I would have thought, now Cyprus has been in the EU for a couple of years, that the banks would have caught up. And sure enough, they do now have more modern computers than they used to, and their online system is distinctly better than it used to be, enabling me to pay utility bills and transfer money between accounts from home.
But they don't seem to have got the idea that banking should be 'free' to the customer. What we expect is the kind of service we get in the UK: a current account with no service charges so long as we stay in credit, monthly statements delivered in the post, free cheque books arriving automatically when the current one is nearing its end, and at least a small amount of interest on credit balances. Our UK current account gives us 2% interest, which isn't great, but isn't bad. We also have an instant access savings account connected to it, which gives us a little over 3% interest. Not a good rate, but it's technically a discontinued type of account. In other words, it's still running but they don't allow new people to start them, and they don't give top interest rates. Since we can't easily open a new account in the UK while living in Cyprus, we accept these accounts and use them despite the low rates.
Our bank here does have some good points. The counters are open - no glass fronts, no security precautions other than a closed circuit TV. The staff get to know the customers, and one girl in particular always seems to know if there's a new card or paperwork waiting for anyone, without being asked. The hours aren't very long (8.30am - 12.30pm weekdays, plus one afternoon) but the ATM service allows us to draw cash at any time, so that's not really a problem.
On the other hand, they charge us for cheque books, and don't even send them automatically. When we're running low, we have to fill in a request for a new one, and then pay £5 (that's about £6 sterling, or $10 US!) to get another. At least with online utility payments, and no more rent when we move house, we shouldn't get through many cheques in future.
Worse, the bank have recently started charging £1.50 PER MONTH just for the privilege of producing statements for us. A computer-generated piece of paper in the local post, which arrives about two weeks late, so the actual cost is probably around 25c. If that. Apparently we can forgo monthly statements, and have just an annual one, and it will save us £18 per year... so we're going to do that, and simply check transactions online.
Moreover, our Cyprus current account does not pay us any interest. Not one penny. We have an instant access savings account here, and that gives us an unbelievable 1.75% interest. Yes, that's LESS than our UK current account!
We don't normally worry much about interest rates - we're not particularly materialistic, and have never really had sufficient money for it to make much difference anyway. But for the next month, until we actually pay for our new house at the end of June, it seems worth making the best possible use of the proceeds of our UK house. And so, suddenly, we're confronted with questions of when to transfer it, how to transfer it, and where to keep it in the meantime. As far as we can tell, it's best to keep it in the UK as long as possible!
Monday, May 29, 2006
Weekend away
At the beginning of July last year, Richard and I went on a 'mini-cruise' from Limassol to some Greek islands, to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. During the trip, the ship bumped the side of a dock and we lost a day's visits and excursions while waiting for a safety check. In compensation, we were given a voucher for 50% off any two- or three-day mini-cruise this year, other than in July and August. Not much use to the majority of people, who had to fly to Cyprus in order to join the cruise, but ideal for us! However we probably wouldn't have got around to claiming it if we hadn't learned that two sets of our friends had booked one going to Lebanon and Syria for the end of May. So we decided to go too. Knowing that our house sale in Birmingham was complete made an extra reason to celebrate! Tim decided he would rather stay home and house/cat-sit.
We left Friday mid-afternoon, and boarded the Louis Lines ship 'Serenade' around 5pm. We and our friends had asked to eat our evening meal at the early (7pm) sitting; none of us like eating late anyway, and there were three children under 10 with us. The food was excellent, as last time, as was the dining room and the service. Plenty of choice in the menu, including vegetarian options, and we could all have four-course meals (appetiser, soup, main course, dessert). The children, who weren't keen on food from the menu, were able to have chicken nuggets and chips instead. The ship sailed overnight.
On the Saturday, our friends had all agreed to visit a mutual friend who lives in Lebanon, but Richard and I decided to have a day to ourselves as we were both pretty tired and gradually unwinding from the stress of our UK house sale. So we spent a fair amount of day on the deck, relaxing and reading, and looking at the city. If you click the picture below to see the bigger version, you'll see a modern mosque with four minarets nestling amongst the high-rise blocks.
In the morning we used a port taxi to go into Beirut, where Richard showed me some of the places he had stayed on his previous visits for work, and we browsed some of the shops. It's a busy, crowded city, which reminded me somewhat of Athens (in Greece).
There are three languages spoken in Lebanon: Arabic, French and English, and we saw signs in all three. I was surprised to see quite a few bookshops, considering how few there are in Cyprus. It seems that the Lebanese read considerably more than Cypriots. Of course most books were in Arabic. I was excited for a moment when I saw this sign:
But, sadly, despite the English notice all the books on sale were in Arabic.
The shops were a complete mixture of Eastern and Western, old and new. We saw up-to-date shops with computers and other technology, mobile phones, DVD players and so on. We also saw quite a few shops with Arabic crafts, and amazingly ornate chandeliers such as this one:
After we had exhausted several streets of shops we decided to walk to the sea, but it turned out to be much further than Richard had thought, so we went back, as we had arranged to meet our taxi driver at 12.30. Only official port taxis would be able to return us to the ship, so we couldn't just hail one of the many that roamed the streets looking for custom. On the way back we saw this incredible ancient tree with ariel roots:
As for where we had agreed to meet the taxi driver... it was that ultimate modern American institution, which I have never before been inside, despite one in Larnaka:
Since we had quarter of an hour spare, we went into Starbucks and ordered some caramel frappucinos. Cold and delicious, and exactly what we needed. We were rather shocked at the price, which was almost $10 for two (American dollars are taken as easily as Lebanese pounds). As much as the taxi which drove us for 20 minutes. Still, we were on holiday!
On Sunday morning we arrived in Syria. We booked the official excursion since all our friends were going too, although we might not have done so if we had realised we would have to spend five hours in a coach! Not a very comfortable one, either. There was a tour guide who spoke to us for about an hour in each direction, telling us every possible fact and figure about Syria, or so it seemed. I fell asleep both times and got neck-ache as a result.
First we visited an Orthodox monastery dedicated to St George, of all people. We thought he was a legendary British saint, but our guide told us that St George vanquished a dragon in order to save a lady, and that the lady represented the Church. It was a pleasant place, although not particularly different from Cypriot monasteries.
After that we drove to a huge castle, where the guide showed us everything in great detail. We were there for an hour-and-a-half, and although it was quite a nice castle, as castles go, it wasn't terribly thrilling.
Unfortunately I developed quite a bad headache, probably due to being in the sun too much, and also the altitude (we think the guide said it was 1700 metres above sea-level, and I've had that kind of headache before at high altitude). It didn't help that we didn't get to stop for lunch until 2pm! However our packed lunch-boxes were extremely good, kept cold in the back of the coach in cool-boxes, and as we ate them in a restaurant we were able to order coffee.
On the way back we stopped for an hour at what was advertised as a 'bazaar' but was really a street of rather tired-looking shops, mostly selling rubbish for tourists. Richard had hoped it would be a real Arabic souk such as he has visited in Damascus. After the 'bazaar' we were taken to visit the duty free shop in the port, and were back to the ship for our 7pm dinner.
We got back to Larnaka this morning about 10pm, and were relieved to find that the temperatures had dropped a little, 'only' 28C, which is a great improvement on 35.
Tonight, Richard is off to Egypt for a week.
We left Friday mid-afternoon, and boarded the Louis Lines ship 'Serenade' around 5pm. We and our friends had asked to eat our evening meal at the early (7pm) sitting; none of us like eating late anyway, and there were three children under 10 with us. The food was excellent, as last time, as was the dining room and the service. Plenty of choice in the menu, including vegetarian options, and we could all have four-course meals (appetiser, soup, main course, dessert). The children, who weren't keen on food from the menu, were able to have chicken nuggets and chips instead. The ship sailed overnight.
On the Saturday, our friends had all agreed to visit a mutual friend who lives in Lebanon, but Richard and I decided to have a day to ourselves as we were both pretty tired and gradually unwinding from the stress of our UK house sale. So we spent a fair amount of day on the deck, relaxing and reading, and looking at the city. If you click the picture below to see the bigger version, you'll see a modern mosque with four minarets nestling amongst the high-rise blocks.
In the morning we used a port taxi to go into Beirut, where Richard showed me some of the places he had stayed on his previous visits for work, and we browsed some of the shops. It's a busy, crowded city, which reminded me somewhat of Athens (in Greece).
There are three languages spoken in Lebanon: Arabic, French and English, and we saw signs in all three. I was surprised to see quite a few bookshops, considering how few there are in Cyprus. It seems that the Lebanese read considerably more than Cypriots. Of course most books were in Arabic. I was excited for a moment when I saw this sign:
But, sadly, despite the English notice all the books on sale were in Arabic.
