Site News March 2003

Cretanvista Site & Local News - March 1st 2003 Issue3
No links to sites with adult content accepted	FEBRUARY WEATHER... The local weather for almost the whole of February has copied mainland Greece almost to a Tee. Continuous storms with rain causing flooding and serious subsidence to roads whilst snow caused havoc in many areas. Winter Omalos Picture Copyright - Cretanvista.gr The white mountains (Omalos) are today - 1st March - capped by a good blanket of snow following several recent snowstorms. Countryside Page Expansion... In spite of the weather the countryside is beginning to awaken. The roadside verges and olive groves are already green with new grass and wild flowers. The picture strip below shows just one or two of our countryside sightings between the middle of January and the last day of February - the latter being a superbly bright sunshine day - at least in the Kolimbari area and up here in the Rodopos mountain villages. We are commencing a record of wildflower sightings almost immediately on the countryside page to augment Paul Smith Bird Watching. There is superb flora here on Crete - but I think that in the case of rare species rules about collecting them. More in the next news page. Delayed...Now Late March There are so many stories and health promotion projects based around olive oil that many people are unable to comprehend just how many olive based products there are. Green Olives; black olives; salted olives; canned; bottled; olive oil; olive oil soaps; face creams; soap suds and ever onwards, ad-lib - ad infinto! Our next new page and gallery gathers olives and makes oil with the Kolimbari Co-op.. COPYRIGHT All material on the site is strictly copyright and any use in mass distribution - in print or on websites for example, needs our consent. All the material on the site is original and represents considerable time; effort and no little expense. We will almost always give permission for personal use, without prejudice to our rights.	View Cretanvista Calendar Photos 2003 The photographs used in the production of this years Cretanvista calendar are now on the site as a gallery. Links are on the home page and above. What will not be obvious is that each calendar, printed on white linen-faced card, occupies two complete (A4) pages. Hung horizontally on a wall the each months picture is printed at high quality on the top page. The page below has a full size light-watermark of the same image with the actual calendar detail overprinted on the image Later this year we intend making this years calendar files available for download so that enthusiasts (!) can, if they so wish, print their own copies. I am trying to solve the problem of downloading the card to print them on right now...
NEW HOTELS FOR KOLIMBARI The first of the two new hotels for Kolimbaril - right on the beach close to Irini Beach Apartments, looks to be almost complete - will you be one of the first to sample a brand new hotel?
NEW FERRY SERVICE Blue Star Ferries have launched a new car ferry service between Souda Bay and Piraeus. Although an obvious competitor to the resident Anek Lines the service times do not conflict from Souda. Anek currently leaves at 8.30pm whilst Blue Star leave at 12 midnight.
WINTER STORMS Crete has been in winter storm mode for several weeks now. Gale force winds - force 8/9/10 have been continuous. The tremendous thunder and lightening storms alternating with sunshine and blue skies we saw in early February gave way to almost continuously grey skies towards the end of the month. Low temperatures decline rapidly after around 3pm. By 6pm the temperature can be heading for 8C.		MORE FUN & SERIOUS PLEASURE PLEASE! I offer no apologies for repeating the next paragraph - published in the first issue and second issues of the news page............. To our visitors who have taken the time to tell us that they have found our site enjoyable/ informative/ helpful/ or otherwise complimented the site - very many thanks. We are trying very hard it's really good to know that you like it. Besides, my wife notes that many of you are ladies! Please don't stop!!
Kid-safe. Free. Unbiased. Innovating. Informational.. Cretanvista!		Welcome Visitors. Here in Astratigos, in spite of the weather, we have received the first of this years visitors to the home of Cretanvista. An early but very welcome visit by Allan and Jocelyn Broadribb (Middle & Right) who called to see if we really are here, whilst visiting Crete from their home in America. Allan originates from England and Jocelyn from Canada - they are considering a home on Crete.

Well, that's about it for now.....
I hope that this page and the information and news given is proving useful. If there is anything that you would like to see - particularly if you would like a picture included - please let me know. I enjoy photography and will willingly take and publish a picture of something that I know interests you if it is in this area. I can't mail photographs - but will certainly send a file by e-mail (free) if asked.

E-Mail Requests..
I receive some brilliant e-mails - really - and they are very welcome. But sometimes there is no acknowledgement that our answer has been received. We don't mind, but worry occasionally that someone may not have received an answer from us and think the worse of us! We will ALWAYS reply to e-mail so please, if you have mailed us and not received an answer - resend your mail - we didn't get it or have somehow overlooked it.

Personal Information..
We have been asked in the past to help locate people. We would love to be able to assist but regret that are unable to do this. There is fuller comment in previous issues of CV News.

Questions and Answers..
Quite a lot of questions are received here at Cretanvista and, as with e-mails and other forms of communication, do our best to supply valid answers. We never respond "Off the Top of our Heads" but always research the answer - even if we already have one (things change) before passing the information on. We provide links to appropriate alternative sources where we have them.

The answers are given with the provisio that recipients are responsible for any action taken by them.

Book Reviews.
One of the two book reviews in progress is coming along well. The author has visited us here at cretanvista and has kindly agreed to the inclusion of a photo gallery to support our review. Watch this space!

Because each review is original - we steal nothing from the book covers or the reviews of others - it takes a little longer to deal with each. No point our reviewing the reviews when what readers really want to know about is the content! 'Books and good reading'.

Can this be you.....or yours?
Every so often when I am out and about taking photographs I come across someone who could be you - or something which could be yours (or theirs!!). Maybe passing in the opposite direction on a full tandem bicycle (yes, that happened); an unattended car with foreign plates; something which catches my eye and leaves me not knowing......... Either there was no one to ask or they were moving too quickly! I thought that perhaps site visitors might like to see or be able to help identify one or two 'unknowns' which have left me wondering who, or what I have missed.   Can this be you?

        Happy cyclists on Tandem near Kolimbari, Chanion.
         Near Kolimbari 2002 - heading for Chania?

Until next month, best wishes from here on Crete. WB