I took a gentle stroll into the top part of the Pedi Valley yesterday, attracted by the greenery. What with the warm winter and recent rains, everything’s coming up roses. There were other plants growing too, and blossom on some trees already, and yes, there were some roses. ‘Everything’s Coming up Roses’ is a song from the Styne and Sondheim musical, Gypsy. Apparently, they were having trouble finding a title for the number, or an idea for it, when inspiration struck one of the team (I can’t remember the exact story, I read it in a book age ago). So, someone comes up to Sondheim and says, ‘We have a song: Everything’s coming up Roses.’ Sondheim replies, ‘Rose’s what?’
It may not have been him and it might be apocryphal, but it always makes me laugh, because I’m a bit touched like that. Meanwhile, back in the valley…
It was around 17 degrees yesterday and according to our new Chinese-shop garden thermometer we were in the red zone for humidity, which explains why the courtyard was soaking wet even though it hadn’t rained. Still, a lovely morning for taking a wander and admiring the green, and I’ll shut up now and leave you with some photos so you too can admire how green Symi looks right now.
I have two parish notices this morning, and you’re probably aware of both by now. First of all, for those of us who lost the right to vote in our home country because of the 15-year rule, you can now register again and vote again. The full details are on this electoral commission page.
If you want more info, then the Gov.uk site has a page, ‘Register to Vote’ which tells you where to apply. Once I’ve got back to Brighton & Hove and put myself back on the list, I shall have a vote somewhere in the world for something meaningful. Since Brexit, I’ve only been able to vote of things like Cover of the Month competitions, and since leaving the yUK after 15 years, I’ve not been able to vote there. I can’t vote in Greek elections as I’m not Greek, nor in my local island elections or European ones because I’m an against-my-will non-European. And to all those who whinge, ‘Why should you be able to vote in the yUk when you call it the yUk and don’t live there…’ blah, blah, heard it before, the answer is, because I can, so I will. Also, some people have interests there like house, tax liabilities, finances, families, history, birthplaces, an inbuilt affection for the country, and living abroad gives you a less skewed perspective, because we’re not swayed by daytime TV and the brain-numbingness of UK news and newspapers.
Anyway… The second parish notice has to do with boat timetables for the summer.
There aren’t any.
I’ve noticed the winter/spring posts on various Facebook groups and pages where people say things like, ‘I’ve booked my flights for July but there are no boats! How can I get across to Symi? Will I have to stay in Rhodes?’ and so on. The current answer is: you won’t know the boat schedules until at least April, possibly later, and it will change around Easter time anyway, so there’s not a lot you can do. At best, you can assume/hope the timetables are the same this year as they were last year, but that’s not definite. So, book your holls, but don’t fuss about boats yet. There either will be or there won’t be boats to suit your arrival time, and if there isn’t one, yes, you have to stay in Rhodes or Kos overnight before travelling on.
Such is Symi life. Be grateful you’re not doing it in winter where it’s possible to visit Rhodes on a Monday for an appointment on Tuesday because there’s no Tuesday boat, and have to stay until Wednesday for the same reason, and then find the weather’s tuned and you can’t get back until Friday. We got stuck in Rhodes for six days back in 2013 after being in Romania for a week. Had we known there would be no boats for the second week, we would have stayed in Transylvania; far cheaper.
So that’s that, and I’m getting on with my day which will see the usual round of morning writing and walking, followed by a fun afternoon at the piano.
We enjoyed a fabulously wet day yesterday, but luckily, the rain stayed outside – apart from the porch where the roof leaks although we can find no cracks for the rain to come through. One of those mysteries.
It was a case of staying inside for me, getting some typing done in the morning, and then looking forward to a piano lesson in the afternoon. Yesterday was the best I’d felt since New Year’s Day, and the lesson went so well I was buoyed by it, and even happier when my pupil said he’d like to stay and do some more modelling. This isn’t catwalk parade-type modelling, but building a Toyota in his case, and the Cutty Sark in my case.
Some of the pieces snap in half as I take them from the sprues, no matter how carefully I do it. The paintwork needs touching up too.
So, after an hour of scales and new pieces, some discussion about practice, technique and how far he’s come (grade four in 4.5 years), we spent two hours at the kitchen table painting tiny parts, huffing now and then, letting loose the occasional expletive (because my Airfix doesn’t fix very well in places), and trying to work out Chinese instructions. While we were doing that, Neil pottered around the kitchen and threw a cake in the oven, and it was all very homely and perfect for a wet Monday afternoon.
Talking of details, which we weren’t, here’s a detail from above a door in the village. Any idea where?
I fancied a wild night out after that, so we popped down to Rainbow to watch the news on one TV while listening to the radio from the other. Yiannis has got into the habit of feeding us an omelette when we’re there in the evening, but we declined last night as we were coming home to eat, so he gave us four fresh eggs instead, straight out of a neighbour’s chickens. There’s no getting away from Greek hospitality.
