FAST TROT

Greetings. What a long time it has been since the last blog. In that time, we have tried to do all sorts of exciting things but have been a bit hampered by a few bugs and nasties. But enough of all that for now.

Crete has been hot, hot, hot for the summer holiday period and water is beginning to run a little short because the supply is diverted to the hotels and complexes nearby the beaches to ensure visitors' holidays go well. This means that villages in the interior can have unexpected water cuts at any time. There are plenty of alerts for forest fires and the hillsides are crackling and desiccated in the long hot days. After five years of living here, we are now used to this and always have at least 4 great containers of water for emergencies at any given time and the hosepipes on standby (for fires anyway). The small bridge over the stream where the bamboo used to grow has been completely bulldozed and a new bridge built. This must have accounted for some of the water cuts and we wonder if the job will ever get finished as the road surface is extremely bumpy still. However, as Pa and Ma Crozier have had long term tummy bugs during this period, things have been a bit dicey and we are in the process of getting ourselves checked out, in case it is something out of the ordinary. Five weeks and counting is over the top for these sorts of complaints. Ma Crozier spent two of the five weeks in the UK and had a miserable time formulating an appendix to the Lonely Planet Guide to the loos of Devon and Staffordshire, whilst on the move.

Here in Crete, Panormo is ultra full and busy, our village is full and busy. The square is full of newish cars with top boxes which means that people are staying in the village for August holidays. We have just returned from a meal at the big kafeneon in the Square, where Christina, the Mayor's wife and Vasso, her daughter in law have cooked us a lovely meal of chicken, fried potatoes and salad and explained that she had been up early this morning cooking a variety of breakfast for 18 people simultaneously. Everybody wanted something different. Busy, busy, busy but good for getting the bills paid! By contrast, Perama was practically deserted this morning because all the locals were at the Monastery in Margarites for Panagyri.

We braved Rethymno on Thursday because K needed to have his big three monthly hormone jab (eeeek!) and I attempted to attend Makers Group which seemed to have been shouldered aside by some other display of crafts meaning that our table was not available and people kept turning up and leaving again as there was nowhere to sit. Several weeks back, the Makers had agreed to put together some brightly coloured drawstring bags with patchwork pockets so that the next time the CIC makes a presentation to the Autistic School, we can present the personal items/toiletries/art materials wrapped in items to make the gifts a bit more individual and special. I have made eight so far and I think we need about 30. Early in the morning, we met up with long term friends Dimitri and Michelle and their daughter Kiki – not having seen them for 12 years since their move to Luxembourg. It was great to catch up. Later on Thursday evening, we were honoured to be invited by the family of Geoff Hope to the committal of ashes down at the sea's edge in Bali at sun down. It was the most beautiful evening with shadows over the hills and a light breeze. Sad times, with a family and loads of friends who will miss him for a long time to come. The evening went well and livened up with a beautiful meal for many guests and Greek dancing at the village taverna in Exantas later on that evening.

As for the UK, it was interesting to spend time in Staffordshire and Devon. I had three magnificently sunny days staying with a good friend in Totnes and going to talks at Dartington at Ways With Words. The shopping in Totnes was brilliant with very few chain stores and lots of independent traders – a full array of tea shops, coffee shops and arts/crafts/sewing stores. I was in my element, apart from the tummy situation and we even managed to squeeze in a visit to a wonderful pottery in the back of beyond and an amazingly attractive lady artist – who was once the model for Picasso! Meanwhile, poor K was stuck at home doing very little at all.

Once back in Stone, I took myself off to the Pottery Museum in Stoke on Trent to see what the UK had to offer to compare with all the marvellous museums in Greece. The train journey from Stone was a bit of an adventure and I seemed to get embroiled in the adventures of two people delivering vehicles for a living, who has missed a vital train and wondering whether they would get home before midnight.  Not wishing to share taxis or delay any longer I raced to the taxi rank to get a ride from the station to the Museum and spent 20 minutes trying to get the driver to identify which Museum I wanted to go to as there are an array of museums to choose from.  When I got there, I hoofed around murky rooms full of a quantity of highly embellished stuff in dark sticky looking glazes. Literally thousands of cow creamers and ugly vases. Crinoline ladies, shepherdesses lined up in their dozens, teapots and plant stands filled every corner. Venturing into another room to see the Staffordshire Hoard was enticing but this surely could not possibly have been the full collection of the Hoard. What I saw was miniscule and needed magnifying glasses to examine the pieces properly. At the risk of being labelled an 'Archaeology Snob', I will say no more than it was a bit disappointing. Note to Self: Try the Wedgewood Museum next time.

On my return to Crete, the deadline to download Windows 10 caused consternation. Our perfectly good computer was whirring all night and downloaded 99% refusing to go any further. So we are still running on the 'old' system. If it all goes quiet for a lengthy period, it is because we are both still scratching our heads and trying to decipher advice from the “Help Community”. All this unnecessary stuff is keeping us at full stretch!

Wishing you a very good Summer wherever you are.