As today is a national holiday, many people will be taking up residence by the seaside, I assume. So, I thought I would look through my folder of photos and see if I could find five different beside-the-sea shots. This should go some way to prove that I do sometimes visit other parts of the island, though a couple of these were taken in the winter or early/late season. There are two taken at Panormitis because I was selecting thumbnails and it was hard to see, but there you go, and here’s the first one.

What am I doing on this bank holiday? Well, I continue to read through and check the next mystery, I have some admin to do, I want to vacuum my office carpet, no, I really do because I spent 20 minutes yesterday sweeping it with a stiff brush, and it’s perked up no end, but now I need to do a deeper clean, so that’s something thrilling to look forward to. Then, I must set up next week’s blog…

I’ve written this thing based on a film about a woman coming to Greece and falling in love with it, and I’m going to post it next week in instalments starting on Monday and finishing, all being well, on Friday.

All I can say is that you’ll either appreciate the satire or you won’t, but I wanted next week off, so I’ve got this prepared in advance.

Here’s a line from the introduction. See if you can guess what’s coming: The question around the table was what would be Shirley’s experience of Greece if the story happened now?

You can start reading on Monday. Have a good weekend.

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Upright photos today, from the old collection, so probably taken in the winter. The Kali Strata and one shot that was definitely taken last November, because I remember the walk we were on with the boys. Hopefully, these will set you up for the day. I have a day of editing ahead, interrupted later this morning by a quick ‘pop’ to Yialos to collect a couple of things from ACS. This afternoon, I think, if I can, I will continue editing, because I would like to have it all done before Monday, when I can start on something else.

Over the weekend, I plan to set up all of next week’s blog posts, so they are scheduled in advance. This will save my first thought of the day being, ‘What shall I put on the bleedin’ thing today?’ Actually, that’s usually my second after, what time is it? If I can only see street lighting, I know it’s before a certain time, but am not sure what that time is, if it’s daylight, I know I’ve slept in. I’m used to getting up in the dark, but recently, I’ve been up after the sun, which is a) unusual, and b) very unusual. Still, at least I’m waking up, and that’s always a good start.

Thanks for the nice comments about the new look of these pages, btw. The blog runs inside a template, but the old one ended up not being quite as compatible with the updates to WordPress, and there wasn’t a template update ready, and… Well, boring mildly techy stuff, so don’t worry. Just have a nice day.

So, onto the editing and final checks of the latest instalment of my series (which you can find here if you are interested).

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It looks like I’m having a quiet week this week. Highlights might include collecting Sam’s name day present from the courier and having a final read of my next mystery, which should be back from checking today. Friday is the day the Virgin Mary’s body and soul were taken to heaven, so it’s a public holiday. I imagine everything will be open as norma,l apart from banks, town halls, and other similar places. Tourist shops, bars and cafes will be running as normal, and there will be plenty of celebrating taking place.

Looks like some people are early for the party…

This was the collection of local and rented mopeds all jockeying for a parking space near to where their owners work, live or are staying. I reckon that’s the largest number I’ve seen in one place at one time. They’re taking over the streets just as sunbeds are taking over the beaches. Apparently, if you want one of those luxuries down in Pedi (on the left) these days, you’d better get there early.

If, however, you live right up at the top of the village and think you’ve escaped the mopeds, think again. More and more alleyways are being made accessible by concrete ramps, or even wood and metal ones like we have next to us. That’s there (temporarily, I hope) for some building work, and it’s been there (temporarily) for about six months now. Not only does it look terrible, but it also rumbles and rattles when people use it to get an extra few yards closer to home, and it’s got metal bars across it, making it dodgy to walk on.

Anyway, here’s the view the other morning. Busying up, as you can see.

I’m off to do my other blog now, then to pay the water bill (joy), then to potter and mumble in that absentminded way people do when they know they should be doing something but can’t remember what. Ah, yes, writing my short story for next week’s blog posts. I’ll do that next.

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Just some oddments today. I am working on something for next week, which is taking all of my attention today, so I am being brief. What I have in store will take me another day or so to get right, and over the weekend, I will schedule it all to happen while I am asleep, so when next week starts, I won’t have to do any thinking or typing first thing like this; it will all happen by its own magic. What am I talking about? You will have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, here is the menu from the Criterion in Piccadilly Circus from 1893. Why? I have no idea why it was in my Symi pics folder, but when I saw it, I thought it was time to give it an airing so it could be deleted.

More appropriate, perhaps, is this image of the main road out of the village.

Or this one, which I think Neil must have taken down in Pedi.

Now, on to the rest of the day. This will entail making a cup of tea, reading what I wrote yesterday, adding some more to next week’s great work (as you will eventually see), while waiting for my next book proof to come back from the proofreader, playing ‘Sherlock’ on my tablet at some point, making lunch, chilling, maybe some reading this afternoon and no doubt a film tonight. How thrillingly filled are my days?

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Yes, this old chestnut again – and yes, we do do chestnuts in the winter, if you can get them. I know it’s August, and 35° out there, you’re keen to be at the beach, or on the patio with a G&T under the parasol, but it’s only 7.00 and it’s cloudy, so you’re making do with this.

What do you do in the winter is one of the most asked questions around these parts, and it’s mostly asked by first time visitors. After a couple of visits, people realise they’ve asked the clichés and start looking for something more intelligent and deeper to ask, for example: What’s the weather like in the winter? Some rephrase it to sound knowledgeable: I suppose it’s quite warm in the winter? You suppose wrong, Sir. Come in February when it’s 5° inside the house if you venture further than three feet from the heater, where many can’t afford to run the aircon on warm, or more than one two-bar fire, where not everyone has a wood burner, carpets or gas central heating, and where you might end up sitting on an electric blanket, under another one, with your gloves on, watching John Mills in ‘Scott of the Antarctic’ and thinking he had it easy. No, what we do in the winter is a variety of things, and here are a few:

These are all indoor things, obviously. There are outdoor winter sports to enjoy too, such as making your way home against the flooded lanes as the rain pours, and the lightning knocks out your router for a few days. There’s the game of ‘Hunt for Fresh’ in the supermarkets when the boats are delayed or not running, and there’s the constant round of Hunt the Bucket to play when the roof leaks. Oh, and we also kneel on sofas, taking photos of music stands for no discernible reason.

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