It may also include
- Helping to clean my boyfriend’s apartment after a house party
- Fixing curtain rails
- Picking up an insane number of odd socks
- Finally posting photos on IG weeks after the actual event
- Trying to eat healthy and at a normal time but then finding myself in the kitchen at 11pm making snacks - Planning to meet up with friends I haven’t seen in ages but never actually setting a date
- Walking the dogs in miserable weather
- Aaand half-writing blog posts that I end up publishing late *ahem*.
Oh, and not to mention attempting to get an early night but inevitably going to bed around the same late time anyway.
Still, I’m hoping 2023 can bring about some positive changes. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some amazing experiences throughout 2022, my first full year living in England as an adult. Unfortunately, I have a memory like a goldfish, so I’m hoping restarting this blog will help me to journal some of life’s events, and keep friends and family up-to-date with at least one of the Joneses (see what I did there 😉).
For now however, I will leave you with one of my learnings from the New Year, Vasilopita. Having recently started dating a Greek guy (let's call him E), I've been exposed to all sorts of differing Christmas traditions and foods, including melomakarona (honey cookies) and kourabiedes (almond butter biscuits covered in icing sugar). Basically, if you follow Greek traditions your teeth are going to be singing all throughout the festive period. Vasilopita is a traditional Greek cake or bread served at midnight on New Year's Eve to celebrate the life of Saint Basil, and contains a hidden coin or trinket which gives good luck to whoever gets that slice. The sweetness of the bread symbolises the hope that the New Year will be filled with the sweetness of life, liberty, health and happiness. Cuuuuute.
Still, I’m hoping 2023 can bring about some positive changes. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some amazing experiences throughout 2022, my first full year living in England as an adult. Unfortunately, I have a memory like a goldfish, so I’m hoping restarting this blog will help me to journal some of life’s events, and keep friends and family up-to-date with at least one of the Joneses (see what I did there 😉).
For now however, I will leave you with one of my learnings from the New Year, Vasilopita. Having recently started dating a Greek guy (let's call him E), I've been exposed to all sorts of differing Christmas traditions and foods, including melomakarona (honey cookies) and kourabiedes (almond butter biscuits covered in icing sugar). Basically, if you follow Greek traditions your teeth are going to be singing all throughout the festive period. Vasilopita is a traditional Greek cake or bread served at midnight on New Year's Eve to celebrate the life of Saint Basil, and contains a hidden coin or trinket which gives good luck to whoever gets that slice. The sweetness of the bread symbolises the hope that the New Year will be filled with the sweetness of life, liberty, health and happiness. Cuuuuute.
- The first piece is for Christ
- The next piece is for the Virgin Mary
- And the third piece is cut for St Basil.
The next piece is then cut for the needy, and then all members of the family, starting with the head of the household, and each member of the family in order, including those who are absent. Pieces are also cut for the house, different family members' jobs and supposedly if you live on an island you can cut a piece for the family’s boat (unfortunately 2022 was not the year I bought a yacht so we passed on that one).
The number of pieces cut, and the exact order will vary from house to house. However, you should always begin with Christ, the Virgin Mary and St Basil, and there is always a piece for the less fortunate. Even though it was just the two of us on New Year's morning, we ended up with 12 different slices for all our family members, homes and jobs, and given that E was the one that got the trinket in the slice dedicated to his work, we're hoping 2023 will be the year he gets the promotion he's been hoping for!
Here's also hoping 2023 is happy, healthy and full of good fortune for anyone who is still following along this now twelve year old blog! Καλή χρονιά φίλοι, happy new year friends :)
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