Dig it?

I am back from my long weekend and have arrived home to find the road to the house blocked to traffic. There had been work going on before I left, so I wasn’t surprised. If you’re on foot, you can take the steps behind the village square. It looks like there are to be improvements to the slippery corner, which can only be a good thing.

Meanwhile, the road from Georgio’s to Sotiris supermarket is also being worked on, again, not too sure what it is for, I will ask Yianni later when I go down that way next. Meanwhile, meanwhile, Lefteris’ kafeneion is having a makeover too with drilling and ripping out and a concrete mixer going.

While all that has been going on, there has been a meeting for those non-Greeks living here who are not on the electoral register. There is a council/mayoral election in May, and if you want to vote (as you should), then you should be on that register. If you’re not following this story on Facebook, I will put up information when I can and when I hear it. We’ve been on the register for years. No-one is sure what will happen with this Brexit farce/tragedy but even if you think it’s not worth registering, it is, because if the B word is delayed or, even better, scrapped, you will be able to vote for your local council and European elections.

Okay, and now back to the washing and the shopping and those 101 other things that pop up when you’ve not been at home for a few days.

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Symi

I’m writing this yesterday, Panormitis Festival main day, and it’s so quiet out there… Hardly anyone has gone past the house, there have been a few bells sounding, a couple of cars up and down the hill, but no boats coming or going from Yialos (except the Blue Star), and everywhere is shut, I assume. I’ve not left the house yet. I am about to head off for a few days. I may get to a blog on Wednesday, possibly sooner as I think I’ll take my laptop with me so I can work while I am away. But if you don’t hear from me, you’ll know why. In the meantime, here’s a reminder that now’s the perfect time to order your Symi Dream Calendar for 2019. This might be the last time Neil produces one of these, so make sure you have yours for posterity. Follow the link, change the Lulu Store to your nearest country or your currency and away you go.

And, to send me on my way, I thought I’d put up some random shots that I’ve not used yet. Have a good weekend/week, and I will see you when I get back. Remember, if you use Facebook, there’s a Symi Dream page there where I post interesting links about Symi, or Greece, even when there’s no blog.

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Panormitis week

This is the week of the Panormitis festival. I was out yesterday for my walk and saw various coaches and lots of cars heading up the mountains to the various churches that celebrate the feast of St Michael, and other saints around this time. I was doing my usual trek up to the monastery and back and took a couple of photos village en route.

Tomorrow, I am heading to Rhodes for the weekend so there won’t be a blog after Friday until next Wednesday, probably, and then I will be heading off to Athens the following Friday and back the Wednesday after that. Not quite jet-setting as I’m going by boat, so boat-setting maybe? I’ve paid for a cabin (on the way to Athens, it’s not worth having one for the Rhodes trip, one sneeze, and you’ve arrived) and paid the extra to have it to myself. I once made the mistake of sharing a cabin with a stranger – this was when I was in my 20s, poor and doing the boat/train to Amsterdam for a long weekend. The horror of what came next is outlined in ‘Symi, Stuff & Nonsense’ my book of travel tales, observations and life on Symi as we saw it when we first arrived. The Symi sections give you more details on certain days and events than you find in ‘Symi 85600’ which covers our first five years here.

As usual, the links to the books that I put here are for Amazon.co.uk, but they are available from all Amazon stores around the world.

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A bit personal

I wanted to share a couple of pieces of personal news with you today (and some photos from Rhodes last week). I am now officially retired – which makes me feel very old, although I am not. I had a private, company pension running when I was 100 years younger and now that I am over a certain age, I am able to do things with it. That’s what I’ve done, and yesterday, they started to pay me. It’s not a lot, but it does mean I can relax a little and spend more time on my books – sorry about that, but there will be more novels from me over the next few years, I hope.

On which note… ‘The Eastling’ has started off well and has received a glowing review. (Thank you, Joan.)

“Brilliant. A great read from start to finish. I wanted to know how it ended but didn’t want to finish it. This is not my usual genre of books I read but like the other two in the series couldn’t have enjoyed it more. Congratulations James on another superb book. Thank you.”

No, thank you! And thanks also to anyone who has bought or downloaded a copy, or read it through Kindle Unlimited where it is available for ‘free’ – i.e. included in your KU package at no extra cost. The more reviews the better, as I am always saying, and here’s the link to the book if you want more details. The Eastling – James Collins.

From there you can find my author page for Symi books and the rest, with links to each publication. I advise that you read ‘The Saddling’ first, and then ‘The Witchling’ if this, my only series, is new to you. That’s my news and begging letter (more reviews, more sales please). Oh, the other personal news is that thanks to the five long walks per week (only three miles but when half is uphill it feels longer), I’ve dropped nearly ten pounds and am aiming to get rid of another six by Christmas, so I can put it back on again during the festivities.

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Warm, Quiet, Calm

We’re still enjoying warm weather over here. I was at the Rainbow Bar on Sunday night, outside watching the world go by – as you can see, it was very quiet. Actually, there were quite a few guys in the bar behind me watching the football and basketball, and more people inside next door. The taverna is open and stays open all through the winter, and it’s a good place for when you can’t be bothered to cook. Mind you, it’s also the only place in the village to eat out at this time of year, everywhere else is shut apart from the bars in the square, The Sunrise, Secret Garden and Ringo’s. We’re a five-bar village.

I took my usual walk yesterday, up to the monastery and back while trying not to sing along with the soundtrack of Hair. This walking lark is much easier with music playing. I never thought I’d get into that plugged-in state while out and about, but I like it now. I imagine how I would stage the concert version of what I’m listening to or the stage version, and before I know it, I’ve reached my destination, I’m not out of breath, nothing hurts and I’ve been walking in time to the music, varying my pace. I don’t have it on very loud so that I can hear if any cars are coming, so don’t be worried.

Finally, as you can see, the chilli plant isn’t doing so well. No chillies this year and it’s been in the same state for the last three months. It’s been fed and watered and is in the same place as last year, so maybe it’s just having a holiday.

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