Early start

Up at three again today and watching the lightning over turkey. The thunderstorm started yesterday evening and may have been going on all night, I’m not sure, I was in bed by nine. It’s a way off at the moment, at least ten miles if you go by that thing of counting between flash and rumble, but it could well be heading back our way. Some of the flashes are severe, so I may have to go and unplug everything again just in case, leaving me, potentially, with a morning of writing by hand rather than on the PC.

We are in the habit of unplugging where there’s a storm overhead or even threatened because it’s not worth the risk. In the past, lightning has struck something on the island, and the surge in electricity has caused people’s modems, routers and even computers or TVs to blow, even if the strike wasn’t close by. So, we unplug the phone and line, the router and the TV. Better safe than sorry.

It has reminded me (again) that we need to clean and paint the bathroom roof to help prevent water leaking through, and I should go and check the gutters and make sure they are cleaned out. If they fill up, the water rises and trickles, or pours, into the building under the eaves. With the duvet back on the bed, and the hangings ready for doors and windows, we’re definitely in winter mode, though there’s still no need to dust and clean the heaters before firing them up again, not yet, not quite – we have the extra layers of clothing stage to go through first.

Also, winter season is here because Neil finished working at the Rainbow bar last night, so now has his whole days free. It will take a couple of them to adjust back to the routine and realise that there’s no need to plan his day around a 3 pm start time for work. And so, after those three random photos and those ransom thoughts, I will make the most of this early start and get some typing done while I can. I’m hoping the weather improves, or it at least doesn’t rain too hard, so I can get out to the shop and stock up the weekly groceries. Luckily, we don’t need to go to town as Neil did that yesterday when he went to the dentist. (€50.00 for treatment and a filling if you were wondering. Well, more like a reconstruction job than a filling, but finally looking brand new and no pain or discomfort involved. Symi dentists are the best!)

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Nearly at November

Looking at the photo taken on Tuesday from ‘Kali Strata Corner’, you might be forgiven for thinking it was taken in June or September. If it was, the one of the Kali Strata taken just after it should have included people labouring slowly up the steps admiring the architecture and keeping in the shade, but as you can see, it’s a little quieter now than in those peak summer months. A little colder too. Socks are making a comeback, as are hoodies and jackets for the evening, the balcony doors don’t stay open as long as they did, but the heaters are still packed away waiting for their annual dusting and checks before they come into service.

The duvet is back on the bed, and the blankets are in readiness for when they are needed to go on top of it, while the quilt-on-a-pole is on hand for when the cold wind blows and we hang it over the doors to stop the drafts. On very cold nights, we take it down and lay it over the blankets over the duvet, but hopefully, that won’t be necessary until further into the winter. The house faces north and is exposed on three sides, hence we feel the cold up here more than the houses facing us on the north side of the harbour which face south and have more sun. The plants are doing well, still in flower thanks to regular feeding, but the vine is starting to go off. This means, hours of regular courtyard sweeping lie ahead as the leaves drop and then, finally, we cut it back and take the debris away.

So, still getting into winter mode with Neil finishing his summer job at the bar today, possibly the weekend, maybe next week, but most likely today, and as it’s Halloween, he’s threatened to be there in costume, including skull mask and top hat. That should ensure either a lot of custom or none at all, not that there is much custom to go round right now.

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Winter draws on

Having one of those frustrating computer things going on again today. Not this time, another Microsoft update, but a data stick failing. It’s the one with my writing on it and 101 other useful things which suddenly won’t work. Not on my machine, not on Neil’s. You plug it in and… nothing. Luckily, my writing folder is also copied up to my Dropbox, so the basic bits are saved – the PDF and Kindle files of published books, on-going manuscripts, but not the last draft Word copy, which means that should I ever need to re-edit or re-write one of them for any reason, I will have to find a way of retrieving the editable text from a PDF, or find a way of retrieving the data from the stick, which after an hour or so of trying, I am still unable to do. I will only know what else was stored on there when I come to need it and realise I no longer have it. Ah well!

Meanwhile, on Symi, we’re still enjoying good weather though colder by degrees. I can still take my tea on the balcony at 4.00 a.m., or whenever, though now in long trousers and slippers, and there’s a chill to the sitting room, but not enough to warrant the heater going on, yet. It’s still very warm in the sun, a couple of the day boats are still bringing people in, many of the tavernas are still open, waiting to decide on closing dates depending on the weather and number of visitors, though some offering a reduced menu.

