 | Friday, October 13, 2023 We drove to Haniá, left the car at the Apollon car park and walked past the indoor market building, which is being refurbished, and onward toward the harbour. |
 | The streets were packed with tourists. Many groups were being led by guides with "BUS 3" type flags held high. |
 | We sat at a taverna to have drinks, while watching people and boats. |
 | After that, we walked to the military museum at the far end of the harbour. |
 | We retraced our steps and headed towards the park, doing shopping on the way. |
 | At the park café we ordered lunch. I had fruit with yoghurt. Baby was asleep. |
 | When baby finally awoke, we walked over to the play area, where we spent another hour as baby (2 years old) ran from one attraction to the next and then back again. |
 | Finally, we left the park and walked back to the car park to drive home. It was 5 pm when we arrived back at the house. We had nibbles and then baby was put to bed. Iliana's email hasn't been working on her phone so I spent an hour fixing it. I had to create a new account in the end. I watched YouTube videos for the rest of the evening. |
 | Saturday, October 14, 2023 I was up at 7 am, dressed and put my mattress behind my desk, which is in a mess. The family members gradually appeared. I had coffee and caught up on yesterday's work while they showered, had breakfast and prepared to go out. Iliana uploaded photos from her iPhone to her Mac laptop and erased them from her phone - and then realised that she'd erased videos that she wanted to keep on her phone. So we spent some time figuring out how to get the videos back on her phone via iTunes. |
Iliana drove our son's family to Georgioupoli, where they spent most of the day on the beach. Around 12.15, I rode to the Café for a drink with Chris and his wife. Afterwards, I rode to Vamos to buy yoghurt, bananas and to get cash from the ATM. I returned home and brought the washing in from the line. I watched videos and read articles till 3 pm when I had an hour's nap. In the evening, we drove to our favourite taverna in Drapanos for dinner. __ Sunday, October 15, 2023 We drove to Georgioupoli for breakfast. On the way home, Iliana dropped me off at the Café for coffee with Billy. We had to wait for Billy's order of chicken souvlaki and two bottles of wine to take home. I drove us back to the village and then Billy, having sobered up slightly, drove himself home. Monday, October 16, 2023 Iliana drove the kids to Georgioupoli where they had drinks at Tito's cafe. The baby explored upstairs and found toys to play with. Meanwhile, I rode to the Café for coffee with Billy but saw him drive past with his wife without stopping. So Stelios-the-magician chatted to me for half an hour and then I rode to Georgioupoli to join the kids on the beach. |
 | After half an hour of sitting on a sun bed, I was bored and returned home for a nap. Just after I awoke at 4 pm, the family returned. Dinner had been simmering in the slow cooker for several hours. The family ate chicken casserole while I ate yoghurt and banana. |
October 17, 2023 Iliana hung out washing and then set off for Rethymno with the kids. I stayed at home because I hadn't slept well and was suffering from painful haemorrhoids following my constipation episode last week. |
 | I had a soak in the bath, applied cream to the affected orifice and then rode to the supermarket to date-stamp the mail. From there I rode to the Café and arrived simultaneously with Billy. We ordered our drinks and I received a message from Iliana to remind me to buy tea bags, so I walked to the supermarket and back. Petros and his father were welding a frame together. |
 | Some English people sat down at the next table and ordered Bekri Meze. Billy's eyes lit up and he asked "what's that?" I explained that it's pork casserole with peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and olive oil. He called Evangelia and ordered a portion. Shortly afterwards, Brian and Karen arrived. "What's that?" They ordered two more portions. I headed home before the frame was complete. I think it's a support for the pull-out blind. Edit: no, it's going to be a vertical wall in front of the Café that will be covered in clear plastic to provide a sheltered area for winter. |
 | Tip: if you have "piles" a motorbike is probably not ideal. I called at our German neighbours to collect freshly-laid eggs and sheep's milk. Back home I brought in the washing, fed the cat and then had a nap on the sofa. The cat woke me as it wanted to be let out. Then my phone alarm reminded me that it was time for my weekly Skype conversation with my retired engineer friends in the UK. After that, I walked to the supermarket to buy low-fat milk for Iliana, who passed as I was walking home. |
Wednesday, October 18, 2023 I awoke when my son came downstairs at 7.30 am. I must have slept well. I dressed and cleared away my mattress and bedding. After breakfast, my son and I took the baby up the road to the German neighbours' house to see the rabbits and chickens. He was actually more interested in watching his own shadow as he ran up the road. Just after 10 am, Iliana drove the family to Koumos - an intriguing place with buildings and follies, which we visited with our other son's family. I remained behind because my behind is still sore. I had a shower and used cream.  I phoned Billy who told me that he was waiting at home for the courier, who was definitely coming today. He'd already waited in for three days. Shortly afterwards, Chris phoned to ask If I'd look at his Internet TV box, which he'd had a shop upgrade with new firmware but now it didn't work. I rode to his house and discovered that he hadn't set Wi-Fi to "on" in the onscreen settings menu. With that fixed, I rode to the Café and Chris drove his wife there to join me. While we were there, the courier pulled up so I asked him if he had Billy's package. Yes he had, so I signed for it and then rode to Billy's house to deliver it. Billy's partner asked if I could place an order for her with Amazon.de as she didn't have a working credit card. (I think it needs to be authorised in a UK bank, or some such nonsense.) So I got her to find the item on the Amazon site and then emailed the link to myself. Back home, I placed the order and then edited the Friday Afterlife Report for Wendy. At 6.30 we set off for the airport. Iliana is going to the UK with the kids for a couple of weeks. |
 | Thursday, October 19, 2023 There was a short burst of rain just after 6 am, just before I got out of bed. I'd planned to wash the first load of bedding today but the sky is completely overcast so it'll have to wait till tomorrow. |
 | Lovely weather today. Clear sky and 23°C. I washed the bedding and it's now dry. Tomorrow I'll do my bedding, which is already in the basket. On Sunday, I'll wash the clothes. |
 | Unknown grub about the size of my index finger. |
 | I rode to Kalyves, dropping off a rubbish bag on the way, and the surgery was empty apart from two Scottish ladies, whom I haven't seen since the plandemic began. They were just leaving. Three more English expats arrived but I was first. |
 | I explained to Dr Manos that I had had constipation and now a pain in the arse and he prescribed exactly the flavinoid pills that I'd researched and ordered from Amazon last night! Plus cream with a handy nozzle. He also gave me a prescription for an annual blood test, which is required for my HCQ tablets. |
I thanked him and mentioned that I'd come on the mobike, which is a lot more economical than our Honda Jazz but not very comfortable for my bum. He told me that both he and his wife drove Hondas, which he'd had converted to run on LPG. I asked him where he bought LPG on the island and he said Haniá. I told him that that might not work for us, since we might not visit the city more than once per month. He said that, as in England, an LPG tank addition required a safety certificate. Also, the tank must be changed every ten years. He said that he'd probably buy a new car instead. I'm sure that he would have been happy to chat longer but I was aware of the waiting room filling up, shopping and blood test to do, so I thanked him and made for the door. The microbiology centre was packed so I'll try next week as it's not urgent and I was running late. I rode directly to the cafe where Billy was already waiting. |
 | DD was also there. I ordered sausages with a side salad for lunch because I had to eat before taking a "Mecaton" flavinoid pill. Back home, I brought the washing in, showered and applied the cream and then watched a short video. |
 | I blanched the broccoli, which I'd bought in Kalyves and put it in the freezer on a plate, to bag later. I took a nap. |
 | I awoke shortly after 5 pm and had to take a dump. It must be the peanuts. I walked to Cliff's house with kitchen scraps for the chickens. Cliff is in England but his wife accepted my offering gleefully, as she'd been about to go to the shop to buy food for the chickens. A chemtrail sky has been expanding since I brought the washing in. I hope this doesn't bring rain tomorrow. None is forecast. |
 | Saturday, October 21, 2023 I arose at 6 am, dressed and put more bedding in the washing machine while it was still dark. Then I set Get iPlayer Automator going on Iliana's laptop and it seems to have downloaded everything in her TV programme list. By 7.30 am it was light enough to hang the clothes out but, when I opened the washing machine, I discovered that it had missed out the spin cycle. So I set it to rinse and spin and finally got the clothes hung out by 8 am. I took a walk around the village while the sun was still low. |
 | As I passed the nearest bins, I noticed that someone had dumped a tiny wicker chair and a DVD player. Billy phoned to say that he was expecting Tessa; he would be staying at home to cook the meal. I asked about the pie delivery and he said that Sharon, the pie lady, would deliver his order to his gate. |
 | I did my circular walk and returned to the bins at 8.35 on my mobike but both items had gone. I have no need for a DVD player but it might have been an interesting project to fix and give to someone in need. I ate porridge with sultanas for breakfast, followed by miscellaneous pre-cooked vegetables from the fridge. |
I drove to Souda and parked in the car park opposite Sklavenitis supermarket. I went inside and upstairs in search of a vacuum cleaner but couldn't find one. So I went back downstairs and bought four cooked chicken legs. Then I drove to Haniá and parked in the Apollon car park. I walked to the trouser shop. The two assistants recognised me and greeted me like a long-lost friend. The older one (owner?) passed me to the younger, who spoke English and we found a pair of plain, dark green trousers and a lined pair of khaki trousers for winter. The total came to 52.20. |
