Yesterday’s stats: Miles walked, nine, worst giros in the world ever eaten, one. Rather, half a one, but I’m not telling you where it was, only that it was in Rhodes, where the weather was just right for wandering aimlessly around shops and sites. There will now have to be a few photos of the excursion to fill these pages over the next few days, not that I took many photos. I’ve still not exhausted the images from the last trip, but we’ll get there.

Let’s start by leaving, and the walk down to the harbour.

Where the boat backs in…

And from there to my favourite spot, out the back in the fresh air. I say fresh, it is as long as you don’t stand in the direct path of any fumes from the funnels or the vehicles below. Once you’re on the move, it’s fine.

Although the sea was calm, it took a while for the ship to dock in Rhodes, creeping ever starboard to the quayside, and I mean, inch by inch. We got there in the end, though, and everyone poured off. I had plenty of time before my appointment, so wandered around the coast path to Akandia gate, and then took a cut-through to miss out the tourist harbour entrance and the road with very little path. Onwards to Mandraki for a pit stop at the best public toilets in this part of the world. Clean (they’ve got new stone sink surrounds, it looks like), locks, seats, music playing, cleaners on hand so they’re always spotless, and for the gents, YouTube videos playing above the urinals so you can watch cats being daft while you do your biz. After that, it was off to Zara’s for a sweaty look around. Sweaty because I only have to walk three paces and I’m dripping, yesterday was warm enough that I didn’t need my jacket, and the escalators at the shop weren’t working. In clothes shops, menswear is inevitably on the top floor or in the basement, have you noticed? M&S, top floor, H&M, basement (was, now it’s women’s clothes down there and men’s seems to have vanished), Zara’s, top floor, Pull and Dump or whatever it’s called, basement. We’re always up and down stairs, and in most of these stores, M&S in particular, they seem to have the heating on full blast even in summer. That’s one reason I rarely try on clothes, it’s too darn hot. Besides, it’s not nice to put a damp shirt back on the rails. Anyway… I’ll finish for today with a nice shot of the outskirts of the Old Town at Mandraki.

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Looks like we’re in for a wet and windy today, so that’s me staying at home. I’m out all day tomorrow in Rhodes (unless the weather stops the boats), so I’ll save my energy for that, and spend today at the desk and/or on the sofa. Yesterday, I spent a couple of hours at the kitchen table with our godson. He’s currently building a Yamaha something, and I am working on another Phantom of the Opera, taking myself back to when I used to make these models when I was about 12. The Cutty Sark is as finished as it’s going to be and in the sitting room. I’ll try and get a decent photo of it one day.

What’s happening out and about? Don’t know really. I saw some visitors on Sunday. At least, they looked like they had just come off their sailing boat, dogs included, and were exploring the village, maybe looking for somewhere to have dinner.  The first charter flights arrived in Rhodes last week or at the weekend, so that season has started early for someone somewhere. I remember being in Rhodes in March one year, years ago, and the hotel telling me they already had visitors from Germany, and when we were there in February, there were already two cruise ships in, and sightseeing and tourist buses were running, though maybe just for the one day. I wonder how it will be tomorrow. I’ll let you know when I get back online on Thursday.

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The village square has seen some party action this weekend. I assumed it was something to do with the carnival held just before Clean Monday, but then Clean Monday isn’t until March 18th. The Patras Carnival apparently started on January 20th and runs until March 17th, which seems like a long day out, but I’d not heard of any arrangements for our festivities here. Perhaps it was a birthday or other party, as last night, the kafeneion was blasting out up-to-date music (Boney M and La Bamba). There were paper streamers everywhere, and signs of a silly-string fight left behind as evidence of a good time had by all.

We passed through as the whatever-it-was was winding down and made sure we turned off our doorbell when we got home, so littluns weren’t tempted to press it as they passed. That happens a lot if we leave it on because there’s a light on the button and a handy escape route via steps over the road. The game is to see if you can press the bell and make it to the corner before the grumpy old foreigners come out to shake their fists in the manner of a comic book neighbour. We don’t, actually, we ignore it while one of us says, ‘I’ll turn the alarm off,’ and we call it the alarm because that’s what Neil calls it. It’s like the landline phone we no longer use. If anyone wants to phone, they have to use the mobile numbers or email, and if they want to call in, they have to message first so we can leave the gate open. Either that or rattle the doors. Anyway…

Weather check. Wet and stormy on Friday, so bad that there were no boats, so I was right to change my appointment in Rhodes; I’d never have got there in time. Better over the weekend, but still cloudy, warm, 80% humidity on Sunday morning, though a bright and clear day, and the wind dropped. Today’s tasks include buying boat tickets for Wednesday, only €11.00 return with the Blue Star after my discount, and with my M.A.N. card, I’ll eventually get some of that back into my bank. The doctor’s checkup will cost me €20.00 under my insurance, and if I have a giros for lunch and do nothing for the rest of the day but walk, the whole day away should cost me no more than €40.00. You can bet it will, though, because it’s a 10-hour day from getting on the boat to getting off, and all for a one-hour appointment, if that, so what else can one do but shop? I can’t even do that as funds currently don’t allow, so I intend to wander as I wait for the day to pass.

But that’s for Wednesday when I shan’t be here, I’ll be there. As for the rest of the week, today it’s piano and model building, as it will be on Thursday, and maybe a couple of walks now the weather looks more outdoor friendly.

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And, to finish the week, a roundup of a few images taken recently. Nothing very stunning, I’m afraid, but some snaps to give you a flavour of the island in February (and a couple from Rhodes).

March has blown in on strong winds which have kept me from travelling to Rhodes. Have kept the boats from going too, apparently, as the forecast is for force seven or higher. So, I shall be staying in for most of the day, finishing my edits and plotting and planning stories as usual. Later, we’re off to the Sunrise for a quiz. The winter quiz started as a Sunday lunchtime crossword, or a quiz word I suppose. Marj and Brian kicked it off years ago by popping into the café for a Sunday lunchtime drink and to do the crossword before lunch, and it grew from there. I think this was in 2007, because we were on holiday in Peru and the Galapagos when it started, and when we came back, joined the crosswords session for one or two afternoons, then Neil broke his foot, and couldn’t go. It became my only day out of the week, as he wasn’t able to move around the house, so I could only leave him for a couple of hours. At least in the early days of recovery.

The sessions are still going, now enhanced by Peter’s stash of random quiz questions. There are no teams, it’s just a free-for-all all, and there’s such a mix of people there’s also a mix of knowledge. Artists, writers, film fans, gardeners, some with a vague interest in history (ahem), music old and new, and even some science… you never know what’s going to come up, and you never knew you knew what you thought you didn’t know until you found out you knew it. Who knew?

And so, to the random images for you to scroll through over the weekend, during which, perhaps, I may find some more things to photograph.

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We should mark today as a special day because we only get one every four years. It was 20 years ago today my uncle died, so we can commemorate that event for only the fifth time, but as for what I might have been doing on other 29ths of February over the years, I have to ask that keeper of my past, Facebook. When I do, I come across these…

That was eight years ago. Not only was the weather good enough for paddling at Saint Nicholas Beach, but the godson was light enough for a piggyback. Today, the weather’s not bad, but we’re expecting a storm, and there’s no way I’m putting a sixteen-year-old on my back and walking up the Pedi Road. Instead, we will mark the occasion with a music theory and clarinet lesson followed by model building.

I was meant to be in Rhodes tomorrow. (Did I tell you this?) I had an appointment but after making it, learned that we were in for high winds, so I changed it to next Wednesday. Just as well, as the ferry is now not scheduled to return to Symi during the night rather than in the early evening.

As we’re talking grumpy weather, I’ve had a couple of photos knocking about my folder since around Christmas time, so I thought I’d post them. Not that this is what it looks like out there today, but I may as well use them, and you might have missed such views. On some days, we can’t even see the small island of Nimos, which isn’t that far away, and on other days, we can’t even see the clock tower. Today, though, has started calmly, so that’s good news. It’s also about the only news I have, so let’s leave it there for today.

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