June 2008 Newsletter

Introduction
After our mammoth three month edition, this month's newsletter promises to be a much shorter affair. We have a few images to include of the stone work that has been (almost!) completed plus some of our usual selection of bugs and creepy crawlies!

Firstly though, we would like to say thank you to those who contacted us following the death of Tricia's Mum. Your condolences were much appreciated. I must apologise on behalf of the pair of us to those that first learned of this through the newsletter. I also hope that you will understand our not keeping in touch with many of you through this difficult time.

I guess that bereavement is just one of the things that one puts to the back of your mind when considering a life abroad. I must confess that is one aspect of life that we did not consider and we thought that we had probably planned better than many. Having both had to cope with the loss of a parent since living here we are prompted to wonder how some people cope. We consider ourselves fortunate that we have been in a position to get back to the UK, pretty much "at the drop of a hat". There are several people whom we have met that would be unable to do so.

Our experiences have just gone to convince us that our original thoughts before making the decision to move here were pretty much the right way to go. That is: plan, plan and then plan some more! Many will remember that we planned our adventure for about six years. We still get the occasional surprise even now. Thankfully, they aren't too often but every now and then something makes us sit up and take notice. Obtaining a full electricity supply is one of them! More on that subject at a later date!

I think that this will be as good a time as any to get on with the newsletter or it will be the end of July before it is published!

The 1st June saw both Yiorgos and Milios on site working away in what can only be described as hot conditions.

June 2nd saw me off to town in an attempt, amongst other things, to get our application in for the full three-phase electrical supply. We have been running on the construction supply since we moved in and this, apparently, is ... er ... illegal! The staff were amazingly helpful at the electricity company offices but I still didn't get the application in! I did however, get the outstanding bill up-to-date! As the bill had been over-estimated we had to wait for the necessary paperwork to be brought in line with the current (no pun intended!) meter reading. I left with instructions to return in ten days time. Oh well, one step nearer. ... I hope!

Both Yiorgos and Milios made appearances that day.

Pete came over on 3rd June armed with various lengths of wood. Our mission was to try and cut the lengths to size and route them to create a pair of doors for his bedroom. Despite having to duck back and forth into the garage to avoid the occasional shower, the job was accomplished with few problems. At the time of writing, I have yet to see the finished articles but am assured that they turned out exactly as he and Carol wanted.

Yiorgos worked and insisted upon taking the p I mean 'mickey' out of us. I won't say that I found it irritating but Pete was prompted at a later date to comment upon my sense of humour failure.

Later that day, Tricia and I went down to a local car dealer to look at an old (very old) Ford Fiesta. We had decided that the new Golf was not going to be used for such tasks as carrying manure, plants, logs or dogs which left us with something of a dilemma. We had considered buying an old pickup but the truth is that they are extortionately expensive in Greece.

Tricia suggested that it might be cheaper to buy an old hatchback with a tow bar and a small trailer. This would provide the necessary transport for those dirtier items when they needed transporting and would also provide a run-around for anyone coming out to stay. I must confess that this made really good sense especially when we could achieve this at about half the cost of a pickup. Hence the reason that we were looking at the Fiesta. The fact that we have owned a couple in the past was also a contributory factor. Remember the old saying: 'Old Fords never die, they just go faster!' (We hope!)

The deal was done. A tow-bar, new battery and radio were to be included in the agreed price. I didn't really want a radio but I objected to the gaping hole where one had once been fitted! We managed to get a small reduction on the asking price but the truth is that we could buy something similar in the UK for a quarter of the price. The good thing about it was that it is not too scruffy - just scruffy enough to make anyone think twice before they enter into the automotive equivalent of a duel with me!

We had a couple of showery days over the 4th and 5th June but it didn't stop Yiorgos who soldiered on between showers. Similarly, I managed to get a little strimming done on the land.

Tricia and I spent most of the 6th June working about the house and garden. The postman made one of his rare appearances with a very official looking letter. It was from the electricity company. Something told me that this was not good news!

Having taken a few minutes to work our way through the Greek legalese we realised what it was. It was a letter telling us that we were to be cut off from the construction supply on the 30th July. Our quest for a full electricity supply then took on a heightened degree of urgency! Ho hum!

