Sunday, March 16/2025

 Lovely weather continues. And we keep the doors to the patio wide open as the scent of the flowers is intoxicating. 

Meet up with John and Beverley and their friends Wendy as well as Karen from the animal rescue bookstall at the Saturday market, who we have met and her husband Errol, whom we hadn’t. For Sunday dinner as held every second Sunday at The Black Olive Café, location of the twice yearly - or thereabouts - drama productions. Very friendly spot - almost as difficult to hear as in a Greek Cypriot restaurant!

Saturday, March 15/2025

 The Ides of March. Not much to beware here. The air heavily scented by emerging flowers as we walk ddown to the Saturday market. For the first time since Christmas we head out a little earlier because the temperature, heading for the high twenties, will be hotter in the midday sun.

The reckoning - perhaps the beware part - is for late next week when there is a projected high on Thursday of fifteen. Lamb and lion? But that chill, if it happens, is not expected  to stay long.

Friday, March 14/2025

 

Walking up the hill from the Blue Song, we meet some young girls with a donkey. J asks does the donkey live with you. No, in the garden. Well, fair enough. And probably some loss in translation.

The price of cigarettes is going up in the TRNC. Bringing them to between 80 and 85 lira a pack ($3.13 to $3.33 CAD, £1.69 to £1.79). Remarkably inexpensive. Think that they are sold in packs of twenty, although not positive as we’ve never bought any. 

Smoking while driving is illegal here, as is eating or drinking - even water. Now the penalty for smoking while driving is about to increase to five percent of the monthly minimum wage. Part of an attempt to discourage distracted driving. Much needed considering the number of accidents that are reportedly due to the driver “losing control of the steering wheel”. 🙄

Thursday, March 13/2025

 

Orange buds turning into blossoms. The scent in the air is lovely - and now warm enough for early morning coffee on the patio.

And from the only in Cyprus department a patient at one of the Girne hospitals arrived at the hospital around midnight and was discharged at 4 AM. As he was leaving he stole an ambulance from the hospital premises. Caught on CCTV and apprehended by the police, who say his motive is unknown. Well, it’s difficult to find a taxi in this country, especially at four in the morning.

Wednesday, March 12/2025

To The Three Bears Drink House (pub, no idea how it got its name) where Caroline is giving a talk and slide presentation to the foreigners on her recent trip to Serbia. Bit too much light in the room for ideal presentation of the slides but the talk more than makes up for it. Fair bit of history and social commentary and her archaeologist’s view of the oldest village discovered in Europe.

Lipinski Vir (various spellings) was a village on the right bank of the Danube, dating back as far as the tenth millennium BCE. Well into pre-history. Even pictographs go back only about five thousand years and script a little less. For truly ancient history the story is in the archaeological sites.

Very moving to see reconstructions of the little trapezoid homes. Reminded us of Choirokitia, the Neolithic site we visited west of Larnaca. It was first settled in the seventh millennium BCE and some of the round huts have been recreated.

The dwelling places of Lipinski Vir are not intact either, of course, but a number of red sandstone piscine sculptures are. Strange little fish faced creatures. Presumably associated  with worship and the creation of a people who depended on the river for sustenance.

Dolmuş back from nearby Dima, a supermarket much bigger than our local and with some - but not all - prices better than our little one. Home with some fruit and veg and our favourite Malbec.

Tuesday, March 11/2025

 More Saharan dust in the air, with meteorological notices suggesting the small particulate matter will be with us for the next three days. The mountains are topped with a shroud of mist this morning but the haze looks more like fog than like dust filled air.  In the foreground the neighbours’ fig tree is in full bloom. And the air is heavily scented as blossoms emerge on the orange tree and the shrubs.

And keeping our eyes on the Canadian electoral scene. Carney, of course, not technically prime minister yet, though obviously he will be. First Trudeau formally resigns and then the governor general is permitted to determine whether his successor will have the confidence of the House. It is clearly desirable but not formally necessary for the prime minister to have a seat in parliament. In less fraught times one would expect a co-operative MP in a safe seat to resign, thereby triggering a by-election. However this would presumably have the effect of postponing the expected general election. Alternatively, Carney could call an election and run for parliament, although even contesting a safe seat would presumably be a significant distraction from party/government policy in time of tariff war. Also, the present government is a minority one, so having the confidence of the House not as clear as it might be. Assuming election sooner rather than later. This will be one for the history books and I should really have prevailed upon J to write today’s blog, this being his area of expertise not mine.

