I have started again with my Greek studies, after taking some time off. Here's a song that my teacher set us:
Everyone in Greece seems to know all the words to every song and are not frightened to sing along. So maybe you would like to try " rel="noopener" target="_blank">this link for atmosphere.
Why is it, I wonder, that it was easier to blog away during lock down, when we could do next to nothing, than now, when we have the run of the world, at least in theory? In practice we have given ourselves the freedom of Western Crete.
For those of you who don't already know, we have temporarily left 'our' house in Marediana for a short sojourn (lovely word) in Pappadiana.
I am not sure how to display a Google Earth pic, so if you want to fly over us, just download the App and enter Pappadiana, Crete, and that should get you there.
We are staying a village house on 2 levels, each self- contained and that means
AL can have a separate space for his temporary studio. He can literally go out to work, up the outside staircase. Theres still almost no auditory separation so here I am an my divan island with my technology, and here is AL with his!
This morning we went swimming at the nearest
beach ΣΤΟΜΙΟ. It is a stony beach not far from Elafonisi but a world away with the pink sand and Caribbean appearance where hundreds of people go in the summer. True, there is no real developement at Elafonisi, just a few beach shacks and myriad sun beds that appear out of nowhere. But there is a frightening stream of cars headed out there as we come back home at around 10am this morning. Elafonisi
was our last visit before Lockdown started back in March. Of course, we could be heading back there again,
perhaps with a bit less energy and optimism. Lockdown, not Elafonisi.
For the brave, you can try following this Google earth link to see where the bay is exactly.
https://earth.google.com/web/@35.27146323,23.51090717,7296.48851458a,0d,35y,-0.0218h,30.5200t,-0.0128r?utm_source=earth7&utm_campaign=vine&hl=en
Coronavirus News
Greece is experiencing a spike. Worth noting that 17 % of cases attributable to travellers, 83% to resident population: The owner of our rented property came by this morning with 2 other chaps who he was showing around_ Only one mask between them- They didn't stay long, and we were
outdoors.
You might be interested in this link:
https://time.com/5883081/covid-19-transmitted-aerosols/
You may not be able to read this without a subscription, but the gist of it is that C-19 is spread very easily by breathing.
Yes, just breathing In a confined space. Of course talking loudly increases the volume of breath and therefore virus. So my conclusion , unpalatable as it is, other people are the greatest threat to my health. The article also suggests that surfaces are possibly less dangerous, unless you are unlucky enough to transfer a chunk of the nasty directly to a mucous membrane. I won't be touching light switches or door handles anytime soon.
Another more cheerful suggestion is that maybe the bug doesn't do so well on human skin. So I will resume elbow bumping, as a young-ish doctor did at a Health Centre last week. (Nothing wrong, just an MOT).
The psychology of all this interests me. I am sure that it easier to wipe a few tables than it is to change human
behaviour. And social animals that we are, we're unwilling to see people as threats.
I am sure you are bored with my Covid report by now so I will probably buy it at The bottom of the blog, after cats.
MOVING TO GREECE
Hah. The cats were just a ruse.
Leaving the UK seems more attractive with every cock up and deliberate manoevre by the so-called UK Government. The country appears to be in the clutches of a Government so for right that if it bends over it will be licking the back of its own left jack boot. I will leave you with that image and give you another one.
It's not just the Politics, the nature of UK society etc.
I think that I am less rooted than some people. As one of our Greek friends said, people are not trees! So my image at the moment is seeing a boat about to leave the quay. Better to jump on it than put one foot on the vessel and leave the other one on dry land.
All this has been brought about by considering the sheer
administrative task of setting up life in another country. I am mindful of the notion that if I settle in another EU country, I have meaningful access to the other 26, as we have become used to in what feels like all my adult life.
COMING SOON
Return to Marediana...
