Sanders Blog

 10th November, 2013

It is now seven weeks since we left our Greek home and six since we arrived back in Surrey. The time has flown by. We have spent time in Yorkshire, had a trip to East Sussex and, this week, we are off on a shopping trip to France followed by another drive to Tonbridge on the River Medway in Kent. Pauline has to see a dental technician who will be making a veneer for one of her front teeth and the colour match is crucial.

Beautiful sunny, blue sky day today. We should have gone out but it has been a stay at home with the Sunday Papers and no less than three football matches day which culminated in United beating Arsenal. During the match which was won by a van Persie goal, Rooney ran eleven kilometres.

Pauline cooked pheasant with asparagus for our evening meal. It was glorious!

11th November, 2013

It is a warmer day reaching 12C/54F but grey and a bit wet. A phone call this morning told us that there are people interested in viewing our apartment even though it is not yet on the market. In fact, we are not going to be rushed in to it at all. Pauline wants to look at properties in West Sussex next. We don’t want to worry Cathy yet but we are going to look around Horsham just north of Worthing next. It is an historic, West Sussex market town with beautiful surrounding countryside.

Had an excellent work-out in the gym today. Half an hour on a jogging machine, ten minutes on a rowing machine and ten on a cycle. I was really aware of my body after that lot. Can’t do any tomorrow because we are off to Boulogne to the fish market, to Philippe Olivier cheese shop and to Auchan.

12th November, 2013

Up early and out into the misty, wet morning. An hour later, we were crossing the channel through the tunnel. A 25 mins journey costing £11.50 each way for the car an both of us. Leaving Calais behind today, we drove straight to Boulogne and the docks where fishermen set up fish sales to sell that morning’s catch.

Unfortunately, the catch wasn’t too exciting today and we decided not to buy. A trip round Boulogne shows how little is left of the tourist infrastructure now the ferries no longer call here. There are still so lovely, little ‘eateries’ but a man on a diet has to have discipline in such a situation. By the way, this is the first time in the last forty years that I’ve found myself in France and bought no wine at all. What would I do with it? We went on to Auchan and bought lots of food applicable to our current eating pattern – salad, vegetables, duck breasts, quails, pork joints, cooked meats and some cheese.

We were back in Surrey for 4.30 pm as a weak sun was going down in these dark days of winter. The forecast suggests we might get our first frost of the winter tonight.

13th November, 2013

Lovely blue sky and strong sun this morning. We needed this weather for our trip yesterday. Had my annual diabetic review this morning and passed with flying colours. All my readings are excellent – low cholesterol, low blood pressure, good blood sugar, etc. – and my medication is being greatly reduced. Much of this is due to weight loss and being alcohol free for an extended period. We both had ‘flu jabs. Mine is free. Pauline has to pay for hers.

To celebrate, we went to the Health Club and did thirty minutes on the treadmill. We went home for a meal of endive, crevettes  and French garlic saucisson washed down with sparkling water. There’s nothing quite like tearing the head of a shellfish and downing it in one when you’re sober!

14th November, 2013

A comparatively mild day – 14C/57F – with weak winter sun. Pauline is experiencing a dental marathon today. I delivered her to the Dentist at 10.00 am for a visit to the hygienist to have her teeth professionally cleaned. She will then be seen by the Dentist for work which will take two hours. She will have two fillings and then have a sub-standard front tooth veneer removed. I then have to drive her down towards the south coast to Tonbridge to visit the Dental Technician who will make the new veneer. The intention is to help him get the best possible colour match. This trip will be about an hour each way with a thirty minute appointment.

We should get home for around 4.00 pm. We’ll have time for something to eat and then, later this evening, we are off to Gatwick to meet P&C arriving back from Tenerife. Quite a day with about four hours driving.

15th November, 2013

In my younger days I would work on University material until four or five in the morning, catch an hour’s sleep, shower and walk to school to teach a full day without any real difficulty. As I’ve got older, this has become completely out of the question. Even late nights set me back the next day. So it is this morning. Home from Gatwick just after midnight, we weren’t in bed until 1.00 am. This morning I feel like death warmed up.

It is the most glorious, sunny day with a clear blue, Mediterranean sky although it isn’t warm at 10C/50F. We went out at 9.30 am to do the weekly shop at Tesco. To be honest, we didn’t need much after our trip to France during the week but we have to keep Tesco afloat. There was a Save the Children Christmas Card stall at the Tesco/M&S entrance and, although we both hate children, the cards looked quite nice so we bought our requirement. We only need 70 these days now we are not in work. I’m obsessed with robins because of the feisty, aggressive nature. It drives Pauline mad but we’ve majored on that again. Look away now if you don’t want to see your Christmas card six weeks early.

There is no rush to write them but I’m beginning to think out my Christmas Newsletter which will accompany many. We will have to be posting to Greece in a couple of weeks.

Usually, this is a night to leave the television turned off – the annual Children in Need nonsense. Fortunately, this year there is an England match on so there is something equally dire to watch.

16th November, 2013

Another glorious, autumnal day with squirrels playing chase around the base of the trees outside our front door and huge, black crows cawing at the tops of the wonderful oaks.

3rd November, 2013

Glorious day! Sunny, bright blue skies and warm. Unfortunately, the papers are full of doom about freezing temperatures to come soon in November. This Global Warming. It’s so complicated isn’t it.

We don’t hear from the island for a month and then, suddenly, three different friends phone us all in a weekend. Yesterday it was our special friend asking how we were and then, this morning two more good friends were moved to contact us. It must be something in the water – or the sky. One this morning was telling us a funny story about an islander who has his boat moored in Kamares harbour – like so many others – and all the birds of Sifnos seem to be targeting this one boat to dump on. So much so that he has installed bird scaring equipment on the boat but all it is doing is amusing residents and further attracting the birds. Spooky! Bird Dumping Comes from Within. Could be a title for a book.

4th November, 2013

As everyone else trudged to the Station to go up to the City to WORK on this wonderfully sunny morning, Pauline and I undertook our one commitment of the day – 8.50 am Routine mammogram at Woking Walk-in Hospital. By 9.00 am, we have the rest of the day FREE.

Today, I am struggling to get to grips with Windows 8 after twenty years of growing up and through Windows 1 – 7 plus Vista. It’s rather fun to be really challenged.

I then have to research new-build property on the South Coast in case we do decide to market our apartment. I am looking at four bedroomed, detached houses. Back to the future!

