|
Introduction
Well, we're into October and the weather is still pretty good. Surely it can't continue much longer.
This month sees Tricia off to the UK to see her Dad and sister along with anyone else who can't hide from her! (Just kidding!) Daughter Louise has volunteered to chauffeur Tricia about and escort her on shopping expeditions so I think it fair to say that she and son-in-law, Steve are also going to be a bit of a captive audience!
For my sins, I shall be making something of a sprint to the UK towards the end of the month merely to annoy various members of the medical profession - nothing serious though! My stay will barely amount to two days.
We have friends visiting the island during the month and will do our best to meet up and share a few glasses of wine with them, not to mention catch up on all the gossip.
As long as the weather holds, there is plenty to do in the garden, mostly manual labour, levelling the land after the year's wall building and terracing exploits. There really has been an enormous amount left to move.
As always my scheduling has slipped and I am behind with everything, not least of all, the newsletters. I think that we should get on with it, don't you?
October 2008
The month started cooler than of late and it actually looked like rain. ... Thinks ... "If it rains, it means that I will be excused from earth moving duties in the garden!" Is that such a bad thing? We are retired after all!
Yiorgos turned up to make a start on our drainage project at the back of the garage. It's nothing monumental, just a concrete channel covered with a grill and about 20 metres of 160mm plastic pipe leading off onto the land. (Buried of course.)
The day actually started with an unusual find for the time of year when Jake and I were out for a walk. We came across a tortoise up in the olives. I reckon that they should be seriously considering hibernation by now but they have probably been fooled by the unusual weather patterns. We don't expect to see many, if any more.
Tricia spent the morning cooking for Greece. My own efforts were mainly in the garden where I eventually moved a miniscule amount of earth having been delayed by a trip to the local garage for a puncture repair kit. Fortunately, it was only the wheelbarrow with the puncture, not the car. God! I haven't repaired a puncture in decades!
The mosquitoes were out in force and I received a bit of a savaging from them. That will remind me to use insect repellent. I should have remembered as this is definitely the time of year for them.
That evening, Tricia and I joined Pete and Carol as well as John and Michelle for dinner at a newly opened Italian Restaurant in Acharavi. The pizzas were very good. We finished up in a nearby kafeneion for a few drinks, er ... debates and the obligatory raised voices. We're all turning Greek!
It was relatively mild on the 2nd October - somewhere around the low 20s. However, it poured! Although it was mild, I don't suppose that the poor tourists would have seen it that way.
Michelle called round during the morning and brought a copy of the latest 'Batman' DVD for us to watch. Her visit gave us the opportunity to do little but sit and drink coffee (tea in Michelle's case!) and chat.
The time got away from us and so Tricia and I decided that it might be nice to have lunch at Gelati's. We sat there with our egg and chips (we live well!) watching the world go by when who should appear but Yiorgos, the builder. He had been to collect his wife, Eleni from work.
He didn't take much persuading to have a drink with us but poor Eleni who was suffering from quite a bad cold didn't look so enthralled! We probably would not have noticed Yiorgos as he passed had it not been for the 20 metres of 200mm drainage pipes balanced on the roof of his aging Skoda!
Little else was accomplished that day either by ourselves or Yiorgos!
Yiorgos had agreed to accompany me back to IKA on the 3rd October. I was concerned that there would be outstanding payments due as TBW would undoubtedly not have paid the outstanding stamps and there would almost certainly be penalties imposed.
I wasn't wrong! Despite having given TBW the money for the IKA payments, not only was there an outstanding bill but there were a total of 83 insurance stamps not submitted. Why wasn't I surprised?
With that bombshell behind me I set off for the bank to request pink slips to keep the taxman happy! It's an inconvenience but has to be done.
From the bank I set off to Ktisma, the suppliers of tiles and bathroom fittings to sort out yet another outstanding bill courtesy of our beloved architect. This had got to the stage where Court action was imminent - against us! I think that I may have mentioned previously that the company had been very reasonable but that so much time had passed without any attempt by TBW to pay the debt that they felt that they could not allow the situation to continue. Personally, we agreed and being English, we paid off the debt. We WILL be recompensed! That woman really is a bitch!
I returned home via the usual supermarkets quite a lot poorer. I returned to find that Tricia had been working away in the kitchen to take her mind off things. I filled her in with the gory details which didn't improve her feelings towards TBW one iota! She continued cooking all afternoon.
As if things weren't bad enough, Jake had developed a really bad limp. We had noticed it a day or so earlier, but it was really bad when I took him out this day. Ho hum!
Tricia spent most of the 4th October getting things ready for the evening. We had invited Pete and Carol to dinner that night. For my sins, I was sent off to Acharavi for more shopping!
Jake was still limping badly but there was little to see by way of an injury.
The evening’s dinner went well but there was a worrying moment as the power went between the main course and pudding. Fortunately, Tricia had just finished heating her 'Sticky Toffee Puddings' and we had plenty of candles already alight. As it happened the power returned very shortly afterwards.
Sunday, 5th October was quite cool and we had to endure rain during the morning. Jake continued to limp but there appeared some improvement.
The day was brightened for us by Chelsea beating Aston Villa 2 - 0. Chelsea remained top of the Premier League.
Monday 6th October was a pleasant enough day weatherwise but it started with Yiorgos failing to turn up. To my amazement, he phoned to make his apologies. That's a first! He sounded awful. He clearly was suffering from a heavy cold. He promised to turn up the next day. We shall see.
I decided to give TBW a phone call if only to wind her up! Needless, she continued to stall and I hung up before I couldn't stop myself becoming abusive! The next phone call was to our lawyer who suggested that he was going to 'put the frighteners on her'. We await the results with baited breath ... but no great expectations.
Tricia has the start of what looks like being a pretty heavy cold. Poor old Pete was suffering when he and Carol visited the previous Saturday. It looks as if Tricia is coming out in sympathy.
Tuesday 7th October was clear and sunny. To our amazement, Yiorgos turned up, still suffering from a heavy cold. He set about work with amazing enthusiasm. I felt inspired to do a bit myself and replaced the sealant around a couple of the window frames.
Tricia's cold has really come out. That's three people that we know of who have the same symptoms. It seems that there is something going around.
There was no phone call from the lawyer about his progress with Sofia. Knowing the Greek psyche, we suspect that he hadn't updated us because he has been unable to track her down. It is one thing that can irritate if you let it. In the UK we would expect a call merely to update us that there had been no contact. Not here though!
Our gas delivery turned up from Petrogas as promised and we are now happy that we have sufficient to see us well into any cold snap that must surely be imminent. I must remember to ask Koromios to come and service the boiler. (Mind you, our boiler in the UK ran without fault for 22 years without servicing. I am not so sure that I trust our current one though!)
