Moving Back

I was awake quite early for some reason but didn’t go back to sleep so got up at 05:10 to start the day. We were out of the gate before five-thirty and gazing at the stars. Just that little bit earlier makes all the difference. Venus is still present however I’ve lost track of the other planets and never saw Mercury due to the mountains. The sun is moving slowly back from behind the mountains to rise above the sea. By the time it moves out it will be rising later but we will see it comparatively earlier as it will be visible as soon as it rises. I just love to watch the sunrise over the sea during the winter months. The sunsets are also pretty awesome.

One car was in the car park but no sign of anyone camping on The Promontory. Whether it will be the same during this weekend I doubt very much unless it’s windy or snows. The former being more likely than the latter although I remember it raining very hard one August 15th. Something like 35mm in just over one hour.

I heard some mild barking emanating from the direction of the camping and suspected Luis may have wandered that way. I remotely prodded him and could see his little, green flashing light in front of Ammos Beach Bar as I walked across the car park. Isabella appears to have moderated her behaviour towards Luis so I shall be keeping a closer eye on him to be sure he doesn’t wander in future.

There were no people at Plakaki so we spent time sniffing and digging around as there just might be some small morsel dropped down under one of the sun loungers. It’s better to check them all just in case! It was properly light when we walked back so I gradually caught up with each dog to turn off its flashing light. Over the rocks and back to the camping then out again with the girls for another pleasant but uneventful walk. There was a woman on the beach in the distance and I could see that Isabella was planning to introduce herself but I brought her back to me and we crossed the field back into the compound. I went off to Paleochora after giving the plants a quick water which I’d failed to do the previous evening.

I was at the end of the batteries which I’ll charge tonight so I needed to put in more effort to get up the mountain and over Panorama. The puppies are still in the compound as a quick inspection at the port revealed no small dogs. I stopped for bread and then for a swim. Other than the vehicles parked along the beach road, I was the only person on the beach when I came out of the sea. Why is there no one here? It’s August!

The camping was pretty cluttered with cars and other modes of transport as I rode back through. Plenty of activity as it must have been around nine-thirty. I fed the dogs earlier and let them out. They have their collars on so they’re quiet, anyway the punters were all active.

It was another super-busy day of maximum concentration although I washed the shorts I’d been swimming in as well as a very grubby polo shirt. More soaked than washed as I kept forgetting them. I mixed water and flour to hopefully produce a sourdough starter. The previous attempts failed so maybe I’ll be luckier this time as it’s much warmer. I can see bubbles starting to appear so we’re off to a promising start at least.

There were a couple of calls from Maria about invoices. She’s going to leave the new ones in the office so that I can pick them up whenever I’m passing. The previous batch have been taken into the office in Paleochora to be inspected by officialdom. Seems a bit like jobs for the boys to me…

I moved the fruit baskets to a more convenient location as they were relocated to prevent the mouse from eating the fruit. Having rearranged things and taken up the floor covering that left the fruit baskets in the middle of the road. I mostly managed to remember to duck but moving them is a better solution. There’s only citrus in there now as the bananas have to be stored in the fridge in summer unless you’re a fan of squeezing them out of the skin like toothpaste!

I went earlier for grub as it’s a lot busier later so a bit of an imposition on the kitchen staff. Today, I have a mountain of fassolakia together with some beetroot with raw onion! I need to finish the Litsa salad and dolmades and I have a tomato lurking somewhere too.

I can safely say that I’m officially stuffed but I might manage something once I’ve fed the dogs. Their rice is now in the cooker so it would be nice to feed them before it gets dark. Sunset is at 20:21 today so it’s dark by nine. It never gets dark really late in summer or light very late in the winter. Something to do with the Equator and its proximity I believe.