I love these wise words by Krishna Das

"We have to learn to love people even if they are not giving you what you want… and then not take it personally. If you feel hurt, you have to recognize that they are not hurting you because you are you, but because they are them. You have to try not to be so hard on yourself." ~Krishna Das

Send mail please

Dear Family (and friends),

Every day William wants to check the mailbox and regularly sighs and heaves with disappointment when Mummy or Daddy receive mail and he does not. "Oghhhh?! Why nothing for me?!" Of course, he couldn't care less that the majority of our mail is advertising or bills with the occasional bank statement, postcard or amazon order... He just sees mail. Which is not for him.

Today he was thrilled to open the mailbox and hear that the green envelope it contained was addressed to the whole family and that he could open it. (I had actually opened the mailbox previously, opened all the mail - including the green envelope - removed "parental mail", then scotched this particular envelope up again and replaced it in the mailbox for him to discover later...)

William is very curious. He particularly likes to know how things work. One of his favorite books is about where the contents of his lunch box actually comes from.

Recently he has asked me several times to explain how mail gets to us -and of course the post-cards we send to you (and sometimes to ourselves, now you know why...). He knows about the post office, the conveyer belts and computer-like machines that read addresses, the planes/trains, the bags of mail, the post-men (who don't wear any kind of uniform here in Greece) and now he expects mail to be delivered to him.  Every day. Quite naturally.

So here is a special request: Please send William mail. A post-card, a parcel, a picture in an envelope, a penny or a dried flower on a card... whatever fancy you may have. He will be over the moon to hear it is for him and will treasure opening it!

Thank-you!
(oh and of course Emma, as any self-respecting sibling, will inevitably be jealous so please send her something too!!! this would be perfect! In fact I might just try it out!!! )

I carry your heart

“I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart) I am never without it (anywhere
I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)
I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)”
― E.E. Cummings

Delicious homemade marshmallows!

We love them! And they are healthy too!!!

I used this one from mommypotamus and this one for probiotic marchmallows from wellnessmama. Oh and there is this one from anorganic mama too.

I loved the desert

I did not expect to love the desert. I had been once before in Morocco but I always thought of myself more as more of a sea person. Our visit to the desert on the outskirts of Dubai changed my mind.

I was swept away but the beauty of the scenery. The colours, the texture of the sand, the amazingly vivid light. I loved the desert! Here are some of the pics we took.

And amazing skies...

Beautiful, breathtaking nature here in Greece. Really.

Over the summer I started a painting that was, well, rather difficult for me as it involved a lot of complicated swerves and precise paint-brush control. It is inspired by a wallpaper design from the 30s.

After having penciled out the initial curves I was so fed up with it that I left it for at least a month and painted something more free and colourful.

Then I came back to it in October and started adding the background colour. A neutral beige.

Then I started adding the background pattern; a kind of coral like structure.

Getting the symmetry at least looking right on the swerves had been so painful that I decided to make things easier on myself with the corals and actually trace and flip so as to speed things up.

 

Finding and then mixing the right shades of pinks and burgundy was also quite difficult as was brush control - or painting within the lines. Phew!

I hadn't initially thought it was going to be all pinks and burgundies but that's were it took me...

Here I am painting away one autumn day...

Nearly finished! I need to go over the white swerves again to make them pop and then touch up bits and do the sides...

What do you think?

I'll post the finished piece soon I hope...

New interests

 William loves his new screw driver or (drive skewer as he calls it) and is constantly using it

Emma is into  Zumba dancing and drawing

oh and into painting her nails

(here she is watching a cartoon as they dry...)

Just by our house this morning...

Our little garden

Here in north of Athens house, we are lucky enough to have a small garden. Although at first it was a challenge; you need to set up the watering right and plant things in the right places for the right amount of sun or shade and I had no idea about any of this - I am now really enjoying having it. 

I like breathing in the flowery or onion-y wiffs I get as I walk by. I like feeling the grass under my feet in the mornings or evenings when I go and have a look at what has developed, dried or grown, been nibbled on or bloomed. I love seeing small bees come and pollinate my flowers and hearing them and other insects whizz by totally reminds me of my childhood when I was lucky enough to have garden owning grandparents on both sides. 

I love having my own rosemary, chives, mint and parsley - and hopefully basil - on my little balcony to add to drinks or salads. 

It's sometimes hard work and frustrating when things die on me or don't grow as expected - and conversely immensely satisfying when things grow unexpectedly fast or blossom into something magnificent and colourful. Nowadays, I find it really relaxing having all this nature around us and am really glad the kids can enjoy it too. 

 There is a tiny bee in there can you see it?

 our flowery corner includes some plants Emma and William brought 

back as sprouts form school and we don't yet know what they will become

 shared roses with the neighbour and the kids trampoline 

I can't remember the name of the white flowers

 no idea what these orange beauties are called but aren't they pretty!?

 In Greek I think these are Gallia or something. 

I love their bright pink colour and the fact that they 

reach out to the sun so high

 the purple ones are something solaris and are 

usually found on islands but I saw them in someone else's garden 

and asked our gardener to find us some.

 our kitchen balcony with coloured flowers 

as well as rosemary, mint, parsley and chives

and a place to have coffee or an aperitif and chips

I love Greek take away dinners!

Mint meatballs with lemon juice, tzaziki, roasted aubergine salad, zucchini fritters, stuffed peppers or vine leaves... Yoghurt and fruit. What's not to love?!

Emma at the Olympics swimming pool

At the end of November Emma started swimming lessons during art and crafts time at kindergarten on Thursday mornings. Today I went to watch Emma during her lesson at the Olympics swimming pool. She has had 8 lessons so far and is really enjoying her time in the water.

Here are some pics of today's lesson.