| Friday, October 27, 2023 I awoke at 7.35 am and rushed to eat a slice of German bread & cheese with coffee and vitamins. At the last minute, I remembered to send out the blog notification email. Then I drove to Billy's house to collect him at 8 am as arranged. We headed for the National Road, drove for several kilometres and then turned off at the Palaiohora sign. Here's a typical filling station (below). Unleaded 95 octane is priced at 1.925 Euros/litre today. Note that the price sign is in English, as is "Way In" and also the "Shop" sign, which I cropped from the photo to make it fit (sorry). 
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| We followed a crane lorry all the way from the highway. At one point we had to slow right down for roadworks - or hill works. |
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| As we approached Palaiohora after two hours of driving, Billy remarked that it was growing darker as rain clouds appeared. Here's the lorry that we were following. We weren't in a hurry and I left a good distance between us so that the occasional passing vehicle had plenty of room to pull in. |
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| We arrived in Palaiohora and parked outside the "Zygós" (zee-GOSS) Café where Iliana and I have stayed on previous holidays. Unfortunately, it had closed for winter as the tourist season has officially ended. Even so, there were plenty of tourists about. |
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| We walked along the beach road, with a couple of stops for Billy to get his breath. I had suggested that we bring his wheelchair, but the stubborn old git refused. There was a couple of hippy encampments on the beach. |
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| We finally found an open Café - The "Palm Tree" - and ordered Cappuccino for me and "Malotira" mountain tea with honey for Billy. |
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| Billy wasn't hungry but I ordered a "Special Omelette", which came with toast that I don't eat - So Billy ate it. |
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| Afterwards, Billy insisted that we needed two "tseekoudiess" (RAKIs). Billy paid while I walked back to the car to bring it to collect him. |
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| The drive home was mostly uneventful. We followed this vehicle as far as the highway. We were stopped at the roadworks for a minute. |
| Saturday, October 28, 2023 I put washing in the machine but forgot to hang it out today! I'll run a rinse/spin cycle tomorrow and hang the clothes out. Setting a reminder now (9.30 pm). I spent the morning at the computer. At noon I drove to the Café to meet Billy and Chris. Manos, the mechanic, phoned to say that my mobike was ready. After drinks and a chat, Billy followed me home and then drove me to the mechanics' workshop to collect my mobike, which is hopefully leak-free now. I rode to Georgioupoli because Iliana told me that she had read on Fakebook that Stelios Café Bar was now closed for winter. I checked and it was. Strange that Stelios hadn't mentioned it on Sunday. Anyway, I bought yoghurt from a supermarket, had a cup of tea with Tom & Angelika at "Sentouki" Café and then rode home. The weather has been warm, although dark clouds passed overhead around 1 pm and I thought that it might rain. I'm setting the manually-operated clocks and watch back an hour before I go to bed. |
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| Sunday, October 29, 2023 I awoke around 7 am, showered, dressed and set the washing machine to rinse and spin the clothes from yesterday before hanging them out to dry. |
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| The weather was cool at 9.30 am so I donned my padded jacket and rode to "Francoise" Café in Almyrida. |
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| I ordered breakfast, ate it and rode home, stopping to buy cheese in Vamos. I didn't wear my jacket on the ride home because it was hot in the sunshine. |
| I brought the washing in, folded the clothes and put them away. Then it was almost noon so I rode to the Café O Petros for a chat with Billy, DD and the locals. At 4 pm I felt tired and took to my bed till 5.30 pm when I awoke and heated up pre-cooked chicken casserole for dinner. |
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| I awoke before 6 am, dressed and put whites in the washing machine. I hung them out before the sun appeared. There's a lot of low-lying cloud but the washing is in bright sunshine at present (8 am). |
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| I have already ordered a new RVQ24YS08-02 potentiometer from Germany for 20 Euros inclusive but I came across a YouTube channel describing the fitting in more detail. www.youtube.com/watch?v=axqKNk-73ag |
| Annoyingly, he refers to the grub screws as "grommets" except for one time when he gets it right. He sells the potentiometer but, wow, at a price! www.nithsdale-wheelchairs.com/prods/10867/universal-cosmos-5k-pot.html |
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| At 8.15 I set off for a walk. The mobike was wet with condensation. |
