Ten days into February....

Sometimes the days and weeks go by so rapidly that I forget to write about them. I start to take my life here in Cyprus for granted, forgetting that, to those elsewhere, even the smallest details can sometimes be interesting. (Or not. But I hope that those who find my anecdotes dull will not be reading this anyway...)


So, here are a few photos from the past week... representative of my life in general.

Last Sunday, our good friends came over mid-afternoon, as they do every other week. We gradually evolved a schedule whereby the children take it in turns to choose a DVD to watch (out of a carefully controlled selection of appropriate ones) and the adults hang out and play board games. Often it's Settlers of Catan, but last Sunday there was a visitor who was not familiar with it, so instead we played a low-key round of Dixit.

Our friends don't have a television, so watching a film is a twice-monthly treat for the children. We don't suppose it does any harm, but it's still a bit shocking how quickly they become mesmerised by the screen: a 'plug-in drug', indeed:

Two-and-a-half-year old Elisabeth is actually not yet very interested in films or television, so she usually comes to join us, and plays happily with spare game pieces.  After the film and game we have a cold meal together. Well, mostly cold. I make a couple of loaves of bread during the day, and during the winter I also make a big pot of soup. They usually leave when the children are ready for bed. 

On Monday last week I hosted the monthly meeting of the Larnaka Christian Writers' group: only four of us were there, as others were away or unable to come, but I think we had a good morning. In the afternoon I did email, some online writing, caught up with our accounts, and paid some bills. 

On Tuesday mornings, I usually walk for an hour or so with my friend Sheila, first thing, then walk to the fruit shop.  After breakfast and a shower, Sheila and her youngest three come over for a couple of hours to play.  Elisabeth has been intrigued by Lego since she was far too small for it (officially) - now she loves to play with the little people, getting them to wave to each other, or talk, or ride horses... 

She often tips the entire box of Lego people on the floor, but is extremely good at putting them all away again when it's time to go. 

Tuesday afternoon I do more writing and reading, usually. Then in the evening we set up a game of Settlers-by-Skype with our son Tim, who lives in the UK. We've been doing this long-distance game-playing sporadically for over two years now, but this is the first time we tried it using the television to show Tim's face:

Wednesday is my day for changing our sheets and pillowcases, and cleaning upstairs, and I often do a bit of cooking too. I had to make a new batch of lemonade on Wednesday; happily, some friends had dropped off a large bag of lemons from their tree a few days earlier, so I didn't have to buy any. I made another batch of coconut milk, too; we get through about two and a half litres each week. 

We're both getting over bad colds that we had over Christmas - the colds have gone, but the coughs linger.  It's not a huge problem, mostly, but does mean that my energy levels are not as high as normal. So just doing a bit of cleaning and cooking took up most of the morning.  In the afternoon a friend came over to borrow books and we chatted awhile, then I did a bit more writing, while it rained outside for most of the time. 

On Thursday morning the sun was out and most of the rain had dried up by the time Sheila and I went for our walk. There was quite a big puddle as we approached the aqueduct:

I liked the reflection when we got a bit closer: 

It felt almost as if spring were coming. March is, supposedly, 'yellow month', but the relatively mild temperatures and rain seem to have brought the wildflowers into bloom earlier than usual: 

Here are some more of them growing by the side of the trail:

The area around the Salt Lake has been growing gradually greener as winter has progressed. This, I think, is about the greenest it will ever be:

After the walk - we did the whole 8km - I went to the fruit shop, did more housework, more writing... and the day flew by like all the others.

On Friday evening our friends flew out of Larnaka, to Germany via the UK and then on to Costa Rica to visit some unofficially adopted relatives. We will miss them, as will this blog.  I didn't do a Salt Lake walk on Saturday... I hope I will, at least a few times while they're away, but without the motivation of a friend to meet I may just lapse back into inactivity. 

Another birthday rolls by

Although we've been 'empty nesters' for nearly four years now, I've managed to spend the last three birthdays with at least one of our sons. I wasn't entirely sure what one does for a birthday with just the two of us - but in the event, it was a pleasant and relaxing day.

I had a pile of presents that had already arrived or been passed to us from various relatives, first thing in the morning: 

They were DVDs and books - mostly from my wishlist - and a new webcam as my previous one was rather unreliable with the sound. 

Then we drove to Immigration - not something I'd have chosen to do on my birthday, but Richard was happy to spend the morning doing random things around Larnaka, so that was our first stop. I wrote yesterday about our experiences, past and present, with Immigration, so won't repeat that here. 

Next stop was the Land Registry Office, since we had managed to lose one part of our house deeds. We were told that it was an easy and inexpensive process to get replacements, so we went to the place where we first acquired them... only to find it totally closed down. 

