I know some parts of Europe are experiencing very cold weather right now, so you may not want to hear that it was so warm on Saturday evening, I was able to sit outside Rainbow for a few hours watching no world go by. I had my jacket ready if needed. It wasn’t. Cloudy? Yes. Cold? No.
I have no idea what’s going on in Vienna and Bratislava because Neil has ‘gone dark’ for the weekend. The last I heard, on Friday, he and his brother were off to Bratislava with a party of mates and were expected back in Vienna on Sunday night. It’s only Sunday morning as I write, so I may have heard of James’ 60th birthday shenanigans by now. That’s my bother-in-law, James, not me. I am here on Symi with the windows and doors open to air the house before things become too damp. As for the other half of Symi Dream, the last image I saw was this:
I was in a similar mood as I tripped down to Yialos on Friday to collect two packages, check the post office, take out some cash, and contemplate buying paint. I didn’t, but I must do so during this week, so I can paint the bathroom’s flat roof before the real rain starts, try and fix the leaking porch, and maybe even scrape and treat the outside bathroom walls before repainting. All things I planned to do while Neil was away, and haven’t got around to yet, mainly because I was writing a long article, finishing a book to be published in a week or so, shopping, cooking, looking after the house, and generally procrastinating.
So, I will be heading to town again during the week, probably not until later in the week though, unless another delivery of ordered goods arrives. The painting can wait until next weekend, when, hopefully, it will be too wet to do it. Okay, so the porch will get wet, and the bathroom might spring a leak, but we have more towels to mop up with than I have the inclination to paint things. Still, it was a pleasant walk ‘downtown’, and I bumped into a few people I’d not seen for a while, before catching the bus back up the hill. The timetable has reverted to winter times now, and the times are on the board. I’m still looking out for the Blue Star sailings for January. So far, they have only a Sunday/Monday sailing on offer, and I need the one that leaves Piraeus on a Thursday to arrive here early on the Friday. The schedule must be announced soon, as the first week of January is only five weeks away. Gulp.
Which reminds me to remind you again about the Symi Dream Calendar for 2024 (click that link to get to it). A couple of people have had trouble paying for theirs, and I don’t understand why, because I haven’t, and nor have others. Maybe it depends on how you want to pay. I don’t know. I used PayPal and that worked fine, but I have also used a standard credit/debit card. If you have any hassle, the site’s support team are usually pretty quick to help out, and the support link is at the bottom of each page on the website. Anyway, if you’ve not got yours yet, follow this link and knock yourself out. Metaphorically speaking.
You’re also welcome to indulge in my first ‘fan’ calendar. The Clearwater Calendar holds all 11 book covers from my Clearwater series of Victorian mysteries, plus their blurbs, and a surprise page for December.
That’s all I’m saying for now. I must get to the shop before the after-church rush.
