The Heavy Scent of Orange Blossom

The day started off the colour of pigeon plumage with grey clouds and smooth pearl grey seas but has brighten considerably in the last few hours. It is expected to become quite warm this weekend with temperatures in the mid twenties this weekend. Cooler weather is forecast for next week. Although strong winds are expected in both the Ionian and the Aegean at this stage it looks as though they will give us a miss. There may be some disruptions to the big boat schedules if things turn bad in the central Aegean but the local service should not be affected (she said, optimistically!)

Spring flowers at Nimborio

The workmen are making good progress with rebuilding the big wall that collapsed behind the bus stop in heavy rains earlier in the year. It is quite a task as they are having to build a rampart along the top of the cliff and are working on a perilous scaffold. Lakis parks the bus rather gingerly at the moment as part of his space is occupied by a regularly replenished heap of stones for the masons and he also wants to avoid collecting any dislodged rocks on the roof of his bus. The replacement wall is securely glued together with cement mortar and has a few drainage holes so it is unlikely to suffer the same fate as its predecessor.

Business owners who winter elsewhere are returning to the island to prepare for the season. Every person one sees in the street seems to be in painting overalls and the bakeries sell out of spinach pies early in the day with so many Symiots eating on the run. There is a shortage of cement on the island and the hardware stores are doing a brisk trade. Meanwhile up in Chorio blankets, duvets and carpets are being washed and dried for summer storage and the heavy scent of orange blossom from the gardens mingles with those of detergent and fabric softener as terraces and balconies are turned into open air laundries.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana