Wind and Smoke

Symi was buffeted by high winds on Friday night/Saturday morning. On Friday, the wind brought smoke from a large forest fire near Corinth. I opened the window for a better photograph and could smell the smoke which also passed over Rhodes.

On Saturday, when the wind had died a little, and the smoke had cleared, I took a short walk in the sun, and the rest of the day was a strange mix of being too warm one minute and chilly the next. At least, that’s how it felt inside the house. I finished the latest draft of the latest novel and sent that off to the proofreader, so I met my deadline. In fact, I was early, and that’s left me free to wander the hills, thinking up what to write next.

I have other projects I could be doing. I have a book on understanding hieroglyphs to study, models to make, and who knows how much spring cleaning to do. I can see that becoming autumn cleaning, as I don’t really want to tidy the mousandra, or repaint the living room, or do anything else unnecessarily tiresome these days. But, such things must be done at some point.

As for news… More places have opened, and we have more tourists about. I passed a group of four French-speaking visitors on Saturday morning, none in masks (adds angry face), but then, we seem to be back to that ‘we’re okay ‘cos we’re safe’ kind of attitude, and fewer people are taking precautions. On Saturday night, the Trata Taverna opened, as did the Vapori Bar, both in Yialos, and we wish them well, as we do every business on the island. A week today, we shall be in Rhodes as I have an appointment with immigration to have my fingerprint taken, and then I have an appointment at the opticians, which is long overdue. Things to look forward to after seven months of lockdown: paying out for new glasses and (possibly) getting four teeth straightened at capped, though not at the optician. I will go to one of our two excellent dentists when funds allow.

So, here we go into another week, and it’s one where we might start seeing the gradual return of tourism and more settled weather, and hopefully, no more smoke clouds from forest fires.

Blue Lagoon Divers

Okay, so now I can tell you about Blue Lagoon Divers. That’s the company that has taken over what used to be the Symi Dream shop on the Kali Strata, and we couldn’t be more excited! Blue Lagoon is run by Will Zouroudi, and he’s supplied me with some information and photos:

The dive centre, called “Blue Lagoon Divers”, is a PADI dive centre explicitly focused on private dives and lessons. There will be no group dives with people you don’t know, and we only take small groups at a time, aiming for around two students to any one instructor. Safety is 100% the priority. I make sure everyone follows the specific safety rules put in place to keep people safe. With just shy of 4,000 dives underwater, nearly 3,000 hours, thousands of students, and a Master Scuba Diver Training rating, my record speaks for itself.

We are offering everything from two-hour “try diving” sessions to licences up to the professional level. So, if people want to experience what I’ve been lucky enough to experience, and travel all around the world doing, we can start them on that journey.

We have a team of experienced staff whom I have trained myself in various locations around the world. We will be mainly diving off beaches this year, offering a whole host of dives to wrecks and underwater caverns. The locations we dive will, of course, depend on comfort level and experience. Dives can be taken anytime because we build our schedule around our clients.

We provide all the gear needed, including smaller equipment for youngsters. We can pick up and drop off divers and will also provide post-dive refreshments. We can take anyone diving from ages eight to 100.

If people would like to get in contact or book a dive, I always recommend coming and chatting with us so we can help each diver decide what option is best for them. It’s good to note that people should come and book early in their holiday as there is very limited spacing. Also note, there should be a gap of 12-18 hours between diving and flying due to the pressure change.

We have a website, www.bluelagoondives.com, with links to our social media and contact info.

A quick chat and an ostrich

Is it just me, or is there an ostrich in this window?

