Saturday, April 4/2026

 Bottlebrush shrubs line the sidewalk going down the hill to the little supermarket. They’re not new but have suddenly burst into exuberant flower, encouraged no doubt by the frequent rains. And they are planted not beside but in the cement, typical of both North and South and presumably making life difficult for those in wheelchairs or manoeuvring baby prams.  Cheerful though.

Dust is still with us but not nearly as heavy as yesterday. Seems to be heading east, though to be replaced, the forecast says, by showers.

And there is a news report of a man being arrested for stealing three beers. Well, theft is theft, and it’s good to know the police take their responsibilities seriously. But it gets better. The theft occurred last October, when the suspect entered a house through the front door and left with three beers (report fails to specify whether in bottles or tins and inquiring minds want to know). He might reasonably have supposed by April that he had got away with it, but not so. The man was arrested at the airport on Friday as he returned from a trip abroad. So did the police (plural?) make a trip out to the airport in order to make this arrest or were they already there in the course of their more mundane duties? Be interesting to see the sentencing.

Friday, April 3/2026

Courtesy in-cyprus.philenews.com

 Once more, it’s difficult to take a photograph of what isn’t there. In this case the mountain behind our flat. Although a news reporter seems to have done not too badly with a street scene. For the second time we wake to find that the mountain and the sea have both disappeared. This time the culprit is not fog but dust. Saharan dust not unusual here, but meteorological director is quoted as saying “It would not be an exaggeration to say that episodes this strong are recorded once every ten years.

Courtesy Gill Caunt, TRNC 

A fellow North Cypriot had better luck, a better camera or both. Possibly also took the photo at a time of lighter dust cloud than my attempt.

Should have been our regular Friday afternoon gathering but not a good time for the walk down when municipalities are cancelling outside work.

But am a little less than half way through Annie Proulx’s The Shipping News, which I borrowed from the online library, meaning it will vanish when its time is up. An excellent read on an indoor afternoon.

In the interests of which I check the iPad’s charge level and say oh shit. Siri, programmed to answer in a Jeeves style butler’s voice, says primly that he is unable to respond.

Thursday, April 2/2026

Courtesy New Yorker

Wake to find that the mountains have disappeared. So, for that matter has the sea. Mist fairly impressive, but proves not to be highly photogenic. May also be combined with dust, which has been forecast to be with us for the next four days. Difficult to distinguish amongst the fifty or so shades of grey.

Yesterday was EOKA Day, a national holiday in the Republic of Cyprus (South). An interesting and, from the point of view of North Cypriots, unfortunate day to celebrate. 

With apologies, from a previous blog:

“EOKA was a terrorist organisation active from the fifties to the seventies whose aim was political union with Greece, pitting it against the British, Turkish Cypriots, and many fellow Greek Cypriots. While many independence movements have involved violence. EOKA was not an independence movement and did mean death for Turkish Cypriots. Independence was granted by the British in 1960, and the government of the republic later outlawed the organisation, which had been responsible for civilian deaths, including deliberate massacres, and involved with the death of the American ambassador.”

Inevitably, continued celebration of EOKA leads to hostile attitudes and worse. And yesterday men dressed in black threw rocks and, reportedly, [presumably minor] explosives across the buffer zone into the North.

This morning Doğan arrives at the door to collect a document. As is usual with Doğan the text saying he is coming arrives very slightly after D himself. Somewhat apologetically, he calls my attention to a small piece of what is unquestionably dog poo on the doormat. More or less the colour of the doormat as well, so had he not noticed it might have been discovered by more unfortunate means. Interesting, though. A small dog does live across the hall, but it never leaves its apartment. Can’t imagine the nice couple opening the door and directing it to nip over and foul our doormat. Though it seems even more unlikely that a passing dog negotiated the outside door and climbed the eighteen steps to our landing to make a deposit. And, as we have no known enemies, most unlikely of all that a human saw fit to insult us. Really very odd.

Wednesday, April 1/2026

Nine pm and it’s not raining. Glance at the radar does suggest that this snug dry refuge may be temporary. Radar not an April Fool’s posting, unfortunately. Storm even has its own name - Erminio. Also, dust from Libya expected over the next two days.

