Painting the balcony, making shutters

A Sunday morning in Corfu; a brilliant sun casting long shadows inside our silent house, shining on lemons, oranges and the fresh leaves of sprouting vines. The sea beyond St Elias glitters through a haze that hides the mainland. Swallows flash by, their chattering flirtations adding to a muted cacophony of pigeons, cockerels and barking dogs between the village and grey tree covered hills surrounded by morning mist. At eight twenty a Matins bell. Mountains south of Ermones float between land and sky - Vatos to Cape Plaka below Agios Yiorgos, Gliffada and Pelekas, and beyond the invisible city, Deka and the summit with the dish – 16 miles away above the airport.
***

Lin is painting the balcony railings deep Corfu green – a frustrating job with corners and niches to reach with metal paint. Leftheris is making shutters, using tongue and groove deal, knots sealed by singeing, cracks filled before undercoating and painting. These are "proper" for Ano Korakiana he said, “not those” he said pointing at louvre shutters. We have the latter - a devil to strip and sand - so I like the idea of replacing some with the simpler kind, though I’m struggling with making my first frame and shutters for a small window downstairs. Leftheris lent a hand with his circular saw to cut a margin off the side of the recovered kitchen cupboard doors I was using – offering helpful advice on positioning hinges. I’m beginning to get enough prepositions and adjectives to make such discussions intelligible – words like ‘before’, ‘over’, ‘under’, ‘about’, ‘together’, ‘exactly’, ‘in front’ ‘behind’, ‘almost’ – that can be strung on verbs and hung in front of nouns.
Later we were having tea outside and one of the cats began edging its way through the front door and I said – if I remember – “Orchi gata! Oxi mesa stin spiti” as if a cat would take any notice in either language.
Vasiliki gardening next door said “Simon! ‘sto spiti’…orchi ‘mesa’…orchi ‘sto spiti!’”
“Efharisto Vasiliki”
“Parakolo Simon”
‘House’ is neuter – ουδέτερο - and I was treating it as feminine - θηλυκό. Later Natasha told me a special imperative for cats - τσίτο! And other solely for dogs: όξω!
At the end of the afternoon Lin had just finished with the long ladder which I’d held while she finished painting the struts on the balcony railings and other patches of ironwork she couldn’t see before. I had a cup of tea; Lin her coffee. Natasha was sat outside her house almost beside us.
“Theleis tsai;” I ventured.
She shook her head gently. “My father has tea. For his throat”
“Of course tea is medicine – iatriki – ιατρική (a word I’d learned) in Greece.”
“You like coffee?” Natasha asked Lin
“Nescafé” she replied
“Ugh!” I said “but Lin was a teacher"
"I only drink tea with my mother – mazi mitera mou” said Lin
“Why do you drink so much tea in England?”
“Polli tsai stin Anglia! Polli tsai” I said
We laughed. “So much tea you are always going to the toilet” observed Natasha
“No no” I replied “when anything bad happens in England we always say ‘Have a cup of tea’ Polli tsai. Panda tsai.”
“What’s ‘the day before yesterday’” Lin asked me
“Prin xthes, ti einai;” I asked Natasha
“Proxthes – Προχθές”
“Ne proxthes’ said Lin “an earth tremor. Did you …?”
She gestured palms down shaking “Ah yes. Very little. My friend phoned from Ioannina. I slept.”
We too had slept through this early last Wednesday morning. We all gestured sleeping. Mark down the road told us it had woken him. Slowly we learn.
“Seismos - σεισμός” I ventured “Πίνω κούπα τσάι! Trauma (borrowing another word) - Κάθε τραύμα, πίνεισ κούπας τσάι!” Adonis had said last week “After only five years.” He held out five fingers, careful not to present his palm “You will speak Greek” “Like Mrs K speaks English” muttered Lin. Our dear neighbour of 30 years came to Britain from Krakow after  the war. She conveys her meaning via an enduring struggle with English grammar.
** ** **
The Greek test last Tuesday went well. Aleko at Sally’s in Ipsos selected from several pages of phrases in English; sought answers in Greek, from individuals in turn and from the group – just four of us. Of course I’d had help from Yiorgos while we waited for our flight from Manchester. So I couldn’t crow even quietly, but I was pleased I could often answer without looking at my screen. Lin whose pronunciation is better than mine decided not to come – unsure she knew enough.

SOME OF THE TEST ANSWERS
Who is it? (man or woman) = Ποιός είναι;
Peter is looking at the television = Ο Πέτρος βλέπει τηλεόραση
Who is looking at the television? = Ποιός βλέπει τηλεόραση;
Andreas smokes a lot = Ο Αντρέας καπνίζει πολύ
Who smokes a lot? = Ποιός καπνίζει πολύ;
Is your friend handsome/pretty Andrea? = Είναι ο φίλος σου όμορφος/όμορφη; Αντρέα
Yes, he is very handsome/she is very pretty = Ναι, είναι πολύ όμορφος/όμορφη
What colour are his eyes? = Τι χρώμα είναι τα μάτια του;
What colour are her eyes? = Τι χρώμα είναι τα μάτια της;
His eyes are blue = Τα μάτια του είναι μπλέ
Her eyes are blue = Τα μάτια της είναι μπλέ
His hair? = Τα μαλλιά του;
Her hair? = Τα μαλλιά της;
I don’t know. I think it is black = Δεν ξέρω. Νομίζω είναι μαύρα
Yes, black = Ναι, μαύρα
The poor man (not rich!) = Ο φτωχός άντρας (άνθρωπος)
The rich man = Ο πλούσιος άντρας (άνθρωπος)
My garden is big = Ο κήπος μου είναι μεγάλος
Yesterday was Sunday = Χτες ήταν Κυριακή
The day before yesterday was Saturday = Προχθές ήταν Σάββατο
Three days ago it was Friday = Πρίν τρίς μέρες ήταν Παρασκευή
Now I am here = Τώρα είμαι εδώ
One hour ago I was at my house = Πρίν μία ώρα ήμουν σπίτι μου
Where were you Maria one hour ago? = Που ήσουν Μαρία πρίν μία ώρα;
I was in my garden = Ήμουν στο κήπο μου
I was with my sister = Ήμουν με την αδελφή μου
You were here one hour ago = Ήσουν εδώ πρίν μία ώρα;

Dear Simon and Linda. I am glad you enjoyed ‘the test’! As I said it would be fun and next time I hope Lin joins us. It’s very strange but the very word ‘test’ or ‘exam’ frightens so many people! For example X who is usually very good was not her usual self and when I asked her later she said that even when she was at school, when they had exams she didn't go!! Full of nerves she was!! Why? why? why? Next session, can't remember if I told you, I intend to teach one week and the following week do what we did yesterday. Isn't this a better idea? So, NO final test! Last week of April meet me at ‘my’ kafenion 19.30 for a quick drink and then we will go on to ‘Vitamins’ (hope he is open by then) for something to eat. Please confirm that this arrangement is suitable for you, because if it is not we can change it. With love,  Aleko

*** ***
On the Wednesday before we left for Greece I took the train south, via London, to see the Hills and again enjoy Wendy’s delectable fish pie followed by apple crumble and their kind hospitality including cups of tea. I missed their neighbour John who was out, wanting to thank him for two things – setting me on my search for Jack’s original films and introducing me to Richard and Wendy Hill. I showed Richard a photo of one one of the old olive logs I was thinking of bringing him to carve. He shook his head “Look at those shakes. It’ll just fall apart, Simon.”
An email from John Peters in Havant:

Hi Simon. Sorry that I missed you on your last visit. I was teaching computers to the local organisation for people with physical and mental disabilities. Richard said that you have lost my email address and I have now scanned the copy of the paper clip that Richard gave you. Maybe you would like to include it on your webpage. Its in A3 format. I hope to see you perhaps next time. Regards

The News (Portsmouth) 10 Feb '11

Great! I’m so glad to  have recovered your email John, so I can keep you posted on our continuing search for JH material – as kicked off by you! I’ll write to you at greater length next week. Best wishes and thanks for the newspaper story which Richard and Wendy told me about and kept for me. It’s useful to have it digitised. Simon

I’ve told John I’d like him to join the ‘JH Committee’ - so now it includes Ian Wegg, Tony Herbert, Mark Taylor, Mark Jack, Jennie Constable, Ray Langstone and John Peters; an informal group, two of whom I’ve not yet met in the flesh – Ian and Tony; people who share my interest in Jack’s films, enjoying his broadcasts when younger, and now helping make them available again. Tony has sent me a DVD with a superb sample of Out of Town episodes - the best I've yet seen.

Tony Herbert's recordings of Out of Town episodes

Dear Tony... having just watched the Out of Town episodes starting with clapper board, trade carts, various objects, high pheasant and the fishing gossiper stymied by Stan, and Jack's recollection - with French accent - of the talk about Marianne and Britannia, and the breaking of the chalk springs, I'm over the moon. What quality at last! Linda who met JH just a few times (he was at our wedding) was listening to it while cooking downstairs and said "he sounds alive".' It certainly is an example of how the quality of the film makes the difference. I felt frissons. I'm not sure how I feel. He seemed so close, even though these episodes are older than the ones I've had for quite a while. They're different too from the Meonstoke films of course, having been live broadcasts. Wonderful.   I'm now looking forward to seeing the rest of what you've sent me. I was wondering about streaming some of this but my inclination - even if I had your permission - would be to hold back on this material. It is especially precious.   As I say even from Greece I felt this evening like picking up the phone and saying 'thank you' more directly. I hope we shall soon be able to visit Marion B together, but I'll leave that until mid-May.   I am currently ripping the three Out of Towns from both disks for my collection. To watch the other material I will refer solely to your brilliant DVDs. I have that little trench pipe with the silver band and the goldfinch. I take it you added titles and credits but seamlessly - even with the abrupt start on the Dorset clocks. This has to be an example of how starts and endings might be sliced on to archive 16mm film for public showing, doesn't it?    As for the 'last broadcast' OoT wouldn't it be good if the OB film for this turned up either at SWFTA or among Marion's tapes? Then we can splice your top and tale to it....S

