Cretan Diary - Chapter 41

Send this page address - CLICK HERE - to a friend ! Friday 8th - More Sunny Weather January 8th, 2010 We awoke early and shared a grapefruit, which we'd picked up on our scenic walk. Just after 9am we trudged up to the supermarket where Aspasea and Jill were arguing about letting a customer leave without paying. As we waited for the bread to arrive, the postman drove up with the mail, which included a package for Jenny. As we headed back, Graeme Cook (our "satellite dish man") pulled up alongside. He was earlier than I'd expected. He said he would visit our neighbours, then come across to check my dish. I've been having signal problems so I'd asked him to check it. His measurements indicated that nothing was wrong but he adjusted and tightened the LNB, which was slightly loose. While I was on the roof with Graeme, Jenny drove off to a coffee morning in Kaleeves. Graeme left and I returned to my computer to work. Later we visited Eleni and Christos, who gave us a bag of marmalade oranges.
My weather clock - a Christmas present from Jenny - has indicated RAIN since the day I switched it on. Frankly, I don't believe it. I think it's sick.
An interesting sunset. Jenny drove us to a taverna for a meal and quiz. A very pleasant evening.
As you can almost see on the dashboard computer display, the drive home was done at a leisurely 31.4 miles per gallon. This road had new white lines.
As seen by Mike after three glasses of wine and a raki. (Jenny was driving.)
Saturday 9th - Fasaleea January 9th, 2010 "Fasaleea" means "it's windy" and it is! We wafted up to Aspaseea's supermarket and bought provisions and jars so Jenny can make marmelade* today, with the oranges from Christos. We met Jill and Paul at the abandoned car. It was they who told is about "fasaleea". They also gave us another phrase: you point at your head and say "messa teepota". It means "inside, nothing". That'll be very useful. *My friend corrected my spelling, since we spell it "marmalade" in English. I've actually typed a transliteration of the Greek spelling for "jam". Messa teepota! There was a knock on the door and we opened it to Spiros, the plumber, who speaks no English. He held a Siemens electronic thermostat and told us he was working for an English lady in Apokoronas. I thought he wanted to know how to connect it so I grinned and said "alla eparXee mono theeo kalotheea!" (But there are only two wires.) However, he wanted to know if we could show him how to program it. Jenny had programmed ours so I suggested she help, but she was elbow-deep in sticky oranges. So I handed him a printout of the English instructions, which he accepted gratefully and apologetically and rushed away to complete the job. He told us that it was windy and there was no water. We aren't certain whether he was concerned about the lack of rain or whether the house in which he was working had no water supply. The power went off before noon and just as Jenny turned on the hot plate to boil her marmalade. So we abandoned the house and drove to Xaniá to do some window-shopping. Our excuse was that we needed to buy a birthday present for Christos. Normally birthdays aren't celebrated here but, since Christos is married to Eleni, he gets to celebrate his "name day" and his birthday. Actually this makes sense since his "name day" is, of course, Christmas Day. We left our car at the car park and I carried my fleece just in case the the day became cooler (it didn't). At this point I should mention that our son, Tim, bought me a book called "Instant Weather Forecasting" by Alan Watts, for Christmas. (Thanks, Tim). I've been trying to use it but I think we have different sort of clouds here!
There's a long ridge of cloud which is virtually unmoving and obscures the sun. You can see the sun but the illuminated portion of cloud is much brighter and there are rainbow colours.
We had an enjoyable wander around town and bought a little gift for Christos, which we think he'll like. We had lunch at a café which occupies part of the former Turkish baths then collected the car and headed home. This is the car park entrance/exit.
The sky definitely looks weird!
We stopped at the petrol station, which is usually the cheapest, to top up. Today it's 1.20 Euros per litre. I'm sure it was only 1.12 last time!
More interesting clouds at Kaleeves and the sun is reflected by the tarmac worn smooth by many tyres. (It's not wet.)
A "mackerel sky" over the bay at Kaleeves.
More cloud formations.
I think these clouds simply prove that it's windy. (I knew that already!)
A balcony for every occasion. No matter where the sun is, you can find a shaded place.
