The Amazing Award Ceremony

In September Ian was finally able to award Anna Capernaros her prize for winning the ‘Strange but useful household objects competition’ (you remember, the pie funnel and the salt cellar, if you don’t, see the www.rethymnonnews.com archives). Anna’s entry, sent by email, read as follows: “Dear Pashmina — here is my slightly alternative off the wall take on the objects pictured….PHOTO ONE: PIE IN THE SKY OR THE DEADLY CONSEQUENCES OF BAKING BLACKBIRDS. This is clearly a PI (this should be the Greek sign for P — I cannot work out how to import it to this text). Gk Pi — Thagoras (translator’s note — Thagoras is an alternative dialect form of old Norse “The Gorer” i.e. Funnel). PHOTO TWO: This is an ATIA (Greekspeak for UFO) thought to originate from the Isosceles Triangle within the Ro Sigma Tav (should be Greek letters) Galaxy.” We hope you agree that this entry is at the very least highly informative, and certainly monumentally entertaining. On the right you can see Anna happily clutching her generous prize (posh French fizz, even, rather than the Rhodes CAIR originally on offer) alongside Ian in the Bugle Garden.

New International Competition! With Great Prizes!

We are proud to announce the launch of a brand new competition. The challenge has been set by our renowned international correspondent for the CMB — Ruth Swan. Ruth, who is based in Italy, has very kindly agreed to act as a judge for ‘The beat this if you can Road Sign Competition’. On your right you can see an example of the type of thing we are looking for: in this case a warning for a radar speed trap above the name of a settlement. Entries don’t have to be road signs — Billboards, restaurant menu howlers etc. will do, too. It is worth bearing in mind, though, that the road sign for ‘Krapi Basin’ (Askifou Plateau) has already been used in a previous issue (so will be automatically disqualified!). The rules, then: Submissions can (and should) come from anywhere on this planet (road signs from Mars with the words ‘Elvis’ and ‘Golf’ will be treated with deep suspicion). The best case scenario is if your entries are sent to Kate via email in either jpeg or bitmap format to editor@rethymnonnews.com — and they will then be forwarded across the Adriatic to Ruth, who will pass her final judgement. We will print the best submissions in the Bugle. The deadline will be some time in 2008, the great prizes have yet to be decided on.

Opening of ‘Sprider’ Store in Rethymnon

None of the CMB editorial committee could be classed as being fashion victims, but even the most sartorially challenged of us has come to the realization that shorts and sleeveless shirts are not enough to make up a ‘winter wardrobe’ in Rethymnon. Major panic when suddenly discovering that last year’s jeans are full of holes and that the sweaters all shrank in the wash. Happily help is at hand.
A new Sprider store has opened in Rethymnon, on the main road (near the big Moka and INKA supermarket) going out of town towards Platanes. For those of you who don’t know this already, Sprider is a bit like C&A and has a wide range of affordable off- the-peg clothing for children and adults. On a reconnaissance mission we were pleased to note that at least some of the clothes on offer were free of frilly bits, spangles and stupid slogans. Very good news for those of us who find clothes shopping at the best of times a bit of a chore….

Laina and Wendy: New Winter Venue!

This is very exciting! After the success of last winter, and by popular demand, Laina and Wendy will be teaming up again to run an International Bar / Restaurant / Social Centre for the Winter Season. The final venue has yet to be confirmed, but we will announce this on the www.rethymnon.biz website, along with their program of events (live music, quiz nights, curry evenings – and let’s not forget their great Sunday Roasts!) as soon as we have the details. Laina and Wendy are planning to be operational by the end of the month (once the tourists have gone home!) and hope to organize a grand opening party on Halloween night.

Not Really Lifestyle….

But then again it could be if you keep chickens. And we felt that this heartwarming story had to appear somewhere in this month’s Bugle. According to the BBC, a farm in West Cornwall has come up with a novel way of guarding their chickens by employing a couple of Peruvian alpacas –called William and Harry — to defend their flock from predators. Apparently alpacas are often used to protect sheep in Australia and New Zealand, though no information was given in the article on alpacas’ previous record at babysitting chickens. Watch this space!