Sparkling Off the Water

After a day’s solid rain the sun is once again sparkling off the water and we can look forward to at least three days of clear cold weather before the rain creeps in again at the end of the week. It is about 10 degrees centigrade on Symi today but the windchill makes it feel much colder. Much of Greece is under snow and you can read more about this on news.ert.gr. It is going to be a chilly New Year on Symi but at the moment it looks as though it will be a dry one so outdoor festivities for New Year’s Eve can be planned with some degree of confidence.

In the Pedi Valley the new lambs are running about in the winter sunshine. This anxious ewe has triplets, all too bouncy to stop and pose for the camera. Some very premature corona daisies are flowering near the new sports’ stadium in Chorio and the first tentative pink cyclamens, somewhat battered by the elements, are flowering in sheltered corners of stone walls. The Kali Strata is green with moss and tufts of vegetation are sprouting among the ruins. The most wintry weather may still be ahead of us but the days are growing longer and the buds are swelling on the almond trees.

Down in the harbour the fishermen are bailing out their boats after yesterday’s 35 mm of rain and the gulls are wheeling white over the deep blue sea, swooping to pick up any edible scraps washed in by the recent storms. Many Symiot housewives are taking advantage of the dry weather to open the shutters and air their homes. Balconies are draped with brightly coloured quilts and rows of damp jeans. With most of the island’s active male population employed in the construction industry over the winter, keeping up with the endless muddy jeans and sodden socks is a challenge in Symi’s tiny neo-classical houses. The local architecture features lofty ceilings but the rooms themselves are often small with little floor space for clothes’ driers. For much of the year the washing is crisp after an hour on the line outside but in the winter drying the dobhi is a tedious business and every ‘good drying day’ is exploited to the maximum.

Have a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
Regards,
Adriana