The power was back on when we returned. I watched a recorded TV programme then had a siesta. For some reason, my neck feels a bit stiff. Evening. It's still very windy but it's warm (19'C outside) and the central heating didn't turn on until 8pm. The marmalade is in jars. I've answered some emails from customers so I think I'll watch another recorded TV programme now.   Sunday 10th - We visit Myriokefala January 10th, 2010 The wind abated at midnight and the night was calm until 7am when we I was awoken by a sudden gust that lasted only a few minutes, By the time I had showered and dressed, all was calm. The morning was bright but cooler than yesterday and I carried my fleece but didn't wear it.
We drove to Georgioupolis and parked in our favourite place beneath the trees, next to the river bridge.
We had breakfast at the Naos taverna (and paid for the drinks that we were unable to pay for a few days ago). Then we went to the table-top sale at "The Oasis" bar, where Jenny bought some Christmas cards, DVDs, books, lumpy peanut butter and food.
We drove to Myriokefala and photographed the ancient monastery of Agia Yiannis (St. John).
On the "name day" of Yiannis, those local men with that name will gather at this place.

My tiny panoramic photo doesn't do it justice but the views from Myriokefala are quite breathtaking.
We continued on a circular tour and came upon some goats. Normally, they will make a leisurely escape if a car drives past.
However, if you are stupid enough to stop to take photos, the goats are also stupid enough to think that you are their farmer with food - so they will gather round expectantly!
On the way home, we stopped to photograph the White Mountains. Unfortunately, very little snow is left, which means we may run out of drinking water this year! A warm winter has its disadvantages.
Monday 11th - We stay home January 11th, 2010 We arose at 8am to a sunny blue sky with fluffy white clouds. It was warm enough for me to stomp up to the supermarket in only a thin shirt. A man was leaning on our gate post, putting what looked like pills into a plastic cup. I said "Kali mera" and he grinned. I think he's working on the garden of the empty house next door.
Some men turned up at the new building opposite and removed the wooden shuttering without pouring any concrete. Looks like another failed project. Someone has dumped a load of top soil outside.
Our handuman/builder, phoned to say that he'd call in later. While Jenny made more marmalade, I drove to Vamos to post two cards and a package for her. The nice post lady taught me two new words: "Aplo" means "normal" post. "Systimeno" means "registered" post. On my return to the car park, I met Pat and Roger (fellow walkers) and Ken also arrived. We chatted briefly then I drove home. Wendy, our next door neighbour, phoned from England to ask if we could water her plants. Jenny went and checked but they look OK. As rain is forecast for the rest of this week, we'll wait and see!
	Unbelievably, my weather clock is indicating sunshine for the first time since I switched it on! I spent a couple of hours on the computer. The sky is now overcast and it's "only" 17.5'c outside. Jenny has gone to the shop and will then visit our neighbours over the hill.
A cement mixer lorry arrived...
...and reversed into the vacant lot next door. There were a lot of churning noises before it departed.
I sneaked next door under cover of darkness and found a large pool of cement behind the house. Hmm, the mystery deepens (but if it's a swimming pool, it's not going to be very deep!) No, I didn't leave footprints.
The builder didn't phone back or turn up. No surprises there. He did say that he was very busy and I don't blame him for knocking off at 5pm and going home to his dinner. Jenny returned with some music for "iTunes" and spent an hour or two organising it, after first cooking dinner for us (for which I am truly grateful, as always). Lamb chops with veg, if you must know. 10pm the temperature outside is down to 14.5'C It's not raining (yet).   Tuesday 12th - Rain at last January 12th, 2010 Clouds were gathering and it was almost cool enough to require more than a shirt - but not quite. We had breakfast then I checked my emails and did some work.
Around 9am a lorry arrived and delivered wooden shuttering to the concrete house base opposite!
There were men on the balcony of the unoccupied yellow house to the right, fitting solar panels to the roof. More men were excavating the road next to the yellow house to the left and generally making a lot of noise.
Just before 11am the phone line went dead and our broadband stopped working. I connected the wireless "3G dongle" and finished what I was doing. We loaded the car with rubbish and went to find the local rubbish tip. We'd been given directions but finally realised that the guy giving them had assumed we'd be driving from Kaleeves and not towards Kaleeves. At this moment we were walking back along a dirt track where we thought the tip might have been. A man approached us, carrying a tool box. "Kalee mera," I said. "Sixnomee alla.. oh, are you English?" He was aged about forty and was listening to an iPod. Close to, he didn't look very Greek. "Yes," he replied. I asked if he knew where the rubbish tip was located and he directed us. It was back the way we'd come, towards Drapanos. We found it, easily, and unloaded the car. As I went to get back into the car, I stood on a sack, which squelched horribly and a smell of maggots rose into the air. There was fur sticking out of the sack. Ugh! I scraped my sandal on the ground and got into the car. We drove back quickly and stopped at Aspaseea's supermarket to check for mail and buy provisions. On arrival home, I removed my sandals, and the car foot mat, and held them under the garden water tap for a minute. The broadband still wasn't working, so I activated my "dongle" again and answered some customer enquiries. Jenny made sandwiches for lunch and the broadband came back to life. The sky grew darker and it began to rain. Jenny mentioned this on "facebook" and Wendy, our neighbour who is currently in England, responded. We don't need to water her garden after all. 3.30pm the rain continues as an extremely fine drizzle and the temperature outside is 14'C, but it doesn't feel cold. We have been listening to Jenny's Greek lesson CDs, which use the Michel Thomas Method.
We were invited to Christos' birthday meal in the evening. We arrived just after 7pm as the food began to appear on the table. I was told that it's a sign of bad luck to fold your arms. I'm forever doing that so I'll have to try to remember to stick my hands in my pockets instead.
Cretan and English friends arrived and we all tucked in. The supply of food seemed endless! I limited my intake of alcohol because one of us had to drive home up Seven Bends Road!
Wednesday 13th - Noise January 13th, 2010 For reasons unknown, I slept in this morning. Jenny was already up and listening to a Greek lesson when I eventually came downstairs. I ate corn flakes, worked at the computer for a while, then we went for a walk, calling at the shop on our way back.
The wooden shuttering has been resurrected, with much banging and shouting. Holes are being excavated all around and there are workmen in the garden next door to us.
We had been invited to join C.I.C. members for lunch so Jenny drove us towards the National Highway at Kaleeves. The roads aren't wide enough for lorries to pass.
On the Highway, the cement lorry decided to pass another lorry. (This is a telephoto shot - we were hanging well back!)
We reached the "Kalami Parking" taverna, which is popular with locals. It was after 1pm so we were the last of the party to arrive. We had a reasonable lunch but my chicken was undercooked so I left most of it.
Back on the Highway, we found ourselves behind another cement lorry, which we followed all the way to Kaleeves. (This is where I had my new tyres fitted.)
The mountains are snow-capped again. Hooray!
We stopped in Vamos to offload some rubbish for recycling.
Back in the village at 4pm we stopped to donate the remains of our meals to the local cats.
It has been cool all day, with the temperature barely reaching 15'C in the shade. At 8pm it's down to ten degrees and the rain has started to fall again. Just a light drizzle, but storms are forecast for Sunday. Mother Superior called all the nuns together and said to them, 'I must tell you all something. We have a case of gonorrhoea in the convent." 'Thank God,' said an elderly nun at the back. 'I'm so tired of Chardonnay.'   Thursday 14th - Fireworks January 14th, 2010 We were awoken at 2am by bright flashes of light. At first I thought it was lightning but there was no thunder. Light rain was falling. We looked out of the bedroom window and we could see a bright pinkish light with sparks falling from it. At first I thought it was a distress flare out at sea but it wasn't moving and it seemed much closer. I opened the door to the veranda and I could hear hissing and popping sounds, like a firework. Eventually, the noise and lights subsided. I made a note of the direction and we returned to bed.
In the morning I pinpointed the culprit. It was this electricity pole, which is about 300 metres from our house, towards the sea. We walked down the lane, past the workmen, and looked closely at it.
You can see the scorch mark around the pole, and the cable hanging loose.

Chapter 42 - A Grey Day

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