The sunny and clear weather continued into the next day. Yiorgos turned up and almost completed the drainage project. He is constantly badgering us for more work on account of the fact that his daughter, Asimina, has announced that she is getting married on the 31st January 2009!
Things relating to marriages here pan out totally different to what we are used to in the UK. The only similarity here is that it ends up costing someone a fortune. In this case it will be Yiorgos and Eleni. He has already built most of their house for them and if the stories are to be believed has put a lot into the furnishing of it as well. Yiorgos is clearly a very worried man!
Tricia's cold was now quite grim. I was concerned that I was going to have to go to the hairdressers alone but she bravely turned out.
Jake provided a little entertainment later in the day, when, despite still limping, he decided to tear off over one of the terraces, dragging me over with him! I was not impressed. His limp ended up worse on account of his misbehaviour. Take that how you like!
Thursday 9th October was an important day in the Giles household. It was Corinna's birthday and Louise and Steve's wedding anniversary. I guess that I should have said that it was an important day in the Giles, Fogarty and Young households. I still keep forgetting that Louise and Corinna are no longer Giles's. Oh yes, I occasionally get told off for my forgetfulness ... don't I Louise!
Tricia's cold has developed into 'the cold of the year' - an absolute stinker!
The lawyer phoned to say that he had managed to contact TBW but had really nothing positive to report.
Tricia was due to leave for the UK to visit her Dad late on the 10th October. We did little during the day apart from a bit of last minute shopping for things needed for Tricia's journey.
We had dinner at Gelati's before leaving for the airport. Tricia was concerned that she might suffer during the flight on account of her cold but she had no real ill effects.
After dropping her off at the airport, I returned home to check out the news. I was concerned, like the rest of the world, that the economic meltdown hadn't become worse. As we now all know, it had!
Saturday, 11th October was a sunny day and quite warm. I started the day by levelling some more of the land until it became too warm to continue working. Honest, it really was that warm!
Despite intending visiting Gelati's to watch the England -v- Kazakhstan football match, I was very good and made dinner at home first. It wasn't such a chore as Tricia had left plenty of meals prepared and in the freezer. (Remember those monster baking days that I have referred to?)
After the football, I returned home and started to watch two different movies which were both dire. I gave up on both and can't even recall their titles so I can't forewarn anyone about them!
I had a very pleasant interlude on Sunday 12th October when I attended a barbecue at Dave and Alex's. As always, it was an excellent afternoon and amazingly the weather remained fine. This was the second of their barbecues that I had attended alone this year. Tricia was quite disappointed to have missed it. It really was good Tricia!
Friends David and Eda had recently arrived and as I had to visit our bank in Corfu Town on Monday 13th October, I suggested that they might like to take the opportunity to come in with me. I wasn't going to be too long (I hoped) and they could take the opportunity to have a change of scenery.
They readily agreed and so we set off at a reasonable hour. Everything went more or less to plan. I collected our pink slips from the bank and we all met up a little later for ouzo mezes and coffee. David and Eda managed to get a little shopping in and stocked up on essential supplies of the liquid variety on our way back to the car.
We had lunch at the grill room in Pyrgi on the way home. Hopefully the short excursion provided a pleasant interlude for David and Eda. I certainly enjoyed the company It eased the pain of having to undertake all the domestic chores upon my return home!
I managed to take advantage of the continuing good weather on the 14th October and cleared a large part of the vegetable patch. Having cleared it, I then managed to rotovate it. I must confess to being pleased with my efforts.
The next day, I managed to get nearly 100 leeks planted before getting an invite to join friends Mike and Gilly for lunch. They had friends stay over and were going to have a take away lunch from Zephyros Taverna. I duly presented myself after a quick scrub up and spent a really enjoyable afternoon with Mike, Gilly and their company. I will confess here and now that I am envious of the building work that Mike and Gilly have had done to their house. Their new staircase is the best that I have seen in a long while.
There was little work done on the 16th October except for some shopping. Isn't that what being retired is all about?
Much of the 17th October was set aside for housework. I guess that I had to do a bit or pay the price when Tricia returned! I can't see what all the fuss is about with regards doing the washing. The machine does all the work ... Ironing though is a different matter!
I also started work in the garden on a small drainage project of my own. The idea was that I needed to redirect the rain water and the water from the outside shower away from the small corner 'flowerbed' on the terrace in front of the apartment. I had some of the piping and elbows but was short of a couple of joints. I managed to dig out the earth (and rubble) in order to bury the piping before deciding that enough was enough for that day. I had a meal to go to at Taverna Nikolas in Agni, having invited myself to join David and Eda!
My drainage project was completed on the 18th October and appeared to work well. I tested it by turning on the outside shower and supplementing that water with the output from a hose. All seemed to soak away without a problem. The real test will be when we get some heavy rain. I am quietly confident that this will work and if all goes well, we shall be planting a mandarin or lemon tree in this part of the garden.
The 18th was also particularly notable on account of the fact that Chelsea beat Middlesborough 5 - 0!.
Sunday 19th October was 'D' Day for me. Tricia was returning from her visit to the UK and the house had to look presentable! Consequently there was a lot of washing, cleaning and ironing done. (That's the first time that the ironing basket has been empty in a long while!!)
Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix and Andy Murray won the Spanish Masters. Another good weekend for British sport.
After all of my labours, I treated myself to dinner at Gelati's before leaving for the airport to collect Tricia. Thankfully her flight was pretty much on time.
They say that 'the sun shines on the righteous'! Well, it certainly did on Monday 20th October. It was a gorgeous day with temperatures of 23°C in the shade on our veranda. Tricia was understandably shattered after her travels and as a result we did little all day.
That evening we watched the DVD of 'Mamma Mia'. Tricia loved it. For my part, it brought back all the reasons that I dislike musicals! Loads of middle-aged screaming women and male leads that can't sing! Pierce Brosnan singing? Still, it could have been worse. It could have been George Clooney! (Most women will love the film, I suspect). Les Miserables and Miss Saigon are excluded from my comments about musicals!
The next two or three days were warm and sunny. A lot of time was spent in the garden, mainly levelling the second terrace. I managed to fit in a bit of time upgrading the computers and other household chores like sourcing and replacing the lamp in the oven. (Not too many Neff suppliers in and around Acharavi!)
