Of course Ukraine and the US election are linked. The ex BBC man Sopel has severe Trump Derngement Syndrome and is looking at polls and getting very excited. But are Trump or Russia really losing? The podcast explains why not.
When we first arrived in Kambos the eating out choice was either the Kourounis taverna come grocery store run by lovely Eleni or Miranda’s the small taverna at the top of the Square. Eleni does food as a sideline and it’s great but a limited choice. Miranda’s “menu” was the one dish she was serving that day.
Young Joshua, aka the pest, has always made a habit of collecting a bunch of useless pebbles from whichever beach he goes to and this holiday was no different. Nearly all of the beaches of the Mani are pebbles rather than sand so on our trips to the seaside he had ample opportunity to collect.
After my mum died we had a series of Warwick University students, mainly from the Classics department set up by my Dad, come to look after us as babysittters. There was one of my heroes in jounalism, the great Neil M. who got his break onto Fleet Street by scooping a sex scandal involving the pop star Howard Jones who, until then, was thought to be rather a wholesome fellow. Classy. I am still in touch with Neil who was one of the 30 folks able to attend the funeral of my father during covid. If only we had been shooting grouse we could have had more. Thanks Boris Johnson you total arsehole.
There is a way that Greeks talk quickly and loudly that makes you feel as if they are shouting at you. They aren’t. Maybe it is just the way the language is put together. Anyhow poor mad lefty J had a load of this not only from lovely Eleni at the Kourounis taverna but from Eleni’s husband, the sister of the murderer and a couple of other folks the other day. And the target of their ire was me.
The front of the ouzerie is the main road, almost opposite the olive press. Behind it is a small courtyard which is normally fairly empty. For the food, the backgammon boards, the best loo in a Kambos restaurant and a mummy cat with three kittens we are hooked. It is 300 yards away from the main square sided by Eleni’s Kourounis and two other restaurants so if you want some peace and quiet and time to think….
Back in Airstrip One, T, J, R and others, all veteran olive harvesters are waiting with baited breath to hear if this year’s olive harvest is viable. The hot weather and drought has raised fears in some quarters. I have also pondered as to whether my health is up to it.
The old orchard at the Welsh Hovel sits between our back garden and the river and contains four very old apple trees. There were five but the floods did for one of them a year or so ago. The new orchard containing about thirty trees of which just over a third are apples or crab apples is four years old and the newest clutch of apple trees at the top of the vegetable patch can be seen HERE. But there is a fourth group of trees planted last year by myself and my pal C.
I have covid for a third or fourth time. I felt fairly horrible on Friday night but a day of rest, fluids, vitamin C and zinc leaves me feeling much better. A friend who has had nine jabs also has covid. I had two a long time ago and regret that bitterly. I discuss the claim that having more jabs makes the covid caught less serious in light of the data and the history of GroupThink and expert lies.
A number of kind readers as well as an Oxford contemporary, L, have either expressed surprise that I am such a keen gardener or have asked for a progress report. Well here goes. I start with the small field behind the barn which was six foot high in weeds when we arrived and contained a number of abandoned metal structures hidden by those weeds. As you can see in the first photo, it is now anew orchard of about 30 trees, mainly plums, apples, crab apples and pears but with the odd fig, a dog’s arse tree and a tayberry. At the end of the orchard is the top field where one day I hope to keep goats. I have planted five edible olive trees from Greece, three mulberry trees and a sweet chestnut around the edge. That is all WIP.
Sharestock is looming. The date is September 7. The lawn is getting into shape. A team of helpers led by my two eldest daughters are lined up as are the speakers. All we need now is you! For what, I increasingly think, will be my last ever show.
There are two old plum trees here on the edge of the vegetable patch. And i have planted another six in the new orchard which are now fruiting. Some of the latter will not be ripe for another few weeks but some,and the bigger old tree were pregnant with the sort of purple plums you can see below. it really snuck up on me. I only noticed this a day and a half before we all headed off to Greece.But Joshua and whirled into action picking allt he fruit we could reach either as we stood there or by knocking down witha hoe.
A Greek holiday looms and that should allow me the mental space to write a bit more about the death of my Great Uncle David Cochrane but also a much longer piece about Operation Mincemeat, the underpants, my family’s involvement and how that also links to agent Cicero. Trust me, it is gripping stuff. Ahead of that, enjoy a newly framed piece of family history from 1862.
This piece of history from Zimbabwe was a gift frommy pal Jono who lived through the Robert Mugabe years. Finally it has been framed and now sits proudly on the wall of my recently refurbished office. Enjoy.
Today Joe Biden pulled out of the race.I look at this, his replacement as the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris and what a fascinating slew of polls last week tell us about the race. I also look at shifting sands in Ukraine.
