Adriana's Symi-the latest news from the Greek island of Symi.

Adriana's Symi
October 2004

The latest news & weather from Symi, reported by Adriana Shum from 'The Symi Visitor' office.

Symi report; Friday 29th October

The idyll continues. Despite the lateness of the date and a damp chill in the shadows it is still 26 degrees on Symi today. Very different from a year ago today when the maximum was 13! The Kallisti, the Symi II and the Nikolaos all came in this morning. The tourist shops that have not actually packed up yet for the winter now only open for the few hours that the boats are here as there is hardly a soul about in the harbour in the evening. There are plenty of bargains to be had as it is preferable to sell off the remaining stock than to have it mouldering in damp storerooms for the winter. Now is a good time to buy souvenirs from the Olympics - if you don't mind the limited choice.

There are quite a few yachts in the harbour, mainly private cruising boats of the small homely variety - windvanes and TV antenna in the rigging and yoghurt pots of basil on the cockpit table. The gin palaces of August have migrated to the Caribbean.

Speaking of boats, the hydrofoil has broken down so the Symi II is doing extra shifts at the moment. It probably panicked when it thought about the optimistically ambitious schedule ANES has planned for the Aegli for November...

The mountain of bricks that was unloaded from the Nemos yesterday morning sat in a neat row, three tiers high, along the quay for much of yesterday. What could not be fork lifted onto trucks and taken away in the course of Thursday afternoon was moved across the quay to the other side, next to the kiosk, like a giant game of children's building blocks.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

Symi report; Monday 25th October

It might be the last week of October but no one would believe it. Apart from the elegant Hebridean Spirit (see webcam shot), the ho hum Kallisti seems as full as ever, the Marina discharged a veritable cavalcade of hawkers as well as a German walking party, two hydrofoils have been in - and my office seems to have had people in and out of it in non-stop procession.

The weather is a might confused too. It didn't rain on my garden party and it doesn't look like it will rain on the Ochi Day parade on Thursday either. The barometer is very high and there is only a very light breeze. Temperatures are in the mid twenties although it actually reached 34 on Saturday. Those lemon trees which have been irrigated are in full bloom and bear many tiny lemons. The pests are basking in the sunshine too - yellow and black caterpillars munch their way through the caper bushes and many of my lettuce, parsley and broccoli transplants have vanished mysteriously. A delicate bloom of powdery mildew has settled over the last of the cucumbers and aubergines. On the other hand, the first of the winter potatoes are breaking ground and the sweetcorn is tassling and the peppers are still gaudy with red, orange and yellow fruits of varying shapes and sizes. I always plant a good selection as they are much more tolerant of heatwaves and hot winds than the more delicate tomatoes and fill the gap until the greens take over.

Symi report; Friday 22nd October

Despite rumours of rain summer stretches on with lingering tenacity. Just to liven things up and encourage the immediate onset of the rainy season, I am having some friends round on Sunday afternoon for a garden party. When we lived afloat nothing brought on a downpour more effectively than polishing all the external brasswork. Having more guests than undercover seating should do the trick ashore... (Whatever makes you think it doesn't rain on our BBQs too?)

The frogs that live in my stone walls will be glad when the weather breaks. They come out for a sluice down when I chuck the bath water on the rose bushes. There is one particularly handsome specimen with a yellow and tan camo pattern who lives in a window box of half-dead dahlias. Those lizards which have managed to evade the farm cats are still with us and a late rash of mosquitoes keeps the gheckos chattering behind the icons over the fireplace.

Symi report; Monday 18th October

Another balmy day. The Europa hydrofoil is docked below our balcony and a bathing suited crew member is sitting on the fantail, fishing, his snorkel and flippers beside him.

The Kallisti alias Sea Dreams has departed and the harbour is suddenly very quiet. There is no wind today and the only ripples on the water are caused by small boats, passing in and out. There is a large fishing boat tied up opposite Mr Tasty's. The fisherman has spread his saffron nets and is crouched on the quay, repairing them.

The taxis which were on strike at the weekend are back in operation today so presumably the road has reopened past the school. I am hoping that this means that the bus will be able to get past the windmills...

Symi report; Friday 15th October

There have been lots of yachts in this week. Mainly charter flotillas, including one all-women group, but also some private yachts of varying sizes. The ducks (and geese) are doing quite well on the breakfast crumbs and scrounge around the boats, catching croissants and melon. Hold the yoghurt and honey, it's too complicated with a beak...

While the rest of the country has had some quite wintry weather, Symi continues to bask quietly and temperatures may rise as high as 30 degrees this weekend. As the breeze is cool it won't feel that hot. The days are shortening rapidly. The sun doesn't clear the hill behind my house until after 8 am and has vanished again by 4 pm. My chickens are sleeping late, particularly now that there is no moon to rouse the rooster. We assume that the tortoise does actually wake up occasionally because the buffet we put in front of his shell has always gone by the time we get home at night.

A poster has gone up in the harbour, advertising the annual shopping and sightseeing trip to Turkey. This year it will be 4 days, taking in Izmir and Bodrum. This is a popular outing for the locals, many of whom have been working flat out in restaurants and shops all summer and need a break.

The lights are out on Nimos and the first boats are being lifted from the water in Pedi. Some of the restaurants have already closed for the year, particularly those which are exposed to the elements. Summer is slipping into winter.

On a more boring note, the taxi drivers are on strike again because of the ongoing roadworks. At this stage it is unclear when they will be back in operation. If it is until the roadworks are over we are unlikely to see a taxi on this island ever again...

Symi report; Monday 11th October

The weather has settled down into a pattern of warm days and cool evenings with only occasional cats’ paws of wind dabbling at the water and batting at the leaves. The dew is heavy overnight, dripping off the plastic taverna tablecloths and pooling on the stones of the Kali Strata. The night sky is so clear that even the most myopic of us can pick out the constellations and admire the Milky Way. The paths of planes and satellites weave sedate routes nightly through the maze of stars.

A big boat is expected in this morning and a huddle of trucks, cars and people is already starting to accumulate by the clock tower. The carpet sellers have been doing the rounds of the island, negotiating the assault course that is the motor road through Chorio. The housewives are biding their time until the roadworks are finally finished and they can restore order to their sand-encrusted houses – a truck selling power washers would probably do quite well around here! We have had the Year of the Crane but the Year of the Roadworks has certainly surpassed it in terms of dirt and disruption. They seem to be laying pipes and conduits for every conceivable purpose before the final asphalting takes place. Hopefully THIS IS IT for a while, but having had experience of municipalities and roadworks in several countries in both hemispheres, this is unlikely as no town hall, either large or small, is ever that organized!

Symi report; Friday 8th October

This morning's webcam shot shows a slightly fuzzy cumulus cloud on the far side of Nimos. Thunderstorms have been dancing round us for much of the week and on Wednesday afternoon we had a spectacular display of alternating rainbows, lightning and showers against a black and purple sky. The setting sun sliding in underneath this lot also lit up the waves breaking in a white fringe along the Turkish coast opposite Pedi. The Symi Festival may be over but nature is just tuning up.

It is expected to clear in the course of today with fine to partly cloudy skies and warmer temperatures for the next few days. Temperatures are normal for the time of year.

There are still plenty of people about and it is quite busy for October. We had a fancy cruise ship anchored off Nimborio yesterday, bringing guests ashore by the boat load to take photos and climb the Kali Strata. Judging by the many and varied nationalities that passed through the Symi Visitor office, wanting to know if they were on the right track for the Museum, international travel hasn't died yet, despite the gloom merchants.

Symi report; Monday 4th October

Temperatures are now at normal levels for this time of the year. Fresh breezes and cool in the shade, warm mid to high twenties in the sun. And the walkers are out in full force judging by the speed with which walking books are striding out of this office.

The angle of the sun is changing, giving the buildings more dimension and making the colours seem brighter. Many plants have perked up in the cooler weather and the red hibiscus are flowering in the square and outside our office door. The night sky is particularly fine at this time of the year and the moon this past week has been exceptionally bright, only setting as the early dawn lights up the mountains behind Bosburun. The farm animals have become very nocturnal - roosters crowing at all hours, donkeys braying up and down the valley, sheep bells tinkling in the night, tom cats fighting on the roof while the mice make merry in the almond trees. We are starting to gather in the nuts. It is always a contest to see whether we or the field rats gather the greater quantity. Of course, if the rodent population break into the nut store we don't get to see much of our harvest anyway apart from a heap of empty shells. They nibble off the pointy end to extract the almonds, leaving hollowed out shells wherever they party.

Symi report; Friday 1st October

The heatwave has passed, much to everyone's relief. No one is really ready to cope with 39 degrees on Symi in late September! It is a much more comfortable 28 degrees today.

Theoretically today is the first day of 'low season' and the island should be winding down. In actual fact, the island is still pretty full and looks to remain that way for several weeks. The Kallisti is humming outside our balcony having disgorged what looked like a thousand day trippers. Last week's hiccup in the weather encouraged one local businessman to replace his racks of bikinis and sarongs with padded jackets, anoraks, tracksuits and woolly cardigans in the hope of catching those who had left home with only summer weight clothes. This week's heatwave has put paid to that.

The ducks in the harbour are now the size of geese and stroll around as though they own the place. The cats give the vicinity of the customs slipway and the bridge a wide berth and motorists proceed with caution. The fresh produce sellers who hawk their wares in the town square give them chunks of over ripe melon and vegetables with which they are very happy.

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