Year: 2010

It wasn’t a very nice day, quite chilly in fact. I bought the Observer and it was full of the Orams case. This included an article headed “The next target is…” Mr Candounis, Apostolides lawyer announced that he will now be undertaking two more types of cases. One will be against 60 tourists who stayed at the Dome Hotel last November, as “trespassing tourists”. So, how did he get the names and addresses of the tourists I wonder?  Had the present manager not taken over the Dome Hotel I suspect it would now be a pile of rubble.

There was another front page article ‘Northern Cyprus healing its wounds’. This discussed Monday’s floods in Guzelyurt. I quote part of the article:

“All indicators show that Greek Cypriots opened their dams and caused a strong flow of water towards the TRNC.” recorded the Ministry(of Foreign Affairs) evaluation. The water flowfrom Astromerit and Aplic caused a flood in the Guzelyurt region.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also warily pointed out that the reason lying beneath the diaster is the irresponsible behaviour of the Greek Cypriot side. “The topic is being evaluated byUNFICYP officials. We will attempt to find those responsible for the incident. It is thought provoking that the Greek Cypriots did not warn the TRNC authorities preventing us from taking precautions”.

In spite of all the rains, the Spring wild flowers are still surviving.

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Rosie and I went down for a walk in the ravine. There is now a running stream where there was not before Monday’s torrential rain. I followed it to the source and it was cascading down the mountain. Perhaps the famous Malatya waterfall will now be back.

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I took Rosie to the beach and then went to buy Cyprus Today. I read it whilst having breakfast and was totally in shock to read that David Carter has passed away. Some time back he emailed me to say how much he enjoyed my website and we corresponded frequently after that. He was also a frequent contributor to Mal’s north cyprus Free Press.

Our heartfelt condolences go to his wife Wendy, his daughter Sheryl and son Matthew.

From Cyprus Today:

Cyprus Tapes author dies aged 71

The man who wrote the Cyprus Tapes – essential reading for anyone interested in why the TRNC was formed – has died in the UK.

The final literary legacy of David Carter, however, who penned his work under the name of David Matthews, is to be Aphrodite’s Killers, completed just before his death, which charts the activities of Eoka, the Greek Cypriot terrorist organisation. It is to be published in April.

Mr Carter, who has also been a Cyprus Today columnist, died at the age of 71 on Friday December 18th, following a heart attack at his home in Norfolk.

His interest in Cyprus was sparked by his visit as a BBC journalist and programme producer in 1977, when he interviewed leading figures such as TRNC founding  President Rauf Denktas.

In subsequent years he became an authority on Cyprus and its troubled history, including writing many articles on the subject for the website Britain’s Small Wars.

Speaking to Cyprus Today from her home in the UK, Mr Carter’s widow Wendy said: “He had a passion about the island and the Turkish Cypriots in their isolated little country. He did what he could to put the record straight.

“I think he had an inkling that his time was almost up. He always used to make breakfast for us both but a few weeks before he died the tray would also have on it a love poem from him. There was a different poem every morning and they were wonderful”.

Mrs Carter said the death of her husband denied him his wish to make a final visit to North Cyprus. “He wanted to sit with a brandy sour looking over the sea and the rock pool by the Dome Hotel, just one last time” she said.

David Carter did however score a final number 1 – when, according to his wishes, his body became the first to be accepted for medical use by Norfolk and Norwich University Hosptial.

It is expected that, following the cremation in around 2 months time, Mr Carter’s ashes will be brought to his favourite spot near the Dome and scattered in the sea there.

Apart from Wendy, Mr Carter leaves daughter Sheryl, 45 and a son Matthew, who is 34.

THE ORAMS LOST…….

A report that Marion Stuart has sent me, thank you very much Marion for sharing this with me.

Is this the end?

By Marion Stuart

The news of the decision re David and Linda Orams and Mr Apostolides court case was expected by some but hoped that it would not be a question of ‘lose’ by many others.

The Orams who have been the victims of a political and legal wrangle can now publicly share what they have known for a week – namely that they have lost.

But maybe although the battle is lost, the war is not over, as there is the question of who does what in terms of compensation etc, etc to Kirios Apostolides.

