Welded to my pit until 05:30! Even though I was awake on and off, well before 05:15, thanks to whining Boris, I ignored my vibrating wrist and waited for the audible alarm. It was blowing again so a light windproof coat was required. It was dark again as the moon has not yet graced us with its early-morning presence. Preferring to get up earlier and party till 04:34. Only a couple of days until Full Moon which will set at a more sensible time of 06:38 giving us some light in the morning.
I released the dogs as normal and gave Boris his dimly-flashing ball. He disappeared ahead. I have no idea why but some days he wants his ball thrown and some days he doesn’t. I walked up with the four detainees as they sniffed and wandered in the darkness. The fact that Boris didn’t appear again didn’t cross my mind. I reached the end of the Promontory where I found Ursula and Heidi. The dogs played and we chatted. We didn’t really notice that Boris was not there demanding someone to throw his ball. Sometimes he just wanders off a little way to enjoy some Boris Time away from the Madding Crowd. The Crowd was as Mad as ever today. Then I decided I’d better see where he’d got to and searched in the usual locations. I retraced my steps down the Promontory towards the car park and Ursula cut across to search higher up. On reaching the car park and Grammeno Beach, Boris was nowhere to be seen. I circled around the west side of the Promontory and the main beach before heading south again. The other dogs, well, most of them, were following my progress from a distance, as dogs do.
Ursula called from higher up telling me she had not found him so I continued south to the rocky areas where sometimes he will sit to enjoy the view. Ursula said she’d take Heidi and Minnie back to the camping to see if Boris was there and let me know if he was. I continued my search. By this time it was lighter, making searching easier. I received a text to say that Boris was safe and sound back in the SDC. I found his abandoned ball in the beach car park once I’d gathered up the others.
He’d walked back on his own into the SDC via the field and the Private Entrance. He was fooling around with Minnie and Heidi when I arrived with the others. At least his programming is working correctly and he still knows to go back home if he gets separated or lost. Dave has been known to go Walkabout but Boris rarely.
Breakfast followed by lots of little jobs around the compound. The greywater tank on the van was getting a bit smelly as the van is not quite level. I cobbled together a makeshift collection of pipes to convey the water away from the van under some nearby carob trees.
I gathered together some other things and generally tidied up. The power had been off from around 09:00 for planned maintenance so the only access to the outside world was by my phone and I don’t have a large data plan. Some support queries which I dealt with then it was time for a shower and get ready to go out to The Third Eye for lunch.
The restaurant seemed busier than last time but we sat out in the rear garden under the bunches of black grapes dangling from the vines overhead. We ordered and ate. It was Anne’s last lunch as she is returning tomorrow so Ursula and Tony will be taking her back to Chania airport and then may make the most of the visit by going on an outing. At the end of the meal we were offered some grapes from the bunches hanging overhead. They were very pleasant and certainly could not have been fresher.
Back at Grammeno, I got on with some other jobs before the other three arrived for tea. We then took the dogs for their evening walk. I was walking only three dogs! I took Potty Oskar, Charlie and Luis, Anne had Princes and Pea, Tony had his favourite couple, Obi and Fido, leaving Ursula with Heidi and Minnie, who walk well together. Boris does not go evenings as one walk is enough for him and Dave has a shorter walk around the camping later with Obi.
Ursula and I fed them and dealt with Dave and I went around the camping with Dave and Obi. I popped into the office to mention to Maria that I thought that perhaps the electric pump which empties the sewage collection tank wasn’t working correctly. She said she’d get Xanthippos to check it out. Lucky Xanthippos! It’s a horrid job if the pump is blocked. The punters put ‘foreign objects’ down the toilets and don’t understand the delicate nature of the system and the care required to prevent unpleasantness.
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