Winter Green

 I had better post this before the green turns to brown.  

Our larger neighbourhood in it's green winter coat..but not for long... 

Our neighbourhood taken from higher up

Our house is just out of the picture

Our neighbour up higher, Yiolanda, takes better photos than me. It all looks emerald green in this photo

Another of her photos

The perfect bow

My photo of the tiny flowers along our verges

Clumps of poppies everywhere

Tourists

 Tourist season in Crete has begun.

Flights from Britain and Germany today landing in Heraklion and Chania are being met by Cretan music, dancing AND glasses of raki and local delicacies.

Naturally these first, official,  tourists for the 2025 season are ecstatic and say they'll come again

(as long as their holiday resort is just as welcoming and up to their expectations and the sun keeps shining and the alcohol is cheap).

Meanwhile Santorini is filling with tourists as well. The strong quakes have stopped. Schools are open again and local businesses are hoping for a flood of Easter visitors.

Cruise ships which had been diverted to Crete have Santorini back as a  destination.

Ye gods and little fishes, I'd avoid Santorini like the plague after seeing that photo

So many tourists to see what?  A sunset that is brilliant on any greek island, and far better enjoyed without those crowds of other humans. 

Come to Poros 

The sunset is amazing here too, the Greek island atmosphere unequaled

Sunset with family

A Greek Island Evening

 Crisis before calm

Our power suddenly went out late afternoon.  Then Elli sent me a video taken from her rooftop.

Serious smoke.

A small church down near the waterfront was on fire.  It's rare to have a serious fire on Poros.

The interior of the church was destroyed but thankfully the building is ok and the houses right on top of it were saved.

Our electricity was turned off because there's also a transformer right up against one end of the church.

These last 2 photos from Frontline Reporter, grandson George, who just happened to be on scene

These little churches are always open and anyone can pop in and light a candle and say a prayer.

The candles are planted into metal bowls full of sand. Not easily upset.

I just heard, through the Poros grapevine, that it started when a bunch of wires caught fire.  I imagine the wiring was antiquarian.

One icon was saved.

A miracle, they say

Later in the evening

Dusk on Elli's rooftop terrace.

A warm spring evening with a glass of good wine and a meze, a view over the twinkling lights of Poros and it's harbour and across to the mountains on the mainland.

Looks idyllic doesn't it

Flags a Flying

 

Freedom or death 

Today commemorates the beginning of the war of independence from the Ottoman Turks

Blue and white flags are flying everywhere

School children from pre-school to High school parade along the waterfront 

It's a religious festival too

And a family gathering at a harbour café for us

Coffee for some

Or beer and salt cod with garlic sauce 

Luli and her mother

The reason it's a family gathering

Luli, the last of our grandchildren still at school and in the parade.

We all clap like mad and call out to her as she marches past.

And it wouldn't be a blog post without Poppi, and her Aunty Elli

Greek Coffee for Kiwis 2

 Cross her palm with silver and she will predict a long life and a tall blonde stranger. A cup of Greek coffee consists of an inch of coffee and another inch of grounds at the bottom.  If you want some fun, turn the cup upside down and my daughter, Danae,  will tell you your future

Gary and Tony

Preparing to learn their fate

We took our visiting kiwi family up to the Monastery cafe for 'coffee'. 

After their cappuccinos and cokes we ordered a Greek coffee so Danae could look into their future. 

Proprietor and friend, Meletis, brought us 4 big spoons and the four of them each sipped a couple of spoonfuls

This is the photo of the coffee cup ready for reading .

What can You see in that black mess?

Is that a dragon and over on the left  a genie with a teapot?

You'll read in a minute what Danae saw.

Sherryn and Gary having a first taste of thick grainy Greek coffee 

Danae saw a lion and a giraffe and a map of Africa.  They were obviously all going on  safari after their Greek trip .

A dragon? Sudden changes. That happens when you're travelling from the southern to the northern hemisphere. 

And she remembers seeing a koala????

