Toby poses for Wendy's camera! 
A well known rep lurks behind this mask. Answers on a postcard, please!
Not her normal fare - Lemonia from Syllogos passes round the pork souvlaki.
Pretty in pink - a bevy of local beauties pose for Wendy.
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On Monday afternoon we went up to the highest point on Symi, the peak of the Vigla. The mountains on the Turkish coast were still hidden by snow clouds but the dying gusts of the gale that brought Greece to a stand still can be seen in the dark patches moving across the water.
Temperatures dropped to well below freezing on Symi last night. It was still -3 degrees in my garden at 07.00 this morning. The following photographs were taken on the way to work this morning. On television this morning we listened with some amazement to a BBC World reporter describing the snow in Athens as 'unseasonable'. Greece has snow to varying extents every winter, and snow falls in Athens' northern suburbs most winter. Every three or four years it also falls in central Athens and this certainly isn't the first time snow has closed the airport!
February is usually the most wintry month of the year on Symi and 2008 is no exception. As the whole country is buffeted by icy gales and snow even our relatively sheltered little corner starts to feel the chill. A major cold front is working its way through at the moment and the forecast for the weekend on Symi includes Force 10 winds and temperatures ranging from 0 to 4 degrees centigrade. It is not a very productive month on the building sites with labourers huddled round, blowing on frozen fingers and cursing the wind and rain. The fishermen seek refuge in the coffee shops and very few people are out on the street.
Rhodes experienced a violent hail storm yesterday, the second this year violent enough to cause serious damage to greenhouses and buildings. Even national television, which has a tendency to forget the existence of the Dodecanese much of the time, showed footage of the storms on Rhodes on the national news last night. Snow is expected in central Athens tomorrow and is already falling on the high ground in much of the country.
There is a countrywide strike today against proposed government reforms to the social security system. The strike includes the closure of airports and ports for 24 hours. Coming as it does in the midst of a period when communications are already disrupted by the weather the islands feel very cut off from the world.
Time to chop firewood, cloche the vegetables and make sure the chickens have plenty of straw.
Have a good week.
Regards,
Adriana
It has been an extremely stormy weekend. The overcast conditions on Friday rapidly deteriorated into a succession of violent thunderstorms and heavy downpours on Friday night. On Saturday we woke up to a shipping ban as there was a Force 10 gale blowing in the Aegean. Here on Symi the wind was a strong easterly which always brings rain, sweeping into Pedi and Yialos in torrents and making both bays very rough.
Sunday has been showery but at least the wind is dropping locally and some shipping has resumed. The long term forecast is strong northerly winds in the Aegean with more snow and sleet for the rest of the country. Here on Symi we are reasonably sheltered from strong north winds but will notice a drop in temperatures as the week progresses and may well see ice on the puddles.
It is that time of the year when anyone setting forth from home has to be prepared for the possibility of getting stuck and not being able to get back to Symi.
Have a good week.
Regards,
Adriana
It is a beautiful sunny winter's day here on Symi. Small fishing boats putter across a tranquil sea, wide wakes rumpling reflections of high drifting clouds. After last week's bitter storms and the saturating rains of Friday and Saturday, Symi's inhabitants are out of doors, pegging out wet washing and airing their houses. Shutters are lashed back and windows flung open to catch the fresh dry breeze.
The first almond trees are starting to blossom, south facing ones first, in an eruption of sugar pinks and white. Delicately pale cyclamens are nodding in the corners of the terraces and vivid purple anemones open gladly to the winter sun. The scent of orange blossom is sweet on the crisp air. The rosemary flowers are full of drowsy bees.
While no one can pretend that Symi does not have a winter, the good days when they occur are well worth treasuring, each a little spring between the storms.
Have a good week.
Regards,
Adriana
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