I managed to leave it until nearly bedtime before remembering to charge my phone, watch and head torch. In the end, I put my phone on a very old power bank to charge slowly all night. This meant I could read from my phone before falling asleep. The evening had been cool and the mosquitoes annoying so I was quite glad to get into the seclusion of my insect tent on my comfortable bed with a blanket over me. The van door has remained open except for the day it rained when it was closed early on.

The alarm eventually sounded but it was with limited alacrity that I crawled from my warm pit to face the strong wind outside. Needless to say, the dogs were raring to go so off we finally went with Luis at my side.

I was wearing a thicker fleece over my thin one with polo shirt under. Even this was insufficient to keep the cold at bay. On our way back from Plakaki, an approaching light signalled the arrival of Eleanor who, despite the weather, had quit the comfort of her bed to walk the dogs. Together, we hurried back to the comparative shelter of the Promontory even though the wind had dropped since earlier.

We took a more central path to the rocks where Ursula arrived with Heidi. It was still quite blowy and I was feeling the cold so stood in the shelter of a rocky outcrop.

I left alone to walk back with the dogs to be joined later by Eleanor who had Skinny to protect her. We deposited Skinny with the others and walked the two girls back over the Big Beach with the aid of the ball-thrower. We didn’t hang around that long as it was still chilly even though the sun was making a contribution.

I decided that riding my bike might be a folly so went to the office in search of invoices and to check-in with Maria. A couple who knew me from a previous visit arrived so it seemed fitting I should show them the places of offer. Since the camping is quite crowded and there are few available pitches by the beach, it’s necessary to be a little persuasive as well as creative to accommodate the punters.I put this couple under the shading created by Xanthippos and repaired at the beginning of the season after a wind-induced collapse. They have an elderly dog who seemed to remember me more than I her, so insisted on me petting her. They also wanted the washing machine which needed emptying before use.

I finally made it back to the office when another potential customer arrived in a large motorhome. He’d not been to the camping before so I showed him some options but he eventually decided to go elsewhere. It would have been a struggle to get his vehicle in and he was wearing so much aftershave the trees were wilting!

Maria asked if I might hold the fort for her whilst she went into Paleochora later to buy a birthday cake for one of the punters. I agreed then went back for a cup of tea and to sit down for a while.

I’d arranged to put some washing in for Janne and Erica as they are leaving tomorrow evening and anyway, it’s likely to be raining. Once the first 60ºC wash ended, I put in another so it was lucky Bona had used the machine earlier. She was busily ironing bedding which was why I was hanging up laundry.

Just as Maria left for Palechora, the couples on the beach front came to pay so I sent them away to await the return of Maria. In the meantime, I went down to check the meters and note their electricity consumption. Meanwhile, Maria came back from Paleochora to find the office locked with her keys inside. I was not expecting her to return so quickly so had locked up with my key.

I went back to the dogs and the van to sit in the sun and briefly fall asleep. Janne and Erica had invited me to join them for Fika when I returned their second lot of laundry. They’d managed to pack up most of their stuff so we were able to drink gallons of tea and have a chat in the afternoon sun. We finished up some of the leftovers from the previous day’s Fika.

I left to put on the doggy rice and prepare to join Tony, Ursula and Heidi who’d been out for a jolly jaunt in the mountains ending up for lunch at Houmas. After a while, Terry, Christine and Eleanor arrived so I sloped off to pick up my fassolakia from the kitchen and then feed the ravenous dogs who’d been a little restless much of the afternoon. Partly due to the wind and my earlier absence for much of the morning and early part of the afternoon.