Bright and Calm

The storm whizzed in on a cloud of heavy rain on Friday evening and blew itself out on Saturday night. The ferry schedule finally caught up with itself on Sunday morning, after the Proteus spent much of Saturday sheltering in the lee of Tilos. The storm was worse in Yialos than Pedi but neither provided much shelter for shipping. A Force 9 North Easter is one of the worst winds with Symi’s topography. Sunday morning dawned bright and calm and the only indication of the previous day’s upheavals was the naked state of the trees – in a few short hours the oaks and figs shed the last of their leaves.

The forecast for the rest of the week is mild with little wind, few clouds and no possibility of rain. The Halcyon Days continue where they left off.

Now that the holidays are over the island is a lot busier. My walk to work coincides with the early morning ‘rush hour’ of school children, mule trains, dustbin men and pickup trucks. There is a great deal of building work going on and even the Pedi valley is rattling with the sound of pile drivers and diggers. There are probably as many cement mixers on this island as there are washing machines! Perhaps this winter all the noisy construction work will be done before the first tourists arrive…

The Greek media is dominated by the rocket attack on the US Embassy in Athens early on Friday. On the state channels the coverage is quite business-like but on the commercial channels alarming music and dramatic sound effects are the order of the day. While the incident in itself is deplorable, it seems to be creating a welcome diversion from the latest overflowing landfill crisis in Athens and the uproar regarding reform in Greek education and is being milked as far as possible.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana.