NOVEMBER 2014 SINCE AUGUST 2007 PAGE 1 www.theagiot.com Tel: (0030) 26610 58177 The 85th Edition Agiot This Month Village and Island News Village News. Page 1-2 Too Wet Too Woo. Page 3 The Editor Letters to the Editor. Page 4 Today is November rd Video Corner. 3 and we send Page 4 birthday greetings Ocay Property. north to our Page 4 Viking friend Ocay Villas. Lennart from Page 4 Sweden. As you Our Road Trip to Corfu. read this he is no October was significant for some Page 5-10 doubt in his absolutely fabulous weather with warm Hilary‟s Ramblings. Valkyrien Halls Page 11-12 temperatures and picture-blue skies, with drinking with his the odd Thunderstorm and torrential rain Agiotfest links. friends and Celtic Page 12 thrown in, should we get too complacent. slaves. We wish you from Corfu all the very The dry stream-bed at Brook Meadow in the Agiotfest 15 best on your 60th Lennart. Page 13 valley became fairly full in a day. On the th The 100+Club. 24 we experienced one wintry day, after Page 13 October-what a month! It simply raced which normal service was resumed. by with barely a blink. Agiotfest Sponsors. Page 14 Nick the Clock‟s World. Page 15 Aunty Lula‟s Love-Bites. Page 16 Corfu Weather Statistics. Page 16 The World of Simon. Page 17 Poppu Appeal. Page 18 It was a season for visitors and guests and meetings with friends. On a rainy day at the Meat It started for ED. with a trip to the Page 19 „Moon Juice‟ factory in Ano Korakiana we Doctor for an M.O.T. [see picture]. had a splendid lunch with Simon, Lin and their family. Things went pear-shape steadily from there, I am pleased to report. Continued on Page 2 NOVEMBER 2014 SINCE AUGUST 2007 PAGE 2 Village and Island News at least the consolation of from Costas. Somebody, dressed as Continued from page 1 introducing the Editor to afternoon a monk, accused me here of not tea at Ermones beach. This was wearing Fancy dress. But I was The Knight family visited and followed the same evening by a slap- wearing a tie; fancy enough I their plane was struck by lightning, up pie at Zorbas in Kontokali and a thought. they were diverted to Athens. They pit-stop en route home at the recovered and managed to get their recently opened Nonna‟s taverna by tans in-plus a few Corfu Beers- the narrow little bridge leading out before heading home again. of the village toward Temploni, where Maria served up some unknown brew in tall glasses. My liver was floating by now. Ron and Lesley were finally off after their several-weeks holiday. A moment of respite and During this Bacchanalian period personal joy was to see my eldest further splendid interludes were son on TV in the Corfu Super Cup spent with these friends at the Final- sort of equivalent to Spider Bar and Nurnberg Taverna. Walter was here to enjoy his Combination League in England. newly finished patio overlooking They won on penalties, the match the A.I. valley, bathed in sun. was screened on Corfu TV live and Start TV. And as the month was closing there came a return to the regular winter past-time of dog walking in the valley. The pack of three-Andy, Mandy and Bono -is now complemented with Foxy, staying Just when it looked- toward the on holiday with us while owners end of the month-as if things were Danielle and Waldo are off on slowing down- along came an 11th theirs. The Corfu Festival was on at birthday celebration at the British Arillas and we went up and stayed Corner Shop, with a late-night eat Many Octobers here have been a over with friends at Kostas‟ at Nikos grill room in Vrioni. peaceful and serene interlude Apartments. A great time was had Martin from Agios joined us there. between the heat of summer and and more Corfu Beer. the quiet beauty of winter. This one Pat and Gina arrived in the was more like an electric shock, but Willage, work a-brewing on their none the less enjoyable for all that. Lydia‟s apartments. R.I.P. Chris and Les came also, their final visit before moving here It is with sadness we report the passing permanently here next year. of Jim Skinner, in the early hours of 29th October, following a long fight Paul and Micky were over to Two nights later was Halloween with cancer. Jim was well-known-especially in the extract the Grovey-Mobile and at Sally‟s. Ipsos, where the place was south of Corfu, and had been a attend to the Great Fence War wall to wall rocking with another staunch supporter of Agiotfest in 2013. Trial; it never happened again, and great show from 3 and the Cuckoo, He will be missed. is now set for April 2015. Paul had with a quite stupendous drum solo NOVEMBER 2014 SINCE AUGUST 2007 PAGE 3 Too Wet Too Woo? By came and I saw its white silhouette in English : Barn Owl, Screech Alekos Damaskinos disappearing in the darkness! Owl, Hissing Owl, White breasted Owl, Monkey faced Owl, Stone Here are my findings after a WHY IS THIS BIRD Owl, White Owl, Silver Owl, research concerning this particular ASSOCIATED WITH DEATH? Demon Owl, Ghost Owl, Death bird on the island of Corfu. Owl, Night Owl, Church Owl and A while ago various members In former times there were no a few more…! were concerned and wanted to public lights or any electricity at In conclusion I would like to know about the “eerie” sound of a most villages so the nights were say that after my extensive research : bird at night which brought death totally dark. “DON‟T BE AFRAID IF YOU in the village or at a particular If some person was very seriously HEAR IT”- Nothing is going to house. ill in their “death-bed” or indeed happen to you, your family or to I thought I would solve the dead, the relatives and sometimes any member of your village! problem mathematically but close neighbours stayed up all night I know it can be very disturbing unfortunately this was not the case! with the person concerned with to hear it but it is because in the The problem is an anthropological/ ALL available lights ON! These back of your mind you have the social one however though, I have were usually paraffin/oil and gas “picture”…of death! learnt many facts and I would like lights. If all else fails, please try this! to share them with our readers. These lights of course attracted https://www.youtube.com/watch? I interviewed villagers generally owls and other birds who thought v=qZLBsu0sOpo&feature=youtu.be of advanced age at their homes in that they would find some rats or the villages/hamlets of Corfu. mice in the vicinity of the house. Vitalades, Dragotina, It is for this reason that these Chlomotiana, Braganiotika, beautiful “owls” were considered Strongili, Episkopiana, Psara, the “birds of death”. Stavros, Ag. Deka, Kastelani, We the humans are to blame Ag.Theodori, Kinopiastes, and must NOT associate these birds Sally's Bar Ipsos Corfu Kalafationes, Varipatades, Ag. with bad omens because of Prokopios, Giannades, Ag. Markos, superstitions! LEARN TO SPEAK GREEK Porta, Mengoulas, Peroulades, This “owl” has a very WITH ALEKO !! Arkadades, Avliotes, Kavalouri, strange and eerie “screech” Nisaki, Strinilas, Episkepsi, Petalia. especially during the mating season Greek lessons begin I chose these because most of (it‟s trying to attract a partner!) and tomorrow, Tuesday 4th them are still sufficiently removed if you hear the sound of their young November,and every Tuesday, from tourist and industrial (I have)….it will certainly chill your 11am at SALLY'S in IPSOS. inducements. blood! The bird is MOST definitely Sometimes it will “hiss” like a For more information contact “Tyto alba” which in Greek has the snake and other times it will make a Aleko Damaskinos on f o l l o w i n g n a m e s : “snoring sound”. facebook, or just turn up at «Ανθρωποπούλι» (Human-face I have written “owl” in inverted Sally's. bird), «Χαροπούλι» (Bird of commas because strictly speaking it death), «Κλαψοπούλι» (Weeping is NOT an owl! It belongs to bird), «Νεκροπούλι» (Bird of the another related family, the family of dead), Στριγγλοπούλι» (Screeching “TYTONIDAE” and not bird), «Πεπλόγλασκα» (Veiled “STRIGIDAE” which includes all Owl). the owls we know, including the After many sleepless nights at a “scops” etc. village at the South of the island It has so many different names waiting to see one, eventually one NOVEMBER 2014 SINCE AUGUST 2007 PAGE 4 We are always receptive of new Letters to the Editor contributions, so if you fancy it, give it a go and see your piece in have received very belated print. From ED. reminders or two reminders. We Also, if you want to add photos to This is the second month for the are sorry for this and hope things the gallery please send jpegs to new format of the Agiot. So far the will be smoother this time around. [email protected] response has been very good, thank The new Newsletter can be simply you, which encourages us to press read, or downloaded for posterity on and to try harder still. by hitting the download tab on the From Sue Gentry Done Please note that the Ocay office top right corner of the frame.