31st Oct 2010

I hope everyone remembered to put their clocks back last night!

It was the first day of the hunting season but unusually we were out before the guns started but to be on the safe side it was a trip to the beach. The fishermen were down there and also a couple of brave souls swimming.

The hunters were out in force but keeping their distance until later in the afternoon, then the shots were so close (tooo close!) In fact I think they were next to Lena’s house. When will they ever learn the rules? Mal also watched a kestrel flying and made sure they didn’t take a pop at that or Mal would have run after them. They didn’t. The kestrels nest very near to us and we love watching them.

The hunting will continue every Sunday until 26th December, with a total of 10 days set aside, including 18th November which is the third day of Kurban Bayram, The Feast of Sacrifice. A hunter will be able to bag no more than one hare, five partridges or black francolins and eight wood pigeons in a day. The total number of game animals that can be shot has been determined as 30. As it said in Cyprus Today “If all hunters reached this limit, that would mean that 600,000 game animals will be shot in the 10 days, bringing the potential number of prizes to 6 million”. Let’s hope  they are not good shots.

In the afternoon we sat out in the sun and played cards, nice to sit in the sun on the last day of October! The overnight temperature is dropping overnight and so the sheet has today been replaced by the summer duvet.

Thought for the Day – “There is nothing in which birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before” – Robert Wilson Lynd

30th Oct 2010

It was still spitting with rain when Mal and I got up, so decided to take Rosie straight out.  A bad move, as we were walking the rain became heavier and heavier until the three of us were soaked. Then after about half an hour being home the rain stopped and the sun came out for the rest of the day. At least the repair to the log burner wall following last years floods, seems to have held up against the rain.

We bought Cyprus Today see link.  I was very sad to see the lack of attendance for the Breast Cancer charity brunch. Maybe they need a few ex pats to help them out, if only ex pats were allowed to be on committees now……we are not on new committees. What a waste when I know quite a few people who would help them out. We have done it all before with excellent results!

I also read Mal’s report of Conor O’Dwyer in the South. Excellent publicity both sides of the border then! see link

We did some of the gardening, can’t wait until the oranges are ready. I cut off loads of ‘babies’ from plants, which will be redistributed.

Later we watched the football, a sad result again for Hammers, if only they could have lasted out another 5 minutes. Next the Man U v Spurs game. What a farce Nani’s goal was when he had obviously hand balled. It makes a bit of a mockery of football.

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Thought for the Day – “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” – Martin Luther King

29th Oct 2010

We took Rosie out and were joined by another village dog. I have been downloading a UK programme “How to take stunning pictures”. Who knows my pictures may improve. The one on pets suggested you photograph parts of their body, showing texture, which may make them more interesting. Ah well, I gave it a try! Only having a basic Panasonic Lumix I don’t think the quality will ever reach the standard on the TV programme with their £2K+ cameras. The morning clouds were stunning.

Sadly the Kulakisz 5 saga continues. I can only try and imagine how these poor pensioners are feeling at this time. It really is beyond belief that this is allowed to continue and no one seems to be able/want to do anything about it. Is it ABLE or WANT TO?  see link BUT Akfinans bank will potentially make a profit of around £800,000 from a £40,000 loan, so you can see why some people would not want this to change.

I was still feeling ‘under the weather’. We had decided to go and buy paint and plants but didn’t get very far because I was feeling drained. We did get as far as buying some of the sealant for under the terrace. Trees and plants another day.

In the evening the rain came down, just as Mal was saying to delay buying the trees as the ground was too hard. That excuse won’t hold water now (excuse the pun) as we had a lot of rain and a fantastic storm. I just love sitting under the terrace watching the lightning. I had just finished cooking dinner when the inevitable happened, a power cut. A candle lit dinner during which we had the largest, nearest clap of thunder I have ever heard. It made both of us jump and even Rosie ran outside to see what it was. Normally she is not bothered in the slightest by storms, unlike our last Golden Retriever who would start shaking before we were even aware a storm was on its way.

The power cut only lasted about an hour but then of course we were left without internet.

Thought for the Day – “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough” – Albert Einstein

28th Oct 2010

Whatever bug it is we have, seems to be a bit of an “up and down” one. We thought we were feeling better so Mal decided it was time to clean out the under swimming pool cupboard. A job we have been putting off probably since we moved in! Oh, the junk we had under there. Mal took everything out and we went through the lot. Mal insists that the small trampoline, the rowing machine and the exercise bike we will use, so up to the house (mmm, we will see!)

Our two bikes as well, which haven’t been used owing to a cycle ride one way or the other will entail an enormous hill which I don’t think either of us could ride a bike up. As Mal said, when petrol runs out we will be glad of them…..back in the cupboard. Perhaps he wasn’t as well as I had presumed!

We discovered lots more things we had forgotten about. At least now we can get in the cupboard, which is huge and runs the whole length of the pool.

When emptying boxes we found a 2004 edition of Cyprus Today, so we can compare prices see link. When comparing prices remember the change in exchange rate!

By the evening I was so tired but couldn’t sleep, aching legs and a ‘bunged up’ head, no not better yet!

Thought for the Day :  “A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort”  – Herm Albright

27th Oct 2010

Neither of us felt 100% so Mal took Rosie and I went to buy Cyprus Today see link There was an excellent article in it by Bertil Wedin.

Mustafa, our neighbour, called out to us and asked if we could trim our lantana hedge as it was growing into his olive tree. Mal said of course he would and hadn’t done it before because there was no way he was stepping foot on his land without Mustafa’s permission. We remember what he did to one of our workers! He gave his permission and Mal hopped over the wall and trimmed it all. I had another exciting time cleaning more shutters!

Hopefully the pair of us will feel back to normal soon.

Thought for the Day – “Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life” – Burton Hills

26th Oct 2010

It was our wedding anniversary. Our trip to Istanbul was our celebration really but we planned to go out for a meal in the evening. Well, we are on the ‘edge’of some sort of bug, not surprising when everywhere we went in the UK people had sore throats, coughs and colds and the same on the plane back.

We both had fuzzy heads and have felt so tired for the past few days. By the time the evening came neither of us wanted to make the effort to go out and more to the point, neither of us felt very hungry. So, we stayed in and watched downloads on the TV!!

Our meal out can be postponed until we feel a bit more like it.

Thought for the Day – “A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water” – Eleanor Roosevelt

25th Oct 2010

We took Rosie and then went inot Girne to find the new Cyprus Nature Library. We understood it to be behind the Colony Hotel. We walked all round and couldn’t find it and we were just about to give up and then discovered it is down a small roadway, to the right hand side of the Colony, in a big building next to the betting place. If you see the sign Home drom, it is in the same building and just keep going up the stairs. I think the pictures may show it better!

An interesting visit. Membership is 50tl and they are looking for volunteers for three hourly shifts.

For more information see link

Thought for the Day – “I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back” – Maya Angelou