I’ve found some unpublished images from around this time last year, so I thought I would put them up. These were taken in the days before my phone cam took over from my heavy DSLR so the quality might be better, but they have watermarks, which I no longer bother with. Anyway, I’m heading off into a weekend which promises to be sunny and warm, perhaps a little windy on Sunday, but with, I hope, not a cloud in the sky. Have a good weekend.
They’re back! Well, one of the is anyway, but it’s gone now. You will have to excuse the low-quality image today, I was in the process of breaking the record for the 100-yard dash when I took it.
These things, referred to here as ‘Symi Spiders’ are, apparently, unique to the island – well, so I am told, but probably not. I was also told they were an Asian Tarantula, but I’ve never been close enough to one to ask. This young chap (you can tell it’s young as it’s only a few inches long – the photo on the wall below it is about 12 inches wide, and I was ten feet away, if that helps with scale), was just hanging there one night, probably having come in from the mousandra where there well may be a colony of them. Neil fetched one of those unnecessary plastic containers you get at the supermarket when you buy even just one a slice of ham and trapped it humanely. He usually picks them up, eek, but it was hard to reach. I was going to take a closer shot of it but was too busy climbing off the balcony at the time. He took it up the lane, or it took him, and left it safely in someone else’s house… No, he put it among the rocks and stones and told it not to come back. It’s a bit early for them. I don’t usually see them until May, but maybe recent warm weather has brought them out ahead of time. Anyway, that’s enough about them, here are two more random shots of Symi to take your mind of the spiders (which are harmless, by the way).
I had a lie-in on Wednesday morning, not leaping out of bed until six. The day was half over already, but I was just in time to see the sunrise. I took today’s photos about two minutes after getting out of bed. I did remember to get dressed before running up the outside stairs to the roof though, so that was a blessing for everyone. Not that there was anyone around at that time.
I, like everyone else around the world, am looking forward to the next act of Brexit! The Panto mainly with my head in my hands. I’m wondering what on earth is being done about all the other policies that country has to deal with and how many people are left on the “Save Brexit” trudge down south, or whatever it was meant to be. (An exercise in orienteering? A group of rain-and-cagoule fetish folk out for a stimulatingly damp rustle? A general embarrassment to all (i.e. both) concerned?) I’m also wondering how many will turn up for the “Stop Brexit” rally at the weekend, not that even two million voices would make a difference to one deaf prime minister. Good luck, chaps. Nothing I can do to help you, so I’m going to get in the popcorn.
Anyway, it’s yesterday now, and I must go down to Yialos shortly for the weekly post and bank rummage.
It’s interesting that a newspaper report said the yUK could run out of water in so many years on the same day that our house sprung a leak or three. There was a workman downstairs on Monday as there often is, though I have no idea what they do part from bang about and heave themselves at the door to open it because it sticks. Yesterday, after he’d gone, I noticed our water pump was running continuously. The downstairs flat (unoccupied) runs from the same tank and pump as us up here, and none of our taps or pipes were leaking, so I went below to investigate…
I found he’d left the flat wide open, windows, doors and shutters but was not around, so I went in. The flood advancing towards me along the corridor was reminiscent of a scene from Titanic, but I waded in, in my slippers, to discover the kitchen flooded thanks to both pipes to the sink spurting water, and the shower was also running, and I was unable to turn it off. I don’t think he left it like that, it must have just happened on its own. Still, it was draining our limited supply of water from our temporary 500-litre tank, and all I could do was turn the pump off, meaning no water for either property….
I popped over the road and rang the landlord’s bell and then banged on his door, as is the custom. When he appeared, he found his door stuck much like the one downstairs, and he pulled while I put my shoulder to it, and eventually we were in the same room. I tried to explain what was going on but he looked like he’d just woken up, and neither of us speaks each other’s language well enough to discuss the finer points of plumbing. In the end, I called the ever-reliable Symi Property Services, and Nick came up within the hour, took a look, diagnosed what needed doing (which he can’t do as it’s not our property), but he was able to isolate the downstairs water feeds. The workman didn’t return to close up until about nine at night by which time it was too late to go and explain what we’d done, so I am waiting for him to return, discover he has no water, and then I’ll phone SPS and pass the workman my phone for a properly translated explanation. All fun and games here! The upside of this temporary tank is that it automatically fills itself from the mains and shuts off, so we don’t have to remember to open the mains on water days. The downside is, it’s small and connected to the flat beneath. Ah well, such is Symi life (sometimes).
It was something of a gastronomic weekend up here what with Georgio’s on Saturday night and then lunch with the godson and his mum on Sunday. We’d bought chicken, not knowing that Sunday in the Orthodox calendar was a no-meat fast day, not that we follow that calendar which, apparently, has some kind of fast or feast for every day of the year. I set about a chicken supreme with vegetables, and mum brought a baked chocolate cheesecake for afters. A very pleasant if sometimes manic afternoon and evening with godson’s mum and two small children, one of whom was Neil.
Monday dawned bright and fresh with me also surprisingly bright and fresh, and the only news to report so far this week is that the Blue Star boat has changed. That’s only for the Monday service from now on. The other two days a week are still covered by the Patmos. I’ve just been online and booked my ferry tickets for later in the year when I’m going up to meet my own mum in Athens and then coming back by boat. That’s a Wednesday arrival which means disembarkation at Symi is at 04.55. Not looking to that so much, but the Village Hotel where she will be staying has already said they will pick us up. Anyway… On with my day.
