local-kiwi-alien

SUNDAY EATING/DRINKING/TALK-TALK-TALK/LUNCH RUNNING INTO DINNER

On the table -

fried crabs from Halkida - sent down by a cousin.  Crabs are small and spiny!
baked potatoes - with juice of lemons from our garden and local oil
bbq-ed pork chops
bbq-ed salt cod
bbq-ed chicken ....all bbq-ed on our open fire
sausages - made by local butcher, very strong tasting. Cooked by Yianni
patsas - soup made from boiled goats feet and stomach. Full of fat and congeals very quickly.  Eaten with vinegar and garlic
salad - made by Yianni from lettuce, spring onions and coriander from our garden  with juice from our lemons and local oil
bifteki - homemade hamburger with no salt so Jamie can eat them
cheese - feta and graviera from the island of Limnos
homemade sourdough bread - made by me of course
red and white wine made by Kostas
rose made by Yiannis
sauv blanc (thanks Paul) from France
zero coca-cola
water -  bottled
local olive oil and olives

glyko (sweet) made by Danae who is playing tennis at the moment.
We want the sweet NOW!

Pita the dog gets the bones and the leftovers and Puke gets the leftover bifteki which is nice and soft for a young pussy cat.  Peel and vegetable ends, old wine and ash from the fireplace go in the compost.

How many people are eating this gargantuan feast?  Just us. Round the table - children and sons-in-law, various grandchildren.

K did the shopping so most of it is 'leftover'!! He buys in bulk - afraid we'll all starve. 


K lit the fire in the fireplace this morning and he bbq-ed on the ashes.  He also made the goat foot soup OUTSIDE on the gas stove.  It stinks when it is cooking and after all that THEY FORGOT TO EAT IT.  So it is out on the bench congealing in the big pot.  But it will be eaten, or else - maybe tomorrow.  Elli and Kyriakos can take some home and a bowl will go up the road to Vasso.

We all ate around the fire on the little IKEA table.  Kids made houses out of blankets and chairs and one helluva mess in the living room next door.  We do this often unfortunately.  In the summer it all happens outside  next to the big outdoor bbq and in spring and autumn they cook outside and we eat at the big table in the living room.

The children gather round the table or take their plates out to the living room. 

Danae is back HOORAY.   Cake with chocolate sauce.

Nels and Georgie are looking at the toy catalogue I picked up at xmas.  Nels has her birthday on March 1st and George has his name day (St George) on April 23rd.

And Linda cleans up the mess for the next two days.  At least the girls usually clear the table, though K hates that. He believes it is the start of the break-up of the party. We are supposed to leave all the mess on the table till the bitter end.  Thank you power-on-high that we now have a dish washer at last.  Though once again...K does not like the way it cleans the glasses and they have to be done by hand.

......Next day - it took 2 hours but the house is tidied up again (never really clean alas).  It certainly is good exercise, getting down to vaccum under chairs, moving tables and wiping up messes from the floor.  Not to mention unblocking the vaccumn cleaner every few minutes because of bits and pieces of toys which get stuck in the hose...........

We are in the depths of winter at the moment.  It is 7o outside.  Snowing in northern Athens.  Freezing outside here.  The fire is not giving much heat but we have the air condition on 'HEAT' in the other rooms.

They are talking about America's Cup.  Yianni loves yachting.  He works on a flotilla on Poros.  Took us out on a yacht when Tony and Lorraine were here.  Just a 'slight breeze' - Nels and I feared for our lives.   Never knew a yacht could go over so far without disappearing under the waves.  He wants a 'Team NZ' hat.  Anyone know where I can get one?  I've searched the net but have only found All Blacks hats.  The official Americas Cup shopping site does not seem to be working.

And off they all go.  Yianni to see Olympiakos play (Football), Kyriakos to watch Pananthiniakos (another football team) and the girls to have coffee at Elli's.   K is happy to stay here with only his wife and the football on tv.  He loves company, noise and 'verbal dispute' and often cannot wind down and will either phone his friends to come up so he can continue eating and drinking or will disappear off to a neighbour's house after the family leave.

Danae got the kids to clean up their toys a little and I bribed them with some chocolate but the house still looks as though a mega-bomb exploded in the middle of the living area.

amen