Good morning, and welcome to the almost end of September. Already? I know! So, what can I be telling you this morning… Well, for those who know him but don’t already know, yesterday, the mayor made Hugo an honorary citizen of Symi at a ceremony at the cultural centre in Yialos. As if by happy chance, Horio celebrated with a rock and roll evening played in the kafeneion in the square. Also on Sunday, we had the first of (I am sure) many picturesque sunrises to come as we head into winter.

It’s not winter yet, but it’s heading towards that vague kind of autumn time, when the vine starts dropping leaves (it’s been doing that all year), the air is cooler, and the weather less predictable. For a while now we have been in the halfway limbo where, for example, we have a duvet cover on the bed, but no duvet, and use it when the fan is on because that makes what was too warm too cold, so you need the duvet cover, unless it’s a warm night, when you might not – unless you put the fan on. I am wearing a shirt this morning, you will be pleased to know, but may not need it in the house in the afternoon. The drying up is taking longer to dry, as is the laundry, which, in summer, dries in minutes; now it’s taking a few hours. Soon, it will have to dry inside the house.

The boats are still coming in, people are still coming and going on their holidays, and everywhere is still open, so don’t get any ideas about things closing just yet. Another couple of weeks or so, and the taxi boats will probably stop as the six-month licences run out, and then, the beach places will close, apart from those with road access, maybe, and slowly, island life will transform from summer to winter mode, via this vague kind of autumn time. And during all of this, the chilli plants continue to thrive.

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I thought I’d leave you with a sky gallery today.

A what?

I was looking through an old folder where I stored photos a few years ago, and among them were several shots of the Symi sky in all seasons. So, I thought, before we see the return of the clouds and rain, and while the sky is still mainly blue, let’s see what we shall soon be in for. I’ve set them up as a gallery, which is a fairly new feature for this blog, so I hope it works. Open one and you should be able to browse through them all. I didn’t put up all the sunrise over Pedi shots because there are so many, and there are plenty of other old pictures I can use in the future, which is just as well, as I’ve hardly gone anywhere recently or done anything to take photos of.

So, have a pleasant weekend wherever you are, and to misquote, remember, we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars sky.

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Three random photos from the files today.

First, our local supermarket, or as they are labelled here in Greece, super market. This is the place to come for fun while shopping. There’s always something inappropriate being talked about, always a cat or two sleeping among the boxes of bin liners and cleaning products, and sometimes, there’s even fresh food to buy. It can be hard to come by certain fresh veg in the summer as much as in the winter. In the summer, you need to get in before the tavernas and cafes snap it up, and in the winter, you have to rely on boats for deliveries and if it’s bad weather…

You know, you can’t plan a dinner party and say,. ‘We’ll have XYZ’ because, after all, capital letters are hard to swallow. No, what I mean is you have to say, ‘Come for dinner,’ and then serve whatever you can find. At least, that’s how it can be in the winter.

Another random one is this shot from the main road looking down on the houses that overlook the entrance to the harbour/bay at Petini and Petalo, where that umbrella skeleton stands. This is where, apparently, the new marina is going to go, or start, or has started, or is being begun. The barge is still there, along with concrete blocks and machinery.

Then, this third one, which was from last year when the senior school class were organising an event to raise money for their end-of-school trip. This is inside Scena, which is open again now after a short affair with some floor varnish that didn’t go off. This is a good place for families because the playground is right next door, and you can keep an eye on your charges while you have your coffee. You also have to put up with them running in and out as though the whole area was a playground, and the place is known for its children’s parties, live music, cinema, and good food.

Here’s a bonus one. It’s a group of seventeen-year-olds enjoying the swings in that very playground. Odd to think this lot will be living on their own on another island in a month or so. Eek!

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I thought I’d put up some photos of boats today. No reason except we rely on boats ’round these parts because, well, when you live on an island with no airport or bridge to take you to the next piece of land, you have to. Boats are often the topic of conversation at the kafeneion, as in: What time is the next one? When does the Blue Star come in? What’s that leaving now? What boat is she on? And so on. Things are the same in winter, except the questions may be more urgent. Right now, we have plenty of boats on and off the island each day. In winter, it may only be three or four times a week, and if the weather’s bad, then no boat at all.

That’s the ferries we’re talking about. There are other boats. From the balcony, I can see and hear the small fishing boats going out and coming in, usually in the very early hours of the day. I also see the taxi boats in the summer, the coast guard and patrol boats every day, and pleasure craft in the summer months. You know when bad seas are coming because the fishing boats tie up further away from the quay than usual. Many owners bring their boats ashore in the winter months for cleaning and repair.

Then we have the day boats and the private hires, plus the private excursion boats. You find them lined up along the quay in Yialos with their advertising boards. That’s also where you find the taxi boats.

I often see posts on social media asking where about this or that boat will dock, and it’s a good question if you don’t already know the answer. (If you did, then why ask it?) Maybe the booking sites and ferry companies should make it clearer on their tickets and put: ‘Your ferry will dock in the new port, which means you’ll have to walk around via Petalo on the narrow main road, we suggest luggage no wider than 30cms. Follow the road all the way into town. It will take you about 25 minutes.’ There’s probably not enough room on the ticket. Some boats go from the north side of the harbour, some from the south, some on either side or both, and some go from over in the far corner… Best to ask, and make sure you are there in plenty of time. Also, make sure you don’t get on one that looks like this:

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We had a splash of red in the harbour yesterday as the F/B Ariadne is currently calling in on a Monday. This Super Fast Ferries ferry leaves Piraeus at 18.00 on a Sunday and arrives in Symi at 11.20 the next day, according to their schedule. That’s 17 hours and 20 minutes, at a basic cost of €65.00. If you come down the next day on the Blue Star 2, you also leave at 18.00, but you arrive 14 hours and 40 minutes later, at 08.40 on Tuesday, also for the basic price of €65.00. I say basic price, because I’m guessing that’s for a foot passenger with no booked seat, but if you were to book a cabin or to bring a car, you’d be paying a lot more. I reckon you should then be charged again for bringing a car to an island that has only one road, no municipal parking, and gawd knows how many car and bike rental places, but that’s me. And here’s the ship arriving.

And here’s the ship leaving some time later. A long time later, as this was in the evening, and it had been to Rhodes and back in between.

Also discovered on my return home yesterday afternoon was a shell. Not an oyster shell with some nymph coyly ascending, nor a military kind of shell such as H and I found up at the Ponticokastro that time, nor even an ‘Oh ’chelle,’ from Eastenders or other fantasy-based light entertainment (light?!), but the shell of a cicada, which probably isn’t called a shell at all. Exoskeleton? Whatever. They shed their skin, and this one blew in whole from the courtyard. Not very easy to photograph something virtually transparent, but here you go…

And there I go, off to find delicious ways to cause crime and mayhem in Victorian London and then solve the case by some devious means. Have a good one.

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