Spring

A lovely early spring in Greece. Everything is waking, the air is still and the days are warm.

More worryingly, after the fires of last summer, this has been another dry winter, the second in succession.

Then there are the power cuts and uncollected rubbish as a multitude of strikes are taking place over changes to municipal workers' pensions with a general strike due on Wednesday.

And finally, arriving in this country the one thing that strikes you is the smoking. No huddled smokers outside buildings; everyone lights up wherever they are. And even if the concept of smoke-free areas is growing, non-smokers are thoughtfully provided with an ashtray.