****
After midnight, early Saturday morning, we strolled through the well lit streets of the village, until beyond the bandstand and carpark the road went dark enclosed by tall trees between us and Venetia, scops owls calling from above and below, far and near.
“I’m not sure I’d care to stroll here at night alone” said Lin
“Two can put a hold on each other’s imagination. Alone you may think you hear something, embellish olden fears, summoning things that watch and wait. Remember our late night walks in Lydbrook. We knew all the paths. All unlit. The wind rattling the hedgerows in winter; the full moon showing us shapes and shadows; the things that followed, murderous ghouls, the chain-saw man who lurked that Richard and Amy begged me to invent."
We woke dogs which barked across the night waking other dogs who took their turn to warn the world of our passage. In the narrows of Venetia we took the cobbled steps of narrow Odos Iacobus winding down through houses and hedges to the lower road, on which we walked back into the village, a circuit that took us back up a rising path to the medical centre on Democracy Street.
** ** **
It seems as if the long projected PAOK supported soccer pitch below the village will not now be completed. The site has stood there for at least a decade. Then, last winter, there was a hint money might be found to complete it, but the latest news is that the proposed €420,000 grant that was to be made available by the old Faiakon Demos - abolished under last winter's Kallicrates reform of Hellenic local government - has been in some way or another recalled to a central budget. The suggestion is that the site be returned to pasture.

Τελικά, τα χρήματα για την αποπεράτωση του γηπέδου του ΠΑΟΚ, δεν υπάρχουν πλέον… Κατά την επίσκεψη του Προέδρου του Τοπικού Συμβουλίου στην πρώην Νομαρχία, έγινε γνωστό ότι πλέον δεν υπάρχουν ούτε τα χρήματα που αποτελούσαν το μερίδιο της Νομαρχίας στην εργολαβία του γηπέδου. Τα χρήματα που αντιστοιχούσαν στο μερτικό του πρώην Δήμου Φαιάκων, ήταν εξαρχής έωλα. Έτσι, το γήπεδο μπορεί άνετα πλέον να μετατραπεί σε βοσκότοπο, σε πείσμα των προ δεκαετίας σχεδιασμών για Αθλητικό Κέντρο. «Τις πταίει?»

It would be good if a football field for Ano Korakiana could be paid for by money from the projected windfarm project on Pantokrator.
***
Richard, our son's E4 competition entry

Walking with Ghost

Jack walking with Ghost

From Mark Taylor: Hello Simon. Glad you got the DVD, hope you had a good trip home. No problem putting the clips on YouTube etc. Just arrived back from a work party in Hamsterley Forest and am about to collapse into a hot bath; brashing seems to get harder every year! All the best.

Dear Mark. Yes and I’ve been extracting films – some I’ve seen and some not. The first of these – for me – ‘new’ ones, has JH walking with his pony Ghost. I’ve streamed that with many thanks to you on YouTube. I take Jack’s point about not being able to learn much about the country from a motor car but all the same the tour you you took the trouble to give me after our lunch at Middleton One Row gave me, especially with your easy commentary, at least a sketch of a landscape I’ve only known, and at that briefly, through its famous towns. Do you know the proper name of that flower JH mentions at 05.00 -   “I’m always stymied when I come to tell you the name of it ...Q-W-I-N”? Part of his comment includes lines from Shakespeare – Oberon in Midsummer Night’s Dream in a wood near Athens: I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine... What I love about research - almost a vice - by the way, is that Jack says ‘grows'. That’s how I recall those lines. Looking them up in seconds on the memory-stealer Google I find it should be ‘blows’; 'grows' comes a line later. JH said that every programme he did harvested a proportion of viewers – some indignant - pointing out his ‘errors’. And here am I doing it it posthumously! Jack used to say that it was wonderful just how much knowledge there was out there. He was always learning from the people who wrote to him, sometimes ending up doing programmes with them. Having become pretty familiar with my collection – the DVDs I copied to you – it was a delight to see this one I’ve never seen before. I look forward to teasing out several more like that from your tape. I'll also be interested to see if Tony can extract a slightly higher quality picture. If not, never mind. It’s lovely to have these, and the search continues. Kindest regards and many thanks. I’ve put a picture of you and me by the Tees on my blog. (I’ve copied this email to other ‘members’ of our ‘JH Committee’) Best, Simon

"There's only one real way to get to know the country and that's on your flat feet." This is an episode from a broadcast of Old Country shown on Channel 4 in the 1980s. It was recorded at the time by Mark Taylor. Last week I travelled north to visit him in Yorkshire. He very kindly lent me a copy of the VHS tape he'd made of several of my stepfather's programmes over 20 years ago. I've sent his original video tape (this clip is uploaded from a DVD copy from a copied VHS tape) to Tony Herbert to be digitised optimally, just  to see if we can raise picture quality. I know however that we won't be able to achieve that until I can make wider use of the original 16mm film* in the archive in Plymouth, film which contains the outside sequences of Jack's programmes but not the sequences where he speaks to camera from his 'shed'. For these we do have sound - on 1/4 inch reel to reel tape - that must be married to the soundless 16mm film, made mainly by his long term cameraman Stan Bréhaut who's work for 'Out of Town' is to be recognised by the slight movement that shows, even when out a sea, since Stan worked with an old handheld Arri, which limited him to 100ft rolls of film - just over two minutes. This later film for 'Old Country' was the work of Steve Wagstaff. The sound tapes contain library sound effects and JH's commentary through whole episodes, but the only studio picture we have comes courtesy of viewers who recorded these programmes at the time they were broadcast.
In this episode Jack walks with his pony Ghost for pleasure in the countryside following downland routes used by the packers to move the wool staple, source of England's pre-industrial wealth, noticing things at walking pace. During the film he takes a few swipes at those who say they 'love the countryside' then stray no more than 25 yards from where they've parked their car. But privately Jack would confess to regarding that as no bad thing, what was much more distressing was the blighting of old green trails - the few that remain - by people having 'off-road fun' in recreational 4X4s.
*To see what can be done with the 16mm film here's an episode I've streamed on Vimeo of fishing off Littlehampton in the 1970s.  Even this is not the original, having been compressed to stream, but the promise of higher quality is there. The lack of studio sequences has been solved - in part - by using stills over my stepfather's commentary.
***
Lots of them there, but no friends or relatives arrested in London yesterday, nor gave cause. This was Politics for over a hundred thousand citizens not therapy for a few hundred idiots. (I do not include UK Uncut among the 'idiots'). Our friend Denise came round Sunday afternoon to chat about the Practical Care Project. She also told us about the TUC march in London on Saturday "There were thousands there - the postmen, the railmen, people from Wales, men in kilts. Our coaches parked in Edware Road. Long walk. Missed most of the speeches. They were played on the television in the coach on the way back." My nephews and nieces - Natasha, Anna, Eddie and Sam - were in Hyde Park and are posting prolifically on the web. One sent me this rap - some impressive rhyming, professionally done on NxtGenUK's channel....One comment: Anyone who rhymes "biggest beneficiaries" with "Lib-Dem Conservative policies" gets a thumbs up from me!


***
Sachiko Imai just posted photos on Facebook of her office after the earthquake. She'd written on 16 March: Simon...My prefecture Ibaraki is one of the worst disaster areas. In my case, water supply still cut off. Big quakes are continuing every one hour or so. And we have acute shortages of electricity, foods, and gasoline. In addition, my prefecture is bordered by the south of Fukushima prefecture where the nuclear explosion occurred. We must support them with great care. On the other hand, we are also taking care of our own nuclear facilities. The disaster scale is so huge. There is no end in sight. Of course, I would like to think the situation is getting better day by day. Now, as a member of the Ibaraki disaster countermeasures office, I am doing my best. I'd like to thank you for your concern again.  Sachiko

11 March 2011 ~ 1446 local time in Ibaraki

**** ****
Representatives of Ano Korakiana have expressed their strongest opposition to the proposed wind farm on Pantocrator, requesting the withdrawal of its planning permission. A resolution agreed on 19 March '11 has been addressed to the Ionian Regional Government and to Corfu Council arguing that the scheme will be damaging, not only to the environment of the village but of all Corfu (the translation links refers to Mount  Pantocrator literally as 'Almighty' - to lessen any confusion, and of course 'upper' refers to 'ano' in the name of the village. The translation also says villagers are opposed to renewable energy when what they actually say is that they approve it as an element of sustainable development. They do not regard the proposed wind farm as a contribution to sustainable development). The lower slopes of Mt Pantocrator begin above the village:

Τετάρτη, 23 Μαρτίου 2011

Ψήφισμα του ΤΣ Ανω Κορακιάνας ζητά την άμεση ανάκληση των αποφάσεων περιβαλλοντικής αδειοδότησης για το αιολικό πάρκο στον Παντοκράτορα

Το Συμβούλιο της Τοπικής Κοινότητας Άνω Κορακιάνας στην συνεδρίασή του στις 19-03-2011 αποφάσισε την έκδοση ψηφίσματος. 

