Sanders Blog

19th May, 2013

Wonderful day. Hot, sunny and peaceful. We went dow to the Cafe for coffee this morning. We had an enjoyable chat with Christos who runs it. We were telling him about the Pensioners (who have a day off today and he says that Nikos from Artemon is his relation. We are not surprised. Everyone is related to another here. Pauline bought two, huge, home-grown, pork steaks from the supermarket and a cheese.

We drove back home to get on with the day’s job. The Pensioners have cleared all the vegetation and left it in bales on the land. We are going to move it down towards the gate so someone can come with a truck and remove it. We hadn’t been working more than half an hour when our neighbour, Giannis, stopped and said he would like it for his animals. We are only too pleased. He will move it over the next few days. The Pensioners work six hours or so each day. We managed four today and are staggering around with fatigue. The owl was with us and watching us intently throughout the day. Presumably, it was looking for disturbed prey.

The Pork steaks improved our mood. Pauline marinated them for three or four hours in garlic, sage, lemon and olive oil and the slow cooked them for a couple of hours. I’m tempted to say that the flavour was out of this world but that would be hyperbolically silly.

20th May, 2013

A hot one with no breeze at all. The Pensioners arrived at 7.00 am and have completely transformed the ‘veg. patch’ by 10.am. In that time, Pauline & I had been to the garden shop and bought good, strong, flowering pepper plants (the bell peppers), sweet basil and two types of tomato – plum and cherry. Having prepared the ground in harmony, the pensioners are enjoying arguing about where everything should go.

By 1.00 pm, everything was planted, the garden looked absolutely wonderful, the Pensioners were friends again and were preparing to leave. As we drove Nikolaos back to his home in the village of Artemonas, the temperature gauge hit 30C/86F. He will be back for his eighth and last day tomorrow at 7.00 am.

No rest for the wicked. Pauline is making another batch of orange and whisky marmalade this afternoon. She is beginning to get requests. I have been delegated to clean the patio.

Death by Marmalade

I didn’t finish the cleaning.

21st May, 2013

A humid start to the Pensioner’s last day. We had to say Chronia Polla to Costas. He looked surprised that the English should even know about the tradition. Our vegetable patch finished and planted out, they set about clearing the section that fronts on to the road and to assess the damaged wall running up the Community Path at the side. We will have to do something about this when they’ve finished.

Leaving them working happily, we went down to collect the post for us and friends. Only an internet bill for us to pay but remarkably cheap. It was €46.00 for a month and a half. It is so lovely and fast, one hardly remembers it is only 3G. On to the garden shop for bags of soil and Geraniums (Pelargoniums). The owner and I had an argument about what they should be called. I still bought six. I will propogate cuttings from these and make thirty six for later in the season. Most will over-winter.

We filled up with petrol for only the second time in five weeks even though we have done a return journey to Artemonas for the past eight days. It came to €71.00 (£60.00) and will probably last us another five weeks. We always go to Elinoil because the people are so lovely. They want us to drop in again on Saturday so they can give us some presents from their land – fresh eggs from their hens and early vegetables. That’s the sort of people they are – the sort of lovely people we like.

22nd May, 2013

Where are the Pensioners? We are lost without them. If you can adopt a pair of Grandads, we would adopt them. Still, we will invite them back next year. It is the most glorious, still, warm day. Another local farmer who we have nicknamed ‘Smiler’ over the years as he has passed our house on his motorbike , smiling and nodding, has turned up unannounced and started to bale and clear huge amounts of dried grass and material for his animals. We are very pleased.

It has been an emotional early morning. Over the past few days, we have been inundated with emails and contacts from past pupils and ex-collegues of our school. It closed to be replaced by a £26 million Academy. I seem to have that effect on schools. In the early 80s, I was Head of what looked like a Victorian prison but was actually an old Board School built in 1880 in the fashionable pagoda style.

I haven’t looked at these photos since 1982. It is hard to believe this wasn’t a prison looking in on it now. The kids certainly called it that.

Now, our last school has gone and thousands have posted memories on the web. Hundreds have been moved enough to witness the demolition. I rather wish I could have been there.

It is really quite moving to think of all those lives, those connections that are no longer made. I’m almost forgetting my life-long motto: Move On!

23rd May, 2013

Everything is moving on particularly in the gale force winds that arrived in the night. Last evening, Apostolis tooted and waved wildly as he came down on his bike from his farm up the road. ‘Smiler’ came to bale some more cuttings for his animals and left with his dog on the back. This morning his bales have been blown to the lower level as the destructive winds took hold. We drove down to pick up the post and got the car sand-blasted near the beach. We may be outside less today.

My lovely sister, Ruth, can no longer sing the Beatles classic, When I’m 64 because she is. Happy Birthday, Ruthie!

What a blustery day – Octo Beaufort, as the weatherman calls it or 8 on the Beaufort Scale. We have spent most of it indoors after driving up to Apollonia to collect a delivery. It turns out to be three, free, replacement doors for our kitchen cupboards courtesy of IKEA UK. What a wonderful act on their part. I emailed the IKEA girl who searched the doors out from their European Store and despatched them to the Sifnos Post Office free of charge. I have also contacted the CEO of IKEA UK to thank her for the generosity of the act.

While we were out, we called at Mario’s Supermarket. Flora gave Pauline some punnets of strawberries free. They were just starting to go a little too soft. Within a couple of hours at home, Pauline had turned them into the most wonderful strawberry compôte to be eaten with yoghurt. Flora will get a jar tomorrow.

24th May, 2013

An incredibly windy night. Our gate was blocked with cut grass and branch prunings this morning. We will have to tidy the road up outside as well. It will be a general clear-up day today.

We were sorry to hear that the nice little Mrs. Simos died yesterday. Her funeral was undertaken in gale force winds. Life and Death can be very cruel.

25th May, 2013

It has been a wonderful week. It started off with glorious weather, had a blip of a couple of days of strong wind and is finishing off as it started. This morning has opened beautifully. We have drunk our fresh orange juice and Yorkshire Tea and reflected on how lucky we are.  A week today will be the first day of June and we will start swimming. Got an email from a friend in Lancashire who said they had just experienced a massive hail storm and then a phone call to Surrey confirmed that they had seen a bit of that as well. The Swiss Alps have had a huge fall of snow over night and the whole of our journey route down to Greece will be shrouded in rain this weekend. How lucky are we?

We went up to Apollonia to do our shopping and then called in to see the lovely family at the Elinoil garage and were rewarded with a large basket of fresh eggs and three, big cheeses made by the family.

My Cosmote Mobile Internet contract provides for 10Gb of down/upload. That is huge and should be enough for anyone. This month – with six days to go – I have used 8.5 Gb already so I will have to be a bit more sparing for the rest of next week. I have been listening to wall-wall Radio 4 and researching material on-line too much this month. We have also been using it as our English phone via Skype.

12th May, 2013

It is a delightful day. Not to hot but sunny and windless. The chances of rain appear to be receding by the day. Downloaded The Sunday Times but didn’t seem to have much time to read it. I laughed at the article headed, Pregnant women will be tested for smoking. I want to know what will happen to the guilty ones. Will they be shot? We spent a few hours watering all the trees and bushes. We have some men coming tomorrow to help with the garden clearing.

Manchester United dominated the afternoon with their late winner against Swansea making it a pleasant end to the career of Ferguson which was all shown here on Nova TV. I was sorry Rooney was not joining in. Why have things gone so wrong for him. Ferguson and Scholes retired together and both looked happy.

13th May, 2013

Up at 6.30 am today. Garden workers arrived at just after 7.00 am. The men make me feel like a spring chicken. Two Greek pensioners arrive with mattocks and bottles of water. They say they will work from 7.00 am – 2.00 am non-stop, clearing this unforgiving ground. We know what it is like. We clear the vegetable patch and two hours puts me on my back for the rest of the week. The only real connection between me and these two, old men is the instrument we use to clear the ground here in Greece. We all use an incredibly useful tool called a mattock.

We are off to the Post Office to see if our box arrived over the weekend. A trip to the Garden Shop as well will provide some excitement – I’m easily pleased.

Not sure who was more pleased – us or the Post Office – to discover that our box containing about 15Kg of stuff had arrived. Phyllis & Colin may be old but you can always rely on them.

14th May, 2013

Well, at last its happened. RAIN – real rain for at least an hour last night. Lightning over Kamares bay at around 10.00 pm although no thunder so it wasn’t centred over us. It certainly wasn’t on the Biblical proportions described by Skiathan Man this morning and the islanders will probably say that the rain wasn’t heavy enough to be significant but it will make the ground clearing efforts of our pensioners easier this morning. It is 7.15 am and they have already arrived and started work. They should be at the Old People’s Club or Silver Surfers or something like that not pounding hard ground with a mattock for seven hours a day.

Went down to collect the post this morning and the heavens opened, briefly, at 9.00 am. Pauline got soaked but I kept the car warm for her. Now Easter is over and the season has not really started, the streets are very quiet.

When we got back home, the pensioners were sheltering in the garage. We made them coffee until the storm passed and then they were sent back down the mines.

15th May, 2013

The pensioners arrived at 7.00 am. We had only been up for about half an hour. It was forecast and looks like being a delicious day. Lovely, sunny, windless and warm but not to hot. We are told it will just peak at 25C/77F.

We have been listening to the Today programme. The weather tells us that there could be some snow over the Pennines this afternoon. Cameron’s balmy backbencher’s are really making life tedious and filling the airwaves. This is how The Times cartoonist depicts it:

The pensioners managed their six hours of continuous work in the garden and then we managed an hour ourselves. Sitting under the pergola, gazing out over the valley towards the sea, the warm sun shining down beneficently, I tried to bottle the moment but, as always, it is not possible.

16th May, 2013

Overcast and cool this morning. The pensioners love it. They are hammering the garden with increased vigour. I’m not sure what they would think of the UK climate. This is the scene this morning in Shropshire and snow has fallen right through to our old stomping ground on the Pennines in Yorkshire/Lancashire.

Mother Cat called for her Dinner this evening accompanied by a friend. Not many keep their friends on their ear but she does. She obviously spent such a hard afternoon of inactivity on the wall that a snail clamped itself firmly to the back of her ear.

17th May, 2013

At 6.50 am, we heard the gate pulled back and the inward march of the Pensioners. Where do they get their energy? By 7.00 am, they were pounding the ground with mattocks at the start of another mammoth stint. They are coming for a sixth day on Saturday as agreed and then I have asked them to return for two additional days next week to clear and prepare the vegetable patch where Pauline & I have failed.

We have been ambling down Memory Lane this morning. I received an email from an ex-pupil to let me know that the old school that Pauline & I left four years ago and which has now been replaced by a brand, spanking new eleven million pound Academy, was nearly completely demolished and would be by the end of this week. This is a photo at the beginning of the job:

Sitting down to afternoon tea after the Pensioners had gone home, we suddenly noticed we were being watched. We often hear this lovely, little chap in the darkness of a hot, mediterranean evening but rarely see him/her. Even Mother Cat looked a little nervous when she came for Dinner.

18th May, 2013

A pleasant and not over-wam day for the Pensioners to do their sixth consecutive day in the garden. I have asked them to return next week for two more days to complete the work.

Had a lovely trip up to the woodman and and his wife with a jar of Pauline’s beetroot chutney and some homemade shortbread. It is lovely to give something to them for a change. They are constantly giving us things and refusing to charge. On to Olga and her husband who has been refusing to allow his wife to eat the marmalade because he “wants to look at it on the shelf”. We took an extra jar specifically for eating plus a copy of the recipe. On to Flora at the supermarket to give her back the beetroot we bought but now in a jar of chutney.

Met up with the Notary for a quick chat and she has invited us over to her house.

Had a lovely meal and debate with Panos & Rania last night. We both had their wonderful Chicken Souvlaki with grilled vegetables. Pauline had bread as well. Met an interested potential customer for the house while we were there. They are coming for a viewing.

5th May, 2013

Καλό Πάσχα  to all our Greek readers. You could not ask for a more perfect day. Still, bright and warm – 27C/81F. A delicious day to relax and enjoy.

Mother Cat didn’t turn up for breakfast until 2.00 pm. Goodness knows what she was up to last night.

6th May, 2013

Perhaps it is the prerogative of old men to muse upon the passage of time. Certainly, it has been a preoccupation of mine for quite a while and only underlined by retirement. As you will see on the right hand side, I follow lots of Greek Blogs. Some are constant companions like The Skiathan and Simi Dream. Some take quite a bit of reading and I dip in and out of like Ramblings from Rhodes or are occasional interest reads like Gate to Greece and Living in Greece. And then there is Democracy Street.

It is written by Simon Baddeley – sporadically when the spirit takes him. I go back to check a couple of times a week and sometimes he has written and sometimes he hasn’t. The author is an interesting man in his early 70s, I think, who lives in Birmingham and Corfu – to and fro between Handsworth in Birmingham and the village of Ano Korakiana in Corfu where he has a house on ODOS DHMOKRATIAS. He is a grandson of a man who appeared weekly on Midlands and the network television in the 1970s & 80s – Jack Hargreaves – who could be seen presenting Out of Town.

Although beyond retirement age, he still works as a part-time lecturer in Local Governance at the University of Birmingham. He is active in his two, local communities and is a keen allotment grower.Recently, Mr Baddeley’s Mother has died and he has reflected his reactions in his Blog. I measured my own against them. He has a penchant for assessing the passing of time which accords with my own. And that brings me to the point. Today, his Blog muses on the how time speeds up as we get older and posits: Time passes faster for us because we’ve got less of it. Maybe that is true.

7th May, 2013

Interesting day. Started off warm and sunny; became overcast and humid by lunchtime; gave us a deliciously cool afternoon’s gardening and then turned back to warm and sunny in the evening. In Greece, of course, it is May Day (deferred) and the Big, post-Easter exit.

