This year as I am turning 40th I have decided to start planning my birthday already, not much to plan anyway. My flatmate Sue and I are thinking of going to Athens, as I am already planning to going back at least once more this year.
As there is only one thing I really want for my birthday - and that would be to meet my son and for him to wanting to have some sort of relationship with me, I do not intend to do anything major.
However, it got me thinking who from my Athens days would I like the chance to meet again. As there are so many but I thought I make a "wish list" of who I would like to catch up with from back in the days. Some of the people on this list I saw as my family but for all I know I was just a ship in the night for them.
1) Mana - the main person from my days in Greece I would love to meet again, she was my Greek "mother" and I cannot think of any person who ever met her would would not remember her with found memories - she must be in her eighties if she is still around now.
2) Takis - one of my two Greek "brothers" and one of my bosses, but we did have some fun together discussing PFO's and he did get me hooked on Super Bikes for a while.
3) Nikos - my other "brother" and my personal Nicky Rourke - he was obsessed with Mickey Rourke (pre-surgery days).
4) Lino - one of my best friends ever, listing to Pink Floyd always reminds me of our sessions on the roof of Diethnes Hotel. In February when I was in Athens I got a chance to check out this old haunt but now when Christos has turned the roof into a bar it was not the same (but then it was the daytime).
5) Scoogie & Lisa - the rest of the foursome who often ended up on the roof listening to Pink Floyd, we would be laying there gazing at the Athens stars or be downstairs booging to Lino set at Jakie O.
6) George & Bindy - my two Australian blood sisters who introduced me to TISM. The funny thing about these two, is that we became friends because I caught George in bed with my so-called boyfriend. So after a quick introduction to Takis and Nikos they moved out of Zorba's Hostel and in to Joy's and our winter 1990 was born. We had converted the bar into a lounge with a massive "bed" in front of the TV where we would either chill out watching movies or eating pizza's. (I think the pizza place was still there in February).
7) Wilma, Manolis and little Elisabet - my other bosses and the rest of my "family". It was Manolis and Wilma who upon realising I was pregnant helped me in finding a decent doctor and ensuring that when I decided to give my son up for adoption everything was above board and he went to a decent family. I wonder if Wilma got her way and the family moved to South Africa and if they have had more kids.
8) Andreas, Kostas, Spiros - criky I have forgotten how much fun I had in Athens during the winter of 1990. Picnics, kit flying being taken out for family trips by Manolis, Wilma, Takis, Mana and their friends.
9) Anderas, Jonas, Sam, Said, Matthew, Crazy Patrick, Viking, Stephen, Thomas, Claus and so many more of the runners and hostel staff from back in the days, it is impossible to remember all - also just realised most of my friends back then was blokes!!! I have always been a bit of a tomboy.
Why did one of us not have the foresight to say: "I have an idea, lets all meet at Oinio Station at this date twenty years from now". Can you imaging how much fun that would have been? It would have been fun to see what have become of us all, had any of the hippies become straight laces and any of the straight laces become hippies??
Now that might have been a fun party, also as a lot of us are turning 40 this year it would have been great - hindsight is a wonderful thing - but in relity the chances of me meeting up with any of the folks from back in the days are slim. But the two runners who are around will be invite to join Sue and me in Athens.
