Green and Brown

 

The island earth hasn't dried out completely.  There's still a touch of colour along road sides, clumps of late red poppies, fading daisies in the midst of dry grasses and dusty patches of brown.  Our garden is a bit of both.

It's fire season now and by June 15th everyone should have strimmed their long tall grass and bundled it up to be taken away.  That means piles of big black rubbish bags all around the big Municipal bins.  It's the only way to get rid of garden rubbish now.  If you've got a large property like some of our neighbours the trimmed grass is just left to lie and dry.  I suppose at least it keeps any fires lower to the ground.

No more fires till November.  We took out fire insurance last summer on the house.  The wild fires around Athens were catastrophic. It was so upsetting seeing all those people who had lost homes and livelihoods.  The government provides a small sum for the basics of life but it's hardly a drop in the bucket if you've lost your home.

 

Pots of herbs in the front garden.  Here is my mint in lovely ceramic 'containers'.  They'll need constant watering by midsummer.  Around them are pots of summer herbs.  Thyme, oregano, lavender and rosemary.  Thank goodness for my herbs.  They live and thrive whatever I do to them

The amaryllis this year is incredible.  It's another flower which thrives and flowers year after year whatever I do to it.

Our English neighbour trimmed her driveway so we have a small fire break from the ........

very dry and extremely overgrown property next door.  It has been inherited by a number of children who live in Athens.  They come  every few years, look at it and drive away back to the city.  They've been trying to sell it for years but are asking far too much.  The land has a dozen or more olive trees which  produce olives every few years.  Their cousins, who live on the island, gather the olives and that's it. The land is left to grow wild

A team of council workers will come and clear the verges and take the cut dry grass away.  They've started trimming now but there is a lot of roadside to clean before they get to us

A Plague of Frogs

 A swarm of tiny frogs

An infestation

An invasion 

However you put it, we've got it

It's impossible to take a decent picture. They're only about the size of an olive, almost the same colour as the tarseal and leap all over the place when I get close enough for a photo. 

The cats don't seem at all interested in them and neither do the seagulls but the swarms in the middle of the road won't live long.  We couldn't avoid driving over them

This is a photo of one taken by our neighbour Georgia

There are thousands and thousands of them hopping all over the roads around us. Another few thousands squashed on the road.

We've never seen anything like it.  

Frogs lay thousands of eggs and 'very heavy rain followed by warm weather speeds up the development of the tadpoles and forces them into a synchronised boom'.  They must have spawned down on the flooded plateau and with this warm weather have suddenly turned from tadpoles to frogs, or toads in their thousands

In some countries it is believed that swarms of frogs are a warning of earthquakes.  However, 'scientific analysis has shown that mass migrations of tiny frogs in spring are not related to earthquakes'.  Lets hope that scientific analysis is correct

Busy Few Days

 Tuesday we were at a funeral.  A beloved maiden aunt passed away at age 92.  All her nieces and nephews gathered on Galatas from one end of Greece to the other to say goodbye.  There were tears in the church, a slow 3k walk behind the hearse to the cemetery, and back, then coffee, liqueur, hugs and laughs at a café and a family meal to end the day. Cousins, friends and extended family in a warm togetherness

Life goes on

20th was Saint Lydia.... Or Poppi day. She and I share our name day.  Lydia is the nearest greek name to Linda. Tradition. She's named after her maternal Grandmother. That's Me

It was a busy day for me.  I made pastitsio (greek lasagna) and stuffed tomatoes for all the family. Delivered the food to them.

Later we had an appointment at a bank to sort out our cards. 

The bank is changing from Visa to Mastercard and we get sent new cards and don't know why. Got that sorted. Very helpful girls.

 Most of our banking is done online nowadays.  We still use cards for shopping, with pin numbers 

I do have the pins written down, somewhere. However,  I went to try a rarely used card in the ATM to see if it still worked, tried it, wrongly, 3 times and of course the machine ate my card

21st     

So early this morning I was down at the bank again.  Got my card back and the pin sorted in a few minutes. Easier when you know the bank employees.

 Daughter Elli is going to put all my cards on my phone. Sounds like a good idea as long as I don't lose my phone. I have it in a case on a long strap and wear it crossbody so I don't leave it anywhere.

Then we ran into the girls drinking a very early morning coffee before they both went off to work.  It is daughter Elli's name day.  Lots of hugs all around and 'Chronia Pollas' (that's Many returns, to you). It is also Ks name day and granddaughter Nels and Ks sister Dina

My Instagram 'cheers' to Nels and Poppi 

My present from the family

Isn't that bloody marvellous!

And so true

My superiority recognised at last

It changes colours at night

K in his happy place, surrounded by grandkids 

Thanks kids for such lovely gifts

Yesterday ended with the pick up of 7 x 20 litre boxes of wine from the vineyards of a vintner in nearby Nemea.  The wine maker put the boxes on the car ferry on Galatas and we picked them up on the Poros side

3 boxes (60 litres) for us of white wine and another 4 x 20 litres of red wine for a friend

Tonight K will hold his name day dinner for friends. You don't invite.  They just turn up.  Most stay for a glass or 2 of wine and a plate of food, then move on to the next celebration. Half of Greece is celebrating today.

K is cooking, boiled lamb and pilafi, rice boiled in the lamb juices . His Greek friends will love it and smother everything in lemon juice

Meantime his phone is ringing every few minutes as friends, acquaintances and absent family call to wish him well

On Sunday we have the family dinner. Roast pork and potatoes 

Χρονιά πολλά... Many years

Nafplio

 A day out to the big city.  Nafplio.  For work alas and not play.  There's so much to see and do in Nafplio, ancient ruins, fascinating old town, car free alley-ways and squares, markets

  We, as usual, would be seeing only the inside of car places and tool stores.  At least this visit didn't include a hospital or doctor's office

Nice shiny car

We were going to Nafplio for our 2 year Warrant of Fitness certificate

The car was covered in red streaks from the last Saharan dust and rain storm.  I washed and cleaned it inside and out.  That red muck was everywhere and it needed a good soapy rub to get rid of it all.  Now we have a forecast of rain again.  Damn

First stop was to get new tyres for the car.  K had been humming and haaing about them, looking at prices around Poros, and putting off the final decision.  Now he had to get it done or fail the test.  We went to a recommended shop in Nafplio.  In 20 minutes they'd put on 4 new tyres, checked the spare and all for 60 euros less than Poros.  It cost 200 euros plus a 5 euro tip for the young lad that was helping.  

Next stop The car testing place

We passed!

Free coffee while we waited!  We had 2 cups each.  That saved us more than 10 euros at a café.  It's good coffee too.  Filter or espresso from a machine.  We had a cup of both

We sat outside and drank our coffee along with 3 other clients.  Greek.  There's a rubbish bin just behind the chairs.  They didn't use it.  Wind had blown a paper napkin and a plastic spoon on the ground, and they left paper cups and an ashtray of butts on the table. They just up and went.  I gathered our cups and picked up all their rubbish and put it in the bin

The norm around here

Then we went for petrol

K buys BP whenever he's in Nafplio.  A friend of his told him BP has the best quality.  It's slightly more expensive than Shell or Aegean but still cheaper than petrol on the island

Another reason to buy BP 

This happy smiling girl always cleans our windscreen and does an excellent job of it.  She didn't mind having her photo taken either

Then on to the supermarket.  The best part of the day, for me

LIDLS!

Look at all those refrigerated goodies .  That was only cheese and ham, yoghurt and butter

So much choice.  A true shopping therapy session, for me.  

After years shopping here, on and off, I know what I want and have a list which I follow.  There's a lot more I could buy but life is too expensive now.  I also have a list for the girls.  We all look up the specials online and go for the bargains

Our big supermarket on Poros would fit into one aisle here

Next stop, Ks favourite meat market.  This coming week we have 2 family name days and most importantly, it will be Ks name day.  He bought a few kilos of the finest pork

Last stop

'Trendy'

A souvlaki lunch

Half a grilled chicken, a huge pile of chips, tzatziki and drinks (alcohol free beer for the driver) for 25 euros.  There's enough leftover for lunch tomorrow.

A good thing about this shop is they're geared up for takeaways and provide a box and bag for leftovers at no extra cost

Back to Galatas, over on the car ferry, grocery delivery to the girls and home.  After unloading there was just enough time for a short siesta.  I needed it.  Outings are tiring these days.  Thank goodness it was cloudy.  Comfortable weather for getting things done.

Next day ...as I'm writing this it has just started to rain.  Another car wash on the horizon

'Sail Boats'

Poros May 2026

 East Med Multihull and Yacht Charter Show

'The show is for crewed charter yachts and provides an opportunity for industry professionals to view the yachts and take part in seminars, culinary competitions (?), networking events and evening celebrations'

The line of floating gin palaces tied up to the wharf went on for more than a kilometre. 

If you're a member of the unwashed masses you can wander down the red carpet and goggle

The ostentatious Catamarans have important looking crews, dressed in crisp blues and beiges with identity tags hanging their necks. All with fresh young faces, white toothy smiles and clipboards ready for earnest business discussions with genuine business men, and women. 

 However the Gin they drink with clients, on the discreetly covered decks with swanky bamboo chairs and fat plush cushions, is not bought locally 

I've heard a lot of complaints from locals.  A taverna owner who was in line behind me at the Supermarket remarked bitterly that it's all just for show and there's no benefit to local businesses

She wasn't the only one to complain.  The yachts were all fully stocked back at Piraeus.

Entertaining  clients takes place in comfort, on board, not at a little rustic island taverna with its hard rush-covered chairs. 

However... 

It does present Poros as a desirable destination for yachts.  Poros is plugged as a friendly Greek island, within easy reach of Athens and with all  amenities needed by visiting pleasure craft.

Poros is growing as a haven for yachting flotillas which come in for a few days to enjoy the  tavernas, exuberant nightlife, shop at the local supermarket and clog up the roads with quad bikes and buggies.

The boat show is an annual event and attracts more luxury companies every year.  

Many years ago, when it was a more intimate and friendly affair, we asked for, and got, a few yards of that red carpet at the end of the show. K, of course, knew all the council workers that were cleaning up afterwards. We were expecting family from downunder and literally laid down the red carpet to welcome them 'home' .

Rudi

     

Meet Rudi

 A gentle soul with a long term medical issue.

A couple of times a year Cecile (from Belgium) opens the Greek Sail's offices and helps to spread out an array of preloved treasures, books, clothes, doggy bits and pieces and lots of 'white elephants'.  The bazaar is to raise money for Rudi's medecine

These girls, Jan and Cecile (England and Belgium) put it all together and happily search out bargains for all of us

It's a fun couple of days, for me, long hours for them, especially as they're both working.  Greek Sails has started it's summer charters and Jan is working with a team of Danish vets who are sterilising a hundred or more cats and dogs from all around the area

Isis, our Belgian Goddess and Mother to Rudi

You can see how much Rudi loves his Mum

 

A genuine white elephant discovered in a previous bazaar

Now in my garden keeping company with gnomes and frogs, Jemima Puddleduck and Don Quixote riding on Rocinante

A rustic sign for a rustic loo 

I found some clothes and kitchen ware and a toolkit for K (thanks Jan) and  bargains for my girls.......lovely

We had visitors and local aliens from Sweden, one Danish couple on a yacht but recently residing in Tauranga (near my home town of Te Puke, New Zealand), Belgium

England, France, Holland, Australia, and even some from Greece 

Ancient Ruins Today

The Temple to Sea God Poseidon

or more correctly, the Sparse Remains thereof

Some of the area has been strimmed.    Long grass is a fire hazard and can also hide snakes

There's still work to do

Fortunately they'd cleared a few paths through the long grass.  The Council has a lot of work at this time of the year clearing roadsides and public land.  

Soon a Swedish Archeological team will arrive to work on the ruins. They spend a couple of weeks here every summer very slowly uncovering it's secrets. 

There's not much of interest. No columns, theatres or imposing statues, just a few stones, the remains of a wall, some marble steps, where around 520BC there was an impressive Temple, Healing Centre and Market Place

There weren't many wildflowers in the enclosure itself but across the road there were stretches of chamomile.  A lovely aromatic scent wafted up as I walked through it. 

There have been years when I've gathered bunches of it to dry and use to make chamomile tea.  None of us are crazy about it and it tends to languish in jars for a couple of years before I throw it out. K likes to drink chamomile tea when he's feeling ill. I buy tea bags