Well, it started out quite normally though a little early on Friday afternoon when we were walking back up the kali strata after spending some time in Yialos. We stopped to chat with some people who were cutting back their bougainvillea and tidying up the garden of their house – a large style building, probably originally the house of a wealthy merchant from the 19th century. We were invited to look inside and take some photos of the original ceiling decoration, which is still in place.

So here you have (and many thanks to the owners) a couple of shots of an original Symi painted ceiling.

Although I had decided to stay home on Saturday night, we ended up going to hear the live music at The Sunrise café, which was very busy – standing room only for a while. Great atmosphere, nice people, plenty of chat and music, though no room for the piano this time. I think that evening inspired us as Neil got his saxophone out on Sunday morning and got back to it with no trouble; I took Moriarty the oboe out, and managed twenty minutes before my face muscles gave up and I simply couldn’t produce a decent sound any more. You really do have to keep up the practice, even a couple of weeks off and it was back to square one – with the breathing I mean, my fingers remembered the notes, and I got some new ones nailed down before I started looking like someone who’d just had several injections from the dentist and who couldn’t feel his mouth any longer.

And then Sunday progressed at a leisurely pace. Haircuts and housework followed by lunch with friends up near the windmills. And then carrying a bench, two chairs, a table, a fan and a cabinet back down to the shop. Followed by carrying the bench and a few other things up to another house to deliver it, stopping en route at the Rainbow to catch up on the election news and soak up the atmosphere.

Finally reaching home, we put the TV on for half an hour and watched some of the election results coming in. Actually things got a bit surreal here; the Star channel was showing the film ‘Striptease’, Burt Reynolds in a lot of make up and Demi Moore in practically nothing. It was fun when the film suddenly stopped and Mr Papandreou appeared telling us how this was great news for Greece and there would be a big change and Demi Moore cut in wiggling her butt around a poll quickly before we cut back to Mr Papandreou who clearly had no idea his victory speech had just been upstaged. If only all politics was spiced up in this way I for one would be a lot more inclined to tune in and listen. [Click for more on the election results.] 

Ah well, here comes another week. One which is starting with another party invite tonight, we’ve arranged to do something on Friday but I can’t remember what, we have people coming on Sunday evening and I am sure I said ‘yes’ to a Saturday night something or other. Just have to see what comes along.