Here We Are - Where Are We?

 

To echo the Great Billy Conolly, what we are saying now is ‘Well, here we are' to express a sense of arrival. The second half expresses the question many friends are asking, so here goes.

 Since we were unable to find a property that we were willing to buy, we happened upon this property in the nearby area. It is a beautiful building set in well-kept grounds and has some characteristics of the traditional Macedonian mansion. We are very fortunate in our landlord and landlady, aka as l/lordies, who live above, while we rent the ground floor of the building.

                                           

We’ve just dealt with the last packing box and our picture frames are in place. Our nesting phase is well nigh complete. I’m sitting on the patio, overlooking the vineyard, the moody Hortiatis mountain in the background. Nearby four pomegranate trees display their autumnal warmth and gladden the heart.

                                           

Recently while flicking through past pictures and felt pangs of nostalgia for our old house. Then I realized that essentially what I was missing were the good times when we’d shared meals with friends as well as the garden I enjoyed. Physical items that we loved, we brought with us. Patio furniture was an essential purchase.

                        

                          

Z has acquired a little patch of ground and has planted lettuce, onions, rocket and dill. 

 I have assumed responsibility for the rosebushes which I am delighted about.

We are, however, regularly plied with eggs, vegetables and fruit from the owners’ not-so-small holding. Our two fridges are currently groaning with their produce: grapes, pomegranates, courgettes, peppers, cucumbers aubergines and lettuce.  

 We are both very happy to potter around outside, lending a hand when required, but the beauty of life here is that we have no obligations to do anything. I guess this last picture symbolizes how I intend to use at least some of my time.

                                                      

 Life on our Macedonian ‘croft’ is good.  😊

 Stormy Weather

Greece hit the headlines in August and September due to catastrophic events of biblical proportions. Extreme heat over an extended period of time had left much of the country as one huge tinderbox and, despite regular warnings, wildfires raged throughout the country.  

                               

One of the most tragic events was the huge swathes of the Natural Habitat Dadia Forest in Evros – Z’s home area – which continued burning for two entire weeks since the sheer size and very high winds made access extremely difficult. Clearly Forestry Commissions country-wide need to drastically up their management strategies to clear forests of extraneous vegetation, to clear safety corridors within forested areas to prevent flame spread, and to ensure access for firefighters and their vehicles and equipment.

According to the UN Environment Program, both climate change and land-use change will contribute to wildfires becoming a regular feature. Even more tragic and horrifying is data provided by Earth. Org which states that 89% of wildfires occur because of irresponsible human activities e.g. lighting campfires, using malfunctioning equipment, discarding lit cigarettes and committing arson.

In the first week of September, followed the huge storm Daniel, leaving woeful destruction in its path. The National Observatory of Athens registered over 17,000 lightning strikes in its duration.                                                  

And then, of course, came the deluges of rain, particularly in the Pelion area which was hit with a fall of around 103 mm. Bridges and roads were destroyed or rendered impassable. Houses and businesses were destroyed, people remained without power, supplies and, ironically, water for days. The region of Thessaly was very badly affected: over 700 square meters were damaged in what is a significant agricultural belt. Below we see the extent of the flooding where only rooftops can be seen above the flood waters.                                               

Valiant attempts were made to rescue people stranded on their roof-tops, by boat and airlift. In all 200,000 animals are said to have perished, their decomposing bodies posing a further health hazard. The country, its people and economy are left licking their wounds for a long time to come.

                                     

And we were not without some drama, though comparatively unimportant. Early one evening neighbours sounded the alert that a nearby field was on fire and we congregated there in haste, bearing buckets, hoses and branches to keep the flames at bay.

                                             

Fortunately, the fire-fighters arrived very shortly and put the fire out. Suspiciously there was a single hay bale in the field that was burning and this was a place which had recently burst into flames. The result of a local arsenist or problems generating from the overhead electrical wires? We may never know. What was greatly disturbing was to see how quickly the flames could spread in an almost empty field and in only light winds. All too easily this could have become a conflagration putting our homes and lives at risk.                                           

 As I explained to the neighbours, as new arrivals we were hoping they would extend to us a warm welcome, but that was just a tad over the top! :o  May we all stay safe!

The Move

 We’ve just celebrated one month in the new abode. It’s been two months of intensity: sorting, clearing, packing and in intense heat. We’re extremely glad it’s over and that there are now very few items still to be extracted from packing boxes.

 It was interesting to sense the different stages of developing a sense of ‘at homeness’. The first stage was actually welcoming staying guests on day 3 of our move. :0 All credit to Melanie – niece resident in New Zealand – and her daughter, Katie, who braved our premises, and kindly turned a blind eye to mess. By then we had the basic infrastructures in place, so they were readily fed and watered but had to gingerly pick their paths to their beds! I was so pleased to learn that they placed Thessaloniki, her people and food high on their holiday ratings.

                               

The next stage was getting mechanisms in operation to give a sense of a house at work. So preparing meals, doing the laundry and an ironing made one feel more established.

