All posts by James Collins

Day to day on Symi

Wittering off

Wittering off

Yesterday’s short blog post was titled ‘wittering on’, and today’s, appropriately enough is ‘wittering off.’ That’s because I’ve decided not to keep this blog up to date so much from now on if I update it at all. There are several reasons for this, and the list is below. Mainly, I’ve been doing this since more or less every day 2005 in one form or another, and it was set up originally to promote the Symi Dream business. We’ve not had that since 2015 (or was it 16?) and since then, all I’ve been doing is wittering on and off about all manner of nonsense just for the sake of keeping the blog running. These days, things are different for me, and my time is spent, as you know, writing books in order to make a living. Writing a post here five times a week has become a distraction, and it doesn’t actually help me sell any books, so… As they say in USA TV-Land, ‘you do the math.’

I may make announcements here now and then and post them to the Facebook page, but if you want to follow life on Symi, then I highly recommend Adriana’s blog, and a search on Facebook for groups and pages with Symi in the title. There are loads of them with proper news and updates, information and useful things, plus regular images. These pages will stay up so you can look back through posts and photos, and the email address will stay active for a while at least, and I’ll be over on Facebook if you want me (inserts smiley wink). So, thanks for following all these years, and I’ll leave you with some of Neil’s photos, beneath which is a brainstorm list of my reasons for pulling back the reins on the blog.

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If you want to know the reasons, I’m stopping this hobby after 16 years, here we go: Not much to talk about apart from what I am writing and the weather. Not many new or interesting photos to share, just snaps for the sake of it. I feel I have to take photos when I’m out and about. I’m constantly having to think of something to write. It takes from 20 to 40 minutes of my day to sort out, download pics and put up posts. I’m only giving rambling chit chat for the sake of it, and not much news about the island. These days, it’s not as easy to share the posts around social media; Facebook requires me to switch accounts, add a link and so on, whereas before, I could click a button on the post and it would be shared directly to the FB page. Now, it’s a pain I can do without. Then there are the enquiries that come in as if I were a travel agent, and other enquiries about the island asked as though I were an expert. I’ve started doing a BSL course, and I’d rather spend 30 minutes on that per day. I’m trying to make a living by writing books, and the fewer distractions I have the better. Oh, and I don’t get paid though it costs me money to host the blog. I could list other reasons, but mainly, the time has come to let it go.

Day to day on Symi

Wittering on

Wittering on

Happy first of the month to you. Had rather a successful day in Yialos on Tuesday, collecting post and pottering about, having lunch at Meraklis, and later catching a cab back to the village in time for Neil to start work. I’m not saying it was hot, but…

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It was pretty warm. It was also pretty quiet to start with but later, after the day boats arrived, things became busier, so hopefully, some shops did some business. And talking of business, I have to go and do some in Rhodes on Friday. Luckily we have plenty of boats and crossings to choose from, and there’s one back in the afternoon which isn’t too late, and which will suit me just fine.

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I need to go back the following week too, to pick up my biometric card, a process which, for some people, has meat a two-hour wait on a staircase, and in this heat. This process has been relatively easy for most of us. Just imagine what it is like for refugees who, apart from anything else, don’t speak Greek and are not used to the way things work around here—two offices to visit, maybe more, 101 pieces of paper, forms to fill out, waiting, fingerprinting, no appointments so more waiting, being turned away when the office shuts, and ‘Come back tomorrow…’ Looking forward to that visit next week, not. Except I am, because once it’s done or once we’re turned away if we can’t get in to pick up a card (how long does that take?), then I’m off to find an 18th birthday present for our godson, so I shall be shopping with a purpose.

