I just checked my camera. I haven't taken a single photograph since last Monday. The rain has cooled Cyprus - or our part of it - rather significantly, so we're using the heating a bit more than we were, and I regularly wear a fleece in the house as well as a sweater. It's not actually bitterly cold outside - the weather site tells me it's about 16C at present, but with the sky overcast it isn't exactly warm. Cyprus houses are not, generally, designed with winter in mind. It makes sense: one can always put on more layers in winter, but there's a limit to how much can be removed in the hot, humid summers.
The last week passed as most weeks do when we don't have guests or public holidays. At least, it started out that way. On Wednesday I felt quite tired and achey, for no obvious reason. I did my usual upstairs cleaning, washing sheets and towels, and generally organising the house as I do on Wednesdays, but it all seemed like a whole lot more effort than usual. I had to take regular breaks, and it was late afternoon by the time I'd finished. In the evening we went to play Settlers of Catan with our good friends who live nearby; we enjoyed their company and the game, but I was very, very tired by the end. And my throat was somewhat sore.
On Thursday I felt decidedly unwell. Wondering if I'd be worse by Friday, I did get various things done in the kitchen, about which I had been procrastinating. I froze another litre of lemon juice with some peel, for a future batch of lemonade; I also froze some apple slices in syrup, and made more applesauce, as I'd bought a euro bag of apples (about 3kg in all) earlier in the week, and didn't think they'd keep many days longer. I sorted out the fridge, too. But by lunch-time I was feeling shivery and extremely achey, and by mid-afternoon had a headache as well, and no energy at all. I assumed that after a month of fighting it off, I had finally caught the bug Richard had over Christmas.
As an aside: I've never much liked the idea of living each day as if it might be my last. If I knew for sure that I wasn't going to see tomorrow, I wouldn't spend today cleaning, or doing laundry - what would be the point? - or cooking. I'd want to spend most of my time with the people I care about the most, trying to appreciate every second. Possibly I'd also an hour or so curled up on my beanbag, eating chocolate (no point worrying about one's waistline in such circumstances), and finishing as many books as possible.
In other words, I'd get nothing constructive done at all.
However, it did strike me as that it might be quite a good idea to live each day as if I were going to be incapacitated by the flu for the next week...!
I did manage to organise our evening meal, including half a dozen cloves of roasted garlic each, and I must have had 3g or more of Vitamin C on Thursday, plus a couple of doses of echinacea. Richard made me some honey and lemon in the evening, which was very soothing, and I went to bed early with Olbas Oil on my pillow, and slept surprisingly well. So much so that I actually felt rather better on Friday. But, remembering how Richard's bad cold lasted far longer than it should have done, I determined to take it easy rather than doing the various housework I normally do on a Friday. So much for good intentions...
Thus I wrote a bit of email, and read some friends' blogs, and vegged out on Facebook. In the evening we went to the usual cell group meeting, which was good, although I was extremely tired by the end, and once again slept surprisingly well.
On Saturday, Richard went sailing, and I took it easy again. Some Facebook games can be very addictive. I have been regularly reassured by Philip Yancey's comment, "They also serve who only sit and click"... but he was referring to research and writing on the computer. I can extend the principle to blogging, website building, email, and doing the accounts on the computer. But I'm not serving anyone other than myself by clicking to harvest Farmville trees, or collect Cityville rent, or re-stock Ravenwood Fair games...
By the evening I'd had enough. No more computer games, I decided... except possibly on free evenings, or at weekends. A timely post by a friend in Paphos about her 'media fast' inspired me to switch the computer off, and think about having a day each week - Sunday, perhaps? - without turning it on.
Richard and I played a couple of board games on Saturday evening, although I found myself starting to cough rather badly, which was exhausting. Honey and lemon helped, and also some cough lozenges I bought recently, although they contain anise (which tastes like liquorice - ugh) so I won't be using those much.
On Sunday I went to a church service in the morning and sat with friends, taking my small friend Helen out to the crêche when she became too lively. I walked there and back, and popped to the PO box for mail too since I was nearby. I really felt much better. Then as well as lunch for Richard and myself, I made soup and bread and a dessert for the evening, and then played Seafarers of Catan with the same friends in the afternoon, and another couple. Later, we all shared a cold evening meal. I didn't switch the computer on at all until 8.00pm when they'd all gone home - and then only for forty-five minutes, since we played a game of Settlers-by-Skype with Tim after that.
Today I feel mostly like myself again, other than having lost my voice almost entirely. And I'm still coughing. But not as badly as Richard did a month ago, so perhaps it was good to take it easy for a few days. I am trying to remind myself that I like cold weather MUCH more than the hot weather of summer, but somehow it's hard to imagine July and August when sitting here in several layers feeling a bit chilly...
Monday, January 24, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Ups and downs in Cyprus..
I don't really know what happened to last week. It was quite a shock to discover, on Saturday, that I hadn't taken a single photograph since Epiphany, nine days earlier. I suppose life was back to normal after the Christmas break, with the addition of a new colleague for Richard staying with his family in our guest flat.. but evidently nothing worthy of recording with my camera.
So on Saturday morning when we went out for a walk with the new colleague and his toddler daughter, and I enjoyed the blue skies, and warmth (for January), I did manage to remember one picture of the Salt Lake, taken from the park area:
I reflected on how pleasant it is to live in Cyprus at this time of year, free from snow and bitter temperatures. It's cool enough to need a duvet at night, and a bit of heating evening and morning, but warm enough that in a sweater and fleece, I felt almost too hot by the end of the walk.
In the evening, Tim suggested another game of Settlers-by-Skype. And even though Richard was rather tired - he had gone back to the office Friday night after the house group meeting, and did not get home until nearly 6.00am!! And then got up four hours later - it seemed like a good idea:
Tim totally creamed us both. For those who know about Settlers of Catan, this was the final board:
Tim played white, and won with 12 points. I had six on the board. Richard had five on the board, and a victory point card. So Tim's score alone was the same as ours added together... a resounding victory.
Late Sunday morning, as with the previous Sunday, I joined my friend Sheila and her three youngest at one of the local parks. Katie (five-and-a-half) is very good with Elisabeth (seven months):
Here they are on video a few minutes later, when Elisabeth was more safely anchored in the swing by her sling:
And here's my youngest-best-friend Helen, who was two in September, also enjoying the swing:
A while later, Sheila handed Elisabeth to me, so that she could climb a tree. I think she hoped I wouldn't be able to get my camera out while holding a wriggling baby, but I did:
Katie and Helen, on a nearby roundabout, were rather worried about this turn of events. And when Sheila reached the top, Katie explained how she could get down again...
... then went a little way up herself. Evidently a tree-hugger:
Little did I know that the spell of pleasant weather would come to a close. It must have rained for most of the night, and most of today too:
I did manage to walk down to the PO Box in a dryer patch this morning, where I found:
- six Christmas cards, some of which had taken a month get here
- the cover for my Kindle, ordered from Ebay on Christmas Day. So that took three weeks to get to Cyprus.
- my Holland and Barrett order, very well packed, all in excellent condition. That only took a couple of weeks to arrive.
There were also a pile of bills, and our Barclaycard statements for December. I can see why today - particularly given the grey skies, chilliness and almost continual rain leading to more leaks over our stairs - is considered 'Blue Monday'. Still, if today is the most depressing day of the year, the next few days should get better...
Disclaimer: I am well aware that compared to the vast majority of people in the world, I am very well off. A slight leak in the roof is nothing, compared to serious flooding in parts of Australia and elsewhere. Grey skies and rain are decidedly preferable to snow, and we desperately need rain in Cyprus. Even bills aren't too bad when we're able to pay them... and yes, I am thankful for my family, for good friends, for living in Cyprus, and - today in particular - for knowing that six more people thought of us around Christmas time, not to mention the safe arrival of my ordered goods.
But I reserve the right to use a bit of hyperbole...
