Northern Greece has escaped so far, but the area north of Athens is in flames. It is never clear how these fires start. Arson is certainly a factor. High temperatures can be another trigger. A third might be smoking. I have noticed lately that a lot of people smoke in their cars, often with the... Continue Reading →
24/011 Greek Word – δεντρογαλιά = Balkan whip snake
No, I’m not morphing into David Attenborough. Weever fish a few days ago and now a snake. It’s just that I hear or read words and, if they grab my attention, I post them. My mother-in-law was born in Epirus in a tiny village near the Albanian border. When we go there in the summer,... Continue Reading →
24/006 Life in Northern Greece
Recently I posted the word σταρχιδισμός, which means “je m’en foutisme”. There is no neat equivalent in English, and certainly not a very Anglo-Saxon counterpart to “insouciance”. My small village has a street market every Friday. And every Friday arse-holish parking becomes a serious issue. Every Friday some lazy bastard causes chaos by parking on... Continue Reading →
24/010 Greek Word – δράκαινα = weever fish
A Greek friend had a serious medical episode following contact with the above. The original meaning is a female dragon (δράκος), an ogress, and its dorsal spines can inflict serious pain if you accidentally tread on it. The δράκαινα lurks in shallow waters and mudbanks, making fish and human contact more probable. Why ‘weever’? Nothing... Continue Reading →
24/007 Irish Music in Northern Greece
The scene is dead. The resurrection in both Thessaloniki and Athens will happen in September. Personally, I haven’t done much practice, but I have added a lot of tunes my collection. I have also published the music for the September/October sessions as well as completing a draft for November/December. One of my current aims is... Continue Reading →