AWAY FROM IT ALL

August is upon us and certainly in the Northern Hemisphere it is holiday time – time to turn our backs on the banalities of our routine existence, to break loose into self-indulgence and idle fancies, and the pursuit of those matters which really engross our peculiar natures. Some hunt fungi like demented truffle-hounds, some embark upon visiting every railway station in England while others take brass-rubbings from medieval tombs in obscure parish churches in deepest Herefordshire. One of my good friends explores the beautiful, if windswept, Hebridean island of Tiree, with her incomparable beaches, another is deep in rural West Wales, amid the bays and coves, untroubled by tourist hordes and a third hill-walks in the lovely Bernese Oberland, a happy wanderer, as the old song went. May all have a splendid 2017 summer and return home with batteries recharged, even more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!

Balevullin Beach, Tiree, Scotland

Jungfraujoch, by Bern, Switzerland

                           This August, as I have done for 19 years, I am living in a gloriously leisurely fashion in our summer house on Samos, Greece in the Eastern Aegean. Thank goodness the aircon is working well, as the heat is intense, seldom falling to 30C (86F) and sometimes edging to 40 C (104F). The locals say it is one of the warmest spells in recent memory after a nasty, wet and cold winter. The winter weather rather blighted our main bedroom with damp, making a refurb necessary, but it will soon be completed. After the uncertainties of the Folkestone climate, we revel in the dependable heat of summer in our balmy Karlovasi. I confess there are Samiot mountain paths untrodden and pebbly coves unswum as I take things easy, preferring the local hotel swimming pools, short walks and relaxing seaside tavernas.

The Port at Karlovasi, Samos

The Greeks are a tad more optimistic this year hoping a corner has been turned in their economic recovery but the country is far from booming. August tourists are streaming into Samos, many budget-conscious proles from Eastern Europe but also boat loads of free-spending Turks on short trips from Izmir. Menus in Turkish have sprung up offering toothsome delicacies to these welcome visitors. Last year’s waves of migrants are absent, that situation precariously dependent on the fluctuating goodwill of unpredictable Recip Erdogan.

Our beloved leaders are also taking a well-earned rest. Theresa May skips around in a pink dress and hikes in the Lake Garda area and Switzerland, without a care in the world. Mind you, last time she was on holiday, she came home with the bright idea of a snap election and that did not work out too well…… As for Angela Merkel, she is walking in the Italian Alps with her hubby Joachim Sauer: they do not seem to be enjoying it much to judge from a photo of them on a chair-lift. Cheer up, Angela! Putin bares his chest in macho fashion as he sun-bathes in Siberia while The Donald is spending 17 days in his golf club in Bedminster, NJ, working hard, he insists, but he will surely put in a round a day to bolster his insatiable ego. I hate to think what Kim Jong Un is up to: he is a little podgy for water-sports but he will certainly float, sustained from below by four sycophantic army generals. In all events, I do not grudge them their holidays - while they are away not much is likely to happen……..though WW1 broke out in the August break of 1914!

Theresa and Philip May relax by Lake Garda

Joachim Sauer and wife Angela "Sourpuss" Merkel on their hols.

Whatever the world does, this August look after No 1 and do everything and nothing as the spirit moves you. Relax!

SMD

11.08.17

Text Copyright © Sidney Donald 2017