Weekend catch-up
Neil has returned, bringing all manner of illnesses with him. It must have been horrendous traveling, but he’s back now and relative calm has been unrestored. Our neighbours have been wonderful; picking him up form Panormitis, bringing medicines and offering to cook. That’s what living on Symi is all about – that and a lot of other things.
The cat, as you can see, is nonplussed by it all. He’s been his usual hungry self, loud and ear-scratching, but that’s cats for you.
The courtyard is still in autumn mode. Leaves are starting to fall from the vine and I am sure the thing produces more dead ones than it does live ones; I’m always out there sweeping them up. It will soon be time to enthusiastically cut the thing back. The other plants are starting to shed and look like they are preparing for the darker days and colder weather. I’m not sure if the chilli plant is going to survive. It made some attempts to put out chillies this year, its first year. There were lots of flowers and buds, but no actual chillies to follow. Perhaps it’s a first-year thing. Yiannis’ plants at the Rainbow thrived and still has chillies on them so perhaps it’s the position ours is in.
I managed to get the house sorted and tidied on Saturday morning and spent Sunday working on the current draft of the book. I know, it takes a long time to get these things right and I am trying hard on this one. I’m being very strict with myself over my repetitions and unnecessary words, after all, if a word is not necessary then it shouldn’t be there. While I was working, a couple of Afghan guys came to the door looking for our landlord. I think they also rent a house from him. They very politely asked if he was here and I explained, in a mix of Greek and English (as my Persian is so rusty) that we hadn’t seen him for some time and he is in Thessaloniki; beyond that we don’t actually know what’s going on, we only hope he is okay. We had a quick, pleasant chat and wished each other good days. Apart from that, and cooking, washing up, seeing to the cat, feeding Neil cuppa-soups (he can’t eat much at the moment) and doing the washing, I had a reasonably uninterrupted day.
And so, on to the week ahead, with not much in the diary to talk about. The weather remains dry and warm, though many are wishing for rain as it is sorely needed. I’ve been watching kestrels over the sea and a large eagle down towards Pedi. Other migrating birds have been stopping through, unlike boats; the harbour is very quiet, though there was a stray Turkish gulet in the other day. It’s all go here. Not.
