A post about post

We were on the balcony in time to see the Wednesday Blue Star pull in on its way down from Piraeus. Not a lot of activity going on there, which is to be expected, though the Friday ferry last week was quite busy. I have to drop down to Yialos later this morning to check the post office, and that made me wonder how the postal service was doing. I’ve seen some posts (oops, pun) in various places suggesting that it might be taking longer than usual these days, and I’ve got a couple of things on order that will be a test. A small package from Germany via eBay is one, and that should be here by now as it’s been two weeks. I’m also waiting for two books from Amazon UK, and one rare book from America.

Mind you, delivery times have always varied. At some times during the year, you can expect a package (a book, for example) to arrive here from the UK within two weeks or ten days, but that’s when there are more flights and in the summer. In the winter, it’s also possible for the post to take only a few days, but that’s more pot luck as the actual delivery to the island can take time depending on weather and boats. When we moved into this house, we ordered new furniture from Ikea on the mainland, and that was put on the boat within ten days. It then took another two weeks to arrive from Piraeus because the boat kept sailing right past due to high winds and a swell. We watched it on Marine Traffic going up and down the line but never managing to pull in. It did, finally, and Lefteris brought it up to the Olive Tree, and we carried it home from there. A three-seater sofa, a two-seater, two wardrobes, two bedside cabinets, and a couple of other things in large flat-pack boxes. That done, arms aching and dripping with sweat even though it was winter, we were just flopping into a newly constructed sofa when we had a phone call from Michaels Delivery (as he’s called on my phone) telling us a new fridge freezer was waiting for us at the Olive Tree, and we had to drag that up to the house too. It’s not far from there to here, but doing it with no feeling in your arms and legs was an effort.

But I am reminiscing. This morning, Wednesday, after I’ve had a slice of toast, I’m off down the hill to see if anything has arrived before trudging back up to do the shopping on the way home. After lunch, when Neil goes to work, I have a chapter to write of another new Clearwater story which is going rather well, though I say so myself. Any day now I am expecting book six of the series to come back from my proofreader, and then I’ll have to do the layout for that and get it up there for my readers. You can keep an eye on what’s happening through my penname site. www.jacksonmarsh.com which I update now and then, and where I run a newsletter you can subscribe to. Again, I only send out a newsletter every now and then, so no-one gets bombarded with info. Right! Off to the kitchen and then the harbour to see what’s what and hopefully take some photos. The shots today are from the balcony. Again.

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A welcome sight

Seeing visitors from Rhodes (I assume) getting off the Spanos boat from Rhodes yesterday morning, and then later, seeing people in the square at the bars, including Neil who had a reasonably busy shift. Locals only, of course, but in time, those with holiday homes may start to trickle back and stay awhile. Yes, the islands are open to residents of other islands, but as far as I know, there are no plans for holiday flights yet, particularly not from the UK or USA. Sorry. Fingers crossed and all that.

It’s also warmed up again but not to the high 30s as last week, but at least the north wind has dropped. So, a few photos for you taken from the balcony. The one with the cable running through it is meant to show you the white water of last week, but it’s not a good impression.

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Able to get here? Good for you, dangerous for us.

I’m writing this yesterday as I usually do because my head is never quite in the right place first thing in the morning. Today (Monday) is the day most places can reopen, and that means up here in the village, the Rainbow, Lefteris, The Sunrise and, I assume, other cafes and bars will be opening their doors… well, their outside seating. As far as I know, it’s outside seating only and with distancing, and the rules can be revoked or changed at any time, so ‘don’t go silly’, is the message. It will still be a while before we see any visitors and when we do, it will only be from other islands or the mainland, at least to start with.

Now then, we’ve had a few enthusiastic messages from people saying things along the lines of, ‘Yay! We can come to Symi now,’ and adding a smiling emoji along the way. Well, possibly, yes, you might be able to, but how is another matter, and when another one also. Yes, it’s good that places can open up again, and Symi is, as we know, a very welcoming place. However, please remember that we have been isolated here, as have many smaller islands. Although you might feel safe coming from a highly infected country like the yUK, you’re going to a practically non-infected country and certainly a non-infected island, such as Symi. Good news for you, worrying news for us. So, even if you can get here, find an open hotel, don’t have to quarantine for the two weeks of your holiday, have health insurance that will cover you, and are a huge Symi fan with lots of friends here, please remember that you’re coming to a place where there’s been no, or very little chance to build immunity. We’re even thinking that if close friends or family want to/can get here this year, maybe they should stay in their own accommodation rather than our house.

I maybe blathering from my own point of view and off the top of my head, but that’s what I do. Hey, don’t get me started on what’s now happening in the yUK with that unelected bureaucrat who did what ‘any father would do’ and put the lives of many at risk for the convenience of the few. No wonder the yUK isn’t on Greece’s list of countries from which travel to Greece is allowed. Sheesh!

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Opening

I don’t know what your weekend was like, but ours up here on the north side of the village was a bit blustery. The wind was from the north-west, pushing the smell of drains back up the pipes in the laundry room (nice), blowing all kinds of things over the courtyard wall, and forcing us to shut the shutters and keep warm. It reminded me of October or early November with the fresh smell of cold in the air, the sea whipped up with white crests, and the harbour empty of tourist boats. Still, not complaining as when I say cold, it was actually around 20 or 22, it just felt cold after the heat earlier in the week.

I spent my time beavering away on yet another new story, as I do, while Neil had to go to Rhodes to get his paperwork ready to start work at the Rainbow this afternoon. I’ve heard (from people in the yUK) that ‘Greece is fully open for tourism as of the end of May…’ Well, I don’t know about ‘fully’, but when Neil popped over to Rhodes for the day there were restrictions in place, so even if you live in a country that Greece accepts visitors from, you won’t find it easy to get around, not at first. A medical form to complete when you buy your boat tickets, a check before you get on the boat, social distancing, specific seats only, half capacity, only one person per cabin on longer journeys, and so on. So, check the Greek news and websites for information from on the ground, rather than hearsay on Fakebook. All I can tell you so far is that Dominic Cummings has not yet been seen breaking his government’s own rules about travel to Greece, but if he does, there will be a good reason why he can break them and the plebs can’t.

But… Apart from all that, today is the day Neil starts work again, which will be helpful for us, but possibly a bit boring for him, and hopefully, successful for Yiannis and the bar. Lefteris Kafeneion is also reopening today as are other places, bit by bit, but until we have visitors… Well, it’s still just wait and see.

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Changing weather

Woke to cloud yesterday and lower temperatures. Went for a short walk up the road and back down through the village, just go blow the cobwebs away, and just in time to see the sun coming up.

The news from here is that bars are reopening on Monday, or at least, they can if they want to, and Yiannis intends to open the Rainbow. I believe, but am not sure that it’s outside seating only, and with tables at certain distances, only so many people only per table, and households can sit together, but not others. The question is, who will be there to have an afternoon drink during the siesta hours that Neil works? The next question is, will he be able to get to Rhodes tomorrow to have his medical paperwork signed off? The tests were all done before we went away in early March, but the doctor has been unable to get to Symi since. These are papers that bar and café workers need to work with food; nothing to do with what’s going on now. But all that’s for next week. I am heading off for a weekend of what look like changeable weather and will leave you with a set of photos taken yesterday. I’ll be back on Monday.

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