Koala is not on Danae's list of greek symbols naturally but a bear is.  I know you're not supposed to call them koala bears but it's close enough.

A bear means a trip.

Those kiwi visitors do a lot of tripping around so she was right there 

Soon they'll be tripping to a Safari park in Africa.

Right????

And an octopus.

The octopus symbolises good luck and happiness.

 Good luck to have relatives on an exotic Greek island. 

Happiness guaranteed after a few ouzos and a plate or 2 of Ks traditional octopus meze.

Danae with me

So how much of that came true? 

The Octopus and ouzo!!! 

Reading the Grounds 1

 A teller of tales.

  

 Reading the dregs of a small cup of greek coffee is a fun way of ending a morning of coffee with friends. Most of us prefer a freddo (iced coffee) but now and again we order greek coffee for a special ritual

  One of my daughters, Danae, is really good at this.  Not only has she got a great imagination but she can see things we can't.  And often they come true

If she's not sure what somethings means, a fish perhaps or a flower then she consults her online oracle and all is made clear.

It's an ancient art called tasseography, or cafemanteia in Greek.

A greek coffee is served in a small cup (think espresso) and has an inch of dregs (mud) at the bottom.  To have your cup read you need to leave a little coffee or you'll just get a big black cloud.

Swirl the coffee and the dregs around and then turn it upside down and rest it on the saucer.

The end of the coffee with its dregs

Let it sit on the saucer for a few minutes so the grounds drip down and leave you a tell-tale pattern on the inside of the cup

Find an interpreter with some imagination 

Turn the cup up the right way and listen to your future

This particular coffee cup belonged to my other daughter, Elli. 

So this is what her sister says

She's going to have a few obstacles in her path.  But it'll all turn out well and she'll have success.

That's all a bit general but at least positive.

But the next prediction was

A holiday, probably by train

D could see a train and wagons

That's just what her sister needs.  She's an accountant and it's tax time.  

So I'll be keeping an eye on those prophecies and let you know.

Can you see the kiwi

A kiwi means????

Lots of visitors from Kiwi-land.

When the fortune has been told the reader gives the cup back and the other person puts her (or his) finger in the cup, makes a fingerprint in there and makes a wish.

Apparently the coffee ground reader should make a guess, using their intuition, as to whether the wish will come true or not.  We haven't done that but it sounds as though we need to have another coffee together and try it out.

More tomorrow...

With authentic Kiwis.

NZ Butter

Good NZ butter. Not Fernleaf, not Anchor

but Herbivore. 

Yes, you heard it here, from a carnivore

Our NZ niece and nephew Julie and Craig have established an innovative business which has introduced  premium Coconut Butter to the NZ market.

You'll  find it on all supermarket shelves by now.

Last summer, sorry Jules for taking so long, they arrived on Poros lugging 40 kilos of this wonderful butter in a cooler.

And it really is great butter, even though it's vegan.  

It lowers cholesterol, fights bacteria and boosts the metabolism.

You can use it in sweets or savouries, on toast with marmite (or even Vegemite) .

It's spreadable, cookable, sauceable, meltable, made from natural coconut with only a light flavour coconut flavour.

Damn fantastic for frying shrimps. The perfect combo.

Better-butter niece and nephew with K and I at Sofia's taverna last summer.

Enjoying Sofia's fried calamari and grilled chicken 'chops' with a jug or 2 of chilled wine.

Craig with his 40 kilo cooler of Herbivore. It went from NZ to Thailand to Greece and to England. And possibly further.

They had a brief sojourn in Poros between exhibiting their butter in Asia and Europe.

Elli's linguini a lá Grec using butter they generously left for us.

And her muffins also made with herbivore butter

They were both delicious . I tried them.

 I used my own block of butter all too quickly, on steak and eggs mainly.

Herbivore and carnivore are firm friends around here. 

The herbivore team.

Jules and Craig on the left. Incredible entrepreneurs. Now they're investigating a Greek olive oil business. 