So, what did I do over the weekend? Answer: Not much. I spent a fair amount of Sunday on the sofa with the return of a cold, but now, on Monday morning, I seem to have fended that off with some treatments. Saturday, we popped out for a drink and a catchup with Miss DJ, and for some supper with Jenine at Scena, but otherwise, my weekend was spent reading, writing, and sticking together two halves of the Cutty Sark that didn’t want to be stuck together. I am sure these things aren’t made as well as they used to be, or did we put up with two halves of a hull that don’t actually fit? I probably got my older brother to do it for me. Either that or stamped on it until it was trashed. Later today I’m going to have another go at clamping the basics of the ship together because I can’t do anything else until that’s done. It reminds me of another Airfix I tried once, the Titanic that Neil bought me years ago. I spent hours painting the hull only to find the two sides were incompatible. Anyway…
Back to the positive side of today, which is the start of a new week, with much to be written and read, piano lessons and modelling with my GS, a walk if it stops raining… On which note, I did get out and about for a short wander around the village over the weekend. Not a huge distance, I’m still not up to that, but a start, and I’ll do another half an hour later if the weather clears. It’s still dark as I write and the rain has only just stopped, so it’s too soon to assess the conditions. If all is well, Neil will be off to the gym as per usual, while I type and stroll, later to teach and glue.
It’s that green time of year.
And the same will probably continue for the rest of the week, and I’ll flit between the desk and the sofa where we have the heaters and the blankets (ten degrees on Saturday, the coldest it’s been so far this winter, in our courtyard at least). That’s about it. Must get on.
There are but a few images left in my collection of ‘What I did in my holidays,’ because, after New Year’s Day, I was laid up in bed, or rather, on sofa. I’ve never been much of a one for taking to my bed when unwell; there’s so much else going on in the rest of the house I’d rather watch and listen to. Better than lying in a dark room. The only time I’ve been able to ‘take to me bed’ since the age of about 18 was when I went down with a bout of labyrinthitis. I was living on the edge of the Lake District, and had driven over to Morecombe to visit a friend for the night. We went out with some of her mates, I had one beer because I was driving, went home and all was well. Then, around 3.30 in the morning, I woke up with the room spinning like it does/did when you were a teen and had too much Pomagne, or, if it was after choir practice, too much whisky. Having staggered to the bathroom on all fours and been vociferous at both ends, I crawled back to bed with a bucket, there to remain for two days without moving. It wasn’t until the doctor appeared and gave me medicine ‘nil by mouth’ that I started to improve. Another day of lying prone, unable to move to even drink water and I’d have been in hospital, the doc said. As soon as I could though, I was on the sofa where at least I could stare at schools’ programmes (there was no daytime TV in those days, and wasn’t the world a better place for it?). It took me two weeks before I could drive home, and another two months before I could walk without a stick.
Things to do in Athens…
But that’s man flu for you. The last two days in Athens weren’t that bad, though I got through t-shirts like no-one’s business, daren’t cough for fear of ripping out my insides, and wasn’t able to eat much. I managed some chicken soup with added chilli from a takeaway. During that meal we were treated to the full force of the teen letting off steam after trying the chilli chicken (which was even too hot for Neil). Don’t you love it when someone tries something, doesn’t like it, and blames everyone else around them for their failure to enjoy? Give him his dues, the effing and blinding were justified as it was 100% chilli and 0% chicken, but what was more impressive was the projection. Hearing it gave me the idea that at our next Thursday music lesson, we would turn our attention to voice work for the next month, and try some singing. If he can swear at fortissimo and keep a good tone, he can certainly try signing.
On the second sofa day, I ordered Neil to go out with the others as there was no point both of us staying home, watching old films on TV and shivering. They had a good time, did my shopping for me, took it all up Lycabettus Hill to see the views, came home, dressed up and went to the Nutcracker at the GNO while I stayed in with Angelina Jollie and other choice films. I was able to get my packing done, and the next morning, was awake early to get dry and warm, and shove things in a bag or two, later, to head to the ferry.
Picnic on deck
Here’s another Athens tip: there are places to leave luggage, so if you’re not at a hotel and you have a few hours to explore before heading to the airport or docks, you can find a left luggage place just off Syntagma Square (and other places), and for a few Euros, leave your bags there – which is what we did, until it was time to take a taxi to Piraeus. And there’s another tip or two. The dock for the Blue Star to Symi, usually E1, is a 45-minute walk from the main gates, and I know, because I have done it in August. There is a free bus, but I’ve only ever taken it the other way. The train from the centre of town to the port is quick and it’s only a few stops, but the stroll at the other end is not advised, especially if you’re in a hurry. So, I always take a taxi to the boat. If you want another tip, there’s a café/bakery right by E1 so you can stock up on snacks before boarding and you’ll find them cheaper and there’s more variety.
Watching lorries reverse onto a stationary ship is a boy-bonding thing, apparently.
Another good tip is to book a cabin, something I was unable to do. When they finally put the Symi connection on the route, I dashed to secure two cabins, and there were two left, but by the time I’d booked one for J and the teen, the other had gone. Not to worry; I only use them for a couple of hours’ kip anyway, and normally that wouldn’t be a problem. This time, I alternated between an airline seat and the sofa out the back where Neil slept for four hours, and I paced for most of the 16.5 it takes from Athens to Symi, until we finally arrived home at 7.30 last Friday.
KalymnosSymi from the north-west side
There, that’s my ‘What I did in my Holidays’ update and how thrilling was that? (Inserts yawn emoji.)
Next week might bring different news, I’ve already got some shots of the grey and damp weather for you to look forward to, and there will be some other less interesting things to talk about too, particularly as it’s now modelling season. On which note… the Teen is coming for his extra music lesson later (must remember to get the singing underway), and we’re following that with a model-building session in the kitchen during which we will discuss manly things like barbers and ballet, before making waffles. And that’s enough waffling from me… Have a good weekend.
