Heavenly Blue!

One of the delights of August is sitting out under the trees on a starry night, listening to the music drifting across the valley from the Alethini on 15 August. We used to have this pleasure every Saturday night, when open air bouzouki was still part of the island’s audio-landscape, before the advent of sound proofed concrete bunkers and techno pop. Now we have to wait for 15 August to come round each year to listen to traditional music performed live in the open air in the Pedi valley. This year it was definitely worth the wait.

We have had a lot of waterless days this August as the island’s water supply has been rationed to different areas of Chorio and Yialos in turn. The water ship is in daily but still is not sufficient to meet the demands of all the visitors. After two successive dry winters the whole country is struggling to make supplies stretch to the end of the tourist season and a state of emergency has been declared in the Cyclades. At this rate Europeans will soon find that they can no longer take it for granted that opening a tap always brings forth clean water in copious quantities.

Speaking of water, this far into the dry season and after so many searing heatwaves the only splashes of greenery are where there is a steady source of moisture. Leaky pipes, vothras and old cisterns are marked out by flourishing oases of vegetation in a desert of frazzled brown. The luxuriant morning glory scrambling over the ruins adjoining Georgio’s taverna must have its roots deep in an old soak pit to be putting on such a splendid show. Heavenly blue indeed.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana