Cretan Diary - Chapter 28

We drove to Kalamitsi Alexandrou, where we found our fellow walkers ready to set off. The walk began with a tour around the church.

A gravel track took us to the bottom of the valley.

Whoever goes down must then go up, and so it was for us. In fact a series of downs and ups took us to...

...a view over the National Highway towards the factory near Georgioupolis.

Further on we came to a "cave" which had been formed in recent times when an earthquake caused a huge chunk of mountain to split away and rest against the cliff face from whence it fell.

There's running water in the "cave" and a small church on the other side.

Time for a rest and a snack at a local picnic spot in the valley, before another climb back to the village where we stopped at the cafenion for a drink.

Clear blue skies and a temperature of around 24'C in the shade, made this a very pleasant 7.5km stroll (or pant, in some places!)

9:30 pm. Temperature outside is 12'C. Indoors, downstairs in the kitchen it's 18'C and upstairs in our bedroom it's 19'C. I have to say that it feels decidedly chilly in the office, which is at 20'C because of the heat from my computer system! I haven't needed the ceiling fan today.

When I went to bed, I found that Jenny had filled a hot water bottle for me. I was glad of it!

Thursday - The Rack

October 22, 2009

The bedroom temperature had fallen to just under 18 degrees by 6:30am. I didn't go outside but by 9:30am it was 19 degrees outside and rose to 20 degrees in the shade. By noon it felt darn warm in direct sunlight!

Eleni has gone to England for a fortnight. Jenny saw a message, on "Facebook", stating that she'd arrived in Athens safely and was about to board the connecting flight.

I had asked Manolis, the carpenter, to make me a couple of shelves. Manolis passed a message, via Eleni, that I should go to his workshop at 10 am to collect them. I drove there and arrived just as he was finishing off. He passed me some sandpaper and told me (in Greek) that I could finish them off at home. Once again he refused to take any payment. He asked what they were for. I couldn't explain in Greek and I handed him a piece of paper on which I'd printed a computer translation for "I am highly intelligent so I am frustrated that I can't communicate effectively in Greek." Goodness knows what it actually said in Greek but I think that, once again, the computer had "dropped me in it"! He backed away, rapidly, as if I'd announced that I was sexually frustrated and would he mind bending over. (I must stop using the computer translation software. I checked with the dictionary, later, and I don't think the meaning was any worse than "I am brainy and cancelled and incapable" - but who knows?) Anyway, I noticed that the entire floor was covered in sawdust and wood-shavings. I picked up a handful and asked if I could have some "yia to somba" (for the stove). He nodded enthusiastically and found a carrier bag to supplement the one that I'd pulled from my pocket. I drove off with two (free) bags of wood shavings which, I hope, will be useful in getting the fire burning. Oh, before I left, I asked him to tell me the Greek word for "shavings". It is pronounced "rokaneedheea".* I asked for a pencil and wrote it down. He expressed surprise that I was able to write in Greek. Obviously my attempts to speak the darn language hadn't impressed him so far, so the fact that I could actually write words in Greek must have come as a shock. * I have to make "mind pictures" in order to remember words. For this one I imagine someone shaving her wooden knee with a sharp rock and "Rock a knee, dear." No, don't laugh - I'm being serious. It works. The word for "blind" (as in "venetian") is pronounced "storey". So I imagine a multi-storey building with blinds at every window. I can't do this for every word but it works for many. For example, the word for "thank you" is pronounced (roughly) "Eff Harry's toe". Make a mental picture involving "thanks". Someone trod on effing Harry's toe and he's saying "thanks!" Can you forget it, now? The word for "please" is pronounced "para ka low". A bit trickier but think of "para" from "parachute". Think of a Ford "Ka" parachuting rather low and associate this with "please". I'm easily distracted. Where was I? Oh, yes. On the way home I had to call at the hardware store in Vamos to buy an axe and a toilet seat. Kanena provleema. I also got the assistant to show me some containers that I might press into service as rain barrels.
We drove to Georgioupolis for lunch. Clear blue sky, bright sunshine. Temperature at least 20'C in the shade. This is my sort of Autumn!
Jenny collected some scraps from the meal and, just before the sun disappeared below the mountains, she threw them to the local cats.
There are no more cheap charter holiday flights from England until next May. This seems rather a pity. Although the evenings are cool, the days are still warm or even hot. Any hotel or apartment with modest heating arrangements would be perfectly comfortable and holidaymakers could still have a great time until at least December. Of course occasional days would be "spoilt" by rain but it's a heck of a lot nicer weather than in the UK, most of the time. A handyman, recommended by Eleni, phoned to say he'd be with us around 5pm tomorrow. Friday - Rethymnon October 23, 2009 The power went off for a minute, just after breakfast. The UPS kept the computer system going but I shut it down anyway. We drove to Rethymnon to collect the venetian blind. Dropped rubbish off at a recycling bin. Had a drink at a cafenion. Bought another thermometer at "The Euro Shop". Drove back. Walked up the hill to buy bread but the shop had closed at 1pm "due to a death in the family" - according to a notice on the door. I bought bread at the smaller shop and walked back home. Friday is always "quiet" for business. I answered a few emails then had a nap. I investigated the water leak in the shed. I can't stop it. It looks like the pipe joint at the plastic tank has cracked. Need a plumber. The handiman recommended by Eleni failed to phone or turn up. The forecast is for rain all week, with possible thunderstorms so I brought some wood into the house and stacked some of it in the "Somba" stove. I put the rest in buckets in the kitchen. I covered half of the wood still outside with plastic "bubble-wrap" and weighted it down. If it's going to be cold and wet, we might need dry wood. Jenny's tomato seeds are showing tiny leaves already. The temperature indoors is 20 degrees C. at 8pm. It was quite warm outside at 7pm. Clocks go back this weekend.