Symi Dream Calendar 2021 and other news

Good morning and welcome to Monday. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve had a Symi Dream calendar, but Neil has produced one for next year, ‘Pedi Sunrises’ and it’s now available. You can only find it on the outlet Lulu at this page, just make sure you register (free) so it shows up in your currency.

The Symi Music School needs financial support to keep going. There is a video on the Symi TV page on Facebook with a post detailing what the problem is and how you can help. There is a video some of the students have put together, it’s in Greek and English with subtitles, and when you run it, you’ll find out what’s needed. I hope to get a copy of the video to post here, or at least a link to it for those who don’t use Facebook, so watch out for that.

In other news, the old Jean & Tonic bar is having work done to it, but I’m not sure if that’s for a change of use or whatever. Regular visitors continue to arrive, the temperatures have fallen a little, and it’s starting to feel like autumn, we’ve even had an attempt at rain, but nothing major, and the days are currently perfect for walking while the sea remains warm and businesses are still open.

In home news, I’ve gone through another computer keyboard, I seem to manage one a year, and so I’ve had to go back to a clunky old one while I save for a new one, and over on my other-self writing blog, I’ve put up a post about the pastime of slumming in Victorian London if you’re interested in a little social history. And now it’s time to get on with the week ahead, so I hope you have a good one.

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Some Friday Photos

I’m still in the habit of forgetting what day it is. Yesterday felt like Friday for some reason, until I remembered it was Thursday, and that’s when I usually set up a Friday blog. I always seem to be one day ahead. Perhaps that’s why I have to ask my godson what date it is when writing in his music book. I don’t know, but I do know it’s Thursday and so here are some photos for tomorrow, today, Friday, whatever. The helicopter was an interesting spectacle (see photos one and two.) A flight of support for the island perhaps? A special event, training, a reminder? I’m not sure, but it came just before someone started throwing bangers around the village, and, by the sound of it, hunting season is underway. Anyway… A selection of images for your weekend.

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And today, some photos

I’ve been writing far too much recently, so there’s just a quick update and some photos today. The update? Well, same as usual really, though the weather’s cooled a little, especially in the morning, but it was back at 30 degrees the other afternoon, so all is not lost. Some boats have been coming in, there have been some busy nights in the village, and everything’s currently still open. My bank has told me my account and card are going to be fine, so that’s a weight off, for now at least, and I’ve had to sign a release form so an agency in LA can read a script I wrote for someone, and that has won three awards. As I say, the usual. Here are some photos.

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Banking after Brexit

After yesterday’s bonkers ramble I thought I’d just put up a few images, but then I heard from my bank… I’ll drop some photos in to lessen the tedium.

I don’t know if you’ve been following the news, but one of the many gifts of Brexit without a trade deal is that some people are going to lose their bank accounts and banking services in the UK. These are people whose British bank accounts are held with a European address. In some cases, banks have said they will cease the accounts on a specific date and send the customer a cheque for whatever balance they have in there, and that’s that. Any income after that will be returned to sender. I assume overdrafts will be referred to a debt collection agency, I’m not sure.

Obviously, this has sent some waves of panic through those who have pensions paid into UK bank accounts, who have homes there and need to pay council tax on them, and so on, and others who, for whatever reason, still hold a British account though pay tax in their European country and live there permanently. It’s all been running smoothly for all these years, but now with the yUK Gov blathering about breaking law and treaties they recently signed, it looks increasingly likely there will be no trade deal (perhaps, who can say?), and so things for the millions of Brits abroad will become problematic. One of the problems is the negotiation of bank licenses which now have to be renegotiated between UK banks and EU countries due to the B word, and that’s what’s caused this issue to come up. I’m one such European who has the misfortune to be caught up in the Farage-Cummings-Cameron-et al disgrace that is Brexit as I have a 40-year old account with Barclays held since 2004 under my Greek address, as I mentioned yesterday. But…

