A Matter of Choice

I'm not a 'cat person'. I can appreciate that they can be cute but generally I don't make a point of fussing them unless they are really friendly,   maybe they can tell I am unimpressed as I always say that cats don't seem to like me,  it's all about the claws! Aaron isn't a cat fan either but we've always made a point of getting the boys to fuss them if they are friendly as they were always so scared of dogs and were wary of cats too. Yesterday the boys and I were out exploring and as we got out the car there were about 15 cats suddenly around us and more were appearing assuming we had food - now I wouldn't say I'm scared of cats but I can't say I like that many approaching all at once from different directions!.  We ignored them and they got the message, all except one He (could have been a she!)   took a liking to Leo and came right up to him as he sat on a wall.   Leo moved away and 'Catty' (as it was imaginatively na...

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...

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...

When I was at school walking was the only option to get there and back,  it wasn't far and my Mum didn't drive so there was no debate about it.   My boys schools are both local,  one more so than the other but we have always driven so far.  Loukas is in walking distance but it would mean leaving earlier and as we leave at 7;30 anyway its quite precious time!  Also his little legs mean what would probably be a 10 minute walk gets much longer, and I'm also very lazy when it comes to walking anywhere!   Leo's really is close but as I drive Louka he just gets dropped off on the way past. It had been mentioned about Leo walking on his own at some point this year, to much debate from different people.  As I said, it's really not far (you can see the top of his school from our balcony)  but he does have at least one road to cross, and there is no pavement for some of the way. Many of his class mates walk without adults, and have been doing so in th...

This week we have had several days of gorgeous weather, spring arrived suddenly and t-shirts and flip flops made a re-appearance.  The summer season starts in just a couple of weeks and I've noticed people starting to get excited about it.  Of course for us, and many people here once the summer starts in April life changes as people go back to work for the season so now is a good time to get out and about to do things together. On Thursday we went for a walk and picnic after school on the Agia Napa - Protaras beach path, a section we've never walked before. Not being able to resist a deserted beach Leo and I had a walk on the sand too, but as we weren't really prepared for a beach trip he ended up in his pants while I rolled up my trousers and tried to explain why I was not taking mine off too! I tried to get some nice photos of Leo but he was mainly running ahead so it wasn't too successful! It was a lovely afternoon, gorgeous views, lovely warm weathe...

It's quite a rare thing here in Cyprus to find somewhere that is totally 'buggy friendly'  annoying for a country that welcomes children so much! It's not impossible to find a nice place to walk though and one such place is just a short drive from us. Last week while Leo was at school I took Louka down there for a stroll along the Pernera beach path.  Leo loves the path too but it made a nice change not having to chase after him and it reminded me of the first year we were here when I often used to walk it with Leo in the buggy.  It felt like a long time since I'd been out walking, the heat and baby bump were a really bad combination for doing anything at all this summer!  Now the weather is starting to change and it's a great time of year, not too hot but still often shorts and t-shirt weather, at least during the day.  The beach path is a great walk, running all the way from Pernera to Protaras and is paved or decked all the way along so makes a ...

On the 2nd August Leo took his first couple of steps on his own, he did this on two separate occasions on that day and then nothing more for almost our whole UK trip, well except when no-one but me was looking! I was hoping that both sets of Grandparents would get to see some of his first steps, Leo however had different ideas! But today he walked... across the room and to make it so much cuter he threw himself straight into my arms and gave me a big sloppy kiss. * obviously difficult to get a photo when you are expecting to catch a falling child so I've used one from our UK trip - Leo leading his Granddad up the garden path!