Conclusion of the January shopping challenge

As mentioned in the earlier posts this month, I aimed to do minimal food shopping in January: mainly fruit and vegetables, as we had a lot of food in the freezer. I did also buy some minimally processed other food, but wasn't sure how long that could continue. 

Since the previous post I did three more trips to the fruitaria: last Friday, Monday and yesterday.  On Friday last week, I bought what has turned out to be my normal fruit and vegetable selection, with minimal variation, plus some packets of passata and a few tubs of tomato puree. 

I know I could make those at home, and did attempt to do so at one point. I regularly stew and freeze tomatoes, to use instead of canned tomatoes, and that's well worth doing. But to simmer them down to puree level without letting them burn is a task that I found almost impossible. And I had to use so many tomatoes that it was barely worth it financially. 

So this was what I bought on Friday 23rd:

I made tuna pizza (with a scone dough) one evening that week. Usually I would have bought and grated some commercial vegan cheese. But, keen to keep using 'real' foods, I made a recipe for vegan 'mozzarella' using almond meal as the base. It worked pretty well, and melted nicely.

On Sunday a week ago we were entertaining in the evening so I made the dairy-free version of our favourite brownie recipe, which turned out very well. 

But that used up the last of the eggs which I'd bought at the end of December. So on Monday's trip to the fruitaria, I bought another dozen free-range eggs, in addition to the usual oranges, bananas and other produce.

We still had some processed food in the freezer, as well as meals I had previously prepared. Richard really likes meatballs in sweet and sour sauce, so I cooked some Lidl brand meatballs for him. Usually I would buy ready-made frozen falafal for me, but we didn't have any of those left, so I made myself some lentil-balls, which turned out well:

Of course, I made the sweet and sour sauce from regular ingredients, but I would always do that. 

And so to yesterday, my final grocery shop of January. For the first time in the month, I bought some meat: about 1100g chicken, to make into a lemon chicken dish in the slow cooker for tomorrow. We are expecting some guests arriving early evening - friends we have not seen in nearly thirty years - and I want to have a hot meal ready for them.  Most likely there will be at least three two-person meals left over to freeze for the future. So although this is all for February I bought it in January since I try not to shop on Sundays. 

So, to summarise the whole of January, in addition to plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, I bought:

- 60 euros' worth of nuts, seeds and dried fruit
- eight toilet rolls
- six litres of pure grape juice
- 800g frozen peas
- 1 litre olive oil
- 1 litre sunflower oil
- 2kg flour
- 1 litre Greek yogurt
- 1 pack greasefree paper sheets
- 1 bottle of dried parsley
- 3 packs passata 
- 4 small tubs tomato puree
- 12 free-range eggs
- 1100g boneless chicken thighs

All those extra food products count as 'minimally processed', in my understanding, as none of them have anything extra added to them.  The entire grocery bill for the whole of January came to just over 212 euros. I'm quite pleased with that. 

It was possible to do this because I had so many meals made previously in the freezer, and leftovers from Christmas, as well as some products bought previously.  And we didn't do much entertaining. In February I will be buying rather more meat and frozen fish. I'll also be buying cat food, something we stocked up on in December.  

But I hope to continue avoiding ultra-processed foods. I won't continue posting photos of what I buy, but will try to update the results at the end of each month. If I remember... 

Registering with GeSY, and re-evaluation...

 The Cyprus national health care system (known as GHS or GeSY) was started, after much discussion, in 2019. The health minister at the time was excellent, and when the pandemic hit in 2020, he gave useful advice, and set up a portal for vaccinations. We still had private health insurance at the time, and were not sure whether we were eligible for GESY.  But vaccinations were available free for all residents, so we took advantage of that. 

Richard spent a lot of time trying to discover whether or not he was eligible for GeSY and - as is often the way in Cyprus - was sent around in circles, not getting anywhere. One problem is that we have never had social insurance numbers in Cyprus, as we have never been employed here. Richard's ministry counts as voluntary, since all support (and now his pensions) come from the UK. 

But eventually we were able to register, although we were never able to discover how we could pay contributions. In 2021 we were given access to the GeSY portal, and registered with a local GP. Not that we actually met her; Richard spoke to the receptionist, and arranged the necessary paperwork with her. 

In 2022, we were both asked to submit paperwork demonstrating our eligibility for continued health care under GeSY. They wanted utility bills for the past year, as well as our passports, Richard's Cyprus ID and my residence document. No problem as far as Richard was concerned, but - as explained in this post - I didn't have any utility bills in my name. 

However, they said we could go to the Mukhtar (a historic post, a sort of local 'elder' of the area, a bit similar to a mayor) and ask her to sign a document saying that we lived together harmoniously. We had no idea how the Mukhtar was supposed to know that, as we had never previously met her.  We found her office block fairly easily: 

The notice on the side says:

The first word means 'community leader', and the rest is the district, the name and the phone numbers. We had to sit outside waiting, despite having made an appointment. But eventually the mukhtar arrived, very apologetic for the delay. We chatted for a few minutes in her office, and she must have decided we were genuine. So she obliged with her signature and stamp (stamps are very important here), and I submitted it. Finally, at the end of November 2022, I was told that everything was fine. 

We then applied for EHIC (European health insurance cards) which would enable us to receive health care without additional cost anywhere in the EU, and also in the UK. No problem - we made an appointment at the citizens' centre, showed our documents, and had the cards issued there and then.

Richard had been told that when he reached UK state pension age, he would be eligible for what is known as S1. That means that the NHS in the UK takes over paying for our health care (should we ever need any... and as we grow older, I guess that's increasingly likely). So he had to find the relevant form to fill in, but it was fairly straightforward. The UK government sent him his S1 certificate, and he submitted that, and it was accepted. 

Then, as I said at the end of this post, I received another email from GEsY, early in June, telling me that they needed to verify if I was still eligible. So I submitted most of the documents they asked for, explained that I didn't have any utility bills in my name, and also submitted the extra ones from the insurance company and electricity authority that I had submitted to the bank. 

I sent them on June 9th, and didn't hear anything until I had a reply ten days later. We were half expecting to have to visit the Mukhtar again. But this time they said:

To complete your re-evaluation process, you'll need to apply for an S1 certificate in your name through the NHS. Your husband already holds an S1 certificate, which is why this is necessary.

Once you receive your S1 document, please contact the Ministry of Health in Cyprus to apply for a white medical card.

 

Kindly submit a copy of your white medical card by July 3, 2025.

I looked at the UK government website, and it said I would be eligible for an S1 certificate next year when I reach state pension age, but not yet. So I wrote back, explaining this. 

I heard nothing for over a week. 

Then I received this email:

As a family member of a pensioner, you are eligible for an S1 certificate.

Kindly submit the copy of your white medical card by July 3, 2025.

I had no idea what the 'white medical card' might be. Richard didn't think he had one, and has never needed one. He thought perhaps it was the certificate that the UK government would issue. So he phoned the number on the UK website, and spoke to an extremely helpful person. She said that yes, I was eligible as his spouse, and that they would issue it within 24 hours, and put it in the post. 

Richard explained that I needed it fairly quickly, and that the Cyprus post can be slow and unreliable. So they said they could email it. And he asked for a copy of his one, too, as he couldn't find it. 

He received an email about two hours later, containing a link and code so that he could access, save and print his S1 certificate. And, indeed, it says that family members in Cyprus are also eligible. 

It took a bit longer, and a couple more phone calls before he was able to access mine, but each time the person on the help desk was friendly, and quickly found what they needed, and agreed that I was definitely eligible. Eventually I was sent the link to download my S1 document, which looks (at the top of the first page) like this:

So I sent off my S1 certificate to GeSY on July 2nd. This time it only took them five days to respond, and they said: 

Since you have received your S1 document, please contact the Ministry of Health in Cyprus to apply for a white medical card.

The copy of the white medical card should be delivered by July 14,2025.

They gave the email for contact, so I sent an email explaining the situation, attaching my S1 certificate. I have no idea why GeSY and the Ministry of Health are not in direct communication with each other, or why this isn't all computerised... but 'this is Cyprus'. 

To my surprise, I had a response within a couple of hours. It gave me a pdf form which I had to download, print, fill in, scan, and then upload. I also had to supply various forms of ID as well as sending the S1 again. And they said I would receive the white medical card in the post... and that I could use it to register with GeSY. 

So I did all that, on July 7th, with an email asking if they could possibly email a scanned or pdf copy of the card, since I had to submit it by July 14th. I also said that we were already registered with GeSY. 

I heard nothing more. 

