A Few Familiar Birds.

We had a cloudy start to the day but thankfully it stayed dry and fairly warm right up until I was cycling home from the zoo in the lightest of mizzle which has now become steady rain.

It took me nearly fours hours to weed and remove all the fallen leaves from the gravel by the wolf-dogs but I got it done. Most of my earlier plantings have survived and I added more ground cover sedums (green and red). Some of the pheasant grass that I put in are not looking too good so I may replace them with the ones I left to grow in my vegetable plots.

The large play area (photo from 2021) has now been roped off after an unfortunate incident. Despite the signs saying the equipment is for children under 10 years old an exceedingly overweight adult refused to come off and and went on to jump up and down on the bridge. The next day one of the wooden slats was reported as broken. And now it cannot be used by anyone.

Back to sunny Crete -

You would imagine that travelling nearly 2,000 miles that there would be some exotic birds to be seen. But this was not the case. 

Every evening a large flock of sparrows would come to roost in a pine tree next to our building.

Along with the sparrows' chattering we would hear the collared doves. We also saw blackbirds and heard wood pigeons.

On one of my walks through the olive groves I spotted a wheatear (or something very similar). I now know that wheatears are migratory and spend their winters in Africa.

Then while out early one morning to catch the sunrise I came across a kingfisher fishing in the sea. 

Even the gulls were the same herring gulls though Plaka only seemed to have one gull. Maybe the fishing boats took their catches into Elounda and the rest of the gulls were there.

Contented Animals.

I've had another busy day. A bit of a shock to the system after three weeks of relaxing but I guess that's what day to day life is about.

The car battery was delivered in the morning. I thought it would be a good opportunity for Pete to supervise me fitting the battery so I know how to do it correctly. I often had to change the landrover's battery and great heavy things they were too but that was quite a while ago. This car has a tiny battery in comparison  and it didn't take too long to do. 

Most of my day has been spent trimming hedges with a combination of secateurs, long loppers and the electric hedge trimmer. Hard work but now the bottom hedge and the hedge by the terrace have been done. I also got the escallonia hedge into shape including from the neighbours' side. All that is left are the long shoots poking out of the top of the hedge by the street. Then I can get back to tidying up inside the garden.

The last job of the day was ironing the washing which had been out on the line. 

I had half expected to come across skinny stray cats on Crete tugging at my heartstrings and had wondered if the ready supplies of pet food available in every little supermarket were to cater for tourists wanting to feed up stray animals but this was never the case. 

I only saw four cats in Plaka who were obviously well fed, maybe from the many restaurant kitchens as they weren't even patrolling the dining tables in hope of scraps. Two lived by the waterfront restaurants and shops and two near the beachfront bistros. 

On my last afternoon on the beach I spotted one strolling along the shingle. I called him over (I'm a cat whisperer you know) and he obliged by plonking himself down by my sunbed. This Speedy look-a-like stayed and was happy to be stroked which of course made me happy.

Not many dogs to be seen either, just the occasional dog tied up by livestock or in a yard and a few on leads in Plaka. Up in a mountain village a couple of happy dogs were mooching around checking out the cars driving through the sleepy village.

All the livestock I came across looked to be well cared for with ample feed and water, from the goat that lived in the car park next to our apartment to the sheep and goats in the olive groves.

One notable feature was how stony the fields were. For millennia Crete had been a major wheat growing centre but 70 years ago the rise of cheap overseas wheat (and maybe the difficulty of using machines through the stones) led to the wheat fields being turned over to olive trees. Which is why there are few very old olive trees in Crete.

When I first saw this group of milking sheep I assumed the one on the left was a ewe with a lamb but on closer inspection I'm thinking some sort of goat.

Talking of goats, I came across this group of goats (and a sheep) in a field close to the village.

This black goat was enormous! The one next to him was a normal sized goat but he was the about the size of a small donkey. 

My first thought that they were Nubian goats but I wonder if he was a Beetal goat (an Indian breed). With no references of Beetal goats in Crete maybe he was just a super-sized Nubian. He certainly wouldn't win any prizes in  beauty contest but was friendly enough. Hopefully his impressive size will ensure a life as a breeding goat rather than ending up on the dinner table.

I saw a one lizard, or possibly a snake, sunning itself on a rock when I went for my early morning walk. But when I used the camera to check that it wasn't a stick it had gone. There are only four species of snake on Crete. Three are non-venomous and the fourth has weak venom with fangs that are set too far back for it to be able to bite a human.

Country Walks.

It's been another sunny day here in Wales. I was lucky enough to get a lift to our usual Sunday afternoon walk with a couple who live close by so have spent the afternoon telling everyone all about our holiday. 

Today's walk was through a wooded valley starting at Glaspwll. We ended by visiting the bee research station where I was able to stock up on various local honeys for Christmas presents.

But now more holiday stuff-

Despite spending most days on the beach (and very nice that was too) I still took myself off for walks around the village. 

A lane running off the through road very quickly led me into undeveloped countryside. Just what I had been looking for.

The concrete road turned sharply to the left (just past the cars) and up the hill to more villas overlooking the sea. I went that way once but the road came to a dead end by the villas. 

Instead I carried on what was now a stony track past olives groves until it reached an unfinished property by the main road.

We wondered about the many unfinished homes that we saw all over the place. Later I found an informative article online that explained this phenomenon. Firstly it is an ambition of most Greek people to build their own property. Next, if you start building on a piece of land it is more difficult for others to contest ownership of the land. Often building begins before official permission is given (Greek bureaucracy is convoluted beyond belief) and if permission isn't eventually given the structure is abandoned. It is also common practice to start building with whatever funding you have and to complete at a later date. It may take up to 10 years to complete a house and you don't pay tax until the building is done. 

Then of course there was the financial crash in 2008 when the EU called in all the loans they had encouraged the Greek govt to take for major infrastructure projects, roads, tunnels bridges etc. Most people had thought they were grants but no they needed to be repaid. The economy crashed, many people lost their jobs and couldn't pay the mortgages on their building projects. And no one could afford to buy the unfinished projects from the banks.

I never did find the track leading off the main road that would have given me a circular route.

Instead I would turn and walk back downhill towards the village accompanied by the sound of the cicadas in the trees.

Similar ..... Or Maybe Not?

Here in Wales I woke to a silver sky above a pewter coloured sea. A sure sign that rain is on its way. I spent most of the day working in the garden filling sack after sack with hedge trimmings and old flower stems.

And now for more holiday snaps-

Something that struck me while I was there was how many things were similar to home but with enough differences to make the holiday fascinating and enjoyable. 

To start with was the location. Plaka is a coastal village with an economy based on tourism. As is Borth. But while in Borth the tourists camp, stay in chalets (mobile homes) in the holiday parks or to a lesser extent in air B&B accommodation in Plaka people stay in apartments ranging from basic (that was us) to vast luxury developments with separate swimming pools or on the waters edge. Both villages are surrounded by mountains but the ones behand Borth are a lot smaller (and greener).

Both villages have a shingle beach that becomes sandy further out but the sea felt and looked very different. The Cretan waters were warm and clear while the Welsh waters are cold and murky. (Not selling Wales am I ?)

Wind is also a feature of both places. Here in Borth storms create waves that delight adventurous surfers while in Plaka the light sea breeze could suddenly pick up causing cats' paws (Pete tells me this is the official term) to dance across the surface and then whole areas of spray swirling around out at sea. At times the wind gusts would be so strong they could almost blow you off your feet.

Both villages started off as fishing villages but while in Borth there is no commercial fishing at all and fishing from a variety of boats and SUPs is popular in Plaka there are still a few fishing boats which tend to go out at night. There are more tourist boats that offer excursions or take the many visitors across to Spinalonga island.

Both villages consist of a single through road with a few side streets and not much in the way of pavement (sidewalk) on either side. Sorry, I didn't take a better picture of the road which was prettier nearer the centre of the village. This one was mainly to show the bus that went to Elounda and beyond. As in Borth the bus goes to the end of the road, turns and heads back to the town and does this every two hours. I don't know what the bus fare here is as we have our free bus passes but the fare to Elounda on the luxury coach was 2E / £1.80 and £2 to the nearby city of Agios Nikolaos.

