A Matter of Choice

So 2020 isn't working out quite as I imagined back in January but we are doing fine and muddling through.  On one hand it seems like not much has gone  on this year, certainly it has been quieter than expected, however looking back through my camera roll it is surprisingly full of beach photos.  We have been to the beach more so far this year than we usually manage,  partly because they have been quieter than usual, assuming you pick your beach and the time you visit it well.   Also because I am appreciating the fact the we are able to,  that we are healthy enough to, and that we have opportunity,  and because it is a cheap outing with a bag of snacks and drinks from home.  In almost 11 years I had only been to a handful of beaches round here, something that always bothered me because I'm just so nosy and want to see everything. I love the beach - when I'm there, but only for a short period of time. I couldn't imagine spending a whole day on ...

I realise it may seem a little late to be sharing summer highlights for my readers in the UK, but for those in Cyprus I'm sure you can understand. Apart from the fact that the sun still shines here and the days are warm (I say warm I mean around 25 to 27 degrees so jeans and duvet weather now)  the summer 'season' runs till the end of October so it's about now that we all take a breath and change gear for the winter.   This year was very different for us as a family, extra work  as I started a part time seasonal job in addition to our other commitments, and for the first time, the boys went to summer school.  I was a bit apprehensive about it and hoped they would enjoy it, although I didn't want to force them to go if they really didn't get on there for some reason.  Our school holidays are very long, almost 13 weeks, so the chance for summer school is good for everyone.  Luckily they really enjoyed it,  so from when school finish...

This weekend saw our first beach trip of the year! It felt very strange to put on shorts and a bikini top for the first time,  after not being out of jeans, cardigans and boots so far this year but it seemed a bit silly to go to the beach dressed like that, especially as it felt warm in the sun.  (about 21 degrees in case you area wondering) I learnt from previous experiences and made sure the boys were wearing swim shorts as I couldn't even tell you the amount of times they've ended up soaking wet despite them saying they are not going in the sea.  I even put sun cream on us all! As you can see it wasn't very busy,  it's not one of the busy tourist beaches though,  Fig Tree bay and the like would have certainly been busier but this was nice and peaceful.  We counted less than 10 people, including us! I even managed about 20 minutes laying in peace while the boys played - something that has never happened before. It was actually relaxing t...

It's my favourite time of year! After cold winter spring seems to appear suddenly, almost overnight. You can feel a real warmth in the sun and you start to remember the kind of heat that will be on the way in the next couple of months. Unless you also live in Cyprus I expect you are thinking 'Cold winter? She doesn't know the meaning of cold' etc etc, but living here in winter is a whole different kind of cold.   While it might nice enough outside, indoors can be uncomfortably cold. The houses are really hard to heat and we end up wearing so many layers and snuggling under blankets all the time!    This year has also seen an amazing amount of rainfall, the most I think in over 100 years I'm sure I read somewhere.   The country is just not good at dealing with this and there are been roads collapsing and property damage all over the place. But Spring has sprung and I just love it! Carnival week always seems to be the start of it, everything s...

February in Cyprus can be an unpredictable month,  it can give us some of the coldest days of the winter but also show us signs of spring and remind us what the weather is supposed to be like here. We've had lots of rain this winter,  I'm sure more than in recent years.  This is good, we need it and apparently the reservoirs are looking good for the year ahead. I haven't minded the rain too much (apart from the time our ceiling leaked) and it's quite a novelty to snuggle up inside while it lashes down outside.   But I know it comes to an end and it's lovely to get our bright blue skies back. This weekend the boys and I went for a walk,  well, I walked they scooted and we all played Pokemon Go along the beach path in Protaras.  It was lovely, I was wearing a t-shirt and fleece, the first time I've not had layers covered with a jumper, and I even took my jacket off for a while (!) but I was still surprised to see people in bikinis sunbathing, no...

These photos were taken almost 2 weeks ago, on the first day of school.   I had taken the boys to and then before I had time to talk myself out of it or get distracted I drove straight to the beach and walked. It was chilly but a glorious day, made even nicer by the fact it was the first dry and sunny day I think we'd had so far in January. I don't often make the effort to get to the coast for a morning walk but when I do I can never understand why I don't do it every week at least, because it's just awesome, especially at this time of year. It was a great start to the new term, I was home before 9am, cooked myself breakfast,  did some yoga (I'm currently working my way through Yoga With Adrienne's 30 day 'Dedicate' program)  and got down to work. I'm full of cold today but I'm now thinking that a bit of fresh air and a walk will help first thing tomorrow after looking at these photos again. I'll check the weather when I g...

I love going for winter walks in Cyprus, it's something we have so rarely done yet when I do bother to get out its' great, especially now everyone can walk (well, Aaron not so much at the moment but we can leave him at home!)  and generally not fall over. We went out during Christmas week and had a lovely walk along the cliffs in Kapparis and some time on the beach. It was very warm, despite it feeling chilly at home and I even took my fleece off and sat in a short sleeved t-shirt! While sitting on the beach watching the boys compete to throw rocks the furthest into the water I thought how amazing it was to be there, in December and how it was better than being indoors. I thought we need to do this more often, I thought I need to remember that it's always worth going out I thought with a smile,  I should write it down so I don't forget Louka had not wanted to go out when it was first suggested, moaning first about getting dressed, then having to pu...

It's my favourite time of year here in Cyprus,  (well, it's one of them!)  the weather is warming up nicely, nearly everything is open again and summer is very nearly here.  Time seems to speed up as we hit this point every year, once Easter has been and gone, there is more going on, more places to go,  the beach becomes more fun (I'm never really a fan of wearing coats and welly boots to take the boys to play) and we start to spend most of the time outside. So far I've only paddled in the sea but the boys have both been in.  I have braved the pool though, only once so far - it was really cold and the boys were laughing the heads of at me as I screamed and shouted my way through my first few lengths.   It got better though and I happily stayed in for almost half an hour.  It's great now that Louka doesn't need me to be in right next to him as long as he has his armbands on he is ok with me sat on the sunbed watching.  Plans are ...

If in doubt, get out!   I have no idea if someone once said that to me or if it just popped into my head but I've decided its a good phrase when it comes to deciding what to do.   I've never been very good at just getting out the house with the boys, always over thinking it - too hot, too cold?  Too windy?   Will the weather change?   Will we be hungry?  Should we eat first, take a picnic?   Are we too tired? Will the kids have fun or just moan at me?  - you get the idea! As I mentioned in my last post, I was suffering from 'Crimbo Limbo'  (yes I am just making random things up now!)   We hadn't left the house in days, I was missing the excitement and anticipation of Christmas and there was far too much pyjama wearing, Xbox playing and chocolate eating going on for me to to stay sane. The problem had been that it had been raining on and off for almost a week, dry spells have been very short lived and I'm sure the sun has only been...

October 28th is a national holiday in Cyprus, known as 'Ochi Day' A little bit of history for you... (thanks to  Fatcatz Mobilty ) The word ‘Ochi’ simply means ‘No’. It is the word Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas used in 1940 to Mussolini’s spokesperson when asked if Axis forces could use Greek territory to gain access to areas of Europe not already occupied by Hitler and Mussolini. Metaxas stalwartly said ‘No!’ Prime Minister Metaxas had deliberately done his best to keep Greece neutral in the early months of World War II, but the ultimatum tipped any chance of allegiance and Greece became allied with Great Britain. Prior to this, Metaxas may have decided to go either way. Personally, he had links with Germany based on his early education. He had also resisted Greece becoming involved with World War I and had refused to support the Allies in the Dardanelles Campaign. The ultimatum changed everything and Greece turned out to be a strong force against the German...