Visitors to this island might be forgiven for thinking that it's Summer. Particularly if they come from cooler climes. The sun has (mostly) been shining, and the temperature is pleasantly warm. If only this were, indeed, the weather to be expected for the next few months, Cyprus would be a wonderful place.
I determined, this year to be as ready as possible for Summer.. and also to delay its official onset in our household until June 1st. Last week the thermometer did climb to more than 30C one day, and I still held out. The following day it was back to 27C, which is much more pleasant, with a relatively cool 19C overnight. We still have the thin duvet on our bed. I haven't got out the frappé making machine yet, nor have I blended any smoothies, or run any air conditioning - although we did start using the ceiling fans a little last week. I haven't started wearing shorts yet, either. I abandoned my sweatshirt shortly after we returned from the UK three weeks ago, and put aside my trainers and socks for sandals. But I'm still wearing jeans.
And while it might be obvious to most people that right before summer is a good time to clean the air conditioning units, it's not something either of us generally remembers to do.
This year, I determined to do better. We have some special spray, and the job simply requires standing on a chair, opening a unit, removing the filters, washing out the dust, spraying the filters, then returning to the unit and spraying liberally inside that, wiping away any obvious dust or mould. Then, after five minutes or so, the spray has to be washed off the filters, and I shake them to get rid of most of the water... put them back, find the remote (sometimes a lengthy task...) switch on at the wall, and run for a couple of minutes to distribute the spray and to make sure that all is functioning as it should.
It only takes about ten minutes in all. The problem is that, in all, we have nine air conditioning units. And it's surprisingly warm work. So I've done our dining room, and the study, and also the two in our guest flat which haven't been done for rather longer than we care to think about, and were THICK with dust inside. I was going to do the living room and kitchen ones today, but was rather over-tired. I plan to do the bedroom units tomorrow.
And, although June 1st - ie tomorrow - was going to be my date for allowing Summer to arrive in our home, I think I may be able to delay it even longer. The forecast is for much of the same - no heatwaves imminent at all. I might start making frappés and smoothies just because they're so delicious, but if I can delay shorts, duvet-removal and air conditioning a while longer, it can only be a good thing.
Oh.. and for those wanting to know how Daniel and Becky are getting on, Dan has updated his rather neglected blog, with a post about how he's worried that he's turning into his parents....
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
May in Cyprus, racing by...
It's over two weeks since we returned to Cyprus. It always takes me a while to feel back to normal when we come this way. Something to do with jet lag, probably, although the time difference is only two hours, and I didn't have much trouble adjusting to that. We didn't even have a night flight. We left our last destination late morning, had a fairly leisurely lunch at Gatwick Airport, bought some sandwiches for the flight, and were then met at Larnaka at around 10pm Cyprus time. We did a little unpacking and I had a good night's sleep... but still felt brain-fogged for almost a week.
Still, in the past few days I've managed to catch up with six weeks of book-keeping (ugh) on our Cyprus and UK accounts, I've done some important website updates, and I uploaded reviews of all the books I read in the past month or so. I did a few while in the UK.
A friend is staying in our guest flat at present, working with Richard; a Cyprus friend will be staying there from the middle of next week, prior to leaving the island. People come and go here regularly; we never quite get used to it, but the ex-pat community is very mobile.
Weather was lovely when we arrived back - warm enough to switch to our light duvet, and to abandon any sweatshirts and fleeces, but cool enough that I'm still wearing jeans rather than shorts, and only started using the ceiling fans yesterday. I hope we won't need to use the air conditioners until at least June, and would like to keep in long trousers for another week, but it has got distinctly warmer in the last couple of days, so I may just give in and switch to shorts in the next day or two.
On Saturday we went to Antidote Theatre to see 'Sparkleshark', which was being done by the 10-14 age group. We knew three of the ten actors, and enjoyed it very much.
