One sunny morning in spring, Thomas’s mummy said ‘Thomas today we need to go to the garden center.’
Thomas was very excited, as he loved going to the garden centre. We all got ready and climbed into mummy’s car. Thomas climbed up into his safety seat and daddy fastened Thomas’s seatbelt. We were even taking our little white dog Penny. Penny was wearing her beautiful red collar with a matching red lead and she was the most excited of us all!
We drove out of the drive way and then joined the busy road that lead all the way to the garden centre. In the car we listened to Thomas’s favourite CD. This was a song of nursery rhymes and we listened to it wherever we were driving to. We all sang along to ‘three blind mice’ for the twenty millionth time.
When we got to the garden center we parked mummy’s car in the carpark. Mummy got Thomas out of his seat and all four of us walked into the garden center.
Mummy and Penny had to go and look for some plants, so daddy said to Thomas ‘Thomas lets go look at the puppies.’ Daddy and Thomas kissed mummy goodbye and headed of to see the little puppies. When they got to the puppy’s cage the puppies all ran over to say hello to Thomas. Daddy looked at Thomas and he could tell that although Thomas liked the puppies, he was not as interested in them as he usually was.
Daddy had a little think and said to Thomas, I know what we should do, lets go see the fish.’
Thomas smiled his big happy smile and said, ‘lets go!’ Thomas and daddy walked through the automatic door to the outside part of the garden centre. In front of them were four huge water tanks. The first had tiny little red and gold fish in it, the second had little blue and white fish in it, the third had big fish in it and the fourth had huge fish in it.
Daddy looked at Thomas and he could tell that although Thomas liked the fish, he could tell Thomas was not as interested in them as he usually was.
Daddy had a little think and said to Thomas, I know what we should do, lets go see the plastic ducks.’
Thomas smiled his big happy smile and said ‘lets go.’ Thomas and daddy walked into the big shed where the plastic garden ornaments were kept. Thomas picked up a great big pink, plastic flamingo that was missing a leg and smiled at daddy. Before daddy could do anything Thomas throw the big pink, one legged, plastic flamingo into the ornamental pond with a huge, wet splash. Thomas looked at his daddy and smiled his big happy smile.
Daddy looked a bit nervous and said, ‘Lets go!’
Thomas took his daddy’s hand and they both walk outside. Daddy said, ‘ It’s a bit naughty throwing pink plastic flamingos into the pond.’
Daddy had a little think. ‘I know said daddy, lets find the fork lift truck!’ Thomas just loved the forklift truck. Thomas and his daddy set off to find it. In the distance they could here a beep, beep, beep. Suddenly from around a corner the yellow fork lift truck appeared. The driver waved hello as he drove passed Thomas and his daddy.
Thomas and his daddy followed the forklift. The driver stopped outside a building and went inside to have a coffee. Daddy and Thomas walked up to the little yellow forklift.
‘okay, I am going to lift you up into the seat but we must be quiet as it is even more naughty than throwing pink plastic flamingos into the pond.’
Daddy lifted Thomas up into the black seat. Thomas sat there in a thrilled silence. Tom just loved the little yellow forklift truck. Then Thomas’s hand shot out and beeped the horn three times, ‘Beep Beep Beep.’
Daddy said, ‘shhh Tom, no noise!’ Thomas just smiled his cheeky grin and beep, beep beeped the horn again. Daddy quickly took Thomas down from the forklift just in time before the driver reappeared to see what all the noise was about.
Thomas and his daddy just tried to look innocent. Not too easy when you have just thrown a pink plastic flamingo into the pond and beeped the little yellow forklift’s horn three times.
‘Why don’t we go and find mummy and Penny.’ Suggested daddy. Thomas thought that this was a great idea. When they found mummy and Penny, they saw that mummy had bought a beautiful lemon tree with four bright yellow lemons on it.
Mummy, Daddy, Thomas and Penny all went back to the car. The new lemon tree was put in the seat next to Tom and strapped in with the seat belt. The whole car was filled with the aroma of the lemon tree. Thomas liked it very much
As they all set off for home mummy said ‘ Did you guys here how much noise the little yellow forklift was making, all that beeping.’
Daddy turned around to look at Tom in the back seat, Thomas and his daddy started to laugh. They knew what the noise was all about.
The End
Thursday, 23 August 2007
Wednesday, 22 August 2007
Thomas And The Three Little Pigs
Chapter One
Time to leave home
Thomas was a little blonde boy with cheeky smile, who had three very special little friends. His friends were in fact three little pigs.
One day Thomas was at the three little pigs house having tea. Mrs Pig had baked a wonderful chocolate cake. Thomas’s favourite cake in the whole world was chocolate cake.
Mrs Pig said, ‘Little Pigs, you are all getting too big for our little house, I think it is time you all went off and built your own homes.’
Thomas and the little pigs looked at one and other and felt very excited.
Mrs Pig continued, ‘ Make sure you build the your houses very well as you do not want the Big Bad Wolf blowing them down.’
Tom said, ‘Mrs Pig that is a fantastic idea, I will help them all to build their new houses. We will build them as strong as we can’
The three little pigs gave out a cheer and Mrs Pig gave all three piggies and Tom another slice of chocolate cake.
Bright and early next morning after Thomas had had a large bowl of porridge for his breakfast, he kissed his mummy goodbye and set off to the meet the first little pig.
Thomas and the first little pig set off to find somewhere to build the little pig’s house. They came to a beautiful, burbling stream and saw a man standing beside it. The man was carrying a huge bundle of straw. Butterflies skimmed the surface of the stream
Before Thomas new what was happening the first little pig had bought all the man’s straw.
