Fourteen days, ten flights, five hotels, four hire cars

There is only so much CNN news that anybody should be made to watch and I have now reached saturation. Three trips to Athens, plus a visit to Kos, Crete and Corfu and finally Gran Canaria have left me permanently brain damaged by the only English speaking channel available out there.

I was out there working for one of the better holiday companies and inspecting some new and refurbished aquatic facilities (what we use to call swimming pools).

Spiros & Georgio

I was brought up to believe 'British is Best' and I still subscribe to this philosophy. Due to this, I tend to think we will be light years in front of others in the pool industry, oops sorry aquatic facilities industry. But in fact I saw some great installations, good sized filtration systems with transparent non-return valves. I'm sure that many of you are already fitting these but I've yet to see them.

Unbelievably, the poolies whom I encountered were still using the basic pool testers where you add tablets to the pool water in the tester and shake. Anyway I showed Spiros my photometer and he went wild for one. Speaking  through Georgio, the bar manager cum interpreter, he offered me various things in exchange for it. Starting off with a barrel of olives, progressing to a free week at the resort and his final offer was his daughter, who you will all get to meet at the next SPATEX dinner (only joking!). Anyway Colin Day, get yourself out there and sell some quality test kits and, if you so wish, bring Spiros's daughter to the SPATEX dinner.

Read the full story - you know it makes sense!

Allen Wilson is a consultant at Studies In Work Pool & Spa H&S. First released in 2009, Wilson's Essential Pool & Spa Plant Handbook provides indispensable reading.