The summer season is almost over, though the island is still full of people and some days parking spots are still rarer than tasmanian tigers. Most days lately have been glorious, not too hot but still sunny and mostly not windy. Combine that with closed beach bars and almost empty beaches and its the best time of year for us locals to enjoy our island.

I’ve been working back at the car rental agency again to help out, as well as grooming when there is work. Its not a busy time of year for grooming right now. At least not here. Not yet.

Mom is doing well in Athens. I took a trip with her to settle her into the house and she’s been doing well since. Apparently she’s been taking short walks with the support of a friend to the little park opposite our house to sit in the sun and enjoy some fresh air.

The situation with my aunt #1’s house has finally been resolved. I think. I hope. I haven’t got the bill yet, but something like the 5th plumber I spoke to (one mom’s youngest brother brought over himself) organised someone to come poke around with one of those cameras they stick down pipes to see where the problems are, and then came himself to dig in our lightwell to fix the leak. Turned out the leak was caused by old ceramic pipes which had cracked in about 4 places, which let water seep into the ground causing damp in our walls.

He had to create a huge hole in the light well and even dig up in aunt #1’s kitchen, but he says the problem is fixed, new pipes all the way through now.

We live in hope.

Next order of business is to organise a genocide of the cockroaches living in the old pipes. Yeech. All these years I’ve been organising pest spraying around the houses, never once did I think to get the guy to go into the lightwell and spray into the drains…

Ick.

I could never be a plumber.

Other than that, life goes on with its many challenges and small rewards.

I’ve been working on more dog sculptures I’ll share soon, and some new paintings. But mostly I’ve been busy working and just trying to keep on top of things while maintaining a certain level of laziness.

As is evidenced by the lack of stuff good enough to share.

z