The first little pig said, ‘Thomas, lets build my house using this beautiful sweet smelling straw, and we will build it by this beautiful stream!’
‘Are you mad?’ asked Thomas, ‘ Straw is no good for building houses unless you are a little mouse.’ But it was too late, they had the straw, they had the land buy the river. So they both set to work. Well, they worked all day, they built the walls from straw, they built the roof from straw; they even built all the furniture from straw.
To finish off Thomas and the second little pig fixed a wooden front door to the straw house and painted it a beautiful shiny red.
‘Thank you, Thomas.’ Said the first little pig. Thomas set off for home he was very tired but he had enjoyed helping his friend.
Bright and early next morning after Thomas had had a large bowl of porridge for his breakfast, he kissed his mummy goodbye and set off to the meet the second little pig.
Thomas and the second little pig set off to find somewhere to build the second little pig’s house. Soon they came to a beautiful green meadow. Swallows zoomed acroos the clear sky above the meadow catching bugs for their breakfast.
In the meadow standing by the oak trees on the far side stood a man. He had a huge load of sticks for sale.
The second little pig said, ‘Thomas, lets build my house from these beautiful brown sticks!’
Before Thomas new what was happening the first little pig had bought all the man’s sticks.
‘Are you mad?’ asked Thomas, ‘ Sticks are no good for building houses unless you are a little squirrel.’ But it was too late, they had the straw, they had the land in the meadow. So they set to work. Well they both worked all day, they built the walls from sticks, they built the roof from sticks and they made all the furniture from sticks.
To finish off, Thomas and the second little pig fixed a strong wooden front door to the straw house and painted it a beautiful bright yellow.
‘Thank you, Thomas.’ Said the second little pig. Thomas set off for home he was very tired but he had enjoyed helping his friend.
Bright and early next morning after Thomas had had a large bowl of porridge for his breakfast, he kissed his mummy goodbye and set off to the meet the third little pig.
Thomas and the third little pig set off to find somewhere to build the third little pig’s house. Soon they came to a pretty little village. In the village standing by the duck pond, stood a man. He had a large wagon filled to the top with bricks for sale.
The third little pig said, ‘Thomas, lets build my house from these beautiful red bricks!’
‘Now that is one clever little pig?’ Said Thomas, to himself; ‘ Bricks are very good for building houses especially if you are a little pig.’
Well they had the bricks and they had the land by the duck pond. So they both set to work. Thomas and the third little pig worked all day, the built the floor from concrete, they built the walls from bricks, they built the roof from slate and they made all the furniture from some of the stout oak in the meadow. They built a huge brick fireplace, with a chimney in the corner of the little brick house.
To finish off Thomas and the third little pig fixed a strong steel front door to the brick house and painted it a beautiful deep blue. The third little pig was not taking any chance with that nasty, old wolf!
‘Quack said the ducks,’ as they swam on their duck pond.
‘Thank you, Thomas.’ Said the third little pig. Thomas set off for home he was very tired as it is hard work building a house from bricks but he had enjoyed helping his friend.
Chapter Two
Thomas and the wolf pay a visit or three
The following Saturday, Thomas decided to visit his three friends in their new homes. He called on the first little pig in his house of straw. When Thomas knocked on the shiny red front door, he noticed how the straw walls wobbled.
The first little pig was very pleased to see his friend Thomas. He invited him in to his House. The house smelled so sweet from all the straw. The first little pig went into the kitchen and came out carrying a large tray. Thomas was please to note that the tray contained two glasses of cold milk and two large slices of carrot cake.
The two friends were happily munching on their cake when suddenly there was a loud knock, knock, knock on the front door. Thomas put down his cake and looked out the window. It was the big bad wolf!
‘Hello Thomas, hello first little pig said the Big Bad wolf, ‘let me in!’
Not by the hair on his chinny chin chin shall we let you in Mr Wolf,’ shouted Tom.
‘Really, that is very unfortunate as I will now have to huff and puff and BLOW your house in.’ Replied the wolf licking his lips.
As the big bad wolf said this he took three huge lungs full of air and then blew and blew with all his might.
The first little pig’s house was only made from straw. The walls started to shake, the roof started to wobble and suddenly in a huge cloud of straw the house was gone. The straw went everywhere. The straw landed in the beautiful the stream, the straw blow all over the trees, just everywhere, what a terrible mess.
Well Thomas and the first little pig did not have time to worry about the mess, they just ran as fast as they could to the second little pigs house in the meadow. When they got there they knocked on the beautiful yellow door, Thomas could not help but notice how the walls crackled
Thomas and the first little pig, told the second little pig all about there horrible experience with BBW.
‘Well you do not have to worry yourselves any more. You are both safe in my house which is made from strong sticks.’ Said the second little pig. Saying this the second little pig dissapered into his kitchen. Thomas was glad to see the second little pig carrying a tray with three glasses of orange juice and three large slices of lemon cake. It was hungry work running away from the Big Bad Wolf. Just as Thomas and his two friends put the cake to their lips, there was a loud knock, knock, knock at the front door.
Thomas put down his cake and looked out the window. It was the big bad wolf!
‘Hello Thomas, hello first little pig, hello second little pig said the Big Bad wolf, ‘let me in!’
Not by the hair on their chinny chin chins shall we let you in Mr Wolf,’ shouted Thomas.
‘Really, that is very unfortunate as I will now have to huff and puff and BLOW your house in.’ Replied the wolf licking his lips.
As the big bad wolf said this he took four huge lungs full of air and then blew and blew with all his might.
The second little pig’s house was only made from sticks. The walls started to shake, the roof started to wobble and suddenly in a huge explosion of sticks the house was gone. The sticks went everywhere. The sticks landed all over the beautiful meadow, the sticks blew all over the trees, just everywhere, what a terrible mess.
Well Thomas and the two little pigs did not have time to worry about the mess, they just ran as fast as they could to the third little pig’s house in the village. When they got there they knocked on the beautiful blue, steel door, Thomas could not help but notice how the well built every thing was-
Thomas and the two little pigs, told the third little pig all about their horrible experience with Big Bad Wolf.
‘Well you do not have to worry yourselves any more. You are both safe in my house which is made from very strong red bricks.’ Said the third little pig. Saying this the third little pig disappeared into his kitchen. Thomas was very glad to see the Third little pig return, carrying a tray with four cups of tea and four large slices of chocolate cake. It was hungry work running away from the Big Bad Wolf. Just as Thomas and his three friends put the cake to their lips, there was a loud knock, knock, knock at the front door.
Thomas put down his cake and looked out the window. It was the big bad wolf!
‘Hello Thomas, hello first little pig, hello second little pig and hello third little pig said the Big Bad wolf, ‘let me in!’
Not by the hair on their chinny chin chins shall we let you in Mr Wolf,’ shouted Thomas.
‘Really, that is very unfortunate as I will now have to huff and puff and BLOW your house in.’ Replied the wolf licking his lips.
As the big bad wolf said this he took five huge lungs full of air and then blew and blew with all his might.
The third little pig’s house was made from bricks. The walls did not start to shake; the roof did not start to wobble. In fact nothing happened.
So the Big Bad Wolf took six huge lungs full of air and he blew and he blew and he BLEW with all his might. Nothing.
This made the three little pigs and Thomas very happy. They laughed at the Big Bad Wolf and called him names. Suddenly the Big Bad Wolf had an idea. He would climb up the walls and slide down the chimney. This is exactly what he started to do-
Thomas let out a cry. ‘Little pigs lets put a big saucepan of water on the fire that will sort out the big bad wolf once and for all. It was the work of a moment for the little pigs and Thomas to lift over a huge saucepan to fire and bring it to the boil.
The Big Bad Wolf sniggered as he climbed over the roof, he licked his lips, he was going to have a mid morning snack of the three little pigs, possibly Thomas if he could catch him and defiantly all the chocolate cake he could find.
The wolf got to the chimney and started to slide down, it was dark in the chimney and like most bullies the BBW was really a coward at heart. Down he went, ‘Something is wrong!’ he thought to himself, ‘ it really is getting hot in here.
As the wolf got to the bottom of the chimney his toes splashed into the boiling water, he let out a yell and was fired up the chimney all the way to the moon where he still lives to this very day. If you listen carefully you might here him howling with rage
The little pigs and Thomas let out a cheer and finished their tea and cake. The three little pigs bought some more bricks and extended the house. Now they all live thee very happily and Thomas visits as often as he can. They do a wonderful chocolate cake at the three little pigs house.
The End
Time to leave home
Thomas was a little blonde boy with cheeky smile, who had three very special little friends. His friends were in fact three little pigs.
One day Thomas was at the three little pigs house having tea. Mrs Pig had baked a wonderful chocolate cake. Thomas’s favourite cake in the whole world was chocolate cake.
Mrs Pig said, ‘Little Pigs, you are all getting too big for our little house, I think it is time you all went off and built your own homes.’
Thomas and the little pigs looked at one and other and felt very excited.
Mrs Pig continued, ‘ Make sure you build the your houses very well as you do not want the Big Bad Wolf blowing them down.’
Tom said, ‘Mrs Pig that is a fantastic idea, I will help them all to build their new houses. We will build them as strong as we can’
The three little pigs gave out a cheer and Mrs Pig gave all three piggies and Tom another slice of chocolate cake.
Bright and early next morning after Thomas had had a large bowl of porridge for his breakfast, he kissed his mummy goodbye and set off to the meet the first little pig.
Thomas and the first little pig set off to find somewhere to build the little pig’s house. They came to a beautiful, burbling stream and saw a man standing beside it. The man was carrying a huge bundle of straw. Butterflies skimmed the surface of the stream
Before Thomas new what was happening the first little pig had bought all the man’s straw.
The first little pig said, ‘Thomas, lets build my house using this beautiful sweet smelling straw, and we will build it by this beautiful stream!’
‘Are you mad?’ asked Thomas, ‘ Straw is no good for building houses unless you are a little mouse.’ But it was too late, they had the straw, they had the land buy the river. So they both set to work. Well, they worked all day, they built the walls from straw, they built the roof from straw; they even built all the furniture from straw.
To finish off Thomas and the second little pig fixed a wooden front door to the straw house and painted it a beautiful shiny red.
‘Thank you, Thomas.’ Said the first little pig. Thomas set off for home he was very tired but he had enjoyed helping his friend.
Bright and early next morning after Thomas had had a large bowl of porridge for his breakfast, he kissed his mummy goodbye and set off to the meet the second little pig.
Thomas and the second little pig set off to find somewhere to build the second little pig’s house. Soon they came to a beautiful green meadow. Swallows zoomed acroos the clear sky above the meadow catching bugs for their breakfast.
In the meadow standing by the oak trees on the far side stood a man. He had a huge load of sticks for sale.
The second little pig said, ‘Thomas, lets build my house from these beautiful brown sticks!’
Before Thomas new what was happening the first little pig had bought all the man’s sticks.
‘Are you mad?’ asked Thomas, ‘ Sticks are no good for building houses unless you are a little squirrel.’ But it was too late, they had the straw, they had the land in the meadow. So they set to work. Well they both worked all day, they built the walls from sticks, they built the roof from sticks and they made all the furniture from sticks.
To finish off, Thomas and the second little pig fixed a strong wooden front door to the straw house and painted it a beautiful bright yellow.
‘Thank you, Thomas.’ Said the second little pig. Thomas set off for home he was very tired but he had enjoyed helping his friend.
Bright and early next morning after Thomas had had a large bowl of porridge for his breakfast, he kissed his mummy goodbye and set off to the meet the third little pig.
Thomas and the third little pig set off to find somewhere to build the third little pig’s house. Soon they came to a pretty little village. In the village standing by the duck pond, stood a man. He had a large wagon filled to the top with bricks for sale.
The third little pig said, ‘Thomas, lets build my house from these beautiful red bricks!’
‘Now that is one clever little pig?’ Said Thomas, to himself; ‘ Bricks are very good for building houses especially if you are a little pig.’
Well they had the bricks and they had the land by the duck pond. So they both set to work. Thomas and the third little pig worked all day, the built the floor from concrete, they built the walls from bricks, they built the roof from slate and they made all the furniture from some of the stout oak in the meadow. They built a huge brick fireplace, with a chimney in the corner of the little brick house.
To finish off Thomas and the third little pig fixed a strong steel front door to the brick house and painted it a beautiful deep blue. The third little pig was not taking any chance with that nasty, old wolf!
‘Quack said the ducks,’ as they swam on their duck pond.
‘Thank you, Thomas.’ Said the third little pig. Thomas set off for home he was very tired as it is hard work building a house from bricks but he had enjoyed helping his friend.
Chapter Two
Thomas and the wolf pay a visit or three
The following Saturday, Thomas decided to visit his three friends in their new homes. He called on the first little pig in his house of straw. When Thomas knocked on the shiny red front door, he noticed how the straw walls wobbled.
The first little pig was very pleased to see his friend Thomas. He invited him in to his House. The house smelled so sweet from all the straw. The first little pig went into the kitchen and came out carrying a large tray. Thomas was please to note that the tray contained two glasses of cold milk and two large slices of carrot cake.
The two friends were happily munching on their cake when suddenly there was a loud knock, knock, knock on the front door. Thomas put down his cake and looked out the window. It was the big bad wolf!
‘Hello Thomas, hello first little pig said the Big Bad wolf, ‘let me in!’
Not by the hair on his chinny chin chin shall we let you in Mr Wolf,’ shouted Tom.
‘Really, that is very unfortunate as I will now have to huff and puff and BLOW your house in.’ Replied the wolf licking his lips.
As the big bad wolf said this he took three huge lungs full of air and then blew and blew with all his might.
The first little pig’s house was only made from straw. The walls started to shake, the roof started to wobble and suddenly in a huge cloud of straw the house was gone. The straw went everywhere. The straw landed in the beautiful the stream, the straw blow all over the trees, just everywhere, what a terrible mess.
Well Thomas and the first little pig did not have time to worry about the mess, they just ran as fast as they could to the second little pigs house in the meadow. When they got there they knocked on the beautiful yellow door, Thomas could not help but notice how the walls crackled
Thomas and the first little pig, told the second little pig all about there horrible experience with BBW.
‘Well you do not have to worry yourselves any more. You are both safe in my house which is made from strong sticks.’ Said the second little pig. Saying this the second little pig dissapered into his kitchen. Thomas was glad to see the second little pig carrying a tray with three glasses of orange juice and three large slices of lemon cake. It was hungry work running away from the Big Bad Wolf. Just as Thomas and his two friends put the cake to their lips, there was a loud knock, knock, knock at the front door.
Thomas put down his cake and looked out the window. It was the big bad wolf!
‘Hello Thomas, hello first little pig, hello second little pig said the Big Bad wolf, ‘let me in!’
Not by the hair on their chinny chin chins shall we let you in Mr Wolf,’ shouted Thomas.
‘Really, that is very unfortunate as I will now have to huff and puff and BLOW your house in.’ Replied the wolf licking his lips.
As the big bad wolf said this he took four huge lungs full of air and then blew and blew with all his might.
The second little pig’s house was only made from sticks. The walls started to shake, the roof started to wobble and suddenly in a huge explosion of sticks the house was gone. The sticks went everywhere. The sticks landed all over the beautiful meadow, the sticks blew all over the trees, just everywhere, what a terrible mess.
Well Thomas and the two little pigs did not have time to worry about the mess, they just ran as fast as they could to the third little pig’s house in the village. When they got there they knocked on the beautiful blue, steel door, Thomas could not help but notice how the well built every thing was-
Thomas and the two little pigs, told the third little pig all about their horrible experience with Big Bad Wolf.
‘Well you do not have to worry yourselves any more. You are both safe in my house which is made from very strong red bricks.’ Said the third little pig. Saying this the third little pig disappeared into his kitchen. Thomas was very glad to see the Third little pig return, carrying a tray with four cups of tea and four large slices of chocolate cake. It was hungry work running away from the Big Bad Wolf. Just as Thomas and his three friends put the cake to their lips, there was a loud knock, knock, knock at the front door.
Thomas put down his cake and looked out the window. It was the big bad wolf!
‘Hello Thomas, hello first little pig, hello second little pig and hello third little pig said the Big Bad wolf, ‘let me in!’
