Cretan Diary - Chapter 54

Friday 9th - Xaniá

Month 9th, 2010

Jenny had arranged to drive to Xaniá with Eleni. I decided to tag along so I could visit the accountant and the bank.

We picked up Eleni at 9am and drove to a furniture store where Jenny bought cushions and a cheap clothes stand, which will allow her to display her dresses at the "table-top" and "car-boot" sales. Then on to the "Lidl" supermarket. While Jenny and Eleni shopped in there, I crossed the road to buy a car tyre pump to replace the one that I'd broken by slamming the boot lid on its connector. We had debated what it might be called in Greek. I decided it must be "Ee antleea lastiko avtokineetou" (the pump tyre-of-the-car). When I found one on the shelf it was labelled "Kompresser". OK, obvious I suppose.

We drove into the town and parked in our usual car park near "Multirama". Eleni took us to her accountant and dropped off some papers. We visited our own accountant and paid the 150 Euros for this year and handed over a tax certificate from our bank. Then Eleni and Jenny looked round M&S clothing store while I went across the road to our mortgage bank to find out what they wanted. We've had repeated calls from someone who said (in English) that he didn't speak English and would get someone else to call us back.

I spoke to Dafni who assured me that nobody from the bank could call us without leaving a record on the computer - implying that it was probably a scam. While I was there, she got me to sign papers for life insurance and house insurance (which we already have - but apparently we are paying for it and it's part of the mortgage contract!)

"Moskva (Moscow) Market" imports Russian-brand foods.

Tempted by the Chinese clothes shop.

We did more shopping then returned to the car and drove to Aptera, where we had lunch at the taverna opposite "The Cretan Corner" where dance lessons were taking place.

While we sat there, Geoff, Derrick and Geoff's cousin arrived and took a table next to ours. It's a small island!

We returned to Eleni's house and had a cup of tea. Then Christos showed us the chickens, which are gobbling food and growing rapidly.

Hermione and one of her daughters.

5pm. Although rain was forecast, the day has been warm with a cool breeze, making it chilly in the shade but comfortable in the sun.

Jenny put another coat of paint on the resurrected cane table and tested the new cushions on the cane settee.

In the evening we drove to Neo Chorio for the quiz night. We didn't win but we didn't come bottom, either - despite questions about sport! Our friend couldn't come because she was collecting her husband from the airport at Iraklion.

Saturday 10th - Cloudy

Month 10th, 2010

I made myself porridge for breakfast then we drove to Vamos and ordered another 500 litres of oil for our central heating system. We aren't using it much, now, but the oil is unobtainable during summer so we want to make sure we have enough to last till Autumn. This time I had remembered to take a previous receipt, plus a copy of our last electricity bill, which made old Harees very happy. When I asked him if he remembered where I live, he was insistent that I lived "in one of the three stone houses". I explained that I didn't and described the correct location. Then his son-in-law arrived; the man who delivers the oil. He joined in the conversation and I asked him if he remembered where to come. "You live in one of the three stone houses!" he said in Greek.

"No I don't!" We started again and I convinced him that our house faced the sea, not the mountains. I asked if he would deliver even if we were out. "Yes, no problem."

Afterwards I wondered if our friends would end up with an additional 500 litres in their tank.

We went to the Plumbers/DIY store, further out of town, but they had no weedkiller and told us that the shops that had would be closed today. I thought Jenny had said she wanted to buy something from the town but she couldn't remember this.

We drove to Eleni's house and I tried linking her bedroom TV direct to the aerial distribution amplifier with new coaxial cable. This produced a much better picture than previously, proving my assertion that there's something wrong with the wiring. Eleni is going to speak to the electrician.

The kittens looked very contented, with one licking the other. We drank tea and had a chat before driving to Georgioupolis.

We drove across the National road to the garden centre, where we asked if they sold weedkiller. They didn't! (Shops here are very specialised and there's a clear demarcation line for certain products.) So we'll have to find a farmer's agricultural shop next week.

We drove back across the National road. I dropped Jenny near the new supermarket while I parked in the town centre. I said something to a man who was looking a bit lost. He told me he was American - on the final day of a week's holiday - and looking for his wife. I sympathised.

