Watching the Olives Grow

by Stavros Allanopolis

  Photo: Tap Under Lookout Tower.

  Photo: Bottles Filled With Spring Water.

  Photo: Hydrant Water Tap.

  Once back at the house, we might spend another hour finishing the jobs we started earlier in the morning before we have lunch which is usually around 4pm. For me, that will involve a certain amount of time

  ‘Watching’ from the upper terrace, and as usual, I will be multi-tasking; ‘Watching,’ sipping an Ouzo and generally looking at what is going on around and in the Olive groves. Valerie will probably be doing some sweeping and washing the floors and terraces and generally keeping the house clean and tidy. After lunch, Valerie will do her Greek Homework and I will catch up on emails and other bits and pieces. Around 8pm we prepare dinner with a view to be eating around 9pm, and during the winter months, like December, we will eat inside, and I will have lit a fire. It always looks so good to see the logs burning in the large open fireplace; they keep us cheerful and warm.

  Photo: The Logs Burning In The Fireplace.

  Variations of this daily routine are Monday mornings when Valerie goes to her Greek lessons and Tuesday afternoons when Valerie goes to her Greek Dancing lessons. Another variation is, when we go by car to Kalamata to do the ‘big shop’ at the town’s market and supermarkets. We try to limit this trip to once every three weeks for cost reasons (high price of petrol), and because we are not too keen on city life anymore; we prefer the peace and quiet of Agios Nikolaos.

  Throughout December, as we worked in the garden, our conversations focussed on our plans for Christmas. However, in the first week, we were invited to our second Greek Wedding, which was to be on the day after Christmas. The invitation was to the wedding of our friends Christina and Nikos who run a local taverna; Smokey Joe’s (name explained later!). So, as far as Valerie was concerned, the plans for Christmas had to include ‘what to wear’ for the wedding!

  Photo: The Pink Wedding Invitation And Home Grown Rose.

  GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS 2009

  Valerie loves Christmas and everything about it; especially the decorations. Although we limited ourselves to how much luggage we had brought with us from the UK, Valerie still managed to bring a collection of her favourite decorations. In fact she had me transport a whole trunk full!

  She is very traditional, and will not put the decorations up until the weekend before Christmas Day.

  Mr and Mrs Father Christmas and their ‘son’ even posed for a photo before taking up their positions for the 12 days of Christmas!

  Photo: Santa Has Arrived.

  Photo: Mr And Mrs Santa Claus.

  We chose not to have a real fir tree but the miniature plastic tree looked fine when it was all lit up.

  Photo: Miniature But Traditional Tree.

  As this was our second Christmas here in Meerkat Manor, she knew exactly what she wanted to put where etc. and the exercise took only a few hours. When she had finished putting out all the decorations, there was no doubt that Christmas was imminent!

  Valerie also put up some white lighting sticks in a giant glass vase and these were in place of a real tree; they looked good too.

  Photo: Modern Christmas Tree – Lighting Sticks!

  I have to say that it did look very pretty and extremely ‘homely,’ especially when the log fire was burning.

  We had read that the teenagers in the village will visit houses to sing Carols to the occupants, and they hope that they will be given a few Euros reward for making the effort. Nobody came for Christmas 2008, probably because they couldn’t find us! However, this year was to be different.

  I was sitting at the table inside the house writing some Christmas cards when I heard a metal ‘clanging’ coming from the garden. I went out on to the terrace and from there I could see two young boys standing at the gate, they had been banging on it to get our attention.

  From their body language and some of the words that I did understand, they wanted permission to come inside to sing to us.

  I beckoned them in and they strode up to the steps of the terrace. One withdrew a Triangle from his pocket and started to play it and they started to sing! I called Valerie out from within the house to see them.

  They were different from the Carol singers we had seen in the UK and that was for sure! Together we watched them as one hopped from foot to foot ‘dancing’, and the other ‘played’ the Triangle.

  Photo: The Carol Singers.

  Neither was in time or tune, but hey, we had our very own Carol singers performing in our front garden! We listened and we clapped at the end of each verse they were singing.

  We didn’t know just what they were singing, but at least they were making the effort.

  When they stopped, we both cried out, “Bravo, Eferesto” and Yassas!” (Well done, Thank you and Cheers!). I went inside to get some money and passed it over to them.

  Then they waved and were gone; just like that. All the happier for the ‘contribution’ I’m sure! Apart from the lack of harmony, and synchronisation between music and dance, it was made all the more bizarre by the fact that this was just a few days before Christmas and at two o’ clock in the afternoon, and it was 22 C and the sun was shining brightly.

  CHRISTMAS DAY 2009

  At last it was Christmas morning and we both awoke quite early as we had a date at Pantazi Beach. There was going to be a swim for Charity and we all met at the beach at 10am; our friends Elaine and Tony, Stella and Alan and Jim.

  Jim’s wife Sarah had planned to come and watch but had burned the sausage rolls and decided to stay at home to make some more!

