Remembering with Reverence.

 Recently we observed the second anniversary of the Tempe rail disaster in which 57 people lost their lives and 81 were seriously injured. Many of the passengers on that fateful trip were university students returning to Thessaloniki after a break. Such a tragic loss of lives.  

                                                          

Many, particularly families and friends, remain angry and frustrated that no substantial progress in investigating causes has been made. They want to know why the train was travelling on the wrong line, thus causing a head-on collision with another oncoming train. There was also a huge explosion – as yet unexplained - which meant some met with a horrific death, being burned alive. Conspiracy theories abound and, sadly, the whole issue has become horribly politicised. There is, understandably, a great loss of trust in the official institutions.

                                                    

Hundreds of thousands, in Greece and globally, have congregated in major cities to express their solidarity with the victims’ families, honour the victims’ memory and to exert pressure on the authorities to deal with the issue, to come up with substantial findings  and to mete out the appropriate punishment to those responsible.

                                           

As our outgoing President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, said:

‘Two years later, the demand for truth, accountability and justice is universal and of fundamental importance for our state.’

 Above, The Tree of Souls – The Beginning, was erected in Athens to commemorate the victims – it was from there the train set out. Below the equivalent Tree of Memory in Thessaloniki, records the passengers’ names on the birds at its base.                                         

 

I marked the sad event and these emotions with the following poem:

                                           

 

Remembering with Reverence

The day dawned damp,

Mati memories mingled with Tembi tears.

A pall smothering the city

Expressing its compound sorrow.

Tragedies following inept operators,

Unaccountable decision-making, inadequate systems –

They should have returned

They should have returned.

May they be remembered with respect and dignity

Assemblies unsullied by polemic,

 Political point-scoring and syndicated agendas.

We march into the future

With hopes for a brighter, safer future.

In quiet contemplation for those who have gone

May their souls rest in peace!

Teeth Experiences …Two

 

After my unfavourable ‘impressions’ expressed in my last post, I am happy to convey relevant developments in technology. King Dental announced last spring:

Uncomfortable impressions that leave patients gagging are no longer the standard. The iTero scanner replaces the physical putty and tray. Now dentists can use a handheld wand to capture thousands of images and render them into a 3D representation. Additionally, they can send these files straight to technician labs electronically, eliminating the need for physical molds altogether. The iTero’s high-tech imaging dental technology provides detailed and accurate scans, enhancing the precision of dental impressions. This precision is crucial for crafting tailored treatment plans and well-fitting restorations.

                                                 

So those of you who may soon need to have impressions taken have missed out on those gagging experiences ……  by the skin of your teeth!! :o And the description of the scanner is very apt – a wand. It sounds as if what it’s capable of achieving is nothing short of magic!

My latest adventure follows on from noticing that my long-term shaky teeth had become a bit shakier and were beginning to affect my bite.  So, off to my peridontician.  I stressed that I really didn’t want to undergo any more implants – I probably don’t have the required bone density, anyway.

I did say I had considered bringing him some wire and string to see if he could rig up some stabilizing system. To which he replied not to laugh but that he had a colleague who had achieved considerable success gluing teeth together!!

So, in January I had the treatment done. Both the orthodontist and periodontician - I feel so looked after - decided to go the conservative route in dealing with loose tooth syndrome and the former performed tooth bonding -ie .... he glued them together!! That sounds very simplistic but it was a complicated procedure that lasted a jaw dropping, literally , 75 minutes.

                                                

My teeth were firstly descaled – ie cleaned to remove any plaque or tartar which could impede the bonding. Then the surface is roughened by an acidic preparation to make it porous enough to accept the application of a bonding agent - I like to think mine was called James!

This was smoothed and dried by a special UV light instrument then a further layer of a dental cement containing strengthening fibres was set down.                                                        

At each stage both dentist and patient take a welcome breather for the materials applied to properly set. Then the final layer was added – it could be a resin epoxy, silica or even a plastic/glass mix. Whatever it was, the new veneer doesn’t irritate the tongue at all and feels very comfortable. This was thanks to the meticulous care the dentist took to mould and smooth at each level. Being set behind my teeth the work is non-detectable.

 I feel very privileged to have had access to high technology and the skilled specialist hands of two talented, caring professionals. I like my food – it was my impaired bite that took me for treatment. And though I have confidence in them and their art, do excuse the word play when I say I am now appreciative but - eating rather gingerly!