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| The car was also wet. I drove to the mechanics' workshop to ask them about my bald tyres and engine warning light. |
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| Both front tyres are worn down to the fabric on the inner shoulders, which means that the wheels are splayed outwards. I'm annoyed because the other mechanic (Giorgos) in Vrises replaced the track rod ends last year but clearly didn't adjust the tracking! That would be bad enough but last week he charged me for a service and never mentioned the tyres. Anyway, the mechanic (Pantelis) told me that he'll order new tyres and will phone me tomorrow when they arrive so that I can take the car to have them fitted. I drove the car home. |
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| Iliana sent me a message asking me to book a table for next Monday evening at Kostas' "Chicken Shack" in Vamos. So I rode there on the mobike. I was stopped for a minute by a reversing excavator that was blocking the road as it manoeuvred into a narrow side road. Lots of roadworks as new water pipes are being laid from a new spring at Maza to outlying villages. |
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| Chris phoned to say that he'd left his car for repair so I collected him in my car and headed for the Café. His phone rang: the mechanic had completed the repair, so I did a U-turn and dropped him off at the workshop. I drove home and rode to the Café on my mobike. Chris & Billy were waiting for me. We all ordered Bekri-Meze to take away for dinner. It's pork casserole with peppers, mushrooms and onions. |
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| Back home, I slipped on the tiles where the petrol had been leaking. Even though it evaporates quickly, the petrol leaves an oily residue. So I applied degreaser, brushed the area and then hosed it with water. |
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| The tree trunks sticking above the foliage were annoying me and starting to sprout so I climbed onto the workshop and cut them down with my chain saw. |
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| I climbed down the ladder and put my tools away. After hauling the branches into the field, I was exhausted and sweating so I stripped, had a shower and put on fresh clothes. The sun is sinking out of sight at 5 pm. |
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| Tuesday, October 31, 2023 I awoke quite late, showered, had breakfast and went for a walk. I spoke to my German neighbour about getting a bottle of sheep's milk then continued my walk to the village. |
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| I stopped at the supermarket and bought two empty bottles. On my way home I moved to let a car pass and it was my German neighbour returning from the farm. I swapped him two empty bottles for one holding a litre of sheep's milk. Kept in the fridge, it remains potable for exactly seven days. |
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| At 11.20 am I rode to the supermarket to date stamp the mail and then on to Café. The weather was warm but I felt slightly chilly on the mobike as I was wearing a shirt and no jacket or pullover. I'd hoped to have a bath and a nap in the afternoon but I decided to wait for the mechanic to phone about fitting new tyres, He didn't. |
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| Wednesday, November 1, 2023 I was up at 6 am, showered, dressed and put a small load of washing in the machine. Iliana is flying back from England today so the less she has to complain about the better! |
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| I swapped the wheel with the most worn tyre with the unused spare. Then I put a very old spare wheel on the rear and moved the rear wheel to the driver's side front. Now I had two good tyres on the front and two worn out tyres in the boot. |
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| This is the first time that I've used my hydraulic jack. It worked flawlessly but, as I put it back in its case, I noticed a split pin that was supposed to be holding it together! I scrubbed my hands and then hung the washing out. |
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| I drove to the mechanics' workshop to find out what was happening about my tyres. He'd ordered the wrong size. So he ordered the correct size while I waited. They'll be delivered tomorrow. I asked for directions to the workshop in Haniá where the tracking can be adjusted. Pantelis found it on Google Maps for me. |
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| I checked FlightRadar. Iliana's plane had departed half an hour early! So I headed for the airport, taking the narrow bypass to the National Road. On the way to the airport, the engine warning light came on, yet again. |
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| I stopped at the Café nearest to the airport and bought a packet of peanuts and a takeaway decaf Cappuccino. |
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| Having polished those off, I drove almost to the airport entrance and parked on a patch of gravel. I monitored FlighRadar app as the plane approached. I switched to 3D mode and watched the plane land and then apparently taxi through an olive grove and take off again! (I think this is a hint that the App provider wants me to pay the subscription.) After twenty minutes, Iliana sent me a text message so I drove into the airport, stopped at the kerbside to load her and her suitcase and then departed. |
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| We drove towards Haniá hospital to find the workshop where the car steering ("tracking") could be adjusted. (Ordinary garages don't offer this service.) |
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| We left the car there and walked 100 metres to the nearest Café where I ordered an araviki sandwich (pitta bread) with chicken, a cappuccino and a fresh orange juice for Iliana, who had eaten on the plane. |
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| A familiar car passed by, did a U turn and returned. I waved at the mechanic. I'd already paid so we walked back to the workshop, paid the 20 Euros, took the adjustment report and left. If you'd like to see the report, click HERE. I think that the tracking was toeing out a LOT but I'm not familiar with the figures. Any mechanics out there? |
| I drove home, dropped Iliana off with her suitcase and then continued to the mechanics' workshop, where I left the wheels with worn tyres to be changed tomorrow. Iliana, meanwhile, put her clothes away, made her bed and then went to chat with the neighbours. |
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| Thursday, November 2, 2023 Iliana woke me around 6.30 am by making crashing noises in the kitchen before going for a walk. So I dressed and had a coffee then went for a walk shortly after she returned. The sun was obscured by strange clouds but it was quite warm for November - around 20°C. |
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| The village has narrow streets and I caught up with a cement mixer, which was scraping its way through. Eventually, it stopped and put its hazard flashers on. I squeezed past it but the blue car was stuck. |
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| As I headed homeward, the sky lightened but was still obscured by the powdery mist. I rode to Vamos to order heating oil from a garage. 350 litres will cost 500 Euros! I returned home and collected two cartons of milk on the way - one for Iliana who prefers 1.5% fat and a 3.5% for the neighbours. |
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| At noon I rode to the Café. This mobike arrived and I took a photo because it's in worse condition than mine. Most of its plastic panels have been removed; wires are hanging down in loops and the speedometer pod is entirely encased in duct tape. |
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| The sky was clearing and by the time I returned home it was a uniform powder blue colour with no sign of clouds. Iliana went to visit the neighbours. I took a nap and didn't wake until she returned at 4.45. The oil delivery driver phoned to confirm delivery tomorrow. The mechanics didn't phone so I assume that they haven't fitted the new tyres to my wheels yet. |
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| Friday, November 3, 2023 I was up at 7 am and watched videos. At 10 am Iliana set off for the monthly expat coffee morning in Kalyves. I stayed behind to wait for the heating oil delivery. |
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| The oil man phoned at 11.15 to say that he was on his way. I met him in the square on my mobike fifteen minutes later and he followed me home. 350 litres cost 500 Euros. That's around 100 litres less than last year. I rode to the Café and was joined by Chris. I ordered a salad. |
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| A man arrived on the partially-dismantled mobike that I saw yesterday. Billy arrived later as he'd followed Cliff to Vrises where Cliff left his car for repair. Billy drove to a tyre depot and had them replace his destroyed tyre with a used one for 30 Euros. Then he drove Cliff to the ATM and then to a couple of shops before driving him home and returning to the Café. |
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| Aeroplanes continued to lay out criss-cross lines, which spread out and turned the blue sky white. (Even if you don't believe this is deliberate, you must ask yourself why it is permitted because it has a large effect on the weather. It doesn't matter whether the stuff is water droplets or toxic powder; it still reflects infrared radiation.) Today has been very warm. |
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| Iliana visited the neighbours at 3.15 pm. I was too busy to take a nap; researching; watching videos; washing up; photographing the sky. |
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| Saturday, November 4, 2023 I woke at 7 am. Iliana had already put clothes in the washing machine. I think this was all the whites that she'd worn in England. The weather was very warm but the sun was hidden behind a powdery white mist. |
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| I walked to Cliff's house to hand over kitchen scraps for his chickens. He told me his tale of woe: his car is at the repair shop for a week, awaiting a refurbished steering pump. A water pipe in his pool pump room had sprung a leak. |