Στη συνεδρίαση παραβρέθηκαν φορείς και κάτοικοι της περιοχής, οι οποίοι ενέκριναν ομόφωνα το ψήφισμα που έχει ως εξής: 

Λαμβάνοντας υπόψη:....

- Τις αδικαιολόγητα βεβιασμένες αποφάσεις που υπέγραψαν λίγο πριν από τη λήξη της θητείας τους ο πρώην Νομάρχης Κέρκυρας και ο πρώην Γ.Γ. της Περιφέρειας Ιόνιων Νησιών για την περιβαλλοντική αδειοδότηση του Αιολικού Πάρκου ανεμογεννητριών Παντοκράτορα, 

- Τις νέες υπό αδειοδότηση εγκαταστάσεις ανεμογεννητριών στην κορυφογραμμή του Κοράκιου Όρους, αλλά και του Παντοκράτορα, 

- Τις αρνητικές θέσεις που έλαβαν το περασμένο καλοκαίρι τόσο το Δημοτικό Συμβούλιο Φαιάκων, όσο και το Νομαρχιακό Συμβούλιο Κέρκυρας, 

- Το αρνητικό κλίμα που εκφράστηκε την περασμένη εβδομάδα στην κοινή σύσκεψη των εκπροσώπων των Τοπικών Συμβουλίων της ευρύτερης περιοχής που πραγματοποιήθηκε στον Ύψο, υπό την προεδρεία των δύο Αντιδημάρχων του Δήμου Κέρκυρας, 

- Το γεγονός ότι με κανέναν τρόπο ή διαδικασία δεν ενημερώθηκαν επίσημα οι κάτοικοι της ευρύτερης περιοχής για το θέμα, παρά μόνον «κατόπιν εορτής» 

- Το ότι όπως δείχνουν οι δημόσιες τοποθετήσεις όλων των τοπικών φορέων (συμπεριλαμβανομένου του Τ.Ε.Ε.), η αδειοδότηση χαρακτηρίζεται από σημαντικά κενά νομιμότητας και λειτουργικότητας και στην καλύτερη περίπτωση από εμφανή προχειρότητα και τέλος αφού κάνουμε σαφές ότι δεν είμαστε γενικά αντίθετοι με τη χρήση ανανεώσιμων πηγών ενέργειας στο πλαίσιο όμως μιας βιώσιμης ανάπτυξης, 

Δηλώνουμε τη σαφή αντίθεσή μας τόσο για το αδειοδοτηθέν έργο, όσο και για τα λοιπά προς αδειοδότηση αιολικά πάρκα, επειδή αυτά: 

1ον. Βλάπτουν τον οικισμό και την περιοχή μας, και υποβαθμίζουν την ποιότητα ζωής των κατοίκων, εγκυμονώντας ακόμη και κινδύνους για τη δημόσια υγεία, αφού μετατρέπουν την Άνω Κορακιάνα σε κόμβο διερχόμενων καλωδίων υψηλής τάσης και προσθέτουν στην ήδη επιβαρημένη ευρύτερη περιοχή νέους υποσταθμούς. 

2ον. Αποτελούν εγκαταστάσεις «Βιομηχανικής κλίμακας» και ιδιαίτερα μεγάλου όγκου και μεγέθους για τα γεωμορφολογικά και κοινωνικοοικονομικά δεδομένα όχι μόνο της περιοχής μας αλλά και ολόκληρης της Κέρκυρας, με συνέπεια να απειλείται εκτός από το περιβάλλον και το τοπίο και η ίδια η Τουριστική δραστηριότητα του νομού. 

3ον: Δεν δημιουργούν ορατά οφέλη για τον τόπο μας, παρά μόνο πολύ ορατές «βλάβες», ενώ το πιθανότερα είναι, μετά από μερικά χρόνια η περιοχή μας να παραμείνει γεμάτη με «άχρηστα κουφάρια» τσιμέντου και πυλώνων. 

Κατόπιν αυτών, ζητάμε από το Δημοτικό Συμβούλιο Κέρκυρας: 

- Να συνδράμει με κάθε τρόπο και να υποστηρίξει πολιτικά, νομικά και οικονομικά την αναπόφευκτη προσφυγή της Άνω Κορακιάνας και των λοιπών χωριών στο Συμβούλιο της Επικρατείας και 

- Να ζητήσει από το Γ.Γ. της Αποκεντρωμένης Διοίκησης την άμεση ανάκληση των αποφάσεων περιβαλλοντικής αδειοδότησης. 