We had a great meal out with David and Eda at the Eucalyptus Taverna in Ag. Stefanos on Wednesday 22nd October. This was finished off with a visit to Taverna Nikolas in Agni for Metaxas and coffees. It seemed churlish to drop David and Eda off and not visit the taverna! We managed to liberate a piece of prickly pear for our proposed 'dry garden' before leaving Agni. We know that people say they are difficult to get rid of but we reckon that we will manage to keep it under control by starting with it small.
The day was finished in fine style - Chelsea beat Roma in the Champion's League, 1 - 0!
Friday, 24th October remained warm but was significantly more cloudy. Tricia bought the ingredients for our Christmas cake which she intended making whilst I was in the UK. It is something of a ritual for the Christmas cake to be made in October along with the Christmas pudding. By making the cake in October, it leaves plenty of time to give it its weekly feed of Remy Martin Cognac! Delia Smith has a lot to answer for!
By Saturday 25th October, the temperature was around the 18°C mark. It made manual work in the garden much more comfortable. The pile of earth left by the wall builders was shrinking slowly!
We took the opportunity of slightly cooler weather to test the central heating. It was fortunate that we did as the pump for the downstairs heating had partially seized. That, in itself was no great problem as downstairs is not used during the winter but we like to give it a warming up periodically just to ensure that it remains aired. The seized pump was soon dealt with. It was nothing that a screwdriver couldn't sort out. Had that failed, I have a selection of hammers of varying sizes which could have been brought into play!
That evening we went out for dinner at Agonari Taverna. Did I say dinner? It was actually a blow out. We must learn about portion control!
I was anxious to complete as much earth moving as possible before the weather broke. That day came on Sunday 26th October. It was with some satisfaction that the job was completed. I even managed to find time to call in on friend Mike Bennett who was having a problem with his camera. As we have the same cameras and similar computer setups it didn't take long to resolve the problem by a process of elimination.
With the day having gone so well up until then, I was on a high. It all went downhill when Chelsea were beaten at home, 1 - 0 by Liverpool of all teams. Unbelievable! The first home league defeat in 4 years and 8 months and by Scousers! Ho hum! A deep depression hung over the house for several days!
I was due to fly to the UK late on Monday, 27th October and so intended taking it easy during the day. Things didn't start too well!
As is customary, we finished breakfast, caught up with the overnight news on Sky TV and I then set of with Jake for his first walk of the day. He clearly caught the scent of something that had been wandering over the land and was straining at his leash. This is quite a common occurrence. I wasn't concerned as I had anticipated this. I had a firm grip on the leash and the ground underfoot was firm. What could go wrong?
Well, for a start I hadn't anticipated the steel clasp on Jake's lead snapping in two. For that matter neither had Jake! He was temporarily stunned, as was I, at his unexpected freedom. We both lurched in opposite directions. At the same time, as I regained my balance and threw myself at him in an attempt to grab his collar, Jake set off on one of his now commonplace bolts for freedom.
His route was predictable. He headed straight for Vangelis' garden and his ever increasing 'herd' of cats and kittens. Things were complicated by the fact that Vangelis now also had a dog tethered to an olive tree in the garden. The situation had all the potential for a bloodbath! As I reached the garden I was met by Vangelis' dog, Loua-Loua, who clearly thought that Jake's antics looked like great fun. He was very excited and bounded around with his tail wagging furiously. The cats, for their part, were flying in every conceivable direction. There were cats clinging to chain link fences, cats trying to cling to grape vines and cats up trees. In the middle of this mayhem Jake was bounding around Vangelis' garden having as much fun as the last time he escaped.
The end to Jake's freedom came suddenly. It was as much a surprise to me as it was to him. He made the mistake of running to the front of Vangelis' house, clearly with the intention of following the route of his previous escape missions. Big mistake! Vangelis had locked his front gate. I bounded across the garden and managed to corner Jake before he realised his mistake. Having caught Jake, I was faced with yet more problems. How was I going to get him back over the wall to our garden, but most of all, how was I going to get him past Loua-Loua whilst clinging to his collar for dear life?
In the end, it was all something of an anti-climax. Loua-Loua laid down and therefore presented no perceivable threat to Jake and myself. Jake passed him with little more than a glance and when faced with the wall, he let me slither over it, still clinging to his collar before bounding over in a single stride. I could have done without all that first thing in the morning. Meanwhile, Tricia had been totally unaware of my mini drama. Come to think of it, there have been so many episodes involving Jake's escapes that I think we could make a mini series out of it!
Thankfully the rest of the day was uneventful. At least it was until I reached the airport for my flight to the UK.
I arrived at the airport in plenty of time and checked in my bags. I met up with neighbour Paul who was on the same flight to the UK but was travelling on to Goa in a week or so's time. Being seasoned travellers, we set of to the arrivals 'lounge' to check on the progress of the inbound flight. To our horror, it hadn't left the UK! All that the Easyjet reps would admit to was an hour and a half delay. Yeah! Right! The flight that was meant to leave at 23.20 on the 27th October actually left at 03.10 on the 28th October! At least They gave us a free sandwich! It transpired that all Easyjet flights were either delayed or cancelled due to a total failure of their check-in computer system. I must admit that everyone was pretty laid back about things including the flight and cabin crew.
I arrived at Louise and Steve's house at around 5.30am and instead of catching a few hours sleep, I had breakfast and drove straight to Corinna's. I spent the morning running around between the doctor's, chemist and bank before going out for lunch with Corinna, Lauren, Rebecca and Ryan at the Millhouse pub in Huntingdon. I have to say that it wasn't a bad meal at all. From there, I said my goodbyes and set off back to Louise and Steve's.
I had lost track of how long it had been since I had slept but was given something of a rude awakening as the car started to drift over the 'rumble strips on the M11! I slowly got as far as Stansted before seeing a sign for the services at Birchanger. Never was such a large double espresso required as then! After a rest and copious amounts of strong coffee I set off, temporarily refreshed. I even managed a brief visit to a shop in Thurrock before reaching Louise’s. I think 'knackered' accurately described my condition!
I was up early on the 29th October. I wanted to see Louise before she went off to work. (At some ungodly hour!) Having said goodbye to Louise, I set off for Lakeside and West Thurrock because I had a list of shopping to get to take home. Having finished my chores, I set off for Gatwick. I won't say that I arrived early but the Easyjet check-in staff were a bit confused. I was the first to check in for the flight!
My flight arrived pretty much on time. I will plead to being quite pleased to be back home as it had been a very busy couple of days. Tricia was good to her word and had baked the Christmas cake in my absence! Woo Hoo!
My return home was spent recovering from the last couple of days. The weather on the 30th October was warm enough for coffee on the veranda although the winds increased during the morning. It rained late in the afternoon.
We had a pleasant surprise when Yiorgos called to give us some fresh fish. Yet again, a friendly fisherman had given him far more than he could eat. Apparently he had been dropping fish off all over the village. I bet the couple of fish vans that deliver daily wouldn't have been too happy if they had known!
The month finished with more phone calls between ourselves and our lawyer. TBW was still playing games and regrettably he had nothing positive to report. Sofia was firmly in our mind as we proceeded to gut the fish that Yiorgos had dropped off the day before! I take comfort in a Greek saying which to paraphrase says something like, "If you continue to play games with people, one day you will lose." We hope that she will lose to us!
Conclusion
What can we say about October? It ran pretty much as we thought it would. The weather wasn't bad, certainly better than the UK! We have had our little bit of building work completed courtesy of Yiorgos. The drainage is improved.
We are not really any further forward with our dispute with TBW although we have cleared a couple of the debts that she has left us. As to whether we will ever get any recompense is questionable. Our new lawyer is refreshingly upbeat and is at least prepared to tackle her unlike the last one. We will, however watch progress over the next month or so and if it looks like we are throwing good money after bad, we may call a halt. If that course is taken, I shall be seeking to make TBW's life a misery. My threats to visit the tax authority and her professional organisations may become a reality. We shall see.
Of course the one thing that is always predictable is that, true to form, I am way behind in publishing the newsletter. I guess that this is going to be a two month issue!
November 2008
Well, I had been back from the UK for a few days. The weather was still remarkably mild. Neither Tricia nor I had any more trips to the UK anticipated for this year. We have Tricia's birthday to look forward to this month and of course we may even start preparing for Christmas next month!
The mild and relatively dry spell has meant that we are able to do more work outside and Lord knows, we have plenty to do! I think that we will try and concentrate on getting some of the new flower beds populated. However, this may also mean getting some topsoil. Getting it is not necessarily the problem. Getting it where we want it may be though if we find ourselves with one of the many less than capable delivery drivers!
The hunting season has officially been under way since last month but there has been little activity so far. Our local pet shop and gun retailer reckons that it was not worth hunting yet as there is nothing worth shooting!
The 1st November saw us legally able to light bonfires again, although many people lit them last month following rain. The Fire Department's trucks could still be seen strategically parked up.
Those with olives were well on their way to being prepared for olive picking. Many nets had been laid on freshly cleared land under the olive trees. We are pretty certain that one of the olive presses in Peritheia has been refurbished. I can't speak for the other larger one but it has certainly had a lick of paint!
That's enough preamble, lets see how November turns out.
We have already mentioned that the weather has been uncommonly mild. Let's make it clearer. It was 24°C on 1st November and although there were occasional bits of rain, we still had coffee on the veranda.
I didn't do an awful amount of work but did go out with Tricia for a bit of shopping. Whilst in the local supermarket, we discovered that Terry, who had suffered a serious road traffic accident some time ago, has returned to Corfu and is living in Acharavi.
We visited the pet shop which, as I have mentioned, also sells hunting accessories (as well as guns) and found myself a reasonably priced waterproof jacket. I had looked at them last week in the UK but was already overloaded with stuff to bring back! Tricia approved of it!
We listened to the Chelsea -v- Sunderland football match on the radio and were delighted with their 5 - 0 victory. We were even more delighted when we watched Tottenham Hotspur beat Liverpool 2 - 1, thereby elevating Chelsea back to the top of the Premier Division - Back where they belong!
Whilst out shopping earlier that day Tricia had spotted an advertisement for a grill room in Acharavi. We couldn't believe that we hadn't seen it before. At Tricia's suggestion, we went for dinner there after our 'football marathon'.
What a revelation! The grill room is called Psisimo. Sorry for the 'Greeklish' but if we spell it in Greek it will mean even less to many! We arrived at about 9.40pm and the place was heaving. There were no British to be seen anywhere. That's always a good sign! As with all grill rooms, the food was superb but this place differed from many by the extent of its menu. Another great thing for us is that they are open all winter and even do home deliveries! We will definitely return. For those who visit Acharavi we would recommend a visit. It is true Greek 'fast food' at its best and far cheaper than your average taverna or restaurant. Vegetarians may find their options limited though. However, we cannot recommend Psisimo Grill room enough.
Sunday, 2nd November started quite busily for the pair of us. Tricia set about umpteen loads of washing and some baking whilst I started clearing weeds and boulders from what will hopefully become our 'dry' flowerbed. Tricia was persuaded to remove the lifted weeds to the nearby bonfire when she made the mistake of hovering too closely whilst hanging out the washing!
Our secondary car, the Fiesta, had decided not to start and appeared to have a flat battery. That was put on charge and seemed alright afterwards. It is a bit of a worry as I didn't appear to have left anything electrical on and the battery was new when we bought the car earlier this year. I shall have to monitor it and see what happens.
Perhaps a little more scary for me was my attempts to stop our rear gutter from dripping. This involved going up the ladder with an airline attached to the compressor and blasting the joint dry before applying a liberal coating of silicone sealer. Why was it scary? Well, some of you will be aware that I hate ladders. Yes I have fallen from them, the most memorable occasion being when I fell whilst adjusting the satellite dish at our last house. The locals that were in the process of leaving church are still marvelling at my choice of Anglo Saxon expletives and the volume at which they were delivered! That was three years ago ... I think. It is not the height that bothers me. It is just ladders. As they say, it's not the fall that kills you. It's the ground at the bottom!
That afternoon, we had just finished watching a movie when Tricia announced that there was a dog in the garden. This is a big problem as Jake goes ballistic if he even smells another animal's presence. Believe us when we say that his 'hunting' pedigree is very good and that he can smell the scent of an animal anywhere on our land and beyond. This means that yours truly was in for a very dodgy time whilst out walking him. His strength is unbelievable and the many occasions that he has had me flat on my face (and worse) have been frequently recorded in previous editions. It was essential that said dog be removed.
To my surprise, although the dog was obviously frightened, it came to me when called. It was a bit on the lean side and resembled a cross between a spaniel and a small English setter. It had a tatty collar with a bell on it. My immediate thoughts were that it was a lost hunting dog. It would not go away. I even resorted to throwing water over it and still it wouldn't go away. We would probably have kept it had it not been for Jake who tolerates little on four legs except Adonis.
Neighbour Christos came over. He reckoned that he had seen it up in the mountains near Old Peritheia. He suggested that it may have been discarded for being scared of the guns. As it was a bitch, I had my own ideas! Anyway, I have to confess to being relieved when Christos returned with a leash and led the dog away.
In the evening we sat down to watch the Brazilian Grand Prix in the hope that Englishman, Lewis Hamilton would gain sufficient points to become World Champion. He did it in what must be rated as the most nail-biting finish to the end of any season ever. Hamilton snatched fifth place with only metres to go from the finish and thereby gained one point more than the race leader Massa. It was a worthy win. We felt sorry for Massa who, it must be said, had been an honest driver throughout the season. He will almost certainly be a world champion himself one day.
Poor Paula Radcliffe's victory at the New York Marathon (for the umpteenth time) was totally overshadowed in the media by the Grand Prix result. Another stunning victory for British sport! It has been an amazing year which I guess started with the unexpected successes in the Beijing Olympics
All in all, this had been a memorable sporting weekend. ... Well, we enjoyed it!
The temperature was becoming quite variable. It was 13°C early on the 3rd November but 24°C on the 4th November. It remained in the mid 20’s for the next couple of days.
Much of our time was spent in the garden. We weeded the small quadrant shaped terrace for about the third time. The difference this time was that we finally went out and bought plants to put in it!
Gloom settled over our household on the 4th November when Chelsea lost 3 - 1 to Roma in the Champions League. Ho hum!
The temperature hit an amazing 25°C on the 5th November. It was Guy Fawkes night in the UK but I guess that the really momentous news of the day was that Barak Obama was elected as the next president of the United States of America. I think that it was that literary hero of mine, Jeremy Clarkson, who once said that he felt that the whole world should be allowed to vote in the American Presidential elections as, in reality, these elections decide who is to become the most powerful man in the world. He may have had a point!
I had an unexpected email from my cousin, Sheran. It was bad news. It was to inform me that my Uncle Trevor had suffered a heart attack earlier in the week and that he was confined to hospital. He was in a very bad way. It's times like this when you feel pretty helpless as many of our readers no doubt will understand. Trevor was my Mum's only brother and was probably the relative that I saw most when I was growing up. It was a real shock and totally unexpected. All anyone could do was wait and hope that the medical profession came up trumps.
Our gardening exploits continued into the 6th November. Considering the cost, we are hoping that we will have a more established looking garden next year. It doesn't look much at the moment!
We also replaced two small fir trees that used to adorn our front steps. For reasons best known to themselves they had suddenly died. They were replaced with Bay trees. Well actually, they are more like bushes if you ask me! They look quite nice but the downside was that Tricia hurt her back whilst trying to remove the old trees.
We learned that our son, David, had taken himself off to hospital with an extremely swollen face. It transpired that he was suffering from a sinus infection. We won't comment upon the prescription charges in England or the unfairness that they are free in Wales and (I think) either free or subsidised in Scotland and Northern Ireland but suffice to say, David could have spent the night in a five star hotel for what it cost him!
On 7th November, I set off early for Corfu Town. The early start was to ensure that I didn't get bogged down in the queues at the IKA offices. Yes, I was going to pay off the current IKA bill before we incurred further interest charges. Oh yes! We were paying the same charges that we had given the money for to TBW!
I also picked up a Yucca plant on the way home. I was very pleased with it but somewhat upset when I called at our local supplier for some compost and he commented that he hoped that I hadn't paid for it!
I returned home with plenty of time to clean myself up so that we could go to lunch with John and Michelle. It goes without saying that it was a long leisurely affair and that, as always, the food was first class.
During our ongoing mission to finally plant some of the garden at least, we had purchased two Kumquat trees. They are very decoratve and we intended planting them in very large terracotta pots and placing them at the front of the house. There was one problem. We didn't have such pots! Whilst I had been buying the yucca plant, I had spotted some pots that I thought suitable. I have long since learned not to rely upon my judgement for such decisions and didn't buy them. Instead I told Tricia what they were like and suggested that she might like to check them out. The decision was made. We would check them out and obtain the definitive answer as to their suitability.
It was with this as a backdrop that we set off for Corfu Town on Saturday, 8th November. This day was to prove a memorable one for both good and bad reasons as will become apparent.
I was proven right not to buy the pots that I had thought suitable! However, we did find a couple of others that were deemed ideal. It didn't stop there as we ended up buying a indoor plant stand and decorative pot for a very impressive looking plant that we had previously bought. It's called a Calathea. More than that, I cannot say!
There was another reason for our journey. It was the day before our friend Joan's birthday and we wanted to drop off a little gift along with the birthday card that we had forgotten to post! We found both Joan and husband Bill well and in good spirits. We had time to catch up on the gossip and were appalled to learn that Joan had had her sewing machine stolen from the Anglican Church. Unbelievable! Our stay wasn't as long as we would have liked but we were concious of Jake having been left indoors for quite a while.
We returned home and pulled into the driveway. Tricia jumped out of her skin as I let out an oath! If you have been paying attention, you will recall that we mentioned a little dog that was hanging around our land. It was back and laying down on the front veranda as if she owned the place.
We spent much of the afternoon trying to get it to go away. We were terrified in case Jake got hold of her. He has had no interaction with other dogs and always makes very aggressive noises towards any that venture near the house. To say that this little dog was persistent was an understatement! I dragged her off down the lane and left her. I threw stones at her and still she came back. In the end, I connected the hose and gave her a good dowsing. She ran off back down the lane. A little later came the sound of Yiannis, our neighbour shouting at her. You will recall that this dog had a collar with a bell on it.
Following being chased off by Yiannis, we heard the sound of the bell approaching again. Persistent or what? I made ready with the hose. The little dog leapt over the wall and was met with an almighty deluge from yours truly. I couldn't believe it when she ran to the one place that I hadn't anticipated. She tore up the steps to the veranda at the back of the house. This was the veranda upon which Jake was bounding about, separated from this dog by only the gate. Try as I might, I could not get the little dog to come down the steps.
The hose was dropped and I flew to the top of the steps with the intention of manhandling her off the property. Before I could reach her, she threw herself at the gate and started to squeeze her way onto the veranda. I shouted. Trica screamed. (I think it was directed at Jake). Jake barked. It was as if the little dog was sure that this big dog would protect her from the horrible ogres that were making her life pretty miserable. Wrong! Jake leapt on her, barking and being, well, generally aggressive.
I could only think to shout, "Leave!" at Jake. To both Tricia's and my amazement, he did just that and trotted off up the other end of the veranda leaving this by now bedraggled and extremely frightened dog standing there, shivering. Tricia and I sat down looking at her not knowing what to do. Jake joined us and apart from trying to intimidate her was remarkably disinterested. This was a first for us. We have never seen Jake being in the slightest bit sociable with other animals apart from Adonis, our cat.
As time slowly passed, Jake settled down and seemed totally at ease with this interloper. I spotted Christos coming out of his drive and ran over to tell him about this dog. I had half thought that he had originally taken her with a view to breeding from her. He has several hunting dogs himself. It transpired that I was wrong. All Christos had done was let her off in Peritheia! His suggestion? Take her to Kassiopi and let her go. This is the norm here where unwanted animals are concerned.
We were not shocked by this suggestion but we were not about to subscribe to this. I like to think that we are not stupid as some of our fellow British are where animals are concerned but we would not deliberately put an animal at risk. Having tried everything we knew to get her to leave, we were faced with an agonising decision. The couple of animal shelters that we know of are always full to overflowing.
By now, I think that everyone can guess what's coming! We decided that we would see how Jake accepted her. If they appeared alright together, we were going to keep her, always assuming that there wasn't a knock on the door from a Greek 'hunter' demanding his dog back. Suffice to say, that knock never came. I did ask around but nobody knew of a missing dog. We weren't surprised as she had clearly been loose for a long while. Although, by breed, these hunting dogs are generally on the lean side, she was painfully skinny. To say that you could count every bone in her body was no exaggeration.
Now before anyone starts to criticise us for taking on another animal I have to say that we deliberated long and hard over the decision. I guess that one major factor was that Jake is such a tie anyway, owing to the fact that he does not travel well and pines when he has an enforced stay away from us. The memory of him returning from kennels looking like a victim from Belsen is firmly etched in our memories. One more animal wasn't going to make any difference other than the cost of keeping her.
The decision was made. She was going to stay as long as Jake was OK with her. We decided that come the following Monday morning, she would be visiting the local vet for a check-up, worm tablets and checking to see if, by some quirk of fate, she had an identification chip implant. First though she had to endure and survive the ultimate ignomy forced upon all our pets. Tricia proceeded to bath her!
This little bag of bones stood in the warm bath as if a shampoo was an everyday occurrence! In retrospect, it was probably the warmest she had been in a long while. She then had to suffer the additional ignomy of the hair dryer! It wasn't long before she was given food and she settled down on the rug as if she owned the place. She did, however, have one other test to pass.
Adonis appeared at the french doors and was let in. This little dog who had been through so much in what had clearly been a short life up until now had yet to meet the cat from hell! As with most Greek dogs, she wasn't at all concerned by the presence of a cat, even in the house. I guess that she thought that if she was allowed inside then so too was he. What she hadn't allowed for was that where animals are concerned, Adonis rules! He can often be found 'play-fighting' with Jake and will frequently be seen hanging from Jake's neck by his teeth!
Adonis was not impressed with this interloper into his domain. If she approached him, she was met with flailing claws and growls that a large dog would have been proud of. The poor dog was persistantly being seen off despite however much we told Adonis off. The sight of this undernourished and frightened dog cowering and whimpering after being beaten up by a cat was not something that we have ever seen before. As if Adonis was keen to assert his mastery, he spent most of the evening stalking the new addition to our family. One thing was for certain, he was not going to be sleeping in the kitchen with her!
The day had been eventful up until this point. Our moods soon changed when I got around to checking my email. I learned that my Aunt Wynne had been trying to phone us to break the awful news that my Uncle Trevor had died earlier that day. This was a shock for everyone as it appeared that he had shown signs of improvement the previous day. It was really sad news. As I have mentioned earlier, Trevor had figured quite prominently in my life when I was a child. Apart from my grandparents on my Mum's side of the family, there was no other close family that we had in England. The majority of my family lived in Wales which meant that generally, the only time that we saw one another was during holidays. My Uncle Trevor and Aunt Wynne were regular visitors to our house as we were to theirs. As the years have progressed, we have seen less of each other but this news was as saddening as any that I have received over the years.
Sunday, 9th November came and passed with us spending the entire day trying to get all three animals to 'bond'. To our amazement Jake was totally unfazed by her presence. Adonis was a different matter. The main problem was that the new little dog wanted to be friends and would keep approaching the cat. He was having none of it! At least we were pretty confident that Adonis would not be frightened off. On the contrary the dog was more than likely going to be the one to run away. Remember, she could squeeze through the bars of the veranda gate! This she did with boring regularity but to our amazement, she just ran around to the front veranda and laid down. Clearly, there is something about the veranda that she thinks she recognised.
One problem that we soon became aware of was the fact that not being a puppy and almost certainly never having lived indoors, she was going to need serious house-training. To be fair, she wasn't too bad although we had a couple of incidents that left us wondering what the hell had gone on in our heads! It didn't help my disposition when Tricia reminded me that Jake had taken five months to house train and that he was a puppy when we got him! On the upside, she is clearly quite young and seemed extremely intelligent. At least she is not likely to break any of my bones unless I trip over her!
Monday, 10th November came and we set off to the vet's with our as yet unnamed new arrival. The first thing that struck us was that she was clearly used to travelling in a car. She was really eager to get in the back where I had lowered the eats. She just curled up and went to sleep. The vet didn't cause her any concern. She submitted to a blood test without a murmur. (For Leishmaniasis - sand fly fever). There was no embedded microchip either. She was treated for ticks and fleas as I had aleady removed 6 or 7 ticks from her. Best of all, the vet pronounced that she wasn't pregnant!
We left armed with a worm tablet and minus quite a few euros! We had to return the following day for the result of the blood test. We opted to wait a week or so before having her innoculated just in case an owner appeared. The vet suggested having her neutered in a couple of months time when her conditioned had improved. We returned home to let Jake and the new family member become used to one another.
The rest of my day was spent transporting barrowloads of topsoil from the roadway to the new 'dry' flowerbed. This task was to continue for the next three days before it was decided that we could start planting the flowerbed out.
As for the little dog, well, she was christened 'Bella' on account of a) the bell that was on her collar when she found us and b) because 'Bella' sounds like 'Ela' which for those that don't know is the coloquial way of saying 'Come!' in Greek. We guessed (correctly, it seems) that she would respond to this. Mind you, I reckon anyone that hears us calling out "Ela Bella!" must think we are mad! She was given the all clear as far as Leishmaniasis was concerned and has been settling in and becoming at ease in her new surroundings.
I learned that My uncle's funeral was to be held on 20th November at Beckenham Crematorium which is in the grounds of Elmers End Cemetery. The fact that my mother is buried there spurred me on to find flights so that I could be present.
Thursday, 13th November was notable. It was Tricia's birthday. It is unclear whether Bella was aware of this but she decided to wake us up barking like fury at 4.15am. There appeared no reason for this other than that she appeared convinced that there was something on the veranda. There wasn't! I vowed never to leave the shutters open again!