5th November, 2013

A bit chilly and damp today. Hasn’t risen above 13C/55F today but tomorrow should be warmer. The only trouble with colder weather is that it increases the appetite. Not good when one is on a diet although my weight is still going down. I’ve lost a stone and a half since leaving Greece.

Pauline is in ‘Decorating Mode’! If we are going to sell our Apartment and that is not decided yet, she will want it to look perrrffect, Not that it needs it but, if we ever market a property, she has STANDARDS! Off to Homebase for some paint, rollers and brushes.

We had to be back for a burglar alarm adviser. We were unhappy with our current company, Custom Security Alarms, who just didn’t provide a good service for £250.00 per year. We are swapping to ADT , a much bigger company with a better reputation.

6th November, 2013

A spectacularly uneventful and grey day. I spent it researching new build properties on the Sussex coast. They are still less than an hour from central London but prices are so much cheaper. We are retreating to a four bedroomed detached. We have established that we are just not ready for apartment living.

7th November, 2013

An early start on a mild, bright and dry day. By 6.45 am, I was at Woking Community Hospital to have my INR tested for the first time for three months. Last time, it was on Sifnos. It takes minutes and then we return for tea and (for Pauline) toast. At 9.00 am, we are picking up Phyllis & Colin and setting off for Gatwick Airport. They are spending ten days in Tenerife. We were supposed to be flying to Bologna for a long weekend but we have changed our minds and are now going to look at property areas on the South Coast.

Stories from Greece this morning are all about the Government’s ejection of occupying workers at the ERT building in Athens.

8th November, 2013

Pauline used to make all our bread every week. We never bought any. In fact, it was hard to buy edible, shop-bought bread. Since January 1st, however, I haven’t been eating carbohydrates so my wife’s lovely bread has been redundant. Skiathan Man is proudly showcasing his homemade Tomato and Herb bread while I am in the gym trying to dispose of all traces of its pernicious effects.

We have decided that the time is right to switch away from swimming and to do some hard work in the gym. The last couple of sessions have been half an hour of intensive gym work. We are trying to get it up to an hour by Christmas.

9th November, 2013

Nice, bright but cold morning. We are off to the south coast – East Sussex – to look at new-build properties. We have a number to look at but this one has particularly attracted Pauline.

It will take us about an hour to drive which is fine on a lovely day. A walk by the seaside and a look at a few houses – what could be nicer?

It poured with rain the whole way. We got stuck in a traffic jam for three quarters of an hour but we did see some interesting places. We found a house we liked in Hailsham which is about ten miles outside Eastbourne.

It’s a bit ridiculous after having downsized to two bedrooms to return to five but it felt so much more relaxing. It is also ridiculous that a new property with five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a study, two sitting rooms and a large dining room in Sussex should cost less than a two bedroomed apartment in Surrey. It is all to do with accessibility to central London.

We ended up in Bexhill on Sea where the beach was packed with holiday makers.

We travelled back through Hastings (which looked very seedy and down-at-heel.) and Battle, Tunbridge Wells (where we saw a few ‘disgusted’.), Sevenoaks, Leatherhead (where the Great Train Robbers met fifty years ago.) and then back to Byfleet. The temperature didn’t rise above 8C/46F all day.

27th October, 2013

Well, what a lazy day. Newspapers and football like a real couch potato. Quite enjoyed it really. Warm outside and has just started raining late into the evening. The TV News is all about the coming storm. It has started to hit the south coast already.

Rush hour is cancelled tomorrow. Trains and flights in London are on hold and commuters are told to stay at home. Our house is totally surrounded by thirty foot trees. Sleep well!

28th October, 2013

Well the Big Wind turned out to be a small puff for us. We heard and saw nothing. Stories in the morning media of trees down in central London, 99 mph gales on the south coast, torrential rain in Wales. Surrey was like a mild and dry oasis of calm for us but this is a house demollished by a fallen tree in Edenbridge, just 39 miles from our house.

This morning it is bright and 11C/51F at 9.00 am. We are off to the Health Club for a good, long swim after an inactive weekend. Tonight we are at the Nuffield Hospital for Pauline to see a consultant about a problem with her foot. Private Healthcare bought by the NHS. This is how Pauline & I did it before we retired. You don’t often see this on the NHS. It’s nice of them to keep in the manner to which we are accustomed!

I wonder how much they are paying?

29th October, 2013

It is an absolutely gorgeous morning. Blue skies and strong sun. We still haven’t seen (felt) any wind. I am off to look at my sister-in-law’s broadband router which is playing up and then for a swim.

Nowadays I am confident to weigh myself every morning. Since arriving back in Surrey, four weeks ago, the scales are reading 19 lbs/8.6 kg/1st 5 lbs less. I have been losing just over half a pound per day. I’m hoping that this will accelerate now that I am on my no-alcohol three months.

30th October, 2013

It looks a bit as if Greek Islands are becoming no-go areas during these winter months. We are thinking of making a flying visit to the house next month but the connections are awful. At the moment, I can only find to ferries in and two out in a week. Kathimerini has been reporting the laying up of ferries because the price of fuel has made them uneconomic during winter. Skiathan Man  and Skopelos Woman report major changes to their connections.

We had a request from someone desperate to buy our duplex apartment this morning. They’re moving into the area and need to be within walking distance of the train to London Waterloo. They want two bedrooms and are prepared to pay a premium for the seclusion that our gated development would afford them. Pauline has booked a valuer to see what we can reasonably ask after three years of ownership. Once again, if we were to sell, I would prefer to sell it furnished. Anyway, we will see what transpires.

31st October, 2013

A man from Townends Estate Agents called this morning. He walked round and appraised our duplex apartment. He gave us a valuation that left us gasping. It meant that, in just under three years ownership, it had increased its value by just under £100,000.00. His estimate was that, if we put it on the market in the next month, he would have a signed up a buyer within six weeks. It all makes the Yorkshire property market look pretty sick.

Having got over the shock, we went round to see Phyllis and Colin. The new BT Hub had arrived so I installed it for them and set their ipad up to wirelessly access it. By the time we got home, it was time for my own IT Engineer to arrive to install a new powerpack in my seven year old desktop computer. It took him forty minutes and, with the price of the new pack, cost me £100.00.

1st November, 2013

My lovely sister asked me recently what the white rabbit was all about. Of course, anybody who has been out of Bolton will know that white rabbits are lucky and that, traditionally, one tries to be the first to wish one’s loved ones ‘White Rabbit’ on the first day of a new month to make their days filled with luck. Of course, we don’t all have a spouse who prods us in the ribs at one minute after midnight – asleep or not – to wish us ‘White Rabbit’. That takes real love – or something!

