Here I am, back after my week off. The reason I was away all week was because Neil was coming back from Scotland and was due to land around midnight on Tuesday. We’d booked the Castellum for Tuesday to Friday, and it occurred to me that I might as well use the room on the Tuesday, as we were paying for it, and Neil would miss out on the included dinner (and bar). For me to be there when he arrived, rather than the day after as originally planned, meant I had to go to Rhodes on the Monday. Here, I had a choice of boats: the very early morning Blue Star, or the 16.20 Spanos. I thought, ‘Hang the expense,’ and bought a Spanos ticket to avoid a 4.00 am start.

And then we had a storm.

That photo isn’t of the storm, just the winter weather, but because of very high winds, the boats got messed up and it turned out the Spanos was put back to 17.30, but the Blue Star had been put back to 14.15 (later changed to 14.45, and eventually came in around 15.00). I decided to switch ships and go earlier in the afternoon. It was only an additional cost of €5.50 what with my discount card. I could have exchanged the Spanos ticket, but never got around to it, and I’ll get some of my €5.50 back from the government’s M.A.N. scheme, so… whatever.

However, I decided to keep the Monday accommodation cheap to save money, and so, booked into a place called Marnin Apartments, which is not far from the Plaza, off the pedestrian street, and cost me only €25.00 a night. This was for a single room (bring your own towel) with not many mod cons – it’s more of a backpacker’s hostel type thing, but clean, safe, and handy for the new town.

This was my room, where the view from the bed was interesting, and the view from the loo was too.

Bear in mind that by booking the Castellum through its own site cost me €57.00 per night. Now bear in mind my cheap night elsewhere. €25.00 for the room, €20.00 for dinner, €12.00 the next morning for breakfast at the Plaza, which also comes to €57.00 but without any entertainment bill, like a couple of glasses of wine. I might as well have gone straight to Castellum, but if you want somewhere cheap to crash for a night to or from the airport, then look up Marnin Apartments.

As I write this on Sunday, ready for Monday, we’re under a huge raincloud. Rhodes has been flooded in places, roads have been washed away, and the airport was closed for some time. Maybe it still is. We left on Friday in t-shirt weather, but it changed dramatically on Saturday. The weather is forecast to be very wet and somewhat wild all week, so if you are heading this way, check before you set off. I’ll be back tomorrow with more tittle-tattle about our recent adventures in Rhodes which included clothes and Christmas shopping, some medical checkups (because at €40.00 for a consultation you might as well), and plenty of eating, drinking, playing crib, and walking.

You can find the Castellum site here.

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In the name of being organised, I’m writing this yesterday so when I wake tomorrow, I can launch straight into finishing my first draft. The aim is to complete it by Monday and take it to Rhodes with me to start rereading and editing, although I have been doing a lot of that already. As it’s still yesterday, I can’t tell you what I did today because I haven’t done it yet, but the plan remains as stated yesterday, and that’s that.

So, what can I leave you with other than random photos? Let’s put up ten to keep you occupied, and I’ll select them from the whole of this year’s file, so they may not be recent or in any order.

The valley in spring

Akandia, Rhodes.

Upper Horio, Ag. Triatha.

Including the prequel, not shown here, there are 11 mysteries in this series authored by my pen name. Click the banner to discover what the fuss is about.

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Well, that was a day, that was. I didn’t go to Yialos in the end because there was a general strike, and I joined the picket line by staying at home and working. I have almost finished a first draft, just a couple of chapters away, and I have set aside Friday to Sunday to see to that. I must go down the steps today, though, and I should have gone yesterday, as it looks like I am going to get wet. (Note: buy an umbrella, malaka!) Meanwhile, in France…

I have no idea why I took that dreadful picture. There was something on the TV about Jurassic Park in Paris, and the other guys in the bar were laughing over it. This was a few nights ago now. Anyway, last night, I had an invitation to dinner which was first set for 15.30, but I wasn’t free until 16.00, so it was changed to then, and I was still wondering if it was dinner or lunch. Then, at 15.45 it was put back until 17.00, and that was the time I arrived, to find my godsons merrily working away together in the kitchen, cooking, and collaborating. One of them had several timers set on his phone; this one for the potatoes, this one for the other potatoes, that’s the chicken, and this one’s for the broccoli. It was a feast of potatoes and chicken, with a hint of green because the trained chef for the event couldn’t find any decent vegetables in the village, and I know what that’s like at this time of year. In the end, once all the timers had gone off, we sat down to eat at 18.00, and very nice it was too. This picture is completely unrelated.

That one shows, if you can enlarge it, the phenomenon of two Blue Star boats servicing Symi at the same time, ooh, er, missus. I can’t tell you why, nor which direction each one was heading, but I happened to notice them and took a shot before closing the shutters. This was back on Monday, if I remember correctly, which is a rare event these days.

Before I forget, I shall be away for most of next week, so there won’t be anything here from Tuesday until the following Monday. Having said that, it is weather/boat dependent. We’re in for some high winds over the weekend, so the forecast says, up to force 7, and the boat I am aiming for is the Dodecanese Seaways on Monday afternoon. I’ve had a hotel booked for Tuesday to Friday morning anyway because Neil lands back in Rhodes late on Tuesday night, so I thought, rather than get the very early morning Blue Star on Wednesday, I could go on Monday night and make use of the hotel room on Tuesday pm onwards because meals are included, so I may as well make use of the booking. As there is no way off the island on a Tuesday (except by private boat or helicopter) This means spending one night somewhere else, so I have found an apartment for €25.00, not far from the Plaza. No idea what it will be like, but I’ll let you know. That is, assuming the weather allows the boat to go, otherwise, I’ll set the alarm for 4.00 on Wednesday morning. Eeek.

I’m off to Yialos soon, but you can bet it’s not going to look like it did last week. I.e., like this:

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Something random today photo-wise. Yesterday, in much better weather conditions, I got some writing done, did some housework, and went for my physio which is helping immensely. I treated myself to a walk in the afternoon, before settling in for more ‘Treasure Hunt’ and ‘University Challenge,’ and similar. Today, I have a music book to collect in town and if it’s open, will check the post office too. I heard there are strikes across the country today, but I am not sure who’s striking where, or what and what with, but I need the walk anyway. While I’m there, I might also do some shopping which will a) save me from doing it up here and b) give me an excuse to take a bus or taxi back up. Talking of roads… Is this the Symi corner with the most directions?

Also today, there’s a rumour I will be invited to have dinner cooked by the godsons, but as I write, I am yet to be told a time. This is because Mother’s off on a trip with other island ladies, leaving the house empty save for one of the boys, and my engineered invite is a way of keeping an eye. Mind you, H is also coming for music on Thursday and afterwards, once we have watched an episode of Mozart Rise of A whatever it’s called, we’re going to be cooking steak and kidney pies. They are, ahem, Fray Bentos, but it will be a new experience for him and a walk down memory lane for me. I hope to find enough fresh parsley to make liquor, if not, it will have to be Bisto instant gravy. I mean, if you’re going to go all 1990s, you’ve got to do it right. While we’re scoffing that, I’ll make him watch an episode of Treasure Hunt for the pleasure of seeing/hearing him say, ‘What the f…?’ Lol.

Random #2, the cave/shelter up at the Pontikokastro.

I also need to arrange some appointments for when I am in Rhodes next week – I will be away for three days, and I need to organise some boat tickets before next Wednesday. And talking of boats; here’s the last random image of today…

That’s the view from a car on the car deck on the Blue Star One (or Two, I can’t remember).

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Right, I can get back to normal now. We had a storm pass over us on Saturday/Sunday, with the worst of it on Sunday morning. Usually when we hear thunder coming closer, we ‘unplug’, as in, ‘Let’s unplug,’ which isn’t as rude as it might sound. Out come the telephone cable from the wall, the router plug, and if it’s very loud, the TV and piano. On Sunday, I’d just unplugged and was at the balcony doors looking at the view when the island was hit so hard by a bolt from the grey, I took a step back from the glass for safety. I couldn’t see it land, but it looked as though the lightning hit somewhere around the windmills. Within seconds, the power went off everywhere.

Here’s the usual view.

The power came back on again not long after, by which time the storm was settling down, but I reckon lots of folk were still being wary. Later, when everything had calmed, I plugged in again, and everything was fine apart from the internet connection. There was power to the router but nothing else. To be expected. It’s happened before, so I left it and carried on reading ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood.’

Here’s the view as the storm arrives (looking slightly more towards the clock tower).

Later, when all was very calm, I went down to visit Jenine and Harry for a couple of hours, and their internet was off too. This for the likes of our generation isn’t a problem, but for a 17-year-old who was halfway through an online video game and who’s only recently found ‘Breaking Bad’… I was expecting outrage, but no. Pleasant, fun, conversation, ensured, although I did get a strange look when I suggested, if bored, a man can always read a book.

And here’s the view, or lack of, when the rainstorm was at its peak.

The upshot of this was, I still had no connection on Monday morning, so I tried a reboot, to no avail. Ah ha! I thought, I’d give them a quick ring to see if it’s me or the line/box/whatever, but apparently, I am unable to call the customer support number on my mobile (which is odd in itself and to be investigated later). Ah ha! I thought, I will download the app because you can check your status from there. Only, to enter the app, I needed my old Ote password that I’d not seen for 100 years, so I clicked the ‘forgot password’ thing only to be told it would be sent to my email. I can’t access that email without the internet, so that was no good. Ah ha! I thought. I will send a message via my phone email or some other way and found the form on the website via my phone (on 4G), and sent it off. Thinking I’d have to wait a couple of days, I then thought, Ah ha! And went to the Facebook page and the private message service, and sent the same message to Cosmote that way, just in case.

I had replies to both within ten minutes, both stating there was a problem with the line (or whatever) and it was being fixed. I was also told, had I been with Cosmote mobile, they could give me loads of free data usage while I wait.

Anyway, I rejoined the information superhighway shortly after, but others lost their routers, or cannot now expect their internet to be restored until towards the end of the month, so I was lucky. Oh, and the 17-year-old was able to get back to the worlds of make-believe and make-meth later the same day.

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