Month: September 2017

Despite being in bed before 22:00, I still didn’t wake up until 05:15 with my fitness tracker trying to shake my wrist off. Determined to beat Ursula to the point, I got quickly out of bed and gathered the troops. No hitches on the way out and we made a good pace as we crossed…

Ursula did it again and got to the end of the Promontory before me even though my alarm was set for 05:15. She heard the sound of Princess darting around exercising her high-pitched little bark. A little reminiscent for an echo sounder in some respects. Still no moon for a few days so darkness prevailed.…

First again this morning thanks to Boris waking me up at 04:00 with his whimpering. Quite quiet whimpering but whimpering enough to wake me from a light sleep. Repositioning the hose to the edge of the decking and a whispered telling-off helped. He remained quiet enough added to the fact that I couldn’t be bothered…

Alone on the walk this morning, I sat for a while on the western rocks at the end of the Promontory enjoying the sound of the waves against the rocks and the gentle westerly wind on my face. It was not cold but I wouldn’t have wanted it any cooler. Some of the dogs sat…

This morning Ursula and Tony left for an adventure to Omolos, a mountain not far from Chania. They have a room for the night so that they can then go on to pick up Anne, who arrives tomorrow noon(ish). The weather’s cooler now so time to get out and about as there’s no excuse for…

Why do people want to do things first thing Monday mornings and last thing Friday afternoons? This morning has been busy as I have been trying to multitask even though I am male. I was back from breakfast with U&T in good time for office opening time in UK so managed to have some contemplation…

Maria was pleased to see Dave, Obi and I when we went past the office. She was shuffling paperwork and going through bills, but more treading water than being productive. No one is likely to wish to leave at this time of night and few are likely to arrive. I suggested that she leave soon…

They’re back! The silent, smaller, Czech motorhome has been parked opposite the Pebble Beach Kantina most of the week. The people with the huge motorhome, who were disturbed from their slumbers early the other morning, are back. There was no sound from within or without as we passed by this morning: their dogs must have…

As Dave, Obi and I walked by the Grammeno Bar, on an extended Dave walk, there was only the barman present. He had his head firmly stuck into something so probably didn’t even notice anyone pass. We continued east along Grammeno beach, past Cedar Bay Villas and Ammos Beach Bar to the car park. There…

OK, so you might not call 22C at 20:15 cool but I do. Not cool enough to make me want to go into the van but cool enough to think about closing the large rear window. The kitchen window is open anyway because it needs a repair and is currently residing in the storeroom. The…

Walking past the office just now, on the Dave and Obi walk, Maria was talking to her sister on the phone. Maria had just received some photos of her nephew and niece who are quite young. The nephew always seems to be smiling however his sister is more serious. We flicked through the pictures until…

I am prone to exaggeration, as anyone who knows me may testify. However, today, the temperature reached 100° Fahrenheit, not Celsius, of course. If I wrote that it was 37.6°C, those who know only rods, poles and perches would be unimpressed. The exaggeration is that 37.6C is, in fact, only 99.68F, so not quite 100°.…

Having completed my doggy day and taken Dave for his wander, I’m sitting down to write my blog with the sound of fairly large dogs barking from the direction of Grammeno beach car park. My lot are, following a brief relapse, all quiet and resisting the temptation to bark back. The wander revealed there are…

…early to rise as the saying goes. I wasn’t feeling very enthusiastic last night as I had a sore throat so went to bed around 21:30. There is a noisy dog in the camping nearby so I was woken again before midnight. My lot were quiet but the others were not. Then Boris began his…

Ursula has her birthday today so we went to Anydri for a very pleasant meal. I had lentils and spinach, which was very tasty. We also had a Greek salad, with feta on the side, and they gave us grapes for dessert. Lau, Dutch Guy, who was here until May, has returned from his trip…

Calm and warm as we set off for our walk. The get-up alarm sounded as we walked across the field, east of the van, and I found myself in exactly the same location as the previous day when the one-minute alarm finished. If I’d attempted to organise that, it would have been impossible. Ursula and…

German Guy, whose name is Marvin, as in Paranoid Android, the chap I was talking to at the office about going to Elafonissi today, didn’t go there today. His girlfriend/partner/significant-other was not feeling so well so they decided to go tomorrow. Except that I may have talked them out of it. Why would I do…

Ursula escaped from the camping to go solo-shopping in Paleochora. Tony was having a little siesta following his lunch, so she took the opportunity. Both Heidi and Minnie were there to protect Tony from any marauders. Ursula discovered the existence of chia seeds and Quinoa in Petrakis supermarket in Paleochora. This is very good news…

The last two days have been busy from the support point of view. Why does it always do a ‘London Bus’? No calls and then three or four come at once! Starting with Terry yesterday evening who suddenly announced he needed his laptop installing, then an on-going email problem in Hindhead, Inter Sport in Seaford,…

With Boris fidgeting at 04:00, I gave up the unequal struggle at 05:15, and got out of bed. The moon is going to bed later and is still nearly 70% brightness so no need of a torch as there is plenty of light in addition to the street lights. The Austrian motor home, which has…

The music from Delino’s ended around 21:00 so no problems sleeping the night away. It was loud as I took Dave and Obi around the back by the main bathrooms. The motorhome customers must have been struggling to speak to one another across the meal table so they were doubtless thankful when it stopped. Up…

Both Ursula and I, independently, got up early at 05:15. Oskar was experiencing some sort of gastric emergency causing him to whine to get out so I got up. He later confirmed the level of his inconvenience in the field as we left for the walk. We encountered Heid and Ursula as they were making…

There were a few communication problems but finally, we managed to get to organise a vet visit for Dave and Obi. Ursula and I were back from the walk soon after 07:15 despite having lost Princess somewhere along the route. Fortunately, Ursula went back and brought her into the SDC. The vet was happy to…

This morning was Full Moon so there was plenty of light. We were able to see a beautiful moon reflecting in a calm sea. There was a gentle breeze but nothing to speak of. A slight chill in the air but few mosquitos. We ventured further into areas of the Promontory not visited in a…

Moon set was after it got light so the moon was still high enough in the sky to provide useful light. It was Heidi and Ursula’s first-morning walk so we needed to reintroduce the dogs. Oskar had spent some time with Heidi shortly after she arrived and her presence was detected on my person as…

But only as we were walking up the track towards the promontory. It was setting, looked quite large and was an interesting colour. By the time we reached the end of the Promontory, it was all over. I didn’t see any cars in the car park so all dogs except for Obi and Minnie were…

No one on the Promontory early thing morning. The only sign of life being a ship out to sea all lit up. Probably a cruise ship as they feel it necessary to look like Time Square for some reason. They must devote lots of their power to pretending to be a Christmas Tree. Boris was…

The mutts are stuffing down their Sunday evening meal which involves MEAT. Fido and Obi have already finished as they are the first to be fed. They are standing next to the table where I prepare their bowls. Boris is next and then the others. I usually give Princess hers as she takes forever-and-a-day to…

Don’t the weeks just fly past? The holiday weekend is over and many people left yesterday including some of my neighbours, taking their children with them. I received a reply from Janne yesterday asking if there were many people on the other side of the fence. I gave him an overview of the situation with…

There have been machines working on-and-off all day. The first I heard to the west of the camping now I can hear another working what appears to be the south. Maybe I’ll get up onto the van roof and take a snoop around to see what I can see. I was planning to go to…

Καλό μήνα – welcome to September! Following the excitement of the arrival of the sail shade and its installation, I had further excitement when I discovered an email waiting for me from Maria. I had already passed by reception during the Dave/Obi walk but no one was there. The email informed me that there was…