Symi weekend
We took one of those impromptu walks on Saturday. The kind of walk where you say, ‘Let’s go for a walk before lunch. Let’s go now.’ And, an hour later, you’re almost ready, and ten minutes after that, you set off.

After stopping briefly for a quick hello in the village, we headed out up the donkey path towards Ag Paraskevi, and on, following ‘the Wall’ to the top of the hills behind Yialos. From there you can see the other side of the island and Turkey (when it’s not so hazy) and the monastery at Roukouniotis. We followed the main road back to Xissos and then took the donkey path back down to the village. Two hours, including stops for photos and views. Along the way I saw lizards, a buzzard (?), a few chaffinches, blackbirds, sheep and lambs, goats, turkeys in mating season and other assorted wildlife, some of which I caught on camera, others were too fast. It was a warm morning, layers came off the higher we climbed, and my face was a little pink come evening.

The earlier part of the morning had been spent setting up another blog and twitter account. It’s still in its very early days, but it’s at this address if you want to follow it: www.jamescollinsauthor.com and there are links there to the new Twitter page and Facebook page. This doesn’t replace Symi Dream and that site’s Twits and Faces (or whatever), but it’s going to be about the writing side of things in more detail than I post here.

On Saturday evening we gave ‘Chess in Concert’ another viewing. If you’ve not seen it and you’re a fan of musicals, Time Rice lyrics or music by the Abba team, then you might be interested to see it. I saw the original show when it was in preview (rushes away to check the day of that…) It opened on May 14^th, 1986, and so I guess I saw it on May 12^th, 1986, or sometime around then. I then went back to see it again after it had opened, and when it was a little shorter. Little did I know that one of the dancers I was watching I would meet, in person, on Symi, some ten years later; Jane, who used to have the Sunflower café in Yialos. I also saw her in ‘West Side Story’ which I thought I’d seen at Her Majesty’s before ‘Phantom’ landed and stayed there. It was the last night of a run and must have been in the 1980s as well, but I can’t find a reference to the actual date. Anyway… That’s what we watched on Saturday, and very good it is too.

Sunday…? Well, I’m preparing this for Monday’s posting before we try and squeeze the cat into his box to take him down to Yialos to see the vet who is visiting from Rhodes. He needs a quick check up on his ears (the cat, not the vet) and his bits of missing fur. I’ve been putting athlete’s foot cream on the patches, as we have done before, and I think it is working, but as the vet is here and we need the exercise of carrying six kilos of cat up and down the steps, we thought it would be a good idea. He’s currently asleep at my feet by the heater and has no idea that in a couple of hours, he’s going to be going to the doctor. As long as we can get him in the box.

And that’s the weekend that was. I am checking the diary to see what lies ahead in the week to come and, so far, it’s one invite to tea only, so it looks nice and clear to work on pieces for the new blog. Don’t worry, I’m only going to use it when I have something interesting to say (and to publicise the novels), so Symi Dream will be here, as usual, Monday to Saturday unless I am away with my usual posts about nothing I particular and my photos.

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Saturday Symi photos
As it’s Saturday, here are a few more photos from the last week or so. I’ve also added a note about a new competition offered by Amazon and Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) which may be of interest to some readers. So, a mix of author stuff and Symi photos is what’s offered today. The note at the end, by the way, is a serious one. If anyone would like to make me a proposition (or the correct kind), then please send an email; the email address is at the very bottom of the blog page.

Amazon has launched a Kindle KDP competition for new writers and their books. The details are on this page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/b?ie=UTF8&node=12061299031

I think ‘The Saddling’ should fall into the timescale (published before 19^th May), but it will take a lot of publicity work to get the ‘customer ratings’ up. Looks to me like Amazon are only looking for books that will sell (obviously) which is a bit unfair on some. Authors will need a lot of friends to review and rate the book, and also this part of the judging makes me feel it’s more to do with selecting books where the author has a good publicity machine behind him/her. That’s something I don’t have.

Unless someone wants to become my publicist for a share of profits made or some other deal…?

Meanwhile, photos:

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Sunshine and rain
For a change, it’s today as I’m writing this as I didn’t get around to it yesterday like I normally do. So, I’m up early and putting this up, and I can tell you that the photos today were taken yesterday – a bit of rain, a bit of sun, some more rain, a bit more sun, and then some rain followed by a bit more sun. It was an ‘on an off day’, you might say.

The question was, should I wear my coat when I go to town or should I not bother, as it’s quite warm? In the end, I took it (even though by then the sun was out) because it’s got good pockets and I can fit my camera in one of them, and that saves me carrying it in my hand. I was quite glad I did, in the end, as the rain came back and we had to dive for cover. (Actually, we were already covered when the rain started up again, but it sounds like a better excuse.) We waited it out in Pacho’s after going shopping and collecting some parcels for a friend. They were too heavy to carry up, so we dropped them off at the household shop and Michaelis said he would deliver them to the house they were destined for. That’s kind of how it works around here.

We also called in on another Michaels, at the pet shop, to check on vet visit arrangements. The vet from Rhodes is coming over on Sunday, all being well, and will be at the pet shop from 10.00 a.m. onwards. We will take Jack down to have another visit as he’s got a missing fur thing happening now, and his ears need looking at again, as a check-up. He’ll love that.

So, just three more photos and then I must get on.

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Some things to do on Symi all year round
Today I have a few photos taken on Tuesday while I was waiting for Neil to finish his Pilates class, and afterwards as we walked down into Yialos. You might get an idea of how grey and misty it was that morning. Today (Wednesday) is sunny and perfect; just the right temperature, no wind, flat sea, fresh air… Perfect. Mind you, the forecast was predicting a storm tomorrow but, as I look out on the tranquil scene below, it’s hard to imagine a storm coming across right now. Perhaps it will just rain a bit. Time will tell.

Neil did a bit more than his Pilates class on Tuesday, it actually followed on from his hour-long aerobics session, more than enough jumping around, followed by lying around stretching, for anyone if you ask me. We’re lucky to have these things organised during the winter, and all year round in some cases. As well as what is organised through the Yialos gym, and at the Symi Women’s Association building up by the high school, we also have Eu Znv, the Symi Wellbeing Centre should we want to use it. It’s open to all, as are the other classes and things, and you can find the website for it right here. This is also open all year round too, so if you’re thinking of coming for a Symi holiday, then you can take some relaxation there with massage, yoga and other activities organised.

Of course, that’s just one of the many things you can do on Symi while you are here. See a post from a couple of weeks ago, where I started to list some of the things the island offers you.

As I was waiting at the Symi Women’s Association building on Tuesday, it also struck me how much there is to get involved with there, should you want to. The organisation arranges Greek dance lessons and has its own dance troupe. I saw the traditional costumes stored away under their plastic protective wrap, and the books, the dance shoes and the equipment like the music players, as well as their awards. It’s a great building for dance as it has a wooden floor and full-wall mirror – we used to do tap dancing there. There are also jazz and ballet, and other dance classes for children and adults and, again, anyone can join in; you don’t have to be a resident. They used to organise dance evenings for visitors through the summer, and I am sure a word in the right ear when you are here, would at least get you in to view a rehearsal or even get you invited to join in.

I did notice, also, that the pianos were missing. I assumed that they have been moved to the reopened cultural centre in Yialos where the private music lessons and concerts are held. You see, a lot is going on all year round, it’s just that folk have more time for it all in the winter. Having said that, there is a fair amount of summer preparation work going on in Yialos. The Herb & Spice corner was getting a makeover the other day, the road is being paved in places, there are boats in the boatyard being prepped for their season, and some business are already washing down chairs, varnishing them and starting to prepare their tavernas, bars and cafes in the run-up to Easter which is only 40 days away now.

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Still and silent Symi
Kalo Mina!
I didn’t manage a long walk on Monday after all, but I did pop out to the village for a short one. It was so quiet! I guess everyone was at their family barbeques, flying kites, down by the sea, up in the mountains…

Both bars in the square were closed, but the corner shop was open. I felt like whispering when I called in there, it was so quiet. The square was empty, no boys playing football, no children gathered on the steps at Syllogos, nobody passing by. Only one old man was sitting on one of the benches in the square looking wistfully down at his house next door, contemplating life, or perhaps wondering when he would be allowed back in; once the floors had dried, perhaps. I heard no birds singing, there was no breeze to worry the trees, nothing passing by, not even the sound of a church bell or a motorbike. It was as if the whole world was on hold for a while. Someone had pressed the pause button.

The sky was clear and the day as warm. I could smell the new season in the air, which was clear and still. The sea was as flat as I had ever seen it, reflecting the hills like ice and, when I reached home and looked down from the roof, only a few people were wandering the quayside. Later in the day, the Blue Star came back and went just as the Dodecanese was coming back in, collecting a group of visitors from Rhodes, it looked like. Later, the evening settled in, and things took on a different sound.

There was a party… somewhere, on Monday night. We could hear (and at one point, feel) the music from down below and, with lights on a some of the harbour-front cafes, I assumed it was coming from down there. The music was still playing, though much more quietly, when we got up at 5.30 the next day, so it sounded like the party had gone on all night. The sound wasn’t at a level to disturb but, with everything being so quiet during the day, I was aware of it. Maybe it was a mix of music from the taverna, Yialos and perhaps even a private party. Wherever it was, it sounded like everyone was having a grand time.

Tuesday, and the outlook has changed. The sea is still calm, the air still, but today it’s grey and flat. Nimos is hung with a low cloud, the air is misty and dripping with humidity, though it feels colder than yesterday. I have heard a few cars passing by the house today, a sign that the world is turning out there, and soon I am heading down into to town to pick up my new keyboard; a proper Qwerty one in English and Greek. This is the one I should have bought before I got clever and ordered from Germany. That one is sitting over there, waiting to be used as an emergency measure, but hopefully, the new one will serve me for another year or two.

And that’s the no-news for today.

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