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Day to day on Symi

Early Morning Dreaminess

Early Morning Dreaminess

We have a guest arriving today, so it’s another early start. I had a very early start yesterday too. Heat, mosquito, strange dream, waking to look at the time hoping it said it was five, and I’d had eight hours sleep; it read 2.45, and I’d had nearly six, so that would have to do. It was already 28 degrees in the courtyard where someone’s cat was playing with the leaves that had blown from the vine, though there was no breath of wind. There was some roach activity, but I chased it around with a can of spray while trying not to wake the husband, and lost it under the sofa. I found it later when I stepped on it by accident, so that saw it off. Then I set to work on chapter 22 and imagined myself on Bodmin more at three in the morning, in August 1890, looking at standing stones and relating the symbols carved on them to the plot of the novel, and found my smoking gun.

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It was an interesting start to the day, and, as I write, it’s still only six (Tuesday morning). We plan to head to Yialos later. I have some modelling paints to collect from ACS, there’s the post office to check as I am expecting a book about Victorian workhouses, and we need to raid the bank. All being well, today (yesterday) will see our first lunch out of the season. No doubt there will be more when said guest arrives tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeps in this semi-retired pace from day to day. To the last syllable of… Talking of which, I must get over this lack of sleep-induced dreaminess and get back to stringing syllables together to make a coherent story. Smoking gun, here I come.

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Day to day on Symi

Monday

Monday

After what seems like an age of nothing much happening, things are starting to pick up. When I say not much happening, I mean for me; writing, the occasional walk, piano lessons, staying home a lot. Now, though, with more visitors, things are becoming more social. Not so much this week, but next when in the diary we have a breakfast, a BBQ and a dinner, and that’s on top of the daily routine. I’m still waiting to hear when my annual health-check MOT might be, and I need to collect my biometric card from Rhodes at some point. Before then, we need to make sure the card is there, and that means trying to get through on a phone that’s hardly ever answered. On top of that, I need to visit the dentist. I was planning to do this when I’d saved enough because I want a couple of cosmetic things doing, and now it feels like I have a wisdom tooth finally coming through. I had three out years ago, but it seems the fourth might finally make an appearance. As I have to collect something from ACS today (Monday), I will see if the dentist is around and make an appointment. And that’s about the highlight of my day. Meanwhile, here are some recent hinterland photos for you to peruse while I prepare myself to ‘do’ the Kali Strata in temperatures of 34 + degrees.

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Day to day on Symi

Latest Chicken News

Latest Chicken News

Sunday morning, Neil’s off for a swim, the bells are ringing (not because he’s off for a swim, but for the Sunday services), the sea is calm, and I am on chapter 20. A typical Sunday morning at our house. It’s not so typical in front of it where a chicken has taken up residence. I think she came wandering down to check out the ’hood, and her two chicks came with her, but then realised they can’t get back up the steps. They’ve now moved into the old garden next door, which is overgrown and difficult to access. I was going to take the chicks up to the road, where they usually hang out, but now I can’t get to them. There was something of an owl disturbance right outside the house the other morning, so there may not even be any chicks left to move. Either way, mother hen will simply have to hang out in the wasteland until the young’uns are large enough to get up the steps as we can’t now reach them.

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In other news… We spent a little time counting 10 cents pieces the other afternoon. I say ‘we’, it was actually Jenine, Neil, Collette and Yiannis. I wrote down the tally, which was €80 in the end, all donated to the SNiP organisation by Peter who’d given his change jar. Rather than haul a hundredweight of coins to the bank, the change was exchanged for notes at the supermarket. It reminded me we have an overflowing bucket of tens and 20s to deal with, so when Sotiris has recovered from his run of 10 cents, we’ll negotiate another exchange.

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And apart from that… We’ve got yet another Blue Star boat calling into Symi, making it five times per week now. Plus, we still have the daily Sebeco, the Spanos and Stavros, and the day boats which, last week, were fuller than we’ve seen in a long time. Some visitors from the UK are still suffering the frustration of cancelled flights and the quarantine on the way back issue, while we’re basking in temperatures over 30 degrees, cooled in the evenings by some strong winds. That’s about it for today. Now back to chapter 20.

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