The wind got up in the night and so did Boris. He had an urgent appointment at about 04:00. Not that it mattered as I wanted to turn off my laptop which had been downloading Peaky Blinders from the BBC iPlayer Downloads site. I also have the first of Series 3 of Inspector Montalbano.
Unfortunately, here, it is not just a question of downloading the content and watching it when I want, as the BBC restricts access to programmes which are intended for the UK only. They make it so that you cannot download content if you are outside the UK – this is not hard because your computer has an IP address which is not UK based so it is blocked. I have discovered that I can download programmes using Embroiderers’ Guild fast Internet and then transfer them to Crete.
However as the size of the content files is large, and the Internet speed on the camping is slow, it would take all day just to download one programme. This would also mean that no one, including me, would be able to use the Internet during the day! So what I do is download at EG and then transfer the files during the night when no one much is using the Internet and speeds are higher. That way it does not affect anyone.
The BBC are clever in the way they try to stop you watching the content from outside of the UK. Once I have the content files, I cannot simply watch them because they have to be installed in the BBC viewing software first. Unfortunately you cannot simply drop the content files into the folder because the software works out that it didn’t download them itself! I discovered that if I let the BBC software just start the download, I can shut down the program, install the files which I get from UK and then start the software again. Thing is it still will not work because the BBC does yet one more check to see that you are in UK before it lets you watch the content! So now I connect my computer to the EG network for a few seconds so that the BBC software can see that I am in UK. It then adds the license and you’re done!
I know that this may sound like a lot of effort just to watch UK TV but it’s a lot easier than it sounds and the connection here is so slow, it is not possible to do it any other way. Half the fun is working out how to beat the system and do it all for free!
Still, the sea is blue as is the sky and it’s a little windy but warm. My Dutch neighbours have just left to travel to Hania to catch the ferry to Piraeus tonight – presumably doing a little light shopping on the way. Their dog came from Crete as they picked him up as a puppy 8 years ago and took him back to Holland on the plane as hand luggage! The pilot was so interested the dog had to spend most of the flight on the flight deck!
Dave is tied to the back of the van so that he can move into the sun when he wants and then back into the shade of the van. Boris is tied to a tree and snoozing in the shade. Boris can alway retire to his plastic bed if it gets too windy and the sand starts to sting. The wind moves the sand around the beach and obliterates the tracks making it all soft underfoot.
My kitchen scales are broken too so I’ll need to get some more when I go shopping or work out how to measure flour without scales.
No more excitement I’m afraid.
So there you have it!