Here are five shots of the Kali Strata I took on my way down a few days ago. They are appropriate because of something that happened…

Bear with me…

Last night, our niece and her husband arrived to stay for a few days. They are staying in an Airbnb in the village and had someone meet them from the boat and bring them up. ‘Here’s your front door. Have a nice stay.’ The property is near a church in the middle of the village bowl. That’s not to be confused with the Hollywood Bowl, which is something else. I refer to the way the village dips from the Castro, down and back up again to Ag Triada. They are right in the middle of it, about five minutes walk from the village square – if you know the way. They were due to meet us just after seven, and by the time it got to eight, I thought I should go and search for them. They’d sent us a photo of the front door as supplied by the property owner, and because I recognised it, I went there, but all was in darkness. I then came back via the most obvious route by which time news had spread through the square that these people were missing. (Why is Joe Public such a collective drama queen? Calm down, gurl, they’ve got Google maps. Haha.) They eventually turned up having found their way to the road, and followed it to Yialos because that was the way they’d been driven up, and they had searched the harbour square for ‘Rainbow’ because that was where we were waiting, and eventually found the Kali Strata and their way back up where they found us by accident. (It’s a good job they work as personal trainers and physios.) So, that was that, and we had a quick dinner at Georgios where, apparently, if you ask for ‘Mia patatas’ the waiter hears ‘Beef Metaxa’ and you get an extra plate you didn’t want and then get severely scowled at for insisting you didn’t order it, and get it dumped and left on your table. I’m surprised we’re not still there this morning under the instruction that, ‘You’re not leaving this table until you’ve eaten it, young man.’

After that debacle, I walked the couple to the property with the door in the photo only to find out it wasn’t that one at all – bloody Airbnb! It’s no good sending people a shot of a doorway when they’ve not been here before and there are… how many doors in the village? They remembered their driver had told them to follow the signs to the museum but don’t actually go to the museum, and so I took them back down past the museum, back towards the village square, and on the way, they somehow recognised a turning and said it was up there, so we went up there, and then they thought it was across that way, so we explored across that way, and finally, we found the place, and I’ve never seen a door look less like a door in my life, but at least they got home. As did I several thousand steps later, and so, I went to bed. Have a good weekend. Here are some photos. Thank you. Bye.

Share on Facebook

Looking from the balcony yesterday at some point, the only boats I could see moored up were day-trip boats. Five of them. All the smaller sailing boats and larger yachts had gone. It just looked a bit odd, that’s all. The other boats were back later in the day, and we can only see one half of one side of the harbour from up here, but it was the first time I had noticed only day boats. We’ve still got several day boats coming in, from the speedboat-style ones to the larger King Saron, also known as the Queeny Shaz. (I don’t know. It went something like: King Saron, King Sharon, Queen Sharon, Queen Shaz, Queeny Shaz. Its etymology is clouded in nonsense.)

A harbour view from last week.

In other news, I may be nipping back to Rhodes next week or the week after to see the doc about my tennis elbow again. To get an appointment for this one, you have to phone an appointment agency, so Neil is going to do that for me on Friday, as I am more phone phobic than ever these days. (If you want me, send a message, don’t ring, it sets my heart a pumping like no-one’s business.) I’ve been cutting down on the repetitiveness that has caused the strain (typing), but as it’s the way I earn a living, I can’t cut down on it too much. (Still fine on the piano, L. and back on my feet today.) So, that’s the news from home.

Autumn light.

News from elsewhere… Weather fine, warmer now the north wind has dropped. If you’re heading this way soon, you can expect warm (25° to 30°) and calm until later on Monday when it’s meant to be a little north-wind breezy again for 24 hours, then back to calm. If you’re already here, then simply look out of the window and you’ll see what the weather is doing.

As you can see, not much to report, so I’m getting on with chapter eight.

Share on Facebook

Another late start today. I could get used to this not getting up until 6.30 business… Anyway, a glance at my collection of ‘Last Week Through the Years’ images shows me:

Neil showing off his new teeth (having had a couple fixed), a chicken in a tree, an aerial photo of my home town, and this one of the carved shop front in Horio which I’ve always thought had something to do with Aesop’s fables because it shows a fox and a dove.

Scrolling down, we must have walked to Nimborio at some point because there are photos of and from St George’s church…

Three years ago, I was with Harry having a massive plate of noodles in Rhodes, for some reason, Neil was in his rainbow shirt at the Rainbow Bar, and the same old sun was rising in the morning. Then come pictures of Pedi, goats, my parents wedding my brother being a DJ…? Ah! I was preparing a book for my brother’s big birthday, and scanning the images from the old family album. Meanwhile, back in Symi…

The same old sunrise, which I missed this morning because we sat on the balcony and chatted until far too late. Which is what I am now, so, to work.

Share on Facebook

Sunrise photos today, the same one (this morning) in different versions, so you can choose the one you like the best. This was just before seven, in case you want to be up for the sunrise tomorrow.

Looking towards the east.

The dawn chorus starts early here, although the cockerels are constantly rehearsing and sounding off no matter the time of day or night. Later they’re joined by the chug of fishing boats, the squabbles of sparrows and other small birds, and the early-worker moped turning over and driving off. Depending on the day, you have suitcases being wheeled past, ferry claxons, the rumble of heavy anchor chains being dropped, and the louder chug of the gulets. Then there are the passing voices, and the thump of footsteps as the boy next door leaps down the side alley making his way home either from a very early start or a very late night.

Towards Petini.

As for sights, there are the cloudscapes when we have clouds, like this morning, the chickens and their chicks up the lane living in reasonable harmony with the cats, the boats coming and going in the harbour, and the lines of refugees or asylum seekers being walked around the harbour to sit in silence and wait for the catamaran to take them to wherever their next port of call may be.

A panoramic version.

And then, my view changes to this machine, my fingers on the keys, the cup of tea next to me, and badly typed words on a page. So, the rest of the day begins.

The wider angle.

Share on Facebook

I took a whole day off yesterday and did nothing but play games on my tablet, read, watch a little TV, and straighten a photo in a frame that’s been wonky for at least two years. Neil went back to work in the evening because there was live music at the kafeneion, and, after watching a creepy episode of a drama/documentary series about the Enfield Poltergeist I decided to read some more. There was music coming up from the harbour, first opera and then Greek trad, and the 4/4 beat of the music from the village square set against it, making for an interesting mashup. I suffered about eight mosquito bites during four or five chapters, before finally turning in, only to be working by a further four or five four hours later. So, here I am at 4.20, having already been up and about for over an hour, getting on with things ahead of a siesta probably around breakfast time.

We went down to Yialos on Friday for a little shopping and something to eat, and that’s where today’s photos come from.

Kali Strata

At this time of the year, it’s not only the mosquitoes which can creep up on you. I got into the shower on Saturday, turned on the water, and noticed something crawling up my arm. I must have disturbed a young Symi spider from wherever it had been lurking and wasn’t too happy to have it traversing across me, so I gave it a blast from the shower, and then called for the husband to come and remove it. Normal service was then resumed.

For the last couple of mornings, when I have been up before the dawn and have gone to the sitting room with my first cup of tea, I’ve caught another interloper creeping about. This one has lived with us a while now and has recently moved into the sofa. At least, that’s where I’ve found him nosing around before darting between the cushions to escape. I rustle them about before I sit so he knows to move away, and to make sure I don’t squash ‘Squiggle’, as we’ve called him. He’s a Mediterranean house gecko, and I need to have a word with him about eating more mosquitoes.

Between the hordes.

So, the week starts, and so far, there is nothing remarkable planned other than the usual writing.

Share on Facebook