With Becky and the boys - continued

We stayed in Arki on Sunday 31st July. Charlie had a wonderful time playing with Alexandros, the two of them getting on like a house on fire. In the morning they swam from the little beach in the harbour, at lunchtime they played on Charlie's DS and in the evening they played football with Kai and Bobby. After dinner

Charlie rode Alexandros's bike.

On Monday 1st August we had a brisk sail over to Patmos, which Lin and Simon avoid like the plague because it is hot, crowded with tourists (and fundamentalists wanting to see the hole in the rock where god supposedly dictated his revelation to John) and full of expensive shops selling designer clothes and tourist rubbish. On the way in a huge cruise ship was anchored in the bay, with a naval ship anchored just behind it. We agreed to spend a day there because we needed to do some shopping and our visitors like Patmos for its shops and a dirty swimming pool in a semi-derelict hotel. Lin preferred to swim on the town beach, though there was barely room to get through the bodies on the beach to reach the sand.

Becky changed Simon's dressing, which gave everyone their first chance to see her fantastic needlework. The wound looked as though it was healing well, with no sign of infection.

On Tuesday morning, August 2nd, we left Patmos to sail down to Arkhangelos.

Charlie took the helm.

The wind dropped as we got to Arkhangelos, so Andrew blew up the kayak and took Becky and the little boys ashore.

Kai rowed Lin and Simon over in the dinghy, to save Simon's arm,

and we all went for a big lunch in Stigma taverna, where we were greeted like long-lost adventurers - news of Simon's drama had already reached them (and a Greek couple who were having lunch). News travels fast in these little islands! Charlie was really pleased to see his christmas card on the notice board and Bobby enjoyed running around and back to say Boo to daddy.

In the afternoon Charlie was eventually persuaded to swim off the boat with Lin, though he still refuses to take off his arm bands.

We had a light dinner of gran's spaghetti, by Kai's special request, with disgusting grated cheese that we had bought in Lipsi. As we finished dinner Kai spotted Evropi coming out of the taverna to feed the army of cats (they suspect people of dumping unwanted kittens on the island). Kai jumped into the dinghy and rowed Charlie ashore to see the cats.

 With strong winds forecast for the evening we decided to set off on Wednesday morning, August 3rd, for Palionisos, going down the east side of Leros to see the castle and windmills.

Lin had phoned Pothitos to ask him to reserve the buoy nearest the beach so that we would not have too far to swim or row to get to shore. Lin and Simon went up to the taverna to see Pothitos over a beer (and to see if he had some cigarettes for Andrew, which he did in his bottom drawer). We asked if he was going shopping next morning, as we were short of cash as Simon had forgotten to go to the ATM in Patmos. He was going shopping, but leaving at 6 in the morning. However, he told us that we could pay him by credit card, so we opened an account with him (we prefer to pay cash so that our friends do not have to pay the credit card commission). We also asked him to get us some milk when he went shopping.

Charlie had a long swim before we went for lunch at the beach bar,

where Bobby loved feeding the ducks.

In the evening Andrew rowed us all ashore for dinner at Kalidonis. Bobby was thrilled to see a mother duck with its baby on the quay.

We had an excellent dinner, all beautifully cooked. 

On Thursday we chilled at Palionisos. Charlie swam to the beach with Lin and Andrew.

Becky took a canoe from the beach.

and rowed back from the  beach.

We had another excellent dinner at Kalidonis.

We had planned to go to Xerokampos on Friday, but we needed to get to a pharmacy so we went straight to Lakki. Poor Kai had a rotten cold the first week and no sooner than that was better, he got a nasty dose of impetigo. Fortunately Becky had taken two dressings impregnated with Fucidin from the health centre in Lipsi and they lasted a couple of days, but now we needed some cream.

On the way back we passed the rescue boat.

 When we got back to Lakki we went to lunch at Poppy's.

In the afternoon Becky, Andrew, Charlie and Bobby went for a hot walk around town, while Lin went for a swim.

On Saturday morning, 6th July, Lin and Andrew walked round to Merikhia with Bobby, while Simon, Becky and Charlie went round in the dinghy. We went round the War Museum, which this time did not freak Charlie out. Charlie and Bobby climbed over the military vehicles outside the museum,

then  we had a drink in the cafe,

where Bobby had a run around.

In the afternoon Becky, Andrew, Bobby and Charlie took a taxi over to Crithoni to swim in the pool at Crithoni Paradise. In the evening we went for dinner at Costas's grill. 

After dinner Andrew took Kai and Charlie to the playground, where the boys played football. Charlie went on the roundabout for 50 leptas. He asked Andrew if he could go again. Andrew gave him a 50 lepta coin and Charlie motioned to two young girls who had been looking enviously at him and used his coin to give them a ride. Everyone was so proud of Charlie!

On Sunday afternoon, August 7th, we went round to Merikhia, Simon taking Charlie and Lin in the dinghy and Becky, Andrew and Bobby walking.

 Bobby collected pebbles in his bucket

We had a car from Sunday evening. There was a jazz concert in the castle, but we were all too tired to go anywhere, so we just had pizza at La Nostra and had an early night (even Kai!).

On Monday morning we went to the beach at Xerokampos and had lunch there, before going to Crithoni Paradise in the afternoon. 

 Charlie studied the bottom.

Then Charlie at last went in without his arm bands. He fearlessly jumped in at the deep end and swam back to the edge and swam a little bit along the side.

He went right down to the bottom with Andrew

While Kai dived in and swam a length underwater

For their last evening we went for dinner at Ostria. 

And on Tuesday morning we took them to the airport to see them off

before we went to lunch at Blefouti.

In the afternoon we saw Keith and Louise, who filled us in on developments at Pikpa while we had been away. The refugees had been given mixed messages about what they could and couldn't do. First, they were told that those with their pre-registration cards could leave the island and were free to travel anywhere in Greece. Then they were told that all those with pre-registration had to leave. Then they were told that this was a mistake, they could leave if the wanted to. Five families (all mothers with children, some of whom we had been very close to) decided to go to Athens on the spur of the moment, in the hope that this would speed up their processing, in some cases to join husbands in France and Germany. The UNHCR paid for their tickets and they left on Thursday night, just before we came back to Lakki. The last that was heard was that two of the mothers with babies were living on the street in Athens. We were really upset that our friends had left the security and reasonable living conditions of Pikpa for a completely uncertain future.

Meanwhile, another charity has rented a house with three apartments, into which three of the Pikpa families have moved. We visited on Wednesday and the refugees were very happy with their new apartments, with spacious airy rooms, a bathroom for each family and a big veranda. 

With Becky and the Boys - chilling and high drama

On Wednesday 27 July Simon drove up to the airport to meet Becky, Andrew, Kai, Charlie and Bobby who came in on the early flight.

They were exhausted after flying from Birmingham overnight, so we left immediately to motor up to Lipsi, where we tied up on the quay. Charlie helmed brilliantly out of Lakki harbour, but then they all slept all the way up.

Lipsi was quieter than usual - plenty of room on the quay - but not nearly as quiet at Leros. There are a lot of people with second homes on Lipsi and many of the tourists are regulars, so they are not as affected by the scare stories in the press. In Lipsi we went to the beach on Wednesday afternoon and on Wednesday evening we had ouzo time

before going to a very good dinner at Nicos's taverna. We stayed in Lipsi on Thursday, again a day on the beach and dinner at Manolis's new taverna, which is in the most beautiful neoclassical house in town.

It was still windy on Friday, so we motored up to Arki in a solid force 5-6 wind. Charlie hid under the storm hood, which was Kai's favourite place when he was little.

 Kai, of course, played Pokemon Go. He had found a load of ocean Pokemons as we sailed up to Lipsi and a load more in Lipsi. He could not find any on the way up to Arki, but found loads more in Arki. This is obviously uncharted territory for Pokemon hunters.

  

In Arki we got a place on the quay. After a couple of boats left and one more came in there were only four boats on the quay and none at all came in on Saturday - apparently the port police in Patmos had forbidden any boats to leave because they said it was too windy. Nikolas is very worried - July has been incredibly quiet, with many fewer yachts and tripper boats and not many bookings for his rooms. Saturday was especially quiet with so few yachts. Barbarossa was meant to bring 60 trippers from Leros for lunch, but cancelled because of the high wind. He is hoping that August will be better - at least they have got quite a lot of room bookings.

The ferry from Patmos to Lipsi, Lampi, which is the island's lifeline broke down in Arki on Wednesday and the passengers had to be taken on to Lipsi by fishing boat. They have had an engineer coming and going from Leros. It was finally fixed on Saturday evening, but they could not leave until the Port Police had checked it and Saturday was too windy for the port police to come from Patmos. Eventually a policeman and diver came midday on Sunday to inspect the boat.

It passed the test and set off for Patmos, ready to resume normal service on Monday.

We had lunch at Nikolas's taverna on Saturday and Charlie played happily with Nikolas's son Alexandros.

Nikolas's dad, Christos, has added to his toy marina, which the kids love and the adults admire.

On Saturday afternoon Nikolas's cousin caught a Galeos, a toothless shark, and a baby Galeos. Nikolas skinned it by the sea as a little crowd gathered round to watch.

After lunch Charlie went swimming off the boat with Lin. He won't take off his arm bands!

There was high drama at about 5 o'clock. Simon slipped and fell from the passarelle, grabbed on to something to stop himself falling in, and came up pouring blood from a gaping wound on his arm (don't look if you are squeamish).

Everybody gathered around, Becky bound up the wound with towels and teatowels and Andrew rushed off to get advice from Nikolas, who had just got back from a family trip in his motor boat. He immediately brought his motor boat alongside us, got Simon and Becky aboard and headed off for Lipsi at 16 knots, phoning the doctor and arranging a taxi to pick us up at the jetty in the bay at the north end of Lipsi. We got the taxi to the clinic, where the doctor was waiting. He was a locum from Syros who had only been on Lipsi for two days. He blanched when he saw the wound. He obviously did not have much experience of such things and took Becky's advice. The tendons were all OK and there was not much bleeding now, so they decided that it just needed stitching, otherwise we would have had to go to Leros (I guess by helicopter!). Becky offered to stitch Simon, but she was shaking so much that she asked him to take over. He did the first four stitches, but he did not know how to tie them properly, despite Becky giving advice, and they all fell out, so Becky took over and tidied it up with 25 stitches, which took about an hour and a half. At the end the doctor was very modest, he told Becky she was an incredible nurse and said that she had been the doctor and he the nurse. He proudly photographed the stitched up wound, with Becky in the picture so we don't think it was to add to his CV. Meanwhile, back in Arki, the drama had created a community of the various yachties. Kai was an absolute star, calming everyone down and sensibly going over all the possible courses of action.

We expected that we would have to stay overnight (Becky said that at home Simon would be kept in overnight and put on IV antibiotics), but Becky phoned Lin, who by then was eating in Nikolas's taverna, to ask if someone could come and pick us up. Lin said she could not ask Nikolas to come out again, but he told Lin that they were not too busy and Carolina could look after things. He grabbed the phone and told Becky he would order a taxi and meet us back at the quay. The taxi arrived, we dropped in at the pharmacy for a tetanus jab and antibiotics (only 17 euros - the doctor did not even ask to see Simon's EHIC card), and drove back up north where Nikolas was waiting at the quay, getting us back through heavy seas (wind north 5-6) just before 9pm. 

Simon is now bandaged up, so no swimming for a month, and so far all is well - the big risk, says Becky, is infection, so we need to keep within range of Leros. If Becky hadn't been with us we would have been in deep shit, because the doctor could not have stitched Simon up, so I guess they would have had to take him to Lakki.

To be continued