Settling in for winter
And here we are back to the usual day to day blogging. All being well, I will be with you through the winter every day apart from Sundays, with maybe a few breaks over the Christmas period. I can’t say that the posts will always be interesting as winter is a quiet time but, for new readers, they may give you can idea of what goes on, on Symi, over the quieter months. Today’s photos were taken last Friday at The Oxi Day parade. On this day, the school children march in their uniforms (they only wear them on special days like this); it’s not compulsory for them which is why it’s always good to see so many there. Godsons Sam and Harry were both in it this year looking very smart and very serious.

On the way down to the parade on Friday I managed to catch Michaelis at the pet shop and order more cat litter for HRH Jack Cat (the Alarm Cat) and later picked up some more food for the same rather demanding housemate and later walked back up the Kataractis, sweating madly in the sun before making it home full of giros and good cheer.

On Friday night I watched the last part of The Hollow Crown, the TV version of Shakespeare’s Henry VI and Richard III – I thought it was a great production. I have since found out that there is an earlier series with Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V which I must look out for. If I’d known I would have watched them in the right order. It made me wonder if it’s possible to get (good) film or TV film versions of all of Shakespeare’s plays; there are some classics already of course, and some rather odd ones, but wouldn’t it be great to have one good film of each play – Olivier in Henry V, the Judi Dench and Ian McKellen ‘Macbeth’, NOT the Mel Gibson Hamlet (Olivier again instead?), and so on. An idea for things to collect in the future, maybe.

Anyway, Saturday was a day at home writing and working on the next novel, The Saddling. I am now up to chapter 20 of 40 in draft two form, and it’s coming along nicely, to use one of the ‘non-words’ that I am trying to replace in the text. Not that I use ‘nice’ unless it’s in speech, but other ‘non-words’ are being examined along with the typos and repetition, and many other things. Non-words, by the way, are, for me, words like ‘went’ and ‘goes.’ He went into the room only tells you a piece of action, he staggered into the room, tells you the action and gives you a little bit more. I also notice that a lot of my characters look at things (unnecessary unless it’s to do with plot), they turn around a lot (ditto) and things are always on their left or right, north or south… It’s like I’m stage directing them in the narrative, so a lot of that needs to go.

And Sunday started chilly and with an extra hour (that the Alarm Cat didn’t allow me) I was able to get this blog written and get back to the book. The sea out there was a kind of reluctant grey, first thing, it’s quiet in the harbour now after being so mad on Friday where all the bars and cafes, and tavernas (that I saw) were full at one point – we had to wait around 45 minutes for a giros and that’s actually a good thing because they were so busy. It was good to see the businesses having what might be a last good day before winter sets in. Mind you, I’m still sitting there watching my Shakespeare with the balcony doors open at night, unless the wind gets up. How long will that last? Not long, I fear. The duvet is down from its summer storage and ready to go on the bed… soon.

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Rhodes trip 2
Meanwhile, still in Rhodes… It wasn’t all official meetings and legal things to help Neil become an Irish passport holder as well as a British one, though I have to say, getting the paperwork done was very easy. As was arranging to see a specialist about a minor skin thing. It always amazes me how easy it is to see a specialist in Greece. Okay, so you have to pay for it (€40.00 in this case), but you can also go to the IKA (National Health Service) doctors and be referred to hospitals and so on, but if you have a few Euros to spare and can afford a consultation then it’s worth it for peace of mind. You phone up – or email in my case as you know what I feel about phones – and arrange your time, turn up, get seen (every doctor I have encountered in Greece has spoken better English than I have Greek) and get your diagnosis. If any treatment is to be a costly thing and you’re not privately covered or can’t afford it then you get referred to the hospital, as long as you’re covered there through reciprocal arrangements or IKA. I wonder what will happen to the reciprocal/EU health care/emergency cover thing if/when Brexit happens?

Anyway, another positive thing from the last week or so was that we both got a couple of medical things sorted out quickly and cheaply. We also went into the Old Town and bought engagement rings. Not diamonds or anything but two simple, meandros design, Greek, silver ones to tide us over until the wedding next year. I must say, everyone we told in Rhodes about our future plans not only didn’t bat an eyelid or pull a face, but congratulated us happily and even, in the case of some, gave us hugs and best wishes kisses. The jewellers and his assistant, the ladies at the Lydia hotel, the Vice Consul and her assistant, the lawyer, even the notary, the guy at the restaurant and… well everyone. That was all very heart warming.

On that note; we’re still looking into the best way to do things; partnerships here, weddings there, this or that, what’s best and so on, and our lovely lawyer (I have trouble pronouncing the word ‘solicitor’) is looking into what is best in terms of inheritance and tax ‘n’ stuff between a Greek version or a British version. So, no firm decisions yet on that front apart from, at the earliest, September 8^th.

