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July 2009 Newsletter
Introduction
I must start this newsletter with an apology to Louise and Steve! In last month's edition, I omitted to mention that we had been treated, by them, to a meal at the Eucalyptus Taverna in Agios Stefanos in the presence of former Formula One boss and now TV pundit, Eddie Jordan. We have since learned that he has been seen in other tavernas nearby obviously enjoying a well earned holiday!
Here I am, about to start on the latest newsletter. I must confess that I am feeling slightly ashamed as it is very late. I guess I'm running out of excuses for late publication! Hang on a minute, try this one for size! This is a brief synopsis of yesterday.
Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests:
I decided to water our garden.
As I turned on the hose in the driveway, I looked over at the car and decided that it needed washing.
As I started toward the garage, I noticed mail on the porch. I decided to go through the mail before I washed the car.
I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the waste bin under the table, and noticed that the bin was full. So, I decided to put the bills back on the table and take out the waste first.
But then I thought, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the bin anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.
I took my cheque book off the table, and saw that there was only one cheque left. My new cheque book was in my desk in the study, so I went inside the study to my desk where I found the can of Coke I'd been drinking.
I was going to look for my cheque book, but the Coke was getting warm. I decided to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I headed towards the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the worktop caught my eye - they needed water.
I put the Coke on the worktop and discovered my glasses that I'd been searching for all morning.
I decided that I had better put them back on my desk, but first I would water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the worktop, filled a container with water and suddenly spotted the TV remote. Someone had left it on the kitchen table.
I realised that tonight when we go to watch TV, I would be looking for the remote, but I wouldn't remember that it was on the kitchen table, so I decided to put it back in the lounge where it belonged.
I set the remote back on the table. Then, I headed out the house trying to remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:
The car wasn't washed; the bills weren't paid; there was a warm can of Coke sitting on the worktop; the flowers didn't have enough water; there was still only 1 cheque in my cheque book; I couldn't find the remote, I couldn't find my glasses and I didn't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then, I tried to figure out why nothing got done. I'm really baffled because I knew I was busy all day, and I was really tired.
Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!
Okay, so this wasn't really a true account of yesterday but I do see similarities in daily life. We seem to have so many things on the go at the same time but as none are life threatening they all seem to get left. As a result, we seem to spend our lives flitting from project to project.
I suppose that we could also mention our friends and family that choose to visit the island during July and August for reasons that escape us. I suppose that the weather might have something to do with it!
Oh yes, I forgot to mention that Tricia was returning to the UK for 10 days this month and that during that period I was walking the dogs eight times a day! Joy!
Anyway, enough of the excuses I had better get on with our account of July.
July 2009
At least July 1st was sunny. This was more than could be said for my disposition as yet again, our Internet connection was out. I spent over an hour on the phone to the engineers but they were unable to come up with an immediate solution. Owing to the symptoms, I guessed that the problem was going to be a repeat of previous disruptions to Internet connection and that the fault would ultimately be at our local exchange. Later visits to our bank and then our accountants did little to improve my disposition.
I guess the only high point of the day was Andy Murray winning the quarter-final at Wimbledon. Those who know me will be aware that I consider tennis as being probably the most boring sport in the world with the possible exception of rugby football. However, I must confess that with Britain (well at least, Scotland) having somebody who actually looks like they know how to play the game with a little passion, I had for once been happy to sit down with Tricia and watch Wimbledon.
2nd July proved to be a very hot sunny day needless to say our Internet connection was still out.
Because it was so hot we were up early. I had decided that I needed to do some work in the garden and so shortly after 6a.m. I could be found watering and hoeing in the vegetable patch.
Those of you who have visited our house will know that we have a raised flower bed along the length of our drive. To call it a flower bed is a bit of a joke as it is inhabited almost entirely by weeds, Jerusalem sage and assorted small wild trees of indeterminate varieties. So, after breakfast I set about this area of wilderness with the two most useful gardening tools that I possess - a pickaxe and the chainsaw. I guess that what remains will have to be dealt with an application of ‘Roundup’.
The highlight of the day was dinner with John and Michelle. As always, it was a splendid affair enjoyed by everyone. I won't go through the entire menu for fear of making everyone jealous but I will say that the crab was delightful. The same cannot be said for the state that we all got ourselves into whilst laying into it all with a variety of hammers and other assorted tools! Life doesn't get much better!
It goes without saying that 3rd July was hot and sunny. Our Internet connection was restored and we were able to get back into contact with the rest of the world. A cloud lifted from above Spiti Karloukia. (That's the name that we have given the house, in case anyone didn't know.)
