New Electro-goodies

27 - 29 July 2017

Last week's purchasing turned into deliveries this week: first the electric bike kits, then our new water filter jugs, and on Friday, the suite of cordless garden tools, minus the hedgetrimmer which wasn't available, so we'll get it another time.

Dave threw himself into the exciting job of bike conversion, but after we'd both torn apart all possible storage locations in the house, shed, hut and trailer, he had to accept that we'd lost a vital sprocket-puller or some such tool, and the full conversion would have to wait.  We tried the bike shop in Lefkas Town, but they only had one for the shop, and none for sale, so another delivery is pending.

 Lots of boxes for the bike bits - our purchasing included a snazzy trailer for electro-bike shopping!

 New water filter jugs (one for the boat) as our water has started tasting very chlorine-y since the council changed over the supply.  Which is a tragedy, as we used to have lovely tasting water, but apparently the old supply needs too much maintenance and has had to be discontinued

 Dave's bike half done: with new back wheel (containing the motor), slimline battery, brakes, throttle and control screen all fitted, but wires to be tidied and gear and pedal bits to be sorted out when the right tools are sourced.  We decided to get the kits from Ciclotek, a Spanish company, on the basis of good reviews.  We'll see how they do.

The new cordless electric strimmer and chainsaw.  Dave was up early to try the strimmer and is very impressed.  Rather more powerful than we'd expected.  The same battery works both tools.  The battery lasts longer than either Dave or I do, and recharges more quickly, so that's okay.  It's the Husqvarna 36v set with fast charger for those who are interested.

Konstantine re-visited

26 July 2017

Actually, its us re-visited, finally, by Konstantine, our architect.  As we have a capital injection, we really want to make sure all the major costs on the house are paid while the money lasts.  In Greece you pay 'IKA' which is National Insurance, on any building, even if you do the work yourself.  So we asked Konstantine to start the process of signing off the house as complete, even though there is still a lot of internal work to do, and all the landscaping. 

Konstantine, impressed by the two years work since he was last here

Yoga under the trees

25 July 2017

Liana, who does the wonderful Reflexology, has her sister staying for the summer, up in Neohori.  Maria, the sister, is a yoga teacher and lovely person, and offers outdoor yoga in the shade in the evening at 7pm, followed by a light supper - all for 12 euros each!  Although we did have to do our own veg prep:

Fran and Geoff, who we know from Nisos, came too - here with Dave, post-yoga, chopping veg for stew

Chicken maintenance

25 July 2017

The chickens (and cats and garden) were looked after by Dmitri while we were away.  So they are in good shape, but the heat is getting to them.  The eggs stopped coming a few days ago.  So we threw an extra shade cover over the run, and we've been letting them out for free-ranging in the cool of the evening whenever we can.  We needed to clean out the run and stock up food for our next absence, too.

 Loading two straw bales on the roof of the car

 Stopped for a coffee, and asking Pedro to check why the air con never works - he says all the tubes have been cut, probably when it had to have a new engine years ago.

 Watering the compost - much to the excitement of the chickens who don't get many chances at a good muddy scrabble this time of year

 A huge bucket of compost-tea-to-be: chicken-poo straw and other goodies in water

 The chicken run shaded, and incidentally, early olive netting out too.

Creating a bigger run area when the sun is overhead

Gardening Developments

19 July 2017

Back from the sea, with capital to invest in our project(s), the first thing we did was locate a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course, running in Greece in the Autumn.  The PDC is an introduction to the principles and practice of Permaculture.  We've done a lot of reading, but the opportunity to do the course in Greece is not to be missed: we will develop contacts, hopefully friendships, with other residents here, find out about local growing techniques and skills, especially water retention and storage, and indigenous plants.  It's all very exciting.  We're going to Tinos Eco-lodge.  Tinos is an island near Mykonos, a ferry ride from near Athens.  We leave the day after Regatta!

 A few potatoes, picked after the rain

Our next investment in the garden, inspired by the weeding done on Monday, was to spend a couple of days researching cordless electric garden power tools.  We wanted a suite of tools (chainsaw, strimmer and hedgecutter) that all ran on one powerful battery with a fast charger.  Internet research kept throwing up American makes that we can't get locally, so in the end we went into Lefkas and trawled the garden centres to see what was available.  It came to a choice between Stihl and Husqvarna, and the Stihl range seemed less comprehensive, more of an after-thought than Husqvarna, so that's what we've ordered.  Also, we like the garden centre that stocks Husqvarna, and we're confident they'll be helpful if we have any problems, which is an important issue.

