Mercy

I am collecting photographic evidence before I part with it once again. This is how it has been since 28th April, lens extended and open, but blind. Mercifully I have other distractions.

Our next-door neighbours have a mansion here and an apartment in France. Each home has a telephone line without internet. They own one telephone handset which they pack and travel with from one home to the other. This means that whoever is looking after the vacant house must use their own mobile phone to make calls. It also means that when they are packed and ready to leave they are unable to phone a taxi. That has to be pre-booked the night before departure.
A has Parkinsons. He is largely immobile but refuses a wheelchair. He is extraordinarily manipulative and used to be a psychiatrist. He speaks French, Spanish and a smattering of Greek.
B is very hard of hearing, devoted to A, completely manipulated and used to be a pharmacist. He speaks French, Spanish, English and a smattering of Greek.
When they travel from France to Greece they bring seven items of luggage. A carries none and leans heavily on B. B now has a seriously bad back.
B has a niece, C, who travelled here with her family last week to stay in her uncle's mansion. She has a French mobile phone.
A was not well enough to travel last week so A & B travelled here this week. They flew to Athens and stayed overnight in an incredibly expensive hotel. The following morning they had planned to travel by taxi to the port (4 hours) and then catch a boat here. Tickets had been bought. But A didn't feel up to taking the 4-hour taxi ride in time to catch the sailing and so they phoned C for help. C has no internet at the mansion so called me on my mobile. I was driving the dog to the vet and so was not in a position to help but Spouseman was at home so I called him and asked him to compile a list of all sailings from the mainland and deliver it to C. Spouseman currently has almost no voice and is supposed to be keeping out of the sun. Normally he would simply phone the French mobile and sod the expense, but with practically no voice this was not an option.
The mansion is perched on the top of the hill and Spouseman prefers to drive there rather than walk up a steep hill in Greek mid-day sunshine, especially when he is supposed to be keeping out of the sun, but since I had the car he had no option but to walk.
C phoned me again to say she was setting off for the beach and would lose her mobile signal. I called Spouseman and found he was halfway up the hill on foot. I sent a text message to C to say he was on his way and would be there very soon. Thankfully she had the wit to wait and was able to notify her uncle which port he needed to get to in order to catch the next sailing.
C phoned me again to ask me to book tickets for them. I said no. The ferry is huge, it will not be full, tickets will be available when A & B arrive at the port. If I book the tickets B will have to find which of fifteen ticket agencies has the tickets whereas if he buys them himself he can go to any agency he wishes.

Of course all of this could have been achieved at the reception desk of the incredibly expensive hotel but that would not occur to our brilliant neighbours.