Month: July 2013

Bargains – Weekend Spa Day with 2 treatments for 2 £79 & 15% off at Blacks & Flying Flowers 10% off & Paintballing for 4 including lunch now only £24 & Red Letter Days 24% off

A reflection from Pauline. I wonder how many others would have the stamina to continue her battle but then she has lost a huge amount of money, not forgetting her laptop which is still in police custody.

River wanted to buy himself a Galatasaray T shirt and looked in Lambousa market last Saturday. I suggested they may be cheaper at the Girne Wednesday market, so off we went. Yes, they were 15tl cheaper and they also looked better to me! We bought some other things there. It didn’t seem as busy as it used to be. Cherries were 4tl a kilo!

River said he wanted to treat us to a meal and so we suggested we went to Magarina Bulli, as they are such reasonable prices there and also so that he could sample REAL Home cooked Turkish Cypriot food.

What a welcome  back we received on arriving there.  Kezi suggested we start with a bowl each of Molehiya, that was almost a meal in itself and so tasty! Mal and River then had the kleftico, which were enormous pieces with a lot of meat. I had a chicken dish which was really good. This was followed by water melon, Turkish coffees and including our drinks a 61tl bill for the three of us. If you are in NC and haven’t tried eating here, do give it a try. They are only open lunchtimes Monday to Friday and the menu changes every day. Don’t be afraid that you won’t know what the dishes are, it will all be explained to you.

Cyprus Today.

Thought for the Day – “Uncles and aunts, and cousins, are all very well, and fathers and mothers are not to be despised; but a grandmother, at holiday time, is worth them all.” ~ Fanny Fern

Bargains – 2x Mexican Fan Palm Tree £9.99 & Samsung NX1000 Digital Compact System Camera only £244.80 & Sony Headphones £9.98 & Little Tikes Giant Slide £79.98 & AC/DC 15 Litre Mini Fridge £39.99

More work in the garden and pressure washing tiles.

The afternoon and pool time…just how much fun can you have getting on and staying on a Lilo?!

Thought for the Day – “A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart.” ~ Author Unknown

Bargains – 3 Oleanders £10 & Bon Marche 10% off first order & North Cyprus Holiday 1 week half board this winter £199 & Steel Gazebo £60 & Bon Marche 30% off swimwear & MandM Direct Summer Clearance up to 80% off 

I haven’t linked to any of Pauline’s articles for a while but found this one from Dominic a concise account of what is happening to her.

It’s the first morning I have been up before River, made a cup of tea and then he donned his head phones and off he went up the mountain just as the sun was rising behind the mountain. Oh to be 16 again! He is learning many of grandad’s pearls of wisdom which as we have explained, it’s now his decision whether he uses them or not.

More hedge cutting  and gardening for the three of us. Phew it’s hot to work in.

Ken came round in the afternoon for the last revisions on his book and then pool time. Cards in the evening.

 

Thought for the Day – “Everyone needs to have access both to grandparents and grandchildren in order to be a full human being.” ~ Margaret Mead

Bargains – SimplyBe Free Delivery & Resorthoppa discount code & 40% off Saga Cruise Deal of the week & Nook HD Tablet £99 & Debenhams Free postage and packing code & 20% off HotSquash

River did his usual run up the mountain early morning, we didn’t wake up until 7.30, late for us! We then went over to see David and Kenny, as they had kindly paid our water bill while we were away. We met Loppi (Lugs), she has big ears, and she is lovely. I am sure she will get back to full health with David and Kenny looking after her.

It was hot and so a lot of the afternoon in the pool. Later we had Rhys and co on the webcam. They are very busy getting ready to move, quite a mammoth task with all of them and his business but it will all be worthwhile.

Thought for the Day – “To become a grandparent is to enjoy one of the few pleasures in life for which the consequences have already been paid.” ~ Robert Brault

Bargains – 2 nights B&B inc lunch, dinner, drinks £69pp & Debenhams Discount code free postage & Britannia wine and dine breaks £55 & Hotels.com 48 hour sale & North Cyprus Holiday1 week all inclusive from £299pp

River was out and doing his mountain run early in the morning. We were up a bit later! Breakfast and then we drove to Bamboo Beach market, to find the gate locked and no market there. Had we read Cyprus Today first we would have known!

So we went to Lambousa instead. River went to buy some things and we stayed there and had a drink. On the way back we bought more gardening gloves, the ones we have are all past their sell by date.

Team fixit then cleaned the car and fitted new seat covers, as Mal says that has now probably doubled the value of our car..ha ha!

I heard from David and Kenny that they were looking after a stray dog and took her to the vets as she did not look well. While they were in there, Margaretha was there sadly having three of her dogs put to sleep. I knew how distraught she would be as she is such an animal lover, so went round to see her but she was out. She did ring me later.

In the evening River cooked for us, I started to teach him a signature dish that he can cook for everyone when he gets home. By special request, from River, we then watched “Saving Private Ryan”.

Thought for the Day – “If becoming a grandmother was only a matter of choice, I should advise every one of you straight away to become one. There is no fun for old people like it!” ~ Hannah Whithall Smith

Bargains – Aggressor Water Gun Pack (2) £10 & Football Gaol £12.50 & Dorothy Perkins extra 20% off sale & Bench T shirts buy one get one free & Easyjet £20 off late bookings & 40% off Puma with free football

We went off to Multimax to pay. They seem to have changed a lot of the payment systems but we sorted it out with a very nice lady in there. We have found them a very good company. We bumped into Gwen in Lemar car park, just as she was setting up the KAR stall. We must go and visit her soon and see her new dog.

On the way back River wanted to go into Mr.Pound. We stopped at the entrance of the car park and the young fella there asked us for 3tl. We told him IN TURKISH that we were going to Mr. Pound and would only be 10 minutes. He still insisted that we pay the 3tl. Having repeated we were just popping into to Mr Pound several times, he again insisted on our 3tl. Because we have been away for 2 months, we weren’t sure what was happening about the car park, so we gave him the money and went into the shop and when we paid for our goods, asked if we had to pay the 3tl for the car park The man in there said no, because we shouldn’t have paid the 3 tl in the first place if our Mr Pound visit was less than 15 minutes, which it was. He kindly said he would come out and speak to the car park man.

Well, car park man said we hadn’t told him!! Yes, we had several times. I got quite angry because he was accusing us of lying. River and I then went and waited in the car. Mal continued pursuing this and Mr Pound man said if we told him (which we had several times) he shouldn’t have taken our money in the first place. After about another 10 minutes Mal returned to the car having told car park man that he could keep the 3tl as long a he withdrew his claim that we were lying.  Mr Pound and car park man continued having a very heated argument as we left the car park by which time another man had joined them, we think the owner of the car park.

No wonder Mr Pound was empty! Welcome back to North Cyprus!

On the way back we called in at “Wine Up” as they sell 2 x 5 litre boxes of Cape Wine for 48tl, cheaper than anywhere else and they carried them out to the car for us!

Our “quick trip out” took us nearly all morning! We always wonder where the time goes. Back home and Team Fix it started the hedge cutting until it became just too hot and they jumped in the pool. They did a little more of the hedge in the evening and then we played cards. River said it is hard work all the gardening! I reminded him he is 16 and Grandad is 65!

Thought for the Day – “A mother becomes a true grandmother the day she stops noticing the terrible things her children do because she is so enchanted with the wonderful things her grandchildren do.” ~ Lois Wyse

Bargains – Mamas & Papas Swirl Pushchair now only £44.99 & Monsoon up to 50% off & 4 Potted Roses £17.98 & Blacks 15% off & Hertz Van Hire £50 for the weekend

River was up at 5.30am, did his press ups and went for a run up the mountain, came back, made his bed and showered before we were even up!!

Swimming and gardening and then in the afternoon Ken Dunn came to visit and we gave him the new book we have just had published for him.

We had a problem with the car overheating, in spite of the fact Mal had topped the water up, so Mal and River went out to sort it out and in the evening we took it for a test drive. “Team Fixit” which they have decided to call themselves sorted it out!

After dinner we sat playing cards.

 

 
Thought for the Day – “Grandchildren don’t make a man feel old; it’s the knowledge that he’s married to a grandmother.” ~ G. Norman Collie