Where's Wally?

Where's Wally

With the concrete frame finished and that recognisable grey shape on the Horizon synonymous with so many projects started around the Island and not finished for whatever reason I decided that I had no reason not to finish it . A year off retirement and my patience wearing thin with the little darlings I teach. After all when you reach for a pair of scissors to cut the plug off to finish the argument with a teenager about whether he will or won't watch You- tube I think the writings on the wall. There are only so many times you want to be told to F—k off Miss which is an improvement on the usual C—t and I never did get the hang of the Team Teach Moves designed to bring a charging Teenager into line (without hurting them). The Trainer will be delighted as I was known to fall asleep during his sessions even on the front table so he won't have to report me again to the Headmaster. So my project is speeding up.

Regular visual feedback of the Lovely Greek workers would make an excellent Training video for a Health and Safety Manual. Not a hard hat in sight, no steel toe caps or harnesses, rickety scaffolding and no need for Fag breaks after all you don't always need both hands. Hi Viz jackets give way to plain shirts, shorts, jeans and caps and the only similarity is the mobile phone.

But those men have worked like Trojans in searing Heat and as one trade leaves, another starts or seamlessly work around each other. Throughout this build that looks more like the Centre page of my Jack and Jill Album 'Where's Wally?' As I call him can be seen in every shot and more recently attending to my hole. How big a hole does one person need for a Cesspit? My sister worried it was too close to the house, they are not going to leave it uncovered that's for sure and I told her it would last me a lifetime after all I won't be flushing loo paper down there. Just not done in Greece.

Walls painted White, not Lime Green, Marble around the windows about to be fitted pre Doors and Windows and so much more to follow to ensure it is water tight for Winter. With a fully accessible roof that anyone could see me on, note to self no nude sun bathing, I will be able to wave to those on the Castle . With my own Turrets I will be able to signal Invaders if necessary.

Ps If anyone knows who Where's Wally really is please let me know. I'm sure he should be there but can't help wondering if he's a bit like my Dad who used to be someone who just couldn't help having a look.

The Dream continues

Every time I go into the English bank to pay another bill in euros for the lovely Greek Men who continue my build, the lovely Bank assistant says 'Nicos....is this the same Nicos as last time or another one?' ' No, this is Nicos the Electrician  ' So is this the same Manolis? no this is the Plumber' but he is his cousin and so it goes on like My Big Fat Greek Wedding where everyone has the same name and incredibly long surnames and equally long IBAN numbers.....remember always 5 zeros for the National Bank of Greece . And so the journey continues.

You can now see my house from Google Earth and when I paint it fluorescent Lime Green it will look like an alien invasion from above. I will be able to hold weddings on my verandah or so it seems as I've never seen so much concrete with the exception of a carpark. And now I have walls perfectly plumbed by the nice bricklayer up and beyond the roof I can see the house taking shape. Message to self though, stay slim as fat arses won't be able to go upstairs as I appear to have walls everywhere and won't have to worry about an open plan staircase anymore.

Days out choosing tiles, marbles, windows, doors and so on and so on all designed to get it water tight for the Winter. Who would have thought the Marble yard would be in the back of beyond without security fencing although maybe a large Dog is enough of a deterrent.The very professional Tile lady lead me patiently round the store with my back up crew all agreeing with my choices bar one and as I felt outnumbered I bowed to their expert advice over the Kitchen tiles. I still can't get used to being called Mrs Sally all the time and the spelling of my name on invoices is as Greek to me as Nicos is to Barclays.

As much as Ron would have loved to project manage the continuation of his build himself at least this way I get to do it on Frappe's in a sober manner, he'd never have been able to resist the obligatory Metaxa whilst negotiating so I do not have to include this in the budget.

Can't wait for October and another round of choices.

One garden for another

I'm trying to stay in the moment and enjoy my garden for the final year before I swap it for my Greek one. I can't help but make comparisons though and have a mental check list that keeps growing and growing just like my bloody grass which I remind myself is one of those jobs I won't have to do in Kefalos thank goodness. Shrubs though that's a different matter and hopefully the nice man from the council isn't going to send me a letter about low hanging branches on my boundary after all who knows where my boundary is in Greece because short of mapping it out with flag markers which will soon be overgrown I'll never know.

As I sit contemplating the ants trail by small tidy little ants not great big ones that look like chopper motorbikes with a high back end. Damselflies and dragonflies flit across the pond as my shoal of ever multiplying goldfish swim lazily under the water lilies so many that no chance for the mosquito larvae to thrive which is why I won't be having a water feature in my new garden. Butterflies hover from flower to flower and the bees make busy for the honey season, so no change there then. Froglets, frogs and toads jump around the patio narrowly missing my feet as I hang out the washing. Birds twitter in the trees.

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I have my trusty nature saving kit, of gloves, jam jars, fishing nets and envelopes which I use on a daily basis intervening in the life and death scenario that plays out in my garden between nature and my cats. But the thing that troubles me is I foolishly agreed to put a cat flap in my Greek back door and my kit is just not up to the job out there.

How do I prepare for the Stick Insects, Geckoes, scorpions (hopefully not) Big Bees and OMG not a snake. So I'm putting a photo on the door of yes/no, I'll get a spare spaghetti jar for the stick insects as they are too big for the jam jar. Beds with legs to avoid snakes and not sure about the scorpions. Geckoes will probably run anyway and they are rather cute. Small owls and birds and stray chickens will have to take their chance and be ready for me to rescue them if needed. Haven't seen any Peacocks in Kefalos for a long while so they won't be strutting their stuff on my verandah. Cicadas welcome and if I get to see a tortoise or hedgehog I'll be delighted as they do pop up every once in awhile. Not sure what Big Osc and Molly will make of the new strange species, just hope they read the sign on the cat flap.

ps

haven't even moved in yet but this one has