I like learning Greek more than you

Just back from Class 1 of the next stage of my acquisition of Greek As She is Spoke.

Two wonderful cartoons from today's lesson, supposedly illustrating shopping etiquette but also inviting apoplexy in the righteous - of which we have one in new pupil Barbara from somewhere in the north of England ("Mrs Varvara", as our teacher refers to her).

Top right, a customer in a knick-knack shop asking of a set of worry beads, "Please, how much?"

Note the eagerness with which the shopkeeper springs to serve, his body language epitomising customer service of an almost Amazonian zeal.

Left, a tourista - clearly a fresh-faced lass from the north of England - advancing on a grizzled troubadour:

"Kale - How do - ... how much for yon bouzouki?"

('Kale'! - a splendid, lower-class greeting that I have gleefully added to my vocab).

I'm not sure what point the cartoonist is making, but muziki in the class agreed that we'd all had instances when some ignoramus had waddled up and offered actual monehh for our precious axes. Eheu!

No, the real delight lies in the monumental incorrectitude of those cigs dangling from scoff-law Grecian lips.

Mrs Varvara was going bananas and even stopped the class to explain to a bemused Tsoanna that,

"Don't you see, luv ... it's not right to have them gentlemen smoking in a pooblic place 'n' all ... I mean don't you see,?"

Meanwhile we're all giggling and hooting, much to Babs's pinch-faced annoyance.

"Nay, seriously Joanna ... I could be a yoong lass thinking about taking oop smoking ... these pictures could tip my balance ... and you're showing it here in class, and you a teacher and all ..."

Meanwhile, Welsh Ivor and Italian Lucca muttering about bring on the cartoons for tipping young gals into taking up summat else (nudge wink say no more, squire).

May the Gods smile on a country that can dish up educational material like this sans blinking, except in puzzlement at the moans of the likes of Barbara.

Loipon! March 1st. Kalo mina!

"A good month!" as we wish each other at the start of each one.