Tranquility in Corfu

We had just settled at the bar, drinking our aperitifs and recovering from a hard day of “dolce far niente” on the beach, when along came one man and his dog (minus marauding sheep I hasten to add!). The man found a seat at the front of the bar on the decking that jutted out onto the beach, tied the dog’s lead around the foot of his seat, ordered his drink and made himself comfortable. Meanwhile, the small black dog- some sort of terrier I think (I’m not great with dog breeds)- sniffed around looking for the odd discarded chip, morsels of crisp or other tidbits that he might snaffle as a snackette. Disappointed by the cleanliness of the bar floor, the disconsolate dog- let’s call him Stavros; I didn’t hear his name, but that seems apposite - turned his attention to seeing off the the flocks of inquisitive sparrows that were on the lookout for the same fare. That done, and satisfied that his territory was now secure, Stavros slaked his thirst with the water in the bowl left for him by the bar staff and turned his attention to his “hooman”, who was miles away, apparently deep in thought. There being nothing else to entertain him, Stavros clearly decided to join his hooman on the chair, but no matter how hard, or how penetrating his pleading stare, he went unnoticed. This clearly called for stronger tactics: standing on his back legs and reaching up with his forepaws, Stavros started to push with increasing force against his hooman’s thigh. Eventually the penny dropped and he moved to make space, whereupon Stavros squeezed in beside him, and settled down with his chin resting on the arm of the seat, all the while guarding the perimeter, always on the look out for marauding sparrows. 

Sitting back, watching them, hearing nothing but the gently breaking surf and the faint strains of soft, soothing jazz in the background, we experienced moments of genuine tranquility. And I lapped it up. Just like Stavros. His bowl is empty, as are our glasses. 

And that is the photograph that I made, which is attached.