The E MESS – "Your Makrigialos Fix"

Quote from Matt "it’s a state of mind"

ISSUE NUMBER NINE– WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 2nd JULY 2001

Today's news… Good company in Hani at lunchtime -Sue,Michele ,Andrew,Ann,Daniela and Andonis a pleasant lunch in very windy conditions - hey look lots of smoke in the sky behind Lucky Lukes …. Andonis "Its nothing just a few leaves burning" a few moments later the church bells start ringing - Andonis was out of his chair and off on the papaki - the Church bells ringing in this manner mean - All hands to the helm - so about 100 people went up to help to put out the fire. When the fire brigade arrived 50 of the 100 who were watching left and the other 50 stayed to help - this was the time everyone was needed!!

TRAVEL TIPS if you are flying anywhere always know the airport code of your destination and when the checkin person whacks the sticker on your bag make sure it’s the correct one.

ARRIVALS Yes Jason's back. Whilst lunch was being taken in Hani rumour has it that Sara with an H was slung into the Villea Pool - she did not want to go in and apparently the perpetrators left the pool soon after - so said Nikolaki Mou.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK Sue asked Mikle what he thought about the restaurant prices in Makrigialos - well replied Mikle they are about the same as a Chinese takeaway in England !!!

NAME DAYS As you may all know in Greece Name Days [Saints Days] are celebrated as opposed to birthdays. Saturday was St Pauls day as in Apostolis of Porfira Fame. Usually on your name day you buy everyone a cake - not so Apostolis who kindly bought all present at Fisherman Jacks Pool Bar a cold beer - thanks and Kronia Polla

[ literally translated meaning many years - used for birthdays and name days].

With thanks to Ann and Michele for their contributions.

Wow we got a page and a bit this week - just read Anns contribution re the house and it has to be said that during the "fire panic" she was very worried lest the orange strings around the concrete on the house base were burned.

As Judith Chalmers[?] said - wish you were here.

BIG MAC INDEX none

CRETA WAGGED HER TAIL

Margaret knew that Creta had been in Apotheke as she had seen the hairs on the floor - you cannot do anything here without the whole Village knowing.

Ron and Margaret's Wedding -.Ron had his family here and did " Grandad" brilliantly.

THE WORRIT WATKINS OPINION -A GENUINE LONGE SERVING MAKRIADICT.

This is the 2nd time I have been to Makrigialos this year. So that may tell you all that I am either an addict to the place or a very sad individual. Andrew [our son] and I arrived at Heraklion on Thursday night to find that Greek beaurocracy was at it's best and all 237 passengers were herded like sheep into the passport area and each passport had to be stamped! And then I though "Oh God, I'm back in Greece. After I did a bit of stamping myself and yelling in Greek .things started to move. Apparently they thought we were all Polish as we had landed directly after 2 Polish planes. After a delay with our luggage I saw the friendly but concerned face of Andonis [Apotheke] waiting for us. When we finally reached Villea at 4.30 in the morning Ron [bless him] popped his head out of the door to greet us, and I thought "Oh good, I'm back in Greece. What can I say…Mak as we call it is our 2nd home and the people here are our 2nd family!! Yes I know sounds gushy but true.

LITTLE PEOPLE Those of you who have visited The Irish Bar will possibly have noticed a small door by the "facilities" well apparently some children asked what was behind the door - they were told it was the home of the "Little People" and were thus encouraged to write notes and push them under the door. They got replies - God Bless you Michael you surely kissed the Blarney Stone and it’s the best piece of marketing I have heard of recently. Subsequently all the parents got dragged back to Michaels bar to pick up more replies.

 

FISH Happily we still have four fish left. One of them is very white however thanks to a South African visitor I know the reason why. Its in the food and its something to do with why the Queens flamingos are white not pink. In South Africa [ and who knows where else]they feed the canaries with ground up porfiros shells. Remember they are the shells that made Koufonissi wealthy when they were sold for the red dye that the Romans/Minoans used. Canaries when they breed lose their colour, when the canaries eat the ground up porfiros shells they turn pink ! If anyone is swinging by Buck House please take HM some for her flamingoes.

FISHERMAN JACKS Well most of the signs are up but the stenciling has yet to be done - however Nikolaki Mous cocktails happy hours are proving popular so things are on the move.

GREEK IN 35 YEARS AND HOUSEKEEPING HINTS this has been merged for obvious reasons - first of all we have the word dust which is Skoni as in ekei skoni meaning we have dust please note that dust is a noun - anyone stating that dust is a verb as in SkenonizoI I dust will fail the course!!!! And if you say "Sue dusts", then you must be from another planet!!

Progress on Ann and Marks House: Over the last two weeks the only progress has been that 2 lines of orange string have been stretched along on side of the foundations supposedly to mark out where a wall will be. This work of art has been attributed to Aneste, master stonemason and permanently lipi person, although it could easily have been achieved by a 6 year old who has lost the string from his yo yo. There is now a sweepstake on the chances of Mark and Ann oving in this year. Ann has started off the betting by predicting that she will be drawing her pension before she becomes a woman of 'Greek' property. Mark is being kept in the dark in order to minimise the nagging Ann receives.

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