Save the Symi Music School

Regular visitors to Symi spend time sitting in the square watching the world go by. It’s a popular thing to do, and a lovely way to relax and pass the time. As you’ve been sitting there, you may have noticed young people passing by with strangely shaped cases on their backs, or a rucksack, and you might have wondered what was inside. Well, in some cases, the children are carrying guitars or a bouzouki, perhaps a violin, and in their other bags, they have their music and theory books. Obviously, the pianists don’t carry their instruments around, as a piano layer myself, I’ve tried it, and it never ends well. Anyway…

You may remember, the other day, I mentioned the Symi Music School and its current financial appeal. Well, today, I have the link to the site where you can donate. Simply put, we need to raise £20,000 to save the school. Also simply put, without it, the children of Symi won’t learn music as, I believe, it is not much taught in the schools.

I remember, when the current pandemic broke out, many people went on Facebook saying they wouldn’t be coming to Symi this year, and they were supporting the island by lessening the risk of bringing C19 to what is still a bug-free island. Obviously, the businesses have missed out on masses of custom this season, so if you still want to help the island, donating to its music school is one way of doing so from afar. Think about what you saved by not coming, and think about how much you usually spend on just one evening out on Symi. Why not send over that amount? You can do it via the page linked in this post. The money will replace that usually provided by the parents of the children who can’t pay this year because they have businesses that haven’t made money because of the lack of tourism. Where a couple of tourists might have spent €50.00 on one night out (some on an afternoon watching the world go by at a bar), the same couple can now send the same amount directly to the education of the children they might have seen passing on their way to a music lesson. It makes sense to me, and I’ll be sending a personal donation plus a percentage of my Symi book sales.

The donation site tells you all you need to now in Greek and English, and some of the pupils have made a short video which you will also find there.

Imagine, when the Symi Festival can restart, you may even find yourself here, listening to one of these upcoming musicians on stage and know you helped put them there.

You can find the page by clicking here. The young musicians of Symi will thank you.

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Monday morning

Monday morning, 28 degrees in the courtyard, just right for sitting outside reading a book, so I spent the morning inside writing one instead. For some reason, I was awake at three, and after reading the news and gasping in horror, as usual, I decided to get to work early. This enabled me to take a short walk up a long hill and back, hence the photos today. The view is just before sunrise, around seven in the morning.

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Symi Dream Calendar 2021 and other news

Good morning and welcome to Monday. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve had a Symi Dream calendar, but Neil has produced one for next year, ‘Pedi Sunrises’ and it’s now available. You can only find it on the outlet Lulu at this page, just make sure you register (free) so it shows up in your currency.

The Symi Music School needs financial support to keep going. There is a video on the Symi TV page on Facebook with a post detailing what the problem is and how you can help. There is a video some of the students have put together, it’s in Greek and English with subtitles, and when you run it, you’ll find out what’s needed. I hope to get a copy of the video to post here, or at least a link to it for those who don’t use Facebook, so watch out for that.

In other news, the old Jean & Tonic bar is having work done to it, but I’m not sure if that’s for a change of use or whatever. Regular visitors continue to arrive, the temperatures have fallen a little, and it’s starting to feel like autumn, we’ve even had an attempt at rain, but nothing major, and the days are currently perfect for walking while the sea remains warm and businesses are still open.

In home news, I’ve gone through another computer keyboard, I seem to manage one a year, and so I’ve had to go back to a clunky old one while I save for a new one, and over on my other-self writing blog, I’ve put up a post about the pastime of slumming in Victorian London if you’re interested in a little social history. And now it’s time to get on with the week ahead, so I hope you have a good one.

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Some Friday Photos

I’m still in the habit of forgetting what day it is. Yesterday felt like Friday for some reason, until I remembered it was Thursday, and that’s when I usually set up a Friday blog. I always seem to be one day ahead. Perhaps that’s why I have to ask my godson what date it is when writing in his music book. I don’t know, but I do know it’s Thursday and so here are some photos for tomorrow, today, Friday, whatever. The helicopter was an interesting spectacle (see photos one and two.) A flight of support for the island perhaps? A special event, training, a reminder? I’m not sure, but it came just before someone started throwing bangers around the village, and, by the sound of it, hunting season is underway. Anyway… A selection of images for your weekend.

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And today, some photos

I’ve been writing far too much recently, so there’s just a quick update and some photos today. The update? Well, same as usual really, though the weather’s cooled a little, especially in the morning, but it was back at 30 degrees the other afternoon, so all is not lost. Some boats have been coming in, there have been some busy nights in the village, and everything’s currently still open. My bank has told me my account and card are going to be fine, so that’s a weight off, for now at least, and I’ve had to sign a release form so an agency in LA can read a script I wrote for someone, and that has won three awards. As I say, the usual. Here are some photos.

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