Christmas Eve dawned here with a
very heavy frost and now we have that brilliant sunshine that stunned me many
moons ago when I spent my first Christmas in Athens, staying with my ‘adopted’
Greek sister, Betta, and her family. Coming from the northern bleak mid-winter
I found the strength and clarity of the sunlight amazing, comforting and
memorable. And sunshine and warmth continue to emanate from Greek hearts and
hearths, despite difficulties that every single one of us is confronting.
That’s what makes life here special.
I have just come out of a hot kitchen with
plates satisfyingly full of mince pies, banana bread, persimmon cookies, chocolate
truffles and quince paste awaiting local delivery, but first neighbours’
children are coming to sing the traditional ‘kalenda’ – a carol equivalent -
playing the triangle and collecting sweets and coins as they go from house to house.
Now the holidays are here I
promise to resume my accounts of the Highland Haj – shame on me for the
delay! But in the meantime I want to
make mention of Richard Hesketh – thank you, Richard, for your kind words on
the Craigard posting! He was a Kilbowie
boy, a slightly younger vintage of ’70 –’73, and would dearly love to make
contact with contemporaries. Is there anyone out there? – it would be great if
we could widen our circle from Oban High days.
What you probably don’t know is that I have
the ability to view not only how many of a reader audience my blog has but
where you are all based. This is demonstrated by the relevant country on the
statistics world map lighting up green – dark green for a denser
readership. Right now I feel a little
bit of a fraud as a huge global area has turned a lovely Christmassy green –
thanks to a single but greatly appreciated reader….in Russia!
Thank you all for following my postings and
may you have a thoroughly enjoyable festive time.
Merry Christmas one and all.
