Biometric thoughts

Monday wasn’t a day for a walk, at least not early in the morning when the sky was gunmetal grey, and the wind was whipping the house from all sides. The forecast showed 7 and 8 Bf from the south-east, so at least it wasn’t biting cold, but the roof tiles where whistling, and the shutters rattled. The rest of the week looks calmer and colder, so I might get out onto the hillside to do some wandering and wondering.

The ‘buzz’ in the British immigrant world right now is all about biometric permits, and I’ve been reading posts on various fora (forums) with interest. A couple of things have stood out for me. One is how people living in different areas have had different experiences. Some, for example, have not been asked for the paperwork that others have. Some people have been refused help at KEP (like the CAB) because they don’t have a biometric card yet while seeking advice on how to get one. That’s actually against the rules, and they are being advised to report such breaches to the embassy in Athens. Others have said their cards came in two days, others, four weeks. Some people have only been able to make an appointment for the end of June, which is the cut-off date, while others are seen to the following week. It depends on where you are, I guess, and how busy your local office is. We have ours booked for late April, the earliest date we could get in Rhodes.

Another issue that concerns me is people seeking out the cheapest possible health insurance to have the minimum cover required when applying for their card. These are people like me who don’t fit into the IKA system, the national health service if you like. They live in Greece, and yet don’t have health cover, and many of them are in their late 50s and early 60s, so not covered by any existing reciprocal agreement for pensioners. What worries me is that these folks aren’t covered and haven’t been for some time and some are only thinking about it now they have to. What were they going to do if they were suddenly taken seriously ill? Jet off ‘home’ I guess, but here is home, and as I am not covered by IKA any longer, I have to struggle to pay for private insurance. While I am about it, I get the best, most comprehensive cover I can, just in case. It’s the ‘condom theory.’ I’d rather have one and not need it than need one and not have it. I suspect some of these people going for their residency cards are trying to slip through the net and get the best of both worlds: A home in both countries and the right to live in either for as long as they want, just as we could pre-Brexit. Now, if you’re resident in Greece, you’re resident in Greece. If you’re not paying tax here, you’re paying it there, thus not eligible to be resident here (with some exceptions, I believe). You can’t have the best of both, and come and go to your holiday home for as long as you want like you could do before. Whatever, when, as I read yesterday, someone needs an emergency operation and to go private costs €15,000, there’s no point relying on tourists’ insurance as some try to do, nor on your cheap, basic cover from the supermarket chain or bank. Do it properly and stop trying to cheat the system, I say, for what my thoughts are worth.

Amway… Back to the drafting of the next novel, battening down the hatches, and saving the pennies for my health insurance.

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February. Kalo Mina and all that

Happy first of the month to you. How quickly the days go by when there’s not much going on. They become a round of routine, even at weekends. We try and mark weekends with something special like a roast dinner just to remind us that it’s a Sunday. Otherwise, every day is the same as the last. If it weren’t for three video chats on certain days each week and the changing weather, every day would be identical.

Still, not complaining because I enjoy my daily routine of wake, read news, write blog, try and scrape some work online, write a chapter – stopping now and then for breakfast later in the morning – an hour’s walk from time to time, necessary housework, and later, some TV or model making, reading or piano practice and maybe a video chat before settling in for a film before bed. Sleep, and repeat. The weather does break things up slightly. Saturday was a mix of thunder, rain and high winds, the day before didn’t know what it was doing, but so far today, it looks like it’s going to be clear and cold.

Clear and cold means having the heating on for most of the day, and blankets over the knees when on the sofa, maybe fingerless gloves when in the office. It’s not been that cold this winter so far, not for long periods of time, so the gloves have only been on once or twice. The bedroom heater is occasionally left on overnight, by accident, and that makes for a rare treat; waking up warm. It’s also put in the bathroom now and then to take off the icy chill before having a shower (turned off during it for safety). The bathroom’s not gone as black as usual, so far, with only a few spots of condensation mould, so that’s good news. Other good news is that the rooves haven’t leaked because they were filled and painted in time for the first major winter rains.

Of course, all that can change in February, which I always think of as the darkest month, for some reason. During it, I intend to release another book, another mystery adventure and this time, set at the start of the influenza pandemic of 1889, which ran for a couple of years before fading and then coming back again later. That release will hopefully happen at the end of the month, I’ve still a way to go, but writing it is part of my routine, and it’s what I will get on with now. Have a good day, a good week, a good month, a good… well, good everything.

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A few village photos

Out and about a little yesterday, through deserted lanes, up the steps to the top road, along and then up another couple of levels until I’d done a mile. Then, a leisurely walk back down the road and into the village, passing a couple of people walking their dogs, through the main village lane to the square and home. Then, back to the editing, making lunch and welcoming the husband home from his longer walk. An episode of Australian MasterChef while having lunch, and then to the kitchen. Me, to start on an old Wolfman model kit I’ve had a while, and fruit and nut cake baking for Neil. After that, to the sofa for the last episode of the Russian series ‘To The Lake’ (very good), and then a James Bond film. We’re working our way through them all in order, and we’re up to Moonraker.

