Long Weekend

There's a long weekend loomimg.  Poros, according to reports is 90% full.  That's rooms and hotels.  Many others will be staying with friends and relatives.  It's a good opportunity to get away from city grime and dust in this ongoing heatwave.  The wind is blowing hard and hot and sucking all the moisture out of us, and the garden.  

Maybe it's good weather for swimming.  It depends on which beach you go to and where the wind is blowing from.  Down below us the wind will be bringing the rubbish dumped in the Saronic Gulf into the bay, making the water murky and the beach full of plastic treasures.  I don't like foreign objects in my bathing water.  

A neighbour who was brought up by the beach came in for coffee not long ago and regaled us with tales of finding dead cows floating in the sea and now and again a body washed overboard from a cargo ship.

Monday is the Feast of the Holy Spirit.  7 weeks after Easter. Greek Orthodox Easter that it.  And it's a public holiday.

Maybe that's Whit Monday in other parts of the world.

This fiesta coincides with a few others this year.  Thursday, yesterday was the Summer Solstice.  Longest day and shortest night.  I'm enjoying these long days.  I get up earlier, get work done quickly before the heat of the day zonks me out.

Washing dries in half an hour, is hung out in the shade and brought in immediatey it dries before it turns to  bone, as they say here.  I guess that's where we get 'bone dry' from.

Tonight on the island of Hydra, just down the coast, they will be burning boats in a reenactment of the burning of the Ottoman (Turkish ) fleet during the Greek War of Independence in 1821.

I've never been but I know that many small boats from Poros fill up with friends and beer, and go down there to anchor in the bay and watch the spectacle.

On Sunday May wreaths are burnt on a bonfire in town and children, or older, jump the fire to bring them good luck.  In days of yore we used to have a neighbourhood BBQ and burn our wreaths.  Sadly it had to be abandoned as fire risks grew.  Now the 'Poriotisses', the Ladies of Poros have taken it over and there is greek dancing in one of the Squares at the end of town.  A glass of wine and a small sweet will be offered.  We went a few times when our granddaughters were dancing. I've jumped the fire a few times too and been saved from falling in a few times.  Been there, seen that.

That's all to do with the Fiesta of St John the Baptist or St John of the fleas.  K used to say that when he was  a child the kids were encouraged to jump over the fire to keep them flea-free for the rest of the summer.  Old superstitions which are no longer believed. 

On Monday we have been invited to attend a service at a tiny church down the coast.  It's a small private church dedicated to the Triada, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  After the service there will be roast pig, the owners wine, music and dancing.  K has been before.  I have not been and do not want to go .  However if my dear husband insists then I shall have to attend to to keep him out of mischef and drive him home.  

All his friends will be there and there will be much jollity, telling of tall tales, drinking and good old boys getting worse for wear.  

I'm keeping my mouth shut and hoping he forgets. 

Our greek telephone provider has offered us unlimited free GBs over the holiday weekend.  They often do that on big holidays and I make good use of it.   Our internet comes and goes so Im happy to have free data.

I have been watching the UEFA Football cup in the evenings. There's nothing else on tv. K  loves the matches. He yells at the players and reprimands the ref when he misses a foul or won't give a yellow card. I've learnt the players names and try not to ask stupid questions. I still haven't worked out when someone is offside but he let's me know.

Greece isn't playing   I presume they were knocked out ages ago.  That's one of those stupid questions. 

We have a television set out on the terrace and the wild life makes their presence known. At 8pm a June bug  comes whirling around my head and then the mosquitoes start, whining in my ear. There's usually a wasp or 2 annoying me by darting around and refusing to leave even after my aggressive swatting. 

June bug. Called a golden fly here. Chrisomyga.

The full moon is brilliant, rising above  the olive groves just after dark. We have a grandstand view. 

And so summer rolls on