Get Your Teeth Into This

 

Many of us have reached the stage when we are ‘long in the tooth‘- I  guess it refers to the fact that as we grow older, our gums recede thereby giving the impression of our teeth lengthening. Spoiler alert: there are likely to be more such idioms to follow as we explore my dental history and experiences.                                                           

 Members of our family started out at a dental disadvantage, inheriting a genetic tendency towards poor teeth and coming from an area with peat water – being acidic this can promote caries. ☹

We talk about giving our eye-teeth to obtain/achieve something close to our hearts. Well, I lost mine to a Campbeltown dentist who, since my jaw was too small to accommodate them, decided to gouge them out before they had properly come through the gums. Clearly hygiene wasn’t what it should have been and the two healthy front teeth developed abscesses and had to come out. A dental plate was made to replace them - on my 18^th birthday. I will never forget the horrors of all that! :o

Years later my molars began to give out – apparently deep drilling had weakened them. I often wonder if things would have been different had I gone less frequently for ‘treatment’. :(

 So I ended up in the chair of a private practitioner who was also Professor of Dentistry at the local university in Thessaloniki. I suspect I was a guinea pig for relatively new techniques. One memory was coming out of my hour-long session with four newly placed posts and his surgical coat looking like that of a butcher – my blood!                                                     

A little while later I was briefly in London and met up with a secretary we used to have in the British Council, Kuwait.  She had a great sense of humour and was a great fund of jokes to the extent that sometimes we had to avoid phoning each other’s office to avoid gales of laughter in the workplace!  As you can imagine, we had loads to talk about and the time flew by. As we headed off to our respective taxis, I suddenly remembered I had to tell her something newsworthy. I indicated my jaw as I called over, ‘I’ve just had implants put in’.  In response, she opened her coat, arched her back, posing proudly with a mischievous smile to say, ‘So have I!’  The cabbies’ faces were a picture!

But I digress: back to the dentist’s chair. The implant procedure itself, given plenty of anesthesia, is painless but it is nerve-wracking to hear your jawbone being drilled into.  Temporary caps are placed on top of the posts and you wait for gums to heal and posts to take. Lots of impressions, measurements, bite checks are taken/done to ensure that the final substitutes will be comfortable and look natural. We even got to the point of choosing the appropriate shade from a Dulux-type colour card!                                                 

I’m going to end this by recounting one of my worst experiences in The Chair. Once, while taking an impression of my lower jaw, my dentist got chatting to me. When the time came to remove the putty-filled tray, the dratted thing wouldn’t budge! She pulled and hauled - and you know it feels as if your entire jaw will be dislodged - but to no avail. :o                                               

Now I am claustrophobic and the thought that this plastic container full of hardened alginate was firmly embedded in my mouth was terrifying. Amid sounds of gasping and gulping, (mine!) she had to drill to break the tray and remove it piece by piece She did give me a day or two respite but we had to repeat the impression-taking again.  Double gasp and gulp!!

 

 

2024 -> 2025 Bridging the Years.

 

 I decided Ito extend my ‘24 retrospective to highlight what brought us joy and what we look forward to - to construct a time-bridge, if you will, spanning the outgoing and incoming years.

Nature continued to contribute memorable pictures – here is a bouquet of spring blossom to warm any heart.                                                          

The image below expresses how I feel about learning the piano and about my patient, caring and quirky teacher. I had no idea it would be so challenging and without her special attributes I don’t think I would have lasted the course, so to speak. Looking back, despite ongoing frustrations about things -i.e. me! - going slowly, I’m amazed at what I’ve learned in the past year. Seems incredible but, make no mistake, I am a Beginner and will remain at that stage for a wee while to come. Yet, this hobby really enriches my day. Neuroplasticity is a thing!                                                           

A great local event in November was the long-awaited opening of our new metro system. Still limited in route but work to extend the distance it covers is happening. What is impressive is the juxtaposition of its ultra-modern technology with exhibitions or posters displaying the wealth of archaeological artefacts found during the excavation process.

                                                          

Friends provide us with sweet memories: Angeliki literally provided those with her annual dispatch of the delicious seasonal melomakarona, a sweet made of flour and semolina, fragrant with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, orange zest, a good slug of cognac, soaked in honey.

