Snippets
Getting the week off to a start with a few snippets as I remember them.
I was at the desk yesterday morning when I heard a strange noise coming, I thought, from the courtyard or beyond. Our landlord opposite up to one of his home improvement tasks perhaps? But no, it stopped, and a moment later started again. Neil was in the bathroom, but even he doesn’t make noises like that, so I investigated, and we found a young pigeon in the living room, trying to get out of a closed window. I was able to pick him up gently and show him the open balcony doors through which he’d come, and all was well.
It reminded me of the other day. We were sitting on the balcony when one of the local kestrels flew by about four feet from us. Nothing new there except it was being seen off by two sparrows, one trying to peck its wing and the other acting as an outrider. The power of the little people. We also have a house lizard who we found checking out the hall the other morning. I’m not sure what it’s called, Edward I think, but he’s a bit of a slacker as he’s meant to eat mosquitoes. If he ate all of the ones who have moved in with us, he’d be the size of a goanna by now.
Back on the balcony, we’re often out there early as the sky changes from orange to pink to red and later blue, and the sea mirrors the colours. Now, for anyone who says the Greeks are the laziest workers in Europe (or whatever tripe it is those so-called newspapers come up with), you should try doing a summer shift on a Greek island. A friend of ours works at a swanky bar in the harbour, opposite our house and down. I know for a fact he goes to his shift at 3pm and, this being Greece, only finishes when they’ve cleared up after the last customer leaves. On Sunday morning, the last person didn’t leave, and the lights didn’t go off until after six. So, that was not only a fifteen-hour shift but an overnight one as well. I’m not sure if he has a morning/lunchtime shift, I wouldn’t be surprised. Btw, the other day he told me he’d not finished until 7.30 in the morning and the party that had kept them up all night only spent €150.00 – so I doubt there was a tip involved.
Another snippet: The Secret Garden, I am informed, no longer has Greek music on a Monday night as I mentioned before, but tonight they are hosting their first open mic night. Anyone can go down and present their talent to the audience (or simply be an audience), sing, play an instrument, tell a joke, bake a cake, I don’t know, whatever you want to do, you will be welcomed.
