In With The New.

 A Happy New Year to one and all. Saw this recently on Facebook and got done - the arrow does not operate.  It took me two taps before its implication dawned on me!                                               

                                                 
Well, we know what went before but what lies ahead?  It doesn’t take real predictive powers to say lockdown will still be part of our everyday life.  How long for will depend on how efficiently vaccination programs can be fully rolled out – and how many idiots will refuse that protection and will continue to flout the measures already in place. 

What is for sure is that in Greece we will be celebrating 200 years after the revolution. The commemoration of the uprising against Ottoman rule will begin on March 25^th, national day, and related events will continue throughout the year and throughout the country. The Greece 2021 Committee is tasked to organize the program to mark the Bicentennial of the Greek War of Independence and is headed by Gianna Angelopoulou who led the Greek Olympics organising dream team. Certainly the celebrations will now have to be drastically scaled down because of covid-19 protective restrictions but we are expecting great things. Below you see the committee logo which makes reference to both the year and the national flag colours.

 That will certainly be one in the eye for our refractory neighbor, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who continues to play silly buggers both on the international stage and at our borders. It seems that his deflective strategies are becoming more pronounced as the Turkish economy looks as if it could go into freefall.                                   

On the weather front, Spain and Italy have had significant snowfalls while we have been having unseasonably mild weather. They say this has been the mildest winter in fifty years with folks in Attica sunbathing and swimming last week-end! This means that many of our plants are still green while supporting a great crop of caterpillars. Our rocket has never been so luxuriant but we have to wage war with these wee beasties to pick our salad leaves.

             The lovely narcissus has appeared and just one stalk fills the house with fragrance. 

                                                                               

 Ordinarily, I would have pruned back our rose bushes but, since they are still budding and sporting blooms, we enjoy their beauty instead.

 

 

It can be tricky to clip and trim the yuccas plants, with their sharp leaves. I’m always afraid our cats could lose an eye as they love scratching themselves against these blades. However, I love the shapes they make and they cope well with our extreme climate. And when they produce their creamy bells in January – what’s not to like?                                     

Winter jasmine has a sunny face, but lacks its summer cousin’s aroma. 

 

 Apparently our winter is arriving as of tomorrow. :o Yesterday we moved sm all pot plants to the enclosed balcony upstairs and covered the larger heavy pots. We’ve taken delivery of heating oil, done a large shop for supplies, I made a big pot of soup, Z has replenished the wine-cellar. We’re good to go with whatever our winter throws at us- hopefully!

  As we all take that leap into 2021, may we do it with courage, optimism, health, support.                      

Happy landings!