What a difference nine months makes!

It`s five weeks now since Greyrocks arrived in Paleohora, so time to respond to reader requests (well 1 request, John!) for an update on changes in the village. Passing over some deaths - and in no particular order - here is the list:

At least there is another Seagull on the other side!

• The Seagull (Glaros) has moved from next to the Pal Beach Hotel to the site on the stony seafront where Calypso had its second existence. Tassos seems happy with trade, which is now mostly in the evening
• There is now only one restaurant between crossroads and church, because the betting shop is now only operating as such
• Last week a new pastry shop opened in the old OTE office next to Yannis Place
• An old building in the back streets near Niki`s House has been tarted up Chania style and turns out to be a hairdressers
• Rumours that the cinema would not open proved false as we now see it will be showing something unremarkable tonight (and Zorba tomorrow!)
• KTEL has expanded the bus service from Chania
• The south coast ferry schedule has been "all over the place" with arrivals and departures on the Gavdos run at peculiar hours. This is allegedly a consequence of austerity removal of subsidies for ferry fuel.
• The weather in June was declared to be the worst in living memory with a severe rainstorm on 13th, quite a few days with cloud and some chilly evenings. July has been much better!
• The geology of the sandy beach has made entry to the sea very difficult. When we first arrived we had never seen so much of the rock at the shore exposed, and there was a run of three days when there was no safe entry point in our area. Of late Nature has deposited some sand, and it is getting better. (Near the old Ostria Nature has been recently and dramatically helped by a bulldozer, and the long term effects are eagerly awaited.
• There will be no Blue Flag this year for any of the five local beaches that have normally received one! The threshold has been raised in terms of required facilities and the powers that be failed to do anything about it. Needless to say there has also been speculation about water quality, but no solid evidence has been discovered (Pardon the pun!)
• Finally we have a new statue. It is the work of German who lives in Koundouras, and the full meaning has yet to come to light.

Hallo, hallo! It's the sun-worshipper with the big boobies! (Transgender?)