Next steps

Friday 27 April 2012

True to his word, Constantine texted us at 8.30am on Friday 27th, asking if we had funds in the country for the next stage - luckily I had already decided to bring some money across, so as to be ready if needed.  He said he would be coming by soon with the concrete and steel man to take a look at the ground.  He didn't know quite when, but would ring us before coming.  We can do any day except Thursday next week, when we're launching four boats.  I just know he'll decide to come Thursday ...

A huge loss

Friday 20 April 2012

We got a phone call at 2am, never a good sign, from Rob, telling us that a very great friend, Danny Keane, who runs IGR Chandlers, had died suddenly from a heart attack.   Devastating news.  Danny was larger than life, either manic or grumpy;  how John Cleese would be if he ran a chandlers.  On boatyard days we’d visit Danny’s shop at least once, sometimes several times a day.  The high points of the day.  Dave is knocked sideways.  The funeral was on Sunday, with a huge turnout, filling the cemetery on the next hill from us. 

Car déjà vue

Thursday 19 April 2012

Back in the yard.  The people doing up an old wooden boat next to us drive this Merc estate which is identical, in colour and year and everything, to the one I had in the UK.  It’s quite disconcerting 

We've tried a few times to get hold of Constantine and finally ran him to earth in Lefkas town.  Actually, we called at his office and no-one knew where he was, and then we just bumped into him in the high street.  He waved a large briefcase around and said it was the end of the tax quarter on April 26th so he was very busy dealing with payments, but he'd be in touch after the 27th.  Apart from that brief encounter, nothing has been happening with our build since we got back from the UK. That's been okay with us, as our focus has been on entertaining Mum and getting the boats ready to launch.  But now we're looking forward to getting going properly in May.

Visiting Parga

Wednesday 18 April 2012 

Mum was catching a ferry from Igoumenitsa in the evening, so we decided to make a day of it and set off early to do some exploring on the way.  We found ourselves in Parga, a very pretty little town on the west coast of Greece, with a ruined castle on a promontory.  We had a good walk and a bit of a scramble round the castle.

 

The camera autofocus picked up the shrubbery and left us feeling fuzzy.

Cob Workshop update

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Mum’s last day, and rather overcast, but we decided to visit Lefkas town.  On the way through Ligia, where we stopped at Mum’s favourite harbour-side taverna – we were the only customers committed enough to sit outside under threatening clouds – I thought of showing Mum the little cob workshop we’d helped to build.  A bit naughty, as Stamatina didn’t want random visits made, but we decided to call, and as they weren’t there, popped round the back.  The yard is knee-deep in grass and flowers, but the workshop looks very fine, and Mum was impressed.

Greek Easter

Sunday 15 April 2012

Processions in the streets on Friday evening, not easy to get a good photo.  We watched from the balcony of Rob’s bar, and saw one procession come from the south, go past, stop, turn and come back; and later another one from the north, which reached the same point and turned back too.  Must be a parish boundary.

On Sunday, Marie-Do (French owner of the villa at the top of our track by the corner of doom, who was renting an apartment to Mum) invited us all to Greek Easter, with two beasts (said in a French accent) on the spit and lots of salads.   

Mum got into the spirit, but was disappointed that it was a bit too multinational and not enough Greek, and retired, just before Gerry and Nik started to boogie.