The weather is calm and it looks set to stay calm for the festival of Panormitis happening this weekend. A 48 hour strike by some ferry workers meant that there was no Blue Star on Wednesday and may not be one on Friday, so our annual winter boat disruptions have started already. And that may also have a knock on effect for anyone hopping to come by ferry to the festival, unless they can come by the ‘Spanos’ routes from Rhodes. It may also mean fewer stalls at the festival if they were due to come by big boat. Or it might all work out fine.

We are, at the moment, intending to walk over to Panormitis for the day on Sunday, as long as Neil’s foot’s okay. He’s just started aerobics again so might be feeling a tad stiff in the legs; a walk will do it all good. The mornings are colder so it is even harder to get out of bed early and get into jogging gear and go up that hill and evenings start earlier so it is even more tempting to be in the warm with a good film or a book, rather than going up that hill in the evening. I’m working on it.

I’m also working on my new book and almost have the third draft ready for the next proof reader. My efforts are being slightly hampered by the E key on my keyboard, which is sticking in the up position; I have to belt it with my finger to get it to work. So, if you find typos with the e missing you will know it’s because the ky isn’t doing what it should. And clearly that was meant to read key and not KY.

Other news? Well, I heard that a group of doctors is coming over on Saturday to do examinations at the clinic and the Yialos school between 14:00 and 19:00, though exactly what doctors I am not sure; would be worth enquiring though if you are in need of a check-up. I also heard that the current island doctor may be leaving soon and we might be without one for a while.

I can tell you that fewer and fewer day boats are coming in now the season has ground down, a few of the tourist shops are closed, and some have shut for the whole winter now, while a few remain open for Panormitis weekend I guess. The boats will be doing runs from Rhodes to Panormitis at the weekend but may not be calling into Yialos as often. And I also heard that Symi Tours are putting on buses to bring people back and forth to the festival, so we shouldn’t have to walk home, and there should also be the Panormitis regular bus, so that’s handy. If all else fails we will stick our thumbs out and hope for a ride on the back of a truck. If all else-all else fails we’ll walk back. Yeah right.

Just to add that part one of the root canal work on the tooth went smoothly and surprisingly painlessly and part two is today around midday. It’s nice to be able to eat without pain again, until the next one goes wrong. And finally, finally, Neil spent some time with other volunteers sorting the winter and summer stock for the refugee centre yesterday as 20 or so new refugees came into Symi. The international news may have gone quiet on the subject in places (an on-going news story is not always a selling news story) but the crisis continues, people are still dying in their attempt to get to freedom and idiots are still saying ‘send them back, they are all men, they want to turn Europe into an Islamic state,’ and so on as Greece considers taking down it’s physical barrier between Greece and Turkey so the refugees don’t have to risk the sea. And so it goes on.

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Well, here’s a fascinating piece of correspondence just come in to the Symi Dream in box. It starts: Dear Manager, and I wonder what, or who I am actually meant to be managing. I am managing to write a few hundred words each day and edit those already written, so I suppose I could be a ‘manager’ in that respect. I don’t manage the cat very well as he can’t hear me and I don’t do two-pawed sign language; and no one can actually manage Neil, but still, okay, I will allow the writer of today’s junk to call me ‘manager.’ It goes on:

Have a good day! Well, that was a rather short email, hello and goodbye (I’ve just unemployed you – that always comes to mind, it’s from Evita) in one line. I think, as the writer, we later learn, does not have English as a first language we will also allow the use of this common valediction as a salutation. ‘Valediction’, such a lovely word and always reminds me of Mozart’s Requiem for some reason. (I heard a concert of it in the cathedral in Prague many years ago, and I should be in Prague in a few weeks’ time –there’s a tie in.) Anyhow, back to the email and its next line: This is Emily from CNBM Corp China, professional supplier of insect screen mesh for more than 10years. And this is where I suspect there is something a bit spammy about the correspondence. My suspicion is proved correct when I read the next line: From your website, glad to know you are in same market. Well, no actually, love, I have no idea how you picked up that Symi Dream is all about insect screen mesh. I don’t know the first thing about it other than I could do with some to keep out these blomin’ flies that are everywhere at the moment.

She then goes on to list some of her more popular items: Fiberglass insect screen mesh… pleated mesh… polyester… the rather vague PP mesh (pleated though) and so on. It means nothing to me – Oh Vienna! You can’t help but add that in can you? Especially as in about three weeks’ time I will be in Vienna. (Another tie in.)

May i know if any of them within your business scope? No you mayn’t, and you should have used a capital I and a verb, in this case, ‘are’, but okay, you’re not from ‘round these parts.

I’m glad to make you our detail quotation sheet after receiving your kindly reply. Let me just translate that a moment. (Pause.) Okay, know what you mean, but I’m not sure what I’m getting a quote for as I’ve not asked for anything so I doubt I will reply, kindly or otherwise. Anything else while you’re online?

Samples are also no problem for your testing. Oh good. And now I can have some fun. I’ll ask for samples of everything, polyester, fiberglass, pleated and even PP, you name it, and maybe they will send me enough to make a screen door and keep out these blasted flies. Hey, I wonder if they also do a virtual screen that can keep out unwanted, though occasionally amusing, spam emails like this one?

Waiting for your kindly reply soon. Don’t hold, your breath.

Thanks and best regards. Ditto.

Emily Wang…. And there then followed a rather complicated address and an invitation to click here to unsubscribe from these emails. Don’t click anything!

Hey ho. Bit of silliness as I watch out of the meshless window and see the Dodekanisos coming in on a flat calm sea, a no-wind day with a few high clouds around and wonder what I am going to do for the rest of the day. At least we have learned that valediction is the antonym of salutation so I shall now valedict (though you can’t really as it’s not a verb) and say cheerio.