We had parked in nearby Lidl - not the branch we had been to before - so thought we might as well take a look and see if it had anything more interesting this week: 

It didn't. I was seriously tempted by some delicious looking white chocolate with strawberry pieces, only to see, from the ingredients on the back, that it contained maltodextrin - one of those annoying migraine-inducers. But we wandered around the rest of the store in vain. Nothing that appealed was good value. 

So Richard checked the map on his phone, which gave directions to the new Land Registry Office, which we found easily. It was a lot grander than the previous one:

We spoke to a helpful receptionist who filled in the forms for us, and explained where to go. It was, indeed, quick and easy. We had to pay a grand total of 1.71 euro for new copies of both our deeds. It took about fifteen minutes in all, and involved five different workers... one to fill in the form, one to take our money, one to write the date and direct us to the lift, one to produce the actual deeds, and one to give the inevitable official stamps. 

It was only about 9.30 by the time we had finished all this. As we came out, we saw this:

Unlike me, Richard likes looking around shops, particularly new ones, so he suggested we take a look. It wasn't very interesting. Lots of junk - toys, ornaments, garden tools. There were some clothes, and we took a look at the 'crocs', since Richard needs a new pair, but they weren't very good quality. 

So, as the Land Registry Office is right behind Carrefour, we thought we'd take a look in there to see if they had any crocs. And we thought we might have coffee too...

Unfortunately, the café didn't open until noon. And they didn't have any crocs, nor indeed anything else that interested us. 

We thought we might drive by the Post Office to see if any mail had come: I walked there on Wednesday and picked up a fair amount, so was quite surprised to find all these packages and letters awaiting us: 

They included some bills, and books for review, but also some cards and yet more presents from relatives.  I was pleased to find that I had seven cards, which seems rather a lot for a non-special birthday:

Later on a friend called by with yet another. I had two e-cards as well, and about sixty birthday greetings on Facebook! Social networking is a wonderful thing. 

This is the pile of gifts by the time I had opened them all.... 

We spent an hour or so at home, then went out again to get a new printer cartridge at the place that does recycled ones. For some reason it was cheaper than the one we last bought, about three years ago. 

Without Tim at home, I wasn't going to get a cake, so next we took a look in Zorpas, a bakery which sells delicious looking cakes and desserts. We thought we might buy a couple of small ones, or two slices... but they were full of cream (Richard tries to avoid dairy products) and very expensive for what they are. I didn't want a cake THAT much.

By that time it was one o'clock and I was getting hungry. I'd forgotten to take bread out of the freezer, so Richard suggested we go to the café at the marina for toasted tuna sandwiches and salad, which was very pleasant. However I forgot about taking any photos!

In the afternoon we had a very good Google video (like Skype) chat with Tim, using my new webcam, for over an hour. I do like modern technology for keeping in touch with our sons. And we pottered at home, caught up with email and Facebook and so on.

Usually on Fridays we go to a cell group with a meal at our good friends locally, but they're away at present so the group was cancelled. Richard and I had decided to go out to eat - and since I don't like making decisions, we opted for our favourite inexpensive sea-front restaurant, Alexander's.  They had some new menu options but we went for tried-and-tested dishes...

Richard had fish and chips:

I had veggie moussaka:

One of the things I like best about Alexander's is that they almost always offer something 'on the house' after a meal. So Richard had a de-caf coffee, and although I was feeling extremely full (it's rare for us to eat out at all, let alone twice in one day!) I chose the ice cream. Last time I did that, one of the scoops was strawberry. This time it was yellow:

It was really very yellow, more so than the photo shows. It was artificial banana... not unpleasant, exactly, but rather odd. Anyway, I ate it all and enjoyed the chocolate part... and then was surprised how very cold I felt! 

Technology and communication

While there are many good things about living in Cyprus, it's not easy being thousands of miles away from our sons, most of the year. So we're very thankful for modern technology which enables us to stay in touch regularly. Tim and I often chat briefly via Google Chat (on Gmail), and we've used Yahoo! Instant messenger regularly too.

It was nearly fifteen months ago when we experimented with a game of Settlers via Skype with Tim. It was so successful that we've played several similar games since. So many, indeed, that I don't tend to blog about them any more. Last night we played another game, from 8.30 until about 9.30 (Cyprus time). We use 'Facetime' now rather than Skype, with the video camera to project the game board to Tim, but the general idea is the same as it was when we first thought of it, and it works well.

However, there are always questions, at the end, about how we might improve the quality of either the sound or the picture. We also wondered whether we could try having another computer open with a different kind of chat, so that Tim could see us as well as the game board. We did manage that the first time, but our bandwidth is not great, and it reduces the quality. So they tried Google chat... it didn't work too well on Richard's computer, so we fetched the Chromebook - wanting to give it something to do - and Richard played around with that:

Then Tim spotted that Daniel was online too. He and Becky are currently staying in Barcelona with Becky's Mum; we had a good online chat with them on Sunday evening. But Tim thought that, using the 'Google Plus Hangout' system, we might be able to have a three-way chat.

He was correct. The sound quality wasn't bad at all, and although the pictures went a bit pixellated at times, we could see small images of all three of us, and a larger one of whichever of our sons was talking at the time. So this is what we saw when Daniel or Becky was speaking:

And this is what we saw when Tim was speaking:

All very clever stuff. Dan and Becky couldn't stay for very long as they were going out, so we never did discover if we could have set it up on both the laptops here, to have a four-way chat... I couldn't quite see the point of Richard going to another room to join in, but sometimes people in my family are just curious to know what can be done in theory...

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...

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 the 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.

Settlers by Skype, and a slightly confused cat

One of the problems of living in Cyprus is that we don't see our sons very much. They can't just pop home for a weekend, as they could if we were in the UK.

So I'm continually thankful for computers and other modern technology that allows us to be in regular contact. A few weeks ago I wrote about a game of Settlers we played with Tim, via Skype. It worked so well that we tried again last night. This time, we decided to use our dining room table, where there's more space, and where we didn't have to kneel on the floor to play. Richard didn't remember exactly what settings he used last time, but he set up my portable webcam on his computer, and also our video camera to focus on the Settlers board:


The picture of Tim didn't seem as clear as it was last time, and it didn't feel quite so comfortable having him sitting on the table... but still, it worked pretty well and was good to be able to chat while playing:


I win Settlers games far more often than I'm comfortable with. Earlier in the evening Richard and I had played our two-person version of Cities and Knights, and I won by rather a large amount. So I had decided I was NOT going to win this game, and indeed, for a while I was a point or two behind the others.

So although at one point I could have won, I decided (and told them) that I'd rather prolong the game a little longer, and did a different move that gave me 11 points rather than the winning 12.

I was glad I did, since in the next round Tim managed to win with 13 points:


I cleared the game away, while Richard and Tim talked more about the technology, and which chat programs worked best, and how to make the sound better, and other such geeky stuff.

Tessie evidently heard Tim's voice, and jumped onto the table (not that she's allowed to do that... ) and stared at the computer:


Tessie is Tim's cat, primarily. She looked rather confused. He called her, and she actually walked right over and sniffed at the screen:


Then, knowing from the scent that Tim was nowhere to be found, she jumped down and started washing.

Sometimes technology is wonderful

While I'm far from being geeky or even technologically minded (I STILL haven't learned how to switch on our television...) I very much appreciate the modern ways of being in touch with our sons. Living in Cyprus has many benefits, but it's hard being a couple of thousand miles away from our sons. So, we chat from time to time on one of the instant messaging systems, exchange emails, occasionally use mobile phone texts, and recently have started - albeit rarely, so far - using Skype.

On Tuesday evening, Tim was chatting (typing) online, and asked if we could load Skype to chat as he was feeling a bit homesick. He then said, jokingly, that he wished we could play a game of Settlers via Skype. He did not expect his comment to be taken seriously, but I wondered if it might be possible... and mentioned it to Richard, who was sitting in the living room. Richard thought it could indeed work... although he wasn't sure if the webcam would be good enough quality for Tim to see the board. And I couldn't really imagine how it could work... however, it seemed like an interesting (albeit bizarre) idea. So I set up a Catan board on our little coffee table in the living room.

And Richard set up my little webcam on a chair, pointed at the board:


.. and the laptop sat on the sofa, facing the game, so that we could see Tim via Skype:


Could he see the board, including the numbers, we wondered?

Yes, he could! And while we'd only set it up to see if it was possible, it looked like quite a nice layout, and we had half an hour available before Tim needed to eat, and Richard needed to go out... so we thought we might start. Tim borrowed the resource cards from the set in my mother's house where he lives, and it worked amazingly well:


(For anyone interested in detail about the game itself, I wrote about it on my Settlers blog, in a post called Settlers of Catan via Skype)

When it was 8.30 (Cyprus time) we had to pause the game, but were so involved that we left it set up, and Richard made sure he didn't stay out long... and we resumed at 9.30.

It was very enjoyable. It felt surprisingly natural, since Tim was sitting there on the sofa (albeit squashed up inside Richard's laptop, and unable to make the moves physically). It's definitely something we will try again in future... indeed, long after I'd cleared away and gone to read upstairs, Richard and Tim were figuring out ways to make it easier. Apparently using the video camera as a webcam will make the clarity a great deal better for Tim.

Still, despite the wonders of modern technology, I had a hard time putting the game away again at the end: