Sanders Blog

31st January, 2016

A gloriously hot and sunny Sunday with clear, blue skies and strong sunshine which reached 28C/82F but the intensity of the sun was too much for Pauline and instead of retreating in to the shade, she put her knickers on her head.

Your one chance to see my wife with her knickers on her head.

Yes, you did read that correctly. Instead of going out to buy a hat to cope with the fierce sunshine of recent days, Parsimonious Pauline has been improvising by putting anything to hand over her hair to shade it. The knickers were clean, newly washed and drying on the rack in the sun. I was short of an illustration for today and persuaded her to improvise a sun hat. It is testament to her that she agreed.

What better way to see January 2016 out than by growing old disgracefully with your knickers on your head.? You should try it!

1st February, 2016

A happy new February to all our readers. The sun is just breaking across the mountains here and we are dreaming of moving into our new house very soon. I receive my State Pension in a couple of months and then I want to live for ever – or until both Teachers’ and State Pension Funds are bled dry. What better ambition can there be in the world?

Don’t let the train (in Greece) give you a strain!

If only Greece’s world could be as happy. They have been infected with a potentially fatal dose of the 1970s British Disease. Europe’s demands for the overhaul of Greece’s pensions system and actually paying their taxes are resulting in thousands of Greeks taking to the streets, to strikes and work stoppages. The week from February 1st to February 5th 2016 is expected to be ‘hell’ especially in terms of transportation. The month will begin with farmers continuing to block highways, national roads, toll stations and customs points.

• On Tuesday (Feb 2.), personnel working in public transport in Athens will launch a work stoppage from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. No bus, metro, trolley, tram, urban train ISAP.
• On Wednesday (Feb 3.),  the media will be on 24h strike.
• On Thursday, (February 4th), public and private sector unions will launch a general strike that will paralyze the country. Even shops are expected to be closed. Athens transport: bus & trolley will operate 9 am – 9 pm. Decisions are expected also by other transport workers.
• The seamen association (PNO) will launch another 48h strike on Thursday and Friday affecting inter-island travel.

Holidays on Sifnos anyone?

2nd February, 2016

A hot and humid but rather overcast day. We did our exercise routine of gym and swimming and caught up with correspondence.

We have been searching for a new dining table and chairs for our new home. We’ve looked at hundreds. Hundreds have been rejected. Today, purely by coincidence, we found what looks as though it will be the perfect choice. It is in a furniture store – Housing Units in Failsworth, Manchester of all places. The table is reminiscent of the one we took to Greece with us.

A Dining Table made from reclaimed wood.

The one we took to Greece had come from Bulgaria via Yorkshire. This one will come from Lithuania via Lancashire.

3rd February, 2016

Glorious day without a cloud in the sky. After breakfast, I told Pauline I needed my haircut. I know I’ve written about it before but it still fascinates me. I haven’t visited a barber since meeting Pauline 38 years ago. Working on an average cut every 6 weeks at current prices of £20.00 per time, I calculate like this:

38 years x 52 weeks = 1976 weeks.

1976 weeks / 6 weeks = 329.33 cuts.

329.33 cuts x £20.00 = £6586.67.

Me aged 64 + 43 weeks + new haircut!

That’s what a good wife is worth to a man! Actually, you can’t reduce a good wife to monetary value. No sooner had I mentioned ‘haircut’ but Pauline took out of the wardrobe her barbers’ cape and haircutting scissors.

Sitting out on the balcony in scorching sun, I had my hair cut and my eyebrows trimmed. Not only that but she had recently bought a small dustpan & brush from a local shop to sweep the hair from the balcony floor after the cut. You really can’t beat such dedication and attention to detail.

4th February, 2016

The day started off warm and sunny. We walked up the mountain to a supermarket to buy huge, red grapes and sparkling water. By the time we had walked back and made coffee, the sky had clouded over. It was still warm and bright but not hot sun. We decided to have a quiet day. I wrote to lots of old friends and to the Chief Executive of Ancestry.com who is based in California and is interested in my reviews of life in Sifnos. Pauline was washing and ironing in preparation for our departure in a few days.

Cape Verde

As we come towards the end of this chapter, we are planning the next twelve months of life and travel. The Springtime will be dominated by moving and settling in to our new house. The Summer will see us driving across Europe and visiting Kalamata on the southern coastline of the Greek Peloponnese en route to Sifnos. In the Autumn, we will visit Athens as has become our custom and, after Christmas, we will either return here to Tenerife or go further south to Cape Verde. We have been transfixed by so many people in the celebrity world dying recently in their late 60s and early 70s. We are beginning to look at our own ages and reckon up the years left. We’ve got to get on with enjoying life while we can.

5th February, 2016

From a picture of dinghies beached in the sun to ferries docked in the Greek winter.  The Panhellenic Seamen’s Union (PNO), which has been holding rolling strikes for several weeks, on Thursday extended its action, calling a new 48-hour walkout which will keep ferries docked in Greek ports until 6 a.m. Saturday. People stranded on islands may consider themselves lucky to be prevented from reaching the anarchy and chaos of Athens.

Inactivity in Greece

Activity in Greece

Here the newspapers have much more fundamental things to worry about. Consider this headline in The Independent

Global warming could be causing dogs to become depressed.

That Global Warming does so many pernicious things but depressing dogs? Do they worry about it really?

Total Depression

It turns out that cold, wet Winters put owners off taking their dogs out for walks. Oh Dear. Hold the front page! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment with a hot, sunny balcony under clear, blue skies and a delicious cup of coffee. Depression? Tell me about it.

6th February, 2016

Coming to the end of the first week of February already! Bob will be 64 soon, thank goodness.

Where on Earth could this be?

The Times has an article this morning with the headline:

The 50 Best Holidays in Greece

but there is no mention of Serifos, Sifnos, Milos or Paros and, when you see the picture illustration, you know it’s a lazy filler piece which could have been done without leaving the journalist’s desk. Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos & Lefkada, Crete & Rhodes, Santorini & Mykonos are there. Halkidiki features strongly as do the concepts of ‘Adult-Only’ and All-Inclusive’. Neither of these will please the small island hotelier or taverna owner who rely on the less well-heeled or the more inclined to spend their holidays taking a chance on the services they can find.

24th January, 2016

We are just starting our 7th week in Tenerife and today has been our first overcast one. It was delightful. One can always have too much of a good thing and a day without hot sun has been a pleasant change. Many will know of the difficulty in reading an iPad in strong sun. If you have a cloudy day, choose a Sunday papers day. Read your iPad in the shade.Also, of course, there was the Marr Show to watch followed by Andrew Neil and The Sunday Politics. This afternoon was meant to showcase Premier League football but the Everton v Swansea match hardly took off and the Arsenal v Chelsea game was punctured early by a sending off.

Still, all round, an enjoyable and different day. Just two more weeks left here and back to moving arrangements. We have planned as much as we can so far. Lots more to do when we get back to the real world.

25th January, 2016

We have been forced to suffer a return to hot and sunny weather with the temperature reaching 27C/81F. My foot is black and blue still but will be ready for a return to the treadmill tomorrow. Today, we’ve gone back to the pool and done a hard, 25 lengths – just under a kilometre.

Don’t book a Greek Ferry to Sifnos.

We are already planning our return drive to Sifnos in the Spring. It is the anniversary of Tsipras and Syriza’s election. Unfortunately, Greek travel is not advisable to the unwary or inexperienced at the moment. The roads are increasingly being blocked by farmers’ tractors and the seas are about to be closed by the seamen’s union. Both are protesting about cuts to their pensions and/or extensions to their working lives. Medical and Legal services are also still up in arms as are Pensioners. At the same time, they hear Television News pedalling the government mythology of ever increasing tourism figures. New Democracy will be back soon with Dora’s brother.

26th January, 2016

Interesting day of delightful, Summer weather. I have to admit that we put off going to the gym until tomorrow. My foot is taking longer than expected to feel comfortable enough for the treadmill. We put in another long, hard swim. I wondered why my arms were creaking.

