Building Bridges

Monday 30 Oct 2017

Home from  Kastoria, and planning a quiet day's vegetation, but the emails started arriving to apologise for the delay in deliveries.  We now expect the solar panels and the new stove to arrive at the same time, probably next Tuesday.  It suddenly occurred to me that our foot access from the field has become very rickety and is missing some planks.  If people are going to be bringing heavy items in that way, they deserve a better bridge.  So I rebuilt it, using a piece of the old decking that used to be around the camper van.

 Before

After

Just need to improve the gate, now.

On tour - The Choir goes to Kastoria

28-29 October 2017

Back in June, when Rosa decided we should do an impromptu open air choir recital in Lefkas town, it turned out that two choir enthusiasts from the north Greece town of Kastoria happened to be passing, and were impressed.  So they invited us to perform at an 'Ochi Day' charity concert in their town.

Kastoria is quite a tourist attraction, a pretty old town situated on the neck of a promontory in a large lake.  Our invitation included free accommodation and an evening meal, and husbands/partners were included if they wished to come.  So 12 choristers, 4 partners and Rosa piled into a minibus early on Saturday morning, and we went off to see a bit more of Greece.

 A first look at the theatre where we will perform, and time for a quick warm-up and practice.

 Our travelling fan club: Yiannis, Pete, Dave and Laurie

 Evening, all glammed up, waiting for the show to begin

In action!

 The view from our room on Sunday morning

 An outing to 'The Dragon's Lair' - a fabulous cave of incredible stalagtites and -mites.

Group photo

 The walk back to town, along the lakeside, through an avenue of trees, 

watching the pelicans on the lake

Hauling the boat

26-27 October 2017

We were hoping for a couple of days rest and practice before the weekend choir trip, but the boatyard rang and asked when we were thinking of hauling the boat.  Next week? we suggested.  Tomorrow? they replied.  So suddenly we were boat moving.  Thursday morning is our Lefkogaia recycling volunteer slot, so we were in Lefkas in the morning; then we were lucky enough to be able to borrow a Nisos rib, went out to the boat, checked it was working, drove it down to Vlicho and left it outside the boatyard; then I just had time to shower and change before shooting back into Lefkas for our last rehearsal before the big gig in Kastoria.

 Early morning stillness

Boat in her winter home some little time later

Good Neighbours?

25 October 2017

We took Mum to the airport on Wednesday for her return flight, and arrived back at the house after lunch, to find that the neighbour in the top field had taken exception to our new sheep fence, cut it in half and thrown it down the bank.  We went to discuss this, and were informed that they owned the top and bank of the terrace, we owned from the bottom.  As usual, the only way find this stuff out is to put up fences and see who gets annoyed!

So, to protect our newly purchased cabbage plants, we spent the afternoon reinstalling the fence, at the bottom of the bank this time.

 The method involves Dave climbing precariously up on the end of the bendy ladder, while I try to hold the pole straight and stay well clear of the sledgehammer at the same time

 This was a bit of a compromise with the neighbour - sort of halfway up the bank - the olive tree to the right is definitely one of ours, so the fence had to go above it. The bank was thick with brambles, so most of our time was chainsawing and secateuring our way through it.  Probably pretty sheep-proof as it was, just there.

 Finishing off - joining the cut sections.

 Thru' the wire - some little plantings I'd done a few days before - in the grass are some spurs from a big prickly cactus that I thought might help with the sheep-proofing.  The neighbour didn't notice or didn't mind when he strimmed through here.

 And on this little shelf, which has really nice soil, I had planted one of my precious caper seedlings, brought back from Tinos with great care.  I didn't want to move it again, and it didn't quite get trodden on while we were fence-fixing, so I left it where it was.

 We finished just at dusk, but I had bought a droopy bougainvillea on the way back from the airport earlier in the day, and wanted to plant it without delay, so that too was done.

Quite a tiring day, in the end, but the bougainvillea looked brighter the next morning, and had kept its flowers, which was a result.

Richie's 'Flying' Visit

22 - 24 Oct 2017

It took my son, Richie, three days travelling (after he missed a connecting flight and had to divert via Athens) to get here for one and a half days, for the first time in four years - so the time seemed very precious.  We did all the touristy things with him, then dropped him back at the airport where he managed his connections fine on the way home.

Mum, Dave and I having lunch with Richie on the way back from the airport on Saturday

 A little later, cramming a week's holiday into two days, Richie relaxes with a pint after a quick swim

 Later that evening, we have a very wonderful meal at 'Ta Kalamia' - having picked Nidri's only vegetarian (and fish) restaurant for Richie, who was surprisingly vegetarian (with a little fish).

 Sunday morning, I find him on the bench by the veggie garden

 Going through a box of old stuff of Richie's to see what he wanted to keep, we find this treasure - the time we met Alan Rickman in New York - just when you want the camera to take a decent shot!

 

Constructing the library

19-20 October 2017

On Thursday, the plaster in the library had dried sufficiently to be whitewashed, so I put three coats on in a day, while also managing to get to the beach for Mum's swim.  On Friday, as well as helping Dave fix a gelcoat nick for Jonathan on a friend's boat, I also managed two coats of white paint on the library shelves. 

 Everything drying in the sun ...

 ... while Mum and I go for a swim

 The library - ready to be shelved

 The studio, needing to be cleared to be Richie's bedroom on Saturday ...

 ... with everything relocated to the first four library shelves, in the nick of time.

It's not very clear, but Dave and I fixed up some bamboo roller blinds from the ceiling in the studio, so that they make a guest room wall that can be lowered when needed.  I finished making up the bed with 20 minutes to spare before leaving for the airport - which was when Richie rang to say he'd missed his connecting flight in Dusseldorf ...

Big piles of brush

Tuesday 17 October 2017

Panos and Dmitri came back for a half day and brought a friend, they had decided to collect the brushwood from the next door field, which we had asked for, back in February, but had not had the time or energy to collect in the intervening months.  The lads worked like crazy, and left us with this huge pile of olive wood prunings.

 I swanned off to the beach with Mum, while Dave worked solidly for two hours and produced this small heap of wood chips.  Must get a faster chipper.

Week of work - Friday

Friday 13 October 2017

Not an inauspicious day.  Lots more got done.  Panos and Dmitri had finished painting the house, and moved on to more fencing - this time to sheep-proof our field, as we're sick of the cabbages and kale disappearing down sheep throats.

 P&D wrestling the fence into postion

 Our sheep-proof gate

 Rowan's state of play, a lot of the frame in, but now he's off to the UK for ten days

 The second big panel complete ...

... and all the small sections over the stairs.  So that's it for now.  The area needs to be cleaned and swept clear of sheets and plaster droppings, to make it fit for visitors on Sunday

Week of work - Thurs

12 October 2017

The limewashing continues, Dave keeps making mixes, and inside, the laths are disappearing under plaster, just like we've wanted for months

 The remaining upstairs areas: outside the bedroom - two large panels

 and over the stairs, tricky to get at, so Dave built a platform to straddle the turn in the stairs (I only bumped my head twice)

 First big panel done

 At work on the platform, plastering and stuffing the cracks between olive wood corners and the wood frame with pillow fluff for insulation

Week of work - Weds

Weds 11 October 2017

Panos and Dmitri came back on Weds to start on the limewashing - they've undertaken to do the annual lashing on of whitewash all round the outside of the house. 

 Dave finally gets to put a mix of plaster on

 Panos at work

 Dmitri at work

 and, at last, on day three - I get some plaster on the wall (while still providing lunches for all)

and by tea time the library area is plastered, hurrah!