Corfu Villas a New Era Property Bargains in Corfu

NOVEMBER 2013 SINCE AUGUST 2007 PAGE 1 www.theagiot.net Tel: (0030) 26610 58177 The

73rd Edition Agiot

This Month Corfu Villas: A New Era. Page 1 Corfu Villas a New Era Property Bargains in Corfu. Page 2 By which is remotely hidden on the outskirts of Lydia’s Retreat. Page 2 Kostas McGovern the village and sleeps eight. Both villas have private pools. Agiotfest Autumn Party. Page 3 Over the past 13 years we have been wel-

Agiotfest 2013 Raffle. coming guests from all around Europe at Mouse House is situated in the south of Page 4 our villas, and in some occasions, even from the island in the village of Agios Nikolaos,

Likes Please. North America and Oceania. During these near Petriti. The main house sleeps six and Page 4 years we have been usually operating five to has a pleasant, very spacious garden sur-

Agiotfest Sponsors. eight villas and apartments at a time and rounding it. Also, the loft has recently been Page 5 since we are based in Agios Ioannis it is refurbished and consists of a bedroom/ Village News. therefore understandable that most of the kitchen / lounge and bathroom with a ve- Page 6 properties we have been letting out for tour- randa overlooking the fields behind the Letters to the Editor. ists are located in central Corfu. At the mo- house. It sleeps two and can be rented sepa- Page 7 ment, we are in a period of expansion and rately from the rest of the house. On the Nick the Clock’s World. other side of the island, on the north coast, Page 7 are planning to add more properties, geo- graphically distributed throughout the is- in the village of Acharavi, Villa Noy sleeps Indian Summer in Lefka- four and has a private swimming pool. da. land in order to further diversify renters‟ Page 8 options. Next year we will be advertising

Fleshpots of the North. more than ten villas and apartments, a sig- At the moment, these are the only villas Page 9 nificant increase compared to the past. So, and apartments advertised on our new web-

WE’RE not English we what new will we have to offer for next year? site: www.ocayvillascorfu.com. However, we are Scouse. are planning to double the number before Page 10-11 To begin with, I‟ll mention what we‟ve Christmas and then increase our portfolio Scouse Joke. Page 11 already had to offer in the past. The first some more before the summer. Some inter- house we ever rented out was Villa Theodo- esting additions include Villa Angelos near Aunty Lula’s Love-Bites. Page 12 ra in 2000. It has been consistently booked Sidari, Lydia‟s retreat in Agios Ioannis, Villa during the summers ever since and is espe- Helios and Villa Selena near Pelekas, a Walter’s Snuggery. Page 12 cially popular with returning customers, beach house with a beautiful view of the sea mainly because of its close proximity to the in Agios Gordis and a luxury villa in Arillas. The World of Simon. Page 13 village square which has acted as a hub for Please have a look at the website and keep

Corfu Weather Statistics. tourists since the 70‟s. It has three bed- an eye out for some more properties to Page 13 rooms, sleeping seven, and includes a patio, come very soon. If anything interests you

Something to look for- garden and private swimming pool. Also in just email us at [email protected]. ward to. Agios Ioannis, we offer Villa Persephone, Page 14 which sleeps five and is also quite close to

the village square and Villa Aphrodite

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Lydia’s Retreat

Quiet, clean, two-bedroomed sleeping four persons with a sleepy balcony at the rear and inside a nicely-appointed kitchen, a perfect for two weeks in July, 2014, so For those with a slimmer budget, little hide-away. much did they enjoy their stay. why not try Lydia‟s retreat, right in We started offering this apart- The owners love this place and the heart of the village, a minute‟s ment only last summer and already will be improving it as time passes. walk from the plateia and taverna? the second visitors have rebooked Definitely worth a try.

Property Bargains in Corfu

By region. Considering all the above

Peter McGovern there won‟t be a more ideal time to

invest in Corfu.

Before you purchase a property

in Corfu you have to consider a few things. Most importantly you must Sidari Bungalow be in love with the island, making free advice. sure you enjoy every moment of So, you can check out our prop- your stay here, either this is perma- e r t i e s o n : h t t p : / / Lakeside– Villa nent or if you just visit your future www.propertycorfu.org/. There are home for holidays. You should many properties not constantly thoroughly plan and research your shown here so anyone who is inter- While Greece may be in the property purchase which will make ested in buying a property on the throes of financial crisis there do all the difference for a positive out- island should get in touch in order seem to be some opportunities come. Make sure you have a clear for us to search the perfect property ahead. Even though most people plan of what you are after as to not for you. We are also in the process are affected by the stuttering econo- waste your time for no reason. If of developing a new site which will my there are some positives for a you are a frequent visitor of the is- be constantly updated http:// few who wish to invest here. Prices land you should have a rough idea www.ocaypropertycorfu.com/. of villas, land and apartments are at of where you would like your prop- an all-time low making properties erty and how you would like it to valued at around 30% or more look. If you can‟t find the perfect down on their original prices. Fur- house and you have the available thermore the Greek luxury real es- funds you may consider building tate agency has a lot going for it as your own property or renovating. the country offers the cheapest land Whatever your criteria is we are in the European Mediterranean here to help, just ask for obligation- St. Nicholas Beach-House

NOVEMBER 2013 SINCE AUGUST 2007 PAGE 3 Agiotfest Autumn Party

By plate, but will eventually tell its own The Minstrel story. We will build the „Wall‟ over

This was held on October 18th, the coming months. It will include everyone who contributes, in any and not for the first time this year, the weather stayed clear. way to the advancement of the Ag- iotfest in general. We hope to come away from the once-a-year event and look towards monthly or bi- monthly events- all leading up to “We’re OFF” the peak of Agiotfest itself in Au-

gust. There was a mini-auction at which two cases of Ginger Grouse were bid for, plus other gifts kindly donated by Chas and Brenda Clif- The X-LOVERS put in a great ton, and unclaimed or returned show poolside and enticed quite a prizes from the Agiotfest raffle. few of the 60+ attendees to get up and dance. Yiannis the drummer was most concerned that nobody jumped into the pool during the band‟s performance. He went to “The Wall” great lengths to explain that water and electricity do not mix. Good A plea for Artemis [published job he told us. last month] was heard. Two people have stepped forward with offers to “Three Generations” help. Unfortunately, Artemis her- self could not attend the evening, The 100+ Club had its monthly we hope her opportunity will re- draw, this month the winning num- main. ber was owned by Judith Forshaw and pulled from the hat by Alexia Mane, singer of X-Lovers. Judith won the 70 Euros. Several new Chas Entertains members joined on this night so signs are encouraging for the The food was great, I know this growth of the club. The next cos there was no curry left for me monthly draw will be held in No- next day. vember at Scooby‟s Bar, Sidari.

Please go here for further details; https://www.facebook.com/

groups/the100plusclub/?fref=ts “Rob Relaxes”

At this night a „WALL‟ was pinned on the wall, quite self- explanatory. You can see it here. All who contribute to Agiotfest, in one

shape or another, can be added to “Three Generations” this wall. This is but a crude tem-

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Agiotfest 2013 Raffle LIKES PLEASE Once again we held a very suc- We were entertained by The X Lov- YES PLEASE cessful Raffle and the response was ers (who played at the Festival on just as enthusiastic as in previous 31 August this year) whilst we all LIKE years, if not more so! There were enjoyed Lula‟s very excellent curry fourteen (14) good-quality prizes meal, followed by a choice of des- and all, with the exception of one sert. We held an auction, which The Agiotfest continues to prize, were claimed. The unclaimed included the two unclaimed/ grow and for sure it can get bet- prize was purchased by a visitor returned prizes mentioned above ter and better. and, unfortunately, she must have and a good time was had by all! left the venue before the raffle was drawn. We did mention this in our At auction one British Corner A CALL FOR HELP. September edition of The Agiot Shop voucher went [who to?] Magazine but there was no re- If you like Agiotfest, read this, sponse. One other prize was very 2 Red wines in presentation case belong to Facebook, but have kindly given back to be raffled successful bid by X-Lovers. not as yet liked our Agiotfest again. page, can you please spend a Again, this year, we maintained T-shirts; five successful bids. few seconds and LIKE it now our lower ticket price of only 2eu- on the link below. The more ros and realized a very handsome Crate of Ginger Grouse to Sally people who are attracted amount. Tinkler. through actions such as this, We, as always, were very im- sends a ripple effect through pressed with the high level of sup- Crate of Ginger Grouse to Les and port we received from our friends, Chris Woods. the ether and results in our ad- local and abroad, and it is very en- vancement. We currently have couraging to know that, despite our Anna –Lise and Nikos contributed 563 likes, which is double what present financial restrictions etc., to the Optimistic Bucket. it was in 2011. It would be we can always find some cash to great to push for the thousand help those less fortunate than our- Note for the future – these get- by the time Agiotfest 14 ap- selves! togethers are not to be missed. Not pears. In our continuing effort to sup- only do we meet up with our „Agiot port local charities we have again, Friends‟ but also we are very well On the subject of 14, a „Letter this year, made three donations: fed, „watered‟ and entertained! And to the Editor‟ on any subject it‟s all in a good cause! connected with the Fest, is wel- Holy Trinity Anglican Church, We have some exciting new ide- comed, especially any sugges- Corfu town. as for the future and advise you to Greek Church Panayia Man- watch our Website for regular up- tions for next year‟s perform- trakina, Corfu town. dates. ers. Already we have a few in Care Animal Welfare, Sidari. We are looking forward, with the pipe-line but the more the much enthusiasm, to all the activi- merrier. This year our donations were ties during the run-up to our 2014 increased by 16.7% over 2013! It is Annual Music Festival – for the https://www.facebook.com/ very important to notice that these sixth year running! agiotfest?fref=ts increases are only made possible by you, our friends, and your amazing support, for which we thank each Lucy STEELE, M.B.E. and every one of you! Raffle Organiser On Friday, 18 October, we had an „Agiot evening‟ at Villa Theodo- ra, which was very well attended.

NOVEMBER 2013 SINCE AUGUST 2007 PAGE 5 Agiotfest Sponsors

Sunrise Cars Boatman’s World Famous Grouse NSK Sally’s Bar Dionysus Camping Nikos Pouliasis Sofia Kasfiki Sergio Grammatikos Green Island

Eco-Point Paul & Jan Scotter

Ken & Jan Harrop Steve Dell Steve Young Jo & Mel Sperling Lionel Mann Sue Done Michael Spiggos Tavola Calda Bill & June Williams Spyros Hytiris Brenda Pangrakiotis Nikolas's Taverna, Agni Vassilis Pandis In Action gym Star Bowl Greg Zoxios Forthnet La Tabernita Mexicana Gina & Pat Brett David Dickinson

NOVEMBER 2013 SINCE AUGUST 2007 PAGE 6 was sung simultaneously in six different keys, an interesting sound.

Village News This year many fewer children rep- resented their schools. Such occa- By died Laki disappeared and I sions as that, no more than a half- Dr Lionel Mann thought that another family mem- dozen a year, are the only times that ber had taken him away. Only re- children were in school uniform. I Possibly because living locally are cently I learned that when his mas- wondered if the low attendance re- a number of ex-patriates, British, ter died Laki lay down, pined away flected parental unwillingness to Dutch and German, reputed to care and died a week later. Widowed buy expensive clothing to be worn for animals, people abandon un- Marika has adopted a stray. so rarely. wanted pets around Agios Ioannis. Unwanted stray dogs are becom- Since moving into my present Cats join colonies at refuse bins, ing pests, A few days ago two of home more than two years ago I but dogs become a real problem. them, driven to desperation by hun- have never received any account for Over past months the canine popu- ger, dug under the wire netting water. On Ochi Day, a national lation of the village has quadrupled; fence of Nitsa‟s hen enclosure to holiday, two men came round read- most families, including Greek and enter, kill and eat portions of a doz- Albanian, now have a pet hound. en of the denizens. Nitsa is not ing water meters. Now I brace my- Mainly toy, low-slung, pint-sized, happy. Most men around here self to to face a hefty water bill. yappy little things. Josephine, my have shotguns. Before long birds Earlier this year I received a huge smallest cat has taken to chasing may not be the only target.Later, bill for electricity.My meter had not them away from my place; back the culprit was identified as Rika‟s been read since I came in. Things arched, spitting and screeching, she new charge. are somewhat chaotic here at pre- presents a frightening spectacle and Amongst last month‟s visitors sent. then she comes back wearing a self- were Lester and Helen, Paul and satisfied smirk on her whiskers. I Sally, Micky, Dimitri, Ricky, Wal- had thought that I had brought her ter, Martin and Tracey. All visitors up to be more ladylike than that. have now left and may ex-pateriates By contrast Hedges, the dowager of have also gone to winter in the icy my clowder is a snotty arrogant, north. Some people enjoy skating Maggie Thatcher type, far too con- on frozen canals or scraping snow ceited to bother with any dog, even off their boots. with Andy, Alfie or Bono when The taverna has closed for the they pay a social call. All she lacks winter. It is always a rather sad time is a handbag; I am considering buy- when the tables and chairs vanish ing her one of those for Christmas, from the plateia although clearing Because his bed-redden master the fallen leaves becomes easier. “Lionel & Andy” was unable to take him around The usual Ochi Day parade and Laki, Polymeris‟ big friendly old laying of wreaths at the war memo- dog, used to come with me when I rial took place on 28th October and went for a walk. After Polymeris also as usual the National Anthem

When Nitsa Was Young returns in Janu- Nitsa & Costas’ ary. Sorry for the delay but Christmas allotment will be a great time to interview Kostas.

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recipe book. So when I saw Aunty Lula had In the end there were ten of us so plenty of provided a recipe in October's Agiot news- seconds. The verdict? Letters to letter, I decided there and then on my next Absolutely delicious! (Lionel ate seven.) A Lunch Box offering. note about Lunch Box. While it is held in the Editor Of course, with ten or twelve lunchers ex- the church hall, the event is religion-lite pected - and possibly more as we don't know (except for grace). We enjoy good conversa- in advance who's coming - I had to prepare tion along with the food, plus plenty of Lula’s Lovebites a rather greater quantity than in Aunty wine. It's not an exclusive club, and every- Lula's recipe. I found some mince on offer one is welcome whether regulars or first- Every Wednesday morning at around 11 I at Lidl, a mixture of beef and pork at only timers (12.30 start). pick up Lionel from his home in Agios Ioan- 3.50 euros a kilo. And all for just four euros: Best value in nis and we head for Corfu Town. The occa- Sorted: Two kilos would serve 16, and we Town! sion is the weekly 'Lunch Box' at Holy Trin- rarely host as many as that. ity Church (our local Anglican establish- Eight eggs; check. Lemons; check. Rice, Hilary Paipeti ment). onions, flour and olive oil in the pantry. Though times are hard, it's far from being a Parsley from the market; fennel from a local FLESHPOTS OF THE NORTH QUIZ 'soup kitchen', and meals are in general hedgerow (it tastes similar to dill). tasty and nutritious. I adjusted the recipe slightly, adding two of Dear Editor, The cooks among us take it in turns to pre- the eggs to the meat mixture to ensure it Had a go at quiz and could not pare the week's meal; we don't usually let held together, and since the mince con- make connection between George Clemen- on in advance, so that the menu is a sur- tained 30% fatty pork I omitted the butter ceau & Cameron Diaz. prise. But the last time my name was on (in any case I don't think it is vital). I also Think answer to second question is the los- the rota, I did let everyone in on the secret let the finished dish rest off the heat before ers’ ribbons? during the previous week's lunch, for I fig- serving for about 15 minutes to allow the ured that telling everyone I would be serving egg and lemon sauce time to thicken. I will come to Corfu next July. May I col- 'Yiouverlakia' would leave it a mystery any- I served the dish with green beans and car- lect my prize then if I have the right an- way (actually, one English gentleman knew rots, and the butter omitted from the Yiou- swer? what I was referring to as he is married to a varlakia went, guiltless, on the veggies. You Greek). don't need potatoes as the rice in the meat- Les Woods, I have made Yiouverlakia many times be- balls provides starch. Ellesmere Port, fore, but can no longer locate my Greek U.K.

wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons & emotion the beloved animals Nick the Clock’s numerous elephants. evoked in such an organised way: World Two days after his passing, the wild Walking slowly, for days, making elephants showed up at his home led their way in a solemn one-by-one THE ELEPHANT'S JOURNEY TO PAY by two large matriarch. queue from their habitat to his RESPECT, BUT HOW DID THEY Separate wild herds arrived in droves house. KNOW ????????? to say goodbye to their beloved „man- Lawrence's wife, Francoise, was Lawrence friend'. especially touched, knowing that the Anthony, a A total of 31 elephants had patiently elephants had not been to his house legend in walked over 12 miles to get to his prior to that day for well over 3 years! South Africa South African House. But yet they knew where they were and author Witnessing going. of 3 books this The elephants obviously wanted to including the bestseller spectacle, pay their deep respects, honouring The Elephant Whisperer, bravely humans their friend who'd saved their lives - rescued wildlife and rehabilitated were so much respect that they stayed for elephants all over the globe from obviously 2 days 2 nights without eating human atrocities, including the in awe not anything.. courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo only because of the supreme Then one morning, they left, making animals during US invasion in 2003 intelligence and precise timing that their long journey back home...... On March 7, 2012 Lawrence these elephants sensed about SOMETHING IN THE UNIVERSE IS Anthony died. Lawrence 's passing, but also because GREATER AND DEEPER THAN HUMAN INTELLIGENCE. He is remembered and missed by his of the profound memory and

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must have been on the balcony the Indian Summer in Lefkada best part of seven hours. It is 5.56 p.m. The sky is still blue, but like a soft water-colour. By ship canal to divide the land. The is- Next day we drive to Nidri, passing Paul McGovern land is reached by causeway and nar- the gorgeous inlet of Vlicho, with its

row bridge. bobbing boats, on the way. Onas- At the end of the summer season it At Agios Nikitas we stopped for a sis‟statue stands defiantly on the water- is great to get away off-island, even for little break and walk about the pleasant front at Nidri. His Skorpios island a few days. Brilliant sunshine- weather, bay. Like Corfu, very few visitors to stands off-shore, now owned by other it is a shame there are not many visi- enjoy the wonderful sunshine, warmth rich folk. We have an ouzo in a nearby tors to enjoy it in Agios, but as there and blue, blue sea. We drive further café, remembering that there was noth- are not, it gives us the chance to south through green-clad rolling hills. ing the famous magnate enjoyed more „escape‟. We have not been off the is- There are no magnificent olive groves, than to sit in this port and sip ouzo, land since Spring 2012 so as beautiful as in Corfu yet the scenery is charming play tavli and gossip with his boyhood as our home island is, island-fever has and the traffic is almost unnoticeable. chums. set in and the lure of uncharted places On to Ioannina, where we are to pulls us like a magnet. meet up with our Corfu friends Jan We have not been to Lefkada be- and Paul. They have booked us all into fore, it is not far and we decide to the Kastro Hotel, and very nice it is catch a slow-boat to Igoumenitsa and too. We have a lovely night and have then drive down on a bright Monday to restrain ourselves with eating, as an afternoon, getting to Lefkada in the earlier ouzerie owner had plied us with gloaming. Our friend Paul had suggest- too-bigly mezees, and a shot or two. ed a near-to-the marina hotel, the Ioni- an Star, and we almost fell into it as we entered the waterside road. “Porto Katsiki”

On the south-west peninsula is the little aqua-marine bay of Porto Katsiki; a perfect sand and pebble beach reached down a metal stairway. The late-October sun beats down and so it is time for a swim. And for Lula to catch some sun. I cannot remember a nicer beach. There were three other “Rich Islands”

small parties on its cliff-backed strand. The next day is spent walking the We found Pension Holiday apart- “Chicks on the town” lanes and streets and last-minute gift ment overlooking the harbor of Va- buying and a liquid lunch near Ali Pa- We found a great little taverna just siliki, clean room with a balcony view sha‟s. A leisurely drive back to Igou- off the marina plateia; the Seven Is- of the sea and mountains 60 metres menitsa and a gentle crossing. A great lands. We sat in the little alley, with off. The Kefalonia ferry runs daily from break was ended off at La Tabernita in tables bearing different -coloured here. A fish meal we eat in the even- Corfu town, Mexican food served by a cloths. The window and door frames ing, by the sea. We liked this small Canadian waitress. were pink, white, and brown. The ex- town enough to stay a second night ternal walls were dark blue, dark green. and during the day we did NOTHING except watch the vista from our balco- It sounds a mess but was totally en- Lefkada I would totally recommend chanting. The waitress Anthula made ny and breathe in the life and sounds for tourers or sailors; a great little is- you welcome and the dolmadas were of the tiny port and write a long jour- the best we have had-anywhere. So this nal describing as best we could the land. was a good start. beauty before us. A description which Next day we drove south, in no failed, completely, to do justice to the planned direction, and happened upon reality. The sun went to bed over the the west coast road. Lefkada is a bit western mountain, and as if an electric smaller than Corfu, green like its Ioni- fire had been turned off, the tempera- an sister. It is an artificial island-since ture dropped instantly, and the sea antiquity- when the Ancients dug a changed to grey with silvery patches. I