Not by the hair on their chinny chin chins shall we let you in Mr Wolf,’ shouted Thomas.
‘Really, that is very unfortunate as I will now have to huff and puff and BLOW your house in.’ Replied the wolf licking his lips.
As the big bad wolf said this he took five huge lungs full of air and then blew and blew with all his might.
The third little pig’s house was made from bricks. The walls did not start to shake; the roof did not start to wobble. In fact nothing happened.
So the Big Bad Wolf took six huge lungs full of air and he blew and he blew and he BLEW with all his might. Nothing.
This made the three little pigs and Thomas very happy. They laughed at the Big Bad Wolf and called him names. Suddenly the Big Bad Wolf had an idea. He would climb up the walls and slide down the chimney. This is exactly what he started to do-
Thomas let out a cry. ‘Little pigs lets put a big saucepan of water on the fire that will sort out the big bad wolf once and for all. It was the work of a moment for the little pigs and Thomas to lift over a huge saucepan to fire and bring it to the boil.
The Big Bad Wolf sniggered as he climbed over the roof, he licked his lips, he was going to have a mid morning snack of the three little pigs, possibly Thomas if he could catch him and defiantly all the chocolate cake he could find.
The wolf got to the chimney and started to slide down, it was dark in the chimney and like most bullies the BBW was really a coward at heart. Down he went, ‘Something is wrong!’ he thought to himself, ‘ it really is getting hot in here.
As the wolf got to the bottom of the chimney his toes splashed into the boiling water, he let out a yell and was fired up the chimney all the way to the moon where he still lives to this very day. If you listen carefully you might here him howling with rage
The little pigs and Thomas let out a cheer and finished their tea and cake. The three little pigs bought some more bricks and extended the house. Now they all live thee very happily and Thomas visits as often as he can. They do a wonderful chocolate cake at the three little pigs house.
The End
Monday, 20 August 2007
LAMB ON THE SPIT - ARNI STI SOUVLA
LAMB ON THE SPIT - ARNI STI SOUVLA
Lamb on the spit (Arni Sti Souvla) is the traditional Greek way of serving lamb at Easter - Pascha. Usually this is the only time of year in Greece that families will prepare lamb this way, (you can find find it all year through at tavernas), however, this recipe is also ideal for preparing great tasting lamb for a large party at any time of year.
There is always much anticipation and planning of this Easter meal. After the 40 days of lent when meat is one of the main foods that people abstain from (and in Greece this is still followed by a large percentage of the population), the lamb will be the first meat they have and the thought of tucking in to such tasty meat after a long abstinance inspires an eagerness to participate and contribute in the preparation.
In Greece, Easter Sunday is a very social occasion and there will always be large gatherings for the lamb, people from the neighbourhood, friends, family and all will be invited, it is always a big affair, and people will be turning up slowly through the morning, bringing plates of food, boxes of sweets from the Zacharoplasteion or bottles of their favourite wine. Everyone will take turns at turning the spit, or helping out with other preparations, and long tables are prepared under the shady trees for the company and children to all sit down together to wine, dine and enjoy the company. So great is this day, most people will linger on till early evening, not wanting the wonderful day to end.
Whole lambs will have been ordered in plenty of time from their favourite butchers and on Easter saturday the lambs will be picked up from the butchers and taken home and prepared ready for an early start on the sunday.
The instructions given here are for a whole lamb. You use a rotiserie, either motorised or hand turned.
You will need 1 whole lamb, skinned and gutted. In Greece, the lamb will come with the head on, which many people consider a delicacy. Outside of Greece, I don't know how easy it is to get it that way. Ask your butcher to prepare the whole lamb for you as instructed. (As not a lot of butchers get orders for whole lamb, you will have to be specific, especially to leave it whole, not cut up into portions!)
Make sure the lamb is cleaned inside and out, if not, clean it.
To season the lamb, first in a bowl put a good quantity of cooking salt, ground black pepper and oregano (Greek rigani). Mix together.
In another bowl, pour a good amount of virgin olive oil.
Prepare a large work surface and place the lamb on it.
Put your hands in the olive oil and then rub the oil all over the meat, inside and out.
Next, using your hands, take a handful of seasoning and rub it all over and into the meat, on the skin on the outside, around the legs and all over the inside of the animal so it is coated with the salt, pepper, oregano mixture.
By wiping it with oil first, it helps the seasoning to stick to the animal.
Take the skewer/spear of the rotisserie and insert it into the animal, first through the backside of the lamb, through the body and out through the head, coming out through the mouth. If you do not have the head, you will need to secure the opening of the neck area to the skewer, by tying it on. One of the purposes of the head is to secure the upper body in place.
Take the back 2 legs and pull them back and tie them on to the skewer behind the tail. Take the front 2 legs, pull them forward and secure them onto the skewer in front of the head. This is so that as the meat cooks the legs will not fall off and it keeps the whole body tied together. Don't forget to use wire or something that wont burn.
Place a thin long piece of wood along the spine of the body. Take some wire and pierce it through the back of the carcass, next to the spine, around the skewer, and out the back in line with the other wire, on the other side of the spine. Tie the two ends together over the wood, which creates a loop, or circle. Do this a few times to support the spine and help hold it all together.Now wrap the entire animal in greaseproof paper, and secure well with either wire or string that won't burn.
Prepare the cooking area.
You will need to dig out of the ground a hole about 400 - 500 mm deep, almost 1 metre wide and a length of at least 2 animal heads longer than the animal. You can use some wood to start the fire and then have ready a good quantity of charcoal usually used for barbecues to add to the fire throughout the cooking stage.