Meanwhile, eating out. We do a lot of this when in Rhodes and I usually come back a few pounds heavier after three days there though we do also do a lot of walking; over five miles a day according to my Fitbit which gives me a tap on the wrist and a fanfare when I reach my daily target. It did this once just as I arrived at the Plaza Hotel public toilets. Open the door, light goes on automatically, shut the door and your Fitbit congratulates you. All very odd and I’m only glad it doesn’t actually play a fanfare.

But walking… and eating. We did a lot of the first but now I think about it, not too much of the second. After a large breakfast at the hotel you tend not to need much for several hours so our first lunch was not too big, we thought when ordering: a Nimos salad (salad with three cheeses and egg at Nimos, the new taverna near Akandia gate owned by two Symiots), a slice of moussaka and some chips (between us, not each). That was more than enough for two and came with the addition of complimentary cake and ouzo afterwards. We had a dinner at the China Burger, which is an event that’s become some kind of regular ritual, a wonderful dinner at Saffron Indian restaurant and a light lunch at George’s souvlaki house in the old fish market. Here I deliberated between a tuna salad (salad with real tuna as opposed to the dip) and a tuna baguette. I thought the baguette would be smaller but actually it consisted of a whole tuna salad crammed into half a loaf of bread that had been flattened under the weight of the filling. On the way to the boat on Wednesday I had a toastie and that was it for the day. There are so many good places to eat it’s hard to know which one to choose.

But it was while at Nimos that I heard the ‘quote of the trip.’ An English mother arrived with her two sons, one around 17 the other around 11. The youngest boy was happily playing with a Hello Kitty soft toy (and being allowed to by his mother which I thought was great), chatting to it and reading the menu to it. The older son asked his mother, ‘Are you going to drink beer?’ with that kind of tone usually used by mothers when talking to their sons. She replied that she wasn’t and he said, ‘Oh good.’ I was wondering why that was such a good thing and imagining all kinds of wild behaviour from the mother, when the youngest son came up with, ‘Cheese balls? Whoever invented them must have been drunk.’ I giggled at that all the way back to the hotel.

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Rhodes trip 1
Hello. Although I’ve no great photos from my trip to Rhodes there are some pics I took on the way in and way out on the boat. The Panagia Skiadeni was packed on Sunday night; I guess a lot of Rhodes folk came over for a Sunday on Symi. The Blue Star Patmos on Wednesday was also fairly busy with Symi folk, but it’s such a huge boat that five of us more or less had the upper deck to ourselves. It was great weather, and still is, though cloud is forming as I speak (on Thursday). Today (Friday) is Oxi Day and there’s a parade in Yialos later this morning. This will be Harry’s first parade in school uniform and he’s very excited about it.

I have to say, we had a very good week last week, a week full of good news and interesting things. For a start, Neil found out that his exam is to be on the day before he is due to be at his niece’s wedding. The story is: he’s doing a home course, an IGCSE in ‘Global Citizenship’ and at the end of the modules is a written exam that he has to sit at an examination centre in the UK. He found a place and asked them if they could help him, they replied the next day saying they could and telling him what was needed. The set date for the exam is the day before the wedding that he was due to be at anyway, and 20 minutes down the road. So that was a result.

On top of that, he’s also had news recently (as I expect many of you know already) that as his mother was born on the island of Ireland he is an Irish citizen and can apply for a passport. There are a few certificates to get, many of which we already had, and he has to prove his address – always a nightmare on Symi where the streets have no name, well, only some do. The very helpful folk at the Irish Embassy in Athens suggested an affidavit, or similar, and we contacted, via the Vice Consul in Rhodes, an Irish/Greek solicitor who set everything up. When we were in Rhodes we met up and called in, with her, to the notary – literally right next door to our hotel – who set up the declaration and witnessed his signature; all done and dusted in ten minutes and for only €50.00 – the solicitor will translate it for us as the embassy wants it in English as well.

And while we were there we called in to see the very helpful people at the British Vice Consul, mainly to say hello and have a general chat but also to get advice on civil partnerships in Greece. The Vice Consul wanted us to let our blog readers know that they are there for us British citizens and they are arranging more meetings with local communities on Rhodes and other islands in due course. This is to inform people of what their role is and what they can and can’t do for us. Meanwhile, if you have a question, simply email them. There are things they are there for and others that they can’t deal with, but if in doubt, ask. They are lovely ladies and very helpful. The Vice Consul is opposite the Germanos and Public shops in Rhodes new town, around the corner from the Lydia and Plaza hotels, so it’s easy to find. Website here.

There are a few other nice little stories from Rhodes to tell you, but I’ll save them for tomorrow. Sorry about the rather dull images but I was taking a holiday and kept forgetting to take my camera out. Hopefully I’ll get some walking and photographing done over the weekend and have something more Symi based on Monday.