NOVEMBER 2013 SINCE AUGUST 2007 PAGE 9 behaviour of our American cousins. Fleshpots Of The North It was very much a case of „if this is Tuesday it must be Belgium‟. Our By teria that are said to be native to the friendly visitors from the US Mark Thompson Senne valley in which Brussels lies. It is seemed to much interested in what this unusual process which gives the beer they insist on calling a „pub‟ and are CWIZZES AND COKES its distinctive flavour: vinous and cidery not really attuned to the mores and In order to demonstrate that the usually with a sour after taste. attitudes that obtain therein. quiz that appears as part of this col- Whilst devouring history, at eve- umn is totally bona fide and all is Whilst the process thus de- ry turn, these US travellers don‟t above board I detail herewith the scribed sounds unpleasant, not to know or recognise „foreign‟ beer, so say potentially injurious to health, drink Coke© which rather defeats winners thus far: the resulting beer is well worth the the object of visiting such an estab-

1. Henry Percival Urquhart and Liz purchase. I can confirm that recent- lishment quite apart from the fact Monyah. ly whilst in Brussels I undertook that, amongst the ladies at least, 2. Mr. & Mrs. Ken Dromadi jointly detailed and lengthy research on they‟ll likely be on a diet so beer is answered both questions. this very subject. out of the question anyway. 3. Calvin O‟Cary and Gertrude The origin of the name of the À la Mort Subite there is offered Polushka. bar, the second part of the ques- a raft of interesting not to say re- tion, is subject to a degree of ambi- cherché snacks and „light meals‟ but All of the above were present in guity. The excellent „Eyewitness your American tourist, to a man, Corfu when they correctly answered Travel‟ by Dorling & Kindersley will plump for an omlette. Good as the quiz questions, they were able tells us „the name (of the bar) refers those no doubt are they hardly rep- to prove their identity by documen- to a working men‟s dice game resent the pioneering spirit that tation and thus able to claim their played there‟. made America what it is today. prizes. Whereas „Wikipedia has it „that As an aside I can thoroughly rec- whilst the name means „sudden ommend the Dorling & Kindersley Answers to a previous quiz are as death‟ in French the expression can guide book series „Eyewitness Trav- follows: also be used to refer to the final el‟, the books are attractively pro- À la Mort Subite-Sudden Death, ad- throw in a dice game‟. duced, easy to use, extremely in- dress; Rue Montagne aux Herbes However the Wikipedia entry formative and regularly updated Potagères 7 1000 Bruxelles, appar- goes on „the name derives from the with input from travellers. ently inspired Maurice Bèjart to bars‟ proximity to the law courts. More from the fascinating world create a ballet least according to Lawyers, their clerks and others of Belgium beer at a later date, now Harry Pearson in his book „A tall would gather to play cards in their for a word about the quiz which, man on a low land‟ at page 171, lunch break and a bell would ring because of the nature of the prizes, Abacus edition, 2002. in the bar when the courts were to The original owner of the bar, resume, presumably akin to the di- is suspended for the next few Théophile Vossen, also used this vision bell rung when the House of months. The reason for this suspen- name for his brand of gueuze beers Commons divides that is to say sion is that all the „old‟ local wine which continue to be readily availa- votes. The hand of cards then being has been consumed and the newly ble to this day. Gueuze beer-is a type played would be subject to sudden fomented wine has yet to reach frui- of lambic beer made by blending old death rules to decide the winner. tion. When further supplies are and new lambic beers. Suffice to say the essence of the available the quiz will be re-instated. Lambic beer-is a type of beer brewed answer is „a card or dice game‟ and traditionally in the Pajottenland of Bel- the rest is frippery and the commit- The answers to last months‟ quiz gium, SW of Brussels. This beer is pro- tee when considering answers sub- appear in next months‟ column, duced by spontaneous fermentation: mitted proceeded on that basis. and I will devise a suitably festive containers of wort (water, wheat and What I found fascinating whilst prize for the winners. barley, but without yeast) are left under enjoying many care-free hours in À Yours in the fleshpots, a half-opened roof in the brewery and la Mort Subite was the attitude and Mark Thompson exposed to airborne wild yeasts and bac-

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WE’RE not English we are Scouse

