There was Marmite in Metro again this morning. I bought two 250g jars, which should last us about a month.
What a relief!
Friday, March 31, 2006
Entering the 21st century...
I caught onto email early on in the Internet revolution, in the Autumn of 1992. With a lot of help from Richard! We were in the USA at the time and it was my lifeline to the UK. Early forms of forums (bulletin boards, or BBS as they were called) introduced me to the concept of online friends, and also helped the settling in process.
I didn't progress to web-sites until after we'd moved to Cyprus, Autumn 1997. I'd tried, but everything was so slow. Then I wanted to research home education, and the boys showed me how to use their computer (which was faster than mine), and slowly I got hooked. I started building my first web-site in 1999, and our family one in 2001, but after that I started trailing behind... it took me until 2005 to begin blogging.
And now, finally, I've started using Instant Messaging. I tried it a couple of years ago but couldn't see the point, although the rest of the family use it regularly to type 'live' to people elsewhere - mostly work contacts for Richard, friends around the world for the boys.
But a couple of weeks ago the Doulos installed satellite technology to allow them faster email connections, cheaper phone calls (including when on voyages between countries) ... and instant messaging. After Richard and Tim had both 'chatted' with Dan twice, I decided I needed to ask the bandwaggon to slow down so I could climb carefully aboard.
In the last four days I've 'chatted' twice to Dan, and as I've been typing this blog entry I also 'chatted' to Richard, who's in Morocco this week. I doubt if I'll ever get as far as using a microphone to talk to the computer, but a 'conversation' in typing with immediate response is pretty good. In moderation, anyway.
I didn't progress to web-sites until after we'd moved to Cyprus, Autumn 1997. I'd tried, but everything was so slow. Then I wanted to research home education, and the boys showed me how to use their computer (which was faster than mine), and slowly I got hooked. I started building my first web-site in 1999, and our family one in 2001, but after that I started trailing behind... it took me until 2005 to begin blogging.
And now, finally, I've started using Instant Messaging. I tried it a couple of years ago but couldn't see the point, although the rest of the family use it regularly to type 'live' to people elsewhere - mostly work contacts for Richard, friends around the world for the boys.
But a couple of weeks ago the Doulos installed satellite technology to allow them faster email connections, cheaper phone calls (including when on voyages between countries) ... and instant messaging. After Richard and Tim had both 'chatted' with Dan twice, I decided I needed to ask the bandwaggon to slow down so I could climb carefully aboard.
In the last four days I've 'chatted' twice to Dan, and as I've been typing this blog entry I also 'chatted' to Richard, who's in Morocco this week. I doubt if I'll ever get as far as using a microphone to talk to the computer, but a 'conversation' in typing with immediate response is pretty good. In moderation, anyway.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Solar eclipse
Cyprus wasn't in the path of totality, but the eclipse was total in Turkey, which isn't far away. Sure enough, around 1.45pm we realised that the light was distinctly different outside. Tim rigged up binoculars to project onto paper, to display the chunk temporarily taken out of the sun by the moon passing in front of it:
Then we tried to see if the camera would show the sun itself. A big advantage of digital cameras, of course, is that they can be pointed at the sun, with eyes shaded, and the little viewing screen on the back is safe to look at.
However we didn't get anything dramatic. The sky looks a bit darker than usual, but the sun still appears to be its usual shape, despite the evidence of only a crescent showing. Actually it didn't look nearly this dark in reality. Even a small percentage of the sun is sufficient to look almost like full daylight. Probably we needed some sort of filter, or maybe some advanced settings to see the sun with a chunk removed.
So that's today's excitement...
Then we tried to see if the camera would show the sun itself. A big advantage of digital cameras, of course, is that they can be pointed at the sun, with eyes shaded, and the little viewing screen on the back is safe to look at.
However we didn't get anything dramatic. The sky looks a bit darker than usual, but the sun still appears to be its usual shape, despite the evidence of only a crescent showing. Actually it didn't look nearly this dark in reality. Even a small percentage of the sun is sufficient to look almost like full daylight. Probably we needed some sort of filter, or maybe some advanced settings to see the sun with a chunk removed.
So that's today's excitement...
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Bougainvillea cuttings
I tried, a couple of years ago, to grow bougainvillea cuttings. I found a complicated description of what to do, and followed the instructions faithfully: taking 15cm hardwood cuttings, using growth hormone and potting compost, putting plastic bags over the pots, keeping them damp... and nothing happened. I tried about ten, and they all died.
Then, about a month ago, I was talking to someone on the doorstep and she told me that February was the month to take bougainvillea cuttings. No, not short pieces of wood in pots, she said: just cut a biggish piece that doesn't have new growth, and stick it in a jar of water on a window-sill. She recommended trying three at a time, since usually one out of three will sprout.
I had nothing to lose, so I cut three pieces that needed trimming anyway, and they've been sitting in jars on my study window-sill. Within a couple of weeks nearly all the leaves had fallen off, but I kept them there anyway...
One of them definitely seems to have taken now. There are little shoots appearing in all the branches.
But I think the others may be taking too, since there are little white dots on the pieces that are underwater, looking as if they may be new roots forming.
It would be great if they do take properly, and can be transplanted to pots. Then at least we'll have cuttings of our bougainvilleas here to take to the new house.
We're currently hoping we might move around the end of April. The sale in the UK seems to be taking an inordinately long time, but our buyer emailed on Friday saying her solicitor is hopeful that completion might happen within seven days. I don't know if that's real days or working days, but it sounds hopeful.
Then, about a month ago, I was talking to someone on the doorstep and she told me that February was the month to take bougainvillea cuttings. No, not short pieces of wood in pots, she said: just cut a biggish piece that doesn't have new growth, and stick it in a jar of water on a window-sill. She recommended trying three at a time, since usually one out of three will sprout.
I had nothing to lose, so I cut three pieces that needed trimming anyway, and they've been sitting in jars on my study window-sill. Within a couple of weeks nearly all the leaves had fallen off, but I kept them there anyway...
One of them definitely seems to have taken now. There are little shoots appearing in all the branches.
But I think the others may be taking too, since there are little white dots on the pieces that are underwater, looking as if they may be new roots forming.
It would be great if they do take properly, and can be transplanted to pots. Then at least we'll have cuttings of our bougainvilleas here to take to the new house.
We're currently hoping we might move around the end of April. The sale in the UK seems to be taking an inordinately long time, but our buyer emailed on Friday saying her solicitor is hopeful that completion might happen within seven days. I don't know if that's real days or working days, but it sounds hopeful.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Churches
Cyprus is, primarily, a Greek Orthodox country. As with any state religion, this can be a problem: there are many Cypriots who only nominally belong to the Church, and there are also those who spend a great deal of time on the rituals without understanding what Christianity is about. There are, of course, real Christians within some of the Orthodox Churches, but they tend to view most Protestants (like us) with suspicion.
This is partly due to false teaching: one of Daniel's friends was taught in school RE that Protestants believe in the Bible, but not in God. When Dan's friend challenged this, the teacher insisted it was true. But then, students in Cypriot schools are not supposed to challenge their teachers. Some Protestants have not helped, either; many who convert from Orthodoxy to Protestantism here become quite antagonistic towards the Orthodox church, and some ex-pats arrive here certain that the Greek Orthodox Church is entirely heretical - and are determined to convert them. No wonder that we're seen as little better than Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons.
Whatever the rights and wrongs, the Orthodox Church dominates the country, the government, and the education system. But as all their services are in Greek (ancient Greek, too, so even the Cypriots often don't understand them) and are in a style totally unfamiliar to us, we haven't actually attended any of them. We've visited and admired the buildings when empty - they're usually extremely ornate - but when we happen to be outside during a service, it sounds very alien to us.
There are Protestant churches here, with English services, but not many. In our town there's an Anglican church, a Community church, a Baptist church, a charismatic New Frontiers church, a Reformed Presbyterian church, and a bilingual Reformed charismatic church. Oh, and a large Arabic/English Reformed Presbyterian church too. When we arrived here we decided we'd try them all, but within a few weeks the boys (then 11 and 9) had become involved in the excellent children's work at the Community church - the first one we visited - and so we stayed. As with all churches, it had good points and bad ones, but we liked the people, and I liked having somewhere to attend regularly on a Sunday morning. The boys joined the music group, I started to teach Sunday school and do a few other small roles, Richard enjoyed the coffee and chat afterwards. Every so often he's visited the charismatic church and considered visiting some of the others, but has usually returned to the Community church. He's not a fan of organised church in general, but felt there was less wrong with it than with most of the others!
