It was quite windy again this morning but that was a good thing as it was warm too. The first walk passed almost without incident. There was a car in the car park but we didn’t find any FreeLoaders until right at the end. We left by the same way as we came in but I suspect the dogs were too interested in sniffing around and we were upwind on the way in. I had to speak sternly to Isabella and Skinny who insisted on making silly noises where, of course, the other joined in.
Back at the camping, Fido, Oskar and Obi were confined to the van with a little protest from Fido. I think he soon realised that he’d been on the second walk yesterday and perhaps he was better off having a little time-out today. He seems to still have something with his right-rear leg. Whether it’s his imagination or a real infirmity, I do not know. We left and quite quickly Luis and Charlie were let off the lead. They both had collars so were not going anywhere. Isabella is always free from the gate as she can be relied on to do the right thing. The boys are a little more mischievous.
No bodies decorated any beach although there is rubbish left quite often. Charlie found something and I encouraged him verbally to leave it. He continued so it was then that I discovered his collar was not on tight enough. I switched to vibrate mode which annoyed him sufficiently to do as he was told then I tightened up his collar. The dogs are a little like horses as they seem to inflate themselves when you put anything on them. You find it almost hanging off when you come to remove it. He soon went in the water so I knew that he’d be very responsive after a dunking.
We went right to the end and came back again including some fooling about in the water by Skinny and Isabella. We’ve found a spring which is still active so it’s obligatory to visit it for a drink on the way home.
The women and their dogs were out walking as we passed Plakaki but as this lot had already successfully met them two days ago, I just went for it. I can report that no artificial persuasion was required to ensure a trouble-free passage up the beach for all concerned. Just verbal reminders were issued.
I added Luis and Skinny to the inmates for the van whilst Charlie had already chosen to reside in one of the doggy houses. I went to the beach for a swim [in the sea] but had to share the sea not with Maria, but a man. It was still a little squally, and despite precautions, one of my slippers was blown into the sea and had set sail for Libya. I returned it to the beach and then went back into the water which seemed much warmer than when I’d gone in.
I later discovered that Maria had not been in the sea for the past couple of days due, she explained, to ‘technical problems’. She assures me she’ll be back to her morning swims once the decorators have left.
To the dismay of the dogs, I got ready and cycled to Petrakis for some groceries. The wind was quite strong and against me so I was glad of the motor to push me along. Riding with assistance when it’s windy in the summertime makes all the difference. The road is progressing apace. A significant section from the Plakaki ‘Hotel’ heading east is now at the correct level as well as compacted and rolled ready to receive asphalt! The chaps are working hard on the next section towards Paleochora however I should be very surprised if they are able to tarmac the outstanding sections by month’s end. After all, this is Greece…
My shopping loaded into the bags, I rode back to the camping a lot quicker than I rode out despite the additional weight of the shopping. Once the road surface has improved and most, if not all of the dodgy sections are removed, it will be possible to travel from Grammeno to Paleochora in a very short time. Doubtless, once the road is completely opened there will be a spate of accidents as drivers see just how fast they can complete the journey. The amount of roadkill will also increase since, at present, drivers are expecting machines and poor roads so drive commensurately carefully.
The morning was like most others except there seem to be a drop in water pressure. I put this down to the road technicians however later discovered someone had meddled with the stop valve on the main pipe to the north of me. I turned the tap back on so normal pressure is again with me. I will go up armed with a screwdriver and remove the lever – Ha, get out of that!
There was little support activity other than setting Maria’s laptop up to access the local network and the office printer. I did this as I picked up a parcel from China which contained my hammock with built-in insect protection. I spent some while working out where I might sling the hammock and have now settled on a location behind the Sail Shade. I felt it necessary to have a trial session so a lump of the afternoon appears to have gone walkabout. I may give the hammock its maiden nighttime sleep tonight depending on the temperature. It’s arrived just in time as the forecast for this weekend is warmer and windless on Sunday.
I needed to get out of the hammock to deal with the Doggy Dinners which have now been consumed by the doggies who are now spread about sleeping it off. Skinny, Fido, Luis and Isabella are strewn about the floor by me so as to benefit from the cooler which is circulating cool air more efficiently now the sun is disappearing behind the storeroom. It’s a dog’s life!
I have some food which is lurking in the Instant Pot consisting of lentils cooked yesterday but surplus to requirements together with spinach purchased this morning during my shopping excursion.
Today’s top temperature is 36.0℃. It was 27.7℃ when I got up at 04:25 however, due to the effect of the wind, the ‘feels like’ temperature was a chilly 25.5℃! The wind will be moderate on Saturday but absent on Sunday making it appear much warmer.
Leave a Reply