The election is likely to pose a specific problem for us. The shortest time between issuing the writ and election day (normally a Monday) is thirty-seven days. That would be likely to mean an election before we return to Canada. It is possible to have a mail in ballot sent to another country and we did in fact do this once before following a government defeat in the House. Applying is easy and can now be done electronically. The ballot itself is paper and we are currently in a country recognised only by Turkey and, therefore not well served by couriers. Mailing it back to Canada perhaps less difficult as possible to ask someone to send it from UK. Our constituency in the provincial election was clearly going to be NDP with or without our vote. The federal riding less obvious. It and its predecessor constituency has been Liberal, Conservative, and - going farther back - NDP. Interesting times.

Monday, March 10/2025

Courtesy Gadara Medya

Technically Monday by the time the Liberal leadership results are announced, though we’re awake. Not surprised that Carney won, although impressed by the 86% of the vote he received. 

Locally, donkeys are in the news again, and from a different perspective. The mukhtar (word is of Arabic derivation - means roughly village chief and is, surprisingly, used by both Turkish and Greek Cypriots) of a village in the Karpaz area has stated publicly that he would be pleased to get rid of all the wild donkeys. In the aftermath of the shooting of more than a a dozen donkeys and the attendant public outrage this seemed a distressingly cruel pronouncement.

However, he did elaborate. Donkeys are protected and their numbers are growing as is the area of territory that they roam. They are making serious inroads into grain crops on which local farmers depend for a living. Cypriots and tourists alike are happy to see them and offer them a snack but don’t pay the price for their growing numbers. And, like the deer in the gardens along the Assiniboine River in west Winnipeg, they’re attractive but do significantly damage. If the crops were being eaten by rats there would be no sympathy at all for the intruders, and even crows are not welcomed by many farmers. Though no one thinks the solution should be unlicensed shooting.

Sunday, March 9/2025

Anti genocide protest slated for this afternoon at the British airbase at Akrotiri, Republic of Cyprus (South). This is British sovereign base territory so decisions are made by the UK and not by the government of Cyprus. Throughout the current attack on Palestine British planes have provided support to Israel including identifying targets in Gaza - not that there can be many left to identify. Conservative estimates of Palestinian deaths are running at over 50,000 with about 70% of them being women and children. The Geneva Convention forbids the targeting of civilians.

Meanwhile in neighbouring Syria Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is the theoretical government in charge in Syria, welcomed by Western countries that seemed content to forget its ISIS origins and its leader’s awkward presence on international terrorist lists. Latest news is that hundreds of Alawites and Christians are being killed by the regime. Not that the regime is in sole charge as Turkish troops move south and Israelis have moved in to occupy the area south of Damascus, where Netanyahu says they have no plans to leave. All of which has been massively funded by the US.

These countries are our neighbours, and even if they weren’t it’s a small world. Too small, one would have thought, to ignore genocide.

Saturday, March 8/2025

Seems to be definitely spring. The sign is dogs heading for shade rather than sun. At the market - where someone has kindly left out a couple of handfuls of dog kibble on the tiles - and on the sidewalk as we head down. And we find ourselves thinking that we will soon want to go earlier rather than later so the sun won’t be too hot. 

Actual high today about twenty-three, though hotter than that in the direct sun, of course. Crazy strong winds later in the afternoon.

Friday, March 7/2025

 

Daphne kindly gives us a lift to the Lodge Bar in Çatalköy, far side of Girne. Actually not much more than twenty kilometres from here but takes a ridiculously long time (about three quarters of an hour) to get there, largely down to Friday supper time traffic. 

Nice friendly pub though. Eating area booked for the early evening by the Kyrenia Animal Rescue association (KAR), which also runs the used book stall at the Saturday market. Beverley and Criegan have driven with Pat. Good to see Criegan looking in fine form after getting his new stent. And seems it’s his lucky night. He wins a cash prize for being first up with the name of a song and kindly donates it back to KAR. 

And good meal. Particularly the sticky toffee pudding for dessert.

Traffic less congested going back, but crazier. No regrets at all over not driving a car here. Lovely evening though.

Thursday, March 6/2025

Red sky at night promises well for another lovely day tomorrow. Palm tree belongs to next door neighbour but vantage point our deck.

Customs and immigration have a new story. This time a man entering the country was arrested at Ercan airport. Was a citizen but had been missing for nearly ten months. Not that anyone other than his mother had been particularly worried about his well being. Sıtkı Akargöl and another man had set out from a fishing shelter - not an authorised port of departure - for what purported to be a fishing trip but had not returned. Several days of searching failed to find them and police announced that they had fled illegally. Fled? Seems they were being investigated regarding human trafficking. So presumably more gory details to follow. Or possibly not.

Also on the sordid side are claims that North Cyprus has higher than average rates of gambling addiction. Nine percent of the population was cited. Seems improbably high, especially given that citizens are not allowed in the casinos, which specialise in attracting foreigners, reportedly particularly Turks and Israelis. There have been warnings recently about counterfeit hundred dollar US bills in circulation associated with the casinos. Local businesses are used to accepting payment from tourists in sterling or euros more or less at par but American dollars would be considerably less common. Of course - re the addiction - there are plenty of ways of becoming addicted to gambling without patronising casinos.

