Monday April 2nd

BISCUITS AND ANCENT GREECE

I was halfway through making some Easter biscuits - hands all covered with pastry - when the doorbell rang. Small girl from next door: had we got any books on ancient Greece? Mmm, yes. Several, as it happens. Washed hands, found large book on ancient Greece plus Greek New Testament. Scrambled over low fence (we never use gates and paths as all the houses are stuck together) to pass them over. Showed Greek lettering in Nt, explained ancient Greek v.like NT Greek. Short discussion re ancient Greece. Wooden horse of Troy? Blank looks. Sparta? "Oh yes - they were brave. It was a separate city and they were Spartans". Told her about the heroes of Thermopolae (sp?):"Go stranger, tell Sparta..etc..." Scrambled back to biscuits and kitchen thinking heroic thoughts. Have always admired Sparta, and at school our classes were named after ancient peoples, and we were Spartans - our parallel class were Athenians, not a patch on us. Chuntered Spartan epitaph as I worked the next batch of pastry. ("Go, Bogle, tell biscuits....")