It has been so hot and dry that we have been furiously watering trees and shrubs since we arrived. That was first on the agenda this morning after downloading and browsing the newspaper. Last summer, we planted out some herbs that we particularly like in our cooking and that cannot be found growing wild around the house. Sage, mint and tarragon are important to our flavours as well as the naturally occurring thyme and oregano. We also have enough rosemary bushes to start our own business. Everything has been successful apart from the tarragon. Having cleared the cover of weed and watered the plants, they are bushing up nicely. We grow basil, parsley and chives as annuals and they are under way.

I am trying to cultivate quick-growing salad vegetables – cut and come again lettuces of different varieties – before the weather just becomes too hot. I am growing lots of peppers and a few courgettes and I intend to buy a few tomato plants from the garden shop.

Olga called this afternoon to bring us an Easter present. She didn’t stay long because she and her husband are up to their eyeballs in cooking. Their restaurant is supplying food for a wedding party on Saturday with a potential guest list of 700. Scary or what?

8th May, 2013

As we expected, the morning opened grey and overcast and decidedly cooler than our first two weeks this year. It appears to be mirrored by UK weather where this morning’s forecast opened with Summer’s over. By the time we had finished breakfast, light rain began to fall. It will help loosen the weeds for garden clearing – when we get out there. The big question of the day will not be What is in the Queen’s Speech? but more Will Alex Ferguson retire?

We bought the kitchen in our Greek house from IKEA in UK. It was half the price of the same kitchen in IKEA (Athens). We had a shipping container booked so it all went in that and then was delivered by lorry to the house. Over the winter, some kind Greek built and installed the whole kitchen from flat-pack. It felt like a miracle.

This was in 2005. Eight years on, three of the doors have slight paint damage on their top edge – two under the sink and one above the built in oven. I emailed IKEA to ask what could be done. They told me that the kitchen had been discontinued but that they did carry some back stock across Europe. To be sure of the exact dimensions, we had to wait until we were back in Greece. As soon as we got here, I measured up and contacted IKEA (UK) with photos and the details and quoting my credit card details to be charged. Within two hours, I received an email back to tell me that three doors had been located and were in despatch for our house on Sifnos. There would be no charge. It would be a pleasure to help us out.

It is moments like that which are so life-affirming. Three doors – cost in themselves £120.00 – and transport across Europe – another £100.00 – adds up to a fair piece of support from a company who didn’t need to do it. All I can say to people out there is BUY IKEA (products or shares).

9th May, 2013

A cooler more cloudy day but with sunshine. Over the mountain, potential rain clouds periodically fall but fail to drop their rain. Our amanuensis phoned at 8.30 am to say she was up a mountain an would not be at the postal delivery this morning. We collected it and delivered post to Panos & Rania. We then walked on to the cafe, saying Good Morning to our friend, Kiki en route.

Over coffee, we had a good chat with Christos and he finally got round to bringing up the sale of our house. We wondered when he would. We assured him that we had no intention of selling cheaply and losing money. We are quite happy to wait a few years if that is what it takes. Nor do we intend to leave Sifnos when we do sell. He thought Greeks wouldn’t be able to afford our house but we’ve already had two Greek couples look round and not balk at the price plus an Australian couple and a British couple. It suggests to us that we are just about right on price even if it takes a while to be found.

10th May, 2013

We didn’t hear it but, when we got up at 7.00 am, there was evidence of overnight rain. Puddles on the road. (Good title for my book?) The surrounding mountains were cloaked in low cloud and the air felt damp. After breakfast, which was attended by Mother Cat, we went out shopping. Off to the Post Office first to see if our errant box had arrived. It hadn’t so it will be Monday at the earliest now. No fresh coffee until then.

I wrote yesterday about the kindness (enlightenment) of IKEA in providing us with three, replacement, kitchen cupboard doors at their own expense. Today, we had more largesse heaped upon us. Flora, at the supermarket, keeps giving us produce from her garden and, when we asked the woodman for things, he insisted on not asking for payment. Life can be a joy – not because of the money but because of the spirit.

11th May, 2013

A cooler day today not reaching above 22C/70F. After reading the newspaper, we did some gardening. The weather forecast for days has been trailing rain to come. Suddenly it looks very unlikely which probably means no more rain until September. I will have to get on with the watering.

I watched Chelsea beat Aston Villa in a reasonable, end of season match but we didn’t get the Cup Final here which would have been nice to see. It so often appears that relegation teams do well in the Cup. Well done, Wigan.

Pauline made beetroot chutney while I lazed around watching the football.

28th April, 2013

We have another gorgeous morning. The temperature is reaching 25/26C (77/79F) which is absolutely lovely but Skiathos must be a lot warmer than Sifnos at the moment. Skiathan Man talks of the children swimming for hours today. I suspect we would be fishing them out comatose if they’d tried it in Kamares Bay. We were talking to a hardy, all-year-round swimmer yesterday and she said it is absolutely freezing so, believe me, it is.

The plumber who kept our pumps ticking over during our winter break, walked past in his Sunday best early this morning, probably on his way to a Palm Sunday service, and we thanked him for all his good work he had done for us. He is a huge, kind, gentleman.

I’m growing tomatoes, peppers and salad things this year to supply my diet. We are also sowing parsley, dill, chives and sweet basil because we use so little salt these days we use herbs to do the job instead. I am, once again, going to try French Tarragon. I tried last year and failed hopelessly.

Can Man. U. maintain their intensity having already won the League title or will a little loss of edge allow Arsenal to beat them and move closer to European football. The match kicks off at 6.00 pm (Greek time) and I’ll be watching.

29th April, 2013

What a wonderful day for the penultimate one of April. Scarcely a breeze, a beautiful blue sky and strong sun taking the temperature to 27C/81F. After a lazy start to the morning over my usual fresh orange juice ( two, freshly squeezed, Cretan oranges) and bucket of Yorkshire Tea followed by a nice cup of Colombian coffee, we went out to the supermarket and had a chat with Flora & Mario. What delightful people they are!

After unloading our shopping, we spent the morning chatting and reading under the pergola on the patio. If feels like we are on holiday. Well, it always feels like we are on holiday these days. We ate a crab salad for lunch while we listened to Miliband bungling an interview on the One O’Clock News (at 3.00 pm). He really is going to have to get a grip of Labour’s policies without giving too much away too early.

After lunch and a snooze, we potted up our Sweet Basil plants and some Pelargonium cuttings. We dug up the Pelargoniums we had over-wintered in the garden. One of the three had died but the other two are enormous.

30th April, 2013

What is happening? Mid-Summer and the end of April converge. By 10.30 am, the temperature had reached 29C/85F. We went down in to the village, calling in to talk to Panos & Rania who were busily turning their restaurant from its winter to summer version by removing the windows and doors.

