Beginning of the week

Hi there,
I hope you all had a nice weekend.
We spent it at home with J's fever reaching 40. Luke warm baths and echinacaea with some spoonfulls of anti-fever syrup. He is better now, c.38+, but he still has the caughing and some new stomach issues...Eating rice like a Chinese man. C hasn't been feeling well either. His fever is c.37+. I don't know if it is my man or every man, but when it comes to the flu, I think men are worse than babies.

We began redecorating the shop. The new bed is very stylish. Very urban style chic. Will show you pictures. Quite tricky to set up as it is a completely new style, but we'll learn. Lots of work to be done tomorrow.

D and I watched Four Christmases tonight after I came home from work.Just what I needed. Relaxed, heartwarming and light hearted.

Over the weekend C placed the lights outside the house.(Picture taken earlier tonight, while I was collecting the laundry). The rugs are in place in the living room, too. I like them better this year than last year!
We haven't decorated the Christmas trea yet, but we do have a real one this year which we shall plant after the end of the holidays. Plus three real ones at the shop which we shall be donating to the community after Christmas.

I have taken some pictures of the house in the quiet hours of Sunday morning. I had very little sleep, so I when I finally decided it;s better to wake up and get dressed, the light was such a blessing. I'll show you in a while.
Take care,
xoxo

Show and Tell Friday-Europe

Hello dear friends,
you may recall from last week's post that some old books have found their way to my bookshelves recently. Let me show you today a very special one. First of all it is a gift for which I'm very hankful.

It is a book about Europe. I love travel companions. The world is so big and so beautiful and diverse, and we probably won't see but a tiny part of it in our lifetime. What a nice way to travel back in time simultaneously...

I love old lithographs and books with old fashioned paintings. Wouldn't you love to travel across the Atlantic on that steamer?

There are pictures from across Europe. The time, not that far away, when people still put on their traditional costumes. What a wealth!

Here we are in Greece. There are modern time miracles, too. Like the Isthmus of Corinth, the canal which connects the Peloponnesus peninsula with mainland Greece. It was built in 1893, effectively making the Peloponnesus...an island, and fascilitating boat traffic.

Look at these girls. What kind of life did they lead? They were certainly quite priviledged, since they went to school.

I love this passage...I think I'll put it somewhere on my blog! (Click all pictures to view larger)

Thank you for stopping by today. And Thank You Cindy for hosting. See you all next week.

Have we got the flu?

Hello dear friends,
J woke up this morning with a temperature. And caugh. And a sore throat. And I got up with a headache. Does it mean we've got the flu? Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps!
Schools are all shut down as of yesterday. ALL of the schools in the region.
I'm right now holding the fort at the shop, while C and the girls are shaping up J's bedroom. It's not exactly a quarantine, but he ought to and does need to spend more time there, anyway. I am told they just put up his new curtains. They have been on the making for a year now! And a new cover for his bed. I'm not sure it will be picture worthy, but if it is, I'll show you a glimpse.
We are redecorating the shop for Christmas on Monday and Tuesday. I hope I'll be in a position to do so by then. Most of the furniture is here but I miss quite a lot of the linen.
Yesterday I woke up early, by myself. I did 10 min yoga, then 30 min on the treadmill. It felt great!
I have began reading Sarah Palin's book Going Rogue: An American Life. I find the insight fascinating and the reading is flowing. I admire women who follow their vision. Doing so in politics is even harder. I am also reading High Wages by Dorothy Whipple. I haven't read a novel that kept me reading on in quite some time. I did a course on the Industrial Revolution in College and the cotton mills and all that time come so alive in this book! I want to listen to I Dreamed A Dream by Susan Bolyle. What a voice she has!
There. That's what is going on here. Sending you good wishes and kind thoughts. Talk to you soon!

Obama not American?

From The Times

New recipes I'm trying

Found and shared today: One to be cooked this week, one to wait until the weekend.

A.Tomato and leek Risotto

Our little J loves a similar soup with small pasta. I, however, am a rice addict so discovering this recipe was a pleasant surprise. It's not exactly a soup, but it sounds tasty, and as it is meat and dairy free (I shall replace the chicken stock with organic vegetable one), it is perfect for a little Lenten experimentation.

