Καλή Χρόνια

There was little excuse for loafing in bed this morning other than loss of sleep as the result of Fido barking at the New Year fireworks.

We were out the gate just after 06:30 to a much lighter sky with loads of stars. The moon was still in bed and little use when it eventually joined us some forty minutes later.

We crossed the rocks and walked up as far as the river and back. The river was even stronger than the previous day now that all the water which has fallen the past few days is percolating through. It didn’t stop Isabella and Skinny as they could easily walk across with their lanky legs.

I took all back, fed the cats and then took Isabella and her ball for another walk around the Promontory. It was now light so we could see the three vans in the car park as well as the large lake in the middle. The ground is sodden so it may take a while for the water to drain away.

I went on my bike to the top of the mountain listening to a podcast about Chinese seamen who worked in the merchant marine during the Second War on the Atlantic run ferrying materials from America. Apparently, the post-war Labour Government decided to deport them back to China once they were of no further use when the conflict was over. Many were married with families and simply disappeared as they were forcibly put into boats and transported to a larger craft moored far out in the Mersey. From there they could not escape. They were then transported back to China where the civil war was well underway to be murdered by their own people. Few Liverpudlian families ever discovered the fate of their loved ones.

I visited the crazy Staffie who decided to lick me to death and we were eventually joined by the two remaining puppies. I carried on through a very quiet Paleochora where not even the Anatoli Bakery was open!

There was plenty of activity at the camping including Kirsti who wanted to put on the first of two loads of washing. It was a sunny day after so much rain so I was surprised not to have more laundry.

I fed the dogs and myself whilst enjoying the warmth of the sunshine. I’d put the Doggy Dinners on to cook and prepared to make banana bread. With so much sunlight, there was plenty of power for cooking. All told, the sun helped to produce 9.55kWh of electricity however it will take a little longer for the batteries to be completely filled up.

I investigated Isabella’s flashing collar as it was rather dim during our walk. I thought it needed charging but discovered that she’d taken it for a swim and the electrical components hadn’t enjoyed the experience. I have some better quality waterproof lights on the way…

I spent some time asleep in the sunshine on the decking in between trips to the laundry room and other little tasks. Otherwise it was quite a restful day.

Later, I went for a wander around the camping where I bumped into Manolis and Litsa who’d just arrived from Chania to spend a few days at their place in the camping. They gave me a huge bag of Oranges, lemons and mandarins. Very handy as I was down to my last lemon from the last consignment I received from them. I’ve used up all the vegetables I received from Dena too so I’ll have to start buying them again!

We got the doggy dinners underway so we were inside in good time. It was good not to have to dodge in and out of the rain as well as to trudge through soggy ground.

The sky was blue all day and the sun shone almost continuously. It was a complete contrast to the previous few days. I even removed a few layers and wore no socks!