...after two days of only sleeping 6 hours in total, I feel that I'm going to collapse...I have been working very hard to meet my deadlines...
...a little boy will be celebrating his second birthday tonight and I, in a way, became part of his special day...
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...it was a stressful morning for me...a bit difficult I might say, but this Liv Ullman from "40 carats" was given flowers in a parking lot, by a stranger half my age(!!!)...thank you sir...
...the little angel girl made a cheese cake...she's getting so good at doing what she loves the most and I'm so proud of her...
...it's a Sunday eve...quite...only Ale playing and the cat rubbing himself against my legs...both wife and husband are sick in two different sides of the world...I'm lonely without them...
...the store is located on the southside of Athens, very close to the sea...my darling friend, has put all her good taste in it, along with her vast knowledge in good food and wine...
...one can find so much inside this gastronomic heaven...fresh spices, coffee from South America, cold cuts, cheeses from all over Greece, cakes, cookies, all kinds of dairy, fresh bread, sauces, hand made soaps, legumes...
...it is so difficult to resist buying....there's something for everybody...
...there's such good aura everywhere...to me is like an old fashion general store, with grandma's aprons hanging...
...and of course all these amazing smells from all the delicacies...
...every day she has freshly baked bread, homemade food...a fresh cake...a pie...bagels...
...also flowers, like tulips, orchids, lilies....
...even if you sit outside, having some organic coffee with a cookie or a slice of fresh bread with cheese (that would be me!), is a little heaven...
...there's always something unique and definitely of good quality, to try....
...apart from all these beautiful things, my friend organizes special days of food and wine tasting from different countries. So far, we have tried empanadas Chilenas, alfajores, the best prosciutto from Italy, various cheeses from France, wine, wine, and more wine, plus bagels with Salmon from Norway, and paella...
...for me is a place where I find people that have something interesting to say...I have met writers, artists, chefs...and of course ladies of the neighborhood with many many recipes to share...
...it was good while it lasted...after so long, I had breakfast with my children......when they're young they're stuck on you...they follow you around...they sit on you...sleep next to you...come to the bathroom with you...follow you in every room...
...after school you wait for them with the food ready...you all sit around the kitchen table...listen to them talking of their school...their friends...their studies...
...there comes one day, though, when you realize that you have been eating standing up a piece of toast and cheese...for lunch...alone...and this has been happening for many days in a row...
...to them it means nothing...to me is change...big change...they're growing up...they're too busy...it's their friends...their work...their interests...they're getting ready to fly...
...that's how it should be...they're not mine...they belong to themselves...they should spread their wings...take each opportunity....search...discover...experiment....it's their time now...
....this morning my angel girl poached some eggs for me...and miraculously her brother joined us...we all sat around our table, just like last year and the year before that....we talked...laughed...felt the same feelings as before...our magic was still there, it hadn't been lost...
...of course, the phone rang...someone turned on his computer...the cat needed to be fed...all of a sudden I looked at the table and it was empty...the dirty dishes and what was left of our food were there to remind me that not too long ago I had a beautiful Sunday morning...that nothing was lost...and somewhere in the back of my head something told me that there will be more of this in the future...not often...but again...for sure.
....I have missed posting, although there's not much to say.......the weather out is quite lovely...no need for a sweater...flowers in balconies, in full bloom...sidewalks with people walking...time for babies to get baptized...outdoor birthday parties...store windows in bright colors...
...I baked a cake...dreamed of honesty...wished for understanding...
...there are days to look forward to...new places to see...friends that I have missed...
...I need to be more sympathetic to my pancreas...I have been violating every rule...I have declared war with food again...
...time for a glass of wine and some good music...
...tonight I took my camera to D's kitchen...she welcomed me into her warm home...I was greeted by her two "blond giggles" who were the perfect hostesses...I had my hair brushed...my entrance was totally different than my exit(!!!)...I was given special paintings...and tasted their delicious freshly baked cookies...
...when we're younger we take things for granted...we think that nothing will ever change...the comfort and the easiness will always be there...how wrong...the pages of our life's book, do flip, like everyone else's...rain, snow, blizzards, visit us...there are days and days without sun...without warmth...having to walk in the storm without an umbrella...but only with the hope of the next day's sunshine...
...is there a place where our mind wanders and finds peace?...is there a special sweet corner where we allow ourselves to unload...rest...recharge...
...we don't need much to have it...it could be anywhere...no money needed...no effort...
...when you're away...is there an Ithaca waiting for you to get back to?
...I had done the cookies...
...we had a wonderful time...
...enjoyed the company of good friends...ate...drank...laughed...
...as I glanced at my cup of coffee this afternoon, listening to something jazzy and mellow, I remembered something that I read last night, right before I switched off the light...it's from the book "Simple Abundance"...
...although I'm a city mouse down to the bone, as I'm getting older I have a greater need to walk barefoot and touch soil.......for the next 2 days I'll be working non stop on a new project...I'm looking forward to challenging my creativity...
...although Bear is leaving again, I have good things coming my way soon...it's not time to tell yet...
...changes are hard but changes are good...some are small earthquakes some others big...
...my little girl, with Julia Child's guidance, cooked a delicious meal for us...she gave me a book as a present...she wrote something beautiful inside...she described me as the mother that I wish I was...her eyes see differently than what my guilt says...I love you my angel girl...my gift...my hope...
...maybe sometimes we're not all that wrong...
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...this was nature's gift to me this morning...
...this is from the night before...sins...sins...and more sins...
...for a few days I wasn't able to post...too much to do...too many places to visit...but I gathered my moments and now it's time to tell....
HOLY THURSDAY...
...I was expecting the Bear and the sweet little man to come at night...early in the morning, though, there was a knock on the door...my two beautiful smiles had arrived!
...peaceful moments at our favorite internet cafe...
...someone was more courageous than me and collected these lilies...corners of the house were in full bloom...
...I couldn't resist baking, too...do I ever stop??!!!
GOOD FRIDAY...
...there's life that's being reborn...that's what Spring is all about...
...when I was a little girl..every Good Friday a brownish big butterfly that looked as if it had two eyes on its wings, would appear on this window...my mom used to tell me that it was Christ's butterfly and we used to take it to church and place it on the Epitaphio (Christ's tomb)...
...it's really amazing, on Good Friday night, while Christ's Tomb is taken around the village...people light up fire works, and from every house that passes by, the owner throws rose petals and cologne...
...this was our Epitaphios...the night before many women from the village had gone to church at midnight in order to help decorate this Holy Tomb...
...later a walk in our sunny town...ouzo, good laughs and good friends...
...on the same day, we go to church around midnight for the ceremony of Christ's Resurrection...afterwards we gather together and eat a special soup called "Magiritsa"....we were with dear, old friends at our friend Rena's restaurant...
...Rena is a very special lady, an excellent cook, and one classy mama... she's got wonderful taste, and her restaurant, although small, is very cozy and inviting...she came to the island on a weekend for business purposes and never left...
...after dinner there where fireworks...
...it's one of the very special and few nights that we let the kids party until the early hours of the day...
...when we reached our house...
...it was just another beautiful day in the "land of lemon trees"...
...(first whip lash!) the day when we crack our red Easter eggs...red for the blood that Christ shed...
...my friend-adopted cousin-Meny, had invited us to her beautiful house for Easter lunch...there was so much happiness around...the children helped in the preparations...there was wine, laughter, songs, jokes, and warmth...lots of warmth...
...(second whip lash!) the food turned out great...Greeks eat lamb...I don't...mine was hamburgers...the wine was great...and for dessert, strawberry short cake baked by yours truly!
