Symi Sunrise, SNiP and Sunday

Happy new month to you, kalo mina, and all that. We saw a glorious sunrise on Sunday, as you might be able to tell from my phone camera. This was around 5.45, so you have to be up early to get the full benefit. Here on Symi, we also had a visit from the vest who carried out planned cat neutering organised by SNiP with the assistance of the town hall, Symi Animal Welfare, Greek Cat Welfare Society and others. All part of the plan to keep the number of strays down and thus improve the quality of life for street and bin cats.

For my part, I spent Friday wrestling with files and things for a book release. Having changed to a new computer, I discovered that my desktop publishing programme, a thing called InDesign, had a font missing. A simple issue that should have been easy to sort out but wasn’t. Although everything looked fine on my PDF copy of the file that was going to print, when I viewed it on the Amazon viewer after upload, which is where you check the document page by page, I found there were two pages not showing up. They were blank, and there was no reason for this. Long story short… After several hours of messing about, I gave up and went back to my old machine which is now in the other office, and ran the file through that. Ping! I was able to finish the formatting in seconds. I know which PC I’ll be using for layouts from now on.

The book, btw, was number six in The Clearwater Mysteries series of mystery, men and murder in Victorian London (you can add in madmen, mayhem and mates with a touch of feel-good, love, lust and humour). I’m rather stuck on these characters and ongoing sagas right now, and as I mainly write for myself, that’s fine by me. The seventh, which I’m working on now, is a calmer, slower and more ‘cosy’ mystery, and it’s coming along nicely, thank you. Oh, the things we do in lockdown, you say. Well, this is what I do all the time, but staying home as much as possible is an excellent excuse for me to stay home like I usually do, and surface every now and then for an after-work calm down at Rainbow, or wherever.

Share on Facebook

Spider season

Another spider invasion yesterday. Woke up at five, padded into the kitchen to put the kettle on only to find it guarded by this hairy, grey thing about two inches long. I didn’t panic, and I didn’t call for Neil who was still asleep, I simply encouraged it to go somewhere else, and it scuttled off beneath the sink. I wouldn’t mind so much, but I had bare feet and had to pass the sink to reach the bathroom. Anyway, that trial over, I made a cup of tea and headed to the living room to check out the balcony. Only to find an even bigger monster wandering across the rug and harbouring up against the skirting board, and this one was at least three inches from toe to toe as it sat there plotting against me. Needless to say, still barefooted, I left him to it, didn’t go onto the balcony but locked myself in my office instead. Neil searched for them later when he got up, but they’ve slunk back to wherever it is they lie in wait. That could be beneath the sofa where I sit most nights, or behind the bedroom wardrobe, who knows? I only hope they finish their vacation soon and head home somewhere else.

Maybe it’s this weird weather that’s brought them out. Over 38 degrees the other day, and now it’s like late October again with a cold breeze and clouds. Still, it will pass, as will the spider season, I hope. Meanwhile, I had a wonderfully unsuccessful trip to Yialos on Wednesday. The reason I went was to check the post office box, and it wasn’t until I was there that I realised I’d left the key at home. Still, I got some photos, as you can see, and had a pleasant walk, topped off by an early morning shopping trip to Sotiris’ supermarket, and then home to write another chapter. Oh, btw, the proof of ‘Artful Deception’ is back, so that new story should be out sometime next week. I’ll keep you informed.

Share on Facebook

A post about post

We were on the balcony in time to see the Wednesday Blue Star pull in on its way down from Piraeus. Not a lot of activity going on there, which is to be expected, though the Friday ferry last week was quite busy. I have to drop down to Yialos later this morning to check the post office, and that made me wonder how the postal service was doing. I’ve seen some posts (oops, pun) in various places suggesting that it might be taking longer than usual these days, and I’ve got a couple of things on order that will be a test. A small package from Germany via eBay is one, and that should be here by now as it’s been two weeks. I’m also waiting for two books from Amazon UK, and one rare book from America.