But, alas, our church has become more and more structured in the past year, and is currently using an American 'campaign' called 'The Purpose Driven Life'. I've written about this in more detail elsewhere - suffice it to say here that it feels like the last straw. Particularly for Richard, who was asked to do the PA (ie lend the equipment and run the system) for the duration of the course. Officially 40 days but in reality 8 weeks since it began with an introductory video, and ends with a 'celebration' on Palm Sunday.
There have been several visitors to the course, who seem to like it. But several families have stopped coming, and others like us are very unhappy about it. Yesterday some of us got together at our house - only 18 in all, including seven children, but all have had significant roles to play in the Community church in recent years. We had a wonderful potluck-style lunch, generally chatted, and somewhat discussed what we might do in future. Some of them have been visiting other churches, some enjoying the freedom of not going somewhere regularly on a Sunday. We tried not to moan and complain - there's no point being judgemental. We said we'd like to meet again, from time to time, but not start anything new and structured.
So we don't know what the future holds, as far as church goes. If we were in the UK, we could probably find somewhere else, but none of the other churches in Larnaka seem right. But we don't want to travel to another town; after all, one of the points of 'church' is for local believers to gather together for worship, and to form a community. Can one have community without formal church services? I hope so. What does God want? We've no idea.
This is partly due to false teaching: one of Daniel's friends was taught in school RE that Protestants believe in the Bible, but not in God. When Dan's friend challenged this, the teacher insisted it was true. But then, students in Cypriot schools are not supposed to challenge their teachers. Some Protestants have not helped, either; many who convert from Orthodoxy to Protestantism here become quite antagonistic towards the Orthodox church, and some ex-pats arrive here certain that the Greek Orthodox Church is entirely heretical - and are determined to convert them. No wonder that we're seen as little better than Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons.
Whatever the rights and wrongs, the Orthodox Church dominates the country, the government, and the education system. But as all their services are in Greek (ancient Greek, too, so even the Cypriots often don't understand them) and are in a style totally unfamiliar to us, we haven't actually attended any of them. We've visited and admired the buildings when empty - they're usually extremely ornate - but when we happen to be outside during a service, it sounds very alien to us.
There are Protestant churches here, with English services, but not many. In our town there's an Anglican church, a Community church, a Baptist church, a charismatic New Frontiers church, a Reformed Presbyterian church, and a bilingual Reformed charismatic church. Oh, and a large Arabic/English Reformed Presbyterian church too. When we arrived here we decided we'd try them all, but within a few weeks the boys (then 11 and 9) had become involved in the excellent children's work at the Community church - the first one we visited - and so we stayed. As with all churches, it had good points and bad ones, but we liked the people, and I liked having somewhere to attend regularly on a Sunday morning. The boys joined the music group, I started to teach Sunday school and do a few other small roles, Richard enjoyed the coffee and chat afterwards. Every so often he's visited the charismatic church and considered visiting some of the others, but has usually returned to the Community church. He's not a fan of organised church in general, but felt there was less wrong with it than with most of the others!
But, alas, our church has become more and more structured in the past year, and is currently using an American 'campaign' called 'The Purpose Driven Life'. I've written about this in more detail elsewhere - suffice it to say here that it feels like the last straw. Particularly for Richard, who was asked to do the PA (ie lend the equipment and run the system) for the duration of the course. Officially 40 days but in reality 8 weeks since it began with an introductory video, and ends with a 'celebration' on Palm Sunday.
There have been several visitors to the course, who seem to like it. But several families have stopped coming, and others like us are very unhappy about it. Yesterday some of us got together at our house - only 18 in all, including seven children, but all have had significant roles to play in the Community church in recent years. We had a wonderful potluck-style lunch, generally chatted, and somewhat discussed what we might do in future. Some of them have been visiting other churches, some enjoying the freedom of not going somewhere regularly on a Sunday. We tried not to moan and complain - there's no point being judgemental. We said we'd like to meet again, from time to time, but not start anything new and structured.
So we don't know what the future holds, as far as church goes. If we were in the UK, we could probably find somewhere else, but none of the other churches in Larnaka seem right. But we don't want to travel to another town; after all, one of the points of 'church' is for local believers to gather together for worship, and to form a community. Can one have community without formal church services? I hope so. What does God want? We've no idea.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Parades
Today is a public holiday, for Greek Independence Day. I'm not entirely sure why Cyprus celebrates it, although it has much in common with Greece, and people here enjoy any reason for a parade.
Since we were at the sailing club this morning (see below) we didn't see or hear the parades. But most shops were closed, and the main Larnaka sea-front was closed to traffic. I expect the Town Band were marching: we used to go and watch them when Dan played clarinet with them, but they're much the same each year. Most of the high schools have groups who march too, and the Scouting organisations.
It seems that March here is the season of marching since we've heard school drum bands almost every morning, practising. Not just for today, either; next Saturday, April 1st, is another public holiday, for Cyprus National Day. I expect the children in schools are annoyed that they both fall on Saturdays this year, since they don't get a day of school - as they do when they fall on weekdays - but have to attend the parades at weekends.
Since we were at the sailing club this morning (see below) we didn't see or hear the parades. But most shops were closed, and the main Larnaka sea-front was closed to traffic. I expect the Town Band were marching: we used to go and watch them when Dan played clarinet with them, but they're much the same each year. Most of the high schools have groups who march too, and the Scouting organisations.
It seems that March here is the season of marching since we've heard school drum bands almost every morning, practising. Not just for today, either; next Saturday, April 1st, is another public holiday, for Cyprus National Day. I expect the children in schools are annoyed that they both fall on Saturdays this year, since they don't get a day of school - as they do when they fall on weekdays - but have to attend the parades at weekends.
Boats!
It was back in September when Richard bought a little second-hand dinghy. I wrote about it then, and the need for a road trailer, and also some time!
He bought a few bits needed for the boat while we were in the UK in October. He managed to find somewhere that would fix the wheels on the launch trailer a month or two later. We learned that some friends here have a road trailer, and were happy for us to borrow it. They were also happy to give Richard a few lessons. And to arrange for us to join the Larnaka sailing club.
Time rushes by, and the boat has been sitting in our garage for nearly six months, making it very difficult to get anything in or out. But today, at last, with the help of our friends, Richard got it out and onto their trailer:
Then we drove to the sailing club, which is a few kilometres away, and they wheeled the boat in:
But, alas, by this time - 11.00am - the wind was quite high, and the waves rather choppy.
Our friends said they would still take Richard out if he wanted to go, but he decided reluctantly that it was probably a bad idea. Moreoever, if they were fighting the elements he wouldn't learn much about sailing.
But - all was not lost! Our friends have a slightly bigger boat (16 feet, for those who know about boats. I don't know why they're measured in feet rather than metres). They decided they would take that out, and that they had room for Richard and Tim.
Of course they had not thought of bringing a change of clothing, so they got extremely wet wading out to get in the boat. At least they both remembered to wear old shoes!
I was designated photographer, so armed with two cameras I sat on the shingle and enjoyed listening to the waves and watching some intrepid windsurfers:
The boat stayed out for over an hour, much of that time too far away to take pictures. But they managed to get it back, despite the wind, and Richard and Tim both said they had a wonderful time.
He bought a few bits needed for the boat while we were in the UK in October. He managed to find somewhere that would fix the wheels on the launch trailer a month or two later. We learned that some friends here have a road trailer, and were happy for us to borrow it. They were also happy to give Richard a few lessons. And to arrange for us to join the Larnaka sailing club.
Time rushes by, and the boat has been sitting in our garage for nearly six months, making it very difficult to get anything in or out. But today, at last, with the help of our friends, Richard got it out and onto their trailer:
Then we drove to the sailing club, which is a few kilometres away, and they wheeled the boat in:
But, alas, by this time - 11.00am - the wind was quite high, and the waves rather choppy.
Our friends said they would still take Richard out if he wanted to go, but he decided reluctantly that it was probably a bad idea. Moreoever, if they were fighting the elements he wouldn't learn much about sailing.
But - all was not lost! Our friends have a slightly bigger boat (16 feet, for those who know about boats. I don't know why they're measured in feet rather than metres). They decided they would take that out, and that they had room for Richard and Tim.
