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On our recent trip to the mountains to find some relief from the heat we also found cheap rooms in need of lots of TLC. What to do about a hole in the wall? A 'tasteful' spray-painted pine cone (leftover from Xmas?) just filled it nicely.
The military (navy) base here has recently put barbed wire along the top of it's entire perimeter fencing. What do they know that we don't? ISIS, anarchists from Athens, Ali Baba and his forty thieves? A bit unsettling in this peaceful paradise.
Not such a clear photo to show my point but you'll 'get it' I am sure. Tourists on the left in the sun, greeks on the right in the shade. Only Mad dogs and tourists sit in the summer sun.
We most definitely always chose the shade. I'm reading all about the Blue Zones (not including the greek island of Ikaria). This book is about the first six communities around the world that were identified as places where many of the inhabitants live unusually long, healthy and happy lives.
Slow down
But
Be active
Be sociable
Eat less
Grow your own food, eat mostly fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables
Keep your family close
Drink red wine
Learn something new, exercise your brain
Be happy with what you've got!
Inherit good genes
Hey Linda, I am extremely interested in the Blue Zone areas. I have pondered if it is more to do with the amount of vegetables in the diet. As The Seventh Day Adventists in Linda, USA are near vegetarian, but the fast days in the Orthodox calendar could be on par with being near vegetarian. I came to this conclusion as Greeks mostly drink alcohol and the 7th Day Adventists drink no alcohol and do not smoke. It is a good head scratcher. My friend whose parents are Japanese, say that in Japan the people are having problems of the 25-40 being more over weight due to them eating a mixed diet of Japanese and western. The western diet not working for them as they have more allergies and due to dairy in a western diet, they were claiming it made them fat. Yet my Dutch friends were arguing that there isnt anything wrong with dairy as their kids are taller and stronger because of it.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear your thoughts on it.
P.s if you want any courgettes I have a huge glut! lol any courgette recipe you have would be appreciated!!!
p.p.s I love the pine cone.
ReplyDeleteA ps from me. Get ye to Cornwall, Sol. Dig your garden, buy a pig, and walk those cliffs. You'll be healthy and happy
DeleteEating less meat certainly has something to do with their long lives but it is just part of the whole picture. Sardinians, Costa Ricans, Greeks all eat meat but not every day.
ReplyDeleteBut diet is just a small proportion of the big picture. I sense that feeling you belong, are a needed part of your society, of your family, contributing to your community is most important.
All these people in their old age are looked up to with love and respect. They don't feel as though they are old and useless. They herd their animals, grow their own food, look after the younger members of the family, volunteer and provide valuable services to their community. Take away that and you take away their reason for living.
They all eat fresh food, they enjoy the company of friends, walk, garden, love life.
Their diet depends on what is available around them. The dutch live on dairy, the japanese on their local fruits and vegetables, soy, tofu. The eskimos eat seal blubber and thrive. The greeks and sardinians drink wine and eat goats cheese. The Costa Ricans eat loads of eggs.
You've got to eat fresh and local, continue doing what you love, keep fit and socialise with family and friends.
You must eat courgettes! That's YOUR local and fresh at the moment lol.
Ratatouille, courgette fritters, courgette cake, chutney, jam. Makes good compost too! Get busy. It will keep you busy and healthy!
Eating goji berries in england or tofu in greece is not going to help you much in the long run. The fresh vegetables, available protein in your area is what will keep you healthy. That's the food that mother nature provides to keep you healthy in your particular environment.
Look at our next door neighbor. 80 years old and thriving. she has her vineyard, her animals. She grows most of her own food, lives off what her land provides and will outlive us all I am sure. She smokes like a chimney, drinks raki, beer and her own wine.
DeleteShe lives by herself but often has visitors who stop for a chat and a glass of something. She has great interest in politics and the economy and can argue with the best.
Vaso has a reason for living and you won't see her giving it up any time soon. If she ever has to be looked after it will be by her family.
Lol...I love that pine cone idea, recycling at it's best :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on your list of ideas for living a simple life, well, all except the eat less...lol.
~Jo
It seems to be a new theory, the less you eat the longer you live. But there are so many exceptions.....I'm sure I'll be one for a start
DeleteI am also reading a lot about the blue zones,trying to ignor my not so good genes.
ReplyDeleteBe happy, do what you enjoy every day and eat your local food. There are blue zones all over the world, look at Rachel's reply.
DeleteDon't know about blue zones. Old people around here with land and animals continue to work until they die and there is no "retirement". We eat dairy. P's mother is 96 and there are many like her and they eat well on meat, dairy and whatever is in the garden. No faddy dieting and no giving up on looking after themselves. Interesting post.
ReplyDeleteThese blue zones are only places so called experts have looked at.
DeleteWhat you eat is only a small part of good living. My parents ate butter all their lives and meat almost every day and as you say, whatever was in their garden. They lived into their nineties, so did my grandmother.
It's your whole way of life.
And that bit 'avrio fad dieting'. So damn true. It annoys me intensely these fads for goji berries and cranberries and even olive oil. If it's not a local product then forget it.
DeleteOlive oil is used in hot countries, butter where there are herds of cows, ghee, lard. They are a natural part of a daily diet in various parts of the world and the locals thrive on it.
Here we eat fresh almonds and walnuts, as they come into season, in the US they have pecans. You could go on and on.
I should write a diet book.
Actually I can see a post coming.
Local specialities!
Farmers never retire, you cant stop them. The seasons change and it calls them to the field or garden.
DeleteI heard someone on TV once who said you should never eat anything that you great grandparents couldnt identify. I am lucky on one side then that they spent generations in India. a life with out curry is no life at all.
I can't claim to keep family close, but the rest I adhere to 100%.
ReplyDeleteI thought of you actually when writing this. You may not have your family close but you are close to your family. As for the rest, I think you'll outlive most of us
DeleteYup. I'd be with my fellow Greeks in the shade.
ReplyDeleteWe had lots of water around but there are crocs so we couldn't swim in it I'm much better in the cold!
Yes you know all about heat down there!!
DeleteQuite a trip you're having