BT phoned me again this morning to keep me up to speed with the installation of our phone line and Fibre Optic Broadband. Because our house is a new-build, they find it a little more long winded ensuring all the infrastructure is in place. However, three contacts in the three weeks since I ordered it is quite impressive and suggests I am likely to get it on time. With only a couple of weeks left here and then three or four weeks to our house move, I have completed a lot of the preparatory paperwork.

In the wider world, Schengen is disbanded – ostensibly for two years but in that read ‘in perpetuity’ –

Greece has failed to cope with a huge influx of migrants.

and it looks as if Greece will be forced out altogether. With a shambolic migrant management system cracking under intolerable strains and lack of government finances, Germany, amongst others, want Greece to be sealed off from the rest of the EU. It is unclear how this will affect the tourist industry. It could badly reduce it, limit it to Eastern Europeans or just destroy it.

The EU proposal is for Greece to host huge detainment centres/POW camps housing up to 400,000 migrants. It all has a tinge of Nazi nostalgia which is not lost on the Greeks and probably won’t be on Angela Merkel. It won’t do much for happy holidaymakers either!

27th January, 2016

Negra Grande Grapes

Today has been the hottest and sunniest day of our seven weeks here so far. It was so hot that even the ‘orange people’ were heard to complain and seek shade. We did a bit of shopping and a lot of swimming. We lunched on huge, locally grown red grapes – sweet and as big as plums. Just a handful are enough to get one through the day.

I watched Prime minister’s Questions and witnessed ‘Call Me Dave’ seriously rattled by Corbyn  as he picked away at the sore of corporate tax avoidance, the ‘Spare Bedroom Tax’ and the news later of the faltering energy policy. The Tories general lack of empathy with the common person was laid bare. Osborne trumpeted the ‘success’ of the Google tax deal’ yesterday only to see it crumple all over him today as it became obvious that the settlement was paltry. At the same time, the High Court judgement acknowledged what most thought that poor people living in modest accommodation were being threatened by rich posh boys. The Tories were being depicted in the age-old way as on the side of the wealthy and not of the poor. The irritation of Corbyn’s questioning brought a slip from ‘Call Me Dave’ which betrayed the-self-beneath-the-smarm. He blurted out that Corbyn had met a bunch of immigrants. It didn’t really offend me but it showed a latent insensitivity.

Greek Farmers appealing for new subsidies.

Meanwhile, any useful, political consensus was completely breaking down in Greece as ferries were tied up in ports because of the second 48hr seamen’s strike this week. Motorways are being blocked as farmers have stepped up their protests against the government’s plans for pension reform, increasing the number of blockades on national roads with hundreds of tractors converging at key junctions and disrupting traffic. Notaries, Lawyers, Engineers, Doctors and other self-employed professional are striking and taking to the streets. Greece is a country slipping back into crisis. Tenerife seems so calm!

28th January, 2016

Today started a little cloudy and took some time to get going but get going it did with strong sun and no breeze.

Condemned to a life without lettuce!

Had a bit of a shock this morning. I self-test my INR for blood coagulation every couple of weeks irrespective of my official test. My target is INR 2.0 – 3.0. I manage to keep it within that range for months on end and take pride in hitting INR – 2.5 although I know it isn’t much to do with me. I have had to cut so many vegetables that I love out of my diet because they mitigate against my Warfarin medication. Celery, peas, green beans, cabbage, broccoli, sprouts, lettuce, samphire, asparagus, avocado, green herbs like parsley are all high in vitamin K and banned from my diet. It does make my low calorie drive a bit more difficult.

Self-tested this morning and had a reading of INR – 4.8. It absolutely shocked me and I tested again an hour later to check. It gave me INR – 4.7. I emailed my Woking hospital and within an hour or so I had a very reassuring reply and dosage advice. I know how stretched the Anti-coagulation Department is but how wonderful is their response!

29th January, 2016

A day of exercise and enjoyment in the warmth of Tenerife. We are currently being told that we should put in 30 mins of moderate exercise around 5 times per week amounting to 150 mins.. Walking and swmming are the recommended forms of achieving that and we feel gratified to be in step with the advice. Of course, the advice may change and often does but we will attempt to keep up with advice.

Canarian Foundation and Backdrop

We spent more than thirty years looking at the ancient rocks of Sifnos and dreaming about the tales they could tell. We have spent the past couple of months doing something similar with these black, harsh, volcanic formations. The name Canaries has nothing to do with birds even though the islands are home to lots of exotic looking birds. The name Canaris came from the first explorers finding the islands home to packs of wild canines. The name was derived from the latin – Canis. In nearly two months here, I don’t think I have seen more than one dog. Interestingly, we have seen virtually no insects – bees, wasps, even flies. How can that be?

30th January, 2016

The sun goes down over La Gomera.

A gloriously hot and sunny Saturday with clear, blue skies and strong sunshine during the day and long, slow, backlit skies at the going down of the sun.   The day reached 28C/82F but the intensity of the sun was too much for Pauline and we retreated to the shade. We did an hour’s exercise split between the gym and the pool but lost a lot of liquid because of the ambient temperature. The transition from the steamy gym to the cool, salt water pool is delightful and reviving.

Transition from hot day to cool evening.

One of the problems with the iPad – and I love mine, would feel lost without it and am already thinking of upgrading it to an iPad Pro – is the fact that it is useless in the sun. This is a limiting factor of smartphones and other tablets as well but not a problem for the paperwhite screen of the Kindle. It means that one can either enjoy the bright light or read. It is limiting and a source of frustration that will, ultimately, have to be addressed. The iPad Pro, on the other hand, will help me to leave my laptop behind and do serious work on the tablet enabled by the larger screen, cover-cum-keyboard and some sort of pointer/mouse.

17th January, 2016

Today we started our second week of our second month on Tenerife. On a day when residents of our former Surrey home awoke to find snow had fallen, we sat outside in 24C/75F and whiled away the day. Actually, Pauline did. I, sad man that I am, watched Jeremy Corbyn interviewed by Andrew Marr, The Sunday Politics with Andrew Neil and then two Premiere League matches that didn’t really go as they should. United beat Liverpool with a very dodgy, after-time goal and Arsenal drew 0-0 with Stoke.

I wasn’t glued to the TV screen all day. A lot of the time I was enjoying The Sunday Times. Mum wouldn’t have enjoyed it at all. Page 2 featured the headline:

Post-Christian Britain arrives as majority say they have no religion

I’ve been praying for this for years – most of my life. Mum didn’t believe people would consider going to supermarkets on Sunday let alone eschewing religion. How wrong she was!

18th January, 2016

We are in Tenerife. It is warm and sunny. The waves do crash below our salt water swimming pool. We do eat in the restaurant every night. However, we don’t feel we are on holiday nor do we act as if we are on holiday. What we are doing is using our time living in a pleasant place to fill in between houses. Because we have come with this attitude, we do nothing that the tourists are expected to do –

• lay around pools all day covered in oil,
• take part in organised events like wine tastings, cookery demonstrations, boules championships,
• go on organised excursions to explore the island,
• book lots of very expensive, essentially meaningless and manufactured visits to waterparks, shopping opportunities, chances to sample local cuisine,
• dress up for dinner,
• stay up half the night drinking wine and dreaming of buying a property here when we retire.

We wake at 6.00 am, listen to the Today programme on Radio 4 until 7.00 am when we get up just as we would in UK. We Breakfast on the same things as usual and read the papers, I follow the political programmes, we exercise in the gym and the pool. We do the same correspondence, planning, research, preparation for future events, etc. as we always would. Our daily lives are merely played out in warmer, sunnier climes. This is largely how we treated our life in Greece as well. It has a strangely reassuring feel to it and, even though today was gloriously sunny and warm, we continued our life of serenity.

19th January, 2016

Woke up at 6.00 am and listened to the Today programme until 7.00 am when we got up and ready for Breakfast. The sky was crystal blue from the moment we opened the curtains and the day has been immensely hot (28C/82F) throughout.

View from our balcony 1

View from our balcony

When we get back to UK, we will have to hit the floor running with only a handful of weeks before we move in to our new home so this morning – in between countless cups of coffee and newspaper reading sessions sitting in the sun on our balcony – we brainstormed our To Do list of things that have to be completed prior to moving in. We have to arrange Doctors/INR testers and Dentists. We have researched them all and for the surgery we like we are just outside catchment. I am currently crafting a letter to the Practice Manager and the Senior Partner making a case for them to accept us. We know that potential patients have the right to do that now and receive serious consideration.

I’ve booked BT phone line and broadband but I will need satellite installation to be fed throughout the house to seven televisions. I am currently researching that. Similarly, we will need blinds measuring and fitting throughout the house and we are researching agents for that. We have decided that in the days just before getting the keys, we will need to stay in a nearby hotel so we can receive and consult trades people.

Off for a couple of hours hard exercise in the gym and the pool watched by people filling their faces with sandwiches and glasses of wine in the scorching sun. Back to our room for a shower and sharing a plate of sweet, green grapes before getting back to the To Do list. We have ordered all the flooring – wooden, tiles, carpet – but I have to source a local supplier of our lounge carpet so I can get a swatch for Pauline to match with other furnishings.

Griddled chicken breasts with Greek Salad for Dinner and then some correspondence to write and send out to family and friends. Keeps me busy until Newsnight!

20th January, 2016

January, for us, has proved to have sunnier and warmer weather on Tenerife, so far, than our month in November. Today has probably been the best day of our five and a half weeks here so far. Sky blue sky with strong and very hot sun and just a hint of breeze. We are near Africa and have little experience of the daylight hours here. We have been surprised to find that the sun rises considerably later in the morning and goes down considerably later in the evening than in November. The restaurant opens an hour later here for Breakfast because of the later sunrise.

We did a long walk up the hilly terrain out of our hotel grounds this morning. We followed this with a session in the gym and another in the pool. It felt good to be pushing ourselves. As we sat out in the sunshine, we both agreed that we had rarely felt so relaxed or carefree in the whole of our memory. We really have nothing to worry about apart from life itself. Our whole lives have been dominated by ‘5 Year Plans’, ‘Annual Goals’, ‘Monthly Savings Plans’, ‘To Do Lists’ for the day, etc.. Often we have seen these as of life and death importance. We are still making To Do lists but they are of minimal significance at all and we are totally relaxed about them. It is a delightful stage of life to have reached.

This is thrown in to sharp relief by our luck/skill/determination to extricate ourselves from our Greek obligations. Stavros really did us a favour. There is persistent talk in the Economic Forum in Davos this week that the Germans want to force Greece out of the EU. There is talk in European political circles about the extremely precarious position of Tsipras as Greek leader. The Greek economy continues to ‘tank’. Ekathimerini headlines:

Greek housing market posts second fastest drop in EU

[The Greek] residential market is dropping at the second fastest rate among all European Union countries. …. this country experienced a 6% annual drop, second only to Latvia’s 7.6% slide.

At the same time, Ernst & Young forecasts that Greek GDP will contract by 2.9% this year. Happy Days. Set against that, we are in clover!

21st January, 2016

Hot, Hot, Hot continues with peerless blue skies. We had a bit too much sun today – sitting outside chatting away and not realising how powerful it was. Did our couple of

Come on BT!

hours in the gym and the pool; back for showers and just sitting down to a cup of tea when my mobile went. BT were telling me that the proposed day for installation of phone line and broadband was hitting a snag and that the had a crack team working on the problem. Not what I wanted to hear but I’ve increasingly learned patience as I grow older. I already knew that the green, fibre optic cabinet was full and had to be extended but I’m sure it will get sorted out.

For Dinner tonight we had Revithia (chickpea soup) followed by ‘suckling pig’ and Greek Salad. After Dinner, Pauline is doing some washing. Being here for a month brings its own logistics. I’m writing emails to friends and looking for good deals to replace our car in the near future.

Someone asked me the other day why I intended to have seven televisions.  Why did I need them? I know you can’t watch seven at one time but they fulfil real uses. Upstairs, one will go in our bedroom. Who can sleep before Newsnight, Question Time or This Week is over? Two more will go in the two, main Guest Bedrooms. We want our guests to feel comfortable. One will go in Bedroom 4 which will be Pauline’s ironing and sewing room. She needs distraction while she’s ironing. Downstairs, one will go in the Lounge. Everyone needs a television in their Lounge. One will go in the Kitchen-Dining-Family room so we can watch the News while we are having our Breakfast or preparing our meal evening meal. One will go in the Study so I can sneak away and watch sport and not annoy Pauline. Hope that explains it.

22nd January, 2016

Hot and sunny throughout the day again. When will it stop. …Only joking. It’s been delightful. Of course, all weather is delightful in its place. The Times featured this photo of England this morning.

Winter Sun

As I seem to do every time I go away, I stubbed my toe on my way out of the pool this afternoon. Of course, I manfully showed no reaction but it really hurt and, as usual, went blue and then black within hours. It swelled up and became painful to put weight on. I know from experience that it will take a day or two before I will be on the running machine which means I will have to watch football this weekend. Life is hard!

23rd January, 2016

It is 7.00 am. I have downloaded The Times. The day lies a tabula rasa ahead. The weather is set fair. This is one of my favourite times. It is a time when I reflect on how lucky I am to be alive.

‘Call Me Dave’ marches on!

‘Call Me Dave’ continues his phoney campaign in Europe cynically believing he can persuade Brits to believe he is negotiating radical change. The is how The Times cartoonist sees it. Unfortunately, the timing of the negotiations seems to be out of step with the developments in Europe. The migrant crisis has already made many question European membership. Now, an attempt to replace Schengen with a quota system will add to his woes. Don’t think he quite thought this through.

Been a lovely day, talking, reading, eating fruit in the sunshine. Just about to settle down to watch West Ham v Man City. Just been reading the Greek government’s protestations that snap elections are not on the agenda which means they will probably be called next week. This may be hastened by the mass protest hitting the streets in reaction to more changes to pensions. I note that Europeans are considering suspending Greece’s membership of Schengen until the migrant flow is brought under control.

10th January, 2016

Woke fairly early and made a cup of tea. Went down to Breakfast. As we walked down the stairs instead of taking one of the lifts, the windows were all open on the sea side. The sun was streaming in but the most noticeable thing was the roar of the waves crashing against the black, volcanic rock beneath and beyond the hotel pools and gardens

Hotel Los Gigantes

When we were here six weeks ago, we thought the crashing waves indicated the turning of the tide but it went on today all day. It must have something to do with the seasons or the lunar cycle or something we ought to understand but don’t.

We were tired after travelling yesterday so decided to relax and enjoy the Sunday papers. We sat in the sun for a couple of hours on our balcony which runs round two sides of our room. I watched The Sunday Politics on BBC1 in the middle of the morning and, later saw Leicester being unlucky to be held to a draw by Spurs in the FA Cup. This evening, after Dinner, will feature War & Peace.

11th January, 2016

Pauline’s latest Breakfast favourite – Papaya

It always surprises me how easy it is to switch from huddled inside against the elements to lounging outside in the warmth. All it takes is sunshine. It has been wall to wall today and extremely warm. After Breakfast – Porridge and fresh Papaya fruit for Pauline (lots of Ps there) and a bowl of vanilla yoghurt for me – we drank coffee in the sunshine on our balcony.

After the Daily Politics on BBC1, we went and did a good workout in the gym followed by a hard swim in the saltwater pool. The water temperature almost matched the air temperature and the experience was quite delightful. All around us were the sounds of an enthusiastic Boules match going on in the sand pit, roars of excitement from a match in the Squash courts, clinking of Weights being lifted in the gym, the instructor’s commands being barked out in the Pilates group and the splashing of swimmers in the pool. This may be a time for older travellers but many of them are trying hard to keep the aging process at bay. What better climate could they have to do it in?

We were preparing to go down to Dinner when the most unruly row broke out somewhere outside. We rushed to the balcony and strained to find the source of the noise. It sounded like dozens of birds fighting furiously to the death.

Parakeets

Eventually, we settled on a wire across the square on which were perched two parakeets and, far from fighting, they were courting – with enough squawking to attract the neighbourhood.

12th January, 2016

Sitting on a sun-drenched balcony.

A day of wall to wall sunshine and 24C/75F without a hint of a breeze. We are in danger of turning into the ‘orange people’ of perma-tan land. We sat on our balcony for hours this morning, making plans for the next stage of our life in Sussex, fine tuning requirements for the house, our proposed modus vivendi and such things. We have to sort out doctors and dentists with some urgency.

More importantly, we have to book a Sky installation. I’ve already booked a BT phone line and broadband.  I’ll also take BT Sport as well. I’m going to negotiate a ‘smart’ price for a job lot of seven ‘smart’ televisions and have them installed – one in the lounge, one in the Kitchen/Family room, one in the Study and then one in each bedroom. There is a distribution box in the loft to enable all of that. We still have to source a dining table and chairs, easy chairs for the Family room and side tables for the Lounge. I still have to get the garage door automated. These are the sort of things that we knocked around, sitting idly in the sun. Of course we did an hour or so in the gym and the pool as well.

13th January, 2016

The Tesco of Los Gigantes

A sunny and even hotter day which reached 26C/79F. We rather binged out on hot lethargy although we did a vigorous and non-stop swim for 40 mins..  I have yoghurt and figs for Breakfast. Pauline has porridge and prunes plus fresh papaya. We try to eat only fruit during the day – a banana and a pear. Today we went to the local supermercado and bought juicy, red grapes.

We usually eat our one main meal of the day at 3.00 pm and then just survive on drinks – coffee and tea until the next day’s meal. Dinner in our hotel begins at 6.00 pm and closes at 10.00 pm in the ‘winter’. We have only been here four days and are both still struggling to adjust to the changed Dinner time.  By the time it comes, we are starving, eat to much to compensate and then spend the whole night feeling full. We are trying to develop a new approach for our stay here.

14th January, 2016

The day is forecast to be sultry and very hot. It should reach 30C/86F. I self tested my INR and have just emailed Woking Hospital with a perfect score of 2.5. I woke up with a queasy stomach so Pauline has had the pleasure of me looking away while she eats porridge and prunes followed by papaya. Going to take the day easily and watch Day 1 of the Third Test in South Africa.

15th January, 2016

I spent the entire day yesterday sleeping. When I’m ill, I just shut down and wait for it to pass. I’ve woken up this morning aching in every joint, with a slight temperature and wanting to sleep. I accompany Pauline to Breakfast but just read my newspaper while she eats. I suspect I won’t be going far today. At least I can watch the Test Match. A second day without food won’t harm me at all.

The Test Match was going well. After sleeping most of the morning, I was feeling better. I went mad and had a banana! Joe Root pulled England up in the test.

Rooting for Root

The banana reacted well in my system. I accompanied Pauline to Dinner and ate steak and salad. It’s all going very well. Just noticed that Ruth and I traded in our Barclays shares at around £2.61 per share. Since then, the oil price has plummeted with a subsequent sharp drop in destabilised share prices. Currently, Barclays shares are standing at £1.90.

16th January, 2016

This has been a glorious day of sunshine and hot temperatures – 28C/82F. I am feeling a lot better if not perfect. I went out and bought a pair of shoes to celebrate.

Spanish Shoes

They are soft, Spanish leather and cost me €69.00. I shall enjoy padding about in them.

It is a day on which I have enjoyed watching Stuart Broad destroy South Africa in South Africa by taking six wickets. He was unstoppable.

3rd January, 2016

A grey, wet and cool day – one of those days to be ‘tucked up’. We’re going out to the Health Club. I am champing at the bit to watch the cricket. Yet again, I am missing it because I don’t have Sky TV. As I write, Ben Stokes has 232 and Bairstow has his first test century and is at 109.

Ben Stokes

Jonny Bairstow

There don’t even appear to be highlights on terrestrial television which is very frustrating.

Ran through torrential and pretty cold rain to the Health Club today, did an hour and a half’s exercise and then left under a dry and mild sky. Exercise, as Jane BG will confirm, improves everything …. except the seemingly incurable religion called Global Warming. Each of our exercise machines in the gym have their own mini-tv and mine was showing the cricket on Sky Sports 2. It was heaven. I nearly stayed on the jogger longer than usual but, fortunately, they went off for Tea before I passed out.

4th January, 2016

Beautiful day – blue skies, strong, low sun and relatively mild 10C/50F but windless. Quite the opposite in Greece Force 8/9 gales restricting ferry sailings and feeling cold. Not an ideal time to be on a Greek island. We went out to Sainsbury’s this morning and then straight on to the Health Club to exercise and watch the Test match. We have done quite a lot of exercise recently and, after 35 mins., I began to flag. For once, I decided to stop and rest. The cricket was rather slow anyway.

We went to the Jacuzzi and the sauna, showered and went home to make a meal. I cooked roasted peppers and shallots with mushrooms and garlic. With this vegetable mixture, I cooked fillets of duck. The problem is these days that we fight the need for food all day, given and cook in the mid afternoon, eat but, almost immediately, feel full.

As British joblessness seems to be falling steadily month on month, the Greek story is very different. Kathimerini reports that young academics, entrepreneurs are increasingly emigrating to the United States. Certainly, there are plenty of young, Greek doctors in the UK Health Service. It must be a worry for parents of children preparing for Tertiary education. Should they send them abroad to university and will they ever return to the narrow, parochial, goldfish bowl societies of the islands?

5th January, 2016

A day at ‘home’ today catching up on jobs related to our upcoming trip and merging into the ordering furniture for our (hopefully) imminent move to our new house. Pauline is busily trying to fit enough for a month into her recently purchased set of Tripp suitcases.

She is so much better at packing than me that I just leave it to her. I have been organising the essential I.T. tools – Kindle + charger, 2 x iPad + 2 x different chargers, Laptop + mouse + charger, phones charger, cube multi-socket extension lead + adapter. This more than fills the carry-on case. Clothes are ironed, folded according to some biblical rule and laid in a manger suitcase. Before leaving, however, I’ve got a trip to the dentist for my new crown to be fitted and a trip to the south coast to walk round the inside of our new-build house in the midst of its internal fit.

6th January, 2016

Today, for religious freaks, is Epiphany. For party freaks, it’s over and back to work. For politics freaks, it’s Wednesday which means Prime minister’s Questions. It was a little foggy here at 6.00 am but now just grey and dank. The Government took another step towards leaving Europe as ministers were granted a ‘free vote’ in the referendum which is now likely to be held this summer. This means that at least three, senior cabinet ministers will join the ‘Out’ campaign, giving it added credibility. We are seriously in danger of sleepwalking into isolation.

We are going for an early swim this morning because I am due at the dentist this afternoon to receive a small crown in return for£560.00/€765.00. This is the profession to be in. It beats bank robbery!…..
……….. a lovely swim, Jacuzzi and sauna and then on to the dentist. It takes him ten minutes to fit the crown and me two minutes to pay the money. Actually, he has done a good job and I am satisfied. As I am leaving, he remembers to wish us ‘happy holiday’ and good luck with our house move. He also hands me the plaster cast made of my teeth which he said I could keep as a memento. They are hideous and will go in the bin tomorrow.

We went on to Benson’s for Beds to discuss the purchase of three beds and bedheads. Each bed is currently discounted by £100.00/€136.00. After this initial discount of £300.00/€408.00, the price was £4150.00/€5660.00. I asked the very pleasant young man who professed to be ‘The Manager’ for a better deal and promptly was offered an additional reduction of £550.00. Quite quickly, we agreed to purchase. ‘The Manager’ then asked how we would like to pay and suggested interest-free credit over 36 months. I asked if there was a discount for cash and he told us there wasn’t so 36 months of very little it is.

7th January, 2016

Up early and out in a day of blue skies and strong, low sun to drive to the south coast to view our new house. All the ‘extras’ we had requested were ticked off and we rechecked the lounge dimensions prior to buying the furniture. It now looks like it will be the first week of March before we are in so about eight weeks away. That’s fine. It will give us more time to source furniture and services.

We drove straight from Sussex to Slough to order our lounge furniture which is guaranteed delivery within eleven weeks but could be done earlier. If we didn’t order today, it would be mid-February before we could do it. We chose the sofas (2x 3-seater + chair + footstool). The style is illustrated below:

The salesman insisted we pay it off interest-free over 4 years. We couldn’t reduce the price by paying it off upfront. Oh well!

8th January, 2016

Kathimerini reports under the heading –

House prices set to fall further

Property prices in Greece may have plunged in recent years, but a comparison with other crisis-riven countries in the Eurozone suggests that the market has some distance to slide yet before it bottoms out….. property sector professionals who insist that the market has yet to bottom out and that prices remain relatively high, especially when compared to the purchasing power of households, might just be correct.

For those hanging on for a lower price, and we’ve met one or two of them ourselves, you’re going to be waiting for a few years more. Suddenly, life becomes too short.

This morning, I phoned BT to sort out a new phone line, broadband installation and BT Sport for our new house. The building manager advised me yesterday that BT lead-in times were long and I should get on with it. I followed his advice and BT said they could do it next week if I wanted. I actually found myself trying to delay them a few weeks.

It’s certainly a grey and chilly morning outside. I’m looking forward to Canarian warmth and sunshine. We are off to Gatwick this afternoon. Before that, I have to cancel our Health Club contract from the end of February and pack the car.

Our only difficulty this morning was balancing the dual priorities of having enough in our cases to get us through a month while not overstretching the weight limit for the flight. I had ordered a luggage weighing tool a couple of weeks ago and it hadn’t arrived. We guessed the weights, and I went out to pack the car. Outside the door was a parcel….containg the luggage weighing tool.

Luggage Scales

By that stage, I couldn’t be bothered.

Left for Gatwick at midday in light rain. We drove to the Long Stay Car Park. We are staying at the Holiday Inn prior to flying tomorrow.

Holiday Inn, Gatwick

This is a relaxing way to travel. We relaxed, had Dinner and an early night.

9th January, 2016

For once in our life, we got up at the leisurely hour of 8.00 am, had Breakfast at 9.00 am and drank coffee in our Suite until we took the shuttle bus to the airport at midday. The airport was extremely busy and we dropped off our bags and went straight to the Aspire Lounge which, unusually, was also fairly busy. There one can help oneself to the buffet lunch, wine, coffee, etc but we were too full from Breakfast and just made use of the relative comfort of the surroundings and good, wi-fi connection.

Our flight left on time, was very comfortable over the 4 hrs. 20 mins duration and completely uneventful which is what we want from a flight. The transfer to Los Gigantes is about 40 mins through narrow, winding streets and we arrived just as Dinner was finishing.

Hotel Los Gigantes

Staff took our cases to our room and whipped us in for Dinner before it closed. We were given our room ‘keys’ and some correspondence which turned out to be cards and letters from old friends we haven’t seen for more than thirty years. That was a lovely start. When we got to our room we found two bottles of champagne and a bottle of red wine with glasses waiting for us. We were absolutely shattered and went to bed immediately.

27th December, 2015

Welcome to the start of the Blog’s 8th year. A particular welcome to the Poison Dwarf. Can’t wait to meet up. Let’s make it a New Year’s Resolution!

At least Christmas is over for another year. Stress levels are dropping and we are off for a workout in the gym. Of course, it is this time of year when the number of Health Club members suddenly leaps as resolutions about health, fitness and weight loss are made. We regulars know that, by mid-January, the pressure rapidly decreases. Of course, as retirees we are lucky to be able to do everything off peak. Many would say we are past our peak as it is but Pauline would never admit it.

28th December, 2015

Officially, today is Boxing Day. Unofficially, it’s Monday. The day opened at 6.00 am with the most wonderful sky of glorious colours. When we stepped out, it was sunny and incredibly warm. By 10.30 am, it was 16C/61F. We went to the Health Club and the exercise felt glorious. I watched Bolton Wanderers beat Blackburn Rovers while I was on the jogging machine.

Bolton Win!

Bolton is Ruth’s team and they are broke and bottom of the Championship but, today, I thought they were excellent.

We returned and made a meal of tomato & cucumber salad with smoked salmon, prawns and crayfish tails. Absolutely delicious. We spent the rest of the afternoon drawing scaled plans of the rooms in our new house, cut-outs of scaled furniture and positioning them in various ways. We’ve decided from this, for example, that we will have 2 x 3 seater sofas + 1 x 2 seater sofa in the lounge. We are making a second trip to Sofaworks tomorrow to do a confirmation of our choice.

29th December, 2015

Set off for Slough – about 16 miles away – in strong sunshine and 13C/55F  to visit  Sofaworks again. As we drove through Windsor and past the Great Park which has been carpeted with daffodils for weeks, we were shocked to notice that they were going over.

Windsor Great Park

Spring in Windsor is almost finished. Apparently, we have had the warmest December for 70 years. The warmest in our lifetime.

The whole trip took half an hour. We checked the sofas, confirmed what we wanted, found out that the lead-in time is 11 weeks and agreed to phone our order when we’ve made our next visit to the house next week. At least the rains and subsequent flooding have not visited us down here. Our old stomping grounds of Lancashire and Yorkshire have been and are continuing to be hit by wet problems. This is Delph in Lancashire (formerly Yorkshire):

Delph Floods

and this is Brighouse, West Yorkshire:

Brighouse Floods

Water is so essential but so destructive if not controlled.

30th December, 2015

A mild but breezy day to celebrate our 37th Wedding Anniversary. Where has the time gone? Unfortunately, we are celebrating it by doing our latest round of bowel cancer screening (aka pootest).

Bowel Cancer Screening Test

I know it’s not the most romantic but needs must if we want another 37 years. In searching for a graphic to illustrate this (I’m not in my own home and couldn’t scan it in.), I found it on a site entitled Older People’s Voice. We really don’t think of ourselves as ‘older people’ but I suppose many would.

The other activities on this auspicious day include:

• Spring Cleaning the house. (P&C are away for a few days so we will do our duty.)
• Having my haircut by Pauline.
• Going to the gym.
• Shopping for our meal.

I’m really missing my Sky Sports particularly when England appear to be winning the first Test in South Africa. ………….. No sooner have I written that than THEY’VE WON! Finn took 4 wickets.

Finn takes 4 wickets.

How did you spend your wedding anniversary? Oh, I was hoovering the house, stain-cleaning the carpets and steam cleaning the oven. Well, everyone’s got to do something.

31st December, 2015

The death knell of 2015 is sounding on a bright, sunny day of sharp blue skies. Anticipating the new year, we are in optimistic mood. We will take possession of our new house in about eight weeks. Four of those we will spend in the warmth of Tenerife.

Meanwhile, a chill wind blows through Greece and its islands – literally and metaphorically. Freezing temperatures in Athens and reaching down to the Cyclades has made life difficult for the thousands of displaced migrants still arriving on the islands and roaming the capital’s streets. At the same time, the Greek people themselves continue to suffer relative privations as a result of their post-crash crisis. As Kathimerini reports:

Greece has the unenviable distinction of having the second to worst performing residential property market in the world this year, according to data up to the end of September.

Greek property prices continue to plummet!

A Global Property Guide survey shows that the annual price decline in Greece came to 6.03 percent. Among European Union member-states, Cyprus was a distant second behind Greece, with a 2.2 percent annual decline in home prices, while Spain was in third after seeing a small drop of 0.45 percent. …The central bank forecasts that the slide is unlikely to reverse in the coming quarters, as the factors that have led to it have not been eliminated.

There was an equally depressing article by Richard Pine in The Irish Times a couple of days ago. While it would repay reading in full, it essentially argues that Clientelism and Plutocracy are so embedded in the Greek political system that to change it would require heart and brain transplants in the corridors of power. It concludes that yet another general election is almost inevitable within the next three months. Life will continue its intolerable, downward spiral for ordinary Greeks while we celebrate the new year in relatively high spirits.

1st January, 2016

Καλή πρωτοχρονιά! / Bonne année / Feliz año Nuevo / Ein glückliches neues Jahr / Happy New Year. Welcome 2016!

The Blog wishes all its readers an interesting and enjoyable New Year. Our approach through the Blog to 2016 will be based on Kierkegaard’s view that:

Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards.

In 2016, the Blog will support that life-defining principle. In that spirit, we completed our bowel cancer tests on the last day of 2015 and posted them off today. We will see the results returned this month while we are abroad. Bet you didn’t want to know that!