A calm and mild but not too bright day for the start of November. The apartment has a narrow fluctuation of temperature between 22C/70F – 24C/75F but it is all maintained by the lights and our body temperatures. We just do not use the heating at all. Last winter, in the deepest cold, we needed the central heating occasionally but the total cost of all our heating and hot water for the year was £199.00.

It looks as if my much-loved seven year old computer could not be revived with the just a new powerpack installed yesterday. It needs a new motherboard and that is a step too far. I might as well buy a new computer. I ordered one this morning. Even that was a fraught process. As I tried to pay on-line, I was told that my credit card was blocked. I phoned the card company who put me through to the ‘Fraud Department’ who told me it was just a routine action to make sure my card was not being used by anyone else. I had to go through the whole process all over again. The new computer will be ready to pick up tomorrow. I’m going to order a new iPad Air as well. Pauline will take over my old one.

2nd November, 2013

A special friend from Sifnos phoned this morning to tell us we had received an electricity bill. Fortunately, not only is it paid directly from our Greek Bank Account but I monitor it remotely on the internet. However, it was lovely to hear from her and about what’s going on on the island. What hasn’t been happening is rain. She is going to activate a watering programme immediately.

I don’t know if I dare tell you this but retirement has made me even more of a ‘thrifty geek’ than before. We have time to search out the best prices for everything. When a supermarket offers ‘two for one’, half price items, I can’t see the point in buying a few. Why not forward buy for the year. Dishwasher tablets are expensive items. Today, they were on a half price offer. We bought enough to last a year. Half will go to Greece. We have a huge storage cupboard in the garage which is a wine cellar but now also contains lots of comparatively expensive products which, just over the past couple of days, have cost/saved us £300.00. It does feel a little ‘confessional’ admitting that to you.

I’m going to spend the rest of the weekend setting up my new omputer and installing software – in between football matches. Ruth will be pleased this weekend because Bolton have won.

20th October, 2013

We have been away from our Greek home for four weeks now and back in Surrey for three. Who is winding thast clock? After a busy and social few days, it is nice to have some solitude and quiet. Sunday papers and making plans for the next two or three weeks. At lunch, Pauline made tomato, roast garlic and basil soup. It was delicious. I had a glass of Castle Hill beer. Anybody who knows Hudderfield – like Kevin – will know that Castle Hill is a famous, Huddersfield landmark. I rarely drink beer but I couldn’t resist a couple of bottles from Mallinsons, a micro-brewery from Lockwood in Huddersfield. I bought Castle Hill Premium beer and Emley Moor Mild. I drank the former today and it was just lovely.

21st October, 2013

Looks like a wet and windy week ahead. It’s alright for Skiathan Man lazing round in the sun. I am back on the Health Club treadmill – literally!

Pauline’s booked us Dentist Appointments, Doctors Appointments and my Annual Diabetic Review. I’ve booked two return trips to France with Eurotunnel for November and December. You’ve got to get your priorities right.

After a few indulgences after the past few weeks – driving back across Europe and staying in a string of Hotels then driving up to Yorkshire and eating out with friends – my weight has been on a plateau. Now all of that is over, I have decided to refocus. I am going to do three months without alcohol and to tighten up on my food intake. At the same time, I am going to increase my activity level. I aim to lose two stone by Christmas and another two stone by mid-March when we leave for Greece.

Went for a really enjoyable session at the Health Club including a hard swim. My one meal today, cooked by Pauline, was absolutely fantastic. We ate oven-baked loin of halibut with roasted tomatoes, asparagus and samphire tossed in garlic oil all accompanied by sparkling water. I haven’t eaten samphire before. I really enjoyed it and will certainly eat it again.

22nd October, 2013

For the past two years – since we downsized – I have been storing 30 or so large framed prints that were hanging on the walls of our previous house. They are Pre-Raphaelite and the years immediately afterwards – including Waterhouse and Whistler. They are generally 3ft x 2 ft in dimension and they will never fit in a property that we own in the future.

This is Dante Gabriel Rosetti : Beata Beatrix

and Proserpine (1874)

This is Waterhouse – The Soul of the Rose (1908)

and Miranda – The Tempest (1916)

Each one cost £100 – £150.00 and, although I don’t expect that for them, I do want a reasonable return on them. How shall I sell them? They are impossible to send in the post. I don’t want dozens of buyers trekking to our house. We are going to a local art shop in West Byfleet to get some advice.

23rd October, 2013

Lovely, warm and dry sunny day where the temperature reached 20C/68F and the autumn trees glowed with colour. A morning of minor jobs.

• Collected a new pressure cooker from Argos.
• Wrote to Margaret.
• Investigated Campervan sites near Woking for Brian to try.
• Paid money into the Bank.
• Read the paper.

Watched Primeminister’s Question Time as Ed Miliband took Cameron’s Energy ‘policy’ apart and left him spluttering. The Tories now – in the face of their Coalition partners – pledge to get rid of Green Taxes. It’s all coming apart at the seams.

Went for a lovely swim in a deserted pool and came home about 4.00 pm to cook our one meal of the day – Pork chops with grilled onions and garlic mushrooms. We are on Day 3 of the alcohol ban and it is not a problem.

24th October, 2013

A beautiful, sunny day and how do I spend it? Tidying out the garage. I must be mad!

The day turned into one of real disappointment. I have been really looking forward to moving to superfast, fibre-optic broadband from BT. It should be installed next week. Having read through the paperwork, however, I find that I can only access it via Ethernet to the main socket which is used by Sky TV in the corner of the lounge. I have two, unusable (for fibre-optic) phone sockets in the Study upstairs. I’ve had to phone to cancel the installation. To their credit, both companies made the process of cancelling and reinstating my broadband connection so easy. It’s a disappointment but that’s life!

25th October, 2013

A beautiful, Autumnal morning in which the temperature reached 21C/69F. We are off to a new Dentist in Chobham. Pauline is told she needs two fillings and a veneer whch will cost about £600.00. I need just to clean my teeth better. What a cheek! I had had to pay £28.00 to be told that.

Yesterday I searched the internet for pheasants sold in Surrey. I picked a farm shop called Garsons in Esher. It’s only about fifteen minutes drive away. It is also a Garden Centre. I phoned them and they said they would put half a dozen birds aside for me. Today we drove there and found a foodies’ wonderland. This was the view outside this morning:

This is what we bought.

