Thursday, April 11/2024

 

Rains definitely over - well, knock on wood. England has apparently just experienced one of the ten rainiest winters since records began. Cyprus post storm back to its usual sunny self, which is nice for those celebrating the Bayram holiday week.

Our patio happy to provide beautifully scented mock orange blossoms as well as oleander, hibiscus and honeysuckle. Buddleia pretty well over and could never bring itself to produce new flowers until the remains of the old ones were getting straggly. Bougainvillea reviving nicely though.

Wednesday, April 10/2024

 

Rain over. Happy for those celebrating Bayram. Not the hot sunny days of last week, but does struggle up to a cloudy 22. 

We go down to our local supermarket. Not that we actually need anything, although we’re reasonably sure it will be open despite the holiday, but largely because the account that someone in our village posted online yesterday sounded rather alarming:

Expect to see some serious disruption, but it takes us some time to decide exactly where the damage must have been. Do appear to be a couple of drain covers sitting on the sidewalk. And a bit extra in the way of stones on the road but that’s about it. Not really hoping for major damage, but this is a bit of an anticlimax. 

Supermarket is open as we thought so we pick up a few veg and are given hard candies in honour of Şeker Bayram - literally the sugar feast.

Owners of the orchard across the road seem to have visitors and are barbecuing. Can still hear the plaintive sounds of the goat though, so presumably he is not on the menu.

Tuesday, April 9/2024

Courtesy Gündem Kıbrıs Gaztesi

 There had been heavy rain warnings for today - but also contradictory forecasts with suggestions of 3mm rainfall. As well as the usual radar depicting us in the middle of a whirlwind. And bringing to mind the lines from The Wreck of the Julie Plante: 

De win' she blow from nor'-eas'-wes,'--

De sout' win' she blow too

[William Henry Drummond, from the days before writing in a dialect other than one’s own was considered condescending].

The rain begins in the night and continues heavily most of the day. M and B had planned to leave today and take advantage of a very brief respite - as in mere drizzle - to put their things in the car and start back to South Cyprus, heading for home and a dog waiting at the kennel.

Very nearly the only break in the torrential rain as well. Even hail, although not for long. We have no power outage, although many communities, including parts of Lapta, do experience electrical failure, some of them for hours. Among the causes - a lightning strike on a transformer. We do lose internet for a couple of hours, unsurprisingly.

Happy to get a call from M in late afternoon to hear they made it home safely. Fortuitous timing on their departure, as not long after they left the Lapta Alsancak coastal road was closed due to flooding.

Monday, April 8/2024

 Eclipse day - but not here.

Start out to show off the waterfront and the new(ish) walkway just north of us. But by the time we’ve made a couple of stops at pharmacy and supermarket the rain begins so we call it off and settle for food and drink and chat at home. Happy they’re here for a long weekend and there’s visiting time.

The country is going into holiday mode this week. Bayram, the celebration at the end of Ramadan, is Wednesday, and public servants have been given “administrative leave” for the week. Including the attached weekends this gives them nine consecutive days. Other employees not quite as lucky, but banks will close at noon tomorrow and other shops likely to close a bit early as well. 

Sunday, April 7/2024

 Start the day with brunch. Scrambled eggs and still warm soda bread. Small ginger cat would be very pleased to join us but we’re not co-operating. 

Maggi suggests a drive up to Bellepais Abbey, just the other side of Girne and up the mountainside. Haven’t been there for a few years and the views and ruins are as impressive as ever - and more commercially exploited than ever. Busy with tourists as Easter holidays in some parts of the west coincide with the beginnings of Bayram holidays in others. Charges posted in euros rather than lira (never a good sign). But nice glass of lemonade in the shade as we enjoy the sights. 

Stop at Blue Song on the way back for a meal. My first şeftali of the year, while M has a vegetarian pasta dish, B beef stroganoff and J chicken curry - which he brings to requisite heat level by dint of asking for pul bieber (hot Turkish red pepper flakes). We should be too full for dessert but….

Food good at Blue Song but view best.

Saturday, April 6/2024

Maggi and Brian here to visit from Larnaca. Champagne and cake and laughter and reminiscences. 