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The photo today shows what a difference your generosity, donations, time and support are making as you/we all help Solidarity Symi help the refugees who come through Symi on their way to a new life. Check this photo against yesterday’s lead photo. (And thanks again to Solidarity Symi for allowing me to use it, I hope it’s okay, no-one has told me off yet.)

Also check out how calm the sea was yesterday afternoon as I noticed the barge thing pottering around at the new harbour jetty. Does this mean work will begin again soon? Does this mean we shall soon have a new jetty? Does that mean that we will then have a new jetty but no way of lorries getting to and from it? It will be another ‘Bus Stop Symi’ all over again.

My winter routine has started up with walk, work, lunch break, work on book, films, with other things popping in and out as required. Today, for instance, I am so looking forward to the start of some root canal work with the dentist. He’ll be doing the work, I’ll be making odd noises when he taps teeth and asks if that hurts. After that, I probably shan’t get much else done. But then the rest of the week ahead is free. I have to change the litter tray for the cat today. We’ve ordered eight packs of litter for him which should see us through a few weeks, just need to stock up on his food so his Assistant to the Groom of The Privy Chamber will have all the supplies needed to take care of him while we are away.

And, as you can see, it’s a pretty slow news day from me. We’re heading towards Panormitis weekend and we may be walking there on Sunday for the festival; it runs for three days but we can only go on the Sunday. Hopefully there will be buses back and if not, someone will give us a lift. I don’t mind walking there if the weather is good, but there and back in one day is a bit much. We have been going to Kokkimidis, but this year we fancied a change. We’ll see how it pans out. That’s it from me today, must go, things to do and cat litter to play with…

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We did our very little bit for the refugees on Saturday morning, heading down to Yialos at 11.00 to see what needed doing. As it turned out 24 refugees had just arrived and were at the port police station waiting to be processed. While Neil stayed at the old post office to receive donations and tidy up, sort out and do whatever needed doing there, me and Ian (who has come to Symi for the winter/time being to run Solidarity Symi with Wendy) took some water and basic supplies (biscuits, colouring books for the children etc.) around to the other side to see what we could do there. It’s never really ‘situationally appropriate’ to take photos so the only one here today (above) was taken by Solidarity Symi and I have taken it from their Facebook page which will keep you up to date with what the charity is doing for refugees and those in need more locally.

As soon as we got there we asked if anyone could speak English and there were two people who could. As Ian went to talk with the officers and see what was what, I answered questions from the man who spoke English while the lady who spoke some gave out the things to the children and others. Most of the group were asleep having been awake through the night. None of them had much by way of possessions and some were barefoot as their shoes were wet; one child had a fever and two ladies needed to see a doctor for some minor cuts sustained when, in their words, a Turkish coastguard threw a bottle at them; but I am not sure if that was as in “Here, take this water it might help” and it was an accident, or for some less palatable reason. The questions the guy was asking me were interesting though and might give you some idea of what’s on the minds of the refugees when they arrive.

Are you from the UN? No, I explained, we’re just locals trying to help.

How long will the port police take? It varies from two hours to many more, you just have to be patient.

When is the boat to Athens? Our next one is Wednesday, but there are boats to Rhodes and connections can be made three.

What is Rhodes? Can we get a taxi? I explained about Symi being a small island, Rhodes having more ferries, and another refugee aid station.

How much is the boat to Rhodes? Depends on the boat etc.

How long does it take to get to Athens? Between 12 and 17 hours from Rhodes, around 17 hours from Symi. (A bit of shock at this news.)

How much? I explained that the police station has all this information and timetables and it would be explained in more accurate detail over there.

What happens to us now? After the port police you will be taken to the other side of the harbour to the regular police, they do some paperwork and send it to Rhodes, when they get the okay from Rhodes you are free to move around.

Is there a shelter at the other side, is it a camp? No, they have a terrace you can shelter on, we will try and find you accommodation for the night, but otherwise… We have sleeping bags and clothes you can have.

And so on.

Back at the aid station we prepared 24 sleeping bags and washbags per family unit. On Saturday the guest list was made up of: Single mum (pregnant) with two young children, didn’t know where she was heading; single mum with two older children (the boy was either deeply in shock or had a mental disability, he was not very responsive but his mother was not unduly worried); Mother/father with three children; mother/father with two children; another mother and father with three children; two single men, one around 14 I’d say, and a young couple with no children. So, six families and two single guys. Having been given permission from the port police, we were able to take the three ladies who needed medical assistance around to the clinic where the doctor saw to them.

Later in the day, I am guessing now as we went off duty at 13.00, the group would have been sent over to the police station and completed their paperwork. There were no day boats in on Saturday and only the Dodekanisos coming back later in the day, but, looking from our balcony on Sunday, I can see people still on the police station terrace, so I assume our party has not yet been able to get to Rhodes.

There. That’s what we did on Saturday morning, just thought you might like to know.

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After yesterday’s debacle about spam emails I thought we’d settle down to some photos, and only a few words. I’ve just weather-proofed the porch (I hope) with €17.00 worth of plastic, a shower curtain rod and an old broom handle, so that should keep the elements out a bit when it starts to get really cold and wet. Saved myself a few hundred euros there and it’s all fully detachable, as we will no doubt find out when the first strong wind comes along.

Quick reminder that you can order books from Amazon and have them delivered way in time for Christmas; this months’ best seller has been Village View which you can find here. For the others, click the links to the right of the blog posts >>

Anyway, back to the photos: a random collection from over the past couple of days. Have a good weekend!

Click to our Symi Dream Amazon store for your present buying and help keep the blog going 🙂

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