One of those starts to the day. Five random emails from people’s AI bots all fishing for me to write back and pay them $$ to do something or other with this book or that. Here are the opening lines of each one:

I hope your day is unfolding gently and that the creative space around you is giving you a bit of calm. It’s 5.40 in the morning, so nothing has yet unfolded, and better to substitute ‘a bit of’ for ‘a little.’ Much more suitable for someone pretending to know about writing.

I recently came across your work and was struck by how confidently you blend atmosphere, tension, character psychology, and… lots of other things I’ve not read, but have had my AI guess at from the blurb, ’cos if I randomly send out 200 of these a day, someone, one day, will bite.

I will be glad to got a positive feedback from you. I have no idea why this one started with such a random giveaway. I.e. (no disrespect) but clearly English is not a fore language, because a) that sentence is not a way to begin an email, and b) the email then went on to use flowery and ridiculous AI prose.

I recently spent time with *Other People’s Dreams* and was completely drawn into the blend of Greek island beauty, emotional tension, and the unsettling pull of obsessive desire. Yeah, right.

Hey there! I’m just circling back.  OMG, dear Symi Dream reader, how I long to reach out to you and interface about these AI-generated spam emails from chancers. Perhaps we can find time to de-layer this issue and curate some answers. I’ll circle back in the morning…

Meanwhile, in more important news, someone left a boot on the lane to St Nicholas (Kataraktis), and it can be found on the wall near the big corner.

And, along with the village Christmas decorations, someone has been busy painting over my favorite graffiti wall outside the Chinese emporium. Shame in a way, but looks nicer and is less embarrassing for boys with bits that resemble space rockets from 1950’s B movies.

In my news, though, a collection of Clearwater shorts should be out before Christmas – more news on that later. More dentistry later today (maybe just advice), a package to collect, and a decision to make nearer the time. There’s to be a very bad storm on Thursday night/Friday, and the map still looks like this for the wind forecast:

All very rainbow and that, but representing a force 7-8 B storm and who knows how much rain, on Friday morning. I will check again on Thursday and see what the boats are doing. I don’t mind getting wet, but I don’t want to get stranded and have one of those ‘the boat won’t now be leaving until 2.00 in the morning’ situations. As they say, we shall see.

Share on Facebook

I took these photos and this video at the weekend during the heavy storm that came across. I was at my desk when the hail started, and I attempted to get a quick sample of the sound. However, this doesn’t do the noise justice. You might be able to see the hailstones bouncing off the windows.

If a storm is coming from the north, we can see it approaching. Stage one would be the gathering clouds above, and stage two is when the coast of Turkey starts to vanish into what looks like mist, but is actually rain. A little while later, Nimos has been swallowed by the cloud/rain, and before you know it, Harani is lost, and then (when it’s really bad) even the clock tower and the other side of the harbour.

This was around stage two-to-three:

Then, luckily, after however minutes of pelting rain, rattling thunder (when provided), winds, running around checking window leaks, changing towels where needed, and unplugging the internet and phone line… Five minutes later, and we have this:

The UFO ball of light is the reflection of the bare bulb in my study. A study which I spent some time on Sunday rearranging and clearing out. I’m one of those ‘It might come in useful one day’ kind of people, you see, and who knows when I might be in need of a mobile phone from 2004, four tatty copies of Fur Elise, and half a hundred weight of used notebooks. And that was just one cupboard.

Anyway, there you are. I don’t have anything much else to report other than my tongue and lip continue to heal, more dentist activity tomorrow, and some deliveries to collect, and the planned trip on Friday may yet be called off thanks to another force seven/eight storm that’s predicted to hit us on Thursday/Friday. We shall see…

Share on Facebook

We’ve had some wet weather over the weekend, but so far (Sunday morning), we have escaped the worst, unlike other parts of the country. I wasn’t looking forward to the latest Rhodes trip, because the forecast said it was going to be wet all day, but as often happens, it depends on which forecast you look at, and although there were a few sprinkles in the morning for about five minutes, this was the morning coffee-stop view and later, we had lunch outside in the sun.