Were going out tonight for what will probably be our last dinner of the season. We continue to use George & Maria’s during the winter, from time to time, and again, what you eat depends on what Noufris has decided to cook that day, but the taverna takes on a different atmosphere during the winter months. Only the inside is used, where the men play cards most nights around a table of mezethes, and where you have a much more ‘village’ atmosphere. The first football gathering of the winter took place at Rainbow the other night (AEK playing), though we didn’t know it was on and had made other arrangements, but we’ll probably be down there some nights for some of the games, the atmosphere and to make a break from the sofa at home. So, it looks like the winter season is nearly on us which means days and nights at home keeping warm, lots of writing, I hope, and lots of TV under blankets, but probably not much to write about here. We will see.

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A few photos

Just a few photos today after yesterday’s excessive ramble. (But at least the computer is working normally again, despite another ‘update and restart’ yesterday evening.) A couple of distant balcony shots of yesterday’s parade included.

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Oxi, in more ways than one

Today is Oxi Day in Greece, so in Yialos, there will be a church service and a parade with schools, the military and island organisations represented. Many shops will be closed, at least for the morning, but the boats still run, and tourist shops, bars, tavernas and cafes will be open, much as they were on Saturday.

We went to Yialos on Saturday to, among other things, have what will probably be our last lunch of the summer. I mean, at a taverna, not in general, lunch remains our main meal of the day. We were also there to help a friend celebrate his name day which we did by being given a glass of wine the size of a goldfish bowl which rather left the rest of the day happening in a blur. Back in Horio, we were invited to dinner on Sunday night and, attending that, had a wonderful time with people we had, until then, only said hello to in passing. We left having made a new group of friends, and still able to have the meal outside in the courtyard (overlooking the harbour), we had a lovely evening full of very varied conversation, good food and good company.

It was what I needed after a Sunday afternoon Windows update. “We are working on your update, please hold.” As I wasn’t doing much else on Sunday thanks to the goldfish bowl, I pottered around and came back to the computer later to see how it was doing. “6% This could take some time.” I pottered a little more, read a chapter, tidied the living room and returned, “12%, please hold…” Read half a book. “14% We are working on it, honestly…” Listened to Wagner’s Ring Cycle, figured out a Rubik’s cube… “20% Sorry about this, but it’s Sunday here in cyberspace, and we are short-staffed…” Redecorated the bedroom, translated the Bible… “35% see, we’re getting there…” Went on holiday, studied for an MSc… “45% having trouble finding the thingy-whatsit bit, won’t be long now…” Finished a novel (writing, not reading), painted the Forth Road Bridge… Until, finally, the screen changed and I was asked to log in to my Windows account.

Except, it was having its own Oxi Day. “Incorrect password.” No, it’s not. “Yes, it is, please try again.” Why? This is my password. “That password is not recognised” (You could hear the word ‘idiot’ after that, which I thought was rude.) “Would you like to try another method?” Well, if slapping my laptop about the screen and circuit board isn’t going to work, yes, I would. “Sorry, that method is not available. Reset your password?” Ah, yes, that’s going to be the only option. “Please log in to your Microsoft account.” What do you think I’m trying to do? “Please go online and…” I can’t! You won’t let me into my computer… Ah-ha! Mobile phone. Right, found the page, now to request a password reset… Ten pages of questions later (I kid you not. Everything from “Who’s in your Skype contacts list?” To “Tell us the title of an email you sent recently”, to “What was the name of your great-grandmother’s second pet, not the Labrador, the other one?” And finally finished the inquisition with, “Thank you for the information. Our team will review it and get back to you. This usually takes 24 hours.” At which point, I started talking in capital letters, starting with WTF.

It’s at times like this you’re compelled to turn to the dark web and find a helpful little forum where someone with the answer posts it for you to follow, except when I followed the ‘safe start’ route, the ‘advanced options’ thing didn’t come up, so that was no help, and in the end, after – again I kid you not – about 90 minutes of this, I just turned the thing off and on again for the sixth time. And it worked, Automatically logged in and hence I’m able to present you with this early Monday morning ramble and get back to normal.

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