The last week of February was really quite warm. I almost abandoned my sweatshirts on a couple of days. Oddly enough, this particular week of the year is often warm, and provides a welcome break for visitors coming from the UK for the school 'half term' break.
Each time the end of February is warm, I feel a little concerned about the rapidity with which Summer seems to be advancing. This winter has been quite dry - the Salt Lake is still only partly full, and we're told that the reservoirs are only at about 50% of their capacity.
However, as we were told when we first arrived, and as happens each year, the weather cools down again at the start of March. Temporarily, but still quite welcome from my perspective.
At the start of March, notices had been posted around the Salt Lake trail warning us that there would be aerial spraying against mosquitoes on three mornings, when the trail will be closed. One of those mornings was last Tuesday, so Sheila and I had already decided to walk elsewhere. We were not daunted by grey skies and a few drops of rain, but set off through the Salt Lake Park and headed roughly in the direction of the beach.
This meant that we were rather a distance from home when the heavens opened:
We were both wearing light raincoats, but they weren't much use against the torrential rain that we get here, when it actually decides to rain.
We took shelter where we could, then when the rain seemed to ease, we walked on - I suppose this was foolish, and we should have turned back. We passed a few typically Cypriot shops - the English word for this kind of shop is 'kiosk', but most people simply use the Greek word, 'periptero':
We didn't go inside although it was quite tempting.
We walked as far as one of the streets parallel to the sea front, still thinking that it might clear up.. then took shelter under a block of flats when there was another heavy downpour.
Eventually it eased, and we made our way back over rough ground. By then we were just about soaked to the skin, so didn't bother to shelter any more.
It took a while to feel warm again, but neither of us suffered any ill effects. I doubt if any spraying happened along the trail in the rain, so we might as well have walked there...
A couple of days later, it was dry - if a little windy - and our friend Alison joined us for a walk along the trail to the aqueduct:
Each time the end of February is warm, I feel a little concerned about the rapidity with which Summer seems to be advancing. This winter has been quite dry - the Salt Lake is still only partly full, and we're told that the reservoirs are only at about 50% of their capacity.
However, as we were told when we first arrived, and as happens each year, the weather cools down again at the start of March. Temporarily, but still quite welcome from my perspective.
At the start of March, notices had been posted around the Salt Lake trail warning us that there would be aerial spraying against mosquitoes on three mornings, when the trail will be closed. One of those mornings was last Tuesday, so Sheila and I had already decided to walk elsewhere. We were not daunted by grey skies and a few drops of rain, but set off through the Salt Lake Park and headed roughly in the direction of the beach.
This meant that we were rather a distance from home when the heavens opened:
We were both wearing light raincoats, but they weren't much use against the torrential rain that we get here, when it actually decides to rain.
We took shelter where we could, then when the rain seemed to ease, we walked on - I suppose this was foolish, and we should have turned back. We passed a few typically Cypriot shops - the English word for this kind of shop is 'kiosk', but most people simply use the Greek word, 'periptero':
We didn't go inside although it was quite tempting.
We walked as far as one of the streets parallel to the sea front, still thinking that it might clear up.. then took shelter under a block of flats when there was another heavy downpour.
Eventually it eased, and we made our way back over rough ground. By then we were just about soaked to the skin, so didn't bother to shelter any more.
It took a while to feel warm again, but neither of us suffered any ill effects. I doubt if any spraying happened along the trail in the rain, so we might as well have walked there...
A couple of days later, it was dry - if a little windy - and our friend Alison joined us for a walk along the trail to the aqueduct:
The weekend was grey but mostly dry, other than a bit of thunder and light rain on Sunday morning. Today the sun is shining and the wind is quite strong. But the days are getting longer, and overall it does seem to be a little warmer than it was a month ago.
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