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Just another day...

3/4/2011

A very busy day!
Wow, what a day it’s been –yesterday.
Up early, 5:30am to be precise, and then out of the house by 6:15am to get into town.

I’m always being asked, why so early?
It’s simple really: it gives me time to do things ‘gently’, without rushing and dashing like a “BA fly”! You don’t know what a BA fly is, I hear you say? It’s what my better half calls a ‘blue-arsed fly’, you know those big fat blue-bottles that come whizzing into your home like Phantom jet fighters.

The 50 minute drive turned out to be an adventure in itself: it started to rain heavily just as I was about to lock the front door, having left hubs gently snoring in a cosy warm bed, totally oblivious of my disappearing. It was pretty nippy and the skies looked sooo not agreeable! When I fired up the engine, the on-board Motor-Brain revealed it was just 2C – bet that would mean snow somewhere along the road. It did... barely 10 minutes into the journey the snowflakes had taken on the size of ping-pong balls, at least that’s how they looked to me... However, since we hadn’t had any serious frost, the ground was simply not sufficiently cold to allow the snow to claim squatters’ rights. About twenty minutes later, around hilly Zihni, with the snow mercifully left behind, I drove into fog – although not too bad, it slowed me down sufficiently to curse loudly. I have no depth sight – born like that apparently – and fog makes me lose the ability to let my brain compensate for this deficiency, which it normally does without me even noticing... Needless to say I like fog even less than snow! However, upon approaching the villages outside Serres, that too had cleared, and drizzly rain took over.

When I finally sat down for my special treat breakfast with hot chocolate, I’d already been to the post office and on the way to the hotel, stopped to take pictures of one of the dozens of Koulouri sellers in town (see Emma’s World of Recipes in What’s Cooking? for my take on Koulouri). I set up shop at “my office table” in the corner of the breakfast room which allowed me to plug in my laptop and do some work while enjoying the exception to our fruit-only-for-breakfast rule which I treat myself to when here and a little chat with the staff who passed by to say hi and enquire about the family’s wellbeing... one of the things I so love about Greece and its people! In this neck of the woods people still take out the time to speak to one another and are genuinely interested in sharing your life.

Just after ten o’clock I left and drove to a village a few kilometres outside town to pick up an elderly lady friend and her husband and take them back into town. Since they have no car and she’d received her pension, she needed to get into town to go to the bank where I would assist in the battle against the ATM in order to get her money out – a monthly occurrence, by the way- after which we’d do her big shopping together. At the age of 75 she cannot cope with those “new-fangled monsters” as she calls them. This was, however, the first time in all the years we’ve known each other that I had the dubious pleasure of her husband’s company in this adventure. Let me just say that by the time I’d returned them safely home just gone 1pm, he and I both decided it would be best for mankind if he didn’t come again - ever! A mutual agreement in the name of world peace, so to speak...

Then back into town to sort out my own things followed by a very quick visit to Frosso at the little photo shop where we’ve been taking the family’s photographic jobs for years. I’d missed a meet-up which I’d promised to my friend Tina because ... well, no need to embroider here; however, I really needed to see Frosso to give her something. When she asked me why I was so late, I told what I’d been up to during the morning, and also that I’d been taking pictures of the koulouri vendor in front of the Serres Courthouse and would like to nip into a bakery to take a picture of a basket full of these bread rings. She told me it was actually a bit late in the day for that, but that she knew a baker-of-the-old-school, a true artisan and a dying breed, just around the corner and would take me there to introduce me and ask if I could take some photographs inside the lady’s bakery. I can just imagine trying to do all this outside Greece, in the “developed world” so to speak! She’d probably be reprimanded by the boss for abandoning her post in the first place leaving her colleagues to fend without her!

Still, when we got to the shop there was only one koulouri with raisins left in a basket along with a sesame stick, olive bun and some sandwich rolls sitting next to some cupcakes. The shelves looked pretty bare – witness to its popularity with the locals, I’d say! So, no luck in the photo-taking part, but BIG luck in the tasting department! The lady owner, whose name is Vaia I learned today, offered me some of the mixed seeds and corn sticks they produce. And also a heavenly ‘loukoum’ with ‘Chios Mastiha. This is a sweet much loved in this part of the world, but better known to us in the "west" as Turkish Delight! Loukoum comes in different tastes, one of my favourites being with rosewater, but this one was flavoured with Mastiha, the resin of pine trees on the island of Chios. Mastiha is claimed to possess anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory qualities, particularly good in aid of gastro-intestinal ailments. If only all medicine would taste so good...! Needless to say I had to buy some to let hubs take part in the tasting experience!

We hurried back to the shop – after all poor Frosso had a job to do – and when I walked in the boss, Zisis, who had just returned, burst out laughing when he saw me. Because of the cold, I was wearing what I call my “Russian hat” and it was the first time he’d seen me in it. I told him jokingly he was moving in dangerous waters laughing at me like this in front of a shop full of people but we still hugged and kissed each other with three pecks on the cheeks, no doubt leaving some of the customers wondering who the hell this crazy foreign woman was!

(I'm adding in brackets a short description of what the picture to the left shows: it is a wooden contraption used by bakers in the olden days in which they would drop the kneaded slabs of dough, which then would be covered with a cloth and left to rise, before being baked... Vaia obviously found an alternative use for them... Quite pretty...)

I then left, having been handed a bag by Frosso with “something special” to share with hubs as well as the promised Greek bracelet version of the Bulgarian Martenitsa, one for each of us, and returned to my friend in the village for our customary pot of tea and a biscuit or two, before heading back home after a long day.

