under another sun

More energetic today. Still did writing and lurked in the room, but in the afternoon Lorraine and I went back to the beach and snorkelled, and relaxed on sun loungers listening to podcasts and reading, and eating tasty spanakopita pies.  Beth and James arrived in Italy for a wedding today. I had another long swim a couple of hours later. Feel so happy drifting about with fish, who seem unconcerned about human presence. Loving their abundance here. For the first time I did not see an octopus, but I have already seen more here than anywhere else. In the evening we went to The White House, where Lawrence Durrell lived, which is now a fine dining restaurant with a formality about the staff. I thought about the great writer a bit, and his Alexandria Quartet, which I have not read since I was in my late teens. His novels and poetry was published by Faber. His star has waned a bit in the UK at least. I wonder what he would have made of the restaurant. His travel writing is amazing too. We...

More relaxed for parts of the day than I have felt in a long time. Lorraine and I after breakfast, sauntered down to the beach and rented a couple of sunbeds and based ourselves by the glassy sea for the day. We bought spanakopita pies for lunch, Lorraine brought a noodle for swimming, and I spent much of the afternoon snorkelling in what is probably the best place I have ever been for it. The bay's mix of sand, pebbles, stones, rocks and fields of seagrass create a perfect environment for a variety of fish. I saw yet another octopus today, slinking across the seabed, and probing a long tentacle into a crack before pulling itself in and the eyes and body exactly mimicking the rock it was hiding in. So many moments of beauty, and although the water is distinctly cooler (and there are streams of cold fresh water entering the bay under the surface that make the water look blurry). There are a few short wooden jetties, on metal legs, that poke into the water, and the one in deepest wat...

An evening of pink wine Sprang up in the morning to copy the soundfiles to deliver to the radio station, and my computer simply froze before I could do so. Had to rush off to work after swearing violently at it. Swearing can often help I've found, and machines frequently respond to threats. Not this time though, and so I left for The Smoke feeling somewhat doomy and enraged. Being unable to find my brand new shades didn't help either. Listening to an excellently-read Audiobook of Lawrence Durrell's Bitter Lemons of Cyprus. Interesting description of a the last few years of British rule there when Greek Cypriots begin guerrilla war against British rule, seeking enosis (unification) with Greece. More enjoyable is the loving portrayal of characters and wonderful language. He clearly loved Greece and Greeks enormously. He is somewhat out of fashion now, but an amazing writer. It has filled me with a dreadful yearning to go back to Greece. At work I got a funny email from Romy...