Jenny and I had a chat with Erismeea, the owner of the new supermarket. It turns out that we've met her previously. She wanted our suggestions about products to stock. Jenny bought a few items and we walked back into town. We met the brother of our estate agent and exchanged a few words. Then Jenny remembered what she'd wanted to buy - so we went to the pharmacy and bought a packet of "Rennies" antacid tablets.

By now it was afternoon so we went to the "Naos" cafeteria and ordered two toasted sandwiches and lemonades from Georgeea. We heard rain on the roof but it lasted only a minute or two and nobody seemed to notice. Georgeea told us that a plane had crashed in Russia, killing the Polish president and his entourage. I've never heard of him but, never the less, the news made me feel very sad. It will disrupt the lives of many people. We watched the Greek news on TV and I bought a drink for Manolis.

Manolis is a sad case. He left the army with mental problems and is a bit of a wreck. He walks the streets from morning till night, stopping occasionally for a drink or a cigarette. He is said to own property and to collect rent from it, but he seems to spend money as soon as he gets it. I have befriended him and so we are on first-name terms, although our conversation is somewhat limited.

After our lunchtime snack, we walked to the sea front. The sun beds are finally out again but the beach was deserted because the sky was overcast. A disappointing start to "Kalo keri" (summer)!

We headed back into town and drove home.

Late in the afternoon we walked up the hill. Jenny took photographs of the roadside flowers. As I bent to take a closer look, I disturbed a feral cat that was hiding in the grass.

It slinked away, through a fence into a neighbouring field. where it sat in a briar patch.

We called at the supermarket to check for mail. There was only a telephone bill awaiting us. As we walked home, spots of rain landed on my face. I think that's what the forecast meant by "20% chance of rain - trace amounts".

At 6:54 pm, our friend phoned to ask about the oil delivery. The mini-tanker hadn't arrived yet. A few minutes later she called again to say that it had arrived at her stone house and would be with us shortly.

Soon after that, we heard a "honk" outside and the tanker had parked next to our gates. I went out and "helped". Or, rather, I got in the way and asked questions. I asked the man whether our black plastic tank would be OK in the sunlight. He said it would probably last four to five years. He pointed to the warning label on the side, which advised installing it inside a building. I shall have to look at the feasibility of getting a steel cover made for it.

Jenny cooked a mish-mash of baked potato and left-overs, which was very tasty. It's now 8:25pm and quite dark outside. The temperature outdoors has fallen to 13'C already. From Monday, the forecast indicates that the weather will become significantly warmer.

My computer in the UK is recording "Doctor Who".

Sunday 11th - Raining

Month 11th, 2010

We arose early to go to the "car boot sale" at Almereetha, but saw that it was raining. I phoned Eleni, who was already there, and she said that lots of people had turned out but some stock hadn't been unloaded because of the weather.

So we set off and parked next to the ATM in Almereetha so Jenny could withdraw more cash. The car park was very close but, to reach it, we had to make our way down a muddy grass track alongside the bridge.

Jenny looked at the offerings while I stood in the shelter of Eleni's hatchback. I forgot to take photo's - sorry!

We left with peanut butter, chutney and sausage rolls - all items that can't be bought in shops here. Jenny phoned Sue to say we were on our way. We collected our friends from the village then continued down "seven bends road" to Georgioupolis, where we ordered breakfast at the "Naos". Manolis was there so I bought him a drink and told him where we'd been. He rewarded me with a black-stump grin and brushed aside my apologies for my poor language skills. He's a nice man, really.

After breakfast, we walked to Erasmia's new supermarket and chatted to her. We came away with a few items and drove homewards.

Near the top of "seven bends road" we stopped in Selia to see Alan Tazzyman, the artist, who uses the tiny town meeting hall as his gallery.

He has added several new paintings since our last visit.

Jenny and her friend bought cards, while her husband and I kept out of the way. Alan always regales us with interesting stories. It's best to set aside an hour if you visit. He'll even show you his garden, on request.

We dropped off our friends on our way home. Jenny steam-cleaned the dust-covered shutter doors while I answered questions on the computer.

I also spoke to my partners, in England, about business matters, via "Skype).