Large pheasant cost £4.49 which is a very reasonable price. They were sourced in Hampshire by Bevan’s Butchers which had an outlet inside.

26th October, 2013

A disappointingly dull day and we are waiting for the storms to come. Of course, Nature provides strong winds at this time to encourage the trees to strip but this is forecast to be the worst storm for 25 or so years. As we live totally surrounded by tall trees, it will be an interesting Sunday night. If you see leaves on trees, get out and look now. They will be gone by Tuesday.

Newspapers and football have become the order of Saturdays. When you’re retired, it is far wiser to avoid shopping with the Great Unwashed at the weekend. Last night, Pauline cooked braised pheasant with cauliflower and sprouts. It was great to have those lovely, strong gamey flavours. Today, it is my turn and I’m doing Moules Marinières again because I’m addicted to it and it really sits well with my diet as long as I leave out the cream.

13th October, 2013

It rained all night and looks like raining all day. There is something wonderful about rain – especially when you haven’t experienced it for six months.

No football this weekend after the England win on Friday so the Sunday papers are more prominent. Unfortunately, it is a poor weekend for news. European scroungers are high on the agenda. Those coming from Europe are, apparently, costing the NHS £1.5 billion per year and the Tories are doing a deal with the Germans to put a stop to it. When you see what we are entitled to in Greece, you realise that reciprocity is not how it sounds. The Sunday Independent is suggesting that a National Health Service free at the point of use will soon be ‘usustainable’ for UK citizens anyway so the matter will cease to be a talking point while The Sunday Times reports that

THE top medical official responsible for running the NHS in London has admitted that the service is at times unsafe for patients because doctors and nurses are spread too thinly.

It is all jolly stuff but has to have a kernel of truth and that is worrying.

14th October, 2013

It is a grey and overcast day. Our neighbour, Colonel Wellington, is coming round for coffee after just returning from a sailing holiday in the Ionian islands. Then, we must go swimming. I need some activity after a wet and lazy weekend.

Lovely to hear the BBC trying to interview members of Golden Dawn in Athens. Now the (jack)boot is on the other foot. They are the hunted ones running away. They literally ran inside their office and locked the door leaving John Humphreys on the pavement. Classic!

I’ve spent the afternoon preparing to switch from a Sky TV/Telephone/Broadband package to just TV from Sky and the phone/Broadband from BT. The big draw is illustrated by available performance. Currently, I get a download of 5Mbs and upload of just 0.7Mbs. Contrast that with BT’s fibre optic offering of download – 76Mbs and upload- 17Mbs. In addition, I get BT Sport channels for free. Admittedly, it will cost me £20.00 or so a month more but who’s counting?

15th October, 2013

Today would have been Dad’s 98th birthday. Unfortunately, he has missed half of those years by dying at the incredibly early age of 49 when I was just 14. It is impossible to know how our relationship would have developed in advancing age or whether I would have felt compelled to have followed him into the family business but we will never know. I don’t know when this photo of him was taken exactly but it can’t be too long before he died. He was at a reception for architects at The Bull’s Head.

I will be visiting his grave in Repton on Saturday morning. We set off for Yorkshire at 5.30 am tomorrow.

A weak sun is out this morning, shining through an increasingly autumnal looking line of trees. The temperature is decidedly cool at 9C/48F. We particularly begin to feel its divergence from Greek weather where Athens is 25C/77F and Skiathos is 22C/70F. The difference is that Skiathan Man can laze around outside while I have to do it indoors.

16th October, 2013

Set off from Surrey at 5.30 am and a temperature of only 6C/43F with forecasts of thick fog and heavy rain. We experienced neither. Nor did we see much traffic over the two and a half hour’s journey. We stopped off in Leeds to visit June, Pauline’s brother’s wife and then to call in at IKEA. By 1.00 pm we had checked in to the Holiday Inn, Brighouse and were in the pool having a good, long swim.

By mid-afternoon, it was pouring with rain so we relaxed, booked Dinner in the restaurant and settled down to relax. Tomorrow will be a very busy day.

17th October, 2013

What a lovely day we had. Up early and off to Honda to have our car serviced and to chat to our friend, Chris Woods.

In mid-morning, we drove to Bolton to visit Ruth & Kevan. What a lovely girl she is! Ruth not Kevan. Ruth fed us smoked salmon salad which is exactly my sort of thing. We stayed for an hour and a half – the time just flew past. Even so, it was strange to leave saying, See you next year. but that is exactly what life is like now for us.

We drove back to Huddersfield to visit our former neighbour, Jean but, unfortunately, she wasn’t in. We left a card and might return tomorrow. When we got back to the hotel, we were too tired to swim so settled down to a cup of tea and a snooze before changing to go out to Dinner with old friends. We dined at Bradleys restaurant with our friends, Margaret and her husband & Little Viv.

The meal was wonderful. I had Rosemary Marinated Pigeon Breast as a starter followed by a main course of Roast Partridge with lovely vegetables. To be honest, the company was so engaging that I ate the meal without fully appreciating it but it is a delightful restaurant.

We spent about three hours over the meal and parted by agreeing to meet again in March instead of waiting twelve months.

18th October, 2013

Woke up early – 6.00 am – to a grey morning. We will not be having breakfast for a second day. We are off across the Pennines to Oldham and a busy set of visits.

What a day! We drove through thick fog and heavily damp air across the moors from Huddersfield to Oldham where we arrived at 9.00 am. We drove straight to the site of our old school which now looks like this:

In some respects, this gives us final closure. We will never return here because there is no here to return to.

By 9.30 am we were in the new Tesco Megastore to buy two dozen Holland’s meat pies for Colin. He has been craving them and can’t source them in Surrey at all.

Next we drove to Greenwoods at the bottom of Vulcan Street to but two dozen Oven Bottom Muffins.

Guess who they were for. Yes, for Colin. You can take the man out of Oldham but you can’t take Oldham out of the man.

On to Shaw to visit my friend, Brian – ex-drugs squad, ex-murder squad, ex-school attendance enforcer. He has down sized since retiring and sold his cottage in France. We spent a lovely hour or so chatting and reminiscing and then it was time to move on again.

This time we moved on to the Crematorium to remember Pauline’s Mum on the third anniversary of her death.

1914 – 2010

On again to Joyce & Harry to collect their homework. They were asked to make notes about Pauline’s family history. They had done just that and we have lots of leads to follow up.

19th October, 2013

Up early and settled our hotel bill. After complaining to the Desk Manager about being charged £30.00 for three days internet access after it being free in all our hotels across Europe, it was removed from our bill. Restores one’s faith in something. We drove on to Hinchcliffe’s Farm Shop in Netherton for meat and game.

Next we headed to Repton, Derbyshire in the heart of the where I was born and where my parents are buried. I know my sister, Ruth visited recently and put some potted plants on their grave. We arrived to a scene that Keats described as:

SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness!
    Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
    With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;

I aarived to find grave robbers had got there first and all that was left was a bare begonia rootball minus the pot.

If someone was so desperate, I hope they found happiness in it. I said a brief ‘Hello’ and ‘Goodbye’ to Mum and Dad and we set off for Surrey.

They journey was wonderful although I can’t get the fact that I am leaving Mum behind out of my head. The traffic was so light that we were ‘home’ in no time.

6th October, 2013

Glorious morning. Sitting outside in our courtyard in the sunshine with the temperature hitting 80F/27C. The gardeners mowed the lawns on Friday and they still smelled sweet and fresh. No sign of the squirrels yet but Autumn is only creeping in slowly.

7th October, 2013

Another lovely day. One has to remind oneself that it is October. The temperature reached 25C/77F – short sleeved shirt weather. The big job of the ealy morning was visiting Phyllis & Colin and discussing the upcoming holiday requirements. Then I went on-line and booked it for the. A week in Tenerife for them to walk in the sunshine.

Later, we went to the Health Club for an hour to swim. Tomorrow it will be an hour in the gym. Our meal this evening was cooked by me – Moules marinières but without the cream. After six months without shell fish in Greece, this was wonderful.

8th October, 2013

We are told that colder weather is on the way so we are really enjoying this delightfully warm early October. Today has been sunny and 25C/77F. We printed out Phyllis & Colin’s travel documents which we booked on-line for them yesterday and delivered them to their house with an itinerary. Later, we spent an hour in the Health Club. No swimming today. We went in one of the exercise rooms. Pauline used the Jogger while I used a rowing machine then we sat together and pedalled like mad on bikes. I was a little distraught to calculate that, after 45 mins exertion, I had only burned 165 caloriesand I was absolutely shattered. Pauline was worried because my pulse hit 194 while on workout.

I have spent a lovely evening watching a production of Verdi’s Nabucco from the Arena di Verona on Sky Arts channel. What a delight!

9th October, 2013

Busy morning in Woking. Pauline had a hair appointment at Headmasters while I was going in to the EE (TMobile/Orange) shop to renew our contracts and upgrade our mobiles. I have two, monthly mobile contracts and had identified new, Samsung smart phones to upgrade to. I had decided that I didn’t use my phone enough to justify almost £75.00 per month to move them both on to a 4G network but, when I arrived at the shop, a notice offered a discounted, ‘sim-only’ contract for £21.00 per month per phone. It gives unlimited calls, unlimited texts and 1Gb of internet data per month. I couldn’t resist it. This will disappoint Skiathan Man who I had promised one of the mobiles to and will now have to wait at least 12 months for. I just couldn’t turn down such a 4G offering.

10th October, 2013

Today was dominated by preparing for an evening meeting of our Apartment Development’s Management Company meeting. We had lots of paperwork and particularly accounts to wade through. The meeting is held in a Victorian school building which takes me back to the Secondary School building where I was Headteacher -huge, floor to ceiling arched windows, all the pipework exposed as it snakes round the inside of the rooms, the old gas lamp pipes still showing after having been converted to electricity, parquet flooring, etc.. Oh, those were the days!

11th October, 2013

Early morning trip  to the Surgery for a blood test prior to my Annual Diabetic Review in a couple of weeks. We then went off to find a new dentist because we are rather dissatisfied with our current one. It is nigh on impossible to find an NHS Dentist around here and, because we are only in the country for six months each year, we have decided not to take out a payment plan. We will just pay for treatment as we need it. Unfortunately, that will be £1000.00 for two, new veneers for Pauline immediately. She went in to check out a new surgery she had found on the internet but it is so difficult to tell from the waiting room appearance what sort of clinical treatment one can expect. We haven’t chosen yet.

Angus Beef Steak for Dinner tonight before suffering another England football match.

12th October, 2013

It is, unbelievably, two weeks since we got back to Surrey and three since we left our island home. We have so much to fit in before Christmas. We’re in Yorkshire/Lancashire next week to visit friends and family. We have at least one and, hopefully, two visits to France plus a trip to Bologna in Italy to do yet. I’m looking forward to all of them. Life could be worse!

29th September, 2013

The penultimate day of September. It is 22C/70F and there is little sign of Autumn yet. We were awake at 5.00 am (Still in Greek time) and up for fresh orange juice and Yorkshire tea. Last night felt quite fresh. Skiathan Man would have slept under the bed never mind under the sheet. I, of course, braved it and woke up freezing at 3.00 am..

After our drive yesterday, the car was running on empty. Went to Tesco petrol to fill up and paid £1.25 /€1.47 per litre which compares with €1.88 on the island. Filling the car cost just over £60.00 which feels ridiculous.

Spent the rest of the day watching football and opening six months backlog of post. A huge box took me three hours to open and file in three piles – ‘Interesting’ / ‘Worth Saving’ / ‘To be acted on urgently.’ Everything else was thrown back in the box to be taken up to the recycling bin.

30th September, 2013

Pleasant morning reaching 20C/68F but rather overcast. We took 40 Litres of Sauvignon Blanc which we bought in France round to Phyllis & Colin to get them through the next week.

We went on to our Health Club – Nuffield Health – to reactivate our membership.

We start tomorrow!

We went to have our car cleaned after 1000 miles drive back across Europe. It was covered in encrusted bodies of flies – Death on the road! It took three men ten minutes to bring it back to gleaming condition for just £10.00.

1st October, 2013

Happy October! October? I don’t believe it. Actually, it is very grey and overcast outside so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. My body clock is still in Greek mode and will be for a few more days. It is 8.30 am here but feels so much later. I am listening to a BBC Radio 4 interview with Greek MPs about the round up of these balmy people who support Golden Dawn. They are even madder than our National Front and believe that Hitler or the old Greek Junta would put manage their country better than the democratic process. You have to be pretty thick to believe that – but then they are!