As if things weren’t already good, they got even better! We had arranged to go for lunch with friends, David and Eda, at the Eucalyptus Taverna in Agios Stefanos. This is rapidly becoming one of our favourite eating places. Like Taverna Nikolas in Agni, it probably has the best view in the bay that is Agios Stefanos. Okay, so it is not the cheapest place, but the food is excellent and we have eaten in other places that have charged more for food that does not compare. It was a reasonably long lunch cut short only by the need for David and Eda to return their boat.
We were up early on Saturday, 4th July as we had to do more than a little shopping in town. We had previously arranged to have lunch with friends Alan and Pauline - hence the early start.
We had previously been to Apnoea Taverna with Alan and Pauline which they had enjoyed. It will come as no surprise that this was to be the venue for this lunch. It was a really enjoyable meal and as we don't see Alan and Pauline as much as some of our other friends, we had plenty of different subjects for conversation. I think that five hours for lunch qualifies as a ‘long lunch’, don't you?
It looks as if Alan and Pauline's house build will be completed towards the end of the year and so hopefully we will see more of them when they return to Corfu in October.
Sunday, 5th July was again hot and sunny. Just by way of a change we decided to have lunch at home! Apart from anything else, there were preparations to be made for Tricia's return to the UK the following day.
These preparations took right up until the time when I took Tricia to the airport on Monday, 6th July. Our Internet connection failed again but not before we discovered that it appeared that Tricia’s flight was to be delayed.
When we arrived at the airport, we discovered that the flight was indeed delayed by about three hours. Whilst checking in, we met up with David and Valerie and their daughter Sarah who were also due to be flying back to the UK that day. They were a different flight that to was delayed by several hours. For those that might be interested Tricia's flight was operated by Thompson and David and Valerie's flight by Thomas Cook.
I did not get home until 5:45 a.m. on 7th July. As I'm sure that anyone who has pets will know, the animals still wanted their walks first thing in the morning and as a result I got up at 9 a.m.
Our Internet connection came back but it wasn't long before it went again. As a result I was on the phone for another hour with the engineers. I think it fair to say that by the time we completed the call they realised that I was not impressed.
As John and Michelle had previously offered us a banana palm, I thought that this was a good opportunity to go and collect it. They had advised us that it required a lot of water and so I thought it best to get it in the ground as soon as possible.
As at that time we had something of a glut of courgettes and cucumbers I decided to take some round to Yiorgos and a Eleni before returning home to make dinner. You'll be pleased to hear that Tricia had left me well provided for with several ready prepared meals in the freezer. That night's feast comprised of pork, leek and fennel - very nice!
I had an early night that night by my standards. - 11:30 p.m. I guess that wasn't bad considering the amount of sleep I had that day.
The hot and sunny weather continued throughout 8th July. I was up at 6 a.m. to water the garden and plant the banana palm that John and Michelle had given us the day before.
Yiorgos called in during the morning as I'd asked him to consider a small building job for us. Those of you who are familiar with their house will be aware that our stairwell is merely a 4 metre long gaping hole in the ceiling of the lounge. As I hope to one day complete building my office in the loft space, we had long considered the possibility of building a wall along one side of the stairwell which would serve two purposes. Firstly, it would mean that you did not stare into the void from the lounge and secondly, it would prevent me from hurling myself down the stairs if I was careless!
Yiorgos was keen to do the job for us and immediately gave me a list of what was needed to be ordered. The materials were ordered and delivered before 2 p.m.
That evening I went to Agni for dinner with David and Eda who were due to return to the UK the next day. When we arrived at Taverna Nikolas I was surprised to find our friends Irene and Peter sitting there. I hadn't realised that they were coming out at this time.
Thursday, 9th July was a very good day for both Yiorgos and us. Yiorgos turned up to start building the brick wall in our loft space. I was amazed at the speed with which he worked, not to mention his agility when it came to straddling the stairs! The photographs this month will give you an indication of what I mean. Health and Safety eat your heart out!
Yiorgos was in a particularly buoyant mood as he had been paid for several months work. I don't think that in the scheme of things it was a phenomenal amount of money but it was, nevertheless, money that he had been trying to get for a long time.
That night, Yiorgos, his wife Eleni and I went out for dinner at Gelati's by way of a celebration. Tricia and I have been trying to get them to go out with us for a long while and have never succeeded. Before anyone says it, I don't think that there was any significance in Tricia's absence!
Deep down I knew that things were going too well! The next day Yiorgos failed to appear! When I finally made contact with him, I discovered that he had been to visit his bank and to say that the meeting had not gone well for Yiorgos was an understatement.