Something that was very different was the number and quality of the gift/ souvenir shops. These ones lined a path down to the waterfront restaurants and were filled with tasteful glass, ceramics and jewellery aimed at the big spenders going for a special night out. So many shades of blue that fit right in with our décor. In Borth the few gift shops are few and spread out. 

My choice of souvenir was one of the blue glass 'Eye of Plaka' to add to my collection of cobalt glass items in my study. (Our apartment building can be seen on the other side of the car park.0

And of course there were the warm evenings perfect for evening dining or strolling. Most evenings we walked across the road to sit and watch the lights turn on to light up the buildings on Spinalonga. I can't imagine anyone going for an evening stroll along Borth High St though some people come up on the cliff to watch the sunset.

Crystal Clear Seas.

The weather has continued to be kind to us here in Wales with another sunny day. Clouds began to gather this afternoon and there are rumours of rain tomorrow.

While Pete was looking after the RNLI shop I got the rest of the holiday washing done (and dried) and the cases put away in the loft. 

An urgent task was to locate the source of the source of the smell in the fridge. I have a hyper acute sense of smell, at least for some things and when it comes to mould I'm like a sniffer dog. It wasn't long before I found the offending item, a tub of soft cheese that was well past its best. Once I'd thrown that out I took the opportunity to give the fridge a thorough clean. There's not much in it at the moment anyway, mainly empty clear plastic fridge organiser drawers/trays. Once the new car battery arrives I can do a big shop at the supermarket.

The next thing was to bring the succulents, trailing geraniums and osteospermum into the porch. It was hard to fit them all in until I remembered a small folding table in the garage that was perfect to put some of the plants on.

I finished off my day by cutting things back in the front garden. I filled three sacks before calling it a day.

And now for some holiday snaps. Yes the sea really was this colour and crystal clear except on the windiest days. 

 

This is the beach at Plaka where we spent a lot of time simply relaxing. Pete had a minor arthritis flare up in the first week with his hand becoming swollen and red. It could have become much worse but with rest and medication the flare up eased off by the second week. 

We both appreciated being able to relax without the pressure of any of our regular commitments and routines. In fact half way through our stay Pete had already made provisional arrangements for a return visit next year.

Having expected temperatures in the twenties it was a bit of a surprise to actually be in the low thirties which could be enervating at times. Fortunately there was always a breeze at the beach though sometimes it developed into the fierce meltemi winds with gale force gusts channelled by the neighbouring mountains. You could be sat on the beach wondering if the sun beds or parasols were about to start blowing around (it happened once) but the minute you walked along the sheltered road it was scorching hot again.

I did some walking in the countryside as well.

Another thing we hadn't been expecting was the high cost of food. Being a resort you expect prices to be a bit higher but even in the nearby city of Agios Nikolaos it wasn't much better. Everything was at least 50% more expensive than in the UK apart from the fruit and veg in the weekly markets which were a bit cheaper. The local shop had an excellent range of food including rye bread and gherkins (for the Russian tourists) but the prices were about the same as in M&S in Birmingham airport. Cheese was three times the price as in the UK and meat/ smoked sausages at least twice or more. 

We had hoped to eat in local tavernas with reasonable prices but in the end we only ate out twice. Once was in a village taverna up in the mountains. A light lunch of a plate of dolmades (stuffed vine leaves) and another with half an aubergine with moussaka filling, one beer and a water came to £20. Our other meal was lunch in the taverna attached to our apartment (it wasn't open in the evenings). We had dolmades again, moussaka and a similar type of meat and vegetables in a cheese sauce on pasta which together with one beer which after residents' discount came to £25. The many waterfront restaurants in the village were much more expensive. Looking at the displayed menus you could easily spend £50- £80 a head on a meal. They were catering for people with far more money than us. 

But we didn't mind too much and I cooked up simple but tasty meals on the two ring hob in our kitchen. It's surprising what you can do with a frying pan and one saucepan. I made porridge for breakfast every day which served with apple, peach and plums made for a good start to the day.

Once I'd decided that £3 a scoop for ice-cream wasn't for me I put it out of my mind and enjoyed fresh fruit instead supplemented by local treats from the supermarket instead. My go to was the halva which I haven't seen here even where Lidl have their Greek food promotion. There were a number of flavours in fancy boxes but the best value were large shrink wrapped blocks. Two of the chocolate variety came home in my luggage. 