We are arranging servicing of the car in a couple of weeks, our bodies at the surgery and our teeth at the dentist over the next few weeks. Today is the first appointment for Pauline. Later, I have to sort out new mobiles for the next couple of years from Tmobile/EE and then explore switching my Broadband service which I currently take from Sky with 6 Mb/s to BT Fibre Optic which will give me 76 Mb/s.

2nd October, 2013

My first trip to the Health Club yesterday left me more unhealthy than before I went in. After a wonderful swim and a spell in the sauna, we entered the jacuzzi. Well, Pauline walked in but I decided to slip and fall in. I lost my footing in the swirling foam and ended up on my back. I thought nothing of it until we started to climb out and I found that my ankle was extremely painful and wouldn’t support my weight. Well, who would?

I struggled to shower and dress and then to get to the car but, once home with a slave to bring me drinks as I sat with my foot raised, I watched a brilliant Arsenal display against Napoli and forgot my injury.

This morning, I could barely get out of bed and, with Pauline’s help, went down to Woking walk-in (in my case hobble) hospital to have my ankle checked. I was seen within 5 minutes of arriving. Fortunately, I was told I haven’t broken it but torn the ligaments – something I was regularly doing in my youth as a rugby player. I have to sit down for a few days and have things brought to me – so no change there then. Actually, this is the ideal day for it. I sat and watched (jeered at) the Tory Party Conference from Manchester and then we sat outside in delicious warm sunshine for an hour.

Tonight, after a Dinner of roast cod loin with asparagus, I will sit and watch Man. City lose (hopefully) before struggling up to bed. Why is life so hard?

3rd October, 2013

My ankle isn’t anywhere near as bad as I feared. I think I’ll be walking properly by Monday. Thank goodness for that! Sitting down all day is really boring. Spent the day doing correspondence at my computer.

Autumn suddenly seems to have arrived according to the trees outside our front door.

It is as warm as Athens today but we were warned that heavy rain was due. It hasn’t arrived yet.

4th October, 2013

In June 1980, Pauline and I were driving to school in our first brand new car. It was exam week and we were carrying exam papers in our pageant blue mini. As we approached the school, some chap going the opposite way lost control on the bend in his works Ford Cortina and crossed the road, ploughing into our new car, virtually cutting it in half. As a result, Pauline had horrible bruising and some minor cuts but the ambulance men thought I was dead.

After a couple of weeks in hospital with a serious head injury, I started to become aware that something had happened to me. I went with Pauline to stay with her sister so that I could be looked after. After a week or two, I started to become aware of the concept of ‘time’ because Pauline had bought me a new watch to replace the one broken in the accident. I have worn it for 33 years and I have loved it. Unfortunately, it has been showing signs of wear for a number of years and, finally and reluctantly, I have had to replace it. This is the original watch will I will always treasure:

I have returned to my youth by replacing it with a digital one. I used to have a black, plastic one as a student in the 60s/70s.

5th October, 2013

Happy Birthday to my wonderful wife. Pauline is 62 today. I find it hard to believe.

Pauline has been able to spend some time indulging herself with a favourite hobby. She has been buying clothes on-line. Neither of us have clothes to fit us. Pauline has dropped two dress sizes over the past six months and I have lost 12″ from my waistline. Even my shoes feel big. At least my ties still fit.

Had a celebratory lunch of ….Salad?…with a little Coulommiers cheese and a bottle of champagne.

Duck and vegetables for Dinner. Celebration meals will never be the same.

22nd September, 2013

Packed our bags, fed the cat and drove down to the port. Went to Meropi Restaurant for lunch. Chick pea soup and fried squid. Drove on to the F/b Aqua Jewel bound for Syros. We went via Serifos and Paros which I haven’t seen for years. It could be 25 years since we were there. Have been on Syros before although only for a few hours on a day trip. This time we are staying until Tuesday.

Journey was quite interesting although these trips always seem too long for me. I like to be in control and under my own steam. We drove off reasonably on time at 9.00 pm and to our 4*, neo-classical hotel which turned out to be just disappointingly dated. Well we are on a mission and only here for two nights. It will do.

23rd September, 2013

Nice day. We spent the first half of it in the Town Hall. It houses the Law Court and Land Registry. The Urban Planner met us there. He was very helpful and it was really worth the trouble.

Unfortunately, while we were in the meeting, we learnt that a general strike is planned for Tuesday – Wednesday. No one knew if it involves transport and ferries. We may have over reacted but, after spending hours on the phone to our amanuensis, we decided to radically change our plans. There is a Blue Star ferry leaving at 4.00 pm from Syros bound for Piraeus. We have decided to take it. Our friend will sort the house out. We will drive on  through Patras to Kaminia.

24th September, 2013

We were meant to dock in Piraeus at 8.00 pm. For some reason, it was nearer 9.00pm. We had phoned Poseidon Palace Hotel to check they had a spare room. Fortunately, it was sparsely populated and we got our favourite room. The late docking means it was 11.30 pm before we checked in – too late for a meal. We had pistachio nuts and a bottle of champagne, a shower and bed.

We woke early to a glorious morning with sun shining through the Rio Bridge and across fields and fields of citrus trees. Immediately after Breakfast at 6.00 am, we have driven down to the new port checking offices and, although they are not open yet, we have already been told that an Anek will leave at 5.00 pm tonight for Ancona. We hope to get a cabin.

It is 10.00 am and not only do we have a cabin but we have a Luxury one. We are going on Helenic Spirit.

We sail at 5.00 pm and dock in Ancona at 4.00 pm on Wednesday. We have come back to our hotel for a swim and coffee. We check out at lunchtime but won’t go down to the port until 3.00 pm. Our amanuensis has already phoned to say that everything has been sorted out at the Sifnos end so we can relax

I have to book a night in Parma for Wednesday. Next Blog will be from there I suspect.

25th September, 2013

A delightful crossing although we arrived an hour late. Drove to the local supermarket to buy 60 bottles of wine and then drove like a bat out of hell down the autostrada to reach Parma in  two and a half hours. We arrived in time for Dinner – Fish & Salad.

Fell into bed. Early start tomorrow because we’ve got six hours to Strasbourg.

26th September, 2013

Early Breakfast and off by 7.30 am. Just as well because the 6 hours soon became 7 when we had an hour’s hold-up as a huge lorry took the motorway exit bend too fast and shed its entire load of shampoo across the carriageway causing local chaos and kilometres of queues.

