The radio woke me at around 02:30 so I turned it off. I don’t listen to the radio in my sleep but it is useful to drown out distant pussy disagreements which can then lead to doggy,[Luis] accompaniment.
It was another hazy morning with limited eastern illumination. I could make out the entire lack of cars in the beach car park which was confirmed by the departure of The Snorer from the distal end of the Promontory.
We made it round in good time but somehow briefly mislaid Charlie who caught up before we reached Plakaki. It was quite light by then and the dogs were behaving nicely by not poking their noses in things which don’t concern them. I assisted Skinny and Isabella to make the right decision to leave the beach bar.
Just as we were about to reenter the Promontory, I noticed a wagginess about Skinny which was confirmed by the arrival of some teenage girls at around 06:15. A time which I found strange for teenage girls to be abroad. The dogs and girls got on well however I called the dogs to me so we could make progress.
We lingered on the Big Beach so that those that wished could bathe. Only Luis and Fido were moderately dry but the others were quick to go in to swim or just wallow in the water.
I needed to make some Doggy Dinners but I also wanted to make a start on an additional WiFi AP (Access Point) for the bar/restaurant area. I managed to get the DDs done by 07:30 so was able to spend time threading some cable above the wire mesh which supports the leafy roof to the bar.
The group of teenage girls appeared and made themselves comfortable whilst they charged their phones. Xanthippos and another wandered in, probably from CBV, but there was no server and the shutters were down on the bar. I wanted to get out on my bike so cleared up my mess and dumped the coil of wire on top of the UPS perched on top of one of the fridges. This also requires some attention as I noticed the array of sockets at the rear have become disconnected from the chassis so consequently free-floating. Not a desirable situation for live 230V sockets. I shall swap the UPS for the one in the storeroom.
The Australian woman with small boy was nearby so we had a quick chat before I excused myself and my ladder to go out on my bike. The ladder chose to remain behind.
I went up the mountain to the pass then down the east side and back through the centre of Paleochora just because it was there. I didn’t stop anywhere as I had no real need to.
Back at the camping, I went to immerse myself in the sea for a while. It feels much warmer now and was gentle and calm. There were some patches which felt decidedly warmer than others. A young man was lying on his beach towel surrounded by the necessary paraphernalia consistent with a beach presence: several containers of sun/skin product, music player, towel, handy bag and interesting novel.
I idly watched him as I swam lazily out into the deeper water and back. He took money from his bag to purchase a bottle of water from the bar. Then he drank from the bottle before applying some skin care product. He appeared to be eying up the sea perhaps with a view to swimming in it. Indeed, he was moving ever-closer to the water and finally got in right up to his knees before retreating back to the security of his beach towel and music. At least this charade kept me amused for a while. I exited the water near to where he was lying and casually wandered by on my way back to the dogs.
I suppose it was around 09:30 so I fed the dogs and changed into dry shorts before making some tea. There was some dough to put into a bread tin as well as the DDs which had now depressurised. I dealt with the dough then the DD’s so time was getting on when I finally sat down for a rest. I might have fallen asleep…
I had some emails to answer and other minor administrative tasks to perform. It was getting warm so I felt I’d probably done enough to justify a little inactivity.
I’d knocked up some other dough and starter so that I had another loaf to bake tomorrow afternoon. The idea being to allow the loaf to ‘cure’ for 24 hours before cutting into it. Apparently, rye bread allowed to cure in this way has many enhanced flavour and nutritional properties.
Not only is the dough from yesterday transformed into a loaf but the jar of starter for the next one quickly reached its pinnacle so is now subsiding back into the jar. Soon, I’ll mix the starter with the dough which is resting but will wait until the sun is behind the storeroom and the temperature drops. Otherwise, the dough might over-ferment during the night. That said, rye takes a long time to ferment. The next loaf will be around 75% whole rye with some bread flour to lift it a little.
The Doggy Rice has cooked. Isabella is looking at me hopefully. Fido and Oskar are out on the decking under the sunblocker and Skinny is lying under my chair. I shall rise to my feet which will create all manner of doubt and uncertainty.
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