A further milestone was hosting an ouzo-meze lunch for neighbours. We still haven’t got proper patio furniture but we did fine as the meal was a prolonged one! 😊 .

 This week the final stages of settling in were marked when we got our satellite tv connected and our wifi boosters in operation – the local area has a woefully weak signal.

To celebrate properly we invited our neighbours for dinner and Z was able to proudly offer them drinks from his new drinks-cabinet. He has wanted this for ages to house his rather large whisky collection.

                                 

Of course, we drank to two fine toasts:

Kaloriziko and slainte mhath - ‘may you settle in well’ and ‘to your health’!

We're Having A Heat Wave !

 

Dear friends and family from Cyprus to California, from Sheffield to New Zealand have been getting in touch to ask if we’re okay, given media attention to Greek heat wave and wildfires. 

 We are very grateful for everyone’s concern and are fortunate in that, so far, there have been no fires in our immediate area, and fortunate to have those wonderful firefighters and volunteers working tirelessly and selflessly to keep everyone safe.

 It’s also at times like these that one despairs of some fellow men. Frequently every day official announcements are made warning of fire risk, banning entrance to forest areas, etc. So a group of friends are found in a wooded area, with a barbecue going full blast, while drivers are seen chucking lit cigarettes out of car windows. :o Tragic mindsets with tragic consequences!!

As I say, fortunately no fires, but the heatwave – we got that! And it’s a case of history repeating itself. In 2000 when we moved here, it was one of the hottest months recorded.  And now, as we pack and prepare to move house – arggh – these temperatures are not conducive to heavy work, believe me! Above you can see how even in the early morning the heat is with us - there’s no cool-down time. And it’s the Real Feel that is of most concern. Z and I went shopping the other day and, returning at 5pm, what with additional asphalt and urban heat retention, our car thermometer recorded 42oC. Now that for me was what I remember on the odd occasion in Kuwait.  I have never before experienced this phenomenon in Greece. Ever.

As a linguist I am intrigued by the language used to describe these conditions: Very Hot is the common degree of heat, and we see Extreme Heat being used fairly often, but 42 is deemed Dangerous Heat. We are warned of the possible danger of dehydration and heatstroke while doing strenuous activities.

The sunshine is referred to as blazing and even sizzling- and I have certainly felt that I was a sausage being heat-basted!  Heat indicators for us: we mask up the kitchen window to prevent the morning sunshine pushing our fridge into overdrive, the door keys are hot to the touch. It looks as if I’m constantly doing the laundry, but what we have are changes of clothes out to dry off – nightie, damp; clothes used to work in, wet; swimwear, dripping.

Our cats obviously are feeling the heat and instinctively drawn to cooler places, remaining as inactive as possible. We have the a/c on … can you tell??

Like us they don’t have much of an appetite so these days breakfast consists of fingerfuls of tasty Greek yoghurt – creamy and cool.

Moving House?

 

Moving house, ain’t that strange?

 ‘Cos it’s everything else                                                                                                                               that’s involved in the change

 Of residence

Come what will, the house stays still.

Our house is a chaotic scene

Like a poorly managed campsite

You wonder will it ever be empty and clean                                                                                                 Set aright                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              We’re working flat out and the house stays still.

So much accumulation   – who knew?                                                                                                            When will we ever get through                                                                                                                        Sorting and  sifting?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     The boxes we fill. The house stays still

 

 Our house had qualities elastic                                                                                                                     As for cleaning it grew and grew                                                                                                                   But when cramming with stuff                                                                                                                       It was never enough 

in size                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

For twenty-three years it was here we stayed                                                                                                 We have loved this house so dearly                                                                                                                Now the time has come, we’ve paid                                                                                                              our dues                                                                                                                                                       Sadly, we move on, but the house stays still.

 

      PS Apologies! What you see is not poetic licence, but gremlins in the alignment ! :(                                                                                                                                                                                                                

 

                                                                                                           

 

 

 

Halkidiki Treat

  Our Halkidiki treat with my sister and her husband came just at the right time, giving Z’n’me a welcome respite from the demanding home and garden projects we were involved in. The weather, too, lightened up after a week of regular rain squalls and so we readily enjoyed seeing the Gerakini area in all its glorious verdure. There was also a gloriously gnarled olive tree.

                

   

                               

  There is a real concern that some areas in Greece are being over-fished in terms of tourism. Certainly, it is said that the infrastructures of incredibly popular islands such a Mykonos and Santorini cannot continue to cope with the magnitude of the high season ingress. Thought: will they implode or explode?!In Gerakini there were some signs of this phenomenon. You can see the hotel blocks and lines of recliners and umbrellas stretching a fair distance, though nothing like the claustrophobic extent in some of the Spanish resorts.

             

                   

This was early season so there were few locals and most cars parked around were from Romania or Serbia. And it’s not just Greek resorts that can be inundated now – a couple staying near us had been here for a week in May and now 2 weeks in June – to escape the tourist hordes in their home area of Cornwall.

 Our hotel was the 4* Philoxenia Hotel in the Psakoudia area – a large complex with two pools and lots of recreational facilities and events organized.

