What can I tell you…? Over the weekend, I’ve watched various boats take people away from the island after the Panormitis festival. The Panagia Skiedani collected many cars and people, there was a traffic queue for the Friday Blue Star which ran all the way back to the main road, and if you’ve ever used that part of the port you’ll know that’s a fair distance. There were other boats too, but the Dodekanisos catamaran looked busy with arrivals and departures over the weekend, and on Saturday evening, just after dark, a flotilla of small yachts came in and left the next day. I counted ten of them, but I wasn’t watching for long. Not massive numbers, maybe, but for this time of year, not bad, and on Sunday afternoon, the north side of the harbour looked as busy as it was in summer, if not busier.

The weather has been busy too, with some showers (brief) and cloudy skies, but temperatures in our courtyard up to 24 at night. This will be pleasing news for the visitors who came for the day with the King Saron, or the ‘Queeny Shaz’, as I call it. Why? Who knows? It just evolved that way. From King Saron to King Sharon, to Queen Sharon, to Queen Shaz, ultimately leading to Queeny Shaz. Sometimes, you have to make your own entertainment. Like we do when we’re on the balcony watching the world go by during the summer when we play a daft game for no reason. The first one to spot the yellow bus gets a point, as does the first one to spot the train. This year, we added a particular white van to the list, which helped the score, which is never remembered and doesn’t matter. It’s just a bit of a lark.

More interesting is the bird watching. Not that I am a great twitcher, and I only recognise some species, but we keep a lookout. The robins are back flitting about the wasteland, and the black redstarts are still here along with the warblers, thrush, blackbirds, sparrows, doves, pigeons and others. I’ve heard the ravens and seen some larger birds of prey, buzzards or a kind of eagle, and I’ve seen and heard the seagulls. So, the wildlife continues to enjoy the island along with a few visitors and sailors, and us, of course, despite the cloud you see in today’s photos. There are probably more gathering above as I write. It’s still dark, but we’ve just had a brief downpour. The house hasn’t leaked, as yet, so that’s good news as we head into the middle days of November.

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There’s not much to tell you. So little, in fact, I forgot to put up a blog yesterday, but there wouldn’t have been much to share even if I had. I was on the balcony just now, and couldn’t help but notice how few boats there were at the end of the harbour. None, in fact. Even the coastguard boats were out, as they are at night, patrolling the seas and looking out for people. It was too early for the Blue Star, but I imagine that will be busy later today with people returning from the Panormitis festival. The Panagia Skiadeni came in yesterday, I assume on its way to Rhodes, and there was a crowd and a collection of cars waiting to board, but yesterday was also the first day in months I didn’t see a day trip boat come in. It looks like the traditional summer season is now over.

And talking of over, what have I got on the slate over this weekend? Not a great deal. I’ve finished the first draft of a collection of short stories in my Victorian mystery series, so I am looking forward to second drafting that. We’ve got some post to pick up from Yialos today, and hopefully, Neil will be able to do that on his way to the gym. Apparently, we’re in for some cloudy and wet weather over the weekend and into Monday, which will make a change, but the temperatures remain in the 20s.

Other than that, I am planning to do very little except work on a couple of projects, and watch a fair amount of TV, I guess. I want to get some sofa-sitting practice in for the winter ahead, although we do have things planned that take place outside of the house. We’re heading to Athens for a week late in December, for example, and although that’s a way off, at least it will give me something to write about.

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Here’s wishing a happy Panormitis Day and festival to everyone who attends or follows the celebration. In the past, we have been to the festival in various ways. In the back of a transit van, on foot (it was a four-hour walk), in the back of a flatbed truck (a few times, sometimes sitting on the floor, other times sitting in a tied-down chair), we’ve stayed at Marathunda and visited from there, and we’ve been by car and back by bus. Some people arrive by boat from Rhodes, or from other places on Symi, some people walk, and with the weather being so calm now, that’s a good option. We’ve also, on this day, been up to Roukounotis, and/or other churches dedicated to Michaelis, and have been made welcome at every one.

Today though, I have to work in the morning, and in the afternoon, we’re visiting the family for some madness and mayhem, no doubt.

Yesterday, while Neil was off doing his ‘program three’ at the gym, I went for a stroll around the village wondering whether I should reinstate my ‘thing I find by the road’ collection of images. The things are usually odd shoes or a single glove that mysteriously appear overnight, but yesterday, all I saw was a long-squashed rat, or the shell of one, and nothing very interesting. The cloud was coming over the Vigla, but before it arrived (and it didn’t amount to anything), it was a gloriously warm and sunny morning at 24° and felt like spring.

As you can see, there’s work going on in the lower car park, which has probably ruffled the fur of the local cats who hang out there, but being cats, they’ll adapt and find the bins wherever they are put while the work is going on. I assume the work here is resurfacing, but I’m not sure. However, I am sure I have to go before I am late for work.

Happy Panormitis Day to everyone.

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We’re still enjoying warm weather down here. I just went outside at 3.30 this morning, and it was rather pleasant. Mind you, there’s no wind to speak of, the plants don’t know what to make of it all, and I’m sure we’ll get some kind of winter weather before long. Meanwhile, the Nicholaos X made its last day trip yesterday. At least, I assume that’s why it sounded its horn for ages as it left; saying thank you and goodbye in the traditional fashion.

Today sees the start of the three-day Panormitis festival, and many of the boats will be routed to visit that end of the island during this week. It’s doubtful I’ll get down there this year, but I imagine it’s already busy with pilgrims and visitors, market stalls and other things set up and making ready. Wednesday will be the big holiday and main day, but events and celebrations will be going on for the next three days.

Today, I’ve a couple of photos Neil took on a recent walk over to St Nicholas Beach, or ‘Saint Nick’s’ as it’s often called. They were taken on a morning when there was some early but not threatening cloud, but like many days at this time of year, the cloud dispersed during the rest of the morning, leaving a clear sky and a sunny day.

Things have quietened down no there are very few visitors here. We can still see some pleasure boats coming in and out, but the harbour isn’t lined with them. Instead, it’s returning to the customary winter sight of local fishing boats and speedboats only, with the ferries turning up according to their schedules, but not the day trip boats. I’ve noticed that visitors eager for next season to be upon them have already begun asking about boats from Rhodes next summer. The bottom line there is, you will have to wait, as the schedules don’t get published until much nearer the time. I want to book Blue Star tickets for the first week in January, but they’re not online yet. (The Sunday/Monday sailings are, but not the other two per week; assuming the schedule stays the same as it is now.) Blue Star is the major line from Athens to here, and if that’s not putting up its dates for two months hence, there’s little or no chance the smaller lines will be putting up theirs for June and July. Calm down folks, there will be boats. There may also be the need for you to stay the night in Rhodes depending on what time your plane lands, but that’s par for the course.

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I expect there are a few sore heads around this morning following yesterday’s village wedding. This was the wedding of Lefteris and Glykeria to which, I’m told, over 600 people were invited. If you were wondering, that’s ‘young’ Lefteris from the Lefteris’ Kafeneion in the village. As is the Greek tradition, he was given his grandfather’s name, which means in the four generations of the family there is great-grandfather Lefteris, his son, Yiannis, his son, Lefteris, and his son, Yiannis. It was a lovely afternoon/evening, though we couldn’t make it to the reception at the Opera House.

I’ll kick your week off with a couple of photos, including one taken later from a very busy Scena where we stopped off on the way home.

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