BUCKET OF WATER SONG

Scorching in Panormo

When K and I had been married for seven years, we had a spell of time when all the household equipment – car, vacuum cleaner, washing machine and lots of other things all started to break down simultaneously and we thought that the stress of trying to replace so many things one after another contributed what everybody else referred to as the “seven year itch”.

Our July has been a bit like that with an absolutely huge and unexpected sting from our electricity bill asking for 400 euros on top of the 300 euros we had already contributed via standing order. Our response is to cancel our standing order and keep our electricity bill much closer under our control and to test out the system to see whether we are also underwriting the power for the village street lights (these are acid blue and which we don't want anyway since they interfere with star gazing).

Having braced ourselves for a lean month, the car decided to break down and needed a new fuel pump. Another 180 euros later the car is fixed and is running better than it has done for a few months, so the fuel pump must have been faulty for some time. Then a loud dripping noise outside our bedroom window eventually made me look out of the window to see why our neighbours were spending so long doing their washing. It was not our neighbours, it was a leak from our solar panel tank gathering on the roof and dripping down outside. Somehow between the hottest day this year (last Monday – super scorching), the village water being turned off, several power cuts and the village water being put back on again at a much higher pressure, we seem to have sprung a leak in our 3 year old water tank and it has been dripping down into a bucket outside our bedroom window. The sound effect is a bit like Japanese water torture on a hot night with added mosquitoes to liven things up. Rik, our friendly builder is now working in the village and is on the case, but it has been two very long nights so far and it wasn't easy to find a cool bed out of reach of dripping water noises at the front of the house from the tank or the back of the house from the roof. I had changed beds and adjusted ear plugs so often last night that I had to have a good look around before I got up this morning to check out where I was and if there were stairs to negotiate!

Summer with her 'cooking pots'

We were glad when our travel cot and baby equipment, stowed hopefully in the house for our extended family but steadily gathering dust, were put to good use by our English friends in the village whose daughter, son-in-law and grand-daughter arrived this week. K has already invited them “kayaking” but the sea has been a bit too rough in the last 2-3 days to risk swimming or water sports. However, it has been fun catching up and we are enjoying having a little one around. The baby, Summer, is 15 months, toddling around happily and enjoying her first experience of Crete.

Pikris neighbour Kostas, Joan and Margaret celebrating on Monday

The sun was at its hottest last Monday when we were invited to a brilliant tea party held by Andrew and Margaret in Pikris for Margaret's Mother who was 86. We were a little worried about them working so hard in that heat, but it started at
5.00 p.m. and the sun had moved over their garden by that time of day. It was a spectacularly happy afternoon with lovely home cooked feast and a beautiful cake from the Confectioners topped off by English Trifle. Margaret's Mum had a great time and was enjoying her holiday. The best thing for us was that we managed to drive there and back without getting lost and Anna was able to commit the route to memory for future reference! She had refused to drive to Pikris for ages because she always seemed to get lost on the way there or the way home – and it is too good a location to miss with a beautiful river gorge, shady oak trees, Venetian architecture and a sweet little taverna at the turn of the river. A little train (known affectionately by local Brits as the 'Wally Trolley') makes its way there once a week as a picturesque tourist destination.

Toby, Anna, Abbie, Kimon and Jack

This week our friends from yesteryear, Abbie, Toby and Jack (three generations) all arrived in Crete for a 10 day break and we met up with them at Camping Elizabeth yesterday. The red flags were firmly in place = NO SWIMMING, but the turtle nests in the sandy beach had all been marked with metal protective cages whilst we sat under the palm fronds at the Taverna yarning about long lost friends and bygone times in general. The superiority of the Ferndale Road Community could not be bettered anywhere, we decided, but perhaps that was because it was where we had all lived many moons ago and we had downed quite a few ales by then. Our pals had lots of friends to catch up with to the West of us in Crete and will be back this way next week so that we can show them where we live and the local seaside resort. 

