Greekenomics

735 days ago

Photo Article from the Greek Hovel - the Albanian olive pruner has me all confused

The Albanian hired by my business partner, Nicho the Communist, is, supposedly, a true expert. I believe him, but I am left badly confused on three counts.

1969 days ago

Photo report from the Olive harvest at the Greek Hovel Day 3: the Albanian cavalry arrive

I rather regretted that third jug of local rose the night before, when my alarm started ringing at 5.20 AM. For Thrasher Bell had to get back to London and that meant getting him to the bust station in Kalamata before 6.30. Feeling a bit groggy I drove him into town and dropped him off. Stopping off at an ATM on the way back to load up with cash to pay my Albanian troops I arrived back in Kambos in time for an early morning coffee at the Kourounis taverna owned by lovely Eleni. The news was bad...

2091 days ago

Jesus Wept! The Greeks bring disaster upon themselves – snagaroo at the Hovel

You wonder why the Greek economy is such a trainwreck?  Of course there are all sorts of reasons: the scorched earth policies imposed on Greece by Germany, the EU  and IMF banksters; the debt Greece should never have been allowed to take on, the bloated public sector, corruption, they all play a part. But, as I discover again today as I try to rebuild the Greek Hovel, it is the smothering bureaucracy that kills enterprise. Take my marble, stuck at Kalamata.

2562 days ago

Photo article: A no go zone at the Greek Hovel - I blame the Gruffalo

Not withstanding my snake killing heroics of yesterday, I still live in dread of the vipers that slither around the Greek Hovel and across its fields. Irrationally, for I have never seen a snake there, there is one spot that holds particular dread. And it is all the fault of Julia Donaldson, the author of the children's classic, The Gruffalo.

2563 days ago

Photo Article: Greekenomics - the old road to Kardamili

As one heads down the Mani towards Kardamili, the village one on from Kambos is Stavropigio. It has just a few more Brits than Kambos as it is, objectively, a bit prettier. I am thus happy to stay in plain old Kambos. As one leaves our neighbouring village a small turning off the main road to the right is the old road to Kardamili. There is now no practical reason at all to use this road and more or less no-one does.

2563 days ago

Diary of a diabetic Day 15 - Disastrous fishing and 6.8 on the bloods - far too low far too high

After my sedentary Easter Sunday I was determined to make amends with a perfect display of type 2 diabetes virtue on Bank Holiday Monday and thus having skipped breakfast I picked up my car and headed out to the Greek Hovel. There were wildlife encounters as I explain here and that must have seen me sweat off a few pounds. Indeed my 36 inch trousers are not very obviously starting to fall down. I must, every now and again, hitch them up to spare my blushes.

2566 days ago

Greekenomics sees me flying Business Class to Athens - bonkers

I always travel as cheaply as possible searching out the best bargains online although for Greece I try hard to fly Aegean as its service is fantastic even for we peasants in cattle class. For this flight from Copenhagen I briefly considered a real bargain from Air Serbia but an eight hour stop over at Belgrade did not appeal. Likewise even a mere 90 minutes in Istanbul as part of a dirt cheap Air Turkey offer was not something that grabbed me for a host of reasons. And so I went back to Aegean.