Today’s photos are Tuesday Symi morning skies.

“Rhodes, Myconos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos and Skiathos comprise the first batch of Aegean islands that as of Thursday, October 1 will see the waiving of the 30 percent value-added tax discount and, consequently, a series of hikes in the prices of goods and services.” So reports ekathimerini.com

Apparently Symi will lose its tax discount next June. Basically this means that folk selling things in their shops etc. will have to increase the prices to take into account the amount of VAT that gets sent on to the government. They/we have had lower VAT rates in the past so as to help counteract the extra costs of having things, sometimes everything, shipped in. But under the new laws, that’s gunna go and things will cost more than they already do, and Symi is, I hate to say it, already one of the more expensive islands to live on.

It’s also one of the more expensive ones to leave as a friend found out a few years ago. She bought a ticket from Athens (I think it was) to Symi for one price, but when leaving a week or so later that price was more expensive. When she asked the ticket seller why, he explained, in all seriousness, that because Symi is such a beautiful island one has to pay more to leave it behind. Made no sense to her and makes little sense to me now. Sounds like folk trying something on if you ask me.

The other thing I picked up on the wire yesterday was that the refugee charity in Kos has had such a great response to its call for aid that it now has a full warehouse and can’t take any more donations. As far as I know we here on Symi can still cram some more stuff in. We have a mousandra storage area at home that we can use for a little bit more, and I am sure others have. We were there sorting things out on Saturday and there was lots of donated clothes and supplies, but who knows who will be crossing the sea soon, or when we will see 500 refugees per day as we have done? If that changes and we too become stocked up, I’ll let you know. I guess that if we do, the excess will be sent on to other islands who need it.

I also heard that if you tell the UK post office that you’re posting a charity donation they will give you a discount, even without a charity number. My mum sent some stuff and got £9.00 off the cost of the parcel. Worth asking if you are posting.

And, as for me and what I did at school yesterday… No I didn’t go to school, but you know, ‘what I did on my holiday…’ Well, I’m not on holiday, I was working but I did get out at 6.30 in the morning for a steep uphill walk. The first in two weeks and it was remarkably easy. I thought I wouldn’t run as I’d not put any WD40 on my knees yet, but in fact I felt I could quite easily have run back. Maybe the next time I go out I will go past Pat the dog and up to the monastery and see how I get on. I think I could even leave a little earlier as the sun was up but behind the mountain and 6.30 was light enough.

That’s for another day, this is your lot from Sunny Symi today. Don’t worry about the VAT rises, just go head and start planning your Symi trip for next year if you haven’t already. Early indications are that things are going to be busy next year and so you might want to book your favourite accommodation before it gets snaffled by someone else.

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A few things happening around here at the moment: A few more refugees have arrived and are being helped by the port police, the police and Solidarity Symi. A 12 year old girl sent in a large basket of teddy bears for the refugee children, so sweet. Neil also leaped on the port police on Sunday night as we were coming back from a party at Villa Sophia (where Rick Stein made his programme about Venice, or something). Neil didn’t actually leap on the poor unsuspecting guys and girl in uniform, but he did rather take them by surprise…

They were having coffee at Elpida’s before heading out on a patrol, happily minding their own business when this English chappie (Neil) saw them and went dashing in. He basically gave them a verbal handshake and told them how much we all appreciated their work and what they were doing. They were rather surprised but understood the message and he left them glowing slightly with a good feeling. Bravo that man, and those men, and that lady, and thank you to Hillary and Co. for the invite and the party.

Meanwhile, our village/island doctor has retired or is retiring and will be off to Rhodes to spend his retirement with his family. I’m not sure who his replacement is, but there were other doctors around recently and I assume we won’t be without one for any great length of time, if at all. Neil’s off to the surgery today for something so we’ll know more later on.

Other news? Not much, few clouds but not due another storm until next Tuesday though, the day I am thinking of heading to Rhodes to collect my nephew who arrives on Wednesday. Always better to be there ahead of time in case the weather changes. It depends, as it always does, on what forecast you use. One that I look at tells me that Friday is going to be ‘beautiful’ but Saturday will be both sunny and beautiful, though next Tuesday will be merely ‘pleasant.’ October 7^th, on the other hand, is building itself up to have ‘Abundant sunshine’ (I can’t wait for that as, if you change the word ‘abundant’ to another from the thesaurus, we could be in for rich, profuse or, my favourite, lavish sunshine – fab) while on November 5^th will have ‘A thunderstorm in spots.’ I assume that either means some kind of polka dot event in the heavens or very, very small thunderstorms in specific puddles dotted here and there. Who knows?

Anyway, there’s no other news from this desk this morning, so I’ll let you go and get on with something more interesting and wish you a merry Tuesday.

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Out and about on Saturday on Symi, doing things… There were 10 or 12 refugees brought in on Saturday, though while we were at the old post office they were at the port police, but the quiet time gave us, and several other volunteers, time to tidy up and sort out. A large consignment of clothes and donations had come in from several places and people around the world and needed sorting and placing. Some was going to storage in Pedi, while the rest needed to be checked through and organised. Meanwhile, in the background, the Solidarity Symi fundraising campaign reached its latest target of £30,000 which is great news.

I also read this post from the Solidarity Symi team: “One of the refugees who arrived today has advanced MS. When I asked if we could do anything to help, he replied ‘We feel safe. That’s all that matters.’ The quiet dignity of these unexpected guests is profoundly moving.” ‪#‎solidaritysymi

While we were doing our little bit, I found out that I had been in bed with two ladies that very morning and knew nothing about it until they alerted me to the fact. Two of the Saturday volunteers, here on holiday, had been reading this very blog, in bed, that very morning; well, you never know where you’re going to be popping up do you? Later in the morning my mum came to see what we were up to and immediately got stuck in with some cleaning (I’m back in the refugee station now, not still in bed with the ‘Beedle dee, dee dee dee…’ two ladies).

We also met another ‘Beedle dee, dee dee dee…’ two ladies and ended up having drinks and dinner with them later – you meet such interesting people on Symi, including, as it turns out, another writer and blogger. I’m looking forward to sharing more info with you about all this is due course. After our time at the aid station we wandered around the harbour and had what’s become a tradition now, a Saturday lunch. This time we went to see Jordana at To Spitiko and had souvlaki. We took a cab up afterwards so that Neil could get to work on time.

Saturday afternoon rolled on into evening and into Zoi’s where mother treated us all to dinner before we headed back to the village square for some live music. It was rather the ‘battle of the bands’ as Georgio’s was also playing live music and we were at the Rainbow Bar, caught in the middle (with you) as the song says. Sunday morning, I watched the soldiers down in Yialos doing their regular Sunday morning parade, saluting the flag at the war memorial and a-singing of the national anthem (much abridged – the original poem on which it is based has 158 stanzas, usually only the first one or two are sung or in the case of our boys chanted as though they were on their way to Old Trafford.)

Then I watched another cruise ship call in, smoke a-belching, and then… Well, actually, that’s exactly where I am now. The Alarm Cat is at my feet telling me it’s time for his second breakfast so I shall have to go and attend to that. It’s this thing he has about not wanting to eat alone. I suggested, the other day, that we should get a second cat to keep him company in his old age, but the trouble with that is, you end up with two cats and, after this one, we don’t want another, so the idea didn’t go down too well.

And NO, we do not want any cats donated, thank you. This one is turning into a dog already. It’s a bit comical to watch: I get up, let him in, feed him, go to the bathroom and when I come out, he’s there, looking up. We go to the bowl and he carries on eating. I go to the balcony and he trots out and lies down. I go back inside, he gets up and follows, then sits at my feet under the desk, but I’m not stopping there, I’m back to the kitchen to make coffee and he’s with me, flops onto the floor, ‘Are we done yet?’ and then, when I head back to the desk, he follows, this time telling me to settle down! And so it goes on. It’s the only exercise he gets.

Anyway, enough! I’m off to see to Sir-the-cat’s needs and then do some Sunday morning house jobs, like yesterday’s washing up. Here’s wishing you a good week ahead.

PS: If the ‘Beedle dee, dee dee dee…’ confused you, you really need to watch more Liza Minelli films.

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Sea photos and a day trip to Symi

Saturday photos, and today they are all the same view, more or less. The weather has calmed down and got over itself, the cruise ship has been in, the Diagoras has been running, the other boats too, there are lots of yachts about, a whole flotilla has been around and the sea has been calm. So, I’ll leave you with these images and wish you a good weekend.

And here is a video from You Tube showing a day trip to Symi (Yialos and Panormitis as the boat doesn;t stop in Horio) with a feature on Takis and his amazing leather artwork in the middle.

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Here are my Symi thoughts for today.

The weather is still the talk of the town at the moment, what with devastation in Skopolos, Bodrum being flooded and Rhodes getting an extra day of storms on Wednesday. It was still a bit cloudy on Symi yesterday, with more rain forecast on Thursday but at least it’s not as stiflingly hot as it has been recently, and the wind is not high, so the boats are not affected.

While we’re rabbiting on this morning I thought I’d put up some of Neil’s photo taken the other day in Yialos. More ‘portraits’ of folk on holiday and working in the harbour. The season is still going on, and doesn’t end here for a few weeks yet; usually around mid to late October. Mind you, we do have sailing boats coming in through and into November when we also have lots of visiting Greeks and others, for the festival at Panormitis on 7^th – 9^th November.

This doesn’t mean that all the shops stay open though. Some do, and just about everything in the village stays open. What closes for the winter? Well, a couple of tavernas and one or two shops, but that’s it. The cafes up here are all open, the Olive Tree has a couple of quiet months off in the early New Year, but the others, with more indoor seating, are open. Down in the harbour a few more places close, to the extent that there are only a couple, like To Spitiko and Aris open. Many of the bars are still going but again the ones with outside seating (mainly) tend to be shut. But that’s all a long way off yet.

As I’m writing this I am watching the Panagia Skiedani coming in, and it looks pretty full. Neil told me that when he was in Rhodes on Wednesday, getting soaked, there were hardly any taxis to be had, thanks to all the cruise ships that were in. We had one in on Wednesday too, in the evening. It’s fun on a Wednesday as the Panagia leaves at the same time the Diagoras is due in and that’s due to leave as the cruise ship arrives, while all the gullets (two Ls –note!) are trying to get a berth as well. Our mooring men do a great job down there at these times. Well, at all times.

I’ve been looking at the timetables because my nephew is due to arrive in under two weeks and I ned to figure out the best boats to get, and cross-reference that with the weather to make sure I am on the island with the airport at the right time. The Panagia is doing fewer runs soon, but still should allow me to head over on a Tuesday, to meet a Wednesday flight, if it looks like the Wednesday morning boat might be late or cancelled due to weather (too early to say yet), and the Pride is conveniently coming over on a Thursday morning so we can get back… You have to start planning these things in advance, checking the weather, organise the tickets early to make sure you have a seat, then I need to book the hotel for a night or two… The fun of island living; very suitable for frustrated travel agents like me.

There you go, that’s a ramble for you, something to read over your morning coffee. Let’s hope this cloudy stuff passes over quickly and we can get back to complaining about the heat soon. Mind you, it’s never that hot at this time of year, I am now considering a duvet back on the bed and having to work with a shirt on.

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