Life in the Cottonfields

Seasonal Sensory Stanzas

2026-10-12T05:40:34.247-07:00

Inspired by the new season arrival

Summer concedes and recedes with dignity

Replacing chromatic intensity , an airless, arid atmosphere

With a fresh seasonal spectrum: amber, bronze, copper.

Pungent wood smoke

Redolent of evenings long past

The peaty pleasures of open hearths.

Cooler climes welcome

The rich sharp tang of ouzo with salty meze,

Soup, sausage, stew.

The comforting quaffs of cinnamon tea, apple cider,

Hot chocoalte, mulled wine,

Rich, full-bodied reds.

All give way to low-tone, subdued hues,

Days shorten, notes flatten into

Mellow minor keys of melancholy melodies.

2026-09-29T01:52:08.829-07:00

September Sortie

Imagine waking up early morning to such a wonderful scene! We’re enjoying a short break at Platamonas beach. It’s our no-longer-in-the-classroom September trip.

From here we can see the glorious Mount Olympos, seat of the gods. At just under 3,000 metres it is the highest mountain in Greece. This shot shows the highest peak, the Mytakis, or ‘the nose’. Recently it had its first snowfall, marking autumn’s arrival.

Nearby is the Byzantine Platamonas Castle, built between 1204-1222, it was a Crusader stronghold. The remains of cannons testify to its strategic role in defending the area and deterring piracy.

My great enjoyment, when away, is to be catered for and have the dishes washed!! :)

Just sitting doing nothing - poor signal meant inevitable detox from screen time.

But Z did jump at the chance to help one of the hotel staff do a spot of gardening.

And I did some music revision to keep what Poirot calls the ‘ little grey cells’ active.

I disagreed with the hotel owner who claimed the room above ours was the best because of the view. We did have a lovely view but we also had a bush of the fragrant nightflower below our balcony. Its botanical name is the Mirabilis Jalapa, aka The Marvel of Peru or 4 o’ clock flower - its flowers open at dusk. Incomparable!

My evenings were spent drinking in its intoxicating scent and listening to the relaxing sound of the waves washing on the pebbled beach. In moments of stillness, ‘the bliss of solitude’, these are still held in my mind’s eye, nose and ear. Absolute magic!

Summer ebbing.

2026-09-13T12:00:51.716-07:00

Thought I’d like to share a few images before our warm season completely recedes. We greatly enjoyed gazing out on these grape clusters before harvesting.

Below Z is helping his cousin in another vineyard in Giannitsa to the north. Z is the one waving – not to be confused with the larger-than-life real-art form scarecrow!

The grapes are pressed immediately, then the must ferments in barrels.

Local communities organize grape festivals with entertainment laid on: live bands and traditional dance troupes, then we take to the floor whirling round to dances from all the regions of Greece.

But there is a sadness too. Few oleander blooms remain illuminated at night as I piano practice.

Our tomato vines are coming to the end of the season, drying and producing thick-skinned fruit.

My poor wee cyclamen has succumbed to the prolonged heat. I hope it may revive later.

En route to a recent baptism temps reached 40oC. Thankfully cold water and hand fans were on tap for guests. Even the little tot, instead of uttering wails at being dunked in the font, chuckled and was clearly ready for more of that cold water splashing. We shared his feelings!!

We eagerly await respite of cooler temperatures as autumn approaches. 😊

Rules is Rules!

2026-08-27T10:13:01.128-07:00

Today my focus is on rules; my trusted Chambers defines this as: ‘a regulation that must not be transgressed, a maxim or formula that is generally, but not compulsory to follow.’ That seems to encapsulate a cline of seriousness. 😊

As a teacher much time was spent dealing with linguistic infelicities which left me with a red pen twitch and a lack of confidence in some spellings, having seen the wrong form so frequently. But a favourite time at the new term was negotiating classroom rules with new students. You could learn lot about them and - if their rules for teachers included ‘coming to class on time’ and ‘being prepared’ – their past experience! Their rules for the teacher and my rules for the class were boarded then discussed. Interestingly, what they tended to boil down to was ‘mutual respect’.

That is a feature that is generally lacking when we see behavioural norms not being adhered to. My time in Greece has shown me that many locals have an innate need to be number one. This is expressed on the road, where drivers loop out forming imaginary lanes and zoom along the outside, only to force their entry into the proper lane where the road narrows later on. This habit can cause irritation in other drivers, delays, congestion and, of course, accidents.

As a regular city bus user, I still cannot grasp the logic behind, as a member of a 6-person queue, being shoved from behind by someone in a rush to claim a seat …. on a 30-seater vehicle! ☹ The number one syndrome again. Oh, and then you have the cheapskate non-ticket payment. Our buses all have automatic ticket vending and validating machines.

Recently 3 ladies of Slavic origin boarded my bus, pretending they didn’t understand anything, ticket systems, language, nothing – despite fellow passengers‘ attempts to explain and assist. The trio did a bit of pondering over the vending machine then sat down chuckling away among themselves at the ruse they’d pulled off. An Oscar-worthy smooth performance of a stunt clearly honed to perfection by frequent rehearsal!

Such blatant bad behaviour reduces me to outrage and I morph into the unbearable good kid in the classroom with a need to expose it: ‘Miss, miss ….!’ It expresses selfishness and anti-social conduct.

The students got it right. We need mutual respect for the rules, for others and for ourselves.

Medical Knowledge and the Islamic Golden Age

2026-08-20T01:03:55.862-07:00

In a recent post, stimulated by the murals at the Papageorgiou General Hospital, I explored what the Ancient Egyptians contributed to medical knowledge. Now I turn to see what the Arab culture had to contribute. Our point of historic reference is the Islamic Golden Age which roughly spanned 7^th-13^th centuries AD.

Islam is said to have emerged from the desert of the Arabian Peninsula, conquering the old Egyptian, Persian, Roman and Near Eastern Empires. Its language being Arabic, it integrated elements of these cultures into its own and became the centre of a brilliant civilization, of great scientific, philosophic and artistic significance. It should be noted that some scholars term this ‘Arab Science’ though not all the scientists were Arabs and not all were Muslims. The main centres of learning were widespread, ranging from Baghdad, Damascus, Cairo, and later, Cordoba in Spain.

But, of course, our focus is the field of medicine, which was the central part of this culture. Physicians and scholars were greatly influenced by Galen and Hippocrates. Below we see an image and text showing the muscle system as they understood it.

During this time, they established the foundations of clinical practice, including supervised pharmacies, hospital systems and experimental medicine.

The image above shows an impression of an operation being carried out. Clearly there they are not using the instruments below which were used for trepanning or trepanation – drilling a hole in the human skull!

A great contribution of theirs was to collect, translate into Arabic and collate knowledge from disparate sources. It was from their summaries and encyclopaedias that western doctors learned of Greek medicine, making it more systematic and accessible. For example, Ibn Sina created the Canon of Medicine, a five-book encyclopaedia, which was translated into Latin and disseminated in printed form throughout Europe. Below we see a depiction of him examining a patient.

During this time Europe, in stark contrast, was going through the so-called Dark Ages. It was largely the Arab Golden Age that contributed to development in mediaeval Europe towards a culture of free inquiry and rational scientific thinking.

We owe much to the contributions to knowledge made at that time.

Basking in Bansko

2026-07-28T01:40:55.971-07:00

We decided to have a break from organizing and attending medical appointments and headed north to Bansko, a large ski resort in Bulgaria. Mountains for Z, spa and pools for me. 😊 😊 You could actually see the distant ski infrastructure from our balcony. The highest peak in the Pirin mountain range is 2,914 metres and Bansko itself lies at an elevation of 925 meters above sea level.

Three hours after we arrived, our Greek phone provider sent us storm warnings despite there being a clear, blue sky all around. We went for a wee stroll and suddenly the wind got up, black clouds rolled in and we just made it back to the hotel at a great pace before the really heavy rain started.

The following day the weather was fine – nicely cooler than back home – so we did a bit of exploring. The population of Bansko is under 10,000 normally, but ski high season – December to February – an annual total of more than 360,000. So it was no surprise to see the town centre is packed with of hotels, guest houses, gambling joints, and tourist services: ski equipment rental and purchase, gift shops, restaurants, with new buildings being erected everywhere. This being off-season many of these were closed, though locals were expecting crowds to arrive in August. And we did try some local food.

The International Jazz Festival from July 31^st to August 9^th will ensure many additional visitors.

A daily activity was our visit to the various heated (well-heated, I must say) pools, saunas, jacuzzies- all housed in the most beautifully decorated spa area. With my skin sensitivity to the sun, this was the option for me, rather that the also-heated outside pools. Anyway, with the changeable weather conditions they weren’t always in use.

As we headed home after our Bansko break, the winding road followed the route of the River Strymon where activities such as canoeing, rafting and kayaking are organized. We also saw several hikers scaling the slopes leading to the ski runs. Decidedly not for us!

But we did enjoy our time there, especially our daily swims and the breakfast buffet with its huge array of fruit, vegetables, breads and sweets and, of course, my scrambled eggs, toast and baked beans! :o

Now it’s back to our daily routine, auld claes and parritch!

The Papageorgiou Hospital and Ancient Egyptian Medicine.

2026-07-18T09:53:01.848-07:00

Recently as we clambered up the steps to the state Papageorgiou General Hospital, I was reminded of long-past visits to Dr. Mayer’s surgery in Tarbert – ironically you had to be in reasonable health to negotiate the slope leading to access the required medical assistance!

The hospital is an extensive, modern building, in an area of 150 acres, operating since 1999 and is one of the most technologically advanced medical centres in Northern Greece.

We were directed to the foreboding-sounding Nuclear Medicine Department where Z underwent testing after our medical ‘MOT’ tests indicated some slightly higher-than-normal measures. Our family doc is meticulous and she demanded multiple follow-up tests – just to be on the safe side!

Z found the hospital doctors efficient and polite but thought it must be soul-crushingly tedious for them to repeat the same instructions day in, day out!

I meanwhile explored the large, airy entrance hall which boasted some really interesting murals.

The first one depicted scenes of Egyptian practitioners. We certainly know of their mummification skills from findings excavated from the pyramids but it was really interesting to look at the knowledge and skills of medical practitioners around the Nile area in the times of Ancient Egypt: 3,300 BC- 525 B.C.

They had a surprising knowledge of the anatomy, detailing diseases of the alimentary, respiratory circulatory, muscular and nervous systems, among others. Surgeons at that time used instruments that can be recognized today as the scalpel, forceps, scissors and splints. They sutured and cauterized wounds, surgically opening septic wounds to drain them.

Herodotus in 450 BC wrote that they had divided the practice among them so there were healers for the eyes, the teeth, what pertains to the belly as well as some of the ‘hidden diseases’. There was a hierarchy within the profession: the ordinary doctor, the overseer of doctors, the chief of doctors, the inspector of doctors. Evidence shows that there were women physicians too. Medical practice was outlined in the Hermetic Book of Thoth, describing strict lines of treatment.

