Tiny Painted Hearts

Only one rainy day in the week I spent in England, but the clouds are rallying for some serious rain here in Greece this weekend and we could have some heavy downpours on Sunday. As we had torrential rain the same time last year, the forecast is being taken more seriously than usual and I noticed quite a few people clearing gutters and checking downpipes this morning. One little-known characteristic of Symi’s neo-classical roofs is that the gutters are set into the tops of the walls, usually with a down pipe designed to fill the cistern under the house. Any blockages mean that water can flow under the tiles and into the house in heavy rain, hence the importance of checking them at the beginning of the rainy season.

The sea is still very warm whereas the land is starting to cool off as the days grow shorter. This means heavy dewfall and misty mornings. Time to remember to bring in cushions, newspapers and anything else likely to suffer in the damp when turning in of an evening.

The change in the gardens is remarkable as Symi’s second spring has begun. The citrus trees have new shoots and the roses are starting to flower once again. The first dainty cyclamen leaves, tiny painted hearts among the stones, are emerging. If we do have good rain this weekend the island will be quite green within a week or so as it does not take much to get things growing again.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana