Floating

When you're a child, it doesn't take much to make a day special...

Emptying...

...thoughts...

...and worries...

...on the pebbles.

Liebster Award: a belated posting

 Amanda from Graham's Landing was kind enough to award me the Liebster award a few months ago. I had no idea about it before that, yet I was happy to see that Amanda thought of me!

"The Liebster Award is for blogs with under 300 followers and the rules of the award is that the nominee must link back to whoever nominated them, write 11 random facts about themselves, answer 11 questions from the award giver, and then nominate another 11 bloggers and make up 11 questions for them to answer. It's a great way for new and undiscovered bloggers to meet new people, get more followers and find some blogs that they want to follow."

Unfortunately, I have been really busy and absent from posting. The only thing I tried not to miss was catching up with yours and leaving comments. But, the time has come to accept the award it properly, although I'm now blogging from a cafe at my father's village where I'm spending the week.

Here are a few facts about me, that, I'm sure that my few regular readers have already figured out through my postings. Eleven is the number for the Leibster award!

1. I adore chocolate!
2. I  like living in a rural area although I miss things a city has to offer, such as theaters, cinemas, seminars etc.
3. When I have an idea about a specific craft, I have to make it here and now, otherwise I get restless until I do. What can I say? Crafting is my thing!
4. I have taken up latin dance lessons recently and I love it!
5. I'm a greenthumb.
6. I love making AND eating cakes along with a nice cappuccino!
7. I love organizing special events for my friends, such as gatherings and picnics.
8. This last year I've made the big decision to try out things I've never done before. So,  far the feedback is great! Why didn't I do these things before? What a waste of time!
9. I love swimming and cycling in summer.
10. I want to try and make vanilla icecream soon.
11. I love travelling and I don't feel I have travelled enough. With the economic crisis I'm afraid I won't be able to afford a trip abroad. Still, I don't give up hope and I'm trying to figure out a way of an extra income to able to travel one day again. Any ideas?

Here are the questions Amanda is asking me:

1) What is your favourite city and why? Florence, Italy. I don't know why I love it. It was love at first sight!
2) What would you have for a leisurely weekend breakfast? Omellette with mushrooms and peppers and lettuce salad on the side. Yummy!
3) Who would be your favourite fictional hero or heroine? I don't have one!
4) If you wrote your autobiography- what would you call it?
5) Which is your favourite season? I mostly like summer, although I find beauty in each one of the seasons. I like it when it gets chilly in autumn and I add an extra blanket at night, I love the smell of flowers on the air in spring and longing for summer and I love Christmas, fireplace and snow in winter.
6) What did you want to be when you grew up? Did it happen? Unfortunately no, it didn't. I wanted to be an artist. Instead I became an English teacher who tries to integrate art and music in her teaching!
7) Starter or Dessert? Both! I'm Greek, remember?
8) Is there a TV Series you have watched avidly? I can only think of Downton Abbey and Miss Marple series. Other than that, I'm not much of a tv person. I prefer films.
9) If you could learn a new skill, what would you like it to be? To speak French, Italian and/or Spanish.
10) Do you have any bad habits? I used to bite my nails, but now that it's summer, I've stopped. I prefer a nice, vibrant nail polish on them!
11) What would you like to be remembered for? Don't know!My personality, I guess...

I'd like to nominate the following blogs for this award. They're really worth to pay them a visit! In no particular order, the award goes to......

1.  Linden Grove 
2. Where the journey takes me 
3. A Normady Kitchen
4. Once upon a chocolate life
5. Home Jules
6. Homemade Life
7. Ramblings of a Roachling
8. Forest Poppy 
9. Handmade Homemade Lizzy 
10.  Rustic Village Country
11. A trifle rushed

Dear nominees, these are the eleven things I'd like to know about you (you thought that getting the awars would be a piece of cake? Oh, no!) :

1. Why do you blog? What do you like about blogging?

2. What’s your favourite activity in summertime?

3. Which are your top 5 places that you haven’t been to yet?

4. According to your taste, what would the ultimate summer meal include?

5. Which is your most favourite room/space/corner at home and why?

6. Are there any things you haven’t done or experienced so far that you feel you absolutely need to try even once before you die?

7. Which is the most relaxing thing for you?

8. What are the three places in your village/town/city you would definitely recommend to a visitor?

9. What are the three activities in your village/town/city you would definitely recommend to a visitor?

10. What’s your favourite dessert?

11. What's your favourite icecream flavour?

 
I know  how busy everyone's life is, and the truth is that accepting this award takes some time to prepare this kind of posting- it took me a few months, so I know what it entails. However, it's a good opportunity to reflect and learn more things about each other, so all in all, it's worth it! So, dear fellow bloggers, feel free to accept it any time that's convenient for you! I look forward to your answering the questions!

Spreading more love, thanks to Amanda!  

THANK YOU!

Α hint

Do you know of a train that takes you to a magical place where fairies dance above the waters and girls hop on the rails?

Well, I took it today...

I'm off!

