Symi news catch up
Sunday morning: the soldiers arrived at the clock tower at ten minutes before eight, their truck drove off and they stood there still and silent, waiting for the order. A little before the hour they marched to the war memorial, out of my sight, and there they sang part of the national anthem in their usual, male and slightly bawdy fashion. That duty attended to, I assume they set off back for barracks, or choir practice.
The rain that plagued us on Saturday, falling through a persistent and cooling wind, had left more Sahara dust on the outside furniture, the balcony rail and the ground. More rain was forecast for Sunday but as I write (at just after 10.00 on Sunday), it has yet to appear, but at least the wind has dropped and, when there is sun, it is warm, verging on hot. The rest of the week is forecast for sun, so perhaps now we can say that summer is finally starting to arrive. It does feel like this year’s season is taking a long time to kick in. Perhaps it is waiting for its luggage at baggage reclaim.
The Blue Star Diagoras made its last visit to Symi on Friday night. We watched it come in late in the evening, all lights blazing and looking like a Viennetta ice cream when out at sea. As it left, it sounded its horn and was given a send-off with a fireworks display from the quayside. It was a moving moment; we’ve been looked after by that boat for several years now and, although not always the most punctual of sea beasts, it was sturdy and safe and got us there and back again when needed. We now await the arrival of the next ferry from Blue Star, which is due on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday is the funeral of our dear friend, Ged Horton who many of you would have known as Wendy’s partner these past several years. Ged passed away in hospital in Crete at the weekend, leaving very many sad family members and friends to mourn his passing and celebrate his life. He was a wealth of knowledge about films, books and theatre. Over the years he had generously donated many of each to us and I will miss our long conversations about ‘movies’ both good and bad, our talks about Irish playwrights, vampire novels, gothic literature and the ghost stories of M R James. He will be sorely missed by all and our thoughts are with his family, Wendy and all who knew him. If you are on Symi, the service is due to take place in Pedi from around nine-thirty on Wednesday. In fitting tribute, his team, Manchester United, won the FA Cup for him on Saturday night.
“Joy is of all gifts the most divine.”
― M.R. James, The Second Ghost Story Megapack
It’s hard to lift the mood after reporting that but, on the island, death is very much a part of life, and life goes on. For me this means two more weeks of work before I take my break and go on my writing retreat to Tilos. It also means finishing my latest assignment for my scriptwriting course and, for Neil, sending in his first assignment for his IGSC in ‘Global Citizenship.’ (A course which is far more academic and much more difficult than mine.) And so, as I often say, I best get on and get some work done so that I can move on with the next chapter of my next book and have some groundwork done and ready for when I am away.