It is best to prepare all this the day before as you will need to start early on Easter sunday to get the lamb cooked by lunchtime.
Sunday morning
Prepare and start the fire.At the start, when the fire is very hot, place the lamb on the stands and adjust to be quite high off the heat. At this stage you turn the meat slowly and let the heat work its way through.
As the fire goes down to its normal temperature, you adjust the rotisserie down as needed. As it cooks through with time, turn it quicker, when you hear it sizzling you need to turn it enough so it doesnt burn in one spot and the juices continuously stay within the wrapping and moisten the meat.
It is ideal for cooking lamb, if you can move the charcoal, in the hole, to either side of the animal, achieving more heat radiating from the sides instead of directly underneath the animal. This will help to distribute the heat to more parts of the animal at any one time.
You will need to keep the greaseproof paper on for about 3 1/2 hours. Then you can remove the paper, drop the skewer a little more and cook for about 1 more hour or until ready, turning quickly, almost doubling the speed of rotation.
When ready, some people will take a large platter, hold it under the roast lamb and cut parts of the lamb off whilst it is still on the spit, letting it drop onto the platter.Alternatively, remove from the heat, cut apart and serve immediately.
Serve the lamb with tzatziki, greek salad, fried zucchini, steamed greens and plenty of fresh crusty bread. Free flowing red wine, Greek style!
Along with the lamb on the spit, it is traditional in Greece to cook Kokoretsi in the same way, on a spit over the coals. This is served a little ahead of the lamb, as a starter, along with other appetizers.
Lamb on the spit (Arni Sti Souvla) is the traditional Greek way of serving lamb at Easter - Pascha. Usually this is the only time of year in Greece that families will prepare lamb this way, (you can find find it all year through at tavernas), however, this recipe is also ideal for preparing great tasting lamb for a large party at any time of year.
There is always much anticipation and planning of this Easter meal. After the 40 days of lent when meat is one of the main foods that people abstain from (and in Greece this is still followed by a large percentage of the population), the lamb will be the first meat they have and the thought of tucking in to such tasty meat after a long abstinance inspires an eagerness to participate and contribute in the preparation.
In Greece, Easter Sunday is a very social occasion and there will always be large gatherings for the lamb, people from the neighbourhood, friends, family and all will be invited, it is always a big affair, and people will be turning up slowly through the morning, bringing plates of food, boxes of sweets from the Zacharoplasteion or bottles of their favourite wine. Everyone will take turns at turning the spit, or helping out with other preparations, and long tables are prepared under the shady trees for the company and children to all sit down together to wine, dine and enjoy the company. So great is this day, most people will linger on till early evening, not wanting the wonderful day to end.
Whole lambs will have been ordered in plenty of time from their favourite butchers and on Easter saturday the lambs will be picked up from the butchers and taken home and prepared ready for an early start on the sunday.
The instructions given here are for a whole lamb. You use a rotiserie, either motorised or hand turned.
You will need 1 whole lamb, skinned and gutted. In Greece, the lamb will come with the head on, which many people consider a delicacy. Outside of Greece, I don't know how easy it is to get it that way. Ask your butcher to prepare the whole lamb for you as instructed. (As not a lot of butchers get orders for whole lamb, you will have to be specific, especially to leave it whole, not cut up into portions!)
Make sure the lamb is cleaned inside and out, if not, clean it.
To season the lamb, first in a bowl put a good quantity of cooking salt, ground black pepper and oregano (Greek rigani). Mix together.
In another bowl, pour a good amount of virgin olive oil.
Prepare a large work surface and place the lamb on it.
Put your hands in the olive oil and then rub the oil all over the meat, inside and out.
Next, using your hands, take a handful of seasoning and rub it all over and into the meat, on the skin on the outside, around the legs and all over the inside of the animal so it is coated with the salt, pepper, oregano mixture.
By wiping it with oil first, it helps the seasoning to stick to the animal.
Take the skewer/spear of the rotisserie and insert it into the animal, first through the backside of the lamb, through the body and out through the head, coming out through the mouth. If you do not have the head, you will need to secure the opening of the neck area to the skewer, by tying it on. One of the purposes of the head is to secure the upper body in place.
Take the back 2 legs and pull them back and tie them on to the skewer behind the tail. Take the front 2 legs, pull them forward and secure them onto the skewer in front of the head. This is so that as the meat cooks the legs will not fall off and it keeps the whole body tied together. Don't forget to use wire or something that wont burn.
Place a thin long piece of wood along the spine of the body. Take some wire and pierce it through the back of the carcass, next to the spine, around the skewer, and out the back in line with the other wire, on the other side of the spine. Tie the two ends together over the wood, which creates a loop, or circle. Do this a few times to support the spine and help hold it all together.Now wrap the entire animal in greaseproof paper, and secure well with either wire or string that won't burn.
Prepare the cooking area.
You will need to dig out of the ground a hole about 400 - 500 mm deep, almost 1 metre wide and a length of at least 2 animal heads longer than the animal. You can use some wood to start the fire and then have ready a good quantity of charcoal usually used for barbecues to add to the fire throughout the cooking stage.
It is best to prepare all this the day before as you will need to start early on Easter sunday to get the lamb cooked by lunchtime.
Sunday morning
Prepare and start the fire.At the start, when the fire is very hot, place the lamb on the stands and adjust to be quite high off the heat. At this stage you turn the meat slowly and let the heat work its way through.
As the fire goes down to its normal temperature, you adjust the rotisserie down as needed. As it cooks through with time, turn it quicker, when you hear it sizzling you need to turn it enough so it doesnt burn in one spot and the juices continuously stay within the wrapping and moisten the meat.
It is ideal for cooking lamb, if you can move the charcoal, in the hole, to either side of the animal, achieving more heat radiating from the sides instead of directly underneath the animal. This will help to distribute the heat to more parts of the animal at any one time.
You will need to keep the greaseproof paper on for about 3 1/2 hours. Then you can remove the paper, drop the skewer a little more and cook for about 1 more hour or until ready, turning quickly, almost doubling the speed of rotation.
When ready, some people will take a large platter, hold it under the roast lamb and cut parts of the lamb off whilst it is still on the spit, letting it drop onto the platter.Alternatively, remove from the heat, cut apart and serve immediately.
Serve the lamb with tzatziki, greek salad, fried zucchini, steamed greens and plenty of fresh crusty bread. Free flowing red wine, Greek style!
Along with the lamb on the spit, it is traditional in Greece to cook Kokoretsi in the same way, on a spit over the coals. This is served a little ahead of the lamb, as a starter, along with other appetizers.
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
You can talk
Tom you are just talking so much. When I asked you what colour a car was, you sail,´Daddy, I think it´s white.´
Well this I know is a process all little kids go through but it just amases me. You are only 2 years and 1 month old.
You can eventalk a little in Spanish. Un mas cafe is your latest.
Well this I know is a process all little kids go through but it just amases me. You are only 2 years and 1 month old.
You can eventalk a little in Spanish. Un mas cafe is your latest.
Tuesday, 8 May 2007
Ouch
Well Thomas it hhad to happen. You fell over and skinned your left knee. You were very brave and did not shed any tears what so ever.
A little girl has been kidnapped in Portugal. She is only three years old. Be safe.
Daddy
A little girl has been kidnapped in Portugal. She is only three years old. Be safe.
Daddy
Wednesday, 2 May 2007
3 weeks old
Thomas you are now three weeks and a couple of days old, we are sitting outside our home in Marbella I am drinking a coffee from my favourite
mug and you are sitting beside me in you maxi-cosi pram thing, sucking on your favourite dummy. Penny is lying on the patio beside us catching up on her sleep. Mum is upstairs trying to catch up on her sleep a little as well. You and I are listening to ‘How to dismantle a nuclear bomb’ by U2. I have tried you with all the usual songs that kids are meant to like, such as Bingo, Hush little baby etc. They don’t work that well with you. You like U2, Johnny Cash and the Bare Naked Ladies, particularly the song ‘If I had a million dollars.’
We all went out yesterday for our first official meal together. Mum fancied a little carrot cake and I wanted a cheese burger. So that meant a trip to Yanks the American diner. You were very well behaved as was Penny. We all sat outside in the afternoon sun.
In the morning the whole family including Grandma and Grandpa went for a walk along the passeo in marbella. It was a beautiful warn sunny morning. The sea was so blue and absolutely flat calm. We could see across to Africa and Gibraltar. Lots of people were out in boats and jet skies. The beach was quite busy, lots of Spanish people come here at this time of year. They were all on the beach, getting a suntan, swimming in the sea etc. I was so proud to be pushing your pram along the passeo. Lots of people were peeking in to see you. We all had a beer on the beach except mum who had a coffee and we all shared a plate of crisps. All this must sound boring to you, I would guess, but we all had a fantastic time showing you off.
We are still struggling with your nappies. They do not seem to be designed to keep you dry. We had to change you three or four times last night. Everything was wet. We are looking for another brand. (note)We have had success with the nappies (pampers) are you ones that work. You sleep for a couple of additional hours if you are dry and a couple of extra hours sleep for daddy and mummy is an amazing luxury.
We have all been having a fantastic time with you in our lives. We are all a little more sleepy, but so much more makes up for the lack of a little sleep. I guess we are getting less sleep than I imagined because mummy has just pointed out that my t-shirt and sweat pants are on inside out. Actually my sweat pants are on inside out and back to front.
I can see your mind beginning to develop behind you baby blue eyes. You are now taking much more interest in your surroundings and you can focus on objects that are held close to you. Both of your eyes now point in the same direction at the same time, this is a good thing.
You have had a rash all over your face. You went to bed last Saturday looking like a beautiful angel and woke up on Sunday morning looking like Nikki Lauda (Austrian racing driver, burnt in a racing accident) It only lasted a couple of days after the doctor gave you some cream.
Thomas, if you are ever thinking of having a child, let me recommend that first of all you complete a degree or even an advanced degree in engineering or ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Why ? simple, assembling baby things like prams cots etc is a highly challenging task not for the faint hearted or the uneducated. Your bugaboo push chair (they call it a ‘total transport system’) took me 3 hours to assemble. I can build £20m buildings but I struggle with prams, cots etc. The reason is simple all the instructions are in some sort of modern hieroglyph, in fact called a pictogram. In my opinion if your product instructions are in hieroglyphs the least you can do is to include some sort of translation documentation. The bugaboo instructions you read back to front. You start at the last page and work towards the beginning. Very strange, easy in China a lot harder here. You will not really understand what I am writing about until you have to do these things for your children.
Last night I set up our skype account. This is revolution in telecommunications. Goodbye telephone, hello voice over internet.
