The Touch of Faith

I have many wonderful friends who collect their clothes at the change of season and clear out their cupboards and pass their unwanted things on to me so that I can, in turn, pass them on to people who really need these once loved possessions – people who have so little having left everything behind in their search for a better life.

There are many agencies and funds that help the needy, but I am committed to Mother Teresa’s centre in downtown Athens. I took a car load of assorted things the other day, clothes, toys, household stuff, and, as always was so touched by the love of the Sisters who feed so many hungry mouths every day, send meals to those who cannot come to the kitchen, give comfort and help to anyone who asks.

These young nuns, in their customary blue edged white habits, all of them from India but coping with life in Greece and the immigrants they care for, always have a ready gentle smile which is a Blessing in itself. They know how to be strict as there are rules about distribution of supplies and it’s not a free for all – everyone gets a chance to get what they need – and it is all done with such love and kindness and respect for fellow human beings that I always leave feeling a mixture of emotions, sadness, shame at my own failings, sorrow for these people who have left their families hoping for something unobtainable in their own countries or just the chance to send help home, but somehow knowing that with God’s help through these Sisters there is Hope. Whilst there are people to help with love and compassion, there has to be Hope.

Mother Teresa is credited with many wonderful sayings. My favourites are

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love”

“Peace begins with a smile”

“God doesn’t require us to succeed, only that we should try”

And as I have a very special relationship with my Guardian Angel who watches over me every minute of every day and night and whom I have sorely tested on many occasions:

“Never travel faster than your Guardian Angel can fly”

No recipes from the Coscoros Kitchen today apart from urging you to mix up a brew of love, understanding, compassion and tolerance in equal quantities and sip from it regularly!

Wishing you sunshine, and love, and Hope, whatever the weather.

Agapanthos from my garden - aka Love Flower - no coincidence that I chose it!

You too can be a happy granny

Although already a “step” grandma to two adorable little boys I am soon to be a fully fledged, card-carrying granny to my son and his wife’s first baby – another boy.

All my granny girl friends have been giving me advice on this special job and they have all, without exception, become completely dotty about their grandchildren which clearly is par for the course and I look forward to becoming dotty with them!

Being a grandparent is nothing at all like being a parent and I don’t mean simply that you can hand the child back to its parents at the end of the visit: today’s parents do things quite differently from when they were brought up (by us) – not better or worse, just differently. But the world is a different place – is it true that all babies are provided with a cell phone and IPad at birth before they can leave the hospital? From the moment the baby goes home – in a regulation car seat instead of cradled in its mother’s arms – very little is as I remember it.

I discovered a website that is there to help all new and existing grandparents, mainly in the USA but the ideas and products etc must be available in many countries, help them negotiate the complicated mine field of getting it right with ones daughter or daughter in law and not being old fashioned.  The name of the website confused me at first as I thought originally it was something delicious to eat! Check it out if you have or are planning to have grandchildren 

www.grandmasdelights.com

I am sure you will find it enlightening, helpful and extensive in its coverage of so many facets of being a grandparent – I know it will be of use to me and I shall be the most perfect granny of all time – dotty like all the rest (including the editor of this site!) but prepared for all eventualities.

Wishing you sunshine, and happy babies, whatever the weather.

Olives - ancient and modern

I am a member of the Women’s International Club, Athens – a group of around 200 ladies of over 35 different nationalities, from all walks of life, some permanently resident in Greece and some passing through; we are all committed to fostering friendship and the exchange of cultures and interests in an informal atmosphere. It is a remarkable organisation that has a miraculous way of seeing one through thick and, sometimes, very thin, whatever life/the Universe decides should cross your path! The friendships made stand the test of time and distance.

In 2008 I had the honour of being the WIC President, having been on the Executive Board numerous times in all the positions, and at our June General Meeting we were lucky enough to be hosted at the residence of the Swiss Ambassador in his glorious garden under the trees and amongst the flowers. Our speaker was a producer of Olive Oil and he told us everything we would ever need to know about olives, the oil, how to distinguish the best, the different flavours and colours – literally “everything you wanted to know, but were afraid to ask …”. He very generously offered each guest a little sapling olive tree and I am thrilled to show you how mine have grown (being President I received 2!), in small pots to quite sizeable trees in 4 years that bear fruit each autumn – not enough to go into competition, but give them time …….

Pendelis, the expert, is Greek and has a wonderful Brazilian wife who spreads sunshine wherever she goes and ,believe it or not, they met because of mosquitoes – Maria was writing a PhD thesis on what you and I would consider a major irritation, and who did she bump into but another brilliant mind and that was that! They are a lovely family and the following is what I have written about their work – the main thing for me is that I can now find, not only Greek Olive Oil in England when I visit, but the very best Greek Olive Oil – my life is complete!
www.theoliveconnoisseur.com for olive oil, beauty products, wine and your own olive tree!



Pendelis, the Expert, with sapling



Maria, the Expert's Expert, me

Olive Oil, colours and tastes

All Greeks are connoisseurs of Olive Oil and most have their own olive trees, even if they are only lining the road outside their apartment block; those who have sufficient trees, and hence sufficient olives, will have their own small production of oil and/or olives for eating.

Sapling from www.theoliveconnoisseur.com

My 42 years of Greek living have made me an ‘expert’ along with the best of them and I know a good oil when I taste it; olive oil is part of every day of my life, from frying a freshly laid egg, to being the second most important ingredient of taramosalata, to dressing a salad and mopping up the juices, to mixing with lemon juice and pouring over grilled fish or lobster (or in the mayonnaise if that is the preference), to adding to boiled vegetables, potatoes, zucchini, greens, or even adding a very unique taste and moistness to a lemon and yogurt cake!

I have come a long way from my English childhood when “olive oil” was sold at the pharmacy and was used, warmed, for ear ache or to rub on the chest to alleviate a cough – which, of course, are still valid uses and cure all!

All the above qualifies me for giving a very well-informed opinion concerning the quality of a specific olive oil which in this case refers to the oil I have been fortunate enough to use for several years now and as I have become friends with the producers I am assured of a guaranteed supply without any danger of ever running out – the thought of which would keep me awake nights with panic! I have visited their olive groves and seen their methods which are of the finest and most professional – to see every stage from blossom to pouring is quite a privilege and to see the love with which they nurture and protect the trees in their care is comforting and inspiring –these are people who really take their stewardship very seriously indeed and who want only to produce the very best

This glorious olive oil is perfect for every use from bread dunking to the most elaborate gourmet dish; the colour and scent are always reliable and the Taste – just perfect – a gift of the Gods.

I have given presentation bottles to friends as a special gift and take a sufficient quantity with me for holidays at our summer home on a Cycladic island – it is the only olive oil I use and that makes me very happy. Even the packaging is of the most convenient with a marvellous tap that avoids the drama of pumping and spilling this precious liquid from the usual containers!

I cannot recommend this oil highly enough.

www.theoliveconnoiseur.com

Wishing you Sunshine and wonderful Olives, whatever the weather!

2000 year old Olive Tree! What stories it could tell!

PS: The best, and easiest Taramosalata:

Soak about 100gr of stale-ish white bread in water, when completely soft, put in a sieve and strain to get out all the water.

In your food processor whizz a spring onion, add 100gr of tarama (white carp roe – I don’t use the pink stuff as it has colouring in it), then throw in the softened bread

Whizz, whizz, slowly pour in your glorious Olive Oil and it will all come together – you actually need quite a lot otherwise the taste of the tarama will be too strong.

Add lemon juice, preferably from your own tree, to taste.

And there you are! Serve with crackers, crudités or crusty country bread. It also keeps for a few days in the fridge.

 Serve

Jubilee versus Beach, Champagne versus Iced Tea

I spent Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee weekend on a Cycladic island, glued to my IPad (I don’t have a television there – by choice – see other Post about reading during the summer instead of watching the box) following the coverage, minute by minute on the BBC –  the BBC apparently received a lot of complaints about their coverage of the celebrations, but that was by people who had a choice, Sky, CNN, ITV – I didn’t have a choice and thought the BBC was wonderful!

It was all a bit surreal, in a Mediterranean garden, filled with oleanders, jasmin, plumbago, crickets doing their noisy thing, Basil plants visibly growing in the sunshine, me in Bermudas, or a swimsuit in preparation to going to the beach, sipping iced tea, tears of emotion streaming down my face as I watched the crowds, the river pageant, the flags, the rain, Heston’s picnic baskets  (they looked and sounded totally delicious, but not very substantial, especially if that meal was to see the lucky ones through until after the concert!). Every now and then, the crystal sea and empty beach beckoned, but not hard enough to drag me away from the screen – the sea would be there another day, God Willing, but the Diamond Jubilee would be only once and won hands down!

I loved Prince Charles’ tribute to his mama which showed old family films of his family, holidays, dogs and behind the scenes at his mother’s Coronation – seeing Charles and his sister jumping off sand dunes with complete abandon was such a fresh change from all the health and safety regulations that stop children from getting a scratch or bruise!

The concert was amazing, truly mind blowing – I loved it all, but most especially seeing the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Royal Box bopping away with the rest of them! My sort of priest!

And much to the extreme amusement of the friends I have told, I jumped to my feet each and every time the National Anthem was sung and sung along on my Greek island so far away from the action and yet feeling monumentally proud to be British and to have such a remarkable Queen.

I actually watched the Coronation 60 years ago, as a small child I hasten to add, on our 12” television in a walnut cabinet and then saw the procession through the Park as we lived in Mayfair at the time and could see it go by; but even before that I had a doll replica of Princess Elizabeth in her wedding dress that I think I still have in a trunk somewhere. Even earlier, in the mists of time, I performed in a pageant at Hampton Court Palace, England through the Ages, or some such, and I danced before Queen Mary in a re-enactment of the War of the Roses. My mother was a million percent royalist and I follow proudly in her steps.

 

Hampton Court Palace Pageant circa 1950

I captured several hundred photos on the IPad from the BBC and really will sort out my favourites but, today, because I want to share, I include only one that seems to epitomise how special the British people are:

   Proud to be British

And if I felt watching the Jubilee from a Cycladic island was surreal, watching the Trooping of the Colour today, again with tears of emotion and leaping to my feet with each roll of the drums whilst all the other TV channels are discussing Greece’s Election tomorrow – even more surreal, such a mixture of emotions – the terrible anxiety felt by everyone is palpable and not really knowing what to hope for; oh dear, too, too awful! Greece is such a wonderful place and has so much to offer – I hope it is given the chance.

              Paradise, aka Cycladic island

I thought at one moment my friends at the BBC were showing the crowd scene from the Jubilee weekend but then I realised that the stage had gone from the Victoria memorial and it was today, more crowds, more amazing crowd control by the wonderful police and happy people as the thousands poured down the Mall, again, for the Balcony scene and the flyover – more proud tears!

Recipe for the best iced tea:

I use a glass container with a pouring lid that fits comfortably in the fridge door shelf.

Although I don’t take sugar in anything I do think that iced tea needs a little sugar to bring out the flavour – like salt in food.

So, I put 2 level tablespoons of sugar in my jug and pour on a little boiling water to dissolve it – swish it around until it is clear.

I use 3 teabags of strong black tea, PG Tips, Yorkshire, and once the sugar has dissolved I fill up the jug with cold water and add the teabags. (cold water ensures that the tea is clear).

Leave to stand until the tea has infused the water and then refrigerate.

You can add lemon rind and/or ginger pieces at the beginning with the sugar and boiling water to add some zing.

BUT, my total favourite of the moment is to add an infusion made with hibiscus flowers – 3 tablespoons of dried hibiscus flowers cover with about 250ml boiling water and left to infuse; strain and then add to the black tea (don’t fill the jug full of cold water if you are going to add this glorious deep red, delicately flavoured juice).

You can use any tea in the same way, green, jasmine, white, Earl Grey – but make sure you make it strong.

PS Hibiscus flowers are very good for you, full of Vitamin C and a mild diuretic but so, so refreshing!

As always, wishing you Sunshine, whatever the weather!

Something other than "the situation"

It has been a glorious Spring here in Greece – as though Nature insists on proving that as long as there are flowers, bees, butterflies and lots of cheeky, noisy blackbirds then there is Hope. And the flowers, blossom and shiny new leaves have been quite breathtaking this year!

So I walk the dog in the cool of the morning, with my camera ready to snap away at wisteria, lilac, roses, poppies and chamomile, just to record the extraordinary splendour of being part of the rebirth after the cold winter when most people piled on the jumpers instead of using priceless heating fuel and, as I walk, I put the world to rights.

At one section of our daily stroll there are banks of acanthus plants with their huge, glossy, lush leaves and stiff pokers of white and grey flowers and it made me wonder if a Greek sculptor back in 500BC, possibly also walking his dog in Corinth, looked at the same leaves and flowers and thought to himself “oh they’d be good on top of a column, bit tricky to carve, well, much harder than a Doric and quite a bit harder than the symmetrical curves of an Ionic – but it would be fun to try and think how grand they’d look – wonder if it would catch on?”

  

 Well, we know the answer to that as there are Corinthian columns all over the world, no self-respecting neo-classical building would be complete without them so as I continue to walk the dog and put the world to rights I will say a special ‘thank you’

 to that unknown craftsman, his Eureka moment,

and the beauty that he created that lives on today.

Corinthian Columns, Temple of Zeus, Photography: stevetopper.com

www.stevetopper.com