Gone Tree

Thursday morning, up early after an early night, wind blowing, roof tiles rattling, bits and pieces to do, still waiting for furniture and carpet delivery but the Blue Star was in yesterday, so you never know, today could be the day. Today is, however, the day there’s a showing of ’12 Years a Slave” at Lefteris’ kafeneion (tonight) if you’re around and want to go and see it, and there is a crossword/quiz at the Sunrise Café on Sunday (4pm), so winter entertainments continue.

It’s not all been bad weather as today’s photos, taken on Tuesday show. It’s been warmer, with temperatures up in the mid-teens, but today we have our weekly storm. They’ve become a bit of a feature this winter, a new and named storm every week. I can’t tell you what the sky is like, apart from the fact it’s still dark, the shutters are again closed.

There’s some good news, for us, concerning a tree next door. It’s a large tamarisk tree in a ruin and about ten feet from our house and stands between us and the mansion house beside us. When I heard about today’s storm, where the wind was forecast to be up to force 10, I started to wonder what would happen if the tree blew over, and then decided it didn’t bear thinking about. The next day, yesterday, there were some men in the ruin, and they cut it down. Thought projection? Clearing the ruin for rebuilding? Chopping it up for firewood? Getting rid of it because it breached a sterna, possibly ours? I don’t know, time will tell, but what it also means is no more snow in September. It drops its white pollen or seeds or whatever usually for the whole month of September and last year, for most of October too. Not an issue except for people with allergies and both of us used to spend the months sneezing and suffering watery eyes. All of the above should be written in the past tense as the tree has now gone. I hope someone gets some good use out of the wood. Can’t say I am sad, September and October used to be maddening because of it, and I don’t need to worry about it dropping on the house.

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Symi Travel

Yesterday I opened my study shutters for the first time in weeks just to have a look at the outside world. It was just before dawn, the birds were singing, and the sea was calm. It wasn’t too cold either, and the overnight rain had cleared a little. It was good to get some fresh air in the study if only for a couple of minutes while I snapped two photos. (Must repaint the window frame.) Good to see the fig tree is behaving (or dead) and should no longer pose a threat to our knackered sterna when it gets fixed later this year.

The Blue Star came in on Monday on its way back from Rhodes. I heard it from the sitting room, and also the Spanos catamaran (Dodecanese Express or Pride, not sure which without looking it up). It’s called ‘Spanos’ locally because I believe, the owners also own Spanos supermarkets. If that’s the case, it’s a good job they don’t own a chain of sex shops or something, but the point is, the boats are currently running to schedule. Talking of which… Don’t forget Andy’s Symi Travel Blog if you are planning this year’s trip to Symi. Some of the timetables won’t be released until nearer the summer, but, as Andy’s latest blog post says, “We already have Blue Star’s timetable for the whole year up to the end of October. Yesterday Dodekanisos Seaways released their first batch of ferry timetables for the period after 31 March. These cover days up to 21 April 2019.”

The travel blog is linked over there in the right-hand column of this site >> along with a link to Symi Animal Welfare and the Symi Chat page. If you are coming to Symi for the first time, all three are invaluable resources for questions and information.

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Symi rain

There’s not a lot I can show you today apart from a couple of views from the house, and one of them is from the porch and only of the courtyard (rather blurred) because I’m not going out in this. These images were yesterday morning. It’s been raining more or less solidly since Sunday and shows no signs of slowing down, though the forecast says Tuesday will be better. (This site is turning into a Symi weather update channel.) The forecast also shows force eight and nine winds for Thursday, so we have that to look forward to. Hey! It’s good for the crops and reservoirs.

Of course, with our sterna out of action, I can hear the roof water running into it like a waterfall but know that we’re not going to be able to use it and, not long after the rain stops, it would have gone. I could take the top off the water tank I guess, but it the water on Symi doesn’t cost much. On the plus side, there’s been no water dripping into the bathroom, and the house remains dry inside. There is a bit of a drop right outside the study door under the lean-to which baptises me each time I go in and out, but it’s not much. So, at least we’re dry and reasonably warm… until we need to venture out for shopping. If this rain carries on, it will be a week of ‘freezer surprise’ meals and tea without milk. It’s not that we mind getting wet, it’s that it then takes everything days to dry and the paths are very slippery. You also need to be careful of the run-off from the mountain and the lanes can get to wellington boot level within minutes. The advice: stay indoors and put safety first.

Just to cheer us up (not that I am not cheered up, I like Symi in all weathers), I thought I’d dig out an old photo form summer. Now then, why is our neighbour building an ark?

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Pains, Pianos and People

Good morning. What news have I for you today?
It’s Sunday as I write, and still dark. I have a day’s writing planned so I want to get tomorrow’s blog ready to go first, and here it is, such as it is. We’ve had a varied weekend, thank you. Neil went down with a bad stomach and had to go and see the doctor. He rang first and explained the problem as Saturday’s is usually emergencies only, but as this is Symi, he was told to come in. He didn’t have to wait long, went into the office and explained to the lady doctor what the problem was. She asked if he needed his eyes testing, he said, ‘Probably, yes, but what’s that got to do with my stomach?’ And she said, ‘I’m the eye doctor, you need to see my colleague.’ Which he then did. He gave him some tablets for the cramps, and by Saturday night it had settled down somewhat. Nothing serious, possibly a reaction to other tablets he was taking for a bad tooth. Hopefully, that’s now sorted.

Meanwhile, I was bashing on with another pen name novel. I think those who follow me on Facebook know by now that I write for a specific genre (MM Romance) under a pen name, and I am now working on one of most ambitious novels for ‘Jackson‘ so far. If you look at that link, his Amazon author page, you’ll get the genre – completely different to my other books. Later in the day, we had a call from Michaelis the delivery guy arranging to drop off a piano outside Sotiris’ supermarket. Poor old Neil, though still not 100%, came to help. The new Roland (not his name, his make) was on the back, the guys lifted it down, and we prepared to carry it home. Not far, but not light either. Luckily for us, unfortunately for him, Nick came past just as we were about to start on the steps and asked the questions all decent folk ask, ‘Do you need a hand?’ Quick answer, yes, please. He and I staggered up to the house with it while Neil carried the new piano stool, and, after thanking him, (and I thank you again), we set about constructing it.

Those, and a wonderful rainbow I only caught the tail end of are my only pieces of news today. Now I must get back to Victorian ‘London’ in 1888, and the romantic tale of a viscount meets pauper in the reign of the ‘Ripper.’ A bit of drama, action, romance, nookie and humour, with a splash of Upstairs Downstairs. The things I do to pay the rent.

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Symi Saturday Photos

Today is a bit of a mashup, with photos from a folder of Neil’s images taken, possibly, last year or the year before. The time slip of yesterday sorted itself out with the clocks returning to normal on our phones and agreeing with the net, and I even managed to fix the clock in the kitchen by taking it apart and fiddling about while mumbling a lot. It’s only got one moving part as it’s battery operated, but I felt quite pleased with myself. That was between wiping the bathroom ceiling which was dripping like a rain forest for no reason other than condensation. It’s not rained for a while, but even in the recent storms there was no leak from above, so I am pleased about that.

Today (Friday) I am expecting a piano to arrive at Georgio’s taverna, along with a piano stool, so I can nip down there and drag them both home. The new study furniture may arrive as well. I hope so, my room is looking like a junk shop at the moment, and I want to get on with it so I can have a decent place to work. Anyway, enough of that. Have a good weekend and here are some shots of Symi to keep you going.

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