We’re reminded of a case in the Republic of Cyprus (South) in 2012:

“Report on the Cypriot news tonight of a court case regarding gambling, which is illegal in the Republic of Cyprus. The accused are all women aged between 70 and 99, and they’re accused of playing cards for five and ten euro stakes in a private residence in Limassol. A group thinned out somewhat since the original charges were laid, as two have died and another two lost their memories due to Alzheimer’s.”

Wednesday. March 5/2025

Guess life isn’t always dull for customs officials. Officers at Famagusta Port, just down the road from where we stayed during the lockdown, have seized a large shipment of sexual enhancement gel. Referred to as 4200 bottles of illegal sexual enhancement gel (leaving it unclear whether legal sexual enhancement gel exists, but this apparently violates the Medicines Law). Hidden in a truck that arrived by ship. The driver has been taken into custody.

Remember being in the souq (no, damn it, predictive text - not in the soup) in Tunisia when a furtive would be seller with everything but the trench coat tried to peddle viagra. Told him indignantly ‘Pas nécessaire’.

Also in the line of undesirable imports were being visited by dust from North Africa, as happens periodically. Pretty hazy over the sea this morning but not oppressive. Also gale force winds in the early hours that drop later in the day.

Tuesday, March 4/2025

Courtesy of Wikipedia 

Seymour Hersh, American investigative journalist who first came to prominence for uncovering and exposing the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War. Older now - eighty-seven actually - but no less brave. Most recently he has written about how America took out the NordStream pipeline. We had the pleasure of hearing him interviewed at a gathering in London in 2016. 

Reminded of this when I come across a post from 2019 just after finishing Hersh’s memoir Reporter.

“Hersh is not an elegant writer, and there are times I’d like to tweak a phrase, but the material is fascinating, detailed, and frequently horrific. He made a specialty of careful research and revelation involving some of the dirtiest political secrets of the last sixty years, and that is the essence of the book. 

Few of the public figures come out looking good, although there are some admirable exceptions, mostly not from positions of real power. And the material is there for yet another book, a biography of Dick Cheney, if it can be made watertight and not betray vulnerable sources.

For example, almost all recent presidents seem to have approved political assassinations to deal with « enemy «  foreign leaders, sometimes to an extent deplored by the CIA, not usually noted for reluctance to engage in violence and deceit. Nothing actionable from the presidential side, simply a little commentary along the old « will no one rid me of this troublesome priest « lines, and no direct orders needed. Elections and individuals frequently bought, foreign countries destabilised, official statements blatant lies. Not nearly as much as one might wish to choose between parties, either. 

Depressing really, as it’s so obvious that Trump is only less subtle, not more ethical than many of his predecessors - while the last days of Nixon were at least as bizarre. And JFK more sexually reckless and no more moral. If anything has changed, it is the perceived need to conceal such behaviour and the willingness of Congress to condone it. Leaving one with the bizarre feeling that there is something to be said for hypocrisy. It at least acknowledges that there is such a thing as behaviour too shameful to admit to.”

Monday, March 3/2025

Stop in at Şokmar, which has a good bulk fruit, nut and spice section. Also a counter that sells cigarettes and - more importantly - cigars. Buy walnuts, dried cranberries, unsalted peanuts, and raisins. Well, assuming on the raisins. And, yes, a packet of cigars.

Walk up to the foto shop where we need to make some photocopies. The man who runs it is lovely. Speaks not much more English than we do Turkish but communication seems to work through sheer force of good will. Black and white photocopies 10 lira each (0.40 CAD, 21p).

Dolmuş back to Laptamar (seems many supermarkets end in ‘mar’. And yes, the Ramadan bread is there. Multiple signs proclaiming Ramazan Pidesi for 40 lira. No idea whether this is for the whole of Ramadan or a starting special, but it’s still hot.

So home with the purchases. Nuts and cranberries very good. Raisins a bit iffy. Well, they were large enough that we had tried asking if they were raisins but the girl didn’t recognise the word raisin and we didn’t know the Turkish. Turns out it’s kuru üzüm - literally dried grape. Of course English pretty inconsistent. We say grapes and prunes but dried apricots and dried cranberries. These are raisins but seems like they’re very large dried grapes, with seeds to match. Oh well. The Ramazan bread, which we have been looking forward to, is ever so slightly disappointing. Not that it isn’t as good as previously, and it’s still warm. It’s just that it’s a yeast bread and we’ve been spoiled lately. Any bread we’ve bought other than whole grain has been freshly baked sourdough, covered with more seeds and also frequently still warm. It’s a tough life.

