|
 
November
2002
The latest
news & weather from Symi, reported by
Adriana Shum from 'The Symi
Visitor' office.
Adriana's
Greek Recipes of the Week: Melomakarona - Greek Honey Cakes
& Kourabiethes - Christmas Shortbread>>
Friday,
November 29th 2002
First of all, an apology to you all for the absence of Monday's report - we have been very busy in the office this week, preparing the December edition of 'The Symi Visitor' and then our server gave us a few hassles but things have settled down now. Wendy is at the printers on Rhodes and Otenet seems to have unclogged itself.
Although the forecasters have been predicting doom and gloom, we've only had a squall or three and the sun continues to shine on this corner of the Aegean. And very pleasant it is too. Cats and babies snoozing in the sunshine while the clouds drift by and rain elsewhere.
The Municipal workers are out on ladders, putting up the first of the Christmas decorations. That's right. It is the 29 November and the first decorations are going up. One of the nice things about living in Symi is that you don't have 'Jingle Bells' and exhortations to 'buy now for Christmas' thrust at you from September onwards. There is also a lot of building work going on down in the harbour, mainly the cleaning of cisterns and digging of septic tanks. The abrading of the stone paving is almost complete and it actually looks quite good now that the shine has gone. It is also considerably less treacherous in wet weather. Individual electricity boxes are being built along the quay where the yachts berth so they can enjoy shore power in the summer instead of running their generators and annoying people. As there is no knowing how long the fine weather will hold it is imperative to get as much work done as possible during every sunny spell and the hum and rattle of pneumatic drills, bobcats and concrete mixers fills the air.
This weekend the blood donation scheme is being launched at the local clinic. Posters have been up around the town all week and it is hoped that there will be a good turnout. As this is the first time blood has been collected on Symi a lecture explaining the scheme will be given tonight.
The December and January ferry timetable has also come out. Essentially it is the same as the one for November, apart from minor changes on the holidays. Don't forget, 6 December is the feast of St Nicholas, the patron saint of sea farers, so ANES will be closed that day (plus any other businesses involving Nicholases of one sort or another so don't expect too much activity in the Symi Visitor office that day!!)
Have a good weekend.
Regards,
Adriana
The Symi Visitor
www.SymiVisitor.com
Saturday,
November 23rd 2002
A big black cloud has been gathering over this side of the island
in the course of the morning and a long rumble of thunder heralded the first big splats of rain a few minutes ago. A swell in the harbour is sloshing spray through the gratings in front of Pachos and the boats are surging on their mooring lines. Anonymous figures in yellow oilskins are leaping about with extra ropes and fenders. It is not a bad time of year to be hunkered down in the Symi Visitor office, watching the clouds tumble over the Vigla and the rain sweep across the hillside.
The moon has been quite spectacular this week, rising round and golden over Pedi and painting mysterious shadows over the terraces as it climbs the winter night sky. It is almost bright enough to read by.
The first lambs will be born in the next few weeks and the farmers are gathering their ewes into comfortable fields where it is easier to keep track of developments rather than letting them scramble the terraces as usual. Last weekend my neighbour rounded all his sheep up against the boundary fence and clipped the wool around their faces and tails to keep them mud-free.
Monday,
November 18th 2002
The sun is shining, the dew is steaming off the rocks on the Vigla and the Kali Strata is mossing over nicely. A tang of seaweed and barnacles is on the air as freshly hauled boats drip in the town square. The herb seller by the bridge was servicing an outboard engine this morning. It was clamped to the table from which, in the summer, he sells bunches of oregano and packets of tzatziki mix. Various friends hovered on the periphery, sipping Greek coffee and offering advice.
The warm weather has also brought out various other maintenance crews and the Symi Visitor office has been vibrating all morning to a nearby jack hammer. Plastic pipes and plumbing fittings, sacks of corn and bales of hay are the most common items on pick up trucks at the moment and a fine crop of shiny new red cement mixers has blossomed in the back yards of Chorio. It is definitely the season for Symiots to be fixing things, building things and generally taking advantage of the fine weather to get jobs done before the next rainy spell.
Day time temperatures are in the mid twenties at the moment, dropping to about 10 in the evenings with very heavy dewfalls. The high pressure system that is dominating the area at the moment is quite common at this time of the year and it is not unusual to have better weather in November than October. It should last a few more days. The Ionian is the demarkation between the two weather systems and has been experiencing heavy seas and strong winds while here in the furthest reaches of the Aegean we have not seen a ripple in days.
Wednesday,
November 13th 2002
The barometer is rising and a brisk northerly breeze has blown the clouds away. Bright sunshine is streaming through the office window and plumped out cats are snoozing on car bonnets and motorbike seats in the town square. Birds are chirruping in the Virginia creeper next door, snatching at flies in the sun. The Vigla is quietly turning green as the dusty brown herb bushes of summer sprout fresh new leaves. The drone of rotovators mumbles through the Pedi valley from early in the morning until last night, punctuated by the occasional thwack! as some old diehard beats his olive tree.
