Patience and Good Humour

Symi is drying off after several days of heavy downpours and thunderstorms. More rain is forecast from tonight so a wet weekend is on the cards. Temperatures are around 13 degrees centigrade but it feels colder as everything is damp. Visibility between showers is clear and the sea is calm. There are not many boats in the water at this time of the year but those that are are taking advantage of good fishing conditions between pumping rainwater out of the bilges. The wet conditions are also good for the gathering of snails and chorta (wild greens) and many meals at this time of the year have their origins in traditional self-sufficiency rather than anything that the supermarket might offer. A few days ago I heard voices in the water course that flows through my farm and on investigation found a local father with his little girls, showing them which greens are good to eat and which are best left to the goats.

Pedi is very quiet indeed. Just the occasional chicken scratching for insects and damp cats snoozing among the boats at Apostolis. The fuel station opposite the power station has closed down so there is less traffic down the Pedi road than is usual for this time of the year. The Nimborio road is a chain of puddles and mud and most of the houses are shuttered against the winter weather. At some point someone put one of the old scarlet benches from the top deck of the old Symi I on the first little beach at Nimborio. This is now so buried under the sand bank that the winter storms have formed that only the top rail is visible. Speaking of sand, the sand has all washed away at NOS Paradise beach – Dimitri will have a lot of work to do in the spring.

The Symi II is now out of commission for maintenance so the ferry service is limited to the Proteus and the once a week visit from the Spanos on Sundays. A big boat from Pireaus is scheduled to call twice a week but as this is affected by weather conditions in the central Aegean which can be quite wild at this time of the year it is not very reliable. If you are planning to travel to Symi in the coming weeks please make sure not only that your travel insurance covers all contingencies but also that you remember to pack both patience and good humour in your hand luggage as you may well need both!

Have a warm dry weekend.

Regards,

Adriana