Monday 12th - Clean Sky, Clean House

Month 12th, 2010

Although the mountains are shrouded in cloud, the sky has been mostly clear all day. The locals call it "katharos ooranós" (clean sky). Temperature in the shade barely exceeded 18 degrees but it felt very warm in the sunshine.

We drove to Vamos and parked. While Jenny carried the rubbish for recycling to the bins, I walked round the corner to the dentist's surgery. The door was ajar and I saw the dentist speaking to his mobile 'phone, so I indicated that I'd wait for him in the ante-room. A well-tanned dark-haired man walked in so I assumed he was Cretan and informed him "eena sto teelefono." (He's on the 'phone.)

"Ah, OK, thanks," he replied with a very English accent. I apologised for my mistake.

The dentist beckoned me in so I told him (in Greek) that I needed an appointment because I had another hole. He handed me a slip of paper on which he'd written "10am Friday, dentist." I thanked him, smiled at the English man, and walked back to the car, where Jenny was waiting.

We drove down the road to the petrol garage and Jenny paid old Harees the money for the heating oil. She noticed, from his invoice, that his actual name is "Xaralambos", which might explain why some people call him "Babis". Abbreviations of Greek names are invariably taken from the last syllable.

Then we continued down to Kaleevess and parked outside the "Fertility Shop". Inside, Jenny pulled out a scrap of paper on which she'd written what she thought were the Greek words for "weed killer".

"I would like a murderer of plants," she told the man, in Greek.

He laughed and explained that there is more than one word for "killer" in Greek and she'd chosen the one that relates to humans. He told her the correct word and she asked him to write it on her paper. He obliged, then fetched the chemical from a back room.

"In England we can buy it in the supermarket," I stated in Greek. "Why not here? Do you need a certificate?"

He replied to me in English, telling me that I was mistaken. He'd been to England and supermarkets were not permitted to sell weed killer. (He's mistaken. Tesco and Asda both sell weed killer.)

Anyway, he explained, it was not permitted in Greece. The shop required a special licence, which could be obtained only if it employed somebody who had the appropriate qualification in horticulture.

Jenny has spent the rest of the day painting the metalwork outside (gates and rails) then cleaning inside the house. I have spent most of the day at the computer but took an hour off to have a walk and to call on our friends for a chat.

I stopped at the supermarket on my way home and collected a letter from our bank, which I can't understand. However, I think it's merely a statement.

As the sun was falling, I screwed the new top to the old cane table. Jenny is cooking dinner.

Tuesday 13th - Mike Takes a Walk

Month 13th, 2010

Jenny worked on her Greek Language lesson at home while I drove to Vamos to pay the OTE telephone bill. It was warm enough to drive with a window open. I parked in the car park, squeezing my car at the end of a row in a space that wasn't really a space, and walked down to the OTE office.

I waited till the lady clerk had finished scribbling in her large notebook then handed the bill and two 50 Euro notes to her. I commented, in Greek: "The sky is clean. I think that you do not want to work inside today." She howled with laughter and made a comment to the male clerk, which I didn't understand. As she handed over the stamped document and change, an English couple came in and began to talk to the man in English. I heard him say "I need a photocopy of yourr passporrt but you can get eet from thee shop on thee corrnerr." He proceeded to draw a sketch of the crossroads and put an "X" on the corner opposite the pharmacy. As we all went outside together he called "come back laterr!" I sensed a hidden meaning but it it didn't occur to me at the time.

I chatted to the English couple and walked to the crossroads with them. I was interested to see which shop provided the photocopying service and to determine the cost.

In fact the lady inside the shop charged 15 cents for one copy, which, as I commented, was cheaper than driving home to use the computer scanner and printer.

The English man introduced himself as Eddie and told me they'd lived here for two and a half years. They knew Eleni and, although they were officially retired, they made a little pocket money by offering a healing service, both spiritual and crystal, as well as "Rune Readings". He said that he was having computer problems so we discussed this while his wife walked down the hill to the OTE office.

A few minutes later, she returned. "They've scarpered! The office is closed."

Now the statement "come back later" made sense. They'd obviously taken my comment seriously and thought "bugger it, we're off!"

