Cretan Diary - Chapter 35

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Friday 27th - Rethymnon

November 27th, 2009

We awoke to a bright, sunny day. I showered and got dressed then we walked up the hill to buy eggs and bread. We returned with eggs, cauliflower but no bread - the delivery arrived while we were there but we forgot to pick up a loaf. Never mind, we have sufficient.

Outside, a digger was filling the new foundations with rocks.

We had to go to Rethymnon to buy some heatshrink tube. We managed to squeeze into a parking space on a dusty plot of land then walked back up one of the main streets.

We found the electrical shop that we'd been directed to but nobody there volunteered to speak English so I struggled with my notes and the assistant became somewhat irritable. Once I'd bought the plastic heatshrink tube we walked along the sea front then back into town till we found a nice-looking café.

The kerb stones have projections to prevent vehicles from parking on the pavement. Unfortunately, this means that you have watch where you're walking, otherwise you'll trip and fall into the gutter!

We arrived back home just 30 minutes before the builders returned.

They removed the canopy, drilled new holes lower down, and pumped resin into the hollow bricks to fill them.

Then they refitted the canopy and added the threaded rod supports, which I'd bought previously.

It was almost dark by the time they finished. They promised to return on Tuesday to continue with other jobs.

Greek lesson

When you want the bus to stop you shout "stasee!" Be careful not to shout "stazee" because that means "it is dripping!" The chances are high that the bus will not stop but the driver may later check for leaks.

If you want to say "it will be situated here" it's "tha vrethee etho". Be careful not to say "tha vreksee etho", which means "it will rain here". This is quite important if you are having furniture delivered because the driver wants to know where to put it and isn't interested in weather predictions. (I'm sure this mistake is partly responsible for the reputation English people have for talking incessantly about the weather!)

Saturday 28th - Central Heating

November 28th, 2009

We were rudely awoken at 8am by the sound of the telephone ringing. "It'll be another wrong number," I muttered, as Jenny launched herself downstairs. A minute later she shouted to me "get out of bed NOW! The plumber's coming to install the central heating."

Dutifully, I complied and we dashed about moving boxes to clear some space. Jenny had a very quick shower and managed to get dressed before the plumber arrived. It was Manolis (who had replaced the ball cock and fitted the water filter recently) with another lad. They set to work, fetching radiators and mysterious brass fittings into the house.

Jenny and I walked to the shop to buy bread and eggs. By the time we returned, two radiators were already installed!

Within an hour the bedroom radiators were installed and the lads started connecting pipes on the roof and in the shed.

Next, the boiler was carried into the shed and a pipe connected.

Looking down the back of the boiler, I think that grey protrusion might be the chimney outlet.

A decorative array of taps was fitted to the pipes in the wall cabinet. The shed had been cleverly built over the cabinet-cover's edge, making it impossible to remove one screw. Luckily, I have a "Dremel" and was able to make a saw cut down the cover to extract it. You can see the remains of its right-hand edge, firmly stuck in place.

The weather was still very pleasant when the plumbers left at 3:30pm. They promised "maybe we will come back on Monday to finish".

A Christmas bazaar was being held at the main hotel in Almeritha so we drove down there to participate.

As usual, the traffic was heavy with at least one vehicle every 5 kilometers.

The place was heaving with "Brits" so we didn't stay long. Jenny bought a few nick-nacks then we headed to the local taverna for drinks. We'd been there only once previously but the owners treated us like long lost relatives.

More traffic problems on the way back. Sometimes I yearn for the M6 and three lanes from which to choose!

Well, maybe not.

Sunday 29th - The South Coast

November 29th, 2009

We had breakfast in Georgioupolis, as usual, then headed for Vrises, the gateway to the south coast.

A new road has recently been constructed so it's possible to drive all the way to Chora Sfakia without problems.

The fertile Askifou Plateau might once have been a lake.

Goats roam the hillsides...

...and the roads!

The locals like to practice their shooting skills.

New tunnels have been constructed to eliminate some rather frightening hairpin bends.

We stopped several times to take photos.

It's hard to believe that we are less than four weeks from Christmas!

The south coast came into view but there was still a long way to drive, since we had no parachute.

The road is new but there's no way to eliminate all those bends.

The seemingly never-ending bends!

An over-zealous driver has lost his car...

...or just another unwanted car, pushed over the edge?

Finally, we reached our destination.

The "beach".

We stopped for a drink and Jenny tested her new camera.

I had to use the toilet. This is a typical example. It's relatively clean and has everything you need, apart from a seat.

A pair of ducks on a rock. (Last time I posted a picture of ducks, someone told me they were geese. These are definitely not geese!)

We returned to Vrises and had a late lunch.

Click on the image for a larger picture of Chora Sfakia harbour.

