The last month has been spent travelling from Vivari, around to Epidavros and then back to Nafplion where we are now. We've done very little except swim and hide from the summer heat. Thankfully the temperature is starting to drop now and we can sit in the sun and top up our tans a bit more. We've had some good sailing on our trips around the peninsula. We finally hit the 2000 engine hour mark a few days ago - not bad for an engine that was fitted in the 80s. We suspect that we may put the next 2000 hours on a bit quicker than that although we'll do our best not to! So far this year we've done just over one hundred engine hours so we're obviously doing well with our sailing.

Andy has been very busy with sail repairs for the last month. We've had quite a few days of strong winds so there has been plenty of opportunity for sail stitching to break down.

The jellyfish are now out in force. They don't sting but we don't really want to swim with them so we're always hunting for an anchorage that is free of them. Andy tested the 'don't sting' theory by picking one up and rubbing it against the underside of his arm - no stinging or fishy smell!

We've covered some new ground and spent a day at Aegina town. We did a bit of exploring and wandered around the town. We visited the temple to Aphrodite and museum to see the usual array of rocks, pots and grave markers. Aegina was the first capital of modern Greece in 1827 although that only lasted until the capital was moved to Nafplion in 1829. The island is only 12 miles by sea from Piraeus, Athens main port, so is a busy place in the height of the summer.

My birthday was spent in Ermioni. We met up with Sian and Graham and Carol and Neil and went out for a meal to a taverna on the south side of the town. This was possibly the best Greek meal we've eaten here in Greece! The food was a bit different, not your run of the mill, chops from the bbq and chips. We ate plenty, drank too much wine and had a very late night.

This week we've been to Kilada to help some friends fibreglass their boat. Jenny, Peter and Charles built their ferrocement boat about 30 years ago and have been cruising and living aboard ever since. This year they had a few leaks when they tried to launch (twice) and have therefore spent the summer on the hard outside the boatyard. They've been in Kilada for a few years and know quite a few people in the area. Several of their friends offered their labour to help sheath the boat in fibreglass in the hope that it would make it waterproof again. It's lovely to see that there are people willing to give up their time and offer their experience to help out others that are having difficulties.

We've bought a new (to us) 2.2hp outboard engine, Suzi the Suzuki! I struggle to start the 10hp so can't get ashore when Andy goes back to the UK. The 2.2 is very easy to start and much more economical. On Saturday when Andy was fibreglassing I borrowed a car and headed to Lidl to do a bulk shop. When I got back it was threatening rain so I quickly put all the shopping in the dinghy and headed back to Norna, hoping to get there before everything got wet. By the time I was halfway back the wind was up to 30 knots and Suzi was struggling to push ahead! I eventually got there and spent about 15 minutes trying to get the shopping on board, not easy when the dinghy is lurching around on the waves and the wind is whipping around everything. Eventually everything was on board, the dinghy was tied on with three lines and I could wait out the storm that was threatening before heading back ashore to pick Andy up.

We were being taken out for dinner that night as a thank you so decided that we would put the bigger outboard on the dinghy in case we needed to get back in a hurry. Just as well. At about 10ish that evening the heavens opened and the wind picked up again. Getting back to Norna was a wet ride but at least we got there, the 2.2 would have struggled. Since Saturday we've had quite a few rain storms, we're hoping that they'll all be over and done with by the weekend as Shelley and Tim are coming out to visit and we'd like some good weather!