Monday, September 13, 2010

Brief Blog.

Today (morning)


We remember the date of the first heavy rain here last year because, well, it’s a date that sticks in many people’s minds: the 11th of September. We were wondering if it would come at the same time this year but no, it came a day late on the 12th. I think ‘rain’ is perhaps too weak a term to describe it, ‘monsoon’ a better one. A bit of a cloud started building up over Papagianades and it started spitting in the morning. This increased to a heavy shower by midday and then by about 2.00 o’clock the garden was under about an inch of water, the water butt was full and streams were running down the paths here. This continued to about 5.00 and then began to peter out. It was a heavy downpour but not in the league of some we had when in our first year we stayed for the winter.

On New Years Eve 2007 we had a monsoon that lasted for 10 hours. To celebrate this date we drove down to Makrigialos at about 6.00, when it was starting, got thoroughly soaked running from the car to the Status Bar, and remained in that bar until about 4.30 in the morning. During the journey home I didn’t go any faster than about 5 miles an hour, carefully negotiating streams that had carried rocks all across the road along with about three car-killer boulders, all in a visibility that ended about five feet in front of the car. The cherry on the top was when we got into the house and Caroline complained about having wet feet. Water was coming in at the base of the bedroom wall and had flooded that room, the hall, and had created a little water feature over the step into the kitchen.

No leaks this year (so far), which I’m quite glad about since it also looks like it’s getting ready to piss down today.

Off to Ziros today to pay the water bill, and I have to muster up my best Greek to try and tell them that we’ve been overcharged for three years. Here, just like in Britain, they have a waste water charge. It comes to 15 Euros every two months for our waste water to go into the big village pipe and away. However, our waste water pipe just opens onto the messy ground opposite our house and isn’t actually attached to the village pipe. Should be fun. I’ll probably get nowhere.

I’ve passed page 300 of The Departure’s 446 pages. Peter Lavery has been quite vicious with his pencil again. I reckon that if there was ever such a thing as the perfect paragraph, he’s of the opinion that it’s something I’ve yet to write. However, I don’t resent this. I’ve learned huge amounts from this old-school editor with his University of Dublin classical education. And I do wonder how things will be for new writers now as editors like him are becoming more of a rarity.



Righto, no success with the water bill. Apparently you have to pay for the waste water pipe even if you’re not connected to it. It seems totally areshole to me, but nowhere near as bad as the £1000+ we have to pay in council tax in Britian each year for, effectively, getting our rubbish taken away.

7 comments:

Mark T Croucher said...

Do you not worry that this kind of editing can make your work formulaic (need an editor), or is your command of English not so good coming from Essex? ;)

chrisheli said...

£1000 a year( alright you did add a + )your havin a laugh! Try £240 a month for a cottage and then having to borrow the nextdoor pensioners bin because we can fill our bin less than two weeks.
Hey ho, pass the bucket 'tis my turn to bail.

Jono said...

Hey, whatever process you follow to produce books, please keep doing it. Only discovered your books beginning of the year, and am reading them as fast as I can find them. (live in rural za).

Grim's Reality said...

I bought the Technician in hard back...

This means I've had to leave my own towel behind, and use the crap ones supplied by my gym instead.

I hope you appreciate the sacrifice Mr Asher.

:-)

Neal Asher said...

Mark, depending on whose opinion you read my command of English ranges from crap to superb. No, I don't worry - I take onboard what I want and reject what I want.

Chrisheli, it's a terraced bungalow with what can be laughably described as two bedrooms.

Glad to hear it, Jonathan. I don't see myself quitting any time in the next few decades...

Graeme, always appreciated. Considered buying a bigger bag?

Grim's Reality said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Grim's Reality said...

No. That bag saved my life in 2004, in a London Bikeathon accident of doom. That resulted in a broken elbow and ribs... were I not wearing the rucky I would have been killed by the 12in by 4in (sticking out the ground) roadside post designed to stop cars from going off road in Richmond park, Ham Common Hill. My packed lunch, a waterproof jacket and every other fuckers jumper (fate moves in mysterious way) prevented aforementioned post from punching a hole right through me.

I love that bag, and when the zips finally go, I'm going to put it in a wicker basket in the loft forever, with my medal, and Tshirt (yes I finished, Yes I regretted very much being so foolhardy for a month afterwards).

PS: Loved the Technician, very mature, more like that please.

PPS: Make that artist bloke do more pictures.

PPPS: please.