On July 11th, I read this article in one of the Cyprus online newspapers: Cyprus health system removes beneficiaries without warning. Apparently a lot of people had been sent the same email as I had, but either hadn't received it, or hadn't noticed it, or had ignored it. If they didn't submit documentation by the given deadline, they were removed from GeSY - and in some cases had no idea until they tried to get medical treatment. 

I immediately went to check the portal to ensure my records were still there, and I was able to log in without problems. I realised that it was important to keep in touch, even if I couldn't submit my documents in time. So on July 14th I emailed GeSY again, and said that the medical card was supposed to come in the post but had not arrived.

They wrote back, telling me I should ask for a pdf copy by email. So I wrote to the Ministry of Health again, and let them know that I did this a week previously, and had done it again.

I didn't receive an email reply from the Ministry of Health, but on Thursday 17th July my white medical card arrived in the mail!  So I duly scanned both sides and sent them to GeSY. 

This is what the outside looks like:

The inside has typed information about Richard (since he is the one receiving the UK state pension) and me, as his dependent. The outside looks as if it's meant to be folded in half, but the inside is not formatted that way. And even if I fold it, it's quite a bit bigger than a credit card, so wouldn't easily fit in my purse. 

It expires in 2028, so I expect I'll have to go through this process all over again in another three years. 

I haven't heard back from anyone, so I hope that everything is now correct. 

Update: on October 8th 2025, I finally received an email, nearly four months after submitting the white card.  It says:

We are glad to inform you that the eligibility re-evaluation process relating to the below person’s right to access the healthcare services provided by the GHS, was successfully concluded as the below person continues to meet the eligibility criteria stipulated in the GHS Law.

 So that's good. 

Eating a variety of plant-based foods

 It's fairly easy to eat healthfully in Cyprus. Fruit and vegetables in season are generally inexpensive; I have often bought a crate at the outdoor fruit market, typically two or three kilograms (sometimes more) of tomatoes, plums, peaches or apricots, when they are plentiful, for a couple of euros. I lightly stew and then freeze the ones I don't use immediately in 400g portions, so I have them available at other times of year. 

In the winter, citrus fruit is excellent value. Large, delicious Merlin oranges are currently 79 eurocents per kilogram, for instance. Lemons are even more prolific, and most years someone offers us a large bag of lemons from their tree. If not, a crate of about 15-20 lemons costs around a euro. The juice can be frozen in ice cube trays, or other containers for use all year round.

So it's pretty easy for us to get our 'five-a-day' - usually it's nearer eight or nine portions of fruit and veg - as well as the recommended 30g fibre, much of which is in the fruit and vegetables we eat. I do this not to be virtuous, but because I like fruit and veg, and also because I appreciate the related health benefits. 

What I hadn't come across until recently was a newer recommendation that, in addition to the above guidelines, we should aim for at least 30 different kinds of plant-based foods each week. A friend on Facebook mentioned this and I checked various links; it seems to be from a legitimate study. It's different from the 'five-a-day' principle (which should still be followed) in two significant respects:

(1) We don't just count fruits and vegetables, but other plant-based foods such as nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes. Starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn can also be included.

(2) Each kind of food is only counted once in each week.  

I am aware that being able to do this is a 'first world' privilege. We're fortunate to live in a country that offers a wide selection of high quality produce at affordable prices. In many parts of the world, food products are seriously limited, or highly priced, and it may be impossible to eat more than one or two different kinds of food in a week. 

I have to admit, too, that my first question was whether coffee, cocoa and sugar would count; all are, after all, plant-based. But they're not mentioned in any of the lists I looked at on this topic, so I assume not. Herbs and spices can be included, but each is only worth a quarter of a food 'point' as the quantities are generally so small.

Out of curiosity, I decided to keep a record of a week of typical eating for us, some weeks ago, without making any deliberate adjustments, to see if we reached the goal. 

Sunday

We're rather predictable as far as breakfasts go. I had my typical basic breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice, and home-made muesli, which contains oats, coconut, almond meal, walnuts, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, raisins, dried apricots and dried cranberries.  I had a cup of coffee, too. We don't use dairy milk; instead I make both cashew milk and oat milk. I can't count oats again, but cashews can be added to my list. Oh, and I always eat a brazil nut. 

So that was twelve at the start of the first day, but I couldn't count any of them again for the rest of the week.

Richard, meanwhile, had a glass of orange juice, half an apple, a banana, a pear, a little pot of mixed nuts (brazil, peanuts, walnuts, almonds) and a cup of coffee with the same two plant-based milks.  

