Hallowe'en Traditions

 It’s the last day of October

A clear moon can be seen

 And we are all ready

To celebrate Hallowe’en

A huge log fire is burning

The house full of good cheer

Bowls full of nuts, sweets and fruit

 Keeping traditions we hold dear.

Here come the guisers

With their lanterns on high

From the eyes of the turnips

The lights brighten the sky.

Guisers’ faces are hidden by make-up or masks

 As they go unknown from door to door

 There’s a Spiderman, A Wicked Witch,

And isn’t that robot wee Jimmy from next door? 

Welcome all, you must be hungry

Come in and have a bite to eat

 But we’ll hear your story, song or joke

Before you get any treat.

 Tasty treacle scones are hanging up there

Underneath you stand in place

 Hands tied, you try to get a bite

 Without getting a black, sticky face!

 Next it’s time for ‘dooking’                                         

 From the water you must get

 At least one red, shiny apple

Without getting totally wet!

 

I guess you must be on your way

 You entertained us well and good

 And before you visit other neighbours

Fill your bags with sweets and food

       

 You sang and danced and made us laugh

 Of witches and ghosts have no fear

Enjoy yourselves on the hallowed eve

And be sure to come guising next year!

         

Happy Hallowe’en, everyone !                       

Minding the Gap - in Slovakia

The Tartan Epsilon were on the move. We reached Bratislava after a very comfortable Ryanair flight – but on arrival we realised that neither of us had been able to decipher any of the in-flight announcements – and we’re in the business of communication. :( We arrived after nightfall which meant, after taking possession of our hired car, we had to make our way in the dark unknown to find our gloriously-named hotel. However, thanks to Angeliki’s intrepid driving skills and our helpful GPS lady, we arrived there quickly and safely  - celebrating with a chicken and pastas supper, accompanied with a very acceptable local white wine.

                                            

Our destination was Kosice – so we set off next morning travelling eastwards across the country. These imposing castles kept looming up, piercing the beautiful, blue, cloudless skyline.

                

                                           

Autumnal mists hung in low-lying areas and we saw life going on at a relatively slow pace as we drove along their superb roads – not a pot-hole in evidence, in sharp contrast to the general state of Greek roads.

                             

                                

 

There is, however, a downside to this: our progress was considerably slowed down over lengthy stretches as road maintenance in operation reduced us to single-lane traffic.

We arrived at our hotel in Kosice and within  45 minutes had checked in, unpacked what was necessary, showered, changed, parked the car and booked a taxi which whisked us off to the conference venue- phew!! 

Here we are, presenting our ‘Using the Tablet in the Classroom’ workshop at the Slovak Chamber of English Teachers’ Conference, entitled   Mind The Gap. It must be said we look a wee bit serious here,

       

                                           

but I did enjoy making mischief, and calling the photographer to catch one of our audience  scoffing our sweet offering of loukoumi  (aka Greek Delight) mid-session!

                                                 

 

Here we are with Lynda Steyne, ace organizer, enjoying the entertainment of national music and dance she and the committee had laid on. The gentleman pictured here is a renowned musician, a master of wind instruments in general. You will appreciate his technical wizardry if I say he not only played the bag-pipes- oh, nostalgia! – but actually performed a rendition of Ode to Joy ….. on a leaf from a lilac tree.  We were exceptionally lucky to enjoy his music then as the following week he was off to the States to play at the Carnegie Hall.        

                             

This lovely lady dancer had hand-made the mementoes we were kindly given as gifts. But they not only danced for us – they insisted we take part in some traditional, rapid thigh-slapping, hand-clapping jigs. 

And it says a lot for my dance-partner, Tijana Ristic, that she was still smiling and friendly, given my  tendency to lose tempo and inadvertently hit her on other body parts – she took it all in good part, bless her!

             

                                       

 

We enjoyed, as friend Colin would say, a hearty breakfast all together– some preparing for their turn at presenting, others, like us, preparing for departure. But before we go I have to take a shot of our en suite bathroom. I confess I saw a pic of similar room taken by a fellow-presenter – actually in situ  - and I’m terribly tempted to add an ‘h’ in there! It reminded me of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ where Topol dreams of being a rich man and of having in his imagined house two long staircases: 

…’And one more leading nowhere just for show!’