Year: 2016

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We were out gardening all morning. I was trying to tidy the pampas grass again and ended up covered in cuts. We did work hard and so decided we would go to Green Heights for lunch, as I have said before it is so tranquil there, classical music in the back ground………………………..we arrived and  the sign on the gate is exactly the same, “closed for maintenance work” but the date has now been changed from last Monday to 17th!  Mal then had the brilliant idea that we have done all this before so how about if we try Bellapais todayas we missed out last Sunday , Mother’s Day when the traffic made me turn back. Even though it was Saturday there wasn’t too much traffic.

Today we made it! In fact we were lucky because as we walked into Kybele restaurant, the waiter took us to what we considered to be the best table in the place and he offered to take a photo of us.

We reminisced and said we fell in love with Bellapais in 2001, when we sat in this very same restaurant but there weren’t ANY of the houses you can see behind us, it was just fields down to the sea. That was when we decided this was the country we wanted to live in. We consider we had the best years living here, a lot has changed since then.

As everywhere in the TRNC, cats plagued us while we were having our lunch, with one particularly cheeky one…

This is now the face of the TRNC, two couples out to lunch at a beautiful place like Bellapais Abbey and were they admiring their surroundings or talking to each other, no way, they were each on their phones!

Anyway, we love Bellapais and I have to say although the menu is a bit pricier than most, it really is worth it for the ambiance and classical music in the background. It is a beautiful place and where Dawn and Neil got married a few years back.

Again it was a bit chilly in the evening and so we lit the log burner, it soon warms the house up.

Thought for the Day – “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” ~ Paulo Coelho

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We went to Mediterranean Gardener to buy some weed killer. the sort that is harmless to animals as we have so many cats going in and out of our garden (and trying to come in the house!). So, I spread a lot of that around and Mal cut all the hedges. Now that the lantana is lower, we have a better view where we sit and eat our meals.

We met up with Margaretha for lunch and went to The Blue Song. Another good restaurant. We sat outside but there was quite a cold wind.

Thought for the Day – “A child can teach an adult three things; to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.” ~ Paulo Coelho

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A lot of gardening again in the morning and David and Kenny invited us over for lunch. Kenny cooked Kleftico, it was so good. We each had huge pieces and lovely vegetables to go with it. What a treat that was. They really are such good neighbours and we really miss them. It was also good to see their dogs Jekka and Loppy after all this time. David pays our water bills for us, so we sorted out all the money we owed them. The Beledeysi won’t allow us to put extra money on before we leave. You think they would be glad of the money. It was a lovely afternoon and Mal helped with some of their techie problems too.

Thought for the Day – “People exist to be loved; objects exist to be used. The world is in chaos because these things are the other way round.” ~ Dalai Lama

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We went to Lapta walkway for a long walk but they haven’t progressed since we were last here. It looks as though some pathway has been laid in the distance but what happened to the middle section? So we walked “there and back”.

On the drive back we called into Esta to collect our house insurance policy and also to complain about viewers not appearing and them not cancelling the appointment when David was waiting. I feel someone is in trouble because the boss knew nothing about it! Well, the agents charge enough.

Some serious gardening for the rest of the day.

We can now see the sea again from the kitchen window!

In the evening we went to eat at Silver Rocks, Lapta. I really fancied chicken şiş and a big bowl of salad. I did last night but it wasn’t on the menu.  Of course it was at Silver Rocks. Mal had the swordfish. I have to say it is consistently good food and service and I have lost count of the number of times we have eaten there. During the day you have views over the sea and as tonight was a bit chilly, the log fire was going. The owner welcomed us as soon as we walked in the door and said “nice to see you back again.” That was appreciated seeing as we haven’t been there for a couple of months. Unusually there weren’t many customers in there, so rather a surplus of waiters, who were very good. I have to say for 27tl (£6.50) my chicken şiş was excellent. Mal had the chips and potatoes and I had the salad and vegetables….perfect! Turkish coffee and liquers followed “on the house”. It does make me wonder why we bother eating at some of the other places.

Thought for the Day – “Life is short, smile while you still have teeth!” ~Mallory Hopkins

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We went for a lovely walk in the mountains before breakfast, the only thing missing was Ellie! We were orchid spotting but didn’t find any bee orchids, I can’t remember now, perhaps they appear a bit later.

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Nice to see the sun again! Mal cleaned the pool and backwashed. It is in very good shape thanks to David. It’s funny being back here and hearing things that are going on around you, as this “Tale of Buyuk Han“.

It’s surprising what you find when you start clearing things out and I have so many photos here. This one is of my mum and dad in their pub with Torin as a toddler which must make it around 1973!!!! A nice find for just after Mother’s Day!

For anyone walking their dogs in the Alsancak/Lapta area, a warning from KAR……..

It’s glorious weather during the day but clear skies at night which means the temperature drops considerably, so we have the log burner alight.

Thought for the Day – “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why” ~ Mark Twain

A Happy Mother’s Day to all the “Mums” out there…………………..have a rest today! Mal says we are doing nothing indoors today, he is taking me out!

We woke up to sun so flung open the shutters to look down to the Med!

Mal has a bit of a disaster as his computer won’t work!

Coincidentally, I have just seen a good article about north Cyprus. It is a lovely place, we just had our own reasons for returning to the UK and felt we had the best times over here. The timing for us was perfect,

We popped out to get a bit of shopping, proper misshapen tomatoes, in other words ones that taste and don’t have thick skins grown for exporting. Lovely Cyprus potatoes which must be THE tastiest. Yes, these are some of the things we miss which is why Mal has his allotment.

After breakfast we were going to Bellapais and eventually have lunch there. Well, the traffic was horrendous and so I ended up turning round as I didn’t want to sit in the car on a nice sunny day. The harbour was so busy too and we wanted somewhere relaxing so then decided to go to Green Heights. They were closed for repairs….re opening tomorrow. We weren’t doing very well. It was OK we would drive to Incirli for lunch, overlooking the sea, it would be very nice…..it was closed! That was it, we headed for home and Mal made some lunch and we sat on the terrace and ate it and decided my Mother’s Day meal would have to be in the evening!

One thing we did discover there is a new China Bazaar in Karaoğlanoğlu. We had a wander around there, they seem to sell everything. One of our clocks has stopped working so we bought a new one in there 17tl, which is about £4.10 AND we were given the clock in this carrier bag, not your cheap plastic variety but cloth AND we didn’t have to pay 5p!!

We really were  still quite tired from the journey, so we went for an early dinner and decided to eat at The Lodge in Lapta and we had a back up plan in case that was shut too. It wasn’t. They have an extensive menu, you are spoilt for choice but I chose the lamb sis and they were probably the best I have had here as the lamb is often chewy but not tonight. We also like the nice cosy atmosphere there, so a nice evening.

Thought for the Day – “A person’s most useful asset is not the head full of knowledge, but a heart full of love, an ear ready to listen and a hand willing to help others.” ~ Kotaku Wamura