Clean Monday

 A Lenten celebration.  

The first day of the 40 day fast (it is actually 49 days from Clean Monday to Easter Sunday) from meat, fish, eggs and dairy.

A public holiday.  Time to eat shellfish and octopus, kalamari, flatbread (lagana), taramasalata (fish roe salad), drink ouzo and finally fly kites.  

The lagana, I read, is the name of the unleavened bread given by God to the Israelis to feed them while they crossed Egypt to their promised land.  It is two times the price of a normal loaf of bread on this day but I make my own.

When the lagana comes hot out of the oven you break great chunks off, cover them in home made taramasalata and by the time you sit down to eat the lenten meal your stomach is full.  Happens every year.  Our custom is to tear the lagana into pieces and not cut with a knife. 

We were going to sit outside but it was cloudy and windy so we moved the show indoors.  Here the men are bbq-ing octopus, kalamari, cuttlefish and preparing grilled vegetables and steamed mussels.  Far too much, as usual

The winner was...... seafood risotto made with orzo, ouzo, kalamari, octopus and shrimp.  We really didn't need anything else

Except for a wonderful pie full of wild greens, made by granddaughter Nels. She even made the pastry

I organised a treasure hunt for the kids and sent them running all over the neighbourhood (masked and with sms permit) to find all those pieces of paper with the clues and all those choccies were the prize at the end of the rainbow

Finished off the day by flying a kite.  There was plenty of wind and the kite did, once or twice get up quite high.  It also got tangled in some lines and trees but unravelled itself in a miraculous fashion

A good time was had by all.  As usual

The grandkids weeded, pruned, fixed my computer and kneaded dough for the flat bread.  Daughters laid tables, juggled food, did dishes and took away the leftovers.  I gave orders, caught up on the news and took a lot of photos to laugh about in later years