They seemed happy with the gift of a water melon – and thankfully – the never ending line of water melon gifts seems to be coming to an end now. Should we decide that we can't live without fresh fruit, palm thatched booths have appeared all along the National Road between Panormo and Skepasti with counters piled high with melons of every shape and colour. The huge fruits are fresh cut and piled up straight from the fields behind them. Delectably sweet and so juicy that you have to eat slices standing over the sink, but there is only so much water melon that two people can eat even if they do have aphrodisiac qualities - or so we read recently in the Rethymnon Bugle. (Well, it must be a good sales ploy anyway!)

GET YOUR MELONS HERE!

The Monastery at Margarites

Water Melons by the Truckful!

June was Cucumber Season and July is the Melon Season and we wonder why the locals grow so many of them when they get so enormous and so numerous that all they seem to do is knock on doors and have difficulty in disposing of their crop. Consequently, a large piglet size melon arrived on the door step and was waiting for us on our return from Heraklion airport when we met our friends from England. Wow! Not even sure how to begin to tackle it. We tried to explain to another of our neighbours two days later that we did not need or want a second huge water melon but sadly my Greek was not up to it and they were so desperate to get rid of it, we were lumbered with another one. I decided to take it to Art Class tomorrow – we could paint and/or draw it and eat the sorbet like slices when the class is over! They are delicious but just much too big! (goes very well with feta cheese though).

Our favourite pot shop

It has been all social life for a week while we showed our pals around the local resorts and beaches. We visited the predictable Margarites potteries one morning and bought a lid for our large pots and terracotta bird whistles as souvenirs to take back to the UK. Our hard working UK pals needed to unwind urgently and had a brilliant plan of booking a trip in the glass bottomed boat from Bali along the coast and it was intriguing to see familiar coves and some new ones from a different point of view.

Skepasti Cove from the Sea

Spending such a hot day on board was wonderful, stopping at 'Pirate Caves', fantastic swimming spots where we jumped off the side of the boat into lovely deep, clear water for a welcome swim. The boat stopped at Panormo for lunch, which was a bit like returning to Newcastle for Coals, since it is our nearest beach resort, but we had the most wonderful platter of fruits de mer – red mullet, grey mullet, sardines, bream, mussels, large prawns, octopus and squid with salad – a total feast in Greece where fish is so much more expensive than meat. While we were tucking into this treat, the rest of the taverna was being prepared for what turned out to be a “Big Fat Greek Baptism Party”. Hundreds of brightly decorated covers, balloons, live goldfish in bowls on the table, small children in tulle – and once all the guests started to arrive - complete chaos in the parking area!

Very Fancy Baptism Party!

Then after a bit more of a boat ride after lunch and another swim-stop, we returned to Bali just in time to watch the Men's Final from Wimbledon on a big screen at a waterside café. We narrowly avoided an international incident when a French family sat right in front of us and kept cheering for the other side but we had to admit that the result was a fair one and that Andy could well have limited his after match speech to three words ...“I'll be back!” I was in need of a large mug of English Tea and cucumber sandwiches by this time as the excitement was too much for me after all these months of pastoral pastimes which just stop short of being total peace and quiet.

Swimming at the Pirate Caves

Although Britain is experiencing some weird weather (and we hear all about it via Radio 4), we are getting the full blast of summer sun now and the nights are a bit too steamy for comfort; we both slip out of bed at one time or another seeking a cool breeze or a drink of water. It is tempting to spend half an hour or so on the roof terrace checking out the stars, but the midges are a bit of a bother. Air conditioning is wonderfully effective but bumps up the electricity bill somewhat. The Screen/Scream Doors, built and fitted earlier in the year by K however, have been a total success - so long as everyone remembers to shut them promptly - 'Anyone for tennis' with fly swats is a bit taxing in this weather!

Our Grape Harvest!!!

Our super abundant grape vine was harvested this morning and the fruit seem to be seedless, tasting very sweet and delicious. We are still learning how to pickle cucumbers and make chutneys. Any contributions and suggestions for a super-abundance of water melon – recipes, smoothies, sorbets or cocktails would be gratefully accepted.  

Carpoosie - too big for the Fridge!