Hunting and seeking

Hunting and seeking

Yesterday when we woke we just knew it was going to be a very hot day. Sure enough the temperature was already 36'C. When I went to say good morning to Freddy he was in the middle of the pool, under a cluster of bougainvillea petals; the pink crown did make him look rather stupid, but I didn't tell him that! We assumed that it was because his plank was in full sun and his morning stone was now high and dry. We resolved to put down another plank in the corner of the pool nearest the house which is in shade all day.

When we set off to go somewhere, I usually walk on down the road whilst Waldo gets the car out from under the bamboo sun porch. By the time Waldo has found his keys, gone back for his glasses, started the car and remembered something else that he has to go back for, and then goes back again because he put his glasses down somewhere in the house, and eventually starts to drive down the road I have usually got to the end of the cement. Yesterday I had already stood in the shade of a tree for some time and then walked on, beyond the cement to the rough track and was just negotiating the second 'S' bend when he arrived. He was closely followed by another car. I recognised the long arm waving out from the car, it was our nearest neighbour, a 6ft 2" tall woman who now lives in the house built by Koksma whom our road is named after. In fact she is his niece. After some discussion about the state of the road and promises to visit I get out of the sun and into the welcome airconditioning of our little Roomster. The outside temperature gauge on the car registered 44'C; as it was still just midday we knew it was going to be a hot afternoon.

Our first port of call was the post office. I had sold three DVDs on Amazon and had to post them. Thankfully we discovered, that contrary to previous information, we were able to pay our NOVA bill there and so, a week later than scheduled we did so. Waldo and I were still laughing from his final attempt to pay via the telephone. Just before we came out he decided to have one last go. He dialled the number, waited the usual 15 minutes before it was answered. Then he was transferred to the correct department and waited another 30 minutes. Eventually someone answered, in English, and he explained what he wanted. Instead of being cut off at the sound of English being spoken the person asked for details and was just about to be given them when we have one of our daily electricity 'blips'. These occur on a regular basis and only last seconds, but they are enough to render useless any timing device I might have set on the cooker or bread maker, interrupt the washing machine cycle, cause the computers to have to reboot, change the TV programme to neutral, cut off the Internet and because we have the telephone routed through an answer machine, to cut off the telephone. These happen with such regularity that we have long since learnt to laugh at them. Mind you, I has waiting for Waldo's war dance to be performed this time, but fortunately he saw the funny side of it too and determined that we were destined not to pay the NOVA bill by telephone.

After the post office our next challenge was meeting the mayor and the handsome Michaelis at the municipal offices in the big village. The big old building which houses an excellent taverna in the basement, the bank on the ground floor and offices above is always cool. As soon as one enters into the hall and starts to climb the marble stairs, a sense of calm pervades. This of course only lasts until we meet the inhabitants of the place! We are told that the mayor is not in Potamos today, he is in Chora (the capital of the island some 30 miles away). No, he is not scheduled to be here. Maybe Michaelis is with him. And eventually we persuade the woman in the office to telephone the mayor. To her total surprise he asks to speak with Waldo directly.

The saga of the road continues. The mayor is shocked that we are still seeking him out, for his understanding was that the road had been done last week. In anger, he telephones first one contractor and then Michaelis. After long and heated overhead conversations, the major comes back to Waldo and tells him, with certainty, the road will be done later in the day, or today.

We thank the people in the office and bid a hasty retreat to the bar on the square. I order my favourite freshly squeezed orange juice served over crushed ice. Waldo insists on an ouzo. He has been working up to this for so many weeks now, and this time it seems certain that the road is to be done; he is shaking. Our neighbour and her friend join us and we bring them up to date with the news. They move on and we linger, revisiting our morning's discussions and moving on to the problems of Greece, the attitude of the Greek people and politics. It is an unsolvable issue and eventually we realise that we must move on before the supermarket shuts. By the time we return home we are exhausted; the temperature is now up to 47'C. We go to bed and fall asleep the minute of heads hit the pillow.

By 6pm it is cooler. We get up and enjoy a cold coffee on the patio. Waldo is revived and we decide to go down the road to see if anything has happened. Before we get to the end of our drive, our neighbour is coming up the road and tell us nothing has happened. 'Hope springs eternal ....'. Waldo does 2 hours work on his own Bobcat whilst I pick the last of our pears and start to make pear and rose geranium leaf jelly; a fragrantly flavoured jelly which goes well with ice cream, scones or toast.