On Tuesday I went to the local park to meet my friend Sheila, and arrived to find her on the swing with her two youngest daughters: one on her lap, one on her back. Another of her daughters was standing on the swing next to them. It looked like fun:
Still, in the past few days I've managed to catch up with six weeks of book-keeping (ugh) on our Cyprus and UK accounts, I've done some important website updates, and I uploaded reviews of all the books I read in the past month or so. I did a few while in the UK.
A friend is staying in our guest flat at present, working with Richard; a Cyprus friend will be staying there from the middle of next week, prior to leaving the island. People come and go here regularly; we never quite get used to it, but the ex-pat community is very mobile.
Weather was lovely when we arrived back - warm enough to switch to our light duvet, and to abandon any sweatshirts and fleeces, but cool enough that I'm still wearing jeans rather than shorts, and only started using the ceiling fans yesterday. I hope we won't need to use the air conditioners until at least June, and would like to keep in long trousers for another week, but it has got distinctly warmer in the last couple of days, so I may just give in and switch to shorts in the next day or two.
On Saturday we went to Antidote Theatre to see 'Sparkleshark', which was being done by the 10-14 age group. We knew three of the ten actors, and enjoyed it very much.
On Tuesday I went to the local park to meet my friend Sheila, and arrived to find her on the swing with her two youngest daughters: one on her lap, one on her back. Another of her daughters was standing on the swing next to them. It looked like fun:
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Daniel and Becky's Wedding
A week ago I wrote about the run-up to the wedding. A busy week, though it was so good to spend time with both my sons, and also good to get acquainted with Becky's family.
So, Saturday morning dawned... sunny, and not too cold. Just as well, since my outfit wasn't particularly warm, and I really didn't want to have to wear tights. Around 10.30 we drove to the house where Daniel has been living... he seemed quite relaxed:
It wasn't until we'd been there about half an hour or so that I noticed that he had shaved off his beard!
Around 11.45 we departed, to have lunch with my three siblings and their families near the Cathedral, leaving Daniel in the hands of his two 'best men': Tim and Euan.
By the time we arrived at St James' Church, around 1.20 or so, Daniel had - as another friend put it - scrubbed up nicely:
As the extended family arrived, he was happy to sit and chat:
Gradually the church filled up. In addition to the family, plus a very few long-term family friends (such as godparents) there were several of Daniel and Becky's colleagues and church friends from Carlisle, most of whom had had some part in preparing for their special day. There were also a few ex-Doulos friends who had been able to come for the weekend.
Shortly before 2.00, Daniel and his best men sat in the chairs put out for them in front of the pews:
John, the Vicar, chatted with them, then went to check that Becky had indeed arrived. He came back to report to Daniel that there was a reason for him to be there... and as the music started for the entrance of the bridesmaids and bride, he, Tim and Euan stood up to await them:
The camera was rolling, the Vicar ready, Euan and Tim mildly curious to see how the girls would be dressed... and Daniel had a wonderful look of anticipation on his face!
Becky's brother and his wife are worship pastors at a church in Canada; they had agreed to lead all the singing in the service, and did so competently on guitar and piano.
It was, of course, Daniel and Becky's day. But I couldn't help a tinge of extra pride when Tim read - extremely well - the passage they had asked for, the classic one about love from 1 Corinthians 13.
The sermon followed... we all wondered what was going on at first, since John simply sat in his chair, as if waiting for someone else. But it quickly became apparent that it was part of his talk... when he eventually stood up (the pause was probably no more than a minute, though it felt very long) his opening words were, 'Love is patient!'
He spoke very well, directed towards the happy couple, and was refreshingly brief. Then came the most important part of the ceremony. Earlier in the service Daniel and Becky had given their consent ("I will") to his questions. Now they had to make their vows and give each other rings:
After that, John invited them to 'greet each other in a culturally appropriate way'. But it didn't feel appropriate to take a photo at that point...
Then came the legal requirement, that of signing the registers in the vestry. In fountain pen. First Daniel:
Then Becky:
Tim and one of the bridesmaids were the official witnesses.
After that, we all went out in formation, returned briefly so that a group photo could be taken from the balcony, and then outside for many more official and unofficial photos. Here's one of Becky with her three bridesmaids:
The bride and groom then left with the official photographer for some more pictures around Carlisle, and the rest of us gradually made our way to the community hall where the reception was held, about ten miles away from the church. There was plenty of time to greet people we knew, and be introduced to some we didn't know. There was a table for any presents that had been brought to the ceremony, and - an idea I had never seen before - a table with cards for people to write special messages, if they wished.
Food started being served around 6.00pm, beginning with soup, followed by spit-roast lamb and other alternatives, and a wide variety of salads. All produced by one of Daniel's colleagues who used to be a chef. Desserts were many and varied, brought by several of Dan and Becky's friends. Then it was time for speeches and toasts:
Richard managed to record the second part of Daniel's speech (most of which was taken up with thanking everyone) and all of Tim's, which was deliberately brief. Rather echo-ey, but here it is anyway:
Then the tables were cleared and pushed to the sides, and it was time for the evening ceilidh. Daniel and Becky were invited to open it with a special waltz, but although they'd been primed by Euan, their minds apparently went blank and he had to take to the floor too before they got started:
That was followed by a standard and very enjoyable barn dance. Several guests had to leave around 8.00 to get home, but there were a good number who stayed to dance until the taxi arrived about 11.00 to take them to their honeymoon destination. By then they had changed into ordinary clothes, so the band got the rest of us to make an archway to see them off!
All in all, a wonderful day. I don't quite know how my firstborn can be old enough to get married... twenty-four-and-a-half years seem to have gone in the blink of an eye. But we're delighted that he's found such a lovely girl, and hope and pray that their marriage will be happy and fulfilled.
So, Saturday morning dawned... sunny, and not too cold. Just as well, since my outfit wasn't particularly warm, and I really didn't want to have to wear tights. Around 10.30 we drove to the house where Daniel has been living... he seemed quite relaxed:
It wasn't until we'd been there about half an hour or so that I noticed that he had shaved off his beard!
Around 11.45 we departed, to have lunch with my three siblings and their families near the Cathedral, leaving Daniel in the hands of his two 'best men': Tim and Euan.
By the time we arrived at St James' Church, around 1.20 or so, Daniel had - as another friend put it - scrubbed up nicely:
As the extended family arrived, he was happy to sit and chat:
Gradually the church filled up. In addition to the family, plus a very few long-term family friends (such as godparents) there were several of Daniel and Becky's colleagues and church friends from Carlisle, most of whom had had some part in preparing for their special day. There were also a few ex-Doulos friends who had been able to come for the weekend.
Shortly before 2.00, Daniel and his best men sat in the chairs put out for them in front of the pews:
John, the Vicar, chatted with them, then went to check that Becky had indeed arrived. He came back to report to Daniel that there was a reason for him to be there... and as the music started for the entrance of the bridesmaids and bride, he, Tim and Euan stood up to await them:
The camera was rolling, the Vicar ready, Euan and Tim mildly curious to see how the girls would be dressed... and Daniel had a wonderful look of anticipation on his face!
Becky's brother and his wife are worship pastors at a church in Canada; they had agreed to lead all the singing in the service, and did so competently on guitar and piano.
It was, of course, Daniel and Becky's day. But I couldn't help a tinge of extra pride when Tim read - extremely well - the passage they had asked for, the classic one about love from 1 Corinthians 13.
The sermon followed... we all wondered what was going on at first, since John simply sat in his chair, as if waiting for someone else. But it quickly became apparent that it was part of his talk... when he eventually stood up (the pause was probably no more than a minute, though it felt very long) his opening words were, 'Love is patient!'
