On the Move

Saturday 26 March 2011

Hurrah!  The great day had arrived.  First thing to move was the bed.   So while I got the bedding in the wash, Dave took a spanner to the frame, and then we loaded the mattress on to the roof of the van.

The frame fitted neatly onto the runners I’d set up for it.  I took this photo at 0912 in the morning.

At the end of a long day, it looked like this:

The kitchen and bathroom essentials were all in place:

 

And the only casualty – tho’ of course, it could have serious repercussions for some time into the future – was this mirror:

And Dave had discovered that man’s best friend is the largest pair of adjustable spanners he can find – if that doesn’t stop the leaks then nothing will.

Flora & Fauna

Friday 25 March 2011

We had a full-on week in the boatyard, ploughing through the lists, trying to get as much done as we possibly could, and on Friday, we finished early and went up to see if all was ready for the big move the next day.

I’d given notice for April 1^st, but it occurred to me that we should use the weekend before to get ourselves there, so as to have some time in hand for clearing out the apartment and making decisions about what to keep and what should go to the jumble or the bin.

The final straw for Dave was to come home mid-week to the apartment (which is now at the foot of a two-storey concrete build - that's our kitchen window on the left) and find spots of concrete splattered on the motorbike – horrors!  He was suddenly all in favour of getting out as soon as possible.

Even the boatyard is prettier than that:

And on the way up to the land on Friday, Dave spotted two of these in the grass verge at the side of the Corner of Doom – first time we’ve seen them alive (they are quite common road kill, poor things).  We think they’d just hatched.

(Photo's gone a bit strange - but not critical)

A Creative Weekend

The weekend 19-20 March 2011

No rest for those who want to move house in the near future.  Despite late nights and some alcoholic indulgence, we were up at Goat Bottom working hard to get the Camper Truck sorted out.  Dave, of course, pulled the short straw and wrestled with plumbing while I got all clever with plywood, saw and brackets, and started making a bedside receptacle.  It’s designed to be a box for closed storage under a bedside top at one end, with a series of pockets for knickers, socks and underpants along the length.  I’d hoped to be able to centre the bed, and do one of these on each side, but the position of the heater and the support for the fridge pushed the bed location over to one side.

Dave’s Marcel Duchamp under-sink waste disposal sculpture ‘Taurus

Since we’re being arty – my Mondrian-inspired bedside installation:

Dave’s Birthday

Thursday 17 – 18 March 2011

A gig was planned for the evening.  It seemed that Rob had been asked to perform live music at the Art Club in Ligia (on the coast on the way to Lefkas town).  He’d said he couldn’t do it, because it was his Dad’s birthday.  When he told us this, I said that we’d heard that the vibe at the Art Club on St Patrick’s Day was great, and we had been planning to go there.  So I got in touch with Spiros and confirmed the gig was on.

We’d said we’d visit to make arrangements a couple of days beforehand, so on Tuesday, when it was getting a bit late to put off any longer, I suggested we go there ‘right now’.  Dave was up for it, and Rob decided to come along.  Josh said he’d come too.   We tried to persuade Robbie to drive there, but he wouldn’t, so I went home for the Punto.  When Robbie saw four of us making off for Ligia, he decided he’d come after all, so I ended up with five of us in the Punto (which struggled a bit going up hill).  I put some Chris Rea blues on the stereo.  The outing definitely had a road trip feel about it.

At the Art Club, Spiros was very welcoming, and Robbie discovered that they served an excellent village wine, so he got all enthusiastic for the gig, and so it became an electric four-piece (Martin the drummer was away) rather than a one-man acoustic gig.

Setting up and practice – Dave’s solo: all eyes upon him!

 

Down from the mountain – a bit of banjo with Vince

Okay ...  Who’s  having a good evening then?

The day after – it was all a bit too much for the birthday boy.  And he had to recruit his strength for a second gig in two days with the first of the season’s band appearances in Biblos that evening.  I cut and shaped shelves as quietly as I could!

Our first Orchid

Wednesday  16-17 March 2011 

I did another full day’s sorting and packing at the apartment on Wednesday, while Dave with Rob’s help kept things going down at the yard.  We’d wanted to spend the night before his birthday at Goat Bottom, but it nearly didn’t happen, we were so tired.  But with a big effort, I went shopping, we stuffed inflatable mattress, sleeping bag and toothbrushes into the van and off we went.

On arrival, we were just sorting out the bed and the meal when Michael and Alison from the Winnebago came by.  This enabled us to open the wine and a couple of beers and listen to the kids sing an early ‘Happy Birthday’ to Dave.

The morning dawned bright and sunny, and my little plants looked very jolly in the sunshine. Happy Birthday to Dave.

Trish popped up to visit us.  As it was St Patrick’s day it was her name day, so we had some orange juice to celebrate.

While she was there I spotted a flower that had come up close to the steps on to the decking.  Not a convenient place.  It was a Mediterranean Bee Orchid, and very lovely.  It seems that this Orchid imitates bees with this round velvety lower lip which encourages them to visit it

Amanda came up a little later, so we had tea.  I got this photo just before she started pulling faces!