I said goodbye to the couple and drove to Eleni's house. Eleni and Christos were sitting outside in the sun. I was surprised they weren't working but Eleni explained that the electric power was off. While Eleni made tea, Christos beckoned and said, in Greek, "Let's go look at the chicks." I followed him across the road, through the fence and up the field to the makeshift shed. The chickens looked well and the sh*t was piling up beneath the two cages; one with our ten brown chicks and the other with ten black chicks. Christos explained that the black ones were excellent egg layers.

When we arrived back at the house, the electricity was back on and three cups of tea were on the table. We chatted for a while then I drove home.

I did some web site work then Jenny made sandwiches for our lunchtime snack. Later, I went for my daily exercise walk. Near the top of the road I heard the Russian girl, in her garden, speaking to her mobile phone in excellent English. I stopped to say "hello", since we'd never met, and she told me she was studying law in London but had come here to her parent's holiday home for a couple of weeks so she could work in peace. Unfortunately, some builders had turned up to install a small, circular bathing pool so she'd had continual interruptions for days.

She told me that Jenny and I must go for a chat one day soon before she returns to London. Her family will be arriving later to spend some time here.

I continued on my walk and, half way through the village, came across "Costas the Radio" sitting outside the little caffeinio. He greeted me and insisted on buying me a drink so I asked for ouzo. "Go inside and order it," he said in Greek. "I will pay for it."

Inside I ordered the ouzo but the telephone rang and the young man behind the bar answered it. He spoke in perfect English so, when he'd put the phone down, I commented on this. "That's because I am English," he pointed out the obvious. "I'm working here this summer then I plan to go back to England to study to become a mechanical engineer. Then I will return to find a job."

He excused himself and ran to the other caffeinio opposite, returning immediately with a large bottle. He poured a measure, Costas handed over a Euro, and I took it back to the table in the street. Costas engaged me in a lengthy conversation about his mother's hernia operation, his psoriasis and other ailments (including Parkinsons), plus other subjects, which I simply couldn't understand. But I sat and smiled amiably, sipping from my glass.

Eventually I bade my leave and headed back towards home. But I took a wrong turn and ended up making a circle, meeting Costas again just as he was heading home! He beckoned me, saying he knew a short cut, and led me straight to his own house. So, to be sociable, I took the offered seat and said "hello" to his mother, father and brother. Costas immediately brought me a glass of "tseekootheea" (local "raki") and some special cheese - the same type that Jenny bought to make cheesecake last week. Then he brought "Easter biscuits with egg", which were fairly crisp and had been painted with egg yolk before cooking. Finally, he appeared again bearing a plate of yoghurt. Now, I quite like Greek yoghurt but preferably with a sweetener such as honey. I decided this was too much and said so. "Arketa, efhareesto." He looked surprised but took the yoghurt back inside the house. The electrician brother walked off down the road. Costas went into the house and brought some more biscuits, wrapped in a serviette. "For your wife," he said. I thanked him.

Mama questioned me - the usual enquiries about where I lived, whether I was married, how many children and where did they live and work. I answered as best I could. Then, to make conversation using words that I knew, I told her that I had a hole in a tooth and had to see the dentist on Friday. She responded by opening her mouth, giving me a gummy grin, and stating "teepota" (nothing). She had no teeth, she explained, because she had been in pain and had to have them removed. She could not afford to buy false teeth - so she must have been gumming through food for decades. I felt sorry for her.

We were interrupted by the return of the electrician brother who was carrying three plastic bags full of fish. Some comments were made by each person and Costas took out one fish and held it under my nose. "Fresh from the sea," he said.

I made motions of fishing with a rod and Costas waved me to silence, putting his finger over his lips. Then he crossed his hands in a sign that was clearly intended to represent handcuffs. So, I gathered, that maybe this acquisition was not strictly legal. Or maybe he meant something else.

Then Costas said something to me about gutting fish and bad smell. He suddenly looked upset and shouted angrily to his brother, who was taking the three bags round the corner to the rear of the house. Costas stood up and followed him, shaking his fists and shouting loudly. He returned to his seat, still shouting, then appeared to burst into tears, but his eyes were dry. He then regaled his mother and father, who sat impassively without comment, then turned back to me and shouted less loudly, but the only words I could understand were "chickens out" and "fish inside". This went on for several minutes and eventually his father stood up and went round the corner. Then his mother also stood up and shuffled slowly, with the aid of a stick, round the corner. Heck, I'm left alone with a possible lunatic!

