One of our neighbours is an acrobat. We have never actually seen her do acrobatic stuff, but that is how she describes herself (after a bit of thinking about it – maybe she was looking for the right English word for what she does).
She’s as stringy as a bean, with muscles on muscles, but
tiny and so light a strong wind might blow her away.
We like her; she is very protective about the garden, has
added lots of plants, tells people off for stealing them (when she catches them
at it), and stopped us the other morning to ask what the English word is for
those things that cut plants. She made the
universal scissors sign with her fingers, and F produced the cutters out of her
bag.
What IS the
English word for those things? We call
them secateurs. That’s a French word isn’t
it?
It’s her name day this weekend, so we will call her Pan for the
purposes of this blog. Pan is going to
organize a work party in the autumn to tidy up the oleanders in the garden. We might have secretly thought ‘good luck with
that’, but she’s Greek, and bold, and really cool, and she might just pull it
off.
F offered to bake cakes to share with anyone that turns up
(and of course F will be there with her ‘secateurs’).
Pan showed us a basil plant with monster leaves and said
that when she lived in Xania (Chania, Crete) they used the leaves off this kind of basil
(instead of vine leaves) to wrap their dolmades.
Guess what we have got growing on our balcony now….
Smells nice (but inedible as far as cats are concerned).
Acrobats have no work in a summer when all the festivals
have been cancelled. There are lots of
kinds of employment out there that we never even think about when we start to
try and add up all the people whose jobs are adversely affected by this big human
disease thing.
Oh I just love the sound of your Pan. She's a very feisty spirit. I'm sure she will get those oleanders sorted out. She sounds like our neighbour. Greece has some very strong women. Ours at 84 can roll under our other neighbours gate.
ReplyDeleteSecateurs is what I know as well. We learnt the same language lol
My greek calls them psalithi/scissors too. One word for both?
F likes the sound of your neighbour and says she wants to be like that if she makes 84. She reckons she's never going to let dignity get in the way of life. I worry for my dignity sometimes.
DeletePs I like the look and smell of that basil plant but I don't like the taste. I prefer the small leafed basil for cooking.
ReplyDeleteI guess Tiggers don't like that either, except when it's in a bit of bifteki
Bifteki no garnish. Not averse to a grilled pork chop if anyone is offering one.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteOh, Mr T, it is so true about all those jobs which are deeply affected; and even some of the better known ones. Companies are really struggling and many are down-sizing in order to continue operating - but that means many more unemployed. This century's Great Depression is upon us, I feel...
Meanwhile, all the best to Pan for getting the gardening organised! That basil plant is impressive. Hugs and whiskeries, YAM-aunty xxx
We call them Secateurs as well
ReplyDeleteIt’s so sad there are so many people who are out of work now and many don’t have jobs to go back too
Love the basil plant. Lots of pesto right there