Three men in a boat

Friday 4th November 

I really like this house. It’s not rented, someone lives here all year round. It’s got lovely flowers, it’s the nearest thing over here to an English cottage. It’s on the road to Livadi, the straight level bit, not far from the garden centre. There is usually a cat lazing in the garden.

Talking of things gardening, one each of the courgettes and squash are  showing two leaves. It’s been hard to keep them moist, so they can germinate, but all the effort seems to have paid off. 

On the guitar front, I have noticed that the tips of my fingers on my left hand have developed a hard surface. This is only on my first two fingers, as I am only playing two fingered chords. I am learning three chords, which is not recommended by the theory course, but they actually suggest you do so in later sections! So I can strum and play the chords, but the trick bit is changing between them and strumming. You don’t strum while you are doing the change, but you want to do the change quickly of course! This is where it gets difficult and often the chords don’t sound right, as I haven’t had time to position my fingers properly! You can say strum four times, then change the chord, strum four more times and so on…I am also trying more complicated strumming I mentioned before, D D D U D U. That makes a half decent little melody. ( when I get it right)

The landlord arrived this morning, the washing machine has not been leaking recently. He fixed the leak in the shower cubicle that will be tested tonight. I had a load of sentences on google translate ready to play to him. He used it also. I paid for the internet. He said after Christmas he is going to get the roof jazzed up a bit, a creeping plant and other things to make it attractive for the summer visitors. The house has a dehumidifier in it now too.

I have sent some emails, one about my eye, to try and find somewhere that might be able to sort it. I don’t want two visits, one for diagnosis and one for treatment as it’s going to cost a lot in ferry journeys and time. I could go the second time when I go to the UK in March. My second health email was to the dentist, as the dentist wanted a reminder email from me in November, which is when I wanted my six monthly check up. 

Photo interlude, these are nice gates by the war memorial.

After all the excitement I decided to have a walk to Livadi, nothing more as it’s quite hot. It’s probably worth talking about the flat roofs on these houses. They are probably made of concrete and then they are painted with this white sticky stuff that comes in steel drums. At this time of year, you will see owners painting it on, usually with a paint roller, I saw some people doing this in the flat stretch to Livadi after the walk down. Just by the garden centre, there was a mower blade, dumped in the road. I picked it up and was musing wether I should leave it by the dumpster or chuck it in. I don’t want it to break the garbage machine. Anyway this guy stopped his truck, and beckoned to me. I was a bit puzzled and then he showed me the sticker on the side of his truck. He is a recycling person. Metal, glass, aluminium he said. I took a photo  of his sticker, I might send him a text in Greek to see if he wants me to keep cans for him? 

I had my coffee from Grans, but I drank it looking out over the harbour. There were three men in this very small boat, they were reversing it out of its berth, and I think the turning circle of the rudder was quite small as it took several goes before they were able to extricate themselves out and into open water.

Where I took this photo, there were two fishermen in a boat cleaning up fish they had caught. Some of it went over the side, to be eaten by small fish in the water, a few fish heads were on the harbour concrete but a nearby cat was ignoring the tasty treat.

On my way back I caught with the lady who has said bravo to me about my litter picking, I have mentioned her before, as her and her husband are always doing things in their garden. Anyway we had a little chat, I think it was too hot for her.

Where my path meets the road at Kato Hora, I caught up, with another couple. They are Danes and live here on and off I think. They had seen me wandering around. They are Ena and Johan, more people to add to my contact list!

This afternoon I will be lazing around, enjoying what might be the last of the above twenties, as after the rain I think we will be dipping under twenty. The last photo is a plant growing in a  lump of rock. Also flowering!