Costas went very quiet than whispered several sentences to me, with much gesticulating. I understood very few words but he seemed to be saying that his parents and brother were round the back discussing whether to call the police again. He would be taken away and would be given an injection in the backside that would calm him down and make him sleep for a while. He would get this treatment free. Otherwise, he would have to pay. This had happened four times previously. (I must stress that my ability to understand Greek is still so limited that I could be a long way off the mark!)

I remembered that he had told Jenny and me that he could no longer afford to buy all the drugs that he needed to treat himself and his mother, and that without them he was liable to break down and become angry and cry. So maybe this was his way to get drugs for free.

Of course I may have misunderstood totally but I did get the impression that the tantrum was an act and that he returned to relative sanity the instant his family was out of sight.

Anyway, the conversation seemed to have ended so I finished my drink and said my goodbyes, peering round the corner of the house to do so. Costas directed me left towards his "short cut" which took me much further than I'd have walked if I'd simply turned right. But I was in no mood to argue.

I returned home and did some work at the computer. Then I went upstairs and interrupted Jenny's TV viewing to tell her of my interesting walk.

I did more work then suddenly felt very tired and shivery. I went to bed with my clothes on and dozed fitfully until I heard Jenny making dinner. I was still shivering when I came downstairs to eat the "chilli con carne" with rice and kidney beans. It tasted good. Afterwards I felt fine, so maybe I was simply hungry.

Jenny just started to wash up - which is MY job - and dropped a plate on the tiled floor.

Wednesday 14th - Kalokeri

Month 14th, 2010

Kalokeri means "summer". Summer is here at last. Today has been decidedly warm with some mist over the sea and wispy cloud in a mostly blue sky. Jenny has burned her neck slightly.

Jenny did painting outside while I worked at the computer. By 10am we'd had enough and told Eleni we were on our way for tea! She asked us to bring milk, so we made a short detour to call at Aspaseea's shop.

At Eleni's we sat outside in the blazing sunshine, with just a slight breeze to keep us cool.

After tea and a chat we drove to Georgioupolis and shared a "club sandwich" then a crèpe with ice cream. Manolis of Simian gait was walking past so we called him in and made him sit down to have a drink with us.

I offered him nuts and he shook his head then spent five minutes explaining to us (repeatedly) in Greek that he had bad teeth and how it would hurt if he ate peanuts. We didn't fully understand but he appeared to be saying that his mother was a doctor and had offered to remove his teeth with a screwdriver. I think something got lost in the translation. Anyway, the gist of it was that he had decided to keep what was left of his teeth (blackened stumps) as long as the pain wasn't bad.

I asked him if he'd like yoghurt but he said no, he had food at his house. He finished his drink, thanked us and left. We finished our food, paid, thanked the waiter and left. There are more hire cars around. The influx of tourists has begun.

I spent an hour at the computer then we decided to take a walk in the sunshine. We called to see our friends in the village and stayed there till 7 pm!

Their cat caught and ate a locust. Yukk!

We headed for home then changed our minds and went to the Meterizi taverna above Aspaseea's supermarket. I had rabbit and Jenny had something else. She drank lemonade and I drank water. Around 8:30pm we paid and left to walk home in the dark with only key fob LED torches to light our way, and the occasional street lamp.

Thursday 15th - Volcanic Ash over UK

Month 15th, 2010

We drove to Eleni's house after breakfast and I connected our old washing machine to the tap. I had to saw the "wings" off the plastic nut so that it could be turned. Various people turned up as we sat in the blazing sunshine. Eventually we decided to head for Xaniá to buy birthday presents. We tried "Alex-Pack" on the Souda Road, first, but ended up at "Jumbo" near the Omalos junction, after calling at Lidl to buy some muesli.

As we crossed the road to buy lunch at snack bar, we noticed a travel company called "Aptera". This Greek word means "without wings".

On arrival back home we heard that all flights to and from the UK had been stopped because of a volcanic ash cloud from Iceland. Since our son and his wife are booked to fly here tomorrow, Jenny is now very upset.

Our friends have just arrived. They've gone outside for a chat behind the shed. They came to cheer Jenny up and, judging by the photo, they were doing a good job. It's 22'C in the shade.