We are sailing, we are sailing...

Well, I suppose it's still called sailing even when there isn't a sail in sight, isn't it? I hope so, otherwise my title will be horribly misplaced and I will look silly, which I would not appreciate.

Lucky reader, you are the first to hear the news that I have just spent four days sailing the coast of Cornwall courtesy of my wonderful friends C & B; you have come across them on several other occasions, when they have kindly invited me to spend time with them. This time it was a sort of birthday present, as I recently celebrated another one, and they felt that I was in need of a bit of TLC from good friends - did you know that I have been friends with them for nearly 37 years? They have been unstinting in their support during this testing for me period and I just hope that they realise just how much I appreciate their kindness.

To cut a long story short, they are in possession of a boat, a motor cruiser, which is unique as it was the product of a now abandoned business project of theirs, and so is entirely designed either by them or to their specification by their appointed designer. The EcoCruiser 37, as is it's title, is an intriguing-looking craft with sleek lines, an aggressive front and a rather boxy rear end; it is designed for efficiency, economy and comfort and seems, to this nautical ignoramus anyway, to deliver on all fronts. It lives in a marina in Cornwall and roams the seas around there, depending on how much time its owners have available, which is often very little. Luckily for me there was time to spare this last weekend and lots of beautiful places to see within a couple of hours of EcoCruiser's home berth.

We arrived at the boat after a rather long drive early on Thursday evening, unloaded the car and packed a trolley high with our stuff to wheel to our temporary home. Once there we opened it up and loaded the rather magnificent craft with the provisions, together with our clothing and equipment, tidied and organised everything on board, then set off for a bite to eat in a local hostelry. Alas our fish & chips was not up to the usual standard of the well-known local place, with the fish heavily battered but almost disappearing, a melting, overcooked, relatively tasteless affair - a pity as my friends tell me the place has been excellent in the past! Oh well, I suppose we all have bad days...
 The following morning we went to look at a property locally that my friends thought might be interesting, then walked around the coast to a yacht club in the next bay along for a simple lunch of salad (for me) and crab sandwiches for them - good, fresh, tasty stuff - then walked back. EC was waiting patiently and we managed to set off for our first adventure, quietly sailing off to find our mooring in Helford River.

We had a lovely run to our mooring and after a glass of wine set off for the Yacht Club and our dinner, which was simply and tasty, especially my wild garlic sausages; C&B's duck breasts also looked and tasted the part but we had to take our desert away and run, as low tide might have stranded us ashore. Which is perhaps where we should have stayed, as we were woken just before seven in the morning with the boat rolling furiously, bits slamming around and a bit of an uncomfortable situation. But we still managed to have a light breakfast and rush off to shore for a walk to Glendurgan Garden, a breath-taking example of application and eccentricity in a beautiful setting, just magnificent and rightly in the care on the National Trust. We loved our walk, loved the garden, loved the area, then retreated to our boat to prepare and set off to our next destination.

St. Mawes is a very pretty village across the bay from Falmouth, billed as a fishing village but really a swanky holiday destination, attracting salubrious visitors from all corners of the UK, including the Royal Family. Our time moored there was less bouncy-bouncy than Helford River and, as low tide was less of a problem, we had a more relaxed dinner at the informal part of the St. Mawes Hotel where the vibe was good but the cooking unfortunately a bit patchy. Still, we had a good time, were lucky with the weather and motored back to our boat on the little tender without mishaps, and had a good night with thunder, lightning and rain but no rocking and rolling.

On the Sunday we had a really lovely day, as friends of my friends descended on us and spent a few hours on board, hours of sharing not only interesting conversation but food and drink also. To say a good time was had by all is an understatement, as once again the weather was kind to us, even to the extent that I had my first swim ever (brief and cold, thank you for asking!) in the UK. We also soaked up the sun (yes, in England...), feasted on the beauty of the setting and stayed there until early evening, before setting off back to our berth in Falmouth for Sunday night.

Bank Holiday Monday meant going home and, of course, the weather in Falmouth was perfect: the sea calm, the sun shining and only a light breeze. But plans are plans, we had to be elsewhere and the road beckoned, waiting to take us away from EcoCruiser and all it had to offer. So we went - what else could we do?

