Friday 31st January 2014

Bargains – Debenhams Flowers Delivered Direct by Post – Free Delivery by debenhamsflowers.com & Horse Racing Package for 2 – £35 at activitysuperstore.com & Free Belgian Chocolates & “I Love you” Balloon with 50 Red Rose Stunner – £64.99 & Boots Voucher Codes – Kids Clothing with £5 off £25 spend at boots.com & Hi Gear Outdoor Clothing for £19.99 at gooutdoors.co.uk & Debenhams China Mugs – Ben de Lisi Designer Mug for £1.80 at debenhams.com & Argos BBQ – Oil Drum Charcoal BBQ for £49.99 at argos.co.uk & M&S Flowers – 100 Stem Bouquet for £25 plus Free Delivery at marksandspencer.com

I have just heard on the Radio that they will be doing a report on Dreamland, Margate on the One Show tonight. We will have to watch that.

Almond blossom is on the trees, still January and it feels like Spring.

Almond Blossom
Almond Blossom

We should have been going to Robin’s birthday party but I wasn’t well, so we didn’t go, an early night instead.

Thought for the Day – “Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.” ~ Francesca Reigler

Thursday 30th January 2014

Bargains –  Bungee Jumping UK – £54 plus Free Delivery at activitysuperstore.com & Pet Supermarket UK – up to 25% off at pet-supermarket.co.uk & Brantano Shoe Sale – 30% off at brantano.co.uk & Get Lenses and Glasses Frames up to 50% off with Free Delivery & Argos DVD Player – Bush 10 inch Portable DVD Player for £54.99 at argos.co.ukBoots Oral-B Toothbrush – Professional Care 2000 for £39.99 at boots.com & Debenhams Shoes Sale – Reebok White Essential ‘Easytone’ Trainers for £24 & Bon Marche Sale – 2 for £10 Camisoles plus Free Delivery at bonmarche.co.uk & Debenhams Flowers Delivered Free – £5 off at debenhamsflowers.com

Another long walk in the mountains, the gorse is flowering and we found a lot of mandrake. For those that don’t know, it belongs to the nightshade family and contains deliriant hallucinogenic tropane alkaloids (Mal’s degree is Biology!!) According to the legend, when the root is dug up, it screams and kills all who hear it.  It doesn’t, I have dug them up in our garden.

I did find this amusing…….

Literature includes complex directions for harvesting a mandrake root in relative safety. For example Josephus (circa AD 37 Jerusalem – 100) gives the following directions for pulling it up:

“A furrow must be dug around the root until its lower part is exposed, then a dog is tied to it, after which the person tying the dog must get away. The dog then endeavours to follow him, and so easily pulls up the root, but dies suddenly instead of his master. After this, the root can be handled without fear.”

 

Mandrake
Mandrake

When we are walking in the mountains Mal always says I remind him of Johnny Appleseed because as I walk past anything that has seeds, I pull them off and spread them around. Johnny was only interested in apples.

Mal started to dismantle the car port roof, it has been blown about so much in the wind and rain. As he was doing it black cat was lying between the green fabric and the bamboo and when she got up she was limping. I put some food down for her but she has disappeared.  I hope she is OK. I think she was originally the Russian woman’s cat but now it is Lena’s.

In the evening we watched the film “Last Vegas”.

Thought for the Day – “There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.”  ~ W Clement Stone

 

Wednesday 29th January 2014

Bargains – Hilton Sale Offers – up to 33% off at hiltonsale.com & Argos Offers – Canon Powershot SX270 HS Camera Kit for £220.89 at argos.co.uk & Bhs Home – Cream Essentials Classic 4 Slice Toaster for £30 at bhs.co.uk & Bargain Crazy – 10% off at bargaincrazy.com & Valentine’s Day Diamond Pendant for £42 at amazon.co.uk & Boots Sale – Philips PowerTouch Pro PT920/19 for £89.99 at boots.com & Dunelm Mill Offers – Teddy Bear Mattress Enhancer from £19.99 at dunelm-mill.com

A beach walk with Ellie, she is still not keen on the sea. For all the dog owners, it is now law that all dogs should be microchipped by July 1st.  The KAR explanation seems confusing to me and I understood you have a choice of Cypriot, European or Worldwide micro chips. I think we will have to talk to our vet for clarification.  I have no objection to this but know it will be all the ex pats toddling along to the vets and I wonder if the locals will? The other thing is how would we know we have been given an International one?

For anyone money watching, or to be more precise watching the lira rate.

Fresh Catch!
Fresh Catch!

We went to Mr Pound which is now 5tl not 4tl but I guess it is still around the £1.40 mark. They didn’t seem to have much “doggy” stuff that I wanted. With the shifting lira rate of course things are going up. 19 litres of water was 4tl, now 5tl. We got more shopping on the way back and also went to buy some Frontline at the vets. One phial 43tl. That has certainly gone up. I’ll be buying it in the UK in future.

We had a coffee over at David and Kenny’s later on with Ellie playing with her friends.

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Tuesday 28th January 2014

Bargains – Argos Car Seats – Mamas & Papas for £49.99 at argos.co.uk & Amazon Discount Jewellery – Sapphire & Gold Necklace for £90 at amazon.co.uk & Bhs Discount Code – 25% off at bhs.co.uk plus free delivery & Debenhams Home Sale – Denby Tumblers is £12 at debenhams.com & Boots Fragrance – Diesel Fuel for Life Spirit for £19.25 at boots.com & The Hut Voucher Codes – extra 10% off at thehut.com

A beautiful sky this morning from our terrace.

28-01-14 04-59-12 - 0005We went for a very long walk in the mountains. Ellie was very good off lead apart from chasing after birds but she did keep coming back! I think for the first time since we have had her, we wore her out, she just kept chasing around and around.

