New Symi book and other news
A couple of photos today from a brief walk in the village on Sunday, in the sun as you can see. I also had time to start putting together some ideas for another book about life on Symi to go with ‘Symi 85600’ and ‘Carry On Up The Kali Strata‘ (currently available for a free on a special five-day deal) and also ‘Village View’, the three books I’ve compiled with writings about life on the island.

The new one is now titled, ‘Symi, Stuff and Nonsense’ and the comma is very important. I found an old diary I had started, but not kept up, when we were preparing to move here in 2002, and it also had some entries written during the first couple of weeks of our adventure. When we arrived here we were too busy finding a house and jobs, so it runs out but it has given me a good starting place for a new book of travel stories, Symi notes and, well, other stuff, some of which is nonsense (word play and observations about nothing in particular). So, for the next couple of months, that’s what I shall be working on. There are stories from travels other than to Symi or Greece, and that’s the ‘Stuff’ of the tile and there will be other smaller bits and pieces that might be mildly interesting or amusing.

While that’s going on… We have some army doctors on the island for a couple of days, apparently. We saw the navy ship come into the bay yesterday morning and a smaller boat came from it with some passengers, I assume they were the doctors. They are visiting various islands and currently it’s Symi’s turn to benefit. Luckily I don’t need them at the moment. We are also sourcing some worming tablets for the cat to try them on him to see if it stops his regular afternoon up-chuck, and we’re also asking about the next vet visit (via the pet shop) so we can see if he needs to have his ears taken off. If so, I imagine we will be heading to Rhodes for a day, with a Jack in a box (cat box) to have a minor operation. Btw, there’s a Symi Animal Welfare update coming along soon.

Other than that, the week started well, with a clear and sunny day, calm weather, cool but not bad at between 14 and 19 degrees and a new book to start working on while ‘The Saddling’ goes before the editor. I await her marking and it does feel like I am waiting for my exam results this time as I know she is going to be thorough.

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Symi weekend
All quiet on the western front, or rather, the northern Symi front as that’s the way the house faces. This makes for a great view over the harbour, but also for cold days and nights when the wind is from the north. Having said that, yesterday and Saturday were very quiet days weather-wise, with no breeze, calm seas, bright blue skies and a bit of a chill in the air.

We called at the Rainbow bar on our way to a birthday gathering on Saturday night. We sat outside, jackets off, and watched the world go by. There was a large gathering at Georgio’s, either a wedding or baptism party, and the whole taverna was booked out; busier than I have seen it in the summer at times. The birthday party at the Sunrise was good fun, we stayed for a couple of hours and were home by 11.00 for a relatively early night. Sunday dawned bright and clear again and I was at the desk by 7.30 checking up on messages, ordering a few Christmas presents and then preparing this for today.

I know it’s early to talk about Christmas, and I am a firm believer in keeping it in December, calling it ‘Christmas’ and not ‘Holidays’, remembering what it is meant to be about and not putting decorations up until much nearer the time of the celebration. But I am also aware that some folks, like me, like to get gifts arranged and ordered in advance to a) spread the cost out over several weeks or months and b) get organised so there is no last-minute rush. When ordering things online you need to plan a bit further ahead and that’s why we’ve already made our Calendars available – and have been selling them for a while. If you’re looking for something different for someone then there’s a choice of two calendars with Neil’s photos and you can find the links over there on the top of the right column. But you probably already know that…

In other weekend news. The cat has been acting strangely and I think/hope it’s only a tummy bug but if it is it’s a very selective one. Once he sees the bathroom light go on, in the morning, he comes tearing down from the roof, sprints across the courtyard and is at the door before you can say ‘Whiskers.’ He’s then straight into his bowl for his breakfast which he gets down him at a rate of knots. After that he heads to the sofa, makes a fuss about it, telling us that he’s there, rather loudly, and then settles down for the morning. He often gets up and wants to be accompanied to his bowl through the morning where he snacks on biscuits. All fine. But recently, after his lunch (which is usually around 13.00 as he is very consistent), he comes into the sitting room, sits by the fire (if it’s on) for about 15 minutes and then throws his lunch up all over my Turkish rug, or over me if I happen to be having a post-lunch half hour on the sofa. I deal with that (Neil goes gagging to another part of the house a bit like I do when a spider appears) and then the cat settles down again, apparently fine. All very odd.

For those in the know about cats, his other end is fine – I know this as, in his household, I am one of the Grooms of the Royal Stool and so inspect things on a daily basis. No worms, nothing nasty, all as it should be. And the rest of his behaviour is fine too; cleaning, being noisy, eating as regularly/frequently as ever. It’s just the after lunch up-chucking which, for the past few days, has become oddly regular – if you’ll excuse the oxymoron. I am hoping it’s just a bug, but if so, how come it’s only an early afternoon event?

