Here we are on Saturday of the hottest week we have had this year, the 4th day of the (reputedly) hottest month, and whipper snipper man has been joined by two more whipper snipper blokes and a fourth poor chap with the unenviable task of picking up after them. The later is armed with a rake and a bag like a wool pack. Among those rocks we fear he will recover little but gradually his big bag is filling.
Mad dogs and Englishmen..... Regardless of which English speaking tradition you grew up in you have probably heard the Noel Coward song at least once, or heard it's most famous line quoted. Even I, the Tigger, have heard it.
Mad Dogs and Englishmen and Greek Whipper-snipper-man; hatless, shirtless, in full midday sun and baking heat on an open rocky shoreline. You could fry eggs on those rocks at this time of day in mid-Summer. Even mad dogs and Englishmen know better.
We can now, however, see the difference:
Spot all the pieces of rock you can see now right out at the point, and they are cutting everything beyond the bottom of the stairs today as well. F is a little concerned for the welfare of the capers and Kritamo, but a few small hummocks of green remain nearer the sea. Whipper-snipper operators are not usually known for their discernment or discrimination when it comes to land clearance in brain-baking heat.
Meanwhile, this morning, the no-flowers garden also got a hair-cut and scrape clean:
(we don't have before and after photos as they took us by surprise with this one). We heard some beeping and looked out to see a BIG truck full of prunings backing up and a machine known generically in UK as a JCB (big yellow thing with tractor tyres and a BIG arm - this one happened to be a Komatsu, other brands are available), departing the scene.
Those plants are about 1/4 the height they had been with about 1/20th of the green cover. We couldn't see the cafe awning before. Kyria No-Flowers will be pleased. (Unless of course she has evacuated to some island based home to escape the suffocation of Athens in summer.)
Wow, they deserve a medal for a great job in the midday heat. And someone picked up after them.
ReplyDeleteYour area is really being beautified .
Ummm - the picking up lasted about an hour or so. He disappeared when the day really warmed up, and now we can see all the rubbish that got whippersnipped with the grass. Not to worry, F and Aunty Pili will pick that up if I know anything about them.
DeleteYou are right about the medals though - although there should be something more useful than a gong for all the work they did.
Hari Om
ReplyDeleteTigger, that short back and sides does seem fierce - but not as fierce as the heat, by the sounds of things. Historically, I really like the heat; but admit I am somewhat acclimated to the UK version of summer now - or specifically, the Scottish 'summer'. Our central heating kicked in today, due to the low temps!!! Hugs and whiskeries, YAM-aunty xxx
Right now we'd swap for a Scottish summer (except for the midgies). Athenian mozzies aren't half so voracious (or 1/10th so numerous).
DeleteYup. I’ve heard that saying
ReplyDeleteAnd I for one would never go out in the heat of the day.
Especially not to do work!
But it does look much better.
I wonder what was done with all the grass clippings
Given that what was collected was probably full of cigarette butts and shredded plastic waste, we don't suppose it made particularly healthy compost.
Delete