The Second Spring

Still overcast, alas, and it has just started raining again. It was supposed to be clearing by now but this weather system is moving much more slowly than anticipated and we have had a whole week of unseasonably inclement weather. My courgettes have collapsed in a heap of despondency and mildew but the cucumbers, clinging to their trellises have managed to avoid the scourge so far. I’m not too depressed by this, however, as someone has just brought me an amazing collection of seeds for different kinds of salad greens and fancy lettuces which I am looking forward to planting. The snails are rallying in expectation. It is still quite warm, with temperatures in the mid twenties, expected to rise to nudging 30 next week, although the breeze will be cooler as it will be from the north. It is extremely humid at the moment and doors and shutters are starting to swell in the damp.

Down in the harbour this morning it was obvious which yachts have leaking hatches or had rough trips – in the case of the former, berth cushions and sleeping bags were draped over the boom to dry. In the case of the latter, oil skins and life jackets! There are lots of people strolling around, picking their way through the puddles, and the coffee shops are busy.

The goats have caught the whiff of the ‘second spring’ and the big billy goat in the picture was clamouring at the fence of my neighbour’s goat pen this morning, trying to get in to make his acquaintance with a dainty white nanny goat inside. She was far more interested in the white billy goat who is her usual consort. If he succeeds in his quest the future of the island’s goat population looks promising!

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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The first scamperings of rain

The first scamperings of rain across the tin roof were heard on Saturday night and on Sunday afternoon the clouds settled in for a serious downpour. We measured 15 mm on our rainwater gauge over 3 hours. Not bad considering that the rainy season isn’t supposed to start for a few weeks yet! The temperature has dropped considerably and at night it is now down to about 15 degrees centigrade. More rain is forecast for the rest of this week, only clearing on Saturday. There have been quite serious floods with landslides and loss of life in other parts of Greece so we have been quite lucky. The town hall continues to remind people not to leave their cars parked in the water courses. The flood of December 1999 when cars floated in the town square and a boat wound up on the roof of the bridge kiosk remains clear in popular memory. (See front page of January 2000 Symi Visitor)

Early rain and mild temperatures are a happy combination and the island is already perking up. The first fine shoots of grass give the earth a greenish cast and the rain has washed the dust from the leaves. Walking home from the art exhibition on Sunday night I was aware of flashlights flickering in the hills as the snail gatherers went hunting.

The goat in the photo was interrupted in mid-browse, nibbling on young olive shoots. The road is full of goat droppings every morning as the flock roams the Pedi valley nightly in search of grazing.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana
www.SymiVisitor.com

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Looking quite autumnal.

The rumours of rain grow louder and on Wednesday evening the municipality issued a flood warning over the tannoy, reminding people to move their cars out of the water courses as heavy downpours were expected. As it happened Symi only received a few sprinkles but the fire brigade has been out, pumping out flooded basements in parts of Athens and other areas of Greece have been inundated. Widespread thundershowers are forecast for the whole country over the next few days. Fortunately up to now wind strengths have remained normal and there is nothing to indicate that ferries between Rhodes and Symi will be affected. We are fortunate that being so far south we have a rather longer tourist season – in many areas the season is already winding down.

Although we haven’t had any rain yet the plants are already perking up and new leaves are starting to shoot on the pelargoniums. There is the whiff of optimism in the air. Time for another Pedi valley view! As you can see it is looking quite autumnal.


Have a peaceful weekend.

Regards,
Adriana
www.SymiVisitor.com

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Equinoctial Showers

We’ve been cleaning out our cisterns and repairing gutters in anticipation of the first rains. The weather is changing with the approach of the equinox and for the first time in months rain icons are drifting into our corner of the weather map. Whether anything will come of them is another matter but showers are not unheard of at this time of the year and are often the first reminder that something really needs to be done about that cracked roof tile that last caused problems in the spring… In a climate where a large chunk of the year is relentlessly dry and rain-free it is easy to ignore roof leaks and absent storm water drains and move them down the list of priorities, which is probably why so much of this part of the world is flooded each winter. Anyone who has ever been on Symi in a downpour will have noticed that the Kali Strata and other steps and lanes rapidly become raging torrents. It is not for nothing that the old route linking Chorio with Yialos is called the Kateraktis!

Possible equinoctial showers aside, it is a calm and hazy day on Symi. Suspended dust has turned the sky, and its reflection upon the water, pink. The Symi has just come in and a lorry stacked high with crates of onions and apples is being unloaded into smaller vans for distribution. Today is the first time in weeks that most of the little hire boats by the clock tower are still lined up at two o’clock in the afternoon. Now that the season is winding down there is far less vehicle traffic and it is generally quieter, the September visitors being inclined to enjoy more decorous pleasures and leave the excitement of driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road to those who enjoy living dangerously.

Have a good week!

Regards,
Adriana

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Uncrowded beaches

This is always a pleasant time of the year on Symi. Neither too hot nor too cold, the breeze a cooling hand upon the forehead rather than a blast of hot air. The children, bright eyed and eager, are back in school and there is a sudden dearth of 18-22 year olds as the students have all returned to campuses further afield. This year’s new intake of contract teachers has arrived and is settling in. (See out and about)

September is the month when many of the island’s regular visitors come. The ones who are not tied to school holidays and can take advantage of uncrowded beaches and more comfortable temperatures. It is also a good time for people with young children below school age as the sea is warm but there is less danger of sunburn and heat stroke.