 | Then I walked to Kotsovolos store to price a vacuum cleaner. The town was chaotic with roadworks and tourists. I asked a male assistant where I could find the upright Bosch vacs and he kindly showed me. As I mentioned, the price tags varied from about 160 to 350 Euros. I went in search of a cheap "pongo" and an assistant asked if she could help so I pointed to the cheapest basic cleaner with a price tag of 110 Euros, which was double what I'd expected to pay. However, by the time she'd pulled it up on the computer screen, the basic price had risen to 130 and, with the essential accessories, dust bags and tax, it rose to 180! |
I explained that, unfortunately, I'm on a pension and the vacuum cleaner, which was only for the car, was well outside my budget. On the way back to the car, I called at a pharmacy and bought a pack of floss toothpicks for an exorbitant 5.50 Euros but I have none left and didn't have time to drive to Jumbo just for those. I collected the car and drove out of town on the Souda road, intending, finally, to get rid of the electronic recycling bag, but there was nowhere to park at the big corner supermarket. |
 | So I turned right at the next junction signposted "Hospital" and followed the road to the stupid roadworks junction near Lidl. I went straight ahead and right, then right, into Sklavenitis car park and bought a bottom-of-the-range pongo for "only" 73 Euros. I must say, however, that it is quiet on the lowest speed and has excellent suction. The solid pipe/handle and brush seem OK but on the carpet I could only pull it, not push. But I didn't find it difficult to use like that. It came with a cloth bag inside and a spare paper bag. |
Back home, I checked for emails and then rode to Litsarda with my new trousers. I left them with Maria, the seamstress, to shorten the legs. She told me that they'll be ready to collect tomorrow (Sunday) morning! I returned to our square to await the pie lady. I sat with drunken Kostas and ordered a coffee. When that arrived, I moved to a lower table with Giorgos Revelakis from where I could see when Sharon arrived. Sharon turned up at 1.35 pm so I walked across to pay. She asked where Billy was and I told her. She said that she hadn't planned to visit him because he hadn't phoned to arrange it so I paid and took his order as well. I paid for my coffee (I almost forgot my bag that was still hanging by its shoulder strap on a chair next to Kostas) and rode to Billy's, where I found him sitting on a low wall by his gate. He'd hung a thermal bag on his gate, with the correct change wrapped up beside it. I swapped his cash for the pies and rode home to eat a chicken leg. After that, I pooped, showered, injected arse cream, fed the cat and then had a nap from 4 till 5.30 pm. I'm sure you needed to know that. Yes, it's still sore. |
 | Sunday, October 22, 2023 I awoke before 6 am, dressed and put clothes in the washing machine. At 7.15 am I hung them out as the sun was rising. |
 | I took my usual walk round the village and returned home for a quick shower & ablutions. Then I rode to the village square with a huge IKEA bag full of recycling waste to dump in a blue bin. |
 | At 9.20 I set off for the Café in Georgioupoli. A drainage grid on the road through Selliá is loose and looking increasingly dangerous every week. I don't think that the trench is deep but if a grid flips up when a vehicle crosses, it could do some damage. |
 | At Stelios Café Bar I ordered the usual English breakfast and read news on my iPad Mini. |
 | I returned home and, at 11.40, rode to The Library Taverna to translate for Billy who wants to order a new ceramic nameplate for his gate. Nondas, the taverna owner, knows a ceramics worker with a kiln, who can probably make what Billy wants. We continued to the Café in Litsarda. In the afternoon, back home, I spent the afternoon watching videos. |
 | Monday, October 23, 2023 I drove the car to Vrises for its annual service. My neighbour drove me home. I rode to the microbiology lab. in Kalyves to have a blood sample analysed for liver dysfunction. This is routine for anyone taking HCQ. The weather was lovely I went to the Café at noon. Billy bought a loaf from the bread van. |
Back home, I took a nap at 3 pm and was woken by the phone at 4 pm. It was the garage mechanic to say that his wife and son were returning the car and they would be outside imminently. I looked out and there they were. I paid 290 Euros and put the car inside the gates. It already had dog piss on one wheel and the engine management light was on. I connected my iPad and reset it. It was the usual oxygen sensor problem. |
 | Tuesday, October 24, 2023 I awoke around 2.40 am and got out of bed to shut off the 3 am alarm. I dressed, squeegeed the condensation off the car and drove to my friends' house with the wipers going. The relative humidity must have been close to 100%. I drove my friends to the airport. On the way back I noticed a snail working its way across the windscreen. I kept it at bay with the wipers until I reached home and then threw it into next door's garden. |
 | I returned to bed and slept fitfully till 9.30 am. I had breakfast and then drove to Vamos to buy guttering for the little tiled roof. It's sold only in 4 metre lengths so the total including accessories was over 80 Euros! |