Sorry to start the day with a bit of an odd question, but I couldn’t think of anything else to start with. I’m just back from a short walk up a long hill and keen to press on with my editing as proofing day approaches. I was sitting at the kafenion the other day, looked up and saw this, and to me, it looked like an ostrich. You will immediately assume I was drinking, and you would be right. I was drinking a frappe, and I don’t usually have caffeinated coffee, so perhaps it was a hallucination as a result of the caffeine. Whatever… This sunrise was not a hallucination, I can tell you.*

And the last photo was taken at the top of the village the other morning just as the sun was hitting the square. Don’t forget that I have a post about a new venture tomorrow, so make sure you tune in for that, and on Saturday, on my other blog, I have news about the next novel, the one I am currently editing.

*PS, I dithered about an or a hallucination; my old-fashioned schooling said ‘an’, but my grammar checker said ‘a’, and I’m still none the wiser.

The old shop becomes new

Coming across the ‘news desk’ this morning, news of the old shop. That’s the old Symi Dream shop that we used to have towards the top of the Kali Strata. You might remember a couple of weeks ago, I walked past it and saw it was being done up. Well, if you can hang on until Friday, I’ll tell you what it’s to become and when new and exciting service will be operating from there. It’s good to see the old place coming back into use. More details coming soon.

In other ‘news’ (put in” because I am not a news service), the Rainbow Bar should be open again sometime in June. Meanwhile, the other cafes and bars are open, but I’m not sure if Sunrise is yet. Georgio’s is open, but not Zoi’s Taverna. We have the new greengrocers at what used to be the Jean & Tonic bar, very friendly and always a warm welcome. We still have our other local shops, the butcher, the larger supermarkets, the bakery opposite the Hotel Fiona, but not the one in the main street; I don’t think that has been able to open for a while, which is a shame. The ‘German’ bakery is, I assume, still open. I’ve not passed there for some time. The household goods shop that was at the back of the town square is now situated opposite Sotiris supermarket in the village, which makes it very handy. Generally, it seems businesses are making the best of what they have.

Closer to home, on Monday, I had a phone call from the immigration or passport office in Rhodes, where a very cheerful lady invited me to come over and be fingerprinted on 31^st, so we’re planning a day out for that day. The shops are again open, so I may finally be able to find some shorts and a couple of shirts that will fit me while we are there. Neil may also get his health tests done so he can start work, so my appointment is timely. I’ll get my annual MOT done when I go back to pick up my card, as I’ve found it’s best not to make too many official appointments in one day. Not when one is in Mandraki and the other at Euromedica, and both are vital. I don’t want the stress of having to rush from one to the other or possibly miss one because of the other. Thus, so far, the end of May and the start of June are shaping up nicely in organisational terms. While all that’s going on, my new book is also coming along, and I am on target to meet my deadline.

Certificates and Trains

So, the news today… I printed off our vaccination certificates yesterday. It’s so easy to do with the right logins and an understanding of the language, but it can be done for you at the KEP office if needs be. We were out for a mild celebration on Sunday afternoon, which quickly turned into an evening, and saw some visitors. There were also some yachts in the harbour, which is a sign that things are starting to pick up again, albeit slowly. There was some confusion over inter-island travel, but the last I heard, we can travel between islands with not much hassle, but papers and tests etc., are needed if coming from the mainland. Not that I intend to go anywhere just yet, though I need to go to Rhodes soon for stage two of my new residency card. Best to check official sites before travelling wherever, and not rely on gossip from Facebook.

Other than that, it’s back to the editing with a deadline looming. The new book blurb and info will be revealed on my other blog this coming Saturday, maybe even the cover. If you want to find out what I’m writing, you can click through and take a look at www.jacksonmarsh.com where, last Saturday, I wrote a piece about how trains feature in my Victorian Mystery series. (Our very own Symi travel guru, Andy, gets a mention and says a few words too.) There’s also a bit of chat about how I grew up next to a steam railway line, and why steam trains and train journeys have always been an interest of mine. On which note, the Symi train was moved from its winter place by the clock tower some time ago. I’m not sure where it is right now, but I look forward to hearing its bell and happy-clappers soon, but not, perhaps the repetitive Zorba soundtrack.

And now, a collection of Neil’s more recent photos.