Fulfilling My Daily Therapeutic Needs
By Helen Grubner. Filed in Uncategorized |
Costas and I – Bar Spetsa
Earlier today while at the beach, I thought I heard a strange bird call from behind … it was Costas, he had come to test the temperature of the water with his hand – “It’s freezing”! I do not know what it is about the Greeks, the sea now is just beautiful although admittedly, not as warm as it will be once Summer arrives. At the moment, the bravest of them are few and far between … some will begin to visit the beach come June, however, for the majority, they will wait until July. That will be much too late for me … my daily dose of sun and sea are my therapy. Greeks generally also tend to wear, in my opinion, far too many clothes … I do feel the cold but obviously not in the same way as they do.
Anyway, as young Alex was at the house as he is most days around noon, recording CD’s for the Bar, Costas was going for coffee. I suggested I pack up in the meantime and join him, which I did at Point of View, after which I returned to the beach until 1430 hours, then walked home via Spetsiotiko to pick up two packs of Patates Tiganites to have with our leftover chicken and a salad for lunch. Today has been extremely warm which called for a siesta this afternoon … at some stage tonight I will go into the Bar.
Last Wednesday was our Name Day … as we walked to Roumani for coffee, Costas seemed to be known to almost every person we passed, all of whom wished him the customary “Kronia Polla” – Many Years. Later at Spetsiotiko, we enjoyed a very simple lunch of Vlita (wild greens) and Babounakia (small red mullet) being two of our favourite dishes. That evening many well wishers came to the Bar, a number bearing gifts for Costas. Ray and Heather were in, also Norma and Joe for their last night on the island. We eventually left for home around 0430 hours.
The following day I was quite content to stay at the house. Costas had bought 2 1/2 kilo of mincemeat and that evening I made it into an excellent meat sauce to have with pasta which we enjoyed the following two days, the remainder now frozen in containers, on hand for when we need it. We eat a lot of salads and most days before heading to the beach, I prepare a large bowl, needing only the dressing when lunchtime arrives. On Sunday, a substantial landowner on the island who has an allotment brought us a bag of wonderfully fresh organic produce including snow peas which I cooked sparingly in butter with garlic then dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper – delicious!
Early Friday evening I began the task of cleaning up a rather untidy, overgrown yard, not going to the Bar until late. It was an unexpectedly busy night for this time of year … the chairs and stools all fully occupied and quite a crowd standing outside. This prompted Costas to call Anna into work from 2300 hours the following evening … alas, the night was much quieter. Anna was telling me about her partner Neil’s website www.spetsesphotography.com … well worth a look at the Spetses scenes and especially the underwater shots Neil has taken around the island. He is an amazing Photographer. When Costas is late home, I always know who the usual suspects are who have kept him out late, two being Roland and Pandelis. On Saturday night they were the last to leave other than ourselves and Anna. Earlier that evening at 1700 hours, we had been to a baptism at the Monastery of Agios Nikolaos, the courtyard of which is an incredibly peaceful and tranquil place. Costas has a relatively new Nikon camera, far far superior to my small Sanyo digital, however, we both enjoyed taking photographs of the gathering crowd and capturing the beauty of the building and surrounds.
Recently Costas informed me that apparently I am the first partner he has had with whom he converses in both English and the Greek language … neither his wife nor previous girlfriends had the level of knowledge of Greek that I have which kind of amazes me. Then, I know many English-speaking people, some who have lived here for years and still they cannot speak more than a handful of words, akin to what a tourist might pick up on a week’s holiday in this wonderful country. I believe I can rightfully feel quite proud of my grasp of the language … a beautiful language it is, there is no doubt.