Loukoumi - (Turkish) delight came in many flavours including canabis flavour? but was always in fancy boxes. I tried a box of mixed fruit flavours which was okay but nothing special. 

Plenty of baklava in the shops but again in fancy boxes. I bought one to try and in a 12" long box were three 1" long individually wrapped pieces. A great disappointment. The bakery in the nearby town was terribly expensive though the substantial piece of baklava costing £4 was really good. 

If on our next visit we hire a car we at least would be able to go to the Lidl supermarket outside of the city where the prices much lower.

One last food related item - it was noticeable that even when the beach was full very few people ate on the beach. You could scan a QR code and order food and drinks from the beach club/ bistro at one end of the beach but it mainly seemed to be the occasional tourist doing so. Of course most people including us had water with them, only sensible when it was so hot.

Home Again.

As you have probably guessed we've been away on holiday. Three whole weeks in a very sunny Crete. 

I may be be overly cautious but I don't like to post the fact that we are going away even though the planning took many weeks. I have visions of bots programmed to pick up any mention of holidays and sell the information to some criminal network who are going to come a raid our modest home. As we live in a coastal village where at least half the homes are empty for a good part of the year I don't really think it would have been the case but it doesn't hurt to be careful.

This is only going to be the briefest of posts as I'm running on fumes at the moment. We left our apartment at 5.30 yesterday evening (BST) and didn't get home until 10.00 this morning. It's a long journey (taxi, airport bus, plane, another airport bus, airport monorail and three trains) made longer by having to wait for over three hours in Birmingham for the first train to Borth. We dozed for a few hours on the plane which wasn't much and then when we got home we had our Welsh Zoom class which is three hours long this year.

Both our PCs played up at the start of class as they didn't like being unused for so long and then when Peter went to check on the car that also wouldn't start. The battery is completely flat.  The car needs a jump or bump start but Peter is way too tired to do any driving tonight. I cancelled tomorrow's riding lesson so that he can sort it tomorrow after his shift in the RNLI shop.

I've unpacked, got the first load washed and dried and picked almost a washing up bowlful of tomatoes. hardly any had fallen off yet, just a few split due to the very high rainfall while we were away. All the water butts are full and my builders' muck bucket is full to the brim with rainwater.

These are some photos I took when I went for an early morning walk yesterday. I walked for nearly an hour before turning back as I knew Peter would worry and also we had planned another last beach day. 

We stayed in the village of Plaka just round the north-east corner of Crete. Plaka is opposite the island of Spinalonga and is on the right of the photo above with Elounda, a larger port, to the left.

For me I love nothing more than exploring new places, the wilder the better. Not really Peter's cup od tea.

More to follow when I'm a bit more awake.

Blogging Break.

 Nothing untoward, I'm just taking a break for a while.

Warmer.

With less wind it has felt warmer today but on the whole it has been cloudy with the occasional burst of sun.

Once again I've spent the day pottering about, a bit of gardening, a bit of housework and a bit of crocheting.

 

Out in the garden the bees and the butterflies were going from flower to flower looking for the last of the summer nectar.

I'll be off to Pilates soon and as it's the first session of the month it's kettlebells. Not my favourite even though I know it's good for bone density.

Autumnal.

There's no doubt that autumn is here. As well as the strong winds and torrential rain it felt a lot cooler. It began to brighten up as the day went on so I took a chance and put some sheets in the machine. By the time they were done the sun was out and the washing dried in no time at all. 

I pottered around in the morning doing housework then while the washing was out on the line I sat outside with some crocheting. That way if the rain returned I could make a quick dash to rescue it. I've since done the ironing and thrown the last lot of sheets in the machine hoping they will at least blow part-dry before I need to bring them in. Who knows what the weather will be like tomorrow?

With so much rain filling up the water butts I managed to fit a length of old hose pipe to the plastic fitting sticking out of the side (near the top) of the water butt to act as an overflow. I ran the hose down the raised beds along the side of the garden and drilled holes into the hose to act as a drip line into the raised beds.