An Attitude of Gratitude

I made a list.  I love lists.  I have shopping lists for the supermarket, another for online purchases (when the Universe is willing), a list of jobs for my grandchildren.  When grandkids hear that Nana 'has a list' they groan and hide.  

So here is another list.  A list to convince myself that all is well in my little world.  Here in my place, where the cicadas are thumping their tymbals in flights of deafening mating delight ( I thought they made the noise by rubbing their back legs together. Not so. Maybe that's crickets).  Where breezes are blowing and the sea is warming. 

 I can exchange books for free down in the town when I do my shopping and have the odd coffee.  So many books in Scandanvian but a dive into the back of the shelves always reveals some little gem in English.  

A good friend, the last of our little conclave of British expats which has dispersed over the years, provides me with household goods, furniture and lately bundles of excellent curtains which we really needed, from other departing expat residents.   I made our old curtains by hand and one curtain  never quite seemed to be the same level as its neighbour, they were faded and disintegrating.  A thousand thanks J.  And a thousand thanks for being a breath of english logic and humour in my life

Thanks for family on the island who care and help and gather around.  That's my daughters whom we are lucky to have so close, grandchildren, sons in law and the immediate and extended greek family.

A long suffering daughter who does all our taxes and paperwork and doesn't snap and grumble when I have to make sure for the umpteenth time that I really do understand

Thanks to myself for finally losing most of my extra weight and after two years being able to throw 2 huge bags of even huger clothes.  Thanks to my daughters who gave me the kick in the backside which got me walking and exercising. Still got more to lose. It's coming off, leaving bingo wings and wrinkles. Never mind. Don't care. Goes with the grey hair and liver spots.

Thanks to my ancestors, my parents, who handed me down good strong anglo-saxon and german genes.  We're a hardy lot.  

Thanks for free hospitals and subsidised medicine.  I've just been in one of those rural hospitals for a couple of days.  The nurses were so friendly, smiling, helpful.  I spit on them!!  I had a scrape and now I'm waiting for biopsy results but the gyno doc thinks I look peachy inside so I am not worrying.

One of my mottos is 'it's not worth worrying about things that are probably never going to happen'.  And I don't worry.  Though my blood pressure went through the roof when I did my first lot of tests, as it often does when I see those white coats, or in this case a green nurses uniform.  I do just panic a wee bit though I only admit that to myself.

We have a healthy diet full of beans and legumes and fresh fruit and vegetables.  I haven't had a glass of wine in weeks and not even the occasional cigarette.  I don't drink much in the summer.  In this heat alcohol just makes me hotter.

I have a phone for all my needs.  Thanks to the powers on high.  How did I forget to pack a book for the hospital.  How is that even possible.  Usually the book is the first thing that goes in the bag.  Must have been having one of those panic moments and a memory blank.  The kindle is on my phone though and so I'm grateful that I could read anyway though I seem to have spent most of the first day sleeping.  And I did remember my charger and earphones.  That's a sign of the times.  I have my whole life on my phone now.

Our cherry tomato plants, 2 of them, produced 6 excellent cherry tomatoes.  They were sweet and tasty.  One immediately curled up its toes and withered away.  5 tomatoes was just too much for the wee thing.  I'm nursing the other to strength and production.  Yesterday I cracked an egg into the soil and gave it a stir.  Cross fingers, though I may just see if I can buy another 2 or 3 plants.  The capsicums are producing peppers and the aubergine is strong and healthy and has flowers but no fruit yet.

And last, for now, but definitely not least was K's 50 year Navy reunion.  He helped organise it at the Navy school here on Poros where they graduated 50 years ago. K got a lot of praise for his 'brilliant' organisation . Happy man makes happy wife .  He met all his old mates and  they ate, drank, danced and no doubt talked non stop about the good old days in the Navy.  And guess what, I didn't have to attend with him.  Hooray .  I've heard all those stories over and over for 43 years.  So glad he enjoyed himself, so glad I did too, at home.

Thanks