P.S.: My cabin looks small and cramped, but my bunk was extremely comfortable and I slept very-very well away from all my problems.

Up on the roof, again...

Last year sometime I advised you, dear reader, to hotfoot it to one of London's hidden gems high above the hurly-burly of Edgware Road and environs, the fabulous Rooftop Kitchen at Alfie's Antiques Market, London W2. Perhaps you've already been there and enjoyed it at least as much as I do, but, for the odd one who hasn't, this is a reminder.

The Rooftop Kitchen is a London oddity, eccentric, simple and very, very good. Not a place for flash Harry and his Henrietta, not the place to people-watch the moneyed elite, not a place to show off your  new Gucci (or whatever...) ensemble; there are lots of other places in London for that sort of nonsense. With a simple menu, a tiny but decent selection of wines and an excellent ice-cold beer on tap this is THE place to go on a warm spring or summer day for lunch, or coffee and cake, and to escape city life, noise and pressure, however briefly.

Alfie's is worth the visit for the Rooftop Kitchen alone, but don't underestimate the various little antiques businesses there. Despite being without a permanent home and broke I see lots of interesting things there, though my untrained eye cannot vouch for these in the same way as for wine and food; I defy anyone, though, to walk around and be entirely disinterested...

So you can understand why when my friend Richard suggested we meet at Alfie's for a catch-up and light lunch I didn't exactly hesitate - a feast for the eyes, decent grub and drink for my stomach, how could a boy say no, at least this one?! So on a bright, busy day last week we met 'up on the roof' at the Rooftop Kitchen. As I was slightly early and he slightly late, I was able to put away a lovely cold pint of Italian plasma (beer, lager actually) before we even ordered our food, with a second one all but inevitable. They do a lovely juicy burger here, tasty and properly cooked, with the added benefit of a reasonable price, so we both went for that and enjoyed it greatly, together with our beer and the amazing luxury of peace and quiet above London's noisy streets. We had an extensive catch-up, relaxed and were even able to make plans for future fixture, possibly elsewhere, for which you may be informed - assuming, that is, that you are suitably well-behaved in the meantime.

For the non-designer non-corporate eccentricity of the surroundings alone the Rooftop Kitchen is worth a visit, throw in the food and drink and you have a rare London spot, a privilege. I wish I could go there regularly, every week even, and eat, drink and relax in the sun. Perhaps you, dear reader, will invite me sometime soon? OK, forget me, get some company and go to Alfie's Rooftop Kitchen to enjoy a real one-off; you'll thank me!

And no, since you asked, I am not rewarded in any way for anything I write, so I can say what I like when I feel like it; I don't have to be nice to anyone, nor praise anyone or anything if I do not believe in their merit.

Driven to Drink

Many years ago, when I first started getting involved professionally in the wine trade, my maternal grandmother warned me that my family on my father's side had a certain proclivity to drink (to put it mildly), that I should beware and approach wine with caution. She, being a non-drinker and very correct in her behaviour, strictly disapproved of the drinking habits of my paternal grandfather and his brother, who were well-known revelers-about-town.

She need not have worried. Much as I love wine and all it brings to life - indeed, I could not imagine my life without it - I have never become reliant on it for support and it remains a source of curiosity and boundless pleasure. My meals are always enhanced by the right wines, my tastebuds are stimulated and my critical faculties strive to understand, analyse and appreciate what I have in my glass; it is never about the alcohol. So, it is with great pleasure that I can present to you, my reader, a few little things that I had the pleasure and honour to try recently.

My good friend M. decided to treat me to lunch (to celebrate the promotion of one of her sons) at the trendy Athens restaurant Cookoovaya, which lays claim to wise cuisine. Our visit was less than conclusive on the 'wisdom of the cuisine' part, as some of the dishes were better than others and one was actually disappointing, but the atmosphere and the service were just fine, as was their house olive oil. the wine we had - chosen by modest old me, natch! - was superb, though and not as aggressively priced as elsewhere: Papagiannakos  Estate old vine Savvatiano 2016, a white grape variety from the vineyards of Attica more traditionally found in Retsina. Unresinated and from a serious producer like Papagiannakos it produces a very classy, concentrated, complex wine with subtle notes of ripe white fruit, balancing acidity and a very long finish. Both the estate and Savvatiano are stars in the making for the international stage, as they offer a superb product that can be matched to different foods, but would drink beautifully on its own as well. Overall, and with lots of nice wine inside me,  I was well pleased, especially as I did not need to concern myself with the bill.

A few days later I attended a dinner hosted by the Greek Academy of Gastronomy and its core group, the Friends of Dionysos, where I am a member, though mostly absent these days. I was extremely fortunate in attending this specific event, as the wines  accompanying the food were rare and exceptional, stunning examples of the best of Greek wine, real world-class stuff. The first wine was from the late and much-missed Haridimos Hatzidakis, the wizard of wine making in Santorini and was a masterpiece: Cuvee no.15 from 2011, made from organic Assyrtiko grapes without any barrel-ageing. The light golden colour hinted at its age and the wine's nose was ripe, full of complex citrus fruits, slightly bittersweet, metallic and earthly notes. The palate reflected this and was even more impressive, with varying waves of taste sensation rolling across the tongue kept fresh by good acidity, and staying there almost indefinitely - wow! Good with food of many different types including, of course, fish and seafood, this on its own would be a meal in itself, a real treat that would do me.

The second wine, also from Santorini, was made by the local red grape variety Mavrotragano (literally black and crunchy), recently salvaged from extinction by Pari Sigalas of Domaine Sigalas only a few short years ago. I must admit that previous encounters with this particular wine had been underwhelming, when I found it unbalanced, with hard tannins and little charm. But what a difference a few years make in the wine world - this example from, I am told, a good vintage on Santorini (2013), was ripe and luscious. The deep red, almost black, colour prefaced a rich nose of ripe red berry fruit, good tannins and the minerality of the terroir (flint?) in the background. The wine was equally attractive on the palate with layers of cherry/sour cherry, damson and blackberry fruit, with a balanced tannic backbone and the earthiness completing an impressive picture. After that, he long aftertaste was only to be expected - and it was there! The Sigalas Mavrotragano 2013 changed my view on the species, it was so impressive.

And I even got to present the eau de vie, a superb Poire Williams from those newcomers to wine (founded 1639) Hugel of Riquewihr, Alsace - so clean, aromatic, just perfect! Oh, and the food that night was pretty good, too...

The Rule of Law

My youth was (mis)spent defying the rule of law in many ways, mainly involving motor vehicles of various descriptions, but largely involving motorcycles and riding without a valid licence. This, in turn, seemed to give me the green light to pursue other, slightly less than legal, activities such as speeding, wheelies etc., which I duly did to excess. But I was fortunate to survive that phase, so moved on to racing motor cars and appeared to try new ways to rub myself out; this blog is testament to my failure and you, dear reader, may well wish I hadn't.

Be that as it may, most of us eventually grow up and realise that laws are there to help civilised societies exist and overcrowded cities function. It would be literally impossible for a any form of society to function on a day-to-day basis without an established set of rules to define and, indeed, set  limits for individual behaviour -the freedom that allows each individual to do whatever one wants swiftly leads to anarchy. It has always been absurd to expect all human beings to observe unwritten rules of 'common' sense and 'common' decency, and self-police same effectively; it just never happens - and has never happened - for more than a short period of time. Rather, groupings of people have realised the importance of establishing clearly stated rules of behaviour whose transgression is punishable in some way.

This is all a prelude to me expressing my disappointment at the way some people seem to think that rules and laws should not be obeyed whenever it does not suit them or their needs. And I'm not talking about young children or even teenagers, who have the excuse of being young and, therefore, not knowing how things work; no, we are talking about people over 21, often far older, who one could expect would be mature, knowledgable and who saw themselves as members of a free, just society. It is clearly absurd to see these individuals cynically break whatever law does not suit them whenever it does, yet still lay claim to society's structures and protection as and when needed. These people are causing immense harm and nowhere in Europe is this more in evidence than in Greece, a country fully equipped with laws for everything that are largely ignored and selectively or occasionally enforced.

