‘Of course.’ I smile brightly. ‘Fingers crossed there will be no more problems.’
‘I hope these are okay?’ She pops a tea bag into water and I remind myself to bring some Yorkshire Tea over with me next time.
‘Fine, thank you.’
Drinking tea from a stylish mug, Ria tells me she has lived in the street for three years.
‘It was a challenge doing a house renovation and being pregnant, but it was the best move I ever made. It is so nice being close to the beach. And the neighbours are lovely. They think the world of the children, especially the older people.’
I suddenly think how the years are nudging by, and my next birthday I will be thirty-four. I have never really thought about being a mother, but then we always think we have more time I guess, and in the meantime I am enjoying being an aunt to George.
‘It will be nice to have someone of a similar age around, even for a few months a year,’ says Ria, kindly. ‘Oh, and I am friends with Dimitri’s aunt too. She and her husband are in their forties and really nice people. Dimitri is a great guy too, but I guess you already know that.’
She looks at me over the rim of her floral cup.
‘I don’t really know him on a personal level, although I know he is a hard worker. And, on that note, I should probably be off, work will be starting soon and I need to crack the whip before I catch the bus into Sidari,’ I tell her and she laughs. ‘Thank you so much for the tea, and showing me your home. It really is beautiful.’
‘Thank you. And good luck with the renovation.’
She shows me out and I nip to the bakery, before arriving at the house at the same time as Dimitri and the young workers,and they wish me a good morning. The young men are yawning, and I wonder whether they were out again last night drinking.
‘Ready for a hard day’s work?’ I ask breezily. ‘I have bought you all some coffee and a Danish pastry. Keep the caffeine and sugar levels up.’
‘Wonderful. Thank you. The coffee I will take, the pastry maybe when I have done some work, burn off a few calories first,’ says Dimitri as the young men take the proffered breakfast gratefully.
While the men work hard and the cement mixer whirrs happily, I tell Dimitri that I am off to Sidari in search of some blue paint for the rear gate.
‘There is no need. I actually have some,’ he offers. ‘Unless, of course, you want to go there.’
‘I do actually. There’s a shop I want to look at to get some ideas for the bathroom, it’s on the bus route back.’
Ria’s bathroom, a perfect mix of old and new, has inspired me so much that I want to pick up the first of the accessories. Even though the finished bathroom is a long way off, I can work them around the shades I choose.
Dimitri offers to drive me there, before thinking twice and saying there is maybe far too much work to do here at the house and I don’t disagree with him, however much I would have liked that.
Descending from the bus half an hour later, I find Sidari is busy with shoppers, locals and tourists alike. The smell of garlic and BBQ meats drifts towards me as I walk past a café where a trio of old men are playing dominoes and drinking coffee at an outside table.
Setting the satnav on my phone, I make my way down a side street, passing graffiti-covered buildings away from the main drag. Passing a yellow-painted hotel with ivy-covered walls and metal balconies, I see the Venetian influence in thearea. Looking up, I notice a couple sitting on the terrace of a tangerine-painted apartment drinking coffee and watching the world go by.
Walking past a leather shop, displaying heavy coats and jackets in their window, reminds me that the winters can be a little cool here, but probably nothing compared to the winters we have back home. I pass a bakery, and the smell of something sweet and delicious drifts towards my nostrils as someone opens the door. Presently, I am standing in front of the metal sign of the hardware store.
The guy in the store is super friendly and a short while later, armed with the paint for the gate and some sample pots for the bathroom, I make my way towards the bus stop, stopping en route for an orange juice.
Seated at an outside table, I observe the steady trickle of holidaymakers, pale skinned and just arrived, browsing clothing stores and reminding me that the full-on season is just around the corner. A waiter is standing outside a restaurant, chatting to a trio of attractive young girls as he gestures to a menu board and they head inside as he scans the road for other potential diners. Already, it looks busier here than it was a few days ago and I have a sudden dread that the majority of the work being completed before I leave is nothing but a dream.
Finishing my drink, I catch the bus back to Roda, stopping at the large bathroom showroom, sandwiched between a bed warehouse and a tile merchants. I take photographs of the bathroom displays, before purchasing some new soap dishes and a hand wash dispenser. I hope I can achieve something as stylish as the bathroom in Ria’s house.
I’m soon seated on the bus and passing the familiar sights whilst imagining what it must be like to live in Greece, spending days after work down at the beach, with a handsome husband, and two perfect children, before smiling to myself and realisingthat it is just a fantasy. I mean, does anyone live a life straight out of a romantic movie? Even beautiful people have to deal with laundry and all the boring bits. I remind myself how lucky I am to be the owner of a property here, and have been able to pay off a chunk of the mortgage on the apartment back home. I try not to think about the timescale of the finished refurb, however frustrating it might be, and focus on the positive. I am truly blessed and remind myself that there are people not so fortunate, as the bus trundles on.
Back at the apartment, I quickly drop off my purchases before taking the short walk to the house. I arrive just as Dimitri is changing his shirt and I have to avert my eyes from staring at his impressive six-pack. It’s a hot day today and the men seem to be working at lightning speed, Dimitri barking orders at the young men; no wonder he is working up a sweat.
I’m thrilled to see the bedroom floor has been laid, and the remnants of the bathroom have been put into a new skip, the previous one having been removed.
‘My goodness, you have been busy. Can I get you anything?’ I offer, just as a beeping truck arrives, slowly making its way down the narrow street.
‘Some cold drinks would be good,’ he says, taking some money from his pocket. ‘And it looks as though your kitchen has arrived.’ He nods to the truck.
‘Oh wow. Yes, of course, I’ll grab some drinks. The kitchen is definitely something I can help with, especially the assembly of the kitchen units,’ I tell him, thinking of all those self-assembly cupboards I have managed to put together.
