Thank you all

for your encouragement. I have drafted a card to George at the Post Office, as well as a letter to the good people of Glossa. I have run both back and forth through Google Translate enough times for the Greek to match the English. This is a habit I developed while trying desperately to communicate effectively with my deaf French neighbours. I have hand-written both the card and the envelope and saved the letter to the village as a large print pdf. I hope that in the morning I will find a place to print the letter for me as I shall not be in my office.

Yes I could have emailed someone else in the village and asked them to print it out and run it up 300 steps, but it's a big ask. I think there is more chance of success if George receives a personally addressed hand-written card.

Will I ever know? That is a separate quandary.

In my letter to the village I have mentioned that I am now just across the river from Tilbury. This is a significant geographic location to so many who have worked "on the ships". When I used to meet any of the old boys for the first time, I would first be asked if I were German. When I told them that I was from England, the second question was always Liverpool? Southampton? Tilbury?

I cycle across this bridge every day to and from work - those dark blobs are lions.