We are reeling from the treble whammies of Maggie’s accident in Thasos last week, the immediate effects of the Brexit vote and the departure from our lives of Captain Flint.

Good news from the hospital yesterday was obtained after nearly 4  hours of waiting.  We had been informed the fracture clinic ran from 09:00 to 13:00.  We were there by 10:00 and found corridors adjacent to the reception full of wounded Greek citizens!   The doctor arrived at 10:30 and after 2.5 hours we came to the head of the queue only to be sent away again for new x-rays.  When we returned we found the clinic had finished for the day!  However the doctor interrupted his lunch to see us and then referred us to his senior colleague who reassured us that all was well.  Our next appointment there is on 2 August.  It seems an age away.

From the hospital we caught the bus down into the town centre where sought out and enjoyed an extremely good lunch of calamari, mussels, garlic mushrooms, something we were assured was 'english bacon’ and a salad.  With thoughts of unsmoked back bacon on our minds we hungrily anticipated the arrival of the bacon - for shame it turned out to be strips of belly of pork!  Anyway that didn’t spoil the experience and it was the highlight of our rather mundane day thereto.

After lunch we set off to explore the citadel but that exercise proved too taxing and we retired wounded by the sun to a cafe for ice-cream!  Charlie also treat himself to a haircut.  Before we knew it it was 19:30 and time for a bus ride back to the boat at Iraklitsa (about 20 minutes away around the bay).

We think it is unwise for us to move the boat unnecessarily with Maggie in her present condition The harbour master here has been very co-operative and we are now into our second week at the harbour wall at 3 Euros/day.  

Iraklitsa is clean and pretty port/holiday town which is teeming with young families.  Cafes and restaurants line the harbour but it is quiet and there is no passing traffic so we will stay as long as he allows us.  The playgrounds are full of toddlers in the evening and the beaches are crowded during the day.

Charlie will eventually move the boat to Kavala town where there are berths available.  The down side of the town berth is the noise and dirt of the city and the absence of nearby beaches.

Financially Brexit has so far been a disaster for us - we are now some 10% worse off than we were last month with the Euro/£ rate having fallen to 1.15 today.  Not good news for us at all.  The future implications of our independence from the EU are also a black cloud on the horizon with potential restrictions on travel similar to those imposed on our American and Antipodean cousins.

Finally, after a series of accident in the last 12 months our stalwart crew member, Captain R Flint (the toy parrot) has been buried with full honours.  Flint has been with us since we left Falmouth in 2013 but has deteriorated significantly over the past two years  It is many moons since he was last able to speak, Charlie broke his perch during a spot of bad weather last year, and since then his deterioration and decline has been gradual.  His bright plumage faded in the sun and in the last month we saw the loss of one wing and his beak.  He will be sadly missed.  R.I.P. 

Captain R Flint seen in happier times (2013).

So our lives are far from idyllic f.t.b.  We must wait here until 2 August when Matthew arrives to help crew the boat without further risk to Maggie.  

Still, the sun shines and we do have the enjoyment of this nice port even if it is hot in the afternoons and evenings.