The wind blew all night and was still blowing in the morning so I knew we’d have blustery walks. I’m not enthusiastic about getting up when it’s very windy but was awake before time so got my brain into gear. There were two cars in the beach car park which have been there several days. As it was dark with only moonlight, I was unable to see if the FreeLoaders were still in the same position. The walk followed the usual pattern but we soon found where the FreeLoaders had moved to once we’d parked Luis, Oskar and Charlie. Their little tents were in the middle of the path by the big rock which is a sheltered place I’d have chosen too. I might have been more considerate about blocking the path, however. A quick course alteration took us another way with a short woof from Skinny. No other FreeLoaders were encountered.
Oskar and Obi came on the second walk east down the beaches. There were no tents, vans or FreeLoaders except for the French van which has been parked near the field exit three or four days. It was blustery with a significant northerly wind but the coolest for a long time which meant we were back in good time.
I went into the sea which was calm except for a few lapping ripples stoked up by the wind. It may have been my imagination but it felt cooler than yesterday. Rather than wash with my garden hose, I stopped off at one of the shower/wc cubicles. It was good to have a hot shower for a change.
I set off, battling against the wind towards Paleochora. With an electric bike it’s a battle that can be very easily won: just a case of turning up the assistance. Petrakis was quite busy especially the fruit and vegetable section. I got what I needed and headed for the electrical shop to buy some 1mm twin and earth for the fan installation. I asked for 1mm but received 1.5mm which is over the top for a 60w fan so no danger of a meltdown. I specified 10m which came to €8 so not excessive. I have plenty left for another project.
The return trip was easier as the wind was mostly with me although I had to weave my way around the machines working on the road. For me, on a bike, it’s comparatively simple. This is how it works: the construction equipment gets on with its work. Approaching vehicles are going slowly due to the road surface and the fact the work has been ongoing for many months so no surprises there. The driver or rider tries to figure out which machine will move where before playing at dodge ’ems. In England there would be lots of men in vis jackets, reflective signs, flashing lights, cones, barriers and traffic lights. Here, you just get on with it and take responsibility for the outcome.
I released the dogs and made my breakfast before feeding them. I wanted to look at the instructions for the fan as I guessed Caroline from LBS would be calling about her new computer. She did call and we agreed that she’d use the old one as she had lots to do and, if there was time, we’d swap them over at the end of the day. It seems that everything with the new computer works as expected except for an anomaly with the database. I’ll look into that next week while she’s on leave.
I collected my ceiling fan from Litsa yesterday evening but didn’t look at it until this morning. I knew I’d need some cable so added that to my shopping list. The headroom under my awning area is limited and the roof slopes away from the van. The instructions for the fan suggested 2.3m from the floor to the fan blades. I don’t seem to be able to find my tape measure but I doubt the blades are 2.3m from the floor. One will just have to be careful and turn off the fan when there are any tall visitors. As expected, I had to make modifications to the supplied fixings as these fans are normally hung from a ceiling rose in a room. The suspension tube was not required but the hook and the rubber vibration insulating device seemed like a good plan to retain.
My problem was to provide as much headroom as possible but ensure the blades didn’t collide with the metal structure of the sloping roof. I also wanted to fix the fan centrally and securely as I don’t want it to come crashing down on someone’s head! I spent a bit of time thinking about things and trying various ideas without drilling any holes but looking for possible snags. I finally worked out that it is possible to hang the motor using the hook and the rubber cushion supplied, centrally from the metal frame which holds up the roof covering. There is limited clearance between the blades and the metal frame as I discovered when I accidentally put the fan on the fastest speed and it became unstable. Being on a hook with a rubber mounting, it is able to move a little. A small movement at the centre translates to a larger movement at the blade tips and there’s little clearance with the structure!
Whether the ceiling fan keeps more flies away than the floor fan remains to be seen. I’ve not conducted any peer-reviewed experiments but there appear to be fewer flies buzzing around at this moment. There are often many at this time of the evening but the jury’s still out.
Having finished the fan installation and made the Doggy Dinners, I sat down for a little rest and, quite unusually, fell asleep. A deep sleep which lasted a while as two hours are missing from my Stand Activity.
There has not been a stream of arrivals at the camping although I think I might have heard Maria’s voice as she showed someone to their accommodation. She was expected to arrive yesterday but I didn’t see her car this morning as I rode through the camping. I have some youthfully exuberant neighbours somewhere to the north of me. They don’t know how to talk, only shout. I may decide to pay them back in the morning when I take the dogs out. We can leave almost silently or…
Tonight’s delicacy is corn on the cob which I have just consumed and passed the cob to Isabella. I can spend the remainder of the evening getting the corn from between my teeth! The main event is salad with potatoes, olives, beetroot onion etc…
Leave a Reply