Expecting!

 

This Wednesday's masterpiece created by Hassan on the sandy beach (near the boundary rock between Pachia Ammos and Limnaki) Since mid-July he has delighted passers-by with a new work almost everyday. Mostly the subjects have been animals or sea creatures, with the occasional mermaid or human figure.  Unlike in Corralejo - where the main purpose appears to be collecting cash -  Hassan creates and disappears to the back of the beach seeking nothing but admiration and having given great pleasure. The proportions are so accurate and the attention to detail is stunning! This is presumably because he is a trained vet!! What, then,  is he doing living on the breadline?  The clue is in his spoken communication, for he is from Syria! Unfortunately by yesterday morning it was long gone - thanks to the impending storm. (Read on!)

New life in reality is expected down near the shore in front of the Europa, where the presence of a nest of turtle eggs is marked with this stick structure and a "Do not Disturb" notice. Last year there was one very near "our tree", and when we asked the then sunbed Yiannis why it was not openly protected he said he feared theft of the eggs. In that case he came across the hatching process one early morning and the hatchlings were taken by experts to a suitable sea entry point. Perhaps this has already happened this time.

The structure caused some perturbation last week, when a long-staying French naturist settled down between it and the outcrop that marks the unofficial but well-established boundary of the naturist beach. When told by one of our friends with no French that this could cause real trouble for the community he seemed to believe the notice was said boundary!

We are all now expecting trouble from Ianos -the name given to the weather phenomenon that has already caused notable effects here and is due to hit us seriously tomorrow! It is classed as a medicane - contracted from "Mediterranean hurricane".   Things went a bit strange on Wednesday afternoon with a lot of cloud, a tiny amount of rain and the sea becoming rough. Yesterday there was no rain and fairly normal wind (for Paleo) but as rough a sea as Greyrocks has seen. We managed to make it to the cantina after Ruth's Scrabble - and back again, but sunbeds have been stowed ready for the onslaught, which might not be until Tomorrow (Saturday) The lashing of the waves is clearly audible from our apartment as this is published. Watch this space! Or watch this: