If you think things quieten down on Symi at the time of year, you’d be right, but also, not 100% accurate. Over this last weekend, there was a wedding complete with many church bells and a large procession coming past the house. There were fireworks in Harani on Friday, which may have been related to the wedding, or may have been some other celebration. The 28th was Oxi day, so there was a parade with traditional costumes, the school children in their uniforms, the army, many spectators and music, and the clocks changed, meaning everyone had an extra hour. (So why did I wake up at 2.30 and miss my chance to sleep through that extra hour? It was 3.30 by my body clock, I guess, and so it was ready to get up and get on, but all the same, waking up at 2.30 in the morning? It’s just not cricket.)
We had some rain, but nothing to shout home about, plenty of cloud, temperatures in the mid-20s, sunshine and warmth. I counted four dayboats in yesterday, maybe not as packed as before, but still bringing visitors. We were invited out for dinner at the taverna (Georgio’s), Neil went for a decent walk over to St Nicholas beach, and I finished two short stories for a Christmas anthology.
Then, there was plenty of time to stand on the balcony watching the world and its wildlife pass by. By wildlife I mean, sparrows, coal tits, ravens, pigeons, owls, bats, black redstarts, warblers, seagulls, blackbirds, and blue rock thrushes. The lizards who live in the stone walls have been noticeable by their absence, and we’ve not yet had any winter-feeding goats come and investigate the land in front, nor the mule, but then she only comes when the grass is long. Right now, despite a little rain, the hillsides remain dry and dusty, with the shrubs and herbs turned brown by the sun. It’ll come back to green before long.
As for the week ahead, who knows what will happen? Between us we have plenty to do including a new course and the gym (him, not me), walks when I can be bothered, piano and music lessons, we must collect some things from the post office, there’s end of season paperwork to put into the accountant – into his office, rather, not into the man himself. I have things to write, of course, and books to try and sell, presents to think about because that season will be on us before we know it, books to read (currently, I am studying the history of the Gaiety Theatre, London which is no longer there), plenty of housework to do and some running repairs which run so fast, they keep getting away from me.
Oh, and I need to keep an eye on the ferry schedules. The Blue Star has put up its November and December schedules, but not yet January, which is the one I need. So, there’s plenty to do and yet there never seems to be enough time.