The purpose of the trip was threefold. 1) me to see about a root canal, 2) Neil for a checkup, 3) us to have lunch with Harry. So, the Blue Star over — the queue of cars waiting to board stretched back to the main road at one point (Black Feriday traffic, I guess), and a very busy boat, but a very smooth crossing. Then, a gentle walk around from Akandia to Mandraki, coffee, some window shopping, and then off to our appointments. Mine was to a dentist who specialises in root canal work, where I had one done at a very friendly surgery, and came away with a list of instructions on how to behave ‘After your operation.’ One of them was not to eat until all the anaesthetic had worn off, and as I’d needed three deep injections, that was going to take some time.

Met up with Neil afterwards, and we started walking over toward the St Nicholas area at the other end of Kanadas St. A couple of miles, via some shops I wanted to call back into but, quite frankly, couldn’t face doing so with half my face feeling as twisted as the Phantom of the opera without the mask. We arrived at the Harry house, where he’d been entertaining his brother all week while the two of them did some driving school things, and the four of us trundled off for lunch around the corner at a classic Greek taverna called Padelis. ‘Classic’ as in they could rustle up just about everything from burgers to soutzoukakia, and with plenty of chips. Chips I couldn’t eat, but as I’d not had anything since six that morning and as it was, by then, after two and I was in danger of falling over, I risked some soft soutzoukakia, eating very carefully on the other side of my mouth. The conversation went on, there were many laughs, the boys were such fine company, I forgot myself, and at one point, and thought I was eating a chip, but it turned out to be the inside of my mouth and half of my lip. Silly me. Anyway, once I’d stopped the blood flow and quartered the wounds with some table wine, it was upwards and onwards to Pappou with the boys for some shopping hilarity, and then, goodbye, and back to the boat.

The boat back was also busy, and we were all set to walk up when we landed, but we spied Lakis with his bus, and although he was waiting for a private party (I think), he let us hop on, which, with the anaesthetic now worn off, and the wounds coming to the fore, was an offer gratefully received.

More rain on Saturday. We met up with Miss DJ for her birthday, and I managed to get down some mashed-up spag bol, having only eaten half a bowl of porridge, three spoonfuls of mashed potato and a failed soutzoukakia since Thursday night, I was ready for it, but it was like eating razor blades. It still is as I sip my cold tea this morning (still Sunday), and look forward to a roast dinner at Jenine’s later. What a weekend to have all these meals arranged. Still, they smelt nice, and things will improve, but the next time, I will show more restraint after a tooth operation. Mind you, I blame the boys for making me laugh so much that I forgot what I was doing.

Anyway, Happy month to you. I shall be around for a couple more weeks, and then we’re off on our much planned and saved-for trip. Meanwhile, thunder is still rattling the hills as the sun comes up, I can hear the rain, and I need to try a little more porridge so I can take a painkiller. As for this week… Back to our local dentist on Wednesday, back to the Rhodes specialist on Friday, then, soon after that, back to the local dentist to finish the job. And that was only one of a possible three such treatments queuing up in my mouth to bring me joy in the future. Hey ho, and off to work we go.

Share on Facebook

This post is designed to last you the weekend, and comes with recent and random photos.

Apparently, it’s this thing that’s called Black Friday tomorrow, a time when we are bombarded with advertising for things we don’t need until we realise we might need them after all. At least, we’d like to have them because by spending €199.00 we didn’t intend to spend, we can save €50.00. Go figure. While everyone is online and out and about spending to save, I shall be saving my spending money to pay for a boat, two root canals, lunch, a taxi if it’s raining and other ‘day in Rhodes’ essentials.

To last readers the long weekend, I have a purchasing opportunity for you and a freebie, but first, in local news, it sounds like the harbour clock tower clock had been repaired. I heard it strike five this morning, and after some bleary-eyed investigation, I found it was on time. (Unlike the village church clock at Ag Triada, which has been a few minutes out for some time now.) The way I discovered it was now striking again was by way of a microwave and a cabinet light from Temu. I woke up and saw that it was still dark, so it wasn’t yet six, and I got up to do a quick bathroom trip. Thanks to the streetlight near the house, I don’t have to turn on any lights when this happens, as it shines in just enough to light the way, but not enough to see the kitchen clock. Therefore, to check the time, I use the microwave clock, because it glows. Squinting closer, because I’d left my glasses beside the bed, I discovered it was 00.04, which felt a little odd, because I’d only gone to bed two hours earlier and yet I felt wide awake. Bathroom done, I decided to head back to bed, but found I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I rose again, and this time, took my clothes so I could sit in the living room and doze on the sofa if necessary. Before I got there, though, I had to make a cup of tea, and when I went back to the kitchen, the time was still 00.04. Very odd. Then, the sensor on the under-cabinet light burst into unnatural light, illuminating the wall clock, which read 04.58, or similar. Eh? Then I heard a clock strike five and again thought, eh? (Mainly because I hadn’t heard it for years.) Turned out, someone (me) hadn’t reset the microwave when I last used it, and I hadn’t turned off the timer; therefore, it had been on pause at 00.04 seconds. That mystery solved, I was free to enjoy my cup of tea and think, ‘What to write on the blog?’

Ah, I thought, I know…

I could write about Neil’s trip to the dentist yesterday, where he had a tooth out. I could mention the cabin-sized backpack I’d ordered, and which arrived from Skroutz yesterday, and how, on being impressed by it, I immediately ordered one for Neil. Within minutes, I had an email from Skroutz asking if I had mistakenly made a double order, or did I mean to buy another? I thought that was an impressive safety double-check from the company selling the things, but then, I am already a Skroutz fan. Then, I thought, I could tell you about this…

That’s the Amazon.co.uk link, but you can find the tracks on various audio outlets, like Spotify. Have a look around and have a listen, the numbers are, by turns, humorous and poignant. A ‘must have’ for Christmas, surely? When your copy arrives, you’ll get not only an enjoyable listen, but also a very informative insert with photographs by Neil, and other artistic contributions from others who live on Symi.

So, that’s’ your first purchase option.

As for the freebie, well, this may not be up everyone’s street, but the first book in my first Victorian detective series is available all weekend for free. This, obviously, is a move designed to draw in new readers who may, I hope, enjoy book one and then go on to order, in bulk, the other 10 books in that series, the seven in the follow-on series, and so far, 10 in the third series. We shall see. Here’s the universal link that should take you to your appropriate Amazon store, where you can order a paperback, Kindle version, or where you can add it to your Kindle Unlimited pile.

For those friends who not only read this blog but also read my Jackson Marsh books, you might like to know that I have a second volume of The Clearwater Tales coming out before Christmas, so keep an eye out.

Anyway, enough of the beige Friday chitter chatter, do I have any other vital news for you?

Thinks.

Can’t think of anything.

So, I’ll toddle off and arrange my boat tickets for tomorrow while keeping an eye on the weather, and will see you back here next week.

Share on Facebook

It’s a no-news day today, as I suspect it will be for many days through the winter. I was going to start telling you about our upcoming trip, as it’s less than four weeks away now, but the details can wait a while longer. (The same details I have been boring everyone with through the summer), but you will learn all about it in time, I am sure.

Yesterday was a colder day than of late, with the temperature in our courtyard down to 16°, where it had been 20 + for some time. A cold breeze, now faded, it seems, left its chill behind, and I now have to wear a hoodie if I am outside for long. Actually, I wore a jacket last night as we sat at the Rainbow (outside) for a couple of hours. We went down to celebrate Yiannis’ wife Katarina’s name day, but then again, any excuse, eh? And on a completely different note, we went the very long way around to get there. In other words, went for a short walk first, passing the old toilet block as we went. So, I shall leave you with a photo of Symi public WCs.

Share on Facebook