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| Friday, December 23, 2023 Iliana was up early and did the washing. It's amazing how much washing we do in winter, compared with summer when shorts and T-shirt suffice. I finalised the previous blog and uploaded it. |
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| I rode to Litsarda to join Billy and Greek locals. I did some shopping at the English supermarket. Mince pies were on special offer so I bought two packets and gave one to Billy, who handed them around (the locals had never seen a mince pie) and then went to the shop to buy more! On the way home I date-stamped the mail, which had finally arrived at the supermarket. |
| I received a text message from Chris to say that he'd gone shopping with his wife. I informed him that there was a card and a magazine for his wife at the supermarket. In the afternoon I brought the washing indoors and then went into the workshop to make another LED torch for Cedric, my friend with MS who lives in a UK care home. |
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| Saturday, December 23, 2023 Iliana did yet another load of washing. I rode to Billy's house to photograph his gate, which needs a new lock. |
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| The "White Mountains" are finally beginning to acquire a snow cap. It's happening much later than usual because we've mostly had "spring" weather since "autumn" began. |
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| At lunchtime I rode to the Café and spent an hour with Billy & co. Then I rode to Vrises to buy a bolt for Billy's gate and some cutting discs. |
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| Back home, I assembled a fuse tester for Chris who had a problem with a blown fuse a few days ago. |
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| The finished tester. It's crude but it works. |
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| To get some much needed exercise, I walked the kilometre to Chris' house to deliver the fuse tester. By the time I arrived home, the sun had disappeared behind the mountains and the moon was visible. |
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| Sunday, December 24, 2023 Our 47th wedding anniversary today. This was us fifty years ago. Iliana was up early and had washed the dishes and hung out more clothes to dry. I handed her a card and "After Eight" mints. At 9.30 I brought the washing in and hung it on the indoor dryer rack. |
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| We drove to Georgioupoli for breakfast at Dimitris' "Splendid" Café. Feeling replete, we staggered to the butcher's shop to buy eggs and cheese. |
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| We drove to Rethymno, collected Maria from her apartment and then parked near the harbour in a car park. We walked to a nearby Café to have a drink. A man arrived on a bicycle with a dog in a box. According to Maria, he comes here every day and has a drink with his mates while his dog runs loose. |
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| We walked along the sea front past crowded cafés ad then headed inland to get away from the noise, only to find another crowd of people. |
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| The attraction was a street entertainer doing a balancing act on a ladder and then on a unicycle. |
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| Further on, we came across a man on stilts and girls playing instruments. The temperature was around 21°C, which felt hot in the sunlight but cool in the shade. |
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| And another group of musicians. You can listen to a short clip of them playing, here: https://youtu.be/d4TFmGW77Pw |
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| Maria was hungry so we walked to a Café where her son worked. It was 2 pm but he wouldn't start work until 3 pm. |
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| 50 years later |
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| Christmas day Monday, December 25, 2023 Iliana was up early and had hung a stocking up for me, bless her. We brought the marinating turkey out of the tool shed, drained it and carried it into the house. It was a very small turkey, no larger than a decent size chicken, but adequate for two people. |
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| We took a walk around the village as the sun rose. |
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| Back home we unwrapped presents. We have family and friends who still think of us. Lovely people. Iliana had bought herself a pair of socks in Germany. I gave her a box of mince pies, which she loves. |
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| After that, Iliana made a start on preparing the turkey lunch and I kept out of the way. |
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| I rode to the Café O Petros. There were about twenty people but only a couple whom I recognised. Then DD arrived on his mobility scooter and paid for my coffee. I phoned Billy - he was eating lunch at home. I phoned Chris - his wife answered; he had taken a walk to feed the horse (?) |
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| Iliana had the Christmas lunch ready at 2.30 pm, shortly after I arrived home. |
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| Turkey with trimmings. |
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| Tuesday, December 26, 2023 No clothes wash today! Iliana suggested that we drive to Georgioupoli for a walk by the sea. We parked by the river and walked towards the beach. On the sea front, a taverna has been demolished an an hotel is being built. |
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| We walked as far as the second river and crossed the bridge but we couldn't walk further without getting wet so we headed back towards the square. |
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| We sat in "Titos" and ordered drinks. Back home, I ate some slices of turkey with cranberry sauce and then rode to the cafe. |