We awoke to the sound of torrential rain on Saturday, 7th June. We spent the morning shopping before returning home where I decided that I was finally going to transfer some music tapes to CD for our friend Mike. I had been promising to do this for ages and had just not quite got around to it. After he had frequently given me access to his broadband connection in the past, my guilt feelings overcame my laziness!

That evening, Tricia and I went for a really first class meal at Maestro Taverna.

Sunday, 8th June was Father's day. I had a really nice day and an excellent lunch at Apnoea Taverna. It was one of the best this year. The mussels were outstanding.

Monday, 9th June was very hot and sunny. Yiorgos turned up very late to continue working. By the time he arrived, I had done a couple of hours strimming, had breakfast, walked Jake and had showered off heaven knows how many layers of grass cuttings!

The highlight of the day was collecting the newly acquired car from the dealers. It is a lot different from the Golf! We hope that it is going to do all that we have bought it for without too much of a problem.

Both Yiorgos and Milios turned up on the 10th June. To be honest, we weren't expecting Milios but he turned up both during the morning and returned in the evening. For my sins, I strimmed both during the early morning and late evening. I was to pay for this over exertion the next day!

Yiorgos had almost finished painting and started to refit the shutters. By the 12th June, he only had to replace the gutters over the apartment. For some reason, he always seems to have problems with gutters which invariably leak after he has worked on them! We sensed that this might be something of a long haul!

Tricia and I returned to the electricity company on Friday, 13th June. The date should have been something of a warning! We arrived at the electricity company reasonably early and this time became somewhat embroiled in a ticketed queuing system. Ticketed queuing is a reasonably sound idea in a country that tends towards ... er ... dare I say a disorganised lifestyle. However, it lacks something at the electricity company.

Firstly, none of the digital number indicators over each of the desks was working. As if that wasn't bad enough, the ticket dispenser was only dispensing tickets with the number '25' on them! I have to say that as everyone became aware of the systems failings we were all raised to a heightened sense of concentration resulting in everybody taking their turn in a most orderly fashion. Amazing!

We were summoned to a desk where the employee was very helpful. His English was as limited as our Greek but we managed. We came to the stage where we realised that we were about to be asked for money ... again. This time it was for €560. What did we get for that we hear you asking. I'll tell you what! A quick trip to the rear of the premises where we collected a very nice plastic box which we were instructed to have fitted to our gate post before returning to the electricity company to sign the contract for the supply.We would also have to pay a further €150 upon our return! Oh yes! Bureaucracy is still alive and well and living in Greece! We left with our box feeling somewhat deflated. Remember the threat to cut us off from the existing supply on the 30th July?

Saturday, 14th June saw me up early strimming a bit more of the land.

We had a welcome respite from our chores and the worries about the electricity that day in the form of a lunch invitation from John and Michelle. I think they must have felt sorry for us! As usual, they managed to come up with an unusual barbecued meal, cooked to perfection. Our visit to John and Michelle's also gave me the opportunity to pick John's brains as I was having to face the fact that Tricia was not going to let me escape from building an outside table!

The hot and sunny weather continued. As usual, most of our chores were completed during the early part of the day. We concentrated on the garden and the kitchen terrace which was in need of sorting out following the building work that was about finished.

Yiorgos continued to make the occasional appearance to do little more than pottering about as all of his major work was complete. Milios worked on with the columns at the top of the steps from the apartment to the first terrace and the 'kapaki' (capping stones) on all of the recently built walls. Oh yes, he also presented me with the bill! Ouch! Joking aside, we actually think that it was reasonable.

The 20th June was VERY hot! I strimmed first thing and Tricia got stuck into weeding in the vegetable plot. I was grateful for that as I must confess to having let it get out of hand. As on most days when I strim, I encountered tortoises whom I am sure were probably less than pleased at their shade being cut down! They were suitably removed to areas yet to be strimmed. At least they have a temporary reprieve!

Milios came in the evening and started to build a small retaining wall that Tricia and I had decided was necessary to finish off the terracing. Whilst he worked on, as cheerful as ever, I started to paint the decorative grill over the downstairs bathroom window. I could have asked Yiorgos to do it but those of you familiar with the standard of Greek painting and decorating will understand when I say that I didn't want him let loose with a pot of black 'Hammerite' paint near the freshly painted walls of the house!