When heading back home from a day in town I always fill up the car at a petrol station in a small village where over the years we’ve befriended the owners, a very kind couple called Christos and Tina. Today it was Tina herself doing the honours and we always have a little chat when we meet, exchanging the latest titbits of happenings in our lives. Conversation nowadays mostly ends up in relation to the disgustingly high fuel prices. We are really being clobbered here in Greece. In fact, I dare go so far as to say that it is legalised daylight robbery ... however, better not to fret about it now. As the car was being filled up and we were standing there chatting away, a large tanker pulled up behind me, awaiting its turn. So, I quickly paid up and we bade our goodbyes, after which I climbed in the car, made a U-turn to point the car in the right direction and stopped by the side of the road to put in my purse the change that I had received and left on the passenger’s seat in my hurry to vacate the yard. And that’s when I noticed that in the haste of my departure Tina had made a mistake in the bill. The total had come to €35 and I had paid with a €50 note. I was looking at €35 in my hands – she’d mistakenly given me €20 change too much. So I turned the car again and pulled up on the station’s yard, this time behind the tanker, got out, went up to her and handed over the €20 note she’d mistakenly given. I received such a huge hug and big kiss for that! ... I was singing all the way back home, simply thrilled to know I’d made her happy!

Back home, hubs was soon treated to the corn sticks – a first. Loved them! Likewise the mixed seeds sticks went down a treat. Caused havoc with the planned dinner, though, but what the heck!

And that’s how another busy day in our lives came to an end, and I hope you enjoyed me sharing this here...

For today, smiles again!
Emm xx

PS: I’m putting up a picture stream relating to the day’s events for you to enjoy and also to continue this tale in a photographic nut-shell version, for I never really know when to stop rambling...heheh! So that you're not totally lost, I've added captions at the bottom of each picture with a short description... Emm xx

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CHESTITA BABA MARTA! - "Happy Baba Marta Day!"

3/1/2011

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a traditional Bulgarian Martenitsa

Today, 1 March, is a day during which several countries in our region celebrate the upcoming arrival of Spring, regardless of the fact that the official day in accordance with the Spring equinox is supposed to be 21 March.

Many countries uphold these Spring rituals. A traditional charm handed out in Romania and Moldova on this first day of March is called the Martisor. In Greece bracelets are braided from red and white string. They are called Martis and they are given to children on this day. It is said that if they wear the Martis the sun of early spring will not burn their faces. The bracelet is symbolic of rosy cheeks and a white complexion. Martis are worn until the midnight mass of the Greek Orthodox Easter. On this day, bonfires are lit and the bracelets are removed and thrown into the fires. Wherever these March charrm and amulets found their origins, they are the symbol of the wakening of the earth and new life.

However, more than anywhere else, this day of celebration takes on a very special meaning in Bulgaria, our northern neighbour, and as those among you who have followed me for some time know, we have a very special affinity for the country, its customs and our friends there.

the cantankerous Baba Marta!

In accordance with ancient tradition, on 1 March Bulgaria celebrates the arrival of Spring, personified by the mythical, rather grumpy and limping grandmotherly figure of Baba Marta (Grandma March) whose job it is to brush out winter and let in Spring. There are several different stories relating to Baba Marta, but all have one thing in common: she is a very irritable and unpredictable old lady, extremely moody, known to cast bad spells on people who displease her and will only visit clean houses, which means that March is also the month for what is traditionally known as Spring cleaning! If she’s displeased with what she finds she’ll make it known by sending you bad wintery weather spells, but if she’s happy you’ll find her smile reflected in the warming sun!

The origins of Baba Marta are shrouded in many legends. According to one, the month took its name from a real woman whose name was Baba Marta, and who, lured by an early sunny spring day, took her goats to graze in the mountains. While tending to her flock she was surprised by an unexpected change of weather and the sudden bitterly cold winter spell resulted in her freezing to death and becoming a stone from which later water would begin to flow. Other versions of this story, tell of a woman who took her goats into the mountains before the first of March, in other words before the date she was supposed to, and for this foolishness was punished by Baba Marta, who turned her into a stone. Eventually the stone transformed into a spring.

In rural Bulgaria certain traditions surrounding Baba Marta’s arrival are still observed to this day. As Baba Marta has specific requirements of the people she meets on this first day of March, old women will not go out early because they don’t want to make her angry and cause a change of weather. Baba Marta likes to meet young girls and women and when she does so she will make the weather warm and nice. It is also customary not to do any washing or put out white clothes on this day for fear of old Baba Marta bringing on a frost or hailstorms. Nor will any weaving or boiling of foods be undertaken by the women because this would cause thunder to strike!

Wherever you go on this special day you’ll hear people greet each other with words “Chestita Baba Marta!” after which they exchange additional wishes of good health, luck, happiness and protection against evil for friends and family alike, while pinning traditional symbolic charms with tassels called “Martenitsi” (Martenitsa singular, Martenitsi plural) on each other’s clothes. All over the country streets are full of little stalls selling these Martenitsi and all day long you’ll witness people happily shouting ‘Chestita Baba Marta!’ and exchanging these charms– quite a fascinating and joyful experience really! It’s not uncommon to look like an over-decorated Christmas tree by the end of the day with all these charms pinned on you!

The word Martenitsa is derived from the Bulgarian word for March, as indeed is Grandma Marta’s name. Traditional Bulgarian folklore will have it grumpy old Baba Marta, best known for her temperamental mood changes, is responsible for the moody weather associated with the month of March.

Martenitsi come in all shapes and sizes: bracelets, amulets and even small puppets. These little puppets represent a boy and a girl named Pizho and Penda. Pizho is in white while Penda the girl is red. They are fashioned from twined red and white threads, either from wool, cotton or silk. Where the colour white symbolizes strength, purity and happiness, red is associated with health, blood, conception and fertility. They are also worn around the wrist or neck, but tradition dictates that they should not be taken off until the first signs that Spring has arrived can be seen, in other words until one sees storks, swallows or cranes or the first blossoms in trees . The Martenitsa is then taken off and hung in the tree with the words: "Take the ugliness of the winter away and bring forth the beauty of Spring”!

By the end of March and well into April you’ll find trees everywhere decorated with these red-and-white charms. Beware if you don’t wear your Martinitza until then, for Bulgarians believe that you will be visited by evil spirits and bad luck will befall you! You’ll even find pets and domestic animals such as young horses, lambs, kids and sheep wearing Martenitsi. Houses, too, are decorated with their own Martenitsa.

One of the stories behind Pizho and Penda is based on the legend when Anciet Khan was in battle. Back home his wife was expecting a child. So that nobody would know whether the newborn was a boy or a girl, they had agreed on a secret code: A messenger would bring a red kerchief if the baby was a girl and a white one if it was a boy. Since the queen delivered twins she sent the messenger with both a red and white kerchief and named her offspring Pizho and Penda.

Martinitsa we found hanging in our friend Dr Bee's garden in Sofia (Foto: emmakay)

As is often the case with many traditions, these celebrations are based on legends. Here is one in a nutshell version:
This legend dates back to the olden days when Khan Kubrat had declared himself an independent ruler in 632 AD denying the power of the Turkut khagan. All Bulgarian tribes living in the region of the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Caspian Sea immediately united under him.

Map of what that part of the world looked like at the time of Khan Kubrat's reign

One day, Kubrat’s five sons went hunting and had taken their sister Houba along. When they reached the Danube River, they encountered a silver stag. They followed the stag when it crossed the river and were led to a ford. At some point they were visited by a bird that brought them bad news: their father Kahn Kubrat, the founder of Great Bulgaria was said to be on his deathbed and he wanted his sons, Bayan, Kotrag, Asparoukh, Kuber and Altsek, to return home immediately in order to maintain some sort of order between the different Bulgarian tribes. The five sons did as asked and returned home, found their ailing father and vowed to defend Bulgaria.

Khan Asparoukh-founder of Dunavian Bulgaria (foto: www.ancient-bugaria.com)

Soon after their father’s death, the Khazars invaded their lands. The Khazar’s Khan, Ashiba, succeeded in conquering the capital Ababa. Khan Ashiba had managed to take Houba, Kubrat’s daughter, prisoner. In order to give her brothers a chance for freedom, she tried to kill herself. She failed however. Her brothers remembered their father’s wish and kept their vows: Bayan stayed with Houba and recognised the rule of the Khazars. Kotrag went north, to the River Volga, while Asparoukh, Kuber and Altsek went south to search for a land free of oppressors. Before they left, the brothers had secretly arranged with Houba to send her a coded message whenever they were able to find free land.
Then Asparoukh sent word, which he attached with a golden thread to a falcon’s leg. Bayan, who had stayed with Houba decided it was time to escape; however, they were spotted and hunted. In an attempt to send a message to her brothers, Houba tied a white thread to the falcon’s leg. As she was setting the bird free, the moment the falcon was about to take off, her brother Bayan was hit by an enemy arrow and the spray of his blood stained the white thread red. But the gods were smiling on them and brother and sister managed to reach Asparoukh’s newfound land. Asparoukh welcomed his mortally wounded brother and sister and tore up pieces of white-and-red thread with which he then adorned his soldiers.

Even though many of the old traditions surrounding the celebration of this special day and the wearing of the Martenitsa are still upheld in modern Bulgaria, the meaning today relates more to its symbolizing new life, conception, fertility, spring and harmony in nature as well as in people’s lives. And in today's world we need that more than anything!

a beautiful Pizho and Penda Martenitsa in a blossoming tree (Photo: Preslav via Wiki)

May this “virtual” Martenitsa I send you here keep you safe from bad luck or illness and bring you joy, happiness and a long, healthy life!

"CHESTITA BABA MARTA" from me to all of you! ... and may you all enjoy a wonderful Spring!
I have also posted below a 3 minute YouTube clip which affords you a glimpse of the typical atmosphere and music surrounding the wonderful Bulgarian tradion of the 1st of March celebration! Enjoy

Spring blossoms captured during a walk in the Ljulin mountain range, Sofia. Spring 2010 (Foto: emmakay)

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WINDS OF CHANGE

2/19/2011

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Yesterday, one of my FB friends, Josh Bartlett, posted the account of a young couple’s – and their children - harrowing experience during this months’ people uprising in Cairo, Egypt. Their story really touched me. It’s called The Lotus Revolution – How We Survived the Egypt Riots, and is a detailed written and photographic narrative of the actual events unfolding before their very eyes. Jon Butcher and his wife Missy (Jon is the author of the post) were in a “unique” position to see it all happen and he shared this incredible tale with us, asking at the same time some rather deep questions regarding how our own personal relationship with our own “ego” – our own “self” is shaped or affected by momentous events in our lives, not in the sense of a selfish approach, but rather pointing at the core of our very being and questioning it.I quote the actual questions here: this is a direct copy/paste from his notes. Please visit http://mylifebook.com/blog/?author=5 to read all about Jon and his family’s exceptional life-changing experience.

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What are the most important situations and events you’ve experienced that have shaped you as a human being? Have you ever experienced an event that was so deeply intense, or powerful, or scary or or moving that it changed you to the core?
Unquote++

Do YOU ever stand still and reflect upon how you have evolved over the years, and what it was that made you become what you are today? How it affected you in your relationship with those around you?
If not... perhaps worth considering..?

And with this I leave you to ponder these questions and maybe you will be surprised at the YOU that you will discover deep inside you...

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend – Take care and remember that we are all part of a much larger picture!

Smiles,
Emm xx

(PS: The picture below was taken in Ano Kerdilia – a village just a few kilometres from where we live. I decided to add it here, because when I read Jon’s story I could not help but build a mental bridge to what my husband and I had learned when we visited the Kerdilia memorial site that has been erected in honour of the men and boys who were slaughtered in Ano and Kato Kerdilia at the hands of the German SS during the Second World War. These brutal events had lain shrouded in silence for so long because there is a great stigma attached to them. The two villages were completely burnt down... I remember standing there, up high, wondering how the women-folk and children who were made to witness these killings had managed their lives subsequently... Doesn't bear thinking about... I have documented this story and will post it in Emma’s Chronicles immediately following the Olive Pickers Saga.)

The Kerdilia Memorial - Serron Prefecture, Northern Greece (photo emmakay) Dec 2010

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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!! ... and a BIG surprise!

2/14/2011

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Roses are NOT always red, my love!

To all of you - Happy Valentine's Day...!
And what a day it has been!
It was just wonderful, although it did not really start off that well.
Hubs has been "under the weather" today, well, at least this morning. We'd been up working till nearly 3:00 am - you know how it is with the internet! So, when we finally decided to tackle the day mid-morning, I suggested that since today was a special day, a day for lovers and love, and all that, perhaps we should just pack our laptops and go sit by the sea, maybe even splash out and have a spot of lunch, thinking that it always makes him feel better to be outside in the fresh air and under the sun, although, to be truthful, there was little sun to be seen at that moment.
I received one of his very typical replies to my suggestion:
"Oh, and here's me thinking we have Valentine's Day every day of the year!!
Grin!
"Except for Christmas Day, of course - Christmas Day is Christmas Day, can't change that..."
Another, bigger grin...!
<Sigh>... that British sense of humour!
Anyways, that was settled then. We'd go out.

I then made the "mistake" of getting online, slipping through the backdoor to take a peep inside Facebook, wanting to leave a message of Valentine's Day wishes on my wall...
Mistake... BIG mistake...! Well, not really a mistake but we didn't leave until about 2 pm!

What happened, I hear you ask?
Let me tell you.
When hubs enquired as to what I was doing, I explained that I had posted one of my favourite Greek love songs, S'Agapo, on my wall at FB, whereupon he suggested I could also put OUR song on, in other words, the German song I introduced him to more than 30 years ago, called DU, by Peter Maffay. What a brilliant idea I thought and did a YouTube search for a version we had discovered sometime last year, which we both loved very much. The "live" versions of the olden days can be a bit lacking in audio quality, but that particular one I had in mind was pretty good. Couldn't find it, though, so I went in search of an acceptable alternative and stumbled upon a young Romanian by the name of Aldo Blaga who had posted his own rendition of that famous song. Normally, I immediately switch off - or don't even open up- songs that aren't sung by performers I know, but my eye had caught a couple of comments below the YouTube screen and I gave it a go.
Guess what happened next?
We were hooked, and we went through several online performances of songs this young man had posted. It was really awesome, to borrow an American expression which is quite befitting here!
At some point, hubs and I literally dragged ourselves away from the laptop and got ready - there would be little point in going out if we procrastinated any longer...

As far as Aldo is concerned: he's got two new fans here now!

Back to the Special Day...
We'd left things so long that we decided to go straight for a bite to eat at one of our favourite places in Asprovalta. One of the Chefs there has become a good friend over the years and he greeted us with a big smile as soon as we came in, wishing us Xronia Polla - a phrase used in Greece for any celebration, meaning "many happy returns of the day" or something similar and precludes the wish relevant to the particular day. So today it was Xronia Polla for all the Valentines and Valentinas...

We had a delicious vegan lunch of "home-made" veggie dishes, all freshly cooked - my mouth is watering as I write this! Hubs had by then picked up considerably and was enjoying a little carafe of a highly palatable red table wine, of which I drank a couple of swigs, very much diluted with water, so that I could have a "Yamas!" - Cheers! - with our friends. You just CAN'T drink to anyone's health with a glass of water here...! (I don't normally take much notice of that, since I am a devout water drinker, but allowed myself a mouthful under the circumstances!)

At the end of the meal when I went over to settle the bill, I had a chat with the owner who was sitting at the counter, behind a computer screen, and somehow we got talking about internet, Facebook, websites etc. He was looking into setting up a site about the restaurant and I told him about my site, how I had managed to weave my way through all the bits and bobs that make instant website creation a pleasure to deal with and asked him if he wanted to see what I had managed to do so far. He did want to see. And that's when I had the SURPRISE of my life!

I'm definitely not one to re-hash old blog posts, but perhaps you can remember the one I posted about LOVE IS a little while ago - should have kept it for today, come to think of it! - where at the end of my post I add a picture taken in Asprovalta on a sunny day sometime in autumn last year. A little boy kissing a little girl on the cheek... I'd seen a group of kids with adults on the promenade and had asked if anyone objected me taking some photographs.

Now imagine this: here I am standing next to our friend the restaurant owner showing him how easy it is to include pictures in blogs, or anywhere really, and I scroll down to show him that particular picture... he looks at it and I see his mouth drop, literally, and he exclaims in utter surprise: That's my son! That's our Alex...!!!! He looked at me totally perplexed; I in turn must have had a really dumb look on my face. I didn't know his youngest son, I'd seen the elder kids but had no idea AT ALL that the shot I took that particular afternoon was of his youngest kissing the girl! He was thrilled to bits, absolutely over the moon and called the staff over to have a look. The place was relatively empty at that time, we had been rather late, so the customers were not really neglected, but with waiters and kitchen staff alike milling around the two of us at the PC, the poor clients were the last thing on our minds! :-) We all had a good laugh about it - what a coincidence! Life can be strange at time, can't it just!

In hindsight, I reflected, I'm really, really happy that it is my policy to ALWAYS, without exception, ask if I can take a shot if children are in the picture, in fact, if anyone recognizable is in the picture. I'd hate to find out that some irate parent would accidentally stumble across my display and take offence. It goes to show how easily one can find oneself in troubled waters!
This time round, though, seeing the picture of his son like that made the father so happy that he wanted to share it with the world... In fact, we downloaded it onto his desktop and I promised I'd send him the other shots I had...
Fancy that happening!

And that's it for today... I'm now happily tired; hubs has sufficiently recovered from I'd say being overworked, that he's enjoying... guess what? ... yes... some more Aldo Blaga!

And since neither of us is a selfish person, let me share with you the song he's listening to at this very moment - a fitting end of what we call a really "Smashing" Day...!

"Lady in Red" - Aldo's take on Chris de Burgh's cover.
Hubs has played it five times this evening, to my knowledge!
All I can say before signing off is: ENJOY!

Smiles,
Emm xx

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Human nature - good or bad... or perhaps indifferent ??

2/10/2011

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Recently, there have been several occasions where I have been confronted with the notion of good vs bad in its various forms, and it is a subject that holds my attention and to which I try to find answers that satisfy me. One of the things that really made me go "WOW" in more than one way was the following real-life "story" sent to me by a friend. Apparently the actual happening made headlines in the US sometime early January. I confess not to have seen the message before.Personally, it made me swallow several times - I had a hard time holding my tears back, but failed miserably, I admit without shame.

There's an awful lot of BAD out there in the world - I'm sure I'm not telling you anything new here.
But once in a while we find that there are still people capable of showing what it means to be human, and in fact are prepared to bend, indeed go against the house rules, even if their job is on the line.
Don't let me hold you any longer - judge for yourself ... remember, it's quite an emotional story, so keep the tissues handy!

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Last night, my husband and I got the tragic news that our three-year-old grandson in Denver had been murdered by our daughter’s live-in boyfriend.
He is being taken off life support tonight at 9 o’clock and his parents have opted for organ donation, which will take place immediately.
Over 25 people will receive his gift tonight and many lives will be saved.
This morning, after only a couple hours sleep, my husband and I began to make all arrangements to get him to Denver to be with our daughter.
He is currently on business in LA and is flying Southwest.
While his employer, Northrop Grumman, made arrangements to get his ticket changed so he could get to Tucson today (which he had to do in order to not spend any extra money) I called Southwest to arrange his flight from Tucson to Denver so he would be stepping off one plane and getting on another.
He has several free flights with them so I couldn’t really do it on the website.
The ticketing agent was holding back tears throughout the call.
I’m actually her step mother and it’s much more important for my husband to be there than for me to be there.
In LAX, the lines to both check a bag and get through security were exceptional.
He got to the airport two hours early and was still late getting to his plane.
Every step of the way, he’s on the verge of tears and trying to get assistance from both TSA and Southwest employees to get to his plane on time.
According to him, everyone he talked to couldn’t have cared less.
When he was done with security, he grabbed his computer bag, shoes and belt and ran to his terminal in his stocking feet.
When he got there, the pilot of his plane and the ticketing agent both said, “Are you Mark? We held the plane for you and we’re so sorry about the loss of your grandson.”
The pilot held the plane that was supposed to take off at 11:50 until 12:02 when my husband got there.
As my husband walked down the Jetway with the pilot, he said, “I can’t thank you enough for this.”
The pilot responded with, “They can’t go anywhere without me and I wasn’t going anywhere without you. Now relax. We’ll get you there. And again, I’m so sorry.”
My husband was able to take his first deep breath of the day.
I don’t know any other airline that would have done this.
Unquote++

... I'm sure you're touched...

Undoubtedly, there will have been many grumbling and unhappy passengers on that plane, wondering "what-the-hell-is-happening-now" or words to that effect, while they sat and waited to be airborne, and many among them would have had valid grounds to protest against the delay - late or even missed appointments, missing connections...to name but a few.
Yet the airline pilot made a very conscious decision to hold that plane... he knew that the most important person on that plane was not some VIP or company CEO on a business flight, but a bereaved father who desperately needed to be with his daughter in her hour of need to help her through the pain of losing her child.
I cannot possibly venture a guess at how many pilots would have made the same decision... all I can say is that this man deserves my absolute respect for refuting the rules and showing what it means to be "human".

The world could do with more of these "human" pilots that steer us safely through all sorts of difficult moments ...
At the same time I also wonder about the other people at the airport who were in a position to show "human kindness" and miserably failed to do so... I'm not implying these people were bad or doing someting bad. It's more a case of being "indifferent"... It makes me wonder though how they slept that night...

As Einstein said: "The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."

I hope I have given you something to reflect on...

As always,

Smiles,

Emm

~ The engine is the heart of an airplane, but the pilot is its soul. ~ Walter Raleigh

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BRUSH THOSE TEETH AND DRINK THAT WATER...?

1/23/2011

3 Comments

I'm rather perturbed.

I've just come across some quite disturbing information regarding fluoride in water.

You may or may not know that in many parts of the world fluoride is added to the public water system in a bid to counteract dental decay; at least that's what we are being told. Public fluoridation of water became popular in the mid 1940s as a result of research that had shown there was less tooth decay in the population that lived in areas where drinking water had a certain amount of fluoride in it. From then on there was an ever-growing trend to fluoridate publicly supplied water and by the early 90s more than 60% of the US population with access to public water systems received the so-called optimum doses of fluoride in their water.

Over the years rumours about possible side effects and in fact real health related dangers reared their heads in the media, but our governments kept reassuring us that all was well and we should not worry. Now then, I'm not one for setting off a bad case of scaremongering, but I would just ask that those interested take the time to listen to the argumentation presented by Professor Paul Connett, under the rather disturbing title of Your Toxic Tap Water. It's a You Tube video clip lasting just under one hour... a MUST if you care about your family's health!

When we built our house I never believed that our tap water should be chlorinated in the first place, so we had special filters placed at source to purify our water; at the time I never gave fluoridation a thought... Unknowingly I may have done myself and my family a much bigger service than we could have imagined...

Fluoridation of public water is a dangerous undertaking, because there is no actual control of how much of the active substance is ingested by an individual. Just what constitutes dangerous levels? How much water can a person drink before seriously damaging their health? And what about children...? And also, what about fluoride in toothpaste? Just how safe is that...?

...just love that smile! ...

Go on, take a look for yourself and make up your own mind.

But don't forget one of the most important things in life:
Keep smiling ... !

Smiles,

Emm

3 Comments

LOVE IS....

1/14/2011

3 Comments

I'm pretty sure most of you are familiar with the comic strip drawings created by the New Zealand artist Kim Grove in the '70s which became a worldwide success and featured in many newspapers and magazines.... and still do! I remember collecting them during my teenage years (and beyond...!), and sticking them in an album! I always thought they were so innocently beautiful and simple...

Today I received an email from a friend who shared some absolute real-life gems about what "Love Is" from the mouth of babes...

We don't know where these words originated, but some of the responses obtained from these "babes" are so deep, I felt I simply had to share them with you.

Let them open the door to your heart ...
Something to think about now that Valentine's Day is looming just around the corner!

I copy/paste the text of the email and I say: Thank You so much, my dear friend Cath for sharing this with me...

+ + + + + + + Quote + + + + + +

Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it.
Touching words from the mouths of babes. What does 'Love' mean?

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does 'love' mean?'
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.
See what you think:

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love..'
Rebecca- age 8

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'
Chrissie - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mummy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mummy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss'
Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'
Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8

'My mummy loves me more than anybody.You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mummy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'
Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'
Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day'
Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.'
(what an image)
Karen - age 7

'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'
Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

When there is nothing left, that is when you find out that love is all you need.

+ + + + + UNQUOTE + + + + +

I hope these wonderful words have put a smile on your face... with that, I bid you goodnight or good day, wherever you are...

Smiles,

Emm
(PS: I took the above picture on a late summer's day along the promenade in a village nearby our home... just how lucky I was to catch the "posers" ...)

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FIRST DO NO HARM...

1/11/2011

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It’s been one of those days today! You know, when at the end of the day you wish you could start all over again MINUS the whatever that has been bugging you from the moment you opened your eyes.

Let me share...

I had developed a strange kind of toothache over the weekend which got so bad that I had to find an on-duty pharmacy on Sunday to get some heavy-artillery painkillers. Despite having a natural aversion toward “all that stuff” I needed to get the pain under control. As a one of our doctor-friends told us many years ago: although pain is a warning signal that something is wrong it also makes the body produce a lot of “bad” chemicals; so, if you can avoid it, do so! To cut a long story short: the medicine worked within fifteen minutes of ingestion and I was more or less pain-free until yesterday afternoon when I managed to squeeze in a “friends-only” appointment with our dear dentist here in Sofia.

Initial examinations revealed...NOTHING. No cavities, no tangible infection! The pain, which by then had returned, was surely not a figment of my imagination, so, what to do?

A targeted intraoral X-ray to reveal what the bespectacled eyes could not detect seemed to be the right answer. If I went to the lab right away I’d be able to get it done immediately. However, I’d had enough manipulation for the day, and we decided to schedule the appointment as top-of the agenda item for today, more precisely 9am this morning.

I managed to get through the evening and night without too much of a problem and after a particularly early start this morning walked out of the lab within less than a quarter of an hour following my arrival. No waiting queues... every patient’s idea of paradise! Back on my dentist’s chair I was faced with another oddity: the X-ray revealed... nothing! There were puzzled looks all over – was I imagining my pain? Did I perhaps suffer from the Phantom Pain Syndrome? I can assure you that this was most certainly not the case!

Dr Bee, as I affectionately call her, went into a brainstorming session with her husband, Professor Bee, who, over the years, has quietly assumed the role as Assistant Orthodontic Surgeon, despite having a series of degrees in construction engineering. They eventually agreed that the only way to find out what was causing my pain was by way of elimination, in other words, making sure what it could NOT be until there was only one answer left! “We will have to check the vitality of Number Seven before we are sure that it is not Number Six that is causing the problem”, she told me with grave voice full of concern. I must have looked rather dumb, for she proceeded to pat me on the hand and continued “don’t worry, dear. We must do everything to save the tooth.”

