London Olympics

Well, family, friends, and blog watchers,


 I hope you are all enjoying a wonderfully mad summer. I am! Last week I took a cheapy flight out of Heraklion, away from the intense heat, and back to rainy England. I bought an official Olympic games badge, and am all set to join a 'flame passing through' party on Monday. I have my flag, and I am going to wave it; might even buy a tee-shirt too. I am staying close to Crystal Palace, where the track and other facilities are being used as practice areas, it is just a short walk down the road.

I have lots of things on my 'to do' list. I suppose I could have applied for a job with G4 but I doubt they would have processed me in time. I am enjoying being with family, and it is wonderful to be able to understand word for word, news at ten. In short I am having a great time.

I don't have a camera yet, I left mine with David, but I won't be long without one, and I'll post pictures as soon as I can.

If you are reading this, gang in Yorkshire, I have tried ringing you, I'll keep trying as my English number is new.

I wrote a poem yesterday called, Overweight - my first English adventure poem. It begins:
Give me a break! What? My bag is overweight?

I expect to have lots to write about over the next few weeks. I am missing Valentino, and I am missing David, sooooooooo much. Thank goodness for Skype.

So, I'll blog again soon. Take care all, love Jane x


POEM - OVERWEIGHT

Give me a break! What? My bag is overweight?
But it's full of essentials, personal sentimentals,
A wooden flute from Kathmandu,
Hand carved pipes, a didgeridoo,
The two-stringed gourd? It was a gift from Lou,
And the tom-tom I swapped for a pair of shoes,

What do you mean? The ice-crushing machine?
Of course it is essential,though not so sentimental,
I have to have my daily tot
Of creme-de-menthe, it means a lot,
It calms my nerves and stops me getting hot,
And anyway, much better than pot!

Ah! The Shaman stones with holes, they're not just rocks,
They're definitely essential; I'm very sentimental
When I wash them in the moonlight,
Slip through their portal into night,
Dance with the stars; hold hands with the light,
Swirl with vestal virgins in their springtime rite.

Look, there's nothing in my bag that I don't need,
I only packed essential, you see I'm very sentimental
When it comes to things I possess
Candles, Krypton, my cocktail dress,
I simply can't make it weigh any less,
Just tell me how much, and I'll pay the excess.

Jane Sharp 2012

You are cordially invited to a free event

IN THE SPIRIT OF THE OLYMPICS

A production by The Odd Poets of Crete for the Municipality of Ag. Nikolaos, sponsored by INCO

An evening of Poetry, Music and Dance,

by the Lake in Agios Nikolaos

Sunday 24th June - 18.00 to 20.00

...and that is why I have not blogged for a week. I have been busy getting it together for next Sunday. At least my music and poetry has taken my mind off the elections. Well we shall soon know the outcome. I intend popping down to the cafeneo tomorrow to get the latest from the street. So, I will blog again when I have a few photos and comments from my neighbours. Unitl then, have a good weekend and jot down in your diary to come and support The Odd Poets of Crete next week in Agios Nikolaos.

Hugs,
Jane x

Music Soiree May 2012 - Year 4

My progress after three and a half years of study. I am looking forward to improving - onwards and upwards, as they say.

I'm just back from our Poetry Club meeting, we are still trying to establish a group, but today we did get a couple of visitors.

And now I'm going to relaxe for an hour before having a sort out in the back garden.

Byeeeeeee! Jane x

Ladies Wot Dine Out!

Rosemarie's birthday was celebrated in style last night. We all enjoyed a good girlie natter while we stuffed with food and the odd glass of wine in Latsida. It was a lovely night out, whose birthday is it next? (Thanks for the picture Lydia).

And today was another wonderful day in the company of friends at Fourni, where we had a little music soiree. (Pictures later)

Poetry club tomorrow in Neapolis - life is on the up! God knows the political news is depressing enough, I think it is best to just sit back and wait for the crash, then just ride with it when it comes. All this newspaper stuff is doing my head in. I need space to create, move over all things to do with the euro and Europe, I feel joyous words clamouring to be expressed!

Bye for now,
Jane x

The Odd Poets of Crete

I'm feeling resurrected! I still have the dress, still got the mike, and plenty more poems to share. And now I have company too. I am pleased to announce that The Odd Poets of Crete officially met last week to discuss poets and poetry, and we shall be gearing up for a reading pretty soon. So, if there are any interested poets out there who would like to join us, come to Driros cafebar in Neapolis on Monday morning at 11 a.m. Bring some of your work, or a poem which you particularly like.

