Symi to Split

I know, a strange headline, but today’s post is about our honeymoon trip, which is now (partly) organised. We wanted to let everyone know what the plan was so that those wonderful people who contributed to the fund will know that they are responsible for sending us. You can also see that your donations have been used, as promised, on the trip and not handed over in varying amounts to certain bars in the village. Thanks to Expedia, we have arranged the big part of the trip and have a little left over for spending when we are there.

So, we can now say to people that ‘we are going to Split on our honeymoon,’ which is a play on words that appeals to me. We chose it because we haven’t been to Croatia, it looks good, and from there we can spend a few days exploring other parts of the coast. I’ve spent the last couple of days being a travel agent and looking at all kinds of possibilities, finally settling on Expedia to arrange me the flights and a hotel. The trip is from Athens and back because, on the return journey, we want to try the Athens to Symi route on the Blue Star. So, all we need to do now is arrange the flight up to Athens, a hotel there on the way back and then the ferry once the timetable is published and bookable. Helpfully nothing will change, and we’ll have the same timetable as this year.

So, now you know all that, it just remains to say another huge thank you to everyone who contributed and who has made this possible. There will, of course, be photos and blog posts about it when we get back – the trip is planned for next March so that I am there for my birthday. More about all that in due course.

Have a good weekend.

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Back to the usual Symi

With all the guests now left there’s time to settle back into the usual routine. I am just going through our cameras to see what we have on them, and the photos seem to mainly revolve around the Poseidon and various boat trips. Neil went out on it with the family one day, we went to a birthday party on another night, and then the photos are of beaches and days out. It was almost like being on holiday.

We are now heading into the winter season, though no-one has yet told the weather. It’s still very warm outside and sometimes humid, so much so that we were shrouded in mist the other morning and everything outside was wet, as if it had rained overnight. The harbour continues to be busy with up to six day-trip boats coming in, plus the in/out ferries at certain times. There are many northern Europeans and British around the island as it’s a popular time of year for them, and the village is buzzing at night.

As for me, I am today (Thursday) just settling back into my work routine and my writing, seeing to some jobs around the house and preparing for a round of invitations. It’s also that time of year (not complaining) when we find ourselves invited out for meals, or to meet for drinks, and although I’d wanted to get to the Symi Film Festival events and see some films, I have been pre-booked up every night this week, with one night in Rhodes and another returning from it, then three evenings out in a row. Next week looks quieter.

While in Rhodes, we stayed at the Mitsis Petit Palais Hotel as our usual ones were fully booked. This is a great place to stay, and we got a very good price. Half board (or all-inclusive in mother’s case) for €49.00, in September. The hotel is large, and not far from the main attractions in the new town, close to the beach and shops. It was very busy, but the staff were friendly and helpful, though working very hard, and the food was spot on. There was even live music in the bar in the evening. If you stay there, bring your earplugs as it is, like most modern hotels, all tiles and hard floors, and there’s some background noise with people moving about above and below. I put mine in and was out like a light.

Anyway, I’m now getting back into my rhythm and have two books and a screenplay to work on, so excuse me while I go and do that. There will be more of these random photos over the next few days, no doubt, and I will be back to my six random blog posts per week from Symi.

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Thank You

This is the last of my pre-written blog posts concerning our CP and, after today, I will be having a couple of days off before trying to get back to the usual routine. I am away tomorrow which will mean no posts for a couple of days, but keep an eye on this page and I’ll be back with my usual bits and pieces before long. Meanwhile, there are so many people to thank. If I have omitted anyone, I apologise; drop me a line of you think I should have mentioned someone and I will do so in a future post. I’m working alone here and after so much fun and festival, I may not recall everyone. This is in no particular order, but here goes…

The best men for their speeches and other duties. Captain Yiannis, Fotini, their family and the lady who made the cake. Wendy and Adriana for arranging the bus and other things. Racheal and Anna for their work on the translation and helping with the town hall process of registering the CP in the Symi records (the first one ever on the island). The town hall staff.  The Notary for her part in the process and allowing photos inside her office. Jenine for just about everything from planning meetings, to Jumbo orders, becoming ordained (a la Joey from Friends) to holding the ceremony, organising things on the boat and making sure it all ran smoothly. Sam and Harry for looking so smart, carrying the rings, being gentlemen and all their other help. Allan and Julie for the photos before, during and after. The guests who came to the drinks and those who came on the boat. We would have loved to have taken everyone, but that wasn’t possible. Everyone who sent gifts and cards – soooo many of them! And to everyone who gave money towards the honeymoon.

Andy and his team at the Old Markets Hotel for giving us two nights, a champagne breakfast and the best room in the house. Alun for his reading during the ceremony. Louise for the lasagnes and all kinds of other things and for being next door if anything was needed. Steve who arranged the music and light systems. Terri who played the CDs and did the DJ-ing. The Island boys (must discoer their names) who guarded the bay all afternoon and herded goats, tidied up and later congratulated us. Our family members for making the trip, some of them were only on Symi for 24 hours before having to head back for work. Gwen who made the wonderful waistcoats (contact me for commissions). These were lined with each other’s material, so I was blue outside and red inside, and Neil the other way around. Everyone who stepped in to help without question when asked to do something. And Anne, for her hat.

