Wow, I actually slept for 9 hours last night which, even
under normal circumstances is a lot, but lately is more than half again my
usual. It took me a while to get functional so I didn’t head off for my walk
until 9.30. This time I went up to the turbines on the mountain behind, turned
left to walk along beside them, then continued where I normally turn off for
Handras.
It was a short extra bit to the walk because the track only
continued for the remaining two turbines then stopped, so I turned round and headed
back along my usual route. Still, 7 miles walked.
While up on the mountain I noticed some thistles coming up
that must be a close relative to the artichoke plant. I have to wonder about
what led people to domesticate this plant. How hungry must you be to try eating
a thistle?
Other plants are zooming up. I am presuming the first here is
dill – the fennel which grows here everywhere does not flower until later. The
second one is a thorny shrub with red berries and I have no idea what it is.
Also spotted on the way back was a series of stumps
protruding from a bank. I think they were the stumps of pear trees and it looks
like shoots have been grafted on. A strange method has been used. The shoots
are held on with inner-tube rubber, the top of the stump covered in a thick
layer of mud (I’m guessing the kind of mud they used to use for their roofs
here) then a stone put on top. I have to assume it works very well. Tim and
Helen, in Armeni have a tree that produces cherry plums, but the tree is forked
and one branch produces the plums early in the season while the other does so
later. Clever bit of grafting, that.
And finally, to answer the question burning in my reader’s
minds: the title of this post is so because this is my first ever blog post
from inside my house here on Crete. Jean-Pierre, my Belgian neighbour, decided
to link his neighbours (Anna and I) to his internet connection. I now have a
long network cable snaking through my house, while another extends overhead for
about 30 metres to Anna’s house.
Cheers Jean-Pierre.
7 comments:
Home internet really is all the creature comforts these days 😊
surely they are not cultivating the thistles... thistle soup perhaps?
How did you link to the net before?
A long network cable? Have you not tried sharing a connection using wi-fi?
Ian, the artichoke is related to the thistle.
A long network cable because wifi doesn't work so well between houses with stone walls 2 feet thick.
Would you reccomend Crete for a holiday? I haven't been to Greece since a child and reading your blog has sparked my re-interest.
With the network cable, make sure you get outdoor network cable as the regular stuff lets water in.
Love your books by the way, never posted on here before and wanted to add that! Just re-reading them all right now.
samrad, of all the people I know who have had holidays in Greece those who have gone to Crete prefer it. Being the furthest south it is the warmest ... but of course you have to choose your destination on Crete. Malia, for example, is 17-year-old puking in a gutter territory.
Thanks - I get enough of that at home living in a tourist town!
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