A day at home yesterday, so today’s photos are views from home, and one from under the desk where my assistant was working very hard.

The house, as you can see, has a lovely view, but there are some drawbacks. When the cruise ship is in, as yesterday, and the wind is in the wrong direction we get its fumes wafting up, and those of the other boats, even when the engines aren’t running, so I am not sure how that happens. We also have Captain Snort living next door. He’s been away for a while but is now back and back to his compulsive habit of snorting water through his nose to clear out his sinuses (I can’t image what else he would be doing) every hour or so. But, apart from that, the view is lovely so here are some shots of it.

Other thoughts occur to me today, one of which is about the stupidity of online advertising. Now then, when anyone clicks the advert link at the bottom of my posts (see below) I don’t think it’s stupid at all because the website earns tuppence each time you do it and it doesn’t cost you a thing, and it all goes towards providing the blog. But here’s a slightly different take on these adverts which earn some companies millions and others, like me, less than €70 a year…

I recently went looking for a hotel in Belgrade. I wasn’t actually in Belgrade you understand, that would have been a tad eccentric. But I used the internet and Booking.com. (If you book your Rhodes or Symi, or any, hotel through our Booking.com box over there on the right we also get another tuppence, eventually.) I had a lovely time looking at all kinds of hotels at all kinds of prices, and thinking, ‘I won’t stay there it’s too posh,’ and eventually found one that I think will suit us when we go there in December. So, I booked it. I also booked flights with Aegean Airlines, as you can’t use many others from here in the winter, and I like them.

All well and good and sorted (not snorted). Now though, each time I open a website that carries these adverts, my own included, they are all trying to sell me hotels in Belgrade and flights with Aegean. What is the point? Let me say that again slowly. What. Is. The. Point? I’ve just boked my hotel and my flights. You. Are. Too. Late. It’s like when I buy a book, the next thing you know Amazon are popping an advert on your screen or in your email encouraging you to buy the thing you just bought. What. A. Waste. Of. Some. Poor. Computer’s. Time. You’d have thought that, by now, someone would have come up with a way of knowing that you don’t need to be tempted by what you’ve just paid for. I mean, the big ‘They’ out there in the internet world seem to know everything else about us, but they can’t figure that one out? Sheesh.

So, unsurprising it was that an email I received, and this email said: “Hello James Collins,” (Hello, I politely replied) “Are you looking for something in our Travel & Holiday Books store?” (I was, but I just found it, dim-wit.) “If so, you might be interested in these items.

Symi 85600 – James Collins

Carry on up the Kali Strata-James Collins

Village View: A year on Symi–James Collins, Neil Gosling

Terms and conditions apply…” Yes they do, I wrote the bloomin’ things and wouldn’t you, a clever computer thing, have thought that if you’re writing to James Collins via a Greek email address he might already have something to do with books about Greece by James Collins? I don’t know, and I thought computers were supposed to be clever.

I need to get out more. Oh look! (He says, looking at this post online.) An advert for a hotel in Belgrade…

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‘And another hundred people just got off of the train…’ A Sondheim lyric from ‘Company’ but I was reminded of it yesterday when I saw a note that another hundred refugees had just been rescued and taken to the authorities on Symi. I was further reminded when I saw another five hundred day-trippers get off of the boats and start their day on the island, browsing the harbour, having talks on the sponge diving industry, the herbs and spices and the leather industry, before heading off to have ‘time at leisure’ before their lunch.

Symi life goes on with the day to day grind for most as they work from the early hours to the late evening, or do double shifts at the tavernas or bars, or as they head out to sea to fish. Others spend time at home, the grandparents caring for the children while mum and dad go to work long hours, while others keep house, cook, tend to the churches, the graves, the streets, the council business and the other services needed to keep an island running.

The day to day of island life eh? All kinds of things going on from arranging the festivals to driving the bus on the hour every hour from eight in the morning until midnight, or whenever. And then there are the guys on the boats. I’m thinking of the Skiedani here which set off yesterday at six thirty, so was got (gotten? No…) which was made ready probably from six a.m. onwards and then sailed across to Rhodes in time to come back again via Panormitis then Symi harbour, then back to Rhodes in the afternoon and, on many days, then back to Symi in the evening. Now there’s a long shift.