Of course they had not thought of bringing a change of clothing, so they got extremely wet wading out to get in the boat. At least they both remembered to wear old shoes!I was designated photographer, so armed with two cameras I sat on the shingle and enjoyed listening to the waves and watching some intrepid windsurfers:
The boat stayed out for over an hour, much of that time too far away to take pictures. But they managed to get it back, despite the wind, and Richard and Tim both said they had a wonderful time.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Disappearing from the shelves...
We're getting used to the vagaries of Cyprus supermarkets. Well, we should be after eight-and-a-half years! Seasonal fruit and vegetables make sense. We miss oranges in the summer, and grapes in the winter, but realise it's better for us - and the environment in general - to have fresh locally grown produce (on the whole) rather than fruit that's forced and then shipped across the world.
We cope, too, with things occasionally vanishing from the shelves entirely. It's happened once or twice with vanilla essence (extract). The disgusting artificial vanilla flavouring is there, but no essence. So we do without. No big deal. Last time I was in the UK we bought a large bottle from Lakeland, and that should last us a couple of years, at least. Peppermint essence hasn't been available for a couple of years now, but again - it's not a huge problem. We only want it about twice a year, anyway, for making peppermint creams or choc-mint ice cream.
It's more of a problem when water filters vanish, but they soon reappear. Last time we wanted to change the one in the kitchen, we had to wait a couple of extra weeks. The mains water tasted a bit chemically, but we could always buy bottled water.
A bigger problem still is that Biokill - our insecticide of choice - has been gone for about six months now. It's environmentally friendly, and (most important) safe for all warm-blooded animals. Such as cats - and of course people! So I usually spray the insides of our kitchen cabinets with Biokill, to keep away ants in the summer, and all entry points to the house to deter cockroaches. But Biokill has not been seen since last summer... and I'm not sure what we'll do once insects start appearing again.
However none of these compare to the huge problem we found this morning: there was no Marmite in Metro! They reorganised the shop a while ago so we thought perhaps it had been moved, but no - it was gone. We couldn't even find the place where it should have been.
Perhaps only other Brits can appreciate the enormity of this. How can we manage without Marmite? I eat it with peanut butter, with cheese, with cream cheese and coleslaw. It's a great source of B-vitamins, and it's delicious! Of course a medium (250g) jar will last us a couple of weeks now that Dan's not at home any more, and we still have about half a jar left so it's not quite an emergency yet. We just hope this is only temporary and that it will be back soon. We know from experience that there's little point searching in the other supermarkets: if something's gone from Metro, it's almost certainly gone from Orphanides and Chris too.
When we lived in the USA we survived by asking all guests to bring out Marmite - in the large, 500g jars, which aren't available here - and when we ran out, we managed to find a small and expensive 'British foods' shop which, joy of joys, sold Marmite. But we don't have any guests coming for awhile, and as it comes in glass jars it's not something that can be posted.
Perhaps life in Cyprus isn't as easy as it sometimes seems...
We cope, too, with things occasionally vanishing from the shelves entirely. It's happened once or twice with vanilla essence (extract). The disgusting artificial vanilla flavouring is there, but no essence. So we do without. No big deal. Last time I was in the UK we bought a large bottle from Lakeland, and that should last us a couple of years, at least. Peppermint essence hasn't been available for a couple of years now, but again - it's not a huge problem. We only want it about twice a year, anyway, for making peppermint creams or choc-mint ice cream.
It's more of a problem when water filters vanish, but they soon reappear. Last time we wanted to change the one in the kitchen, we had to wait a couple of extra weeks. The mains water tasted a bit chemically, but we could always buy bottled water.
A bigger problem still is that Biokill - our insecticide of choice - has been gone for about six months now. It's environmentally friendly, and (most important) safe for all warm-blooded animals. Such as cats - and of course people! So I usually spray the insides of our kitchen cabinets with Biokill, to keep away ants in the summer, and all entry points to the house to deter cockroaches. But Biokill has not been seen since last summer... and I'm not sure what we'll do once insects start appearing again.
However none of these compare to the huge problem we found this morning: there was no Marmite in Metro! They reorganised the shop a while ago so we thought perhaps it had been moved, but no - it was gone. We couldn't even find the place where it should have been.Perhaps only other Brits can appreciate the enormity of this. How can we manage without Marmite? I eat it with peanut butter, with cheese, with cream cheese and coleslaw. It's a great source of B-vitamins, and it's delicious! Of course a medium (250g) jar will last us a couple of weeks now that Dan's not at home any more, and we still have about half a jar left so it's not quite an emergency yet. We just hope this is only temporary and that it will be back soon. We know from experience that there's little point searching in the other supermarkets: if something's gone from Metro, it's almost certainly gone from Orphanides and Chris too.
When we lived in the USA we survived by asking all guests to bring out Marmite - in the large, 500g jars, which aren't available here - and when we ran out, we managed to find a small and expensive 'British foods' shop which, joy of joys, sold Marmite. But we don't have any guests coming for awhile, and as it comes in glass jars it's not something that can be posted.
Perhaps life in Cyprus isn't as easy as it sometimes seems...
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Oranges in Cyprus
We've been picking oranges since early December, when they were still a little tart. There was a huge crop this winter, and we gave away several as well as eating and squeezing hundreds of oranges. However a few weeks ago I had picked all I could reach. By this time of year they're beautifully sweet, but we were told that they should usually all be picked by the end of March, to allow next winter's crop to develop. Sure enough, I noticed that there was lots of new blossom appearing:
...with a gorgeous scent, that unfortunately can't be uploaded for others to share!
So Richard got out the stepladders, and picked all the rest. He filled six carrier bags with oranges:
We've given away two bags already. I shall squeeze juice each morning, but that only takes about six oranges for a large glass each. We just hope we can use them before they start to go bad..
...with a gorgeous scent, that unfortunately can't be uploaded for others to share!
So Richard got out the stepladders, and picked all the rest. He filled six carrier bags with oranges:
We've given away two bags already. I shall squeeze juice each morning, but that only takes about six oranges for a large glass each. We just hope we can use them before they start to go bad..
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Yellow month
March is sometimes known as 'yellow month' in Cyprus. Just walking or driving around, it's pretty clear why. Not just the lemons:
...but gardens and wasteland full of quite attractively coloured weeds:
... including these ones, which are so pretty that I cultivate them in places:
...and freesias, the only kind of bulb that seems to flourish here:
... and this rather stunning shrub, that's been in bloom for a week or two:
... and this one, which has just blossomed in the last few days:
I don't know what most of them are, and for most of the year will barely notice these plants. But at present, much of Cyprus looks very Spring-like.
...but gardens and wasteland full of quite attractively coloured weeds:
... including these ones, which are so pretty that I cultivate them in places:
...and freesias, the only kind of bulb that seems to flourish here:
... and this rather stunning shrub, that's been in bloom for a week or two:
... and this one, which has just blossomed in the last few days:
I don't know what most of them are, and for most of the year will barely notice these plants. But at present, much of Cyprus looks very Spring-like.
Friday, March 17, 2006
So.....
... the road surfacing was finished. The trucks vanished. Peace descended.
Except... there was still some noise, a kind of banging. Not outside our house directly, though. People often seem to make that kind of noise in the afternoon so I thought little of it.
Then I noticed that our mains water was off. Odd. It happens occasionally, but usually in a mid-week morning, not a Friday afternoon.
Then I took a rubbish sack out, since Saturday's one of the days when the dustmen come. Just at the end of our street, I saw another digger... and, apparently, part of the road being dug up all over again!
When Tim got back from a youth band practice, he said it looked as if a water pipe had been broken in the resurfacing process. There were men frantically trying to bail water out of a hole...
(slight camera shake but I didn't want to make it too obvious I was taking the picture so I only took one)
Only in Cyprus...
Except... there was still some noise, a kind of banging. Not outside our house directly, though. People often seem to make that kind of noise in the afternoon so I thought little of it.
Then I noticed that our mains water was off. Odd. It happens occasionally, but usually in a mid-week morning, not a Friday afternoon.
Then I took a rubbish sack out, since Saturday's one of the days when the dustmen come. Just at the end of our street, I saw another digger... and, apparently, part of the road being dug up all over again!
When Tim got back from a youth band practice, he said it looked as if a water pipe had been broken in the resurfacing process. There were men frantically trying to bail water out of a hole...
(slight camera shake but I didn't want to make it too obvious I was taking the picture so I only took one)
Only in Cyprus...