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| Ron, Billy and Chris were there. DD rolled up a few minutes after I arrived. We ordered drinks and Ron ordered a plate of chips. After an hour the sky became overcast and we headed for home. I filled the mobike tank with petrol and, as I was finishing, Anya, our German neighbour, brought me a fresh bottle of sheep's milk. |
| At 3 pm, Iliana went across the road to chat with the neighbours. At 4 pm I chatted with my engineer friends via Skype. At 5 pm I ate left over vegetables and ham for dinner. Thereafter, I watched YouTube videos. __ Wednesday, December 27, 2023 The outdoor temperature fell to 14 °C overnight and 17 indoors. During the day it reached 17 in the shade. When I awoke at 8.30 am, Iliana had already been for a walk. I ate a piece of pork pie for breakfast and stayed at the computer all morning. Iliana prepared a leek and turkey pie and then went out in the car at 10 am. At noon I rode to the café for a chat with Billy, Chris, Mark & Pam. I was uncomfortably hot when the sun wasn't obscured by clouds. Back home I went back to the computer. Iliana went to see the neighbours at 3 pm and I had a hot bath since we had free hot water. Iliana returned at 4.30, put the pie in the oven for an hour and then we ate some of it for dinner. |
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| Thursday, December 28, 2023 We had drizzle overnight. I drove to Billy's house with all my tools and welded the bolt to his gate. Yes, it's "chicken shit" welding - a complete mess - but it will do. At lunchtime I met Billy at the Café. Nobody else turned up, apart from DD who arrived as we were leaving. |
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| Friday, December 29, 2023 I awoke at 5.30 am and got dressed at 6.30. Temperature outside was 10°C. Indoors 17°C. Iliana put clothes in the washing machine and then fed the cat. I boiled water in the kettle to wash dishes. As the sun rose, we hung out the washing. |
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| I took a microfibre cloth and wiped off the mobike. |
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| Around 9 am we took a walk around the village. At noon I rode to the Café and had a lengthy chat with a friend whom I hadn't seen since BC. Back home, Iliana didn't visit the neighbours because they'd had an argument. I watched videos and then had a short nap. Around 6.30 pm we drove to a friend's house for a party with people whom we hadn't met. I felt as if I had a cold beginning so we left early. |
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| Saturday, December 30, 2023 I awoke with a clear nose but it still felt sore and my eyes were watering. Iliana washed and hung out some sheets and then we took a short walk around the village. The White Mountains still aren't white but one snow-covered peak is visible. The sky is quite overcast with a few patches of blue. |
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| The snowy peak. I Decided that I was suffering from an allergy, not a cold, so I took half of an antihistamine tablet. I rode to the Café at noon and chatted for an hour. Back home, Iliana once again didn't visit the arguing neighbours. I had a two hour nap ad then we ate dinner. The sky remained overcast all day with a maximum temperature of 17°C. The antihistamine tablet seems to be working. |
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| Sunday, December 31, 2023 Iliana did another load of washing and then set off to walk. After half an hour, I left in the car and collected her on the way to Almyrida, where we had breakfast at "Francoise" Café. It was warm and sunny there. |
| I rode to the Café at noon. DD told me that his son, who has diabetes, was booked to have leg removed tomorrow or Tuesday. His daughter already died from diabetes. It was cloudy so we sat inside with Billy. Billy and I returned to his house together as he wanted me to fit a new filter to his oven extractor hood. The old filter was solid with dust and fat so I had to scrape it off in pieces. Billy told me that it was thirty years old! Back home, I watched videos and Iliana visited the neighbours. We have no plans to go out tonight. Happy New Year! |
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| Monday, January 1, 2024 Iliana wanted to give a "Glühwein" glass to Tanya in "La Luna" Café, so we drove to Vrises in the rain, only to find the Café shut. We returned home, stopping near Vamos for petrol- |
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| -and in the square to buy cheese and bananas from the supermarket. |
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At lunchtime I rode to Café O Petros to sit with Billy, Chris and DD for an hour. DD confirmed that his son will have his leg removed tomorrow. |
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| I arrived home as Iliana was leaving. She'd brought in the washed clothes, apart from her hoodie, which was still soaking wet. As the sun disappeared behind the hill, I brought the hoodie indoors, hung it in the pergola and directed a fan at it. |
| Tuesday, January 2, 2024 I awoke at 8 am. Iliana told me my phone - on charge in the office - had been ringing. Billy had been trying to contact me. I phoned him back. His wife was ill and he'd been unable to contact the nearest doctor. I phoned him but got no answer. So I phoned Billy and told him to call the Health Centre in Vamos. |
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| I dismantled the bathroom handle and lock mechanism and greased it to stop it from squeaking. Then I checked the mobike oil level: still full. Finally, I checked the heating oil level in the outdoor tank. 550 litres left. Billy phoned me back to say that the Health Centre doctor had told him to phone the ambulance service but his wife didn't want him to. |
| Iliana drove Christine, our neighbour, to Litsarda to buy provisions at the English supermarket. Then they had hot chocolate at Café O Petros before returning home. |
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| At lunchtime I rode to the supermarket to sort and date-stamp the newly arrived mail. Then I headed for the cafe. The road was closed so I had to make a detour along a rough gravel track. Chris and his wife arrived and we drank coffee together while chatting to the locals. |
| Wednesday, January 3, 2024 It was very chilly in the morning but I donned my cold weather clothes and headed to the Post Office on my mobike. I stopped at the ATM in Vamos to get cash. In Vrises I bought two ratchet wrenches for 10 and 7 mm sockets. Then I posted two packages to England. While I was at the Post Office, Billy phoned to ask what he should do. His wife was very ill in bed. I told him to call the ambulance service, which he should have done yesterday. On my way home, I stopped at Billy's house. He was sitting outside his gate, waiting for the ambulance. I told him that I would wait with him. His phone rang. Whoever was calling didn't speak English so Billy handed me the phone. It was the ambulance driver asking for directions so I explained three times in Greek but he didn't seem to understand, which is odd because I've done the same for delivery drivers. Anyway, five minutes later an English speaking woman phoned and I gave her the directions. She asked me to wait in the square to direct the ambulance. Billy's village has no square so I told her that I'd wait at the junction on my mobike. The ambulance arrived and followed me to Billy's house. The doctor went inside. As she spoke English, I saw no reason to stay. Iliana had driven past ten minutes earlier to shop in Georgioupoli, so I headed after her on my mobike. |
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| We ordered breakfast at "Tito's" and observed the square. |
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| The "Christmas tree" was still there. It's constructed from decorated "pool noodles" on a wire frame with lots of LED light strings, which look lovely in the dark. I phoned Chris to let him know what was happening. He told me that his electric stand-me-up square had just been delivered and the technician had told him that his wall socket was dangerous so he was going to Vrises to buy a new one. I told him that I'd meet him at the cafe and afterwards I'd follow him home to install the new socket. |
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| I collected a tool bag from our car and Iliana headed home. I got on my mobike and rode to the Café. Chris arrived and we had coffees, paid and left. As we walked outside, Billy & Ron arrived in Billy's car. They ordered sausages and chips and Billy said that Ron would drive them to the hospital, later, to check up on Jean. I followed Chris to his house where I found the socket to be very burnt and crumbling apart! |
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| With the power switched off, I removed the old socket, which fell apart in the process, cleaned up the charred wires and then fitted the new socket. I plugged the electric chair back in and Chris demonstrated it. |
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| Thursday, January 4, 2024 Super Mario, the welder phoned at 9.15 am. He was early and waiting in the square. I grabbed my jacket and rode to meet him on my mobike. He followed me to Chris' house and we showed him the gate with broken hinge. |
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| Mario ground off the rust, oiled and freed off the hinge so that it moved and then welded it back in place. Chris paid Mario forty Euros and he left. I instructed Chris to get primer on the hinge right away, then the top coat, and to keep it oiled in future. |
| I phoned Billy. He was at home. He told me that when he left the hospital yesterday, his wife was "comfortable" but he had no further information. He could have stayed overnight but had to return home to feed the dogs. When I arrived home, Ron phoned. He had just arrived at Billy's house; they'd phoned the hospital ward but the nurse who answered spoke no English; would I phone? So I rang the number that Ron gave me and a lady answered at the second attempt. I asked her for information about Billy's wife (I gave her full name) and she said that I'd have to ask the doctor. She gave me his/her number and I wrote it down. I asked about visiting hours and she said that visitors were welcome during daylight hours but MUST wear a mask. I phoned Billy and passed this information on. He said that Ron would drive him to the hospital before noon. Iliana, heading for Rethymno, had sent me a text message to say that she'd just passed Billy's house and Ron was there. I phoned her but she was driving so I waited half an hour and she phoned me back. I passed on the little information about Billy and his wife. Shortly after noon, I rode to Litsarda, ordered my coffee and bought a jar of ginger jam and one of mustard from the supermarket. Then I walked back to the Café as Chris arrived. Mark and Pam were already there so we chatted to them. I spent the rest of the afternoon at the computer. Iliana arrived home at 6 pm and I phoned Billy. He'd visited the hospital but his wife couldn't be woken. As nobody spoke English, he couldn't determine whether she'd been given a sedative, whether the night-time care assistant had been, or any diagnosis or prognosis. (The majority of expats speak little or no Greek and their excuse is, "everyone speaks English". Not true, of course and it causes much frustration on both sides. I help out when requested but my Greek isn't yet very fluent and I struggle, especially, on the phone. However, practice makes perfect so I speak Greek as often as I can. Of course, Billy is 85 and dyslexic so it's especially difficult for him and Ron is very deaf.) Anyway, Billy's neighbour, Ksenia, has volunteered to drive him to the hospital early in the morning so she will, hopefully, extract the answers. |
| Friday, January 5, 2024 The latest news on Billy's wife is that her heart is fine and her oxygen level, surprisingly, is 95%. This morning I plan to ride to Billy's house to remove the wheel from his disability scooter and take it to the mechanic for a new inner tube. After that, Iliana and I will drive to Kalyves for the monthly "Avrio" expat meeting at a Café and afterwards we'll have lunch with two friends to discuss a forthcoming river cruise. (I won't be going on it but Iliana is keen to go.) |
