Sunday number 2

A church service and a neighbourhood get-together.

The story of this church only goes back about 50 years.  A relative in America had a dream that an icon of the Virgin Mary would be found on this spot.  Local boys found the icon and the church was built .  I'll tell you the whole story another time.

Every year on 24rd September there is a church service to celebrate the icon and the Virgin Mary in this case known as Myrtidiotissa, Mary of the Myrtle Tree.

The family that looks after the church invite close friends and neighbours afterwards for a small party.   

This year K volunteered to cook the pork using his secret recipe

  I'm not sure what he did to it.  Certainly there was fresh thyme, oregano and garlic involved and many hours of slow cooking

The end result.  Crsip crackling and very tender, flavoursome meat

Roasted potatoes, cut lengthwise in the traditional greek manner and baked with olive oil, lemon juice and oregano

I made a large loaf of sourdough bread which came out of the oven just an hour before we sat down to eat.  Warm, fresh and full of traditional sourdough flavour

The tables were set outside in their courtyard.  Good food, good company,  stories from the past which evoked much laughter

A few kilos of local wine

Lots of talking and bursts of spontaneous singing which everyone joined in.    There is a greek saying 'a starving bear won't dance'.  But once bellies are full and glasses are emptied the music just  flows naturally out of a greek.

Toasts from one end of the table to the other

The older

And the younger

These two were shooed out from under the table and waited patiently for their reward at the end of the evening.