Winter Solstice – Win a Signed Book

It’s Winter Solstice today, so happy solstice to those who celebrate it. I wrote a post on my other blog about the solstice and the part it plays in one of my novels. A quick look at my Amazon page and the blurbs for my books there will make it obvious which one. I mention that because all this month I have been running a competition on my other author Facebook page, giving quotes from my novels and inviting people to guess or say which book that quote is from. There is a prize on offer, a signed paperback copy of ‘Banyak & Fecks’ my historical novel about life in the East End in the 1880s. Every correct answer to the 23-day quiz will go into a virtual hat and one drawn at random will win the book and be announced on Christmas Eve. Anyone can enter, and today’s quote is drawn from one of my James Collins books. I know that many Symi Dream readers have read some of these books, for which I am internally grateful, and so you might recognise today’s quote from the description on Amazon. If you do, head to my Facebook page and comment with your answer. Feel free to like and share the page too if you would.

So, from what novel (or its description) does this quote come?

“…finds himself the unwitting hero in a struggle between superstition and sense, denial and love, with no escape from either.”

There, that done, I can now return you to our regular programming and show you some of Neil’s recent photos of Symi.

Random Friday Photos

Here are some random photos to see us through the weekend. Well, clearly some are not that random as a certain bear appears in more than one, and there are a couple with a Christmas theme. Neil took these on some of his walks, and down in Yialos where the decorations are festive, particularly in the early morning.

As for next week, I’m not sure what days I’ll be posting my nonsense, but keep an eye out. We’re able to bubble-mingle or something over some of the holiday days, and there may be some family-fun photos going around after next week. Until then, I’m not sure what I am doing, apart from checking for deliveries every day. I’ve been reading people’s posts in various groups about how parcels from the yUK are being affected by the end of the transition period and may be further affected by Brexit when it all goes tits up in a couple of weeks. Basically, it seems the post office have said they are unable to send parcels from Greece to the yUK, only letters, but I haven’t checked that out yet. Anyway… here are the photos, have a good weekend.

Ramble

It seems to me, the busiest places on Symi right now are the post office and delivery stations for couriers. Hardly surprising as much is being ordered online, especially in the run-up to Christmas. As well as singing carols this year, we should be singing the praises of the post office and courier workers who keep our post flowing. It’s not uncommon to be walking somewhere, or (when you could) having lunch at a taverna, and someone comes past, stops their motorbike and says, ‘You have a delivery.’ Often, a few minutes later, they return with that delivery and drop it off at your table. I’ve had text messages, phone calls and messenger messages from the staff at the post office, bookshop, ACS and newsagent informing me that something has arrived, and it’s that kind of personal touch that brings a smile and helps make this place what it is.

That was just my first thought as I sat down to post some pictures I took on Tuesday when wandering up the hill on a cold, but at least, non-raining morning. I must have been on the path before feeding time as the goats and sheep were gathering, bleating and baaring at me as if I was a delivery person come with a bucket of feed. On the way back, I passed Arabi the goatherd dog and his team, and sad to see, noticed he was walking on three legs and hanging one of his back legs and not using it. He was in the company of a pup, so I assume Arabi is nearing retirement age and passing on his knowledge to a younger generation, as is the way of the shepherding world.

I also saw a fair few Lefterises gathering by the bus stop at dawn, and a couple passed me on the way up the mountain on their bikes. It was Lefteris’ name day, and I assume they were heading to a country chapel. The parish church, by Zoi’s Taverna was festooned with flags and lights, and the bells had been ringing there the previous evening. So, some things continue as usual, or as best they can under current restrictions. That’s also what I am doing, with my daily typing session in the mornings, though the afternoon sessions have fallen by the wayside a little in favour of a warm sitting room and the ease of television. I’ll get back to a full writing schedule after Christmas.

For now, I’m happy to take things easy and wait for inspiration to strike. It happens even when I sit down to write… something, not knowing exactly what, and pump out a few thousand words. It may be rubbish, but it’s still training if nothing else. I feel a little as though, after completing ‘Banyak & Fecks‘, I’ve rather drained myself as if I’m not currently sure if I can write anything as good for a while. I’m sure I can, but maybe not until I’ve had a break.

Anyway, that was another stream of semi-consciousness thought as I can’t think of anything else to say right now. I have a mug of decaf to warm my fingers, and an idea for something to write, so I’ll turn my attention to that as soon as I’ve posted this ready to go in the morning.

Monday

I made a quick dash to the harbour on Monday between the rain showers. I say ‘quick’, I ambled along the zigzag path between the church and us, said hello to the chickens, dropped down past New Villa George and took the steep steps that cut out the curve of the Kali Strata to arrive outside the ‘red house’ near the bottom. Not the easiest journey with your glasses steaming up from your mask and the path slippery underfoot.

I wasn’t able to take my usual route around the quayside because the tide is up, and the road is flooded. Apparently, this is due to nearing winter solstice, a full moon, I think, and probably other scientific reasons I don’t know about, and bad drainage may also be to blame, I don’t know. It happens every year, isn’t anything really to worry about (unless it reaches your business premises), and you simply take another route. In my case, around the back to the post office where there was a queue at 9.15 (note, must get there earlier), around the town square to avoid the flooded road behind the bridge, and on to the bank. That done, I rechecked the post office – still a queue – and headed back up the Kali Strata at a sedate pace, reaching home 45 minutes after I’d set off. It poured down ten minutes later.

For the rest of the day, I finished off my model kit, cleared the kitchen table of paints and pieces, reread some writing I’d done, dithered about whether the story is going anywhere and what’s going to happen in the middle, and generally did a lot of nothing until Harry’s video piano lesson later in the afternoon. After that, it was the Thomas Crown Affair remake followed by Rocketman (again), before what has become a standard early night. Today, Tuesday, I am up at 3.00 again, ready to face writing another chapter of something, thinking about taking a stroll if it’s not raining later and looking forward to opening my office shutters for the first time in several days. Simple pleasures.

Preparing for Christmas

I thought I’d share some of our Christmas preparations with you. This time last year, Bev and I were meeting to practice some carols for a charity sing-a-long at Bulmas. This is something Dawn has organised each year for several years and raises money for the orphanage in Rhodes. This year, of course, it’s not going to be happening. I believe some bars are open for takeaways, and I’ve seen people having their takeaway in the streets outside the bars/cafés, but that’s not exactly the same as gathering around candles with treats and decorations, dragging in a piano and bashing out Christmas numbers. A shame, but that’s how it is.

The last I heard, some of our restrictions might be eased over the Christmas period, but we’re waiting to see how this week goes first. I think (and I stress think because I’ve not looked into it) that we should be able to have gatherings of up to nine people, but from only two households, and as long as we’re home by 10 pm for the curfew, no-one’s going to get arrested or fined. As I say, I’m not 100% sure, but we’re hopeful that we might be able to be with the logical family as we always are on the day, and they with us the day after, but we will see.

My birthday earlier this year was conducted in lockdown not long after we got back from Canada, but the logicals came to the rescue. I had a shoebox delivered to outside the gate, brought it in and unpacked birthday decorations, balloons, and a card plus treats, and later, we had a virtual party across the video-waves. We could try that for Christmas Day, but as our day tends to start at around ten in the morning and run until after midnight, it could be a very long video chat.

Anyway, that’s all remaining to be seen. Meanwhile, we put our decorations up yesterday, wrapped up those gifts that have arrived, and settled in to watch a Christmas film or two. Well, we got as far as two episodes of Australian MasterChef, the new Netflix film, The Prom (sniffing with joy through most of it), and then Bohemian Rhapsody, so not exactly Christmassy but the intention was there. Today (Monday) we’ve woken to high winds and some rain, and I’ve not yet dared open the shutters to see whether I will be able to get to the post office to see if anything else wrappable has arrived. Like Christmas itself, that’s still a wait-and-see.