Lost and Found

As I write today's entry Charlie has just arrived having been missing for 24 hours.  He has pitched up without his collar and ravenous.  As he is such a martyr to his stomach he never ever misses a meal and yesterday he missed two - this is unheard of.  We spent much of yesterday looking for him and checking with the various neighbours that he was not asleep in their house - the previous evening we know that after he tried to follow us into the village he made himself comfortable at Persephone's.

It was with slightly heavy heart that we set off for Elena's last night having been invited to a barbeque.  We walked to her house one way and walked back another - fearful that we might find him having been run over - it is a chance we take here - run over, bitten by a snake, poisoned or shot - not good.  We neither found him nor heard him but it did not make me sleep any easier and as the sun came up this morning I was awake and wandering around the neighbourhood looking for him.  He has eventually come back of his own accord thank goodness.

I cannot believe that on a rare night off from cooking for the great unwashed Elena decided to throw a barbeque for friends.  We were mighty pleased that she did because the food at Orexi HQ is delicious and the contents of my fridge are sadly lacking at the moment as I need to go down to Paps and get supplies in plus there is always such a relaxed atmosphere around the Savvides-Doghman clan it is a privilege to be part of it.

Elena is training her children well and we arrived to find Lola concentrating really hard on salad preparation.  If I look back at pictures of Lola from when I was writing the blog before I cannot believe how much she has grown up - she is a complete one-off or as she likes to tell me a Super Star!  That girl is destined to go far!

There were about 30 of us assembled in the garden and apart from Elena and her family we knew no-one but by the end of the evening felt as though we had been friends for years - what a fantastic group of people and so interesting - mind you I got complete camera envy when the two professional photographers started taking pictures!

Do you know what really struck me last night?  lots of children from lots of different families running around together and having fun with no tantrums or tears and then sitting down to a feast of salads, jeweled rice, grilled fish and skewers of meat - very adult food - and eating it and enjoying it and not a chicken nugget or tomato ketchup in sight. 


Food, fun, family and friends is such a winning combination - better than the lottery in my book.

Σας ευχαριστώ Έλενα και οι φίλοι της Έλενας ευχαριστώ