What's Up. Bombay Duck and More

It's Holy week leading up to Orthodox Good Friday, the candlelight parade, Saturday midnight mass and soup made from sheep's guts (to put it literally) and then on Sunday the huge celebration of the resurrection with spit roasting of lambs, or a goat in our case, drinking, dancing and cracking of red eggs.

K will not be eating fish or meat this week but has decided he will eat cheese, but not eggs.  A moderated fast.  Unusual for him.  However, on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday he will follow the strict rules with no dairy or olive oil either.  Today he's having spaghetti with a tomato sauce, grated cheese on top, greek salad and taramasalata which is made from fish roe.

This morning he phoned the pharmacy and we have an appointment for our 4th virus shot.  We'll be getting the vaccination Tuesday after Easter. 

Prices are rising but  not enough to cause panic and there is no panic buying in the supermarket.   Everyone is simply checking the price of goat and offal and the cost of a lettuce for the weekend celebrations.  Lettuce is one of the main ingredients in the soup that we eat at midnight on Saturday.  It's 50cents a lettuce or thereabouts which is fine.  Freezing weather affected lettuces for a while but that was ages ago.

Lamb and goat meat has risen from last  years price of around 9 euros  per kilo to 12 euros and is expected to rise to at least 15 euros a kilo.   I haven't checked petrol prices.  We put 20 euros of petrol in the car and it lasts a week or more for our shopping trips.  Otherwise K goes out on his motorbike which is much cheaper to run.  As long as there are no more trips into the city for hospital appointments petrol is not a problem.

There has been a price rise for vegetable oils, sugar and flour. There were limits on what you could buy in the Athens supermarkets but here prices aren't that more expensive and there is no shortage.  The big German supermarket Lidl has had massive fines for unnecessary price rises.

  I have stocked up on noodles.  I read in an online NZ paper that their instant noodles come from the Ukraine and there will be a big shortage soon.  Instant noodles are the only taste of Asian cuisine that are available to me so I bought the last 6 packets in our supermarket.  I hope they've been able to re-stock.  I will stock pile a dozen or so packets of noodles, noodles with spicy shrimp, noodles with wild mushrooms, noodles with oriental chicken flavour or asian spicy pork.  They all taste more or less the same but I pretend I'm eating won ton from the Pearl of the East or bombay duck from an authentic noodle bar. Dream on  

Souvlaki has gone up in the last 2 years from 2 euros for pita bread wrapped around gyro with lashings of tzatziki, tomato, sliced onion and fried potatoes to 2.20, then 2.50, now to 3 euros and it will be 4 euros by the summer,  It's still a cheap meal in your hand.  I haven't had a souvlaki for almost a year but the grandkids eat them now and again.  Its the most popular fast food.  

Winter has suddenly re-appeared.  The last two days have been cold and wet.  I had cleaned up the fireplace and taken up the small rugs.  Fortunately we bought a last load of wood a few weeks ago so we had a supply for the beginning of next winter.  Yesterday we lit the fire and again today.  Weather clearing from Wednesday, so they say.

It's a nasty red rain covering us with a layer of Saharan dust which has turned into sticky mess.  I had just cleaned the last lot off the car.  Now I'll have to do it all over again, when the sun shines.

I have been following a series on TV presented by actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales.  Really interesting and their accents and english manners are charming.  First of all they were in a narrowboat cruising England's canals, then the Broads.  They popped over to cruise the French canals, taking  time to sample local wines, onto the River Douro in Portugal where they supped marvellous Port (wine) then to Italy where they sailed into Milan.  I have an idea they were going to South America but missed today's episode.   On Sunday I watched Timothy West playing a Vicar in a Hercule Poirot mystery.  He made an excellent Vicar.

On Youtube I'm watching an Australian series called The Extraordinary.  They are true life tales and supernatural experiences.  Right up my alley.  Thank goodness its raining today and I can sit and enjoy a good show, even if it is on the small screen.