Oranges on Summer Song

Oranges on Summer Song
Originally uploaded by Sibad.

Friday, April 20, 2007
The oranges in Summer Song's cockpit were a gift from friends living in Ay.Markos. I have the task of extracting their sweet juice. Went to a house in Skripero to see our roofer’s work. Looked good – with the insulation over and not under the wax paper, Corfu style to reduce condensation. To town to buy spade, barrow, lump hammer and rake. Traffic congested but we found Skiadopolos the paint supplier after a mobile chat for directions. Could tell it was a professional place. Many builders scurrying. Back to the house to help tidy after the plaster boarding was sanded. The house is bare but beginning to look more as we’d like it. Had wine and salad and bread under the veranda. There's a gentle cacophony of children’s voices, adults chatting, a radio, a scooter now and then, a bandsman practicing drums, a neighbour’s child singing the Allelulia chorus over and over, and the sounds of pigeons, frogs and dogs. No sound bullies another. At dusk a few bats after the evening insects. How I like the high dark houses here with light behind shutters.

Thursday, April 19, 2007
I cycled into town to collect deeds. Yellow slips for the Greek tax authority have not yet come from our bank. Took a table and chair by the door at Arco. With my WiFi scratchcard username and a password I worked with my laptop as straightforwardly as at home or anywhere Wifi exists. The café server allows me to send as well as receive mail on my own machine – so no need to search for e-mail addresses let alone switch material via flashdrive to a strange computer. This access can only increase so a phone at Democracy Street is just another bill and a distraction, compared to coffee frappé on the Liston – until more start working this way and conviviality becomes call-centre isolation.
For €1.20 an Acharavi bus dropped me at the Ano K turn. I cycled through the greenery to Democracy Street on a road graded to ease the climb. Plasterboarding nearly done. We went on carting rubble to the garden. A lady smiled on our labours. ‘Easy, easy’ (‘seegah, seegah’) she said. Later, we agreed ‘let’s get help.” At CJs we met a customer we’d seen there before, checked daily rates and agreed he’d help us on Monday. Meantime we’ll check work completed by our prospective roofer at Skripero.