Enjoying a nice weekend with the congregation.

The Thassos Christian Fellowship went last weekend to Halkidiki to some friends of ours, Tod and Evys house to spend some time together. It was a very nice time, and Lena made another discovery, they had just the same sort of mug as she used to have when she was little.

Fiona and her daughter Lea are deaply focused on an article in a gardening paper.

YO MAN! Totally wicked!!! Yo! (Or what ever they say nowadays when they rap)
Pastor Dimitri giving the word.

Dimitris wife Marjo coocking us some nice food.

Very much enjoying the fireplace!

On Sunday night Mattias and Carina came with their camper from Sweden. They plan to stay till February and we are so enjoying having them here! They will help us some, enjoy Greece some, find their own stuff and hopfully learn to love the island so that they will come back and spend more time with us here on the island :-)

Back to Thassos

November 17

Ok, I confess, I don't know much about Greek history, but living in Greece you need to know it! So in my study of Greek important days we will today start by going back to April 21 1967, the day when the military did a "revolution to save the nation" from the "communist conspiracy". But it was followed by seven years of regime of terror including arresting of political dissidents , torture, strict censor and a controlling of the people... so much for saving the nation.
But on November 14 1973 the students started a revolt by barikading the Politechnios in Athens (technical university) that had its end on November 17 when the military with brutal force stormed the university area and caused many peoples death. This was the beginning of the end of the junta regime.

One of the persons being inprisoned by the military junta was Mikis Teodorakis, he was in 1970 freed and had to go into exile. At one point he ended up in Finland where Arja Saijonmaa was singing one of his songs translated into finish (listen to it here). In Greece his music was forbitten but in secret with hearphone you could listen to this "rebell". Or as in this filmclip :-). Don't ask me about the lyric, but maybe some finishspeeking reader can help us with the first clip.

And the winner is...

... the dentist!
Yesterday the new mayor finally was elected.
Don't know his name but it's the one that most of the people I know was hoping for.
The old one, that has been in power for 12 years now (3 periods), is gone and the new one is celebrating his victory.
According to what I heard the old one already have had too much time to waste money on his own interest. Now we pray that this new one will be working more for the common good.

So why did it take all this long?
Because in Greece they are first selecting two from the five (here on Thassos they where having five candidates) and then the coming Sunday (yesterday that was) they have a new election to find out which of these two that are the most popular. Quite fair, even though it's a lot more fuss to have election two weekends instead of one.
The kids love it though, because they are off this Friday and Monday aswell!

Olivepickingseason

Some friends from the church (and other fellows) are busy picking olives. We went to take some pictures of the hardworking men... but when we came they didn't look too busy :-)

Ditmar is responsible for about 50 trees that need to be taken care of.

They use short rakes to get the olives from the trees, they let the olives fall into big nets from where it's then easy to collect them.

teamwork

Loading the car, for transport to the oilfactory.

All around the factory their is piles with olives, no 35 belong to Ditmars.
His oil will be taped in half liter bottles and sold in Germany.

Recycling

Old pallets will be recycled.
Some taking apart, some sandpapering (thank God we have some machines),
some sawing and putting together will give us a unique, wonderful shelves!

We're very proud of our new creation, the shelf.

Our billbord is getting full...

The day of election

In every county all over Greece they are today having the election for new mayors.
Here on Thassos they have five candidates. They are not necessarily tied to a specific party, whoever put up this poster though must come from the kke party, a party that, as someone with a bit of irony explained to me, is a sovjet friendly party. And then he pointed out that there is no Sovjet Union any longer, but still Greece have a sovjetfriendly party...

The sign read according to Google translate: The indignation be made pursuant voted folk alliance.
(But I know it also says something about power because the word "δυναμη- dynami" is in there.)

The weekend is a big happening for the people. Everyone returns to their homecounty to vote. The children are off school Friday and Monday because the building is needed for the election. And on the day of the election everyone is dressed up and spending time at the school to meet with one another and have a nice chat. This is where people come to meet. And it's also a day when all the tavernas and coffee places are making good busines.

Waiting in line to take hold of their civil rights.

Orange box for local election and blue box for regional election.

Autumn sun and olive trees

Had a nice walk in the sunny beautiful autumn weather.
Started of by climbing up an unfinished building across from us to get a picture of our balcony.

In the old harbour...
there is this old traditional Thassian house.

Someone with lots of ruins of ancient houses behind his wood in his backyard.

an orthodox chapel with the mainland behind

This is the season for the olives, from now till mid December everyone seems busy picking them. If you take them earlier when they are still green you won't get as much oil but you'll get oil with a better quality.

ok, enough with pictures of olivetrees, here is a picture of a blackberry bush

and a man patiently watching his sheeps