Seven degrees

Woken up to a cold north-westerly, it’s seven degrees in the courtyard, and about the same in the study, so I have treated us to both heaters in here while we set about our morning routine. Later, when the office jobs are done, I expect we’ll settle into the sitting room with the television and books, piano and model making, though when it’s this cold, piano and models tend to be left out. I make the models in the kitchen which requires moving one of the heaters and setting up the table, and today, probably wearing fingerless gloves, ours being an open-plan house.

Also today, I have work to do in the ‘study’ as I am preparing a new book for release in about two weeks (banner below). This is under my pen name. Neil is beta reading the second draft, I have publicity interviews to write and files to prepare while also doing another edit-read in advance of sending it to the proofreader next week. I also need to make a foray into Yialos to visit a bank machine and pick up some grocery supplies on the way back. All that should keep me busy for most of the day, then it will be time to settle into mind-numbing TV and blankets for the late afternoon and evening.

It might sound lazy, but we do watch a lot of TV during the winter, especially when it’s cold and windy, or when it’s raining, and it’s safer to stay indoors. We have worked our way through just about every available episode of ‘The Amazing Race’ both US, Canadian and Australian versions, and are now on our third series of ‘Australian Survivor’, which I didn’t think I’d like, but found I did. And now, thanks to Netflix, we’re on ‘The Circle’ (also wasn’t sure at first, but now find it fascinating), ‘Sex Education series two’ (are schools actually like that these days?), while Neil has worked through every superhero series during the past couple of years. We’ve done ‘Just Deserts’ and other cookery competitions, plus a heap of films. Well, it’s cheaper and warmer than going to the bar of an evening. We went to Rainbow twice last week, once just to get out of the house, and the second time because Yiannis dropped off meals on wheels on Sunday (he’s a good cook) and we popped down to say thank you. Otherwise, it’s office, walk (weather permitting), sitting room and blankets, especially when there’s a north wind and the temperature is in single figures. I’m surprised I can type today.

Share on Facebook

Monday chat

We’ve got a chilly but calm Monday to start the week, and not a lot planned for the rest of it. If you are on Symi this week, there will be live music at Eva’s Café in Yialos on Thursday evening when George, Clare and Terri will be playing and singing. There are posters around the village and harbour which state the time, but it’s definitely in the evening.

I must have spooked myself with my talk the other day of boats and storms and delayed ferries. Were away or March, and I’ve decided we should plan to go a couple of days earlier than we originally intended. I’ve said before, but this is usually via Rhodes, and we go early to make sure we’re on the right island (i.e. the one with the airport) well in advance in case the weather changes, which it can do at that time of year without warning. This time, we’re going via Athens, and the plan was: Wednesday boat/Thursday PM flight, which is perfectly doable but leaves no room for error. So, now we’re going to go on the Monday boat and spend two nights in Athens before flying. I need a haircut anyway, and we found a great barbershop not far from Syntagma, so there’s my reason for extending the trip.

Anyway, moving along, I have some typing to do and a walk to take before I can get back to the fun side of life and work on a book, so I’m going to get on and do that. Have a good week.

Share on Facebook

Symi Saturday Photos

A varied lot this weekend as I was clearing out the ‘to be posted’ folder, so some from Christmas, and some from this week. Woke up to light rain early on Saturday morning, but warm-ish, and not so heavy that the porch is flooded. The plants are getting a decent watering, but I am glad I bought the washing inside.

Share on Facebook

Walking and wondering

Yesterday, we managed another morning walk in our attempt to get back into the routine while the weather is good. The day before, I’d gone up through the village, past the museum, out onto the top road and up, and yesterday, I headed off up the hill and out towards To Vrisi. I wasn’t listening to music this time, I was listening to the birds and the natural sounds of the hillside; goats scrambling about, that kind of thing. I was met on the path by Arabi the sheepdog (mainly a goat-dog) and his assistant, and later saw them on the way back. It’s a very sociable path.

I decided to come back through the upper village, so walked up to Periotisa and then down, passing the mules who were already at work, and bumping into Yianni Rainbow who was setting off to visit his mother before his morning walk. We chatted about his neighbour’s new dehumidifier, and his own, and how valuable they are at this time of year due to damp and condensation inside the houses. Our dehumidifier is an open window, but I am reminded that I need to wipe down and bleach the bathroom ceiling again before it gets too bad.

The weather has been good, but at the back of my mind is our trip to Athens in March. The plan is to get on the boat on the Wednesday of the week we go and be in Athens on the morning of our afternoon flight to London. Now, I am wondering if we should go on the Monday of that week and have an extra two days in Athens just in case… At least then we would have a fallback should there be any worries with the weather that week, leaving ourselves time for the Wednesday boat, or to somehow get to Rhodes and fly up if all else fails. Dithering, but might consider it seriously later. As long as we are at Heathrow by a certain time on a certain day to fly to Canada… It’s weeks away yet, so there’s plenty of time to alter the schedule of the European leg.

That’s my early morning thought-clearance process out of the way. Now I must get on with some work.

Share on Facebook

No news

A few more shots from around the village today. We are waiting for bad weather, though neither Wind Finder or Poseidon forecast any rain here. The news is that storms with ‘red rain’ and Sahara dust are on their way to the south of the country, but there’s no sign of it yet. Let’s hope it misses, I’ve only just been able to start catching up on the washing. It’s not lack of water (makes a change at this house) it’s lack of drying weather and sunshine in the courtyard, but we will get there.

There’s also a lack of news on my part, so I’ll leave you with the photos and get back to my editing.

Share on Facebook