local charm and Filoxenia.

The 2 main Greek Othodox churches either end of the village high on the outskirts reign down.

However whilst you are here in the village do venture off the main road and explore the backstreets and nooks as you will see many old houses -  a joy to behold if you are looking for 'Real Greece' and off the beaten track...

I do hope you enjoy exploring our village and you will be well welcomed too....

A few of my photos whilst wandering around.....

If you are looking for accommodation in the nearby resort of Agios Stefanos which boasts a lovely sandy beach and plenty of locally run tavernas & other faciltities then to book directly as always we are happy to connect you with our owners via the website and other holiday related services......

www.corfuselections.com

Spring Onions

 Spring Onions

We had Spring like temperatures over the weekend and in the early afternoon here in NW Corfu - we reached 20c, enjoying the warmth of the sun and had a glass (or 3) of chilled white wine whilst just relaxing, such a shame though once the sun dips below the horizon, it's indoors with the heating on and a chilly damp 6c.  

So is Spring in the air?

Aris decided today, Monday morning as it was a mix of cloud with sunny spells to dig into the garden and do some weeding. My instructions around the wild flowers - please!!!!!

He then brought to me indoors some Spring Onions, known as Fresh Onions here.

Okay, I think what to do with these as it would be a shame for them to be unused as there is only so many a girl can use in a day.

Over to our trusty friend Google.  'How to store Freshly Picked Spring Onions from the garden' ....

So that's just what I did and this midday, accordingly to various Google videos, washed, put in a jar with fresh cold water and added a plastic bag - this will help them survive for over a week.....

                                          

I used 2 Spring Onions today with our lettuces, again picked from the garden for a salad for a lunchtime snack.

It's always a lovely learning process when you live n a village. 

Life in a Corfu Village
Lesley @ Corfu Selections.

For Holiday related services including accommodation in NW Corfu - also do check out my website:

www.corfuselections.com

January's Journal

 January's Journal and a Happy New Year - 2024.

With the celebrations over for another year we move into January and for many including myself, it does always feel the longest month of the year.  Summer still seems a long way ahead, however we do now have longer days and shorter nights as we countdown to 'Spring Forward' to change our clocks forward, which I believe (according to Google) falls on March 10th this year.

I thought I would start off my Blog with 'The Weather' as so far this month it seems to have been the leading news on our Greek TV Channels and as if we didn't need to be informed but yes it's cold it normally is, well in my experience with over 40 Winters in Greece. However it is and continues to be a hot (pardon the pun) topic here. World issues seemed to have passed us by, so thank goodness for the internet and BBC World news as to far more important issues that are quite concerning!!

January 1st was a lovely sunny day, in fact a few Narcissus popped into my flower

pots, a lovely New Year's Day greeting - colourful and sweetly smelling. The rest of the forthcoming weeks were a real mix with days of heavy rain, drizzle, grey skies, reminding me of the UK and chilling winds. The nights have been cold, sometimes reaching -2c even with the heating on the combination of rain, wind and cold everything felt damp.  Yes the famous Corfu Dampness.  The Albanian mountain tops opposite had a fresh dusting of snow and with the addition of the wind blowing over here into our North West corner of the island it was certainly a time to stay home and wrap up warm.  Posting on my Facebook feed

many friends in the UK commented they had warmer temperatures than here on our little rock. After the rain the past week we have welcomed bright, clear, dry days still chilly in the morning and then breaking into sunny periods when the lunchtime 

temperature has allowed a few hours in the garden with a glass of wine (no I didn't do Dry January) often reaching between 14 - 17c.  The bones and body felt recharged just for those few hours at least.

 Well that's the weather report and something to ponder if you are considering retiring here or spending some time out of season, as I am often asked during the hot Summer months by visitors about Winters in Corfu. 

So with the cold weather we can truely enjoy the delights of Greek comfort food.  I can potter around for many hours, cooking and creating hearty Winter dishes. A diet mainly based on lentils & pulses and soups for us after the overload of meat during Christmas and New Year.  Not having a car these days and sticking to a more traditional diet menu means I can easily walk to our local minimarket to buy 

everything needed to suit us both. Good for my health by walking, good for the environment as no car and good for supporting local businesses and the local economy. Our village, Avliotesin a a hillside location just 6 kilometres from the popular resort of Agios Stefanos, has a population of approximately 1,100 and boasts year-round facilities including a few minimarkets, butcher, bakery, Chemist, Post Office, several coffee shops (Kafenieon) , Patisserie for freshly made cakes, biscuits and made to order special occasion cakes, a lovely taverna also open all year round, a little shop selling gifts and small kitchen and bathroom items and a shop selling socks, underwear, PJ's and offering clothing alterations. 

So shopping every few days, our Winter Dishes include Fasolia -Greek Bean Soup, Fakes - Lentil soup, Gigantes, the giant white beans baked in the oven with tomato based sauce, Revithia - chickpea soup and also made into Hummas. Somtimes just a simple omellette with chips of course fresh eggs given to us from a local lady whom I give all my old bread too which she can use for her chickens.  The Yolks are really golden and tasty, these are definately Free Range and Farm fresh and without the packaging too. 

From the garden : Cabbage which I can add to a soup or as a side.  Early lettuces, Spring Onions and new small potatoes, ideal for a potato salad, dressed with Olive Oil and Fresh Mint picked from our patio tubs.

The Kumquats famous in Corfu, the fruit introduced in 1846 it is believed during the time the British protected the island are now in abundance during this month.  A small orange coloured gem, originally from China, so Aris picked more than a few.  I have experimented with making them into Jam, syrup, spoon fruits and also added to a few dishes during cooking adding a rather sweetish taste and rather pleasant on the 

tastebuds and better than adding sugar, I feel. They are lovely too with Pancakes, a regular sweet treat for us during the Winter and not just reserved for Shrove Tuesday. 

The airport opened again towards the end of the month and can now accommodate the smaller ATR planes, being mostly domestic flights until the fully operational runway is resurfaced when larger planes begin their direct flights from the UK and European hubs ready for the holiday season to begin for 2024 at the end of March.

In fairness a rather quiet month all round and time to just enjoy not doing much at all, which is part of my Life in a Corfu village, without the stress of a major city, crowds of people and not having to plan ahead, just taking each day as it comes.

If you are still considering booking directly for your Summer holiday -then have a look at our owners offering a choice of family run hotels, studios, apartments, luxury suites and villas. Something to suit all budgets whether you are a Solo traveller, a couple, family or a group of friends. The beaches and resorts of Arillas and Agios Stefanos are based in the North West corner of this wonderful island offering sandy beaches, amazing Sunsets, family run tavernas, cafes and a Corfu Holiday experience with our  guests having returned to over many summers and our new visitors arrive and understand why too.  You can check out some remaining options.....

via: www.corfuselections.com 

As we enter February may I wish you all a Kalo Mina with Peace and Happiness for the month ahead.

Lesley @ Corfu Selections