And in the South today is Green Monday, the first day of Lent. Not particularly penitential. Meat and fish and dairy aren’t eaten but salads and seafood are and people flock to the countryside to fly kites.

Sunday, March 2/2025

 Buddleia beginning to bud. They’re known to attract butterflies, and they do, but butterflies not always willing to stop and pose for a photo op.

Small earthquake today in the early afternoon, reportedly 3.0 on the Richter scale. Will have been about thirty km south of us but no one hereabouts seems to have felt it.

But a man in North Cyprus did get seriously shaken up. First report said that he had fallen off a cliff from a height of fifty-five metres “while sleeping in his car”. Sounds more or less impossible, so first suspected an inaccurate translation.

Courtesy gadaramedya.com

Had he perhaps been sleeping in his car and then got out to answer a call of nature and become confused in the dark? A later photo removes doubt. He did indeed fall off a cliff while sleeping in his car - although it might perhaps have been better worded. No further explanation available yet.

Saturday, March 1/2025

 Orange trees don’t seem to get much time to rest. The season is drawing to an end but there are still remaining oranges on the trees. Including a lone one on the next door neighbour’s tree which I covet and could reach from our deck - but don’t. Our tree finished producing oranges a short time ago but is now, J noticed, covered with new, white buds.

Lovely day for a walk down to the Lambousa market. Beverley at the animal rescue book stall. Says Criegan expecting to come home today. Pacing the floor - or rather exploring all floors of the Lefkoşa hospital. Sounds like Daphne will not be called upon to accommodate him in her tiny ground floor flat.

Ramadan (known as Ramazan in countries where Arabic is not spoken, such as Türkiye, Pakistan and India) began last night, with today being the first of the dawn to sundown fasts. First encountered by us in 2020 when we were locked down in Gazimağusa, when I wrote:

“Actually Cypriot Muslims are pretty relaxed in their religious observance. And in any case fasting is not really the essence of Ramadan. It’s a spiritual discipline but not a heavily penitential one. After dusk families and friends gather to enjoy a shared meal (curtailed, obviously, this year) which may include special foods and sweets. Further, Ramadan is also a time for charity, and as well as donations of money and food communal meals are often prepared for the homeless, the poor, and even those would be alone and wish to eat in the company of others.”

Many don’t observe the fasting - rather like Christians during Lent - but are usually respectful of those who do. Fear that J and I have been looking forward to Ramazan for a somewhat unworthy reason. It’s the only time of year when Ramazan pide, a delicious seeded flatbread is available - baked daily. Realise that this is a bit like looking forward to Lent because chocolate Easter eggs will be back in the stores.

Friday, February 28/2025

Turns out that the internet problem was “us” and not “them”. Good because J fixes it first thing in the morning. Replacement plug and all’s well. 

Morning with internet restored brings expected if joyless news of Doug Ford’s third majority government. And, also expected, Sol Mamakwa takes our riding for the NDP with over 60% of the vote. Our absence makes no critical difference. Can’t always say that though. In the next door constituency, Mushkegowak-James Bay, the NDP incumbent, came in four votes ahead of the Conservative challenger (pending recount, obviously). Reminding us of the municipal election in 1988 when Doug MacMillan and Ed Adriano were tied for position of councillor even after a recount and the decision had to be made by drawing straws.

Blue Song in the afternoon. The regulars there except for Criegan who, it turns out, is in hospital, having been transferred yesterday from the local Girne hospital to the larger state one in Lefkoşa by ambulance. This occasioning some amusement- considered decent as C has had a stent put in and is now more than eager to leave - as he apparently (notes compared) phoned at least three of the women at the table from the ambulance en route, arranging visits, rides home, etc. Leaving John to refer to them as Criegan’s harem. Some concern over C’s flat being three floors up with no lift as everyone explaining the unsuitability of their own accommodation for housing an extra person. Leaving Daphne admitting to a ground floor flat but protesting that it is very tiny.

Swifts circling above the village as we walk up on our way home. They always seem to come at dusk. But where are they the rest of the time? They spend virtually their whole lives in flight - eating, sleeping and even mating on the wing.

Thursday, February 27/2025

From bedroom window - new glass

 Sunny morning and with the sun comes warmth. Well more than warmth - heat. Temperature hits about seventeen in the shade but in early afternoon that translates to 42 in the direct sun - prudently remembering not to leave the thermometer there too long as the mercury once burst one of its predecessors. 

So a good day to do a wash. The washer takes its time with front loading indolence - until there’s a power cut. Duly restored more or less as the sun goes down leaving the towels to dry outside in the dark. 

Sundown and dinner time. Just as we finish cooking it the blue gas flames fade into non-existence. There is, of course, a spare cylinder but it can wait until tomorrow morning. Cylinders seem to be in short supply. Normally turn in an empty when purchasing a new one but one local firm has apparently resorted to offering a free full cylinder in exchange for two empties. And acquiring a full one with no empty to trade in currently impossible. 

Laundry outside, dinner completed, and we lose the internet. Fairly unusual and presume it’s “them and not us” but time to call it a day.

Wednesday, February 26/2025

 Our little supermarket down the road is interesting for what it has - and what it doesn’t have. And sometimes we’re running on guess work. The employees are very friendly but don’t speak noticeably more English than we do Turkish. Though at least - thank you Atatürk - the letters are Roman and not Greek. 

So today we buy a packet of peanuts. Normally look - not always successfully either here or in Canada - for shelled unsalted ones. Salt usually pretty obvious and these seem clean. The real pleasure comes when we get them home. They’re raw - and lovely when J does them in a dry frying pan.

Had been looking for carob syrup as the bottle we had been given some time ago is down to its last few drops and we add it to the sheep’s yogurt and honey and fruit at breakfast. Had written down the translation - harnup şurubu - but hadn’t spotted any. Not near the pomegranate syrup or next to the honey. Finally see it today. Same aisle as the honey but other side. And labelled harnup pekmezi, which apparently translates as carob molasses. Fair enough. Have thought so many times of old Mr Czekaj in Hudson who spoke English well enough but didn’t really read it and lamented the fact that if there was no identifying picture on a container he had no idea what was inside. Clear glass jar in this case though,  so not much doubt.

The police have found and arrested the four suspects in the donkey killing and charged them not only with harming animals but also with possession of explosive materials and illegal possession of firearms. Would actually be surprised if there were any legal possession of rifles here as there isn’t any hunting for animals larger than rabbits or partridge. The men have been detained for two days during the investigation. Feeling against them is running high and it wouldn’t be surprising if police had identified them on the basis of tips. 

One of the four unwisely said to a journalist “If photographs of me are published publicly, I will shoot all of you when I get out”. A charming lot.

Tuesday, February 25/2025

 Our little local supermarket has freshly baked bread. Sometimes still warm. They do have an oven and we’ve seen it baking multiple loaves. Can’t tell where the bread dough is prepared and proofed but presumably not on the premises as there isn’t really a suitable space. But beautiful bread. Sourdough and studded top and bottom with hundreds of sesame and nigella seeds. Don’t usually eat bread that isn’t whole grain, but willing to make an occasional exception for this one.

The most basic bread loaves have a government controlled price of fifteen lira, about sixty cents Canadian or 33p. Plain white, unsliced, shaped like a small loaf of French bread, though less appealing. Needless to say we don’t buy it but J has watched people leaving with armloads. Don’t think there are price controls on any other staples. 

Good time for warm bread. Reports are coming in regarding record temperatures. Not ones that would raise the blood pressure of a Canadian, but a fifty year record set. The town of Geçitkale recorded -6.2, the lowest in the country’s fifty years of monitoring history. It’s a town well to the east of us, on the other side of the mountain range. 

Monday, February 24/2025

Clouds dissipating and cold spell seems to be ending as well - slowly. Hasn’t hit the same temperature as Sioux Lookout, but gave it a try. By the end of the week should be back to February normals.

Has been hard on the electrical grids in both North and South. In fact there were four days last week on which the North was augmenting the electrical supply in the South. This was due to faults in the system but made worse by unusually heavy use in the cold. And there have been brief power outages in the North as well. Our electricity was off for about half an hour this evening.

We’re actually quite lucky. We haven’t had our heat on mainly because we have large south facing windows on one side of the flat. As long as there is sunshine that provides more than enough heat on the south side. Many people aren’t as fortunately situated though.

Reports from the South of Larnaca, which hit a low of one degree, opening a daytime warming centre for those who have no heat at home, cannot afford heating or are homeless. Interesting, because we spent parts of over twenty winters in Larnaca without this happening, to the best of our knowledge. Although this may mean that the municipality is becoming more caring rather than the winter hitting a colder low.

Sunday, February 23/2025

J out on the patio enjoying his Sunday cigar comes in with good news. A man on the roof of the house opposite, currently under construction, is cutting off the protruding rebar. As long as a metre or so of rebar emerged at regular intervals from the perimeter of the roof it was unclear whether the intent was to extend the building by another storey. In fact in some countries protruding rebar is deliberately left as it legally defines a building as unfinished and therefore taxable at a lower rate. Ugly, but practical. It can also be left in a semi-finished state to keep options open. Next year we may have the money to add another level. Or our daughter and son-in-law may want to have a flat above us. 

Our point of view, of course, totally different. Immediately across the road from us is an orchard with orange, lemon, fig and carob trees. The new house is kitty corner and blends well with local village architecture. But if it were higher it would block a significant percentage of the sea view from our patio or windows.