Road surface revisited
I jumped the gun a bit. Our street wasn't resurfaced on Wednesday, it just had the old surface scraped and cleaned. Or something like that. It looked all right after the rain, but this morning I realised it wasn't much better than before. I wondered a little cynically if they would actually get around to doing a new surface before we move (current best estimate: end of April. Maybe.)
I was pleasantly surprised. Well.. I use the adverb advisedly. Once again the house is rumbling with the noise of large machines driving slowly up and down the street. They've been here at least an hour, and every time they go past the house the windows rattle.
Yes, this is the view from our gate, looking down the street. A pretty typical Cyprus road, with a little more greenery than average. One machine has a load of tar in a container at the front, and was going in reverse - ie away from us - as I clicked the camera, on the other side of the road where the tar hadn't been laid. The other, the one with the four wheels showing, was coming towards us over the tar that had just been dumped. I guess that's the steamroller, or whatever they call them these days.
Here's the freshly-rolled tar just outside our gate. It looks impressive, but we wonder how long it will last. Richard noticed that this morning someone came and cut down overhanging bits of tree - including a few branches of the rubber tree in our front garden. I suppose this was to stop the heavy machines from damaging them. They swept up the leaves, but only roughly. By the time he came home for lunch, several of the leaves had blown back into the road, and ended up under the tar. So much for clearing the road of all loose chippings and other rubbish....
I was pleasantly surprised. Well.. I use the adverb advisedly. Once again the house is rumbling with the noise of large machines driving slowly up and down the street. They've been here at least an hour, and every time they go past the house the windows rattle.
Yes, this is the view from our gate, looking down the street. A pretty typical Cyprus road, with a little more greenery than average. One machine has a load of tar in a container at the front, and was going in reverse - ie away from us - as I clicked the camera, on the other side of the road where the tar hadn't been laid. The other, the one with the four wheels showing, was coming towards us over the tar that had just been dumped. I guess that's the steamroller, or whatever they call them these days.
Here's the freshly-rolled tar just outside our gate. It looks impressive, but we wonder how long it will last. Richard noticed that this morning someone came and cut down overhanging bits of tree - including a few branches of the rubber tree in our front garden. I suppose this was to stop the heavy machines from damaging them. They swept up the leaves, but only roughly. By the time he came home for lunch, several of the leaves had blown back into the road, and ended up under the tar. So much for clearing the road of all loose chippings and other rubbish....
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Road surfacing
At lunchtime yesterday, a workman started blocking off the end of the road with cones, and diverting traffic. About half an hour later, there was a terrible noise, as heavy trucks began driving up and down slowly. The whole house seemed to rumble. Tim had to cancel his piano lesson as he could hardly hear himself think.
We wondered if the council was finally putting in mains drainage. It was supposed to happen everywhere before Cyprus entered Europe, or at least soon after. I suppose it's only two years since EU entry; gradually streets are being dug up, and mains sewerage pipes laid.
It wasn't long before we realised it was a simple re-surfacing job today, however. The road surfaces do get a lot of damage, with heavy lorries driving around, and the sun in summer doesn't do any good. They never seem to be very well laid anyway. The trucks today just seemed to skim the current surface, pour out more gravel, and smooth it down.
As Richard pointed out, having a new surface means it's almost inevitable that within the next six months there WILL be mains drainage installed here, making today's effort entirely wasted. What's more, since we hope to have moved by then, we won't even benefit!
Have we become too cynical?? No, but experience shows that's what usually happens. This IS Cyprus, after all...
We wondered if the council was finally putting in mains drainage. It was supposed to happen everywhere before Cyprus entered Europe, or at least soon after. I suppose it's only two years since EU entry; gradually streets are being dug up, and mains sewerage pipes laid.
It wasn't long before we realised it was a simple re-surfacing job today, however. The road surfaces do get a lot of damage, with heavy lorries driving around, and the sun in summer doesn't do any good. They never seem to be very well laid anyway. The trucks today just seemed to skim the current surface, pour out more gravel, and smooth it down.
As Richard pointed out, having a new surface means it's almost inevitable that within the next six months there WILL be mains drainage installed here, making today's effort entirely wasted. What's more, since we hope to have moved by then, we won't even benefit!
Have we become too cynical?? No, but experience shows that's what usually happens. This IS Cyprus, after all...
Long and rambling post about Home Education
As home education draws to a close in our household, it's hard to remember what a major decision it was when we first moved here, and decided to go for it. Not that we ever really made a long-term decision: we thought we'd find suitable schools for the boys after our first nine months here. Then, when they asked for another year of home education, Tim was sure he'd want to go to secondary school when he was old enough. But he didn't, and we did another year, and another... and now, suddenly, it's almost over. It's been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable phases of my life; I only wish I'd known just how exciting an adventure it was going to be when we started. I also wish that we'd educated Daniel at home when we spent two years in Colorado (in the USA) back in the early 1990s. But that's past history now.
It's still a bit strange having only one son at home, since Dan joined the Doulos. Still, home education and living abroad seem to have stood him in good stead, as he now works hard to help keep the ship in good repair, does music and drama and general outreach, and mixes with 350 other young (and not-so-young!) people from dozens of different countries.
Tim, though only 17, is hoping to finish his home education coursework by the summer. Five or six years ago we decided that we didn't want to go for the standard UK GCSE and A-level exams - studying them at home and finding exam centres isn't straightforward, although they can probably be done at the British Embassy. But academic exams are so artificial, and by the time we started thinking about them, Dan was already wanting to specialise in arts and music, and Tim in computer technical work as well as music.
However we did want to keep open the option of going to university one day in the UK, should either of them wish to do so. I was also concerned to ensure that they did follow at least some standard educational courses (even though I believe strongly that education is something quite individual) because home education in Cyprus isn't actually legal. The authorities don't seem to mind what ex-pats do - and we could have put up a good case for home education, if they had ever challenged us - but it seemed like a good idea to follow some recognised course, at least once the boys were teenagers, rather than the unstructured autonomous style education we did at first.
So after much discussion, we registered them both with the National Christian Schools' Certificate course. It was based, unfortunately, on a rather rigid and strongly right-wing American 'homeschooling' curriculum by ACE (Accelerated Christian Education) but is the only such course which has been validated in Europe, and is thus acceptable as a qualification in European universities. We were encouraged by friends already using it to see it as a tool for getting qualifications. ACE schools have an unusual approach to education - no group work, not even tables set up together, but individual 'offices', and little flags raised to ask questions. We mostly used it informally around the dining room table, and chatted about the contents of the workbooks, often digressing into other topics, or looking at why we disagreed with some of what was taught..
The tests at the end of each workbook have to be taken under careful supervision, marked, and sent back at the end of the year, so we followed the regulations there as it's these that are counted for the certificates. But we were very flexible about the workbooks themselves. Sometimes the boys just read through and took the 'self-test' at the end, if they were too easy. One of the good things about the ACE system is that children are supposed to work at their own level, and at their own speed, but to gain the necessary European certificates they need to complete all the workbooks from the US 'eighth grade' level onwards - and Dan at 13 was way beyond that level in most subjects. He found the workbooks often babyish and boring in the extreme, but was determined to keep going, so he whizzed through the first ones.
Tim, who started at 11, went a bit more slowly although he too was rather put off by the 'young' styles of some of the workbooks, and the dull repetitive nature of some of the maths and English grammar - very unlike what is taught in UK schools. I gather many of the workbooks have now been revised to become more like British school text books, for UK usage, but we were stuck with the old-fashioned style American ones.
Anyway.. over the years, other activities claimed the boys' attention more and more. One of the ACE mottos is that 'life is education', and we certainly followed that principle. They got involved in church music, Dan took part in local secular drama group plays, they did computer artwork, graphics, programming, and educational games; they read widely; Dan taught himself to juggle, to roller-blade, to speak simple American Sign language; he took Greek lessons, and Karate. Eighteen months ago he started work about half-time at the drama school. And last Summer he went to the Doulos for two months on their short-term programme. He had hoped to get to the end of his ACE work before then, having rather neglected it in the previous year as he was so busy with the drama school and his various music activities, so he didn't manage it. In the event, he completed his last few workbooks in a couple of weeks before he went away for two years in January...!
