We had a very pleasant day at home yesterday, with a lunch guest and then an evening in. We stood out on the balcony and watched the Blue Star call in, much to the relief of many I expect, and saw loads of cars and trucks coming off.

Wednesday is, in the summer at least, a popular shopping day. Many people who are not working head over to Rhodes on the morning ferry, wiz around the likes of Jumbo and Carrefour and other places where stack ‘em high, sell ‘em low prices can be found and then head back again on the afternoon boot. Often, when working at the bar, I see Jumbo bags going past at around 4.30 in the afternoon, or just after. And it looks like, what with the good weather yesterday, the same thing was happening.

This morning we went out for a brisk walk again, and again up the road from Kampos to Periotisa and then back down through and around the village. Soon we’ll start adding more distance or faster speed, but after a break of a few weeks it’s a case of siga siga.

We see a lot of council workers at that time of the morning. At the moment, around 6.30 seems to be the time for emptying the bins so today we saw the truck collecting the skip at Kampos and then heading up the hill. At the bend in the road further up we found the small dust cart (that comes to Elemonitisa) unloading into the larger dustcart, that collects at Pedi and other places, and then when almost home, we saw the same guys emptying our local bins.

We also had the strange affair of the door opening in the night last night. I am sure that when our guest left yesterday I shut the courtyard doors, and checked them as they don’t always fall onto the latch. We didn’t go out again afterwards but when I went out this morning the gate was open. Luckily Jack hadn’t run off into the road – not that it’s a fast road – he was still up on the roof where he had been fighting and shouting. So I wonder if someone came past early in the morning and heard his wailing and shouting, fighting and ‘alarming’ and thought there was a cat locked inside and in trouble, so opened the gate to let him out. Could have been someone come to try and shut him up as he is still pretty loud around five or five thirty when he thinks it’s time to come in. Will have to keep an eye on that one.

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Today we’ve got a few shots from last night and this morning. Shopping in Horio in winter, the village lane, inside Mandeio’s Brasserie where we stopped for a moment after shopping, and then some of this morning’s early morning walk.

Yup, I managed it. After going to bed at 9.30 last night, with ear plugs successfully staying in, and with no noise from the cat to keep me awake, I was able to sleep soundly through until around 5.30 when I started looking at the clock to see if it was time to get up. I was, in the end, up and on the road by 6.30.

On the road; sounds like I was in training like Rocky or something. I went, quietly, through the village square and past Sotiris’ supermarket, down to the road and the bus stop where the army guys were starting to gather for their lift up into the mountains. And then, past the doctor’s surgery and along past the sport hall and up, and around, and up, and around, and up… until, after 20 minutes or so of fairly hard work on the legs (which are not used to it at the moment) I made it to the top road. And then came back down again through the village.

Past the new house which is coming on a treat, past the yapping dogs who were inside, ‘Ricardo’ doing his morning ablutions in his outdoor bathroom carrying bowls of water about, through the back lanes and past the church where the bells were ringing and a service was already underway, around past ‘Lambros’ and to the top of the Kataractis, and then around the road –jogging a little to see how the knees were – and finally down the slope past the bins to home – by 7.00.

Talking of bins, I am getting to like going to the bins up here. Not only is it easy, being only around the corner, but it’s a lovely lane, with trees growing over it and with a view down to Yialos. Even taking the rubbish you turn round and think, ‘Wow, how did I end up here?’ But more than that, it’s the rurality (I just made that word up; ruralness…? It’s the way the place is still nice and rural… Something like that) that I like. There are bin cats of course, cats with character and looked after by the animal welfare folk, but also, yesterday I went to the bins and was greeted by a cockerel and two chickens. And then in the evening there was a bull frog croaking out, either that or it was a chicken with laryngitis.

But hey, new words or not, at least I got out and about and started my day with a big of heart-pumping followed by a hot water and lemon and a blog. There you go. Have a nice day.

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Blimmin’ cat & rain! The plan was, after a reasonably early night, to get up at 6.30 and head out for a fast walk to wake up and reboot the exercise routine, get back for around seven and get to work. Hmm.

The ear plugs went in at around midnight to counteract the sounds of ‘cat Vs cat’, outside, and then ‘cat on a loosely tiled roof’ above. After a very strange dream concerning old school friends, a falling apart hotel packed with guests, brilliant doodle artist, playing the piano on a golf course at night and a room flooding with water, the ear plugs fell out somewhere before 5.30. Which is when the Alarm Cat decided he’d had enough of the great outdoors and wanted to come back in. I tried ignoring him for a while but it didn’t work.

So, I was up just after 5.30, sitting in the living room waiting for it to get light so I could go out on my walk. Just after six it started ringing and it still is, now at 6.40 so that’s put paid to that theory. Instead, I thought I’d come and do the blog and make an early start so I can go back to bed before lunch. Only joking. I am going to spend the day periodically waking the cat up as he dozes blissfully on his new sofa.

I am actually going to spend part of it putting together the second wardrobe in the hope that it won’t look too big in the utility room. I also have to do a bit of shopping but that’s about exciting as my Tuesday is now going to get. Famous last words. You know what it is like around here, anything can happen.

And what’s happened is that Blue Star has put us back on its timetable. Whether we were missed out by accident, due to some dispute or just for a laugh is still uncertain, but Symi, and other smaller islands on its route, are now being advertised again. Good news for anyone aiming for Rhodes tomorrow. And if you are, you might be keeping an eye on the weather (as you have to when planning to use a boat at this time of year, as we saw recently). My forecast says it’s going to be mainly sunny tomorrow, but then it says it for now and you can see by the photos (taken just now morning) that it’s anything but. Friday looks bad, lots of wind and rain, so probably not the best day for a day out in Rhodes. But the weekend looks like it’s improving.

That’s the up to date Symi weather for you. The rain is still coming down, filling our sterna I am pleased to say so lots of free water, but also preventing my early morning exercise. Perhaps I’ll go out later. Perhaps I’ll join the noisy cat on the sofa…

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March 2^nd, eh? Happy month (kalo mina) to you, and we’re waking up, here on Symi, to a bright day left a little damp after last night’s rain. We’ve had our fair share of rain recently but that’s winter in Greece for you.

This week is going to be a week of entertaining and trying to get back into a routine after the upheaval of moving house. If feels like the weekend was the first real weekend of the new house, and the first settled period for a while. We had friends over last night for dinner and then sat in the new living room on the new sofas and chatted; all very civilised.

This week feels like it’s going to be the first week in a while where we’ve not had to buy anything (for the new house), or carry anything heavy up and down the lane, or put anything up, though there are still boxes and bags to be unpacked and Neil’s office looks like an explosion in a camera museum. We’ll get there.

We’ll be interrupted by tap dance class tonight, the first we’ve been able to attend in two weeks –the last two were missed as, after all the carrying and trudging, there was no more left in the old legs, so tonight it will be interesting to see what, if anything we can remember. Then we have a friend coming for lunch on Wednesday, the boys coming to tea on Saturday, and people coming for a house warming on Sunday.

Meanwhile we want to get back to Aerobics, for Neil, and early morning walks – as long as the rain stays away. And I also want to get back to finishing the book and starting on another, or doing some kind of half-decent writing work at least. So, there’s lost planned for this week, and only time will tell if any of it actually happens.

It should also see an advancement for Jack as last night was the first night since being here that he was out all night. I put my ear plugs in but could still him in heated debate with the ginger cat who thinks she lives here. He’s outside now, throwing kitty litter around the porch (that can move across the courtyard as soon as we get a couple of dry days) and complaining about being unable to wander in and out of the house when he wants; we can’t keep the door open or else Ginger will come in and make herself at home and we don’t want kittens in the wardrobe.

So, off to work we go, into a new week and a new month, and, it seems a new Blue Star ferry schedule with, so far, no stops at Symi (and other smaller, non-subsidised islands) advertised. Ooh-er, what’s going to happen there?

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Saturday morning, in a silly mood, and otherwise at a bit of a loss as to what to tell you so here’s a rundown of what’s in my ‘Mailwasher’ in box – today’s spam and junk headlines (that are printable).

Apparently, Ed Miliband has been in touch and is desperate to let me know that he is going to cut tuition fees by a third. From £9,000 to $6,000 – well whoop-di-do and Bali High that’s some news but not nearly enough of a cut. And then Sports Direct tell me it’s pay day (I wish) and I can treat myself to something. If only. Next there is something from Russia I can’t repeat and then Aegean Airlines have sent me their newsletter which I am not interested in today as I am not planning to fly anywhere anytime soon.

Ancentsry.com asks me, ‘Who do you think you are?’, which sounds rather brash, and I find it rather impertinent so I ignore them, and something called Fun Cards tells me that it is Colin Brown’s birthday to day. Well, that’s just dandy but who the hades is Colin Brown and why should I want to know about, let alone care about, his botherday. (I meant to write ‘birthday’ but I am still waking up, my fingers are really stiff after putting the furniture together after carrying it up the steps/hill/road and botherday came out and I rather like it. If you don’t like birthdays have a botherday instead.)

Oh get on with it. It’s a Saturday morning and I have a new wardrobe to put my clothes away in at last. (Which took two days to put together).

Ah look! Denny’s invoice for something requires Microsoft Office to be installed on my system (it is) and Xpat Athens has sent me a headline: Need a break? Actually yes, I do, from all this silly spam – though I have to say, Xpat Athens is okay and I do usually read their emails and newsletters and see what’s going on.

And while all that rubbish is being washed away by my Mailwasher programme (you should try it, it’s great), down in the harbour below the sea is calm, the light is bouncing off the houses over in Harani, it all looks far too bright and cheery for a Saturday morning and I am going to head off and, finally, put the DVDs and CDs away and tidy up the now rather smart looking living room. Have a good weekend and I shall be back with more nonsense on Monday, insha’Allah.

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