A Matter of Choice

Many years ago I sat with Cyprus guidebook excitedly flicking through the pages dreaming of all the places I would visit when it became our new home, no need to pick the best few things to fit into a 2 week holiday, I was anticipating going everywhere and doing everything. Of course, when we first signed our 'UK' lives away and made the decision to move we were yet to have children - footloose and fancy free with no consideration to driving distances, nap times, pushchairs or little toddling legs on uneven ground or whining children. Five years on and I still feel I am yet to see the 'real' Cyprus, or even the 'real Cyprus' as portrayed in the guide books,  the museums, archaeological sites and traditional villages. With absolutely no intention to do so, most of our friends seem to be fellow British expats and on the still rare occasions we go out we end up in 'expat pubs' as that's where our friends are which doesn't really help in...

Today we had a brilliant, 'amaze-ing' in fact day out at CyHerbia Organic Herb Gardens in Avgorou.. I'd only recently found out about the place via facebook and today they had an Easter Egg hunt in the maze. CyHerbia has 9 themed herb gardens, woodland and Cyprus' only elevated hedge maze. It has a distillation room which although we didn't see today demonstrates the process of essential oil distillation and a tea room where you can sample the herbal teas and see the many herbs, and herbal products available for sale. Today was a special Easter event (no, they are not late with it, we celebrate Orthodox Easter here in Cyprus so Easter weekend is next week!) and for €2 per child you could take part in an egg hunt in the maze, 'I-spy' in the herb gardens as well as some sheets to complete finding other things in the maze and spotting the Easter bunnies hiding in the gardens. I think I may have been even more excited about this than Leo, not just for t...

This morning I woke just before 6am very hot and confused as to why hubby had turned off the fan in our bedroom. It took me a while to realise we had a power cut and I lay in bed sweating in the heat (it was 31 degrees at midnight last night) and worrying about the contents of my freezer. Leo woke at 6am, an hour earlier than his usual (on good days) wake up time, he was still very sleepy but calling for me and asking for his wind on (what he calls the fan or the air-conditioning) and his juice. Getting him back to sleep was not an option as his room was like a sauna! We got up and then I remembered just how much we depend on our electricity.... what to do?  First problem.... no tea - not a good start to any day! Second problem explaining to 2 year old that we can't watch 'tubbies' and no can't watch 'Mouse' or Thomas', and it doesn't matter how many programs you name you can't watch any, and nope we can't have the music on either.  I did tr...

Our 1st trip to Cyprus was in August 2007, we went on a property viewing trip, 3 days being driven around by a sales rep, It was very helpful as we spent most of the time learning about the different areas and what it was like to live there once we had convinced Kev (our rep) that we were not buying on this trip. By the time we left we had a much clearer idea of what we wanted, and a long list of questions had been answered. When we got home between the four of us we came up with a long list of what the property / properties would need for us to buy them..... for example.. Location to be not too touristy or full of ex-pats only Within walking distance to shop for essentials (Mum doesn't drive!) Near school / nursery (We were thinking ahead!) Near doctors / hopsital Resonably close to the coast Property to have air con and a pool - I've ALWAYS wanted my own pool so there was no way I could be in Cyprus without one! etc etc - there were more but I can't remember the...