Save the Symi Music School: Update

As of yesterday morning, the Just Giving campaign to save the Symi Music School had reached £8,200, 41% of its target. That’s excellent, but there’s still a way to go. So, in an attempt to help, I’m reposting my initial blog in case anyone didn’t see it. You can share this by using the social media share button at the bottom of the post. Thank you.

Save the Symi Music School

Regular visitors to Symi spend time sitting in the square watching the world go by. It’s a popular thing to do, and a lovely way to relax and pass the time. As you’ve been sitting there, you may have noticed young people passing by with strangely shaped cases on their backs, or a rucksack, and you might have wondered what was inside. Well, in some cases, the children are carrying guitars or a bouzouki, perhaps a violin, and in their other bags, they have their music and theory books. Obviously, the pianists don’t carry their instruments around, as a piano layer myself, I’ve tried it, and it never ends well. Anyway…

You may remember, the other day, I mentioned the Symi Music School and its current financial appeal. Well, today, I have the link to the site where you can donate. Simply put, we need to raise £20,000 to save the school. Also simply put, without it, the children of Symi won’t learn music as, I believe, it is not much taught in the schools.

I remember, when the current pandemic broke out, many people went on Facebook saying they wouldn’t be coming to Symi this year, and they were supporting the island by lessening the risk of bringing C19 to what is still a bug-free island. Obviously, the businesses have missed out on masses of custom this season, so if you still want to help the island, donating to its music school is one way of doing so from afar. Think about what you saved by not coming, and think about how much you usually spend on just one evening out on Symi. Why not send over that amount? You can do it via the page linked in this post. The money will replace that usually provided by the parents of the children who can’t pay this year because they have businesses that haven’t made money because of the lack of tourism. Where a couple of tourists might have spent €50.00 on one night out (some on an afternoon watching the world go by at a bar), the same couple can now send the same amount directly to the education of the children they might have seen passing on their way to a music lesson. It makes sense to me, and I’ll be sending a personal donation plus a percentage of my Symi book sales.

The donation site tells you all you need to now in Greek and English, and some of the pupils have made a short video which you will also find there.

Imagine, when the Symi Festival can restart, you may even find yourself here, listening to one of these upcoming musicians on stage and know you helped put them there.

You can find the page by clicking here. The young musicians of Symi will thank you.

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Friday Photos

How about a courtyard update to accompany some Friday Photos?

As you might know, I’m not very good with plants, so I can’t tell you exactly what all of these are. The big droopy thing probably needs a trellis, the succulent whatsit has done well this year, and so has the chilli which is a second-generation plant grown from seeds taken from one of Yianni’s plants behind the Rainbow. The little one next to it came from V&M’s plant shop at the top of the Kali Strata and has been banging out chillies all year.

The other photos are, as usual, random.

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A little fall of rain

There was much talk of a storm on Tuesday night, but what we ended up with was a shower around half-nine in the evening. It wasn’t enough to thoroughly water the plants or fill the reservoirs, but it was an indication of the changing season. The next day, there were still a few clouds around in the morning…

The bathroom floor got wet, but not because the roof leaked, although it will do unless we get up there and paint the roof, but because I’d left the window open. It won’t be long before the shutters are mainly shut against the wet and cold, and we’re hunkering down for the winter. Before then, however, the sea is still warm, the season is on-going though gradually fading, and we have visitors on the island, some staying, some coming in and out with the day boats.

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Symi Animal Welfare –  Winter Feed Programme  2020

I received a message from Symi Animal Welfare yesterday and was asked to share it to anyone on the island who looks after stray cats in the winter.

Dear Friends & Volunteers,
This year has been a very difficult one for many of us, especially those involved directly or indirectly in tourism, and for animal charities too, and SAW is no exception, with very little money from donations in 2020. With so few visitors to Symi this summer, most of our collection boxes are empty! So financing the WFP this Autumn will only be possible with some contribution from our usual volunteers. Those who wish to receive 1 sack of cat bix for their colony cats will be asked to contribute €10,00 towards the cost.
The price of each 18 kg sack is € 20.00. We think this is a small amount if you still wish to help the cats survive the winter months.
We will be collecting your contributions (Christina, Antonella or myself) during October, in the port area, but, so we can make the order, please let me know a.s.a.p.  either by email or Messenger, if you agree to help us with the WFP funding.

We thank you for your understanding and co-operation.

Suzan, SAW.

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Views and News

Looking from my office window on Saturday, I saw this unusual ship passing on its way towards Nimborio.

Looking out of the same window yesterday morning, the sea was calmer, and the lighting different as this was earlier in the morning. Not a bad view.

And, as you can see from the next photo, there’s not a lot happening on the desk at the moment. That’s because I’m over in the corner on the PC table where I do the typing and computer work. I’m thinking about switching operations back to the old desk for the winter and using the computer table as a modelling station. I’ve still got the Invisible Man waiting to be finished. He’s been in the laundry room all summer as it’s too hot to paint and glue in the warmer months. And yes, I can see him even though he’s invisible. I’m sure there will be photos of the work in progress as time goes by.

Time is definitely going by, and quickly too, it feels like. Already the middle of October (almost), the temperature is cooling, there’s more talk of rain on the way, some businesses have closed, some never opened, sadly, but everywhere in the village is still open for now. The bars in the square have been busy of an evening, so hopefully those away from the square have been too. There’s still music and open mike night at the Secret Garden, the Sunrise is open evenings until late, Scena remains popular, and some of these bars will be open all winter. Building work continues on some houses nearby, workmen putting on new rooves before the rain starts. The mules are at work, church bells ring, baptisms are being held, there was one at Panormitis the other day, but there’s no definite news of the Panormitis festival. I know the Oxi Day parades have been cancelled across Greece this year, though when the May 8^th parade didn’t happen, we were treated to music from the town hall speakers instead.

So, we’re heading into another autumn and into another week. I’d just like to draw your attention to the Symi Music School appeal if you’ve not already seen it and joined in. The full post with links can be found here. We have so far managed to raise 36% of the money needed to keep the music school open for the next two years, and every little helps.

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