WINTER IS HERE!

We have all been taken by surprise that the weather has taken a change for the Autumn - wet, cloudy, windy and difficult to gauge each morning whether it is a full wash day or whether not to risk it!  The upstairs windows which stay open with net coverings all the summer were closed up during the night this week when the winds started to blow the windows back and forth, so we are gearing ourselves up for the winter without really feeling that we got to grips with summer.  There are definitely some summer clothes that did not see the light of day this year!

The kitchen has been dominated by an unexpected windfall of beautiful ripe peaches, two crates of which, were distributed to every house in the village.  Apostoli, the mayor was summoned to the Dimos (local town hall) with a truck to pick up crates and crates of them to be distributed!  We have guessed at why they are going for nothing, but not really sure.  Peaches do not keep, so we were busy thinking how we could use them or preserve them.  This tested the grey matter and I distributed a few further to friends before they were passed their best.  With the rest,  I managed to bottle some, make lots of jellies, do a batch of peach and red pepper chutney, and stew some for breakfasts.  There was no room in the freezer to freeze any, but despite the ripeness on the outside, the peaches were quite hard on the inside, so stewing them was by far the best option.  I rounded off this mammoth session by looking up Christmas pudding and mincemeat recipes to make with other ingredients, so that I won't have to worry about it when I get home from hospital. Our fridge and freezer are HEAVING!

Kimon has been having a few difficulties with the quad bike which seems to have been supplied with a dodgy battery, so we have spent quite a few mornings jump starting it from the car battery.  Today he has taken it back to the shop and we hope that they will replace the battery under the warranty. Shops these days do not necessarily carry much stock, so we hope it will be easy to do.  The bike shop is right next door to a busy new cafe, so he will have a comfortable wait.

Boy Racers!

While K was there, I had been invited to a Saints day festival at the village church in Exantas, which is a village fairly close to us and where have a number of good friends.  Stalwart parishioners get there at 7.00 a.m. and stay until 10.00 a.m. while lots of 'Papas' and higher orders of clerics gather to chant the liturgy and celebrate St Cyprian's day.  We all arrived (later than 7) and lit candles, then discovered that it was virtually standing room only but squeezed into a corner at the back.  The faithful went on from lighting candles to kissing icons and moving through the church.  Some men lit candles, kissed the icon and gravitated from the front door and out of the side door in about 45 seconds.  I guess you could call it a nodding acquaintance with God, but in fact, the church was so full and the candles giving off such a heat, that it was a relief to get that movement of people and after 45 minutes or so of concentrating hard on the liturgy and the sermon, standing up and sitting down in time with others, we did the same.  Out of the corner of my eye, I was amused to see that the candles procured for a few euros and lit on the ornate trays of sand were swiftly grabbed out of the sand, extinguished and put in an ornate used candle bin so that there was room for plenty more!  I felt a bit cheated that my prayer candle had only had a minute or so to send its signal heavenwards!  However, the numbers of people involved were beginning to cause a fire hazard, so by the end of the service I could see why this was a sensible precaution.  It was a relief to escape the claustrophobia inside and exit to the churchyard, thoughtfully provided with a perimeter wall built with seats in it all round.  A trestle table had been laid with a snowy white cloth, and here loaves and loaves of Holy Bread were cut and distributed to all who gathered outside with water and soft drinks.  A book of raffle tickets circulated - and as the prize was a poor unfortunate sheep tethered in the corner of the churchyard - we were all mightily relieved not to win this.  We had a hilarious 5 minutes imagining what Aegean Airlines or Easyjet would say to an attempt to get a sheep into an overhead locker and made a mental note that the best outcome for the winner was to offer it to the local village priest (and hope that he invited you to the barbecue!)

The week has been dominated by packing bags for the hospital and trying to think of phrases which I might need whilst there which, after consulting Google Translate, have been put in a small notebook. On Saturday, we are being introduced to a young lady who may be helping with housework for a few weeks while I am in hospital and afterwards, if it all works well.  Let's hope so.

The weather is a bit miserable here, so by the law of opposites, we are hoping that the skies are clear and dry for the replacement of roof and new loft which is starting next week at our new home in the UK.  Leo has been hard at work project managing!

The blog may be quiet for a spell, unless I have lots to write after next week and I am well enough to get stuck in.

Kalomina (Have a good month) of October!