Friday 26th October

We have created this blog because it has been suggested that people thinking about buying our house, and spending at least part of their lives in Karystos, might like to know how we spend our time, to learn more about what it would mean for them if they decided to come here.
It is a bit late really because we are packing up the house and will go back to England in a couple of weeks, but I suppose you have to start somewhere, so here goes.
It has been a typical late October day today. It was a bit misty to start with, but the sun soon broke through and we had hot sunshine. As the mornings are cooler we tend to lie in bed a bit, and catch up with U.K. news and events with the Today Programme on Radio 4, drinking our coffee, (Fair Trade from the Co-op, brought from England). We tend to take Radio 4 for granted now until we talk to other people and realise that they don't have it. John finished trimming back the cypressus trees at the back of the property today, keeping it as a nice tight hedge, as it forms some of our wind protection. I carried on cutting back the honeysuckle which has really invaded a lovely rambling rose and killed off the lower branches. I don't know whether to go for broke and cut the rose right back, as we have done the other part of the garden, by the drive where the honeysuckle had been really rampant, or just re-shape it.
John went and did a few jobs for Koula, repairing the old VW van she uses for storage, then we thought maybe we would go to the beach for a couple of hours. So we packed up a couple of beers and, as we have a slight southerly, went round to a bay on the Paximathi side. It was wonderful, absolutely deserted, the sea crystal clear and turquoise. As we sat gazing across the bay to Karystos there was a sudden movement and shoals of small fish leapt out of the water and crossed the entire bay in a series of swoops and dives. Then we saw a larger shape pursuing them, close to the surface so that we could see it. This carried on for quite a few minutes as the small fish dipped and dived, escaping their predator.
As the sun started to go down we came back home and after a piping hot shower (solar panels), John got the BBQ lit and we sat outside in the late sun and enjoyed 2 beautiful fillet steaks, lovely fresh courgettes and a tomato salad. I am sitting writing this, still sitting outside at 18.45, the sun has disappeared behind the mountains leaving a warm red and gray glow over the sky. I suppose it has been a fairly typical day for this time of the year.