Sunday

When we are finally let out of quarantine someone had better give us a medal.  Our family, three families, were amongst the few who stayed at home on Sunday.  I know it is the biggest celebration of the year but supposedly we are in lockdown.  Few others around here stayed at their own home despite the 300euro fine for being out and about.  We heard very loud music coming from across the valley and somewhere over the hills until the wee hours.  Even our elderly neighbour had a small gathering though they were her daughter's friends, not hers.  News of the islands parties are slowly filtering in via facebook and the telephone.  

Our two daughters and 5 grandchildren all live on the island, minutes away by car.  Each family had their easter feast in their own home.  This is the first time in 45 odd years that I haven't taken a photo of our lamb turning on a spit.  

My very traditional greek husband makes this years sign of the cross three times over our doorway with the Holy flame.

At midnight in our neck of the woods all the houses around us, across the valley, were brightly lit up, as was ours.  Someone had gone to the little church down the hill and rang the bell for almost 10 minutes and the sound of firecrackers could just be heard from  the beach below.

In our old neighbourhood our daughter and family went out into the street at midnight to wish everyone 'Christ is Risen'.

Next morning there was no lamb on the spit but we did have a traditional skewer of kokoretsi, all the insides of the lamb wound up with the metres of carefully cleaned intestines

There was lamb on the menu but it went into the oven with a pile of potatoes.  As usually is the way in our house there was far too much food for two.  The cats and ourselves will be eating leftovers for days to come.

In amongst those pieces of lamb was half a sheep's head with one eye and the teeth from the right side only, the tongue but no brains

Down on the roof of our old house our daughter and family also had a skewer of kokoretsi and a mixed grill

Meanwhile round the bay the other third of our family also had a mixed grill out on the balcony

We shared videos and photographs all day long with our girls and friends who usually eat with us on Easter Sunday.  Through social networking we weren't completely alone which made us feel a little more part of an easter crowd but also rather sad.

There was dancing and lots of laughter, but only through cyber space

K is vowing to put a lamb on the spit on that big BBQ as soon as the restrictions are lifted.  I'd be quite happy if they all just came around for coffee

Waiting for tidbits