They say it’s a small world, and a Fife expat has proved it by finding a little reminder of home in a Greek island rubbish bin.
Jim McGuinness, 64, moved from the kingdom to a village in the west of Crete called Kalyves two years ago.
He still has warm memories of home and was intrigued when he spotted a framed artwork, depicting what looked like parts of Cupar town centre, in a communal bin.
He retrieved the picture and was amazed to realise his first impressions had been correct.
The artwork was a print of a watercolour called Snowbound Cupar by renowned local artist Bill Horlock, prompting Jim to take to the ‘Auld Fife and its People’ social media page in a bid to find out how and why it had ended up in the “back of beyond”.
Amazingly, his search came to an end after just a few hours when Alastair Horne, another former Fifer turned Crete resident, confessed to throwing the picture in the tip.
“I couldn’t understand how it turned up as I thought we were the only Scots in the area,” said Jim, who moved to Crete two years ago after the closure of the Tullis Russell papermill.
“We found it strange because it is where we are from in Fife, but it will go on our wall here — a little part of Fife in Crete.”
Alastair said the picture had been discarded as part of a “clear oot”, and he was thrilled to know it had found a new home.
“I cannot tell a lie – it was me who put it there,” he said.
“We lived north of Foodieash for about 15 years until we retired and moved to Crete about 12 years ago.
“The picture is a print and very faded.”
The pair hope to meet up in the near future to share stories of their time in Fife with their respective families.