New tube of toothpaste. Same kind we use in Canada but clearly very different, apart from being more expensive. Different colour, different texture, different (though fortunately inoffensive) taste. So bring magnifying glass to bear. Toothpaste manufactured in China and distributed by Colgate Palmolive Nigeria.

Rebar

Toothpaste China, Nigeria

Saturday, February 22/2025

Courtesy Ulak Kıbrıs

We intend to walk down to Lambousa market as usual on a Saturday, but there’s a sharp wind and it’s overcast. And there’s nothing in particular that we need there so opt for the grocery store instead.

Look at AccuWeather and it tells me that it is raining and will be for the next sixty minutes. It isn’t, but take the hint and go outside to rescue the towels from the drying rack.This has the predictable effect of guaranteeing that we remain rain free all day.

However, there are parts of the TRNC that experience snow. Photo taken apparently shows a road on the Karpaz peninsula at the far northeast end of the island. It will melt of course but that’s a quantity of snow normally seen only in the Troodos mountains. We have been in Larnaca when it snowed, but that would only be a few flakes melting as they hit the ground - and people would come out to watch because it doesn’t happen every year.

Meanwhile, ironically, there is a report saying that turtles are nesting earlier in Cyprus as the climate warms. Green and Loggerhead turtles are coming back earlier each year. Turtles, which are protected in Cyprus, come back to the area where they themselves hatched to lay their eggs and each one degree increase in sea temperature sees them laying eggs 1.6 days earlier. Warmer seas also mean a higher proportion of female offspring. In February sea temperatures are usually about fifteen to seventeen degrees Celsius.

Friday, February 21/2025

First time this year that our table of friends has gathered inside instead of out on a Friday afternoon. Sunny but a pretty chill breeze. John and Criegan smoke and usually opt for an outside table although smoking is allowed in restaurants here.

More whitecaps than yesterday, and the ferry from Girne to Taşucu in Türkiye was cancelled today due to rough seas.

The old Kyrenia (Girne) harbour area is an historic site dating back centuries, probably to the Bronze Age. And has emerged as the object of the anger of a number of Greek Cypriots. An association promoting « historical dialogue and research » offered students from both North and South aged thirteen to seventeen trips and workshops of cultural and historical significance. Interestingly, the program is sponsored by Germany, home to the world’s second last divided city. The objection raised was that it included a trip to the North, although the program was voluntary and would not take place during school hours. 

Thursday, February 20/2025

Maps still show north winds but temperatures far from arctic here, although some flights to Istanbul were cancelled because of snowfall at the Istanbul end. Happened to a flight of ours two years ago. Nothing like Canadian snowfalls obviously. 

Today breezy though sunny, and plenty of whitecaps on a sapphire blue sea below us. 

The mid-winter water bird survey has reported a dramatic decline in flamingos at Akrotiri Salt Lake in the Akrotiri Sovereign Base area. Only thirty were observed this year and the assumption is that this is down to decreases in both quantity and quality of water. In recent years numbers were down to one or two hundred but in the past thousands were recorded. Cyprus is on one of the regular migratory routes, with flamingos usually in residence from November to February, and when we stayed in Larnaca we sometimes went to see them at the salt lake near the airport.

Wednesday, February 19/2025

If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute and it will change. Attributed to a number of sources in various countries. And definitely the case here this morning. And even more so in the early afternoon. Five minutes heavy rain, followed by sun accompanied with light rain for another five minutes. Then alternate dark clouds and bright sunlight for most of the afternoon, sometimes at less than two minute intervals. Not cold though!

Meanwhile the TRNC Meteorological Department has issued a warning of a Siberian cold front approaching. Had thought it hard to imagine how, unless Siberian was simply code for very cold, as the wind here is almost never from the north, but check the weather map and indeed it features steady north winds. 

So we are promised a cold and moist air mass delivering temperature drops of as much as eight degrees. Which would leave us well above freezing here, but chilly by comparison with what we’ve learned to expect. 

In the North we do hear the Adhan, the Muslim call to prayer, five times a day from the mosque. It’s not especially loud and wasn’t an irritant even when we lived closer, in the old walled city. Have also seen complaints occasionally in England from people who feel their Sunday morning peace is disturbed by peals from nearby steeples. But it seems in the South the ringing of church bells is being used as a form of offence. According to the Cyprus Mail « Father Georgios of Platanistasa had allegedly resorted to ringing the church bells for extended periods of time and amplifying their sound with a loudspeaker in order to exact revenge on the community leader Savvas Savvides ». Apparently his early morning services were broadcast at a volume that could be heard in the next village. He is being charged with noise pollution.