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| He'd paid a young lad to fix it, yesterday, but it appeared that all he'd done was to wrap the pipe with tape, which hadn't lasted long. The pipe had a hole that didn't look natural - more as if someone had attacked it with a drill. |
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| So I measured the pipe and rode to Vamos to buy a brass coupling. The sky appeared very strange. |
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| I sawed off the damaged section, inserted the brass coupling, and tightened the nuts. Cliff looked at the receipt for the coupling and paid me with a generous bit extra to cover my petrol. I tried to refuse the extra but he stuffed it into my pocket. |
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| On the way home, I stopped to chat with our German neighbours, who gave me six eggs from their chickens. Back home, I read a few emails and forum posts and then rode to the Café for coffee with Billy. |
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| At 1 pm we rode/drove to the village square, where we ordered more drinks and waited for Sharon, who bakes and delivers pies every fortnight. Back home, I noticed that the sky was still weird. A large cloud hid the sun and had an unusual multicolour rainbow edge. |
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| Sunday, November 5, 2023 We drove to Almyrida for breakfast. The tourist season is over and the car park was almost empty. |
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| I dumped recycling waste into the hopper of the underground chomper. It kept me waiting while it chomped and vibrated underfoot. Finally, it finished and I was able to put another bag of waste into it. The sky was mostly clear with some real clouds and only a little haze from the remaining powder. |
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| We walked to "Francoise" Café to have breakfast. Only local Greek people were there. |
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| After breakfast we paid and drove home, arriving with just five minutes to spare before I had to hop onto the mobike to ride to the Litsarda Café. Billy was already there. Chris arrived a few minutes later. |
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| My mobike indicators are intermittent. yes, I know that's how they work but I mean that often they don't flash at all. I've found that making the bike jerk forward or slamming on the brakes will make the indicators flash but that's not always convenient (or comfortable). tapping the flasher unit prompts it to work so I suspect that there's an intermittent connection inside. I've cleaned the connections and, if it continues to be troublesome, I'll get a replacement. |
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| Monday, November 6, 2023 We were up early, had breakfast and headed for Akrotiri where our chiropodist lives. The engine warning light was on again so I used my iPad to delete the fault code while Iliana went indoors. |
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| We left around 11 am and drove to the nearest Lidl supermarket to stock up on essentials. |
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| We headed back down the twisty road overlooking Souda Bay and bought petrol from the cheapest filling station before joining the National Road. I handed my phone to Iliana and asked her to Phone Billy to say that I'd be late to the Café. A thick cloud of dust hung in the air and the temperature was around 23°C most of the day. |
| We drove home and emptied the shopping from the car. Then I rode to the Café to join Billy & Chris. On my way home, I called on Cliff who had asked me to order his heating oil. I collected his note with the necessary information (Name, phone number, electricity meter number and tax code) and rode to the petrol station in Vamos. Cliff wanted to order 200 Euros worth of heating oil but the lad at the counter told me that 250 Euros is the minimum because the tanker has to come from Haniá. I'd already warned Cliff that I believed this to be the case so I wasn't surprised and ordered the oil anyway. The lad took the details, made a phone call and told me that, because the amount was so small, the delivery would be made next time the tanker was in the area but the driver would phone Cliff the day before delivery to confirm. On the way home, I dropped off another empty milk bottle with our German neighbours and ordered a bread loaf for tomorrow. Back home I checked my emails and then had an hour's nap because I hadn't slept well. Iliana was out, having gone to her "Knit & Natter" group meeting as usual. She returned around 5.30 PM. At 6.30 we drove to "Eleonora's" taverna in Drapanos, where we'd arranged to have dinner with Carl & Caroline, two "part timers" from England. |
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| Tuesday, November 7, 2023 I awoke late - after 8 am - but I wasn't hungry after last night's dinner so I had a cup of coffee and then set off on my walk. |
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| The sky was clear blue but a low-lying dusty haze obscured the mountains and the horizon. |