He spoke very well, directed towards the happy couple, and was refreshingly brief. Then came the most important part of the ceremony. Earlier in the service Daniel and Becky had given their consent ("I will") to his questions. Now they had to make their vows and give each other rings:
After that, John invited them to 'greet each other in a culturally appropriate way'. But it didn't feel appropriate to take a photo at that point...
Then came the legal requirement, that of signing the registers in the vestry. In fountain pen. First Daniel:
Then Becky:
Tim and one of the bridesmaids were the official witnesses.
After that, we all went out in formation, returned briefly so that a group photo could be taken from the balcony, and then outside for many more official and unofficial photos. Here's one of Becky with her three bridesmaids:
The bride and groom then left with the official photographer for some more pictures around Carlisle, and the rest of us gradually made our way to the community hall where the reception was held, about ten miles away from the church. There was plenty of time to greet people we knew, and be introduced to some we didn't know. There was a table for any presents that had been brought to the ceremony, and - an idea I had never seen before - a table with cards for people to write special messages, if they wished.
Food started being served around 6.00pm, beginning with soup, followed by spit-roast lamb and other alternatives, and a wide variety of salads. All produced by one of Daniel's colleagues who used to be a chef. Desserts were many and varied, brought by several of Dan and Becky's friends. Then it was time for speeches and toasts:
Richard managed to record the second part of Daniel's speech (most of which was taken up with thanking everyone) and all of Tim's, which was deliberately brief. Rather echo-ey, but here it is anyway:
Then the tables were cleared and pushed to the sides, and it was time for the evening ceilidh. Daniel and Becky were invited to open it with a special waltz, but although they'd been primed by Euan, their minds apparently went blank and he had to take to the floor too before they got started:
That was followed by a standard and very enjoyable barn dance. Several guests had to leave around 8.00 to get home, but there were a good number who stayed to dance until the taxi arrived about 11.00 to take them to their honeymoon destination. By then they had changed into ordinary clothes, so the band got the rest of us to make an archway to see them off!
All in all, a wonderful day. I don't quite know how my firstborn can be old enough to get married... twenty-four-and-a-half years seem to have gone in the blink of an eye. But we're delighted that he's found such a lovely girl, and hope and pray that their marriage will be happy and fulfilled.
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Run-up to the wedding
There was an important wedding at the end of April. Indeed, it was the primary reason for our being in the UK rather than Cyprus at this time of year.
And no, I'm not referring to the wedding in London on the 29th, but the one in Carlisle on the 30th, when we gained a wonderful daughter-in-law.
Rather than post directly about Daniel and Becky's wedding, however, I'll begin with a brief round-up of the preceding week.
We drove up to Carlisle on Easter Monday. It's about a four hour journey, and the motorways were pretty clear. We stopped for lunch on the way, at a service station, and arrived mid-afternoon. Becky and her family were out so we went to the house where Daniel has been living, guided by the pseudo-satnav application Richard has on his iPhone, with a voice called 'Kate'.
It was the first time in almost exactly a year that the four of us had been together. Unsurprisingly, within half an hour or so, computers appeared... mainly because the rest of the family wanted to sort out whether or not it would be possible to stream the wedding to various family and friends around the world who were not able to attend. Here we are, all four...
Daniel had far too much on his mind to think much about food, so we bought an (excellent) Indian takeaway meal which we enjoyed. Daniel's housemate Euan and his friend Bridget were around, so we thought it would be a good opportunity for a six-person Settlers game:
I was quite tired, and it wasn't until we'd been playing for a while that I realised why this set seemed SO familiar to me. It's a German one, identical to (though a little older than) that of our friends in Cyprus. There were a few bits missing - this set travelled around the world on the MV Doulos, and has had more than one owner - but nothing that caused any problem.
Tim was staying with Daniel and Euan, sleeping on the sofa in their front room; Richard and I stayed for the week with some other colleagues of theirs, a lovely couple with three teenage daughters who made us feel very at home.