The shops were a complete mixture of Eastern and Western, old and new. We saw up-to-date shops with computers and other technology, mobile phones, DVD players and so on. We also saw quite a few shops with Arabic crafts, and amazingly ornate chandeliers such as this one:
After we had exhausted several streets of shops we decided to walk to the sea, but it turned out to be much further than Richard had thought, so we went back, as we had arranged to meet our taxi driver at 12.30. Only official port taxis would be able to return us to the ship, so we couldn't just hail one of the many that roamed the streets looking for custom. On the way back we saw this incredible ancient tree with ariel roots:
As for where we had agreed to meet the taxi driver... it was that ultimate modern American institution, which I have never before been inside, despite one in Larnaka:
Since we had quarter of an hour spare, we went into Starbucks and ordered some caramel frappucinos. Cold and delicious, and exactly what we needed. We were rather shocked at the price, which was almost $10 for two (American dollars are taken as easily as Lebanese pounds). As much as the taxi which drove us for 20 minutes. Still, we were on holiday!
On Sunday morning we arrived in Syria. We booked the official excursion since all our friends were going too, although we might not have done so if we had realised we would have to spend five hours in a coach! Not a very comfortable one, either. There was a tour guide who spoke to us for about an hour in each direction, telling us every possible fact and figure about Syria, or so it seemed. I fell asleep both times and got neck-ache as a result.
First we visited an Orthodox monastery dedicated to St George, of all people. We thought he was a legendary British saint, but our guide told us that St George vanquished a dragon in order to save a lady, and that the lady represented the Church. It was a pleasant place, although not particularly different from Cypriot monasteries.
After that we drove to a huge castle, where the guide showed us everything in great detail. We were there for an hour-and-a-half, and although it was quite a nice castle, as castles go, it wasn't terribly thrilling.
Unfortunately I developed quite a bad headache, probably due to being in the sun too much, and also the altitude (we think the guide said it was 1700 metres above sea-level, and I've had that kind of headache before at high altitude). It didn't help that we didn't get to stop for lunch until 2pm! However our packed lunch-boxes were extremely good, kept cold in the back of the coach in cool-boxes, and as we ate them in a restaurant we were able to order coffee.
On the way back we stopped for an hour at what was advertised as a 'bazaar' but was really a street of rather tired-looking shops, mostly selling rubbish for tourists. Richard had hoped it would be a real Arabic souk such as he has visited in Damascus. After the 'bazaar' we were taken to visit the duty free shop in the port, and were back to the ship for our 7pm dinner.
We got back to Larnaka this morning about 10pm, and were relieved to find that the temperatures had dropped a little, 'only' 28C, which is a great improvement on 35.
Tonight, Richard is off to Egypt for a week.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Completion!
Our house sale in Birmingham has been completed! We no longer own the house; instead we have a large amount of money in our UK bank account, until we transfer most of it to buy the house here.
Such a relief.
We're away for the weekend, so were particularly pleased to hear before leaving. Thanks to all for prayers and good wishes for the past few months!
Such a relief.
We're away for the weekend, so were particularly pleased to hear before leaving. Thanks to all for prayers and good wishes for the past few months!
Thursday, May 25, 2006
So hot...
Today, when I went outside at only nine o'clock to bring in yesterday's laundry, it felt as if I were getting into the oven.
Well, slight exaggeration there. But it definitely felt distinctly hotter than my comfort zone. It's apparently been 35C in the shade for most of today. Tim's guitar student said that it's been reported that it's six degrees higher than usual for this time of year, and predicted to return to 29C tomorrow. I certainly hope so. 35 is about as hot as it gets here during July and August but we don't expect it in May. I'm certainly thankful we're not in the middle of moving today.
So I haven't done much today. Some email, a few minor web-site updates, some reading. Since I read a lot anyway, I've joined a summer reading challenge - the aim being to read two books per week for June, July and August. I shall review all I read, as usual, on my books blog. I would usually read considerably more than two books per week during the summer here, but since we'll be moving house at the start of July, all being well, I shall probably read much less than usual. Besides, we'll have full air conditioning in the new house so I will no longer need to spend 10 hours per day in one room!
Well, slight exaggeration there. But it definitely felt distinctly hotter than my comfort zone. It's apparently been 35C in the shade for most of today. Tim's guitar student said that it's been reported that it's six degrees higher than usual for this time of year, and predicted to return to 29C tomorrow. I certainly hope so. 35 is about as hot as it gets here during July and August but we don't expect it in May. I'm certainly thankful we're not in the middle of moving today.
So I haven't done much today. Some email, a few minor web-site updates, some reading. Since I read a lot anyway, I've joined a summer reading challenge - the aim being to read two books per week for June, July and August. I shall review all I read, as usual, on my books blog. I would usually read considerably more than two books per week during the summer here, but since we'll be moving house at the start of July, all being well, I shall probably read much less than usual. Besides, we'll have full air conditioning in the new house so I will no longer need to spend 10 hours per day in one room!
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Getting warmer
Today, for the first time this year, the weather has felt hot. Sitting here in jeans and a tee-shirt, I feel sticky. I don't want to switch to shorts before I have to, but if this continues it could be before the end of May, which would be earlier than usual. According to the weather channel it's 30C at present, and 37% humidity. That's pretty warm for half past seven at night. When I was cooking our evening meal, the kitchen felt extremely hot, although (according to our digital kitchen scales) it was only 28C. That's the temperature we run our air conditioning during the hottest months - but of course a/c reduces humidity too. And I'm sure it was more than 37% humidity while I was cooking.
It hasn't rained much for ages - it's been an extremely dry spring. That doesn't help.
It's not going to be much fun packing and organising all our 'stuff' for moving if this heat continues or increases during June. We won't actually be moving now until the first week of July. Richard spoke to the estate agent, who spoke to the vendors. They had been prepared to move out earlier than our official completion date of 30th June, if we had been ready to complete a couple of months ago. But if their new house is going to be ready then, we can quite see that they wouldn't want to find temporary accommodation for just two or three weeks beforehand.
It hasn't rained much for ages - it's been an extremely dry spring. That doesn't help.
It's not going to be much fun packing and organising all our 'stuff' for moving if this heat continues or increases during June. We won't actually be moving now until the first week of July. Richard spoke to the estate agent, who spoke to the vendors. They had been prepared to move out earlier than our official completion date of 30th June, if we had been ready to complete a couple of months ago. But if their new house is going to be ready then, we can quite see that they wouldn't want to find temporary accommodation for just two or three weeks beforehand.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
YES!!!!!
Richard just phoned from work.
Our solicitor phoned him to say that AT LAST contracts have been exchanged on our UK house. Completion is still due on Friday this week, and as it's written into the contracts that means it's legally binding, so it should definitely happen.
WHAT a relief. I can almost feel the low-key tension draining from my forehead.
Of course there will be a lot more stress once we actually start moving, but that's different.
Richard is now phoning our solicitor here, and the estate agent, to find out when is the soonest we can move. Of course we have to wait for the vast amount of money to be transferred here, which will take at least a week, maybe more, and we don't know how soon the sellers can move out. And we have to speak to our landlady here, but I should think we'll continue renting until the end of June, to give us plenty of time to move. Weather is likely to be pretty warm by mid-June, so we won't want to do it in too much of a hurry.
I am so thankful the end really is in sight now!
Our solicitor phoned him to say that AT LAST contracts have been exchanged on our UK house. Completion is still due on Friday this week, and as it's written into the contracts that means it's legally binding, so it should definitely happen.
WHAT a relief. I can almost feel the low-key tension draining from my forehead.
Of course there will be a lot more stress once we actually start moving, but that's different.
Richard is now phoning our solicitor here, and the estate agent, to find out when is the soonest we can move. Of course we have to wait for the vast amount of money to be transferred here, which will take at least a week, maybe more, and we don't know how soon the sellers can move out. And we have to speak to our landlady here, but I should think we'll continue renting until the end of June, to give us plenty of time to move. Weather is likely to be pretty warm by mid-June, so we won't want to do it in too much of a hurry.
I am so thankful the end really is in sight now!
Saturday, May 20, 2006
So tired....
Sophia (most intelligent, and also chattiest of our cats) has taken to waking me at 5.30 each morning. She used to do that to Daniel during the summer months - now I know why he was often so exhausted. And he would sometimes go back to sleep, whereas I can't once it's light.
I think Sophia thinks it's her duty to organise the household. Around 1pm each day she arrives from wherever she's been, mewing loudly and telling us all to sit down to eat lunch. If Richard isn't back from work, she lets us know we need to phone him.
She likes it when Tim sits at the dining room table doing some of his home education coursework in the mornings - she gives clear mews of approval, and sits with him.
Unfortunately, she also thinks that at least one person should be up and about as soon as it's daylight. That's fine in the winter, but not much fun in the summer. When it was 6.30, I didn't mind. I like being up at that time. But I really don't want to be up an hour before then.
Couldn't we stop her, you might ask? Well... Daniel tried. We've tried. But what can one do?
We could shut her out of the house, and close the bathroom window (which the cats use as a cat-door).
