SELF-REFERENTIAL OBTUSENESS

CHRONIA POLLA!

You know how they list the top Tops of the Year - cool muzak, cool people (Pope Francis best dressed, how's about that, guys and gals?), catchiest phrases, blah blah?

My vote in the San Luca foxhole goes to the sanity-saving 'self-referential obtuseness' line from clever Salley Vickers' Foreword to the pb of Edith Wharton's Touchstone. 

Life-saver and points scorer nonpareil in re the April 2007 theft of my personal bling. I kept my powder dry, using it at dinner parties and in my world-wide blog for family and fops. Finally, when challenged, I showed them to devastating effect the actual quote [see above].

Gardenry visit

When rubbing thieves' snouts in the excrement of their own filcherie, it helps to hold back a bit, as if to 'play fair'. I'd comment meekly that, to be fair, the double theft was only 80% downright thievery of the most despicable, the remaining 20% being helpless unknowing self-referentiality. Bang! Wallop!! Boot in.

Clever Salley's [note spelling] line allowed me to ram home the point that the theft was nothing new or clever but a known syndrome for a grubby little deed.

Do you know Vickers? One of my favourite writers: most readers know her for Miss Garnet's Angel but my jewel is Instances of the Number 3, hotly followed by Where Three Roads Meet, a joy to read and very very funny.  

Back to Three Instances, I once caught a guest slipping my battered belovèd copy into their poche and pounced: 

"There's enough fronking 'borrowing' goes on in this house without outsiders adding to the ranks. Give it back! And I've marked your card for any future visits: bags checked at the door." 

Loud and angry enough for maman to hear.

Memento ~ apart from marking the 'self-referential' passage in the book to catch my mother's eye, I clipped out a telling passage from the Speccie and taped it to the inside back flap of the Wharton for ditto effect.

It was no use having the screaming matches but she'd absent-mindedly take to bed anything I carelessly left out, so these 'time-bombs' served an equal purpose.

Mouths of Babes: when my adored and feisty Cost-centre #2 younger daughter came out for a wonderful 'bonding' vacation, she of course found herself in an atmosphere of thieving ~ not only of prized property but truth, time, respect, and self-esteem ~ and asked me in her delightful American way,

"So, is this what you guys do? Like take each others' stuff and just not give it back?" Like.

Readers know I like to shove in a bit music down the line. Percy Sledge nailed it for this posting.

San Luca

In the night - Working it out, I reckoned my jewel box was lifted around 01.00hrs as my mother packed for Italy. Ever after, whenever I heard shuffling and stealthy sounds from the 'thief alley' adjoining walk-in closet, I'd burst in under the pretense of checking that my preciousest belongings were still there.

Great fun: naturally, my mother was startled and reacted shifty and scared:

"For heaven's sake! Who's like to be burgling us now?"

I delivered the only logical reply:

"Well, it's the same time and, come to think of it, the exact same place as a previous serious snaffling took place."  

No answer to that. B'boum.

Loipon, it's good to greet the New Year with a clean slate, and I know how many friends and family members monitor this blog.

Once when I was pinning maman down to a 'recap' of the filchery I made the mistake of quoting what 'everyone' else thought of the double theft.

"Who everyone?"

'OK, here's a simple mnemonic to remember for future grillings: the 4 Gs'

• God
• Garden
• Grub
• Girls

The church crowd, before and after the Sunday services * Gardenry visitors and their chatter * Dinner parties, when I can actually show them Thief Alley where it was all perpetrated * and whenever anyone asked about my girls, cue to update them on any explanation/excuses for the thieving.

Phone Bugs ~ story to come.

Come to think of it, I need start a new page for the Phone-bugs escapades. Many transcripts/sound-bites/ comments/reviews from all and sundry.

Chronia polla, anyway.

  

BRIAN MAY TESTING FOR CANCER.

Brian May of Queen

First let's kick off with Good Company to cheer us up. It's not the most obvious choice to represent Brian but it's my favourite ... oh all right, On My Way Up, too.

OK, so after suffering from agonising back pain, poor bloke, Queen star and ace axe man Brian May (CBE) has revealed he is having urgent tests for cancer. A mere 66. 

Quoth Bri ~ “Now, on hearing the ‘C’ word something happens inside you... of course. I’ve seen so many of my dear friends fighting it ... and my dad lost his battle at age 66, exactly the age I am now."

So? ... So ... ? That's a year younger than I am now - and make it two next month when I clock up 68 on Feb 4.

Still, δάχτυλα διέσχισαν - fingers croisés - for Brian. 

GOLDEN DAWN IN CORFU

GOLDEN DAWN OPENS IN CORFU

The opening of the Corfu Golden Dawn offices in P. Konstantas street (and the accompanying anti-fascist demonstrations) took place under unprecedented security and police supervision: over 100 men from ELAS of all services (DIAS, Safety, Traffic, OPKE etc.) surrounded the offices with police vehicles and dozens of law enforcement in surrounding streets.

Anti-fascist demonstrations also vented their wrath on the island's other fascist organizations, Syriza and ANTARSYA.

 I myself have long suffered from my fascist neighbours, the Palis, and their unambiguous signs all along my border fence taunt me daily, as do Sofia, Maria and son Robbo's threatening shouts. With a branch office of their favourite office actually in Corfu town, it shouldnt be long before the lads are invited round chez Pali and some fun and games chucking rocks down on San Luca.

Irony note: just the other night, I was waiting for my belovèd Caroline to collect some phone chargers so i went out to rake leaves to await. Hearing the lonesome sound of rake on gravel, the neighbors must have reckoned I was alone and prime for some aggro. I kept thinking, 'Keep it up, because the Avenging Furie be here soon and then you'll cop it.'

She didnt come, no need, but zut alors! What fun if she had. And with the Captain and his steely blue-eyed gaze and no-nonsense cutlasses in both holsters? Posse from Hell. Cavalry from Calvary.  

Here are some comments in response to my posting on Facebook Grapevine, and my apologies for being able to reproduce the actual page with names and faces. I am working to anonymise the whole thing. But interesting to see the  reactions and assumptions.

• "Very concerning that there is enough support in Corfu for a Golden Dawn office to be opened..."

  
  
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  Sofia and Robbie
  constructing fence

  Veta Rengi Panteliou It is awful feeling! Especially with all the foreigners living on Corfu!!!!!!!!!!! I do not know if foreingers for them are only the pakistans etc. What about the Europeans that are not Greeks? Just a tragic thought that came to my mind last night when I heard these men speaking!!!
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  Isobel Elliott Where can you read this in English

  14 hours ago via mobile · Like
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  Angela English google chrome will translate for you

  13 hours ago · Like · 1
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  Chris Holmes The entire length of the border fence between me and my neighbours is strung with printed notices praising Χρυσή Αυγή, proclaiming Greece for the Greeks, and instructing Albanians (cook and gardener), Chinese (my father was in the Hong Kong colonial service) and English to get out.

  
  
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  example of their 'notices'

  Melita Forte Chakiris And wher do people like me with dual nationality stand? Do I go or do I stay?!!

  
  
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  Roly Baker English out eh, then who on earth WOULD pay taxes?

  
  
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  Jeanette Parker Do they have any idea how much in taxes is paid by non-Greek residents'. EU countries, inc.U.K.,who contributed to Greek bailouts. Do they want to leave the EU and Euro zone?

  
  
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  Duchess Scarlett Blissett Paizanos They don't bother European's !! They aim at Pakistani and muslim's

  
  
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  Veta Rengi Panteliou what about those English or europeans with little darker skin?

  
  
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  Duchess Scarlett Blissett Paizanos erm they ask you for your passport !!

  
  
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  Chris Holmes My Χρυσή Αυγή-supporting neighbours, the Palis, have made a generous exception for me, with shouts and insults, window-breaking stones, crude Molotov cocktails in my empty pool, and a host of other imaginative encouragement to feel at home.

  
  
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  Karen Makris Sounds like you have hostile neighbours........

  
  
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  barbed wire and strong posts. thorough

  Chris Holmes Very hostile, and regarded by the Police as quite mad.

  
  
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  Karen Makris Time to move maybe??

  
  
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  Janet Parr oh chris how horrid for you xxx

  
  
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  Chris Holmes Karen, as soon as i have concluded a satisfactory sale of the parental home i shall be looking for cosier quarters.

  
  
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  Karen Makris I hope this situation doesn't escalate to such an extent that people living in Corfu, irrespective of nationality, are forced to live in fear or leave.

  
  
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  Karen Makris When you move Chris check out your neighbours beforehand.

  
  
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  Jeanette Parker Greece takes over the rotating Presidency of EU on Wednesday!

  
  
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  Aitchm Muir The way I look at it is this , People will be pushed so far ,and when they can see no way out , extreme parties like this materialise.  I am not at all saying I agree with it , but , everyone should be able to voice their concerns in a Country, without fear of anything , it is called freedom. Unfortunately it does not always work out like that we have the National front , they are not liked at all by most , but they have got seats on councils etc , people like this get fed up of seeing their Country being eroded by so many things , they think they can take it back with violence ,which is never the way at all. Greece is a beautiful country, with lovely people and I feel sorry it is having all these hard times xx
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