Tim still has about thirty left, and wants to get them out of the way before the summer, so he can study a degree-level correspondence course in theology. I don't know if he'll succeed, but at present he's spending a couple of hours each morning working hard, and taking about three tests per week. He's also going to take some music exams - singing, theory and piano - in May. His music theory teacher says she likes him as a student, because he's more creative than the other teenagers she teaches. Most of them just repeat back what she's told them, and do their work in the dullest style possible. Tim asks questions, wants to know WHY things are the way they are, and experiments with far more interesting answers. He pointed out that the reason he can think for himself is that he didn't go to secondary school, and the teacher agreed... Cypriot schools allow very little digression, questioning or challenging of assumptions. They don't encourage students to think for themselves or to do their own research. They definitely don't encourage enthusiasm and creativity.
Someone asked me recently if we'd choose home education again if we could go back in time, knowing what we do now. I had no doubts on that one. We would have opted for it in the USA as well, although the boys did enjoy their small, friendly primary school in the UK. I would have worried less, too, and been more flexible from the start. I'm not even sure if we'd have bothered with the NCSC since neither of the boys is currently planning to go to college. If Dan does, it would be for music or drama (or both) and his qualifications in those subjects would then be more relevant than his academic certificates. His experience on the Doulos will probably count for more. Once Tim's studied degree-level theology, that will be more relevant for him to any further academic education. He did consider taking a computer qualification, but those that interested him in subject were too easy. He's learned more on his own at home than he would in most formal computer courses.
All in all, I can highly recommend home education. It enables children and teenagers to avoid the negative forced 'socialisation' that can so often happen in schools - peer pressure, bullying, heirarchies, competitiveness, high fashion-consciousness, despising their parents - and enables them to think for themselves, to work fully at their own speed in subjects that interest them most, and to learn what they need in a tiny fraction of the time it would take in school. They read widely, they're fully computer literate, and they learn good research techniques. Besides all that, they grow up able to communicate with people of all ages (not just those born in the same year) and with time for a wide range of non-academic interests. And of course they can play a full part in the life of the local church, for those who are Christians. Dan and Tim were able to be in the church music group (which practised in a week-day lunchtime) for many years, to go to activities with students or adults in evenings, to help at children's clubs, and to be available to produce artwork (Dan) or help set up computers (Tim).
All in all, I am very thankful that we moved to Cyprus when we did, and found ourselves home educating.
It's still a bit strange having only one son at home, since Dan joined the Doulos. Still, home education and living abroad seem to have stood him in good stead, as he now works hard to help keep the ship in good repair, does music and drama and general outreach, and mixes with 350 other young (and not-so-young!) people from dozens of different countries.
Tim, though only 17, is hoping to finish his home education coursework by the summer. Five or six years ago we decided that we didn't want to go for the standard UK GCSE and A-level exams - studying them at home and finding exam centres isn't straightforward, although they can probably be done at the British Embassy. But academic exams are so artificial, and by the time we started thinking about them, Dan was already wanting to specialise in arts and music, and Tim in computer technical work as well as music.
However we did want to keep open the option of going to university one day in the UK, should either of them wish to do so. I was also concerned to ensure that they did follow at least some standard educational courses (even though I believe strongly that education is something quite individual) because home education in Cyprus isn't actually legal. The authorities don't seem to mind what ex-pats do - and we could have put up a good case for home education, if they had ever challenged us - but it seemed like a good idea to follow some recognised course, at least once the boys were teenagers, rather than the unstructured autonomous style education we did at first.
So after much discussion, we registered them both with the National Christian Schools' Certificate course. It was based, unfortunately, on a rather rigid and strongly right-wing American 'homeschooling' curriculum by ACE (Accelerated Christian Education) but is the only such course which has been validated in Europe, and is thus acceptable as a qualification in European universities. We were encouraged by friends already using it to see it as a tool for getting qualifications. ACE schools have an unusual approach to education - no group work, not even tables set up together, but individual 'offices', and little flags raised to ask questions. We mostly used it informally around the dining room table, and chatted about the contents of the workbooks, often digressing into other topics, or looking at why we disagreed with some of what was taught..
The tests at the end of each workbook have to be taken under careful supervision, marked, and sent back at the end of the year, so we followed the regulations there as it's these that are counted for the certificates. But we were very flexible about the workbooks themselves. Sometimes the boys just read through and took the 'self-test' at the end, if they were too easy. One of the good things about the ACE system is that children are supposed to work at their own level, and at their own speed, but to gain the necessary European certificates they need to complete all the workbooks from the US 'eighth grade' level onwards - and Dan at 13 was way beyond that level in most subjects. He found the workbooks often babyish and boring in the extreme, but was determined to keep going, so he whizzed through the first ones.
Tim, who started at 11, went a bit more slowly although he too was rather put off by the 'young' styles of some of the workbooks, and the dull repetitive nature of some of the maths and English grammar - very unlike what is taught in UK schools. I gather many of the workbooks have now been revised to become more like British school text books, for UK usage, but we were stuck with the old-fashioned style American ones.
Anyway.. over the years, other activities claimed the boys' attention more and more. One of the ACE mottos is that 'life is education', and we certainly followed that principle. They got involved in church music, Dan took part in local secular drama group plays, they did computer artwork, graphics, programming, and educational games; they read widely; Dan taught himself to juggle, to roller-blade, to speak simple American Sign language; he took Greek lessons, and Karate. Eighteen months ago he started work about half-time at the drama school. And last Summer he went to the Doulos for two months on their short-term programme. He had hoped to get to the end of his ACE work before then, having rather neglected it in the previous year as he was so busy with the drama school and his various music activities, so he didn't manage it. In the event, he completed his last few workbooks in a couple of weeks before he went away for two years in January...!
Tim still has about thirty left, and wants to get them out of the way before the summer, so he can study a degree-level correspondence course in theology. I don't know if he'll succeed, but at present he's spending a couple of hours each morning working hard, and taking about three tests per week. He's also going to take some music exams - singing, theory and piano - in May. His music theory teacher says she likes him as a student, because he's more creative than the other teenagers she teaches. Most of them just repeat back what she's told them, and do their work in the dullest style possible. Tim asks questions, wants to know WHY things are the way they are, and experiments with far more interesting answers. He pointed out that the reason he can think for himself is that he didn't go to secondary school, and the teacher agreed... Cypriot schools allow very little digression, questioning or challenging of assumptions. They don't encourage students to think for themselves or to do their own research. They definitely don't encourage enthusiasm and creativity.
Someone asked me recently if we'd choose home education again if we could go back in time, knowing what we do now. I had no doubts on that one. We would have opted for it in the USA as well, although the boys did enjoy their small, friendly primary school in the UK. I would have worried less, too, and been more flexible from the start. I'm not even sure if we'd have bothered with the NCSC since neither of the boys is currently planning to go to college. If Dan does, it would be for music or drama (or both) and his qualifications in those subjects would then be more relevant than his academic certificates. His experience on the Doulos will probably count for more. Once Tim's studied degree-level theology, that will be more relevant for him to any further academic education. He did consider taking a computer qualification, but those that interested him in subject were too easy. He's learned more on his own at home than he would in most formal computer courses.
All in all, I can highly recommend home education. It enables children and teenagers to avoid the negative forced 'socialisation' that can so often happen in schools - peer pressure, bullying, heirarchies, competitiveness, high fashion-consciousness, despising their parents - and enables them to think for themselves, to work fully at their own speed in subjects that interest them most, and to learn what they need in a tiny fraction of the time it would take in school. They read widely, they're fully computer literate, and they learn good research techniques. Besides all that, they grow up able to communicate with people of all ages (not just those born in the same year) and with time for a wide range of non-academic interests. And of course they can play a full part in the life of the local church, for those who are Christians. Dan and Tim were able to be in the church music group (which practised in a week-day lunchtime) for many years, to go to activities with students or adults in evenings, to help at children's clubs, and to be available to produce artwork (Dan) or help set up computers (Tim).
All in all, I am very thankful that we moved to Cyprus when we did, and found ourselves home educating.
Side-bar tour
The sidebar of this blog is getting quite full. But it adds a bit of interest (I hope) to those stalwart souls who read right my long-winded ramblings, right the way down the page. For those who wonder what it all means (the side-bar, not the ramblings), here's a quick guided tour.
Under the standard blogger 'About me' description, is the current weather in Larnaka from Weather Underground. It's not actually the site use for my daily weather report, but it's the only one I could find with a link for blogs. I've and chosen a 'dynamic' link, which turns grey when it's cloudy and blue when it's sunny. It only updates about once an hour, but it gives an idea of what time it is here, and what the temperature is like. I even set it to show Fahrenheit temperatures as well as Celcius, since I know there are some who read this from the USA.