They used a wide range of plants, animal products and honey for a wide range of treatments. Interestingly there was for them no clear distinction between medicine and magic, considering health and illness being consequent of a person’s relationship with the universe ie people, animals and good or bad spirits. So, the Egyptian pharmacopeia also included magic spells. Much of their knowledge and procedures have been recorded either on hieroglyphic stone or clay carvings and from papyrus scrolls. On these scrolls the language used was mainly Hieratic, which was a handwritten form of hieroglyphs written fluidly, horizontally from right to left.

It was the French scholar, Jean-Francois Champollion who, using the Ancient Greek, Demotic and Egyptian hieroglyph scripts on the Rosetta stone, decoded the hieroglyphs in 1822, thereby giving us access to this vast treasure – insight into the Ancient Egyptian culture and knowledge.

Summer Senses

2026-06-29T10:20:37.170-07:00

Summer season when our senses are assaulted to the full in the nicest possible way. Although I don’t miss the work entailed in its upkeep, I do miss the garden in our former home. So now I compensate with potted plants on the terrace.

The other night we had friends for supper there. After preparation and serving up was done, it was a joy to sit and relax, listening to people eating, drinking, laughing, generally enjoying each other’s company, with the glorious scent of jasmine wafting over to the table.

I help maintain the colourful rose bushes on the property – a pleasing and rewarding pastime.

Here we see the vines bearing copious cones of fruit. We hope for as good a wine as last year’s.

In Z’s veggie patch, the cucumbers grow large and succulent, while the tomatoes start to ripen.

The cherry tomatoes, freshly plucked from the vine, are like a mini-explosion to the taste-buds!

If you look to the right in the picture below, you can see the lime tree in full bloom. In the morning cool it exudes a pungent aroma – attractive to many insects – but lots of leaves and petals drop into the pool, a salve for our heat-parched bodies. The Boss decided it needed some protection and erected this Arab-style canopy which both keeps the water cleaner and protects my sensitive skin from harmful UV rays - all good. It does look like an exotic Bedouin desert encampment!

The oleander is poisonous - sap, leaves, flowers, all highly toxic, containing cardiac glycosides which directly attack the heart. But it is a beautiful tree.

In the evening I often sit at the piano admiring it and enjoying the final chirruping, droning chorus of the cicadas before they end their shift as the summer sun goes down.

Nostalgia

2026-06-17T06:10:46.797-07:00

All the coverage of the World Cup Tartan Army has got me nostalgic for the homeland and I began to look out photos of previous adventures there. This one is a favourite family shot celebrating Marina’s 70^th birthday.

We were standing outside our previous home - now The Kilberry Inn- sipping champagne and nibbling canapes to the skirl of live bagpipes as the mist rolled in over Cnoc-an-Ibhair!

Nearby is the beautiful village of Tarbert, Lochfyne where I went to secondary school. A popular tourist spot, it is particularly busy in the summer when the Scottish Series- one of Britain’s largest sailing regattas - takes place, bringing yachters from all around Britain. The area, with its rugged coast line, offers unique challenges, even Corryvrechan, the world’s third largest whirlpool!

I adore The Kelpies and was delighted to come across this mobile mini-exhibition near the Crinan Canal, the 9-mile long navigable route between the Firth of Clyde and the Inner Hebrides.

I really enjoy exploring my homeland with Z – here we are on a recent trip to Mallaig in the north-west. Another pretty fishing village, but decidedly over-fished by tourism.

Being a linguist, the different local dialects intrigue me – especially their rich lexical variations. Below are some of my favourite words, found mainly in the west coast and Glasgow area.

Being born in that dear green place, as its name translates, affords me the privilege of calling myself a ‘Weegie’. When I’m there it is important to meet up with family and friends.

I love Glasgow for its soul, its people and its humour. The traffic-cone be-decked Duke of Wellington statue has now become a global tourist attraction!

It’s fitting that my last nostalgic shot is of me admiring the River Clyde backdrop before leaving.

May The Tartan Army continue to bring us joy and make us proud to be Scots.

HASTE ME BACK!

Sea Life, Brighton.

2026-05-30T09:30:04.500-07:00

While in Brighton, we visited its Sea LIfe which claims to be the oldest, continually operating aquarium in the world. Designed by architect Evgenius Birch in 1869, it opened in 1872.

This was my first aquarium visit and, as you enter, the 68 metre vaulted corridor lined with water tanks containing rays, snails, turtles, etc., your attention is certainly held, especially with the constantly changing coloured lighting.

I think my favourite character there was the octopus. They have three hearts and blue blood, thanks to the protein haemoganin cyanin which contains copper. They are camouflage artists, possessing chromatophores which allow them to change colour, and papilli – tiny areas of skin which can expand and contract to change the texture of their appearance. Their 500 million neurons allow each arm to taste, touch and react to the environment independently. They are intelligent beings, able to solve problems such as navigate complex mazes and unscrew jars to access food. They can recognize individuals of other species, even human faces.

Certainly, this one kept the one eye we could see trained on us, happily performing lazy, elegant arm movements before rising up the tank to retrieve his plaything resting atop a branch–a ball! The octopus apparently has an artistic sense! Collecting their meal debris – the shells of clams and scallops – they adorn the entrance to their home. Cue in The Beatles’ ‘Octopus’s Garden!

As a linguist, I was interested to learn the collective nouns for jellyfish: a bloom, a fluther, a swarm or a smack – the latter being a sharp reminder of being a sting recipient in Greek waters! They are very simple organisms, being 94% water, and have a short life span, ranging from a few hours to several years. They have, however, been around for a long time – 500 million years or so - which means they predate the dinosaurs.

They move by contracting the muscles of their body and the water squeezed out from the cavity of their jelly belly😊 jet propels them in the required direction. I watched in fascination as the fluther – good word, that! – in the tank moved gracefully to and fro. They needed the accompaniment of some dreamy classical music.

I was really happy to see some sea horses which I find beautiful. Despite their name, Hippocampus or horse animal, they are fish. Without a stomach, they suck food in through their snouts. Monogamous, it is the male who carries the eggs in his pouch, deposited there by the female, until they hatch. They, too, can change colour to avoid predators and, being poor swimmers, they tie their tails to plants as anchors, so as not to be swept away by currents.

It was amazing to see several fairly large sharks swim overhead in some glass tunnels formations.

And it was fun to go into the little alcove and have the beluga whale holograms appear to rush over to welcome you.

I was glad I had had that experience but, overall, my overall impression was that the aquarium was like a tired old dame, definitely in need of a revamp. Not like this bright, young dame below!

Non-Standard Grammar ....?

2026-05-23T05:18:59.595-07:00

In British International Phonetic Alphabet, this heading reads Brighton Conference.

At the annual IATEFL conference we attended a presentation by John Hird, of Oxford University, entitled Non -Standard Grammar – Or Just Plain Wrong.

I am continually dismayed by the standard of written English in evidence on Facebook posts and this in an age where spellcheck facilities are readily accessible. As a retired English teacher, I permanently suffer from a red-pen tic where errors simply beg to be corrected! ☹

John defined his term of non-standard grammar by appealing to our great grammar guru, David Crystal, who explains this as grammar features, forms and patterns and usages that are considered traditionally, technically and prescriptively incorrect but are so commonplace that perhaps we should consider them acceptable.

Traditionally the spoken word, being spontaneous and less formal, was the rich source of such forms, but the written mode in the social media is fast catching up!! American usage can frequently affect what is being expressed on a wider geographic scale, through advertising or what is considered ‘hip’. The McDonald’s ‘I’m Lovin’ It’ jingle is a case in point. Grammar books would generally not condone verbs expressing thoughts, opinions or emotions being used in the continuous verb form.

One form I rather like is ‘Be like’ as in the example below which has its origins in African American Vernacular English and is used to perform or mimic speech attitudes or behaviours – here the glottal stop which drops the ‘t’ in “British’.

Gretchen McCullock outlines the new language rules in her book entitled, ‘Because Internet’. I must confess that in messaging, I may use the time-saving, non-ambiguous ‘Later I ‘ll go spa.’

I’ve often heard Gordon Ramsay tell his Masterchef contestants ‘Your 60 minutes starts now’, presumably focusing on the singular time period rather the minutes’ plurality.

John quoted ,’If I didn’t come along, there would be no NATO right now.’ But then no one expects Trump to be a paragon rule-observer, and he disrespectfully rides roughshod over the accepted chronological staging of verb tenses! I guess he could excuse himself and his linguistic knowledge by using the ubiquitous double-negative, ‘I don’t know nothing.’

The next phase of the talk I found fascinating when John had audience members access the mentimeter facility on their devices. He projected deviant language forms on the electric whiteboard and we had to plot them, as seen below, on a cline of least -> most offensive!

The overall ‘winner’ was the least contentious, the use of the adjectival rather than the adverbial form eg, ‘He did fantastic’ – sports-talk making its linguistic contribution.

Examples such as ‘I was sat on my own’ were deemed not too bad since they were ‘excused’ as genuine regional usage! Verb forms and tenses were expected to be respected - examples as, ’I’ve drank it’ could not be forgiven!

Conditional clauses, especially those expressing the hypothetical, were given short shrift where faulty. Even Elton John’s lyrics from ‘Candle In The Wind’

..’And I would’ve liked to know you …’ would not have passed muster!

I must mention my pet peeves

a) ‘Could of’ instead of ‘Could’ve’

b) the use of ’less’ for countable nouns instead of ‘fewer’.

Our speaker admitted to disliking the extraneous ‘of’ in ‘He got off of the bus’ and drew the talk to a close by playing The Rolling Stones’, ‘Hey, you, get off of my cloud ‘!

Spring Is Coming In! 😊

2026-04-30T03:03:00.000-07:00

Central Macedonia, recently, was aglow with peach tree blossom – a stunning roadside show! Spring is gradually approaching this year with short, scattered bouts of rain and cooler weather.

And that means nature goes into overdrive and demands hard work to keep things in order. Here we see members of the family, on holiday from Crete, painting the trees with a liquid to protect them from fungus. I imagine that will deter ants and other insects that damage the bark or fruit.

Under the hothouse arches, tomato, cucumber, courgette and pepper plants sit in straight rows. They should see us all through the summer months once they ripen.

The vines have begun to leaf, having been cleaned and sprayed to encourage healthy growth.

Paths and verges look neat after recent mowing and weeding. In our former house, Z had headaches for three days simply at the thought of cutting our grass – a vast expanse that Angeliki called Hyde Park! It was a two-day task while here within less than two hours, he’s back and smiling because the deed is done! A much preferred option!

By the house angelica is budding, soon to pervade the area with its intoxicating scent.

The rose bushes are producing coy buds, waiting for more heat before strutting their stuff. We greatly look forward to enjoying what these plants have to offer!

Unorthodox Easter !

2026-04-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

And so it was Easter! At the spa, one Greek lady remarked it was Catholic Easter. Couldn’t resist asking if we Protestants didn’t get a look-in, to which a friend of hers responded quietly Protestants are heretics. Reminded me of the nun at the nunnery denying us entrance to Heaven! Now I could have informed her that the Eastern Orthodox followers were the first heretics when they broke away from the Catholic Church in 1054. Perhaps she hadn’t heard of the Great Schism?! But when our newscasters claimed it was Jewish Easter (Pesach was celebrated that same week) I realized that the role of an educator has its limits! :0

But to the celebration: wood-fired ovens are heated,

the beastie is hung, and appetites are whetted.

Here the spread included lamb with its rice and liver stuffing, sausage and belly-pork, oven-baked beans, stuffed vine leaves, salads of lettuce, boiled greens, aubergines and a variety of cheeses.

I provided cheesecake and pavlova to finish the meal - and us – off! 😊

To accommodate family members living in N Europe, that feast was held on the Saturday.

Znme had an invite to ANOTHER on Sunday!! Here we see the potatoes in the oven, lamb atop, and alongside a Thracian haggis-like dish of rice and liver, etc. Also served: Russian salad, lettuce, and roast chicken. The special request was for me to bring a fruit crumble. Gladly! 😊

Yesterday when I was writing about our experience, I somehow omitted an ‘s’ in error, rendering the word an Eater celebration – think that was correct, after all!

Going Green

2026-03-31T07:51:00.000-07:00

On our recent trip north we drove past the Saint Dimitrios Power Station, largest of the Greek power plants, generating a total capacity of 1,600 MW. It is easily recognizable with its three 200 metre-high flue gas stacks. Their red and white bands remind me of the patterned stockings worn by Pantomime dames!!

Since this area supplies most of the electrical power for the entire country, there are several plants in evidence but most are no longer productive. This is because energy production is undergoing a rapid transitional phase moving towards clean electricity production.

Lignite was traditionally the dominant resource but is now being reduced with a commitment made to phase it out by 2028. Other key energy resources are: natural gas: 36-45%; renewables:40-50% (solar 22.5%, wind 21%). From 2013 solar energy has been making an increasingly significant impact and great swathes of solar panels can be seen throughout the country.

Current goals are for over 61% of the electrical power to come from renewables by 2030 and an overall aim for Greece to be carbon neutral by 2050.

The lowcarbonpower.org diagram below demonstrates the changing face of electricity generation in Greece from 1980 to the present time.

Added to this is another energy-related development: the current EXXON exploratory offshore drilling for natural gas in the Ionian Sea.

Current findings predict that drilling may begin in 2027. Success in this field could mean Greece would be well on her way to achieving energy sustainability and security. We live in very exciting times! 😊

Flying High

2026-03-31T06:33:00.000-07:00

We live in the eastern region of Thessaloniki and when we need to go to the centre, to avoid parking issues, we tend to use bus services from the local transport hub. We rarely use the Ring Road which in itself is congested at peak times and has a high accident rate. It was built in the 1990s, affording access to the city and the Egnatia Road motorway, which runs west to east across the country from Igoumenitsa to the Kypous border with Turkey.

Much in need of improvement to cater for high traffic volume, the 4-year project, costing around 478 million euros, began in late 2023.

Below is an artist’s impression of the broadened route spanned by an elevated crossing.

Recently, as we headed off for a trip to the north, we were able to see close-up the great progress that is being made.

What were previously little pockets of activity with isolated pieces of structure in evidence, now appear to be joining other disparate puzzle pieces so that we begin to comprehend how they fit into the overall design.

Certainly, local users have been frustrated by traffic flow disruption due to the ongoing work- including old bridge spans being dismantled and requiring total road closure. But their patience will pay off once the eastern section of the 22 km ring road is widened and upgraded. The additional construction includes a 12 km elevated expressway, 9 interchanges, 8 bridges and tunnels and it aims to redirect about 30% of the traffic to this higher level.

The Avax-Mytilineos Consortium, responsible for the major construction work, are to be commended for the efficient and rapid execution of the project which is due for completion in May 2027.

What with our new metro currently being extended, Thessaloniki is eventually moving forward.

Once this Flyover Project is completed – and doesn’t it look grand above? - we will really be flying high!

Now The Carnival Is Over …

2026-02-28T01:40:00.000-08:00

Orthodox Easter falls on April 12^th, the first Sunday after the spring solstice first full moon, one week after the ‘Catholic Easter’ as they dub it here. We’ve been celebrating the pre-Lenten period with Carnival revelry and fun. Below the locals in the nearby village of Souroti celebrate ‘Clean Monday’ when the 40 days observance begins, running up to Easter.

There are specific gastronomic no-nos: meat, dairy produce, fish with backbone – no me, neither :{ - olive oil and wine. This means vegetables and sea food dominate the diet of observing families.

We joined friends for lunch at a local ouzeri and it seemed that ALL the permitted dishes were there: beans, salads, octopus, kalamari, prawns, crayfish, lobster – hardly smacking of abstinence at all as we emptied the plates, downing quantities of ouzo and wine! Then we came back to ours for coffee and a definitely non-kosher cheesecake! :o

As February wanes the weather hasn’t yet settled and can be cool, but the sun is slowly warming and there are signs that spring is on its way.

The almond trees are flourishing and sleepy bees busy about the blooms. Prunus roots Z planted nearby have taken and are now in flower.

Last night our night sky was a definite ‘red sky at night’- the sailors’ delight! The carnival is, indeed, over and we must say our last goodbyes to February. Looking forward to new days in a new month with hope.

ESTIA

2026-02-22T10:17:00.000-08:00

Let me introduce you to the Greek goddess, Estia. Sister of Zeus, she was regarded as the kindest goddess, forgiving, content and, along with Athena and Artemis, was a virgin goddess, who swore an oath of celibacy. She protected the family, the home, the hearth.

The Greek word estia bears a rich semantic load and ‘the hearth’ is probably the sense that it most commonly conveys.

Our recent, dreich, dismal weather does not entice you to move far from your fireside. Cold winds and rain encourage me to produce more wholesome, comforting fare.

This week we enjoyed chicken soup and by the pot is a banana bread mix ready for the oven.

