A weekend to write home about

It is quite late, early in the morning actually, but as I cannot blog from work, I shall give you an update of our weekend.
On Saturday C and I went to the memorial service for our next door neighbour's father. He fell off the stairs three months ago, and after awhile he passed away. As is the custom, there was a 40 day service, which we attended.


We drove up the mountains to our neighbour's native village. It is very much in the same region as C's village, actually, only further away. I hadn't been there before.
The people we asked on the way were very kind and smiling and they gave us the right directions.



Later we sat with the family for lunch, as is the custom among the Greeks from the Ancient times. First there was coffee, the bitter Greek coffee variety (the strongest and richest in anti-oxidents, btw) , followed by pies, cheese pie, spinach pie and chicken pie. Followed by the tenderest veal roast with rice and french fries in tomato sauce. All washed down by cold beer. That from 10 a.m. onwards. As the beer flowed, so did the conversations about politics, the state of things, salaries and national budget. A proper Greek Agora, only some thousand years later.
We greeted everyone and left, wishing that next time we meet, it will be for joy.


Sunday afternoon I had earache of the screw driver kind. I called the pediatrician at 11p.m. She told me to take a painkiller and go to the hospital first thing in the morning. So, Sunday morning, we left the children sleeping but for J who was watching the early morning cartoon shows, and after buying the Sunday papers, we drove to the hospital for an emergency appointment. We left at 1p.m. The good news is that the doctor-to-be was a customer of ours, and he was quite sensitive when I asked him about his newborn who was in intensive care with an infection. Thank God, she's doing fine, now.
He suggested I see a neurologist about the headaches (a three-month appointment, unless I go private). About the ear, he didn't give me an antibiotic. Everyone is more careful these days due to the flu epidemic. But I have to give my nostrils a shower three times/day and some cortisone drops, to clear the way to the water pit that has become my ear.
Thank God the great healer and His little helpers.

After that we went for a coffee, and that is when I got to read the newspaper supplements that are my favorites. Arts, fashion, music, museums, I love them. We had fruit for lunch, as it was very hot and no one was in the mood for anything more substantial.

In the evening we baked some aubergines and made a lovely melitzanosalata (try to say that fast!), an egg plant salad with onion, garlic, olive oil, parsley and oregano, with some pitas and cheese-yoghurt spread.

Then, it was time for another drama, as Patcha the cat went out for an adventure. Thankfully, C and a sobbing D found him at a nearby open field and brought him back home.

And that concludes my coverage of the weekend. Be blessed, and have a beautiful week ahead.