On Tuesday morning we went into the town - I managed to find a blue 'shrug' thing that would go well with the skirt I'd found, but no luck at all with shoes. Richard and Daniel hung out in a rather nice coffee shop. We also went to see the community centre which was booked for the wedding reception, and talked to the manager about 'corkage fees' and what the bar staff would do. Oh, and we had a brief foray into Daniel's office too.
In the afternoon, we drove thirty miles or so to Keswick, a town which I had only previously heard of in conjunction with a Christian convention that some of our friends and acquaintances go to.
The reason we went there was that Becky and her family had arranged to go there for the afternoon; her brother and his Canadian wife had just arrived in Carlisle with their ten-month-old daughter, and Becky wanted to show them something of the area.
Keswick turned out to be a lovely town by a lake, with plenty of places to walk.
It was a little chilly, being quite cloudy, but it was good to meet our new potential in-laws.
On the way home we stopped at Tesco to buy some food, and - ironically - I managed to find some suitable shoes for the wedding which Richard liked very much! We also started talking more about wine for the wedding... the reception hall has a bar, but we wanted to greet guests with a drink (wine or juice) and also have a choice of sparkling wine or Shloer for the toasts. Since we knew that local people would be buying wine in large quantities for parties on the 29th (while watching the other wedding) Richard suggested going back to Tesco's with Daniel that evening, so they could actually buy what was needed. Tesco had some special offers on... so that's what they did. Tim, Euan, Bridget and I played another game of Settlers meanwhile.
Wednesday morning was taken up with technical details - trying to work out how to get the streaming to work. Wires borrowed from the office, discussions with the church staff, trying to figure out if it was possible... eventually deciding that the best option was to use Richard's phone (the technical details are beyond me). In the afternoon Richard and Tim continued with this while I took Daniel into Carlisle to buy him a posh shirt for the wedding, and also some walking shoes.
In the evening was the wedding rehearsal, where Tim and Richard managed to get the streaming to work, tested by our friends in Cyprus. The Vicar was very helpful, and all seemed to go well:
After the rehearsal, we went out to eat with Becky and her family at a local Indian restaurant.
Thursday was mostly taken up with proof-reading, formatting and eventually printing the service sheet. Amazing how complex it was, but the result was very effective. In the afternoon, Tim went to help the caterer collect crockery and cutlery.
In the evening Daniel, Tim and Euan went out to eat with a few other (male) friends - the nearest they got to a stag night. Meanwhile, we went to the reception venue to meet Becky, her mum, and Bridget, to make the tables look pretty with runners, napkins, cutlery, tea-lights and tiny vials of bubble mixture:
We also took all the drinks to be stored, temporarily, in the venue's cellar, and Richard talked some more with the staff about how it would be served.
We didn't have anything much planned for Friday. We hung out with Daniel and Tim in the morning, and he started packing his things since Euan will move them to the house Becky has been living in, to start their married life when they get back from honeymoon. After lunch we went into the town again, as Daniel wanted to spend some time with Becky and we enjoyed wandering round Carlisle's quite amazing second-hand bookshop. Tim went to meet his girlfriend Jo at the station, then in the evening cooked us a meal for the last evening before Daniel became a married man.
And no, I'm not referring to the wedding in London on the 29th, but the one in Carlisle on the 30th, when we gained a wonderful daughter-in-law.
Rather than post directly about Daniel and Becky's wedding, however, I'll begin with a brief round-up of the preceding week.
We drove up to Carlisle on Easter Monday. It's about a four hour journey, and the motorways were pretty clear. We stopped for lunch on the way, at a service station, and arrived mid-afternoon. Becky and her family were out so we went to the house where Daniel has been living, guided by the pseudo-satnav application Richard has on his iPhone, with a voice called 'Kate'.
It was the first time in almost exactly a year that the four of us had been together. Unsurprisingly, within half an hour or so, computers appeared... mainly because the rest of the family wanted to sort out whether or not it would be possible to stream the wedding to various family and friends around the world who were not able to attend. Here we are, all four...
