The scale of the problem

Happy first of the month to you, kalo mina, in Greek. It’s been a bit of a fun-house/mad-house weekend up here. It started on Friday when we went to Yialos to buy a few essentials we have lived without for several years. Though it about time we had some decent weighing scales in the kitchen, a mixing bowl, a hand-held mixer and other things now considered basics. We found everything we wanted, brought them home and eagerly unpacked to set about using the scales and whisk to prepare for a dinner on Saturday. Now then, it’s been a while since I’ve used an electric/digital weighing scale. We used to have a mechanical one, and it was a simple ‘put the thing in the bowl, watch the scale move’ event and hardly taxing. Apparently, things have changed somewhat since 1978, and the simple machine now comes with full instructions, as you will see…

The instruction booklet is neatly set out with six main headings, To replace battery, To operate scale, To convert weight unit etc. It even has an alarm on it, presumably to remind you to stop tipping flour into the bowl after half an hour, I don’t know, but another of the instructions concerns the ‘Zero’ function. That, to me, sounds like the British government (which is very alarming, let’s face it) which also seems to suffer a zero function as in, does absolutely zero for its citizens living in the EU, but let’s not get into that mess of cabbage so early in the week. Here, after this next random shot, are the instructions for the “Zero or Tare Function.”

Condition 1: “ZERO” function. When total sum of all loads on scale ≤ 4% of scale’s max.weight capactity. (4%=80g when capacity is 2kg; 200g when capacity is 5kg) LCD will show “—-” or “0g” each time Z/T is pressed. “—-” means not stable, please wait a moment. “0g” and meanwhile an icon “ZERO” on lower left corner of LCD mean “ZERO” function is active. Max. capacity remains unchanged.

I kid you not. I was amused to read that “Zero means zero” and, at the end of it all, everything remains unchanged. (Ring any bells?) The scales are strong and stable, unlike you know what, so that’s a good thing, and it’s also a good job I remembered what that symbol (≤) meant although I had to go back 40 odd years to my CSE grade 2 maths to recall it. I have no idea what I am going to do with my Zero function, but I can always play with the new electric whisk.

That glorious machine helped Neil make a very tasty Bakewell tart, and it should no longer take me three days of hand whisking to make a chocolate mousse. That’s despite its instructions, which are available to me on a wall-planner sized, fold-out instructions sheet that’s mainly in Arabic but also in German, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, KK and FA (I’m not sure what languages they are). There’s also an English version, phew, but I did wonder what will happen after April 12^th, May the whatever-date or 2020 onwards. Will such instructions on European bought devices no longer be printed in English? That’d be fun. Luckily, I have a photo of the Rosetta Stone, so I have a translation guide on hand. For my part, I just stick the thing in the mixture and press the button. Can’t be ≤ the difficulty of using the scales, can it?

Anyway, my early Sunday morning ramble (as that’s when I am putting this together) followed the baking-supplies shopping spree, an evening with godson #1, a morning in the kitchen and a dinner with friends where the tart (Bakewell) was well received, and where my chicken curry didn’t do too badly either. Now, it’s on with the week ahead and… yay! No plans, dates, dinners or anything strenuous so far arranged. It’s on with the writing, and now that the weather is better, back to the regular walking.

Carry on up the Kali Strata

Symi Saturday Photos – Kali Strata

Here’s a quick summary of how to get to the village from Yialos, for anyone who is heading this way this year and isn’t too sure how to do it. There are various ways including the taxis and the bus, the main road walk and a variety of paths and steps that join the Kali Strata, the main steps leading up to the village square. There are around 400 of them, so be prepared.

If you want to buy the book with the same title as this post, then check out Carry On Up The Kali Strata (my series of living on Symi, book two). Here’s the dot-com link, but you can find it in all Amazon stores so order it from the one most appropriate to you.

Easter on Symi

A day for a mix of photos and not a lot to say. Except… Easter is approaching, and I’ve had a couple of messages recently asking me what there is to do on Symi at Easter. Perhaps it’s because Easter weekend is fairly late this year (April 28^th is Easter Sunday) that more people are thinking of taking a holiday here at that time, hence the questions. Usually, at Easter time, several cafes and restaurants that have been closed for the winter are reopened, so there should be no shortage of places to eat out. On which note, I’ve heard that what was Manos’ Aris restaurant is now to be opened (as something else, I assume) by Stavros, Pantelis is taking over the roof garden and… Well, it’s all gossip really, as I’ve not heard anything from the parties involved, but the point is, there are places open to dine.

The beach tavernas probably won’t be open, it might depend on the weather which, in April can be changeable. Check your boat connections with Dodekanisos Seaways and the Blue Star Line, and maybe nearer the time, ANES if they are running a service again this year. You will find or have found by now, hotels and apartments ready for occupation so accommodation shouldn’t be an issue – as long as you book ahead.

When you’re here, you will find that Great Week, the week leading up to Easter, brings a strict fast of Orthodox believers, though it doesn’t necessarily limit what the tavernas sell, and that there are church services just about every day. There are many church events, such as the Good Friday, dark and sad morning service, the parading of the biers, and the evening service where congregations move from church to church. There is the midnight service on Easter Saturday where the lights are turned out, and the flame is passed from one person to the next and, traditionally, folks write X A (for Xristos Anesti, Christ has risen) beneath the lintel of their gate or front door. This service is usually accompanied by fireworks and dynamite, so expect lots of noise. In fact, kids and adults alike are prone to setting off loud bangers at all and any time of the day and in any place. Expect sudden, loud noises.

Also expect sheep wandering the village lanes, let off the hillsides to be closer to homes and eat the weeds, fattening them up for the ‘silence of the lambs’ which happens on Saturday. At least, that’s when I’ve noticed it. After a few weeks of localised bleating and random sheep noises, you’re suddenly aware of the silence, broken now and then by a distant gunshot as another one bites the dust. I’ve seen neighbours gutting the carcases in their courtyards ahead of preparing the Saturday night fast-breaking ‘entrail’ soup, which I’ve never tried.

On Sunday, there is a family day atmosphere as there is on the Monday, and on the Sunday, there’s the traditional ‘burning of Judas’ (effigy) in the town square, with wine, music and more bangers. Monday is a bank holiday, so make sure you’ve got your shopping in – shops tend to be open on the Saturday at Easter, but probably not the Friday when, according to tradition, you’re not meant to use any tools or eat with cutlery.

Everyone is welcome at the church events no matter your denomination, lots of people throw fireworks about and there’s no point complaining about it or worrying, as it happens here, and that’s that. Around all this, the bars and cafés will be open (or at least some), ditto tavernas and shops. Taxi boats? No. Taxis? Yes but best to book. The tour buses to Panormitis? Yes, and the main town bus yes but not a Summer service, and I don’t expect any of the transport services will be operating on Easter Friday night, Sunday and possibly Monday. You have the walks, the spring on Symi is perfect for birdwatching, and the Pedi valley and other parts of the island offer butterflies and wildlife walks and views. Oh, and although the Noddy train is once again parked by the clock tower, I’m not sure if it will be running by Easter. So, not much to say today apart from: There’s a lot going on for Easter on Symi, you’re welcome to be a part of it, or watch/listen from a distance, but you have to be aware of a few things: Some shops/transport etc., close on certain days, the weather might disrupt your boat crossings, it might be cold at night, the weather changes and there’s lots of dynamite and bangers which would make an H&S officer pass out. If you’re happy with all of that, come on over.

Here’s a link where you can check out more and which will be more accurate than my memory. http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/religion/easter_in_greece

Recovery mode

Actually, I don’t have to recover as much as I thought I would following a birthday day of basically hanging out with friends. I took a few snaps along the way. A visit to the post office (thank you for the DVDs, mother! Looking forward to them), a quick shop for birthday essentials (bangers and mash supplies), a beer at Pacho’s watching the parade flags being taken down and the army passing by, a taxi home, stopping briefly along the way, the bangers and mash, a granddad doze and back to Rainbow for the afternoon/evening which included blue cheese and Branston pickle.

Thank you to everyone who sent messages and cards. Collette, for the Brexit T-shirt, and Neil for the Brexit activity puzzle book perfect for the bathroom or other idle moments, the bottles from Miss DJ and Anne, the curtain pole from Jenine and the card from the boys (I am now officially Sam’s best granddad, apparently – I think his mind was elsewhere when he wrote it, lol), and all the good wishes. Obviously, I need to change something as gifts were strangely Brexit and wine flavoured, but now the day has passed, I can get back to the walks and less wine, and I may even be able to see my cheekbones again by the summer – if I am very good, which I rarely am.

Back in Symi mode now and the week ahead which is already filling up with invitations and get-togethers. We’re expecting some bad weather today and tomorrow, and we’ve not had news on our health MOTs yet, but I don’t think it will be this week. It might have to be after Neil has started work which will mean he’ll get a day off, the only one of the season, I expect. But that’s all for the future. For now, I’m going to carry on chilling.

Symi Birthday

I suppose as I am writing this yesterday and it’s my birthday (56), it might be an opportune time to think back on where I was on other birthdays in the past. There are quite a few to remember, and I don’t have many photos taken on the actual days, but here are a few reminiscences…

Regarding Symi, I guess one of the most memorable was my 50^th, and I wasn’t even here. We were in Transylvania for a holiday, and on the day itself, I woke up in the presidential suite of a hotel in Sighisoara. The hotel had messed up on our booking for our first night of three – the hotel was booked out by a party of Greek pilgrims visiting the local churches – so they put us in the suite at no extra cost for all three nights. I’m still sure that this was somehow pre-arranged by Neil, Jenine and Ian, but apparently not. It was snowing, and in the morning, we had coffee I the house where Vlad Tepes was allegedly born. A bit of a Dracula tie-in there. Back on Symi, we had had one 50^th party at the Sunrise, a 50^th dinner with Jenine and the boys and, after our return, another dinner to celebrate, so that birthday went on for at least four weeks.

Back in 2003, for my 40^th and not long after we had moved here and fit from a seasons’ non-stop work for Takis at the Leather shop (600+ steps down and up every day of the week for seven months, plus the walking and lifting at work), we walked to Panormitis with Lisa. It was a sunny, spring day and the walk took us around four hours going via the wine press shortcut. Getting home was unplanned but we hitched a lift with a gang of celebrating builders who had invited us into their cell where they stayed during the week while working down there, for wine before setting off. Nearly didn’t see age 50 + one day, but we made it home, shaken and somewhat stirred. Sadly, I don’t have any photos of that time.

As for my 30th, well… That’s probably best not going into, but it involved being stood up by my then partner who chose that day to call it all off, going to a pub with my cabaret partner, Keith, and then a club in East London followed by a long walk home to Dalston at three in the morning. The rest is something of a blur.

Last year we were in Croatia for our honeymoon and my BD. On the day, the hotel presented me with a cake big enough for 20 people and a free packed lunch for our visit to the national park. They had seen my passport and realised it was my birthday, hence the cake. Like the hotel in Romania, the staff went out of their way to make my stay and birthday a memorable one. Hoteliers could learn a lot from the young people that ran these paces and how they deal with customer care and going ‘the extra mile’ in other parts of Europe.

I have also spent other birthdays there on Symi, notably one where there was an impromptu party at Rainbow that involved gin and tonic, and several that I have spent with Jenine and the godboys, our island family. As for yesterday, well, it’s still only 8.30 as I write. I’ve been up since four, done three hours of work, and we’re planning to go to Yialos, maybe have lunch or a drink there before meeting friends for a few drinks this evening. We’re taking the boys to dinner on Friday as they have after-school school on a Tuesday, so this birthday, like others, will run for more than just the one day.

Thank you for all the messages and thank you for supporting the blog and my books, all of which can be found here – with the same page being available to Amazon users in various countries. This is the .com page but should lead you to your local Amazon store if you have a birthday present to buy for someone and need some ideas.