Well, it’s Wednesday and I’ve made it to the airport.  Did keep my eye on the online edition of one of the english language greek newspapers to see if the taxi drivers were likely to cause me a problem (apparently they do things like surround entire ports and airports and cause lots of disruption).

Was rather strange on the ferry that I recognised places that we’d sailed – especially when we stopped at Aigina and I could see where in the bay that we’d anchored (and drifted and re-anchored) that first night.  And the beach where we’d had dinner at a table on the sand and how I’d walked from the table into the sea and swam to the boat.

I got here far too early and chanced a charm offensive to see if Aegean would move me onto the flight two hours before mine.  Sadly it was full but one thing I have learned is that ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get’.

I treated myself to mousakka, a bowl of salad and a beer – and it cost more than the €20 I found in the sea (a nice person at a bureau de change changed it for a more respectable looking note for me).

Glad to have put my big bag in at the drop-off but am keeping the trolley for my just-about-too-big hand luggage.  Well, I paid a euro to rent it and I’ve got to make the most of it.

I’ve had a peek at some of the photos of our sailing that Anna posted on FB – there’s a fantastic one of me diving into the sea that was taken from water . . . I’ve asked her for a full size copy to post here.  I’ve also uploaded my meagre set of sailing pics to an online album that I’ve created for the five of us to share all our pics – I might make it public once everyone has had a chance to veto (there is a pic of me in swimming shorts doing a bit of a ‘dagenham sandwich’ that is proably best kept from the eyes of the sensitive).

It’s Monday today and I fly home to London on Wednesday.

I’m having my last few days in Poros.  Staying in the apartments where Michael and I stayed back in June, it’s not too far from Athens and I thought it would be a good place to rest-up and have a bit of a mental regroup before my summer here is over.

I’m glad I haven’t been weighing myself – I have a feeling that a couple of kilos that I shed on Tinos crept back in with the fantastic meals and not-insignificant amount of beer and wine consumed over the course of the week.  I’m also willing to believe that such an active thing as sailing will of course cancel out the overindulgence.  But I’ll never know, and that suits me right now.

I’m sitting with this view:

Thinking back to Thursday of last week when I woke up in the yacht out in this bay.  From there my view was this:

And that Thursday morning, I did this:

Like had done for my three or so swims a day during the fantastic week on the boat.

In a way the sailing week was such a big thing for me that it eclipses quite a lot of the earlier time on Tinos.

I am writing myself some little lists to look back on about my skippering week – the stuff that went well, what didn’t go so well, things I learned, things I’ll ask sailing instructor Jim about when I have the weekend to complete my Coastal Skipper course.

I’m also jotting down some random memorable things . . . I think the WOW! of sailing into the main harbour on Hydra is going to stick with me for a long time.

One downside of being at the helm and the others all being on standby for their mooring jobs is that it is hard to get photos at those moments.  I am looking forward to seeing the pictures the others took when I get home.

After asking my Facebook pals for recommendations I ordered a smartphone yesterday so that it should be waiting for me when I get home.  Deciding that it was time to make the leap to a smartphone was accelerated by the fact that I destroyed my old nokias by forgetting they were in my pocket when I got very wet in the dingy on our first night.

and so little opportunity write about it.

Have sailed from Athens to Aigina, Poros, Hydra, Spetses, a different part of Poros.

So much to say, some fantastic photos – but electricity and broadband signal not always great.

I’ll have to write a few snippets and upload after the end of the week on the boat.

A M A Z I N G!!!

Today has been cloudy – apart from my first morning up in the hills, the first time I’ve seen cloud since I got here in mid-July. I suppose I can’t complain.  It brightened up this afternoon and I got to have my swim, finding myself the only person on the whole of the beach.  Kostas told me today that the wind was due to drop tomorrow – down to two “Beaufor” (cross your fingers and toes, please!).

Yesterday I caught the bus into town and had an impromptu bit of sight-seeing on the way back as the bus did a detour to the big church for Sunday day trippers getting off the ferries.

It has been blowy.  This is the very handy windsock at the helipad just by my bus stop.

The wind is from the north about 95% of the time, so I don’t know if there’s much point in it.

In town I shopped at the market for the first time (I don’t usually make it into town until early evening when the day is cooling down and the market is long shut).  The market is tiny and just a bunch of local farmers and smallholders selling their produce.  I felt a bit sorry for the guy who was just selling tomatoes – I selected three and put them in a bag – the guy weighed them, frowned then without a workd of explanation added a fourth and said “50 cents” .  I got a melon and some nectarines but couldn’t see cucumbers, so resorted to the supermarket for those.

On my way back from the supermarket I saw that the pelican was out for a volta.  He spends each night perched on a trellis in a small fishmonger shop but gets out and about during the day – he has a trick of reaching up to taverna tables and pinching the salt and pepper pots.

I found some halloumi in the supermarket (it’s from Cyprus) and decided to take a chance on the frying pan – the frying pan used to be non stick but has seen better days.  The cheese and I, with the help of a fish-slice were victorious.  Mmmmm – squeaky cheese!

and as I was finishing off the hoummus I made a couple of days ago it was quite a cypriot angle to the evening’s menu.

The wind got to me and on Wednesday I had a bit of a wobble.  The wind was stopping me having my swims.  I started to question why I’d moved apartments and was convinced that the last apartment and the beach was more sheltered.  I wondered if I should hop to another island that wasn’t in the cyclades and not subject to the meltemi wind.

I’d also got a bit stuck with the website I’m workng on.

I got a bit blue.

Thankfully it was temporary.  I think some kitten therapy helped.

I was delighted to wake up yesterday and not be able to hear the roar that has seemed to have been the backing track for over a week.  It was calm.  I was almost skipping to the beach for my swim.  The water was almost flat.

It was fantastic.  All was well again.

I bussed into town late in the afternoon, said a brief hello to Margit, did a quick shop and took a taxi home in time for another proper swim in the evening – the wind had come up a bit but it was still brilliant.

During the night the winds came back – not quite as bad as they’ve been, but I hope not to let them get to me again.

I do though, still have one impediment to my blogging  . . .

Late yesterday afternoon I caught the bus into town so I could shop to fill my fridge and cupboards. I knew I’d be buying quite a lot and knew that the return bus was quite a lot later – so was fully expecting get a taxi home.

After the supermarket I had a 300m walk to the bakery for a crusty loaf.

Rather than walk back down to the harbour to the taxi rank I decided to walk back to the apartment. It was then, exactly then that I should have listened to the little voice in my head saying that walking was a ridiculous thing to do.

What I haven’t mentioned is that the island is currently experiencing F7 gusting F8 Beaufort.

It’s about 2.5km.

The shopping weighed 15.5kilos and the bag handles did their best to cut my fingers off!

I’m still trying to justify this lunacy – telling myself that it was good exercise as I haven’t really been able to swim, just dip, in these conditions.

I moved apartments again today – back to Agios Fokas and the place with the adorable kittens (saying that, I haven’t seen any of them yet).

I had mixed emotions on packing up and moving out of Porto – I really did enjoy staying there and think I will miss it.

I had a phone call yesterday evening saying that the cleaner won’t get to clean up after the people moving out of the Agios Fokas apartment until 6pm – this is after arranging to move in at 1pm. I, of course, say that that will be fine – as long as I can put my stuff in the fridge and leave my bags. When I arrive and let myself in I find I’m actually quite shocked at the state that it’s been left in – every cup, glass and ashtray dirty and left out. It’s probably just a sign of how well I was brought up (not a hint of OCD, honest), but I wouldn’t dream of leaving any place in such a state.  I’m just now remembering the apartment Michael and I stayed at in Poros and that I was surprised that on the “do and don’t” list on the back of the door it said that the maid doesn’t wash up dishes.

I was, though, glad to sit out on the terrace and get briefly online (my broadband on a stick credit ran out yesterday afternoon) so that I could upload the latest versions of the web page I’m working on. Once that was done I walked 15 mins to the nearest taverna – I hadn’t eaten there before but decided it was time to try it.

I had the best melitsanasalata (aubergine salad, a baba ganoush kind of thing) and a fantastic grilled swordfish steak. A real treat, and considerably more than I’m used to paying when I eat out. I enjoyed watching and eavesdropping on a table of two middle-aged Irish couples – teaching each other please and thank you in Greek while demolishing some huge plates of grilled meat and filling their table with an admirable selection of empty glasses.

The signage on the toilet doors caused me to chuckle, and I just had to share why . . . .

After a lovely meal this evening (I am amazed at how I can finish a plate of greek salad, wiping the last of the oil, vinegar and tomato juices from the bowl with the last chunk of crusty bread, thinking ‘that was fantastic!’ – even after eating them almost daily for over a month) I walked down to the beach to look at the sky.

There wasn’t a moon, so I saw vast numbers of stars and I think the white cloudy bits that might be the milky way (Kieron, Maria, someone please help!)  the air just seemed so clear and sharp.  I resisted the urge to lie on the sand staring heavenwards for fear of finding myself there in the morning or waking to find my elbow in the grip of a member of the local constabulary on charges of vagrancy.

Back on my own balcony I took one last glance upwards before heading inside for the evening – and at that exact moment I had the thrill of seeing a spectacular shooting star.  I saw one rather meagre one (don’t get me wrong, it was still was a delight) the other evening. I’d posted that night on Facebook about my dilemma of whether to look out at the perfect sea with the reflected light of the almost full moon or to look north for shooting stars.  The suggestion that I go and find the nearest rotating restaurant did give me a good chuckle.

My lovely friend Darren is on a week’s holiday in the neighbouring island of Mykonos. He came over for a visit. The high winds delayed his fifteen minute trip on SeaJet by an hour.

I hired a car for the day and drove us up to Panormos where we had a fantastic lunch in the perfect setting. It was great to have a catch up and hear all about what’s been going at the branch of the charity we both volunteer for.

He told me that I looked like I’d lost a lot of weight so it seems that, as I’d hoped,   ,  and are doing me good.

We stopped briefly at my apartment before having a five minute dip at ‘my’ beach before heading back to the harbour – of course the SeaJet hadn’t caught up any of it’s lost time so we had the opportunity for a beer and a bit of people watching before he headed off.