By pool before the First World War? Punch, with its cartoons of Irish Scouse „Dicky Sam‟ was one term, thought as apes, captured the mood of post- to mean „imitation Americans‟. The Famine England with this satire It‟s the chant that irritates op- sea trade with the United States from 1862: posing fans more than any other. meant that American fashions were “A creature manifestly between You can see the bewilderment; the always to the fore in the city – in the Gorilla and the Negro is to be disgust. You can almost see the the 1950s the „Cunard Yanks‟ set met with in some of the lowest dis- thought process: “What makes you the stage for the Beatles – but this tricts of London and Liverpool by so different? What makes you spe- phrase sounds more like an insult. adventurous explorers. cial?”Even within Liverpool, there Wack, or Wacker still gets used, “It comes from Ireland, whence are people who think that the sense most often by those from outside it has contrived to migrate; it be- of uniqueness, the separate identity, the city, but there is a sneering ring longs in fact to a tribe of Irish savag- is an affectation. It is similar, they to the word. How would the likes of es: the lowest species of Irish Ya- believe, to Manchester United sup- Larkin have referred to themselves? hoo. porters adopting the Argentinean Simply as Irish. “When conversing with its kind flag after 1998 and the demonisa- If Scouse, the dish, is a stew, so it talks a sort of gibberish. It is, tion of David Beckham. is the identity. The seaport brought moreover, a climbing animal, and They are wrong. They do not together myriad cultures which may sometimes be seen ascending a understand where the notion of helped shape this character. But its ladder laden with a hod of bricks.” Scouse came from – or where it‟s main ingredient is Irishness. The The „creatures‟ in London were going. Sadly, the same is true of Liverpool we know was formed in outnumbered and subsumed by the some of the most ardent propo- the half decade after 1847, when capital city and became part of its nents of the city‟s individual identi- the Potato Famine funnelled mil- fabric. ty. lions of starving immigrants into In Liverpool, assimilation did What is Scouse? Almost every- the port – “the nearest place that not happen. It took much longer. one knows it began as a cheap stew, wasn‟t Ireland.” When, four generations on, the lobscouse – a word with Scandinavi- Many used it a jumping off point Famine families found their links an origins. What most do not know for the Americas or Australia, but with Ireland stretched beyond is how recently it came to describe enough remained to change the where it was reasonable to consider the inhabitants of the city. The nature of the town. Particularly in themselves Irish, they became some- word only crept into the vocabulary the North End – bounded by Tithe- thing else: Scouse. They still did not of north Liverpool after the First barn Street, Great Homer Street, feel English. World War. It came into use in the Boundary Street and the river – the Citizens of Liverpool often feel dense slums between Scotland city became a different country. The the media treat the city differently Road and the Mersey. It probably Scotland Road electoral district vot- to other places. Outsiders attribute made transition from insult – ed TP O‟Connor, an Irish National- this to „self-pity syndrome‟. In reali- Scouser being originally those who ist MP to Parliament between 1885 ty, it is rooted in the anti-Irishness struggled to survive on the most and 1929. that stretches back to the nine- meagre broth – to a tag of pride. The relationship between Liver- teenth century. The Oxford English Dictionary pool and the rest of the country was Crimes committed in Liverpool claims the first usage of Scouse to shaped and defined by this idea of – like the Tithebarn Street outrage be in 1945. They were 25 years be- an alien group of people within the in 1874, where a man walking with hind the times. But one thing is body politic of England. This was his wife and brother was kicked to certain. People described as Scous- the original enemy within. The peo- ers – like the great James Larkin – ple of Liverpool did not have to death while scores of people looked would not have recognised them- wait for Margaret Thatcher to be on – created a national sensation. selves from the term. institutionally criminalised and re- Continued on Page 11 What would they have called garded as outsiders. themselves on the streets of Liver-

NOVEMBER 2013 SINCE AUGUST 2007 PAGE 11 WE‟RE not English we are Scouse of Scouse culture. Scouse separateness but more and Continued from Page 10 The football teams, too, became more people from the city are march- flag bearers for identity. In Newcas- ing in step with mainstream England. Incidents like this happened else- tle, Leeds and Birmingham, civic Without a sense of tradition and a where but Liverpool was always por- identity is overlaid by national pride. clear notion of distinctiveness, trayed as wilder, drunker and more For many Scousers, the lack of con- Scouse will become just like Geordie: violent. nection to the state left a vacuum. a regional variation of Englishness. Salford‟s Scuttlers caused as much This was filled by the football teams, That might be enough for some, disruption as the High Ripper gangs Liverpool in particular. but something special will be lost. of Scotland Road but the whiff of For the rest of the world, the Scouse is an accident of history. Its Celtic violence made it more sinister 1960s are the apotheosis of Scouse. roots are not being nurtured enough. to the general public. It was easier to Yet, the 80s saw it at its height. With It will die soon and be replaced by write off the violent confrontations a hostile government in power, the something commonplace. that arose out of the crushing eco- city showed its best qualities: resili- At least I‟ll be dead, too… nomic conditions as Hibernian wild- ence, unity, creativity and radical pol- ness. itics in the tradition of Larkin were The transport strike of 1911, all to the fore. which brought Royal Navy gunboats The forays to Wembley for the “Scouser” on to the Mersey, was more palatable League and FA Cup finals gave when dismissed as „Pat-riot-ism‟ ra- Scousers a chance to display their ther than recognising this was serious identity and togetherness in the capi- and potentially revolutionary social tal. There was a consciousness of her- disorder on a grand scale. itage but the divisive components of Commentators still refer to Liver- the city‟s history had receded to the Scouse Joke pool as „the capital of Ireland‟. It ef- point that they were almost inconse- fectively says: “They‟re not English…” quential. The accent would never be A Liverpool girl goes to the welfare Yet the same pundits will sneer at the more distinct. office to register for child merest suggestion of Scouse particu- Now? As the Thatcherite philoso- benefit larism. phers predicted, history is over. Few "How many children?" asks the welfare The notion of Scouse began to know or care about the genesis of officer seep out of the Scotland Road en- their identity. The bonds with Ire- "Ten" replies the Liverpool girl clave in the 30s and 40s and began to land are long gone and the influence "Ten?" says the welfare worker be embraced by those from outside of the accent is fading from Liverpud- "What are their names?" the „Irish Slummy‟ background. How- lian tones. Lancashire is creeping "Nathan, Nathan, Nathan, Nathan, ever, even in the Orange communi- back in around the edges. Nathan, Nathan, Nathan, Nathan, ties, where a picture of the Queen Town is a shadow of its former Nathan and Nathan" adorned every household, there was a self. The pubs and drinking dens of knowledge that this culture was out- the city – even 20 years ago – felt "Doesn't that get confusing?" side the mainstream of English life. unique. Now, the bars have a cosmo- "Naah..." says the Liverpool girl, "It's When Kenneth Oxford retired as politan, international feel. You could great because if they are chief constable of Merseyside Police be in Tokyo, Los Angeles or Sydney. out in 1989, he said the most difficult And the bright young things love it. playing in the street I just have to part of the job was controlling „the Liverpool One is hailed as a tri- shout 'Nathan yer dinner's Celtic fringe‟. Scousers, from all eth- umph. Yet it could be Newcastle ready!' nic and religious background, were One, Manchester One or Milton or 'Nathan go to bed now!' and they all still outside the pale of English socie- Keynes One. It chewed up the oldest do it ty. dockside pub in the world, The Ea- "What if you want to speak to one in- By the 1960s, the accent was dis- gle. dividually?" says the curious tinctive and projected to the world by During World Cups and Europe- welfare worker The Beatles. The south Lancashire an Championships, crosses of St "That's easy," says the Liverpool girl... tones of the pre-Famine seaport and George abound and as many people "I just use their surnames" the Irish of the post 1847-North End are horrified by booing the God Save had fused into something quite dif- the Queen as try to drown it out. A ferent. This was the high water mark hard core will cling on to their

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without browning for about five Aunty Lula’s Love-bites minute until the mushrooms and pepper are just tender. Pasta with Mushrooms Salt and Pepper to taste. Fresh Parsley or Basil for garnish. 3. Add 200ml of the pasta water a la carbonara. and the Philadelphia cheese with GO: salt and pepper to taste. Stir until Ingredients: the sauce has the right consistency,

1. Cook the pasta until al dente. neither too thick nor too thin using 250g Pasta (Tagliatelle, Spaghetti, Drain thoroughly, saving 300ml of the remaining water if needed. Pennes or Fettuccine) the water, and turn into a warm 1tbsp Olive Oil serving dish. Add the butter and 4. Mix the sauce and pasta and 1tbsp Butter toss well. Keep it warm. sprinkle with the Kefalotiri Cheese 1 Onion finely chopped

1 Garlic crushed and garnish with fresh parsley or 2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, 200g Philadelphia Cheese basil. Add the onions and garlic. Cook 1 Red Pepper gently for a couple of minutes. Add 120g Mushrooms the mushrooms and the pepper Bon appetit! 50g Kefalotiri Cheese grated

been raised with a shining varnished Walter’s Snuggery timber ceiling and a window insert- ed into the wall to lighten the stairs. There was a carpet on the sealed By stairway missing two treads and the wooden floor and a wall closed off a Dr. Lionel Mann ceiling of the dark dismal bedroom cosy little bedroom. A wood- was so low in places that even I had burning stove at a gap in the wall In 1977 Walter, one of the early to lower my head. Yes, the place was would heat both rooms. hippies who ‘discovered’ Corfu, better than a tent, but not by much! A double-glazed door gives out bought a tiny cottage from Henk on Any Health and on to a large balcony that complete- the end of a row near the bottom of Safety Inspector would have col- ly covers the patio beneath and as the narrow street through the old lapsed on the spot. we were sitting on chairs in the village of Agios Ioannis. Since then I have often heard warm sunshine on that balcony, sip- The building ,one of the oldest Walter talking of his improvements ping our tea, I admired the stun- in the locality . was in a very run- and wondered what they were. ning view. The cottage stands at down state, but it had running wa- A few days ago Walter invited me the top of a steep hillside overlook- ter and electricity and was certainly along for a cup of tea and I at once ing a wide valley and from the balco- rather more weather-proof then a accepted the in invitation, eager to ny one can see to Pelekas in the tent in the nearby fields known as see what work had been done. west, to Agia Deka in the south, to ‘The Cactus Hilton’. Over the years, Inside the front door, which was the mainland mountains in the east, as funds became available, slowly at much as I remembered it, the cob- a wide panorama. first, Walter made improvements to bles gleamed from recent washing Walter, leaving the next day af- his holiday home, working on it at and there was no trace of collapsing ter a ‘holiday’ spent painting, point- every visit. chairs. Now a smart varnished ed to the eaves and the beautifully When I first saw the cottage in wooden staircase was attached to the rounded ends of the protruding 1995 an upstairs bedroom had been far wall and outside the back door roof joists; his last job this visit added by a local builder. I was in- was a wide concrete patio, its area would be to varnish those. He is jus- vited in for a cup of tea by Colin equal to that of the interior. tifiably proud of what he has accom- Wallace, another of the early visitors There was now no risk in going plished over the years in turning a to the village. to the upper floor and I was amazed hovel into a comfortable home. The cobbled ground floor was in at the transformation. The stairs a grotty condition with a few pieces now led into a comfortable lounge of rickety furniture. Access to the complete with settee, easy chair, tele- upper room was by a circular iron vision and CD-player. The roof has

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Wes pushed his The World of Simon goggles onto his forehead and By in Greek, N for North should be Simon Baddeley paid me acute Β, Βορρά, while South should be attention as I N for Νότια, with A for On Tuesday Daniel Blom, Corfu described the East, Ανατολή, and delta – Transport Partners, and his helpers torque on the Γυτικό for West. Our vane can be arrived as scheduled in an estate car bracket with a photo and measure- seen from both balconies as well as at the top of the steps down ments. from Democracy Street. They man- from the top of the steps on- handled a chest of drawers to the to Democracy Street, so we can say to “Leave it with me” downstairs bedroom, and two heavi- visitors “Look for the house with He had in mind welding a support- er ones to the balcony and into our the wind vane on the corner”. One ing arm between the foot of the upstairs room, were paid, and de- problem. The arm of Steve‟s brack- head of Steve‟s bracket that will fix parted. et is rigid in the vertical but twists to the house wall a couple of feet to sideways in the slightest breeze its right. Steph made us coffee and I “Take it down now!” says Lin “It‟ll spoke a little about the amazing either break the bracket or twist it marble sculptures in the Metallinos off the wall” Museum.

