Clouds and Clothes

The seasons are changing, there’s a chill in the air in the early mornings, some clouds about and yet it’s still warm enough to sit outside in the sun. I was in shorts on Saturday afternoon but had to put a jumper on when on the balcony on Sunday morning. The forecast, on one site, shows the temperatures in the mid and low 20s through the week, the cloud clearing and the winds being light; and another shows this weather continuing through the month, but still no rain. Mind you, it is October, so a change in the weather is to be expected.

The day boats continue to come in. There were five of them on Saturday, plus the catamaran which delivered several visitors who were staying. Others are making their way home after a summer on Symi, and some of the tavernas and bars are thinking about closing. We will soon be into real autumn/winter mode and all that the season brings with it after a long and often very hot summer. But the holiday season is not over yet. The tavernas in the village continue to be busy, the bars too in the evenings, and there are many boats in the harbour as this seems to be a popular time of year for sailing.

It’s also a popular time of year for people to book next year’s holiday before the package places get taken up, and while flights are often cheaper than they are nearer the time. Some of the independent travel companies may also have special offers, so it’s worth searching around. There are some very popular villas and apartments on the island which get booked up well in advance, so the advice is to start planning now before it’s too late. As I always say, when booking independently, try and check the boat connections before you book the flights. It’s difficult, as schedules aren’t available this far in advance, but they tend to remain pretty much as they are and have been. Except, for those who haven’t been for a couple of years, there are now fewer evening sailings from Rhodes to Symi, so be aware of that. The catamaran does sail back from Kos to Symi in the afternoons, and you don’t always have to think only of Rhodes as your nearest airport.

Here’s wishing you a good month ahead. A month during which I have few plans apart from working on a screenplay, tidying up a book and making sure it’s on track for a November release. I only have two appointments in my diary for this week, both involve food and friends, so they are things to look forward to, but sometime soon I’ve got to take on the wardrobe challenge. This is the time of year for sorting out the summer from the winter; find the jumpers and hoodies and long trousers, and put away the lighter summer clothes. Find a duvet, hang the door curtains, dust off the heaters, put away the fans, that kind of thing. It’s one of those jobs that only takes an hour to do after spending three weeks not looking forward to doing it. But it must be done, and so I must be gone.

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Symi Saturday Photos

As it’s the weekend, here are a few photos taken in the last couple of day. As you can see, there are still plenty of day trippers visiting the island, the weather is still good and the sea is still calm.

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Stars and sticks

A few random photos today taken a couple of months ago. When I sit on the balcony, and the sun passes behind the house, I am aware that the air has definitely chilled down a little. Not too much, we’re not into the fully-clothed, blanket-wearing season yet, but you can tall that there’s a difference.

For some reason, on Wednesday, I woke up early, and I am talking five in the morning. Fully awake, I went onto the balcony to check the stars. They were still there. The night was so clear I could see some of the Milky Way, a rare event from that position due to the light spill from the harbour. I’d not noticed that Plough in that position for a while, upside-down you might say, appearing as a question mark. Behind me, if I leant precariously over the railing I could see the Seven Sisters and other constellations I don’t usually get to see, and I thought that perhaps I should get up early on more occasions and take in the view. Perhaps walk up to the hills and around the corner to avoid the manmade light and see the stars in all their glory. Then I decided against it. The last time I did that, only a couple of weeks ago, was at Agia Marina when I left the birthday party we were attending and walked up the steps to the other side of the small island. Here, there is very little light pollution, and I was just marvelling at the magnificence of the Milky Way when I heard Neil fall off a wall and damage his bad foot, again.

No lasting damage was done, just a bad sprain, but he did need a walking stick for a while. I found him one at the ‘Rhodes shop’ as I call it, down in Yialos near Elpida’s café. This shop sells unusual tourist equipment, like suits of armour, models of knights, long knives that would never be allowed anywhere near a charter flight, and other classy trinkets. The most useful thing I found was the walking stick collection. Declining the Gandalf model (they’d sold out, actually) and the cobra’s head top, I went for a brass handled, sturdy affair and presented that to Neil.

A few days later and he was off to walk to Pedi with his son. Walking shoes, shorts, a canvas bag over his shoulder, Trilby hat and cane, he looked like he was off up the Matterhorn in 1932. Very dapper.

Anyway, all that came from nowhere and that’s where I am off to now; nowhere in particular. I have a few more sections of ‘Symi, Stuff & Nonsense’ to check through before making a few edits, and I want that job done by the end of the week. After that, I must concentrate on a screenplay, so I’m off to get on now. See you tomorrow.

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Boats and plants

Boats and plants today; a couple of random shots from home. The big thing by the front door has finally decided to flower, and the chilly plant is doing much better now that it is out of the sun and facing north. The green thing that takes over everything has also started to come along, and the ‘Jenni’ (because it was given to us by Jenni) looks better than it has done all year. I suspect it’s a case of less heat and the fact that we finally got around to feeding the poor things a couple of months ago.

It looks like a good time of year for sailing. There have been many boats out there with their sails up, enjoying the wind. Plenty of others with their sails down too, now that’s my kind of sailing – using an engine. Saves all that running around and being butch. Pulling on ropes and being slapped in the head by a boom. But then I am not a sailor.

Fishing boats continue to go out all year round, as it is, after all, people’s livelihoods. I was up before the dawn today and could see lights of fishing boats out over towards Nimos, and coming in from between Nimos and Symi. Later in the morning they return and sell their wares in the fish market in the harbour, or to the new fishmonger by the bridge. Some sell them along the quayside as well, and up in the village, but you need to be out and about early to get the best of the catch.

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