The ferry timetable has more or less caught up with itself and there was some post today. The post office, banks and offices are very quiet at this time of the year and sometimes the person you need to see has to be tracked down to the nearest kafeneion or may be gossiping in some other shop or business in the town. A little knowledge regarding favourite haunts can save hours of frustration when wanting to pay the phone bill or buy a ferry ticket. The important thing, though, is to know what the person you seek looks like!
Monday,
November 11th 2002
Rumble, flash, rumble, splash...
rumble rumble
drip...
drip...
drip...
Well, at least the sun put in an appearance for the ceremonial side of things at
Panormitis* on Friday and we got off relatively lightly in comparison to Athens, Lesbos and various other places which suffered extensive flooding in the last few days but it was not a good weekend for travellers. Weather induced disruptions to the ferry schedules meant that many people from Rhodes and other islands who were just intending to make a day trip to Panormitis for the religious service either couldn't get there at all or arrived too late for the procession. A particularly violent storm lashed the island on Thursday night which was bad news for the stallkeepers who were shrouded in heavy plastic sheeting and soggy cardboard boxes. An evil swell was still sloshing against the monastery quay on Friday, swirling seaweed round our ankles.
We had lunch in the monastery dining room - a great and imposing hall lined with splendid biblical paintings. Neat stacks of foam mattresses at one end were the only clue that the previous night the room has served as a huge dormitory for rain-swept pilgrims. As it was Friday no meat was served so our lunch was a warming bean soup, bread from the monastery bakery, fried cod and a very fresh tasting cabbage and carrot salad, all washed down with pitchers of white wine.
The new surface on the road to Panormitis certainly proved its worth in this heavy weather as all sorts of vehicles were able to get across to the monastery without mishap so at least the islanders themselves could attend. In the past the old dirt road was impassable in heavy rain and the choice was either getting bounced around and seasick in small boat or an epic mission across the mountain with shovels, planks, spare wheels and a 4-wheel drive. Believe me, the elderly faithful whizzing across the island to the monastery in comfortable dry taxis and cars in a mere 40 minutes are not in the least bit nostalgic for the 'good old days'!
Have a good week!
*There
are photos of last week's ceremony at Panormitis on our
'Out & About' page.
Wednesday,
November 6th 2002
The Symiots have started to migrate to the other end of the island in anticipation of the festival. The rooms at Panormitis monastery are filling up and there is a steady shuttle of cars, trucks and taxis traversing the mountain. Hawkers are arriving on every vehicle-carrying ferry, selling everything from carpets to sacks of potatoes, from slippers to cooking pots - often from the same truck.
On the weather front it has been blustery since yesterday with squalls and downpours alternating with short-lived sunny spells. It's too warm for raincoats, too windy for brollies so we just duck from door to door between showers. The eccentric nature of the ferry timetable this week has resulted in some arrivals having to bus it across from Panormitis as the boats are turning round there rather than going on to Yialos.
We're all hoping that the weather improves as Panormitis in the rain isn't much fun. We'll be rattling over the mountain ourselves on Friday to take photographs there and at Roukonioutis so keep an eye on the Out and About page next week!
Monday,
November 4th 2002
The day started off bright and clear but big clouds started rolling over the Vigla at midmorning and it looks as though the long-forecast rainy weather may be more than just a rumour. There is very little activity in the harbour. There are a few yachtsmen stooging about, killing time before heading for winter berths in Turkish boatyards but otherwise the place is deserted. Some of the Symi excursion boats have already been laid up for the winter and others are being stripped of their summer trappings. Life jackets, awnings and cushions are all being packed away in dry storage ashore.
There is a truckload of hay outside the office window and an old chap has a careful display of beetroot and bunches of dill laid out on crates near the bridge. The tourist shops are shut now and the spaces in front are being cleared to accommodate various small boats. It is still warm. The t-shirted workers up ladders, stripping and rolling awnings, are squinting in the sun and swigging from water bottles.
Friday,
November 1st 2002
Today is the first of November.
Walking down through Chorio this morning there was a steady stream of ladies in black heading for the cemetery, bearing flowers, incense, lamp oil and dishes of boiled sweetened wheat for the commemoration of the dear departed. Meanwhile, down in the harbour, the conventional tourists are no more but the island is preparing for a different onslaught - the multitudes who throng to the island to attend the Panormitis Festival next weekend. Optimists (?) are suggesting figures as high as 7 000 will be attending the monastery this year. This is a tremendous excuse for family reunions and countless Symiots who work in Rhodes and Athens are arriving to visit their families on Symi.
The weather continues sunny and clear with cold nights. Some stormy weather may occur next week as the band of thunderstorms crossing Italy heads this way but it should still be good for the Festival on Friday next week.
^Top of
Page
© Adriana Shum 2002
Send
Adriana E-Mail»
|