31st May 2025: We were scheduled to do a gig in Harat’s on Sunday, 25th May. A few days before, we were asked to bring it forward to the 24th. This was not possible, so we asked about the following weekend. Again, there was a clash with some other event. (The Champions League Final is... Continue Reading →
25/010 Greek Word – συνδαιτυμόνας = a fellow diner
A word that probably serves no useful purpose unless you want to show off the depth of your Greek vocabulary. The original root word is δαίς, which goes back to Homer, originally meant ‘feast’, ‘meat’ or ‘food’. Synonyms are ομοτράπεζος and ομόδειπνος, both more readily comprehensible if you have a good grounding in the language:... Continue Reading →
25/007 Irish Music in Northern Greece
Our second Harat’s session got underway on Sunday 11th May. The atmosphere in the pub was tremendous, but it wasn’t due to our playing. Barcelona and Real Madrid drew in the crowd. We also recorded our joint lowest number of musicians – seven of us. This is not unusual. As the weather improves, numbers tend... Continue Reading →
25/008 Life (and death) in Northern Greece
Miracles do happen. ΚΕΠ (the Centre for Public Services) has returned two of the παράβολα I submitted to get my Greek driving licence. I am due a refund of just over €100. Luke Prodromou. Luke was a well-known figure in the TEFL world, especially in Greece. In the 80s he was first one of my... Continue Reading →
25/009 Greek Word – μούφα = a coupler
Any little gizmo that connects two cables or pipes. I bought two like the one in the picture to connect two HDMIs. Wiktionary defines it thus: μούφα < ίσως (άμεσο δάνειο) αγγλική muff ή (άμεσο δάνειο) γαλλική mouffle + -α κατά το βάνα[1] Ουσιαστικό μούφα θηλυκό υδραυλικό σωληνοειδές εξάρτημα το οποίο περιέχει, εσωτερικά, και στα δύο άκρα βόλτες και χρησιμοποιείται για να ενώσει δύο σωλήνες που περιέχουν εξωτερικές βόλτες στα... Continue Reading →
25/007 Life in Northern Greece
Oh to be in England now that April’s there, said the poet. I don’t normally miss April in NW Europe, but the weather has not been particularly good here in Greece. In our communal garden we have a lovely Japanese acacia which still hasn’t bloomed. Scrolling through the pics on my mobile, I note that... Continue Reading →
25/008 Greek Word – παράβολο = a government document that costs you a fuck load of money.
It is basically a Request to Pay a government fee. You receive the document, and you go to a bank or post office and pay. I am in the process of changing my UK driving licence to a Greek one. For one licence I was given five παράβολα totalling just over €231. From the Greek... Continue Reading →