Weekend Catch-up

Lots going on over the weekend. There was a regatta in overnight Thursday, leaving on Friday. Remember the photo last week of boats four abreast in the harbour? Well, here are some of them leaving.

Ducklings leaving as the catamaran comes carefully through

Tassos’ new butcher’s shop was blessed and opened on Saturday evening. Four priests, lots of locals, gifts and good luck wishes. A huge range of fresh meats, some home-prepared recipes and ready-made dishes Symi style, which means not ‘plastic’ food in plastic wrappers and polystyrene trays, but homemade sausages and real food. Proper stuff. I was able to take a few snaps; it was a bit busy and hot inside. This new shop is opposite the Old Pharmacy in Horio. Up the Kali Strata, through the square, past the Jean & Tonic bar and on the left by the old Glaros/Village Café bar on the way to Taverna Zoi and the American supermarket, you can’t miss it.

The front of the shop

Inside (not a great shot, was busy)

After blessing inside, the priest blesses outside the shop

And then I went for a walk on Sunday morning at 5.15, too early for the sunrise but interesting to see young people on mopeds coming down the hill (from where we don’t ask) and farmers going up the hill to their farmsteads, it’s was quite busy. Mind you, it might be because the Symi Festival has started, with a gala concert in Yialos on Sunday night. There are posters around telling of other events and, as usual, everything is free to attend.

Pre-sunrise

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Symi Saturday Photos

Lots of boats in the harbour yesterday. A regatta? Flotilla? And then some other photos from recent days. My weekend will, hopefully, be filled with writing. I want to get a first draft finished before I go away next Saturday. Have a good weekend!

Yesterday morning

Yesterday morning

Friday ferry

Stone mason’s yard, Pedi road

Pedi valley in July

Yialos

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Coincidence?

Well, here’s a thing that’s got very little to do with Symi. I’ve been in contact with an old school chum, and we’re meeting up in London when we’re there in a couple of weeks. We were in different years at school, I’m two years older, but were thrown together because of the annual school musical. First off, he was Rolf in ‘The Sound of Music’, and I was Uncle Max (I was always the comedy relief), then we appeared in a revue I wrote, and in one scene we were dressed in drag playing our two deputy headmasters. Our greatest triumph though was ‘Cox & Box’ that creaky old, Victorian parlour three-hander, one-act piece of… musical theatre we all know and love so much. I was Mr Cox, he was Mr Box and in the second half of the programme, ‘Trial By Jury’, I was the Judge, and he was the Defendant – again I got the comedy relief. Anyway… (Pause for a vaguely Symi-related photo.)

Time passes, even on Symi

Anyway… yesterday I was checking through some old photos and things and found a copy of the cover for that school show and discovered that it played for three nights, finishing on July 19^th, 1980 – exactly 38 years ago today (I’m writing this yesterday). So, Mr C and Mr B will be reunited 38 years and 11 days after bringing down the house (and bits of the scenery) in a triumphant performance – considering we were 17 and 15 – where we sang duets about buttercups and bacon, discovered we both nearly married the same woman, and turned out to be long lost brothers. Which is kind of how it will be when we meet (apart from the singing) as we’ve not met for 37 years. All very interesting for me, but what I can’t help worrying about is that revue scene we did in drag, satirising our deputy headmaster. I’m still friends with his daughter, and she and I will be having lunch with said deputy-head, who lives in a house where I was brought up, and although he’s not young anymore, he may still remember that sketch and put me in detention.

That was just a personal ramble. If you’re wondering about Symi news, well, there’s not much that I know of, though I expect there’s masses. It’s windy today. That’s blown away the humidity but also brought lots of dust in the house. There’s live music at The Secret Garden tonight if you’re on Symi, 9pm. And that’s all for now.

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