Ah well. While watching the cat and keeping an eye on him health-wise, we shall also, this week, be filling out Neil’s passport application now that everything is here, including things we don’t need. But, as I look down at my diary for the week ahead, that’s all there is in it at the moment, and that’s exactly how winters should be on Symi; blank pages that can be filled with the unexpected day by day. And a bit of cat sick, it seems.

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Lie in
A few photos today, taken yesterday when I nipped down to Yialos to collect some post and do a few other of the usual things; shopping, bank, etc. It’s another of those Symi community things, when the postman phones you at home of an evening to tell you that you have a package waiting to be collected from the newsagents and Speedex delivery port, and also something at the post office. We are very lucky with our post-people here on Symi, always friendly, efficient and on the ball.

So, a bit of work in the morning was followed by a stroll down the Kali Strata in the cold sun to Yialos. Here we collected packages and letters before walking around to the hot side of the harbour where it was very warm in the sun, to the bank. I see that Takis has already started on his changes and moving. It’s odd to see the old shop that I used to work at 13 years ago has now gone. Except it hasn’t, it’s now reducing in size and moving into the right-hand building, so the shop will still be there next year, no worries on that front. You’ll still be able to see genial Takis and his staff, and buy all your leather goods as you have done for the last many years.

Due to the weight of the packages, ah-them, we took a taxi back up the hill and then stopped for a while in the square as one table at the kafeneion still had sunlight on it. We warmed up there before heading home to a cool house where the heater went on, and the cat found a decent place to sit (in front of the heater) for the rest of the day.

So, I’m not stopping long, but hopefully later today I will be able to write something more interesting for you for tomorrow.

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Symi delivery services
I’m glad I wasn’t on the early boat on Wednesday morning, it must have felt freezing down there at 04.30 waiting for the 05.00 boat. It’s bad enough up here in the office with the temperature plummeting to 15 degrees… I know, but it feels a lot colder in the north wind that’s been blowing about for the last couple of days. It’s due to die down today though it’s not forecast to warm up again, not until it turns cloudy at the weekend. Ah, the variable weather of winter.

The fingers are cold and the typing is not going well, because of it, I spend more time correcting than I do typing, but I have finished my draft four of ‘The Saddling’ and have sent it off to the first reader. The second reader should get his in a few days and the third at the weekend. Meanwhile I can now turn my attention to another set of stories and travel tales, once I have done some Christmas shopping and those other bits and pieces that need doing. Note: must go to post office, find more cat food (not at the post office) and look into some cat litter, as it were.

Talking of post, here’s one of those quirky and rather lovely Symi things that happens every now and then. Only a small thing but means a lot. I had a message from Jenine that ACS, the couriers, had a parcel for me in Yialos. ACS told her they would deliver it to Sotiris supermarket for me and low and behold, when we called in there on Wednesday, there I was, waiting behind the seasonal chocolates at the end of the deli counter. How handy! So, that’s one Christmas present here and delivered.

If you still need ideas for presents for people, can I point you to the right >> where you will see links to Neil’s two calendars and also to my books; Symi related books at the top and lower down, the others that are not necessarily Symi related.

Off to warm up now.

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Quick blog, mainly weather
The air temperature has definitely cooled over the last day or so, thanks to a slight breeze. I’ve been at home doing the usual and so still don’t have any new and interesting photos, so will scrape a bit harder at the bottom of the summer barrel and maybe revive some memories.

With the weather now cooling off it will soon be time to put the towels down over the gaps beneath the doors, pull the curtains across and dust off the heater- Jack will love that. Closing the shutters also helps, but does make the house very gloomy during the day. I have a towel across my office window-gap so that I can block out some of the breeze, and keep my fingers warm, but it seems to be directing the cold air flow to my feet. And we’re only talking around 17 degrees now, it’s not even that cold yet. It’s dropping to 15 and 14 over the next day or so as the wind comes from the north-west, but rising again for the weekend.

That’s about all I have to say today, another quiet day with Neil recovering nicely thank you, and thanks to the doctors in Yialos. I have almost finished my current draft of the next novel, draft four and am almost ready to send it out to some ‘beta readers’ for their feedback. Scary times. I have a few more things to check through and then it should be done. The next thing will be to take a break, maybe search around for a cover design and then start work on the next one after this; a set of travel tales and something to do with living on Symi… Watch this space.

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