In an hour I'm off to meet my girlfriends!Last time we met was last October at the picnic. It's been really a long time that we all got together. We're going to meet half way, as all of us live in different cities. Unfortunately there will be only one missing, as she lives on the other side of Greece and it was impossible to travel.
So, yesterday I spend almost the entirely day making delayed presents for birthdays or namedays.This pouch is for my friend E. who's into cosmetics. A lot. It's not a normal size, as I wanted to fit things that are usually hard to put into regular pouches due to their size, such as hairdryer, hair spray, perfume, contact lenses solution liquid etc.I really like how it came out, with the polca dot adding a playful touch to the pink fabric.  Keeping my fingers crossed that she'll use it. I'm surely making one for myself!
Wishing everyone a marvellous Sunday!
I'm off!

PS. Four days left for the TASTE & BAKE GREEK event! To see the wonderful bakes the Balcony's friends have made so far, click here!

Commissioned

I was so happy to recieve a call from my best friend P, asking me to make a personalized bag for one of her friends' birthday. Remember the bags I made back in autumn? P asked me to combine elements from those bags and the fabric I used for the fuchsia bag I made for my friend D a month ago to create a girly-romantic bag. 
The result? Here it is!

 I hope P and her friend both like it!

PS. There's more Greek baking going on in the UK these days! Julie also entered the BAKE & TASTE GREEK event with galatopita adding a twist of her own! Read all about it on her wonderful blog here! 

On cloud nine

Last weekend I indulged myself a bit. I went to Athens for a ballet night at Megaron (one of the places I highly recommend in Athens) with my best friend D. We were lucky to find tickets in time, as both performances were sold out. We watched Prokofiev's 'Romeo & Juliet'. It was wonderful! The orchestra, the dancers, the music, the costumes, everything!

The choreography was really clever, as the choreographer had incorporated elements from Greek traditional dances! The best thing of all, was that we had a girls' night out! We enjoyed it to the full! We strolled around the marvelllous halls in Megaron, chatted and laughed a lot! 
 

Strolling around Megaron

D is planning her next visit to Megaron!

When  I got back home, I immediately searched for photos. I was lucky to see that the National Opera had published many of them and it was nice to take a closer look to the dancers and be able to share them with you! I hope you like them!

 

 Do you like going to the ballet? To the opera? What's your favourite night out? Any interesting concert you've been to recently?

all the ballet photos via this link

Although totally irrelevant to the ballet night posting, let me remind you of the food event I'm hosting until the 25th April called BAKE & TASTE GREEK! 

I hope you're already reading the recipes, looking for the ingredients and keeping your stoves warm for some Greek baking to take place!!!!! To see the first entry from Simone from Linden Grove, click here.

Happy birthday D!

Today it's my best friend's birthday! She's as bright and sunny as spring itself! She makes me laugh and pushes me further. She has helped me through the worst times. She's my childhood and my future.

For her birhday I made her this folding bag in her favourite colours, because I forgot to say: she's also a fireball!

 

Happy birthday D! 

May you always shine!

Fairy pink aaaall over!

Last weekend I visited my best friend M. and her lovely family, whom I hadn't seen for months, as they live far away. Before my visit, I puzzled myself over the presents I would get for her little girls. As they have already plenty of toys and clothes, I wanted to find something that would catch their interst, as well as find something they would enjoy and play with. 

 As a little girl myself, I used to enjoy dressing up. It was one of my most favourite things. I used to pretend I was someone else (more likely a film character), and I would play in this imaginary world for hours and hours.
So, that was it! I would make a kind of a costume for the girls, even for baby E! I ended up making 2 felt crowns (the tiny one was a hit!) and a perfect magic wand with little bells hanging from colourful ribbons for the eldest one!

Isn't baby crown cute?

My ultiment joy was I's reaction: just what I had hoped for! She put her crown on, grabbed her wand and started dancing around the house while singing- of course, after that, we were all turned into frogs, sheep, cows, pigs and into any other animal you can think of. On the other hand, baby E, was rather curious about it, and tried to take it off her head and into her mouth! But I can't describe how sweet she looked in it!

As Carnival time in Greece approaches, I might make myself one, too!!!! Keep your eyes open for a photo of me as a fairy!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday morning

A best friend and a cappuccino in a most perfect cafe.

 

What more could one have asked for a Sunday morning?

Maybe a stroll in the rain afterwards?

Well, it seems I was lucky and had it all...

Picnic

This week has passed really quickly. A cold that put me in hybernation - nothing else but work, sleep and sipping soup. It went by so quickly that I found no time to upload the photos from THE picnic. Tomorrow the picnic will be a week away from us. It's high time I showed you some photos!he day was perfect and we were lucky, considering that the weekend before and after were rainy! 

The sun was so glorious that made the lake glitter and the leaves almost tranparent.