I had bought Tricia a new camera for her birthday and she was eager to try it out. We set off for Old Peritheia but the weather started to change from sunshine to showers. However Tricia managed to take some pictures and seemed pleased. A pity about the weather though because the deserted village was truly deserted. There was not a soul about and we were free to wander and take photos without having to dodge hordes of visitors as in the summer.
John and Michelle called round with a present for Tricia. Woo Hoo! Another plant for the dry garden.
Being winter and a Thursday, we were a little limited for places where we could go for a birthday meal. There was, however, the old standby - Gelati's! I have to say that the meal was very good and it wasn't as if Spiros knew that it was Tricia's birthday. It was up to his normal consistant standard.
I guess that Tricia had been doing too much in the garden, not to mention scrubbing the veranda. Her back was causing her serious discomfort on the 14th November. We went into Acharavi for a little shopping and followed that with a quick visit to Pete and Carol's. What with our visits to the the UK and their own following the birth of their grandaughter, it had been several weeks since we had seen each other. We stayed until lunchtime and returned home. Little more was achieved that day.
Saturday 15th November started really sunny and warm enough for us to take our morning coffee on the veranda. Tricia was still suffering with her back. For my part, I spent most of the morning between the local car spares shop in Roda and underneath the Fiesta whose brakes were not sounding too clever. I managed to finish the job before it rained.
We fancied dinner out that evening and so I telephoned Vaso at Maestro. We were in luck. It was their first night of winter opening. The food was great as was the atmosphere. The evening was very well attended and the live music was better than ever. We left around 1.30am and things did not look like they were going to finish until much later. A great evening. All that remained now was to walk two dogs before turning in!
Oh yes! Chelsea beat West Bromwich Albion 3 - 0!
Sunday 16th November was very dull. Bella had been limping following one of her escape attempts through the veranda gate. A little more feeding up and she won't be doing that again! By the end of the day she was vastly improved.
Our son, David, phoned with what must be one of the more unusual culinary requests that Tricia receives from our children. He wanted an authentic recipe for pigeon pie! We knew that the money spent on EBay for that copy of Mrs Beeton's cook book would come in handy one day! Job done!
The next couple of days were spent more or less concentrating on the new arrival, Bella. We were careful not to get Jake jealous and very slowly they started to play with one another. It was as if Jake was teaching her to chase balls and play with his rubber toys. It was obviously a new concept to Bella.
Whilst walking with her, Tricia became convinced that Bella is quite concerned by the sound of gunfire. This is almost certainly the reason for her being abandoned. A hunting dog scared of guns is not going to win any 'Brownie' points within the hunting fraternity. Tricia had one nervous moment when Bella slipped her lead. She shouldn't have worried as Bella ran straight to the front door and laid down!
There were also new tricks for us to learn as well. Really they were tricks that we had forgotten. It was also part of our learning curve where Bella's behaviour is concerned. For example, it didn't take long for us to learn that she is prone to trying to take things off the kitchen worktops. She succeeded in pulling off a bag containing three loaves of bread. Fortunately, the noise of it hitting the ground both frightened her and alerted us to her antics.
She also has a liking for paper in much the same way as Jake has a liking for material! One good thing about her is that you only have to raise your voice and she immediately recognises that you are not pleased. In such cases, she invariably goes and lies under the kitchen table. I suppose that we shouldn't laugh but it is quite amusing to see her fly under the table if we have occasion to scold Jake! In such cases we feel obliged to coax her out and try to reassure her that our anger was not directed at her. As for Jake, he usually ignores us anyway!
I awoke early on Wednesday 19th November as I was to leave for the UK so that I could attend my uncle's funeral. Although it was sunny it was also cold. As I drove down the mountain, the first snowfall of this winter was clearly visible on the mountains of nearby Albania.
I flew with Aegean Airlines to Stansted via Athens. Remember that there are no direct flights to the UK at this time of year! For once, I arrived at Athens early. With the prospect of a 7 hour wait for the connecting flight, this was the one time that I wished it was late! Still there are worse airports than Athens to hang around. Honestly! The onward journey was on time and uneventful. The Hertz car hire stand was empty and so I was on my way to Louise and Steve's in next to no time. The journey down the M11 and M25 was really quite easy and I wasn't surprised to arrive at their house before Louise returned home from work! I arrived shattered and didn't need much encouragement to go to bed!
Thursday, 20th November was going to be busy. My main concern was finding my way to Beckenham Crematorium in time for my uncle's funeral. However, as that was at 2.15pm, I had some time to kill. I also had a shopping list from Tricia. I had chosen the day that Marks and Spencer had decided to have a one day sale and were offering 25% off everything. I picked up my meagre purchases and headed for the tills. I could not believe the queues. It was like a madhouse. It seemed that everybody in front of me had purchased their entire Christmas shopping in one hit! After 30 minutes, I dumped my intended purchases and left the store. To say that the crowds were 'doing my head in' is an understatement. It was madness!
I did however pick up the odds and ends that Tricia had requested and had a brief look around PCWorld and Maplin's. I never spent a penny. Honest!
I returned to Louise and Steve's house where I quickly changed before leaving for the cemetery. Despite a few wrong turns, I made it in good time. In fact I was now in the position that I had plenty of time to visit my Mum's grave before the funeral.
I know that this may seem like an odd time to have one of my periodic rants but here it comes anyway!
As I made my way to my Mum's plot, I became aware of the same printed poster dotted along the pathways. My curiosity got the better of me and I stopped to read one of the posters. It proclaimed that all plots were to be inspected under the various Health and Safety Regulations to ascertain whether any of the headstones were in an unsafe condition. In the event that any were to be found in such condition, the owners of the relative plots would be directed to remedy the situation at their expense. I wish I could recall the exact wording but I know that my first reaction was one of dismay that now even the dead were subject to Health and Safety Regulations!
It was with some relief that I found that my Mum's headstone was in good order apart from being a little more grubby than when I saw it last. I returned to the Crematorium to await other mourners.
Now Bob with time on his hands and still slightly miffed about the tone of the warning notices is a dangerous thing. Okay so a little devilment may have crept into the equation. I headed for the Cemetery offices. I think that I should point out at this point that the cemetery in question is managed by a company. A plot is purchased and there are various rules and regulations that must be followed. It's a bit like buying a leasehold piece of land on a small scale.
I entered the offices and was eventually seen by a young lady. I pointed out that firstly my mother was buried there and that I had become aware of their Health and Safety notices. What, I wanted to know, was the procedure should a headstone be deemed dangerous. This was an easy question. "Oh we contact the owner of the plot and advise them that it has to be rectified," she said adding, "Who owns the plot?" "My father," came the easy reply. "Then we would contact him," she advised. You can probably see where this is going, can't you? “He's dead," I pointed out helpfully.