It would not be right for me to expand upon his problem. However I can say that although his problem was causing great stress, there was a solution in sight which was bound to take a few days to resolve. This of course did not stop him worrying and one can only imagine how his long-suffering wife felt.
That evening I made a visit to Pete and Carol's house to lend some assistance with their computer. It was a late night but much better than staying at home.
Yiorgos continued to work on the wall over the next few days. I was particularly keen that he be finished before Tricia returned from the UK. Yiorgos turned up at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, 14th July to apply the final coat of plaster which here, comprises of a mixture of lime and ground marble.
I was particularly keen to get him started because I had arranged to take our old car to an auto electrician to try and sort out the starting problems.
I left Yiorgos to carry on and made my way to the auto electrician’s. I had arranged to meet Pete there so that I could get a lift home. As it turned out his services were not needed. The battery was declared useless and I was promptly offered a nice new shiny Bosch battery for the princely sum of €90! I think that they must have seen my face because I was immediately offered one at a much lower price. I don't know what the going rate for a battery is nowadays but I still thought that €60 was expensive. In fairness, the new battery did resolve the starting problems. At least the diagnosis was correct.
Yiorgos returned to finish the job that evening. I was really pleased because it meant that I had a little time to clean up the place before Tricia returned. In our experience, Greek builders are not the tidiest of people. However, Yiorgos is one of the few that we have encountered who do try to keep the site clean (ish!) but I was definitely going to have to do some work on our stairs!
As a result I spent a couple of hours on the 15th July cleaning the stairwell. Yiorgos called in to check that everything had dried okay. I think he was a little concerned about cracking of the plaster due to the heat.
At about 12:30 p.m. that day, Pete called round as he wanted some wood cut on the table saw. He was going to do it himself with a rip saw but as the job he was doing required it to be accurate, I suggested that the table saw might be the better tool. It didn't take us long and so with the saw safely put away we decided to have a couple of beers.
Now, had I have been on time in publishing this edition of the newsletter, I would have been unable to mention what happened next as I had been sworn to secrecy! However, circumstances have changed and I can now reveal the contents of a telephone call that I had with our daughter, Corinna.
The conversation went something like,
Corinna: "Don't buy me any Southern Comfort for our visit!"
Bob: "Why, are you on another diet?"
Corinna: "No, try again."
Bob: "You're not pregnant are you?"
Corinna: "Well you guessed a lot quicker than mum did!"
So there you have it. Corinna is expecting our fourth grandchild. It's a shame that Corinna won't be able to join us in a celebratory drink!
Later that day I went to Kalami to meet Alan. We had arranged to go out for dinner that night as we were both on our own.
I thought that it would be a good idea to draw some money so that I could pay for my meal. The obvious place to go was the cash machine in Kassiopi. What a mistake that proved to be!
Parking near the cash machine is pretty restricted and so I decided to turn into the opening alongside it. I was aware of bollards along the pavement but I failed to account for the high overhanging pavement. The net result of my lack of awareness was a scrape on the near side rear door and sill, much to the amusement of many passers-by. I didn't share their sense of amusement!
At least our meal at the Roumeli grill room in Nisaki went down well. It was the first time that Alan had been there and I suspect that it won't be the last. It is useful to know that it will be open all through the winter.
Thursday, 16th July reached 33° C in the shade. I was up before 6 a.m. to water the veggie plot and to start the great clean-up operation in preparation for Tricia's return the next day.
Throughout Tricia's absence we had been in constant contact by telephone. This day was no different and it was just as well I did speak to her! I was convinced that her return flight arrived in Corfu at around 11 a.m. Had I not mentioned that, I would have been at the airport to meet her about 9 hours early! Getting to the airport nine hours early would have done little for my disposition!
I had just about finished my tidying up and got the second load of washing in the machine when there was a knock at the door. To be truthful, I knew that there was somebody at the door before the bell rang as Jake and Bella went frantic!
I had a surprise visit from Peter and Irene who had hired a car. It was the first time this year that we had had a chance to catch up. The only bit of news I didn't want to hear was that Peter is clearly better able to control his diabetes than I am mine. I must try harder!
I finished the day by watering the garden again, as I much prefer to do in the evening then have to get up early in the morning.
For the few of you that are interested in technology as I am, I should add that I have been looking into various methods of creating and editing websites. Three of the technologies that I have been looking into are WordPress, Drupal, and the Zenphoto. Having spent a while researching these I discovered that a company which I already deal with, 'Dreamhosters', were offering a limited number of free domains which hosted all of these technologies. You can probably guess the rest. It goes without saying that I registered. Yes, I have another project to play with as well as all the others!
