Because Mike had taken up a job with Attika Metro, he spent quite  time in Athens and was able to make new friends and meet up with old ones. He joined The Athens Singers where he was warmly welcomed not only as a much needed tenor but also because he was regarded as a very friendly addition to the group, He was involved in the Sunday morning walking crowd and for a time dallied with the Hash Hound Harriers. This was  a club mainly composed of expat blokes who enjoyed partying and the occasional run usually followed by another bit of partying.

There was a HHH party being held in a house where the glass french windows were crystal clear , as they say, and Mike, thinking it was on open doorway, bottle in hand, crashed through with the inevitable result. After the necessary visit to the hospital, Mike reappeared the hero of the day and was bequeathed the title of "Slasher Stafford"  He didn't fancy the name or the banter which went with it so association with the HHH faded as did the scar  but not his appetite for socialising or a party. He will be greatly missed by us all.