We still arrived about 2.30 pm. The hotel, which looked so good on the web with a pool and fine dining, was rather disappointing. We ate early, slept early and planned to leave early.

27th September, 2013

Actually, the bed turned out to be delightful and we woke rather late. We had a cup opf tea and left at 8.00 pm. Our last leg of the Continental journey was a 6 hour drive to Coquelles where we had booked an old, favourite hotel.

We ate an early Dinner and luxuriated in English television channels for our last evening in France. Tomorrow we will do our weekly supermarket shop before taking the tunnel train to UK.

28th September, 2013

By 11.00 am we were loaded with vegetables, salad things, meat – duck, rabbit, pork and chicken – and fish – salmon, cod and hake – plus half the European wine lake. We staggered off to the Tunnel. Our tickets were for 2.00 pm but we arrived at 11.30 am and were put on the next train at 12.20 pm.

Rolling off the train in UK 30 minutes later at 11.50 am (It’s always nice to arrive before you leave.), we set off up the motorway ….. and that’s where our trouble started. Our sat. nav. told us that ahead on the M25 we would run in to 6 miles of queuing traffic with very long delays. It offered us a detour and we pressed ‘yes’ to take it. We were re-routed …. right through central London. The las 34 miles took us two and a half hours as we toured the delights of Peckham and Balham High Street.

No matter. We were back in sunny Surrey having completed our 28th journey across Europe by car and all without any real mishap. My digital odometer in the car told me that I had only driven 3700 miles from our garage in Surrey and back. That includes the two drives and all island driving. The car will be 12 months old on November 1st and will only have done 6000 miles – less than half our normal total for the working year.

Of course, Sifnos is so small. Nowhere is far away. It is only when you have gone – given oneself the chance to stand back and look in – that you realise the actors are minnows in a goldfish bowl believing they are sharks.

15th September, 2013

Lovely day to start the week. Interesting mackerel cloud formation over the port at 7.00 am had disappeared by 10.00 am and the rain forecast for Monday seems to be written out of the story now as well. We were looking forward to that.

Normal Sunday start – down to the café for coffee and news gathering. Back home to read the papers. Out for a lovely swim in crystal clear and virtually deserted waters and then home for late lunch – about 3.30 pm – of pork, onions and peppers and a bottle of champagne. Lovely!

A football match between West ham and Southampton was interesting but no more. It certainly didn’t set the world alight with a 0-0 draw.

16th September, 2013

Very useful meeting with the Notary this morning. We agreed to meet for fifteen minutes and stayed an hour and a half. We have agreed to meet again for coffee on Friday.

For a few days we have been promised rain. Gradually, promises softened. As we prepared to go for a swim, light cloud gathered. We forced ourselves on and enjoyed the sea but didn’t linger. Pauline cooked a delightful meal of chicken in garlic and tarragon sauce with mushrooms and onions. Suddenly, as it went dark, the rain came. It wasn’t heavy but it was welcome. I don’t think it will be significant.

17th September, 2013

It wasn’t – the rain significant. Just enough to stain all the outside areas. Never mind. One can’t complain. The weather generally is wonderful. Unfortunately, the weeks are running out. Just two left after this.

Went out to eat at Kamaron Restaurant because we couldn’t be bothered cooking tonight. We only had chicken souvlakia with griddled vegetables. I got into an argument with them about paying taxes. Rania said it wasn’t worth running the restaurant any more because they paid more in taxes than they earned. I couldn’t let it pass because it was so patently untrue. One minute she was telling us about the wonderful time she and her daughter had just had in Athens and the plays they had been to see and the hotel they had stayed in and the next she was telling us that they earned absolutely no money at all. She wasn’t pleased to be contradicted and it is definitely the Greek psyche at the moment but it will change and they will gradually accept the change.

18th September, 2013

The day started off well with warm sunshine. We did lots of jobs around the house and garden. On-line banking – paying a window cleaner for cleaning windows of our Surrey Duplex while in Greece feels strange but useful. Moving money out of Current Accounts and in to Investment Accounts although we still fail to achieve the CPI of 2.7%. We have more or less resolved to move out of cash ISA’s and into Equities when we get back in the Winter.

Watered all the trees and shrubs as the rain was so dismal. Washed the patio down and, at 1.00 pm, looked up to see where the sun had gone. A cast of cloud had crept up on us and blanketed the sun. The temperature is still warm at 28C/83F but it definitely feels cooler. We have decided against swimming.

Pauline is cooking Chicken & Sage casserole with onions, peppers & peas. I’m looking forward to that. Pauline will be allowed bread with hers.

Almost looks like a winter dish doesn’t it.

We were just finishing our meal when the plumber turned up. He had been summoned to replace two leaking, outside taps. They were only replaced two years ago. Is there something substandard about Greek taps? They are certainly cheap. Anyway, a ten minute job was completed satisfactorily and everything is back under control.

19th September, 2013

We have English friends coming out to Greece this weekend. Sunday officially marks the first day of Autumn but many Britains have already turned the central heating on because temperatures dipped to an average of 14C/57F this September. Autumn has made an early appearance in Nature.

Forecasters expect a gradual return to average temperatures for this time of year, with a high of 20C on Sunday and possibly 24C early next week.

The summary for policymakers of the most recent report from the IPCC – Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change, states that the world is warming at a rate of 0.12C per decade since 1951, compared to a prediction of 0.13C per decade in their last assessment published in 2007. Another admission in the latest document includes the suggestion that forecast computers may not have taken enough notice of natural variability in the climate, therefore exaggerating the effect of increased carbon emissions on world temperatures.

One of the central issues is believed to be why the IPCC failed to account for the “pause” in global warming, which they admit that they did not predict in their computer models. Since 1997, world average temperatures have not shown any statistically significant increase. The summary also shows that scientist have now discovered that between 950 and 1250 AD, before the Industrial Revolution, parts of the world were as warm for decades at a time as they are now.

The proportion of people who do not believe in climate change has more than quadrupled since 2005, according to a government-funded survey. Public support for wind and solar power as an alternative to fossil fuels has fallen sharply over the same period, with gas the only form of electricity production now perceived more favourably.

20th September, 2013

Beautiful, cool – 20C/68F – morning at 7.00 am. The sky has a pinky orange hue and a silver moon still shines through the thin cloud.

Looks like some illegal work is going on on the community path at the side of our land today. Thought we’d go up and invite an official – maybe the Mayor – to witness it.

