Happy first of the month to you! Let’s hope it’s a good one for all. Usually around now, I’d be writing something like, ‘The season is changing…’ or similar, but as far as the weather is concerned, it’s more or less the same as it has been for some weeks, so no change there. I’ve noticed a few more people out and about in the village during the siesta shift, around three to five (o’clock, not people), which is good to see. I was coming back from town yesterday and bumped into a family looking at their phones as they crossed the village square and trying to make sense of a map. ‘Looking for the church?’ I asked, because that’s what many wanderers come looking for. ‘No, just a scenic view.’

Well, you’ve come to the right place… I directed them around the S bend and along our lane. From the end, and on the way, you get great views looking down into the harbour. From the end of the lane, you get a good view of the hills behind Yialos, and around to the back of the village too, and you can drop down and view the church you see from below, though it’s rarely open. Hopefully, they enjoyed the walk, though it’s not far at all. ‘Can we see anything else from there?’ they asked. I told them that, if they had enough time, they could get lost. In the village lanes, I mean, among the ruins that have not yet been made into glossy holiday homes or Airbnb lets. I wonder if they are still trying to find their way out?

This was the time of year we used to come on holiday, the time covering anniversaries and a birthday, and I’m pleased to say, many of the people we met regularly back then still turn up around this time too. There are fewer of them these days, but September is usually the month for familiar faces and friends, particularly those who come to the Rainbow, where one of us has been working for the last 22 years now. Twenty-two years? Good heavens.