I had not finished painting when Tricia called me for our evening meal. Milios looked on incredulous when I cleaned my brush and put away the paint, with the grill half painted. He could not grasp the fact that Hell hath no fury like Tricia when her call to food is ignored!

The 21st June was even hotter than the previous day. I am aware that we waffle on about the effect that the temperature has upon our lives so I thought that I could give an example that might put things into perspective. We try to follow the example of our Greek hosts who are well schooled in keeping their homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Everything revolves around the shutters. It is logical if you stop to think about it. They keep the heat of the sun out when closed and keep the warmth of your chosen form of heating in when it is cold outside. In the summer, we tend to shut up the shutters when the sun falls on one side of the house and open those on the other side. As the sun travels across the sky, this is reversed.

Where is this leading I can hear you asking. Well despite our best efforts, the inside temperature of the house had risen to 25°C. Those of you languishing in the current British summer will recognise that this is quite warm. However, when you have been working outside, to walk into 25°C. feels like walking into an icebox! Bliss!

We had a special treat lined up for us on Sunday 22nd June. Friends, Colin and Sue, had invited us to dinner at Cava Barbaro, a taverna in Avlaki, as a reward for us storing Sue's daughter's personal effects in our basement. It was a really nice and most welcome treat.

We continued to work on in the garden for the next few days. However, on the 25th June, I decided that I could not resist the pressure from Tricia to make a start on the outside table. I had a lot of wood left from the construction of the house which I had hoped to cut down and use for this project. However, it soon became obvious, even to a novice carpenter like me, that the sheer size of the timber was going to be a problem. In the end, the decision was reached that the table legs could probably be made from the existing wood but that the rest was going to have to be purchased. I have to say that although the basement is much cooler to work in than the garden, I still managed to work up quite a sweat!

One of the really nice things about this fine weather that we have been experiencing is that we have barbecues on the veranda. Despite still having to prepare the food, I think that it is fair to say that Tricia welcomes my meagre efforts at the outside cooking! One of the things that we have been cooking on the barbecue lately is fish. Sea bass has become a firm favourite.

On the 26th June, we went to Colin and Sue's house in Kentroma for tea. We had a really nice time eating homemade crumpets and drinking local ginger beer on their terrace! The highlight of our visit was a guided tour of the house that they are having renovated in the square at Kentroma. To say that it is stunning is an understatement. In particular, they have clearly found some outstanding craftsmen to do the stonework.

This is the time of year when friends from the UK start to take their regular summer breaks in Corfu. Friends David and Eda along with David and Valerie had arrived earlier in the week. We had made an arrangement to meet up at the Eucalyptus Taverna in Agios Stefanos for lunch on Saturday, 28th June. It was a very early lunch for us but Eda had insisted upon it. The reason was only discovered once we arrived!

It was David and Valerie’s 40th wedding anniversary the following day and their daughter and son-in-law were coming out to Corfu as a surprise for them. Well the truth was that David was in on the surprise but Valerie had no idea. The early lunch was necessary to get them away from Kalami so that the secret arrival went unseen. I can reveal that the secret went undetected and Valerie had a wonderful surprise for their wedding anniversary.

Back to lunch! The chef had changed from last year and I think I am right in saying that he used to work in Pepe's Taverna (now Thomas' Place) in Kalami. We are pleased to report that the food was as excellent as last year ... even if there was a slight price increase.

The rest of the month remained hot. we continued to work in the garden and in my case on the table project. Yes, OK. I am slow. I must confess that I like wood and like working with it. It's just that I have always considered myself not very good at it. I really wanted this to be a success. (Or my life would not be worth living!)

Conclusion
June has come and gone. We have slowly managed to settle back into some sort of routine after the traumas of the past few months. (Quite relaxed routines you will understand!)

We have had the pleasure of old friends visiting the island again and have had some welcome visits to some of our old haunts. We have the prospect of our daughter, Louise and son-in-law Steve arriving next month, so I guess that we will soon be getting into a panic over their imminent arrival!

I am not going to dwell too much on this month ... because I have to get working on July's offering! I can't face the shame of having to produce another combined newsletter ... well, not for a while!

See you all next month!

Bob & Tricia