The Forecasters Weren't Joking...

The forecasters weren’t joking – yesterday was spectacularly windy and very cold (8 degrees at midday, with a windchill of 4 degrees centigrade). The pictures of Pedi were taken from my farm at the top of the valley and give some idea of how wild conditions were. In a north westerly gale the wind bounces off the Vigla and adjacent slopes and roars across Pedi bay, so the wind in the bay is blowing in the opposite direction to that in the channel outside. It is a similar effect to that of the meltemi in the summer, but yesterday’s blow was considerably more powerful than that. It was gusting 55 knots at once stage. It is still quite windy today and the morning hydrofoil was not able to leave Symi until midday.

The forecast for the rest of the week remains windy and unsettled with squalls and showers. No significant rain on the horizon, however.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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The Swell has Dropped

The country wide drought continues to be a major cause for concern, aggravated as it is by the consistently windy weather. On the plus side, although the price of fresh produce is higher than usual and the normal seasonal winter leaf vegetables are in short supply, the Rhodian tomatoes are better than average for the time of year thanks to the abnormally warm weather. Pity the basil turned up its toes weeks ago, but they are surprisingly good with flat leaf parsley which I currently have in abundance.


To return to the subject of the weather, there have been disruptions to the shipping schedules due to the wind and the Aegli was unable to run yesterday. It is sticking to its scheduled program today as the swell has dropped but the wind is expected to change to the North West on Sunday, with winds forecast of up to 35 knots, so it is unlikely that there will be any shipping movements that day. The anticipated north westerly gale will also bring about a dramatic drop in temperatures and we can expect to be in single figures for several days with a longish spell of unsettled weather. We all hope that some real rain will come out of this and not just a lot of cancelled boats!


Carnival comes early this year and several of the shops on the island are already displaying children’s fancy dress costumes, silly wigs, rubber masks and other suitable paraphernalia. Plans are being made for parties and pageants and the building of kites.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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Mild But Windy

It’s been a windy weekend and once again the ferries were confined to port on Saturday. It was a good day for drying the laundry though and most houses were aflutter with sheets and towels. The wind has now switched to the south and showery weather is forecast for many parts of the country. The rest of the week is expected to remain mild but windy with the worst blow forecast for Thursday.

The Symi ferry is back in town, tied up outside Katerinettes and echoing to the merry whacking of steel as the crew set about chipping rust prior to the annual repaint. As usual we are all waiting to find out what the ferry schedules will be for February. No one knows or admits to anything but it is reassuring that the Symi is back as the Aegli and the Proteus must be due for their next service soon. The sales started throughout Greece today and will run a month so there is much close examination of calendars and diaries for the scheduling of shopping trips to Rhodes.

On a more serious note, the murder of ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink by a Turkish student in Istanbul is a dominant theme in the local media at the moment. It seems that the student was racially motivated and his appalled father turned him over to the authorities after recognising CCTV footage of his son on the news. With the subject of EU membership under scrutiny, how Turkey handles this incident will be closely watched as it raises issues of racism as well as press freedom and human rights. The Turkish Press has criticised the government for not providing adequate protection for the journalist who had been receiving death threats for some time – and called on all readers of the Turkish newspapers to attend the funeral tomorrow.

The subject of CCTV surveillance is also very topical at the moment in the aftermath of the US Embassy incident and the government’s expressed wish to reactivate many of the cameras installed as a security measure during the Athens Olympics. Readers interested in the Greek CCTV surveillance debate might like to log onto www.ekathimerini.com.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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A Pale Rainbow

It has been raining fairly steadily since about nine o’clock this morning and for once no one is grumbling about it as the rain is sorely needed. This is the driest winter in 35 years and the effects are already being felt in the agricultural sector. It seems as though the weather will be following the same pattern as last weekend with rain followed by strong winds and a subsequent period of sunny weather.

We are hunkered down in the Symi Visitor office, working on the February edition of the Symi Visitor newspaper while the rain patters down on the stones outside. The Proteus has just passed through on its north bound journey, bringing fresh supplies onto the island. There was a mad scramble to get the boxes off in the wet and the vegetable trucks were swathed in plastic sheeting.

A huddle of damp conscripts is clambering into the back of a Bedford, ‘step out’ uniforms darkening in the rain. A bleak introduction to an island which new arrivals have been known to refer to as ‘Alcatraz’. Extraordinary though it may seem to those visitors who come of their own volition in the carefree days of summer, Symi is not a popular destination to do ones army service, being regarded by those from the cities as the most remote posting possible. A matter of perspective perhaps?

A pale rainbow is forming across the entrance to the harbour, one foot at Tholos and the other at the hairpin bend in the road out of town, as the rain clouds shift on the gathering breeze and a puddle of sunlight is catching the monastery over on Nimos. A fleeting interval as the next shower is already spattering across the grey water.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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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.

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A Brief Hiccup

The big weather system that is swirling across Europe is heading this way and rain and strong winds are forecast for tonight and tomorrow. We could certainly use the rain but no one needs the gales. At this stage it seems as though this will only be a brief hiccup and the weather will improve again from Sunday.

One of my favourite sheep, an amiable black ewe, has just given birth to twins. She lives in a field in Lieni. As you can see from the photograph, the ram was probably white!

The other photograph, taken yesterday from quite high up, shows Pedi bay in the afternoon sun. Note how clearly one can see the opposite coast at this time of the year. Only two visiting yachts – an elegant black schooner on the quay and ‘Cockatoo’, an elderly Admiralty pinnace.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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The Halcyon Days

The fine weather enjoyed over the weekend is lingering on into the week. Despite climate change the halcyon days are still with us. Small fishing boats are pottering across the water, laying baskets and retrieving nets. It is pleasantly warm in the sun, about 14 degrees or more if one can find a spot out of the breeze. On the shady side of the harbour, however, it is a chilly 5 degrees and condensation drips off the stones.

The island is slowly filling up as people start to come back from their holidays. The Albanians, Bulgarians, Russians, Ukrainians et al who form the invisible backbone of the island’s labour force are returning from their much appreciated home visits. The school teachers are also making their way back for the new term. Many of them come from other parts of Greece and are here on contract so they also take the opportunity to see their families.

On the ferry boat front, the most significant change at present is that it is now possible to do a vehicle day return on Tuesdays as well as Wednesdays. The Proteus comes over from Rhodes on Monday afternoon, stays the night here and leaves Symi early on Tuesday morning. She calls in at Rhodes and then carries on through to Kastellorizo where she stays briefly before making the return trip to Rhodes and finally Symi. This gives a whole extended day in Rhodes which is very useful, particularly as, on her return, she stays in Symi overnight and then goes back to Rhodes the next morning, so all vehicle and freight capacity is available for Symi.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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Epiphany 2007

It is a gloriously sunny winter's day and I have just emailed Mike Gadd lots of Out and About photographs to put up. In the meantime, here are two.

The first shows the Metropolitan and part of his procession as they arrive for the ceremony after Mass at St John's church. This is the second Epiphany ceremony of the day, the first having already taken place in Harani, the parish of Evangelismos. After the St John's parish ceremony the Metropolitan is then going over to Panormitis to officiate there. A similar ceremony took place in Pedi early this morning and the bells have been ringing since daybreak.


The second photograph shows the booth on the water's edge opposite Pachos. Trimmed with cypress boughs and crosses made of oranges, it is a traditional bower and many older Diaspora readers will probably remember similar ones from their childhoods.

Regards,
Adriana

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A Large Lake

The cold north wind has chased the clouds clear off the sky over Symi and the sea is a deep chill indigo speckled with rolling white crests. The Aegli hydrofoil could not leave this morning and is still tied up alongside the bus stop. The Proteus should be passing through on her northbound run but anyone wishing to leave Symi for Rhodes will have to wait until the all clear is given, probably the Proteus’ southbound run tomorrow.

Saturday is the festival of the Epiphany. Usually the orange-trimmed cypress booths are under construction at the clock tower and opposite Pachos by now but with this wind blowing there isn’t much happening. The only people to be seen are huddled on the quay, stamping their feet and hugging their hands, waiting for the Proteus to come in.

The 40 mm of rain in the course of Wednesday has perked up the plant life. It has also turned the Big Hole in Chorio into a large lake. It would seem that no one noticed, when doing the excavations, that two lanes and a storm water drain all ran into it. Maybe we will be getting that reservoir after all!

Have a warm weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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A Stormy Day on Symi

It is a stormy day on Symi and there are gale warnings in force in the Ionian and the Aegean. The whole country is experiencing wintry weather in all its various forms and it is certainly a lot pleasanter indoors than out. The view from my office window today is the grey scene in the accompanying photograph. There’s a huddle of people and cars on the quay below the balcony, waiting for the Proteus to come in. Another big black squall is rolling down the harbour, tossing cardboard boxes high in the sky and sending the gulls squawking.

New Year was cold but clear and we celebrated by having a garden party and a bonfire. The clouds started to glide in last night and this morning we awoke to the plink of rain on the roof and the creak of the wind in the almond trees. On the whole it has been an exceptionally dry winter so any rain in whatever form is welcome. It is full moon tonight but I don’t think we will be seeing much of it.

At this stage it looks as though it will be clear for the Epiphany celebrations on 6 January. An important consideration given that various hardy souls have to go for a swim in the harbour.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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