So he started the week with ten different plant-based products. 

Sunday is the only day we usually have a cooked lunch. I used a previously made lemon chicken from the freezer (which, in addition to the chicken, contained onions, mushrooms, yellow peppers and lemon juice). We had roast potatoes, carrots and broccoli with it. 

That made seven more plant-based foods to add to our weekly inventory.

Our friends were coming over for an afternoon of games followed by a shared meal.  So I made a couple of loaves of bread in the breadmaker (with wholewheat flour, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and chia seeds), and soup (which contained onions, tomatoes and courgettes, all pureed together after caramelising with garlic and spices, then simmering). For dessert I made an apricot crisp, which contained previously frozen apricots, some lemon juice, and an oat-based topping with some raisins in it. 

Already we were getting into duplicates which didn't count in the '30-a-week' guideline. but I think that made an extra five for me, and an extra eight for Richard as he didn't have apricots or seeds with his breakfast. 

During the meal, we ate some raw carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and peppers brought by our friends. Only the cucumber is counted as a new food, but in all that made 25 different plant-based foods for me, and I think 26 for Richard on our first day. I decided not to count garlic, herbs or spices at all, just treating those as a bonus. 

Monday 

I went to the fruit shop first thing, to buy the vegetables needed for Tuesday evening, some fruit that we were running low on, and one or two other things. I was pleased to see locally grown strawberries at €1.49 per 500g. They looked and smelled good, so I bought a pack. And since cherry tomatoes were on offer (two for the price of one) I bought some of those too.

Just under nine euros bought me this lot: 

Our breakfasts were the same as Sundays, with the addition of about ten strawberries each. 

For lunch we had some cold turkey and mushroom pie left over from the end of last week, with cherry tomatoes, and the leftover apricot crisp. No new plant-based products there. However we then opened some new dairy-free chocolate from Lidl, with coconut and pecans. Even if the cocoa doesn't count, the nuts do. 

On Monday evenings we usually have something fairly quick to make and vegan. Since I had an avocado which was just right for eating, bought a week earlier, I made some guacamole to eat with black bean fajitas. The tortillas were whole-grain, with rye as well as wheat, and the filling, in addition to the black beans, contained onions, mushrooms and peppers... all of which were included in Sunday's lunch. We also had some tomatoes, cucumber and mixed lettuce and cabbage. 

So we only added seven different plant-based foods on Monday, but if I was counting correctly, it means I had already reached 32 and Richard 33 different plant-based foods in just two days.  

Tuesday 

A pear was an extra plant food for Richard for breakfast, but everything else was the same for both of us. Lunch was leftover bread and soup from Sunday, with more of the coconut and pecan chocolate. 

On Tuesday evenings we usually have some kind of fish, with roasted vegetables. This time I cooked baked salmon with lemon slices and roasted sweet potatoes, carrots, garlic cloves, red peppers and broccoli.  The only one we hadn't eaten earlier in the week was sweet potato, and I decided to add in garlic this time, since we ate four or five roasted cloves each, rather than just using a sprinkling. 

Still trying to keep track, I counted 34 for me by this stage, and 37 for Richard.

Wednesday 

In the morning I cut up the mango I'd bought at the froutaria on Monday, and we had that along with our usual breakfast foods. At lunch we ate leftover fajita filling and salads, so nothing new there. In the evening I made vegan sausages for me, which are mainly chickpeas; Richard had meat sausages, made a few months ago by a friend. We had them with potato wedges, roasted mushrooms and cauliflower,  and some home-made baked beans, which used haricot beans. 

Total plant-based foods so far: 38 for me, 40 for Richard.

Thursday 

We had some more of Monday's strawberries with our breakfasts, and more leftovers at lunch. In the evening I heated up a container of chili con carne which I'd made and frozen a couple of months earlier, along with a few of Wednesday's baked beans. I used the microwave and the air fryer to make jacket potatoes, with carrots and broccoli, also air fried, which worked well. I also microwaved some frozen peas which I thought would be the only additional plant food for Thursday, until I remembered that my chilis always contain a good amount of red lentils. 

So I'd reached 40 plant foods, Richard 42. 

Friday 

I took my trolley to the local fruitaria first thing, and bought this selection of fruit and veg for the next few days - enough to last us until Wednesday:.

That lot came to just over 15 euros.  The most expensive item was the three peppers; there weren't any in the reduced section, so they were full price, and I paid nearly a euro per pepper (about 300g each). Next highest is the pears. The oranges - lovely large, juicy ones - were still just 69 or 79 cents per kilogram and I bought two different kinds. 

Breakfast on Friday was as before, likewise lunch, with the addition of some apple pastries that were on sale at Lidl, where we went later in the morning (and spent rather more than €15 on items such as cat food, canned coconut milk and honey). And while the pastries were not exactly healthful, I realised that I hadn't had any apple so far this week. So that took me to 41. 

I was going to make spanokopitta in the evening but was quite tired, and we'd had pastries at lunch-time anyway. So we decided on our favourite local fast-food, Souvlaki Express. Chicken with salad in a pitta for Richard, falafel for me. I was losing track, but we had both exceeded 40 different fruits and vegetables, without having taken any added herbs and spices into account. 

Saturday 

I made chicken jalfrezi in the slow cooker first thing, then breakfast and lunch as before... Saturday is our curry night, and we had the jalfrezi with wholegrain pittas, raisins, coconut, mango chutney, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, apple and banana. I don't think there was anything 'new' to the week's plant-based foods, other than the banana for me, as I hadn't had one at breakfast.

Having eaten, without any effort, considerably more than the 'ideal' number of different plant foods during the course of a week, my main feeling was an overwhelming thankfulness at living in a place with such an abundance of high quality, inexpensive foods. 

The following week

During that first week, we had eaten some foods that we don't eat every week, such as the strawberries and mango. We don't eat avocado every week, either or black beans (which we had twice), or baked beans... 

So I logged another week, less rigorously. We didn't have a fresh mango, but still had mango chutney with our Saturday curry. No avocado or baked beans, but we had some canned pineapple when I made sweet-and-sour cheese. We also had some brown rice, which is another one (white rice doesn't count - but I never buy it anyway).  

I don't know that we reached forty during the second week, but we ate well over thirty different plant-based foods. It's not as if we're vegans or even vegetarians, although we don't eat meat every day. And we don't eat a huge number of different fruits or vegetables. But the articles I read implied that many people don't even manage twenty different kinds. 

Rather than continue tracking, I decided to list what we eat by different types of plant-based food. 

Typical groceries

I go to the fruitaria at least twice every week, sometimes three times. A couple of typical purchases are shown above. I'm not very adventurous, which makes it easy to shop without making a list. Every week I buy, and we both eat:

Fruit:
Oranges - apples - bananas - pears 

Vegetables:
Potatoes - sweet potatoes - carrots - broccoli - tomatoes - onions - mushrooms - peppers - cucumbers - garlic cloves

Also, we always have and eat at least once:

Frozen:
Peas - french beans

Every six weeks, we go to a lovely little shop that sells nuts and various dried products.  Between €50 and €60 buys us sufficient of the following to last for the next month and a half, mostly eaten at breakfast:

Nuts:
Almonds - brazil nuts - cashew nuts - peanuts - walnuts

Seeds:
Sunflower - flax - chia

Dried fruit:
Raisins - dates - apricots - cranberries 

Also: 
Coconut 

With the addition of wholewheat (in bread) and oats (in milk, and my granola) I make that 31 plant-based products which we both eat almost every week.  I also eat a large courgette each week, and Richard has a portion of broad beans at the same time.  Even if we don't have a fresh mango, we have mango chutney. We always seem to have something containing lemon juice, too, whether used fresh or frozen. 

I could also include quarter portions each of: chili powder, sweet paprika, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ginger, turmeric, parsley and basil, all of which we use pretty much every week - and other herbs and spices less frequently. 

At least once or twice a month we also eat:

cauliflower - spinach - cabbage - lettuce - avocado

brown rice - pineapple (canned) 

chickpeas - lentils - black beans - haricot beans 

And, when they're available in season:

clementines - apricots - peaches - strawberries - plums 

It's not a competition; the only 'prize' for eating lots of plant-based products is an increased chance of longevity, with good health as we age. There are, of course, those who eat almost no fruit and veg and still live to be elderly and free of disease. There are also those who are extremely fit and eat very healthfully, but who still develop serious diseases or life-threatening conditions at a young age.  

But I'm not a fatalist. I'd rather increase my chances of good health even if, in the end, environment or genetics beat lifestyle. I know some people have allergies or specific foods they don't like. But there are many more fruits and vegetables than the 50 or so that I've mentioned. So I'm a bit puzzled how anyone in a developed country with widely available (and reasonably priced) produce could NOT eat thirty or more different plant-based foods in a week.  

Cyprus Covid-19 shutdown, the first few days

Sunday 15th March 2020

We went to church in the morning. I had a feeling it might be the last time for a while.  St Helena's is small enough that it was able to hold a service. Perhaps thirty people were there. We had to use hand sanitiser before being given our service sheet and hymn book, but people were sitting together.  No physical contact, we were told, during the 'peace'.  No wine for communion, just wafers. And the servers would use extra sanitiser before distribution.

People were mostly fairly relaxed, none of them seeming too worried about the pandemic. Cyprus has 26 cases so far;  quite high in per-head terms (the population is about 1.2 million) but most are external, caught at the airport. But none, as far as we know, in Larnaka.  So far, anyway. Even so, the streets were quieter than usual, and the Municipal playground eerily quiet. Usually it's packed with lively, fast-moving children on a Sunday morning.

In the late afternoon the President gave a speech.  It's going to be far more difficult for anyone to get into Cyprus, as they will have to produce health certificates, and go into compulsory 14-day quarantine, at a government location. Only Cypriots, legal residents and essential businesspeople will be allowed in.  This will continue until at least April 30th.

All department stores, restaurants, cinemas etc must close tomorrow at 6pm, for at least two weeks, maybe longer.  Churches are encouraged to close their doors until at least April 10th. People are recommended to self-isolate, although going for walks or driving is still permitted, unlike in some parts of mainland Europe.

A lot of people in Cyprus (and the UK) have been asking about home education, either short-term or longer-term, so I decided to make the Kindle version of my book free for the next five days (Amazon won't allow any longer) and at the minimum possible price thereafter.

I got in touch with some friends who were due to stay in our guest flat for most of April, asking if they knew about the new regulations.  They had just been told that their flight was cancelled.  Perhaps they'll come later in the year; we've pencilled in some dates.

I sat at my computer for a lot of the afternoon, compulsively checking and re-checking news sites, and vegging out with Facebook.  As well as writing my previous blog post with a general update right before the start of the lock-down.

Monday 16th March

I went out to the froutaria and Achna Discount mini-market at 7.00am, wanting to make sure we had a little extra cat food, and one or two other items where we would soon be running low. I noted that there was plenty of toilet paper on the shelves in Achna Discount, although some of the other shelves looked a little less well-stocked than usual.  There aren't usually many people shopping at that time,  so there was no restriction on numbers.

Our van was due to have its clutch replaced so Richard drove it to the local garage at 8.30, only to be told that he should bring it back in two weeks' time.  The owner wasn't there.  It's not urgent; it's the van he uses when running PA for events, but there aren't going to be any events in the foreseeable future.

Richard works from home; he had some online meetings in the morning, and did some work as usual. I put links on Facebook and my home education website to encourage people to download the free edition of my book, and wrote some email. And checked the news sites compulsively...

I was sent an email from the St Helena's administrator, letting me know that the church would be closing Sunday services and all other events for the time being, in line with the Orthodox Church recommendations.  She asked me to update the church website, which I have been maintaining for many years.

I tried to keep life as normal as possible. I did some laundry, and pottered in the kitchen.  In the afternoon some friends who live in Limassol called in for coffee, after dropping a relative at the airport. It's probably one of the last flights out of Cyprus for a while.  They stayed until the flight had taken off, just in case there was a problem. It was nice to catch up with friends whom we hadn't seen for a while, but very odd not to greet them with hugs, and to sit on opposite sides of the room as we chatted.  Social distancing, it's called.

I don't usually go out much on a Monday but somehow we both felt slight cabin fever by the evening, so after we had eaten we went out for a walk, down to the sea-front.  It was quite shocking to see the place so quiet, with hardly anyone out and about.  Restaurants were not just closed, they had tables and chairs stacked away.

Back home, I checked the news sites again.  There are 46 cases of covid-19 in Cyprus now.

We usually watch a DVD on Monday nights, but neither of us really felt like doing anything so frivolous.  I started to feel as if we were stuck in a dystopian novel... not yet affected ourselves, but waiting for something to happen...