Went to bed at 1.00 am this morning after watching, what we thought, was a poor and chaotic firework display on the Thames embankment. The television commentator kept telling us how spectacular it was but we’ll be the judge of that and it wasn’t. Listening to Radio 4’s Today programme at 6.00 am; up at 7.00 am and doing the housework by 9.00 am. Out at 9.30 am to Tesco for essential supplies. The carpark was quite quiet – I’m not sure why. Now we are off to the Health Club for our first workout of 2016. Got to keep moving forward.

2nd January, 2016

The end of Year 8/Week 1 already. The Christmas period is always a strange and disconcerting one – never really sure what day or time it is. Most of the working world will go back to the coal face on Monday while we prepare for our second month in Tenerife and the last few weeks before we move in to our new house (hopefully). It’s been a grey, damp and cool day and thoughts of a Canarian climate are pleasing.

Tenerife Sunshine Beckons

Newspapers, radio and television are predictably greeting the new year with new ‘diets’ which are guaranteed to lose 7 pounds in a week/a stone in a month/4 stones in six months, etc.. I’m glad I don’t even consider things like that anymore although we are renewing our self control and I am going to try to do another 6 months without alcohol. I did it a couple of years ago and, after the first week, didn’t have a problem. I’m pretty sure I can get through to July without it. We don’t do a great deal wrong with our food choices although it wasn’t so easy to maintain over Christmas and we certainly need to re-address our portion sizes. We do more than our fair share of ‘set exercise’ in the gym and the pool but retirement is not conducive to activity throughout the day and we have got to find a substitute for ‘sitting around’ during large sections of time.

20th December, 2015

The start of the ultimate week of Year 7 of The Blog. I’ve been reliably informed that Sarah & Stavros have ordered lines of flags to celebrate next Sunday – the start of Year 8. I wonder what they’ll do when we reach The Decade!

Mark December, 2018 in your diaries. Ah! the anticipation. Actually, we began on December 25th, 2008.

Out to the Peacocks Shopping Centre in Woking to collect a watch I’d ordered on-line from the Watch Shop. As soon as I looked at it in reality, I knew it was going back – and so it is. I will try again. I think I will now buy a smart watch to link with my smart phone. I’m considering the Garmin blue tooth enabled.

It’s about £180.00 and will interface with my Sony smartphone for calls and email, on-line calendar and text alerts.

21st December, 2015

A little cooler today never rising above 14C/57F and with weak sunshine. We went to Tesco and Waitrose early and the crowds were fairly light. The Health Club, on the other hand, was surprisingly busy. Received a card from a member of staff I haven’t seen for at least 30 years and a newsletter from another I haven’t seen for at least 20 years. I can see them in school, hear their voices and yet our paths crossed only briefly in the grand scheme of things. We may never meet again. Life is strange!

22nd December, 2015

Today is the shortest day of the year – the Winter Solstice. The Sun is directly overhead of the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere during the December solstice and is closer to the horizon than at any other time in the year, meaning shorter days and longer nights.

The day after the winter solstice marks the beginning of lengthening days, leading up to the summer solstice in June.

Thousands of Pagans across the UK are celebrating the Winter Solstice, many gathering at the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge to watch the sunrise. Pagans are as deluded as Christians but all are fortunate, this year, to have a temperature close to that of the Summer Solstice. It was 14C/57F over night here and has reached 16C/61F this afternoon.

23rd December, 2015

Wonderful, wonderful day with wall to wall blue sky and sunshine. The temperature reached 15C/59F. I took Pauline to the hairdressers while I read my iPad paper in Costa Coffee (£2.40 for an Americano!) with a ridiculously expensive cup of coffee. Went on to the Health Club for a couple of hours and then back to cook our meal. I griddled fish outside in my shirtsleeves two days before Christmas. That’s the sort of Global Warming most of us want. Keep burning the coal!

I have no idea why but my Norton Internet Security always comes up for renewal at Christmas time. It has changed its name from Norton 360 to Norton Security. I don’t care. I can’t do without it but there are so many rivals now that the price has been reduced drastically. I used to have to pay £50.00 per computer. Norton themselves still ask that if you do ‘automatic renewal’. I’ve bought the update from Amazon for £22.00 for five machines. Anyone using the internet would be bonkers to not cover themselves.

The Christmas present for our Greek friends is the news that HSBC whistleblower, Herve Falciani, has handed over details on thousands of allegedly suspicious international transactions to the Greek government. Ironically, the information has been handed to the government’s general secretary, Michalis Kalogirou. Now I know a thing or two about people called Kalogirou and how they deal with money. I am writing to Michalis.

24th December, 2015

A very pleasant Christmas Eve morning – mild and fairly sunny at 7.00 am. We were in M&S by 7.30 am to collect the turkey. Already there were queues being ‘organised’ by staff.

The turkey, a Pembrokeshire Bronze, weighs 6.2Kg which means it will roast for about 3 hours and then rest for an hour. It can go in at 10.00 am to be ready for 2.00 pm. It’s the same ritual every year. Pauline is now busily preparing it for tomorrow’s cooking with butter under the skin, chestnut, pork and apricot stuffing in the neck and bacon over the breast as pictured above. At times like this, it’s wonderful having a professional chef in the house.

We are going to the Health Club for a couple of hours this morning. Can you believe they are closed for Friday & Saturday. We are all going out for a late lunch this afternoon at the Jovial Sailor in Ripley so we will need to earn the right to eat. I always find these occasions awkward because of my diet. At least I’m driving so I won’t be drinking.

25th December, 2015

It was on this day in 2008 that the Blog began. Having never managed to maintain a diary for even seven days before, this on-line effort has now endured for seven years. I look forward to the next seven … and the next…. and the next.

Since the end of childhood some 50 years ago, Christmas Day has always been an uncomfortable, bitter-sweet occasion but, at least, one to indulge unashamedly in. Now that indulgence is off-limits, only the bitter-sweet discomfort remains. I often wonder how many people wake on Christmas morning with a sense of foreboding, already looking forward to the normality of ‘ordinary’ times. Alright, I know, I’m weird. We all have to be something. I hope all those reading this have a lovely day not afflicted  by such reservations.

26th December, 2015

It was on this day in 2008 that I wrote in my second Blog entry:

Boxing Day – Who needs it? Spent today driving around the Moors in weak winter sunshine. They remind me so much of Greek Island scenery – desolate and brown, undulating and punctured by volcanic rock erupting through the heather.

and I took this lovely photograph up on the Yorkshire moors edging Huddersfield.

Happy times! It was unseasonably mild there then and it is even more unseasonably mild here now. 15C/59F this morning in Surrey. I’m afraid it is rather cooler and wetter in Lancashire/Yorkshire. That contrast was pointed up by an illustration in a newspaper of an ice cream van out on Christmas Day in the south of England selling Christmas Pudding Ice cream.

If you’re in the North, you may well be buying sandbags or mops & buckets.

13th December, 2015

This is the penultimate week of the Blog’s 7th year. It actually started on Christmas Day 2008 but the inexactitude of the calendar’s mathematics makes it difficult to pin down. There are 52.143 weeks in a year. If one calculates 7 x 52.143 = 365.001. I will celebrate the beginning of the 8th Blog Year on Christmas Day, 2015. I just provide advanced warning so Sarah & Stavros can put out the bunting in preparation. The Sunday Times trumpets that the Paris Conference Climate deal ‘to change the world’ in 50 years. I will be 114 years old and not really bothered. By that stage, I won’t be going out much – may be to the Health Club, supermarket and that’s it! 

A very mild but grey day today. We went out at 10.30 am and spent a couple of hours in the Health Club. An hour on the jogging machine followed by a spell in the pool, the Jacuzzi, the Sauna and back home. I cooked chicken and green peppers for our meal. The day has sort of melted away which is a bit disconcerting but that’s how it goes some times. For some reason, my mind has been obsessed with thoughts of my Mother today. I think I miss her.

14th December, 2015

After an early chill in the breeze, today has continued mild. We went round to our old apartment because we were told that some post had evaded the re-direction instruction and been delivered there. It was the first time we had met our buyer. She was still in Australia when we completed the sale with her daughter. The first thing that hit us when she opened the daughter was the stink of cigarette smoke. It is 30 years since I last had smoked and one encounters so rarely now that the strength of the smell is quite overwhelming.