That’s why we love our Dr Bee – genuine concern for her patient’s wellbeing! My facial expression must have been sufficiently wrought to prompt her into telling me that she had something special for the pain, something very natural and good. Her old Professor had told her all those years ago that it was the best thing to use against toothache. The Magic Potion? Oil of cloves! After treating me, which left me oh so heavenly pain-free, she proceeded to make a phone call. I just sat there, in The Hot Chair, staring out of the window into the misty grey winter sky, my attention caught by a pair of Blue Tits dancing and hopping from branch to branch in the leafless arms of the silvery birch tree that stood in the handkerchief-size bit of land between our block of flats and the neighbours’. Dr Bee’s voice started to fade into the background, along with Richard Clayderman’s gentle magic piano tunes, and I felt my eyelids become heavy...

“OK dear, I shall come with you!” The words pulled me back into reality with a jolt. I had briefly dozed off. Fancy falling asleep in your dentist’s chair... A first for me! I could go back to the hotel, have a rest and should return to her by 2pm. She would then take me to a colleague dentist, specialized in determining how much “vitality” –or life- was actually left in the suspected culprit-teeth. The appointment was made for 2:30. It had been agreed by common consent that this would be the only way to distinguish the good ones from the bad ones; teeth I mean.

I did as I was told, returned to the hotel, had a much-welcomed break with my better half, who by the way finds it most upsetting when he sees me in pain, and then returned to Dr Bee for the next stage of the investigation. Another quick treatment with the good old Oil of Cloves to keep me smiling and off we went to catch a bus down to see Dr Magdalena.

At the end of the day it was all sorted out. The Professional Duo jointly established that the culprit (Number Six, by the way) sat sniggering under a brilliantly built crown, courtesy of Dr Bee back in 2005. Somehow, with age (how I hate that word!) the gums had started to recede slightly, thereby leaving sufficient room between gum and crown for the tiniest, tiniest pinhole to worm its way through the dentine into the pulp area, causing what’s known in the professional world as “pulpitis” – an inflammation of the tooth pulp or nerve, resulting in the waves of drumming pain that had caused so much misery during my weekend. I should not worry, it was felt that this was the reversible form of pulpitis and with a bit of luck I would be able to keep my crown after some careful treatment under Dr Bee’s butterfly fingers. By far the best news I’d had that day!

When we stepped back outside, into the misty winter afternoon, Dr Bee affectionately slipped her arm through mine and together we strolled to our bus stop, a few hundred meters down the road. We chatted, and I even managed a feeble attempt at cracking a joke – I could smile again! Dr Bee kept reassuring me that I was going to be ok and that she would save that tooth at any cost. She’d treat Number Six first with a paste ensuring the infection would subside and after 36 hours or so I should return. If I’d had only minimal pain, or better still, no pain at all until then, BINGO, she’d be able to get to the next stage of her plan: reverse the pulpitis, rebuild the inside of the crown by treating it with some special medicine that helps the tooth build up new dentine. Everything would then be sealed with a magic dental sealant, all the way from Japan... and I would be as good as new, well, nearly.

Was I happy with this? No need to embroider here... I’m delighted.

No invasive treatment, no additional pain, no additional cost ... and an outcome that I could only have hoped for: teeth back into shipshape.

And , pray tell me: where in the world to you get taken by your dentist to see another dentist in order to make sure you only receive the very best of care...?

First: Do no harm!

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A NEW YEAR'S MESSAGE FOR ALL TO PONDER...

1/4/2011

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A special message to all of you; in fact, more of a request.

I'd like you to spend a few moments and reflect about the "women" in your lives, be it your mother, your sister, your wife...
Let me tell you why I'm asking this of you...

Today I received 3 messages; two of which left me rather sad and upset, and one which I feel carries quite some weight and deserves deeper reflection....

On Facebook I learned that one of my friends had lost his mother on Christmas Day.
Although I don't personally know my FB friend or his mom, I have always appreciated his input and comments, and felt rather upset when I read that his mother had passed away on the very day we all expect people to be enjoying that special day together in the family fold.

A further e-mail advised me that a friend whose mother had been taken ill a couple of months ago, had in fact passed away on Boxing Day. I remember our friend writing to us a little while ago sharing with us his joy and delight at the prospect of being able to have his Mother back home before Christmas - she was getting better! Sadly her heart could not cope with things...

And then I found a further e-mail, this time from an old school friend of mine, who sent me a few kind words with her New Year's wishes and explained why she had not been in touch for some time. Her husband had dumped her during the summer after 30-odd years of marriage. He'd found the "younger and newer" model. Many years ago he'd done something similar, but she'd forgiven him... and the promises made then were obviously forgotten this time round. Despite all the pain and anguish, my friend is still able to find goodness and love within herself...

What really made me think and reflect was the attachment to her message - I have translated it from Dutch. It appears that the original message was in French - Author Unknown, but I cannot confirm this. Still, take a few minutes to read this note and give it some thought.

I dedicate this message to all the Women who need to find that "special person" hidden inside...

GRADUATES ...

"Do not worry if you cannot give your children everything that you dreamed you would.
Just give them the very best of yourself."

One day, a lady, called Anna, went to have her driver's licence renewed.
When she was asked what her profession was she hesitated and pondered the question.
She did not really know how to profile herself.

The official insisted: "What I need to know is whether you work, whether you have a job."
"Yes, of course I work!" Anna replied, "I'm a mother."
"I'm sorry, madam, but we do not consider that to be an occupation, so I shall write "housewife", the official said coldly.

