The wild thyme bushes are waking up on the hills..

Thunder heads continue to mass on the horizon and grumble round about but Symi itself has remained dry and warm all weekend. A stiff breeze is blowing across the Nimos channel and we have just closed the windows despite the heat, growing bored with chasing bits of paper around the office. Gulls bob sideways in the chop and yachts heel hard over in the squalls as they head for Yialos. The light is changing from gold to mauve as the rumbles grow - perhaps this inky anvil will pass over us instead of sliding round. There is an electric whiff in the air and the birds that nest in the office roof are restless.

The geraniums I tucked between the hibiscus bushes in the planter outside the office door are starting to look as though they have taken root. Speaking of hibiscus bushes, the municipality has replaced a number of the winter-ravaged shrubs around the harbour periphery with these to good effect. The oleanders on the road out of the town are all in full bloom now. It is interesting to note that the ones on the Pedi side which had the benefit of sunshine during the winter are doing considerably better than the ones on the Yialos side. Even so, the heavy trusses of opulent white, cream, pink, cerise and wine coloured flowers have certainly livened up a bleak bit of roadside. The wild thyme bushes are waking up on the hills - neat cushions of tiny purple flowers very different to the pale garden varieties. The palm trees in front of Pachos are sprouting fresh new leaves and look quite promising now after their spring haircut. The geese pose for photographs with the tourists and the ducks are still terrorising the harbour cats.

Despite the odd nerve-jangling jackhammer beneath the windows and the minor inconvenience of not having had any water in the office all day as they are working on the pipes (we don't have a cistern), there are definitely worse places to be when sitting in front of a computer all day - and few could possibly be better!

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com