Directly underneath is my search box from Atomz, which is now known as Websidestory. I'm glad I used this facility on other sites when it was still Atomz, as I would never have guessed from the new front page of the site that it provided such a useful utility. The free edition only searches up to 500 pages, and this blog is over 250 already, but perhaps in another year or so Blogger's own search-this-blog facility (currently located in the top left of the screen) will work a bit faster and better.
Links to the last three family Christmas newsletters are self-explanatory, as are the links to my other blogs, and other family sites.
Under those is one of my new favourite features - a link to our book collection, courtesy of Bibliophil. I discovered this wonderful site via Methodius's blog. I still haven't finished entering our books, but enjoy putting a few more in each day. There are one or two bugs in the site but things seem to get fixed when they're reported, and I like the simple, plain interface. Bibliophil allows me to find out which other users share similar collections, read brief reviews, and even add Google-style 'labels' to each of my books, so I can quickly find - say - all the recipe books, or all the Christian books. I can enter the dates when I read books, write reviews, and allocate rates. I can also have 'buddies' although I'm not quite sure what value this has. Best of all, it's entirely free with no limits.
Under my book collection link, is the newest feature - random photos from Flickr. This is a site where I can upload my digital photos into an album for others to see. I actually use Directfoto for uploading photos when I want to order prints (they're so much cheaper and better quality from the UK than in Cyprus) but it takes ages to get photos there, and they don't have a facility to put random ones on a blog. I'd seen Flickr in action on Sarah's blog, and then recently read on Leonid's blog that after trying all the options, he too was opting for Flickr. I decided to try it out. Unfortunately I didn't read the instructions, which would have told me that there was only a limited amount of upload space per month, and my first ten pictures used up my limit rather quickly. . Next month I'll reduce the size of my pictures considerably, since I shan't be using them for prints. But I thought I'd try the random photos in the side anyway even though they won't change much in the first few weeks!
Under the photos are links to the books I'm currently reading - usually about four or five. I catalogue those at the Allconsuming site since it's another that allow for links to blog sidebars.
Then comes a fairly long list of other blogs I read, roughly categorised. They're not the only ones I read, but I have all these linked in Bloglines, a very useful site which I can leave open in my browser, and see at a glance what's been updated. If I turn my speakers on, I can even hear a ping when a new blog entry is added to one the ones I've subscribed to.
The previous entries in the blog are simply links to the other posts on the main page - I'm not sure how useful this is, since by the time anyone has scrolled down that far they'll have seen about half of them anyway. But it's a standard Blogger feature, as is the archive list - where you can (if you're REALLY keen) read entries from previous months.
Then comes the Google Adsense links. I'm not generally a fan of advertising, but on the whole I think Google does a good job - they're not intrusive, and they're usually applicable to the sites in question. I was, of course, attracted by the idea of my blog actually making money, although I was cynical enough to imagine it might come to about a penny a month, if that. I'm pleasantly surprised to learn that in the last three-and-a-half months my blog has actually earned a grant total of $3.85. Ahem. They pay out when the total reaches $100, but at this rate I could get there in another eight years or so...
Then there's a counter link from Blogpatrol (which I thought wonderful at first - I barely look at it now I've been blogging for over a year), a link to Blogarama, a blog directory (though I'm not sure how much it's used), a link to another counter at the Sitemeter site, installed later than the Blogpatrol one, but with publicly available interesting graphs and reports showing where readers of this blog come from around the world. And finally, after Blogger's own link, one to 'Whozontop' - and I don't even remember why I put that one in, or what it's for.
If anyone's read this far, I'd appreciate comments. Is there too much in the sidebar? Does it make the blog look messy, or does it add interest? Should I abandon Adsense? Are there other useful places to link to? All opinions welcome...
Under the standard blogger 'About me' description, is the current weather in Larnaka from Weather Underground. It's not actually the site use for my daily weather report, but it's the only one I could find with a link for blogs. I've and chosen a 'dynamic' link, which turns grey when it's cloudy and blue when it's sunny. It only updates about once an hour, but it gives an idea of what time it is here, and what the temperature is like. I even set it to show Fahrenheit temperatures as well as Celcius, since I know there are some who read this from the USA.
Directly underneath is my search box from Atomz, which is now known as Websidestory. I'm glad I used this facility on other sites when it was still Atomz, as I would never have guessed from the new front page of the site that it provided such a useful utility. The free edition only searches up to 500 pages, and this blog is over 250 already, but perhaps in another year or so Blogger's own search-this-blog facility (currently located in the top left of the screen) will work a bit faster and better.
Links to the last three family Christmas newsletters are self-explanatory, as are the links to my other blogs, and other family sites.
Under those is one of my new favourite features - a link to our book collection, courtesy of Bibliophil. I discovered this wonderful site via Methodius's blog. I still haven't finished entering our books, but enjoy putting a few more in each day. There are one or two bugs in the site but things seem to get fixed when they're reported, and I like the simple, plain interface. Bibliophil allows me to find out which other users share similar collections, read brief reviews, and even add Google-style 'labels' to each of my books, so I can quickly find - say - all the recipe books, or all the Christian books. I can enter the dates when I read books, write reviews, and allocate rates. I can also have 'buddies' although I'm not quite sure what value this has. Best of all, it's entirely free with no limits.
Under my book collection link, is the newest feature - random photos from Flickr. This is a site where I can upload my digital photos into an album for others to see. I actually use Directfoto for uploading photos when I want to order prints (they're so much cheaper and better quality from the UK than in Cyprus) but it takes ages to get photos there, and they don't have a facility to put random ones on a blog. I'd seen Flickr in action on Sarah's blog, and then recently read on Leonid's blog that after trying all the options, he too was opting for Flickr. I decided to try it out. Unfortunately I didn't read the instructions, which would have told me that there was only a limited amount of upload space per month, and my first ten pictures used up my limit rather quickly. . Next month I'll reduce the size of my pictures considerably, since I shan't be using them for prints. But I thought I'd try the random photos in the side anyway even though they won't change much in the first few weeks!
Under the photos are links to the books I'm currently reading - usually about four or five. I catalogue those at the Allconsuming site since it's another that allow for links to blog sidebars.
Then comes a fairly long list of other blogs I read, roughly categorised. They're not the only ones I read, but I have all these linked in Bloglines, a very useful site which I can leave open in my browser, and see at a glance what's been updated. If I turn my speakers on, I can even hear a ping when a new blog entry is added to one the ones I've subscribed to.
The previous entries in the blog are simply links to the other posts on the main page - I'm not sure how useful this is, since by the time anyone has scrolled down that far they'll have seen about half of them anyway. But it's a standard Blogger feature, as is the archive list - where you can (if you're REALLY keen) read entries from previous months.
Then comes the Google Adsense links. I'm not generally a fan of advertising, but on the whole I think Google does a good job - they're not intrusive, and they're usually applicable to the sites in question. I was, of course, attracted by the idea of my blog actually making money, although I was cynical enough to imagine it might come to about a penny a month, if that. I'm pleasantly surprised to learn that in the last three-and-a-half months my blog has actually earned a grant total of $3.85. Ahem. They pay out when the total reaches $100, but at this rate I could get there in another eight years or so...
Then there's a counter link from Blogpatrol (which I thought wonderful at first - I barely look at it now I've been blogging for over a year), a link to Blogarama, a blog directory (though I'm not sure how much it's used), a link to another counter at the Sitemeter site, installed later than the Blogpatrol one, but with publicly available interesting graphs and reports showing where readers of this blog come from around the world. And finally, after Blogger's own link, one to 'Whozontop' - and I don't even remember why I put that one in, or what it's for.
If anyone's read this far, I'd appreciate comments. Is there too much in the sidebar? Does it make the blog look messy, or does it add interest? Should I abandon Adsense? Are there other useful places to link to? All opinions welcome...
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Hail
It didn't just rain, it poured! There was even hail. Only for about five minutes, though, so nothing too spectacular. This is what the driveway outside my study looked like for a moment.
I know, not really worth the photo! But if you click the image to see the bigger version, the hail definitely shows. Just about.
We're still wearing at least three layers in the house during the afternoons and evenings. I don't remember it being quite this cold during mid-March in previous years. I don't think it's getting more than about 15-16C in the daytime.
I know, not really worth the photo! But if you click the image to see the bigger version, the hail definitely shows. Just about.
We're still wearing at least three layers in the house during the afternoons and evenings. I don't remember it being quite this cold during mid-March in previous years. I don't think it's getting more than about 15-16C in the daytime.
Pomegranate leaves in spring
The almond blossom has disappeared, and now it's time for the pomegranate trees to burst into leaf... with an oddly autumnal look, since they're red and orange when they first appear. They turn green in a month or so and will then look quite ordinary. But right now the view from our kitchen window is stunning with the reds of both our pomegranate tree, and that of our neighbour.
Alas, even with a reasonable camera I can't begin to capture the stunning colours properly!
It was lovely and sunny this morning, with a good breeze that didn't feel cold. Now, just after lunch, the sky is grey and it looks as though it's going to pour with rain any minute. We still need rain so I'm not going to worry about the laundry still on my line... it'll dry eventually!
Oh, and my sore throat of yesterday seems to have been vanquished with my various defences. No idea if it's the Vitamin C or Echinacea/Goldenseal that does the trick, but neither do any harm and the combination seems to be pretty effective. Today my cold seems to have gone, my throat feels just a little gunky, but not at all painful. I shall keep taking high doses of C for a day or two, just to ensure it doesn't creep back when I'm not looking.
Alas, even with a reasonable camera I can't begin to capture the stunning colours properly!
It was lovely and sunny this morning, with a good breeze that didn't feel cold. Now, just after lunch, the sky is grey and it looks as though it's going to pour with rain any minute. We still need rain so I'm not going to worry about the laundry still on my line... it'll dry eventually!
Oh, and my sore throat of yesterday seems to have been vanquished with my various defences. No idea if it's the Vitamin C or Echinacea/Goldenseal that does the trick, but neither do any harm and the combination seems to be pretty effective. Today my cold seems to have gone, my throat feels just a little gunky, but not at all painful. I shall keep taking high doses of C for a day or two, just to ensure it doesn't creep back when I'm not looking.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Self-indulgent moan about a sore throat
For most of last week I had an unpleasant mouth ulcer, and a slight cold (a bit sniffly, the occasional sneeze, but nothing worse). Both requiring Vitamin C but as neither seemed serious I only took 1g per day (doubling my regular daily amount) and assumed they would get better.
After lunch today, I discovered I had a sore throat. Not the tickly kind that usually precedes a cold, but the deeper sort, the kind that makes it painful to swallow, and feels almost like a bruise. Ugh. I don't feel ill, so I don't think it's the flu.
I've taken 3g Vitamin C so far today (two doses in powdered form, stirred into juice) and will take one more before I go to bed, in some hot lemon and honey. I picked a couple of lemons earlier in preparation. For some reason, this drink is wonderfully soothing when I have any kind of sore throat, but doesn't appeal at all at other times. (Juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 good tablespoon of honey, 1g vitamin C, all stirred into some freshly boiled water in a mug).
I even took some of that dreadful tasting (but effective) Echinacea and Goldenseal. Since it's chilly still I shall get into bed with a hot water bottle in about half an hour, and hope to sleep.
What puzzles me is where I can have caught this from. Nobody else in the family has a cold. I don't think anyone at our house group on Friday did, either. I haven't seen many other people in the last few days, other than church yesterday, but that's too recent.
After lunch today, I discovered I had a sore throat. Not the tickly kind that usually precedes a cold, but the deeper sort, the kind that makes it painful to swallow, and feels almost like a bruise. Ugh. I don't feel ill, so I don't think it's the flu.
I've taken 3g Vitamin C so far today (two doses in powdered form, stirred into juice) and will take one more before I go to bed, in some hot lemon and honey. I picked a couple of lemons earlier in preparation. For some reason, this drink is wonderfully soothing when I have any kind of sore throat, but doesn't appeal at all at other times. (Juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 good tablespoon of honey, 1g vitamin C, all stirred into some freshly boiled water in a mug).
I even took some of that dreadful tasting (but effective) Echinacea and Goldenseal. Since it's chilly still I shall get into bed with a hot water bottle in about half an hour, and hope to sleep.
What puzzles me is where I can have caught this from. Nobody else in the family has a cold. I don't think anyone at our house group on Friday did, either. I haven't seen many other people in the last few days, other than church yesterday, but that's too recent.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Oh, and the house...
We've taken the alien application to the solicitor here. He doesn't know how long it will take, and may be able to push it through quickly. However we don't really want that, because we STILL haven't exchanged contracts on our UK house. We kept expecting to hear from our UK solicitor last week, but didn't. On Monday Richard phoned him, only to find that he's on holiday this week. His partner in the firm looked in the files and said there was a note that the buyer's mortgage company was refusing to deal with the buyer's solicitors.... huh??
So on Tuesday Richard rang the buyer, who's currently renting the house. She said that she has had the formal mortgage offer. On Friday she'll get some paperwork, and then when she's filled that in, it'll be another 7-10 days, then something more will take another week... all in all it could be up to a month before contracts can be exchanged. And her mortgage company has insisted on appointing its own solicitors to deal with it all.
Strange. We thought it was all rather convoluted and long-winded here. But we found the house we want to buy in the middle of January, and could - if we'd sold our house in the UK in time - could have moved in by the end of February. Whereas our buyer in the UK expressed an interest about eighteen months ago, started the process properly last October, put in an offer before we'd seen the house we're buying here... and STILL we're waiting for contracts to be exchanged!
I'm hoping and praying that nothing else will crop up, and that the mortgage process will go more quickly than expected. If completion happens by the end of March, then we could move around the end of April, and that would work out fairly well. Richard could take some time off after Greek Orthodox Easter and we could move over a few days. We don't really want to move much later than that, or it will be too hot to do anything much.
So on Tuesday Richard rang the buyer, who's currently renting the house. She said that she has had the formal mortgage offer. On Friday she'll get some paperwork, and then when she's filled that in, it'll be another 7-10 days, then something more will take another week... all in all it could be up to a month before contracts can be exchanged. And her mortgage company has insisted on appointing its own solicitors to deal with it all.
Strange. We thought it was all rather convoluted and long-winded here. But we found the house we want to buy in the middle of January, and could - if we'd sold our house in the UK in time - could have moved in by the end of February. Whereas our buyer in the UK expressed an interest about eighteen months ago, started the process properly last October, put in an offer before we'd seen the house we're buying here... and STILL we're waiting for contracts to be exchanged!
I'm hoping and praying that nothing else will crop up, and that the mortgage process will go more quickly than expected. If completion happens by the end of March, then we could move around the end of April, and that would work out fairly well. Richard could take some time off after Greek Orthodox Easter and we could move over a few days. We don't really want to move much later than that, or it will be too hot to do anything much.
Rain
It's been a very dry winter. There are rumours of more water rationing, like we had when we first moved here, even though there's a desalination plant now. But apparently it's not providing enough to cover the lack of rain and - more importantly - lack of snow in the mountains.
Still, our grass and weeds seem to thrive in cooler temperatures whether or not there's any rain. So for the last two Saturdays I've had the lawnmower out, trimming the main parts to keep it looking reasonably neat, and - in theory - reducing the number of mosquitoes. There are still bare patches but it's a lot more like a lawn than it was when we first moved here. When it's been cut, anyway.
There are some weeds near the end of the garden, which far too tall and thick for the lawnmower, however. I wasn't careful about keeping them all down earlier in the season, and now they're up to a metre high. They're easy enough to pull up, so every morning for the past ten days or so I've weeded a bit more. About half an hour is the most I can manage at a time, or my back starts to ache.
I'm determined to get rid of them all before we move...!
Today it's been raining. The forecast did predict showers 'later' but I thought it might be ten minutes worth of light rain I hung out a load of laundry about 10am. By 11am it was raining pretty heavily, and it's continued off and on all day. All to the good... and while the laundry is still out there, soaking wet, at least the garden will benefit. And - hopefully - the water supplies, if it continues.
Still, our grass and weeds seem to thrive in cooler temperatures whether or not there's any rain. So for the last two Saturdays I've had the lawnmower out, trimming the main parts to keep it looking reasonably neat, and - in theory - reducing the number of mosquitoes. There are still bare patches but it's a lot more like a lawn than it was when we first moved here. When it's been cut, anyway.