So on Saturday morning when we went out for a walk with the new colleague and his toddler daughter, and I enjoyed the blue skies, and warmth (for January), I did manage to remember one picture of the Salt Lake, taken from the park area:
I reflected on how pleasant it is to live in Cyprus at this time of year, free from snow and bitter temperatures. It's cool enough to need a duvet at night, and a bit of heating evening and morning, but warm enough that in a sweater and fleece, I felt almost too hot by the end of the walk.
In the evening, Tim suggested another game of Settlers-by-Skype. And even though Richard was rather tired - he had gone back to the office Friday night after the house group meeting, and did not get home until nearly 6.00am!! And then got up four hours later - it seemed like a good idea:
Tim totally creamed us both. For those who know about Settlers of Catan, this was the final board:
Tim played white, and won with 12 points. I had six on the board. Richard had five on the board, and a victory point card. So Tim's score alone was the same as ours added together... a resounding victory.
Late Sunday morning, as with the previous Sunday, I joined my friend Sheila and her three youngest at one of the local parks. Katie (five-and-a-half) is very good with Elisabeth (seven months):
Here they are on video a few minutes later, when Elisabeth was more safely anchored in the swing by her sling:
And here's my youngest-best-friend Helen, who was two in September, also enjoying the swing:
A while later, Sheila handed Elisabeth to me, so that she could climb a tree. I think she hoped I wouldn't be able to get my camera out while holding a wriggling baby, but I did:
Katie and Helen, on a nearby roundabout, were rather worried about this turn of events. And when Sheila reached the top, Katie explained how she could get down again...
... then went a little way up herself. Evidently a tree-hugger:
Little did I know that the spell of pleasant weather would come to a close. It must have rained for most of the night, and most of today too:
I did manage to walk down to the PO Box in a dryer patch this morning, where I found:
- six Christmas cards, some of which had taken a month get here
- the cover for my Kindle, ordered from Ebay on Christmas Day. So that took three weeks to get to Cyprus.
- my Holland and Barrett order, very well packed, all in excellent condition. That only took a couple of weeks to arrive.
There were also a pile of bills, and our Barclaycard statements for December. I can see why today - particularly given the grey skies, chilliness and almost continual rain leading to more leaks over our stairs - is considered 'Blue Monday'. Still, if today is the most depressing day of the year, the next few days should get better...
Disclaimer: I am well aware that compared to the vast majority of people in the world, I am very well off. A slight leak in the roof is nothing, compared to serious flooding in parts of Australia and elsewhere. Grey skies and rain are decidedly preferable to snow, and we desperately need rain in Cyprus. Even bills aren't too bad when we're able to pay them... and yes, I am thankful for my family, for good friends, for living in Cyprus, and - today in particular - for knowing that six more people thought of us around Christmas time, not to mention the safe arrival of my ordered goods.
But I reserve the right to use a bit of hyperbole...
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Epiphany in Cyprus
Epiphany is quite a big deal in Cyprus. The population is mainly Greek Orthodox, but they don't celebrate Christmas today (unlike the Coptic Orthodox). However, it's yet another public holiday. Schools don't start again until next Monday, and most businesses and shops were closed today, other than the tourist ones.
A big tradition in Larnaka is that a large cross is thrown into the sea during the morning, and then several young men dive to try and retrieve it. In a slightly odd mixture of religious fervour and superstition, it's done after a ceremony by priests, and whoever finds it is supposed to have good luck for the rest of the year. We went to watch this ceremony once, many years ago, but it wasn't interesting enough to go again. At least it was warm today, and the sea isn't as chilly as it can sometimes be at this time of year.
Anyway, as it was a day off work, Richard and his sailing friend Tim decided that it would be a good day for their respective families to have a picnic on King Malu, recently returned to the water after her short dry-dock period. I had not been on her in the water at all, but, I was assured, the gangplank was complete, and the boat - despite an outboard at the back - able to be reversed into the berth so long as there wasn't too much wind.
They had thought about going out for a gentle sail today, but there wasn't any wind at all expected. So they went down at 8.30, hoping to get there before the traffic around the sea-front became impossible (due to the Epiphany ceremony), to turn the boat around to make it easier to get on and off.
Late morning, Tim's daughters arrived to collect me, and while it might have been quicker to walk, given the amount of traffic around the Larnaka marina, we reached King Malu eventually. She was, indeed, reversed into place:
And while the gangplank was a little scary, I made it to the boat. Here's the evidence - all four of us who were persuaded to join the guys:
Unfortunately the very slight motion of the boat from side to side was actually more disturbing to my insides than I've ever before noticed on any kind of boat. However, we were given halloumi and tomato rolls (very good they were too) and I felt better for eating.
Here's Richard's description of the morning, including details about manoevering King Malu around to make this possible.
We only stayed a little over an hour. Rather dark grey clouds were coming in overhead, and we didn't want to be caught in more rain.
We had to drive back along the sea-front... and to my surprise (having not ventured into town on Epiphany for some years) there were stalls and booths up right along. I suppose it's another chance to make money, catching tourists who aren't used to euros, and will happily buy junk while on holiday:
A big tradition in Larnaka is that a large cross is thrown into the sea during the morning, and then several young men dive to try and retrieve it. In a slightly odd mixture of religious fervour and superstition, it's done after a ceremony by priests, and whoever finds it is supposed to have good luck for the rest of the year. We went to watch this ceremony once, many years ago, but it wasn't interesting enough to go again. At least it was warm today, and the sea isn't as chilly as it can sometimes be at this time of year.
Anyway, as it was a day off work, Richard and his sailing friend Tim decided that it would be a good day for their respective families to have a picnic on King Malu, recently returned to the water after her short dry-dock period. I had not been on her in the water at all, but, I was assured, the gangplank was complete, and the boat - despite an outboard at the back - able to be reversed into the berth so long as there wasn't too much wind.
They had thought about going out for a gentle sail today, but there wasn't any wind at all expected. So they went down at 8.30, hoping to get there before the traffic around the sea-front became impossible (due to the Epiphany ceremony), to turn the boat around to make it easier to get on and off.
Late morning, Tim's daughters arrived to collect me, and while it might have been quicker to walk, given the amount of traffic around the Larnaka marina, we reached King Malu eventually. She was, indeed, reversed into place:
And while the gangplank was a little scary, I made it to the boat. Here's the evidence - all four of us who were persuaded to join the guys:
Unfortunately the very slight motion of the boat from side to side was actually more disturbing to my insides than I've ever before noticed on any kind of boat. However, we were given halloumi and tomato rolls (very good they were too) and I felt better for eating.
Here's Richard's description of the morning, including details about manoevering King Malu around to make this possible.
We only stayed a little over an hour. Rather dark grey clouds were coming in overhead, and we didn't want to be caught in more rain.
We had to drive back along the sea-front... and to my surprise (having not ventured into town on Epiphany for some years) there were stalls and booths up right along. I suppose it's another chance to make money, catching tourists who aren't used to euros, and will happily buy junk while on holiday:
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Twelfth Night already...
I don't know quite how it's happened, but tomorrow is Epiphany, the twelfth day after Christmas. And that means that, slightly confusingly, tonight is Twelfth Night. As explained here, Twelfth Night precedes the twelfth day.
According to one ancient tradition, Christmas decorations could be left up until Candlemas, early in February. But according to other traditions, they must be taken down before Twelfth Night... or stay up all year. I'm not one to feel bound by traditions; taking decorations down on January 5th always seemed like a good idea, since otherwise there's a risk that we stop even noticing them, and then they might still be there by Easter...
So, I was going to take everything down today. 'Everything' being our smallish plastic tree, a few pieces of tinsel, a small stylised Nativity scene, and several mini-wreath candle holders. And our Christmas cards. And there's there rub. This morning I walked down to our PO Box, and awaiting me were six more Christmas cards. From people who had taken the time to write them, and spent the money on stamps... and it seemed wrong not to have them on display for at least one day. I thought I might re-define Twelfth Night as tomorrow night just for once.
But, I have to admit, it makes me feel uneasy to do so. Evidently I am steeped in tradition far more than I wish to be. Something feels wrong about having a Christmas tree still up when Epiphany arrives even though in some cultures - though not, surprisingly, Cyprus - Christmas is celebrated on 6th January.
So I think I will take everything down and pack it away. Perhaps I'll keep the cards in a stack and look at them from time to time before I finally recycle them. It's the thought that counts, after all; friends and relatives thought of us when they wrote the cards ,and I thought of them when we opened and read the cards. The newsletters, from those that write them, will remain in a folder to browse at leisure.
As for where the past week has gone.. I really don't know. Somehow it feels like considerably more than a week ago that Tim, Stephen and Dulcie departed for the UK. While they were here, I took over a hundred photographs. Since they left, I've taken about five, of which three are below - just for the record.
On New Year's Eve, around 5.30pm, we had arranged a Skype call with several of my relatives - including Daniel and Tim - who were having a late Christmas get-together:
Then, when we said goodbye, we drove to our friends' home for a New Year's Eve get-together. Lots of good food:
...and some board games, which I quite forgot to photograph. I was extremely
tired by 11.00 but managed to keep going until midnight, when we said 'Happy new year' to each other, and came home.
On Saturday I was still rather tired, and did almost nothing. Sunday evening our friends came over for bread and cheese and leftovers (most of which they brought with them). After they had gone, we played a game of Settlers by Skype with both Daniel and Tim, who were spending a few days together:
So that was the weekend.
On Monday, it rained hard almost all day, flooding several homes in Larnaka, stranding some cars, and leaking through the roof over our stairs. Not as badly as it did before Richard and his friend made some repairs, but there's still one place which nobody has yet been able to fix. We filled two buckets of water from the drips...
And suddenly it's the end of Wednesday.
According to one ancient tradition, Christmas decorations could be left up until Candlemas, early in February. But according to other traditions, they must be taken down before Twelfth Night... or stay up all year. I'm not one to feel bound by traditions; taking decorations down on January 5th always seemed like a good idea, since otherwise there's a risk that we stop even noticing them, and then they might still be there by Easter...
So, I was going to take everything down today. 'Everything' being our smallish plastic tree, a few pieces of tinsel, a small stylised Nativity scene, and several mini-wreath candle holders. And our Christmas cards. And there's there rub. This morning I walked down to our PO Box, and awaiting me were six more Christmas cards. From people who had taken the time to write them, and spent the money on stamps... and it seemed wrong not to have them on display for at least one day. I thought I might re-define Twelfth Night as tomorrow night just for once.
But, I have to admit, it makes me feel uneasy to do so. Evidently I am steeped in tradition far more than I wish to be. Something feels wrong about having a Christmas tree still up when Epiphany arrives even though in some cultures - though not, surprisingly, Cyprus - Christmas is celebrated on 6th January.
So I think I will take everything down and pack it away. Perhaps I'll keep the cards in a stack and look at them from time to time before I finally recycle them. It's the thought that counts, after all; friends and relatives thought of us when they wrote the cards ,and I thought of them when we opened and read the cards. The newsletters, from those that write them, will remain in a folder to browse at leisure.
As for where the past week has gone.. I really don't know. Somehow it feels like considerably more than a week ago that Tim, Stephen and Dulcie departed for the UK. While they were here, I took over a hundred photographs. Since they left, I've taken about five, of which three are below - just for the record.
On New Year's Eve, around 5.30pm, we had arranged a Skype call with several of my relatives - including Daniel and Tim - who were having a late Christmas get-together:
Then, when we said goodbye, we drove to our friends' home for a New Year's Eve get-together. Lots of good food:
...and some board games, which I quite forgot to photograph. I was extremely
tired by 11.00 but managed to keep going until midnight, when we said 'Happy new year' to each other, and came home.
On Saturday I was still rather tired, and did almost nothing. Sunday evening our friends came over for bread and cheese and leftovers (most of which they brought with them). After they had gone, we played a game of Settlers by Skype with both Daniel and Tim, who were spending a few days together:
So that was the weekend.
