Petra provided me with an evening meal of spinach and rice (Spanakorizo) with a second floor of oven potatoes (roast potatoes). There was sufficient so the fartichokes remain in the fridge for a little longer. Depending what’s on offer this evening, I’ll probably eat them all up.
My evening entertainment wasn’t quite so technically focussed as Saturday’s and contained quite a lot of technology shorts, mostly from production of goods in India. I never cease to be amazed at the working conditions and the results which are produced from these backyard factories. To begin with, Health and Safety doesn’t get a look-in. There is no protective clothing for the workers, many of whom are seated on the floor or simply standing next to a machine. The equipment is generally very basic and extremely old with no safety guards, emergency stop facilities or extractors to take away dust or fumes. Men and boys are welding with no eye protection and bare skin risking burns from molten metal and UV radiation. Tanks of corrosive and toxic chemicals are all around with their content slopping onto the floor or the workers’ clothes. The guys are working very hard in difficult conditions to produce reasonable quality goods for little money. The bulk of the profit is being made as the goods reach their final markets where salaries are much higher. The actual employees are probably risking their health to make a pittance. Even children can be seen packing goods or performing more demanding tasks. The fact is that the market pays little for labour due to the available quantity, corruption avoids complying with any safety or environmental regulations and the workers need these jobs to feed their families. Detroit and Pittsburg are deserts since the motor industry (MoTown) and heavy industry relocated out of the US to 3rd World countries with cheaper costs. It has to all change!
The night was interrupted around three by some external cacophony which caused Luis to launch into barking mode. Fortunately, Oskar didn’t join him. I didn’t experience the event which caused the disruption but later discovered some tyre tracks and skid marks on the beach track which were most likely part of the event. We went back to sleep until the alarm at 04:15.
Only two cars were parked in the beach car park. One I recognise from yesterday, another with a groundsheet and maggots sprawled in front of it. I do not understand why people sleep on the ground right in front of their car when there are so many nicer and more comfortable locations nearby. I understand that I know where most of them are but it only takes a little effort to walk a few meters to something so much nicer, less exposed and more comfortable.
There were no maggots or discovered tents on The Promontory and Kostas was nowhere to be seen. The sea was present but, as the French would say, ‘she is agitated’ mostly due to a southerly wind which was even pushing water into the lagoon. We managed to pass each time with dry feet although, in summer, wet feet or even wet everything is par for the course. We completed our walk, returned to the camping, almost together, and I fed Moggy. The snorer was hard at work so I pity their partner and those in their tents nearby. There should perhaps be a snoring section where all of the snorers can be put together.
We set off with the ball and thrower and nearly lost one of the balls early on. Indeed, I threw it quite far as the wind was behind me and I was standing at the water’s edge. Isabella, naturally, lurched into the water and started swimming in the direction of the ball then suddenly came racing back in case I threw the other ball in her absence. With an offshore wind, the ball gradually got further away but Sasha came to the rescue and swam out further than I’ve ever seen her go to try to retrieve it. Alas, due to wavelets, she was heading in the wrong direction and became confused by a stupid person with a thrower waving his arms around on the beach.
I tried to encourage Isabella into the water to retrieve her ball to no avail. I then put a stone into the thrower and launched that in the general direction of the ever-distant ball. Even I, with the benefit of being a lot higher than the water, was having trouble seeing the ball. It worked and Isabella plunged to the location where the stone, sank like a stone. She initially went off in the wrong direction but then, due to my careful management from the shore, locked-on to the ball which she rescued. She only had to make it back to having possibly become unaware as to how far out she now was from the beach. Needless to say, she made it back and we continued our walk. All the girls have slept deeply for most of the day.
After a while, I went to Petrakis and back before a quick dip from Alonáki. There was a southerly wind which was pushing the sea up Grammeno Beach however there were not many waves on Alonáki but the wind was offshore. I set off to discover myself quite a distance from the beach in a short time so I then continued parallel to the beach in a triangle back to where my bike was parked. There were also four sun beds, stolen from ABB, which some cheeky people had expropriated the previous day. I rode back to the camping to dogs, biscuits and DDs.
With the DDs out of the way, I fed the dogs and thought about having a shower. I’m still thinking about the shower which may turn into a wash at bedtime. I can cope with a little salt I think as it’s not very hot.
I’ve kept myself amused all day. Manos gave me an industrial sous-vide from the kitchen to take a look at. It wasn’t working as he said water had got into it. He was correct and it needs to go back to the shop or be replaced.
I played with my batteries a little, more accurately the BMS. It’s possible I fell asleep a couple of times probably as a result of being woken at three. And I’m not sure what became of the remainder of the day other than processing the DDs and telling Oskar off for barking. I’m going to put his collar on as this is becoming a habit. I’m not too concerned about those outside the fence but he’s annoying me.
The morning was quite cool due to the southerly breeze. The sea felt cooler than yesterday as there had been an easterly wind which had blown the sea up to the first rows of sun beds at Alonáki and Azzuro. At least the foreshore has had a good clean hopefully leaving behind a platform of compact gravel which is so much easier to walk on.
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