Been there, done that. Sophia then arrives on the sill of one of our bedroom windows, and mews loudly and scratches until we wake up and let her in.
We could shut her out of our room and close the door.
No good either. Sophia mews loudly and throws herself against the door. Very noisy, and we worry that she might do herself an injury.
We could ignore her, and hope she goes back to sleep.
Nope. If mewing doesn't get one of us up, she starts patting our heads. If that doesn't work, she starts patting our heads or arms with her claws slightly extended. If we manage to get completely under the duvet where she can't reach us, she starts knocking things off shelves. Richard had completely cleared a small shelf behind our bed, where we had a few books and other bits and pieces, in order to foil her. All that was left was one small loudspeaker (not working). This morning, she knocked that down. It knocked over a lamp. And there are plenty of other shelves or surfaces in the room with things she could knock down.
Cats - I thought - are supposed to sleep for about 18 hours out of every 24. I'm sure the other three do. But Sophia appears to be wide awake and active for about 18 hours a day... or night. Since Daniel isn't here this year, we're the ones who have to deal with it.
The only solution, it appears, is to go to bed about 9pm, so I've had my eight hours by the time Sophia wakes me up. That's what I shall do tonight, anyway.
As the saying goes, dogs have masters and cats have servants.
I think Sophia thinks it's her duty to organise the household. Around 1pm each day she arrives from wherever she's been, mewing loudly and telling us all to sit down to eat lunch. If Richard isn't back from work, she lets us know we need to phone him.
She likes it when Tim sits at the dining room table doing some of his home education coursework in the mornings - she gives clear mews of approval, and sits with him.
Unfortunately, she also thinks that at least one person should be up and about as soon as it's daylight. That's fine in the winter, but not much fun in the summer. When it was 6.30, I didn't mind. I like being up at that time. But I really don't want to be up an hour before then.
Couldn't we stop her, you might ask? Well... Daniel tried. We've tried. But what can one do?
We could shut her out of the house, and close the bathroom window (which the cats use as a cat-door).
Been there, done that. Sophia then arrives on the sill of one of our bedroom windows, and mews loudly and scratches until we wake up and let her in.
We could shut her out of our room and close the door.
No good either. Sophia mews loudly and throws herself against the door. Very noisy, and we worry that she might do herself an injury.
We could ignore her, and hope she goes back to sleep.
Nope. If mewing doesn't get one of us up, she starts patting our heads. If that doesn't work, she starts patting our heads or arms with her claws slightly extended. If we manage to get completely under the duvet where she can't reach us, she starts knocking things off shelves. Richard had completely cleared a small shelf behind our bed, where we had a few books and other bits and pieces, in order to foil her. All that was left was one small loudspeaker (not working). This morning, she knocked that down. It knocked over a lamp. And there are plenty of other shelves or surfaces in the room with things she could knock down.
Cats - I thought - are supposed to sleep for about 18 hours out of every 24. I'm sure the other three do. But Sophia appears to be wide awake and active for about 18 hours a day... or night. Since Daniel isn't here this year, we're the ones who have to deal with it.
The only solution, it appears, is to go to bed about 9pm, so I've had my eight hours by the time Sophia wakes me up. That's what I shall do tonight, anyway.
As the saying goes, dogs have masters and cats have servants.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Deep sigh...
At lunchtime, Richard phoned our solicitor in the UK, to find out what was happening about the exchange of contracts on our house.
Our solicitor said he didn't know it was happening today, although the buyer's solicitor had told him it 'might'. Nor did he know that completion was scheduled for next week, although again he had been informed that it was possible.
At seven o'clock our time (five o'clock UK time) Richard phoned our solicitor again.
Apparently the exchange couldn't happen today because the deposit money wasn't available, but may happen on Monday.
So Richard phoned the guarantor, who's paying the deposit. He had no idea there had been a further delay. He said that the deposit money was with his solicitor on Wednesday, should have been transferred to the buyer's solicitor on Thursday, and should therefore have been ready to pay to ours today. He got in contact with his solicitor, who said that he had not received a request from the buyer's solicitor to pass on the money, so he still had it.
Unbelievable...
So the buyer's solicitor is waiting for it to arrive, and the solicitor who's holding it is waiting for a request to pass it on. Don't they communicate??
Our solicitor said he didn't know it was happening today, although the buyer's solicitor had told him it 'might'. Nor did he know that completion was scheduled for next week, although again he had been informed that it was possible.
At seven o'clock our time (five o'clock UK time) Richard phoned our solicitor again.
Apparently the exchange couldn't happen today because the deposit money wasn't available, but may happen on Monday.
So Richard phoned the guarantor, who's paying the deposit. He had no idea there had been a further delay. He said that the deposit money was with his solicitor on Wednesday, should have been transferred to the buyer's solicitor on Thursday, and should therefore have been ready to pay to ours today. He got in contact with his solicitor, who said that he had not received a request from the buyer's solicitor to pass on the money, so he still had it.
Unbelievable...
So the buyer's solicitor is waiting for it to arrive, and the solicitor who's holding it is waiting for a request to pass it on. Don't they communicate??
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Boat maintenance
Even with a tiny wooden mirror dinghy, there appears to be a fair amount of necessary maintenance. Since Richard hasn't been well, the boat which he started fixing ten days ago is still in our driveway.
He went to a couple of small hardware stores to try to buy some fibreglass fluid (or whatever it is). Half a litre for £9 CY seemed a bit excessive, so he tried the official chandler's instead. There it cost £3 for a litre! They just poured it into a tub for him, and gave him some hardener, and told him roughly what to do. He already had some fibreglass matting, which came with the boat, and although he's never used it before, he had a general idea how to get it to work. So that's what he did yesterday afternoon:
Our sailing friend is coming to have a look at it in a few minutes, to check all is OK, and then Richard will do some varnishing. He's much better today, and hopes to go sailing again on Saturday morning.
He went to a couple of small hardware stores to try to buy some fibreglass fluid (or whatever it is). Half a litre for £9 CY seemed a bit excessive, so he tried the official chandler's instead. There it cost £3 for a litre! They just poured it into a tub for him, and gave him some hardener, and told him roughly what to do. He already had some fibreglass matting, which came with the boat, and although he's never used it before, he had a general idea how to get it to work. So that's what he did yesterday afternoon:
Our sailing friend is coming to have a look at it in a few minutes, to check all is OK, and then Richard will do some varnishing. He's much better today, and hopes to go sailing again on Saturday morning.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Cautiously hopeful about our house sale!
Buying a house in Cyprus is supposed to be fairly difficult.
For anyone who hasn't been following the lengthy saga: we found a house we liked here in Larnaka in January, paid a deposit and signed contracts in February. Wrote the completion date as the end of June (at the latest) because our house in the UK was not yet sold, although the lady renting it had made an offer and sorted out a mortgage, so we assumed it would be reasonably straightforward. Perhaps mid-March...
There was delay after delay. It wasn't the most straightforward of sales: there's a separate guarantor who is also paying the deposit, who has a different solicitor from the buyer, and the mortgage company insisted on appointing yet another solicitor to represent them. There was discussion over work we had done on the house 20 or more years ago, and about some common ground at the back which isn't shown on the deeds.
On the other hand, there was no buying chain at all. We don't have a mortgage on the house - we paid the last of it off a few years ago - and the lady buying it is already living there. She doesn't have anywhere to sell so she's a first-time buyer. So it should have taken - at most - about two months. And here we are, mid-May, four months after the official offer, and seven months after we discussed it informally with the buyer when we were in the UK last October.
But, AT LAST, we had a phone call today saying that the buyer, the guarantor and the solicitors have been through all the paperwork, and there is no further reason for delay. So exchange of contracts is planned for this Friday, and completion for Friday 26th.
Richard is a little sceptical, since there have been so many expectations before now which haven't been fulfilled, but I'm (cautiously) relieved and hopeful. Once the contracts are exchanged, it will be legally binding and we can fix a date for completion and moving here. We think, realistically, it will be mid-June which is much later than we had hoped. Cyprus becomes fairly hot by that time of year, although the humidity doesn't arrive until July. But we're planning to move over a week or two, not just in one day, since nobody's going to move into the house we're currently renting, so we'll take it slowly.
Seems to us that buying a house in Cyprus is a lot easier than selling one in the UK!
For anyone who hasn't been following the lengthy saga: we found a house we liked here in Larnaka in January, paid a deposit and signed contracts in February. Wrote the completion date as the end of June (at the latest) because our house in the UK was not yet sold, although the lady renting it had made an offer and sorted out a mortgage, so we assumed it would be reasonably straightforward. Perhaps mid-March...
There was delay after delay. It wasn't the most straightforward of sales: there's a separate guarantor who is also paying the deposit, who has a different solicitor from the buyer, and the mortgage company insisted on appointing yet another solicitor to represent them. There was discussion over work we had done on the house 20 or more years ago, and about some common ground at the back which isn't shown on the deeds.