We have just been informed by ANES that the Aegli hydrofoil is back in commission but we do advise travellers to check again close to travelling time as we have not been told exactly when she will be resuming her schedule. Just to keep us all on our toes the Symi came in direct to Yialos this morning at 11.00 instead of via Panormitis.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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Low cloud over Nimos

We've had quite a lively time on Symi this weekend. Friday night saw the opening of Filos Restaurant, a new Symi Visitor venture on the Kali Strata, at the old To Klima. Then down in the harbour there was the annual power boat race which brought all the speed boats and gin palaces from miles around.

Speaking of shipping, it's that time of the year when the wear and tear of a season's heavy schedules is taking its toll on the fleet. The Aegli is limping along on one engine. The Dodecanese Express is out of service for today and tomorrow and the Proteus is out of circulation for the whole week. The Dodecanese Pride is picking up some of the slack so its schedule has also been affected. Please check www.anes.gr or www.12ne.gr regularly for updates.

On the weather front (the question I am asked most often!), it is quite pleasant today in the high twenties with a brisk breeze blowing. Apparently it is gusting Force 8 from the north in the central Aegean but here on Symi, sheltered as we are in the embrace of Asia Minor, it is about a Force 5 and it is still fairly safe to leave umbrellas up. The gulls are back, bobbing benignly on the waves off Mr Tasty's. We saw a few clouds yesterday in the early afternoon and there was low cloud over Nimos at dawn today.

They are showing Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 on ET1 tonight at 21.00 - a reminder that this is the anniversary of the day the world changed. I know I've said this before and I am probably preaching to the converted, but live the life you want to live as you never know when it will be taken away from you and never take tomorrow for granted.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

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Blow out the candles

It is a clear late summer’s day on Symi. The breeze drifting in off the water is cool enough to be pleasant and the pastel painted houses are sparkling in the sunshine. Vehicles are starting to accumulate along the quay in anticipation of the arrival of the Symi ferry. One of the things coming in on today’s ferry is the first batch of the September issue of the Symi Visitor newspaper. This is one of the fattest editions we have ever produced, at 44 pages, as it includes the election manifestos of both mayoral candidates and of both the foreign candidates put forward for the town council. The holiday draw takes place this month so subscribers, please remember to renew if you want to take part! (Commercial break now over…)

I’ll be spending the weekend starting work on the October issue, testing recipes. Now that the evenings are cooling off a bit appetites are returning so I have willing guinea pigs. It is about 32 degrees at midday, dropping to about 22 in the evenings so it is still mild enough to sit out without a shawl. The moon is so bright this week we blow out the candles after we’ve eaten and enjoy the moonlight.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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Sunshine in the vegetable plot

The courgettes and cucumbers in my vegetable plot are flowering at the moment. They are such a splendid sight each morning that I thought I would share them with you. Freshly harvested baby courgettes roasted in olive oil with rosemary and feta cheese and homemade bread is just one of the things I do with them.

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Cooler and quieter

Friday’s wind certainly affected a lot of people. The fire on the Datca peninsula was only finally extinguished on Saturday morning. The day trippers on the Symi ferry only got back to Rhodes late on Friday night. The World Peace Day Swim will now take place next year…

It has, however, brought a clarity to the air that has been absent for some time. Land and sea have outlines once again and at night the lights on the opposite coast are clearly visible. Evenings are cooler and quieter with fewer people about. Up in Chorio we notice less ambient noise – that August ‘buzz’ of distant music and voices has faded away and there is less traffic on the road above us. Just the sound of the neighbour’s sheep munching my bougainvillea through the fence!

The hawkers are back, selling clay pots, garden furniture and baby poultry. It is unusual for the poultry sellers to be doing the rounds at this time of the year as they normally come in the spring but the bird flu panic has thrown everything out of kilter.

Have a peaceful week.

Regards,
Adriana

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The first fingers of autumn

It’s the first day of September and the first fingers of autumn are rattling the shutters. White horses are galloping across the bay and the fourth World Peace Day Swim between Symi and Datça has been postponed until tomorrow when sea conditions for such an undertaking should be safer. So far shipping in this area has not been affected although the Symi car ferry has had to dock alongside instead of stern-to on her tourist run today. The wind is already dropping and summer will resume as of tomorrow with temperatures in the low thirties and beach activities as usual.

There’s a big bush fire raging on the Turkish coast, about 25 kilometres south-east of Datça. According to our Turkish correspondent, it has been burning for about two hours already, fanned by the strong winds, but the smoke has only just become visible here – a huge black cloud looming out from behind Nimos. (see current webcam shot) This has been a bad year for forest fires through out the region as last winter’s rainfall was well below average and many trees have died back, making them vulnerable.

Today’s accompanying photograph is to provide a little glamour for those of you who only visit Symi outside the mega-yacht season… The Aurora, with toys, departing from Yialos yesterday morning.

Have a peaceful weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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