That's strange for a plant

WE were stopped in our tracks today as we passed through our village. Wife Pat is a great lover of flowers and plants, despite not having a garden. She still manages to fill our two terraces with more than 50 pots, troughs and hanging baskets, but even she had to double take something hanging on the wall of one of the taverns.

  From a distance it was orange blooms with long grey leaves - at least it looked exotic, until we go closer and saw in fact that it was a potted plant, off which was hanging a pair of octopus, getting a little dried out before being BBQ;s later in the day. - Still It drew a lot of attention.
  Of course we had to stop, take a photos and give friends and family a laugh at the special plant only found in Greece.
  Pat decided it was not one to add to her collection, and agreed at least ours were more colourfuland certainly smelled much better!!

Greeks & Easter eggs

WHEN  it comes to Easter, the Greeks are in their element. It’s the most religious of times, and also when the traditional are maintained.
  Take dyeing eggs - naturally. It may be less expensive to purchase commercial dyes for your eggs, but you will get better results with natural dyes. The colours you produce will be more vibrant and less "pastel" than what we traditionally associate with Easter, but go on and be a rebel! Natural colourings produce amazing results and you can be very creative in your effects by using etching techniques with your dye.
  Common coloring techniques involve such things as coffee, onions, and spices that you should have on hand. In many cases, the items used for coloring are a by-product of another food item which can be consumed either before or after using the dye. For example, onion peels are removed before the onions are eaten, and then used to dye your Easter eggs.
  Our local senior citizens group, KAPI held a demonstration of this technique, to which we were invited. Using natural colourings the result was a deep blood red. Then came another tradition - each person was handed a decorated candle, and an egg as they left.
.  There's some controversy over the origins of Easter and whether it comes from Heathen pagan traditions or whether this is purely a Christian holiday. When it comes to Easter eggs, however, there can be very little doubt about their symbolism:
  They are a sign of fertility and representative of the new beginnings that come with Spring. Eggs are often used in pagan rituals and spell work to draw fertility to those hoping to become pregnant or for anyone hoping for a plentiful harvest. In paganism, eggs may be an offering to a particular deity in the hopes of gaining favour and a fertile Spring.
  The Goddess Ostara (Eostre) is celebrated in the Spring with the Vernal Equinox on or around March 21st every year. This is one of the reasons that we colour eggs and have egg hunts at Easter time.

What a complete waste

IT's so typical here in Greece, they arrange a big event, and you only find out about it by chance, or afterwards. Take this week as an example.
  It was the Cycle Race around Crete - Really?, even friends of ours who have a business here did not know about it until the riders flashed past their shop.  No wonder nobody stood on the streets to cheer them through. Take a look at the Tour de France, yes, it's well established, but the publicity of it stretches to all the villages, and for weeks before the event there are banners and promotions goping on.
  Here there was a double blow to the event, not only poor advertising but on the day the riders were due to ship over to the island - the ferries went on strike! Result a field that should have been more than 100 was decimated to around half.
  The riders really were put through their paces, from Heraklion, to Ak Nik onto the bottom part of the south coast and through to take in Rythmno to Chania. They wizzed through Hersonissos, and also into Neapoli, the only remarks from some of the locals was to complain about some roads being closed for a short while.