Some Days in Winter

The weather is fine today.  The sun is shining.

Last night it rained.

The plants are loving it.  Temperatures are around 20o instead of 10o.  The hydrangeas have budded and so has the grapevine.  The rocket (arugula) has finally started to grow. 

On my way down town I saw two spots of colour on the roadside. Red.  Not wild poppies yet but anemones.  Spring really is on it's way.

Yesterday I went across on the car ferry to the small village of Galatas to get my hair cut.  Getting a hair cut in the winter is difficult.  This salon is run by a cousin.  The wife of a cousin.

She's good.  My hair is now all one colour instead of me having a blonde fringe and various shades of gold and yellow through the rest of it.  I have reached the stage where I need a professional to cover the grey.  And I got a longer cut.  Something different to to go with my thin-ner self and my new love for leggings. 

Hair cut 10 euros

colour 30 euros.

I thought that was very reasonable.  They're the same prices as three years ago 

One day I will post a picture.

I'm very happy with the style.  I am comfortable.

Coming back along Galatas waterfront there was a freezing wind.

It always blows along there.  The sun might have been shining but I was very glad I wore my heavy winter coat.  Spring is just beginning.

I lay in bed this morning at 6am listening to the birds chirping 'good morning'.  I can sleep with the window open, shutters closed.  I went to sleep to the sound of rain on the tiles and woke to birdsong.  

Happy me.

Soon afterwards we got a call from the hospital.  My next cataract operation will be at the end of March.  I'm even happier.  Being able to see properly out of only one eye was starting to annoy me.  It will be 2 months since I got the first eye done.  That's fast for a public hospital.  See what some money in a small white envelope will do!

We are getting the next envelope ready and a box of sweet cakes for his nurses.  I hope they get some of the money in that unmarked envelope too but somehow I doubt if he shares it around.  

The Saharan dust clouds last week really irritated my eyes and I had to go to the chemist and ask for some eye drops.  My eyes were red and sore for days but are now ok.  I wouldn't want to postpone the op because of an eye infection.  The dust cloud lasted days.  I still haven't scrubbed it off the car.

The other thing I don't want is covid.  Our neighbour has it and also his sister, on a visit from Athens.  Vaso, 85 or 86, who lives in the same house is ok at the moment though whether that will last is doubtful.  I hope they can keep her isolated because I don't think she has been vaccinated.  For most of us it's just a mild dose of the flu but often that's not the case for the elderly.  

I have to have a negative test to enter the hospital so I will be isolating too.

 

There was a silent parade along Poros waterfront, 

protesting the antiquated rail system and remembering the 57 victims of Greece's tragic train crash last week.  Many of the victims were young students returning to university after the long weekend.

Schools closed here today and most of the pupils participated.

 That sign in Greek says -

'Phone me when you arrive.'

The words of any mother seeing her children off on  a journey.    They never did phone