On Burns’ Day I fancied food from the homeland: beef stew, mashed tatties with the nearest turnip substitute I can find – a mix of carrot and parsnip.

Angeliki, our upstairs neighbour, celebrated her birthday with a pavlova I made for her – albeit a bit out of season.

The left-over cream and strawberries prompted me to bake a batch of scones which cheered up our cold-day breakfast. 😊

These foods I’ve been describing- and readily consuming - could be described as comfort food, childhood favourites representing the warmth of the home, recalling enjoyed and extended hospitality, with the focus on sharing food with others.

The word estia is one I love - with all the connotations of warmth, it even depicts the ‘hob’, another home focus. It can refer to ‘state-offered student accommodation’ ‘the origin’, ‘the cradle’ – even ‘the epicentre of an earthquake’.

However, my beloved Chambers dictionary sadly let me down. It claims the word comes from the French verb ‘to restore’. Don’t believe a word of it. The derivation is unarguably Greek – ‘estiatorio’- where hospitality is extended.

So next time you go out for a meal, remember our kindly Estia! 😊

An’ Forward Tho’ I canna See

2026-01-30T02:29:00.000-08:00

Having just celebrated Burns’ Day and looking ahead to what 2026 has to offer, the lines,

‘An’ forward tho’ I canna see, I guess an’ fear.’

came to mind. Written by Burns in 1785, he bemoans how his plough has rendered the mouse homeless and how unpredictable the future can be.

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane

In proving foresight may be vain;

The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men

Gang aft agley,

An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,

For promis'd joy!

Still thou art blest, compar'd wi' me

The present only toucheth thee:

But, Och! I backward cast my e'e.

On prospects drear!

An' forward, tho' I canna see,

I guess an' fear!

However, I’m going to change that last thought to something more positive:

‘I guess with cheer.’

2025 had some momentous …. moments that will bridge into 2026.

Below is our much-loved niece, Jen, who recently was promoted to the position of Public Health Principal at Barnsley Council and also gained a much-in-demand place on a course to become an UK Public Health Register Practitioner. All this while bringing up two little ‘uns with a husband who often works away. Awesome – and she will continue to be so!

I posted about bestie, Angeliki’s MA graduation ceremony in Plymouth. Since then she has joined an American college staff, is presenting at an international conference soon, has been asked to convene an professional Special Interest Group, and invited to have an article published in an academic journal. Recently she has gained accreditation as Fellow of the British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes.

Flying high, gals – so proud of them both!

This is my splendid teacher, Vasiliki, who accompanies me on the ups and downs of my piano/ music progress. May her patience, passion and humour continue to flow! 😊

And so to my next ray of hope: literally for years this orchid, a gift from a dear friend, has lain dormant but I refused to pitch it. Imagine my surprise when, before Christmas, it began to produce small shoots. Now I see tiny buds forming. Such a delight!

Planned in 225, table set, food ready - the warmth of friends’ good company saw in 2026.

Z found the lucky coin in his slice of Vasilopitta (dumpling equivalent) thus hopefully gaining good fortune throughout the year!

So, let’s think positively. May 2026 bring us all health, happiness and peace.

A 2025 Retrospective

2026-01-11T04:15:00.000-08:00

Naturally there were sadnesses and losses over the year but I feel the need to focus on things positive – what 2025 gifted us with. We went for trips away - local and further afield. One fairly local destination was the mountain village of Arnaia, remarkable for its stunning stone buildings, singular architecture style and great colours.

A birthday treat was our memorable trip to Trikala – a town remarkable in itself with great food outlets. Nearby in the famed Meteora area, the monasteries cling to their vertiginous sites.

Throughout the year we enjoyed having guests at our home/table and it’s an embarrassment to see the volume of such scenes we recorded, especially eating out! :o I will, however, give a particular mention Jean and Max who came to visit in May. We don’t see them often as they reside in Canada so we really enjoyed their company.

In July we travelled to Sandanski in Bulgaria about one-and- a-half hour driveaway. It’s a lovely town set in an even more beautiful park area with interesting works of art.

August saw us in my hameland. First we stayed in Durham to catch up with family and friends. Z really enjoyed his Marco Pierre White breakfasts at our hotel. Nice ones!!

We travelled by train to Mallaig, crossing the ‘Harry Potter’ Glenfinnan Viaduct. But our main base was Glasgow and we enjoyed what the city had to offer. I was born there which happily gives me the right to be dubbed a ‘Weegie’ though I’ve never lived there. As the song says ‘I belong to Glasgow’- and when we’re there enjoying sunny mild weather, surrounded by homely local accents and humour, then ‘Glasgow belongs to me’!

Z continues to offer his services on the homestead and we happily assist in the consumption of olive oil and rather good Cabernet/Merlot thus produced. 😊😊

Our last trip was my Christmas gift – a trip to Prevesa in the south west, about a five -hour drive, but the Duchess ensured that we had a comfortable ride. Our hotel was in a beautiful location, and we enjoyed fine weather during our stay. We took the opportunity to drive through the under-sea tunnel to visit the nearby island of Kephalonia. Beautiful jasmine and bougainvillea festooned side-streets even mid-winter.

On our last day this shot from our hotel is apposite: the warm early-morning sky shades ease our spirits as we prepare for the dawning of a new year.

MY CHRISTMAS GIFT

2025-12-29T09:08:00.000-08:00

My Christmas gift from Z was a trip to Prevesa in the south west of Greece. Our 5-hour journey was beset with initial very heavy rain, a tractor blockade of striking farmers and extensive roadworks involving detours into unknown terrain. ☹

However, we arrived safely at our hotel – in an ideal location just outside the city- ready to party.

