There was great excitement in the house yesterday, because I actually left it and walked down to Yialos. I’ve been bent over the typowriter for the past couple of weeks, and haven’t put my head above the parapet much, but yesterday, I made an exception. A power cut was due at eight, which came along, leaving me to work only by the light of the PC screen and as I can’t type coherently in daylight and what with shutters closed against the cold, and no power… The only thing to do on these occasions is to get on with the housework, without water unless previously saved in a bucket, or to sit and read. There is the allure of the phone-scroll to avoid, if possible, the sweeping to do, tidying the cupboard, throwing things away, sorting out the courtyard, reading some more, doing a puzzle, talking to each other, cleaning the windows, whatever. You know, it’s hard to get by without power, because there’s nothing to do. Except take a walk to Yialos.
It was a beautifully clear and calm day, I didn’t need a coat or jacket, and there was a delivery to pick up from the post office, so off we went at about half eight or just after, took a stroll past the DEH guys working around telegraph poles at the top of the Kali Strata, and wandered down. And around to the large supermarket we always call ‘Sam’s Supermarket’ because he used to work there – we said hello to him with a wave because he is currently helping out at a waterfront café. From there, to the backstreets of Yialos to buy vegetables, because decent stuff is becoming rarer in the village this winter, thence to the post office for a warm greeting and a delivery, and on to Pacho’s to see if I could find George, the water controller, but he wasn’t there. A hello to the dentist taking his coffee at the herb shop, and a pop into the pharmacy to collect something for a tickly cough, and to receive a wedding invitation for June, as you do… We’ve known the family some time, and always ask the daughter (the pharmacist) how her parents and brother are doing, and all are doing well, thank you, and George is getting married in May at Panormitis, and we shall receive an invitation. Blimey. Last time I looked, he was still at school and being rebellious, and now…
Tempus fugit, and it continued [to] fugere as we negotiated the roadworks towards the new carpark, which was the taxi rank and quayside, the bus stop and beyond (there’s no traffic into the harbour from beyond the taxi rank at the moment, bikes can use the back streets and cut-through), and found Konstantinos and his mates already at work, so we took a taxi back up. We arrived home discussing how to get a, b, and c done in the dark, when the lights came back on. The power cut ended early for us, and its timing couldn’t have been better. I still didn’t get any typo work done, but that is this morning’s task.