(Credit: Souvlaki for the Soul)

Ingredients

a good amount of olive oil to coat your pan or pot plus a small knob of butter

1 leek, washed and thinly sliced (green stalky ends discarded)
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
1 large grated carrot
500 grams of cooked tomato sauce or 2 cans of pureed tomatoes
2 cups of chicken stock
1 and 1/2 cups of basmati rice
1 teaspoon of ground chilies
1 teaspoon of smoky paprika
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
a handful of finely chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Method


Saute the leeks, garlic and carrot in some olive oil and butter until they become translucent.
Add the tomatoes and cover allowing it to cook for about 15 mins or until the sauce begins to thicken.
Add the remaining ingredients except the rice and bring to a boil.
Add the rice, stir thoroughly and reduce the heat.
Cover the pot and let it simmer on a low heat for 15 mins until the rice is just tender BUT the liquid has NOT all been absorbed.
Remove from the heat and place a kitchen towel between the lid and the pot and let it rest until the rice has swollen. The residual heat will allow this to cook a little further.
Serve at room temperature with an optional dollop of Greek yogurt (if you prefer). Kids love the rice and yoghurt combo, C's idea.


B. Doughnuts

There is a little story about these daughnuts. When we were living in Athens and F was a little over 1, I discovered ready-made, jam filled daughnuts at a huge super market (huge by Greek standards, and taking into account that large German chains had not shown up yet) a few miles away from our home-and the in-laws. Our finances were very tight as I was not working and I was expecting D. However, once a month, C would drive us to this super market (french chain Carrefour) to get the following necessary amenities:
Raspberry jam filled daughnuts
Two bunches of flowers (unheard of and still not to be found in our city)
International press (thankfully I now subscribe and there are two spots of international press in this city)
I tell you, that was bliss. The closest to a civilised bath in the desert.
When we got back home, I'd put the flowers in glasses, and in our room ( show not the world the extravagance), we'd share the daughnuts (there were four in the packet), and I'd get to read my newspaper or magazine.
I am sure I have somewhere a photo of F with confectioner's sugar all around her mouth!

Ingredients

1 teaspoon dried yeast
1/4 cup (50 ml) lukewarm milk or water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons sour cream or vegetable oil
A pinch of salt
2 or 3 drops of vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups (250 g) flour, plus a little more if necessary
Oil for deep-frying
Apricot, red-currant, or raspberry jam
Confectioners' sugar to sprinkle on

Method

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk or water with 1 teaspoon of sugar and leave for 10 minutes, until it froths. Beat the rest of the sugar with the egg and the yolk. Add the sour cream or oil, the salt, vanilla, and yeast mixture, and beat very well. Fold in the flour gradually, and continue beating until you have a soft, smooth, and elastic dough, adding more flour if necessary. Then knead for 5 minutes, sprinkling with a little flour if it is too sticky. Coat the dough with oil by pouring a drop in the bowl and turning the dough in it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.

Knead the dough again for a few minutes, then roll out on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin to 1/4-inch (1/2-cm) thickness. With a pastry cutter, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) rounds. Make a ball out of the scraps so as not to waste them, roll out, and cut into rounds. Put a teaspoon of jam in the center of a round of dough, brush the rim with a little water to make it sticky, and cover with another round. Press the edges together to seal. Continue with the rest of the rounds and arrange them on a floured tray. Leave them to rise for about 30 minutes.

Heat 1-1/2 inches of oil in a saucepan to medium hot. Drop in the doughnuts, a few at a time. Fry in medium-hot oil for 3-4 minutes with the lid on until brown, then turn and fry the other side for 1 minute more. Drain on paper towels. Serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar. They are at their best when still warm and fresh.

VARIATION

An easier way is to fry a thicker round of dough--about 1/2 inch (1 1/4 cm) thick--and when it is cool enough to handle, cut a slit with a pointed, serrated knife and put in a teaspoonful of jam
 
(With thanks to Liberty Post)

Enjoy!

Awakenings-Islam in Europe

In recent years successive Greek governments have been under increasing pressure to allow the building of a large mosque in Athens. As the number of Islamic immigrants has increased dramatically in the past decade, Muslims have been executing ntheir religious rights in open air gatherings in parks and squares or in private residencies and makeshift mosques. For years the late Archbishop Christodoulos had resisted the pressure and he was outspoken on the sbject of Turkey's entry in the European Union.
Several "non-governmental" organizations such as Amnesy International have been urging and often  succeeding in seeking the condemnation of Greece for not allowing the building of mosques.
Apart from their role in spreading multiculturalism these people and organisations seem to suffer from selective amnesia.

Greece has been for thousands of years the rock against which splashed the waves of Eastern invasions, from the Persians to the Turks. Hundrends of Leaders from King Leonidas of Sparta in 480 B.C. to Constantine Paleologos, the last emperor of the Byzantine Empire, in 1453, have offered their lives as a sacrifice of the European people against the hords of barbarians flooding our lands.

(Oil painting by Iannis Nikou)

It is more than hypocritical to talk to us about human rights, when we fell under the Ottoman sword suffering nearly 400 years of oppression until the Greek Revolution of 1821 that gave to a relatively small part of what used to be Greece, its freedom. We still have several mosques and minarets standing following international treaties.

In the strugle to keep our homeland free, other European nations followed suit, defending Christianity in the Holy Land, and on European soil as in Vienna , Austria, in 1683 when Prince Eugene of Savoy saved Western Europe from the clasp of the Ottoman Turks.

Unfortunately, while Greeks are under the spell of media and intelligencia orchistrated propaganda, some nations refuse to surrender their identity to the mass marketed world soup. As reports the BBC:

(Picture credit The Telegraph)

"Swiss voters have supported a referendum proposal to ban the building of minarets, official results show.

More than 57% of voters and 22 out of 26 cantons - or provinces - voted in favour of the ban.
The proposal had been put forward by the Swiss People's Party, (SVP), the largest party in parliament, which says minarets are a sign of Islamisation.
The government opposed the ban, saying it would harm Switzerland's image, particularly in the Muslim world.
But Martin Baltisser, the SVP's general secretary, told the BBC: "This was a vote against minarets as symbols of Islamic power."
The BBC's Imogen Foulkes, in Bern, says the surprise result is very bad news for the Swiss government which fears unrest among the Muslim community.
Our correspondent says voters worried about rising immigration - and with it the rise of Islam - have ignored the government's advice.
In a statement, the government said it accepted the decision.
It said: "The Federal Council (government) respects this decision. Consequently the construction of new minarets in Switzerland is no longer permitted." (...)
Switzerland is home to some 400,000 Muslims and has just four minarets.
After Christianity, Islam is the most widespread religion in Switzerland, but it remains relatively hidden.
There are unofficial Muslim prayer rooms, and planning applications for new minarets are almost always refused.
Supporters of a ban claimed that allowing minarets would represent the growth of an ideology and a legal system - Sharia law - which are incompatible with Swiss democracy.
Amnesty International said the vote violated freedom of religion and would probably be overturned by the Swiss supreme court or the European Court of Human Rights.
Elham Manea, co-founder of the Forum for a Progressive Islam, added: "My fear is that the younger generation will feel unwelcome.
"It's a message that you are not welcome here as true citizens of this society."


In recent years countries across Europe have been debating how best to integrate Muslim populations.
France focused on the headscarf, while in Germany there was controversy over plans to build one of Europe's largest mosques".

What is also interesting to see, is the reaction of some Muslim readers in the BBC forums. Apart from the obvious cliches, one reads messages such as these:

We should not misjudge the Swiss people as they are simply trying to protect their own culture and religion and there is nothing wrong in that.Saudis and Pakistanis are doing that all the time. l. We should not over-react. KAYSVAN, SHAH ALAM

Religions should be practised in privacy - whether Europe or elsewhere, this being personal faith of individual.Swiss people have certainly showed their good understanding for future generations.
Ram Mehrotra, Delhi, India

May I close this long post with two posts coming from England.
One says:

So, let me see if I understand this....

The Goevernment let the people vote on this issue.
The people decided that they do not want Minarets.
The Government do not agree with the decision but, as Switzerland is a fair and civilised country, they are prepared to uphold and stand by the decision their people have made....
What a strange system they have - Perhaps we could try it some time Gordon!


msea biscuit, East Chinnock, United Kingdom

And here is a comment by a very sweet as it turns out, great-grandfather:

Minarets and religion are just symptoms of a problem. Let's face the facts. It is a natural instinct of humans to defend and preserve their racial background, culture and history. Anything perceived as a threat to those qualities is regarded by most as invasive and obnoxious, and so it has been throughout history. Man-made laws to eradicate so-called "racism" cannot change human inborn instinct.

So the Swiss vote should not surprise anybody. It's the way we are made.

[Anglobert], Surrey, United Kingdom

On another similar subject:

We have, since the 1950s, been politically brainwashed into accepting mass immigration to the UK. Anti-racist laws have been passed to stifle free speech on the subject.

Of course, my grandchildren accept our present society but, sadly, they cannot enjoy the proud, united, patriotic, lawabiding nation that I did before, during and after WW2.
Immigration is the one subject on which we should have had a referendum in the 1950s. You are now just wasting your time, Mr Brown. Decades too late.

(Let us hope and pray it is not)

On an entirely different subject that of "What makes a happy marriage" he had this to say:

Happy marriage? I marvel at my good fortune. In our 60th year of marriage, four great and happily married children, 11 lovely grandchildren and a g/grandchild, we have never had a serious dispute. I'll die with a thankful smile.

Lucky! Had served in WW2 and was at a loose end. A local girl asked me to go with her on a Church ramble. Me, on a ramble? My dear Mum told me it would do me good and persuaded me to go. Met this little Irish girl who still bowls me over. Lucky old me. Thanks, Mum!!

Wish us the same luck, Sir!

November 30th : Apostle Andreas the First-Called

Troparion

Andrew, first-called of the Apostles

and brother of the foremost disciple,

entreat the Master of all

to grant peace to the world

and to our souls great mercy. 

Kontakion

Let us praise Andrew, the herald of God,

the namesake of courage,

the first-called of the Savior's disciples

and the brother of Peter.

As he once called to his brother, he now cries out to us:

"Come, for we have found the One whom the world desires!" 

St.Andrew is the patron saint of  the city of Patras, Greece, where he was crucified on a cross in the shape of an "X," the first letter of "Christ" in Greek; this cross is also the symbol of Saint Andrew.Read more obout his life here.

A bright new day

A new leader was elected tonight for Greece's conservative New Democracy party. Antonis Samaras was my personal favorite and I am delighted by his overwhelming victory inspite of all the odds.

Born 23 May 1951, he is an MP for Messinia, Peloponnesus, Southern Greece. Messinia as well as Elis, Laconia and Arcadia offered him over 90% of their votes. As I am related to all these regions through both my paternal and maternal families, I am proud of my fellow countrymen and women. But C's paternal region of Epirus, NW Greece, also offered him a good percentage of over 60%, so well done people.

Samaras was best known for the controversy he caused in 1993, when he took a firm stand on the so-called Macedonia issue, that is the claim of the former Yugoslav state of Vardarska over the name and history of Macedonia, Greece. Samaras as a Foreign Minister rebuked the claims, fell out of favor and was removed from his post and with the MPs that took a stand and followed him, he effectively caused the New Democracy government to fall from power.

A decade later and after founding his own party that won two seats in both National and European elections, he returned to the New Democracy party and earlier this year was made Minister of Culture.  In this capacity he had the honor to inaugurate the new Acropolis Museum, a very good omen for his future.

Born in Athens, Samaras graduated from Amherst College in 1974 with a degree in economics and from Harvard University in 1976 with an MBA. He is the son of the late Dr. Constantine Samaras, Professor of Cardiology and the late Lena, née Zannas, a maternal granddaughter of my all time favorite author and long time role model Penelope Delta (pictured below with two of her three daughters)

His paternal uncle, George Samaras, was a long standing member of Parliament for Messinia in the 1950s and '60s. Samaras is married to Georgia, née Kretikos; they have a daughter, 18, and a son, 11.

It is my hope and the hope of the Greeks who voted for him that in the difficult times of turmoil that we are set to face, with bitter attacks against our country and our religion, Samaras will live up to his past and his family's history and will encourage Greeks to stand up for their ideals.

May God help him.

Show and Tell Friday-New Old books

Hello and welcome to my "Show and Tell". Today I am going to share with you some new old books added to my vintage collection. I have now a few old Scouting books to keep alive the memory of my lovely years as a Girl Guide and Cub Scout Leader.

There is also N.V.Peale's 'The Art of Living'

And there is a book of songs

This book of songs has such lovely old classics. So tender and different from today's noise masquerading as music...
Hmmm! I think I must organise a serious destash to make room for my new nostalgic beauties. A nice company for Shristmas, don't you think?

Thank you for stopping by my 'Show and Tell' and 'Thank You' to Cindy for hosting. See you next week!

Skywatch Friday-Winter Blue

Can you spot three birds flying West? Yes? Here they are.

Thank you for stopping by! 

With special thanks to the Skywatch people.

Enjoy Thanksgiving!

Thankful Thursday

Hi!
Thankful for
Lunch with our best couple friends
Good children
Nice customers
A new job in the making
My new faux-pearl necklace
The attic
Books
Free blogger templates
God's love
You
And Iris for hosting.

Happy Thankful Joyful Thanksgiving

Russian Orthodox priest shot in Moscow

Ever since the end of the Communist era, Christianity in Russia has been on the rise. Russians who are by their nature a romantic and pious people fill the churches on major feasts and in every occasion proclaim their devotion to their once forbidden faith.

Russians as is with most nations of Slavic origin were converted from paganism to Christianity by two Greek monks, two brothers born in Thessaloniki, Sts Cyril and Methodius (read more about them here) and they follow the Greek-Orthodox rite.
I just read that a Russian Orthodox priest, Fr.Daniil Sysoyev, was assassinated inde the church he was serving. I only now discovered his blog (found here, click on the Google translation bar to translate in English).

A masked gunman shot Father Daniil Sysoyev in the head and chest after asking for him by name, police said. The choirmaster, Vladimir Strelbinsky, was seriously wounded in the attack at St Thomas Church in southern Moscow.

Father Daniil, 35, died of his wounds in hospital late last night. A Russian newspaper reported that he had recently told its journalists of 14 death threats by telephone and e-mail, which he had received as a result of his work among Muslim migrants from former Soviet republics.
Father Daniil’s missionary zeal was extremely unusual in Russia, where the main faiths have an unspoken agreement not to seek converts among each other’s adherents.

Alexander Verkhovsky, of the SOVA Centre, which monitors hate crimes in Russia, said: “In our country it’s accepted that, among the main religions, people don’t preach in each other’s circle of influence.”
However, Father Daniil also had enemies among Russian nationalist groups and admirers of Joseph Stalin, whom he criticised on his blog for ignoring the murders of innocent people. The priest also made enemies among radical Russian pagans for his efforts to persuade people to leave religious cults.


(From The Times)

Below is Fr.Daniil's post of November 7:
(Translated from the Russian by Google)

By the day of the Revolution


Today is a rainy day calendar. Servants of Satan for 70 years, took over Russia, and destroyed it, millions of Christians.


But the worst thing that contagion of communism indestructible until the Second Coming of the Lord. After all, the root of this evil in the devil's envy. It is often called a sense of social justice. People feel the oppression of this passion, sincerely believe themselves righteous, murdering those whom they called their fists or parasites, because they work better.


We often hear that this or that nothing was accused of kulaks, because he was just a good worker. But crime Communists simply that is what they killed, raped and robbed by those who did not like them. There is no evil in the fact that you're rich. If you are at the same time to support the weak, help the poor, care for the Church. But for the red plague itself is wealth - evil. But inevitably, and God himself became disgusted with the Communists. After all, he super-rich. Envy inevitably leads to the destruction of all. After all, envy - the case of Satan the destroyer. It is no accident that communism could not do anything for the average person. He could only kill, but not able to build. In the wise words of Solomon: A sound heart - life for the body, and envy - rottenness of the bones". (Prit.14: 30) And it did. Communism putrefied bones of those who believed him rot in real Butovskii ditches.


It is no coincidence that despite all attempts to catch up and overtake America, all of the Soviet population lived in poverty. Even members of the CPSU lived worse than an ordinary manager now. After "in a hurry to get rich hath an evil eye, and did not think that poverty shall come upon him." (Prit.28: 22)


Envy - the cause of the fall of Adam. Envy - the cause of deicide. Envy - the mother of communism. Envy waits for the lake of fire.


But as our Bible lesson a day, 7 November: "Do not eat the bread of a man who not desirous of his dainties: for he thinketh in his heart, so is he," Eat and drink, "he says to you, but his heart is not with you. Morsel which thou hast eaten izblyuesh, and kind words you spend your naprasno.V ears of a fool do not tell, because he will despise the wisdom of thy words. " (Prit.23 :6-9)


So it is important to beware of the Orthodox communion with the Communists. not eat with them, much less make friends with them. They are infected with leprosy devil. And if they do not repent of their diabolical envy, then you and me that they infect.

I totally agree.

May God rest Fr. Daniil's soul and lead us in His eternal ways.

November 26th: St.Stylianos

St. Stylianos (6th century) is the patron saint of children born and yet to be born. He loved the Lord Jesus Christ with his whole heart and lived in strict asceticism. When he fell asleep in the Lord, his face shone like the sun and an angel appeared to take his soul to Glory. His prayers have worked many miracles, both during his earthly life and since. He is of special help to children who are ill and to childless couples. He is known as a protector of orphans.

I am thankful for my children and bless God's name.

Troparion

Holy Stylianos, thou wast a tower of abstinence
and an unshaken pillar of the Church.
Dedicated to God from thy youth,
thou didst become a dwelling-place of the Spirit.
O righteous Father, intercede with Christ our God
to grant us His great mercy.

Read about the Saint's life here.

November 25th :St.Catherine

Let us praise the all-lauded and noble bride of Christ,

the godly Catherine, the guardian of Sinai and its defense,

who is also our support and succour and our help;

for with the Holy Spirit's sword

she hath silenced brilliantly the clever among the godless;

and being crowned as a martyr, she now doth ask great mercy for us all. 

 

Read more about the Saint here. Visit the website of the Holy Monastery of St.Catherine on Mt.Sinai here.