Spring Flowers and April Showers

The cyclamens are disappearing fast but dainty little grape hyacinths are popping up everywhere.

Someone forgot to weed this onion patch  in Chorio and the poppies have taken over.
Note the distant donkey in the grounds of the unfinished sports' facility.

Wherever there is a little pocket of soil and some moisture something grows.

An odiferous Dracunculus vulgaris erupting in the midst of an oregano bush.
As these sinister looking plants are pollinated by flies they smell of carrion.

More poppies, this time in the Pedi valley.

It is overcast today and rain is forecast with possible thunderstorms.  It is very still at the moment, literally the calm before the storm as winds of up to 50 kilometres per hour are forecast for tonight and the shipping forecast for tomorrow is for a Force 9 in the Aegean.  Just as well as there is a strike by the seamen's union tomorrow so the big boats would not be running anyway.  It is about 18 degrees today.

Everyone is beavering away, getting jobs done before the anticipated rain and wind.  The Pachos building next door is having a serious overhaul with major work on the balcony.  We have had jack hammers pounding away all morning.  Across the lane the Enigma boutique is being fitted with a new wooden canopy.  As most of you probably know, Symi's architecture is protected and the laws are particularly strict for landmark buildings such as those surrounding the amphitheatre harbour.

Our telephone lines are still out of order and we are waiting for OTE to determine if it is part of the current maintenance program or if our problem is something different. The internet is working, albeit rather erratically so we apologise if your view of the webcam is sporadic rather than continuous.  It is due, as they say, to circumstances beyond our control.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana