Greek cats calendar
Lets’ think ahead to next year. I know, it’s early, but I want to draw your attention to two new calendars to come out of Symi that are now ready. You could start to stock up ahead of the end of year rush and get them now in case the price goes up. Actually the Greek Cats calendar may go up in price as it’s currently on an introductory offer.

These are two calendars from Neil who has been producing a popular Symi calendar for a few years now. You will see links to them over on the right of this page, beneath the advert for Symi 85600, which remains my most popular book to date, but it’s not about me today it’s about Neil’s calendars for 2017. Click the links over there >> (I’ll also give them at the bottom of this post) and you will get to the Lulu page where they are sold from.

Now, listen very carefully as I will say this only once… These are ONLY available online, you can’t buy them on the island, you can only buy them from Lulu.com by following these links. You can, when there, share them via the myriad of social networking systems available these days and spread the news about to others who might like a calendar of Symi images and/or a calendar of Symi/Greek cats.

But I am not signed up to Lulu! You cry. Well, that is easily fixable. You simply go to the register/login link at the top of their page and then fill out your name, email address and make up a password. Accept the membership conditions, but uncheck the other box if you don’t want emails, and click on register. It’s easy and you’ll get access in moments. I know the page talks about how easy it is to publish books and things, but customers as well as authors sign up this way, so ignore that. Then, click the calendars’ links again or search for Neil Gosling and you will find them. You can change your store using the flag symbol next to ‘Login/Register’ at the top of the page and see the prices in your local currency – and your postage will also be local and thus cheaper than if you keep to the default, American store. I have mine set to Ireland so I can get the prices in Euros and still have the site language in English.

But I don’t like using online payments! You say. Well, I’ve been doing it for years and have had no hassles and, if you want one of these calendars you will have to buy it online as they are not available anywhere else. There I’ve said it again now.

Also, once you are on the calendars’ pages you can see a preview link beneath the calendar cover image; this lets you flick through the content online so you can see what treats you are in for before you buy.

There you go, that’s at least some of your Christmas shopping taken care of well in advance, now, while you’ve got the money (I start my collection of things early in the year and buy things bit by bit). Have a good day and enjoy your calendar when it arrives – you will have to add on VAT and postage of course, but do get them soon before the price goes up.

Cat Calendar 2017

Symi Dream Calendar 2017

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Meanwhile, on Symi…
And back to normal broadcasting… Thank you for your comments on yesterday’s post.

Here is the latest news from Symi on Tuesday morning, yesterday as you read this. It’s blowing a bit of a gale but that’s due to calm down this afternoon, and the rain seems to have passed by, taking the early morning thunder with it. The sea is quite choppy but the boats are still running and that’s just as well as Nephew George and his friend are leaving today to head back to England on Wednesday afternoon. Could be a bit choppy on the way over and they may regret their late night at Harani and Vapori bars where, they tell me, they had a great time with friendly staff and customers.

In slightly connected-to-Symi news, some readers may have been at the Symi Dream gallery on a wine night when my friend and cabaret partner, Kinny Gardner, gave as an impromptu concert from the balcony. This was… years ago now. Kinny has been running a children’s theatre company in the UK for many years and since 2000 has been devising, writing and appearing in shows created specifically so that deaf and hard of hearing children can watch and enjoy alongside their hearing families and friends. I’ve written or arranged the music for a couple of these, ‘The Very Magic Flute’ is still touring in the UK with my arrangements of Mozart’s themes (grave and rolling in his, come to mind) and all of the Krazy Kat productions are well received and suitable for an included audience. Her Majesty the Queen acknowledged Kinny’s work in her birthday honours list last week and he has been awarded an BEM, a British Empire Medal, for his services to the arts and disability in the arts. Here’s a photo of one of the leading campaigners for inclusion in arts and media:

Meanwhile, back on Symi, what news do we have? Well, since being back from Tilos I’ve been trying to get back to the diet that was so successful during the early part of the year. Trouble is, there are so many lovely people coming back and visiting and wanting to meet up for a drink, or a meal, that one often has to keep a diary, or at least a dance card. I’ll get back to the semi-starvation and total denial as soon as I can, though there’s no promises as to when that might be, not at this rate!

At the Olive Tree fundraising afternoon on Sunday, where the girls arranged a Queen’s birthday celebration complete with guess the weight of the cake (made to the same recipe that the Queen has on her birthday), somewhere in the region of €500.00 was raised to help the high school with its basic needs. You can still donate when at the OT should you be coming this way soon and want to help with a local need. By the way, the cake was 3lbs 3oz so I was about one pound out and Neil about one stone out. ‘I put one stone six,’ he said. ‘One stone…!’ ‘I got mixed up with the pounds and ounces thing.’ Understandable; if I make a sponge cake it usually comes out weighing about a stone and half more than the weight of the things I put in it, but the ladies at the OT know what they are doing.

I am sure there is lots of other news to be aware of, but if there is, I don’t know it. So I’ll head of into the rest of my Tuesday, which will include seeing Nephew George off to the bus stop and then, hopefully, getting down to some reading. And on that subject, I picked up a copy of my own ‘The Judas Inheritance’ yesterday and thought I would have a look. I don’t often do this as, by the time the books are published, it’s usually too late to make any more edits and I am still thinking about edits on lyrics I wrote for shows nearly 20 years ago. But, I have to say, apart from a couple of times where I would have now taken out that word and replaced it with this, it’s not bad. Fast, atmospheric and I’d forgotten a lot of what’s in it, so I, like many readers, am finding it hard to put down. If you’ve not read it, you might like to take a look: The Judas Inheritance. (Still no news on the final cut of the film version, ‘The Thirteenth’.)

