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
Labels: life in the winter, Pedi, sports stadium, Symi Pedi houses weather life in the winter
Sparkling Off the Water
0 Comments Published by Adriana Shum on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 12:06:00 PM.
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