That’s pretty much how our days are going at the moment, with the occasional interruption for shopping when needed. Today, after this blog, it’s a bit of work, editing a couple of chapters, looking for a suitable book cover image and contacting my designer, cooking, and later, the next bond film. So, here are some photos from yesterday to see you through the weekend.

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Wednesday

I’m having one of those days where I slept so well I woke up tired if that makes sense. Mind you, I’m not planning to do much as it’s blowing a gale outside and the forecast is for high winds and heavy rain all day. This is Wednesday, and currently, there’s a lull, but the sky is still very dark. I can’t post any photos of the view because the shutters are closed, but below are a couple of shots taken on Tuesday when it wasn’t so cloudy. After preparing this post, I have some editing to do and then, I think, the sofa will beckon for an afternoon of laziness and TV watching. Another afternoon, I should say, it’s became something of a habit, but when the weather is cold and wet, and the roof is rattling, it just feels like the right thing to do. In my defence, I do get up at 4.30 and work through until midday, so anything after that feels like evening.

There is some good news for us at least. We now have appointments booked to take our paperwork and proof to the office in Rhodes to exchange our residency cards for the new biometric ones. (Thanks to Jenine for organising us.) We have to wait until the end of April to go, not because of restrictions, but because that was the nearest appointment time. I’m still not sure how we get permission to go if the current lockdown is still in progress, but apparently, we can. If you are still wondering how to change your card, beige or blue, my advice is to phone the Rhodes office and ask them. The number is 22410 27612, and you can call between 13.00 and 14.00, Monday to Friday. English is spoken.

In other good news, for us, I see that one business UK per day has been calling an agent in the Netherlands seeking storage or distribution locations. The idea is to avoid these new charges, VAT and other things when delivering to the EU. These UK companies are setting up EU based locations to distribute from, so we, the customers, don’t have to pay extra charged the oven-ready Brexit deal has landed on us. That will save us the hassle of worrying about extra charges when receiving gifts (over a certain value, I think) or ordering things online we can only get from the UK. Shame that it will take jobs and business away from the sovereignty-restored UK, but there you go.

And on with my day. Neil has just invaded my office with the vacuum cleaner (not complaining), so I must get up and move around for a while.

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New Grocer’s, Models and Drips

A bit of a mashup today. A couple of photos from the top of the village taken on a walk the other morning when it was sunny, a shot of the models I have been making over the winter so far, and a photo of what was, for many years, the Jean & Tonic bar. It’s now a greengrocer (well, a pantopoleio, an ‘everything shop’ or village store.)

We called in the other day on the way back from buying a cap for the unused washing machine water-feed tap, thing that’s dripping in the bathroom. (A great adventure in the DOI shop that came to nothing because I bought the wrong size.) Zouroudi’s is situated along the main village lane where the J&T used to be. It has vegetables and fruit in the outside and courtyard area, and a selection of other groceries inside, with some new (to me) and unusual sauces and other products. We’ve only been once so far as it’s not long been able to open, but we intend to return, and the produce we found was fresh and plentiful. It’s good to have another shop in the village, more choice of where to go for certain things, and it is keeping to the regulations about distancing, masks and hand-wash etc.

As for the modelling, that’s two I have completed this winter so far, and I have a Wolfman on the kitchen table ready to go when I am next in the mood. I am still waiting for another Phantom from the USA. I ordered this in November, and it left Miami on December 22^nd and is currently on the way… somewhere. I usually expect to wait up to three months for deliveries from America, so I am not worried. However, I ordered a sweatshirt as a Christmas present from a company that I believe is based in Europe – Belgium, I think – and this has still not arrived despite being ordered in the first couple of days of December. I wrote to ask them what postal service they used, so I could ask around in case it’s here but with part of the label missing or something, and the company wrote back ready to fall on their own sword. They sent a very sweet email apologising for the delay, but not actually answering the question, and have refunded the payment. Not what I asked for, and now I hope it doesn’t turn up as I shall feel guilty, but it’s been nearly nine weeks now, and I can only assume it has got lost en route. Ah well.

And to finish the bathroom water-feed/tap thing story… I purchased a very robust, brass ‘cap’ that I thought was the right size to seal the thing and stop the drip, took it home and found it was too small. So, on Monday, after my walk, I called into the DIY shop again and bought two more ‘caps’ of varying sizes only to discover a) one was the same size as the first, and the other was too large, and b) the threads on these caps were on the outside, not the inside, so they wouldn’t work even if they were the right size. I tell you, me and DIY don’t mix. Back to the gaffer tape while I think of what else I can use to stop the drip without replacing the tap. Can you imagine if I tried to do that! I am thinking a hosepipe might do it. A bit drastic, but all I have to hand. I will keep you informed of critical developments.

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