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Book reviews and a break
I am taking a few days off from the blog now and will be back either at the end of next week, or the week after. I’ll leave you with some random Symi photos, some recent reviews of a couple of books, and links, in case you know anyone who might fancy one, and also a link to Adriana’s Symi Diary in case you want to keep in touch with what’s happening on Symi while I am not here. I am here, I just shan’t be here, if you see what I mean. Back soon!

Symi 85600
I loved this honest and highly amusing account of leaving it all behind and heading to a Greek island. James has a brilliant command of the English language and makes it altogether much more fun than English language ever was at school! If I was to follow in James and Neil’s footsteps then this is the book I would tuck under my arm and head to Greece with. I cannot wait to read it again.

A must read if you’ve ever thought of moving away from it all and starting afresh. James writes accurately about the trials and tribulations of living on a small, beautiful Greek island with humour in such a way that not only can you not help but fall in love with the island AND James but makes you wish you could do it too despite knowing the pitfalls that go with it.
Also by James and his partner Neil Gosling, ‘Carry on Up the Kali Strata’, further tales of life on a small island.
Look out for James’ fictional story, Jason and the Sargonauts, a laugh a minute.

The Judas Inheritance
It was with some trepidation that I started this book as I know James Collins and enjoy reading his whimsical and slightly caustic blog about Symi and also his other lighter read Jason and that Sargonauts. I need not have worried. The writing relies on your imagination to picture the ‘evil’ and is a fine piece of psychological fear writing rather than the currently more popular slasher type.
James manages to skilfully alternate between a first person and a third person narrative, no mean feat in itself, and the final third of the book is a page turner reminiscent of Stephen King at his best with a final twist on the ferry home which I did not see coming.

Remotely
If you agree with Robert Frost that God seems to have a keen sense of humour, you will love this comic novel of showbiz ambition and intrigue sparked by the arrival of a Reality TV show in a small homophobic community. James Collins has an unerring eye for the absurd and the grotesque and Romney Marsh appears to be a cornucopia of both.
There is more than one laugh on every page, so be prepared for helpless giggles wherever and whenever you read it.

I was expecting a thigh – slapping, giggle a minute farce in a similar vain to James’ ‘Jason and the Sarganauts’. Instead, it was a very humourous but thought provoking story of how humans deal with the reality of being in another person’s shoes. This isn’t just a gay romp, it’s also about why the straight guy is such an angry young man, the intricacies of his relationships with those around him and coming to terms with his families secrets.
James has done a wonderful job of making the reader both laugh at and think about what makes us tick.

Thank you to everyone who takes the trouble to write reviews of books, it really does help us out.

Here’s the link to Adriana’s Symi diary. And a few more photos. Have fun!

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Blue Star Patmos
We’re almost getting back to normal now after a wonderful three weeks with mother visiting. I say almost as I’m going to be away for a few days early next week, and then we will be back to normal – or what constitutes normal around here.

I went over to Rhodes on Wednesday on the Blue Star Patmos for the first time. That’s an impressive ship! It looks too big to make it into the harbour and dock and yet it does. Once you are on it, up in one of the lounges, you hardly feel it moving and it is also very quiet inside. It has three outside decks at the back and at least five cafes that I counted, plus a self-service restaurant and an a la carte one and a shop. On the way back I wandered around it for ages saying hello to various Symi folk I knew and still met up with others as I disembarked, others that I’d not known were on it. It’s quick too and not expensive to buy a ticket. I’ll be on it again next Wednesday.

In other, more personal news, those who read here but don’t follow us on Facebook might not yet know that we have had confirmation that Neil is an Irish citizen, as we thought he was, and that he can apply for his Irish passport. We’ve been dealing with a very helpful lady in the Embassy in Athens who is helping him through the application process, and now a very helpful solicitor in Rhodes who is also going to help with affidavits needed (to do with Symi not having street names, our bills being in the landlord’s name and so on). These, or this, will satisfy the Embassy that he is who he says he is and lives where he says he does. Once that’s done, we will just be waiting on the form and a couple more documents which have been ordered. After that… well, he will be European twice so if the UK goes ahead with the…. and you know my feelings on that travesty, then he will be able to stay in Greece with no hassle if the situation for UK citizens changes in the future.

That’s a great relief but it doesn’t stop me worrying about everyone else who may have their European citizenship taken away from them following a very unfair, badly run, ill-informed and non-binding vote that gets taken as ‘the majority of the country’ and all that rubbish. So, it’s a case of ‘we’re all-right, Jack,’ at least for now.

And talking of Jack, he’s all-right too, though getting more and more demanding and noisy and grumpy with age. Meanwhile, it looks like the season is more or less over though day boats are still coming in and out. Neil will finish work at the bar on Saturday ahead of his winter family visit and we can start to settle down for the winter. This means, this weekend, putting up the thermal curtains, finding the winter clothes, making sure we’ve money for the heating bills, finding the warm slippers and electric blanket… Lots to do before the writing  season really kicks in, which I am hoping it will do as of next Thursday.

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