On the other hand, there was no buying chain at all. We don't have a mortgage on the house - we paid the last of it off a few years ago - and the lady buying it is already living there. She doesn't have anywhere to sell so she's a first-time buyer. So it should have taken - at most - about two months. And here we are, mid-May, four months after the official offer, and seven months after we discussed it informally with the buyer when we were in the UK last October.
But, AT LAST, we had a phone call today saying that the buyer, the guarantor and the solicitors have been through all the paperwork, and there is no further reason for delay. So exchange of contracts is planned for this Friday, and completion for Friday 26th.
Richard is a little sceptical, since there have been so many expectations before now which haven't been fulfilled, but I'm (cautiously) relieved and hopeful. Once the contracts are exchanged, it will be legally binding and we can fix a date for completion and moving here. We think, realistically, it will be mid-June which is much later than we had hoped. Cyprus becomes fairly hot by that time of year, although the humidity doesn't arrive until July. But we're planning to move over a week or two, not just in one day, since nobody's going to move into the house we're currently renting, so we'll take it slowly.
Seems to us that buying a house in Cyprus is a lot easier than selling one in the UK!
Monday, May 15, 2006
Relative time
Time in Cyprus is a movable feast. There's 'real time' and there's 'Cyprus time'. If a concert or play is advertised as starting at 8.00pm, the chances are it will actually begin around quarter past eight, maybe even twenty past. In other words, 'eight o'clock Cyprus time'.
This suits Richard, who's never had the greatest sense of time. This morning, considerably better after his infection but not yet 100%, he said he would just pop into the office for 'a few minutes'. He went at about 11.00am. He got home at half-past one.
I begin to think it must be catching. Tim always used to have an excellent sense of time. This afternoon, however, he went - for about the third time in the past few days - to try and help some friends with email/internet problems. They picked him up at 2.30pm. I reminded him that he had a singing lesson at 4.30, and suggested he might take his backpack, but he assured me he would only be 'a few minutes'.
At 4.20 I suddenly realised he had not come home so picked up the phone to call his mobile, only to realise that a car had just pulled up outside our house. I went out, and Tim was sitting in the car talking to our friend.
'Um, are you going to get to your singing class in time?' I asked.
'Why?' he said. 'It's only about four o'clock, isn't it?'
Our friend would have taken him to his class, but Tim first of all had to grab some papers, and then pop around the corner to make ten photocopies of something, so he said it would be quicker to walk.
Oh well. He should have got to his class by about twenty to five, and I suppose that's 4.30 Cyprus time.
This suits Richard, who's never had the greatest sense of time. This morning, considerably better after his infection but not yet 100%, he said he would just pop into the office for 'a few minutes'. He went at about 11.00am. He got home at half-past one.
I begin to think it must be catching. Tim always used to have an excellent sense of time. This afternoon, however, he went - for about the third time in the past few days - to try and help some friends with email/internet problems. They picked him up at 2.30pm. I reminded him that he had a singing lesson at 4.30, and suggested he might take his backpack, but he assured me he would only be 'a few minutes'.
At 4.20 I suddenly realised he had not come home so picked up the phone to call his mobile, only to realise that a car had just pulled up outside our house. I went out, and Tim was sitting in the car talking to our friend.
'Um, are you going to get to your singing class in time?' I asked.
'Why?' he said. 'It's only about four o'clock, isn't it?'
Our friend would have taken him to his class, but Tim first of all had to grab some papers, and then pop around the corner to make ten photocopies of something, so he said it would be quicker to walk.
Oh well. He should have got to his class by about twenty to five, and I suppose that's 4.30 Cyprus time.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Brain fog and the start of summer
Some days I don't seem able to think properly. Today was one of them. I woke up with a bit of a headache, perhaps because I've had rather disturbed nights recently. It was early when I woke, too, as I was having a sort of nightmare. Not the fast action or monsters that are supposed to characterise nightmares, however: it was much too realistic. I dreamed that it was Sunday morning, that church started in half an hour, and that I hadn't remembered to do the weekly bulletin/song-sheets! For some reason I was trying to get my computer booted up so I could get started, even though I knew there wasn't possibly enough time, and that the photocopy shop would be shut, as it was a Sunday.
So when this dream woke me, with tension across my whole head, it was a great relief to realise it was only Saturday. I usually prepare the bulletin on Friday and then photocopy it on Saturday, but with Richard being unwell, and me not feeling 100%, in addition to hosting and leading our house group (without Richard) in the evening, I hadn't done so. Evidently my subconscious wasn't happy about it.... but I did get the bulletin done and copied by mid-morning.
Richard was a little better this morning, but not significantly. He has to eat something to take with the antibiotics, but wasn't at all hungry. He said the only thing he could bear to eat was soft fruit, such as strawberries or a peach. Peaches aren't in season here, but strawberries are - and very good at this time of year - so I walked to the local supermarket and bought some strawberries, as well as a few other items we needed, since we didn't do our normal weekly shop yesterday.
It felt distinctly warm. Thankfully our house is still pleasantly cool, with its high ceilings and marble floors, and there's no humidity to speak of yet. But outside I should think it was over 28C in the shade, and unfortunately I had to walk in the sun part of the way to and from the supermarket, where it was probably at least five degrees warmer.
Looks like Summer is on its way.
I don't do well in sunshine or heat. So by the time I was home again, I was tired, a bit headachey, and feeling as if my brain was foggy. That hasn't really changed. I forgot to put the breadmaker on, so Tim went round the corner and bought some bakery bread. We used to love bread from this bakery, but are now spoilt with the wonderful concoctions that emerge from the breadmaker.
In the afternoon Richard got up for a bit. Our TV died a couple of weeks ago, so Tim attached Richard's MAC notebook computer to the monitor of the boys' old monitor, and Richard watched 'The Italian Job' - an old favourite that didn't need much mental energy.
The day seems to have passed. I'm not entirely sure where. I read and wrote some email, read about half a book, did a few minor web-site changes, read a few blogs. Tim cooked some rice in the steamer and re-heated some leftover chicken tikka from the freezer. Richard didn't want anything much, but managed a bowl of mushroom soup.
So much for Saturday.
So when this dream woke me, with tension across my whole head, it was a great relief to realise it was only Saturday. I usually prepare the bulletin on Friday and then photocopy it on Saturday, but with Richard being unwell, and me not feeling 100%, in addition to hosting and leading our house group (without Richard) in the evening, I hadn't done so. Evidently my subconscious wasn't happy about it.... but I did get the bulletin done and copied by mid-morning.
Richard was a little better this morning, but not significantly. He has to eat something to take with the antibiotics, but wasn't at all hungry. He said the only thing he could bear to eat was soft fruit, such as strawberries or a peach. Peaches aren't in season here, but strawberries are - and very good at this time of year - so I walked to the local supermarket and bought some strawberries, as well as a few other items we needed, since we didn't do our normal weekly shop yesterday.
It felt distinctly warm. Thankfully our house is still pleasantly cool, with its high ceilings and marble floors, and there's no humidity to speak of yet. But outside I should think it was over 28C in the shade, and unfortunately I had to walk in the sun part of the way to and from the supermarket, where it was probably at least five degrees warmer.
Looks like Summer is on its way.
I don't do well in sunshine or heat. So by the time I was home again, I was tired, a bit headachey, and feeling as if my brain was foggy. That hasn't really changed. I forgot to put the breadmaker on, so Tim went round the corner and bought some bakery bread. We used to love bread from this bakery, but are now spoilt with the wonderful concoctions that emerge from the breadmaker.
In the afternoon Richard got up for a bit. Our TV died a couple of weeks ago, so Tim attached Richard's MAC notebook computer to the monitor of the boys' old monitor, and Richard watched 'The Italian Job' - an old favourite that didn't need much mental energy.
The day seems to have passed. I'm not entirely sure where. I read and wrote some email, read about half a book, did a few minor web-site changes, read a few blogs. Tim cooked some rice in the steamer and re-heated some leftover chicken tikka from the freezer. Richard didn't want anything much, but managed a bowl of mushroom soup.
So much for Saturday.
Friday, May 12, 2006
How to see a Doctor in Cyprus
Richard was no better this morning. If anything, worse. Perhaps because he ate nothing yesterday, but he could barely get out of bed. While I shan't go into detail, I was pretty sure he had some kind of bladder infection.
So we needed a doctor. I mentally ran through the number of doctors we've used here: (1) an ear/nose/throat doctor for excessive wax in Richard's ears, a couple of times (2) an orthopedic surgeon, when Dan broke his wrist over four years ago (3) an eye doctor for an eye infection Richard had about five years ago (4) a pediatrician, about six years ago when Tim had a long-lasting chest infection (5) the sister of a friend who's some kind of internal medicine specialist, who gave Dan his vaccinations at the end of last year, prior to his going on the Doulos.