Jane x

A Voice for the Mountain

A Voice for the Mountain

(Plans to build a hydroelectric dam in an area of natural beauty in Crete, Greece)

I speak…

On behalf of the rocks,

On behalf of the scree,

On behalf of the flowers,

On behalf of the trees,

On behalf of the birds,

On behalf of the bees

On behalf of the Gods

In the Cretan breeze,

I speak…

For worms, snails, slugs and spiders

Slitherers, skippers, hoppers, climbers,

For moths, butterflies and beetles,

For snakes, lizards, stoats and weasels,

I speak…

For the rare protected vulture,

Eagles, emblem of Greek culture,

For the ancient oaks and oleaster,

For all that face this great disaster,

Think twice before you rape and raid

This fragile land, so perfect made,

Think how its beauty once erased

Can never ever be replaced,

Think of the forests that breathe for the world,

Think what each leaf gives you as it unfurls,

Think of the mountain as home, if you can,

To trillions of beings, and understand,

They don’t have a voice, they haven’t a clue

What man and his bulldozers intend to do,

I speak out for those who don’t have a voice,

For trees and creatures without any choice

For the natural habitat of birds,

For the air we breathe, listen to my words,

It’s time to respect the earth that’s our home,

It’s time to share in this planet’s song

Just think how you’d feel at the final hour,

If you were destroyed by those wanting power

© Jane Sharp 2012

Adventure 1992

Adventure 1992

By Magic Bus from London town

To Greece we were transported,

With nothing but our canvas home

Thus speedily exported,

And so to Athens, there to ‘find

Ourselves’ and ancient glories,

To bathe in culture; steep our bones

In characters and stories,

But cold it was on Zeus’s hill,

And round his temple blowing,

Had he’d ‘a’ been a Scotsman he’d

‘a’ found his knees a glowing,

“It’s further south for us my gal,

Our bits are frozen rigid,

If we stay here for much longer,

It’s bound to make you frigid,

“My God!” I cried, “We must make haste

Before you too feel chilly,

May Zephyrus watch over us

And warm your freezing willy,”

Post haste and to the sea we went

Together with our spiti,*

And bought a one-way ticket out

To that fair isle of Kriti,

Now very soon we realized,

That man needs more than passion

If he wants to keep his body

And soul in the right fashion,

It’s true our little paradise

Could not have been much better,

We had fresh fish and oranges,

Tomatoes, oil, and feta,

The campsite had facilities:

A bird could not be free-er,

And yet our lives were incomplete,

Because we craved for be-er,

Now to us Yorkshire folk, real ale

Has fans, just like a showman,

It’s second only to the balls

Of Boycot, Lloyd or Trueman,

To have to go without a drop

Can prove to be quite testy,

We tried retsina, raki too,

But that made me so chesty,

We dreamed of pints with creamy heads,

Of mild and dark, and bitter,

The fruitiness of Samuels,

How Dent would make us fitter,

And so we walked towards the sounds

Of Sissi, and located,

The tiny bar of Harbour Lights,

Where Bill and Marie waited,

And there we put aside our quest

For stories, songs and dancing,

We listened to the tales of men

Of Cretan folk, romancing,

Michaelis Postman sang to us

A song with Eastern flavour,

And Costas danced, and plates were smashed,

It was a night to savour,

Our adventure had just started,

Now we’re twenty years down line,

We settled in the Cretan hills,

Where there’s plenty of sunshine,

So, if you ever pass our way

Look for us in Vrahassi,

In the area of oak trees,

It’s not exactly classy,

But we love it up the mountain,

Where the Griffin vultures nest,

Our adventure 1992

Proved undoubtedly the best!

*Spiti =house, in this case a tent.

©Jane Sharp 2012

In Memorium

I woke up this morning thinking about Syria and the terrible destruction that is happening over there. Thousands have been killed in the uprising, including two very brave journalists. Here is the poem I wrote while thinking about them.

In Memory of Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik,

Killed in Syria, February 2012

In a bunker,

Covered in grey dust,

And grazed,

Eyes glazed over with

Tears of Homs,

The battle-crack

Of Somme

Blasting history

To oblivion,

Heads clamped in palms,

Unarmed, brave,

Strands of DNA

Standing defiant,

Waiting for angels

In God’s garden,

In the slant of Spring rain,

In the same slant of Spring rain

That grows orchids.

©Jane Sharp

February 25, 2012

I'VE BEEN PROPER POORLY!

I am so sorry for not posting anything for a while, but I have been proper poorly with a nasty bug that I can only imagine latched on to me when I went to England. I have still got a tickly cough, but it is getting better every day. I've gone through boxes of tissues, packets of paracetamol, taken hot raki, honey and lemon, even resorted to rubbing my chest with raki. In the end I decided to banish the bug from my body, so I told it in no uncertain terms to go away.

Well, a night out in Rethymnon on Friday, seems to have done the trick. There is nothing like sea air, a brandy and hot chocolate, followed by imbibing in a bar full of young people, bouncing with loud music, for clearing your head. Unfortunately I think the wine and raki which accompanied our food managed to dizzy me up again, but that's passed through the system now, and I'm feeling right as rain.

I've been practicing Valentino most of today, as tomorrow I am getting together with the Rainbow Choir in Agios Nikolaos, to see if I can add anything (hm...) to their Xmas programme. We'll see. I might even end up singing the odd carol or two. That is good, because on Tuesday I am getting together with a few carol singers in Sissi, to discuss a bit of a sing-song there, before Xmas.

So it is all systems go. Saturday December 11th, the Agios Nikolaos Christmas Carol concert, 8.00 at the Hermes Hotel (Change of venue this year), Our end of year concert on the 12th December, with all my fellow music students, Gillian's little band. And the Rethymnon Christmas Orchestral Concert on Tuesday 21st December. In between all of that watch out for the group of singers in Sissi (date to be set).

To think, I very nearly said humbug to it all. I might even get my old Christmas tree out, and the fairy lights, why not?

I wonder if there will be any sign of Christmas in the square this year. I hope so.

Other than that, now I am in the land of the living again, I can enjoy this very warm weather that we have had throughout November.

It is also a good sign that I am better, because I have my appetite back. David and I called in at the English Butcher at Vamos and came back laden with cumberland sausage, rump steak, brisket and gammon, so tonight it is steak and chips for dinner.

I also wrote a little poem for the kids, hope you like it:

SANTA'S COMING

Shush - Hear it? - Reindeer bells,
Santa’s in the air,
He’s travelling from his magic land
The other side of where,
If you look you’ll see his sleigh-lights,
There – See – Among the stars,
His house is several days away
The other side of mars,
You’ve got to look quite carefully
Deep into the night, for
He has to travel very fast
I’d say the speed of light,
See – there – a glowing vapor-trail,
Oh he’s moving very well,
He’ll be here very, very soon,
You’ll hear his jingling bells,
Look at the bright star near the moon,
That’s where he pulls the reigns,
And takes the highway down to earth,
With all his toys and games,
Shush – hear it – reindeer bells,
He’s somewhere in the sky,
We’d best get home as fast we can,
To make him a mince pie,
It won’t be long before he’s down,
We haven’t got much time,
Make sure you leave a tot of rum
Some brandy or some wine,
Then while you sleep he’ll creep inside
Your house, all fat and red,
And leave a heap of Christmas gifts
Right there beside your bed,
So watch for Santa in the sky,
A red man on a sleigh,
He’s up there now, approaching fast,
And jingling all the way

Enjoy your run up to Christmas, it really is a magical time.
Love and Best Wishes,
Jane x

MY LIFE IN CRETE!

This is part of the talk which I gave at a hotel in Hersonissos on Saturday evening. I will be giving the same talk every Saturday throughout September and October. Then I hope to take it to England (or even America if anyone will pay me to go there)If any of you know of organizations who would like to hear my talk, please get in touch with me. My mail is: janesharp_creta@hotmail.com Now's your chance to hear what it is really like in Crete.

Happy Sunday everyone! Jane x

JILL'S BIRTHDAY AT A TAVERNA IN SISSI

I always seem to be battling with Greek noise! Will people never be quiet for a moment? We spent a lovely afternoon in Sissi yesterday. Jill's gathering was lovely, it was very nice to see people we hadn't seen for ages. And it didn't stop there. At about 3 p.m. Pete and Cindy arrived, the bride and groom, just married in Agios Nikolaos. Being invited as their guest also, we simply swapped tables and carried on having fun.

So, Happy Birthday Jill, and Congratulations Pete and Cindy, Happiness Always, Love Jane x

THE MAYOR OF GOUVES READING POETRY

David and I enjoyed the company of the Mayor of Gouves, Mr Yiorgos Nikolakakis, at the launch of Mr Lou Duro's poetry book, which has been translated into Greek. It is available from the offices of the Khronicles newspaper and at various bookshops throughout Crete. David (hidden talent) was asked to read a couple of verses in English, and he did very well. I got into conversation about religious dogma, with a young priest, Papa Dimitri, of Gouves. I also managed a few words with the Mayor. So, between religion and politics, poetry and music (of the wandering minstrel type) we had a thouroughly enjoyable evening. The venue was a delightful little restaurant, with open fire, called 'Katafigio', on the road to Anopolis from Kokini Hani. It is the first time that we have been there, but I am sure it won't be the last.