Tuesday 17th March

I woke up around 6am to very gentle rain, but decided to go out for my usual walk with my friend Sheila.  By the time we met, about half-way between our house and hers, it was raining a little more. We both had umbrellas, but didn't want to risk slipping on the Salt Lake trail.  So we walked down to the sea-front, and along.  The rain became heavier, so we headed back, then sat outside in our side garden, under the roof, and watched the rain pouring down...

Umbrellas, we realised as we were walking, are excellent tools for 'social distancing'.

Around 8am the rain stopped, so Sheila walked home and I went in to squeeze oranges and prepare our breakfasts, then made some bread and some cashew milk. Normality as far as possible.  At 10.30 or so Sheila and her three daughters - aged 14, 11 and 9 - came over to hang out. We do so much with their family that we decided last week that there was no point distancing ourselves from them.  Unless, of course, one of us develops the virus.

The girls played with lego for a while, and we chatted, then we played a few games.  At first they couldn't agree on anything - perhaps they have been playing too many games at home in the past few days, with all outside activities cancelled.  But eventually we played some Boggle and Ligretto, two favourites that can be played by almost any number.

In the afternoon, I checked the news sites compulsively, and wrote some more emails.  I also checked to see whether my book was being downloaded in its free version, and was pleased to see that there were 49 downloads yesterday, and 11 (so far) today.  It even says it's number one in the free Kindle editions of books about parent participation in education.  I could, should I so desire, call it a 'best seller':

Mid-afternoon we walked to a meeting with two of the St Helena's ministers, to discuss communication with the congregation. In addition to the church website, and we had been thinking for a while about having a Facebook page. It seemed like a good time to start one.  So when we got home, I did so.

Three more cases of covid-19 in the Republic of Cyprus, taking the total to 49 now (plus about six or seven in the North).

Wednesday 18th March

I went out to the froutaria first thing, by a roundabout route that gave me a couple of kilometres of walking before I got there. We didn't need much, so I didn't take my trolley. It was quite chilly: only 7 degrees at 6.30am.  I wore my knitted hat for the first time in several weeks.

There was only one other customer in the shop at 6.30am, but one of the women at the tills told me that they have to limit the number of customers in the shop when it gets busy later in the day.  She was feeling concerned, wondering if the staff ought to be wearing masks, even though they're not recommended as protection against the virus.  But people go through the checkout lines all day, some of them coughing or sneezing.  There are still no confirmed cases of covid-19 in Larnaka, but that could change any day.

The government have announced that there will be no passenger flights at all permitted to land from March 21st (Saturday) for two weeks.  Cargo flights will still be arriving, and there may be empty planes arriving to remove any remaining tourists who need to return to their home countries.

And on an unrelated note: as it's been warmer recently (around 18-21 degrees in the daytime) our central heating has not come on at all for about three weeks.  Last night when the temperature dropped Richard went to see why it wasn't coming on, and it appears to be not working at all.  So today the house has felt quite chilly.

Since it should warm up again by the end of the week, and it's not VERY cold - around 15-16 degrees - we're probably not going to call in the repairman yet again.  We need a full service of our heating before next winter, so will try to remember to book it in about October, when - we hope - this pandemic will have ended, or at least have reduced, and workmen will be out and about again.

As well as checking news sites compulsively, I have updated my Cyprus-life site with a brief note about the current situation, and worked a little more on the St Helena's site and page.  The new reality is taking hold, but hasn't dramatically affected us yet.  Life goes on. Laundry and shopping and cooking still happen, and since we're both usually at home most of the time, things aren't so different for us. At least, not yet.

I was going to keep updating this until a week had passed, but this is long enough already.  So, just in case anyone reading this is interested in downloading my book about home education while it's still free for the Kindle, here's the link on the UK site: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Home-Education-What-Guide-Beginners-ebook/dp/B07N6NV822/  If your Kindle is linked to another country's site, you should be able to find it there using the same product code.

Cyprus and the Covid-19 Coronavirus

I hesitate to add to the many, many articles and posts on the topic of the current pandemic. But writing a blog post is an easy way of letting folk know what's going on, and what life is like for those of us living in Cyprus as the crisis develops around the world.

The latest figures, as of today, show 26 people infected in the Republic of Cyprus. That doesn't sound very many, but in a population of just under 1.2 million, it's equivalent, percentage-wise, to around 1700 in a country of 66 million people.  Which is more than the UK, currently.  However, almost all those tested positive for covid-19 in Cyprus are people who flew in from other countries, many of them from the UK.  Most were detected with fevers at the airports, and isolated immediately.