On Monday, it rained hard almost all day, flooding several homes in Larnaka, stranding some cars, and leaking through the roof over our stairs. Not as badly as it did before Richard and his friend made some repairs, but there's still one place which nobody has yet been able to fix. We filled two buckets of water from the drips...
And suddenly it's the end of Wednesday.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Holland and Barrett (UK) order to Cyprus...
When we're in the UK, I always visit Holland and Barrett at least once, sometimes more. (For those who don't know this chain, they're basically a health food shop). Their range and quality of vitamins and minerals is excellent, and although the prices can be on the high side, they have new special offers every week, and I take advantage of many of them.
They do an online ordering option, which I've used a couple of times to a UK address, when someone was coming out to see us. I've also, on rare occasions, ordered directly to Cyprus. The reason I haven't done that very often is that the postage was, in my view, ridiculously high. They charged £16.75 to deliver here, for any size of parcel. It was worth it when I wanted to order Vitamin C powder, which I stir into our fresh juice each morning. They charge around £18 for the odd amount of 567g, or just over half a kilogram of Vit C powder. The best price I found in Cyprus for something similar was over €20 for 100g. So even with the extortionate postage, it was worth making an order for that alone. But, obviously, better still to buy when we're in the UK.
Since I have ordered online, I get emails of special offers from Holland and Barrett now and again. I sometimes delete them unread, sometimes check to see if there's anything I want. Just before Christmas, they sent me an email offering me £10 off any online order for more than £30, which seemed like a very good deal. I had forgotten about it with all that goes on in December, until they sent me a reminder that it would expire in a few days.
So, in an idle moment, I browsed around the Holland and Barrett site. I knew I'd run out of lavender oil and was very low on tea tree oil, both of which are extremely expensive in Cyprus. But I didn't really want to spend $30 just on essential oil.
I was, therefore, rather pleased to see that they have started including nuts, seeds and dried fruit in their online options. And, at a quick glance, it seemed that they were very good value. I was even more pleased to see that they now also offer green tea and blackcurrant tea-bags online, since I haven't been able to get hold of any of those for a couple of months. Cyprus supermarkets do tend to run out of things from time to time, and I've been drinking green tea and raspberry instead, which I like almost as much.
So today, while it pours with rain outside, I decided to have a proper look at the site, compare prices with what I've bought here, and - perhaps - make an order taking account of the voucher.
My first and perhaps most exciting discovery is that postage to Cyprus is now a much more reasonable £6.95.
Almonds, I discovered, are a little more expensive from Holland and Barrett than the best prices I've found here. So I didn't order any of those.
But...
Flaxseeds (linseeds) which I add to bread are €2,39 for 250g from Metro; £1.54 for 500g from Holland and Barrett. Even given that a pound is worth a bit more than a euro, that is considerably better value. Sunflower seeds were not quite so significantly different, but still rather less: £2.19 for 500g at H&B compared to €1,79 for 250g at Metro. Dried apricots were cheaper too - slightly - and (I hope) free of additives. I did order some essential oils, some of which were on special offer this week, making them even better value, and a pack of green tea and blackcurrant, which is only 79p for 20 bags (compared to over two euros which I pay when they're available here). I was delighted to see Ricola cough lozenges now available to order online (oddly, searching for 'Ricola' does not produce any results, but I spotted them anyway, labelled as 'swiss herb drops'.
I saw bags of oats (oatmeal) too, £1.49 for a kilogram; the best bargain I've been able to find in Cyprus is €1.00 for 500g - and not always available. I have a couple of bags in the freezer, and only really use them for granola, which I make about once a month, so I didn't order any this time. My Holland and Barrett order had reached £30, and I can see myself using this facility regularly now the postage is so much more reasonable. With the £10 discount, my entire order - including postage - came to just over £27. For items that, in Cyprus, would have cost me nearly €50.
I suppose this shows just how the cost of living in Cyprus has risen in the past few years. Although vitamins and minerals have always been expensive here, food in general used to be reasonably good value. And I don't think of Holland and Barrett as particularly cheap compared to other UK shops.
My order will probably take a couple of weeks to arrive, but assuming it's in good condition (and assuming the Post Office doesn't try to charge me anything for receiving foods here) I shall definitely be ordering online from Holland and Barrett again.
They do an online ordering option, which I've used a couple of times to a UK address, when someone was coming out to see us. I've also, on rare occasions, ordered directly to Cyprus. The reason I haven't done that very often is that the postage was, in my view, ridiculously high. They charged £16.75 to deliver here, for any size of parcel. It was worth it when I wanted to order Vitamin C powder, which I stir into our fresh juice each morning. They charge around £18 for the odd amount of 567g, or just over half a kilogram of Vit C powder. The best price I found in Cyprus for something similar was over €20 for 100g. So even with the extortionate postage, it was worth making an order for that alone. But, obviously, better still to buy when we're in the UK.
Since I have ordered online, I get emails of special offers from Holland and Barrett now and again. I sometimes delete them unread, sometimes check to see if there's anything I want. Just before Christmas, they sent me an email offering me £10 off any online order for more than £30, which seemed like a very good deal. I had forgotten about it with all that goes on in December, until they sent me a reminder that it would expire in a few days.
So, in an idle moment, I browsed around the Holland and Barrett site. I knew I'd run out of lavender oil and was very low on tea tree oil, both of which are extremely expensive in Cyprus. But I didn't really want to spend $30 just on essential oil.
I was, therefore, rather pleased to see that they have started including nuts, seeds and dried fruit in their online options. And, at a quick glance, it seemed that they were very good value. I was even more pleased to see that they now also offer green tea and blackcurrant tea-bags online, since I haven't been able to get hold of any of those for a couple of months. Cyprus supermarkets do tend to run out of things from time to time, and I've been drinking green tea and raspberry instead, which I like almost as much.
So today, while it pours with rain outside, I decided to have a proper look at the site, compare prices with what I've bought here, and - perhaps - make an order taking account of the voucher.
My first and perhaps most exciting discovery is that postage to Cyprus is now a much more reasonable £6.95.
Almonds, I discovered, are a little more expensive from Holland and Barrett than the best prices I've found here. So I didn't order any of those.
But...
Flaxseeds (linseeds) which I add to bread are €2,39 for 250g from Metro; £1.54 for 500g from Holland and Barrett. Even given that a pound is worth a bit more than a euro, that is considerably better value. Sunflower seeds were not quite so significantly different, but still rather less: £2.19 for 500g at H&B compared to €1,79 for 250g at Metro. Dried apricots were cheaper too - slightly - and (I hope) free of additives. I did order some essential oils, some of which were on special offer this week, making them even better value, and a pack of green tea and blackcurrant, which is only 79p for 20 bags (compared to over two euros which I pay when they're available here). I was delighted to see Ricola cough lozenges now available to order online (oddly, searching for 'Ricola' does not produce any results, but I spotted them anyway, labelled as 'swiss herb drops'.
I saw bags of oats (oatmeal) too, £1.49 for a kilogram; the best bargain I've been able to find in Cyprus is €1.00 for 500g - and not always available. I have a couple of bags in the freezer, and only really use them for granola, which I make about once a month, so I didn't order any this time. My Holland and Barrett order had reached £30, and I can see myself using this facility regularly now the postage is so much more reasonable. With the £10 discount, my entire order - including postage - came to just over £27. For items that, in Cyprus, would have cost me nearly €50.
I suppose this shows just how the cost of living in Cyprus has risen in the past few years. Although vitamins and minerals have always been expensive here, food in general used to be reasonably good value. And I don't think of Holland and Barrett as particularly cheap compared to other UK shops.
My order will probably take a couple of weeks to arrive, but assuming it's in good condition (and assuming the Post Office doesn't try to charge me anything for receiving foods here) I shall definitely be ordering online from Holland and Barrett again.
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