1st September 2026. Summer was slow to arrive. Now it seems reluctant to cede this month to autumn. Driving back from town yesterday, I was listening to Radio Thessaloniki. Unsurprisingly, the mass return from Halkidiki was causing problems on the roads. As I wasn’t affected by the delays, I paid more attention to the second... Continue Reading →
26/010 Greek Word μπαταχτσής or μπαταξής – a welcher
Someone who is slow or reluctant to pay what he owes, a κακοπληρωτής in more formal Greek. Στα τέλη Αυγούστου 2026, η πρόεδρος της Πλεύσης Ελευθερίας χρησιμοποίησε τον όρο αυτό για να εξαπολύσει σφοδρή πολιτική επίθεση κατά του Πρωθυπουργού. Η Ζωή Κωνσταντοπούλου χαρακτήρισε τον Κυριάκο Μητσοτάκη ως «νοικοκύρη πρωθυπουργό και ταυτόχρονα μπαταχτσή πρόεδρο κόμματος» It... Continue Reading →
26/006 Irish Music in Northern Greece – A rum do
14th August. Not much going on. On 7th August, I sent a Viber text to the manager of Arhegono proposing four session dates from September through to December. I am still awaiting a reply. I hope the lack of a response is due to seasonal torpor rather than a sign that we are losing the... Continue Reading →
26/008 Life in Northern Greece Gone with the Wind
In my last post I referred to the water in Siviri. It posed a risk to public health. Siviri was prominent in the news yesterday because of forest fires. They were so serious that some holidaymakers were evacuated by boat. The problem was not so much the fires as the wind that was fanning the... Continue Reading →
26/007 Life in Northern Greece The Jackals of Thermi and The Hyenas of Halkidiki
Last week a three-year-old child was attacked by a wild animal in a taverna in the Polichni area of Thessaloniki. She was bitten in the face and in other parts of her body as well as being violently dragged around the taverna garden. Fortunately, staff and customers were able to drive the animal – probably... Continue Reading →
26/009 Greek Word γκασμάς – a pickaxe
While browsing www.voria.gr I came across a sad story where a man in his 30s had barricaded himself and some family members in their home. He was armed with a γκασμάς. Fortunately, the police persuaded the man to hand himself in. As in many of these cases, the man had stopped taking his medication. From... Continue Reading →
26/006 Life in Northern Greece Femicide – yet again
In mid-June in Drama, a town about 2 – 3 hours north east of Thessaloniki, a 50-year-old policeman stabbed his 45-year-old policewoman wife seven times before shooting himself in the temple. About two weeks before the murder-suicide, the estranged husband had also threatened his wife with a gun. Two issues come to mind. 1) Why... Continue Reading →
26/005 Irish Music in Northern Greece – the end of an era
June 16th. I had an evening appointment with the surgeon who operated on my knee. For the first time, he was pleased with the progress I was making. So, with a titanium and cobalt spring in my step I made my way to the former Dubliner for a celebratory pint of Lagunitas. Imagine my surprise... Continue Reading →
26/004 Irish Music in Northern Greece – lying fallow
Our May session was even more disappointing than April’s. Five musicians and a near empty bar. After the session, I spoke with the manager, and we decided to kick the June session into touch. So, no more sessions till September. In my last post, I mentioned the need for new blood. How am I going... Continue Reading →
26/008 Greek Word πληροί – fulfils/complies with
It is not often that a Greek word leaves me stymied. It occurred in the following sentence. “Αρχικά, κατά την πώληση ενός μεταχειρισμένου οχήματος, οι έμποροι θα είναι υποχρεωμένοι να προσκομίζουν είτε μία έκθεση αξιολόγησης που να αποδεικνύει ότι το όχημα πληροί ορισμένες προϋποθέσεις για την ασφαλή κυκλοφορία του, είτε ένα έγκυρο πιστοποιητικό τεχνικού ελέγχου και καταλληλότητας κυκλοφορίας.”... Continue Reading →
26/007 Greek Word Ξερόλος/ξερόλα – a knowall
An easy one. From ξέρω + όλα. I was watching Inspector Inspector George Gently the other day. As I’m interested in Greek, I pay a lot of attention to subtitles. Gently’s sidekick, Bacchus, referred to a very able policewoman as an “arrogant knowall”. I didn’t catch if αλαζονική was used for arrogant, but ξερόλα was... Continue Reading →
26/006 Greek Word Παρεμπόριο – illicit trading
In the article below there are details of various fines being imposed on street traders. Παρεμπόριο is a broader term than λαθρεμπόριο (smuggling) in that it covers selling goods without a licence to do so, selling bootleg products, selling products that have not been VAT rated, and selling without a trader's licence. It always amazes... Continue Reading →
26/005 Greek Word σκατοσβουρήχτρα – a shit-stirrer
My reliable informant used σκατοσβουρήχτρα to describe a female acquaintance. It didn’t require a profound knowledge of Modern Greek to realise it wasn’t a compliment. It was quite a hard word to find, but AI came up with the following: Κυριολεκτική βάση: Προέρχεται από τις λέξεις «σκατό» και «σβουρίζω» (γυρίζω σαν σβούρα, ανακατεύω). Αναφέρεται μεταφορικά... Continue Reading →
26/005 Life in Northern -Greece – Up in the Air
I am often asked if I prefer life here or if I would rather live in the UK or Ireland. In a recent post, I wondered if Greece was catching up with the UK or if the Disunited Kingdom was “catching down” on Greece. Meaningless strikes and protests can make life difficult, recent examples being... Continue Reading →
26/004 Life in Northern Greece Ταλαιπωριστάν
9th May 2026. It can strike at any time. The Greek system’s urge to fuck people’s lives up. My son was supposed to fly to Athens yesterday. He was going to the capital to see Metallica this evening. At home he was unable to do his online check-in for the 12:20pm SkyExpress flight. At the... Continue Reading →
26/003 Irish Music in Northern Greece – Easter
I must bow to Greek reality. Easter is a write-off. As mentioned before, our Palm Sunday session a couple of years ago was poorly attended; both player participation and audience numbers were low. This year we tried St. Thomas’s Day (the Sunday after Easter for any Heathens reading this) with even worse results. Our worst... Continue Reading →
26/004 Greek Word νταγλαράς – a big, strong, burly guy
We have an immovable wardrobe in our bedroom. Sooner or later we are going to have to shift it to access the wall behind it and assess how much it is suffering from mould or dampness. My wife said she was going to ask the painter to come along with two νταγλραράδες to pull the... Continue Reading →
26/003 Greek Word σκαλώνω – catch, hit a snag
My daughter was stopped at a junction in Athens when a migrant asked if she wanted her windscreen cleaned. She could not understand why the cars in front had all switched on their windscreen wipers since it wasn’t raining. Then she found out why. The fucker stole her wipers. She got a new pair at... Continue Reading →
26/003 Life in Northern Greece
I caught a film on TV last night, on a channel called OPEN, a new kid on the block, and quite professional in comparison with other channels. Watching a film, however, is a nightmare. There are so many adverts that a 90-minute film can take over 2 hours. One particularly nasty trick, used by all... Continue Reading →
26/002 Life in Northern Greece – The Environment
No, not the purity of our waterways, seas, forests and mountains, but the prevailing Greek attitude to the world outside the house or flat where the environment begins and ends at the threshold. The home might be spotless, but nobody gives a shit about what lies opposite, around or beneath. “Midden” is a word I... Continue Reading →