You may well assume that I have gone mad or become hugely conservative, forgetting my 'naughty' youth and all my shenanigans as mentioned in the opening paragraph, that I have become a 'holier than thou' kind of person who is strict on the misdemeanours of others while exempting myself. It is not so, dear reader, but I am now older, more mature and, essentially, wiser; certainly wise enough to realise that without clear rules properly enforced (a.k.a. laws) no complex society can function and, therefore, exist. To believe otherwise is to be either extremely naive and/or very young,  or rather stupid. Anarchists, the main adherents to such a credo, are not, realists but believers in a utopia that has never yet existed in humankind's brief history. Society, indeed, needs to defend itself by ensuring the rules are obeyed properly and misbehaving members are not allowed to do this at will, even punished, to keep the system (which is there to protect the vast majority of people) working.

For illustration purposes I am showing a number of traffic offences which are relatively minor in the general scheme of things. They do show, however, the general contempt for the prevailing laws and a lack of respect for other citizens; they are also a lot easier to photograph and display! And it just isn't acceptable to turn a blind eye to misdemeanours as being less important, as we become accustomed to not respecting small things and, eventually, just as easily accept not respecting far more important, indeed crucial, laws.
And remember, guys and gals, stupidity is no excuse...  You WILL be judged on your actions, not somebody else's omissions or errors.

My Family (and no other animals...)

It is often said that we choose our friends but not our family, and I have often bored you with tales of how lucky I have been in respect of my friends, how they've supported me during hard times, helped me enjoy the good times and generally made my life richer and more complete, more fulfilled.

Today I'm going to tell you about my family, immediate and extended, and I will try to tell you why I feel I have been immensely lucky in that respect also. Some of you know me well and know my family, so to you this may be old hat, even boring, but I would urge you to keep quiet and not spoil it for the rest, my myriads of other readers who only know me through this blog.

I was born in the nineteen fifties, a second child and first/only son to my parents. My mother's elder sister also had two children, both girls and correspondingly the same age as us, and we all lived together in my maternal grandfather's house, benevolently supervised and supported by my grandparents. As this was not long after the end of the post WW2 Greek civil war the reasons for this did not revolve solely around familial loyalty and affection but had a lot to do with the difficult times that the Greek economy was going through and the relatively straightened circumstances of our respective families. Yet it worked amazingly well and with very few problems between the families, the children especially; rather, we were like happy brother and sisters. growing up in a crowded house full of love, respect and affection.

The photograph is from my and my contemporary cousin's christening, which in those bygone times took place at home; our respective sisters are at our sides on other end, and the girl in the middle is my 2nd cousin Sandra who grew up to be even more beautiful! The party after the ceremony - I was christened Greek Orthodox - was, I believe, a happy one for all concerned and various other photographs I cannot display for technical reasons show adults in various smiling poses and admiring the two victims (my cousin H. and me). Our parents appear in the important roles of smiling, proud parents.

There are, to my knowledge, no perfect people anywhere and my parents were no exception, but they were decent, honest, believed in fairness and taught us frugality and responsibility, personal and collective, in a simple, easy to understand way. We were taught to never take anything for granted, to work hard to achieve results but to dream as well. Alas we were never taught to be self-promoters, arrogant and aggressive towards others, things that in our family were considered extremely poor form - and, incidentally, I'm only half joking when expressing my regret.

Yet it is not just the past that makes me talk of my family as a blessing, lovely as most of it was. Since this photograph was taken, only a short time ago (ha-ha), I have been fortunate to meet many other members of my family, close relatives and distant; I have seldom, if ever, had any reason to regret meeting them. In fact most of my relatives have also become friends, so we have a strong, double bond which has given - and continues to give me and, I hope, them - a great deal of pleasure. I am pleased and grateful that our relationship has, with most people, strayed far from the formal or staid, the obligatory and the tedious, and is instead a pleasing, living thing! And I keep meeting new ones, young and old...

It is the positive way we have all evolved and our relationship also, the support we still give to one another - and have done for most (but not all) of our lives - and the willingness to try and listen/offer help to the one who was in need. And as my dedicated readers know I have been in serious need over the last few years, so I have had plenty of opportunity to appreciate and report on this first hand! Together with my friends, my family have helped create a protective net of care and affection around me, to ensure my mental and physical well-being and protect me from more extreme hardship, and from myself.

For all this, for the past and the present, for the unwavering trust, kindness and love, I am and will be immensely grateful to the end of my days.