Bits and pieces

We are well and truly warming up into August now, with temperatures in the high thirties even at night, and the courtyard plants are gasping for a drink, which they will get this morning. (Our hosepipe is connected to the mains, and so we only get water in it three days a week, so on the Friday to Monday stretch, the plants come last in the pecking order.) I’ve had a quiet weekend at home working, as per usual, though I did pop out yesterday for some fresh air, and sat in a more or less empty square with a glass of soda watching the world go by, or not, as no-one was going anywhere because everyone had gone to the beach, I hope. Either that or they’ve been transported to the colonies, and no-one’s told us. All very quiet. But also very pretty as Neil’s photos today attest…

One of the things I have been busy with is getting a new book out there. This is one of the Clearwater ongoing mystery stories, but this one can be read as a standalone (and it’s not got any nookie in it like some of the others, though there are references). Obviously, when you’re on book seven of a series, it will be more gratifying to have read the others, but with this one, there’s no need (not really). You’ll get an idea that there’s a history behind the story, but you don’t need to know it in detail. It’s mainly about one young man coming to work in service below stairs in London in 1889, and finding his new house is nothing like the regimented, authoritarian and backwards household he has been used to. There is a mystery involved, and it is based on real people and events from the late 19^th century, much of which is actually true. It’s quite a sweet story, is called Home From Nowhere, and it’s available on all Amazon platform. Anyway… Enough rambling, on with the week.

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Something for the weekend

To see us off into the weekend, here are a few photos Neil has taken during his 100-mile walk this month. He’s done brilliantly, getting up early and going for long, regular walks, sometimes being out for three hours or more. Me? Well, I’ve written 90,000 words this month, and am about to release another book (100,000 words), so my brain and fingers have had some exercise at least. Have a good weekend.

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Oops!

I am so into the last few chapters of a new story, I forgot to prepare a blog, so just some photos today.

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Yialos

I’ve been picking up a vibe that lots of regular visitors and new ones from the UK are coming to Symi in September, and that’s good news. Who knows what the situation will be with boat timetables, flights and overnight hotels in Rhodes where necessary, but assuming everything is running as smoothly as it can be, some people are asking what to expect when they get here. Well, on Monday, we went to Yialos for a socially distanced lunch with the bother-in-law (sic) who is here for two days, and I had a taste of how things are working down in the harbour.

I met the bothers at the Allegrito Bar where the chair arms were sanitised before I sat, and the table too, and where the staff were masked. The health inspectors are on the island, but staff have been wearing masks for some time now. On which note, you will be expected to wear one when on the bus/public transport. Not everyone is doing this, and some are even ignoring the tied-off seats and sitting in them when Lakis and Thanasis have cordoned them off for your own safety, so don’t be as stupid as those people. Many tourists are not wearing masks there either, and there’s a €150 spot fine if you’re caught endangering others this way, so watch out. Anyway, back to lunch…

We went to eat at the Trawler (Trata) because the bothers wanted a certain kind of fried fish, and there, the tables have been thinned out, and our menus arrived with a bottle of sanitiser so we could do our hands before and after using them. Again, masks (not while you’re eating), and as expected, wonderful fried fish, but sadly, no homemade taramasalata as it doesn’t keep for long, and customer numbers are down. That’s something else to expect; limited menus because of the risk of wastage. But what are still the same, are the friendly service, the good prices and good food. After lunch, it was back up the hill to distance at the bar while Neil was at work, before home and an early night. The bother-in-law had been into Nissiros and thus, caught the 2.00 a.m. ferry out of there arriving on Symi at 5.15, so was in need of sleep, and that was the end of that day.

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Going Mexican

We were treated to dinner at Scena on Sunday evening (thank you again J&J), and what a treat that was. This is the café, bistro, bar by the playground in Horio, not far from the bus stop, and offers a view down the Pedi valley to the sea. It changed hands last year, and this year, Stavros (of Mythos fame) is running the kitchen and cooking. They have an extensive menu every day, but on some Sundays, they put on a speciality menu, and for us, that was Mexican. They have had a Chinese speciality night, and Stavros said he was thinking about also doing Indian food one weekend. As he explained, the restaurant is called Scena, meaning scene, and so why not have food from various ‘scenes’ around the world. Needless to say, it was wonderful, and a €20.00 set menu was enough for two people that included a large salad, baked potato with chilli, a chicken dish and a take on a giros full of Mexican flavours, homemade guacamole and salsas… Perfect. My photos don’t do it justice, and I’d made a bit of a mess portioning things out onto Neil’s plate, but… Well, you’ve got to try it. The regular menu is great too. Oh, and the sweet was a gift from the house.

And on the note of eating out, Taverna Zoi opened on Monday night. This also offers a lovely view down to Pedi and offers home cooking with local produce, including goat and lamb straight from the family farm. I’ll tell you more about that next time we go.

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