We went on to the café for coffee and spent half an hour talking to Christos and his father, Vangelis. Christos, who speaks excellent English,  was  telling us about all the work he had done at his house over the winter including walling and tree planting. It seems no time since he got married but his child is walking and talking now. Vangelis, like me, is trying to lose weight and finding it hard. Of course, he has to lose a lot less than me but is still worrying about it. While we were having coffee, Luciana, our Albanian friend, came over to say hello. We exchanged winter stories which was nice.

We went in to the supermarket to collect our half a lamb. Nikos cut the carcass down the centre with a cleaver as we stood there. It looked a fine beast. He continued to joint it for us until we had about 6 or seven elements separately wrapped. He weighed it and the price was just €50.00 which was excellent for the amount of quality meat. We asked for a white (fresh) Manouri cheese and were given it as a gift.

The temperature was still 25C as we sat on the patio at 8.30 pm. We had just finished listening to the Six o’clock News. The sun had gone down and all that was left was the after-glow. I saw a shape move in the road. I knew in an instant what it was. Mother Cat. Regular readers will know that Mother Cat adopted us in April 2011 and foisted upon us Grand-parenting duties for her two kittens, Ginge & Tabs, born in our garage. We spent the most wonderful summer with them as they grew up to be as big as their Mother and then we spent an angst-filled winter as we deserted them for six months.

Last April, after we had been in the house for eight days, Mother suddenly appeared at the back door and we enjoyed her company for a second six months. We were so pleased that she had survived the winter and our desertion. This evening, as I saw her shape appear in the road below our house, I said to Pauline, Mother. I’m sure that’s Mother. Call her! Pauline had a special intonation for calling her (nothing remarkable) and she called again, Pu-uss, Pu-uss. Like all the best Hollywood animal reunion films, Mother looked up and shot over the wall, ran across the garden shouting, up a flight of ten steps to the patio where she greeted Pauline with loud cries.

After a brief conversation, Pauline went in to the house while Mother shot round to the back where she has always been fed. Bang went my chicken salad. Mother ate all the chicken. I didn’t begrudge her a mouthful.

1st May, 2013

Happy May to you all.

Fighting our way through another gorgeous day, we made our way up to the supermarket for emergency tins of cat food. I’m not giving up my chicken again. That will be Mother Cat sorted out for a day or two. I have to admit that we didn’t go for the gourmet choice. She is, after all, a semi-ferrel cat.

Well, we got a mixture of flavours – chicken, beef, fish, rabbit. The only problem is that they’re all in the same tin. We know she loves them from previous experience.

We, on the other hand, also chose best value but at the other end of the scale. Pauline has been using a particular Athens hairdresser for a number of years and has made an appointment to visit them. We like to make a trip of it so we will have a couple of nights in our favourite central Athens hotel – the 5* Electra Palace Hotel in the Plaka area. It has wonderful rooms and gardens, a ‘Wellness Health Centre’ with indoor and outdoor pools plus gym and spa plus a Fine Dining Rooftop Restaurant. Maybe because of the downturn, they even have a special offer on this summer which gives a 10% room discount and a €35.00 per person Fine Dining experience. We couldn’t resist.

2nd May, 2013

Just as hot and sunny but slightly more breezy today. It is one of our busier days. Down to Panos & Rania’s at just after 8.30 am to find Rania has been up half the night painting the restaurant floor in preparation for Orthodox Easter celebrations on Sunday. We have a brief chat with a very tired but lovely lady. I download my newspaper and then we go off to collect the post – just one from Cosmote. Back home for coffee and to collect the Easter presents that Pauline has prepared. We brought dozens of chocolate easter eggs from UK. Pauline made pots and pots of orange marmalade with a hint of whisky last weekend and then spent all afternoon yesterday making dozens of specialist biscuits – shortbread, Strasbourg, Madeleines & Shrewsbury.

We had bought special bags in UK for this purpose. We made up cellophane wrappers of collections of assorted biscuits and put them in a bag with a jar of marmalade and some easter eggs. They are intended as Easter gifts for friends &/or helpers.

We have had some amazing help over the past twelve months, sometimes from the most unlikely quarters. Orthodox Easter is the time that we feel least in touch with Greece. We are not Christians and, even if we were, we do not feel that culturally inclusive frisson of excitement that Greeks appear to collectively feel at this time. Having said that, we completely respect our host nations celebrations and thought that we could contribute by giving gifts. We started with  Giannis, the plumber and his wife and children followed by a bag for Moshka and one for Margerita. A gift bag went to Kiki who has been friends for twenty years and who toots every time she passes the house as she drives up to her husband’s farm. Of course, there was one for Panos & Rania and a separate one for the lovely Anna.

After that, we drive up to Apollonia to visit Flora & Mario at their supermarket to deliver a bag and on to Olga’s restaurant nearby to take their present. On to Costas & Maria, the woodman and his wife. Usually, they insist we stay for hours over bottles of wine and cheese and we leave laden down with bags of vegetables from Costa’s garden but, today, we are giving. We have a chat but don’t stay too long because we have other people to visit. Pauline popped in to the National Bank and saw Chrysopiggi, Nikos’ wife, and then we were off to Kastro where we spent lunchtime with the Notary and her family. As we drove back, we called in on Nikos & Luciana who we have known and befriended since the first day they arrived on Sifnos as keen, young things almost twenty years ago.

What a day! We are exhausted but happy. It is lovely to have a network of delightful people in our lives. There are more, of course, but you can only make so many biscuits.

Mother Cat called again for another couple of dollops of chicken-fish-beef-rabbit mousse. She stayed chatting for an hour after Dinner and then took off down the road to goodness knows where.

3rd May, 2013

Watching the really comprehensive weather forecast on ET3 last night, we were told that the sea temperature around the Cyclades is 19C/66F. That’s still a little cool for us but not far off. We’ll have to try it soon. Certainly, the weather is putting us in holiday mood. By 10.00 am, it was 24C/75F outside and we were cleaning our car for the first time since our long journey. Pauline & I spent an hour doing that with our pressure washer, bug remover/dissolvent and chamois leathers. So rarely do we do that in the UK. We nip in to the carwash while shopping in Tescos. £11.00 later, it is reasonably clean for another week. We both found it a pleasure  to do ourselves. While the Orthodox Christians attended church this morning to cleanse themselves, we cleaned Mammon. The word, Mammon, derives from the Greek, μαμμωνάς. It was used in the Sermon on the Mount to mean riches.

Our special friend and amanuensis phoned to thank us for her Easter gift. She is very partial to butter fudge and we gave her a big box of it along with biscuits, marmalade and eggs. She certainly deserves it. What would we have done without her? Got through, probably, but with much more trouble.

Those of you who are regular readers will know that we pretend to be financially savvy. We do everything concerning our income and expenditure, including tax, on-line. I check the Bank account and Credit Card accounts on-line two or three times a week. Pauline maintains tight financial records using an accountancy program on her laptop. I monitor and pay our outgoings – utilities, council tax, even window cleaner – on line. We follow our State and teachers’ pensions on-line and the tax we pay on it as well. Our road fund licence and insurances, our Health Club subscription, our Sky subscription and telephone bill are all paid over the internet. And it can all be done from a small and relatively remote Greek island. I also check my Greek bank account on-line to make sure the electricity bill is being deducted.

