Friday 30 June 2017

Heat waves, Ocean waves and a wave to the All Blacks

-   Extreme heat wave.  Temperatures up to 43oC.  Not a good time to climb the exposed Acropolis with its acres of burning marble.   




The heat is oppressive even at night. I have moved out to the lounge with it's high ceiling and sleep on the pull-out couch, fan on full.  Fans make Greeks ill so I'm on my own.

Every morning at 5.30am I wake as the temperature goes down, briefly. I turn off the fan and am then deafened by the high pitched screech of the cicadas.

Yet half an hour later the dawn chorus suddenly screeches to a halt. There is silence until around 7 and then their daily concert begins in earnest. I wonder what makes them start and stop?

This is the best hour of the day for a quality snooze. I open the big balcony doors and a draft of cool fresh air fills the room. I almost need to pull up a top sheet. Almost.

Bed making is so easy at this time of the year. All we need on the beds are a bottom sheet (fitted) and a pillow.

Another alternative is sleeping outside under the grape vine.  Too many creepy crawlies, night owls and barking dogs for me.

-   NZ won the America's Cup!

Little old NZ , beat big old America.
Now that's a big deal for us/me and my Greek family. There were excited telephone calls being made around this island by all the kiwis and their hangers-on.




What the heck is the America's Cup?   Sailing, my friends.   NZ-ers are very good at water sports, and rugby. Bermuda hosted the racing this year and the final was between cup holders America and Team New Zealand.   NZ won 7 races to 1.

NZ reclaimed this oldest trophy in world sport with their victory over Team USA.  This is the third cup win for Team NZ (out of 35 cup challenges) in this yacht race of the world's best sailors on the fastest boats.  'Nuff said.

-   Rugby 

The combined English and Irish Lions rugby team are touring New Zealand at the moment.  The Lions will play 10 matches against provincial teams and three test matches against the All Blacks.  NZ won the first test match 30-15, two more to go.  July 1st (tomorrow) is the second test match. 




We would watch the two teams play but Greeks barely know about the game of rugby and it is never mentioned either on greek tv or the euro sports channels.  I doubt we'll find any live streaming either so we'll just make do with live updates.   

The best part of the game is the mighty haka (Maori war dance)  performed by the All Blacks before kick-off.  We'll see it on Youtube later.  

Rugby fever has gripped our little nest of greek island kiwis.  

-   Rowing 

Grandaughter is taking part in the Panhellenic Rowing competition in Mytilini.  Mytilini is the capital and port of the island of Lesvos.  It is  one of the main landing places for refugees arriving from the coast of Turkey and was recently shaken by a strong 6.3 earthquake.  Maybe these races can bring the islanders a bit of positive publicity. 




Lesvos is also the home of  the best of Greece's ouzo.  K has ordered a bottle of Barbayiannis, 46% proof.   He has a friend of course, who has a friend, who works in the distillery.  He has ordered a bottle to be brought back, with great care.






27 comments:

  1. Heat wave here too, i also sleep with a fan near my bad, no harm yet.

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    1. Yael I was wondering if you were getting the same heatwave! I couldn't live without my fan. We have four fans and air-conditioning but try not to use the air-conditioning. Too expensive. Fans are GOOD

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    2. I HAVE to have the fan on.

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    3. Why suffer? My husband doesn't like the aircon either, says it dries his mouth and gives him headaches plus a few etcs. I'll use both when I have to.

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  2. Next week will be worse,a bigger heat wave,but as we say here,let THAT be our only troubles.

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    1. Your summers, like ours, are always hot. How hot does it get in a heatwave?
      It is the first time I can actually feel the heat from the ground burning my feet. Thus us seriously hot. We have our air condition on today. Even at the beach it was unbearable.

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    2. It will be 34c today.

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    3. 34 is ok. Supposed to be 41 today, even on the island but tonight will be better

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  3. I was hoping that Team UK would have had a good chance this year; but....

    I love watching the All Blacks, as an ex club Rugby player myself, I admire everything about them.

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    1. The second test must be finished by now. I will have to google the score.
      We all got rugby fever when the whole family was in NZ in 2005 and there was a series of test matches. Cant remember with which country but we were glued to the tv.
      Good rugby is a real pleasure to watch

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    2. The Lions did well. It was the first defeat for the All Blacks on home soil in 8 years! One all.

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    3. Don't mention the Tour de France or we'll never hear the end of it.

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    4. Fortunately no-one here really knows what the Tour de France is either. It is non stop football here and a bit of basket.
      Bit different in France I guess. You either love it or you hate it!!

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    5. Or can't get away from it

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  4. Cool that New Zealand won the Americas Cup.

    I don't like fans and if there is fan on near me I end up with neck ache or shoulder ache or both and generally feel unwell. For weeks in my office I thought I was ill. I had no idea why. Then the man opposite me went on holiday and I turned his fan off for three weeks. I was better. He came back, put the fan on and I was immediately ill again with aches all over. It was recognised that the fan had been the cause of my problems and we all changed seats so I was away from fan and lived happily ever after. So I sympathize with your Greek people.

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    1. Oh golly gosh. You really did get ill from a fan? Baaah I'm sure its just Greek hypo-chondria-ism!

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    2. Absolutely true and I am not an ill type of person. I never stopped going to work but I certainly never felt right with the fan on. I have met other people who are effected in the same way.

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    3. Quite a few people here claim the same thing but I've always put it down as greek softness and scoffed at them!
      I'll be a bit more understanding, maybe, but I can't live without my fan.

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  5. Best times to scale the Acropolis to the Parthenon , and museums is definately November, few tourists, mild weather and free on the weekends 😀😂😀. No go if
    raining or wet an ice rink!.
    I feel so sorry for the Locals in Lesvos, they have helped people in desperate situations, yet they suffer due to no one wanting to go.☹️😢😢

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  6. Lesvos is a stricken island in many ways. It will be interesting to hear my daughter's impressions when she comes back with her daughter the champ

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  7. Go Linda's grandaughter medal or no medal I,m sure she will still sparkle in grandmas eyes!.

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    1. YES KIRRIE YES. Just heard she and her partner in the double skiff were first in their heat so they've got a good chance in the finals tomorrow.

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  8. Just hope she is not exposed to anything a child should not see!.By all accounts migrants appear to be young men, seeking riches from Germany so move through Greece a safe country, but not rich. Appears not to be safety the want but money, obviously exceptions.

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    1. There are an awful lot of young men from places like Afghanistan, Morocco, Pakistan and you wonder how they have got so darn far. They are obvioulsy NOT displaced persons!!

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    2. Hard to think of many cultures that would leave women and children behind. Especially if life was extra difficult, dangerous for them!. Would think in horrific circumstances here the men would not desert the women and children.But then again we are more independant not so reliant!. Ok rambling.

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  9. It was nice to meet you earlier. It's a good blog.

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