Watch this space.

It's available all over NZ, even in New World supermarket in Te Puke. 

Te Puke is the town where I grew up so I have to give it a plug. Craig and Julie live in a small settlement just outside Te Puke. Lots of extended family around here.

Te Puke is the Kiwi Fruit Capitol of the World.  Acres and acres of kiwi fruit orchards 

The best little town in the Bay (of Plenty).

 

Poppi Time

 Yes, she's just picked up another athletic award.

This one from the Poros Rowing Club for her success in the Balkanian rowing competition.

A silver medal 

And another one....

Here she is with her mother having received an Achievement Certificate from the Kapodistrian University of Athens. 

The award was for her entry to the University not only because of her excellent examination results

but also her rowing prowess

Here she is doing the happy dance with her sister Nels. Outside and inside LIDLs supermarket. These crazy sisters savour every minute.

They have both just passed their motorbike and car licences. Driving through Athens streets.

Nels will be running a half marathon in Rhodes next month. She was a medal winning rower too before giving it up to study. 

Now she's a dietician. And always an athlete. Last weekend we met briefly while I was out walking. She was doing a 15k run around the island. Up hills and down dales. 

At Home and Around

 

The sun has started shining again and it's warm enough to sit outside.  But it won't be for long. Next week temperatures are dropping drastically, so they say. From Spring back to winter. It ain't over yet. 

Granddaughter Luli 'enjoying' a winter swim inbetween her school and extracurricular studies.

She wants to be an interior designer and is learning technical drawing.

Finally using the airfryer!

We've had it a couple of months.

So simple to use but it took time to try out this new fangled machine. We learnt to 'fry' potatoes

and cook pork chops

I'm glad we bought the paper liners but it's an easy clean. 

Today we will cook half a chook. 

K loves 'fried potatoes' and his cheese and ham toasties done in the airfryer. 

Fresh broad beans for K. 

Cooked with onion, dill and olive oil

He eats them with a traditional garlic bread-sauce. 

More pickled onions

In the liquid vinegar and honey left in the emptied jar of  Xmas onions

Junior and Rusty have a personalised water bowl. 

It's an old clay yoghurt bowl. Sheep's yoghurt often comes in these clay pots. 

And my wee pottery lamb

Café Cat

This ginger cat entertains the gang of women-who-walk every morning as they finish their morning meet-up with coffee and hoots of laughter.

He prowls the heights balancing on the steel girders.  Looking for mice?  Or just applause.

St Pats

 Saint Patrick's Day

Or

Agios Patrikios in Greek

 Kronia polla 

Ireland

Happy day

These false-Shamrock 'flowers' are fresh from the garden and very floppy.

I didn't have a Guinness glass so they're arranged in a Heineken glass.

I used to make Irish lamb stew for the family when the little Greek girls were small. At the time I thought they liked it.  But recollections may vary and frequently do.  

I often made  traditional bean soup (fassolatha) and still make it for K. I discovered years later that they hated it and tipped it back in the pot when my back was turned.  Neither of them will eat it even now. 

Baileys Irish Cream though is quite another story. Daughter Elli and I and friend Jan can easily find the bottom of a bottle of Baileys. Happy smile. I made Irish cream at home in days of old. Very easy. Very good. Made with cheap Lidls whiskey.  

Elli enjoys a Guinness now and again and we won't say 'no' to an Irish coffee. 

I've made, in the past, Irish soda bread and potato cakes. Irish food is good food.  Fills the belly and makes it happy. 

It's many many years since I've had real thinly sliced corned beef with a side of Colmans mustard.  My mother used to make Silverside, corned beef. 

It's not a greek thing. Except the tinned sort. 

For the Oldies

Was it Jiggs, that comic strip character, whose favourite meal was corned beef and cabbage? 

And last but Not least

Have a very 

Happy Birthday

Kathryn Mas 

Enjoy lots of Guinness

And Irish Whiskey (with an 'e') 

May ye all be touched by the luck of the Irish