Friday, 17th July was hot and sunny - just right for Tricia's return. I went shopping first thing on my way to the airport to collect her. I think it fair to say that she had a memorable return! I shall explain.
Her plane landed on time and I stood at the arrivals and waited ... and waited! About three planes arrived at the same time as Tricia's. I could see the luggage coming up on the carousels. Passengers poured out of the arrivals lounge but there was no sign of Tricia. Then the carousel stopped still laden with luggage but there were no passengers there. Eventually Tricia and her fellow passengers from the EasyJet flight appeared.
It seems that the immigration control had been checking everybody's passports and stamping them. Well, to be exact it seems that they were checking the passports of passengers from a previous flight which we suspect had not come in from an EU country. To say that Tricia was fuming was an understatement. Because of the delay coming through immigration passengers had been left standing out in the blazing sun which of course most were unused to. Some had fainted, some had been taken ill and to add to the confusion there were people wearing face masks handing out leaflets about swine flu. A great welcome for holidaymakers! Who said, "hysteria?".
As it had been some time since Tricia had eaten, we took the Coast Road home and stopped off at Roumeli Taverna for a meal. We didn't hang about too long as we were both tired.
The next day I think it's fair to say that Tricia was knackered! We decided to have lunch at Gelati's to save cooking. Tricia opted for a fish lunch and was presented with the largest sea bream that we have ever seen served to one person! We have since learned that Spiros buys fish by the kilo and personally selects them. He never selects anything that is too small but sometimes they do verge on being enormous! To the customer it makes no difference. You pay the same price whatever the size of the fish. In future, when ordering fish at Gelati's, we may well ask to see the fish first!
The euphoria of having Tricia back home was tempered by the first bit of bad news that we were to receive this month. I had an e-mail from my cousin Hazel in Wales to tell me that she was very ill and going into hospital for tests. I had not been aware that she was ill and so telephoned her father, my uncle Les, who explained that her illness had come on very quickly. We can only wait and hope that she will be okay.
We took the rest of the weekend easy in preparation for the arrival of Corinna, Dave and the children who were due to arrive on 21st July. We have to confess that we were very concerned as to whether or not they would in fact arrive as Dave's mum was seriously ill. We have since learned that Dave's mum had all but ordered him to take the family on holiday and had asked his sister to ensure that they caught the plane.
Tuesday, 21st July was very hot. Tricia insisted on some last-minute preparations for the family's arrival. She finally accepted that they were coming when Corinna phoned to say that they were about to leave for the airport. For our part, we got to Corfu airport as Corinna, Dave and the children were waiting at the carousel for their luggage. Talk about cutting it fine!
It was very late when we got to the house and as nobody had eaten for quite a while, we decided to chance our luck and go down to Gelati's for a late snack. Even though it was late, Spiros was totally unfazed and made us all welcome. It was a good start to the holiday.
The family's first full day was a hot one. The last time I checked, the temperature was 32° C and rising. I took Corinna and the children to the shops along with Tricia. There were essentials to buy, such as sunglasses, a rubber ring, a ball and of course food!
As Tricia and I had expected, this was going to be a relatively quiet first day. We convinced everybody that they should have a rest in the afternoon but by 4:30 p.m. we were all off to the beach at Avlaki. That evening we thought that we ought to repay Spiros for his staying open late the previous night and so we went for a proper dinner, not just a snack. The meal was the usual great value. The kids were exceptionally good and as always they were rewarded with free ice cream from Spiros.
I was up early on Thursday, 23rd July and was out on the veranda when I was startled by Corinna at the gate. It was obvious that something was wrong. She had received a phone call in the early hours of the morning to say that David's mum, Breda, had died overnight in hospital. This was devastating news.
Tricia and I wondered what they would do. It transpired that Dave had spoken with his sister and that it had been agreed between the family that he should stay here and ensure that the children had their holiday. It was a brave decision but in retrospect, we think it was the right one.
With communication being what it is nowadays Dave and Corinna were able to keep in constant contact with Dave's family and between them all the necessary arrangements were made. The funeral was arranged for two days after their return to the UK.
Without wishing to dwell on this sad part of the newsletter, I think that is important for people to realise some of the problems that one faces when you choose to live in a foreign country. Granted that in this case Corinna and Dave were on holiday, but both Tricia and I know from personal experiences the difficulties in dealing with a bereavement or the serious ill health of a close family member. I guess that most people contemplating moving abroad tend to put this to the back of their minds.
