Page 62 of All You Need is Greece

I feel so blessed to be sitting here with my new friends, and being at a hen party makes me wonder whether I would have one myself, and if so, what would it be like? Not that we have actually discussed wedding plans yet, or any future plans really. But I think I would quite fancy doing something adventurous, like a zip wire over the Welsh mountains. Maybe.

As I do love a cocktail, and I figure the pineapple and lime juice will make it delicious, I agree to a glass of ouzotini that has already been prepared and is in a pitcher, filled with ice. As I expected, it is delicious, although I do limit myself to one small glass.

‘Did Nicos get away okay?’ I ask Tania, as I sip my cocktail through a straw. ‘Are they ready for Lars to arrive? By the way, it was really kind of him to invite Marco to join them.’

‘Yes, they were all quite excited, I think. They are meeting Marco at the harbour as it’s not far from where he is staying. I kind of thought he might appreciate being asked, as you would be joining us for Judith’s hen party.’

‘Are we ready then?’ Judith is the first to stand, and we link arms and take the walk slowly uphill to the bar.

‘At least it will be easier coming down,’ Judith says with a laugh as we climb a little higher.

‘Any more cocktails like that, and we will be rolling down the hill,’ says Doll, and we all laugh.

‘The others ought to be there by now,’ says Judith, glancing at her watch, the others being Yolanda and her close female neighbours, as well as Helena from the bar, her mother and grandmother.

Stepping onto the terrace to the bar, I notice the remembrance tree on the flagged area at the foot of the church. Coloured ribbons are tied around the branches in memory of loved ones, messages written on them and on little ceramic hearts.

Judith gasps when she sees the bar area; the pretty paper chains that had been painstakingly made are threaded along the bar with pastel-coloured balloons. There is a huge banner saying ‘Good luck Judith’ in the middle of the bar, all hand-painted, little splashes of glitter here and there, and red hearts made from fabric have been stuck on. Several tables have been pushed together, and set with tablecloths and candles, and several bottles of wine sitting in wine buckets.

‘Oh my goodness, you did all this?’ She hugs Helena, as she takes everything in.

‘We all did.’ Helena gestures to her mother and grandmother. ‘We wanted to make it special for you.’

‘Well, you have certainly done that.’ Judith looks a little teary as she takes everything in. ‘I’m sure I don’t deserve all of this.’

‘Of course you do. And I am sure all of the animals would agree,’ says Helena firmly.

There are large platters of food sitting on the bar, covered with clear domes, and when I spy some delicious-looking filo pastry tarts, my stomach gives a little rumble.

‘Please, please. Everyone sit down. I make a toast,’ instructs Helena, as she offers around a bottle of champagne and fills some flutes.

‘Judith, I hope you and Lars have your happy ever after. You definitely deserve it. Congratulations. I hope you enjoy your special evening.’

She pops the cork on a champagne bottle, dropping a little into our glasses, which we all raise to Judith and Lars.

‘Oh this is just wonderful,’ says Judith. ‘But who paid for all this? I didn’t want people going to any expense,’ she continues, as we take our seats at the long table.

As the sun begins to set, Helena quickly lights some chunky candles in storm jars, which are lined along the broken flagged floor.

‘We all chipped in with the food, and I have done some of the baking,’ says Tania. ‘Helena, her mum and grandmother have been busy decorating the bar. Oh and Lars paid for the champagne and wine, as well as putting some money behind the bar. Helena, make sure you let me know when it runs out,’ Tania tells her.

‘For sure.’ She smiles.

Panos appears then and sets down the platters of food on the table, assisted by Helena and her mother. I notice Hannah glance at Panos, and he smiles at her.

‘Is Panos staying?’ I ask Helena as I chew on one of the tasty feta and red pepper filled tarts.

‘I think so, yes. He was invited on the fishing trip, but he has never really been one for the water. He gets seasick,’ she reveals.

I’m sure Hannah will be pleased that he is sticking around this evening, and I hope that maybe they will get the chance to talk to each other.

The drink is flowing, and the sound of laughter rings around the forest as we eat and chat and have a wonderful time. When we have had our fill of savoury dishes, including meatballs, chicken with rice and tasty pies, Panos brings out a showstopper of a cheesecake loaded with red berries and places it at the centre of the table before going to get cutlery.

‘That looks exactly like the one I brought to your BBQ,’ Doll says to Tania, as she takes a slug of white wine.

‘It does, doesn’t it?’ Tania says innocently.

‘It certainly does. The one Smudge gobbled up.’ Doll smiles as she refills her glass.

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