For now, David and Linda have issued a press statement which tells much of their feelings and understandings of the drawn out lengthy procedure from the day, shortly after the border crossings were officially opened, when a man appeared in Linda’s front garden in Lapta and tried to serve her legal papers, written in Greek.

Since then, their lives have been increasingly in the spotlight, not only in Cyprus and U.K but further afield in the European Union, as the decision made against them could affect thousands of Europeans who own homes in north Cyprus as well as property in their own country.

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As the Orams say,

The result is very disappointing and a blow to us but we will not let it ruin our lives.

We believe that we unwittingly became entangled in an extremely complex political situation, the dispute between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities over property in Cyprus.

We know that the ruling will also be of great concern to the many foreign property-owners in Cyprus.

We will study the Judgment and consider whether there is anything further to be done.  Failing that, we will have to take steps, as far as possible given the political situation in Cyprus, to comply with the Judgment.

We continue to believe that only a political settlement can resolve the property issue and we hope that the Judgment will not undermine that process.

The above message was posted on bulletin boards immediately  and within half an hour had some 900 hits as people were eager to learn the decision.  It will also  appear in all local papers here in North Cyprus, and across the interested world and one may well read of very strong emotions in response to this from joy to abject grief,  but if anyone should wish to convey any messages of cheer to David and Linda, they may do so, either on Cyprus44.com Forum or send to marionstuart@hotmail who  will be happy to forward them on.

For now, numbness is prevalent, and a degree of shock as hopes have been decimated, but it isn’t over yet.  One is supposed to wait ‘until the fat lady sings’ – but who will be the singer and what will be the song?

copyright Marion Stuart.

It was cloudy when Rosie and I went for a walk and the fact we stopped to chat to Res on the way, meant we got caught out in the rain and got wet.  I did spot my first orchid while I was in the mountains.

I don’t know why I decided today but I went into Girne for some things I needed. Half way there and I was already regretting my decision. The rain was torrential and where there used to be a main road, it was now just a mass of lakes and rivers, depending on the angle of the road! It was horrendous. I did see several gangs of yellow pvc coated workmen trying to unblock drains in the middle of roads or something like that.  Without success I may add.

I did manage to get there and back and still the rain was just pouring down and the river was running down the side of our land yet again. By the time I arrived home water was pouring down the chimney again and I had to shut the shutters as a serious amount of water was collecting between the shutters and the windows.  It just rained and rained and rained. No let up all day long and all evening too. I did try and take Rosie for her evening walk but she was not impressed and spent the rest of the evening in front of the log burner!

Everyone will be waiting for the decision on the Orams case tomorrow………………………

Having been away for three weeks, I could not remember when the hunting season finishes, so as not to risk getting shot in the mountains Rosie and I went down to the sea for our walk.  Surprisingly the sea was quite rough and the tide was quite a way in.

We didn’t hear any shooting until about 4.00pm and then it sounded as though it was right next to the house!

Mal moved into the cottage as the caravan park is now shut for 6 weeks. He will be much warmer in there.  About three months ago he was chopping wood and some shot into his leg. Needless to say he would not go to the doctors even though he had quite a problem with it. The last few days a lump has come up on his leg and when he pushed, two one inch pieces of wood shot out! He was quite shocked and was very lucky it had not turned poisonous.

Rosie and I went up the mountains for our walk and there are a lot of the spring wild flowers out.  I then went down to try and get my house insurance again but today the office was shut! I went to get some shopping and bought the Cyprus Today. It seems that the Orams case last ruling will be next Tuesday. The main headline of the paper being “2012 Special dateline as TRNC and Turkey sign up to deliver massive restructuring via ‘privatisation’ “. This includes privatising Kib tek and a complete restructure of CTA…no comment! They also replorted that it has been the warmest winter here for 30 years. In the first 10 days of this year the maximum daily temperature averaged 21.7 degrees, seems I was in the wrong place!

I did more gardening while Rosie lay and sunned herself. Later Torin set up the webcam and I had a long conversation with Jack and Scarlet, well, I did more talking than they did! I then watched the footie. Rhys was actually taking the 3 eldest boys to see the Man U game.

Mal called and he was waiting for a train back to Margate but they had all been delayed because someone had been inconsiderate enough to throw themself on the line!