Goings On

We have become the lepers of the Saronic Gulf.  30 positive cases of covid-19 and another 130 people awaiting the results of their tests. 400 cars left on Saturday filled with holiday makers.The Mayor of the next door island, Aegina, announced he doesn't want ships that stop at Poros docking on his island.   

We had all the TV cameras down here interviewing the natives and asking if tourists were going to cut their stay short.  Of course they all said yes.  We will probably be front page news again once the test results come out though very bad flooding on the island of Evia and turkish leader Erdogan's latest antics did kick us into 3rd place yesterday.  

Last week we had a hawk circling our house, and the immediate area, for days on end.  A beautiful bird, lovely to watch but he screeched non-stop.   I can't see his screeching would be the ideal thing to do when hunting small creatures hiding in long grass unless he was trying to flush them out.  I have heard that hawks bring bad news.  I'm inclined to believe it.

Two days ago there were strange grey clouds behind the hills, billowing ominously up from the horizon.  Cars began coming up from the beach below and 2 fire engines screamed past on the upper road, sirens blaring.  It looked like smoke.  No, said K who is never wrong.  He rang our local councillor .  Of course it wasn't smoke.  He was right.  But obviously many thought it was a fire at the back of the island.  It was soon very clear it was fog which slowly came over from the back of the hills and crept down into the valley.

False alarm there. 

Our little cul de sac has filled to more than its capacity, by my measurement!  Our foreign neighbours have arrived, the house below us has been rented out, the navy officer at the end of the road has deserted ship to spend his leave here.  Across the valley we have the woman who shrieks (instead of talking) with her brood at the family summer vacation house and the inheritors of the old house on the hillside are also here, for the long term it seems.  I wonder if they are under house 'arrest' after a covid test.  I used to be asked how I could live up in the hills with so few neighbours, out in the wilds.  Ha, come and see us now.

I have to remind myself each time I back out that we have traffic.  It is no longer my private road.

The corona-virus it seems was spread after a corona-pool-party.  A rave up attended by the younger generation.  I'm glad my tall grandson was away on the island of Paros.  I hope he isn't going to any wild pool parties down there.  Paros too has a couple of corona cases as do many of the islands.  From zero daily cases at the end of June we went up yesterday to 250.  Mostly the virus has been spread through wedding and baptism parties.  Poros is not the only area in partial lockdown.  A lawsuit has been taken out against 'parties unknown' who are responsible for the spread of the virus on the island.

We had rain.  Two days of short showers and one nice long thunderstorm yesterday which watered the trees and revived the garden. It got rid of the hawk as well.   It is still nice and cool today.

Most unusual for August and much appreciated.  The sun is out today and the cicadas are in full chorus but there is a north wind bringing us relief.  No unbearable heat or humidity.

I have been handsewing masks.  I have cramp in my thumb and a hole in my finger.  K wanted a couple which were longer than the commercial ones.  

It's wearable

And again, I need a haircut.  

On the news now.  40 more corona virus cases on Poros