Previous blogs not particularly reliable re weather comparisons. Don’t always mention it, and any given day’s offering from the skies may be atypical. But do notice that on March 31, 2019 I complained about “more of the same old intermittent rain - as it has been for the last several days and is predicted to be until at least Thursday”, so clearly - or rather murkily - that was a wet March. Even led us to wonder whether, like Joe Btsflg of the old Li’l Abner comics, we walked around under our own permanent rain cloud. Really not that bad this year. Or maybe just becoming more philosophical with age.

Tuesday, March 31/2026

Courtesy Stephen Lewis Foundation 

 Stephen Lewis’s death announced today. A family synonymous with Canada’s NDP and a man equally valued for his work with the UN and in Africa, particularly with regard to HIV/AIDS.

Monday, March 30/2026

Courtesy kibrispostasi.com

Had been wondering if the general strike had gone ahead. Not that it seems likely that it would affect us, unless the dolmuşes were to stop running. Assuming the drivers, who all seem to be independent agents in competition with each other, are not members of a union. 

Seems the answer as to whether it is taking place is a definite yes. And popular feeling is clearly against the bill, if a demonstration involving thousands in an organised march on the legislature is any indication. Demonstrators were met by a line of riot police and apparently overcame them and reached the front door of the building. The government agreed to negotiate with union leaders, who entered the legislature. 

The fire brigade was called to disperse the remaining protestors. This seems to have led to conflict when the firefighters began spraying demonstrators, who then grabbed the hose. A tug of war followed and the firefighters began spraying the crowd, who fought back, breaking the fire engine’s windows. Police then used water cannons and tear gas. Journalists were seriously injured, reportedly, and a large number of demonstrators and union leaders were taken into custody.

Unclear who the organisers of the demo were but it can hardly have been spontaneous. Marchers started from three separate points and converged on the legislature. Police seem to have been unprepared for both the numbers and the militancy. 

Undoubtedly a story to be continued.

Sunday, March 29/2026

 Sunny but also crazy windy. Sixty kilometres an hour, otherwise known as gale force. J finds yesterday’s coffee cup, left on the terrace wall, has blown off - fortunately to a soft garden landing.

Daylight savings time began today for much of Europe and Asia. So recalculate time difference and turn on live coverage just in time to see the announcement of the results for the NDP leadership convention in Winnipeg. Miss the drama of the old party conventions where the conflict and brokering was all live and on the floor, but modern conventions for all parties are both more democratically representative and more efficient. Results unsurprising as Avi Lewis takes over fifty percent on the first ballot. (Remote voting began earlier in the month and ended early yesterday evening).

General strike planned for tomorrow in protest over suspension of cost of living increases. Seems to have begun with municipal workers and spread to other unions. Statement (though obviously in Turkish) that it would continue “until the problem is addressed”, which suggests that serious discussion somewhat short of capitulation might put it on hold. Have no idea how much public sympathy there might be, as in what percentage of citizens are or are related to unionised workers. But when elementary schools are closed sympathy tends to evaporate fairly quickly.

Saturday, March 28/2026

 First market visit in three weeks. Last two Saturdays were wet enough that many of the vendors didn’t go either. But today happily sunny and shirtsleeve weather. Even a cactus in the grounds is sporting its spring decorations. 

Criegan is out enjoying the weather and the full breakfast that the market offers so we stop for a chat. And the bookstall has a deal. Donate four books and get one free. So we bring back four and get to choose a new one. And remember the early days of our travels when English books were almost unobtainable in non-English countries. Occasionally now we come across the title of some obscure book and think we read that, but why? The answer is that one year, early in this century, we found it and it was in English.

Sunny enough also to wash sheets - or, more to the point, to dry them. Was yesterday as well, although then Zoe pointed out that it would be wise to double peg them lest they end up in someone else’s garden.

And in the spirit of sun colour, I make lemon curd. Four ingredients - lemons, sugar, butter and eggs. But the deep yellow comes not from the lemon or butter but from the free range egg yolks. Would make it more often if it weren’t so sinfully rich.