A weekend with a bang
Before you get excited or wonder where this is heading – it was a lightning bang, a thunderbolt I guess, hitting the island somewhere within two feet of me. That’s what it felt like at any rate. The photos today don’t go with the story, but the story goes like this…
A Sunday afternoon/evening drink at the Rainbow bar was on the cards, so we shuffled off down there to meet Miss DJ late in the afternoon. Next door at Lefteris’, a rock concert was taking place as Steve and later Georgos did their things with electric guitars and the like. The volume was just right, sitting next door, where we could hear the singing and the music, and yet still hear ourselves – and the basketball on one TV and the football on the other, and then the Travel Channel and Animal Planet when there were breaks in sports. The Rainbow is a bit of a multiplex with its two televisions.
We chatted, and Miss DJ left. We were going to leave too, but another glass arrived along with several village guys coming to watch the football, AEK Vs Panathinaikos, playing in the Greek Superleague on Sunday night. The atmosphere is the thing at these times. The youngsters who are part of the Symi football team, their dads, younger guys and old all gathered together to look at their phones and occasionally look up to the screen when something is about to happen. Rodrigo Moledo scored after 10 minutes (for the opposition – Rainbow is an AEK bar) and halftime came and went. But not before everyone leapt out of their seats as the thunderbolt struck somewhere close by.
Blackout, rain, what the…? One by one, phone torches and others came on, some people went to take a look outside, and the whole village was out, streetlights and all. Ah well, better stay for another glass then. The power was back on in a few minutes, but the score hadn’t changed. We headed home before act two started, but I noticed that it was a draw, in the end, Marko Livaja scored in extra time (impressed? I copied that from a website) and the game ended up one-all. The rain and thunder continued through the night, but not as heavily as last week. It grumbled on until the morning and now, 9.50 yesterday as you read this, it’s a case of showers and sunshine.
The other bang has been the fundraising for the Symi charities who are collecting donations to put the island back together – see previous posts down the page or on the next page back for links and info. Also, on a more personal note, ‘Symi, Stuff & Nonsense’ has launched with a bang. Thank you to everyone who has so far ordered a print copy or a Kindle, all contributing towards the high school here on Symi. I hope you like the book, and if you do, remember to share the news and maybe order copies for friends and family for Christmas.