On Tuesday, the window cleaner emailed to say that they would clean our apartment windows in Surrey. On Wednesday, sitting in my Study in Sifnos, I paid him over the net. This morning, I checked the British bank account to find how much pension we had both been paid. This month, it had gone up by 2.8% and our tax-free status had increased to £9440.00 each allowing us to earn £18880.00 tax-free . Because Pauline also got her State Pension, her tax was more complicated. The HMRC don’t tax the State Pension; they count it as additional income and deduct tax from main earnings – ie. Teacher’s Pension. We spent half an hour on the Teachers’ Pension site, the State Pension site, the HMRC site and our UK bank site to make sure everything was in order. Previously, we have been stung with a large repayment sum of ‘underpaid tax’. When we complained that it was all done through PAYE, they said the onus is on us to make sure that our tax rate is correct. As a result, I always double check.

4th May, 2013

If ever there was a day when one is glad to be alive, it is today. Absolutely still outside with clear blue sky and strong sun. At 1.00 pm, it is 27C/81F and, under the pergola for shade, it feels idyllic. Looking over the valley and to the harbour everything is quiet. Sheep graze and kestrels hover.  We were out early this morning to do some grocery shopping and to download the newspaper. Now, the day with a cup of coffee and The Saturday Times looking out over the view below before Lamb supper and a couple of football matches. What more could one desire?

Our missing box is on its way at last. It contains, amongst other things, six month’s supply of Ese fresh coffee pods and will be very welcome and make life in Greece even more palatable. What it no longer has is two, small bottles of aftershave which were found on the parcel scan and deemed prohibitive. We won’t make that mistake again. Posted on Wednesday, it probably won’t arrive on the island until the end of the week because of the Easter break here in Greece. We certainly have to be extremely thankful to Phyllis & Colin for making sure we get it.

21st April, 2013

Woke a little late this morning – 7.30 am. Our first morning in our Greek house and everywhere is wonderful. The birds are singing, the wild plants are flowering in profusion, the sun is out and the sky is blue. We had the underfloor heating on yesterday in order to air the house which has been closed up for six months. This morning we really don’t need it. It is too warm. The plumber has been keeping the pumping systems ticking over in our absence and he cleared the debris which was washed down from our garden path and was blocking our gate.

Our neighbour, Apostolis, called to welcome us back. He brought his daughter, Maria, to translate but proceeded to dominate the conversation by trying so hard to speak English and largely succeeding. He was very warm and welcoming.

22nd April, 2013

Woke at 7.00 am today. Fresh orange juice and tea and then out to collect the boxes of provisions that we had posted. All sorts of things that we couldn’t fit in the car – coffee, tea, shoes, shirts, Dishwasher/washing machine tablets (¼ of the Greek price) – things which we can’t get on the island or are much more expensive. We know they have arrived because the man at the phone shop has already seen them at the Post Office. A consignment of 4 boxes. In all, it weighed just over 80 kg and cost £190.00/€225.00 to post.When we arrive to pick them up, one is missing. It has never happened before in fourteen years.

We went on to Germanos to pick up our Cosmote internet USB stick and have it installed. Really nice and very helpful people. It is a delight to go and buy from them. They installed an extra €30.00 of credit on our Greek mobile because the messaging system is in Greek and too fast to understand. We left completely satisfied.

Our pot geraniums were planted out before we left at the end of October and now are flowering strongly. I will pot them up again. I took cuttings today as well so that I can build up the stock. They are a sort of electric magenta colour and provide a stark contrast with the white walls of the house and the white tiles that the pots stand on.

In fact, the white tiles are covered in red, clay streaks from the last rains. This afternoon, Pauline and I will use the pressure washer and a mop to clean them up.

Cleaning took nearly three hours and left us exhausted but it was worthwhile. Pauline cooked griddled chicken breasts with Greek salad. I don’t know how she found the energy. Later, I was able to watch a repeat of the Spurs v Man. City match which Spurs won and which clinched the title for United who also won with a hat trick from van Persie.

We are going up to the village to see the Notary tomorrow. We’ve been advised to speak to the Community about the path that runs alongside our land.

23rd April, 2013

Woke up to a bright St George’s Day.

After breakfast, we went down to collect our post and hoping there was news of our missing fourth box. There wasn’t.  Later, the UK Post Office says the box was refused when scanned because it contained perfume. Nobody told us we couldn’t post it. We will have it re-sent. It contains £100.00 worth of fresh coffee pods. A man has to live!

We met one of our friends at the post and took her back to our house. We need to employ a little man to cut down all the weeds and smarten up the place. She will bring someone over tomorrow to quote for the job.

Pauline cooked French beans with garlic as an entree for Dinner and followed it with pork steak cooked in sage and lemon sauce with griddled vegetables. It was absolutely lovely. We ate outside under the pergola and enjoyed the late evening sun.

24th April, 2013

A wonderfully warm and sunny day today. By 11.00 am, the temperature had reached 26C/79F. A conversation with the Notary confirmed the interest in our house. Our sales site has been viewed over 400 times (partly because of the kindness of Skiathan Man who features out site.) , a number of people have expressed interest and four couples have been shown round the property two of them in the week before we returned. Two of the couples are not from Sifnos. We heard of one more interested party today. One of our friends brought a man down to see us to quote for clearing the land. He will bring a partner and work for a week. We’ve agreed a price and they will start soon. It will please us and potential buyers.

We phoned Parcelforce today. They were very nice about the returned parcel. The rules have changed recently and we weren’t aware of it. They will refund our money and we will get Pauline’s sister to remove the offending items – two small bottles of aftershave -, reseal the box and repost it. It should be here in under a week as the ferry service improves in the run up to Orthodox Easter.

Skiathan Man thinks he has a bottle brush. He hasn’t seen ours. Our Callistemon is on fire and reaching to the mountains.

We have two and I am going to propogate more from cuttings this year if I have the chance.

We went down for coffee with some restaurant friends. Their internet router is playing up at the moment and I tried to help them sort it out. Although I have broadband here, it is by usb. It is incredibly reliable and quick and pretty cheap but I would still rather get a phone line so I can create a wirelesss network. This is what I need for my iPad to download my newspapers and why I rely on kind others for that facility. It is amazing how many kind people there are on this island when you look.

We went on to the local supermarket to buy freshly made Manouri cheese and to order half a lamb (minus head) for orthodox Easter celebrations at the end of next week. You don’t have to be a Christian to eat good food.

25th April, 2013

A day which opened a little hazy developed into full sun and a 9.30am temperature of 22C/70F. We went to collect the post for ourselves and friends who have lost the PO Box key and have forgotten their box number. We needed a large carrier bag when the box was opened. We spoke to the builders who constructed our house and then drove up to Apollonia to visit the garden shop for potting soil and sweet basil plants. On to the butchers for pork chops and to the supermarket for green garlic, Cretan cherry tomatoes, peppers and onions.