Quickly rejecting the first four as unsuitable, we pondered the friend's sister. Richard wanted me to phone her but I hate phoning, and since we didn't know if this was her field at all, I decided to go and talk to her. Only problem being that I didn't know exactly where her clinic was. And he couldn't remember her name. But he told me approximately where to find it. It's only five minutes' walk from our house so I set out confidently. Most people don't bother with appointments for doctors here - they just turn up, and wait their turn.
I found the only apartment block that was in the right place, and on the outside I found several name plaques. All in Greek, of course, but although I don't understand much, I can read it - and evidently there were three or four doctors working there. One of them did have the surname of our friend before another surname, so I guessed that was the right person. However there was no indication of which floor she was on, and inside the building I could see nothing but some stairs and a lift.
I got in the lift. I mentally shrugged and hit the '2' button. I arrived on the second floor, and there were three offices. A dentist, a lawyer, and a doctor. I went into the doctor's waiting room, and there was nobody there. A disembodied voice called to me (in Greek) to enter, then when I went into the doctor's office, she instantly switched to excellent English - as generally happens in Cyprus. Most Cypriots, particularly professionals, are pretty much bilingual and often have smatterings of other languages too.
I asked if she was the kind of doctor who could deal with this sort of infection, and she said she was a GP. I explained the situation, and asked if she did house calls. She said that usually she does, but she's recovering from some surgery and can only work in her office for the present. However, she said that she could certainly prescribe antibiotics based on what I'd told her. She would, however, need a 'sample' which she would get analysed, to find out exactly what infection was present. She said we should phone on Monday afternoon to get the results. She explained that the antibiotics she was prescribing were general ones which might work, but might not; if not, then the analysis would tell her exactly which ones would be needed instead.
So I paid her £15 for the consultations, and £10 for the testing, then got the antibiotics from a nearby pharmacy (another £10.50). Later on I returned to drop in the sample; one glance told her that my 'diagnosis' was accurate.
So now we'll wait and see.
Somehow I always forget how easy it is to see a doctor here. You just choose one who specialises in the chosen field, and turn up. No need to register, or make an appointment. The fee is standard, and not high enough to be worth having full medical insurance. We do have a basic insurance which would cover hospital stays other than emergencies (which are free) but after the incident with Dan's broken arm, we decided it wasn't worth having extensive insurance. We had a policy that covered everything, with an excess of £50 per incident. Three visits, two x-rays and a plaster cast on and off cost us less than £50 at the time. So we cut down to a more basic policy, and saved several hundred pounds per year by doing so.
I don't think a house visit would have made any difference today, but it's good to know that some doctors do make them. When we get old and frail, assuming we're still here, we certainly won't want to go out to see a doctor if we feel ill.
So we needed a doctor. I mentally ran through the number of doctors we've used here: (1) an ear/nose/throat doctor for excessive wax in Richard's ears, a couple of times (2) an orthopedic surgeon, when Dan broke his wrist over four years ago (3) an eye doctor for an eye infection Richard had about five years ago (4) a pediatrician, about six years ago when Tim had a long-lasting chest infection (5) the sister of a friend who's some kind of internal medicine specialist, who gave Dan his vaccinations at the end of last year, prior to his going on the Doulos.
Quickly rejecting the first four as unsuitable, we pondered the friend's sister. Richard wanted me to phone her but I hate phoning, and since we didn't know if this was her field at all, I decided to go and talk to her. Only problem being that I didn't know exactly where her clinic was. And he couldn't remember her name. But he told me approximately where to find it. It's only five minutes' walk from our house so I set out confidently. Most people don't bother with appointments for doctors here - they just turn up, and wait their turn.
I found the only apartment block that was in the right place, and on the outside I found several name plaques. All in Greek, of course, but although I don't understand much, I can read it - and evidently there were three or four doctors working there. One of them did have the surname of our friend before another surname, so I guessed that was the right person. However there was no indication of which floor she was on, and inside the building I could see nothing but some stairs and a lift.
I got in the lift. I mentally shrugged and hit the '2' button. I arrived on the second floor, and there were three offices. A dentist, a lawyer, and a doctor. I went into the doctor's waiting room, and there was nobody there. A disembodied voice called to me (in Greek) to enter, then when I went into the doctor's office, she instantly switched to excellent English - as generally happens in Cyprus. Most Cypriots, particularly professionals, are pretty much bilingual and often have smatterings of other languages too.
I asked if she was the kind of doctor who could deal with this sort of infection, and she said she was a GP. I explained the situation, and asked if she did house calls. She said that usually she does, but she's recovering from some surgery and can only work in her office for the present. However, she said that she could certainly prescribe antibiotics based on what I'd told her. She would, however, need a 'sample' which she would get analysed, to find out exactly what infection was present. She said we should phone on Monday afternoon to get the results. She explained that the antibiotics she was prescribing were general ones which might work, but might not; if not, then the analysis would tell her exactly which ones would be needed instead.
So I paid her £15 for the consultations, and £10 for the testing, then got the antibiotics from a nearby pharmacy (another £10.50). Later on I returned to drop in the sample; one glance told her that my 'diagnosis' was accurate.
So now we'll wait and see.
Somehow I always forget how easy it is to see a doctor here. You just choose one who specialises in the chosen field, and turn up. No need to register, or make an appointment. The fee is standard, and not high enough to be worth having full medical insurance. We do have a basic insurance which would cover hospital stays other than emergencies (which are free) but after the incident with Dan's broken arm, we decided it wasn't worth having extensive insurance. We had a policy that covered everything, with an excess of £50 per incident. Three visits, two x-rays and a plaster cast on and off cost us less than £50 at the time. So we cut down to a more basic policy, and saved several hundred pounds per year by doing so.
I don't think a house visit would have made any difference today, but it's good to know that some doctors do make them. When we get old and frail, assuming we're still here, we certainly won't want to go out to see a doctor if we feel ill.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
For better or worse...
Tim feels fine today. Just as well, since he did two of his home ed coursework tests this morning, taught a guitar lesson early this afternoon, did a little computer consultancy later in the afternoon, and then had a singing lesson.
I feel fine too. A little tired, but then I was up at 5am. I haven't done a whole lot today, but don't feel achey or fluish at all any more.
That's also a good thing, since Richard appears to have caught a triple-strength virus. He could barely sleep all night, feeling alternately hot and shivery, with a bad headache and nausea. At five this morning, when I woke, he said perhaps he had a migraine. I gave him some Solpadeine which I find the most effective medication for migraine (an over-the-counter drug containing paracetamol, codeine and caffeine) and it did help. The migraine went, the aches subsided, and he slept for about four hours. He was burning hot too, so the paracetamol relieved his temperature as well.
However it's evidently more than just a migraine, as he hasn't felt at all good all day. He's slept, off and on, and although his temperature seems more normal now he says he feels really rotten, achey, exhausted and hot. Perhaps it's some stress-induced virus, since he rarely has time off unless his body forces him to, like this. He hasn't eaten all day, although he's drunk loads of juice and water, and of course I've stirred powdered Vitamin C into some of them.
It did occur to me, in passing, to wonder what we would do if he got worse and needed to see a doctor. Obviously he wasn't well enough to walk anywhere, and although we have several friends who would willingly drive him somewhere, I don't think he'd have enough strength even to get dressed and get in a car. But as far as I know, doctors don't make house calls here. I suppose I should investigate, since some of them might. But we don't have a GP - and this kind of situation has never arisen before in our household.
I feel fine too. A little tired, but then I was up at 5am. I haven't done a whole lot today, but don't feel achey or fluish at all any more.
That's also a good thing, since Richard appears to have caught a triple-strength virus. He could barely sleep all night, feeling alternately hot and shivery, with a bad headache and nausea. At five this morning, when I woke, he said perhaps he had a migraine. I gave him some Solpadeine which I find the most effective medication for migraine (an over-the-counter drug containing paracetamol, codeine and caffeine) and it did help. The migraine went, the aches subsided, and he slept for about four hours. He was burning hot too, so the paracetamol relieved his temperature as well.
However it's evidently more than just a migraine, as he hasn't felt at all good all day. He's slept, off and on, and although his temperature seems more normal now he says he feels really rotten, achey, exhausted and hot. Perhaps it's some stress-induced virus, since he rarely has time off unless his body forces him to, like this. He hasn't eaten all day, although he's drunk loads of juice and water, and of course I've stirred powdered Vitamin C into some of them.
It did occur to me, in passing, to wonder what we would do if he got worse and needed to see a doctor. Obviously he wasn't well enough to walk anywhere, and although we have several friends who would willingly drive him somewhere, I don't think he'd have enough strength even to get dressed and get in a car. But as far as I know, doctors don't make house calls here. I suppose I should investigate, since some of them might. But we don't have a GP - and this kind of situation has never arisen before in our household.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Fatigue or Flu?
All three of us are exhausted this evening.
Really odd.
Yesterday I felt very energetic; I got quite a bit done in the house, and was asleep by about 10.30pm. I had a good night's sleep, and this morning was still reasonably energetic. I made lemonade, and ran the washing machine a couple of times to wash all our winter jackets, since I'm pretty sure we won't be using them again until about November. It was warm and breezy enough that they were dry by about six o'clock this evening.
At lunch-time, Richard said he felt very tired and a bit achey. But he went back to work, and I (still feeling basically fine) went to the quarterly jumble sale at St Helena's church. I picked up four books (for a pound) but nothing else struck me. It was fairly warm walking there and back, although it's not far, and I was surprisingly tired by the time I got home. But when I sat down to read for a bit, I became more tired, not less. By the time I was starting to cook supper, my legs felt as if they had heavy weights in them. I didn't feel as if I could think straight. I made something simple and Tim helped a lot.
Richard got home from work saying he felt really rotten, took some paracetamol, and went to bed. He didn't even want to eat anything. Tim and I sat down to eat, but by then Tim was feeling really tired, too.
So now all three of us feel utterly exhausted. As if we had the flu, but without any regular flu symptoms - no colds, no coughs, no sore throats.
We've had this kind of thing happen before, though not usually to the whole family at the same time. We even dubbed it 'Cyprus flu' since it's so like regular flu in some respects.
But how could we all have caught the same virus at the same time? And who from?
So maybe it's just fatigue, brought on by the continued stress of not knowing what's happening about our house sale in the UK, or when we're going to move.
But then - why would we all suddenly succumb on the same day? That doesn't make sense either.
Ah well. We'll take vitamin C and hope we feel better tomorrow.
(... and I'm so tired and brain-foggy I even managed to publish this in my books blog rather than here, so I had to move it!)
Really odd.
Yesterday I felt very energetic; I got quite a bit done in the house, and was asleep by about 10.30pm. I had a good night's sleep, and this morning was still reasonably energetic. I made lemonade, and ran the washing machine a couple of times to wash all our winter jackets, since I'm pretty sure we won't be using them again until about November. It was warm and breezy enough that they were dry by about six o'clock this evening.
At lunch-time, Richard said he felt very tired and a bit achey. But he went back to work, and I (still feeling basically fine) went to the quarterly jumble sale at St Helena's church. I picked up four books (for a pound) but nothing else struck me. It was fairly warm walking there and back, although it's not far, and I was surprisingly tired by the time I got home. But when I sat down to read for a bit, I became more tired, not less. By the time I was starting to cook supper, my legs felt as if they had heavy weights in them. I didn't feel as if I could think straight. I made something simple and Tim helped a lot.
Richard got home from work saying he felt really rotten, took some paracetamol, and went to bed. He didn't even want to eat anything. Tim and I sat down to eat, but by then Tim was feeling really tired, too.
So now all three of us feel utterly exhausted. As if we had the flu, but without any regular flu symptoms - no colds, no coughs, no sore throats.
We've had this kind of thing happen before, though not usually to the whole family at the same time. We even dubbed it 'Cyprus flu' since it's so like regular flu in some respects.
But how could we all have caught the same virus at the same time? And who from?
So maybe it's just fatigue, brought on by the continued stress of not knowing what's happening about our house sale in the UK, or when we're going to move.
But then - why would we all suddenly succumb on the same day? That doesn't make sense either.
Ah well. We'll take vitamin C and hope we feel better tomorrow.
(... and I'm so tired and brain-foggy I even managed to publish this in my books blog rather than here, so I had to move it!)
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Ship's cat?
Apparently it was about 15 miles that Richard sailed yesterday. Six was the number of miles by road to fetch the boat from Dhekelia, but they had sailed quite a bit further before the problem occurred. Indeed, he said it was probably more than 15 since he wasn't keeping a straight path!
The boat is now in our driveway, as I discovered when I looked out of the window this morning, not at the sailing club at all. The centreboard isn't something that can easily be removed, and it was the casing that actually broke. He's now glued it in place and done a bit more work on the boat too.
Naturally the cats were interested, particularly Sophia. She always likes to be right in the middle of any action.
Cleo, however, most introverted and nervous of our cats, decided that the back of the car was a more peaceful place to sleep. Until we disturbed her by taking photos!
The boat is now in our driveway, as I discovered when I looked out of the window this morning, not at the sailing club at all. The centreboard isn't something that can easily be removed, and it was the casing that actually broke. He's now glued it in place and done a bit more work on the boat too.
Naturally the cats were interested, particularly Sophia. She always likes to be right in the middle of any action.
Cleo, however, most introverted and nervous of our cats, decided that the back of the car was a more peaceful place to sleep. Until we disturbed her by taking photos!
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Of Sites and Ships and Theory Exams...
Richard went sailing today. Our friends (two adults, one 11-year-old child) took their lazer dinghy and he took his little mirror, sailing alone since it was a very calm morning. They took picnic lunches, and sailed about six miles, along the coast a little beyond Dhekelia.
Unfortunately, Richard hit a sandbank when going in to land at Dhekelia for lunch. Well, he didn't hit it himself, but the centreboard (whatever that might be!) was damaged, and water started coming in... and they were six miles from the Larnaka sailing club, where the dinghies live.
So they hauled it onto the beach, then Richard got in the lazer with our friends. He said perhaps it was a good thing he wasn't sailing his boat, because by then the weather had turned very windy, and the sea had become choppy, and it was much harder work sailing back. On his own, it would have been no fun at all. As it was, they all got soaked.
When they got back, they drove to Dhekelia with our friends' road trailer, so they could bring the mirror dinghy back to the sailing club. And he's brought the centreboard home to mend it, which is apparently not a difficult task.
Since I'm really not a sailor - I simply don't understand the ropes and other technicalities - I'm very glad I didn't go too!
Tim, meanwhile, took his Grade 5 Music Theory exam this morning. He plays the piano at a rather higher level than Grade 5, but nobody's allowed to take exams at higher levels than Grade 5 without first passing that theory exam. He's never been a huge fan of detailed music theory, particularly since in exams it involves a lot of writing. He has no trouble with the concepts, but in ordinary life he does any transposing or composing on the computer. Tidier, quicker, and much easier to correct mistakes. No doubt one day all exams will be done on computers, but that day hasn't yet come.
In the past ten days he's had extra theory lessons, and has done five past papers in full. He did get better marks on the later ones, so evidently learned some useful music theory exam technique. He's reasonably confident that he's passed, and that's all that really matters. His teacher thinks he should get at least a 'merit' (which I think is 80%) - but we won't know for a few weeks.
And me?
I did think about mowing the 'lawn'. But our lawnmower, despite lashings of WD40, and extensive cleaning, still doesn't want to co-operate. I think I may just give up. With the dry April we've had, the 'grass' is turning yellow and not growing much. The weeds at the far end can't be tamed. And we're still hoping to move in about a month. The house we're renting will be knocked down so flats can be built instead, and the entire garden will probably be sprayed with weedkiller. Ugh. Knowing this, I don't have a whole lot of motivation to keep the garden looking nice.
So I worked a bit more on my new home-ed site. Slowly, I'm directing traffic there from my old Geocities site. I do like Geocities - it was a great place to become familiar with web-site dynamics. It's easy to upload files, and there are lots of tools and options for different types of people. But I do think it's better having a proper domain and am enjoying fine-tuning the site, and writing a new page every so often.
I was a little surprised to find that Geocities was still working, since yahoogroups, which is related to it, appears to be broken. Since yesterday. The site is still there, and old messages can be read - but new ones are vanishing into the ether. There was a tiny trickle of 'test' messages on one or two of the forums I read this morning, but nothing else. No more yahoogroups mail all day. Usually I get at least 30 messages (I cut down significantly a month or two back) - and they're not even on the site. Nor is there any kind of news update page, unless I'm missing something. No clue what the problem might be.
I hope they fix it soon.
Unfortunately, Richard hit a sandbank when going in to land at Dhekelia for lunch. Well, he didn't hit it himself, but the centreboard (whatever that might be!) was damaged, and water started coming in... and they were six miles from the Larnaka sailing club, where the dinghies live.
So they hauled it onto the beach, then Richard got in the lazer with our friends. He said perhaps it was a good thing he wasn't sailing his boat, because by then the weather had turned very windy, and the sea had become choppy, and it was much harder work sailing back. On his own, it would have been no fun at all. As it was, they all got soaked.
When they got back, they drove to Dhekelia with our friends' road trailer, so they could bring the mirror dinghy back to the sailing club. And he's brought the centreboard home to mend it, which is apparently not a difficult task.
Since I'm really not a sailor - I simply don't understand the ropes and other technicalities - I'm very glad I didn't go too!
Tim, meanwhile, took his Grade 5 Music Theory exam this morning. He plays the piano at a rather higher level than Grade 5, but nobody's allowed to take exams at higher levels than Grade 5 without first passing that theory exam. He's never been a huge fan of detailed music theory, particularly since in exams it involves a lot of writing. He has no trouble with the concepts, but in ordinary life he does any transposing or composing on the computer. Tidier, quicker, and much easier to correct mistakes. No doubt one day all exams will be done on computers, but that day hasn't yet come.
In the past ten days he's had extra theory lessons, and has done five past papers in full. He did get better marks on the later ones, so evidently learned some useful music theory exam technique. He's reasonably confident that he's passed, and that's all that really matters. His teacher thinks he should get at least a 'merit' (which I think is 80%) - but we won't know for a few weeks.
And me?
I did think about mowing the 'lawn'. But our lawnmower, despite lashings of WD40, and extensive cleaning, still doesn't want to co-operate. I think I may just give up. With the dry April we've had, the 'grass' is turning yellow and not growing much. The weeds at the far end can't be tamed. And we're still hoping to move in about a month. The house we're renting will be knocked down so flats can be built instead, and the entire garden will probably be sprayed with weedkiller. Ugh. Knowing this, I don't have a whole lot of motivation to keep the garden looking nice.
So I worked a bit more on my new home-ed site. Slowly, I'm directing traffic there from my old Geocities site. I do like Geocities - it was a great place to become familiar with web-site dynamics. It's easy to upload files, and there are lots of tools and options for different types of people. But I do think it's better having a proper domain and am enjoying fine-tuning the site, and writing a new page every so often.
I was a little surprised to find that Geocities was still working, since yahoogroups, which is related to it, appears to be broken. Since yesterday. The site is still there, and old messages can be read - but new ones are vanishing into the ether. There was a tiny trickle of 'test' messages on one or two of the forums I read this morning, but nothing else. No more yahoogroups mail all day. Usually I get at least 30 messages (I cut down significantly a month or two back) - and they're not even on the site. Nor is there any kind of news update page, unless I'm missing something. No clue what the problem might be.
I hope they fix it soon.
Weather in Cyprus
Every so often I have a look at the searches people use which find this blog. One of the most popular is 'weather in Cyprus' or some variation thereof. So, for anyone who wishes to know and who finds this post at some time in the future, here are two sites which will tell you not just today's weather, but a forecast of the next ten days or so.
Weather Underground or Weather.com
The latter is only for Larnaka, but you can search for other cities. Not that there's a huge variation, since it's not a big island.
Today, should anyone be interested, it was fairly sunny this morning, then it clouded over and became very grey. We even had some rain in the early evening, though not a significant amount. Very good for the garden - I was just thinking I would have to start watering soon, but I think I can wait another week or two. Particularly since more rain is forecast for the next couple of days. The temperature about this time of year is perfect from my perspective: about 20-22C during the daytime, but still cool enough at night to need a thin duvet. I put on a tee-shirt and jeans when I get up, and often have to put on a sweatshirt or fleece after lunch when it begins to get windy.
UK tour operators quote the fact that Cyprus has sunshine for 320 days in the year. I expect that's true, , and it does sound like a good proprtion. But think about it.. that means that there's typically 45 days each year when it's NOT sunny.
From the start of June until the end of September, there's just about guaranteed sunshine all day every day. Combined, in July and August, with heat and humidity.
In May there often seem to be two or three days of rain; this time last year we had a major thunderstorm and torrential rain right at the end of May, so that may still come this year. April is similar, although this year it was very dry. As is October. Perhaps 5 days of rain in all during those months, in a typical year.
So there are about 40 days of rain which occur during the period from November to March. An average of eight per month. And sometimes it rains for several days in a row. So people who come from the UK during the February half-term break are often in for a nasty surprise - it's not only distinctly chilly (February is probably the coldest month here) but it can rain. Constantly. What's more, it's entirely possible to get rain during the October/November half-term break, and even during the Easter holidays. So if you're coming for a week other than in June-September, be prepared for some days when you might not want to go on the beach...
Weather Underground or Weather.com
The latter is only for Larnaka, but you can search for other cities. Not that there's a huge variation, since it's not a big island.
Today, should anyone be interested, it was fairly sunny this morning, then it clouded over and became very grey. We even had some rain in the early evening, though not a significant amount. Very good for the garden - I was just thinking I would have to start watering soon, but I think I can wait another week or two. Particularly since more rain is forecast for the next couple of days. The temperature about this time of year is perfect from my perspective: about 20-22C during the daytime, but still cool enough at night to need a thin duvet. I put on a tee-shirt and jeans when I get up, and often have to put on a sweatshirt or fleece after lunch when it begins to get windy.
UK tour operators quote the fact that Cyprus has sunshine for 320 days in the year. I expect that's true, , and it does sound like a good proprtion. But think about it.. that means that there's typically 45 days each year when it's NOT sunny.
From the start of June until the end of September, there's just about guaranteed sunshine all day every day. Combined, in July and August, with heat and humidity.
In May there often seem to be two or three days of rain; this time last year we had a major thunderstorm and torrential rain right at the end of May, so that may still come this year. April is similar, although this year it was very dry. As is October. Perhaps 5 days of rain in all during those months, in a typical year.
So there are about 40 days of rain which occur during the period from November to March. An average of eight per month. And sometimes it rains for several days in a row. So people who come from the UK during the February half-term break are often in for a nasty surprise - it's not only distinctly chilly (February is probably the coldest month here) but it can rain. Constantly. What's more, it's entirely possible to get rain during the October/November half-term break, and even during the Easter holidays. So if you're coming for a week other than in June-September, be prepared for some days when you might not want to go on the beach...
Thursday, May 04, 2006
A mosquito woke me about 4am this morning. I didn't feel it biting, but the buzz around my face made me feel as if my teeth were vibrating as I woke.
I tried to slap it in the dark but evidently missed. Or else there were more than one. For the next hour and a half I lay there, randomly slapping the air - and sometimes myself, inadvertently - while a mosquito dive-bombed me. Yes, I should have got up and put on the electric smelly zapper thing, but somehow at that hour of the morning I couldn't quite remember what to do, or summon up the energy to do it.
I finally got up about 5.30, as I knew I wasn't going to sleep. I actually felt reasonably energetic by the time I'd had my coffee and read etc for a couple of hours. I made some more strawberry jam this morning, as strawberries are fairly cheap at present, and also some mespila (loquat) jam, since they're right in season now and we can't eat them all raw, even though I've given away quite a few.
I did a load of laundry for someone staying at Richard's office, stripped the beds and washed sheets and towels - still hanging out now - and chatted with Dan on IM for a bit.
At lunchtime Richard updated me with the latest on our house in the UK. It still isn't sold. It sounds as if there is now some doubt about whether the mortgage really has been approved. A broker had said it definitely was, but there's no paperwork from the building society. So now the buyer's solicitor has sent some extremely complex (and unecessary) documents to the building society, asking for their consent to the mortgage in writing. The guarantor is worried that they will decide it's too much hassle, and pull out.
So it's potentially a big problem, but we're still hoping and praying that things will work out. Soon.
At 7pm, just as we were about to start eating our evening meal, the tiredness hit me. Pow! Right out of the blue. But I don't really want to go to bed before at least 9am, or I'll wake at four again, and the cycle will continue.
I tried to slap it in the dark but evidently missed. Or else there were more than one. For the next hour and a half I lay there, randomly slapping the air - and sometimes myself, inadvertently - while a mosquito dive-bombed me. Yes, I should have got up and put on the electric smelly zapper thing, but somehow at that hour of the morning I couldn't quite remember what to do, or summon up the energy to do it.
I finally got up about 5.30, as I knew I wasn't going to sleep. I actually felt reasonably energetic by the time I'd had my coffee and read etc for a couple of hours. I made some more strawberry jam this morning, as strawberries are fairly cheap at present, and also some mespila (loquat) jam, since they're right in season now and we can't eat them all raw, even though I've given away quite a few.
I did a load of laundry for someone staying at Richard's office, stripped the beds and washed sheets and towels - still hanging out now - and chatted with Dan on IM for a bit.
At lunchtime Richard updated me with the latest on our house in the UK. It still isn't sold. It sounds as if there is now some doubt about whether the mortgage really has been approved. A broker had said it definitely was, but there's no paperwork from the building society. So now the buyer's solicitor has sent some extremely complex (and unecessary) documents to the building society, asking for their consent to the mortgage in writing. The guarantor is worried that they will decide it's too much hassle, and pull out.
So it's potentially a big problem, but we're still hoping and praying that things will work out. Soon.
At 7pm, just as we were about to start eating our evening meal, the tiredness hit me. Pow! Right out of the blue. But I don't really want to go to bed before at least 9am, or I'll wake at four again, and the cycle will continue.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Books and TV
On my birthday - it seems so long ago now! - I decided to order some second-hand books. I have quite a long wishlist at Amazon UK, of which several of the items are out of print so not easily available. Cyprus isn't one of the countries included in the Amazon payment scheme that's necessary when ordering from the marketplace, and even if it was the postage charges are pretty high to Europe. I tend to order from Play.com if I can, since it has free postage anywhere in Europe (including Cyprus) but their selection is not quite as good as Amazon's, and they don't have a second-hand selection.
