Wednesday, 13 December 2017

P.A.W.S.

Poros Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) has their xmas bazaar on at the moment.  It's not what it used to be.  PAWS was started by a group of ExPats on the island and we used to have magnificent Easter and Xmas Bazaars, used book sales, curry nights and all sorts of foreign goings-on.  After much internal conflict the 'animals' were taken over by the local greeks.  Their first xmas bazaar was a sad affair.  Hardly any old second hand clothing and white elephants to rummage through, no raffles and the books were a very dull mix of english and greek.  

 Greeks are slowly getting into the idea of a bazaar but it is still more of beautifully sewn and knitted and expensive household items, a few bottles of liqueurs and not cheap Christmas decorations.  Next door to PAWS the Women of Poros are setting up their bazaar due to open at the weekend.  It is the sort of place you wander in and look around and realise you'll have to buy some expensive piece of useless junk (the cheapest on display) because you know half the women there and it would be soo embarrassing to walk out empty handed.

 PAWS did much better this year.  Loads of good used clothing, shoes and bags, a pile of cheap jewellry, some homemade cakes and various white elephants.  Still nothing like it used to be when I would take down half a dozen jars of pickled onions, home knitted mittens and xmas ornaments and come out piled up with a winters worth of reading material, a pair of boots, assorted wine glasses and battered games for the kids, having consumed a couple of glasses of their mulled wine.

My find of the day was this big jolly biscuit barrel.  The selection of books was pitiful.  The only one worth reading was in some scandinavian language.  There was a luscious looking homemade almond and jam slice.  I might just go back and buy a plate of those tomorrow.  It's all in a good cause!

Thanks J and S for another wonderful, truly English,  marmite birthday present...





A squeezy jar of marmite and a marmite mug.  The marmite tin I received from them last year.  It is now a button jar.


at

9 comments:

  1. northsider 13 December 2017 at 10:28

    I bought a jar of 'British' pickled onions in M&S in Killarney the other day. Do you put Cauliflower with yours and what vinegar do you please LA? You usually can't good pickles here apart from silver skins.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. local alien13 December 2017 at 11:46

      No pickled onions in the shops here at all and no pickling onions. I just select the smallest onions I can find and cut them in half if too big. My recipe is my mother's. Half a litre of red wine vinegar, 200grams of honey warmed up together and poured over the onions in the sterilised jar. Leave about two weeks. Really easy and really scrumptious. I usually put a small chili in with them to give a bit of 'heat'.

      Delete
  2. angela13 December 2017 at 15:20

    It’s a totally alien concept to them. There is no such thing as trash as they keep everything. And if I’m going to seek something it better be the best around
    Let’s hope they work it out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. local alien13 December 2017 at 17:20

      Exactly. .even in economic crisis they won't wear someone's clothes. 'people will think we're Poor'. Albanians on the other hand dog in and get the best bargains.....well, except for my daughter. She has a nose for the 'good stuff'

      Delete
  3. A Brit in Tennessee13 December 2017 at 17:32

    What a grand looking Father Christmas- biscuit barrel. I'm imagining it filled to his hat, with Cadbury's chocolate fingers :)
    I always loved a good rummage sale at the church, or local benefit for the dogs home. People discard the best of things, my daughter is the best at finding treasures !
    Hugs,
    ~Jo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. local alien14 December 2017 at 03:05

      I would prefer it to be overflowing with Quality Street! It won't have Greek xmas sweets. One of them is stiicky and would be disastrous to have to clean it out afterwards, the other covered in icing sugar. Definitely something foreign will be treasured in Santa!

      Delete
  4. Cro Magnon13 December 2017 at 20:59

    I insist on Squeezy Jars of Marmite. I have a HATRED of finding crumbs or butter inside jars, and with those they can't get in! I would have bought all your jars of pickled onions.

    ReplyDelete