WE MOVED TO… KEFALONIA

Friday 1st December 2006

Frances Findlay made a new life on the island made famous in Captain Corelli's Mandolin

What made you move?
In 1989, my husband Barry and I came here on holiday and fell in love with it. Three months later we decided to live here. But jobs were hard to come by in winter so we went back to the UK after five months. We still wanted to live on Kefalonia, but needed a better plan to make it succeed. So we learnt Greek, I finished my engineering qualifications and in 1992 we tried again.

How do your homes compare?
We owned an old- fashioned terrace which we sold before we came out here the first time. We bought our current house, in the village of Mantoukata, just outside Luxouri, six years ago for £23,200, but like all property here, it's shot up in value. It's worth twice that now. By local standards it's considered old, as it was built in 1977. It has two large bedrooms, a lounge and a patio garden. We're planning to build up and outwards.

What's the cost of living like?
Our standard of living is much higher here, and luckily the cost of everyday items is still pretty low. The equivalent of council tax covers street lighting and is incorporated into our household electricity bill, which is about £34 a month, and water's £13 a month. As our actual quality of life is so fantastic, with sun, beautiful beaches and a safe environment, it seems living here's so much better.