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Breathe
With so much horror and hate in the world today, yesterday, the day before, last year, seventy years ago; and with so much bound to be around tomorrow, the day after, the day after that and onwards; with so many people hating each other because they don’t like the way others live, dress, worship, look; with so many people putting their faith in insane would-be world leaders, terrorism, homophobia, extremism; with so many attacking friends and family in the ‘never should have been allowed to happen‘ in/out Euro debate; with people thinking of cancelling their holidays because their destination may be caring for ‘immigrants‘ (sic) fleeing death; for everyone turning against their heritage because their monarch – like it or not – celebrated a birthday; with every side being unwaveringly assured of their own immoral high ground, throwing it around the world wide web, on television, through the worst excesses of the ‘run for profit not for information‘ newspapers or wherever they can so publically do it these days… With all this is happening around us today, yesterday, next month, last week, tomorrow and onwards, I want us all to take a moment, calm down and think on what is important in the last years of our dying civilisation. And while you do, enjoy these photos from Symi and share this post wherever you want to.

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Back to Symi and the Symi blog
Here I am back from my week away. It’s Sunday morning and I thought I should get something ready for tomorrow as we are off out later to The Olive Tree for a Queen’s birthday charity tea, raising money for the Symi high school, another Greek school badly in need of funding (for things like desks, books, lockers, the bare essentials really) and another Greek school that is held together by incredibly loyal and dedicated teachers; many of whom are on an unimaginably low wage, earning less than many seasonal bar and restaurant workers earn, even after their years of training.

My week away was a good one and very productive. I was able to get 36,000 words written of the first draft of the next novel and I am rather pleased with most of the results. I’ve now reached the half way point in the story, so there is another half to go, though the action is faster and now most things are set up – location, characters etc. – the second half should turn from the mystery of part one to the drama and action (and ultimate horror) or part two. It’s not blood and guts horror as you will see if you ever read it. I reckon that if I’d stayed on Tilos (or elsewhere quiet) for another three weeks I would have had the first draft written and tided up ready for draft two. But it’s back home, back to work and back to daily Symi blogging.

How do you write so many words in six days? You may ask. It’s a question of a) having no distractions, b) having the plotting and background work done already, c) discipline and d) having a good routine. Mine was something along the lines of: up at 6.00 with the dawn, take a long walk around the bay and back for about 40 minutes to clear the head and arrange the thoughts, get the kettle on, shower and dress, spark up the PC, sit down and start to write for two or three hours. Head out to the square for coffee, come back, check what’s been written and then go for lunch while the lady cleaned the room (meticulously, by the way; great place to stay, the Eli Beach hotel/apartments, check them out), and then, after lunch (with not too much beer and no wine) back for another three hours and check over what’s been done at the end of that. Then relax on balcony time, around 6.30 by now, and then dinner, bed by 11.00 ready to start again. Sorted.

Symi is much as I had left it, some visitors have left others have arrived, more boats are in the harbour, the temperature has warmed up and things seem slightly busier. There was a meeting while I was away, the British Vice Consul and staff came over, met with British residents at The Olive Tree to advise on their role and answer questions. Neil was able to go along and found it useful, and here are a couple of his photos. The Vice Consul also met with the Mayor of Symi and this outreach work is, to my mind, a very good idea and it looks like the visit was well received.

So, I’ll let us all get on now and from today I should be back to daily blogging (almost, not usually on Sundays) through the year as I am not planning to go anywhere else this year apart from perhaps a day trip to Rhodes at some point. Have a great week!

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Nou’s Blue entertains Russian sailors – only in Greece!

Another quick catch up from over here on the first rock from the rock I live on, Tilos in the early morning and later on. A flotilla or regatta, rather, as they were racing, sailed by Russian crews entertained us out as sea on Tuesday afternoon. They called in after the race, stayed the night (not with me), filled up a couple of tavernas and, by the sound of the music, had a good time.

I had one of those ‘no way!’ moments as I sat on my balcony behind one of the tavernas, listening to the disco and watching the night sky. One of the songs they played was a strange kind of disco number that started with deep drums and horns. I thought ‘I recognise that’ and sure enough I hear a piece of music based on a piece of classical music that gives me the shivers each time I hear it. Why? ‘Cos my big brother wrote it and arranged it. (I hope he got his royalties from this disco-mix!) There are various versions of it on You Tube, but this is probably the neatest, though not the longest version. It’s called ‘Nous’ Blue.’

Have a listen and see if you can identify the piece it’s based on. I used to play the original piece on the piano in the days of four hours a day practice for my grade eight. Think I might only be able to manage a few bars of the right hand now. The video is below, but if you want to buy the big band arrangement click to Lush Life music: https://www.lushlifemusic.com/arrangements/pdf/nous_blue.pdf

And back to Tilos, just a little bit more than proud. I can’t remember how many words I am on now but I had a good morning’s work on Tuesday. I was writing a scene that’s set on the Romney Marshes on the night before winter solstice, sunset to darkness, and there’s the sun pouring in through the window, the sea lapping at the front step of the hotel and I’m sweating. Took a little concentration I can tell you.

I’m not hanging around for long, it’s lunchtime and I want to get that done so I can write the next scene; I reckon I am at 60,000 words now (not just this week) and not even half way through, so there’s going to be a lot of editing I am sure. Perhaps a couple of weeks on Patmos later in the year? Enjoy the pics and the music.

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