 | I was already running late, so I drove directly to the Café where Billy and Chris were waiting. Disabled Dimitris (DD) pulled up on his battery-powered vehicle and accidentally broke off the accelerator lever! He was stranded. |
 | I unscrewed and removed the instrument console and then took out the speed control potentiometer. |
 | I drove home and placed the parts on my workbench. The potentiometer spindle had snapped and I had little hope of repairing it. |
 | I looked up the part number on the Internet and it was listed as "unavailable". |
 | I searched my junk box and found a switch with an identical plug so I cut the leads and soldered them to a 5 Kohm linear potentiometer. |
I made a small lever and attached it to the spindle then rode back to the Café on my mobike. I fitted it to the vehicle and it worked as a forward and reverse speed control. Unlike the original, it is not spring-loaded to snap back to the "stop" position but it was good enough to get Dimitris home. I told him to ask his brother, who bought the vehicle second-hand, to see if he could obtain the proper potentiometer. However, I suspect that I'll end up being asked to find a permanent fix. I arrived home in time for my weekly Skype conversation with my engineer friends. While we were chatting, I decided to take apart the plug-top power supply that had failed on my friend's iPod music player amplified speakers.  From above there was nothing obviously wrong but, below the PCB, there was a patch of glue, which had turned brown and conductive. This stretched across the protective barrier, effectively connecting a resistance between primary and secondary windings of the transformer! It was also forming a conductive path between other components. I didn't bother to look further. Ironically, the original purpose of the glue was to hold a sheet of electrical insulation in place during assembly.  |
 | While I was typing, darkness fell and I switched on the office light. It flickered annoyingly, so I brought the step ladders downstairs, removed the glass diffuser and unscrewed the LED bulb. Then I went to the tool shed and fetched a new bulb. It, too, flickered. I went outside and brought another and it flickered. I brought a fourth LED bulb of a different type and it flickered. Hmm. So I switched wall switch off and on and the flickering stopped. How easily I make assumptions! |
 | Wednesday, October 25, 2023 Instead of taking a walk, I decided to install the gutter before the sun rose above the roof. I fitted each support bracket in turn, having first adjusted its height in the slot. |
 | I had the wrong end cap so I had to ride to Vamos to swap it. On the way, I encountered DD who had ridden to Vamos on his mobility scooter but now it wouldn't go. I couldn't fix it there and then and told him to meet me at the Café at noon. Back home, I completed the gutter. I haven't fitted a downpipe because it would look ugly. I searched eBay Germany and ordered a replacement speed control potentiometer for DD's disability scooter. |
 | I rode to the supermarket, date-stamped the mail and then continued to the Café where I sat with Billy and ordered a Bekri Meze (pork & mushroom casserole). |
 | Chris arrived and looked very upset. He'd just run over a cat, which destroyed the plastic, inner wheel arch of his car. I offered to give him my copy of "101 Uses of a Dead Cat". |
 | DD rolled up on his disability scooter, much to my surprise. He'd got it going but now the swivel seat wouldn't lock in position, which made it even more dangerous to drive. |
 | Luckily, Karen & Brian arrived with two sons, so I challenged them to fix DD's seat lock. They did so with brute force. Back home, an email from Wendy asked me to check her "Friday Afterlife Report", which I did immediately. |
 | I replaced an under-cupboard kitchen strip light, which had burned out. It runs directly form my solar battery pack, which can go higher than 14 volts, so I added a 7812 regulator to keep the voltage within specification. It looks a mess, with the PIR sensor, switch and 7812 regulator, but you can't see it unless you bend down. |
 | Thursday, October 26, 2023 I had a slice of bread with cheese, coffee and vitamins, and set off on my walk at 8.20 am. |
 | Renovation project. |
 | No entry without a chain saw. The padlock really isn't necessary. |
 | By the time I arrived home at 8.50 am the sky was completely overcast and ten minutes later the wind began to blow. I'd timed it perfectly. It's still warm - about 20 - 22°C. |
 | I went to get a packet of peanuts from the under stairs cupboard and noticed that the bottom shelf was sagging. |
 | So I cut a piece of wood to length, drilled holes along the front edge of the shelf and then screwed the wood in place. This house was originally built as a holiday home so everything is just "good enough for now". |
 | I rode to the Café at noon. Chris & Billy were already there. As we drank, we witnessed 1% chance of 0 mm rain falling. In the afternoon I rode to Harry's house as he wanted to have a discussion. As I parked my mobike, I noticed that it was dripping petrol. So, when I left Harry, I rode directly to the mechanics' workshop and left it with them. Manos gave me a lift home. |
I should mention that my haemorrhoids are shrinking and no longer painful. I knew you were wondering. This is the end of my diary for the fortnight. Tomorrow I plan to drive Billy all the way to Paleóhora for lunch and return the same day. |