Monday, March 23/2026

 Very unusual for a crow to come close enough to have its photo taken. Unfortunately through the glass as I knew that opening the sliding door would scare it away. Also a perch on the bougainvillea insecure enough to guarantee it wouldn’t stay long.

Local online query asking if anyone knows whether the mustard office is open in the village of Karşıkaka tomorrow. Interested enough to pursue the responses, though we don’t live in Karşıyaka, a village to the west of us, and aren’t looking to buy mustard. Mildly surprised to think that there would be anything much in the way of mustard production or distribution here. Doesn’t seem to be particularly popular and the jars we’ve seen have all been imported and not underpriced. 

The explanation is that predictive text has been up to its usual tricks. It has an especially difficult time dealing with foreign words, although quite good at messing up English terms as well. A bit like being assisted in composition by a bright and enthusiastic six year old proofreader. Eventually it dawns that the poster is looking for information on the mukhtar’s office and predictive text has done its best. (The particular PT I am using at the moment invariably inserts an apostrophe in “its” whether it’s wanted or not). 

The mukhtar is a neighbourhood elected official, a sort of lesser mayor whose signature is frequently required on documents, so not unusual to see inquiries re office hours. And interestingly the Greek Cypriots have the same name for the same position, presumably dating back to the time when the whole island was part of the Ottoman Empire.

Sunday, March 22/2026

Clouds tease us most of the day suggesting that they could dispense rain but may not just yet. A couple of pretty decent showers and then the kind of sunset, seen through the neighbour’s grape vine trellis, that should be a promise - but may not be.

But we may have missed the real drama in the skies. Zoe, from our weather group, posts photos from the Cyprus Meteorological page. We did hear the  thunder in the night but didn’t feel compelled to get up and take photographs.

Not sure how long most locals feel the holiday weekend is in effect. The arrangement with Mehmet is that we send him a WhatsApp message the day before we want him to deliver a 19 litre bottle of water. Considering that we know virtually no Turkish and Mehmet almost no English the system works not too badly. We both rely on translation apps when necessary. Asking for a bottle the next day no problem. Complicated questions like how much time is he likely to take off for Bayram best avoided. Accordingly I messaged yesterday wishing him (in Turkish) a happy holiday and asking (in English) if he could bring water on Monday. So far he hasn’t checked his messages, so we’ll see if we’re boiling water on his week off.

Saturday, March 21/2026

 Officially spring as of yesterday. Admittedly not cold and no heavy rain today but taps on and off and alternating with sunny spells. Correspondent in North Cyprus posted a photo of roads with a lot of snow but turned out that was in the Troodos Mountains. South of the border and high enough that snow is not unusual. When we stayed in Larnaca there were often warnings that Troodos roads were closed to vehicles except those with four wheel drive or chains. Interesting that there still are cars using chains but presume that snow tires don’t exist here. 

As gas prices soar around the world there is an interesting announcement from the TRNC government. Apparently petrol prices will not be rising at the pumps. This by virtue of reducing VAT (value added tax) to zero. There are a number of basics here - petrol, gas cylinders, basic bread - that are controlled by government. They do go up but aren’t subject to profiteering and don’t fluctuate wildly.

Friday, March 20/2026

 Eid in much of the Muslim world, known as Bayram in Turkish. Both words mean festival and the difference is etymological. Eid is Arabic and Bayram Persian in origin. The end of Ramadan is marked by a feast day. Actually according to Islam it is wrong to fast on Bayram and we’re happy to conform.

Despite tradition, it’s not a sunny day. Storms continue to cross the Mediterranean so we stay home and make chili and cheese biscuits (undoubtedly not traditional but good rainy day fare).  Cheese biscuits a bit of a challenge as the last of the baking powder went into yesterday’s rock cakes. So baking soda should work as long as there is enough acid in the mixture. Internet highly dubious but my guess is that if the liquid is sour milk that should do it, and we do have vinegar. Might not publish the recipe, but not bad. 