Martha, Anna's friend, heard about this incident and thought about it for a while.

And then one day Martha found herself in the same circumstances, applying for a new driver's licence.
The female official before her appeared confident, efficient and very experienced.
The form to be filled in was long and seemed endless to Martha.
The first question was: what is your occupation?
"I am a graduate in Child Development and Human Relations" Martha answered without hesitation.

The official looked baffled and astonished, and when asked again, Martha repeated her answer word for word.
Having written this answer on the form, the young official then asked Martha:
"Would you mind telling me what you actually do?"

Without blinking an eyelid, Martha calmly and serenely replied:
"I am developing a thesis, a long-term project, both inside and outside home."

"Exactly what work does this involve?" the official curiously enquired.
Martha paused for a moment, pondering the question and then replied very casually, with her family on her mind:
"I am in charge of a team and have four very different projects on the go. I work full time, without a schedule and exclusively. The requirement is 14 hours per day, but it also happens that I'm on call 24 hours a day!"

As Martha continued to describe her responsibilities, she noticed that by the time the form was completed, the official's voice had acquired a much more respectful tone.

When she returned home, Martha was welcomed by her team: three girls aged 13, 7 and 3.
And when she went upstairs she could hear her latest project, the six month old baby, produce a totally new set of gurgling sounds.With a big smile Marha picked up her baby and held it close in her arms. She tought about the beauty and sheer majesty of motherhood, about her never-ending responsibilities and the endless hours spent doting on her charges.
"Mommy, where are my shoes? Mom, will you help me with my homework? Mom, the baby wont stop crying. Mommy, will you come pick me up from school today? Mom, can you take me to my ballet class? Mom, can you buy me ...? Mom ...?"

Seated on the edge of her bed, Martha was thinking, "If I'm a Graduate in Child Development and Human Relationships, then what do grandmothers qualify as?"
She soon thought of a suitable answer.
Grandmothers would be Senior Graduates in those fields.
And Great-grandmothers Senior Executive Graduates.
Aunties would be Assistant Graduates.
And all other women, mothers and wives would be Graduates, specialised in the Art of Life Improvement.

In a world where increasing importance is attached to titles and diplomas, where more and more targeted specialization is demanded in any field, it will pay you to become an EXPERT IN THE ART OF LOVING AND SHOWING AFFECTION!

Send this message to all the women you know.
Show them that at every moment of the day someone is thinking of them.
Make a woman smile and be happy ... today ... and always ...
Above all: BE HAPPY YOURSELF

With this, accept my very best wishes for a wonderful and fruitful 2011...
May it be bigger and better in every aspect than you could possibly hope for.

Smiles,

Emm

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BLOGGING ON AND PLODDING ON...

12/23/2010

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I have been reprimanded! Seriously...I was told by my blog hosts that they had not heard from me for a week and they were starting to get worried!
Really...!
You don't believe me...?
Here follows the message they sent me...

+quote++
It's been 6 days, 7 hours, 54 minutes and 5 seconds since you last logged in, and we're starting to get really worried.

We were just getting to know each other. You created 1 site, 10 pages, dragged on 24 elements, and then... nothing.
We were really excited for your new website, it had so much potential!

If you ran into any trouble along the way, we're here for you. Making your own website is fun, fast and easy. Best of all, you will have a website of your own to show to customers, clients, family or friends.
etc...
+unquote++

... I'm rather gobsmacked...!
Do these guys really keep the clock ticking for us newbies and make sure we don't fall behind?
I'm not sure whether I should be pleased or worried, perhaps even start looking over my shoulder...?

The last ten days or so have been m u r d e r...
Son-no.-One needed to vacate his flat and Mother-Dear's assistance was called for as he was tied up at work.
"Having" work borders on a small miracle in this country at the moment, so I readily obliged.
After all, he had told me, there's only a few things to be moved, mom, not much really...!

It was soon obvious that his idea of "not much really" bore absolutely no resemblance to mine, which was infinitely more realistic. I'll spare you the details; suffice it to say that tonight, after having "commuted" umpteen times from one place to the other, ordered a small removal van to come and do the heavy stuff, organized the new flat and driven well over 1500km in the last 2 weeks (really!) we have one empty flat... well, almost empty. There sits in the middle of his former bedroom floor a monstrosity of a bookshelf which requires someone with a PhD in carpentry to take it apart. We actually managed to get it down with the help of a friend who used to be a boxer... and then were well and truly stuck. Why did we not have it removed when the removal van was there, you ask? Good question; I wish I knew the answer! It's a bit complicated... :-)

Tonight (yes, I know, I should have been getting ready for the Christmas preparations...) Son-No.-One and I sat there in the almost empty flat waiting for a friend who knows about carpentry... he couldn't make it in the end. :(
Outcome of the story: Son-no.-One will be off to Athens in the morning, while Mommy-dear has a new meeting with Dimitris, the guy who knows about carpentry and who promised to arrive early and tackle the bookshelf... perhaps we can get it all sorted by lunchtime!
Then, perhaps pigs might fly...!

Finally returned to Son-no.-Two's home where we shall be spending the Christmas break around 10pm, and after a nice cuppa and a little chat with hubs, I thought I might as well plod on with my blog before they entirely give up on me...

It's the night-before-the-night-before Christmas... and I should be having my feet up, really, listening to some lovely Christmas music, getting myself a glass of mulled wine and slowly coming round... Well, that's exactly what I'm about to do!

With smiles and warmest wishes to you all for a blessed Christmas, wherever you are!

Emm

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