Here are some varied photos taken recently. I have a varied weekend ahead during which I will be writing a blog post for my other writer self, reading the recent proof MS of the latest story, then laying out the files for publication, tinkering with what I have written of the next one in the pipeline, sorting out some washing, hopefully taking a stroll, and going to dinner on Saturday night. It’s all go.
My head is a little clearer now, so I can tell you what a lovely time we had on Tuesday evening. Tuesday was Neil’s birthday, the anniversary of our CP and also the anniversary of the day we arrived to live on Symi 18 years ago. A lot has happened since then, what with having a business, making a film, writing books, meeting so many people, seeing some come and go and some come and stay. One of the nicest things about living in a small place like this is seeing children grow up. It might also be a reminder that you’re not getting any younger, but it occurs to me from time to time that the couple getting married were only five when I first met them, or the men repairing a roof down the road used to come into the shop for their school photos. What’s also interesting to observe are the groups of children who play in the square. Over the years, I’ve seen the groups change, the ‘posse’ as my godson calls them. The children once on scooters and bikes are now watching over their own children who are a new generation on scooters and bikes. The fun they’re having is the same, they play the same games, but the faces are different.
Another thing… Visitors who come each year and have done for longer than I’ve been here. It’s good to hear their stories of the past, how it was when the ferry docked at Pedi and day-trippers had to walk over the hill to Yialos, or how a truck trip to Panormitis was over an unmade road. That’s something I’ve done. When I first walked there is 1996, the road had been blasted out but was mainly small rubble. I think, then, it ran out at Ag Konstantinos where the army firing range used to be, or maybe still is. Those were the days when there were truck trips, four around-the-island boats, at least two more eateries in Pedi than there are now, and the bank was where there’s now a giros and noddle bar.
But one thing that hasn’t changed is the bonhomie, the philoxenia, which is uniquely Greek, the warm welcomes and sad farewells. Even in this day and age, such things are as evident as they have always been. Even the bureaucracy involved in, say, receiving a residency permit or changing a driving license seems to have been streamlined from something the size of Titanic to something the size of the Blue Star Chios. We didn’t have a telephone for the first two years, relying on Yiannis at the old Roloi bar for checking our emails when his phone wasn’t cut off, and then running the internet at 56 kbps. Now, we have it at home running at 42 Mbps (which is a lot faster, if you’re not sure what a kb and an mb are), and I only need to go to the bank once a year for my ‘pink slips’ to prove my income. Even they are now white and instantly printed rather than searched for in a filing cabinet. Ah, progress.
Anyway, that ramble was to make up for the lack of chat yesterday, and I have no idea where it came from or what it has to do with the photos, but there you go. And here I go until tomorrow, and as I leave I shall wish you kalo taxithi, or, as we say in English, bon voyage.
As yesterday was something of a celebration day, today is going to be a few photos and a lot of nothing much else.
Today is our happy everything day, so I shan’t be stopping long. It’s Neil’s birthday, the anniversary of the day we arrived on Symi 18 years ago, and also the day we made our civil partnership here three years ago. It’s also the day Michelangelo’s David was uncovered. Poor chap, he’s remained naked ever since 1504. In 1664, today, New Amsterdam became New York, and in 1522, the Spanish navigator, Juan de Elcano returned to Spain after completing the first circumnavigation of the globe, which apparently, was started by Magellan. Also on this day in 1960, ‘Psycho’ was released, and here’s an annoying one to leave you with, in 2001, Kylie Minogue released her single, ‘I just can’t get you out of my head.’ So, with that song now stuck in mine, and probably yours, I’ll let you get on with your day.
Hello, and may I wish you a happy International Buy a Book Day? Obviously, as I’ve written four books about Symi, I’d suggest buying one of them to celebrate, but I think most of my readers have already read them. I’ve been doing a lot of research of late which means a lot of reading of new books, so for me, I think today is more about not buying a book day (though I probably will), and instead, I’ll get on with writing one. After I’ve told you what we’ve been up to over the weekend…
Well, let’s see… It started on Friday with a trip to town where I went looking for a surprise for someone’s birthday and wedding anniversary tomorrow, and, that done, we treated ourselves to a taxi over to Pedi where we were being taken to lunch. This was at Apostolis, right by the sea and very pleasant it is too. I can’t remember the last time I had a lunch that didn’t involve eating salad and chicken while watching MasterChef on TV, and although Neil had to go to work for 3pm, Anne and I stayed until the 4.30 bus. Masks, handsan, caution but still only €1.70 and beats walking up after a four-hour lunch.
Completely unrelated, but that night, one of Neil’s crowns fell out leaving him toothless. What do you do? Send your dentist a photo, put the crown in an envelope, and pop down the next morning and have it fixed by 10.30. That’s Symi living for you. Meanwhile, Godson #1 came to do the cleaning and earn his coffee money, I finished off reading the last draft of ‘One of a Pair’ and wrote a blog post about what I am currently working on (click here). Later, it was salad and chicken in front of MasterChef (Aus), and then back to work. The day was cooler thanks to a mighty wind which had blown half the courtyard into the house, and down at the bar, threw as something of a gathering of regular visitors at distances and the usual malarkey.
It’s Sunday morning as I’m writing so I can’t tell you what happened today as it’s not happened yet, but I can remind you it’s International Buy a Book Day, and here’s a link to my two author profiles on Amazon just in case you’re hankering for some reading. Me… The other me.