Oh, and Neil of course – and Neil’s late mother who had the good sense to be born in Ireland. I am now married to an Irish citizen and under current EU law can live in the EU by marriage to an EU citizen, no matter what the yUK does. This means, I can now say (by way of celebration) that Brexit-wrexit can chaotically shove itself up its own referendum, I don’t care.

Finally, on a more serious note, I should thank Symi itself. This was the first same sex civil partnership to be held on the island. The law was amended in Greece in 2015 and CPs have happened elsewhere in the country, but never here. The reaction we have had has been amazing. This is, after all, a pretty rural place in a very Orthodox country. If anyone locally hasn’t understood or did not approve, they have not made those feeling known. If anyone wanted to object, they have not. We have been congratulated not only by our British friends and others from Europe and around the world, but by our Symi neighbours in the village, people we hardly know who work or live in Yialos, total strangers and other Symi folk.

What was also special for me, was the way that one local lad of 18 congratulated us, another who is 14, and other young people who wanted to give us their support. Maybe it shows a shift in attitudes which will, in time, filter down to their under-generations and go some way to eliminating prejudice and ignorance (not that we have encountered any on Symi). This, I hope, will make life easier for young people in this country who might desperately want to be accepted for who they are and who they love, but who currently don’t feel able. As I write, there are – there must be – many near us who are in that boat; perhaps our CP on Symi has shown them that they too can be accepted.

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The Symi Film Festival starts today and everyone is invited to attend the screenings, which are free. Here is the programme and a PDF programme version if you’d rather download it.

Screenings start at 20:00 each evening at the Horio sports centre, outside. The Festival committee write: We have selected 41 films from 19 countries. There were 90 entries from 32 countries around the world.

The writer/director and star of the Greek film “The Lion of Pentelis” is staying on Symi with his family next week and will introduce the film before it’s showing on Thursday.

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Special Moments

Still continuing the Civil Partnership story for a few more days before I take a couple of days off from the blog to see the last of the family to their flights…

The days surrounding the ceremony and the day itself hold so many special memories for us, it’s hard to select only a few to highlight today. I am also working on my own here as Neil is currently out on the boat (it’s still last Tuesday as I’m getting this ready in advance). But, here are a few of the moments that stand out for me:

Seeing so many of our friends who had not met each other before getting along so well and having a great time – and thinking ‘this is for us.’

Seeing Harry and Sam in their smart clothes helping their mother, and their godfathers, us, carrying the rings and looking after everyone. Sam arranging to get the hat from the wedding cake because his younger brother was wearing the same kind of hat and wanted it.

The surprise birthday cake. Our CP day was also Neil’s 50^th birthday and we had no idea that Yiannis and his family had arranged this surprise cake for him and us. It was beautifully made in the shape of a camera and it was a shame to cut it, but we did and it was perfect.

The speeches by the best men (and Jenine’s words) which were so honest and heartfelt. Christopher’s was a classic best man’s speech mixed with words about his love for his father. George, my nephew, had the crowd in stitches as he nervously took the microphone, uttered his first sentence, stumbled on a word or two and then said, loudly enough for those on the coast of Turkey to hear, ‘Doh, I’ve f****d it up already.’ He went on to talk about us and also diversity and the fight for recognition of the LGBT community.

During the dancing, we had inserted another of my songs into our playlist. ‘Sleep On’ was a song I wrote for Neil in 2001, and Kinny and I performed it in cabaret; the recording we used was from a CD we made at the time. At the party, we had given everyone a ‘favour’ in the shape of a lantern with a candle inside. Some of the lights were extinguished so we could dance under the stars. Neil and I danced (it was a bit of a tearful moment) and had our eyes closed for a while. I opened my eyes and gave him a nudge; the guests had silently circled around us holding up the candles. More watery eyes followed. A very special moment.

The music we had chosen for the evening was varied. My Symi Dreams album of piano impros was played while everyone was setting up, there were a couple of my own songs involved, as I’ve said, and a selection of numbers that meant something to us. These ranged from Neil’s classic birthday song ‘Let me Entertain you’ by Robbie Williams, to ‘The Rhythm of Life’ from Sweet Charity, a fav of mine, and from the Steve Miller Band to The Monster Mash. When I was about 15, I played in a swing band and we appeared on ‘Swap Shop’ playing ‘Pennsylvania 6500’ so we played that number too. But musically, for me, there were two special moments. One was playing music by my best school friend, Andrew T MacKay, now an important composer of film and other music in India; we had this playing on the way back from Taviri, crossing the flat-calm sea on the boat with the lights of Symi twinkling us safely into port. The other was a number called ‘Nou’s Blue’ composed and arranged by my brother and recorded by him and his band. My mother and I danced to this; another special moment.

As I said, there are so many others that it’s difficult to decide which ones to write down and I don’t want to go on all day. Those are just a few, more may pop up over the next few days.

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