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Post by yorkshiremouth on May 3, 2020 11:35:37 GMT
The more discussion I see, the less I listen. As I said previously, I've had a bellyful and speculation doesn't appeal to me. I know what you mean, but at some point you’ll have to make a decision, and it’s possible you might not have long to decide. I don’t think there’s any harm thinking in advance about what you’d be prepared to put up with.
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Post by dennisn on May 3, 2020 11:41:13 GMT
My next booking is over 4 months away. I'm currently concentrating on speculating on what has eaten (or at least removed from the tree) two of my figs (I only had 11 developing) - I didn't think I was getting a lot this year due to my having found on the internet advice how to look after the fig tree and following it - cos I'm gullible!
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Post by cariad23 on May 3, 2020 17:08:21 GMT
I didnt know you could grow figs in the uk Dennis. we used to pick them off the tree at Theodora last year. we are growing tomatoes and vegetables this year, we dont usually bother as everything dies when we are on holiday for 2 weeks. ive got lots sunflower seeds growing so my grandsons can have a competition who can grow the tallest. I,m sure we will be able to return to skiathos next summer, covid will have burnt out or we will develop immunity, thats if we can afford it, thousands will lose their jobs ,businesses will fail, the economy will be wrecked so taxes will have to rise and recovery will be slow. As long as we get through it without losing family or friends is the most important thing, As Dennis has summed up with that wonderful phrase
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Post by dennisn on May 3, 2020 19:01:50 GMT
I got a free gift fig tree and blueberry bush when I bought three patio fruit trees years ago. The fruit trees never gave a fruit and after getting two figs one year I decided to transplant the tree from the patio pot into a large hole in the lawn. It flourished. Best year was 2017 when we got dozens of beautiful black figs - I had never eaten a fresh fig, so you can imagine my joy when i tasted one of my own. It seems none of the trees are in fruit when we are in Skiathos - not yet in July, all done in September.
I started my 8th week of isolation by planting out my first row of runner beans, there are another three rows still to germinate. Tomatoes and cucumbers looking promising in the greenhouse, about 100 broad bean plants at 3 stages of development might serve us very well this year. Six squashes to plant out, a packet each of carrot and lettuce seeds have their own plots. The birds are already eyeing up the cherry trees and the apple blossom promises five varieties. The gooseberries are a sure thing for a bumper crop and I had my first rhubarb crumble this weekend. I’m hoping my ten sunflowers will survive to provide an entrance avenue of our front path.
Watching as so many businesses are failing or in trouble, I begin to doubt if there will be anything for me to deliver when I restart my courier van (whenever that may be, at my age presumably later than all you lot). Interesting fact - self employed people have to pay for this coming year, ab estimated amount of income tax on 31st July. Estimated by HMRC as half the tax paid for last year. So when I’m not earning after 4 months they’ll want a pound of flesh!
BUT God willing, we SHALL enjoy Skiathos again.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on May 4, 2020 7:20:38 GMT
I didnt know you could grow figs in the uk Dennis. we used to pick them off the tree at Theodora last year. we are growing tomatoes and vegetables this year, we dont usually bother as everything dies when we are on holiday for 2 weeks. ive got lots sunflower seeds growing so my grandsons can have a competition who can grow the tallest. I,m sure we will be able to return to skiathos next summer, covid will have burnt out or we will develop immunity, thats if we can afford it, thousands will lose their jobs ,businesses will fail, the economy will be wrecked so taxes will have to rise and recovery will be slow. As long as we get through it without losing family or friends is the most important thing, As Dennis has summed up with that wonderful phrase I don’t see any sign that next summer will be any safer than this. A new vaccine is 12-18 months away and, even at the lower end of that, it’ll take months to vaccinate everyone. We’re going to have three main stages, lockdown, a tentative return (‘the new normal’) and post-vaccine safety. Both this and next summer look like falling into the middle category. Barring something we haven’t factored in yet, next summer doesn’t look like being any safer than this. Possibly we’ll see treatments which make the virus less-deadly.
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Post by dennisn on May 4, 2020 9:30:06 GMT
I didnt know you could grow figs in the uk Dennis. Just for you :-
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amy115
Full Member
Posts: 340
Visits to Skiathos: 5
Accommodation Stayed At: Thymis House Hotel
Dream House
Elizabeth Studios
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Post by amy115 on May 4, 2020 14:20:50 GMT
Wow Dennis, those figs are enormous. I am used to seeing the small, purple ones in the supermarket. Are they fully ripe?
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Post by kelso on May 4, 2020 16:54:34 GMT
You've got me there Dennis.
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Post by dennisn on May 4, 2020 18:33:11 GMT
They WERE ripe (July 2018) and delicious. We had zillions in 2019, but the majority came late and never finished growing or ripening. I am wondering what damage my heavy pruning will cause for this year.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on May 11, 2020 7:28:52 GMT
Right, that’s Parts 1 & 2 ticked off.
The plan is by 1st July the U.K.’ s hospitality sector will be open, and Greece’s plan is for theirs to be open by then, too.
If Brits can go in a bar or restaurant in the U.K., and Greeks can go to a taverna in Greece, then as long as infection rates remain low, there’s not a lot of reason to stop their citizens visiting each other.
Unless the infection rates start creeping back up, of course.
The one missing link would be, of course, the missing link: air travel. Can that be sorted.
At this stage, personal opinion, I think there’ll be set backs either here, there, or both, and it’ll get delayed again.
Time will tell.
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Post by cariad23 on May 11, 2020 9:20:44 GMT
At the moment i'd be thrilled just to get hairdressers open again my hair has grown crazy look like n old hippy, with silver roots ! I am VERY impressed with those figs, Mr Green fingers. I am sitting waiting for the roofer to arrive to redo my leaking flat extension roof , we could have a holiday for the cost of that! I judge the price of everything against the cost of a holiday, everytime we consider buying something my usual comment is we could have weekend/2 weeks in greece for that. So very little gets bought. A wise friend once said and ive never forgotten it,when you are old you will look back on many happy holiday memories you wont remember new carpets/furniture.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on May 11, 2020 10:34:38 GMT
I’m on optimistic chap, and I hope things progress as planned.
But I have to be honest in noting that both Germany and South Korea, who’ve handled the outbreak far better than we have, have just relaxed restrictions in a very limited way, and seen an almost immediate jump in infections, to which they’ll almost certainly have to respond by re-imposing some, if not all the restrictions they’ve just lifted.
The inept way in which the latest changes were announced last night, resulting in wall-to-wall confusion this morning, does not fill me with any confidence that we’ll handle the easing better than the Germans and Koreans have.
I hope I’m wrong. But watching our government’s handling of this has been like watching a clown trying to run across a minefield.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on May 12, 2020 16:42:43 GMT
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Post by yorkshiremouth on May 20, 2020 15:26:28 GMT
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Post by yorkshiremouth on May 23, 2020 9:41:12 GMT
Some of you may have seen this on FaceBook.
Simon Calder - chief travel and tourism bid at the Independent - had a live Q&A yesterday. I asked about Greece and how much better our figures would need to be before Greece adds us to the list of countries whose citizens it’s allowing in.
He basically said it’s inevitable, and sooner rather than later.
That chimes with what I’m picking up from elsewhere, too.
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