When we got home, we were just sorting out collection and redelivery of our errant box when a phone call came through to inform us that potential buyers of our house from Athens wanted to come for a second viewing this evening. It’s all come a bit quickly after we’ve only just arrived. We would quite happily wait a year or two but, if it comes now, it comes and we will take it.

26th April, 2013

Amazing weather after England. We have been in Greece just over a week and it is still feeling like Summer. We had a 9.00 am appointment with the Notary so we had to be up and out early. Later, we drove down to Kamares and went for coffee at a cafe. En route, we delivered a bagful of post to our friends who had lost their key and forgotten what their post office box number is. They hadn’t collected post for weeks. I produced a poster with their key number on it but, before we had been there five minutes, they had lost that as well. There is little hope.

Had some nice coffee at the cafe and drove back to the house. We spent a couple of hours cleaning and tidying in side and then I did a bit of tidying up outside. All everyday, mundane stuff. We are going out to Dinner this evening although I am finding meaningful eating difficult.

27th April, 2013

My Mum died five years ago today. I think of her regularly but, I’m ashamed to write, that I forgot her anniversary this morning. I cannot believe five years have gone by so quickly and how our lives have changed so much in that time, changes that I would have loved to discuss with her.

If you follow a very interesting Blog about Birming(UK)/Corfu life, cutely entitled Democracy Street, you will know the grieving for a lost mother that has been registered here.

Another beautiful day. I have been delegated to sweep the drive and tidy my Study. Perhaps, when I’ve done my jobs, I’ll get my Saturday Sixpence! It will be a delight to be outside and doing something physical. I ate a huge Caeser Salad last night so I have to work it off this morning.

There were three ferries in last night and quite a few people in the streets. The build up to Greek Easter is starting here. In England, I’ve just heard, that it snowed at Leeds Airport this morning.

7th April, 2013

62 year + 1 day. Already. And so life gallops on. Even so, a beautiful day. Bright sun and blue sky. I’m afraid we didn’t make the most of it. I read The Sunday Times on my iPad and did some Office work. Pauline cooked a wonderful meal of roast lamb and mixed vegetables with garlic mint sauce. I was still full from my Birthday Dinner which was carbohydrate: Linguini, white crab meat and brown shrimps with garlic. It was like heaven but it sat in my stomach like a guilty secret for hours.

The media is dominated by the Welfare State but it is still a crude, Tory led story. If you get too much Child Benefit, it turns you into a mass murderer. It really is taking the Left too long to develop a narrative that will speak to Middle England. It really shouldn’t be that difficult.

8th April, 2013

Another beautiful day with sun and blue sky but a bit of a chill first thing. Out early to take Pauline to the Doctor. Nothing serious. Mandy phoned to ask if we wanted to go and watch Daniel, her son, play tennis in Guildford but we have a busy day today. In fact, we have a fairly busy week.

I still haven’t received my documents from Derbyshire Records Office so I must phone them today. This afternoon, I have to take my wife back to………..you’ve guessed it……… Marks & Spencers. What a world of sophistication and dazzle we lead.

Thatcher’s gone. I won’t mourn her. Neither should any person who pays an inflated energy bill from a privatised company which is making huge profits nor someone crammed on to a privatised train after paying an exorbitant fare to a company banking all their cash. Why are there so few council houses for the Homeless? Thatcher! Why does Britain have so little manufacturing industry? Thatcher! Why does Britain have such an arrogant, unregulated Financial Sector? Thatcher! She quite deliberately set out to destroy whole communities as she increasingly saw herself as ‘royal’. I will never forget her rushing out to the cameras and announcing, One has become Grandmother. Well, one has now become a corpse. Bye.

On a deeper and more philosophical level, I bought myself some new socks. I’m really going for broke now.

Now I know that my Great, Great, Great, Great, Grandmother, Jane Sanders (1799 – 1856) made woollen hosiery in the cottage industry of the Midlands, I am much more interested in and adventurous about my socks. These were made in The United Arab Emirates and we can probably thank Thatcher for that as well.

9th April, 2013

A grey day today unbefitting the mood of National Celebration and Rejoicing.

News from Greece is becoming predictable. As waves of anti-Germanisation spread across austerity-torn southern European countries, as Portugal’s courts brand many German-led austerity measures illegal, Greece cranks up the rhetoric with a (published) top-secret report compiled at the behest of the Finance Ministry in Athens that has come to the conclusion that Germany owes Greece billions in World War II reparations. The total could be enough to solve the country’s debt problems. It is said, however, that the Greek government is wary of picking a fight with its paymaster.

10th April, 2013

Although still chilly, warmer weather is on the way. The bushes and trees in the garden around us are bursting their buds energetically. The flowering cherry right outside our apartment is just starting to flower – pink blush moving to crimson.

We have a very busy day out tomorrow so we are trying to get home jobs done today. I phoned Derbyshire Records Office for the third time in a month to enquire about my research request. They assured me it was sent to the LA’s postal service for second class post on March 27th. It is rather slow, they said. It still hasn’t arrived after almost two weeks and I am starting to get a little irritated. Calm Down Dear!

11th April, 2013

A very busy day. We were at the Walk-in Hospital for my INR at 7.00 am this morning. First test for six weeks. Home for coffee. We have an appointment at Santander to purchase 2013/14 ISAs. They phoned yesterday to confirm our meeting and to ask if we would like to switch to their  Current Account. I thought it was just a courtesy call but, this morning, I checked the Santander site to find that they had pulled their 2.8% ISA offer (fixed for 2 yrs.) unless one switches Current Accounts to them. Now I realise why they phoned.

After coffee, we drive into town. Pauline goes to have her haircut at Headmasters while I visit Santander to cancel our meeting. They weren’t surprised although the still tried to sell me their Current Account deal. I went on to Halifax and we bought their 3 yr fix at 3%. The maximum this year is £5760.00 per person which is what we did. We feel quite pleased with our self discipline. We each now have five full cash ISAs although the rate is gradually coming down. Two each with a year to run at 4%. Two each with a year to run at 3.7% and now one each with three years to run at 3%. Given that it looks like interest rates are going to remain low for the rest of this parliament, that seems quite a pleasing result.

Pauline checks everything. Every time we leave a house, she is scanning for slipped tiles, broken down pipes, flaking paint. As we approach or leave the car, she is scanning it, checking for damamage and defects. She can be a nightmare. It can get me down. I am intrinsically an optimistic person who looks for the best. I suppose that is why she balances me out perfectly. She is a Libran and I am an Aries. Astrologists say we complement each other perfectly. (What am I talking about?) Today, as we walked back to the car in the multi-storey car park, Pauline, scanning as she approaches the car, spots a nail in the tyre. When we bend down to look closer, it becomes obvious that some kind person had taken it upon themselves to attempt to push a large, thick screw in to the tread of our virtually new tyre at an angle that meant it would totally destroy our tyre in the first revolution of the wheel as we reversed out of our space. I pulled the screw out. The tyre didn’t deflate but we drove the half mile to KwikFit to have it checked. Fortunately, there was no serious damage.

12th April, 2013

Heard from Derbyshire Records Office this morning but, after all this time waiting, the information was disappointing. The girl doing the research reports consulting the Hospital Indexes for our Grandmother, Mabel, and finding the relevant references only to look them up and discover the pages missing. The research cost me £21.00 – not a lot, I know, but all I got was confirmation that she was there and the dates. I also got a couple of tentatively interesting snippets. It looks as if she was referred to with a Reception Order in March 25th, 1930 and then again with a Reception Order in October 15th, 1932. It is not clear but it looks like she had an intial admission and then a Final Admission. What happened in between, is not clear. It confirms she died there on January 2nd, 1962.

13th April, 2013

Lovely warm morning. One can smell the Summer coming. Going out for a walk in the local area today and, this evening, going over to see Mandy and the boys.

I am having terrible trouble with my Hub. Its operation is so intermittent, particularly with wireless, that it is going to have to be repaired or replaced. I’m told it might take a week so please bear with me. I will record my Blog off-line and upload it as soon as I can. See you on the other side.

31st March, 2013

I must apologise to regular readers. It is either Alzheimer’s or lack of alcohol but my dates – even years – have been out for a week. My proof reader only spotted the errors yesterday. I will try harder!

There is a joke doing the round of Berlin bars:

St Peter decides he wants a new coat of whitewash on the Pearly Gates. He asks an Albanian for a quote. The man says,  €600: €300 for the materials and €300 for my labour.

He gets a second quote from a German who says, €900: €300 for the materials, €300 for my labour, and €300 for the tax I have to pay on it.

He then asks a Greek who says, €3,000.
Why so much?, St Peter asks in horror.
The Greek replies, Listen, pal, there’s €1,000 for you, €1,000 for me, €300 for the materials, €300 to get the Germans to look the other way, and €400 to hire an Albanian to do the work.

The Sunday Times ran this cartoon today:

1st April, 2013

Happy April to you all. To Greek friends we say, Kalo Mina. We expect sun and blue skies today and are going out for a walk before the big match. It makes a change not to spend an April Fools’ Day walking round the school corridors as every other small child says, Sir, Sir, your shoelaces are undone. Children of today, they have no imagination!

Pauline & I have now done three calendar months without any alcohol or main carbohydrate like bread, potatoes, pasta, or rice. Today we will celebrate with a glass of red wine with our meal. This, in itself will be a break through. For the past forty years, we invariably drank a bottle of wine with our evening meal and, sometimes, with our mid day meal as well. Our meal today will still not include carbohydrates. It will be lamb and vegetables. I have the wine reaching room temperature as I write.

The lamb was wonderful. I would tell you about the wine but I still can’t feel my fingers.

2nd April, 2013

Wonderful blue skies and strong sun this morning but bitterly cold 4C/39F. Pauline went to feed our neighbour’s cat while she is away for a couple of days. The cat is huge and hairy and called Minnie. I call it Maxi but it snarls at me. Out fairly early in to Woking town centre so that Pauline can buy a few essentials. We then drove to a nearby ASDA and bought enough bananas to keep a monkey quiet for six months. They are our snack of choice at the moment.

By the time we had got home, the post had been and Pauline’s new tax code had arrived to take in to account her State Pension but not taking in to account the new tax limits. It is such an expensive methodology. We should all register our emails with Government offices. We’ve been doing that for years with the Bank, the Power Companies, the Water Company, the Local Authority for our Council Tax, the Teachers Pension Agency, the DVLA, etc.. It is no big deal and would save so much time and money.

3rd April, 2013

Really cold day – 3C/37F. We are told that warmer (but wetter) is on the way. My wife is allowed off the leash. She is going shopping with her sister to M&S. She says it could take two or three hours. Can you imagine it? Three hours in a shop? I’d rather have my fingernails pulled out one by one.

Exactly four years ago today, Pauline & I retired. Two years ago we downsized to a duplex apartment. We set ourselves five years here and then we would move on. We have already decided that a two bedroom is not big enough and we prefer a detached house to apartment living. In addition, Pauline has always had a hankering to live by the sea. We are not in a rush to do anything but we have decided that our next move – within the next three years – will be down to the south coast. We will buy a new-build, three or four bedroom house on the Sussex coast. We want to explore areas around Hastings.

Wonderful meal of steak and mushrooms with asparagus. Delicious and very filling.

4th April, 2013

Summer time and the weather is freezing. We arrived in Tesco car park for the weekly shop and were greeted by a blizzard of snow and biting wind. The temperature showed 1C/34F but the wind chill made it -4C/25F. We walked very briskly from the car and I chanted Best Foot Forward, Plan of Campaign, Sucky Sweet, Chilly Pom Pom! None of this will mean much to anyone who is not a member of my family and didn’t grow up with my Mother. It was the lingua franca of her adolescence or war time slang. Whenever she used one of these terms, we would look at each other in vague disbelief. It used to really wind me up just as she could never send for the Doctor – it was always the Doc. – It was never possible to drive a Mercedes of Jaguar car – it was always a Merc. or a Jag. – and I’m sure there were many more like this which I’ve forgotten.

Apparently, March has been the coldest on record bar that of 1962. I think I remember that winter. I went to Grammar School for the first time in 1962 and it was the year before we had central heating installed in our house. Bob, my brother, and I shared a bedroom and woke one morning to find ice on the inside of the windows. We were tough in those days, you know. The blizzards have gone on throughout the day – in Surrey in April. What am I doing here?

Pauline managed to rack up another two hours in M&S today bringing her total there for the week to around five hours. She was being measured for a bra. Fifty years of wearing bras and she finally gets measured. If I have my waist measured, it takes two minutes (and two tape measures). Pauline was the best part of an hour in the fitting room. I began to believe that she was having breast reconstruction surgery rather than being measured for a bra.

To placate me for waiting and buying two bras, she bought me a new Man-Bag for my birthday on Saturday. It replaces one I bought fifteen years ago in Athens which is beginning to show its age. It will carry my iPad, mobile, cheque cards, reading glasses, spare glasses, keys, etc..

5th April, 2013

Still unbearably cold and dark – 3C/37F. However, it is my last day ever being 61 so I am determined to enjoy it. I might have a banana. The Times reports today that scientists say we should eat more bananas to reduce our risk of stroke. Something to do with the potassium although I’ve never been much of a scientist myself. They did think potassium damaged the kidney function but that idea has now been scotched. As Pauline & I get through enough bananas each week to keep a tribe of monkeys happy, we feel totally immune from all strokes. We eat so many bananas, we are becoming experts on types of the fruit, their origins and importers. We completely rejected Dole and found that Fyffe’s Fair Trade were infinitely superior in flavour and, this morning, I found the table below which seems to confirm our refined senses of taste. I’m not surprised. I did The Great British class calculator and found we were in the Elite Group which is a total nonsense but, secretly, I’m not surprised. I always knew we were a cut above the rest and, with bananas, we’ll live for ever as well.

Guess where I took Pauline this afternoon – yes, M&S. She desperately needed a new pair of trousers. I stayed in the car, reading my iPad. Fortunately, she wasn’t more than half an hour but, unfortunately, she likes the trousers so much that she’s ordered another pair to be picked up on Monday. I’ve got M&S on speed dial for my sat.nav. now. It’s second only to Home.

6th April, 2013

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday old bugger………….

I have reached an age I never thought I would and I am grateful. I owe it almost entirely to my wonderful wife, Pauline, who has put up with my bizarre idiosyncrasies for 35 years, humouring me with calm and patience. How she has managed it, I will never know but I owe my life to her. We have stopped buying eacher other cards or presents. A joint bank account since our marriage has rather obviated those. There’s nothing worse than handing over the present followed by the receipt.

I received some lovely cards from others and most notably from my wonderful sister, Ruth, who I know I can always rely on. She sent this:

I also had a considerable number of electronic wishes including from ex-pupils, teaching colleagues and students from my old College. The latter, of course, understand what I am experiencing because we are all of a similar age.

Glorious, warm, sunny day today. We are going out for a walk to get the blood pumping.

24th March, 2013

Strange, dark day with very light and wet snow flurries. Nothing settled but only a few miles away we are told things were very different and, in Yorkshire, one young man died last night. The newspapers tonight are reporting record low temperatures of -15C/5F to be reached by Easter. The trans-Pennine M62 was closed last night and this is Northumbria:

25th March, 2013

Light but ineffective snow again this morning. Busy day – Diabetic Review, Visit Santander to discuss April’s ISA, Swimming at the Health Club, Prepare for Residents Management Committee Meeting.

There was something quite wretched about seeing the Greek Cypriots marching to celebrate Greek Independence Day on a day when the palpably were not independent. They were mortgaged to the hilt to the Germans. I have a horrible feeling that this kernel of Euro failure may grow to destroy the whole Euro plan as bank accounts plundered freely by politicians pull the rug from depositors confidence across the whole Union.

The weather was fine but the financial and political climate was definitely not.

26th March, 2013

A grey day. We had a pre-management meeting prior to this evening’s Housing Development Meeting. Pauline & I have done a lot of work for the residents but will not be at the evening meeting so we briefed our neighbour, Vicky. The electric gates at the entrance are an issue and it needs urgently addressing. External lighting needs reviewing. We should be considering appointing a new Management Company.

Just received the Minutes of the Management Meeting and all our hard work has paid off. The representatives siezed the day and brought the Management Company to see our requirements. Our Service Charge payments will be used as we intend them. I’m pleased that Pauline & I took control and drove the Agenda.

27th March, 2013

Finally got the date right. Sorry about that. I’ve been a bit preoccupied with other things this week. It’s been a really good day.

One of the things about leaving employment and embracing retirement has been the lack of ‘targets to achieve’. Every day in Education there was something to achieve. In the early days it was learning to cope with a difficult class in a large inner city school. Climbing the slippery pole of career was always there. In later life it may have been managing a difficult meeting or cajoling funding out of somebody but there was always something to aim for.

Retirement means setting your own targets. I have done that in a number of ways by setting writing projects to complete, financial targets to achieve, health targets to work towards. I am someone who needs to think as he gets up in the morning, What am I going to get through today? I need to have an aim. Pauline & I have a To Do List and today felt really satisfied by reducing it.

• The Development we live on had some items to be addressed. We were able to lay that to rest today.
• My contribution to the Family History research has left me using Derbyshire Records Office to find information about Mabel Lilian Sanders née Flook, the Grandmother non of us ever met because she was taken in to the Pastures Hospital in Mickleover in 1930 never to be seen again although she didn’t die until 1962. I phoned the Records Office again today and they assured me I would receive papers next week.
• Fixed an appointment in early April to open two new ISAs and switched the money – £11520.00 which is the maximum for 2013/14 – electronically from a savings account ready for that. We will now have each invested our maximum ISA each year for five years.
• Spoke to our mobile phone provider – EE (T-Mobile+Orange) about our tariff and adjusted it to make it more useful. Excellent Company who gave exactly what I wanted even though I had to phone India and speak to someone who spoke only broken English.
• Did our 30 lengths swimming and got home feeling good if a little tired.

We are down, now, to one meal a day and, even then, as soon as we start to eat we are full. We had freshly squeezed orange juice and tea for breakfast. Just before we went swimming, we had a banana and a couple of dried figs. For Dinner, we had Duck Breast with a red currant sauce and some pea shoot salad. It was wonderful. On Monday, we will have done three calendar months of our new regime and we will celebrate with a glass of wine.

28th March, 2013

A bitterly cold day:  4C/39F (Feels -4/25F). Today is Tesco day. We had some phone calls to deal with before we go out. Taylor Wimpey representatives phone to find out whether we are happy. We have been making quite a few waves recently but it has paid off. Now, they phone us rather than the other way round.

When we got to Tesco, at about 10.00 am, it was packed. The huge car park had virtually no spaces left. I thought I had got it wrong and it was Christmas Eve. There was a time when one went to a supermarket to buy things. In exchange for groceries, one paid money. Nowadays, the supermarkets pay us to shop there. We continually have money off vouchers posted to us through the mail, by email, etc. Then there are the in store offers – spend £40.00 and get £5.00 off, two bundles of asparagus for the price of one – and the comparison promises – We will refund the difference with other supermarkets. We spent just £65.00 today and paid only £48.00 – a 26% saving. Soon it will be free.

Our meal today was smoked salmon, prawns lightly dressed with garlic mayonaise and Waldorf salad. On Monday, I shall have a glass of claret.

Happy Birthday to sister, Mary Jane.  59 years old today.

29th March, 2013

A beautiful morning. Delightful, strong sun. Everyone here from the thrusting, striving, achieving community are still in bed. No walking urgently down to Woking station for the 6.30 am commuter train to the City.They feel they have earned a holiday. Pauline & I are up with the larks as usual having earned nothing but enjoying everything.

Pauline is making Lemon Marmalade. I love it but when will we eat it. We’ve given up bread. Actually, Monday will be three calendar months without carbohydrates. Might celebrate with a piece of toast.

I had a lovely suit made about 10 years ago now. Cost me about £350.00. By the time I was ready to wear it, I had piled weight on and it was already uncomfortable. I had to have another made immediately. I never slimmed in to the initial suit. My aim is to get in to it in the Autumn when we go on holiday. I will report my success or failure honestly.

30th March, 2013

Clocks go forward tonight (well 1.00 am tomorrow actually but who is going to stay up for that?) although it really doesn’t matter any more. I remember when we were working that clocks forward meant an hour less in bed and clocks back meant more sleep. In retirement, who cares? You can’t waste your time in bed. There’s too much living to do!

We used to spend the first hour of the Summer time adjusting all our clocks. Not now. They all adjust themselves with the exception of the oven and our watches. Time has moved on.

Ruth has just phoned to tell me that Liz has fallen at work and badly broken her wrist. Today she is having an operation under general anaesthetic to repair the damage. We wish her luck.