Tuesday, February 18/2025

Day starts windy but sunny, and warm enough to sit out on the patio at early coffee time. Most flowering shrubs are in winter mode - still some flowers but somewhat short of bouquet quality. The buddleia is starting to produce delicate yellow lilac type blossoms, though if last spring is anything to go by each branch will stubbornly refuse to provide new blooms until the flowers on the next one are thoroughly disreputable.

Horrifying story about the wild donkeys on the Karpaz peninsula. There is a population of about a thousand wild donkeys living on the Karpaz peninsula in the northeast of the country.They’re under the protection of the Turkish Cypriot government and free to wander in herds over an area of three hundred square kilometres. Some unknown person or persons has shot fourteen of them at close range. The whole country from the president on down is appalled and  police are investigating. Meanwhile the Bar Association, Golden Paws, and the Cyprus Animal Rights Association have laid black wreaths at parliament.

And a Canadian story in today’s Cyprus Mail. The Delta plane crash at Pearson Airport. Compelling story dramatic enough for any paper, although the photo they went with confusing rather than dramatic. Of course professional photographers not on the tarmac at the ready. The Toronto Star published a clear shot of the upside down plane and, unusually, credited a man who had posted it on Facebook.

Monday, February 17/2025

Courtesy Mairead Sweeney Malone

Photo from a member of an informal group of TRNC weather watchers. She’s captioned it thunder rumbling in the distance. More or less the way the afternoon has gone. The weather forecast had suggested thunder showers in the early afternoon but reality has been brief intense wind and a few drops of rain. 

Nice because we accompany Caroline on a run to Lefkoşa (Nicosia). Within our memory - now approaching a quarter century 🙄 - the road from Girne (Kyrenia) was a simple two lane highway. Now as complexly cloverleafed as any modern city access. Only about thirty kilometres but frequently slowed by traffic. 

On the way back spot a large sign atop a building reading FINAL DENTAL SOLUTION. Suggestion of beautician for a funeral home? But no, surely there the clients have sedate expressions not grins. Caroline elucidates. The first word is pronounced fee-nal, with the accent on the second syllable, and is the name of a Northern Cypriot university. Apparently has a dental clinic offering “a variety of treatments “.

Sunday, February 16/2025

Have long enjoyed kleftiko in Cyprus, in both North and South though more frequently in the South. In the North it’s called fırın kebab, literally oven kebab, though suspect any restaurant would recognise it by the Greek name kleftiko. But you can’t just walk into a restaurant in either place and order it. Most restaurants don’t feature it and those that do tend to have it on limited occasions, such as Sundays only, because it takes several hours to cook, traditionally in a beehive shaped outdoor oven. After which it should be almost butter soft.

Didn’t know that the Greek word kleftiko means stolen meat. Apparently dates back to the Ottoman days when Greek guerilla fighters would steal a grazing goat or sheep and bury it underground to hide it. Slow cooked in an underground pit it was delicious. (Have had both sheep and goat and both are excellent). The rebels were called Klephts and have lent their name to both kleftiko and kleptomania.

Seem to remember a similar story about theft and underground roasting in Scotland, although there cattle theft was at least as big an issue and not only in the Highlands, where for centuries some made a living stealing each other’s cattle, undeterred even by the death penalty for perpetrators.

 

Saturday, February 15/2025

Apart from some pretty deplorable driving standards, this is a pretty law abiding country. All the same the police reports sometimes make interesting reading. In part down to the pleasures of translation. Suspect that some bits of quaintness don’t appear in the original.

So we read that “A 30-year-old man stabbed a person with whom he had a previous enmity in Akdoğan”. The press release continues “…M.M. (M-30) entered the house of İD. (M-35), with whom he had a previous feud, without permission and ravaged the property, then with a knife he had illegally in his possession, he superficially injured İD. in the fingers of his left hand, ribcage, left shoulder and abdomen”.

It is standard practice in reporting police news to provide the initials of those involved as well as gender and age. Actual names not usually included, although Akdoğan is a community of about 2500 and there will be no one who lives there and remains unaware of all the gory details. Much as it is in small Canadian communities.

And then there’s “a drunk person who caused a disturbance by shouting and yelling loudly” who was arrested. This apparently in our quiet village - which is sprawling rather than tiny. İMY (M-26), who was under the influence of 234 ml of alcohol, behaved in a public place in a manner that was against honour and morality by urinating, and caused a disturbance by shouting and yelling loudly.”

The Turkish keyboard is not quite the same as the standard English one. Used to really annoy me years ago in the days of internet cafés when, being accustomed to touch typing, I would look up and see that what I thought I had typed was not what appeared on the screen. The reason of course is that the alphabet is not precisely the same. There are 29 letters - and in fact in November Turkish President Erdoğan announced an intention to add five more. More or less daring than renaming the Gulf of Mexico? So now, with several keyboards installed on my tablet the ever-helpful predictive text is kept on its toes trying to guess. In fairness to the translator, the grammatical structure is not the same as English either. Some words will have various possible meanings, although one does wonder whether in Turkish it is possible to shout and yell other than loudly. 

But do kind of like the old-fashioned appeal to honour and morality.

February 14/2025

Northern  Cyprus had the driest January in fifty years according to the TRNC Meteorology Department, with 6 mm of rain. January average is 74.9 mm. February, on the other hand, has been unusually wet and windy, and included thunderstorms and hail. (Though note that the dead bat is still welded to the electrical wires opposite us despite the wind and hail).

Not exactly non-stop though. We’ve had some lovely days. A fair breeze today but sunny and sixteen degrees. Regular Friday afternoon walk down to the Blue Song and a draft beer outside in the sunshine with Beverley and John and Pat and Criegan, et al. 

 

Thursday, February 13/2025

Despite the existence of absolute zero, cold is a relative thing. Even Environment Canada recognises that and issues extreme cold warnings at different temperatures for different parts of the country. Yes, they do grow them tougher in Northern Ontario and Saskatchewan.

Similar phenomena in other countries. So there is a standard joke in the UK -  “Weather warning: Southerners are urged not to travel unless absolutely necessary. Northerners, you will need your big coat.” And a friend said the coldest he’d been was in Spain in winter in an unheated house. Though suspect it was no colder than houses we’ve stayed in in Scotland with no central heating. Not complaining about the relatives at all - the welcome was always warm and a wee dram was warming.

When we rented the stone house farther up in the shade of the mountain it was cold in February. No south facing windows and located on the north slope of a mountain in any case. Six hundred years old and beautiful, but not designed for warmth. And actually many places in Cyprus were not traditionally built to withstand cold. Summer heat was the greater problem and still is. But we’re lucky in the flat we’re in. Big south facing windows on one side and north facing ones on the other. If the sun is out, and there’s an average of 300 days of sunlight a year, it’s never cold on the south side. There is a heater but we haven’t turned it on.

Wednesday, February 12/2025

Official local warnings this morning to be careful of icy roads. Feels like we’re in the wrong country. The ice soon gone, although the weather is chilly. We don’t drive here but most of those who do not very experienced with driving on ice - and many not particularly experienced with slowing down.

Patio wet - but not icy - when we get up. Not in any especial hurry about getting dressed until we’ve had our coffee. Then J spots a big flatbed outside with large glass windows on it and we speed things up a bit. 

The floor to ceiling windows in the south facing room have had condensation between the two panes probably forever. Meaning that what should have been a stunning mountain view was spoiled by what looked like - but wasn’t - dirt. And Doğan had said, for months if not longer, that it was clearly (though clear didn’t seem like quite the right word) a manufacturing defect and the manufacturer should replace them. Had all the hallmarks of a dispute that might continue for years until two men came and measured the existing windows and frame about a week ago. Encouraging but not conclusive. Debate re price might still have been endless.

But here we are!

Tuesday, February 11/2025

Courtesy Lapta Alsancak Çamlıbel Belediyesi

Yes, it’s our. area, last night. No, the precipitation wasn’t green - just the lighting. And no, it isn’t snow. It’s accumulated hail. Does snow in Cyprus, but usually high in the Troodos Mountains. And this morning the patio and the road in front of us are still wet with last night’s rain and melted hail.

Our reading from the thirties paralleling current events in interesting ways. In Germany Hitler was in the process of achieving absolute political power. A little earlier, in the autumn of 1929, in America the stock market crash had thrown an optimistic country into chaos. Claud Cockburn, then living in Washington while working for The Times of London describes the panic and confusion:

It was one of those situations in which deterioration and collapse are so rapid that even quite sensible policies always seem to be put into operation too late. There were flashes of hope and optimism which, as they flickered out, only emphasized the surrounding gloom. It seems odd, almost ludicrous, perhaps, by hindsight, that the so-called Hoover moratorium—the suspension of payment on all international government debts—should have appeared to enormous numbers of people as equivalent to an announcement that salvation after all is just around the corner, that God, after some agonizing stumbles, is once again marching on.

His description of President Hoover’s simplistic response has a certain resonance in the press situation:

For long years Mr. Hoover had accepted the view that the way things look on the ticker is as important as the way things really are, or rather is the same as the way they really are. Now everything was going up. The depression was over. If it was not over, why was everything going up? I noted at the time that “it was just the sort of public mood that the President likes best—carte blanche and no maddening interruptions from the blundering crowd. He is the Great Executive again, the Great Engineer of modern society, and he has pulled the right lever at last.”

Spoiler alert: The lever was the imposition of high tariffs. Other countries, predictably, retaliated. The effect on world trade was catastrophic. Within ten years the world was at war again.