It was windy in the night and still quite windy today with gusts to 42km/h. This morning was quite chilly so I retained my outer, longer shorts until I came back from the supermarket and I even wore a fleece for the morning walk.
The Freeloaders were gone so all the dogs got to have a good run around today. Obi and Minnie were conspicuous by their absence however Minnie was the first to return before the end of the walk. Obi joined us after everyone had been taken across the Big Beach heading towards the exit. It appeared that Micky was nearby and that the two had been playing together. Both Micky and Five are tied up when the camping is busy however Maria lets them both go when she gets up in the morning.
I used the cooler conditions to rid myself of some rubbish and to clear out all the treasures secreted under the decking by the various dogs and by the wind. Princess and Obi insisted on ‘helping’ by sitting on the mat I was lying on or licking my ears as I reached for the rubbish. I discovered all manner of lost items. Several trips to the bins were required and Princess decided to keep me company for some of them. At least now she does not tear after people trying to round them up by biting their heels. The bins are now located outside at the front of the camping whereas previously it was necessary to walk past the adjoining property to reach them. Most of my rubbish and recycling has now gone except for one heavier crate which I couldn’t be bothered to remove. Hopefully Antonis will appear and take the dog meat tins I have been saving for him. He told me he would be bringing my glasses as it would appear that he has taken my hint and applied pressure to Kostis the optician.
No brown bread at the supermarket this morning however I stoked up on other vital requirements such as tomatoes and a cucumber. It didn’t seem that busy either.
Back at Grammeno I had time to do a couple of other small jobs including restarting some servers I had been working on over the weekend. Other tidying included clearing the decking as this requires oiling before the really hot weather and after the battering it has received during the winter. It is easily possible to see where the wood has changed now that the tent is no longer up. The shading sections seem to have survived the windy night although they have slipped down a little. I need to find a way to prevent this.
Janne and Erica arrived mid-afternoon. The dogs barked a little but seem to have remembered that they are supposed to be there and tolerate movement and noises close to the fence. Janne and Erica are here for three weeks followed by two weeks at home before returning for a final two weeks. Erica says she is looking forward to coming here out of season once she retires which could be as soon as next summer. She would like to find other work to supplement her pension which would allow her to take holidays during school terms. They will probably not be up for much until they have had a decent night’s sleep as they had virtually none today.
Minnie, Janne’s favourite, has joined us in the outer compound today. She has enjoyed the change of scenery and being the only one out other than Obi and Princess. Obi likes to sleep inside the van so Minnie periodically goes in to see how he is and to pester him a little. She is no problem though as she understands immediately what she is not supposed to do: borrowing things, chewing or sticking her nose in the rubbish bag. She will make someone a fine pet if only I can find someone to take her. She is like her mother in several ways although temperamentally calmer.
Boris’ compound is now completely in the shade as the sun moves westward. Boris is in his house: probably due to the wind. I may need to review his situation in the winter as he may not get too much sunlight in that location. We now know how much it floods when there is a heavy downpour. I cleared the ground around the Aloe Vera by his gate this morning as it had silted up around the base of the plant. Only a couple of days and it will be the Summer Solstice when the sun will be rising at 04:43 in UK and 06:10 here. The sun will begin its journey back towards the sea which is my preferred place to see it rise. Behind the mountains, it’s not possible to see the moment of sunrise.
Reading back through some of the emails from 2016 and 2015, which I transferred over yesterday, was interesting. I’m going to attempt to move each month from 2016/15/14 as it occurs. It is quite hard work in some of the earlier emails as some daily emails form part of other mails as they have been replied to and added to over several days. Also some of the content doesn’t make a lot of sense out of context or is a reply to another email so may be omitted. Emails from June 2015 and 2016 are now present. In April/May 2014 I was in UK so there will not be much for that period.