Symi in the winter
People often ask, or always ask, ‘What’s it like in the winter?’ And I assume they are talking about Symi as that’s where we are when they pose the question. Well, this winter looks like it’s going to be one of the coldest for a long while. Last summer I remember telling people that the winter hadn’t been so bad; cold for a couple of weeks, but otherwise fine, not too wet either. So far this year we have seen storms one day and very cold weather the next. We are luckier than some islands further north which are currently under snow and declared disaster areas. We must feel for the refugees still in camps on Samos, Lesvos and other islands living in tents, some of which have no heating. I’ve heard of three refuges dying from the cold on other islands and, although we don’t have any here at the moment, Solidarity Symi is still doing its bit to support those further afield.
I was outside the corner shop the other day, the little shop on the village square, and Stelios had placed a thermometer by the door; it read four degrees at midday. He and his wife are to be found there all day and late into the night, huddled behind the counter with the doors open to welcome customers. The supermarkets have air-conditioning heating on and that warms you up as you go inside, but the boys are still delivering groceries to those who can’t get out, you still see them carrying four packs of water or more up and down the steps. The shops are still open and battling the cold and the boats are coming and going when the storms don’t stop them.
So, in the winter, life carries on and you make do. A few years ago I photographed icicles on the rosemary bush at our old house. It’s not that bad at the moment, but facing north and being exposed, it’s still pretty chilly around this place. I am wearing three layers, a fleece, fingerless gloves and a hat as I write, with my shutters closed against the cold (I’ve not seen the view for days, apart from when I went up on the roof the other morning) and I have a heater on full beside me. After lunch and the afternoon writing shift, I will try and warm up the sitting room which is large and open plan. The heater will go on, the hat and gloves will stay on, and the cat will be welcome on my lap as added insulation. I’ll sit there watching my breath ascend into the roof (which is not insulated, neither are the walls in these old houses) and pull the thermal blanket up over me as I read.
Bedtimes are not so bad as there’s an electric blanket to act as a bed warmer and, by the time I go to bed, the house has warmed up to around ten degrees (the thermals stay on for very cold nights and the socks I now have are Everest quality). The mornings are something of a trial, especially when taking a shower. Apart from the bathroom being cold, the shower curtain is attracted by the warm air and so gets sucked in, to cling cold to your body at unexpected moments. It’s like a shroud from the grave wrapping itself around you as you stand there not wanting to move from under the hot water. But you do because you must, and so another day starts. Yesterday, Neil was very brave and went out at eight in the morning to go to the gym for the aerobics class, and then walked back up the road. I was intending to also take a walk early in the morning but, at 6.30, it was dark, cold and not very inviting; so I shall wait for warmer and more settled weather before starting on that idea.
We, and many others, are doing what we can to look after the poor stray cats who rely on the bins for food and the ruins for shelter. We can’t take them into the house, but we can visit them every day or so and give them what we can when it’s not raining. Meanwhile, I am thinking about finding a large rug for the sitting room, to try and help warm things up, the smaller one, nice though it is, only covers a small area, and I should also find something to plug the two inch gap under the front door. Old towels usually work.
I’d love to turn the central heating up a notch but we don’t have any, or close the double glazing but there isn’t any, so instead I’ll go and make lunch now and perhaps leave the cooker on a while to warm the kitchen and, while doing that, I – like everyone else in Greece these days – will have to save hard and extra to cover the increased cost/tax on electricity and try not to worry about the bill until it comes in.
That’s kind of what it’s like on Symi in the winter.