There are some weeds near the end of the garden, which far too tall and thick for the lawnmower, however. I wasn't careful about keeping them all down earlier in the season, and now they're up to a metre high. They're easy enough to pull up, so every morning for the past ten days or so I've weeded a bit more. About half an hour is the most I can manage at a time, or my back starts to ache.
I'm determined to get rid of them all before we move...!
Today it's been raining. The forecast did predict showers 'later' but I thought it might be ten minutes worth of light rain I hung out a load of laundry about 10am. By 11am it was raining pretty heavily, and it's continued off and on all day. All to the good... and while the laundry is still out there, soaking wet, at least the garden will benefit. And - hopefully - the water supplies, if it continues.
Green Monday
Monday this week was 'Green Monday'. It was the first day of Lent for the Greek Orthodox Church. Some years Easter coincides in the Eastern and Western churches, but this year Western Easter is April 16th, and Eastern Easter is a week later, April 23rd.
There's a longer period of Lent for the Orthodox, too. Whereas ours started a week ago, on Ash Wednesday, their started not a week later but only five days later. They have a carnival weekend prior to Lent, with children dressing up in costumes and bands playing at the sea-front, then Green Monday is a public holiday. Traditionally Cypriots clean the houses from top to bottom, ensuring there's no meat in the house, and then go on a picnic with their extended family. We didn't go anywhere - Richard didn't even take the day off, since he has someone new working with him for a couple of months - as we knew the roads would be packed with vehicles.
We don't fast from meat (or anything else) during Lent, but we try to be sensitive to our neighbours. Whereas the next couple of months provide the ideal weather for barbecuing, it's hardly fair to have the smell of meat cooking over a barbie wafting around the neighbourhood. So we make sure we only eat meat inside until after Eastern Easter.
There's a longer period of Lent for the Orthodox, too. Whereas ours started a week ago, on Ash Wednesday, their started not a week later but only five days later. They have a carnival weekend prior to Lent, with children dressing up in costumes and bands playing at the sea-front, then Green Monday is a public holiday. Traditionally Cypriots clean the houses from top to bottom, ensuring there's no meat in the house, and then go on a picnic with their extended family. We didn't go anywhere - Richard didn't even take the day off, since he has someone new working with him for a couple of months - as we knew the roads would be packed with vehicles.
We don't fast from meat (or anything else) during Lent, but we try to be sensitive to our neighbours. Whereas the next couple of months provide the ideal weather for barbecuing, it's hardly fair to have the smell of meat cooking over a barbie wafting around the neighbourhood. So we make sure we only eat meat inside until after Eastern Easter.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Saturday: appliances
On Friday night our food processor died.We bought it nearly two years ago at the Thrift Store, for £25, so it's done well. It was an amazing purchase, really. One of the Moulinex Ovatio range, with a large bowl, a good size blender, a citrus juicing attachment, and it even had storage space for most of the tools inside the main bowl. I used it for coleslaw, for grating cheese, for squeezing fresh oranges for juice and lemons for cooking, for making pastry and cakes, and even - at first - for kneading dough for bread. Late last year it started making rather painful noises when kneading dough, so we thought perhaps it was wearing out.
We decided to spend some Christmas money on a breadmaker, which has been a wonderful buy (used nearly every day) and so the food processor was used a bit less. But we'd overworked it, and on Friday it finally decided to give up altogether. I was trying to grate some cheese at the time, so it wasn't a huge problem. I just got out the old-fashioned hand grater. Richard said perhaps we should think about buying a new food processor because it's such a useful gadget. We even had a load of points on our Orphanides card, giving us £20 off so on Saturday morning we went to see what was available.They did have the Moulinex Ovatio duo 3 model in stock. But we were rather shocked to see that the price was £100 - which, considering that's Cyprus pounds, is about twice as much as it would cost from Amazon UK. Unfortunately Amazon don't ship appliances outside the UK. There were some other food processors that were a little cheaper, but none of them looked nearly as good.
Richard asked what we mainly used the food processor for, and I realised that the most important thing was citrus juicing. I needed to make some lemonade that morning as we'd run out. We still have oranges on our tree that we should pick and juice in the next couple of weeks. So we looked at juicers. There were nice-looking expensive juicers that would do carrots and apples etc as well as citrus fruits, but I didn't know how often I'd use one.
There were smaller versions of the same, but they didn't look very strong. And there were ordinary citrus juicers of varying shapes and prices. One of them was only £8, so we decided to go with that one. It has a pouring spout, a lid, and two size of cone for squeezing different sizes of fruit, so it seemed like a good model.Then we thought we might look at the Thrift Store on the way back. They sometimes have second-hand food processors there - unknown or cheap models, but since I didn't need one for juicing or kneading, I thought we could pick up any old thing. The only time we'd ever seen a Moulinex food processor there was nearly two years ago when we bought it.
There weren't any in the usual place.Then Richard spotted it, nestling behind some other appliances. Smaller than the one that had died, but it looked almost new: a Moulinex Ovatio duo 2. For £26.
We bought it. We tested it. It even has a centrifugal juicing attachment for making apple and carrot juice! We won't be using this food processor for kneading bread, and we won't be using it for citrus juicing since the new citrus juicer works well, so perhaps this will last longer than two years.
Amazing coincidence? No, I don't have the faith to believe that chance could dictate our finding exactly what we wanted, at exactly the right time, twice. Particularly when we've never seen Moulinex food processors at the Thrift store any other time in the eight years we've been here. Evidently God really does care about even our smallest needs.
(PS I had not realised quite what a difference in quality there is between our old digital camera and the one we bought last summer. The first food processor picture was taken on the old one...)
Thursday, March 02, 2006
A year of blogging!
Exactly a year ago today I wrote my first blog entry. It doesn't feel that long, somehow. Then again, it's hard to imagine life before blogging. It's been quite a year, one way and another.
To celebrate this, and Spring, I've uploaded a new banner photo which is some of next-door's almond blossom. I might even try to change the photo more often now I've finally figured out how to do it without Dan's help.
For those who have asked: there's no news on our UK house sale at present. We hope that if there were any last-minute problems, we would have heard by now...
As for the Cyprus house, the first stage is now done. We saw our solicitor this morning; he's paid the stamp duty for us, and the contract is now officially stamped. We can now use that to apply for permanent residency of Cyprus. We will also need it when we ask the utility companies to connect us to electricity, water and the phone, but of course that won't be until we're ready to move in.
We've also been given more forms to fill in: these are headed:
'Application by an alien for the consent of the council of ministers to acquire immoval property in Cyprus.'
Hmm. Sounds like ET wanting to buy a house!
It also looks like it's out-of-date too since it shouldn't apply to European citizens any longer, and some of the questions relate to property being used for commercial purposes rather than simply buying a home to live in. To go with this application, we need to supply copies of our passports, UK bank statements for the past three months, all the information about the house we're planning to buy, CVs (something else more relevant to buying a business, but never mind...) and other such documents.
Apparently this questionnaire is routine, a bit pointless, and never refused. However it can take up to three months to be granted. We can't complete the purchase until this permission has been given, and we're supposed to complete by the end of June at the latest.
To celebrate this, and Spring, I've uploaded a new banner photo which is some of next-door's almond blossom. I might even try to change the photo more often now I've finally figured out how to do it without Dan's help.
For those who have asked: there's no news on our UK house sale at present. We hope that if there were any last-minute problems, we would have heard by now...
As for the Cyprus house, the first stage is now done. We saw our solicitor this morning; he's paid the stamp duty for us, and the contract is now officially stamped. We can now use that to apply for permanent residency of Cyprus. We will also need it when we ask the utility companies to connect us to electricity, water and the phone, but of course that won't be until we're ready to move in.
We've also been given more forms to fill in: these are headed:
'Application by an alien for the consent of the council of ministers to acquire immoval property in Cyprus.'
Hmm. Sounds like ET wanting to buy a house!
It also looks like it's out-of-date too since it shouldn't apply to European citizens any longer, and some of the questions relate to property being used for commercial purposes rather than simply buying a home to live in. To go with this application, we need to supply copies of our passports, UK bank statements for the past three months, all the information about the house we're planning to buy, CVs (something else more relevant to buying a business, but never mind...) and other such documents.
Apparently this questionnaire is routine, a bit pointless, and never refused. However it can take up to three months to be granted. We can't complete the purchase until this permission has been given, and we're supposed to complete by the end of June at the latest.
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