We celebrated Christmas Eve with a buffet meal and live music. A real surprise was Z making a rare sortie onto the dance floor to honour his homeland as they played Thracian music. I actually found myself, at one point, in the lead dance position – argghhh! I did manage to lead without any mishaps in step/tempo for a few sets before graciously conceding the role!

Christmas day dawned mild and sunny – the shot below shows the lovely setting of our hotel there in the background. Exploring Prevesa in spring-like sunshine was a joy. Its port, in a well-sheltered bay, is the winter quarters of magnificent yachts from all over the world - N. Europe, the States, Australia

Walking around whetted our appetite – I had to kneel on the pavement to get us-at yet-another-table from an interesting perspective. This taverna offered us its famed prawns.

Boxing Day saw us going across, down and over to the nearby island of Lefkada. Here we are driving through the one-kilometre under-sea tunnel ……

…while below we see the road bridge, with more beautiful yachts moored on the island. En route we saw a flock of magnificent flamingoes obviously drawn by the local shrimps, but traffic conditions didn’t allow us to snap them. ☹

The narrow streets, with bougainvillea and jasmine still in bloom, were really picturesque.

We had a glorious time there and only the thought of our lonely kitties made us ready to leave. This early morning shot from our hotel balcony helps you understand our reluctance to go.

Our OAP Outing !

2025-12-23T03:28:00.000-08:00

After much persuasion on my part (!) we became members of the local senior citizen group and attended our first trip with them. We explored parts of Halkidiki on a cloudy but mild day.

We first visited the village of Arnaia but despite the efforts of our patient, adept driver our large coach could not manoeuver the narrow, cobbled streets so we went on foot. We marvelled at the beautiful, brightly coloured stone buildings. Our driver was, indeed, excellent!

Our planned visit was to the Saint Kosmas Nunnery outside the village where the nuns offered us coffee and biscuits. One sister related an interesting account of the sanctuary history while another gave a talk of a more ‘spiritual’ nature: extolling the Orthodox faith, she pronounced that only those believers would be admitted to paradise - in one sentence banishing the 2.5 billion Christians to hell fires, claiming divine security for the 280 million Orthodox followers. :O Clearly, she had not got the memo explaining that those of the Jewish faith believe they are the chosen ones. Scenes I’d like to see: representatives of those groups debating the issue and, for good measure, we should throw a Free High Scottish Presbyterian into the mix. 😊

What did impress me there were the lovely stained-glass windows with the peacock design.

Another wee visit we made was to the richly embellished St Stephen Church.

The original one had been burned down in 2005, and while it was renovated, they retained some of the original features, clearly visible through the partial glass flooring – fascinating.

Our lunch stop in Stratoni allowed us to see the loading bay for exporting ore concentrates – mainly silver, zinc and lead – to European markets. The mine, non-operational for a few years, was re-opened in 2006 by Hellas Gold.

Here is our cheery band of co-travellers who entertained us on our return trip with ribald jokes and lusty singing! May we enjoy other such well-organized outings in future!

Zissis and I wish you all a happy festive time with health and peace. 😊

Plymouth

2025-11-23T06:47:46.391-08:00

In my last post about our trip tp Plymouth, I didn't mention so much about the city per se - so here goes - my descriptionof Britain's Ocean City, as she is also known! She boasts three universities : Plymouth University, Plymouth College of Art and Plymouth Marjon University.

This was our excellent hostelry, The Three Crowns, which are just visible on the wall. Their rooms were above the bar, so booze on tap and right in the busy Barbican area.

As in London, the name denotes an original fortified post or gateway, its narrow cobbled streets conceal lots of surprises. Below you can see the gin-producing distillery stack. There are lots of tourists shops, many luring you in with their goodies made from Devon's famous dairy products: fudge, tablet, toffees as well as establishments offering scones and cream teas.

We had learned our lesson in Brighton when Marina's longed-for breakfast was snaffled aloft by a marauding gull. Here there is clearly a similar problem. This poster warns against feeding gulls as they can become aggressive nuisances. This one is certainly not appealing !

Now I had heard of Plymouth Hoe but I must confess to not knowing what that was . :0 Here it is : The Hoe is a green park area sloping down to the sea. It is a site for major events, has a putting green, picnic areas, and an Art Deco Lido with a natural sea-water pool, open from April to September. The War Memorial honours those in active service who fell in both world wars.

Below you can see Smeaton's Tower. A lighthouse originally warning mariners of the Eddyson Reef, it was relocated inland in 1882 and is now regularly visited by tourists.

Legend has it that it was here in 1588 that Sir Francis Drake played his cool game of bowls while awaiting the arrival of the Spanish Armada which he famously thrashed . From here The Pilgrim Fathers embarked on The Mayflower in 1620 seeking freedom to practise their Protestant faith in the New World. Other world-famous explorers who left on their adventures from these shores are : Captain Cook (1768), Charles Darwin (1831) and Scott of the Antarctic (1912).

Plymouth is essentially a seaport whose economy was originally based on ship-building and sea trade. She houses HMNB Devonport, the largest operating naval base in Western Europe. Today there are regular ferry links to Brittany and Spain and her pretty harbour bustles all year round.

Incidentally this shot below used no filters - these were the natural colours of that grey day !

But let's not forget why we visited this grand dame : to attend Angeliki's graduation ceremony.

This is my fave picture of her, gowned and hooded, taking a celebratory sip of champagne.

A Worthy Celebration.

2025-11-12T04:12:00.000-08:00

The Intrepid Two meet up at 07.30 at Athens airport for another adventure, which meant a very early rise for me ....and my driver ! :) Our Aegean flight to Gatwick was fine ... apart from the catering. Breakfast, purporting to be Croque Monsieur, was brittle and well-nigh impossible to cut without little pieces of 'shrapnel' flying off the tray. Croque Missile, more like! Then a train trip ( again disrupted !!) to Plymouth. What is it with English trains?!

