We have negotiated a continued rental of the house until the end of May.

As a result of the lockdown restrictions we thought the likelihood of holiday bookings going ahead was unlikely so we contacted the owners and asked what they would want for an extension of our rental period.

They came back with a proposal that they would reduce the monthly rent by 100 Euros per month if we would water the plants.

At this point we did not know what the marina was going to charge and if it was the “normal” summer rates we couldn’t really justify or afford both the marina and the house. However the marina is going to just extend our winter rate in the meantime, which is very fair of them. Normally by now we would be off sailing and anchoring a lot of the time, foc, but until / if sailing restrictions are lifted we are stuck and we thought it would be better in the house for social distancing.

The garden was beginning to get overgrown and I offered to strim the grass and tidy it up in addition to watering the plants etc.

Initially the son and daughter (who are in Athens) didn’t like to take us up on it but as April progressed we got a hand delivered letter by her Dad from Myrsini, her mum.

The whole family are lovely. The letter is below.

Let the battle begin………

The vegetable patch, eh no garden, was at least waist high by now. It was a Hobbit’s hideaway. I’m sure I saw Bilbo polishing his ring in the long grass one evening.

The gumby man look is my snake protection, lol

I have done my finger in starting the strimmer, seriously!

Perhaps it’s a curse from Bilbo after my quip about his ring.

It had better get better for sailing though. As it is I can all but lift a glass of wine, but I struggle on.

The pictures follow the Month of April from jungle…

  to paradise……

Bonny eh ?

One of the lock down allowances is that you can take exercise locally with a maximum of two people.

We are lucky that we are out in the country and can follow a circular route through the hills down to the sea shore and return back up to the house.

Today’s enforced yomp, which I ended up enjoying, was about 6 miles, through an agricultural area with vineyards and orchards.

We are not often on land at this time of year and it’s nice to see all the spring plants & greenery coming to life. Lesvos is one of the more fertile islands.

It was strange however to walk through the deserted as yet unopened Taverna on the beach that would normally be buzzing by now.

The dome on the left is part of a very small refugee camp not the imfamous one at Moria.

Oh bum!

Today I dropped our lovely wee scooter.

Not careering around a bend knees out like Barry Sheen round Silverstone – more ignominiously it fell off the side stand down the hill as I was opening our gate to get in!

Bust one of the mirrors and a scrape on the plastic chrome.

I’ve managed to replace the mirror with a new one but will just need to come clean with Thanassis and offer to pay for repairing the scrape.

All my years of motorcycling and this is my only accident Oh bum! Again.

When we first entered the house back in December Louise forced me to follow her keep fat regime for two weeks.

It’s a variation on the 5 and 2 day thingy by Dr Mosely except that you can eat every day. When I say eat its 800 calories! Do you know how many calories there are in a glass of wine ffs? So no alcohol was allowed.

Anyhow me being me I made up a spreadsheet and table of targeted and actual weight loss, and in the 2 weeks we both did rather well.

I was glad when it was over however. There is only so much cauliflower rice, pea and broccoli puree the body can accommodate.

However that was December.

Since then I have flatlined at that weight loss. Louise however has gone back to her original starting position. I am sure you can imagine how that sits! Lol. I think she must’ve been sneaking extra glasses of wine when I wasn’t looking.

This whole preamble is in explanation as to why she is doing squats with water bottles and skipping in the garden.

Unfortunately this occurrence can only have one unhappy ending for me ….the reintroduction of the “Regime” in the near future Aaaaw No!

As prophetised:

I think she’s expecting aliens for tea – a variation on Klingon “Pach” was forthcoming.

Its not all klingon grub though .

The parents of the house owners we are renting from gave us a rabbit for Easter as a present for doing the gardening. It ended up as rabbit stifado, after the grim reaper (Louise) beheaded it. It was dead I hasten to add !

Run rabbit run rabbit …..Carnage in Pligoni last night.

Hats off to her I couldn’t do it. I would be vegetarian if I had to kill and butcher my food.

and washed doen with a fine “Trump” on the rocks.