I spoke to Manolis a while back about building a decking but he said he probably had a job to go to post-Grammeno. Having not seen him for a couple of weeks, it looks as though that has come to pass. Talking with Pandolis on Monday, he also has a job to go to, so it looks as though I’m going to be making my own decking. Speaking with a guy I know in the supermarket this morning, he mentioned that his son in law is in the construction business, however, I felt that a lowly decking was below his level of interest. He might go and get the materials for me as he has a van. He would also make sure he’s given no rubbish and that I get the correct stuff. The guy also mentioned a timber supplier in Chania who might be interested in delivering out here or get a contractor to do it.
Building decking
Building a simple decking is not that hard really although I’d need to invest in some tools to make it a little easier- a good saw and a hammer for example. Digging the ground is quite hard work as it’s full of rocks however my drill has a pick on it for just this purpose and I don’t need to go down too far. I’ve been looking on YouTube for decking construction tips and there are no end of videos showing a number of ways to build a decking. The US videos show people digging huge holes to avoid frost heave but I don’t need to worry about that here. There isn’t much permafrost in the Mediterranean.
The northerly wind was quite warm today as I wandered past the virtually completed greenhouse project just outside the camping. If you’re planning a greenhouse, I believe it works out at around €15,000 per hectare from start to ready to plant. These greenhouses are just simple frames with polyethene stretched over the top and no glass is involved. Preparing the ground is done with a bulldozer and then a couple of guys erect the frames and put in the sprinkler systems. Certainly, you’re not going to be watering that lot from a can! I’m not sure when the best time is to plant tomatoes in Crete but, as far as I can see, they are ready to go.
Fence Man has sheep in his plot although he had designs on something a little more remunerative however this was stopped due to lack of the correct paperwork I understand. The sheep are safely locked into their grazing area by means of a strong chain and a decent padlock. Fortunately, the key to the padlock is on a little nail in a nearby fence post however it is strategically out of reach of the sheep if they are planning a breakout.
I briefly encountered Katrina AKA French Lady, as she was driving from the beach. She tells me that Petrus, her dog, no longer wishes to accompany her to that beach preferring to go elsewhere. She said that he is getting old and cranky. I replied that I am too…
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