*** *** ***

After my university friend Sue Pulford and I had sailed her across the Atlantic in 1965-66 I sold Young Tiger, to a pair of lawyers in Washington and started working - a harrowing transition from play to work that never suited me. My first job was at the Wharton School in Philadelphia processing data from consumer research into American beer drinking habits for Anheuser-Busch, open-plan desked beside a fellow assistant called Busch Maarbjerg (pronounced 'more beer'). It was just before the invention of electronic calculators. We worked - 9-5 (no more night watches) -

calculating standard deviations on large sample responses to forced choice questions using electric calculators. If you should be silly enough to try dividing a million by one on an electronic calculator the answer is immediate; on our state of the art electric calculators that would take about a day, wearing cogs. To be cruel, I'd leave mine rotating over lunch. The sea receded - down a tunnel becoming vignette picnics, promenades along beaches; wavelets viewed nine decks over the taffrails of rumbling ferries. I made myself forget Young Tiger, until 13 March 2007 - just before I began this blog -  when a Canadian yachtsman who'd found me on the internet confirmed he had traced the Westerly 22 designed by my mentor Denys Rayner in which two of us had sailed from Europe to Miami (Part 2). Lifted from the Chesapeake she was sat on a trailer in the Appalachian foothills of West Virginia, miles from the ocean. I felt sorry for her. By reports her owner was old, a little insensible, nursing a dream of unlikely voyages. Young Tiger was stuck in the woods. Bob, my kind Canadian friend who'd traced the boat, knew I'd thought of asking for the little plaque on her bulkhead mentioning the ocean voyage. This morning I got a kind email from him:

Hi Simon...Sean and Sara said they would get back in touch when they'd sorted out what they wanted to do. Apparently her father was a bit of a packrat and the boat itself is part of his stuff... I'll give Sean a call next week again. The last time we spoke they were in Hawaii. He was in Oahu but his accent was such that I didn't know what he was talking about at first. I think he thought me some sort of idiot not knowing where Hawaii was.  Hah! In any case I offered to assist them if they so wished. I also know of 2-3 people looking for a W22 who might be interested in the boat. Rest assured I will let you know any further news. All the best  Bob

Dear Bob. Lovely to hear from you and I sympathise with your gently expressed frustrations. Don’t worry about the plaque coming back to me. I have the most robust souvenirs in my head, not to mention the little Greek papier-mâché owl that hung happily inside Young Tiger’s cabin throughout our voyage to America. It would be so good if someone who appreciates her came to own her, but my business with Young Tiger is done, except for hoping to see a good succession. And of course I’d be delighted to correspond with any new owner who wants to take her to sea. Best Simon

Hi Simon. Oh, I made a career as a federal pubic servant and also spent quite a few of those years working with the UN for Canada. I am very resilient. I actually think things will sort out as they should- probably a left over perspective from working with indigenous peoples here and in Africa. My current work is once again with the Public Service coordinating 8 departments to cooperate with each other. I may write a book on this post retirement episode, "Zen and the Art of Herding Cats" Such is the democratic process at times. Bob

How I remember her

***
Sent off our Census form for 2011, completed on line.

Found in translation

Linda went to see her parents in Cannock on Saturday, taking oranges and lemons from our garden in Corfu. Dorothy, my mother-in-law, eats lemons as I eat oranges. I've been working on my diary for our fortnight here - see the dentist, the doctor, do two pieces of work for the university, visit Darlington to borrow Mark Taylor's VHS tape of my stepfather's programmes and get it digitised, possibly by Tony Herbert, one of the members of the informal 'Jack Hargreaves Committee' I've convened - over the internet; visit Richard and Wendy Hill in Havant, do work on our allotment and on our garden, lead another history walk through Handsworth Park this Sunday (last year's walk).
This afternoon I cycled into town to run through a list of errands, after a morning of on-line work on my correspondence. How I sympathise with the hard bitten hero in those cop procedurals who has to do routine paperwork to fend off station bean-counters. Lin spent yesterday and last night doing the same - insurance, tax files, bills that come by post, and a phone call or two, one to tell us a neighbour of thirty years had dropped dead of a stroke a week ago. In the midst of the routine our lives are leavened by visits from our daughter, while our son and girlfriend make us a supper of bangers, from Bowketts of Oldbury, and mash with fried onions, fresh leeks and some red wine.

A baked potato with lots of butter and a cup of tea in the Rag Market

In town I went to the market to have a baked potato, buy bird food, a new pair of cheap shoes, then to busy New Street Station to get pre-booked rail tickets to London, Darlington and Havant and finally to Illingworth's in the Western Arcade to get my Tor Oriental cigarettes - dearer than my new shoes. But before that I dropped into the Apple shop to see if there was news of Niko, our Greek teacher. I asked an assistant who pointed behind me and there  he was - "my first day back at work" - after just returning from caring for his stricken mother in Athens. He gave me hurried news, said he'd be in touch tomorrow. we embraced.
****
There was a public meeting in the village council on the 19 March to discuss the proposed windfarm - αιολικού πάρκου - on Trompetta and its repercussions for the village and its surroundings. In a packed room discussion began after a briefing from President Nikos Metallinos, followed by the Chairman of the Council Spyros Thymis:

Σε «ανοικτή» συνεδρίαση του Τοπικού Συμβουλίου Άνω Κορακιάνας συζητήθηκε απόψε το θέμα του αιολικού πάρκου Παντοκράτορα και οι επιπτώσεις του στο χωριό μας.  Στην κατάμεστη αίθουσα του ισογείου (αφού το θέμα βρίσκεται στο επίκεντρο του ενδιαφέροντος των κατοίκων) η συζήτηση ξεκίνησε με ενημέρωση από τον χωριανό μας Νίκο Μεταλληνό και ακολούθως ο Πρόεδρος του Συμβουλίου Σπύρος Θύμης διάβασε το ομόφωνο ψήφισμα στο οποίο είχαν καταλήξει λίγο πριν τα μέλη του Τοπικού Συμβουλίου. Το ψήφισμα, αφού εκφράζει την αντίθεση του χωριού στην επικείμενη εγκατάσταση ανεμογεννητριών, καλωδίων και υποσταθμών, ζητάει την πολιτική, νομική και οικονομική συμπαράσταση του Δήμου Κέρκυρας στην αναγκαία πλέον προσφυγή στο Συμβούλιο Επικρατείας, καθώς επίσης και την ανάκληση της απόφασης του Γ.Γ. της Περιφέρειας. Η συνέχεια θα δοθεί την επόμενη Πέμπτη το βράδυ στη συνεδρίαση του Δημοτικού Συμβουλίου Κέρκυρας, όπου θα συζητηθεί το θέμα. Το πλήρες κείμενο του ψηφίσματος ακολουθεί...

A unanimous resolution was passed expressing Ano Korakiana's opposition (widely shared on the island, though not so much by me) to the imminent installation of wind generators, cables and substations, regretting the support given the project by the Municipality Corfu and the Regional Authority. I don't want to oppose renewable energy technologies despite recognising the immensity of the project and the enormous amount of road activity that will go with building the farm. We both assume that traffic will not try to pass through Ano Korakiana via Venetia and Sokraki but will ascend the mountains via the Trompetta road beyond Skripero off the main road to Acharavi and Roda - but who knows.
***
Though the whole is not to be missed, the second verse in the poem To live - Ikiteiru - 生きる - by Shuntaro Tanikawa contains the gem...meeting all kinds of beautiful things, and rejecting carefully the hidden evil...kakusareta aku wo chuuibukaku kobamu koto - to ferret out whatever evil may be hiding deep withing us

生きているということ

いま生きているということ

それはミニスカート

それはプラネタリウム

それはヨハン・シュトラウス

それはピカソ

それはアルプス

すべての美しいものに出会うということ

そして

かくされた悪を注意深くこばむこと

I can't read the Japanese. That's where the web is so helpful, allowing me to tease out different versions and interpretations. How this couples with Cavafy in Ithaka:

Τοὺς Λαιστρυγόνας καὶ τοὺς Κύκλωπας,
τὸν ἂγριο Ποσειδῶνα δὲν θὰ συναντήσεις,
ἄν δὲν τοὺς κουβανεῖς μὲς στὴν ψυχή σου,
ἄν ὴ ψυχή σου δὲν τοὺς στήνει ἐμπρός σου

Toὺs Laistrygonas kaὶ toὺs Kiklopas,

tὸn agrio Poseidona dὲn thὰ sinandeesis,

ἄn dὲn toὺs koovanees mὲs stin psiki soo,

ἄn i psixi soo thὲn toὺs steenee ἐmbros soo.

The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops, 

the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter, 

if you do not carry them within your soul, 

if your soul does not set them up before you.

From a Japanese comment on Tanikawa's poem:
被災地以外の方々は何をすべきなのか。
いつも通り生活し仕事をし生きる。
ことと思います。
方向性は行政が決め、そこで手伝えることをやればいいと思う。
まずは、自らの生活が基本。
「出来る人が、出来ることを、出来るだけ」

'What should those who aren't in the afflicted areas do now?
I think they should keep living their life and work as usual.
The administrations will decide the policy and we just need to help following what they say.
First of all, our daily life is our priority.'

Found in translation...

