Preparing for winter

What’s happening today? Well, not a lot really. As you can see from the photos, the square was quiet (on Sunday), although the image of the light on the chairs is misleading. The other side of the bar, out of shot, was busy with the family having a barbeque. It was All Saints Day. There was a baptism too, and the party was booked into the George and Maria taverna, so I assume that was busy later in the evening. The nighttime photo was taken around six-thirty, although it felt much later because of the shorter days.

The Nikolaos, one of the day boats, was in on Sunday, so there must still be some holiday-making activity on Rhodes, but I’ve seen fewer and fewer visitors on Symi these last few days. We’re preparing for the winter. Sam painted the flat roof, another part of a roof which also leaks, and the bathroom ceiling, all in an attempt to keep out rainwater when it next rains. We’ve also put the fans away and have started the hunt for the heaters with ‘I know I put it somewhere safe… It’ll be somewhere.’ That kind of thing.

I am thinking of turning my computer desk into a modelling station for the winter and moving my writing paraphernalia over to the big desk instead. The computer desk is a corner thing with shelves I can put the paints on so everything is in easy reach. Also, I won’t have to clear it up every time I’ve finished. Last year, I did my winter hobby on the kitchen table, but you get that kind of tutting and ‘Can you clear the table so we can have breakfast?’ thing going on when you do that. I’m making Aurora horror model kits, in case you were interested. These are figures of classic characters from Universal and other studios horror films. I’ve only done Dracula and the Witch so far and started on The Invisible Man earlier this year, so he’s first to be done. Then, when I have some spare pennies, I’ll look around for another one. I do have a couple of originals in my cabinet, but these are collectors’ items and not to be made. Instead, I’ll hunt out the remoulds and go with them if I can afford them. You can get them at a reasonable price, but from America and pay just as much for the postage as you do for the kit, so I am trying to find somewhere closer to home to buy them from.

Anyway, you didn’t need to know all that, but some people do ask ‘what do you do in the winter’, and there’s one of your answers.

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And into November

It’s been a bumpy year so far, and Greece is about to go into another lockdown situation with two tiers of severity. Here on Symi, we’re classified into the lower level which means bars, tavernas etc., can stay open according to the current rules, but there’s a curfew for everyone from midnight to 5 a.m., and masks must be worn outside and in shops at all times.

Thank you to everyone who sent messages of concern following the earthquake last Friday near Samos. Symi wasn’t affected, though the quake was felt. I expect you’ve already read about it from the world’s press. I have to admit, I didn’t feel it. We were watching TV while having our lunch break, when Neil said, ‘can you feel that? It’s an earthquake.’ We turned the TV down, and I heard what I thought was a plane going over, but said, no, I couldn’t feel a thing. ‘In that case,’ Neil said, ‘there’s something wrong with me, and I’m going to fall over when I stand up.’ He was sitting next to me on the sofa. I’m usually sensitive to tremors but didn’t feel that one.

As for my weekend, it was partly about this…

That’s the special paint we use to coat the flat roofs to help stop water penetration. I was up on the roof on Saturday cleaning it off and filling small cracks with silicone ahead of Sam coming around on Sunday to paint it over. Our godson #1 comes once a week to earn some money by doing odd jobs and cleaning, and he’s far more adept with a paintbrush than I am (and far more thorough with the hoover). Godson #2 also comes once a week to learn the piano, and I have to say, little Mozart is doing brilliantly. We’ve been working for a year now, with a four-month break when we were away earlier in the year, and then lockdowns and so on, and he is more than halfway through grade one, so we’re very proud of him. Both of them actually, as #1, currently at technical college on the island, has been a staunch supporter of mask-wearing among his peers. Now 17, he has turned into a sensible and caring young man.

The other young man around the house is as caring as ever, but as for sensible… Well, this was Halloween at the Rainbow Bar…

And talking of the bar, we now have internet installed (it’s only taken about 17 years of persuasion). Neil continues to work there until Sunday, the festival of Panormitis weekend, though we’re not sure how much of a festival there will be. And talking of Halloween, my novel ‘The Judas Curse’ a horror-thriller set on an imaginary Greek island, not unlike Symi, is on special offer on Amazon until Saturday. You can pick up the Kindle version for £0.99 if you haven’t already. Just click here.

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Friday Photos

It’s raining again this morning, so how about a few sunny photos from earlier in the year to brighten things up? Have a good weekend.

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Before and After

We had a little rain yesterday, and I’ve got a couple of before and one after photo to share. The ‘after’ one is actually ‘during’ and not during the worst of it either, as that happened during the evening when it was dark. Nothing too bad, but worthy of a mention because it marks the first proper storm of the winter season. There was a lightening display across Turkey, which always seems to get it worse, and thunder rolling around. The plants got a good watering, and the roof is now clean at least.

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Bits and pieces

Just a few bits and pieces of news today.

The Oxi Day parades have been kind of cancelled this year – it’s Oxi Day today, btw. I heard that the parades are not taking place, but smaller memorials are. We may be treated to stirring music through the town hall speakers as we have been on other memorial days this year.

We did have a power cut yesterday, but not for long, and we’d been warned beforehand, so I had the gas burner ready. In the end, I only had the chance to use it for one cup of tea as the outage was so short. It was a reminder of possible things to come over the winter when much of the improvement and maintenance work is done to the supply. Another ‘here comes winter’ reminder came with a weather warning. Apparently, there’s a storm coming, though one weather channel shows it over us, and another doesn’t, we’re due for wind and rain tonight. That reminded me to get the old towels ready and close the shutters later today, just in case. We’ve also got to paint the bathroom roof (still not done that yet), cover the outside table and do a few other pre-winter bits and pieces.

We were out last night for a farewell meal with friends, and for a while were the only customers in the taverna, a sure sign the season is slowing. Mind you, Neil is working until November 8^th, so has another week and a half to go before he has the whole day to himself.

And an observation. I looked out of the bedroom window yesterday and thought, ‘I’m living in a farmyard.’ The window looks onto the lane, and towards the bin station which is set back from the path so out of sight. It’s home to a colony of stray cats, who were out and about, along with a tribe of nomadic chickens and their chicks. Walking through them were two goats, one the size of a pony, I swear, and the sight made me smile. So rural, pastoral even, it was a pleasant thing to see but did remind me to keep the gate shut for fear of losing our few plants to the marauding goats.

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