It is hard to believe that I subjected Pauline to that for our first few years of marriage. I don’t criticise those who smoke but I am surprised that they don’t worry about the consequences and the cost.

We did a couple of hours of exercise and then we ate griddled cod loin with salad. We are not able to buy much beyond one day’s food because we are not in our own home. We are going to France at the end of the week and we would normally do a huge shop in the hypermarket but we will have to restrain ourselves on this occasion.

15th December, 2015

Out early and off to the Peacock Shopping Centre in Woking. Had to have my glasses frame adjusted after leaning on them and altering the shape. All done for nothing at Specsavers where I bought them. It was a grey, damp day which Britain excels in over the winter months. We are looking forward to our return to Tenerife. Just got to get through (Bah Humbug) Christmas first.

I wrote my customary newsletter to relations and friends and informed them that they could contact us at our old address because we were using redirection.

Inspite of that, many are choosing to send emails/e-cards instead. Quite refreshing really.

16th December, 2015

Out early again this morning for dentist appointments. I had a temporary cap fitted to replace the one that shattered while we were in Tenerife. It was prepared and fixed at 9.30 am but had fallen out by 4.30 pm.. We are off to France tomorrow morning so I will try to get it re-fixed next week.

The media is reporting that this is turning out to be the warmest December for 100 years. Certainly Surrey features many men walking round in short sleeved shirts and shorts. Daffodils are flowering and some of the bushes and trees are strongly budding while the local news featured early strawberries fruiting.

I certainly don’t complain and won’t if I never see snow again.

17th December, 2015

This has been a week of early starts. This morning we are driving down to the Tunnel for a short, shopping trip in France. Bags packed last night. A shower, cup of tea and off into rush hour traffic. It is always ‘rush hour’ here.

At 6.30 am, it is 14C/57F. Athens is only 10C/50F at the moment. Our day is expected to reach 16C/61F. Who wears coats nowadays? In three weeks we are back in Tenerife where the temperature is 23C/74F. I think I’ll get a job as a weatherman!

Great drive down to the Tunnel in remarkably light traffic and strong sunshine for 8.00 – 9.00 am. Clearly, the Tunnel traffic has been badly affected by the migrant problem. We were given an earlier crossing, loaded on to a half full train and booked in to a very quiet hotel. All of this in the week before Christmas which has traditionally been very busy with festive shoppers. We settled in to our Suite.

After I’d watched The Daily Politics, we went shopping for P&C’s wine and a little for ourselves. We bought a  snack of cold meats and shellfish for our meal and took it back to our suite. We went back out to Cité Europe and bought a Christmas present for a relative. Driving back, we got caught in a traffic snarl-up which is becoming a regular here as police respond to migrant challenges. It delayed us for about fifteen minutes and we got back to our hotel to eat – drink a glass of wine – and read the papers. The temperature at 4.00 pm is registering as 17C/63F and BBC London news are reporting 16.5C/62F is the highest December temperature for 100 years.

18th December, 2015

Christmas Week (Bah Humbug) begins with warm temperatures – 16C/61F – although rather overcast. Usually, we have breakfast in hotels but not today. We drove down to Auchan and did a little food shopping and then off to the Tunnel. We were back in Surrey by lunchtime. We ate prawns, crab, St Jacques terrine and salad.

Nice little interlude.

We have booked a visit to walk round the inside of our new house during the first week of January before we go away. Hopefully, we will get the key shortly after we return.

19th December, 2015

We left the house in 16C/61F of warmth at 9.00 am to go shopping. Last night was the warmest December night on record at 14.7C/57F. The Times this morning features daffodils in full flower at Windsor Castle just a few miles away from here and people punting in summer dress on the river in Cambridge:

Certainly, people are having to force the spirit of Christmas more this year. On Sifnos, friends say it was bitingly cold as the tree was lit up in Apollonia Square and Andreas, the Mayor, officiated. They are certainly having to wear more clothes than here.

These are awful times for people who don’t really do Christmas. Roads and pavements, Shopping Centres and shops are crammed with craze-eyed shoppers intent on being FIRST to everything. There are Christmas songs and even some carols blaring out from speakers everywhere one goes. Still, it will soon be New Year!

6th December, 2015

A damp but very mild morning. We are going to an 18th Birthday Party this afternoon. I hate parties of all kinds apart from political parties but needs must. The party is for David, Pauline’s nephew. Yesterday, we  went out and bought the dirtiest birthday card we could find and, this morning, Pauline has made his requested cake – coffee & walnut. Quite a sophisticated flavour for a young man but that is what he wants.

The cake has become an Angmering, pebble beach scene with driftwood shoring up the sides. I’m certain it won’t look like this for long when the gannets see it.

While the cake was being made, I had the arduous task of researching and choosing the fitted furniture for our new, home office. I have decided on this:

7th December, 2015

Incredibly mild for the time of year – 13 or 14C/55 or 57F – although the north of England is suffering with heavy rain and flooding this weekend. We are seeing none of that down here. We did check that our new house was not being built on a flood plain and were reassured that, although it is near Water Road, our house is never threatened. The builders sent us an up to date photo of the build:

At least it is water tight with roof, windows and doors fitted although there is still scaffolding around the garage because they are still doing the roof on that.

Actually, the temperature peaked at an unseasonally mild 16C/61F at 2.00 pm as we left the Health Club. Mind you, we were hot and sweaty ourselves by that time. Earlier, I had been to the dentist to arrange for a replacement crown for the one that disintegrated while we were away in Tenerife. Not a problem but it will cost me £540.00 plus£36.00 for the Check-up. I’ve definitely been in the wrong job all these years!

8th December, 2015

Went out early this morning to New Maldon – a southwest London suburb – where there is a concentration of Lounge and Dining Room furniture outlets. D.F.S., Furniture Village, Sofa Store, Oak Furniture Land. The weather was warm but overcast. After three hours of shopping, Pauline was just getting into her stride but I was exhausted. We drove back to the Health Club and did a couple of hours de-stressing in the gym and the pool, the jacuzzi and the sauna. Later, we had a lovely meal of fresh, dressed crab, crayfish and prawns with Greek Salad and Humus. It is still one of my favourite meals.

I forgot to say that we posted our Christmas cards yesterday morning. The post box in West Byfleet was so full from being stuffed with cards over the weekend that I couldn’t get our 70 envelopes in to it.

I had to go into the Post Office and hand them over the counter. I created and produced the Newsletter. I addressed all of our envelopes with address labels printed on sheets of 21 at a time. Pauline wrote inside the cards. She insists on that since I once wrote in them ‘From Pauline & John Sanders’ which she said was incredibly impersonal. Every year we receive four different cards from Jane & David and then have to guess which particular couple each is from. Still it has relieved me of the task of writing which I’m hopeless at now. Bring on the day when it is acceptable to greet by email or text message.

9th December, 2015

Gorgeous blue skies and strong sunshine this morning although rather a sharper temperature. We were out early to pick up a prescription. The Surgery carpark was unusually packed and hectic. Had a row with the chemist at Tesco. Above the counter, they boast ‘five principles’ one of which says You will never have to wait more than 15 minutes. They routinely say, when one hands over the prescription, ‘Got any shopping to do? It will be 15-20 minutes. Today it was 45 minutes. At our age, every minute counts!

Had the outside of the car cleaned on the way home – £10.00 – and we will clean the inside ourselves this afternoon. I am responsible for cooking again today. I am marinating boneless chicken thighs in garlic, lemon, olive oil and oregano. I will griddle it outside in the sunshine now it has warmed up.

10th December, 2015

Went out early …………… to Slough. Betjeman wrote:

Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!
It isn’t fit for humans now,
There isn’t grass to graze a cow.
Swarm over, Death!

and nothing has changed. It is a conurbation 20 miles west of central London with absolutely nothing to recommend it apart from a trading park which has a number of sofa and bed outlets. That is why we went. It was a nice day. The shops were interesting but few would argue against the bombing of Slough.

We had driven  through Windsor and past the castle. We had driven through Runnymede where the Magna Carta was signed only 800 years ago. Sounds good but it really doesn’t improve the experience of Slough.

