My spam collection was a disappointment this morning. I use a thing called Mailwasher so I can see the emails on the servers before I download them. That means I can weed out anything I don’t like the look of and keep my computer a little more protected. But from what? This morning, it was from total strangers and stranger robots offering me various challenges with attention grabbing headlines (not) such as, DIY made easy! If I have anything DIY orientated, I use the GIAP method. In full, Get In A Professional, or at least someone who knows what they are doing. I was also offered, ‘Buffet woodworking plans.’ What do you suppose they might be?  A trestle table of planes and saws? Woodchip vol au vents? How about a joint of mortice and tenon? (Get it?) I don’t know. Here’s a photo of our chilli corner.

Also in my spam collection today, a notice from FedEx Shipping that the package I am not expecting is waiting for my next attention which it’s not going to get and can be found by opening an email which reads: 8=0=0=8=9=00=0 or something similar. This comes hot on the heels of various SEO and web service cold calls, and my all-time favourite Moses bs valves. Apparently, they are the only valves I will ever need, despite the unfortunate including of the ‘BS’ (because we all know what that stands for). I got one of these every day, always at the bottom of the list just before the spam that comes in in the Greek and then Chinese alphabets. I now read Moses bs valves as ‘Moses saves’, and now and then, just for fun, I bounce the spam back. It makes me feel better, but it clearly does no good.

And now, some more of the plant collection.

The bougainvillaea has taken off since the temperature dropped, others are coming to the end of the summer cycle, the chillies are thriving, and the vine is starting to drop back, as it does. It will soon be time to prepare for the wetter weather by cutting the vine right back and painting the flat roof to prevent leaks. That’s assuming we get some rain. These days, who knows?

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Actually, the line is ‘Somewhat over indulgent’ and if you sing it to the strains of ‘Somewhere over the rainbow…’ you have Forbidden Broadway’s interpretation of Mandy Patinkin, but that’s another story… Anyway…

I was indulging in a scrape through my past pics and came across a coincidence which allows me an opportunity to further plug a couple of books. It just so happens that on this day in my history last year, I displayed a drawing of the main character from the first book in my Delamere Files Victorian mystery series which is the third series set in my Clearwater world, and here’s that drawing…

I’m currently writing book six in this series which means I must have put out five full-length mysteries in a year, oh, and 1892, a shorter collection of five shorts set in the same world. Gosh.

Then, a little further down I came across this photograph of me with my godfather…

Which is on the back of ‘Bobby, a Life Worth Living,’ his biography which I released a couple of months ago. Oh, so that makes five full-length mysteries, one collection of shorts, and a biography in the last 12 months. No wonder my arm hurts. I started the Bobby book 20 years ago, though, and it was mostly written when I returned to it earlier this year, so it didn’t take long to finish the research and set it free.

On the Symi side of things, I also found this photo of a rather empty harbour in 2020, and we can all guess why, and with it, from, I think, nine years ago this photo of my nephew who was visiting…

Three years ago, the boys were working the bar as they still are…

For how much longer, his season, remains to be seen. Things are very much quieter now than a couple of weeks ago, and it feels much quieter than this time last year. The weather doesn’t know it’s supposed to be autumn, however, and the temperature remains around 27° to 30° on the days without a north wind. (I’ve only recently learnt how to do the ° symbol without having to search the Insert/Symbol menu. Hold down the atl key and type 0176 at the same time (in Word) and you’ll get a °. Fabul°us!)

Moving on, it’s time to get to work. While writing chapter whatever it is, I also have to go shopping and do something startling with half a pound of minced beef, and I did say I’d try getting the hoover out to see if I can manage that, but then again, it could be a difficult chapter to write, so we’ll have to see.

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Sunday morning in our house. Me beavering away on publicising books before settling down to write another author interview and hopeful then move on to actually writing half a chapter while being careful of my bad arm. Neil and Ms Tina Turner in the sitting room. Her growling her way through a couple of hits from the ’80s, him doing his grandpa yoga or whatever cabalistic activity he does in there when no-one’s looking. A lady up the road, glimpsed through the kitchen window as I make another cup of tea, feeding the cats, shooing away the chickens then leaving. The chickens flocking back as if to roost, and a party of fur and feathers devouring whatever she left for them. The sky a little grey and cloudy. The harbour calm and quiet, for now, and containing the ‘pencil boat’ that’s been there for well over a week now; long, narrow and apparently rather swank close up, I’ve not seen in move for days and wonder at its story.

The boat was thus named when we first saw it and has been the topic of discussion after at least three piano lessons now as me and the H bomb stand on the balcony and discuss boats, the meaning of life, the future, and anything random that springs to the alert mind of a 17-year-old on the cusp of becoming a grown up. We had dinner with the two of them last night, a #BoysNight and hopefully the first of many to come this winter depending on what the S man does for work. (If anyone has a live-in chef job they know of, pass it along.)

Last night (Saturday as I write) we went to the Taj Mahal, each of us had a different main dish so we could share a taste, we added a couple of sides, and of course, it was wonderful, as was the company and conversation. People often say, ‘You’re so lucky to live here,’ but we’re not. We made it happen through planning, design and action, not luck. Where we are lucky, me in particular, is to have had the opportunity to watch these two young men grow up, and to be a part of that growing up. I’m not sure if it’s lucky to have them vomit on you when babies, or break your heirlooms when toddlers, but it’s all part of the experience. As is going to parents’ day in absentia, collecting school reports, taking them to medical appointments, helping them move into their first home, having that discussion when they’re at that age, teaching them how to shave, play the piano, and all the time to be an ear, a sounding board, a wallet. The other evening when out for dinner with the S man, he said about someone, ‘I told them to watch out because my uncle writes books.’ Uncle? I’ve never been prouder.

But enough of boys and boats, sentiment and Tina Turner. It’s time to turn my Sunday morning attention to that interview and then hopefully, to half a chapter before my arm gives up the ghost. I’m sure I will be back to the more usual dull blogging tomorrow.

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To end the week, some photos. As I was coming back from a short walk yesterday, I noticed the rising sun in this tree up the road, and it looked spectacular. More so than it looks in this photo. I cropped it and still it doesn’t look as spectacular as it did at the time. Hey ho!

I also offer you some other random shots taken during the last week, a week which has seen the temperature drop to more rational levels, and a week that’s not yet ended. We are out to dinner at the Taj Mahal with our boys tomorrow night, there is live music in the usual places over the weekend, including Scena on Saturday, the Secret Garden tonight (I assume), and in the village square on Sunday. Before that, my job today is to order a Symi Dream calendar for 2025 before I forget. Here’s the link so you don’t forget:

And now, a few photos, and I’m off to work.

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There used to be a British TV show called ‘Sale of the Century’ (I can still hear the theme tune and the ‘Live from Norwich’ announcement), but these days, I appear to be having a ‘Sale of the Month.’ Yes, it’s that time of the month again when I seek your assistance in gaining me some kudos simply by clicking a link or two. In this case, there are three to choose from. These are book promotions I get involved with in order to sell a few more copies. As I write historical mysteries, there are a fair few mystery/thriller promotions to play along with, but I also put some other books in other promos too.

How it works: All you have to do is click on one or more of the promo pages where you can browse the covers and click them to read the book blurbs. If you like the look of a title, you can then go ahead and buy it or add it to your Kindle Unlimited collection. None of the above incurs any cost or leads to any dodgy adverts or anything, but the more clicks my links generate, the more ‘points’ I get in the club, so the more promos I can join in with, thus, the more books I can put out there. So, if you have nothing better to do today, click a couple of the banners below, and everyone’s a winner. You may even pick up a few new titles to read, or discover a new author.

Normal Symi chat activity will resume tomorrow. Meanwhile, here’s a cloud as seen from the Kastro…

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