Mind you, delivery times have always varied. At some times during the year, you can expect a package (a book, for example) to arrive here from the UK within two weeks or ten days, but that’s when there are more flights and in the summer. In the winter, it’s also possible for the post to take only a few days, but that’s more pot luck as the actual delivery to the island can take time depending on weather and boats. When we moved into this house, we ordered new furniture from Ikea on the mainland, and that was put on the boat within ten days. It then took another two weeks to arrive from Piraeus because the boat kept sailing right past due to high winds and a swell. We watched it on Marine Traffic going up and down the line but never managing to pull in. It did, finally, and Lefteris brought it up to the Olive Tree, and we carried it home from there. A three-seater sofa, a two-seater, two wardrobes, two bedside cabinets, and a couple of other things in large flat-pack boxes. That done, arms aching and dripping with sweat even though it was winter, we were just flopping into a newly constructed sofa when we had a phone call from Michaels Delivery (as he’s called on my phone) telling us a new fridge freezer was waiting for us at the Olive Tree, and we had to drag that up to the house too. It’s not far from there to here, but doing it with no feeling in your arms and legs was an effort.

But I am reminiscing. This morning, Wednesday, after I’ve had a slice of toast, I’m off down the hill to see if anything has arrived before trudging back up to do the shopping on the way home. After lunch, when Neil goes to work, I have a chapter to write of another new Clearwater story which is going rather well, though I say so myself. Any day now I am expecting book six of the series to come back from my proofreader, and then I’ll have to do the layout for that and get it up there for my readers. You can keep an eye on what’s happening through my penname site. www.jacksonmarsh.com which I update now and then, and where I run a newsletter you can subscribe to. Again, I only send out a newsletter every now and then, so no-one gets bombarded with info. Right! Off to the kitchen and then the harbour to see what’s what and hopefully take some photos. The shots today are from the balcony. Again.

Share on Facebook

A welcome sight

Seeing visitors from Rhodes (I assume) getting off the Spanos boat from Rhodes yesterday morning, and then later, seeing people in the square at the bars, including Neil who had a reasonably busy shift. Locals only, of course, but in time, those with holiday homes may start to trickle back and stay awhile. Yes, the islands are open to residents of other islands, but as far as I know, there are no plans for holiday flights yet, particularly not from the UK or USA. Sorry. Fingers crossed and all that.

It’s also warmed up again but not to the high 30s as last week, but at least the north wind has dropped. So, a few photos for you taken from the balcony. The one with the cable running through it is meant to show you the white water of last week, but it’s not a good impression.

Share on Facebook

Able to get here? Good for you, dangerous for us.

I’m writing this yesterday as I usually do because my head is never quite in the right place first thing in the morning. Today (Monday) is the day most places can reopen, and that means up here in the village, the Rainbow, Lefteris, The Sunrise and, I assume, other cafes and bars will be opening their doors… well, their outside seating. As far as I know, it’s outside seating only and with distancing, and the rules can be revoked or changed at any time, so ‘don’t go silly’, is the message. It will still be a while before we see any visitors and when we do, it will only be from other islands or the mainland, at least to start with.

Now then, we’ve had a few enthusiastic messages from people saying things along the lines of, ‘Yay! We can come to Symi now,’ and adding a smiling emoji along the way. Well, possibly, yes, you might be able to, but how is another matter, and when another one also. Yes, it’s good that places can open up again, and Symi is, as we know, a very welcoming place. However, please remember that we have been isolated here, as have many smaller islands. Although you might feel safe coming from a highly infected country like the yUK, you’re going to a practically non-infected country and certainly a non-infected island, such as Symi. Good news for you, worrying news for us. So, even if you can get here, find an open hotel, don’t have to quarantine for the two weeks of your holiday, have health insurance that will cover you, and are a huge Symi fan with lots of friends here, please remember that you’re coming to a place where there’s been no, or very little chance to build immunity. We’re even thinking that if close friends or family want to/can get here this year, maybe they should stay in their own accommodation rather than our house.

I maybe blathering from my own point of view and off the top of my head, but that’s what I do. Hey, don’t get me started on what’s now happening in the yUK with that unelected bureaucrat who did what ‘any father would do’ and put the lives of many at risk for the convenience of the few. No wonder the yUK isn’t on Greece’s list of countries from which travel to Greece is allowed. Sheesh!

Share on Facebook