Well, it was a lovely weekend, and we had a marvellous party. The whole thing started off on the right foot when we went shopping on Saturday morning. Just staggering back with bags and packs of water when Yianni (Rainbow) called us in to the taverna (Georgio’s) for a glass of wine with the lads (Manolis and Alexis). A chat about the new house, some mezethes and half a litre of wine later and it was home for breakfast.

We like this neighbourhood.

After that it was like sailing downhill; getting the house ready, pottering about, putting the last things up in the storage area above the bedroom, putting up a few more things on walls and then getting dinner ready for the godboys. Sam and Harry came on Saturday evening and we all sat around the table in the kitchen and had something of a feast. Cheese saganaki, chops and mash with homemade beans, ice creams and a couple of DVDs for the boys while we played cards with their mum and laughed a lot.

Sunday was also a great day with not much to do in the morning and guests for the housewarming party in the afternoon. That went off really well, and a big thank you to everyone who came, British, Greek, Lithuanian, American, South African, Dutch, everyone! The house is now well and truly warmed, and still in one piece. Even Jack coped well with it all, and with the amount of people in his courtyard. He finally made it out of the courtyard, as the gates were open, and went exploring out along the road. I saw him down beneath the house at one point and later we found him up to no good with some new mates over the road.

After the party we headed off to the taverna again as we’d not planned anything for tea, and had… chop and chips, for a change (with salad this time). And then, on the way home, we came across a very strange thing left lying around the square. Well, outside Lefteris’ kafeneion. It’s some kind of buoy I think, or a large fishing float, or… well, you’ll know what it is, I just don’t now it’s official name. Stephen, I think. I assume it fell out of someone’s pocket when they were having a drink.

And so on to the week ahead. No parties, no dinners, nothing getting in the way of early nights and early mornings. Something I have been getting used to with the more than usually noisy alarm cat and his 4.30 a.m. antics. At that hour he’s usually outside screaming to come in, then when you drag yourself out of bed and let him in, he doesn’t want what you’ve offered for breakfast so goes and sleeps on the sofa. Just when you think it’s safe to go back to bed he’s up and about again and threatening to wake the rest of the neighbourhood, so you end up sitting up with him and going to work at five. Or six, as was the case this morning. Ah well. Yawn.

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Happy birthday Sarah! (Will try and ring you later.)

But first: Strange behaviour from the Blue Star ferry yesterday, at least it looked odd from up here.

The boat came in around 09.00 and I thought I’d get a shot of it while also watching it on Marine Traffic, not that I was bored or anything. It’s something I have meant to do for a while; an excuse to show you the shipping site which you might find useful if and when you’re next heading to Symi, or anywhere really. As long as you are going by boat. No point looking at it to see if your plane is on time.

So, I noticed the boat was coming in and slowing down, though the traffic site showed it still out a way – it doesn’t appear to get in any closer than that on this site, not for Symi anyway. I noticed that the coastguard boat (navy boat) was out in Nimos Sound, out of the way, ready for the Blue Star to come in. Nothing out of the ordinary there. But then the Blue Star started coming in sideways which I’ve not seen happen on a calm day before.

Apparently it is, or was, missing its back thrusters which is why it couldn’t dock the other week in high seas and hard weather, maybe that’s why it slid in sideways yesterday. Anyway, it was a bit odd and then it stayed around of half an hour. And then it left really slowly as well. At one point I thought it had forgotten something and couldn’t remember what. It kind of hung there off the clock tower a little way out and paused. Perhaps the captain had nipped off to make a brew and no one wanted to head on out until he got back. It did eventually leave and headed off to Rhodes.

There, not a thrilling story but better than nothing. And, writing ‘Nimos Sound’ made me head to the map to see if the bay actually has a formal name as I just made up Nimos Sound for the stretch of water between Symi and Nimos. Apparently, according to the maps it’s just called Symi Bay, but I did notice something interesting while map-browsing. The bay on the south of Diapori, the headland that nearly touches Nimos (Diapori being the shallow channel between the two) has a name: Kokkinochoma Bay.

This sent me to my dictionary to check up on something and that gave me the unsurprising answer I was expecting. The question was, ‘what does Kokkinochoma’ mean? The answer I expected, and the correct answer as it turned out, is: Red soil (earth, dust or ground). Κόκκινο χώμα as two words. And that becomes obvious when you look over there and see the colour of the rocks. Red.

So, there you go. A Saturday morning piece of non-information and a couple of new words to put in your vocabulary. Have a good weekend! (PS, me rug was intentional.)

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We had a very pleasant day at home yesterday, with a lunch guest and then an evening in. We stood out on the balcony and watched the Blue Star call in, much to the relief of many I expect, and saw loads of cars and trucks coming off.

Wednesday is, in the summer at least, a popular shopping day. Many people who are not working head over to Rhodes on the morning ferry, wiz around the likes of Jumbo and Carrefour and other places where stack ‘em high, sell ‘em low prices can be found and then head back again on the afternoon boot. Often, when working at the bar, I see Jumbo bags going past at around 4.30 in the afternoon, or just after. And it looks like, what with the good weather yesterday, the same thing was happening.

This morning we went out for a brisk walk again, and again up the road from Kampos to Periotisa and then back down through and around the village. Soon we’ll start adding more distance or faster speed, but after a break of a few weeks it’s a case of siga siga.

We see a lot of council workers at that time of the morning. At the moment, around 6.30 seems to be the time for emptying the bins so today we saw the truck collecting the skip at Kampos and then heading up the hill. At the bend in the road further up we found the small dust cart (that comes to Elemonitisa) unloading into the larger dustcart, that collects at Pedi and other places, and then when almost home, we saw the same guys emptying our local bins.

We also had the strange affair of the door opening in the night last night. I am sure that when our guest left yesterday I shut the courtyard doors, and checked them as they don’t always fall onto the latch. We didn’t go out again afterwards but when I went out this morning the gate was open. Luckily Jack hadn’t run off into the road – not that it’s a fast road – he was still up on the roof where he had been fighting and shouting. So I wonder if someone came past early in the morning and heard his wailing and shouting, fighting and ‘alarming’ and thought there was a cat locked inside and in trouble, so opened the gate to let him out. Could have been someone come to try and shut him up as he is still pretty loud around five or five thirty when he thinks it’s time to come in. Will have to keep an eye on that one.

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Today we’ve got a few shots from last night and this morning. Shopping in Horio in winter, the village lane, inside Mandeio’s Brasserie where we stopped for a moment after shopping, and then some of this morning’s early morning walk.

Yup, I managed it. After going to bed at 9.30 last night, with ear plugs successfully staying in, and with no noise from the cat to keep me awake, I was able to sleep soundly through until around 5.30 when I started looking at the clock to see if it was time to get up. I was, in the end, up and on the road by 6.30.

On the road; sounds like I was in training like Rocky or something. I went, quietly, through the village square and past Sotiris’ supermarket, down to the road and the bus stop where the army guys were starting to gather for their lift up into the mountains. And then, past the doctor’s surgery and along past the sport hall and up, and around, and up, and around, and up… until, after 20 minutes or so of fairly hard work on the legs (which are not used to it at the moment) I made it to the top road. And then came back down again through the village.

Past the new house which is coming on a treat, past the yapping dogs who were inside, ‘Ricardo’ doing his morning ablutions in his outdoor bathroom carrying bowls of water about, through the back lanes and past the church where the bells were ringing and a service was already underway, around past ‘Lambros’ and to the top of the Kataractis, and then around the road –jogging a little to see how the knees were – and finally down the slope past the bins to home – by 7.00.

Talking of bins, I am getting to like going to the bins up here. Not only is it easy, being only around the corner, but it’s a lovely lane, with trees growing over it and with a view down to Yialos. Even taking the rubbish you turn round and think, ‘Wow, how did I end up here?’ But more than that, it’s the rurality (I just made that word up; ruralness…? It’s the way the place is still nice and rural… Something like that) that I like. There are bin cats of course, cats with character and looked after by the animal welfare folk, but also, yesterday I went to the bins and was greeted by a cockerel and two chickens. And then in the evening there was a bull frog croaking out, either that or it was a chicken with laryngitis.

But hey, new words or not, at least I got out and about and started my day with a big of heart-pumping followed by a hot water and lemon and a blog. There you go. Have a nice day.

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Blimmin’ cat & rain! The plan was, after a reasonably early night, to get up at 6.30 and head out for a fast walk to wake up and reboot the exercise routine, get back for around seven and get to work. Hmm.

The ear plugs went in at around midnight to counteract the sounds of ‘cat Vs cat’, outside, and then ‘cat on a loosely tiled roof’ above. After a very strange dream concerning old school friends, a falling apart hotel packed with guests, brilliant doodle artist, playing the piano on a golf course at night and a room flooding with water, the ear plugs fell out somewhere before 5.30. Which is when the Alarm Cat decided he’d had enough of the great outdoors and wanted to come back in. I tried ignoring him for a while but it didn’t work.

So, I was up just after 5.30, sitting in the living room waiting for it to get light so I could go out on my walk. Just after six it started ringing and it still is, now at 6.40 so that’s put paid to that theory. Instead, I thought I’d come and do the blog and make an early start so I can go back to bed before lunch. Only joking. I am going to spend the day periodically waking the cat up as he dozes blissfully on his new sofa.

I am actually going to spend part of it putting together the second wardrobe in the hope that it won’t look too big in the utility room. I also have to do a bit of shopping but that’s about exciting as my Tuesday is now going to get. Famous last words. You know what it is like around here, anything can happen.

And what’s happened is that Blue Star has put us back on its timetable. Whether we were missed out by accident, due to some dispute or just for a laugh is still uncertain, but Symi, and other smaller islands on its route, are now being advertised again. Good news for anyone aiming for Rhodes tomorrow. And if you are, you might be keeping an eye on the weather (as you have to when planning to use a boat at this time of year, as we saw recently). My forecast says it’s going to be mainly sunny tomorrow, but then it says it for now and you can see by the photos (taken just now morning) that it’s anything but. Friday looks bad, lots of wind and rain, so probably not the best day for a day out in Rhodes. But the weekend looks like it’s improving.

That’s the up to date Symi weather for you. The rain is still coming down, filling our sterna I am pleased to say so lots of free water, but also preventing my early morning exercise. Perhaps I’ll go out later. Perhaps I’ll join the noisy cat on the sofa…

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