Music?

Yes, I've added a playlist to my page, if you haven't already heard. The player is at the bottom of the page as it wouldn't fit in the sidebar.
I've selected music that you would probably hear if you were in my presence, but most of it is mellow. I'll save the saucy stuff for myself. Besides, I know that a lot of you check the blog while you're supposed to be working and I don't want to get you in trouble for dancing on your desk.
I'm just trying it out and so far I'm leaning toward turning it off. I think that it may be distracting.



Have a fantastic weekend!

Smoking restrictions- finally.

One thing that I still find hard to adjust to while living in Greece is that people are typically allowed to smoke wherever they want. It seems that bar/restaurant and other business owners have been reluctant to ban smoking for fear of losing business. In fact, while patronizing a local pethotopo (cafe/play center), I noticed that there were "no smoking" signs present, but yet, customers were smoking as if they were entitled to the right... never mind that the signs were posted in a business which is centered around children playing. So, I asked the owner why she didn't enforce the nonsmoking policy that she had posted and she simply said, "because no one would come here if they couldn't smoke." I know plenty of people that would actually prefer a nonsmoking policy, those that don't want expose their children or themselves to the harmful effects of second hand smoke if it can be avoided. Currently, it's nearly impossible to avoid second hand smoke if you want to go anywhere.

It seems that there's a glimmer of hope because starting July 1, 2009 severe restrictions for smoking in closed public places will be imposed. Read this article for more details.

Pagotinia

I got the cracked one in the middle since the kids felt it was defective. No complaints from me.

Chamomile

Spring is almost over and I feel that I haven't shared enough of its many wonders, although my camera is busy capturing them on a daily basis. This chamomile is growing freely in the fields around our home and I'm busy gathering and drying as much as I can before its season ends.

May Day Bundt

This year we held a May Day BBQ at our house. There were many guests that were invited by a friend of ours, in fact, we'd never met the extra guests. As it is customary to gift the host/hostess with a dessert- we received a few that day. One of desserts, in particular, made me laugh. A woman that has never been to my home presented me with a covered silver platter and said, "This is for you, thank you for opening your home". Naturally, I thanked her and lifted the cover as my friend C stood by my side. To my surprise, there was a beautiful, yellow bundt cake sprinkled with powdered sugar under the lid...and it was already missing a big slice. I casually brought it into the house while our first time guest found a cozy chair near the spit where the lamb was roasting. I told C to close the door and we just giggled and giggled-and took a picture. I have proof, Greeks do know what a bundt cake is, they make them all of the time...and some of them are so delicious that they have to eat a slice before they bring it to the party!





Now here's a clip from one of my favorite scenes from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I couldn't help but think of this scene as we were giggling.






Have a great week everyone!