Talking About the Weather

The big oak tree in Lieni, at the top of Chorio, is starting to lose its leaves.  

Monday morning 8 a.m. and the lanes at the top of the Kali Strata are quiet.

You know the season on Symi is drawing to a close when all you see on the Kali Strata are sheep droppings!

Not much happening down in the harbour either.  Indeed by the time I got down to the bottom, that big gulet had gone.

Another section of the roof is getting a make over on this old mansion at the top of the Kali Strata.

Empty.

A Virginia creeper, intent on raising a few tiles.

There might not be many customers about but the herb man has just taken delivery of several branches of bay which will have to be dried and bagged for next year.  When you buy herbs on Symi the chances are high that they are gathered locally rather than imported.

The fish market by the bridge in Yialos - and a big piece of gauze to keep the flies off the fish.

The Symi day excursion boat coming in from Rhodes - while there are very few tourists still staying on Symi, Rhodes is still fairly busy if the number of day trippers is anything to go by.  They are mainly older people and families with young children, speaking a wide range of languages.

A colourful display outside the chandlery in the lane outside the Symi Visitor Accommodation office. Dino also sells agricultural implements - hoes, rakes, spades and the like.

Just before 12.30 and the Panagia Skiadeni has come into view.  It is not usually possible to see her when she is that far out but there are no yachts to obscure the view today!

It is a quiet October Monday on Symi and the main topic of conversation is the weather which is expected to take a turn for the worse midweek. Will the storms reach us as early as Tuesday night? Will they arrive on Wednesday? Will the rain be as heavy as expected?  Will it all be over by Sunday or will it linger on into the beginning of next week?  It all depends on which weather forecast you are following but whatever it is and whenever it is, it is coming our way and everyone is preparing for it. Those cafes and tavernas that are still open have been rigging their plastic drop cloths which can be deployed very quickly to turn pavement tables into sheltered ones.  It makes a change to be talking about the weather instead of Greek politics and the state of the Greek economy.

Many of the boutiques and more niche market shops have already closed, their owners heading off to other places for the winter. Those more practical shops that cater to the needs of the locals through the winter are concentrating more on the things that they know will sell than the exotic goodies demanded by megayachts and foreign visitors. There will probably be a flurry of treats in the run up to Christmas but for the next few weeks the philosophy is 'buy local, buy in season' - think pomegranates rather than pineapples!

Twenty-nine Syrian and Iraqi refugees, including quite a few children aged between 5 and 7, arrived on the island last night and their paperwork is being processed at the moment.  We hope that they will be ready in time to leave on the Panagia Skiadeni at 4 p.m. this afternoon as they will otherwise have to spend the night here as the next boat out is the Panagia Skiadeni on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana