All the os’s

I know that title doesn’t make much sense but it means that last week we were in Skopelos (of course), Skiathos and Alonissos. Didn’t make Skyros though so we can’t say ‘we did the Sporades’. We went to Alonissos on Sunday, just like visiting the next town really except on boats and not by bus. It only took us 20 minutes on the flying cat to get there and then 25 minutes on the flying dolphin to get back. Cheap as well, junior goes free of course so that makes it really cheap for her! Junior spent the short period of time on the water studying the safety leaflet and informing everyone that she didn’t think the boat would sink. I had to point out the emergency exits to her and she then informed me that my life jacket was under the seat should I require it. She’s the same on planes. She’s passed many an hour in flight practising the brace position which is not something you often see anyone doing let alone a 4 year old!
I last went to Alonissos with junior when she was 9 months’ old. In spite of only having been before at such a tender age she says she remembered the cafe where we sat to have a drink. I scoffed as I didn’t remember it but Sean informed me that we did sit and have a drink there with junior all those years ago. If she remembers everything I best watch what I say. Alonissos is a beautiful island; even less commercialised than Skopelos which is even less commercialised, of course, than Skiathos. Not sure about Skyros. I know it’s the biggest of the Sporades but it also seems to be the least visited.
The weather is hotting up and the grockles are sunbathing and wandering around in skimpy outfits with gay abandon. Junior considers any man without a top on to be naked and shouts at the top of her voice “that man is nuddie” and then makes a great show of averting her gaze and insisting I do the same. Not that I would be ogling anyway as it seems a universal truth that the man who wanders around streets without a top on is the man who has the least to show off. The hot weather has also brought the lovely mosquitoes out who seem to relish the blood of vegans. Maybe my blood tastes different or maybe Sean’s just tastes foul but they seem to give him a quick bite like an appetiser and then move on to me for the main course. We have mozzie nets on the windows but it seems that the minute we open the door a queue of mozzies comes flying in and hangs around until I’m asleep and unaware. So Sean informs me this morning he has been bitten and shows me the smallest, most pathetic looking bite you have ever seen, though he informs me ‘it really hurts’. Well of course it does dear, you’re a man. I, on the other hand, have a bite on one arm which looks like someone has drawn a large red circle and coloured it in just to make it stand out a bit more, and on the other arm a mozzie with a rather sick sense of humour has bitten me on my elbow so that it now looks twice the size.
Junior has started staying at school until 3.00 in the afternoon now so that gives us 6 hours of work before the whirling dervish comes home. We’re currently between offices so have the computer on the dining table, A3 printer and scanner on another table, 4 computers which need repairing parked outside the bathroom, monitor next to the sofa and various other Sean gubbins lying all over the place. I’m fighting the urge to sit in front of the computer in my jimjams all day as I know there begins the slippery slope to total slobdom. Been there, done that, probably still wearing the t-shirt!
It was junior’s idea to stay at school longer as she says she loves her afternoon teacher so much. She also says she’s learning Greek but can’t tell me any of the words she’s learnt as I wouldn’t understand. She might have a point there. After an initial push (on my behalf anyway) to learn the lingo I seem to have stalled somewhat. I’ve mastered the alphabet so I can read the words but I don’t know what they mean! We intended to learn the language together in the evenings as we didn’t think we’d have much work to do but as it’s turned out we have so much work we’re too tired of an evening to do anything but vegetate. We will make more of an effort though as we don’t want to be struggling to understand junior in a few years’ time as she insults us in Greek!