Lifestyle

Enjoy Safe Swimming!

Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - Enjoy safe swimming By the end of this month, many people here will have enjoyed their first dip in the sea. The beginning of the season is one of the best times of year to enjoy the beach in peace and quiet. However, though we don’t want to be killjoys, sad to relate, by mid-April the first drowning of the season had already been reported (at Skinaria beach, on the South Coast). Often drowning occurs here when people ignore warning flags that are flying. The beach in Rethymnon has a deceptive undertow, and just because the sea looks calm it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is safe to swim. As always, the messages are clear: If the red flag is flying, don’t go in the water, pay attention to instructions given by lifeguards and don’t go swimming on a full stomach or when drunk. Common sense, one would think, but it is surprising how many people ignore these basic safety rules.

Recipe: ‘Barbecue’

At this point you may be saying “Barbecued what, exactly?”. No, it’s not a typing error. ‘Barbecue’ is the recipe. Here is The Bugle Generic Barbecue Formula which works well whatever the weather. You will need: A barbecue, charcoal, cooking implements and some way of lighting the fire (for indoor barbecue a cooker with a grill is useful). “Well obviously” I hear you cry. “Not necessarily” is the reply. These are things that can be easily overlooked in the excitement of the party preparations. Furniture is a good thing, too, as are plates, glasses, knives and forks etc. You are less likely to forget these items. For one thing you probably have some of this stuff already for everyday use, and if not, at least some of your guests will.

Food and Drinks: Each to their own, but we would suggest a selection of meat — and if you have ordered the meat in advance, don’t forget to pick it up before the butcher closes. We like to have some vegetarian options and plenty of salads, too. For dessert we are fond of those mini ice-creams on sticks that you can buy from some of the cake shops here (thanks Anna!). For the drinks, our general recommendation is ‘if in doubt, too much is better than too little, and make sure there is plenty of ice’ (buy a bathtub if needs be).

Method:

Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - BBQ

The photos of the guests were
all a bit blurred for some reason….

Go shopping and buy the things you think you’re going to need. Tidy the house. This is a good thing to do once in a while in any case, not just when you are planning a barbecue. Start preparing the food and chilling the drinks. Try and recall how many guests you think you have invited and assemble furniture, plates etc accordingly. Make large and refreshing tinctures for the host and hostess, and have the “When should we light the barbecue?” discussion. Greet the first arrivals and crack open the wine. Put on some music. Distract attention from lack of flames / clouds of acrid smoke by offering more drinks and supplying chips and dips. Don’t worry, it will be just fine! Eat, drink and have a very good time indeed!

Learning Greek is Fun! (Again)

Last month we provided you with some examples from the classic gem of an old phrasebook ‘Everyday Greek: The most comprehensive small method for English speaking people with extensive vocabulary’, by Σ. Δ. Στουριωτη (publisher Paraschos Kalfakis Editions). Here as promised are a few more excerpts from this wondrous work. To help you make sense of ‘English Money’ you are provided with the useful phrase ‘Ten Shilling Note (δέκα σελίνα), though the current rate against the Euro is not given. In the section ‘The Town: Sightseeing’, we find the intriguing word pair ‘chemist’s shop, watchman’(φαρμακείο, φύλακας). Travel vocabulary includes the word pairs ‘steamer, spare parts’ (ατμόπλοιο, ανταλλακτικά) and ‘repair, passenger’ (επισκευή, επιβάτης) which conjures up some faintly alarming images. And finally, under the heading ‘Everyday phrases’ we have ’Merry Christmas’ (Καλά Χριστούγεννα). Singing all together now: ‘Oh I wish it could be Christmas every day….

Cocktail of the Month: Shepherd’s Delight

Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - Cocktail of the Month There is no getting away from the fact that there are plenty of sheep on Crete, and plenty of shepherds, too. For any number of reasons, keeping Cretan shepherds happy is a very good thing to do indeed. We can’t guarantee that this cocktail will do the trick in terms of delighting your favourite shepherd, but why not give it a go? Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - The Shark

You will need: 2 parts raspberry vodka (but we’re pretty sure any type of berry flavoured vodka will do), 1 part gin, cranberry juice, apple juice, ice and a wedge of lime.

Mix the spirits together, add the ice and top up with the juices. Garnish with the wedge of lime. Look out for red sky at night and shooting stars!

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Contents

Lifestyle

Enjoy Safe Swimming!

Recipe: ‘Barbecue’

Learning Greek is Fun! (Again)

Cocktail of the Month: Shepherd’s Delight