Monday 30th - Work November 30th, 2009 A busy day. I spent much of it at the computer.
However, we had to take the Accountant's documents to the Town Hall in Kaleeves, where an official witnessed our signatures then duly stamped and signed the papers. We left them, with money, in the "periptero" (kiosk) across the road. The owner is our accountant's sister!
	Jenny, outside the Town Hall at Kaleeves.
Tuesday 1st - Play December 1, 2009 A chilly night followed by a sunny day. The plumbers have just arrived and there's a lot of noise. The diesel oil has been ordered from old "Harrees" at the garage in Vamos but we don't expect it to be delivered until this evening. We went to the restaurant above our local supermarket for lunch. We watched French TV with Greek subtitles while we ate. The plumbers departed at 4pm, just before the builder arrived to finish off filling the cable channel in our bedroom. The wall is ready for painting now.
Shortly after the builder arrived, the diesel oil turned up...
...so now we have oil in the tank. I think the job is finished apart from fitting the living room thermostat/timer unit. The plumbers promised to return tomorrow to finish off and test the system.
Greek Lesson "Diesel oil" is called petrélaio, pronounced "petrELL-ay-oh". The word for "small change" is "pseelá". The same word means "it is high up". (I don't know if it's spelt the same but it certainly sounds the same.) The Cretan word for "chimney" is "caminátha". (I am having to unlearn the Greek dictionary word for chimney, which is understood but not used here!) Interestingly, the Italian word for chimney is "camino" and I think the Cretan version is derived from that. "Filter" is "feeltró". These are all from memory. I'm quite pleased about that. Words I still have to commit to memory are: "Lévitas" - boiler (If I remember "levitate" and raising the temperature, I've got it!) "KeekloforeetEEs" - pump "TheksamenEE" - tank "ThohEEo" - vessel (closed tank) "ThohEEo theeastolEEs" - pressure* vessel "sómata" - radiators *In English we have stolen "theeastolEEs" (diastolic) to refer to the blood pressure when it is at its lowest. Wednesday 2nd - Heating! December 2, 2009 Thunder and lightning commenced around 3am and continued throughout the morning, accompanied by mostly light rain. I remembered that Manolis, the plumber, had told me to ring the shop in Vamos when the oil arrived, so he could arrange to come and install the room thermostat and timer unit. I had mislaid the 'phone number so I drove to Vamos. I picked up a man who was walking along the road, just 100 meters before the shop. He was also headed there and we arrived just ten seconds before a real downpour commenced. He expressed his gratitude for the short ride. I told Vagileea that the "petreleeo" had arrived and she told me that Spiros had gone back to the hospital to have his nose examined. He would probably call round tomorrow to fit the room 'stat. This was disappointing but I said "then peerazee" (it doesn't matter) in the way that the locals express "never mind" and drove home. I was working at the computer when there was a bright flash and a sound like a popping light bulb above my head. However, I checked everything and couldn't find anything wrong. As a precaution, I switched off the computers and unplugged the phone, router, aerial and satellite connections. I read a book for a while, till it seemed safe, then turned my computer on again. Jenny made a quick lunch of paella and I continued to work after eating. Around 3pm, Spiros arrived with Manolis, the plumber. They struggled for ages to wire up the combined timer/'stat then gave up and struggled for another hour to connect the existing 'stat that came with the house.
Eventually, they got this temporary arrangement working, the house started to warm up, and they promised to return in a day or two after discussing the wiring with the experts in Athens. As far as I can see, there are only three wires to connect, but the diagram shows five connections so they are confused!
Thursday 3rd - Raining! December 2, 2009 It was lovely and warm in our bedroom this morning! I really didn't want to get out of bed. But we had to go to Xaniá to withdraw money to pay plumbers and builders so, reluctantly, I arose and had a nice hot shower. Outside, a cold shower was awaiting us.
The local people have a cavalier attitude towards rain. It's something that happens rarely, so they don't really bother to make arrangements to cope with it. Gutters are conspicuously absent from roofs. Water collects and pours out of odd looking pipes and holes onto the pavement. Rain pours into houses and the owners simply shrug and say "it'll dry out in summer".
They do use umbrellas and wear coats - in case you'd wondered!
Beware the drains! In general, they look like this. It's easy to slip and put your entire leg down a gaping hole. This is an average size. Some are much larger.
The shops are full of Christmas decorations, although the Greeks tend to celebrate on New Year's Day, not Christmas Day.
The bus station in Xaniá. Frankly, it's confusing at best and, at worst, chaotic. The ticket sellers can't tell you where your bus will park and the average bus will wait just one minute before leaving bang on time. So it's a matter of running from bus to bus, at the appointed time, to find the one bearing your destination.
We arrived home just as Eddie-the-builder was leaving. He had made a nice job of finishing off the bedroom wall, which he'd channeled to hide our TV and satellite cables. Now I have to figure out how I can fit the sockets.
Ohee provleema!