Friday, April 5/2024

Love the stone walls. They’re not the dry stane dykes of Scotland but the flowers succeed in growing through them as they do everywhere here. 

Walk down to our Friday gathering at the Blue Song. It’s moved to its summer hours. Now from three to five in the afternoon to avoid noonday heat. In fact it’s in the mid-twenties today, a little above the average for the time of year, though obviously hotter than that in the sun. J’s skin is tanning but mine never does, though it would burn with any encouragement. Plenty of free vitamin D.

Those involved in this week’s amateur theatre still basking a little in the well deserved success of the enterprise. Really was very well done.

Thursday, April 4/2024

 The ginger cat who first visited us - or attempted to - at the beginning of January is back. Actually has been by occasionally since. Bit more persistent lately. All but says “can I be your cat?”. A bit more awkward now than in January though as the weather is much warmer and we’d like to leave the doors to the patio open when we’re home without its being taken as a signal that we’ve filed for adoption. Obviously searching for a home. Not neutered. Many semi feral around but she would clearly prefer to be a domestic cat and we’re not really in a position to take her in.

Stop after shopping for sausage and cheese and fruit and veg on the main road to get a couple of photocopies made. We’ve been to the shop before and the young man there is highly personable and very helpful. Not very much more English than my negligible amount of Turkish but competent and quick on the uptake. Offers J whisky and won’t take no for an answer. I plead Ramadan - and as a woman am probably not really expected to partake anyway - but he pours J a dram of Jack Daniel’s and then brings out a box of chocolates. Do accept one - don’t suppose my Ramadan excuse was believed anyway. Suspect what we paid for three photocopies was no more than a shot of JD was worth, but we told him we’d be back and doubtless will.

Wednesday, April 3/2024

Courtesy LGC

 LGC reports that one fifth of drivers stopped at an end of month police blitz were guilty of traffic offences. They’ve rounded up a bit but in fact did report 417 out of 2315 drivers, 236 of them for speeding - a number which will surprise no one. Fifteen people have been killed in motor vehicle accidents this year, including three pedestrians- one on a crosswalk and two on a city sidewalk. Fatality reports often refer to the driver’s having lost control, which in a country not blessed with black ice must usually imply excessive speed. 

There were also 24 drivers charged with being under the influence of alcohol - the legal limit here is .05 - and 54 for driving while talking on a mobile. The mobile use by drivers extremely widespread. Three charged with not wearing a seatbelt. These will have been people in the front seat as back seat passengers are not required to be belted. Expats frequently complain that beginner drivers should be better taught but these offences are obviously not down to ignorance of the law. In the South locals used to say that driving habits were simply “the culture”. Though one assumes that substantial fines would lead to some changes in culture.

Tuesday, April 2/2024

 

To Kyrenia Amateur Dramatic Society’s April production Last Tango in Kyrenia. 

Beverley in the cast and Pat and Creigan behind the scenes. We’d known the script was comic but unprepared for how very funny it was - and well acted. Have probably never laughed this much in the West End.

Meal served at intermission very good as well. Chicken with roast potatoes and veg. John had said the gravy would be good - the voice of experience - and he was right. Venue, the Black Olive Café, doesn’t function as a restaurant but does do events.

Leave pretty sharply after it’s over, getting one of the last dolmuşes as far as the Driftwood and walking up under clear, starry skies. Night still warm.

Monday, April 1/2024

View from bedroom window

Bedroom windows are floor to ceiling and the views are a pleasure we never tire of. Of course views are two way. No neighbours close enough threaten privacy but the small ginger cat who seemed to be angling for adoption is found looking in. And plaintively making her wants known. Sad, but would not be doing her any favours to encourage dependency. Last year’s cats had sources of food and support other than us but not at all sure this one would.

Courtesy of Pamela Tschersich

Barbecue at Blue Song for those in our regular Friday group. Apparently an annual event. Our table has Beverley and John and Creigan as well as Pat with  daughter-in-law and granddaughters visiting from Dubai and a Dutch couple we had not previously met. Chicken skewers, meatballs, fish, helim (halloumi) - good meal and good company.