The young lady went on to enquire as to who the next of kin was. That was easy. "Me." I replied. "Then you must bring a copy of the will and the plot will be signed over to you," came the quick reply. Then she added, "There will be a fee to pay, of course". "Not in your lifetime, sweety!" I thought. I pointed out that I didn't have the will about my person and that as I was returning home to Greece the next day there was no likelihood of the company getting sight of it particularly as she insisted that this had to be done personally.
By now there were signs of frustration appearing on the young lady's face and it seemed like a good idea to bring proceedings to a rapid close. I enquired politely as to what would happen should a grave be, say, vandalised and the plot owner could not be traced. "We would attempt to make it safe," came the reply. "Thank you! That's all I need to know," I said as I turned and walked out the door. To think that sometimes we criticise Greek bureaucracy!
I was joined by daughter Louise who had come straight from work. As we waited many more mourners arrived. The courtege pulled up outside the crematorium and I met my Aunt Wynne, cousins Sheran and Gary and his wife Gemma for the first time in three years. It was, not surprisingly, a tearful reunion.
The service went much as expected. It was surprising how many events during my uncle's life came flooding back during the eulogy. For example, I had forgotten just how good a racing cyclist he had been as a young man. I couldn't help feeling that 75 years of age was an early age to die.
As with most such occasions, close friends and family met up afterwards to reminisce and offer comfort to my Aunt and cousins. There were many more stories to either learn or be reminded of. It had been a sad day but one that I was glad to have made the effort to attend. I know it is something of a cliche but I really wish that we hadn't had to meet under those circumstances.
By the time that Louise and I arrived back at her house, all I had time for was to pack my case, eat dinner and get to bed in anticipation of an early start the next day.
I arrived at Stansted Airport at about 7.10am on 21st November. The flight to Athens was about an hour late taking off which was actually a bonus. It meant a shorter time at Athens before catching the internal flight home. I had time for a meal and to read the paper. What was nearly a problem though was that a) the departure gate was changed and b) the fact that I had forgotten the mayhem on Friday nights at Athens Airport due to all the commuters trying to get back to the islands and other major Greek cities. I got through security with minutes to spare before my flight was called.
The flight itself was bumpy! It was some of the worst turbulence that I have experienced. I will go on record and say that it was the scariest landing that I have ever experienced on account of the extremely high crosswinds. I was glad to get home in one piece that night! Tricia was pleased to see me. Eight walks a day with two dogs had taken their toll!
The high winds and heavy rain continued throughout the night and into the 22nd November. Our first task was to re-stake the two recently potted kumquat trees. The winds had broght down a fig tree next door and it was found stradling our boundary wall. That was going to have to wait to be dealt with.
Apart from a little shopping, my main concern was to recover from the past couple of days. It didn't help that Nova Sports weren't showing the Chelsea - Newcastle match until 11.30pm. A 0 - 0 draw did little for my disposition!
The winds, unlike the rain, abated on Sunday 23rd November. I felt as if I had the start of a cold coming but as it cleared during the day, I put it down to the flight on Friday. The temperature was around 8°C and there was plenty of snow in Albania. Both Tricia and I took it easy.
Monday 24th November started both dull and cold. It started at 4°C when we got up and never went above 10°C. We lit our llog fire for the first time this winter. It will probably be the last! They really are dirty, smelly things! Forget the romance of a log fire!
Quite a lot of rubble was shifted from the garden and put in the bottom of a raised flower bed. It was certainly going to have good drainage!
Yiorgos and Eleni turned up during the morning and asked to borrow some of our olive nets. That cleared some space in the 'bunker'! I can't help wondering whether we will see them again!
During the afternoon, both Tricia and I were having something of a rest when she suddenly complained of stomach pains and shivering. Little did I realise at the time that this was to be the start of a long bout of gastric problems. Her condition became worse overnight and by the next morning she could not eat anything.
I have to admit that being the world's worst cook followed by being the world's worst nurse was making life difficult! It was now my turn to have to walk the dogs 8 times a day. To make things even more difficult, Bella chose to remind me on several occasions that she is not house trained. I began to wonder about the wisdom of taking on another dog on more than one occasion.
The weather was dull, none too warm, and there was frequent rain just to add to the general air of gloom settling over the household. Tricia confined herself to drinking bottled water for the first couple of days but progressed to weak tea by the 27th November. Even our regular standby for stomach upsets, live yoghurt, failed to work. In fact, if anything, it made her worse.
Even though Tricia still felt ill, She managed to get out of bed on the 27th November. She wasn't well enough to move from the settee but her presence meant that she could keep Bella occupied whilst I walked Jake. The joy of returning home to a clean house cannot be believed! A real relief!
That night Tricia slept right through which had the added side effect that I did too! Athough she was far from right, there was definitely a slight improvement the next day but only slight. A good night's sleep definitely helped us both. She still couldn't face eating much though and to be honest, I was frustrated with my inability to be able to suggest something that might just tempt her.
Tricia showed slight signs of improvement on the 29th November and was beginning to eat the occasional solids. The weather continued to be bad which didn't help the general gloom.
The 30th November was a Sunday. Having existed on meagre rations myself for the best part of a week, I decided that today I was going to make a full Sunday Roast. (It's the one thing that I can produce that is passable!) I figured that if put in front of Tricia it might tempt her. I was desperate to try and lift the general gloom and to be honest, the dinner was actually one of my best efforts in years, even if I say so myself! Tricia managed to eat a meagre portion. It was probably the most she had eaten in a week. I hoped that this bode well for the future.
I guess the only thing that added to our general feeling of gloom was Chelsea losing 1 - 0 at home to Arsenal. What a lousy way to end the month!
Conclusion
November has been a month of extremes for us. On the downside, the loss of my Uncle Trevor came as a real shock. He will be greatly missed.
Tricia is a year older and has ended the month recovering from the worse gastric complaint that I think either of us has suffered. She is still far from right but hopefully she will regain her strength quickly.
On the upside we have a new dog who looks as if she is here to stay. She is certainly good for Jake as already he is being sociable with her - something that we had thought impossible. As I cannot manage two dogs at once, it means that we will both be getting exercise once Tricia has recovered.
This two month edition is, as always, late and I suspect that with the onset of Christmas and the New Year, December's will be equally late. Who knows though, maybe I will get on top of it in the forthcoming month. Then again ...!
As this will definitely be our last missive before the festive season, all that remains for us to do is to wish everyone, a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year! (That it will be prosperous is perhaps hoping too much, given the current economic climate!)
Have fun!
Bob & Tricia
|