The Cyprus government does not want it to spread.  So last week they announced that all schools would close until April 10th; since that's the start of the two-week Easter break, children are all out of school now until late April.  But they're not playing outside, as they normally do at weekends or holiday periods.  The playgrounds are deserted.

Gatherings of more than 75 people are also banned.  And anyone arriving from any country had to go into 14-day mandatory self-isolation.  On Friday the government announced that there would be no tourists or visitors at all - only Cypriots, legal residents of Cyprus, and legitimate workers would be allowed in.

Today they took even stronger measures: anyone who does come into the country must present a certificate that they have tested negative for coronavirus, and must also go into 14-day quarantine, at a state-mandated institution.  Restaurants, cinemas, malls etc are all going to be closed.

The tourist industry is going to be very hard hit.  Airlines may go bankrupt.  Self-employed people will struggle, although the government is offering some form of compensation in a financial package, yet to be unveiled.

It's all very worrying.  Not that we are likely to develop serious complications if we catch it; we're not (quite) in the over-65 risky category, and we don't have underlying health issues. We are far more concerned about elderly relatives in the UK, where few measures are being taken to ensure safety.  And we can't really leave the country; flights are being cancelled all the time, and if we did succeed in getting out, it would be difficult to get back.

We've read about people panic-buying toilet paper in Australia and, more recently, the UK.  And while we haven't done that - and there was plenty of toilet paper in the shops, at least at the end of last week - we did do a bit of extra shopping on Friday, just in case we have to self-isolate.

We bought rather a lot of cat litter, for instance.  There were only three bags of our preferred brand at Metro, so we bought them all, and three more at SuperHome Centre. We bought some extra coffee and chocolate.  Another jar of Marmite.  Earlier I went out to the local Achna Discount shop, and bought some extra dishwasher tabs, soap, cat food, canned chickpeas, tahini and bread flour.  We can, if necessary, eat a lot of home-made bread and hummus.

But we're well-off for food anyway.  We usually have at least a couple of weeks' worth of frozen meals; when I cook something in the slow-cooker, I make 6-8 portions and freeze what we don't eat for future use.

My main concern, if all the shops close, is fruit and vegetables. I hope the fruitaria will stay open, and since most of the produce is grown in Cyprus, there shouldn't be a problem with supplies.  But just in case we can't get out, I did buy a few extra peppers to cut up and freeze:

I did the same with mushrooms.  And we have several containers of frozen stewed tomatoes, which I use instead of canned.  I  also buy peas and french beans ready-frozen.

know we're more fortunate than many, in that we can buy more food than we need and freeze what won't keep.  Being dairy-free is an advantage at present; we have several litres of coconut milk, which keeps for months unopened, as it was on special offer a week ago.  And we made an extra trip to the nut warehouse on Friday, so there are plenty of cashews to make cashew milk, and other nuts which we eat for breakfasts.  We have plenty of vegan 'fasting' cheese, too, which lasts much longer in the fridge than dairy cheese.

Last week I had, a little ironically, a rather more sociable week than usual.  Monday morning saw the monthly local Christian writers' group.  Seven or eight of us were present.  In the afternoon I went, for the first time, to a local reading/book club.  Another seven or eight people were there.  That's also once a month.  Somehow I doubt if either will meet early in April.

On Tuesday we spent most of the day with our closest friends - who we will continue to see as normal, unless even more stringent regulations are passed, or one of us becomes ill.  On Wednesday another friend came over for coffee.  On Thursday I went to a Lenten Bible study at St Helena's, the Anglican church which we're now part of.   I think there were eleven or twelve people there.

We went to St Helena's this morning for the regular Sunday service.  The congregation was perhaps a little lower in numbers than usual, but there were more people there than I expected.  We were given blobs of hand sanitiser on the way in, and were told 'no physical contact' during the passing of the peace.  This is when folk usually shake hands and hug as many people as possible.  Today we kept our hands to ourselves. And there was no wine at the communion, other than for the minister.

The coronavirus is the main topic of conversation wherever we go, but most people we meet are fairly resigned to it. They are taking sensible precautions but not panicking.  But then I suppose anyone inclined to panic is already self-isolating.

And to change the subject entirely, so I can post a rather more interesting photo, one of my freesias came into bloom yesterday: