Some more of my shots from the harbour today. Neil sent me some of his (much better) photos but I made them the wrong size, so I am waiting for him to send them again sometime.

Meanwhile, Monday started off as planned, I was up early, I got straight out of bed and straight up that mountain, to the quarry anyway, and then back down again; all at a fast pace/slight jog, just to test the knees. Then I got to my desk and only stopped for lunch and here I am doing Tuesday’s post and it’s 14.30 and I’ve not written any boko* yet. But as soon as this is done…

Now, talking of writing, here’s a thing. My typing is appalling as I have never learned to type correctly, I can type quickly though and, when not copying, I can probably manage around 70 words a minute maybe 80. But only about 50% of them will be correct. My fingers (I use four on one hand and three on the other) bump into two keys at once, very orften, and so I end up with words such as ‘orften’ and ‘managew’ instread of ‘often and ‘manage.’ In some cases I simply get the word wrong and many readers will no doubt be aware, so I will put ‘no’ instead of ‘on’ and ‘if’ instead of ‘of’ or even ‘bog’ instead of ‘blog.’ There is nothing I can do about those automatically speaking, but there is something I can do about the ones where my fingers have learned the wrong fingering, as a musician would say, and so repeatedly type the wrong word, or hit the wrong keys.

I use the AutoCorrect function in Word to change certain words for me. There are some common ones, ‘teh’ for ‘the’ and so on. I have some more specific ones though such as ‘hen’ (not a word I use often) changes to ‘then’, the rationale being that when I read through I will pick up on: ‘we went to the shops hen we went home’ and ‘I saw a then in the chicken coup’, and it’s quicker to do things this way around than it is to go back and make changes the other way.

There are some words that I type consistently incorrectly that I can’t really change, such as ‘nto’ for not, because I also type ‘nto’ for into sometimes, so I have to leave those and manually change them later.

But all this did give me an idea for how you can get back at someone in your office, someone you really don’t like and want to wind up. When they are next out of the office and have left their Word programme open, slip in, get the autocorrect box open and add in your favourite auto corrects. Here are some ideas for you: for Dear Sir change to Dear Madam, for Dear Madam change to Dear Madman (and see how long it takes for them to figure it out). For Yours faithfully you could change to Yours Marianne Faithfully and for Yours sincerely you could try Yours snivelly.

And so on, I am sure you can come up with many of your own. And, remember, the more you get to put in, the longer it will take for them to track them down and change them back. But when you get caught out, don’t tell anyone it was me who told you! And as for the boko* above; this didn’t show up as an incorrect word in my Word document so I checked the dictionary and could not find it at all. I have no idea how Word comes to think this is a real word, it’s not in my auto-change as ‘accepted’ and so I’ve gone and added it; for boko read book.

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“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment” said someone called Jim Rhon. So, right, okay, I really must get back into a routine and get this next book down on paper. That’s the plan and it starts on Monday.

Today, Sunday, I am setting the alarm for 15 minutes earlier than usual so I can get up, take a brisk walk, if it’s not raining, have a shower and get to my desk by 7.30 to get my usual work done, do emails, admin blah-di-blah. That takes me through the morning until lunchtime and that’s where the routine will have to kick in. Straight after lunch it will be back to the desk, no internet on, no distractions, and at least one hour of writing, plotting, planning, noting or researching.

That will take me to around four in the afternoon, and I’ll aim to stretch it until five on a good day, when I will knock off for the day. That’s when I can watch films, play on the tablet, go out or pack boxes – which we have not started doing yet. We will when we have a contract for the new house, it’s not going to take us long and we won’t be packing for a moving van style move. Knowing me I’ll just bung things in bags and carry them along the street (it’s two minutes away) and then put them in their place…

You see! I am digressing already. The writing routine will also have to include the daily blog which, as you’ll know, I am now preparing a day ahead, so you are usually reading what I wrote yesterday. I used to do it first thing in the morning but now find that if I do that, it’s a quick and even more pointless than usual post; if I do it the day before then I babble on for longer, and sometimes even say something of interest.

The photos today were taken on Saturday when we went down to Yialos to go to the bank and then buy some cat food. We stopped for something to eat and Neil was asked to take a photo for a driving license, which he was able to do in the street thanks to a handy white wall. He’s popping back later to deliver it. We walked back up the main road, which was very quiet, and had a look down on the new jetty that’s being built. It’s still just two barges and some lumps of concrete. When we once went on a tour of the West Pier in Brighton, we were told that most of the renovation work was happening under water, and so I imagine that’s what’s happening with our new docking jetty. The preparation is the thing and most of the work is happening out of sight at the moment.

By the way, the West Pier visit was before it burned down, when you were able to take guided tours of what was left of it and in the days when two of the neon letters were not working, so the thing was announcing itself as the WE T PIE . Always made me laugh.

And then on Saturday night we had madness and mayhem with Jenine and Harry making pizzas and staying up far too late, which has made for a late start Sunday. And it’s a glorious day and we should be out there walking, And we may well be after lunch as the writing regime is not starting until tomorrow. (And will, in any case, be interrupted by moving house, hopefully in four weeks’ time.)

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN!

Weather news: no rain yesterday (Friday) at least not by 12.30 when I am writing this. The sun is out, the air is cool, it’s pretty cold again in my front room, and the last of the drops is still coming through the living room ceiling into the big pan, but the kitchen has stopped doing what it does.

We are feeling a little bit up today because we’ve had some good news and we are kind of at 80/100 on the ‘suitable house’ scale. Thanks to a lead from The Symi Estate Agent (who have been very helpful in joining us to a potential landlord and answering our questions), we have another viewing of a potential house this afternoon. I don’t want to say too much as I don’t want to jinx things, not that I am superstitious. But, if all goes according to plan, and if nothing else leaps up before we sign a contract, we may have found a new place to live.

I say new, it’s old of course, and needs some work doing to it, which we will undertake once we have got everything sorted. But if it comes off it will suit us because it is in the village, close to work and everything, and a decent size and completely quirky, which we like. There is a little concern about the lane outside as it’s used by small cars and motorbikes, but it is not a main road and we reckon Jack will stay home anyway, he doesn’t do much wandering, he will have his own space and he’s much more of an indoor cat now. So, continue to watch this space and I will fill you in from time to time on progress (or not).

That progress will include the full details of packing and arranging to move the contents of a two bed house across the village; although there is a ‘road’ at the other end, there is no road here, but there is a pretty direct path on foot. But all that is for later. And I am thinking ahead and we’ve not double checked the property (doing that later) or signed a contract yet, not that contracts are particularly watertight anyway, not around here. In fact, I shan’t be completely satisfied we have been successful until we have the keys to the new/old property and it is empty.

We are looking at a timescale for roughly four weeks to take over the property, then two weeks to make it ready while still being in this one. Making ready also includes switching the phone and internet over, something we rely on these days. So, we are hoping to be moved by the end of February. That is how things stand as of yesterday.

What’s nice about a place like Symi is that when you’re doing things like moving house there are a lot of people around offering to help with stuff. We’re going to start packing things up bit by bit and have a sort out while we do so, but if anyone passes any empty boxes and then our house we’d be grateful for having then dropped off. You can always drop them in downstairs if we are out. As for moving, the aim will be to shift things bit by bit as we clean and paint up the new place (wherever it may be) and then have a day with paid assistance to move the big stuff like cooker, fridge, cat.

And there we go. That’s the house move update on day five. We have already seen or considered 10 properties, and this one is the most suitable (that is available) so far. Fingers are now crossed that all goes smoothly over the next six weeks.

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Okay, it’s Thursday as I write and I am talking about Wednesday as I sit inside watching the British style rain coming down, and I’m wondering when it is going to move on to Turkey, as the Poseidon weather station tells me it is going to do.

