Skinny decided at 03:50 that it would be a good idea to go outside to play with Isabella. Isabella decided it would be a good idea to come inside to play with Skinny. I wasn’t wildly excited by either option but concluded that having them outside would be less disruptive than inside. They stomped around on the decking making lots of stomping noises but no barking or similar sounds. Finally, Isabella discovered a very hard ball which she proceeded to keep dropping onto the decking. By this time, I’d given up on the idea of going back to sleep so thought beautiful thoughts until the alarm went off.
I quickly removed the big dogs and tied them to the fence by the field gate on their prong collars. That way they are less inclined to act the fool otherwise it might be uncomfortable. I rounded up the others and we set off. It seemed to take forever just to get out of the field but progress increased once we made it to the road. There was a large expensive-looking car parked in the beach car park so I was on the lookout for FreeLoaders however none were found. If they had any sense, they would have slept in their vehicle so strong was the wind. Certainly, no mosquitoes were abroad as the wind was very strong in the exposed areas.
The first walk over, I put Luis and Charlie into one each of the houses and took five out for a wander along the beaches. No FreeLoaders were camping on the beaches probably due to the windy conditions. Again, progress was not rapid but we made it onto the rocks at the end with five dogs. Obi, who tends to disappear whenever the urge takes him, has been good at keeping with us as well as surrendering himself to the lead at the end. The end is the part of the walk where he’s most likely to get distracted and go off on his own. This means I have to track him down later on. Not too hard as he appears to have a magneticly attracted to Maria at the reception, or the bar. Pays yer money, takes yer choice…
Just as we passed the Plakaki Hotel, Plus One, who’d been on Alonáki Beach, felt it would be good to meet up with us. On previous occasions, he had encountered Luis and Charlie but Fido and Oskar were new to him. The latter decided, with the help of Isabella, to chase poor Plus One towards the hotel and the road. At this point, I remotely intervened and the three of them came back to me nicely having broken off the chase. Plus One returned and they all said hello nicely. I stood atop the rocks at the end of Plakaki and saw the same two women walking their dogs as yesterday. I decided to investigate the rocks and watch to see where they were planning to go. Their progress up the beach was glacial so I got fed up and we set off up the beach in the same direction in the hope they might keep ahead. At this point, they did an about-turn and started back towards Plakaki. I took evasive action moving to the landward side of the beach in order to pass them with a wide berth. Oskar, Fido and Isabella made a move to go and investigate the ladies and their dogs whereupon I reminded them they should stay with me which they did. I had no control over Obi but on his own, he’s no threat to anyone and just behaves as he should. The upshot was that we sat down together, Obi came to be put on the lead and the women and their dogs continued their walk unhindered. They are now probably convinced that my dogs are well-behaved. Little do they know…
I walked down to the beach to examine the sea, placing my towel and T-Shirt under a rock. The sea was similar to the day before and a squally wind came up as previously. The swim was not really much fun due to the wind but I stayed in for nearly fifteen minutes. There was no sign of Maria assuming she is actually in the camping. I got a hot shower on the way back which I why I had a towel. I could then remove my soggy shorts and wrap the towel around me. Bona was dutifully cleaning as I arrived and we passed the time of day.
The various delays meant it was now 08:45 and so, considering the strength of the wind, a bike ride seemed less than appealing. I let out the dogs, made a cup of tea and prepared my breakfast before feeding them.
Today was quieter than yesterday although there have been a few support emails mostly with Louise. My Doggy Dinners recipe yesterday didn’t include any rice which made their meal less filling. I found that Isabella was eating loads of carob pods as were the others so I cooked up a pan of rice and mixed it in with the remaining half of yesterday’s DD. I repotted some plants and went to fill the doggy water containers to discover there was no water. Fortunately, normal service resumed quicker than during the winter. Then, there are more toilets than customers so a lack of water is less of a complication. Now, there are many more people than there are toilets so it would quickly have become a problem if the service had been off for long.
The wind is omnipresent but calmed a little in the middle of the day. As the afternoon progressed it gathered strength once more but is still not up to the force it was yesterday. The wind should moderate tomorrow but will be stronger again on Saturday. I feel sorry for the tent dwellers. I must get hold of the ladder and cut back the branches banging into my roof.
It has been warm and sunny with a high of 36.2℃. Time for supper methinks.
Leave a Reply