If you wonder why there are hapless people wandering about our village, or yours, paying more attention to the palm of their hands than the way ahead, it’s because of our old friend Google Maps, and our old enemy, Airbnb. This, I have decided, is a dangerous combination.

Yesterday, I saw someone wandering aimlessly, looking at their palm for a minute and then coming to a stop in front of a building. This, they stared at in annoyance, as if they expected it to be something else. After a couple of minutes of comparing that building with the one next door, they turned and did the same thing to the ones opposite. Short of scratching their head to the sound of a xylophone, they could have been a cartoon character.

‘Are you lost?’ I gave as my standard opening inquisition, and, of course, they were looking at Google Maps and trying to find their accommodation.

‘What’s it called?’ I asked, thinking I might know it. I mean, after 23 years in the village, you tend to know where most places are. This place, though, was called Villa Something, and like so many other Villa Somethings I’ve heard of this year, I’d never heard of it. It was an Airbnb that a real person once called home and still could were it not being rented out for a ridiculous €180 a night. Not only that, but it was in one of the most inaccessible places known to Christendom, and certainly not known to Google Maps, which was trying to direct this bed seeker through a private house to reach a road that was in the other direction.

Unable to keep up with the number of new Villa Somethings that have been going online this year, I shall no longer be offering my services to the directionally bewildered. Thank you for your time, now here’s more of the courtyard.

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Three unrelated photos today, and not much to talk about. The weather has calmed (for a day or two, Friday might be a bit rough), and there is supposed to be a strike but apparently, it’s again illegal, so boats and airport should be working as normal. Up here in the village, life continues as usual…

That’s Kalos the cat who has become a familiar set of whiskers at the taverna. He lives just in front of us, when he’s not at Georgio’s, and he’s a handsome old chap; the Bustopher Jones of the neighbourhood, here seen preparing to dine at La George.

My mind wanders to another handsome sight, that of an old doorway found just off the beaten track in Horio (Chorio, Corio, Xorio, Orio – I’ve seen is spelt so many ways and plenty of incorrect ones thanks to the wonder which isn’t AI). It’s at the end of an otherwise dead-end little alley, and, I assume, once led to a home or business. I should investigate further one day and see what’s around the corner, though I don’t want to become one of those snoopers that I wrote about, the ones who think they have the right to climb gates and walk on roofs because they want to see a view.

If you want to see inside a village house, try looking through an open window…

This house was abandoned many years ago. A lady used to live there, and each time we passed on our way home, we would hear her chanting. This was in 2002/2003, and I think the property might have been deserted only a short while later. You can only see this one room, which looks like it was an inside kitchen, and I hate to think what the rest of the property holds.

For me, the day, not the property, holds a variety of entertainments, starting with this blog, my author blog (every Wednesday and Saturday), some publicity bits and pieces, and hopefully some writing as I am halfway through a climax and have left my heroes with a nasty dilemma and an escaping villain…

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It’s another shot from the balcony, I’m afraid, but one that was taken just after we had the first teaspoon of rain yesterday morning. There was more to come later in the day, and although not a great deal by Symi winter standards, there was enough to run down the wall and cause a puddle in the porch. Must get some roof paint when I am in Yialos on Thursday. The clouds had mostly cleared up by the afternoon, and today has started clear with only a few clouds in the distance. The air feels cooler, and it’s a case of shorts beneath, hoodie at the ready above. Too warm for a heater, not hot enough for a fan. An energy-saving time of year which will soon go one way or the other. I.e., back to warm one day, chilly the next, possibly wet the day after. We’re expecting more rain on Friday at the moment, but the forecast can quickly change at this time of year.

In other news… Don’t really have any, actually. I am coming towards the end of the first draft of the next mystery story. For those who follow my series, thank you. For those who don’t yet, you might like to take a look at the current one via my Amazon page (that’s co.uk, but any Amazon should do), and for the current series, click here. (That’s a universal link, so it should take you to your nearest Amazon.)

Okay, enough of self-promo, here’s some important news about tomorrow and why there is no reason to panic:

All Civil Defence alarm sirens across Greece will be tested on Wednesday, October 1, as part of the military exercise “PARMENION-25,” the Hellenic Police announced.

Usually, this thing goes off at 11.00 in the morning, and I always wonder, ‘If this was real, what exactly am I supposed to do?’ Hopefully, I’ll never know.

So, if you hear the siren in Symi tomorrow, don’t panic Mr Mainwaring, don’t panic! Now, here’s the garden rose.

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Good morning, and welcome to the almost end of September. Already? I know! So, what can I be telling you this morning… Well, for those who know him but don’t already know, yesterday, the mayor made Hugo an honorary citizen of Symi at a ceremony at the cultural centre in Yialos. As if by happy chance, Horio celebrated with a rock and roll evening played in the kafeneion in the square. Also on Sunday, we had the first of (I am sure) many picturesque sunrises to come as we head into winter.

It’s not winter yet, but it’s heading towards that vague kind of autumn time, when the vine starts dropping leaves (it’s been doing that all year), the air is cooler, and the weather less predictable. For a while now we have been in the halfway limbo where, for example, we have a duvet cover on the bed, but no duvet, and use it when the fan is on because that makes what was too warm too cold, so you need the duvet cover, unless it’s a warm night, when you might not – unless you put the fan on. I am wearing a shirt this morning, you will be pleased to know, but may not need it in the house in the afternoon. The drying up is taking longer to dry, as is the laundry, which, in summer, dries in minutes; now it’s taking a few hours. Soon, it will have to dry inside the house.

The boats are still coming in, people are still coming and going on their holidays, and everywhere is still open, so don’t get any ideas about things closing just yet. Another couple of weeks or so, and the taxi boats will probably stop as the six-month licences run out, and then, the beach places will close, apart from those with road access, maybe, and slowly, island life will transform from summer to winter mode, via this vague kind of autumn time. And during all of this, the chilli plants continue to thrive.

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I thought I’d leave you with a sky gallery today.

A what?

I was looking through an old folder where I stored photos a few years ago, and among them were several shots of the Symi sky in all seasons. So, I thought, before we see the return of the clouds and rain, and while the sky is still mainly blue, let’s see what we shall soon be in for. I’ve set them up as a gallery, which is a fairly new feature for this blog, so I hope it works. Open one and you should be able to browse through them all. I didn’t put up all the sunrise over Pedi shots because there are so many, and there are plenty of other old pictures I can use in the future, which is just as well, as I’ve hardly gone anywhere recently or done anything to take photos of.

So, have a pleasant weekend wherever you are, and to misquote, remember, we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars sky.

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