The world from my window

With the change in the weather there comes new life. New flowers replace the geranium and daisies. Scabious pop up by the roadside and the purple honesty turns into crimson purses, ready to reveal thirty pieces of silver later in the year. As Greek Easter approaches, the vibrant purplish-pink flowers of the Judas Tree blossom on bare branches before the lime green, kidney-shaped leaves appear. The trees are all over the island, vast swathes of colour in a sea of olive green. This was the type of tree on which Judas Iscariot was said to have hanged himself after denouncing Jesus. According to the legend, the flowers were originally pale and blushed pink with shame. Another version is that the flowers represent Judas's entrails. They certainly are a striking sight. Elsewhere, the wisteria grows so vigorously, it romps up telegraph poles to look like trees. The orange begins to blossom and its heady scent spreads across the roads of the village, mixed with the aroma of m...

I have a neighbour back home in Lush Places. Her name is Mrs Bancroft and she is very wise. Her favourite saying is 'never turn down an invitation.' In the years since I first heard her say it, the phrase has become something of a Grigg mantra. It might relate to a completely left-field invitation but, coupled with my other saying of 'just do it', it can lead to some interesting situations. Always be open to new ideas and experiences. You never know, you might enjoy them. So, after shopping in Corfu Town on a glorious, sunny day, picking up a kilo of calamari for ten euros at the market, we receive a text out of the blue: What are you doing this evening? How about a mandolin concert? We were planning to spend the balmy evening eating squid with wild asparagus on our own terrace, looking out on a newly-cleared garden, our reward for a week of hard work. Not the prettiest of views, looking out on logs, but satisfying. Instead, we enjoy pastitsio outside th...