Mavro leaves us

I planned on my day off to do a beach tour of Serifos but when I got to Vagia, I changed my mind and decided to stay put. Beforehand, I went to the coffee shop and had my usual, I told everyone Mavro was still alive, and relaxed with trying to go over some Greek phrases I am trying to learn. When I got back to the house the phone rang and the Dog Palace owner told me Mavro had died during the night. I was to go  along in the afternoon to help with his burial. On my way out of the house, I thought I was seeing things  as there was a lady walking past the house with a dog that looked like Max or Fritz’s double. The lady had rescued him, an abandoned hunting dog and he was now called Shurlock. She will also be away in high season to avoid the crowds. I hope to see them both again on my return.

As I drove down the road to Livadi, I reflected that there were a lot of white cars about, mostly  hire cars and lots of people using the donkey track. In Livadi I picked up a Nobby snake for Ronnie, delivered to the Post Office, bought my ferry ticket, filled up with petrol, paid Blue Bird the last instalment on the Hire car, bought lunch at Grans and a bit of food shopping. In most cases with a little reminder help from Google Translate, all were done in Greek. I also saw a couple of people I know and I told them I was away for two months. I am not perfect by a long way but I hope to be better when I get back. 

I went to Vagia beach had a swim, I found the beach a little better for myself, not being super confident still. There were not many people there, the speedboat with the three v6 engines was there with some people sunbathing on its deck. After a bit of what I call swimming, I climbed on a rock,out in the sea and lay on it. After a while I drove to the Dog Palace with domes of yellow and purple passing me by in the mountains, the last colour of summer. Rusty vehicles I first saw here are year ago are still where they were left. Once something is not needed, it’s just left here, until it disappears, by some deterioration.

At the Dog Place they had  found Mavro dead in the morning and he looked peaceful. The owner had collected some petals off the roses in the garden where Mavro used to roam.

We carried him from his house, to the place where all the dogs that lived in the Palace that have died are buried. A hole had been dug for a while now, given how precarious his health was. The dogs followed us as we carried him in a sheet to that final resting place. I went into the hole, first as I had the head end of his body by me. The coworker then carefully lowered his other half in. The petals were then cast over his body. We all joined hands and the owner spoke words in Swiss German, afterwords they said they had wished him well, that we all loved him and more kind words. Soil was then carefully sprinkled over his body until it was covered, then gradually the hole was filled. I took over when it was half filled. He had two chews by his muzzle to keep him going until he gets to wherever dogs go after they die. An Alo Vera cactus will be planted, probably in the Autumn now, like the other dog graves have. RIP Mavro the black one.