Met Phil at breakfast – we’ve scrounged a lift down to the wedding with him in a taxi at 11.00. He’s coming back to Skopelos immediately after the wedding to file his story at the internet cafe. Rachel had been turning her charm on him last night to persuade him to rejoin the party afterwards – we’ll see!

After all the traumas, the wedding finally turned out to be everything that the guests could have asked for. The mayor turned up only a little late and the brief civil ceremony was followed by a short but touching service from Donald. We were all asked to lay a stone to build a cairn to mark this milestone in Rachel and Robert’s journey. I’ve not seen this done before – it was very effective: an alternative way for people to join in if the religious elements didn’t mean anything to them. I’d also not seen a wedding cake with fireworks on top before

Music local and Scottish, photo session on the beach, then an afternoon snorkelling, snoozing, burying people in sand – the usual beach diversions. The weather clouded over and it made a half-hearted attempt to rain a few times – in fact ideal weather for the non-sun worshippers.

More vague conversations and worries about how people will get home. It will be interesting to see how people like Lizzie will get on – she booked with Freedom Flights, but flew out before Exel went tits up, so she is entitled to be repatriated. There has been a mutual agreement not to worry until the wedding was out of the way. Worrying in earnest will begin tomorrow.

The celebrations then resumed in earnest at 20.30 with a meal in the taverna that was excellent but seemed to go on for ever. Dancing queen Sue couldn’t wait for the Abba to start. She’d happily dance with anyone – if all else failed, one of the local cats would do Robert and musician friends provided live music for those who preferred ceilidhs to cats.

We had texts through the evening from people in the UK to say they had seen Phil’s report on ITN. Phil had not reappeared for dinner, so Mel and I scrounged a lift back to town with a couple of Danish guys who had their second home on the island. In the small hours of the morning it was still pleasantly warm and people were still sitting out in tavernas – a peaceful end to a lovely day.

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