So, all kinds of stuff is going on and now folk are also finding time to help out the new island charity that’s helping the refugees – one (relatively) newly arrived ex-pat has been helping at the port police by building a sleeping platform I understand, now there’s ‘Bravo!’ for you. We’re volunteering every Saturday 10 to 13.00 from now on, as long as we’re needed and able, as we both work from roughly 7.00 to 17:00 every day, save Sundays when I write my books and Neil, as you might have seen from the photos, goes to the beach, or cleans the house, or cooks, or entertains before going back to the bar to work at three…

And so, life goes on as the visiting southern-Europeans, French and Greeks and Italians start to head homewards after August and we look forward to in Brits and Scandinavians, and others, who come here regularly in September. Actually, today is the day that, historically, we would always arrive on Symi. We always came for the last weekend of August to cover our anniversary (18 years on Friday, table and chilli stuffed peppers booked at the Windmill) and also Neil’s birthday on September 8^th (must remember to book the Roof Garden table next week). But all that’s another story. I’m off, have a good day.

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We’ve not had any early morning Symi photos for a while so… Tuesday morning, out of bed at 5.45, and it is still dark as the cat screams to be let in and fed and then spends the next five minutes getting under my feet as I try and find my jogging shoes. Those found, cat partially happy but not sure if it’s too early for his biscuit course or not, and bottle of water collected, it’s off into the great outdoors for the first time in about ten days.

The night before, Monday, had been an early night thanks to not going out but staying in to watch the new version of ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,’ which nearly had me asleep by the end of act one. But I persevered and made it through to the end. A bit more dialogue wouldn’t have gone amiss; far too much reliance on everyone understanding the subtleties of Benedict Cummerbund’s eyebrows and the reflection in Gary Oldman’s glasses, I thought. Still, sent me off to sleep nicely.

The walk up to the second bridge and beyond towards the lookout point and classic view-stop on a bus trip was easy enough, with some stretches of uphill done at a slight jog. The weather is cooler now so it’s a bit more bearable, though this jogging lark still not shifting anything from around the tummy region. That, of course, will have something to do with also enjoying life, which is, after all, what it is there for.

Back home and a morning of work with the cat asleep on my feet (why only in the summer? Why never in the winter?) that is, after he’d had his biscuit course and his second breakfast and his pre-elevenses snack, all of which require my attention and attendance as though I was some scribe out of Gormenghast and the whole kingdom of Jack would come tumbling down if I didn’t see to his every ritual. And then cooking lunch while Neil headed off down to the aid station (as I call it) to deliver some clothes he found in his wardrobe, and in mine I should add, though, in the wardrobe he has three shelves while I have one, and I only use half of that. Still, there should be some clothes for the men available now, which will be welcome.

And on that note, finally, the appeal has reached its target and now has enough money to start improving basic facilities at and around the police station where the 400+ weekly refuges wait. You can still go to the site and donate though (scroll down for yesterday’s blog and the link) and all donations over the target will go towards food, water and other essentials. Thank you!

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A quick Tuesday blog.

Yesterday’s blog caused a lot of interest and it was good to put the human face on the current refugee crisis, even it was only one person’s story. Perhaps I will hear more as we do more volunteering and as the situation continues, as it no doubt will do. As of Monday morning the appeal had raised 97% or its target. Take a look this morning and see where it is, and I am sure you can still carry on giving even if the target has been reached. Everything collected will be used for the benefit of the refugees coming through Symi, and the appeal is open until the end of September. Here’s the link again: http://www.everyclick.com/solidaritysymi/info

In other local news, the wind has been a bit brisk, which has taken the temperature down to, at times, September levels, but when it stops blowing we’re right back up to August again. There was the festival at Nimos on Sunday night, there are many boats in and around Harani, I’ve seen quite a few with their sails up too. Real sailors, not the fair weather type, I’ve even seen gullets, those big Turkish cruise ships with masts and things, with their sails up, which is a pretty majestic sight.