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| I passed a house with at least three dogs that didn't seem very pleased to see me. I was intrigued by a property that had a parking space with an electric car charger so, when I reached home, I looked it up: www.booking.com/hotel/gr/garifalia-lodge.en-gb.html |
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| Iliana left at 10 am to drive to Rethymno to spend the day with our friend Maria. I rode to the mechanics' workshop to buy a new flasher unit for my mobike. I rode to the Café and ordered a Bekri-Meze takeaway. After drinking my coffee with Billy, I rode home and cut an Aloe-Vera leaf. My neighbour had left a parcel on our doorstep, which reminded me that I hadn't stamped the mail. |
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| Back home, I filled the mobike tank with petrol and then checked the oil level, which was fine. |
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| I removed the old flasher unit (top right). |
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| The unit was sealed well so I put it in the vice and sawed around it until I could pry out the PCB. |
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| There was nothing obviously loose and no obvious bad solder joints. The old flasher unit incorporated an IRLR2905 MOSFET and a UTC324E quad op-amp I.C. Anyway, I installed the new flasher unit in the mobike and it worked fine. |
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| The parcel was for Billy's wife and the Aloe was for Billy, who had fallen and skinned his arm. So I rode to his house to deliver them. After that, I rode to the supermarket to date-stamp the mail. |
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| On the way home, I stopped to collect a loaf of bread and a bottle of sheep's milk from our German neighbours. I started to slice the bread to put in the freezer but it was still too warm and soft, so I'll have to slice it later. |
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| I heated up 1/3 of the Bekri Meze for dinner. Iliana arrived home after dark. |
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| Wednesday, November 8, 2023 We have no water pressure in our street. I don't know why. However, we have 1000 litres in the roof tank, which will last a few days. |
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| Iliana and I set off on a walk around the village. |
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| As we approached home, I got the familiar blind spot followed by "flashing zigzag" that heralded migraine. I've had more attacks in the last month than I've had previously in my entire life. Exercise definitely triggers it. I'm lacking magnesium or something, although I take 300 mg each night. |
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| Just before noon I set off for the Café on my mobike. I wore a pullover because it was slightly chilly on the mobike when a cloud hid the sun. Apart from that, it was a warm day. I joined Chris, Cliff & Billy for a coffee. Back home we were still without much water pressure but I checked the tank on the roof and there was just enough pressure to keep it topped up with a trickle. So, provided that we don't take a bath, we'll have plenty of water. |
| Thursday, November 9, 2023 I rode to the pharmacy to buy a sample jar, returned home, had a shower, pissed in the jar and rode to the doctor's surgery in Kalyves. I discussed haemorrhoids and prostate problems with the doctor, then took my sample to the microbiology lab across the road. A blood sample was taken and then I rode to the nearest pharmacy to get antibiotics and probiotics. The antibiotic is ciprofloxacin, which has horrendous possible side-effects (look it up) and I'm hoping that it doesn't worsen the tendonitis in my fingers. On Monday I should get the test results and see the doctor again. I was running late, so I rode directly to the Café but Billy wasn't there and he didn't answer his phone. Chris, also wasn't there so I sat with DD and a young German lad who is visiting his mother who lives here. I ordered coffee and sausages so that I could take an antibiotic pill. Billy eventually arrived with Ron, who has been in England for months and has now returned in a new camper van. Brian & Karen arrived, followed by Marcia and her husband Ron. We chatted for some time and I rode home at 2.15 pm. Iliana had been out with Christine, the neighbour and had left the Café shortly before I arrived there. At 3 pm she went across the road to chat to the neighbour again. |
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| Friday, November 10, 2023 I had eggs, tuna, sauerkraut and baked beans (rinsed) for breakfast at 7 am so that I could take the antibiotic early. The car and motorbike were covered in condensation. |
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| The sky was so full of dust or powder that it was impossible to see Rethymno across the bay. |
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| I set off on my walk around 8 am. The rubbish collection lorry was doing its rounds. |
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| I returned home without triggering a migraine attack. There's a thunderstorm forecast for this evening. Update 11.30 am: the forecast thunderstorm has been cancelled. |
