31 July, 2011
So hot, so hot – 42C / 108F – activity is impossible. The only exception is in the sea where it is a little cooler. The day is spent reading the paper, listening to the Test Match and watching the Grand Prix. Well done Button.
1st August, 2011
Happy August.
I wrote last week about the Pitsos service man’s uncharacteristic efficiency. He phoned again today to quote us a price for the replacement motherboard for our oven. It will be 100.00. He has ordered it and should be available to fit it in about a week.
We went outside to clear a bit more land of weeds around the house but it was so hot – 35C/95F that one hour was all we could manage. We had a glorious hour swimming in the sea. Apart from that, I was listening to England destroying India in the Test Match. Well done Broad & Bresnan. I’ve got to wait until a week on Wednesday for the next Test. What will I do?
2nd August, 2011
Pauline’s sister, Phyllis, and her husband, Colin, are leaving today for Santorini. They are attending a wedding and it is their first time in Greece. We have been worried about them landing in a heatwave. If you can believe it, we have seen our first cloud for over two months today, the Meltemi has arrived and the temperatures have gone down by at least 3C. By coincidence, I received a text from Ruth asking about the Test Result. She is on holiday in Slovenia. Should be lovely and sunny and screaming hot but the area has been hit by an unseasonally static wet patch. How do these things happen on holidays. I believe blizzards are forecast for the Dolomites soon. Below is a picture of Sunny Scarborough.
3rd August, 2011
Because it was a little cooler, I worked so hard outside (I must have done an hour and a half) that I felt exhausted all day. We still did our full swim but little else. Well we did sit, riveted, like the Egyptian people, to see ex-Dictator and current con. man, Mubarak being arraigned in court. How low can he stoop to avoid conviction?
4th August, 2011
Decided to have a day off today. We went up to Apollonia to walk through the streets. Apollonia is the capital of Sifnos. I have not walked around it for several years. I was quite shocked to see so many unused shops and such a shortage of tourists. We are in August and it was quiet. We had a beer and a soda in a cafe, went to the Post Office to look for letters – there were none – and then went to the woodman. The woodman’s wife left us believing the work would be done soon. We gave her our email address but won’t hold our breath!
Something very strange has happened with our cats. They were very late arriving last night. They argued this morning and, tonight, they haven’t turned up at all. We rather miss them.
5th August, 2011
Cats are back and shouting for food this morning. Father is paying too much attention to Mother but she is trying hard to fend him off. I shouted at him this morning and Little Ginge seemed wide-eyed with amazement that anyone could speak to Father like that.
Must be getting fitter because we did two and a half continuous hours of hard labour outside. It was a little bit cooler but had reached 30C/88F. After a bowl of fresh fruit and a cup of coffee, we went for our swim. It was our 60th swim and the 40 minutes continuous swimming went by so quickly.
Something is happening to me. We were having roast leg of lamb with new potatoes for our meal. Pauline suggested a Rocket, Basil, Tomato and Parmesan Salad as a starter. By the time I’d finished the salad, I was full. Something is seriously going wrong.
6th August, 2011
Mother cat is definitely being stressed by Father’s attention and it is putting the family under strain. We have decided to drive Father off for a while to give Mother and kittens chance to fulfil their relationship. ………. You can see we’re getting too involved can’t you?
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