Research debris

Glorious Storm

Monday 17 July 2017

Very unusually for July, our first day back at home was rainy, with a thunderstorm over Sunday night.  It was fantastic!  Suddenly cool and fresh, and despite our plans for making like cabbage all day on the sofa, we found ourselves digging the garden, checking how everything was, and weeding round the vegetable beds.

 The little herb bed is doing alright, although not as productive as last year

 This is my one and only comfrey plant, grown from seed.  It is at the end of the grey-water pipe, to encourage it to grow and spread.  Comfrey is an excellent ground cover in Forest Gardens, it has long roots which draw up minerals from deep in the earth, and it can be cut several times a year to add to mulch and distribute those minerals into the top soil.  So I'm encouraging it all I can.

 The little hugel bed by the big olive tree: strawberries, artichokes and a fig tree in the background.

 The vegetable beds, after weeding.  The beds had stayed reasonably clear, but the walkways between had become overgrown with metre-high grasses and thistles.  The rain loosened the earth so they could be pulled out.

 Perhaps the best established new tree - a Black Locust: nitrogen-fixer, bee attractor and shade tree.  All the locusts have done well, I think we'll put more in this winter to encourage a canopy over more of the garden in due course.

 My blackberry plant struggling to make blackberries, despite being at the end of the irrigation system and a bit droughty.

This is just a few of the sweet potato sprouts we'd left on the windowsill for our week away - we came back to vines growing over the dining table like in sleeping beauty, so Dave planted most of them after the rain.

Boating Week 1

9 - 16 July 2017

Off in the boat for fun times (and stress) helping everyone to get safely moored up each night.

 Our first attempt (ever) at a flotilla raft, in Kalamos - amazingly, our lovely guests arrived at the harbour in size order - largest to smallest, making it a much easier process than if they hadn't

 A couple days later, sunset on the quay in Agios Euphemia

 Dave and I chilling with a coffee, not looking too stressed

Amazingly, everyone in the same raft in Kioni, because again, they all did as asked and came in early

A lovely evening in one of our favourite harbours.

Shot in the Arm

7 July 2017

A cash injection into our project has just happened!  Hurrah!  A property that I owned in the UK has finally sold, and my share of the equity landed in the account around 6pm our time.  We are away in the boat for a week from Sunday, so we have a 'cooling off and thinking rationally' period in which to decide our priorities for the spending money.

The big priority is to GET THE HOUSE FINISHED as soon as we can.  Starting in September - as there is too much work / visitors / boating / heat / etc in July and August.  But we can start researching and planning now.

Boat Papers Panic

6 July 2017

So we realised we needed to get our boat papers stamped for 2017, so I scooped up the file and we went to the Port Police.  They were very helpful, but as our little Registry Certificate slithered out of the file, the policeman noted that it was out of date - from 2011!  Panic, more panic, lots of panic.  Swiftly repairing to the Elite Cafe for internet and coffee, I wheedled the Registry (and paid significant amounts) for the immediate issue of a new Certificate with email forwarded to me.  Back we went to the police, they happily accepted the email, but as I was tucking the documents away in the file, another Certificate slithered out - valid until 2018!  Dave was really very restrained in his comments ...

Exploratory trip

3 - 6 July 2017

Dave and I will be doing a few trips round the Ionian helping people park their boats at night, so we thought we'd take a few days firsst and go out with the professionals at Nisos to get some tips.

 Full moon in Little Vathy

 Dave catches a fish

 just before we moor up in Polis Bay

 where Kitty (left) and Arran (not shown) rustled up a barbeque -including the fish.

 Next morning we had an early start to get back and sort things out for next week.

Arriving home we found this lizard trapped in the sink.  No idea how long it had been there.  Note to self - leave a tea towel 'ladder' on future absences.

Summer Swan Song

30 June 2017

The last performance for the choir before the summer recess took place on Friday.  Rosa had not been able to find a suitable venue as all the schools were doing end of term shows too.  So she took us to a little square in Lefkas centre and we did a 'flash mob' type open-air concert to passers-by.  It was very successful in its way, reaching people who would be unlikely to attend a choir concert otherwise.  Rosa received two invitations to attend choir festivals in other parts of Greece, which we may try to attend next year.

 Me in all my posh, before setting out,

and in the square, ready for the first number.  I'm approximately centre.

All done in the Entry

28 June 2017
The Entry is finally limewashed all round, plastering done.  The coat racks can go back up now.  This will be the area we experiment on for the next major phase: insulating and lining the ceiling.  Below are three angles of view of the Entry, making it look much bigger than it really is, which is only about 2.5 sqm.

Two nice things

End of June 2017

After George and Phillie returned home, they went for their first scan, and sent this photo of my first potential grandchild:

Wonderful!

 And a picture of our June edible flower salad (before it all got too hot and the flowers disappeared): Little purple borage and big pink rose petals -  yummy!