Sunday, March 31/2024

 Easter Sunday and also the day of the change to daylight savings in those places this side of the Atlantic that observe a time change. Can quite understand places that see no point to a change - Saskatchewan take a bow - but don’t think there’s much hope for world peace when countries that adopt daylight savings can’t all agree to do it on the same day. North Cyprus - like the Republic of Cyprus - makes the change. Turkey doesn’t. So we’re now back to being two hours ahead of UK time and eight hours ahead of Central Canadian time zone. (Yes, I know, not Saskatchewan). Have for years just left my iPads on London time and added or subtracted mentally as necessary.

High of 28 today, but hotter than that in the sun of course, so move chairs and drinks and books to the shade - where a small scurrying lizard runs over my foot as he hurries along the wall.

Oranges may be nearing an end but orange blossoms are now out everywhere, including on the tree on our patio, and the air is full of their scent. And across the road the loquats are ripening.

Saturday, March 30/2024

 Not only shirtsleeve weather but warm enough that it’s nicer to walk early in the morning - or what passes with us for early - than at noon. So we head down to the market shortly after nine, remembering the days during the summer of 2020 when we used to go to the Thursday market in Famagusta as early as possible, when the temperature was cooler and the shadows longer. Though that was midsummer hot. But even in late March we appreciate the tree lined road leading in to the market this morning.

It’s the only time we’ve been to this market without buying anything. Would probably have bought eggs, though we’re not out yet, but the egg and honey lady wasn’t there so that decided it. 

So many books at the weekly charity book stall. Makes us think of the years in the past, before access to ebooks, when we bought and read pretty well anything we found in English in non-English speaking countries. Made for a rather eclectic winter selection - from early Evelyn Waugh to the memoirs of a Mossad agent.  Now we could easily come home with a dozen books any week but we’d be piling up books well ahead of getting them read. Not that unread books are necessarily a bad thing. Some comfort for the inveterate book hoarder in the words of  Nassim Nicholas Taleb: “Read books are far less valuable than unread ones. The library should contain as much of what you do not know as your financial means, mortgage rates, and the currently tight real-estate market allow you to put there.” Though he may not have been thinking of one’s library while travelling.

Friday, March 29/2024

 Patio tiles are warm under bare feet and clearly patio walls are warm enough to attract cats to nap in the sun. Not like last year. We don’t know these cats - and don’t feed them - but they are two of a number who stroll across the patio, usually singly and seemingly on their way somewhere, occasionally stopping to look in the window. 

Our regular Friday trek down to the Blue Song. Definitely warm in the sun but there’s always a breeze off the sea. Meet a woman called Wendy who has lived in a number of places - Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, Singapore - and travelled to very many more, some of them relatively unusual. Such as Bhutan. Living here now but considering where to live next. Thinking unseriously about Namibia, seriously about Mexico. Life too short not to spend it travelling.

Thursday, March 28/2024

 Definitely shirtsleeve weather and scent of flowers in the air, especially orange blossoms. Take the dolmuş out along Karaoğlanağlu and collect oranges, strawberries, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. Do have all these at our little local store, but these are both cheaper and nicer. Strawberries have a lovely scent.

Stop at a photographer’s to get a print made of a photo on my iPad. No language in common but the man can see what I want and gestures to ask about size. I write down 13 cm X 18 cm. He is delighted with the precision and takes the iPad from me. It’s set up in English of course, but this is a process he’s been through many times. And then I have it. Yes? Yes! 

Back by dolmuş. Nothing we really need - unless our little supermarket….It does!  Ramadan flatbread with sesame seeds on top. On the shelf outside the oven, still hot. So home for bread and cheese and a shared half litre of Tuborg. Sun on the patio and mist enfolding the mountain peaks.

Wednesday, March 27/2024

Patio tiles warm under bare feet. Spring has come. Not that it ever gets cold here. And flowers never totally disappear, although they do thin out and get ragged. There were always bougainvillea in the winter but pretty sad looking. Always lemons and oranges though past their glorious juicy prime. But now there are new buds and blossoms.

The fig tree across the road is fascinating. We know it’s a fig tree because in December we ate figs off it - at least those that hung far enough our side of the fence that they seemed to be fair pickings. And we weren’t alone, so presumably that’s the community custom. But for over two months now the branches have been stark naked, looking like an illustration from one of the darker German fairy tales meant to frighten children away from the evil forest where the witch lives. Leaves all long gone. 

Now, just as spring has technically begun, the fig tree has begun pushing little green shoots out of the bony ends of its branches. Nothing that looks like it intends to become a full fig leaf but definitely green hope. All the more interesting because other fruit trees maintained leaves and even some fruit all winter. Still plenty of oranges and lemons in the supermarket. 

As well as grapefruit. Always amusing to see the sign posted: greyfurt. First time I assumed a spelling error but no, that is the Turkish for grapefruit. Not surprising that Turkish includes words borrowed, however awkwardly, from other languages. The English language is notorious for borrowing words, frequently mangling them beyond recognition in the process. 

Tuesday, March 26/2024

The gale force winds continued in the night. Could actually see the floor to ceiling window move inward a little during gusts. Visions of it popping out of its frame but fortunately better made than that. No rain and a full moon, reminder that Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox - though not really celebrated here except by ex-pats.

Winds diminish in the early afternoon, though a hooded crow on the wires outside our flat still looks as if it is not simply perched but hanging on. Quite a few hooded crows around but none of them seem remotely interested in human life.

Monday, March 25/2024

The meteorological office issues an advisory that strong winds are expected at sea blowing from the south and west between 1 pm today and 2 pm tomorrow and expected to reach storm force 8. And indeed the winds are howling round the flat long before afternoon. In fact the effect is rather strange. It’s the sort of sound we associate with winter storms but there’s no precipitation and the temperature is about 20, although it feels quite a bit cooler because of the strong winds. Not that we’ve never experienced gale force winds in summer, but it still sounds like winter.

And not familiar enough with the Beaufort scale to translate, but Google comes to the rescue.  Force 8 means gale, 50-61 km/h. On land twigs break off trees, progress generally impeded. Sounds about right. One step below Force 9 which features 7 to 10 metre waves and roof slates and chimney pots blowing off. Good day for reading.

Sunday, March 24/2024

 

Surprisingly the supermarket has one of our favourite just-out-of-the-oven breads two days in a row. And still warm this time. This one is called Ramadan pidesi. Literally Ramadan pita. Recipes vary but the result is always a flat(ish) bread with a woven appearance on top covered with sesame seeds. Can be either sourdough or yeast. 

Does seem rather a shame that it’s baked in the afternoon so that we get to eat it while it’s still warm - and can rarely hold off starting long enough to take its photo with no bits broken off - while those actually observing Ramadan have to wait until after sunset. Though presumably most of them have ways to reheat the bread if they haven’t made their own. 

Suspect that most people don’t bake their own bread here. Bags of flour most often contain one kilo of flour, sometimes two. I bake entirely with whole wheat flour and find the two kilo bags not easy to obtain. At home would rarely buy smaller than ten kilo.

So today the fast time would end at 7:23. The meal that follows is a happy gathering and this bread is often included. Not a feast but not penitential. Warm and familial.

And as the days grow longer so does the daytime fast. A week from today daylight savings time begins for those European countries that observe it. That won’t create more hours of daylight of course, but it will move Ishtar, the family meal after sunset, one hour later.

Saturday, March 23/2024

 

Saturday is market day and shirtsleeves weather. Actually it would have been shirtsleeves weather on earlier occasions if it hadn’t been crazy windy. Blossoms coming out on trees we haven’t yet identified and the air is perfumed. 

Honey from the honey lady again. Ours had lasted but only just. She is also the woman we get the eggs from. Apologies that there aren’t many left and some are small so she adds a couple of extra. Not planning to bake with them so size no real problem. J picks up an iron for 50 lira (€1.44, £1.23, $2.12 CAD). Couple of scratches and the plug is European but well worth the gamble. 

Stop at our little supermarket on the way back. Small parking strip in front and a tractor pulls in next to the cars. Actually not particularly unusual to see a tractor driving down the road in the village. And happily there are simits baked this morning. Would love to be able to figure out the baking schedule in the store, especially for simits and sourdough olive bread, but don’t have anything like enough Turkish to ask - and in any case suspect there is no schedule.

Home to eat the simits for a late breakfast. And to find that the iron works.