Monthly Archives: January 2016

Greek Landscapes

Our first introduction to the landscape of Greece was from the plane, looking down over the temptingly bleak Balkans. Then the Aegean came into sight: I’m fairly sure this is Chalkidiki, with the further peninsula being Mount Athos (where the … Continue reading

Posted in Greece, Nature, Travel | Comments Off on Greek Landscapes

Greek Signs

A visit to Greece provided frequent linguistic reminders of its past:  Other shops’ literary allusions were in more questionable taste: Menus could be intriguing for an Aberdonian: The bus stations all had smart ticket machines, all out of order, and … Continue reading

Posted in Greece, Language | 1 Comment

Greek Cats

Nafplio was cat central. Smudge was almost dirty enough to disappear against a grey wall: Some thought deep thoughts: Others kept a look-out: This youngster at our guesthouse was still rather wary of strangers, even ones bearing strokes: This family … Continue reading

Posted in Greece, Nature, Pets | 1 Comment

Greek Animals

I didn’t take my big birding lens to Greece, since I knew there would be no big birds on display. Unfortunately it turned out that the olive groves play host to a dense population of kestrels and buzzards; the latter … Continue reading

Posted in Greece, Nature | Comments Off on Greek Animals

Reading List 4

I finished 42 books in the second half of 2015. I had a fairly decent spread of (non-mutually exclusive) categories, I think; starting with Real Books How to be Both — Ali Smith High-Rise — J. G. Ballard The Narrow … Continue reading

Posted in Books | 1 Comment