So I started browsing that wonderful collection of second-hand bookshops, Abebooks UK. I was pleased to find some of the books I wanted at only about 60p... until I discovered that the postage to Cyprus would be £3.50 or more, and not much less per book if I ordered more than one item from the same seller. Now, perhaps I'm strange but while I don't mind paying a reasonable amount for a book, I really begrudge paying vast postage amounts. Particularly when it's way higher than the actual cost would be.
But then, suddenly, I spotted a seller called 'Allbooks.tv' who was offering free worldwide postage!! Oh joy!
Of course, their actual book prices were significantly higher than some of the others. And I didn't find their browsing catalogue very helpful, and when I looked at their main site, they weren't offering free postage as standard at all - that wsa only through Abebooks.
But, when I started searching by author and title, I discovered that this store had ten books I particularly wanted, five of which were out of print. All claimed to be in good condition, and none cost more than £3.50. So I put in the order. I had been given birthday money by three people, and always have a hard time finding things to spend it on. I love books, particularly second-hand, so this seemed like a good use of some of it.
This morning I went to the Post Office, clutching a slip of paper that was in our box a week ago saying that there was a parcel too big for the box. I hadn't expected the books so quickly - but that's what the parcel turned out to be. Well-wrapped, and all in excellent condition. Some of them look almost new.
I shall be using this service again!
Oh, and I nearly forgot. The 'TV' in the title wasn't just because the free shipping was offered by a seller called allbooks.tv.
Richard has borrowed some DVDs of the American political humorous soap 'West Wing' from some friends, and likes watching a couple of episodes with Tim every so often. After lunch on Sunday, he went to make coffee and Tim turned on the television.
It went, in Tim's words, 'FLUP!' - and died.
RIP TV.
It's had a good life - I'm not sure where it originally came from, but it spent some years with my parents in Saudi Arabia, about 20 years ago. It returned to the UK, and we were given it when we moved to Cyprus since it has multi-standards, something which was relatively unusual even nine years ago. It's done us well.
I'd forgotten because I don't watch TV as such, anyway. I had a couple of new DVDs for my birthday, and was hoping to see them in the next few weeks, but I guess not....
As Richard says, it's one less thing to move. And he's been hankering after a flat screen TV for a while now, pleased to note that the prices are dropping all the time. So maybe, once we finally do move to our own house, we'll consider getting one.
So I started browsing that wonderful collection of second-hand bookshops, Abebooks UK. I was pleased to find some of the books I wanted at only about 60p... until I discovered that the postage to Cyprus would be £3.50 or more, and not much less per book if I ordered more than one item from the same seller. Now, perhaps I'm strange but while I don't mind paying a reasonable amount for a book, I really begrudge paying vast postage amounts. Particularly when it's way higher than the actual cost would be.
But then, suddenly, I spotted a seller called 'Allbooks.tv' who was offering free worldwide postage!! Oh joy!
Of course, their actual book prices were significantly higher than some of the others. And I didn't find their browsing catalogue very helpful, and when I looked at their main site, they weren't offering free postage as standard at all - that wsa only through Abebooks.
But, when I started searching by author and title, I discovered that this store had ten books I particularly wanted, five of which were out of print. All claimed to be in good condition, and none cost more than £3.50. So I put in the order. I had been given birthday money by three people, and always have a hard time finding things to spend it on. I love books, particularly second-hand, so this seemed like a good use of some of it.
This morning I went to the Post Office, clutching a slip of paper that was in our box a week ago saying that there was a parcel too big for the box. I hadn't expected the books so quickly - but that's what the parcel turned out to be. Well-wrapped, and all in excellent condition. Some of them look almost new.
I shall be using this service again!
Oh, and I nearly forgot. The 'TV' in the title wasn't just because the free shipping was offered by a seller called allbooks.tv.
Richard has borrowed some DVDs of the American political humorous soap 'West Wing' from some friends, and likes watching a couple of episodes with Tim every so often. After lunch on Sunday, he went to make coffee and Tim turned on the television.
It went, in Tim's words, 'FLUP!' - and died.
RIP TV.
It's had a good life - I'm not sure where it originally came from, but it spent some years with my parents in Saudi Arabia, about 20 years ago. It returned to the UK, and we were given it when we moved to Cyprus since it has multi-standards, something which was relatively unusual even nine years ago. It's done us well.
I'd forgotten because I don't watch TV as such, anyway. I had a couple of new DVDs for my birthday, and was hoping to see them in the next few weeks, but I guess not....
As Richard says, it's one less thing to move. And he's been hankering after a flat screen TV for a while now, pleased to note that the prices are dropping all the time. So maybe, once we finally do move to our own house, we'll consider getting one.
Monday, May 01, 2006
May Day
It only happens once a year. The sound of drums played approximately (but not quite) in time, and some rather painful sounds that resemble trumpets - but not closely. For about an hour, off and on. With people parading up and down a street that runs perpendicular to ours, because the Communist Party Headquarters is not far away. It's a terrible din, and poor Cleo (most nervous of our cats) tries to hide, but the rest of us cope. I'm not quite sure what they're trying to prove, but it's all fairly friendly and civilised.
Does Richard take a day off, since it's a public holiday?
No. This morning he had a meeting at 9am, and this afternoon he's trying to sort out a major hardware problem. Typical, as he said at lunch-time, that a fairly new hard drive would fail when all the shops are closed so he can't take it back for a replacement.
He didn't really relax yesterday, either. He spent a lot of time copying my home education web-site to its new destination on one of his servers. Geocities has been a good home for it, and a great introduction to building a web-site. I only ever used their free option, which gave me more than enough space, and very easy ways of uploading files. But, as Leonid pointed out to me, a free web-site like that is probably making money from the adverts they use, and it would be more sensible to have an independent site where I could place Adsense adverts instead.
So after much discussion we registered a domain (home-ed.info) and Richard copied the entire site to his server yesterday morning. He worked out an easy way for me to adapt it to include Adsense (and thus make the site easier to read, since some of the pages had text that was rather too broad for anyone with a high resolution screen) and set me up with statistics and other features, even including a file manager that's very similar to that of Geocities.
I then spent most of the afternoon adjusting and uploading the pages to include Adsense and to leave out the Geocities counter code. And some of this morning editing some of the Geocities site pages to send them to the new site - which I hope will happen seamlessly, since the sites are almost identical. I'll leave the Geocities site, at least for now, since it does get quite a few hits via search engines, and see what happens. But I'll only be making updates to the new site in future.
Does Richard take a day off, since it's a public holiday?
No. This morning he had a meeting at 9am, and this afternoon he's trying to sort out a major hardware problem. Typical, as he said at lunch-time, that a fairly new hard drive would fail when all the shops are closed so he can't take it back for a replacement.
He didn't really relax yesterday, either. He spent a lot of time copying my home education web-site to its new destination on one of his servers. Geocities has been a good home for it, and a great introduction to building a web-site. I only ever used their free option, which gave me more than enough space, and very easy ways of uploading files. But, as Leonid pointed out to me, a free web-site like that is probably making money from the adverts they use, and it would be more sensible to have an independent site where I could place Adsense adverts instead.
So after much discussion we registered a domain (home-ed.info) and Richard copied the entire site to his server yesterday morning. He worked out an easy way for me to adapt it to include Adsense (and thus make the site easier to read, since some of the pages had text that was rather too broad for anyone with a high resolution screen) and set me up with statistics and other features, even including a file manager that's very similar to that of Geocities.
I then spent most of the afternoon adjusting and uploading the pages to include Adsense and to leave out the Geocities counter code. And some of this morning editing some of the Geocities site pages to send them to the new site - which I hope will happen seamlessly, since the sites are almost identical. I'll leave the Geocities site, at least for now, since it does get quite a few hits via search engines, and see what happens. But I'll only be making updates to the new site in future.
Online catting?
I was 'chatting' to Daniel via Instant Messenger when Sophia decided to get in on the act. Daniel is, after all, her special person.
Did she really know I was chatting to him, or did she - as some cynic might suggest - simply trying to get my attention by walking on top of the thing that was clearly interesting me at the time?
I veer towards the former hypothesis, if only because it's the one and only time she's actually taken the time to walk on the keyboard and pause there, ensuring a lengthy string of characters on screen which - of course - I sent on to Daniel, with her love.
Did she really know I was chatting to him, or did she - as some cynic might suggest - simply trying to get my attention by walking on top of the thing that was clearly interesting me at the time?
I veer towards the former hypothesis, if only because it's the one and only time she's actually taken the time to walk on the keyboard and pause there, ensuring a lengthy string of characters on screen which - of course - I sent on to Daniel, with her love.
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