Have, over the past years, stayed in a number of places less well designed as retreats from the rain. Think, for example of the one room cabin inside the old city walls in Rhodes. The kitchen, such as it was, was a bit of a lean-to. Beside, but not quite attached to, the room in which we slept. Not bad in dry weather but did mean ducking through rain to enter it on wet days. But that was twenty-five years ago - we were young!

Thursday, March 19/2026

Watching the stormy weather trickle its way across the Mediterranean. Fairly heavy rain in the night but only bits of drizzle today.

Good day to be in the kitchen, so lentil soup. Then bake rock cakes with what is the very last bit of baking powder. Tell J it’s a choice between cheese biscuits and rock cakes. He, unsurprisingly, opts for the sweeter of the two.

Long weekend begins tonight at sundown. Government offices and banks closed at noon today. Feel a bit sorry for Turkish Cypriots here who had reasonable hopes for a sunny holiday. It’s the most important holiday of the year and a traditional time for visiting friends and relatives with the saying being that the sun always shines for Bayram. Well, may be lucky yet. ☀️ And truly the lack of a sunny weekend is not as sad as the situation of millions across the Middle East where the end of Ramadan is bringing not festivities but destruction and terror.

Wednesday, March 18/2026

 Last night’s radar looked like we were about to become the victims in a giant real life Pac-Man game. West wind and no escape possible. But come morning and no rain. Briefest of trickles in the afternoon. What was the gobbler doing? Treading water?

So tonight check the radar again.

And there we are. A little pearl of a country totally surrounded by storms. The forecast is for stormy weather for the rest of the week but perhaps that just applies to countries without the magical cloak protecting them. Who knows?

Meanwhile I spot a notice of power cuts down to scheduled maintenance and repairs. West of Girne with a long list of areas of concern. Customers to expect outage between approximately 9:30 and 14:00. Looks like it may include us.

Me: There’s a power cut expected on Wednesday and it looks like it will affect us.

J: That’s Wednesday of next week?

Me: Yes. Wednesday, March 18.

J: But today is March 18.

Me: [at 20:00] Oh well, forget it then. Didn’t happen.

Our magic cloak of protection in operation.

Tuesday, March 17/2026

Saint Patrick’s Day so message Maggi for her birthday. ☘️ A date I would be unlikely to remember if it weren’t always celebrated online, with even Google substituting a shamrock for the double o’s. Only about forty miles from us to her, but between an uncooperative political border and deliberately uncoordinated transport not as simple as it looks.

Where we do go is down to the Bestmar to the west of us (there are two). A little more than a mile and a pleasant walk. Poppies occasionally making their way through cracks n the pavement. Pass quite a few loquat trees with as yet unripe fruit and several golden chalice flowers reminding us of the luxuriant vine by Fehmi’s office. 

There are several new housing developments, finished or in progress, in what used to be fields, as well as older single houses that have been here for years. Takes us a while to remark on what is not there - people walking along the road. We actually pass only two - a couple about our age and obviously local. Twenty-five years ago there were many fewer cars but more people about, as well as men with the kind of motor bikes that win no races and can probably not get licensed any more.

Bestmar is bigger than our local grocery store. Prices occasionally much better though often pretty similar but selection different, particularly in the sinful bits - chocolate, drink and cigars. Note that they have (frozen) back bacon. Actually quite nice looking. It’s imported from the Netherlands. Not unusual to see pork products in the larger supermarkets but clearly not a big seller locally. 

Supermarket seems busier than usual for early afternoon, probably because Bayram is coming up on Friday, the most important feast day of the year in Muslim countries. So about equivalent to getting in provisions on December 22 in a Christian country.

Monday, March 16/2026

 Wake to find that the mountains and the sea have reappeared. And it’s sunny. Temperature 19 in the shade, higher in the sun of course. Still very windy.

And enjoying it while we can. We’re heading into the most important holiday weekend of the year and the prediction is that it will be a wet one, with showers and thunder showers beginning Wednesday afternoon and continuing through the weekend. Not cold, though.