I’ve been working on a new book while I wait for the first draft of the last one to be printed and sent to me. Actually, I think I had an email to say it was on its way. Being a bit prolific at the moment, but I’m not complaining, though my typing fingers are. The Symi festival(s) continue with more performances and concerts and readings, plays and celebrations. These carry on into early September.

There, after a longer ramble yesterday, today’s post is short, mainly because I’ve been having some RSI in my hand and shoulder and don’t want to overdo things; am trying to rest the two typing fingers for a while. (Actually I use eight over both hands, but not correctly, so it’s mainly two on each hand that do all the work.)

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Here’s a bit of fun for a Saturday morning that fits into the ‘how to get a delivery to Symi’ chapter of the next book – which I’m not planning as yet – and some unrelated photos to go with. A couple of weeks ago I ordered a birthday present for Neil. (It’s on the 8^th of September so you’ve still got time.) The thing I wanted was found in England and so I did an online order to a company I’d never used before. And here we go…

First of all the company accepted my card and payment was made, and then they contacted me to ask me to call them to run through some security checks as I was using a card that was not registered in the same country as my address. Unfortunately the number they had me to call was one of those 0898 things where you can so easily call up a sexy chat line by accident. So I am told. But no, it wasn’t, but it was similar and I was unable to access it as the country the phone number was registered in was not the same as the country I lived in. So…

I emailed them and explained that I couldn’t do that, but maybe they’d like to call me at their expense, and I gave them my phone number and waited for the phone to ring so I could answer with ‘Hi, this is Chuck and I wanna play (calls may be recorded and are charged at the premium rate of £4.67 per hour plus V.A.T. your investment can go up as well as down) what’s your name, sexy?’ But sadly they didn’t ring but emailed me back instead. So…

I emailed them again and explained that we don’t have an address as such, not many roads around here have street names (which is the same for two thirds of the world apparently) and I am known to the post office staff and most couriers, the port police, the national police (for all the right reasons) and can get at least one local papas to verify me, and here’s a photo of the house. I also offered to pay using my other card which is registered in Canada but that didn’t help. They were very impressed with the photo of the house and so believed me and said they would send the thing on to me, tout suite. So…

Another email came in and this had a tracking number and a site link so I could track the progress of the thing on its journey. A couple of days later I had a look and found out that the thing had left Brighton and was at “Gatwick -We have your parcel and it’s on its way to you.” And the next day: “Birmingham -We have your parcel and it’s on its way to our depot” where, later the same day: “Birmingham- Your parcel has left the United Kingdom and is on its way to Greece.” Wow, that’s good to know. I assumed it was flying to Athens but no, its first stop was: “Best (eindhoven)- The parcel is in transit on its journey to local delivery destination.” This was the same day, so it must have flown to Germany or else someone drove very fast. And then…

Two days later is was: “Budapest -The parcel is in transit on its journey to local delivery destination.” Which is again ironic as that’s where we are going in December. But it gets spookier as the very next day it was at Bucharest, where we were a couple of years ago. I imagine that it’s got a hire car by now and is driving across Europe to enjoy the scenery. If so, it had a sleepover somewhere between Romania and Greece as it took two days to drive to Thessaloniki where it did some sightseeing before heading down to Athens the following day. And then…

Well, then it left its car with Budget and got on the Blue Star, possibly calling in at Symi but, the follow day arriving at: “Rodos – The parcel is in transit on its way to its final destination.” I’ve seen that film and it’s very scary. Luckily the thing arrived safely at the Rodos depot later that day and then got itself a lift: “Rodos – Your parcel is on the vehicle for delivery.” Woohoo! It’s nearly here. It’s going to need a holiday to get over that journey. But then, the final track of the list…

“Greek Islands – Unable to Deliver”

What? Which Greek island has it gone to now? Bloomin’ traveling ‘thing’ in a box… Ah wait. Ironically (number three) Neil found it at ACS and luckily didn’t open it or read the ‘From’ address too carefully. So, it’s now recovering in the wardrobe and is all in the same pieces it was when it left Brighton.

There you go, and here I go – have a good weekend.

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