  Alan and Jim were the swimmers; very brave men indeed! It was a fine day but as it was early it wasn’t very warm just at that moment. However, undeterred, in they plunged; Alan was complete with his Santa’s hat.

  Talk about ‘Mad Dogs and Englishmen!’

  Photo: Santa enters The Water.

  Photo: Santa Has Lost His Hat!

  They had pledged that they would swim for at least 15 minutes to raise money for their charity, and despite the strength of the waves they managed to achieve their objective.

  Whilst I took the photos, Valerie was brave enough to dip her toes in the water, but not for long! When they came back on to dry land, Stella was waiting for them with a well-earned flask of hot coffee and a large measure of Metaxa Greek Brandy. The spectators participated in the refreshments too!

  After their swim, we returned to Meerkat Manor to open our presents and have breakfast. We decided to have a large ‘Full English’ breakfast and skip lunch because we were going to have dinner with Elaine and Tony at their house, and Elaine had already told us that she was not planning to serve dinner until after 7pm. By now, the sun was shining (around 24 C), and it was another lovely day in ‘Paradise’, so we opened a bottle of champagne and sat down to open our presents.

  Photo: Presents And Champagne .

  I had bought Valerie several pieces of locally made jewellery.

  Valerie had bought me something that I had wanted ever since we moved to Greece; a chain of Worry and Prayer beads, and I started practising the ‘swing and twirl’ around my fingers straightaway! I’m not an expert yet, but I’m still trying!

  After the presents, it was time for breakfast. It was fantastic just sitting on the terrace in the warm sunshine. It was a great way to spend Christmas morning.

  Photo: Full English Breakfast.

  On the radio news we had heard that the UK was under an average 15cm of snow and experiencing freezing conditions across the whole country and we were sitting in the sun sipping champagne! After breakfast, we took another glass of ‘bubbly’ with us as we strolled around the garden to take stock of our achievements.

  We concluded that between us we had made a significant change, and that the development of the garden was progressing well, especially the roses. Who would have imagined that we would have fresh cut roses from our own garden in a vase inside the house?

  The garden was ablaze with the bright colours of
the myriad of Geranium plants that we had grown from 10cm cuttings, and which were now almost 1metre high and wide!

  In the evening, we both changed before going to Elaine and Tony’s house for Christmas Dinner. Elaine and Tony are really good friends. They both have a great sense of humour, and we always find something to laugh about; especially the trials and tribulations of events that occur as a result of ‘lost in translation!’ It appeared that Tony was expecting me to arrive in more formal attire.

  Photo: Tony In His Dinner Jacket.

  Apart from the dress code, we had good food, good wine and good company. A great time was had by all!

  Once again, I was given a present that I really wanted; a DVD; Meerkats: The Movie. We watched it straightaway!

  It seemed so strange going to the cinema on Christmas evening, but watching a feature length film about one of our favourite African animals was a wonderful present.

  THE GREEK WEDDING – DECEMBER 2009

  Ever since we ‘discovered’ Agios Nikolaos, we regularly eat at Smokey Joe’s.

  We call it Smokey Joe’s because in the winter months the glass doors (along two sides of the tavern) are closed and as most diners smoke, it does get very smokey!

  Even now, despite the formal ban on smoking in restaurants, bars and other public places in Greece, the diners still smoke! So, to us it is still Smokey Joe’s even when they put tables and chairs out in the street in the hot summer evenings.

  Its proper name is ‘Nostimies’ which is Greek for ‘great tastes’ and their food does taste great too! The locals call if ‘Raftis’ but I don’t know why or how it got its nickname; ‘work in progress’ as my Greek gets better!

  It is a favourite of the local residents of Agios Nikolaos, and particularly its fishermen, and is located on a backstreet behind the harbour. It is family run; and specialises in barbequed, grilled meat and fish dishes.

  Agios Nikolaos is a small and ‘tight knit’ community; nearly everyone is related to someone or other, or if they are not then they know everyone anyway!

  It seems that the fishermen only eat here, and they have been doing so for years, yet there is no sense of ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ as they are all treated like family. Besides, where else would they go where they can eat and watch the big televised football games at the same time and be left in peace!

  Dad cooks on the grill and Mum cooks the vegetables and other dishes like pasta. Nikos, the oldest son, runs the bar, controls the billing and takes the take away orders for Gyros (grilled Pork in Pita bread cone). Thomas, the younger son, lays tables and serves bread, water and wine, and his sister Litza takes the diners’ orders and serves them at the tables. Their service is very relaxed and friendly; it has to be as there is no menu! Litza explains what ‘specials’ are available and how many portions of each are left and then always follows this up with, “and of course everything on the grill!”

  Over the years, we have become good friends with all the family and see and talk to each other outside of just visiting the taverna, but never the less it was a wonderful surprise for us when Nikos invited us to his wedding.

  Came the day of 26th December and we were there standing outside the church, along with all the other guests, waiting for the Bride to arrive.

  What was a really big surprise was to see the fishermen dressed in white shirts with collars buttoned up, wearing ties and jackets!

