Month: July 2013

Bargains – BHS 20%  off all Babywear & Winery & Brewery Tasting and tour for 2 £17 & Expedia 10% off & Jersey Boys top price tickets £39 & Glasses Direct 45% off frames

In the morning we went to the Wednesday market where River bought another T shirt, a leather wallet and some new sun glasses, much cheaper than the shops! From there we went on to Bellapais Abbey as he said he would like to see it. At one time Lou and Rhys were going to get married there until they discovered that a lot of relations wouldn’t travel here. I think River was as impressed with it as they had been on their visit. He thought it was a lovely place. There weren’t the usual mass of tourists there so it was as it use to be, a nice peaceful place. If any of you are going to visit there, tell them you are resident and you get reduced price entry. We took our council tax bill in case they queried it but they didn’t seem too bothered.

Mal and I have been there many many times but it never ceases to impress us.

It was so quiet and such lovely views we decided to have our lunch in Kybele Restaurant, which is in the Abbey grounds. The food was good, we had stopped going there as previously had some not so good meals and crazy priced drinks. It looks now as though the prices have stabilised! We don’t mind paying a little extra for the ambiance. Efes 7tl, Large water 3tl,  chicken lasagne 18tl, omelette 15tl etc.

Cyprus Today

Back home and in the pool!

In the evening Lou, Rhys and co came on the web cam and we had a web cam tour of their new house. Thank goodness after all the trauma of the move they all seem very happy. They are enjoying their large gardens both back and front and also the fact they are so close to the sea and cycle paths. The washing machine has broken down so they have been using ours in the caravan until their new one arrives.

 
Thought for the Day – “You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” ~ Desmond Tutu

Bargains – Avis Travel south from Scotland from £10 & Russell & Hobbs Heritage buy kettle and toaster together and save £39.99 & Monsoon children’swear money off new season coat & FREE Specsavers eye test with printable voucher & Boots half price designer sun glasses

Another morning sorting out River’s future education! Mal does a lot of investigation! Lots of swimming too as it went past 40 degrees.

Thought for the Day – “Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted.” ~ Paul Pearshall

Bargains – Debenhams Flowers  £5 off everything & Laura Ashley up to 50% off & North Cypus Holiday 1 week Half Board £270pp & Travelodge summer save rooms £25 or less & Holiday Inn 20% off

Happy Birthday to Torin!  I rang him in the morning, even though he was busy working. He managed to share it with a Royal Baby! Congratulations to Kate and Will.

An entire day chatting with River, in the pool and out. Finding out all sorts of things, including what he wants to do in the future. Next stage, applying to a Grammar school and compiling a decent application form in the hopes at this late stage he can  obtain a place in a grammar school. How anyone that isn’t an ex teacher or examiner (Mal) has access to previous years results is beyond me! Thank goodness Grandad is so “education knowledgeable.”

River said he always remembers Nanny’s trifles from when he was little and they all came round for lunch every Sunday, so yes, I made a trifle but this time, now he is older, with liqueur in it!

Thought for the Day – “Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild.” ~ Welsh Proverb

Bargains – Bargain Crazy 20% off across entire site & North Cyprus Holiday 2 weeks half board, 3rd week free £349pp & Round Metal Fire Pit £17.49 & Debenhams Flowers £20 off 20 white roses & Accessorize up to 50% off sale & Asda Kids character shop from £5

River went for his run up the mountain at 5.30, came back had a shower and then we drove to the beach for a swim in the sea. We were very lucky again as we noticed that two of the Spot volunteers were excavating a nest of Green Turtles. We haven’t seen Green Turtles on Karsiyaka beach before, only the loggerheads. I just love watching the little miracles as they are lifted from the sand. It was obvious that quite a few had made it to the sea on their own but then the sun had come up. The release is going ahead at 8.30pm tonight. A good thing we were down at the beach early!

I heard from Marion Stuart later who asked if she could use some of my photos, so I guess they may be in next Friday’s Cyprus Star.

In the evening we went back to the beach as they were releasing the turtles they excavated from their nests in the morning. They waited until it was dark and used infra red lights and no flash photography so it was difficult to see the turtles walking down the beach and swimming into the sea.


Thought for the Day – “What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies.” ~ Rudolph Giuliani

Bargains – Remote control Helicopter £19.99 & Premier Inn Autumn Rooms £29 & Thorntons 20% off selected Hampers & Cotton Traders £15 off discount code 

Today is the 39th Celebration of Peace and Freedom Day here in North Cyprus. It is the anniversary of the intervention of Turkish troops in 1974.

River and I went to Atakara to get some freshly bakes bread and Cyprus Today. The problem is with the bread when we have breakfast, all the crumbs drop all over the terrace, so a quick sweep up job before the ants think they have got lucky!

Oh dear, we heard from Lou and Rhys has broken down on the M4 in the hire van coming back from Herne Bay, Ollie and Oscar have both developed chicken pox and their washing machine has just broken down. Not only that, Rhys’s work machine won’t fit in the van and so Lou’s dad is going to have to travel down with his trailer. I am just praying that hey have no more disasters.

The fantastic air display by the Red Stars early evening and then we went and had a very average dinner at Sea Point in Lapta. River’s and Mal’s mixed kebabs were good, at least they said the meat was BUT why do they do it here?….frozen chips!! Cyprus potatoes must be some of the tastiest and at the moment extremely cheap and instead of using them they cook frozen chips.  I ordered the sea bass and when it came the waiter said “Here is your sea bream.” I really couldn’t be bothered to say that was not what I asked for.  Then at the end of the meal we ordered Turkish coffees, 2 with sugar, one without, they managed to mix that up too. Well, the view was nice but we won’t be rushing back there!

Thought for the Day – “We should all have one person who knows how to bless us despite the evidence, Grandmother was that person to me.” ~ Phyllis Theroux

Bargains – Dorothy Perkins Sale plus extra 20% with code & Canon Powershot SX240 now only £125 & Kindle Fire HD Tablet £139 & Marks and Spencer more items added to their sale up to 50% off & Nikon Coolpix Compact Digital Camera £49.49 & Bargain Crazy 15% off electricals

More gardening and swimming. The jasmine arches have grown a bit wild in our absence.

We don’t watch TV much in the summer but thought we had better turn it on and try it. We have lost loads of the channels including Premier Football which is the main one we watch. Money has been taken out of our account so Mal called Digiturk yesterday, take the card out, we will resend signal etc etc. We had already tried the updating of channels, and everything they suggested. No change. She would have to send a technician out. He arrived at 10 this morning, did exactly the same as we had, made a phone call and told us it would be OK in 15 minutes and left! Yes, we did have a lot more channels than yesterday but still no Premier football  A total of 4 people we spoke to and finally the 4th lady told us that it has moved channels from 79 to 879. It would have been helpful if the first person or even the technician had told us that when we asked! In fact that was the first question we had asked.

In the afternoon we went into Girne as Mal needed a new printer ink cartridge. We also stopped at Mr Pound just to try out the free 15 minute car parking…yes, it worked. In fact this time it was a different fella and he asked if we were going into Mr Pound and handed us a piece of paper with the time on when we arrived and parked free.

I think it was the hottest day since we have been back.

We heard from Rhys and he was with Tariq and they had taken the first load to Herne Bay.

 
Thought for the Day – “Being grandparents sufficiently removes us from the responsibilities so that we can be friends. ” ~ Allan Frome

Bargains – Paintball combat for 8 £19.75 & Debenhams extra 10% off with code & British Airways Picture your holiday & BHS Free Delivery & Phase Eight up to 50% off sale & Hydro Force Inflatable Boat with oars £20

Back to the work today and Mal and River started cutting the other side of our lantana hedge, Mustafa’s side and yes he did give them permission to go on his land. Talking of which the shell of a house on his land, which has stood that way for the last 3 years, he is now putting windows in it. Normally we can’t see it anyway because of our huge hedges.

River and I popped out to Lemar to get some shopping. We were told as we walked in that they had no electricity and that the generator had blown up. So, come back another time. I hope it isn’t off for too long in this heat with no refrigeration! We went to Atakara instead.

The Red Stars were in the skies practising for their air show on Saturday, for Peace and Freedom Day. They were flying right overhead.

Thought for the Day – “Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation.” ~ Lois Wyse