So, house hunting, where are we with that? Well, we have considered a place by Lemonitisa that is a kitchen and a bedroom with an outside bathroom and, despite the terrace (which is larger than the living quarters) have decided that no, we can’t go from a two bed house to one room. Ditto a house we saw yesterday which was a one bed, house conversion with no view other than the neighbour’s front door. We have also looked at a house that is in the middle of renovation but which would not be ready in time, and a property which would do very nicely if: the rent is right, he takes it off the market, gives a five year lease and clears it of all the stuff in there within the next four weeks. (I am waiting to hear back on those points.)

We have also considered a holiday house that’s been offered, too small, another one near the road, also too small, one right on the road (not Jack friendly and currently has no bathroom and is not quite finished), and have asked about houses up near Sevasti studios, but these are also for sale and the owner wants only a short term rental.

And, with the help of Jenine –house-hunt assistant supreme – we have wandered the streets of Horio again, talking to people and knocking on doors. One problem we are up against is that a lot of houses have been converted into small units, like the one we saw yesterday. Two one bed flats in one property is fine for a brief stay, or a season, or if you are teacher, alone, an army officer etc. but not if you are a couple and living on Symi, as opposed to just passing through it.

Another problem is that a lot of people have their properties for sale and want to make money out of them. Fair enough of course, especially as one day a very wealthy person might come along and pay the (in my opinion) ridiculously high asking price. Prices that, as everywhere these days, put local people out of the buying frame. You might be able to get a let in a ‘for sale’ house but I would ask for a lease that stated the house would not be advertised on the market for the length of that lease. That’s going to be hard to find too.

But on the good-news side, we saw our landlord in Georgio’s in the evening and he has also been looking for us (as are many local people, Zoi, Nikos, Anna, the baker and at least two Yiannies). He also said not to panic about moving out ‘in a month’ as there was no rush. Well, you know how things work around here. And, while there, we had a very nice meal too, and without having to fuss about what to eat. ‘I have keftethes, salad, saganaki and pork chops,’ says Noufris. ‘That’ll do then,’say we, and very nice it was too – and so reasonable, $10.00 each, with wine. (Winter prices for the nearly homeless, I suspect.)

So, today (Thursday) Neil has already looked at another house – which would be perfect if not already occupied by someone who may want to carry on living in it – and has been out getting wet. The towels are drying on the balcony (not) and we’re rapidly running out of dry ones. Still, rain is due to stop this afternoon. Tha thoume. (We shall see.)

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I’m not talking about our house hunting today, although that continues apace with another one to look at later today, but I wanted to give you some interesting facts about home.

For example, did you know that there are enough empty homes in China of everyone in the UK to have one each? Or that in Beijing, two million people live underground? As if that weren’t startling enough, the soil in your back garden is actually two million years old. Now how do people know these things? (I am ‘reading’ from a book of facts here and not making this up.)

That’s assuming you have a garden I guess, what if you live in a mobile home with no garden? And on that note, did you know there are more folk in the USA living in mobile homes than there are living in the whole of the Netherlands? Well, that’s something I didn’t know. (And why should I?) Oh, and apparently three quarters of Britons have a drawer in their house full off odds and ends. We would too, if we only had drawers in our house. Maybe the next house will have… No, I said I wouldn’t mention the house-hunting, not until tomorrow at least.

Finally on the home facts front, the average Briton passes 32 takeaway food joints between home and work. I am clearly not average. I pass through the bedroom to get to my front room where I work, and there’s no fast food joint there.

So, there are some facts about homes in general from my new book of astoundingly unnecessary facts. A few facts about Symi houses: they tend to be small, drafty, cold, expensive to heat and can be expensive to rent. They are often up for sale for many years (especially at the moment). They are mainly dowry houses, and the ownership of others is often ‘shared’ between several members of the same family. There was, I believe, a law in place several years ago where houses had to be officially claimed and registered (talking ruins here I guess) or else would fall to the local authority to decide who owned them – something like that. And, a lot of them still have outside bathroom, no mains drainage and no mains water, though this is now an option in most places.

There, those are a few random facts from the top of my head – they may not be 100% accurate, and this post may contain nuts, remember that your interest in a Symi Dream post can go down as well as up, and the management holds itself totally un-responsible for anything that may happen on its premises. Have a nice day. Thank you.

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