Eriko at Dores

Our dear friend Eriko, my student for a few weeks, brief guest in the Highlands, writes from Japan: 

I really appreciate your warm message, Simon and Linda. It reminds me of peaceful and tranquil landscape in Inverness as well as your hometown in Birmingham. How are you, your mother and your children? Thank you very much for your consideration to us. As to me, my family and relatives, they are all safe and sound. So is Hitomi. When the quake hit, I felt the quake my office room on the sixth floor. It was a long and lateral shake. It did not damage or slant anything but my  colleagues and I were a little upset. The office building is said to be one of the most earthquake-resistant buildings in Nara prefecture so I was quite certain about safety and stability. Later I looked through the window on Todaiji temple and surrounding houses in order to make sure nothing was torn down. Finally it turned out there was no destruction within the prefecture. The news of a female local govt employee in Eastern Japan in charge of disaster prevention kept warning local citizens to evacuate before tsunami came. As a result she sacrificed herself, was washed away and has not been found yet. This news made us - me and my colleagues - extremely sad. At this time, There is a mixture of peace and unordinariness in Kansai region. I hear, in my flat, high school students practise club activities as if no dreadful incident had happened. Public transportation is smoothly working without any delay or absence. Consumption of water, gas and electricity is not restrained. However, in shops of daily necessities, torches and batteries have been sold out and bottles of water and towels are scarce. This is because people in Kansai who have relatives and friends in Eastern part of Japan bought and delivered the stuff.  Not to change the subject over two days I have attended a seminar for a licensed English guide. Did I tell you that I had passed the exam? It does not mean I will change my jobs in the near future. It will require another several years or more till I make a decision so I will only broaden my experience and try to absorb as much as possible for the time being. The seminar took place in Kyoto and attendants went around major tourist destinations and learned fundamental things for good guiding. Tourists are comparatively fewer than normal years but they looked unworried and fairly comforted. Some were from Tokyo Metropolitan Distrct and they said they felt very relaxed after several days of unusual tension. It is like two different countries existing on the same island. What I can do at the moment is to keep following the news and update me with the latest need so that I can be of any help. Besides, I am currently commited to the charity music concert held in McDonald in April. I will let you know how it works out. Once again thank you so much for sending us your condolences. I am deeply grateful for it. Please give my warm regards to your beloved. Eriko.

Dearest Eriko. We are so pleased to hear from you. I read a poem 'To Live' and a comment after it by someone in Japan 'What should those who aren't in the afflicted areas do now? I think they should keep living their life and work as usual'....My mother is fine and so pleased to hear from you. (I phoned her when your email arrived). She sends you love - as do we. 'There is a mixture of peace and unordinariness' 'two different countries existing on the same island.' This is so strong a description of how it must be. I'm going to the dentist on my bicycle and then I shall do some work in our garden. But I cannot write more as I am so happy to hear from you crying with a mixture of happiness (at hearing from you and of Hitomi) and sadness for Japan. I have also heard from Sachiko Imai and from Taka and they have given me news of others being OK. XXX Simon & Linda 

***

Hello Simon. Sorry for delay. I haven't kept in touch with other Japan programme members much. But they might be all right because they were not from these prefectures which suffered terribly by this disaster. I think medias in foreign countries now are focussing on nuclear problems much. I'm not sure how it will be going but it looks like getting better. This occurred mainly because of power supply's cut off. This caused cooling pumps and water circulation system stopped. But TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) looks like making progress successfully to revive power supply. Cooling pumps may work soon hopefully. When they can start cooling nuclear fuels, it will become safer again (but it takes over 10 years to stop and cool nuclear power plants completely and we are in danger until that). Still tens of thousands of people are missing and over 300 thousand people are finding shelter. It may take over a decade for these areas to be reconstructed. Also, around Kanto area, we got planned blackout and this may make our economy deteriorate. As a result of this accident, lots of Japanese people are changing their  minds and thinking nuclear power plants are really dangerous. But it's very difficult to stop all of them. They generates almost 40% of electricity we need in this country. TEPCO may restart disengaged heat power plants. But they can't generate enough electricity and it takes years to build enough solar or wind power plants instead of nuclear power plants. We stand at a crossroad now. Best wishes Taka 

****** *******

The relentless process of clearing soil, turf, flowers, shrubs and trees from front gardens in our road continues - this time two doors down from us, our neighbour, with his growing family needs more parking space for his work van - he's a central heating engineer - and yet more cars; a growing three, even four car family.

While our garden has a driveway for one car, with room for a visitor (I divorced my car three years ago), absorbs gallons of rain and is showing all the signs of spring growth, this garden - no longer a garden but a frontage - adds to the accumulation in the city of sterile hard surfaces - crazy paving. There had been talk until recently of planning rules to discourage this but under the Coalition government this becomes an imposition on the individual; an interference in private space. The idea that  reducing the risk of flooding might be a public good has exit-ed left. I've noticed there are loads of grass-paving options available which allow 'green parking' (not to be confused with parking sites which give concessions to 'greener' cars or an excuse to lay temporary mat on meadows) for cars and even heavier vehicles. Just try web-searching for 'grass driveways'. green driveways', 'turf reinforcement', 'porous grass paving grids'.