Rain-Swept and Deserted

The Katerinettes is getting a new coat of paint and

Kokkona's house nearby is have a complete facelift with new plaster.

Yes, he is using a mobile phone and no, he is not wearing a crash helmet.

After a very wet weekend the sun is out once more.  With a chilly breeze blowing from the north any patch of sunshine is worth seeking out and many of the foreign property owners who have arrived on the island for the Easter holidays are holding court on the pavement outside Pachos.  The island has filled up a bit today as many French and Italian expats arrived on the island on the Dodecanese Seaways catamaran this morning.  On Saturday Yialos, Symi’s main port, was rain-swept and deserted, today it is humming with many voices.

The rain clouds roll down, masking the Vigla and Kokkimides

The cheerful sound of 1960s Greek pop songs rings out across the bay as Costas, one of the island’s six taxi drivers, likes to liven things up when he is at the rank by playing old favourites on his car stereo and singing along with them.  The chaps on ladders fitting the awnings on the coffee shop next door often join in the choruses.  A school of dolphins cavorted off Harani in the rain on Saturday afternoon. Although dolphins are fairly common in these waters it is rare to see them so close in shore.

In a few months Symi town square will be the home of the Symi Festival but today it is deserted.

The weather is expected to remain unsettled for the next 10 days with more showers expected later this week and again at the weekend.  April showers are as common here as they are in more temperate climes but in the case of Greece, this is often the last rain we have until October and it is crucial for helping trees and shrubs make it through the long drought of summer.

Nasturtiums putting on a brave show.

Lemons in the rain

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

Read more...

Moody Weather

After a week of extremely cold weather on Symi temperatures will start to creep up into double digits from tomorrow, helped by calm conditions as the gale force winds have finally abated. Much of Greece has had snowfall, as has neighbouring Turkey. In this photograph, which I took from the Kali Strata this morning, one can see snow on the hills behind Datca, an unusual occurrence indeed. The long range forecast shows temperatures ranging from 17 degrees at midday to 11 degrees at night which, although a bit on the low side for this time of the year, often prove to be warmer than that in reality. All one needs is to be on the south facing side of the harbour which is why Elpida’s has traditionally been such a popular winter cafeneion.

The shipping news is that the Proteus comes back into service on Monday. Unfortunately once again the schedule is a bit of a teaser because it only goes as far as 2 April and there is still no sign of life from the Symi II. There is not much happening on the other excursion boats in Rhodes either. Sue Grzebisz took this photograph of the Nikolaos in Mandraki last week, while on her enforced sojourn in Rhodes en route from England to Symi due to the lack of ferries. As you can see, the crew live on board in the winter.

One advantage of the moody weather we have on Symi at this time of the year is the photographic opportunities for those in the right place at the right time. Ged Horton took these in Nimborio a few weeks ago. A far cry from the sunshine and blue skies normally associated with this popular summer resort but beautiful nonetheless.

Thank you for all the emails concerning the health of our webcam.  The external cables suffered in the winter storms and as soon as a replacement cable arrives, ferries permitting of course, we should be back on the air.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

Read more...

Down the Lane

The ruined windmills on the ridge between Chorio and Yialos.  The low stone wall on the right of the crest, just before the rocky outcrop,  is Pontikokastro (Mouse Castle).  This is a neolithic stone circle, sometimes referred to as the grave of King Nireus.

It is not just the local humans who enjoy the spring greenery - the lambs are fattening for Easter and this family of two cockerels and three hens were promenading down the lane this morning, choosing their favourite delicacies as they sauntered along.  Someone has probably noticed they are missing by now.  No, they are not mine - most of my chooks are white or speckled grey.

One of the few ruins left on the main stretch of the Kali Strata.  The moss has turned the turquoise paint on the steps the same colour as the faded woodwork.  To restore a house such as this is a labour of love but at least this one was inhabited sufficiently recently for it to have an electricity meter.

Blustery squalls marching into Yialos.

After a sunny start our little corner of Greece has become increasingly grey and blustery. Strong winds and rain are forecast overnight as the low pressure system that has been battering Southern Italy heads east through Greece to Turkey and Syria. Despite some gloriously spring-like days, the winter is not over yet and we can expect more wet and windy weather between now and the March equinox.

The shops are selling oranges, lemons, Cypriot potatoes, Greek leeks and beetroot and not much else in the fresh produce department at the moment. It is too cold and wintery in the main food producing parts of Greece for much to flourish at this time of the year and Symi is the end of the line for imported stuff from more exotic climes. Every afternoon I hear the chatter of local housewives on the hillside, picking horta, the various wild edible greens that are highly prized as a vegetable at this time of the year. Young dandelions, nettles, poppy greens, wild endive and various other greens – the Greek’s aren’t unique in enjoying fresh young leaves. The French have their mesclun, the Italians their misticanza, but in Greece horta has to be picked wild on the hill and no one has yet to my knowledge started marketing it prewashed in little cellophane bags with a sell by date.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

Read more...

Winter Sun

A Rainbow over Evangelismos Church, Harani, Symi

Frost on Oxalis Leaves in the Pedi Valley -

Shady places often don't get any sun at all at this time of the year and form frost pockets.

A Bee enjoying a Sunny Interlude in my Rosemary

Deserted - Rhodes Harbour on 31 January 2011

Note the snowcaps in the distance

The View from Room 307, the Hermes Hotel, Mandraki, on 31 January 2011

This is the longest break there has ever been in my blog, since I wrote my first Symi Latest News column in March 2001, long before the word blog had been coined to describe an on line diary. In that time it has changed from a webpage on which Mike Gadd, our webmaster, would email the text I sent him as the dial up connections here were too slow to cope, to bloggerdotcom which I can update myself here on Symi, making use of the Connx connection. From no pictures through to 480x640 resolution pictures to the much higher resolution photographs I can post today, the Latest News from Symi has come a long way as technology has advanced. I wonder what changes the next 10 years will bring to this page of news from Symi.


After 2 months of travelling and visiting my family in South Africa I returned to chilly Rhodes on Sunday evening. As the first ferry across to Symi was on Monday evening I had plenty of time to recover from the journey and do a spot of shopping before catching the Proteus across to Symi. The far mountain peaks of Turkey were clearly visible, snowcaps twinkling in the winter sun. As you can see, Rhodes is very empty in the middle of winter, with no cruise ships to be seen. Just the regular Blue Star ferries from Pireaus and a few over-wintering yachts.

By all accounts it has been a wet winter in this part of the world with torrential rains in many parts of Greece and Symi is no exception. It started to rain on Thursday afternoon and by 9 a.m this morning we had measured another 50 mm of rain. All the cisterns are full and walking down the Kali Strata this morning, ankle deep in fast flowing water, I was dodging spouts of water from the overflows.

The rain is expected to ease off in the next 24 hours and temperatures will be ranging from 8 to 18 degrees centigrade. A wood fire is as much to dry things out as it is to warm things up and much more economical to run than any other form of heating on the island so there are little plumes of smoke coming from many chimneys in the lanes of Chorio.



Have a good weekend.



Regards,

Adriana

Read more...

Convivial Work

It is a clear sunny spring day on Symi. Fields of poppies are nodding in the cold northerly breeze and we are all wrapped up against the chill but if one can find a spot out of the wind it is very pleasant indeed. As the scented cyclamens fade away in the drought, bright billows of yellow and white daisies are taking their place and spires of deep blue lupins rise above the greenery. The workmen busy tiling the roof of the new sports stadium up in Chorio are still in anoraks and woolly hats despite the bright sunshine and pause at frequent intervals to warm numb fingers and gaze out over the Pedi valley.

Seasonal preparations are well under way in the harbour and there is a whiff of fresh paint on the air. It may be cold but at least it is dry and everyone can get on with painting, varnishing and other outside maintenance – convivial work as people stop to admire each other’s handiwork and exchange gossip and cigarettes. On Wednesday the Dodecanese Seaways catamaran brought a few day trippers over from Rhodes and I saw at least one optimistic tourist shop displaying flimsy kaftans and drifty sundresses to potential customers more interested in scarves and mittens.

The long range forecast remains clear and dry with no prospects of rain on the horizon. Temperatures will remain below seasonal averages and the northerly wind will persist.

The road around Harani and on to Nimborio is closed at the moment. Work has commenced on widening the Nimborio road and at the same time the channel is being dug round the harbour for the new fibre-optic cables for OTE, the telephone company. Apparently the waterfront road around Yialos will be closed to cars all day on Sunday while this is done and only pedestrians, bicycles and motorbikes will be able to get through. Other news is that Dodecanese Seaways will be running a regular service out of Symi in April.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

Read more...

Sparkling Off the Water

After a day’s solid rain the sun is once again sparkling off the water and we can look forward to at least three days of clear cold weather before the rain creeps in again at the end of the week. It is about 10 degrees centigrade on Symi today but the windchill makes it feel much colder. Much of Greece is under snow and you can read more about this on news.ert.gr. It is going to be a chilly New Year on Symi but at the moment it looks as though it will be a dry one so outdoor festivities for New Year’s Eve can be planned with some degree of confidence.

In the Pedi Valley the new lambs are running about in the winter sunshine. This anxious ewe has triplets, all too bouncy to stop and pose for the camera. Some very premature corona daisies are flowering near the new sports’ stadium in Chorio and the first tentative pink cyclamens, somewhat battered by the elements, are flowering in sheltered corners of stone walls. The Kali Strata is green with moss and tufts of vegetation are sprouting among the ruins. The most wintry weather may still be ahead of us but the days are growing longer and the buds are swelling on the almond trees.

Down in the harbour the fishermen are bailing out their boats after yesterday’s 35 mm of rain and the gulls are wheeling white over the deep blue sea, swooping to pick up any edible scraps washed in by the recent storms. Many Symiot housewives are taking advantage of the dry weather to open the shutters and air their homes. Balconies are draped with brightly coloured quilts and rows of damp jeans. With most of the island’s active male population employed in the construction industry over the winter, keeping up with the endless muddy jeans and sodden socks is a challenge in Symi’s tiny neo-classical houses. The local architecture features lofty ceilings but the rooms themselves are often small with little floor space for clothes’ driers. For much of the year the washing is crisp after an hour on the line outside but in the winter drying the dobhi is a tedious business and every ‘good drying day’ is exploited to the maximum.

Have a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
Regards,
Adriana

Read more...