The General Election takes place on the 5th May. Everyone thinks that Tony Blair will win his third term. We shall see on the 6th.
mug and you are sitting beside me in you maxi-cosi pram thing, sucking on your favourite dummy. Penny is lying on the patio beside us catching up on her sleep. Mum is upstairs trying to catch up on her sleep a little as well. You and I are listening to ‘How to dismantle a nuclear bomb’ by U2. I have tried you with all the usual songs that kids are meant to like, such as Bingo, Hush little baby etc. They don’t work that well with you. You like U2, Johnny Cash and the Bare Naked Ladies, particularly the song ‘If I had a million dollars.’
We all went out yesterday for our first official meal together. Mum fancied a little carrot cake and I wanted a cheese burger. So that meant a trip to Yanks the American diner. You were very well behaved as was Penny. We all sat outside in the afternoon sun.
In the morning the whole family including Grandma and Grandpa went for a walk along the passeo in marbella. It was a beautiful warn sunny morning. The sea was so blue and absolutely flat calm. We could see across to Africa and Gibraltar. Lots of people were out in boats and jet skies. The beach was quite busy, lots of Spanish people come here at this time of year. They were all on the beach, getting a suntan, swimming in the sea etc. I was so proud to be pushing your pram along the passeo. Lots of people were peeking in to see you. We all had a beer on the beach except mum who had a coffee and we all shared a plate of crisps. All this must sound boring to you, I would guess, but we all had a fantastic time showing you off.
We are still struggling with your nappies. They do not seem to be designed to keep you dry. We had to change you three or four times last night. Everything was wet. We are looking for another brand. (note)We have had success with the nappies (pampers) are you ones that work. You sleep for a couple of additional hours if you are dry and a couple of extra hours sleep for daddy and mummy is an amazing luxury.
We have all been having a fantastic time with you in our lives. We are all a little more sleepy, but so much more makes up for the lack of a little sleep. I guess we are getting less sleep than I imagined because mummy has just pointed out that my t-shirt and sweat pants are on inside out. Actually my sweat pants are on inside out and back to front.
I can see your mind beginning to develop behind you baby blue eyes. You are now taking much more interest in your surroundings and you can focus on objects that are held close to you. Both of your eyes now point in the same direction at the same time, this is a good thing.
You have had a rash all over your face. You went to bed last Saturday looking like a beautiful angel and woke up on Sunday morning looking like Nikki Lauda (Austrian racing driver, burnt in a racing accident) It only lasted a couple of days after the doctor gave you some cream.
Thomas, if you are ever thinking of having a child, let me recommend that first of all you complete a degree or even an advanced degree in engineering or ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Why ? simple, assembling baby things like prams cots etc is a highly challenging task not for the faint hearted or the uneducated. Your bugaboo push chair (they call it a ‘total transport system’) took me 3 hours to assemble. I can build £20m buildings but I struggle with prams, cots etc. The reason is simple all the instructions are in some sort of modern hieroglyph, in fact called a pictogram. In my opinion if your product instructions are in hieroglyphs the least you can do is to include some sort of translation documentation. The bugaboo instructions you read back to front. You start at the last page and work towards the beginning. Very strange, easy in China a lot harder here. You will not really understand what I am writing about until you have to do these things for your children.
Last night I set up our skype account. This is revolution in telecommunications. Goodbye telephone, hello voice over internet.
The General Election takes place on the 5th May. Everyone thinks that Tony Blair will win his third term. We shall see on the 6th.
Sunday, 29 April 2007
Another Sunday
Another beautiful day on the Costa del sol. Very warm with a beautiful right blue sky all day.
We as usual went for our morning coffee on on the beach. After you spent 40 minutes or so throwing rocks into the sea we headed off to the old town of Marbella. At the main square there was a charity market being held for a local hospital. We were early, they were just unloading the toys for the stall and so we swooped and bought a big white Porsche 911 GT, a new yellow tractor with a rolling attachment and a driver and finally a little fire engine. We got it all for a mere 2.50€. Not too shabby.
You spent the rest of the day playing with these new toys in the garden, in the paddling pool, in the bath, on the couch and then in bed.
Mummy felt a little ill this evening and went to bed at 7.30pm. She is still asleep as I write this at 11.30 pm. Mummy must have picked up a bug of some sort, either that or she has developed some sort of strange sleeping sickness. Lets just hope it is a bug.
For dinner tonight, I prepared for the family a sweet potato Shepherd’s pie. You ate half a mouthful or so and Mummy just had a nibble because she felt sick. Still I enjoyed it. You went to bed at 8.30pm and I watched a lousy video with Ben Stiller called ‘Night at the Museum’. I also ate one of your teeny tiny chocolate puddings.
We as usual went for our morning coffee on on the beach. After you spent 40 minutes or so throwing rocks into the sea we headed off to the old town of Marbella. At the main square there was a charity market being held for a local hospital. We were early, they were just unloading the toys for the stall and so we swooped and bought a big white Porsche 911 GT, a new yellow tractor with a rolling attachment and a driver and finally a little fire engine. We got it all for a mere 2.50€. Not too shabby.
You spent the rest of the day playing with these new toys in the garden, in the paddling pool, in the bath, on the couch and then in bed.
Mummy felt a little ill this evening and went to bed at 7.30pm. She is still asleep as I write this at 11.30 pm. Mummy must have picked up a bug of some sort, either that or she has developed some sort of strange sleeping sickness. Lets just hope it is a bug.
For dinner tonight, I prepared for the family a sweet potato Shepherd’s pie. You ate half a mouthful or so and Mummy just had a nibble because she felt sick. Still I enjoyed it. You went to bed at 8.30pm and I watched a lousy video with Ben Stiller called ‘Night at the Museum’. I also ate one of your teeny tiny chocolate puddings.
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