                                                

 We particularly enjoyed an evening of music provided by the Thessaloniki band The Beetroots. Their singer had the amazing ability not only to sing the songs well but also to emulate the voice. We could almost believe Elvis and Tom Jones singing to us!

                                             

 We were on a full catering programme so we dutifully staggered to the dining area three times a day – we had completely forgotten what hunger felt like! And the access to booze was unlimited so …… :o

                                                     

 The chef, Marinos Chontrolidis, was exceptional. He produced vast buffets with a great variety of very tasty foods. One evening he even manned a gyro stand that was very popular. Our particular favourites were his moussakas, giant beans in tomato sauce, pasta flora as well as light, not-over-sweet doughnuts. Waiters Aris, Ioanna and Markos were always ready to oblige, smiling and up for a wee chat.

Early  morning a band of cleaners, pool tenders and kitchen staff swept into the hotel keeping the services smoothly efficient. Post-Pilates work-out, I went for a seaside walk in the morning cool on the beach. Sometimes the still slightly sluggish brain was better able to unravel tricky crossword clues there.  After breakfast the pool was only six steps from our room and couldn’t be ignored.

I’ll share with you some of the soothing scenes I recorded to remind me of our great break.

                                                                                        

 

On the radio today they announced that Halkidiki was very busy this year. All the reasonably priced accommodation was booked and all that remained were rooms for rent at 150 euros per night! We were so lucky to go when we did. We’re back refreshed and ready to pick up on home and garden projects.

My final shot –taken through the mosquito screen! – is an early morning one of tranquil time.

                                                   

Doing Democracy.

 In deference to our second round of elections which will take place on June 25^th, I will explore the concept and working of the democratic system.

 When I first came to Greece I remember being confused on being told, ‘Here we don’t have a royal family – we have democracy’ – as if the two were mutually exclusive. On more than one occasion I have heard the term being expressed to mean “I can do what I like’ – only sometimes is it said in fun!

                                               

 We probably are all aware of the definition of democracy rendered by Abraham Lincoln: ‘Democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people.’

 A fellow Facebook-user, Pierakis Kimonos, is credited with this description which I really like: ‘Democracy is the freedom to elect your own dictators’.

                                              

 Churchill, too, had a contribution to make on the subject:

Democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. 

Ancient Greece clearly must have a say on the matter. Plato states that it was:

 ‘…. a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and un equals alike.’

Quite simply, in a democracy you have the right to vote – you make your mark on some sort of ballot sheet, under a veil of secrecy, and these votes are collected to be counted. But what exactly happens with these statistics for them to be transmuted into a democratically elected government? Are we fully aware of the ins and outs, the complexities of the electoral systems?

There are three main types of electoral system.

1.       Plurality Electoral Systems

This is also known as ‘First Past the Post’.  There is no majority vote required, it is simply that the candidate who receives most votes is considered the winner and gains a seat.  In Great Britain as well in Canada, the United States and India, the ‘First Past the Post’ system is in operation.

 

2.       Proportional Representation Systems

 These are the most widely used in the world. Here the proportion referenced is the percentage of the total votes (the actual number of valid votes cast) that a party receives and    will be equated into the percentage number of seats awarded it in parliament. So if a party wins 40% of the votes cast, then it is awarded 40% of the seats in parliament.

3.       Majority Electoral Systems

This system requires the winner to win over 50% of the votes cast ie 50% +1 vote to win. If this is not achieved in the first round of balloting, then a second election is held with a reduced number of candidates compared to the first electoral round.

Essentially, this is an oversimplified description. In practice, things are much more complex. In Britain different systems are in operation for elections in the two Houses as well as in local elections. Moreover, the age of suffrage in England and Northern Ireland is 18 years, while in Scotland and Wales people of 16 and over are allowed to vote.

 

  In Greece those who have reached their 17^th birthday are allowed to vote. The 300 parliamentary seats were allocated using a ‘reinforced’ proportional representation system from 2004 to 2016. The Syriza government abolished this, thus denying the 50 bonus seats allocated to the first party. The system they introduced was a ‘party-list proportional representation’ which requires a vote share of at least 45% for a party to be declared the winner. This method almost always requires the formation of a coalition government and if this isn’t possible then a second round of elections must be held. This happened in the recent May elections, thus necessitating a second round to be held on June 25^th.

 Since assuming power, the New Democracy Government repealed the Syriza law and a new system will operate on June 25^th. This once again allows for a bonus seat system but on a sliding scale basis: when the first party has a vote share of 25%, 20 seats will be added - up to a maximum of 50 seats for a vote share of 40% and above.                                                                   

 In ancient times, Greek philosophers long contemplated what the ideal state would be. Socrates proposed a totalitarian regime as the ideal one, where the rulers have all been educated in ruling for decades before taking absolute power.

This may sound extreme but he does have a point. It has been said that the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter! It seems that education - for both candidates and voters alike - is a prerequisite for a healthy democracy.

 May we go to the polling station soon as an informed electorate – let’s dignify democracy!