I unscrewed the four coach bolts "It's not just the 'naughty museum'. holding the bracket and strolled up There's lots lots more to the man" The windvane from Brin Croft, to Steph‟s and Wesley‟s house be- “How sad it would be if all that protectively packaged by Lin before yond St George‟s Church. Steph work had to leave the village” leaving Scotland, fitted Steve Lee‟s guided me down winding iron stairs "That's the problem. No-one seems bracket. I raised the windvane, en- to Wesley‟s large workshop where I to know what to do with the collec- joying showing it off to the neigh- heard the crackle of an acetylene tion. It's become a burden. Ares- bours – though the Latin letters in torch. tides had mixed feelings about his sheet metal are puzzling, given that, family and the village. He may have

Corfu Weather Max Avg Min Temperature Statistics Max Temperature 27 °C 24 °C 19 °C Mean Temperature 24C 20 °C 17°C Min Temperature 21 °C 15 °C 11°C Degree Days Heating Degree Days (base 65) 2 0 0 Cooling Degree Days (base 65) 10 2 0 Growing Degree Days (base 50) 25 17 13 Dew Point Read more at: Dew Point 22 °C 15 °C 5 °C http://www.wunderground.com/history/ Precipitation Precipitation 17.0 mm 0.9 mm 0.0 mm airport/LGKR/2013/9/1/ Snowdepth - - - - MonthlyHistory.html? Wind req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_staten Wind 42 km/h 7 km/h 0 km/h ame=NA#PFq1VRYHlbugcTGf.99 Gust Wind 60 km/h 38 km/h 27 km/h Sea Level Pressure 1029 hPa 1018 hPa 1001 hPa

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Something to Look Forward To By heard a lot about Greek Martyn Clark festivities and in Septem- ber we were invited to With the thoughts of a long British winter ahead abaptism, it was quite a full of dark days and cold nights it's nice to have some- big affair with around thing to look forward to. In 2012 we rented a house 250 invited guests. The from Anna and Nikos and spent three happy months actual christening was in Corfu. Well we plan to repeat the adventure again held in Corfu Town, next year and once again we will be renting the house with the festivities continuing at Luna d'Argento. The in Dassia but for 2014 we will stay for six months. food and drink just kept flowing all afternoon and we Originally we wanted to live in the middle of a vil- were made to feel so welcome.The whole day was an lage but things conspired against us so we will have the absolutely brilliant experience and we would like to sheep and goats as our neighbours again. One thing thank our friend Ilia, her daughter Elsa and son in law will be different and that is we are bringing our cat Kostas for their kind invitation. It is an occasion we with us, he is fifteen years old now and a little bit set in will not forget. So it's now everything focused on our his ways so it will be interesting to see how he adapts, summer long sojourn to Corfu. Bringing the cat with especially if the two cats that "adopted" us last year are us had brought still around. Charlie cannot stand other cats but one SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO one or thing in his favour is he loves warm, sunny weather so two extra problems, we have had to book hotels that he may just make friends but I doubt it. We had a take pets so we have gone the Holiday Inn. With one week in Corfu in late September with the idea of try- exception that being our hotel booking in Switzerland ing to sort out a house which was mission accom- there are some really good deals to be had by booking plished. One of the highlights of our holiday was a early. Our stopping off points will be Reims, Stras- Magical Mystery Tour organised by a certain Mr bourg, Neuenkirch and Reggio D'Emilia, the hotel in McGovern. We were hoping to go out to dinner with Reggio has cost us less then £60 which is a real bar- Paul and Lula but with Lula laid low with a bad back gain. We now just have to sort out the ferry from An- that looked unlikely. That was until the Friday after- cona but the ferry companies are notoriously slow at noon when Paul phoned to say that Lula felt a lot bet- sorting out the next years timetables, we are told they ter and they had been invited to a party that night and will be available sometime in November but I am not would we like to join them. holding my breath. We will also be in Corfu for the After we had met at the Diellas store in Gouvia we Agiotfest so we wait with baited breath to see who will were to follow Paul which we did so for the next forty top the bill. That's about all for now so as it's probably five minutes without ever going more than a couple of my last missive of the year I would like to take this op- kilometres from our starting point. We found the portunity to wish everyone a happy and peaceful house eventually but not before we had driven into the Christmas and a prosperous New Year. It's awful really same driveway twice, the first time some twenty mentioning Christmas this early it's a bit like going minutes before. I did get a bit into your local supermarket in September and seeing worried though when Paul selection boxes and Xmas biscuits on sale. stopped and asked us us " have we been past here before" to which my reply was " haven' got a clue I'm following you. It all turned out well in the end and it was nice to see Lionel again who was with Paul and Lula. It is ru- moured that McGovern Mystery Tours will be up and running in time for the summer season next year. We have over the years