Symi Festival 2016 events for the week:

Tuesday 16^th – A concert with Lavrentis Maheritsas and Mirella Pachou
Thursday 18^th – Traditional Dodecanese night with lyre, lute and toumperleki
Friday 19^th – A concert with the band, ‘Master Tempo’
Saturday 20^th – The tradition of Koukoumas
Sunday 21^st – Theatrical performance in the Symi dialect ‘Saint Avissinezos’

If you were wondering, a toumperleki is a small drum like the one in the photo below. Neil took the photos you see here today at a village concert last week. This one was at a concert in Horio last week.

Koukoumas is the traditional celebration usually held at the start of May. It’s the custom where the unmarried girls of the village discover who their husband will be and it’s all to do with jewellery (usually rings), a large jug of ‘silent’ water and spoons. With traditional costume, a song and much dancing, it’s a great village sight to see. I am not sure where it will be held for the festival as yet, announcements are made on the day, but it’s great that anyone can come and watch it. Many visitors miss it, being in May, but it’s happening here on Saturday.

As for my weekend just gone, I found myself in a very strange place on Sunday. I spent Saturday finishing off the last part of my college course assignment (first draft of a screenplay). After that I went down to Yialos in the afternoon to visit the bank. We’ve been doing this a lot recently as I had to get my health insurance paid and that meant several trips to take out the money. Although the card I use allows me a generous €1,000 per day (I wish I could!) at the ATM, the machine itself only allows me €300 for some reason. But still, I got there in the end and I am paid up and covered again for the next year. After that I walked back up the road, this was at four in the afternoon so it wasn’t too hot, there was also a breeze on Saturday. Mind you, I still arrived in the village looking like a drowned rat.

After some fun and chatting at the bar we decided we’d eat out as it was Saturday night, but Georgio’s was fully booked – great news! If you are heading for their live music nights on a Friday or Saturday, book in advance to avoid disappointment. They even have tables out on the steps at the top of the Kali Strata now, for these night, but still book. Instead, we went to see Zoi and had a great meal there. I am sure they are the biggest pork chops on the island. I had her chicken with cashew nuts and rice; very tasty, slightly sweet and you don’t get over-stuffed on chips. After that it was home and music on the balcony as we heard strains of the play performance drifting up from the harbour. But that still wasn’t the strange pace I found myself in on Sunday…

That happened as I sat at my desk, did my usual check of book sales and advertising things [‘Remotely‘ is still the biggest selling book of mine this month, closely followed by ‘Symi 85600‘ and some of my books are now on Kindle Unlimited, so if you get one that way, make sure you read them as apparently I make €0.002 per page, or something else equally as unnoticeable.] Anyway, I sat at the desk on Sunday morning and found I had nothing to write. Now, for me, that is a very strange feeling. (I did write this blog actually.) The latest book is out, that’s ‘Remotely’ and I will share part of the latest five star review tomorrow, the first draft of ‘The Saddling’ is done and I have set it aside for a while and am waiting for a print copy of the text to be sent (it’s cheaper than printing it myself), the college course is all but done and I have set that script aside for a few days too, to let it ‘settle’ as I call it, before coming back to it for a fresh look, and I’ve not got anything else started as yet. I could have done the housework, gone for a walk, cleaned the windows… In fact I might yet do all of those things as it’s only 8.42 on Sunday and I have the rest of the day ahead without any work to do. A day off. Now what do I do with one of those?

Share on Facebook

The ridiculousness of Amazon
First though: If you are on Symi between now and 20^th August, I can highly recommend a visit to the Symi Cultural Centre and the art exhibition that’s taking place downstairs. Paintings by Nikos Psarros, all about colour and movement and with plenty to see. We went on Thursday night. I bought one for Neil’s birthday as a surprise and then he went and bought one as well, so we will have a pair when the exhibition is over. Miss DJ and George were supplying live blues music too, all rather brilliant (photos to follow next week I hope). The Cultural Centre is in the side street that runs up to the bottom of the Kali Strata and Bella Napoli Pizzeria, go past the Harani and Vapori bars (stop for a drink) and then turn right at the end. It’s open 6 – 11pm every day and entrance is free.

Back to my desk and Friday brought me a ridiculous email from Amazon. I had set up an advertising campaign, only a small one, to get Lonely House some more publicity for a few weeks and here was their reply after reviewing the campaign, as they do with all of them:

“Thank you for submitting your ad campaign for review. Unfortunately, we are unable to approve your ad as your book cover violates one of our ad guideline policies. There are blood stains on the book cover image. As a result, your campaign will not be served.”

I ask you: how many thriller, detective, horror and other novels are out there and not allowed publicity because they have blood on the covers? Never heard anything so ridiculous.

By the way, the latest review for Lonely House reads: “Really spooooky and tense. Read it straight through as it was so gripping.” 5 stars. Thank you!

Meanwhile, Neil did a quick walk down to Pedi the other day and so today’s photos are from him; some of the things he saw on his stroll. We are trying to get back into the habit of walking again as it has been let slip of late. I’ve managed two morning hill climbs and a Kali Strata so far, and there are more planned for the weekend. I was going to do the steps again on Thursday after the exhibition but there was this taxi, you see and, well, you know… It was after nine in the evening by then, so it would have been a bit cooler but then the taxi had air conditioning… Well, the windows were open and it was Zoi’s brother Konstantinos and he’s always good for a chat and a laugh and… I don’t need excuses! I’ll walk about a bit today to help with the weight loss campaign. Another great result this week after near starving myself for six days and walking up mountains: 0.01 kg or something. I wonder why I bother.

So, enjoy your weekend wherever you are. I have nothing planned apart from working on the last of my scriptwriting college course, I am nearly there after six months, almost, working on it. Just a screenplay to write. I’ll get that done after breakfast tomorrow.

Share on Facebook

Symi Calendar 2017
Some more of Neil’s photos today. You might have seen the advert over on the right, for Neil’s Symi calendar 2017, if not, have a click and it will take you to the page at Lulu.com where the calendars are published. I know it might be a bit early to look for next year items but it’s also a good idea to start ordering your Christmas gifts now. Yes, I know! It’s still summer but I start my collecting well in advance so there is no great and sudden rush at the last minute.

Just below the calendar image on the Lulu sale site is a small word, ‘preview.’ If you click that you can browse through the images: Harani, Yialos and the Blue Star, Nos beach, St George, Koukoumas with girls in traditional costume, Pedi in the morning, the Poseidon, A wedding in Syllogos Square, the sea at sunset, the village and Castro at sunrise, the windmills and Pedi bay in the morning. Everyone’s favourite places and things captured in 12 great images.

He’s also got a cat calendar for sale, and again the link is over there on the right of this site and you can also do a preview there. Everyone’s favourite image of Jack, the Alarm Cat, is included. What little he makes from this calendar goes towards feeding the strays up the road from us as we are always ordering large bags of biscuits and, in the winter, trays of Rokus for them, giving them Jack’s left overs and water and generally keeping an eye. This means that the local animal charity, Symi Animal Welfare, doesn’t have to use its resources on these particular strays.

He was saying yesterday that he may not make another Symi calendar… we will have to wait and see. That’s mainly because he’s not out and about taking photos so much these days, now he doesn’t have the shop. But let’s hope there’s a change of mind there. Meanwhile, I’m going to start thinking about my Christmas ordering (can’t believe I’m writing about it in August, but it helps to cool me down) and I know a couple of people who are going to be getting a copy of the Symi Calendar 2017 in their festive parcel.

Share on Facebook

One of those days…
It’s one of those days (Wednesday) where I needed another half an hour’s sleep to be able to fully function and I think Tuesday could have had something to do with it. So excuse me being brief today but I am nodding off into my keyboard.

Tuesday started at 5.45 with a walk up the road to get my daily 30 minutes of exercise. That was then followed by a morning’s typing as per usual and the early afternoon working on the course I am finishing off, as well as cutting back the vine and sweeping up the courtyard. After that came some time chopping back a fig tree, clearing the rubbish, doing some shopping and making the dinner (salad) followed by a film and an early night, Wednesday came around all too quickly with another 6.00 a.m. walk, work and cooking, writing on the course work and hanging new lights in the courtyard, a salad, a film and…zzzz.

Might not sound like a lot, but typing our 7,000 words per day, on average, soon takes its toll. I was also adding some new header images to the site as we’ve not had any for a while, and setting up some special deals on Amazon to try and promote the books. ‘Remotely‘ has sold well this month as we’d expect from a new release, but some of the others need boosting. Here are a few titles that might interest you or your friends and you might be able to find the special deals if you look on Amazon and Amazon Kindle.

Lonely House (Thriller/horror)

You Wish! (Mad comedy)

The Judas Inheritance (Set on an island not unlike Symi – and later filmed there)

And, as always, the best seller, Symi 85600

Thank you and now I’m going back to sleep.

Share on Facebook

Symi harbour at night
I tried some shots of Symi harbour at night, without a tripod as you will see if you look closely. I also got some on a morning walk yesterday. Yes, I managed to get out of my lazy bed at 5.45 and did a short walk up the road to the zig zags and back. The photos weren’t very spectacular as the sun had not come up by then.

The late morning was spent cutting back the vine in the courtyard so we could get to the gate without being caught up, and then sweeping up loads of dead leaves. It looks like part of the vine has given up the ghost, or been cut, and some of the branches have died off. There’s still plenty here and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. It does make a lot of deal leaf mess though and, just as you finish sweeping and bagging, more flutter down defiantly.

On the course front, I am working my way through a screenplay I have to submit by the end of the month. It’s only supposed to be 15 pages but they have told me it can be longer. I’m not even half way through it yet and it’s already around 20. They might be in for a shock. Mind you, there are edits to make, as long as I keep within the structure that’s demanded, and I’ve already completed the first part of the last assignment and this is the second, so I should be okay.

It’s still sunny here, if anyone is wondering. There’s been a slight breeze which has been nice, it brings with it the sounds of whoops of joy from the people using the jet skis as Nos, and the water skiers, sometimes even the swimmers. The best ones though are the yells from the people on the big yellow thing who get dragged through the water. I’ve not done one of those for many years but here’s a tip: leave your glasses on the beach.

As you can see, there’s not much news. The Festival continues, tonight there’s a dance show from Rhiannon and her girls – not us this year though, phew. There’s a new fruit and veg shop opened in the village apparently, I’ve not been yet. The outside and inside of Jean And Tonics have been done up and look really nice – it’s probably been like that for months but I only went past for the first time yesterday, and everything else is ticking along nicely.

Share on Facebook