Having read all kinds of hearsay on Facebook, and a couple of reports in reputable newspapers, I wrote to my bank via their online banking and received a reply a few hours later. Barclays has told me that my current account will be unaffected, but Barclaycard services will be stopped. I have asked them about Visa debit cards, as that wasn’t mentioned, but as I don’t have a Barclaycard, I can stand down as it looks like my account will just carry on as usual. Hopefully, the debit card will also be okay, as that’s what I use when I am travelling, not that I’m planning to do any of that for a long while, but it’s useful to have on hand so I can dip into my savings in emergencies. So, that’s what I discovered on this subject, and I thought a first-hand experience might be of interest to anyone else in my position. It would appear from the news reports the general outlook depends on what bank you are with, what country you live in, and what services you have, but the sensible advice is to ask your bank directly and not listen to hearsay. I hope that’s of use.

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Scitting an old word or two

I have some more of Neil’s photos to illustrate today’s ramble about nothing in particular. The highlight of my Monday morning reminded me of an old lad joke, which is probably an old dad joke now and involves the use of the vernacular. The word in question was originally scitte in Old English, and according to the Google book n-gram viewer, didn’t come into printed usage until the 1950s, which is strangely understandable, but I am not sure 100% correct. I expect it was widely spoken, and probably printed in other forms, which is what I will do. Instead of using the modern version of scitte, I’ll call it poo, which apparently, appeared in print well before 1800. Anyway, back to the lad joke. If you’re one of those people who don’t approve of this kind of joke (i.e. ones that aren’t that funny and are not very PC), then don’t read the next paragraph, but enjoy Neil’s picture and then scroll down quickly.

The old joke goes like this. One man saying to another: ‘What would you do if a bird pooed on your windscreen?’ Other chap answers, ‘I wouldn’t take her out again.’ And that’s the dodgy joke over with. It came to mind as I was walking down the hill past the car park yesterday morning minding my own business and creating my next chapter in my head. All of a sudden, some bird scitted on my head, bang smack in the middle, green and much of it, and I wasn’t even stationary beneath a telegraph wire or anything. Great shot – and yes I meant to say shot there, but it was also a great… You know what I mean. Luckily, I had a bottle of water with me, so was able to wash my hair in the street. I had to wash my hand too because the first thing you do is say, ‘What’s that?’ put your hand to your head, and there you go. Some say it’s good luck, some say it’s just a Monday morning thing, I just said what it was, with Oh in front and an ! behind, and carried on.

Actually, while I was musing on my next chapter, at the back of my mind was this rumour/truth/yet to be seen thing that’s started filtering around expat circles. That those of us who still have a yUK bank account registered to our Greek address, may/will have the account taken away from us. Some say it’s only Barclaycards, others say it’s only certain banks, others, like me, say, check with your bank and see what they say, which is what I am doing. I have a Greek account and have had it for years, but I’d be loathed to see my old UK one go as I’ve had it 40 years and am rather sentimental about it. Mainly, because when I set it up in Deal, Kent when I was about 18, I went into the branch and everything was civil and pleasant, and the people were lovely. Anyway, this is something to look out for and, no doubt, another great gift of the gaff that’s Brexit, or Brexscitte, perhaps.

I shall probably get told off now, both for telling a dodgy joke and for having a go at Brexit. Apparently, my ‘constant bashing’ of the yUK on my blog is ‘tedious’, according to one commentator. It’s not as tedious as having your bank account taken away from you, not being able to vote in any democratic process, and 101 other gifts of the gaff, and don’t expect me to stop moaning about it either. Oh, here’s a thing I learnt the other day and put on my other, writing blog when I was researching for historical fiction. Do you know what a Romoner was? According to a dictionary of Victorian words, Romoners are ‘fellows pretending to be acquainted with the occult sciences, fortune tellers.’ Just made me think of Remainers being folk who will have to refrain from saying ‘I told you so’ when the scitte hits the fan.

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