Mediterranean temperature spread. Today’s forecast high of 17 (though much warmer in the sun or next to a sunny window of course) and low of 16. Always seems surprising after half a year of mid-continent weather.
Would be easier to become Cypriot bird watchers if we were better at identifying what we see. Definitely magpies, but they don’t linger and we’re not really generating enough leftovers to lure them into friendship, and if we were the feral cats would probably take over. Spotted a very small bird head
ing into a roof tile in the house directly opposite us, which is unoccupied. One of the small metal pieces forming a miniature grate in front of the tiles is missing so there is now a protected spot for a little nest.
Quite a bit of pigeon cooing as well, leading to the suspicion that there is a nest on our roof. Much too high to check it out. Better there than the one they built on our balcony in Paphos a few years back. There were eggs in it before we could dismantle it and discourage them. Fine as long as we were there, but doubt that the hotel staff and the next occupants of the flat were as tolerant after we left.
BBC World radio has a weekly half hour program called The Food Chain. Today literally about the food chain. Everything from just in time delivery to the supermarket shelves back to who is - or in this case probably is not - going to pick the ripening fruit and vegetables usually taken care of by Central European workers. At this point the asparagus should be ready in Germany and as borders close there are fears that crops may be left to rot. Think that this may be less problem with food sourced from TRNC and Turkey.
There is some discussion of people stocking up because of covid-19 and a spokeswoman from Unilever is asked to comment. Apparently there are national differences here. Americans stock up on ice cream and the British on alcohol. The Netherlands has people buying peanut butter and sausages. She laughs and says not particularly healthy there either. I’m curious enough to pursue this. All right, the sausages are probably a source of salt and nitrates and nitrites as well as red meat - fair enough. But we regard peanut butter as a pretty healthy staple and one which keeps well, but then ours usually contains only peanuts. Turns out that Unilever sells Skippy (nuff said?) and Calvé, more common in Europe but also containing sugar, salt and unideal fats. The stockpiling of pasta, rice and beans seems pretty well universal.
Would be easier to become Cypriot bird watchers if we were better at identifying what we see. Definitely magpies, but they don’t linger and we’re not really generating enough leftovers to lure them into friendship, and if we were the feral cats would probably take over. Spotted a very small bird head
Quite a bit of pigeon cooing as well, leading to the suspicion that there is a nest on our roof. Much too high to check it out. Better there than the one they built on our balcony in Paphos a few years back. There were eggs in it before we could dismantle it and discourage them. Fine as long as we were there, but doubt that the hotel staff and the next occupants of the flat were as tolerant after we left.
BBC World radio has a weekly half hour program called The Food Chain. Today literally about the food chain. Everything from just in time delivery to the supermarket shelves back to who is - or in this case probably is not - going to pick the ripening fruit and vegetables usually taken care of by Central European workers. At this point the asparagus should be ready in Germany and as borders close there are fears that crops may be left to rot. Think that this may be less problem with food sourced from TRNC and Turkey.
There is some discussion of people stocking up because of covid-19 and a spokeswoman from Unilever is asked to comment. Apparently there are national differences here. Americans stock up on ice cream and the British on alcohol. The Netherlands has people buying peanut butter and sausages. She laughs and says not particularly healthy there either. I’m curious enough to pursue this. All right, the sausages are probably a source of salt and nitrates and nitrites as well as red meat - fair enough. But we regard peanut butter as a pretty healthy staple and one which keeps well, but then ours usually contains only peanuts. Turns out that Unilever sells Skippy (nuff said?) and Calvé, more common in Europe but also containing sugar, salt and unideal fats. The stockpiling of pasta, rice and beans seems pretty well universal.
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