Bonny tiler

26 - 29 August 2014

So, now there's enough varnish on the sink surround, I can put in my little mosaic of broken tile bits along the 8cm gap between worktop and window sill.  This needs sealing to protect the wood, and I thought it might be interesting to use up broken pieces here.

 Thursday night, Pete and Naomi came up for supper, and we sat out watching for shooting stars - something we don't do often enough.

 On Friday we had a tiling extravaganza.  Tiling is too fiddly for Dave, so he was on tile-cutting duty as the cutter is tough on my elbow.  We had originally bought a couple of m2 of the greyish tiles in the middle of the picture, but found them to be very cheap and too grey.  So we went back for plain white tiles, as the tile stockman had given us a selection of odd or damaged tiles which provide a random splash of colour.  This corner will be behind the cooker, so we used up the grey tiles where they won't be very visible.

 And this is where the washing machine will go, so we used the rest of the grey tiles here. Dave came in and said, 'That's bonny, pet.' - which gave us 'bonny tiler' (apologies to the singer)!  Just the grouting to do now.

This was an exciting moment - a friend who also can't eat wheat had been staking out a Lefkas baker who will make gluten free bread if enough people are interested.  We'd placed an open order for 3 loaves any time, so Dave got a call and rushed down to meet at the by-pass for a bread hand-over.  It is delicious - real, fresh (warm) crusty bread, indistinguishable from the wheaten type.  High tea with bread and jam was called for.

A tiny-mini-break

Monday 25 August 2014

We were invited to a pool-and-barbeque party by Mad Robbie and Sue, at a villa they look after and had permission to party at.  It is up the hill behind us, in the village of Neohori, which is all precipitous windy roads, so we took an overnight bag.

 Fabulous view, with the islands all spread out and the mainland mountains turning pink in the reflected sunset.

 Here's us, after a romp in the pool playing cheating volleyball and waiting for the barbeque to fire up

 We found a tiny baby scorpion in our bath - anyone who doesn't like spiders, take note!

Next morning, we were up early, had another swim, then walked up the track behind the villa, finding this little church nestled in the hillside.

Funnily enough, this little evening/morning out felt like a real, if short, holiday.

Varnishing

23 - 24 August 2014

Something spurred us into a new burst of activity, so we got the varnish out and put a few more coats on the plywood work surfaces in the kitchen over a couple of days.  I want to start tiling to protect the plasterboard and make it easier to keep clean.

Dave, meanwhile, has his own troubles.  At a rehearsal on Tues 19th, Mark and Geoff were saying how they'd like a guest guitarist to do the fancy bits in a couple of numbers at the regatta.  This felt disloyal, and Dave was hurt, so he has stepped down from Steamboat Rooster to let them have the guitarist they want.  In many ways he is happier, playing music he enjoys, but he does miss being in a band.  Hopefully the universe will quickly send him another one.

Sleepy but musical August

13 - 22 August 2014

Well, I have absolutely nothing to report for these 10 days.  I think I spent most of it asleep due to my various medications.  It was swelteringly hot, temperatures in the 40s in the sun, so we just stayed inside and read books.

We have started taking singing lessons with Rosa, who studied a music degree and runs various choirs out here.  I can't handle choir singing - too insecure, but she is willing to come to the house and struggle to teach me (and Dave when he's here) how to hit some notes.  It is great fun.

Time for the youngsters who are off to study in other countries to leave.  Ciara who has been singing with Steamboat Rooster is leaving for the UK to study performing arts.  We'll miss her.  There was a tearful leaving night at the Tree Bar, and Ciara and her sisters all sang together.

 Meanwhile, in the UK, Richie was leaving to do an exchange year in California, lucky dog!

More troubles

Early August 2014

Just at the end of July/early August I found a couple of bites on my right calf had become very swollen and hot - the skin felt so stretched it was uncomfortable to put weight on that leg.  The doctor said it was infected, and gave me antibiotics and other medications.  I was already taking muscle relaxants and painkillers for the tennis elbow, and definitely feeling sorry for myself.

Then on Sunday 10th, Dave had just come back after another week's skippering, and we returned after a day at Nisos to find that the chicken had disappeared.  She had just started laying eggs again, we'd treated her for worms and she'd perked up hugely and was producing an egg four days out of five.  We miss her, she was a character (if a nuisance) and hope she went quick.

 Notso (stupid)'s final legacy

Glass in the kitchen window - how smart is that?

Kitchen developments

Thursday 31 July 2014

Last day of July and we had a little burst of energy. 

We got stuck into the pile of bales and moved the ones nearest the kitchen back up the pile to create a fire-break (hopefully).  Then I got the staple gun out, and as best I could left-handed, I stapled up insect netting as a fourth wall for the kitchen.

Dave, after doing most of the heavy lifting with the bales, moved on to painting the window frames so that the glass can be fitted soon.

July week 4

20-27 July 2014

Scooped Dave up as soon as he finished work on Sunday and put him and all our baggage on Tropi-boat to join Jonathan (Sara's brother) Amanda (their cousin) and two teenagers: Isabella (Jono's daughter) and Oliver (Jono's ex-partner's son) at sea - they were on board a Nisos charter yacht. 

 Jono chilling out in Kioni ...

 ... Dave and Amanda too

 Both boats: 'Captain Jack' from Nisos on the left, Tropi on the right.  We needed a lead-boat flag to help Jono find us in harbour, so we flew the LFC flag which we still had from the Champions League win in 2005.  We were surprised how many people stopped to take photos of the flag!

 Oliver and Isabella posing on Captain Jack

 All aboard for shore leave.  We stayed on board as a thunderstorm was threatening.  Not meant to happen in July!

 A cicada on a telegraph pole in Polis bay - weird looking creature.

 A few too many in Vasilliki and next thing the whole crew have tattoos (henna, of course).  Dave's dragon.

 Jonathan with swallows - the closest the crew on Cap'n Jack could get to a sparrow ('Pirates of the Carribean' reference ...)

 Bella with pretty thumb twirls and swallows on her wrist

 Oliver got an eagle, swallows not visible

 Amanda showing swallows on one wrist, sunburst on another

 ... and I indulged in a little dragon.

 Final day, everyone on our little terrace for tea

 Sunday after work - the cat able to relax now we're home, and the tomatoes flourishing after care from painting-Amanda and Robbie and Sue.

July week 3

13-20 July 2014

Dave away again for another week of skippering, and I've been to see the doctor to find I have tennis elbow and risk it becoming chronic unless I stop using it for any lifting or working, take muscle-relaxants and wear an elbow brace.  So a very lazy week ahead of me. 

 

This is our little terrace outside the kitchen door.  Just room for two comfy chairs, coffee table and footstool.  It faces due east with a sea view and the sun goes round the side of the house about 1.30, so a nice place for an afternoon or evening lounge.  We've given in to our urge to grow things and set up several pots of cherry tomatoes with parsley.  The chicken likes the tomato leaves (not keen on parsley - wonder if foreboding?) so they're all wrapped in mesh and other defences.

 Not able to do anything with my arm but read, draw and sew.  So I finally got round to covering this split cushion with some old Bavaria yacht cushion fabric passed on from Nisos.  Now it is the smartest one we have.

 And a bit of charcoal and pastel drawing with the art girls - this is a self portrait of me (obviously) at least 20 years ago (if ever!)

Sunday, back at work, and picking Dave up after his week of skippering - with essential requirements: guitar and fishing rod.

July week 2

6-13 July 2014

Cousin Amanda and Rob arrived on Sunday and after a lengthy lunch-and-beer stop at Nisos headquarters to say hello, were safely installed in Vasilliki. 

 On Wednesday we persuaded them to come and see Dave play, and they arranged a taxi back to Vas at 10pm, but by then they were in party mode (their friend Ian from Italy had arrived) and decided to make a night of it.  We installed them on the boat overnight and collected them in the morning for much needed fried breakfasts and orange juice.

 Dave, Amanda, Ian, Rob - all crammed into our pantry/dining room, mostly the worse for wear!

Later in the week, Dave cut some more plywood for me to make this little spice shelf by the cooker.  Needs finishing, but does the job for the moment.

July week 1

2 - 6 July 2014

Dave away skippering, so I pottered around trying to fix up things in the kitchen. 

 This is me having a go at a bit of joinery - making a tea caddy and mug hanging shelf unit.  Some tricky jigsawing, but otherwise lots of fun.  Unfortunately my lath-fixing elbow started playing up, so I didn't finish jigsawing out all the shelves.

 When we were at the tile shop I asked the stockman for any broken pieces of tile for mosaicing and he was more than willing to help, offloading all the junk tiles he could.  These lovely yellow ones and the little blue ones will make a nice mixed tile worktop by the side of the cooker, protecting the plywood from hot pans.  Can't do it yet, though, as I need a rim to be cut and sanded and fixed, which my elbow shouldn't do.

 Midway through the week, the little crysalis that had appeared overnight on our new paintwork opened up - but I think it may have attached itself prematurely as the poor butterfly couldn't open its final wing properly.  It fluttered round the windowsill for a day and a half refusing sugar-water drops until I decided to put it outside to take its chances.

Last piece of plasterboard installed behind the cooker.  Decided to infill the top area but leave the lower diagonal open as a workspace/shelf.  Eventually there will be a breakfast bar/worksurface on the other side.