Friday, 24th July was extremely hot. We stopped checking the thermometer as it rose above 40° C. Tricia and I felt that Corinna and Dave would probably want to be alone with the children and so we left them to go to the beach at St Spiridon on their own. That evening we had a barbecue at home which went down very well. How Tricia managed to keep a constant supply of chips appearing at the table I'll never know. Actually I do know! By the time Tricia finally sat down to eat, we had nearly devoured everything!
Sunday, 26th July was cooler. Temperatures only reached the mid-30s! Corinna and Dave took the children to Avlaki whilst Tricia prepared a traditional Sunday dinner as a treat.
That evening we had a treat in store for everyone. Well to be truthful it wasn't exactly we who had the treat in store, it was the village. This being the last Sunday in July was the day of Loutses panieri - our local festival.
As always there was plenty to drink and the children were treated to candyfloss, popcorn, loukamades (small doughnuts covered in icing sugar and honey) and lollipops! As the evening wore on I became hungry and so bought some souvlakis. Lauren certainly enjoyed them! We have included some nice photographs of the children. (Well we think that they are nice!)
Everyone was enjoying the children's visit and we were continuing to try and think of things for them to do. On Thursday, 30th July, Dave Corinna and the kids went up to Old Peritheia. Well to be accurate, Tricia went with them but Lauren and I stayed at home. They all had a nice time and had drinks before returning home at the taverna called Gabriel's Steps. Neither Tricia nor I have been in there before but we had heard good reports of it.
We had convinced Dave and Corinna that it might be nice for them to take the children to Vidos island. It was decided that we would all go that evening and have a meal in the Taverna on the island.
We managed to grab a couple of the last parking spots in the old port car park before making our way to where the ferry left for Vidos. We decided to have a drink at the pavement cafe there whilst we waited. It was nothing special. The prices were as expensive as we anticipated for Corfu Town and the waiter was probably the surliest that I can recall meeting in a long while.
We always think that the return fare of two euros is great value for the ferry. I had forgotten just what good fun that short trip is.
For those that have not been to Vidos, it is a great place to walk round with stunning views of Corfu town and the continuous boat traffic into the port. The first thing that came as a surprise to us was the number of rabbits and game birds that were inhabiting the area near the Taverna. It has been several years since we have visited and they certainly weren't there then. They were all very tame and were continually being fed with scraps from the Taverna. Not only did they provide photo opportunities but were a great attraction for the children. I wish that I could say the same for the meal that we had there!
The only good thing I could say about eating at the Taverna was that it wasn't too expensive. The food was, at best, lacklustre. As an example, Dave ordered a mixed grill. When it turned up it was just lumps of meat hacked up and dumped on the plate. There was not a chip or vegetable or even a few salad leaves to be seen. It was taking traditional eating to the extreme! Despite that, I think it's fair to say that we all enjoyed the evening.
When we returned to mainland Corfu, it was quite late but the children, being children, all wanted ice creams. Okay, so some of the adults wanted them too! We decided to go for a walk through the old town up as far as the Liston in search of the elusive ice creams. It didn’t take too long! The town was buzzing!
Corfu Town is one of the nicest places we know at around midnight in the summer. Everyone is just out enjoying themselves. There is no rowdyism, shouting or drunkenness unlike a few places that we could mention, none of which are in Greece!
Friday, 31st July was very hot. It would be remiss of us not to mention that this was our daughter, Louise’s 40th birthday. We knew that husband Steve had something very special lined up for her but had been sworn to secrecy. We subsequently received a text from her as she arrived at one of the hotels that Steve had booked. It was just one word. ... “Wow!”
We had another visit to Avlaki beach which was enjoyed by one and all. Tricia and I never cease to be amazed at how quiet beaches are even at the height of the season. I think that the children love this beach because the water is crystal clear and they do not have to walk in very far before they are up to their necks!
That night Tricia produced dinner at home. The children provided several opportunities for some funny photographs! It wasn't a bad end to the month and of course, they were not due to go home until 5th August.
Conclusion
I guess that we do not need to say that our initial euphoria of Corinna, Dave and the grandchildren coming out, not to mention Tricia's return from the UK was dulled by both the sad news of the loss of Dave's mum and my cousin Hazel's illness.
We were glad that the family all decided to stay with us but would have understood in the event that it was felt necessary for them to return to the UK. In retrospect, I definitely think that it was the right decision in respect of the children.
I have since managed to speak to Hazel and can only say that both Tricia and I feel a sense of helplessness as there is nothing that we can do to ease her pain.
We have five more days of the family being here with us which is at least something to look forward to.
We have to warn everybody that this month’s photo gallery is larger than normal!
I'm going to finish this edition here in the hope that I can get it published quickly.
All the best,
Bob and Tricia.
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