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FEBRUARY
WEATHER
.....
Very good. Some stormy days and nights but generally very
very sunny in the day. A little cold at night but often clear and
starlit. The moon is becoming a regular at last...
Current Chania
Webcam
Current Cretan Weather
Link
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And so to work - PJ lays the first stone..
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It would have been nice to
have been able to say 'lays the foundation stone', but it didn't
matter. The foundation 'brick'
was the beginning of the end - in with the sunshine, keeping
the
rain off - or so we fervently hoped. So we laid it twice...
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Astratigos Village Life.... Getting some.. VII
(Continued from July - Previous click here).
At the end the last episode...
....The
sun was just rising. Life felt so very good as we left the heaving
mêlée of the disembarking Lissos and drove out through the city Chania, along
the coast road, in the direction of Kolimbari and our final destination,
Astratigos.
Our adventure had moved on another stage, it was bathed in sunlight, surely
very good omen. Now all we had to do was to replace the demolished
front-house in one month for £10,000. A real challenge... |
The roads, and Chania
itself, were almost deserted as we headed for Kolimbari. But the early
rising sun was shining ever brighter and we were in an optimistic mood. Even
'Fred' our faithful Nissan Bluebird, seemed to be singing quietly as we
moved along through the still cool air...
Heading west it didn't take too long to reach Kolimbari, fork right via the
sea-front, pass the Gonias monastery, and begin the 900ft climb up through
Afrata and on to Astratigos. All was still quiet as we parked in the
plateia. And then my party trick, which I had planned secretly before
departure from the UK. On arrival I was going to immediately assemble my
plastic table and folding chair, take out my secreted beer and sit down in
triumph on what would be the new house and toast the world! Problems?! What
problems? We were here! Let's do it!
But my plan misfired (hadn't most things here so far). I had the table top,
but, much to the merriment of the other two, the table legs and chair were
missing! Still in the UK... We adjourned my plan. PJ - not one to get his
priorities wrong, had created a bench out of a scaffolding plank and two old
Venetian stones. Before long he had also created four legs for my plastic
table top from some shuttering boards. We had a table and a bench - hand
made originals. A camping gas 'stove' and a breakfast from supplies Pam had
the foresight to bring, and tea and butties it was. Well, Guinness at 7.30am
would have been pushing things I suppose.
The 'completed' part of the house was a disaster. The photographs sent by
our agent had looked good, showing the newly completed rear 'house'
renovation, smoothly plastered walls, new doors and windows, and a
beautifully tiled red roof. That was the photograph. Inside the place was
just a shell - two bedrooms a bathroom and a loo. But at least the water was
on. At the same time the electricity wasn't! We couldn't have that until we
had finished the building work.
But there was superb ventilation. There were no ceilings - no felt under
the roof tiles and no main entrance door saw to that. At least the walls
were plastered and there were internal doors, but the floors had only the
first concrete raft - no screeds. And, in the toilet and bathroom there
were two amazing black plastic pipes about 2 inches in diameter and about 18
inches high. Sticking out of the floor drains. Perched on top of each was a
brand new shiny, chromium plated drain grate! To stop people falling in I
suppose!
Although floor drains are a common feature in Greek toilets and bathrooms,
we had difficulty with the concept of spilled water climbing up the outside of the
pipes in order to drain away. So - we had the most magnificent ventilation
system; no ceilings; no roof felt; no front door (no security); no
electricity; unfinished floors throughout and a bathroom and toilet with
upside down floor drains! But then we had been warned by our agent to stay elsewhere -
for a price.
But then we already had a price - £50,000 down and still climbing! But
that had included the partly completed disaster of a renovation; the demolition of the old front house; the laying of the
new reinforced foundations; and concrete raft of the new front house - giving us a good
base on which to build it! And, and, we had already
created our first dining room. Ok, a table and a bench, open to the
elements, but the table did have a
modern plastic top! Good thinking - if we continued like this we would be
finished in no time at all...
But then our car, like all the best vessels, contained survival kit. Self-assembly camping beds; camping equipment for cooking; eating; sleeping
- for everything, including a superb rechargeable emergency light which
doubled as a very large torch. We had everything the good camper should
have, and since we would be camping inside a house that gave us a distinct
advantage over the average boy scout.
Michaelis, our immediate neighbour, appeared. In his late middle age at the
time he was a true Cretan warrior. Tonight we would eat with him and his
family at the house of his son across the square. It was a statement, not a
question - but then we weren't arguing. We knew a few sentences in Greek but
not enough to start a declaration of independence. That became a regular
occurrence for which we were truly grateful. PJ made a second bench to go
with the table (same design as the first) and a kitchen workbench where Pam
could cook out of 2x2 timber and a few planks. It even had a shelf for the
crockery! He then set about and built a barbeque out of stone and brick
using dry-stone walling techniques. It took 10 years to need repair and is
still in use today!
But then we had to meet the agent and introduce PJ. Keeping my face straight
was difficult as our agent told PJ his hours of work - mostly consisting of
when he couldn't... No public holidays; no working after 2.30pm weekdays; no
Saturday afternoons; nothing on Sundays or religious festivals...
And on to wages. 'Nothing' said PJ. 'I owe a favour, I won't be
taking any pay!' 'You will have to pay IKA said the agent - he
seemed a bit upset that an anticipated source of income was slipping away.
'Not necessary' I said, 'all has been checked out with the British Consul,
and since PJ isn't employed in Greece he doesn't pay IKA'. Plus any work
done by myself or Pam is legally DIY - no IKA payable - we checked that out
too'... Things seemed a little tense..
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Astratigos Village Life.... Getting some..
Is condensed from the book 'Pamela's House' - in current
preparation... Continued next month... |
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In the News
Reviews...
Cretan worker dies...
After falling into a machine in the quarry in which he worked...
(item
6) Link to Story.
Support for Etz Hayyim...
Following the
January arson attacks on
the Etz Hayyim synagogue in Chania more than 100 representatives of
Jewish communities around Greece met in support of the Jewish community on
Crete. Three suspects were arrested and one, an American, is still
sought...
Link to Story.
And an armed robbery...
On Sunday February 7th.
left the owner of an Ammoudara (Iraklion) betting shop owner
hospitalized with a gunshot wound to one of his legs - and 5,500 Euros
poorer - after raiders snatched his money bag as he left the shop...
(item 5)
Link to Story.
Plus a 'lifted' safe...
Left a 20,000 euros hole in takings of an Agioi Apostoloi supermarket in
Nomos Chanion. Raiders drove a truck through the glass front of the
store before making off with the safe...
(item 5)
Link to Story.
A suspected illegal adoption...
In Iraklion resulted in the arrest of 5 people. 3 Bulgarians,
including the mother of the baby, and two Cretans thought to have paid
5,000 euros for the child....
(item 4)
Link to Story.
Student remains missing...
By 22nd February Cretan authorities had still been unable to locate a
student nurse who had gone missing on the 18th after leaving her home to
visit a local pharmacy. Her car and belongings were located.
(item 3)
Link to Story.
Prasses death arrests...
Three brothers were being questioned about the suspected murder of a 35
year old farmer from the village of Prasses near Rethymnon. The brothers
deny any involvement....
(item 2)
Link to Story.
And a new racism attack...
Chania police seek two men who reportedly marked a female teacher's left arm
with a swastika symbol and also damaged her jacket with the same symbol. The
attack was thought to be the result of her teaching Greek to immigrant
children. The attack is said to be the latest in a recent series...
Link to Story.
Christianne and Robert
Shepherd...
The trial of eleven defendants, reportedly facing manslaughter through
negligence charges resulting from the deaths from suspected carbon monoxide
poisoning at the Louis Corcyra Beach hotel, Corfu, commenced February 4th on
Corfu. The deaths were thought to be due to a faulty gas boiler next to the
room in which they were sleeping..
Link to Story.
Illegal immigration is back in the news...
Very sadly with the news that eight bodies were recovered from the
south eastern shores of Samos after a boat carrying illegals from the
Turkish coast capsized. It is estimated that more than 500 people have died
in this way - trying to reach Greece from Turkey by boat, in the last three
years...
Link to Story.
Greece asks for Turkish help...
In stemming a 'seemingly relentless wave of illegal immigration by
boats attempting to reach Greece via it's islands. It is said that Turkish
vessels currently make no effort to stop (people) smuggling ships ...
Link to Story.
And illegal good are also a problem...
Especially under the current economic circumstances as illegal
street traders in Greece cost the economy an estimated 10-17 billion
euros. Fines go unpaid because illicit traders often have no funds to pay
them. It is thought that more buyers are using these traders because of the
current financial crisis...
Link to Story.
Plus failure of the KTEO attendance...
The Greek equivalent of the British MOT system - is said to be
costing the economy an estimated further 1 billion euros as 2.7 million
vehicles, one in every three on Greek roads due for testing, have not been
submitted...
Link to Story.
And a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment...
Has been reported as 60% of Greek citizens believe that immigration
is having a negative impact on Greek national identity. The proportion
blaming immigrants for the rising crime figures was 75%. 72% believe that
the governments immigration policy is not strict enough...
Link to Story.
And finally this month...
A cool draught of air has blown over a draft bill facilitating the
construction of wind farms as 174 conservation groups went public about the
possible adverse effects upon the environment. Including Stavros Xirouhakis
of the Natural History Museum of Crete...
Link to Story.
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