It may be his fever but Skiathan Man seems to have become obsessed with IKEA bags and crushed boxes. Never mind, I’m obsessed with Pinot Grigio bottles and crushed ice. The only difference is, I don’t bother to count them!

As Skiathan Man will recall, the 19th century, romantic poet, William Wordsworth, wrote in his celebrated poem, Ode: Intimations of Immortality:

…trailing clouds of glory do we come
 From God….

Well, these clouds came from Milos but where is the rain?

21st September, 2013

An overcast early morning with a hint of rain was soon replaced by dry, hot sun.

The motorway development continues apace:

8th September, 2013

Coffee at the café and then jobs around the garden. We meet our friend the proprietor of Absynthe Pauline finished cleaning the bathrooms. They look as if they were newly tiled yesterday. I have been uprooting leaky pipe from mature trees that don’t need it any longer. I will use it in the vegetable garden next year.

Early and wonderful swim in beautifully clear but quite crisp water. Hardly anyone there at 1.30 pm on a Sunday. Home for shower and then out to Vathi for lunch to our favourite restaurant on the beach. We had salad and grilled fish in idyllic surroundings. We were amazed to find little, secluded Vathi really busy with lots of older, well-heeled tourists who were lingering over expensive meals.

9th September, 2013

Reasonably warm – about 27C/81F – but rather breezy day. September wind has an edge to it and can be particularly felt first thing in the morning and when the sun goes down. As a result, we decided swimming wouldn’t be the most pleasurable experience and gave it a miss.

Spent some time in the garden grubbing up kilometres of leaky pipe which have been down since the trees and bushes were planted. They have largely outgrown the system’s capabilities. I will recycle it in the vegetable garden next year.

I have certainly written before that my daily drug prescription is enough to increase my weight in itself and would certainly require a pension of its own if it were not entirely free. Diabetics get free prescriptions. Over-60s get free prescriptions . Being an over-60 diabetic, I am considering charging the Health Service for the right to supply me. I get pills for my diabetes, for my blood pressure, statins like every other person in the world and warfarin for my atrial fibrillation. I am not proud of it, I can tell you, and I’d much rather not take them but, if they give me a better life, so be it.

Eyebrows were raised in the new surgery in Surrey when I asked for a six month’s supply of my prescription. I told them, quite innocently, that we were going to our Greek house. They told me that they could only write prescriptions for two months duration and, if we were out of the country for more than three months, we would be taken off our surgery’s books. Apparently, new rules about health tourism mean that people cheat the system so regularly that they had to tighten up the rules. As soon as they realised that we were genuine, a doctor took us aside and told us how to build up a increasing supply of our prescription drugs by reordering early so that, by the time we come away, I have more than a six month supply with me. Originally, they said I should buy my own drugs in Greece. That was never going to happen. For one thing, I probably couldn’t source half the items and, for another, after 40 years of paying in to the system, there was no way we were going to be disadvantaged because of those not entitled cheating the system. I have just put in a repeat prescription and will return to 6 months drugs when I get back.

10th September, 2013

Magical, magical day. Wonderful weather – calm and reaching 31C/88F – and very quiet island. This is the quietest September we can remember. The beach and sea were almost deserted when we had a wonderful swim at around 4.00 pm..

This morning we went down for the Postal ritual. Then back home to read the paper before I did watering while Pauline threw the strongest weed-killer known to man at every plant that has had the temerity to grow where we didn’t invite it. I did a bit more ground clearance and then collapsed exhausted. After that, the swim was so refreshing.

The cat has gone beserk. Our local supermarket has an Italian brand of catfood for the discerning cat. Mother Cat loves – with a passion – a mix of salmon and beef with gravy. She can’t get enough of it. Well, I’m quite tempted myself. Today, however, Pauline had some Lamb which she has had in the freezer since Easter. We have just under a month until we leave and her judgement is that we won’t eat this lamb after all this time. She decided to give it to the cat. It was enough for two, big, cat meals.

After the first meal at 6.00 pm which was bolted down, Mother Cat sat at the back door until Pauline relented and gave her half of the other portion. Ten minutes later, Mother Cat broke all known conventions and walked all round the outside of the house to where we were sitting under the pergola to demand more lamb. She has never done anything like that before. We couldn’t refuse her. Pauline gave her the rest of the lamb. Goodness knows how she ate it. This really is a feral cat with style.

Apostolis, our neighbour who works at the Electricity Company called round to discuss recent developments. I’m glad we’ve got to know him. Going round to our amanuensis and husband for lunch in the next couple of weeks. Should be fun.

11th September, 2013

The Community path alongside our road has been attacked again. Fortunately, I’ve been photo-cataloguing it. This time, on the pretext of sorting out the drainage, what was once a donkey track is being turned into a motorway. The photos taken today show that digging out yesterday went far into the rock beyond what was needed for drainage pipes and the preparation work is clearly for concrete to build improved access. As you can clearly see, the gable of our wall has been badly damaged in the process.

Our neighbour came by this evening to see what had been done and then brought others to look at it. The police have been round a few times recently. I expect them again tomorrow. Fortunately, I have plenty of ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos to illustrate the enormous changes taking place.

12th September, 2013

The unauthorised desecration of this Community path continues along its author’s ‘slowly slowly’ plan. Locals have checked with Syros and Milos in the last couple of days and no authorisation has been given for this activity. There was no need for the drainage work. The gully was good enough as it was. We know a number of locals who are furious about the cavalier behaviour. We will hand stage by stage photographs to them from pre-digging to now so they can illustrate their complaints to the police and we are off to Syros in just over a week to make our own case.

As you can see, the one thing this is not about is drainage.

13th September, 2013

A hot, muggy, sticky day. This sort of weather rather saps one’s energy. However, we had a good swim in a pleasantly deserted sea.

Our amanuensis phoned to invite us to lunch tomorrow. That will be nice. The Notary has invited us for Monday. It is good to talk.

14th September, 2013

A really enjoyable day. Simple pleasures like shopping started the day. Later, we read the newspapers and relaxed. A sharp swim across the bay and back and then off to Lunch at the home of our amanuensis. We had a delicious salad with spinach pie

followed by a wonderful dish of chicken and celery and finishing with bitter chocolate ice cream. The food was wonderful but the conversation was even better. We stayed for at least three hours and arranged for them to come up to us next week.

Drove home to watch the football. Really enjoyed Man. City held to a draw by Stoke and then Chelsea being beaten by Everton. Both were good matches.