Water and washing and a month goes by.
There is a consistently loyal and courteous water man on this busy mainland quay. Lets call him Dimitri. Each morning and evening he patiently approaches visitors and explains the method of collecting water from newly fitted pipes. Never have we seen him lose his temper or become irate, even as vehicles drive over hoses, sailors argue about prices or the machines snarl and attempt to confuse.
This morning we had a little chat…reacquainting and asking how was the winter and much more importantly how are his olive trees?
Dimitri has just 300, enough to supply his family for the year. Each litre works out to cost a mere €5 he explained. What is that? Pah…Nothing!
Each day, he explained, every Greek family eats salad and pours on plenty of oil, the excess is mopped up with good bread. ‘No of course not!’ He exclaimed when I 
it was so good they’d even lick the plates..well, I was only joking!
Dimitri also needs to keep the lamps burning on the little ‘church table’ in his house, where a light continues to shine for every family member who has died. In his home there are two, for his father and his father in law. ‘Now I am surrounded by women,’ he sighed. ‘I am’ …together we found the right word…’invisible! Each day I can come and go and move around and nobody knows I am there.’
Well his presence on the quay is always appreciated and he cheerfully lightens our days here.
That was a couple of weeks ago. Now we are in the Cyclades and convivially squeezed onto another quay, amongst a rabble of fishing boats, excursion boats and a 45 year old Nauticat.
Quite a treat to be here in reasonable weather and not making p
recarious journeys from boat to shore across a bucking passaralle as on previous visits.
Our good friends Barbara and Peter live on this island and always bless us with their little house church, lovely food and by doing our washing.
We could do with a water man here though. Maria who was quick to make sure we were safely tied up for the wind is nowhere to be seen.
Now back in Poros again and the boat is festooned with colourful laundry ( collected and delivered by the butcher!) drying in a perfect warm breeze.