A weekend in August…

And a couple of dance videos at the end… First, let me take you back to a weekend in August. An early morning walk to Nimborio, an evening up near the church of Ag Stavros in the village, and a goat ready to serve in its own dish. The kinds of things you do and see on a weekend, and, in this case, the images that you see below.

I’m having a calmer day today, Tuesday as I write. I have work to be getting on with, but that can wait until this afternoon; two hours per day on a screenplay, and a couple more hours a day on my own work, another novel perhaps… We were taken out to dinner on Monday night. Thank you, Hillary! It was such a special night, great company and, of course, wonderful food at Haritomeni.

Actually, another thank you but a more general one: to everyone who has approached us and said, ‘Thank you for the blog.’ Apparently, we are required reading at 8.30 on a Monday morning as the trudge back to work begins, and at other times of the day, and not just in the UK either; we’re worldwide. Please keep checking in, sharing the posts that you like and particularly sharing the links to the books; it helps to keep us going.

And talking of going, I am going back to work now but, before I do, Allan and Julie, who photographed and videos our civil partnership day in September, have said it’s okay for me to share a couple of videos. You may have already seen these, but if not, here is our buffoon-first dance from the party on Nimos, and our slow dance. Both were danced to my own songs, one from a musical, and one from cabaret. The special moment that happened halfway through is one of those memories that will last forever.

A few photos

I was in a bit of a rush yesterday, what with one thing and another. By the time I had done the one thing, it turned out that there was another other to do, and then I had to go and do a thing I’d forgotten about, and other things… In the end, I thought, ‘A few photos for tomorrow.’ So that’s what you have. Am off now to do a few other things I should have done already.

Clouds and Clothes

The seasons are changing, there’s a chill in the air in the early mornings, some clouds about and yet it’s still warm enough to sit outside in the sun. I was in shorts on Saturday afternoon but had to put a jumper on when on the balcony on Sunday morning. The forecast, on one site, shows the temperatures in the mid and low 20s through the week, the cloud clearing and the winds being light; and another shows this weather continuing through the month, but still no rain. Mind you, it is October, so a change in the weather is to be expected.

The day boats continue to come in. There were five of them on Saturday, plus the catamaran which delivered several visitors who were staying. Others are making their way home after a summer on Symi, and some of the tavernas and bars are thinking about closing. We will soon be into real autumn/winter mode and all that the season brings with it after a long and often very hot summer. But the holiday season is not over yet. The tavernas in the village continue to be busy, the bars too in the evenings, and there are many boats in the harbour as this seems to be a popular time of year for sailing.

It’s also a popular time of year for people to book next year’s holiday before the package places get taken up, and while flights are often cheaper than they are nearer the time. Some of the independent travel companies may also have special offers, so it’s worth searching around. There are some very popular villas and apartments on the island which get booked up well in advance, so the advice is to start planning now before it’s too late. As I always say, when booking independently, try and check the boat connections before you book the flights. It’s difficult, as schedules aren’t available this far in advance, but they tend to remain pretty much as they are and have been. Except, for those who haven’t been for a couple of years, there are now fewer evening sailings from Rhodes to Symi, so be aware of that. The catamaran does sail back from Kos to Symi in the afternoons, and you don’t always have to think only of Rhodes as your nearest airport.

Here’s wishing you a good month ahead. A month during which I have few plans apart from working on a screenplay, tidying up a book and making sure it’s on track for a November release. I only have two appointments in my diary for this week, both involve food and friends, so they are things to look forward to, but sometime soon I’ve got to take on the wardrobe challenge. This is the time of year for sorting out the summer from the winter; find the jumpers and hoodies and long trousers, and put away the lighter summer clothes. Find a duvet, hang the door curtains, dust off the heaters, put away the fans, that kind of thing. It’s one of those jobs that only takes an hour to do after spending three weeks not looking forward to doing it. But it must be done, and so I must be gone.

Symi Saturday Photos

As it’s the weekend, here are a few photos taken in the last couple of day. As you can see, there are still plenty of day trippers visiting the island, the weather is still good and the sea is still calm.