| It took some patience to explain what we wanted, in a mixture of Greek and English, but the assistants were extremely helpful and found a telescopic rod and a soft brush head to fit - totalling just five euros! Evening Still warmish. Fifteen degrees and windy outside. A fairly pleasant twenty degrees indoors. We could make it hotter but I don't know how much oil we are burning so we're conserving it as much as possible. The bedrooms are cooler and, at night, we let the temperature fall a little and use hot water bottles. February will be a lot colder and I'd like the oil to last. When we can afford it, we will improve the insulation of the walls. Saturday 19th - Windy December 19th, 2009 It was fairly warm this morning. We had breakfast then walked up the hill. Our close neighbour, Helen, passed us (going uphill) on a bicycle! Frankly, I would not have believed it humanly possible. We were quite prepared to see her prone body when we finally crested the brow but she had gone. Jenny went to the square to meet her friend, Sue, to participate in a shopping spree in Xaniá. I went no further than the supermarket to buy our usual "mavro" brown bread. (Curiously, "mavro" means black. "Kafetee" means brown.) I also checked for frozen turkeys and there were two left, so I phoned Eleni and asked if she wanted one. Twenty two Euros for a 3,5kg turkey was a bit dear but where else would she get one? Eleni agreed that I should buy it for her. I paid Aspaseea but left the turkey behind. "Tha epeestrepso se theka lepta me ton avtokeeneeto mou", I told her. (I'll return in ten minutes with my car.) I trudged back down the hill, placed the "mavro" in the bread box, picked up sunglasses (yes, still required), coat (wind and rain forecast) and camera (never go without it) and opened the gates. As Jenny wasn't there, I had to reverse the car out then stop to close the gates. This is essential to prevent passing flocks from entering our garden and eating everything coloured green. I noted, with satisfaction, that all four tyres contained an adequate amount of air. I collected the turkey and drove to Eleni's house. Eleni and I chatted for a few minutes while we watched Christos attacking an olive tree with a rotary flail. Unfortunately, I had left my camera in the car. As Jenny had used some petrol on her last shopping trip with Sue, I drove towards Vamos to buy more. On the way, I tested the anti-lock braking system for the first time. I hadn't planned to but I was doing about 50km/h when a farmer drove his pickup out from a side road right into my path. To compound the problem, he stopped there. I stopped, too, about two feet from his passenger door. I grinned at him and he merely raised his eyes heavenwards. I was on the main road so, in theory, I had right of way. However, had I hit him, that fact wouldn't have reduced the damage. Note to self: slow down. (I discovered, later, that this was an unmarked cross-road used frequently by farm vehicles.) Having paid old "Harees" thirty Euros for petrol, I continued to the Plumber's and asked for two applicators full of white "silly conny", as they call it. The shop assistant asked if I wanted it for "mesa ee ekta". "Ekta" (outside) I told him. He handed me the expensive silicone. They use it here for absolutely everything. Need to fit a window or door? Use "silly conny". Got a leak somewhere? Use "silly conny". Back home, I climbed my ladder on the first floor balcony and squeezed a full tube of the stuff into the hole in the wall where the air conditioning pipes and cables entered. Then I replaced the capping on the plastic channel that held the pipes. I climbed up onto the roof, scraped away loose bits of paint and sealant, and applied a metre length of "Denso tape" as a temporary seal against rainwater. Then I descended the ladder and went downstairs - trying not to touch anything - and spent five minutes scrubbing the sticky brown stuff off my hands. By now I was hungry so I made a sandwich then sat down at my computer. I spent the next couple of hours there. Jenny returned in Sue's car and we (three) chatted for a while. Later, Terry and Liz called us via "Skype" and we chatted to them. Then Jenny cooked evening dinner - a Shepherd's pie made from yesterday's mince and onion. This evening is very windy indeed. I think my plastic bag has disintegrated because I can hear the spinning thing rattling round on the Somba chimney. I don't think it's raining because I can't hear the usual "drip drip" from the plastic drainpipe just outside our office. Jenny has gone upstairs to watch TV. Despite the strong gusts of wind, we still have power and Internet. (I may be tempting fate. I'd better upload this now!) Sunday 20th - Balmy December 20th, 2009 The (warm) overnight gales did no damage here and didn't keep me awake. This morning we left early for Georgioupolis because we'd been told that the children would be singing in the church hall. It rained the whole way so we parked outside the church and donned heavy raincoats. Inside the church were a few dozen people. The choirmaster sang on and on and on (a wailing sound that sounded off-key to me) and the choir occasionally sang a few notes. Eventually the communion service began and my back was hurting, so we left. We went to "The Oasis" where a table-top sale was being held. Jenny wanted to walk but I drove the car. I saw no point in getting wet and I knew she was planning to buy stuff and I wasn't prepared to carry it back to the car. I was pleased with my decision because the first item we saw was a nest of three tables. Jenny paid and a nice man carried it to the car for us. She also bought pork pies from Eleni and home-made peanut butter from another lady. By now, the rain clouds had vanished and the temperature had risen to 24 degrees C. | 
It was blooming expensive* - about twice what we'd have paid in the UK two years ago - but it will suffice for now.