We were back in time to do a couple of hours at the Health Club in the gym and pool and then home to griddle salmon steak outside to be eaten with Greek Salad. This evening will be relaxing. We are tired after a busy week.

11th December, 2015

Went out early in spitting rain under leaden skies to drive to Camberley just next door to the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

More prosaically, we were going to a Next superstore to look at furniture.

Quite nice sofas but not good enough. Saw a Dining Table which has gone to the top of the list although the Dining chairs may come from someone else. I know that I and, therefore, the Blog have become fixated on relatively transient baubles like furniture but that is what we will need soon after we return from Tenerife. We have to do the legwork now.

12th December, 2015

Making a meal for P&C today – Steak, mushrooms, onions and baby vegetables – so shopping was required. Out early and back early but still the supermarket was unpleasant. Don’t you just hate Christmas? People in Surrey shop like they drive, rushing everywhere and giving no quarter.

Spent a chunk of the day trying to resolve an email problem that is besetting Pauline. She is still using Outlook 2007.

It sounds older than it is but is distinctly clunky nowadays. It is my job to resolve IT/Technical issues. I worked on it for about two hours desperately trying not to lose all her back emails. Eventually, I recreated her account using IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) as opposed to the previous standard, POP (Post Office Protocol). The problem had me grumpy and frustrated. The solution produced a rush of released satisfaction.

29th November, 2015

Nearly the end of November, 2015 and nearly 7 years completed of the Blog. I’m going to dedicate the anniversary to Sarah & Stavros.  The 364th week will end on Saturday 19th December, 2015.

The weather here today was a complete reversal of most days recently. Warm and overcast in the morning turning to warm and sunny in the afternoon. The daily temperatures of 28C/82F of our first three weeks have moderated to around 23C/73F this week – much nearer what we had expected. The orange people were wandering around disconsolately this morning, lost and looking for a purpose. They looked much happier on the sunbeds this afternoon. We did a hard, 40 minute swim in between newspapers, politics programmes on TV and Premier League football in the afternoon. It sounds lazy but that’s how we spend our Sundays.

30th November, 2015

The last day of November, 2015 is beautiful, hot and sunny. We have spent an hour in the salt water pool and a bit of time drying off in the sun. The year is about to open its final act and the curtain goes up tomorrow. Will you be there?

My sister-in-law, my sister and my wife – in fact most people I know – think I am obsessed with the passing of time. I don’t know if ‘obsessed’ is the right word but I do find focussing on the passage of time and landmarks within it helps me to keep a grip on my current position in life. I find poetry really useful in this. A poet I wrote my dissertation on over 40 years ago, Norman Nicholson, wrote about the Cumbrian landscape being ‘graduated by electricity pylons’.

It is an image and a concept that has stayed with me and one I translate into my graduation of time by acknowledging events across it. In the mid-1920s, T.S.Eliot wrote in Sweeney Agonistes:

Birth and copulation and death.
That’s all the facts when you come to brass tacks:
Birth and copulation and death.

and it is this futility, this emptiness which is picked up 40 years later by Philip Larkin in one of my favourite poems, ‘Days’:

What are days for?
Days are where we live.
They come, they wake us
Time and time over.
They are to be happy in:
Where can we live but days?
Ah, solving that question
Brings the priest and the doctor
In their long coats
Running over the fields.

The units of Days graduate our brief life in the eternal time continuum just like Nicholson’s electricity pylons.

We try to bring more meaning to it by consulting the priests about spiritual longevity and the doctors about mortal longevity but to no avail. We can, of course, just drift through our days but I like to keep a little more control by measuring mine in rather more than J. Alfred Prufrock’s ‘coffee spoons’.

1st December, 2015

Happy December everyone. It is going to be a good one!

Today our 4 week tour of duty on Tenerife came to an end. After Breakfast on a hot and sunny morning, we set off for the airport. We sheltered from the melee of humanity for an hour in the private lounge – Sala Montana Raja – before boarding a flight which got us back on UK soil 20 minutes ahead of schedule.

We were driving out of Gatwick and on the M25 before we knew it. We are back for a few weeks and then return to Tenerife for a second month before moving in to our new home.

2nd December, 2015

Woke early this morning to greyer skies and cooler climes. Not bad though for December. At 6.00 am it was scary but now, at 10.00 am, we have some blue sky and the temperature is 12C/54F. Lots of Autumn leaves still on the trees around here even though we officially starting our second day of Winter.

We have a busy few days ahead.

Today:

• We have to visit the Storage Pod where all our possessions are stored. All our paperwork for Christmas card distribution is stored in the filing cabinets there.
• We have to shop at Sainsbury‘s. We have £60.00 of vouchers to spend there.
• We will do a couple of hours at the Health Club.
• I have to make a dentist appointment to have a ‘cap’ replaced. I didn’t even remember I had one on that tooth until it disintegrated in my mouth overnight of our second day in Tenerife. It must have been there for over 30 years and was, luckily, out of sight and didn’t spoil my natural beauty.
• We have to bring all our accounts up to date after a month away.
• Follow the Syria/Bombing debate.

Tomorrow:

• Up at 6.00 am and out to the Woking Walk-in Health Centre to have my INR officially checked at 7.00 am.
• Complete my Christmas Newsletter and write all the Christmas cards, print addresses, stuff envelopes and take cards out to post. Now we’re not in work, we don’t send more than 70 these days. I would do it by email but Pauline insists on the traditional way.
• Another session at the Health Club.
• Prepare for Friday morning meeting.

Friday

• Drive down to Sussex to check out the progress in our new house. We have to discuss quite advanced details about electrical socket positions, fitted bedroom furniture, choose carpets, etc.. We are also going to visit some local branches of furniture suppliers for Dining Table & Chairs, Sofas, Beds, etc..
• Buy a birthday present for Sunday.

3rd December, 2015

Woke at 5.30 am. Got up at 6.00 am. Queued up outside the Walk-in Centre at 6.30 am. Walked back to the car with six, bleeding puncture wounds at 7.00 am. I had gone for my INR test. When I do it myself, I do a simple puncture of a finger and touch a droplet of blood onto a test strip in my machine. Within 30 seconds, I know the result.

At the hospital, I have to have a full needle invasion of the vein in my arm to provide a large phial of blood which is then sent off to a remote Lab. for analysis. They then write to me by post with my result. At least now I have persuaded them to email the result to me but I still have to wait for it.

Today, my nurse – who trained in Leeds – found plenty of veins but couldn’t get any blood. She had two goes in one arm and two goes in the other arm before calling for help from someone who had two goes in the front of my hand. The last one was finally successful,  Each attempt merited a wadge of cotton wool and tape to stem the bleed. It didn’t stop us spending a couple of hours at the Health Club in the afternoon.

4th December, 2015

A glorious day of blue skies, fleecy clouds and strong sunshine. Fortuitously, we had chosen this morning to drive down to Sussex to see the development of our new home. The drive was delightfully quiet and we reached the coast in just under an hour.

We called to see our builder. The house is watertight with roof on and windows and doors in. It has been dry-lined and is about to have electrics installed. We have been told we can go inside and look around in the next couple of weeks, Before the end of February, all the tiling on floors and walls, wooden floors and carpets will be down. Wardrobes will be built in the bedrooms upstairs and Kitchen and  Laundry will be fitted with units and white goods downstairs. The house and all its contents will have a full five year warranty.  If things go well, we will return from our second month in Tenerife within only a couple of weeks of moving in.

5th December, 2015

A very blustery night and day although it is still 13C/56F in Surrey today. I spent the morning completing, proof-reading and printing my Christmas Newsletter and printing all the address labels. We have completed 72 in the end. Trip to Sainsbury’s and then a couple of hours in the gym.

I haven’t got Sky Sports or BT Sports at the moment so I have to be content with the evening highlights. I one-pot roasted green peppers, celery, shallots, button mushrooms and pork chops for our meal. Later we drove P&C out to the Maybury Inn for Dinner with their friends. Pauline has settled down to watch Strictly Come Dancing while I am completing my Blog and researching fitted furniture suppliers for our Home Office in the new house.