Thursday 16th June 2011

Rosie and I went out early again and the moon was still in the sky! Coming back of course the sun was coming up.

More noise from the building site across the road in the morning. At least I am not next door to it as David and Kenny are, it must be awful for them.

I did some hammeriting, such a lot needs doing.

What happened in the evening? The building had stopped and the dog from the Russian house started. He howls and barks. It’s not his fault, he is a big dog and is never taken out.  I ended up indoors and turned the TV up. David and Kenny however were trying to have a quiet drink outside. Not so quiet. In the end David drove over and rattled on the gate. Of course the Russian woman wouldn’t come out. I suggested (from the terrace that looks down on her house) that he hooted his hooter as everyone that visits her does that. David did, still nothing. She is so inconsiderate but did somehow get the dog in and as soon as David left she let it out and the howling started again. How inconsiderate can she be? I know David returned a second time but still she wouldn’t come out. She is making herself very unpopular.

The kennel dogs bark but we all know it is when they are walked or fed, it is not a constant as this dog is. It is a very unhappy dog.

Mal rang and he is fed up with working and hopes to come back earlier than expected. That’s brilliant news.

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Thought for the Day – “Be master of your petty annoyances. It is not the mountain ahead that wears you out but the grain of sand in your shoe” ~ Robert Service

 

Wednesday 15th June 2011

Rosie and I were up and out at 5.00am and walked probably the furthest we have walked since she has had her leg problem. Having said that I think it exhausted her for the rest of the morning.

I went shopping to Mr Pound, the usual 12 items when I just went in for some tripe sticks for Rosie which they had obviously run out of. I did buy her a rope with a ball on it and when I gave it to her, she just looked at it and walked away!  There’s gratitude for you.

I bought Cyprus Today but couldn’t find much of interest at all in it. see link. Another 2 tl down the drain. I only buy it in case there is anything of interest for NCFP readers.

I also bought a 19 litre water refill which I always buy at the Intergaz place between Ileli and Starling. It is 3.50tl there and 5.00tl in Atakara!

In the afternoon, what a row. I think they are drilling right behind David and Kenny’s house. There will be so many personal wells round here soon that there won’t be any mains water left. Along with that they were moving earth just above and behind their house. I should imagine they feel as if they are living on a building site.

I waited in the evening to see the Lunar eclipse. Normally we have such beautiful clear skies here, not tonight, the moon was hiding behind clouds. I gave up in the end and went to bed!

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Thought for the Day – “The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.” ~ Thomas More

 

Tuesday 14th June 2011

For the last few mornings there has been a commotion with birds around our gardens and I could never quite see what bird it was. I saw a couple of magpies and I know what thieves they are. However this morning I saw the culprit, a Great Spotted Cuckoo. Reading about them in my Mediterranean Wildlife book it says that they are nest parasites of crows. It all makes sense now as we have crows in the pine trees.

In fact it wasn’t just the morning it was squawking most of the day.

In the afternoon I sat outside and became very engrossed in a book on my kindle. Then had a swim, the water is so lovely and warm.

The report of K5 v Akfinans Bank see link. I do hope this comes to a sucessful conclusion on Friday for all their sakes.

 

Thought for the Day – “Use what talent you possess – the woods would be very silent if no birds sand except those that sang best” ~ Henry Van Dyke

Monday 13th June 2011

Recep Erdoğan remains Turkey’s Prime Minister following yesterday’s election. He had 49.9% of all the votes and so his party has 325 seats in parliament. The result falls short of the two thirds majority needed to rewrite Turkey’s 1982 military constitution without having to consult parliament.

Kulaksiz 5 v Akfinans Bank case continues tomorrow at Girne court see link. Let’s hope justice will prevail.

For those supporters of David Haye,  his fight with Wladimir Klitschko on 2nd July, may be his last fight see link

In the afternoon I watched the Murray v Tsonga final. Well, let’s say I watched the first set and almost the second set. It just got to the exciting bit (Murray lost the first set) and we had a power cut! Murray did make a come back and win. Shame I didn’t see it.

The wind was wild again and I heard from a friend in the South and they had storms. We didn’t!

Later on we had another power cut and in the middle of all this I discovered that Rosie’s urinary problem has returned as I suspected it would in the summer when she drinks more. Back on the Urilin again. Poor thing, she does have her problems.

 

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Thought for the Day – “Animals are such agreeable friends, they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.” ~ George Eliot

Sunday 12th June 2011

At last the wind had died down in the morning, so I started clearing up the debris and sweeping up blossom. Not for long! Mid morning the wind started up again.

Gardening, swimming, cleaning the pool and then I intended watching the tennis final from Queens. I waited and waited “rain stopped play”, well it didn’t even start. The match will go ahead on Monday weather permitting. It is Murray V Tsonga. It should be good. Murray was impressive in the semi.

Mal has managed to bring back www.3cyprus.com see link

We have a lot of carobs on our carob tree. The Pekmez (carob syrup) Festival is taking place this weekend in Ozankoy.

Last year Sol wrote an article all about carobs  see link

 

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Thought for the Day – “Try to view the more serious aspects of life through a child’s eyes. See, it doesn’t look so serious now, does it?”

 

 

Saturday 11th June 2011

Firstly apologies to anyone who has been unable to read the diary since the DDOS attack we had. The problem has now been solved. Welcome back!

Rosie and I went out first thing and about four huge branches of our bougainvillea had broken off during the night in the winds. I then went to buy Cyprus Today see link. Lots of decision making there then by the government!

I did some gardening and then went for a swim. The pool is now 30 degrees. Then I watched Murray play Roddick, the best game I have seen Murray play and he is through to tomorrow’s final.

 

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Thought for the Day – “Being totally busy is a wasteful way of living” ~ Zen saying

Friday 10th June 2011

I woke up at 4.00 am and not one for lying in bed once I am awake I was up. As soon as it was light Rosie and I went out for a walk. It really is lovely that time of the morning.  We came back and I sat under the terrace watching the sun rise behind the mountain. STUNNING!

Later I went to see the Prof (Prof Dr Huriye Horoz Kaya, the vet in Alsancak) about Rosie’s medication. I told her that when she has the pain killers she is good but when stopped she is not and so I had been giving them to her every day. She said in which case I should stop for 10 days if I give them for 15. I think I will go back to her original idea of three days on and three days off. Hopefully that will be OK. I also think that the warmer weather is helping her. I did ask the Prof why and she said in some dogs it can damage their stomachs. Having said that David and Kenny gave their last dog the same tablets  every day for 7 years. I will see how Rosie gets on.

I then went to Ileli. Vegetables and salad is so cheap at the moment. They are also selling Don Luciano fizzy wine for 5.95tl. The Muscato is only 7% but the pink is 11%. I also bought Cyprus Star see link. I don’t usually buy it but it was the story about the tourism minister that caught my eye! North Cyprus Airlines “up and running within ten days”. Well, that has to be the laugh of the week! How long have we waited already? So, by my reckoning 20th June will be the day the website is up and running, tickets on sale and planes in situ!

In the evening the wind really got up and was blowing everything all over the place.

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Thought for the Day – “Then followed that beautiful season… Summer….Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.” ~  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow