Thinking Greek!

I think I aught to try and fit some Greek into my weekly schedule, so to start me off I am reading out loud a poem I wrote in Greek. I am missing my lessons with the lovely Manolis, but I am glad to report that I have not totally forgotten how to speak Greek. I have my text book here in England, so it is just a matter of making time to study. Now let's see, maybe in between, cello practice and singing practice, or how about half an hour a day before blogging, no, wait a minute, I've got it, I'll shop on line and the time I save I will devote to Greek. There is always a solution. Anyway, here is today's effort, just to get me started.



Meanwhile, in Vrahassi, David tells me that he popped down to Yanni's for a bite to eat the other night. All is quiet in the village (nothing new there then) and the sun is shining.

The Animal Protection trans Europe van broke down in Italy, and there is a delay in sending Phoebe to the Isle of Man. David says he hopes it wasn't him that did that, because Phoebe is such good company. I'm sure it wasn't, and I am very sorry to hear of the breakdown. We are so happy to see that Percy and Maisie are so well settled and looking so happy.

And on the arty front, I think this exhibition will be worth taking a look at. I presume the apostrophe 's' in the main body of the report is a mistake in translation, get by it and look at the beauty of Nelly's work.

Out-of-town showcase of Nelly's photographs hits the spot

By Sandra Voulgari

A new exhibition of photographs by Nelly's, organized by the Benaki Museum's Photographic Archive and the Fotograficus art company, seems to have found the perfect loctation in the Long Room, a venue in Pikermi, east of Athens, that resembles a 16th-century monastery and is set amid lush greenery.

Photographs of nude dancers in the Parthenon – which had shocked the public at their first unveiling – muscular athletes resembling ancient Greek statues, details of sculptures and daily scenes from the historical Athenian neighborhood of Plaka are Nelly's signature works.

The Pikermi exhibition, which has been put together by Ioanna Vasdeki and Jeff Vanderpool, comprises some 60 works by the photographer, who is also known by her real name, Elli Souyioultzoglou-Seraidari, making for a comprehensive approach to the body of her work.

Nelly's (1899-1998) came from a wealthy Greek family in Asia Minor and studied photography in Dresden in 1921 beside acclaimed German photographers Hugo Erfurth and Franz Fiedler.

She moved to Athens in 1924 following her family's expulsion from Turkey and focused her lens on themes that she saw as being purely Greek. Her portraits of people from all walks of life, and especially of high society, have provided us with valuable information concerning Greek society in the inter-war years, but her most famous pieces are those of ancient monuments elevated to symbols of magnificence and her bold shots of dancers on the Parthenon, odes to the female body and the embodiment of the classical ideals of beauty and fitness.

In the Greek countryside, Nelly's saw bucolic beauty all around and emphasized the harmonious coexistence of man with nature, while in the United States, where she spent 25 years of her life, she experimented with color and advertising photography.

The exhibition on Nelly's runs through June 23 at the Long Room (Adamopoulou Street, 19th kilometer of Marathon Avenue heading from Athens, left at the Drafi turning). For information, call 211.184.1997. Opening hours are Saturday and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.

Talk some more soon,

Love Jane x

Cretan Animal Protection - a personal story.

Cretan Animal Protection – a personal story.

It isn't until you are personally affected that the work of charitable organizations leaps out in front of you, and in bold print shouts: ‘NOW YOU KNOW WHY WE NEED TO RAISE FUNDS.’

David and I made the decision to relocate from Crete to England, last year. We gave ourselves twelve months to make all the arrangements. But somehow we just could not face up to the fact that we would have to find homes for our four dogs. As time went on, the weight of losing our loyal friends just got heavier and heavier. Zouki was twelve years old, her master’s companion since a pup of six weeks, rescued from a barrel. Maisie, I took in three years ago, a street dog also rescued after being found in an appalling state of undernourishment  and covered in ticks and fleas. And later editions (if you have two dogs another two are easy) Percy and Phoebe, now two years old.

It was obvious that our little pack of dogs could not come to England with us, and even though we would be returning to Crete on a regular basis, finding someone to look after them while we were away was not an option, especially as Zouki was quite sick. The flat we shall move into in England, is small, and no animals allowed, so we knew that a solution had to be found. As the months went by and our moving date got nearer and nearer, we had to start making inquiries.

Bazaars in aid of cats and dogs are always being held here and there in Crete. We had never frequented them, though had, on occasion, sent spring clean donations, ‘Why am I keeping this? It can go to the animal bazaar,’ that sort of thing. I began to ring around the various organizations that I’d heard of: Hector’s House, ‘Sorry, full, full, full.’ I tried Walking with Donkeys, on the off chance that they may take even one of my dogs. ‘Sorry, full, full, full.’ The answer was always the same wherever I looked.

Then someone told me that dogs were being found homes in Holland, and transported by air, all arranged by Cretan Animal Protection, a registered charity whose co-ordinator and fund raiser is Ann Adamakis, Vice President. I made contact with her. ‘We can put pictures of your dogs on our site,’ she said, ‘but we have so many cats and dogs up for adoption that it may take some time.’ I was so glad of any positive help that that night I photographed my little doggies, and let Ann have the pictures. Very soon Lorraine Benson, President, based in England, was on my case. She deals with all the admin and re-homing of the animals.

It has been a roller coaster of a month, full of emotion, and yes, plenty of tears. Percy was first to be noticed. He is now with a loving family in Holland. And today my sweet Maisie will begin her great adventure; she has been taken in by a family in the Isle of Man, and is to be transported, along with other lucky dogs, overland. That leaves Phoebe, and I just know that there is a home out there for her. As for our old dog, Zouki, God intervened, and we lost her six weeks ago, she had been ill for almost a year. Her death was surely a God send to both her and us.

So, now I am fully aware of the great work that the Cretan Animal Protection, (working as one with Friends of the Animals – President Ann Adamakis), and other such organizations are doing.  I have every respect for all the individuals involved, with special thanks to Lorraine for her kind communication every step of the way. Their love and devotion to helping all the stray cats and dogs of Crete, not to mention all the donkeys that are being so well looked after by the owners of Walking with Donkeys, is taking ‘love’ to another dimension. From now on I shall do what I can to support Cretan Animal Protection in particular, as they have taken a great weight from our shoulders in finding homes for our little ones. They not only deserve a pat on the back, but help from every quarter.

Please take a look at the website, www.cretananimalprotection.com  and help in any way you can. Gifts of blankets, towels for bedding, dog and cat food both tinned and biscuits, pasta or dog rice, are always welcome. You may even be in a position to foster an animal for a few weeks while it is waiting to be re-homed, (all costs paid for by the charity), or you may want to make a donation of money, however small, every little helps. Click on: www.cretananimalprotection.com today, to find out all about the good work that is going on behind the scenes.

With love, admiration and a big THANK YOU,

From Jane and David Sharp