Saturday 4th October 2025

As you know there is no official summer holiday these days with the exception of this year. Anthony Mottram (who sold his ‘consultancy’ for ££££££££ ) and Prince Dmitri took a villa in Cefalonia. I, Adrian Edge, managed to get there by Ryan Air.

Exiting the machine at Cefalonia, I encountered those Gays that go to fun clubs for instant fun. They were trolling the other way to board for London. They’d been visiting Ed Jasper, the bedlinen expert, and Roland Mainflower, who’ve got a branch in the north of the island. Terraces, maids, antique flower pots and a pool.

News of my arrival was flashed instantly. But it was too far to go since I had no vehicle.

Cefalonia was earthquaked in 1954 (or thereabouts). Very little of it was left. The villages are pink and new. The scenery is glorious.

The villa was classic gay in one way – entirely on its own. Half way up a mountain in wild terrain. Tremendous views. Within less gay. Oh dear, the floor tiles. One longed to re-do. And a toilet in the drawing room.

The main thing was the cats. Anthony Mottram would make cat noises every morning. Without fail the cats would appear. The black and white cat was bolder. The poor stripey one hardly got any of the food. When I tried to make cat noises, the more forward cat replied in the most off-hand manner. It could hardly to bothered.

But I thought my cat noises were quite good.

Otherwise sheep went by every evening at six pm. They had bells round their necks, so it was a musical event. There was no shepherd. They removed themselves elsewhere of their own accord.

There was a theme among the younger people of going to the neighbouring island, which is called Zakynthos. I suppose it’s inevitable that if you’re on one island, you long to get to another one within view … but out of reach, as it happened.

Now, as the autumn leaves are hounded by wind in the grey streets of London, how magical it was that we were there. Every evening we descended to the beach. The villa pool we never entered. The emptying beach as the shadows lengthened, a few elderly British people marooned on the sand, catching the final rays, the hope of paradise fading but not gone …