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We were going shopping and then decided the weather was too nice so we spent the time in the garden instead.

Thought for the Day – You can learn many things from children.  How much patience you have, for instance.  ~ Franklin P. Jones

Monday 27th January 2014

 

Bargains – Heart Pendant Necklaces – Gold & Diamond for £93.68 at amazon.co.uk & Boots Pushchairs – Sport Luxe Pushchair for £166.64 at boots.com & Debenhams Home – Ben de Lisi Salad Servers for £9 at debenhams.com &Garden Bargains Sale – Mini Orchard Fruit Tree Collection for £24.99 at leadthegoodlife.com & Sainsburys Sale – 2-slice Toaster for £7.99 at sainsburys.co.uk & Argos Irons – Russell Hobbs Steam Generator Iron for £99.99 at argos.co.uk & All Inclusive Holiday – 1 week 5* in North Cyprus for £345pp with mercury-direct.co.uk & Airport Transfers – Resorthoppa Discount Code at resorthoppa.com  Debenhams Promotional Code | 15% off | debenhams.com

Today only 20% off at M&S – M&S Clothing Sale | 20% off | marksandspencer.com

We took Ellie for her walk in the mountains and on the way checked our water pipe again, of course there is no water running and having used all the water from our spare water tank, we are now running low. Back to Alsancak Belediyesi. This time Mal handed them his NCFP Business Card.  “They will be there in 20 minutes”. Not 20 minutes, but 35 minutes and Mal was waiting for the three men who  arrived. The people building the 2 new houses across the road evidently just dug up everything when they put their drive in, including our water supply pipe. Mal explained that the pipe goes under the road, so they rang for the digger. It is busy today but they will come with the digger tomorrow.  I’m sure their attending was nothing to do with Mal giving them his NCFP Business card…ha ha!!

What a surprise, they came back at 11.30 with the digger. Of course they knocked off for lunch at 12 but came back again and we now have water!  What a relief, I think we were down to our last egg cup full! A very nice man came up to the house to tell us he had sorted it for us. Thank you Alsancak Belediyesi. It’s just a shame we had to keep going down to the office.

Job Done!
Job Done!

Thought for the Day – “Water is the driving force in nature.”  ~ Leonardo da Vinci

Sunday 26th January 2014

Bargains – Debenhams Mugs – Portmeirion Fine Bone China ‘Royal Baby’ Tankard for £10.50 & Cheap Coach Tickets – & British Airways Sale – Free Seat Selection at britishairways.com & British Airways Sale – Free Seat Selection at britishairways.com & M&M Direct Discount Code – up to 75% off plus Free Delivery at mandmdirect.com & Boots Promotional Code – 10% off at boots.com & Argos Bed in a Bag – Living Butterfly Bed for £29.99 at argos.co.uk &Wilko Rugs – Tamara Rug Teal for £15 at wilko.com

Raining through the night but we managed to have a nice beach walk and no rain. We stopped and chatted to Kenny on the way down, he was coming back from his walk with Loppi.  Ellie loves digging in the sand, she hasn’t started on the garden …….yet!

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We watched the Australian Tennis Final until the 4th set then……………we had a power cut!! By the time the electricity came back on, they were presenting the trophies. Poor Rafa. He had a back problem.
Thought for the Day – “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively” ~ Bob Marley

Saturday 25th January 2014

Bargains – Debenhams Clocks – Cream Enamel Mantel Clock for £6 at debenhams.com & Holidays in North Cyprus – 10 Nts 5* FB from £395pp & Wickes Voucher Code – 10% off at wickes.co.uk plus Free Delivery & Boots Perfume – Boss Orange Women Eau de Toilette Gift Set for £30 & Currys Electrical – Breville Halo Health Fryer for £69 at currys.co.uk &Garden Supplies – Oriental Pink Lilies 50 Bulbs – £9.99 & Valentine Hotel Deals – Save up to 40% at hotels.com &George Foreman Grill Argos – Entertaining Grill for £39.99 at argos.co.uk

No, the Beledeysi didn’t come yesterday, so we still have no water. We know this happened while we were away but we didn’t notice it until midweek.  Our water comes from the other side of the road and a new drive has been made over there so possibly when the pipe was turned off.

Mal and I were both awake at 4.30 so we decided to get up and make a cup of tea. I always let Ellie out first thing and when I heard her growling at something in the bushes, I went to see what it was………..a hedgehog!  I called her, told her to “leave” and “drop” but she had total focus on it. I made her sit but the minute I let go of her collar she had it in her mouth and was running around with it in a ball. Memories of the robin this was. Finally I managed to get her up on the swimming pool terrace and the only way she would drop it was in exchange for a treat. I didn’t want to give her one but had no option. Again she had been very gentle with it and Mal rescued it and put it in another one of the gardens. Not a good start to the day. By this time I felt like going back to bed again!  More training needed, this is ongoing anyway but I need her to drop things from her mouth and quickly!

As soon as it was light we went out with her, anemones everywhere!

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We bought Cyprus Today on the way back. So,”five firms have come forward to express interest in establishing a new airline for the TRNC” AND “Atlasjet has announced it is to start flights to the UK in May (from Luton)”. I should imagine some people if going back to the UK in the summer, have booked early with Pegasus to benefit from cheaper prices the earlier they are booked. It will be interesting to see if eventually there will be competition for Turkish Airlines and Flypigs.

This is rather disturbing about Mehmet Goksoy supplying contaminated food. How do we find out? I certainly care about it.

A grey day and raining, after a lovely week. But very cosy indoors with the log burner just ticking over.

I heard from my sister and she has booked to come over and stay in June, that will be nice.

Thought for the Day – “If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons. ”  ~ James Thurber