Spring has blossomed and unfurled just in
time to show the best possible face for our visitors around the local
villages for the last couple of weeks or so. Two weeks ago, the
mountain peaks still had snow cover but steady warm sunshine has
shown more and more areas of bare rock on the peaks of Mount
Psiloritis and the wild flowers at the road edges have nodded their
heads in glorious clouds of yellows, white and green while red
poppies and wild irises are dotted here and there to delight the eye.
There is a custom on May Day for families to take a picnic in the
countryside, to gather armfuls of beautiful marguerite, daisies,
chamomile and other colourful blooms and to make a posy or wreath to
hang on the outside of the house by way of celebration. Sometimes,
the posies dry as they hang there making a lovely dried flower
display which can last for many months longer!
Meanwhile, K and I have been out and
about and taking on the heavy house cleaning to sweep away the soots
and sands of winter, roll up the dusty rugs after a good beating, and
take off the heavy covers needed for the winter to make room for
summer sheets and warmer nights. All the winter knits and warm
clothes have been put away with moth papers in suitcases under the
beds and summer shirts and shorts retrieved for the ironing pile. In
an island of extremes, these annual changeovers become the weft and
weave of our seasonal life.
A poor wee cat, no more than a kitten
turned out NOT to be a male as thought and deposited two tiny and
rather sickly kittens under the wood pile. Sadly, we do not think
they could have survived, despite trying to look after the little
mother who began to look very downtrodden and frail. She and the
kittens moved up the road but we did not hold out much hope for this
little family. However, the villages are not short of alley cats and
there will be many other litters of kittens who will survive better.
K and I had a lovely interlude in
Panormo the other morning when a new fishing boat arrived by lorry
and we spent a good hour gongoozling as the crew unhitched a crane
and manoeuvred the boat off the lorry and alongside the jetty into
the harbour. Then K listened with appreciation as they started up
its diesel engine, flipped out the plastic fend-offs and puffed off
out to sea on its maiden voyage with its proud little Greek flag
streaming in the wind. I checked later in the week along the harbour
wall and read that its name was Agiou Nicoloau … Saint Nicholas.
It looks bright with new paint and well set up for some serious
fishing excursions.
Outings with brother Chris and his
better half Linda took us to the usual suspects of local haunts,
Vinzi's delightful cafe overlooking Panormo harbour (our local), the
Cafe Posto in Bali, Margarites for ceramics and for a real treat we
drove up to the Wood Museum in Axos to see the sacred and dedicated
work of the self-taught sculptor, George Koutantos who had the most magnificent wooden
sculptures to admire. https://woodenmuseum.gr/en/the-sculptor/ After absorbing all the work involved from all
angles and taking lots of photographs, we carried on further up the
mountain road to eat a Sunday lunch in Anogia where the tavernas
selling lamb cooked over the charcoal in their special way made an
extra treat. We narrowly escaped forced purchase of Cretan andartes
hairnets despite the strongest entreaties of the determined little
old lady selling these and other home made lace items … but it was
touch and go! Chris and Linda visited Rethymnon and did a little shopping and
eating and, I think enjoyed their week in Crete. It was the ideal
time to visit. We tried to hold firm against large helpings, too
much wine and sugary treats but again, it was touch and go!
On Saturday of the same week, John and
Val, wonderful friends from Gravesend in Kent arrived at Heraklion
airport and, as they have visited Crete a few times already, we could
let them loose in Panormo after settling them into the lovely
Philoxenia Apartments. Although not strictly open for a few days,
the owners made an exception for them and gave them a beautiful
premium apartment which was lovely and cool and overlooked the sea
and the pool at the back. They were delighted and found the beds
really comfortable after their long journey which started at silly
o'clock from England. A first swim at the harbour beach lived up to
its promise, and a lovely meal at the fish restaurant was a real
treat. We would have hatched many more plans if K had not injured
his foot somehow and might need a trip to the First Aid Health Centre
in Perama first thing on Monday morning.
Tourists and hire cars are out in their
hundreds and the season is well under way! As there are wedding
anniversaries this year for our daughters … TEN YEARS … we
can only say this month ... May the Fourth be with you. Kalomina!
