Bye-bye Janne and Erica

I was raring to go at 05:15 when the alarm sounded. I was already awake studying the Weather Underground prognosis for the day, particularly early on. The forecast was an appreciable amount of rain between 05:00-06:00 which is what started to fall so I went back to sleep until 05:50 when it had stopped. I no longer had an excuse to lounge around in bed so got up, dressed and went out to my bike to put the battery on the charger. The new controller/display has only done a couple of outings so I have yet to get used to the battery level indicator. After nearly two years, I learned to understand the difference between what the original meter indicated and what it really meant. Having to pedal back from Paleochora with a load of shopping and little or no assistance certainly concentrates the mind.

We were off and out before 06:15 so it was soon getting light. There was a single camper van in the beach car park and another further along the beach road. I don’t suppose either were aware of our multiple passages. The lagoon was full so I declined the opportunity to cross the rocks and go round as it was still dark enough not to want to play chicken with the waves. We managed to get to Plakaki unhindered by lakes in the beach car park as there was yesterday or fisherpersons cluttering up the beach. Yesterday’s river had been blocked off my a bank of sand and shingle so we crossed with dry feet. At Plakaki, only a row of poles with a few umbrellas on some remained. The chairs had been pulled up the beach because the sea had been busy rearranging the beach. There is now a shingle bank with a length of sand between it and the sea. When the sea is less agitated, it will make good walking. The chairs at Ammos had also been pulled up leaving the umbrellas to cope with the sea on their own. The makeshift shelter constructed by the guy with the caravan who is having the small villas built has been all but demolished which is a shame as the wood would have been useful.

We completed our walk but were not back at the van until 07:45 due to the late start. I sat down for ten minutes before setting off for the top of the mountain on my bike. The roads have been cleared of much of the debris from the night of the torrent but some smaller stuff remains. At least all the work on the rocky outcrop which was destined to be demolished but more difficult than anticipated has worked so far. Only the odd pebble made it through to the road.

It was windier up the mountain but from a southerly direction so quite useful at times. The guy with his dog was out before me so I passed him on the way up as well as down. He’s as crazy as I am since we both go all the way to the top just to come down again!

I noticed the customers with their woollies sitting eating breakfast in some of the beachside establishments. Bistro blinds rolled down to protect the diners from the elements and awnings a little way out to keep the rain off any outside tables. It’s beginning to look a little like a seaside resort in the offseason.

Janne and Erica were packing up as I returned to the van. I left them to it as I knew they had a lot to do. I fed the dogs then made tea for myself and sat down for a while.

Work is beginning on packing the camping up for the end of the season. I saw activity at the bar, chairs stacked up and gradual dismantling of some of the workspaces. The bar remains open but I don’t know about the kitchen. Perhaps until Sunday night. Tony was busy in the storeroom, sweeping and moving things around. He made a good job of rearranging things and stacking the tops of the umbrellas in an orderly fashion. I suspect, left to his own devices, he’d buck the trend and put everything away sensibly. I should imagine others will adopt the line of least resistance and shove everything in higgledy-piggledy in order to get the job done as quickly as possible.

Janne is still unwell so was not at all on form when they left around 15:00. Their flight is 21:00 from Chania direct to Stockholm. I reckon Janne will be pleased to be back in his own home and his own bed. Erica and I managed to change the email address associated with her Apple account. As things stood, she would not have been able to change her password as the current email address was defunct. It’s always good fun working in Swedish with Erica as translator. Janne was beautifying himself having completed the packing up. They left soon after and are thinking of coming back early next year.

I amused myself putting the solar LED lights back around the tent sides. Any replacement sides are unlikely to materialise instantly. I took down the west tent side to clean the plastic window as this has torn, probably due to the effects of sunlight. I need to either repair or replace the plastic. Finding someone local who might do the job in a timely manner might be a challenge. I removed a little more clutter but still have a way to go.

There was quite a significant downpour around 11:30 where another 2.5mm precipitation arrived making the day’s total 5.59mm so far. Little in comparison to the previous day but the guys packing up would have been displeased. Otherwise, the afternoon has been mostly sunny and warm.

A good mixture of weather but mostly warm and sunny in the afternoon. There is no more significant dampness scheduled for the next few days

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