  We were only used to seeing them in their fishing clothes, seven days a week for years, and yet here they were; all spruced up. Unbelievable!

  It was very moving to see Nikos’ close fisherman friends coming out to support him. Obviously in such a small and close knit community, if you eat in the same taverna every night of the week then clearly they are more than just customers!

  We were all gathered around the church doors where Nikos stood waiting for Christina his bride-to-be to arrive. He too looked very smart in all his finery, as compared to his usual jeans and T shirt when working in the grill bar!

  He wore a grey silk suit, white shirt and red tie, and very well polished black shoes; he looked the business! In his left hand he held a beautiful bouquet of flowers that he was ready to give his bride when she arrived to marry him.

  Photo: Nikos Waiting For His Bride.

  It seems usual for the bride to be late in Greece; up to an hour or more! However, we all had a surprise in store. The Wedding was scheduled for 6pm and she arrived just fifteen minutes later.

  At 6.15pm a big and very shiny white BMW saloon arrived with horns blaring and all lights flashing.

  It drew up outside the church and out stepped Christina and she looked stunning! Her Bridesmaid was immediately on hand to carry the ‘trail’ as Christina made her way towards Nikos; big smiles all around! I think Nikos’ smile was one of relief that she had arrived, and not too late either.

  Photo: Here Comes The Bride.

  I guess there were about 100 of us attending the Wedding, and although the church is very small, by taking the pews out, and making everybody stand, we somehow all managed to crowd inside. It was impossibly full, and no room to move, but everybody was happy.

  This was the second Greek Wedding that we had attended in a month so we knew what to look for and what to expect.

  Once inside the Church, sure enough we saw that there was a small balcony in the rafters and we went up there to look down on the proceedings. The area was no bigger than our bedroom but something like twenty people were with us too!

  We had a perfect view of the gathered congregation, and we were able to see the Bride and Groom very clearly. The Church was decked out in beautiful white and pink Lilies and they seemed to bask in the bright lights of the chandeliers.

  The overall Church decoration is very ornate; traditional Greek Orthodox, with a large number of pictures of the various Saints and other Biblical scenes, and there was a very small table set up in the middle of the church, and the bride and groom stood in front of it. On it was tray with a glass and jug with the celebration wine. Very simple; that was it.

  Photo: Bride And Groom With The Priest.

  Then everybody stood in a circle around the bride and groom and the ceremony started. Three Priests in attendance stood in front of their little altar and took it in turns to sing the readings, the blessings and the vows. Sing? Well, you know, that real Greek ‘warbling’ sound!

  After what seemed like a lot of different blessings, one Priest came over to the couple, placed a silk ribbon around their heads linking them together as they held hands. After the Priest had placed the symbolic ‘joining’ ribbons around both their heads, the Best Man came up behind the couple to assist with the next Blessing.

  The Priest was calling out the couple’s names and making a Blessing and as he did so, the Best Man lifted the hooped ribbons and indicated a ‘cross over’ which is all about joining together, one to the other.

  Photo: More Blessings.

  Next they appeared to receive another blessing, and then the Priest walked them around the table three times. This trip around the table seemed to be a signal, because whilst they were doing this, everybody showered them with ‘confetti.’ Actually it was small-grain rice. Everybody had been given a handful in a bag whilst the first blessings were being pronounced. By the end of the third trip around the table, the Bride, the Groom and the Priest were covered in it, and it crackled underfoot.

  Now, whilst this was all going on, everybody was also talking to each other. Often it was such a 'babble' that one of the Priests had to tell them to be quiet whilst he 'sang' - in fact that happened three times and he got quite cross. This same occurrence had happened at Gianni’s and Eleni’s wedding earlier in the month and the constant, and none too quiet talking was quite alien to us, if not amusing.

  After some more 'singing' they drank a ‘ceremonial’ glass of wine, and that seemed to be it because after the ‘toast’ Nikos kissed his Bride and the gathered congregation just drifted outside.

  Greek Orthodox religion is very
serious and fascinating, yet the Wedding Ceremony seems a mixture of the Religious Blessings and happy relaxed people. Whilst the service was going on, as well as the general 'babble' there were three people moving in and out and around the people in the church making a DVD film and taking photos, complete with flash and portable floodlights!

  Of course many of their friends in the congregation were taking their own photos throughout the whole proceedings, so the flashlights seemed non-stop, yet the Priests and the Bride and Groom appeared to be not only tolerant of it all on their big day but quite relaxed about it.

  Outside in the courtyard, everybody formed a queue by three tables placed in a row. This was to receive their gifts from the Bride and Groom and also to collect their pastry to eat there and then. It is a sugared, honey-like rolled biscuit (sausage shaped) and is called a ‘Dippy.’ A Wedding-only specialty; Fascinating!

  Once everybody had shaken hands and eaten their pastry, the film crew and photographers took more photos and film of the Bride and Groom and then it was off to the Reception.

  We were headed up into the Mountains to a taverna that Valerie and I call Las Vegas. In the evenings they turn their outside lights on in order that customers can see where to head for.