Quiet days look like this

Quiet day yesterday. Early start, as usual, a bit of admin, a three-mile walk, 3,000 words, Australian Survivor (two episodes), a further 2,000 words, that Countryfile programme about Dungeness, extended Lord of the Rings part 1 (3 hours 45 mins), half of ‘Zodiac’ on Netflix and bed by 9.45. It’s amazing what you can get done in one day. Oh, also cooked lunch because Neil was on his six-mile walk. And during the above, I managed to upload a new MS ready for publication in a day or so and take a couple of photos of clouds, not very exciting but that’s how life is for me in the winter. Today I am planning a repeat of yesterday, but am already half an hour behind schedule. Will see how it goes.

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Monday morning thoughts

Today, some more views of Symi as we start the week. Apologies if the images seem rather repetitive over the winter months, it’s been explained before, but they basically show what we see; lots of wonderful scenery, light and sea, but not a lot of people or events.

Can’t believe it’s the 3^{rd of} February already. Four more weeks and we are off on our first proper holiday for a few years. Mind you, it’s not going to be a sun, sea and sand holiday, nor one where you get to chill by the pool for a week or two. Who needs that when you live here? This trip is going to be about boats, trains and planes. Boat to Athens for a couple of days, plane to London for a few days (two shows, one lunch and an afternoon catching up with old friends), plane to Toronto, train to Vancouver, plane back to London (Tutankhamun exhibition, lunch at a friend’s club), plane to Athens for a couple of days, then boat back to Symi just in time for my birthday. But that’s all a month away.

I don’t know if you watch Countryfile (if you’re in the yUK), but last night the programme featured Dungeness, Romney Marsh, and I’ve recorded it to watch later. Not only to see my old stomping ground and the pace I was born, but also because the lifeboat is/was featured, and that’s one of the places my brother volunteers at, as a navigator on the boat, so I was interested to see it. I shall save it for later today when I have worn out the ‘typewriter’ and, hopefully, been for a walk up the hill. Having realised that the holiday was only four weeks ago, I’ve decided I need to be able to fit into more than one pair of trousers. As I only own two, they have to be the other pair in the wardrobe and to do that comfortably, I need to lose a few more Christmas pounds – like a whole turkey worth. Not promising, but will be having a jolly good go to tighten the belt one more notch before allowing it to expand during the trip. Oh, and happy moving into the new house day, mother. I hope it all goes well.

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Symi Saturday Photos

An assortment of recent shots from Neil and myself today all taken in January.

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Sad today

Maybe the reason I woke up at 3.45 this morning was to spend as much time as a European citizen as possible. After tonight, I have no democratic right to a vote or voice anywhere in the world, I can’t even have a say in who keeps the streets clean, and to be honest, I feel like a citizen of nowhere. Thanks to the European Union and Greece, I should continue to be able to live here without too much hassle, but there are no guarantees those rules will stay in place forever. So thank you, EU, Greece, Symi for making me welcome. And that’s all I have to say today.

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I go to the hills…

We both managed to get in a walk yesterday. While Neil heads off down the road to the harbour, around and up the hill past Nos beach, and then back, taking in the town square and coming up the road again (roughly five miles), I go to the hills…

…‘when my heart is lonely’ (it’s not, don’t worry, it’s packed in there with all my other bits and pieces, so has plenty of company). And now I have the Sound of Music stuck in my head. ‘I know I will hear what I heard before,’ and that was the sound of hawks in the valley and water running through the pipes that come from the natural spring at ‘to Vrisi’ and run alongside the path from there to Agia Marina. I did take a video so you can hear the sound, but it will have to go up on the Symi Dream Fakebook page instead, so look out for it there.

And while we’re on the subject of ‘The S of M’, have you ever studied the lyrics? I mean, most are charming and seem to work perfectly, but when you take a closer look… What does a lark learning to pray actually sound like? ‘To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray.‘ Come to that, why would a bird be praying, and who the hell is teaching it, and why is it at school… at night? I don’t know. Very pretty and all that, but not the kind of deep question you want in your head at this time of day.

I may go to the hills later this morning, it depends on the weather and it’s too dark at the moment to see the forecast, i.e. look out of the window, though the wind has been buffeting our north-facing house already, so it might not be the most pleasant day for a stroll. So, instead, I shall battle on with Clearwater 6, and let you get on with your day.

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