Immediately I opened my eyes this morning I knew that it was not going to be as hot as yesterday. Today we have a good breeze; through the bedroom patio doors I can see the silver green olive branches, hot pink bougainvillea, deep red china rose and star speckled white jasmine waving as Aeolus, the ruler of the winds in Greek mythology, dictates. I am up before Waldo and get on with the routine of open the kitchen door,s boiling the kettle and generally pottering to get breakfast. I open the large metal door that leads to the back yard where Waldo's workshop is to the right and the pool to the left. As I bend to fasten the bolt which holds the door open I am aware of something fairly near. As I straighten and look, the huge male Eleonora's falcon spreads its wings and takes off from the nearby pool railing. I am shocked that it has come so near the house, actually under the cement awning of the yard. It had its eyes fixed on the pool, looking for Freddy no doubt. The bird rises majestically in the sky, circles, hovers, fixes a malevolent eye on me, squawks and then disdainfully turns from me and gives its attention to the rest of it's ornithological family. There are six falcons today gliding on the thermal currents of the valley. This one is the biggest with about a 3.5ft wing span. These are beautiful birds but this one annoys Waldo by sitting on the top of our cypress trees. It has already broken the lead growing branch of the smaller tree and it's acidic excrement has killed some smaller branches just below the top. Now that it cannot land on the dying branch it has moved to the next cypress tree where it's weight has already bent the lead growing branch.

Freddy is nowhere to be seen. No doubt he is still alive for the bird would not be still hunting and seeking around the pool. Hopefully Freddy has taken a dive and will stay there for some time. Once more I remind Waldo to fix up another plank for Freddy, in the corner where the big bird would find it difficult to approach.

Our smaller, associated island Antikythera has the third largest breeding colony of Eleonora Falcons in Europe. Whilst they obviously enjoy the peace and quiet of this small island, where just 32 people live it is clear that some have spread to Kythera. As 'our' valley is undisturbed in the sense that it only shows signs of human life just a few weeks before Easter when the lambs are gathered to meet their fate - a 3 man job on one day - and in November for a week or so during the olive harvest they seem comfortable here. Thus I guess the birds cope with that for both pairs now have adult offspring. We derive a great pleasure from watching these magnificent birds glide, play and hunt, but, they must stay away from Freddy - and Waldo's cypress trees!

I finish making my pear and geranium leaf jelly which has strained through a muslin bag overnight. Waldo has made an excellent framework from which to hang my jelly bags; it is much better than an old upturned chair which I used to use. Because of the bees, flies, wasps and other insects which are attracted by the smell of fruit, sugar and all things sweet we have also designed and Waldo has built an outer framework, the sides of which are made of fine mosquito netting, thus ensuring that no unwanted insects taste my dripping jellies.

Another neighbour of ours, two houses further up the hill, called in last night to invite us to his wife's birthday party tonight. Although she has declared 'no presents' we decide to take a trip to the village to buy a little something for her. Present buying is so easy in Greece, for every shop will ask if the goods are a present and if so, free of charge, they will wrap them beautifully and place some bow or ribbons to adorn the finished package. We also want to check to see whether anyone has turned up to do the road. We are just finishing work on our computers and almost ready to leave when the 'phone rings.

It is Louli, the good Albanian builder, who was coming to do the extension to our back driveway a week last Monday! We have since found out that he has returned to Athens. But, he tells me that he is back on Kythera and will be with us in one hour! My thoughts of a leisurely trip down the village to do buy a gift and do some other shopping, coupled with a leisurely drink at Mitsos' beachside bar, are dashed. We rush down to the village. Summer is now in full swing. Greek school holidays have begin and so all tourist related businesses and most supermarkets stay open all day now. I buy a plate which we hope Deineke will like, call in with George and get our never ending supply of drinks, milk and general stores. Louli passes Waldo in the street and is told to carry on up the mountain. We forgo our drink with Mitsos and dash up our untouched road; no sign of a machine! We wonder whether 'today or tomorrow' is not actually a literal translation from Greek. Maybe it is like a Welsh 'couple' whereby a 'couple of friends' or a 'couple of drinks' could actually mean 3, 4 or even 5. It really means 'few' rather than the pedantic 'two'.

Louli and a friend have already unloaded a cement mixer half way down our back driveway. We are all hot and bothered, ready to forgo our afternoon siesta. But after all the rush, Louli tells us he is not staying. They will turn up at 7am tomorrow! That will be just great after the party tonight! But, as Waldo said, what does it matter when we have all the time in the world to catch up on our sleep. And when it comes to only having to worry about whether or not Eleanor will catch Freddy, we really live a charmed life in the great scheme of things.