                                                                                                               

And look what I found: my favourite type of halva from Farsala in central Greece. Made with sugar and cornflour, this jelly dessert is a little like Greek delight, not the gelatinous, chocolate-covered mess that is marketed as Turkish delight.  It’s often topped with almonds – mmm!                                                       

A homestead fellow resident sadly became a dear departed. Not even three years old, the delightful Fidel passed on unexpectedly but, thankfully, without protracted illness.  At night, as he assumed his sentry duties, he would saunter down to our kitchen window and peer in, to get his pats and cuddles. A wonderfully affectionate, loving spirit – we miss him greatly. ☹                                                

                                                    

And where would we be without our little kitties? Here you can see Prunella still wearing her cute harness, worn for a few months as we took them out on leads. This was to protect them from unwelcoming local felines and prevent them from homing back to our previous abode.                                                 

In spring, the sun and its warmth beckoned them. Mr Mao was first to shed the straps and venture out without us. They’ve claimed the territory as their own. We’re so proud of them!                                                        

We recently became members of the local KAPI- the Centre for Open Care for Senior Citizens.  Z long resisted but has been persuaded. They organize medical screening, a snack bar/ouzeri, outings and trips which are very cheap – partly funded by the local council. So recently we attended the annual cutting of the New Year pie. This, of course, had to be blessed by the priest, after a little speechifying from local politicians. However, sitting behind them are the boys in the band. Formalities over, they led us into lots of jigging. The event was held at one of our favourite local restaurants and for 15 euros a head, we ate well and drank freely.                                                     

We spent a very enjoyable midday in fine company and a great atmosphere.

Something tells me we’ll be attending more of their events in 2025 – even Z! 😊                                                       

2024 In Retrospect

 It’s here: the time of the year that I perceive as starting out at the peak of a thin, upright ellipse which is the new year. Hogmanay miraculously shoots us from the nadir of elliptic base to its zenith. How weird is that?!

Now I want to remember some of our special ’24 moments. Here we are belatedly welcoming in the new year – during Hogmanay we were Covid contagious. ☹

                                                       

We celebrated our birthdays in Gevgelija, in Northern Macedonia, staying at the quirky ‘Paint it Black’ hotel- all very rock’n’roll. A lasting linguistic memory: the sign at their border crossing urging us to ‘Declare smuggling and corruption.’  As if….. 😊                                                        

Our IATEFL conference was in Brighton again. I’d like to say Angeliki and I were scanning program session titles, but we were actually menu perusing!                                                      

I love this pic of Marina’n’me sightseeing there. She had an entire breakfast sandwich lifted clean off her plate by a marauding gull. This event was a local talking point – when I went to buy her a porcelain gull as a memento, (!) the shop owner had heard of the sandwich snatch!!                                                                                               

Orthodox Easter was observed, here Z takes his turn at observing the automatic rotisserie.                                                              

Quite a convention as family members flew in from Lesvos, Paris and Zurich. My favourite quote was of a neighbour inviting Z to join them at the spit so that ‘three atheists can toast in tsipouro the fact that Christ has risen!’ Disrespectful? – a little. Memorable? - indisputably!

Z often happily offers homestead help – here grape-picking. I sometimes even join in. The Boss kindly pays us in kind: sometimes the produce and always ouzo meze! 😊                                               

                                                    
Family members feature in memory stores: here enjoying the hospitality of Z’s cousin in Evros in July as we celebrate the name day of the Prophet Ilias.                                      

Here the Scottish clan branch: Marina and John joined us in Edinburgh where we were kindly invited by Jean and Max to help celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary.                                          

A wonderful venue and meal, and special to rekindle old friendships and form new ones.                                                                                

We moved on to Glasgow where we attended the World Pipe Band Championships. As if that wasn’t enough, we saw my ‘local’ Inveraray pipe band perform and become the ultimate champions – for the third time, bless them. Soooo proud and so justly deserved- impeccable!                                               

We chalked up another Scottish island that Z has visited: Bute - short for ‘beautiful’, clearly! We attended their agricultural show and Z found a spectacular castle, complete with moat. :o                                                                        

We picked olives at various sites, including our former house. I love the liquid effect here of olives pouring into the container at the press. We now have pickled olives and oil to last a few years.

                                                  

I succeeded in regaining the right to vote in Scotland 😊 but, as a non-resident, not for Holyrood elections only for Whitehall. ☹

 Never mind - I have a foot in the door. Let’s look forward to changes in that area too in 2025! 

Christmas 2024

 

Christmas Eve – full of excitement and expectations! Here, without coming over all Scrooge, we find that local restaurants close early and hotels are charging exorbitant prices for Christmas/New Year meals. And as a non-fish person, what is it with all this ceviche and tuna carpaccio which seem to be de rigeur on menus now? Raw fish as gourmet delicacies – eugh!                                                     

Avoiding breathalyser tests is a good reason for not going out, as is the weather. So we’re happy to entertain if people from nearby are ready to brave the elements.

                                                  

 Even our cats have got used to ‘foreigners’ invading their territory. Only last night Mr Mao tried to stare out a noisy guest in order to reduce the decibel level – quite unsuccessfully! 😊                                                       

 And they themselves ae a wonderful source of warmth; both in terms of affection and body heat. As I say, once temperatures drop, others don heavier clothes or higher-tog duvets. My husband ‘wears’ his kitties! As he reclines on the couch, they find a comfy slumber spot – a mutual thermally pleasing arrangement!                                                       

We shed our tree when we moved as it was a tad unwieldy to erect. Now we have a little crystal one on a table, under which we pile our presents. According to tradition here in Greece – and Z holds this fast – we open them on New Year’s Day when Saint Vassilis does his rounds.                                                              

 So this is a short post. Last night we had a heavy réveillon so we want a quiet, restful day. I do, of course, extend our greetings to you all on this special festive day. Fascinated as I am by all things linguistic, I was delighted to hear a Thessaloniki pavement vendor regaling passers-by with his very own greeting, ‘Merry Christma’ (sic).  I guess he was using the singular form since it’s a festival that is celebrated only once a year!

 But my-all time fave Yuletide greeting is one that Scots will appreciate especially those in the Lothian area where this sign was spotted.                                                              

  Fae Leith Navidad!!

OUZO and TSIPOURO

In my last post I focused on our grape harvesting and mentioned that most of ‘our’ grapes went into producing tsipouro. Friends asked exactly what that was – was it ouzo? So here’s my response.

First let’s look at ouzo. Incidentally, my research has led me to increase my vocabulary: rectify means to purify by distillation. The raw material that is mainly rectified could be cereal, raisins or molasses. The alcohol thus produced is distilled once again with aromatic seeds added to the amyx or cauldron.  Here’s one in action. 

                                                

Aniseed is the basic ingredient but fennel, mastiha coriander, etc. may be added. The product of this second process is known as 100% ouzo distillation, consumable only if diluted with water to 38-42% alcohol degrees. Most ouzos on the market contain 40-45% alcohol. It is interesting to note that ouzo is a protected appellation recognized by the European Union in 1989 as a national product; no other product may be thus designated.

In Mytilene locals recommend you add a few drops of water to allow the ouzo aromas to flow; others prefer to add ice. Either way such additions will cause the drink to whiten, as seen below because of the reaction of the anise oil.                                              

Now it’s time to focus on tsipouro- the name tsikoudia may also be used for the same spirit. Once ripe and ready, dark grapes are crushed and left to settle for a few days for fermentation to start. This can take about a month. In the past, producers would extract the must to make wine and only the solid residue, the pomace, was used. Now producers may include the must- (the partially fermented juice/pulp) to make tsipouro. The mass is fed into the still, where temperature and pressure are closely monitored. The first and last batches are discarded and only the ‘heart’ is used. Repeating this process, the doubly distilled superior spirit is called apostagma and can sell for double the price of ordinary tsipouro. In tsipouro the flavouring with aniseed is an option. Finally the spirit is left in barrels or bottles to settle and mature- usually not for long! :o

 Below, just ignore the label!  - this is The Boss’ first sample of superior apostagma made from this year’s harvest. 😊

                                                          

As is customary in Greece, great consideration is taken when choosing the appropriate alimentary accompaniments! These two spirits are both strong and their sweetness is nicely paired with salty or spicey appetizers.  These might be fish, seafood, pickles, sausage, cheese, olives and chunky bread.

 Below is a sample of our homemade baked beans, a small portion of which goes down nicely as an appetizer.

                                                  

 Something else we like is fried squid, potato salad, fried aubergines along with fava – dried broad beans which are cooked and pulsed like mushy peas then topped with caramelized onions - mmm!

 

                                               

The next dish is a bit posh for an everyday snack but these courgetti flowers stuffed with feta, mint and lemon rind then fried in batter are definitely worth the effort of making.

                                             

I find the classic Greek salad a little too mundane - one of our favourites is a little lettuce, lotsa rocket, parmesan shavings and balsamic cream.

                                              

 In 2006, tsipouro was recognized as a protected designation of origin product.

So next time you sit at a taverna or family table, sampling your aperitif of choice, think on all the above processes and ingredient choices.

 Enjoy your meze and άσπρο πάτο – bottom’s up!!