A matter of choice

In my ongoing quest to explore Cyprus and find new and interesting places to go I was excited to see that Platres Chocolate Workshop was holding a chocolate festival at the weekend.

The advert said...

The biggest chocolate festival anywhere around the Mediterranean. Two days of fun filled chocolate events and games. You can visit the Chocolate Experience Museum, take part in chocolate painting, have your portrait painted in chocolate, have your fortune told using hot chocolate, chocolate cake competition, watch chocolate being made by Master Chocolatiers, make chocolate soap, try limbo dancing with a chocolate pole, chocolate face painting and lots more games for both children and adults. Don't forget there will also be lots of lovely yummy chocolate things to eat.

Platres is a long way from us, about 1.5 hours drive, which is a very long way for our boys to drive and not something they are at all used to living on our very small island but I thought it would be a nice day out and…

As we celebrated Loukas 3rd birthday last month and I started to write the my traditional 'Now you are....' post my thoughts turned to the slightly more recent tradition of 'Leo / Louka loves...' post, where I add text to a photo of each of them with their current favourite things.

It was then that I realised I had although I'd written Leo's 'Now you are 6' and made the 'Interview with a 6 year old'  I'd not made a 'Leo loves..'

Oops....

So, better late than never, and he's still 6 so it's all good!

When I started this blog I had the vague idea that it would be a kind of diary of my move to Cyprus, capturing my first thoughts and experiences of a new beginning and life in a new country. That didn't really happen due to being here for over 3 months before we managed to get out internet connected. When we finally got online it seemed silly to backtrack as I felt there was far too much to catch up on and I felt the moment had passed.

I blundered on regardless, not really knowing why but just because I fancied doing it. We had no decent TV, having only Arabic satellite which had few English channels and nothing I ever fancied watching, Leo slept well (early evening at least) and Aaron was often out playing pool.

I rarely wrote about Cyprus as I didn't get out much to anywhere that was interesting enough and I didn't write about settling in as I had once planned to, it was not as perfect as people often imagine and although I was ok I didn't want my friends knowing I …

I can't remember when I first heard of Sirena Bay, a beach often referred to as an unspoiled paradise, and loved by several people I know, but I have been talking about going there for at least 4 years now!

Here's what the Daxi Holiday Guide to Cyprus says about it....
A place of natural beauty with a calm, tranquil almost spiritual atmosphere, where you can swim, sunbathe or sit in the beautiful surroundings overlooking the Mediterranean whilst drinking your favourite cocktail or frappe.

Yeah,  so I was probably right when I thought maybe not somewhere I would enjoy with the boys!

I had kind of been before, twice in fact, once very briefly out of season when the beach bar was closed, and once with my friend and two unhappy toddlers plus buggies that would have been too hard to maneuver through the bar - we didn't even bother getting out the car!


We've almost made it many times but for various reasons never actually got round to it.  I nearly went on a rare child free …

Ever since Leo's birthday back in May there has not been a week go past without Louka asking if it was his birthday yet. The question, said in an ever hopeful voice 'Now my birthday??'  was heard again and again, especially as other birthdays came and went in that time. 
He was full of excitement the day I turned the calendar from July to August,  'NOW its my birthday???'    'Almost Louka mou, but its at the end of the month' was the frequent reply. 
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you may know that I love to plan parties. It's been said that I go a little over the top but I do what I enjoy and that generally just happens. It turns out that the weather and time of year may have a bearing however on my level of party excitement, as I really struggled to get into it this time round. 
I think the problem was the lack of a theme that captured me and the following enthusiasm that usually follows.  Leo's first proper themed party was an obv…