Daniel had far too much on his mind to think much about food, so we bought an (excellent) Indian takeaway meal which we enjoyed. Daniel's housemate Euan and his friend Bridget were around, so we thought it would be a good opportunity for a six-person Settlers game:
I was quite tired, and it wasn't until we'd been playing for a while that I realised why this set seemed SO familiar to me. It's a German one, identical to (though a little older than) that of our friends in Cyprus. There were a few bits missing - this set travelled around the world on the MV Doulos, and has had more than one owner - but nothing that caused any problem.
Tim was staying with Daniel and Euan, sleeping on the sofa in their front room; Richard and I stayed for the week with some other colleagues of theirs, a lovely couple with three teenage daughters who made us feel very at home.
On Tuesday morning we went into the town - I managed to find a blue 'shrug' thing that would go well with the skirt I'd found, but no luck at all with shoes. Richard and Daniel hung out in a rather nice coffee shop. We also went to see the community centre which was booked for the wedding reception, and talked to the manager about 'corkage fees' and what the bar staff would do. Oh, and we had a brief foray into Daniel's office too.
In the afternoon, we drove thirty miles or so to Keswick, a town which I had only previously heard of in conjunction with a Christian convention that some of our friends and acquaintances go to.
The reason we went there was that Becky and her family had arranged to go there for the afternoon; her brother and his Canadian wife had just arrived in Carlisle with their ten-month-old daughter, and Becky wanted to show them something of the area.
Keswick turned out to be a lovely town by a lake, with plenty of places to walk.
It was a little chilly, being quite cloudy, but it was good to meet our new potential in-laws.
On the way home we stopped at Tesco to buy some food, and - ironically - I managed to find some suitable shoes for the wedding which Richard liked very much! We also started talking more about wine for the wedding... the reception hall has a bar, but we wanted to greet guests with a drink (wine or juice) and also have a choice of sparkling wine or Shloer for the toasts. Since we knew that local people would be buying wine in large quantities for parties on the 29th (while watching the other wedding) Richard suggested going back to Tesco's with Daniel that evening, so they could actually buy what was needed. Tesco had some special offers on... so that's what they did. Tim, Euan, Bridget and I played another game of Settlers meanwhile.
Wednesday morning was taken up with technical details - trying to work out how to get the streaming to work. Wires borrowed from the office, discussions with the church staff, trying to figure out if it was possible... eventually deciding that the best option was to use Richard's phone (the technical details are beyond me). In the afternoon Richard and Tim continued with this while I took Daniel into Carlisle to buy him a posh shirt for the wedding, and also some walking shoes.
In the evening was the wedding rehearsal, where Tim and Richard managed to get the streaming to work, tested by our friends in Cyprus. The Vicar was very helpful, and all seemed to go well:
After the rehearsal, we went out to eat with Becky and her family at a local Indian restaurant.
Thursday was mostly taken up with proof-reading, formatting and eventually printing the service sheet. Amazing how complex it was, but the result was very effective. In the afternoon, Tim went to help the caterer collect crockery and cutlery.
In the evening Daniel, Tim and Euan went out to eat with a few other (male) friends - the nearest they got to a stag night. Meanwhile, we went to the reception venue to meet Becky, her mum, and Bridget, to make the tables look pretty with runners, napkins, cutlery, tea-lights and tiny vials of bubble mixture:
We also took all the drinks to be stored, temporarily, in the venue's cellar, and Richard talked some more with the staff about how it would be served.
We didn't have anything much planned for Friday. We hung out with Daniel and Tim in the morning, and he started packing his things since Euan will move them to the house Becky has been living in, to start their married life when they get back from honeymoon. After lunch we went into the town again, as Daniel wanted to spend some time with Becky and we enjoyed wandering round Carlisle's quite amazing second-hand bookshop. Tim went to meet his girlfriend Jo at the station, then in the evening cooked us a meal for the last evening before Daniel became a married man.
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