 We arrived up on the lake late at noon, after an hour drive -roughly- through fir trees, wonderful hills and amazing scenery. We found the perfect spot (my favourite, actually) with an amazing view of the lake. It was so quiet (when we didn't giggle) and so relaxing that most of the time we were just lying down looking at the leafy umbrella above our heads. And it's true what they say about fresh air: that it's appetizing! Not that we need an excuse to devour everything!!! We had the most enjoyable meal ! Here's the menu (there were lemon cupcakes, too, unfortunately dodn't make it to my camera!):

Then, there was walking in the forest, chestnut picking - and eating- and a wonderful late coffee at a cozy cafe before we left.

Tomorrow the picnic will be already a week away from us. Hopefully the memories won't fade away that quickly!

To our next picnic girls!!!!!!!!!!!

The hit of the picnic

The hit of the picnic were these two dips.

Not only did they serve as a thick pool for the meatballs (and our fingers!) to dive in, but  for the potato chips, too.Our fingers were totally covered in our attempt to have some before the others finished it! There was some serious quarrel there! 

They were light and healthy, as their base was Greek style yogurt. I totally recommend them as they're pretty easy to make- you just mix all the ingredients together. However, there is a trick: they're best made overnight as the flavours combine better. 

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

For the mild one:

1 carton of Greek Style yogurt (200g)

2 tbsp of mustard

some parsley

salt to taste

For the spicy one:

1 carton of Greek Style yogurt (200g)

1 tsp of curry

1tsp of coriander

2 gloves of garlic, smashed

Longing

When my closest friends are about to visit me especially after avery long time, which unfortunately is always the case, I have a sweet longing. A week ahead I'm starting noting down ideas of the menu and thinking of organizing activities we would all enjoy. I also try to prepare my house for it, adding details all around that express my hapinnes. This time, although I planned the first two parts, I didn't have that much time to decorate and had to improvise on the last minute. However, with a few cuttings from my garden, yellow fruit from a bush and two candles, my coffee table had a welcoming, seasonal feeling in no time.

We had an amazing time, but, since I'm in the after-weekend-resting state, I'll tell and show you everything in time. For now, I'm leaving you with a preview.

Have a great week!

Autumn picnic

Tomorrow is October. Brown leaves, chilly afternoons, soft sun- or in our Greek case, scorching weather! Anyhow...I've been meaning to host a picnic for a year now, but somehow it didn't came out. Full schedules, bad weather, or any other obstacle one can think of!

In my opinion, this is the ultimate picnic basket! I wish I had one!
photo link here

 Hopefully the time has come, as all my friends were positive to hear my suggestion of a picnic around mid October up on the mountains, at the lake, and promised that they will try to make it as they all live far away, in other cities.

photo link here

As I want to enjoy ourselves  the most and make it an uforgettable occassion, I've started to plan it already in my mind at least and to surf the net a little. I'm thinking of a perfect, classic picnic: rustic hampers and cloths, warm checked blankets and must-have food such as sandwiches, meat balls, cake, lemonade. I'm also thinking of asking my friends to contribute with a dessert, finger food or drinks.

Here are some nice suggestions I read and found useful. Common sense, really, but good to have them all listed. 

• Choose food that travels well, that don't need cutting. Finger food is the best.Otherwise, do any cutting at home beforehand.
• Pack food in bowls or tins.
• Bring real glasses & dishes not just for style,but to avoid garbage and have a more eco-friendly picnic! Be sure they're break-resistant, though! 
• Colourful napkins add style.
• Cushions will help everyone relax.
• Bring a camera to keep the memories alive.
• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. It's a pity to want to explore the countryside on high heels!

link here

 How about you? Do you have picnics?

Any ideas that have worked for you in the past?

OH! 

And a Happy October everyone! 

link here

PS. All photos are linked to their source. Please click on them.

Helena

The sun was shining, the sky was blue, the breeze was soothing.  

As the day was bright, so was the baby girl, smiling at everyone.

Last Sunday I headed to Astros to attend my friends', H and M's, baby girl's christening.

Everything was girly, fucsia and pink, perfectly organized and planned by my friend:

• the little church up on the hill with the most magnificent view
• the decorations 

•  the handmade traditional offerings (amygdalota) and mastiha coctail served after the christening under the pine trees

 

• the food and homemade desserts (kourambiedes and cakes)

The one thing that could not have been planned, the overall atmosphere, was equally splendid, with lots of smiles, laughter and joy. There was a lot of catching up with old friends, great food and desserts and a late coffee by the seaside as the sun was setting...

And what's the baby's name? There could not have been a more appropriate name for a bright baby on that glorious day than 'Eλένη' (Helen) .

PS. Ελένη: Αρχαιοελληνικό όνομα άγνωστης ετυμολογίας. Ίσως Ελένη (από την λέξη σέλας = λάμψη, φεγγοβολή ).Η εκθαμβωτική. Επιβλητική, σίγουρη, καθοριστική, όμορφη, θελκτική και μοιραία. (source)

Helen is a feminine given name derived from the Greek Ἑλένη Helenē, meaning "torch" or "corposant."Another possible derivation is the Greek σελήνη or Selene, meaning "moon."    (source )

  Η&Μ, NA ΣΑΣ ΖΗΣΕΙ!