16 july 2023
Maybe it’s called ‘high’ summer because the temperatures are high, the sun is high, or spirits are high? Of course that doesn’t apply in the UK at the moment, as it seems to be out there on its own, forbidden to share in European heatwaves since Brexit (not all bad then!). So, since mid-June the temperatures have started to climb to a less comfortable place – today forecast 31C day, 25C night – so far, so good.
27 July 2023 1400 31C in the shade on our balcony.
I am going to keep this short because many of you have been asking about how we are coping with heat / fires and the Greek summer generally.
First, we have not had such high temperatures as either Athens, or the Peloponnese.
Second, we have not, as yet, had any wildfires in our area (Kissamos district).
Sure, the days are very warm, and we have to work with that. We have AC in 4 rooms (separate units are much more common here than ducted AC). We try to use them as economically as possible, mainly in the late evening & at night. I find I can sleep OK at 26/7 if the night is not too humid. On cooler nights, I can open all the doors and windows and let the night air do the rest. Otherwise, close everything, get the cat indoors and turn the AC to 25C, low fan speed. Perfect.
We eat outside if outside is cooler or otherwise more pleasant than inside. We have a dining sized table on the living room South facing balcony, so that’s the first choice, but we have also transformed the bedroom balcony (North facing) into an outdoor room with a couple of tables, chairs and an outdoor sofa. I am writing this on the S facing balcony. I hear you groan ‘that must be hot’. But the clever architects made the overhangs so deep that the sun hardly touches this side in the summer until the afternoon, and never gets to the doors. In winter the lower sun angle means that it does warm the room during the day. Unfortunately the architects were not so smart with insulation of the walls or the roof, so, like all of our concrete-built neighbours, the building retains heat at night, and conversely is not cheap to keep warm in the winter. Many Greeks sit out until late in the evening, and our own days run late too, with supper often not until 9 or so (early by Greek summer standards). Our Cat is a bit of an early riser so the day begins with a cuppa between 0530 and 0630. (N0, he doesn’t make the tea 😹). The morning is really the time for getting things done, with lunch at 1330-1400 to allow for a good 2-3 hours catch up on sleep and or reading (or even Netflix) in the afternoon. At the moment we go snorkelling / swimming in the evening; yesterday a sunset snorkel where we saw clouds (shoals) of tiny fish looking just like starling (bird) clouds in the way they move and re-shape as one entity. We are also seeing a few very young barracudas – maybe these baby fish are easy pickings. We followed that by going to the Harbour (Limani) taverna for cod, chips & Greek salad.
Clearly in this weather, any kind of housework is quite unwelcome. We managed a sort-of Spring cleaning so now it’s a question of doing the minimum. I invested in a robot vacuum cleaner & mop, and that’s proved really good at dealing with cat hair and sand – the main floor challenges. Like all our neighbours, we take up and wash any rugs in the summer so the robot gets a good run at the floors. The mop part really just helps pick up all the loose stuff, and gives the floors a ‘once over’. It can’t deal with tea stains, or the kitchen floor after cooking.
There should be a video here – check out the on-line blog if you’ve never seen one of these at work.
I hope that’s given you a taste of summer life here!!
Oh – I almost forgot Our Cat. He sometimes has us worried by seeming to seek out warmer places when he could choose something cooler. Actually – any excuse for a cute cat pic.
I was going to write about summer food, but I have some other more boring things to do, so will reallykeep it short. I rely quite a lot on pulses, salads, pasta with variations on quickly made tomato sauces. Pizza with dough made in the bread machine – some portions frozen. Many of the Greek dishes I like need the oven, and we try hard to keep that to a minimum. I crave veg moussaka, stuffed peppers, imam bayaldi but don’t want to make them. Our friends use an air fryer that can be plugged in outdoors – another clever way around cooking in heat, especially if there is a breeze.
I also make quick light soups in the pressure cooker – such a useful piece of kit. Apologies if this is all too mundane and boring…. One thing, about food prices: there may be some exceptions, but food carries 13% VAT here. I think most European countries charge some rate of VAT. Although there are many references to high UK food prices, I think they are probably still lower in comparison. FYI food in France attracts 5.5% VAT. It always seemed expensive to me.
Black eyed beans / peas – cook and then mix with diced veg, roasted in olive oil (what else?). Lunch or supper salad. Add some hot peppers, smoked paprika, cumin while warm or while cooking. An exceptional use of the oven since 15 minutes at high heat is enough. Same for pizza.
TIME & THRESHOLDS
Triggered by this YouTube comparing Neil Young’s SUGAR MOUNTAIN with Joni Mitchell’s CIRCLE GAME. This YouTuber is a bit tedious, but try to bear with it.
Anyway, many of you have spoken or written about the time since Covid or in some cases, Brexit, and how it seems to have disappeared. I think something about the uncertainties that have suddenly popped out of the wardrobes of our lives, just when maybe we thought we had it sorted. Covid, Brexit, the Ukraine war, inflation and now reaping the whirlwind of Climate Change, or the Overheating / flooding of our ‘rich world’, as we might call it. And many of us are also crossing into a different phase of life, leaving behind aspects of our adult lives, becoming grandparents, and dealing with the inevitable ‘organ recital’ of health issues. It’s a threshold. I have started to think about life as a calendar with January, of course, as conception, gestation and birth, full of potential. February is infancy, March 2-5 years old, April is primary school, May adolescence, June falling in love for real, July, August, September are adulthood in full bloom of roses and thorns, October brings 60s and 70s, the transition into the 3rd age. November, December… well you can figure those out for yourself. You will notice that the time scale is not linear or even logical.
Here’s a sort-of-poem to help us out. I may have referenced it before, but like all poems it bears re-reading.
(If this link does not open for you, just persevere! Or Google ‘Thresholds John O’Donohue’).
More on Garagemen:
Here’s a little story on one of my favourite subjects. Our faithful, elderly, tough, Skoda YETI was losing power on hills. I happened to be passing our favourite garage run by the cheerful and robust Adonis Kalamaridis (thank you Tina and Elena). I dropped by his garage and after the usual wait (it’s popular) he took it out for a test drive, came back shaking his head in that garageman kind of way that usually means nothing good. It would have to be tested. Another wait – AC and cold water from the fridge. He came back a few minutes later with a peculiar expression on his face, and said, quite concisely ‘It’s OK now’. Me: ‘yes, but what was wrong’
AK: It’s OK now.
Me: ‘yes, but what was wrong’
AK: It’s OK now.
Me; ‘yes, but what was wrong’
He gives in and walks me to the car. Explains that the car mat was so worn on the driver’s side that it was catching on the bottom of the gas pedal so that the throttle couldn’t open fully! It seems that this most experienced and competent of garage men had missed this simple cause. No doubt one of his mechanics spotted it straight away.
So THAT’s what the peculiar expression meant!
We have nice new mats now.