We were there to attend Angeliki's graduation at Marjon University and she had organised everything beautifully. Our b&b accommodation at the Three Crowns bar was perfect with this lovely view of the harbour

We needed some sustenance beforehand and, instead of the local Devon cream tea, we went for the Cornish Pastie - well, we were on the borders of the two counties. A semi-circular short crust pastry pie, usually filled with meat and potatoes, it has a thick bevelled crust all around for ease in holding. Tradition says this was the food carried to work by the Cornish tin-miners.

First the gown, hood and cap had to be picked up and here she is titivating a little before going to the venue, St Andrew's Church.

And here The Master's - with distinction !! - is being conferred on her by the Vice-Chancellor. Isn't the University officials' rich regalia impressive?

When it came to shooting Angeliki , her fellow course-members and their tutor, I wanted to show off the hoods, shaped according to the university with colours dependent on the faculty department. It's interesting to see that the graduates wear the traditional mortarboard - the square board attached to a skull cap, while their tutor wears the doctoral soft-crowned, round-brimmed Tudor bonnet. Incidentally, since there are now so many universities in Britain, with each one selecting designs and colours for their academicals, in 2001 the Groves classification was introduced whereby details for each uni are identified by a code of letters and numbers.

Christina, a friend, currently a doctoral candidate and tutor at the University of Lancashire, came down to share in the celebrations, bringing a beautiful bouquet.

Her family run the award-winning Greek restaurant, Greekouzina, in Preston and we were delighted they came to join us.

The local gin distillery with restaurant seemed the ideal venue for our celebratory meal.

Good food, great company and high spirits - a really memorable evening !

Grapes And Their By-products.

2025-10-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again - grape-picking time. Once more this year there has been a fine yield. Once the grapes - red/white being used to produce still, dry wine - have a juice sugar reading of 22-27o Brux on the refractometer for every 100 grams, then they are deemed ready to pick.

I reckon it has something to do with the enthusiasm of the pickers, despite the back-breaking conditions under a hot sun.

Our worthy team have filled the crates and empied their contents into the grape destemmer crusher machine. This means foot-trampling is no longer necessary . Shame that, as it might have been an interesting experience!

The fermentation process then begins and continues until there are no more bubbles in evidence and once there is no more residual sugar or the temperature is around 140o F / 60 oC -all of which indicate there is nothing more for the yeast to feed on. A specific gravity reading on a hydrometer of less than .998 will also indicate the process has been completed. Once the liquid turns clear and no further sediment collects, bottling can begin.

This year the grapes produced 300 litres of Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon - not too shabby! As ever the vineyard owners put on a spread for the team. It reminds me of years ago back home when local farmers would band together to take in each other's harvest and the farmer's wife would cater for them all. Nowadays farmers complete the task single-handedly using massive combine harvesters.

Angeliki had really honoured the team effort as she'd prepared: meat balls - with / without sauce, stuffed vine leaves, Greek salad, fried potatoes, fried peppers, aubergine salad lashings of wine and tsipouro! Thankfully the lads had completed the harvesting , so they could enjoy a long siesta after the meal!

Once the grape mash has been drained, you get grape juice - pure and unadulterated. I boiled this down to become more concentrated, heading towards the molasses stage.

This must, generously spiked with cinammon, along with butter and flour, produces these must cookies. On a chilly morning, with a cup of tea, they make a cheering breakfast. :)

GLASGOW - The Dear Green Place.

2025-10-11T04:56:00.000-07:00

On our Scottish trip in August, our base was Glasgow, The Dear Green Place. This endearing name derives from Gaelic and the city does contain many parks and green spaces. This sign was on the hoardings around George Square where extensive work began earlier this year and is expected to be completed by August 2026. Running to the tune of over 123 million pounds, this project will provide widened peripheral pavements, raised lawns, new trees, new seating and sheltered areas. Statues have already been removed for cleaning and restoration - I can't wait to see the refurbished popular area.

One of our first 'Scottish' experiences in the city was hearing the skirl of the bagpipes. Off we wnet in search of the musicians and , to our surprise, found they were from Brazil. All decked out in Highland garb they proudly played with enthusiasm!

When in Edinburgh we met a friend who confessed he was a bit 'drouthy' - a lovely Scottish word, with the same roots as 'drought', for 'thirsty'. So when I saw this establishment name I had to record it. Colin, this one's for you ! :)

You'll notice the sign includes a traffic cone - a nod to the local habit of placing one on the statue of the Duke of Wellington, thus expressing their pride, affection and humour. It's now an established land mark : he has been officially bedecked with a yellow and blue cone in support of Ukraine, a gold cone to honour team GB's success at the 2012 Olympic Games and a replica of the statue took its place in the Commonwealth Games in 2014. Wonder if he'll be a feature of the same event next August?

This marvellous mural is just by the banks of the river. A favourite of mine - we have a replica of one of his chairs - Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a famous local architect and artist. Here is his handsome rendition adorned by his famous rosebud design.

When we attended the Tutankhamun Immersive Exhibition, it was on the Scottish Event Campus which was completed in 2000. One of the three venues there is the impressive Clyde Auditorium seen below. It is better known by the local nickname, The Armadillo!

Of course while there we enjoyed epicurean experiences - here we are at The Ivy, part of a national chain of restaurants. Its warm ambience and friendly staff really helped us savour our steak and fish'n'chips.

I have to close with my Clydeside pose .I am so proud to say that, being born in the city, I am considered to be a 'Weegie'. May it not be too long until we return to the Dear Green Place.