A Matter of Choice

So the UK is now set to leave the EU, almost half the country voted to stay but the majority of voters wanted the hell out of it and now they will hit a long period of uncertainty, and debate and an endless stream of tripe in the news constantly. I very rarely talk about or even think about politics and I've certainly never considered writing about them but as an expat blogging Brit living in Cyprus I felt I should at least say something about the biggest political event in my lifetime so far. I've always avoided politics, having never really understood most of it and always thought it to be a load of old waffle.  (much like this blog but I'm not trying to change the world!) I did vote once, just so I could say I'd done it but I can't remember when or even be 100% sure who for.  (It may have been Lib Dem on the assumption that Tory and Labour were both talking bull and they seemed a safer vote but I couldn't be sure now) I assume that if I still lived in ...

Last month I got to act like a tourist for a week when my friend came to stay with us from England and I finally got round to having a proper trip to Nissi beach in Agia Napa.  I had been once before with Leo as a toddler but it was unsuccessful due to a temper tantrum (him not me!) and we ended up staying only 15 minutes! It's a gorgeous beach, and recently voted one of the top 5 in Europe, very busy in the summer and packed full of tourists every day.  As I prefer to visit quieter beaches when I take the boys out it's not one that I fancy taking them to, so I thought my visitor gave me the perfect reason to go and explore. We went on a Wednesday morning, not that the day of the week matters to anyone on holiday, it was heaving with people by mid morning, all ages and families with kids were there but there was a distinct younger crowd  - after all it is known as the party beach of the town and THE place to go. Nissi beach viewed from the island We sat and had...

Leo turned 7 last month and we celebrated in style with a Star Wars party.  Although Leo hasn't actually seen all the films he has played the Lego Star Wars game on the Wii many many times and is a bit of an expert at it so he loved the idea of a Star Wars theme. I am somewhat ashamed to say that I'd never properly watched the films myself  (I had tried several times but they never grabbed my attention) but who needs the exact details when you have pinterest on your side! It had been a very busy week for us work wise but I'd been surprisingly organised and got most things ready in advance of the day itself. It was a small party with just my/ his closest friends and so I was very relaxed about the whole thing luckily.  There was a big countdown to the day by Leo, I'd given him little tasters of what we were going to do but he mainly wanted it to be a surprise so on the day they played inside while I prepared food and set up the 'Jedi Training Area' o...

Dear Leo, I hope you had a very happy birthday, we had a very busy weekend of celebrations this year!  You all seemed to have great fun at your Star Wars Party and we had a lovely family BBQ afternoon on Sunday - with 'Daddy's Yummy Chicken' and halloumi and pringles at your special request! Starting First Class The biggest milestone for you this year was starting big school and going into first class. It took you several weeks to get used to it as it was a big change but you love your teacher Loukia and now have lots of friends at school.  You are very good at your lessons, especially maths and your Greek language is amazing.  I am so proud of how well you speak and understand the language. Homework is still a challenge for you, although you very good at it when you put your mind to it, you still need quite a lot of encouragement to get on with it! English lessons are your least favourite thing about school, as naturally you find them far too easy! You ...

So much for my renewed enthusiasm for blogging and my promises to myself that I would set aside time at least once a week to writing here again.  There is so many things I could write about but I just can't get them from my head onto the page, and then when I get the chance I don't even know where to start! For so many years I've had so much time, I never understood those who didn't have enough time.   Well, to be honest I still kind of don't!   If you want to do something enough I reckon you can always find a way to do it even if it's hard work.   I want to exercise / write a blog post / cook a healthy dinner etc.... but I just don't want to do that more than check facebook or sleep  - it's not that I CAN'T do those things. So the month of May has flown by in a whirlwind of stuff, all good stuff but it's confused me and I could do with a little lie down now. All the things that I would have once written about and now the time passes and t...

I used to love joining in with Mich's Reasons to be Cheerful but it's been such a long time that I have - joined in that is, I've been cheerful of course!   When I noticed the other week that it was going back to her blog this week I realised there was no way I couldn't join in... Tomorrow sees the arrival of my oldest friend,  my playgroup buddy from the age of 3, school friend, college, (no not college that didn't really last very long!) and general drinking / partying / getting into trouble friend! Almost two years ago she turned up on my doorstep in Cyprus for a surprise visit and it was just brilliant to catch up after all the years and show her my new home - especially as it was her first trip abroad and not only her first solo flight, but her first time on a plane at all! This year the trip was planned, and like a kid at Christmas I've been counting down since the flights were booked! I've been searching for some old photos of us, but all I ...

I'm sure it comes round quicker every year but it seems that summer is now pretty much here in Cyprus, the weather has been improving slowly and steadily over the last few weeks,  getting a little warmer interspersed with a few storms or windy  / cloudy days.  I tried to be organised this year and actually sorted through our summer clothes a bit earlier rather than wondering where my shorts and strappy tops are when it 'suddenly' tops 30 degrees outside! We've been out and about a lot more this winter than in previous years, and recently had several trips to the beach but not armed with swimsuits and towels so far. Leo and I have both been ankle deep in the sea but Louka will not go anywhere near it - far too cold for him yet! I think it's pretty much time now though (watch the temperature plummet now I've said that!)  Last week we went to a new beach for us and met up with several friends, it was a perfect afternoon and the kind I'd dreamed of ...

Last month my lovely Mum celebrated her 70th birthday in style with over a week of celebrations and well deserved birthday treats.  Starting off with a celebratory meal with friends, continuing with a 3 day break in Paphos with my Dad and then for birthday No.2 at home with us. Of course we couldn't miss the chance for a family celebration as we didn't see her on her actual birthday, so when they returned home we surprised her with a butterfly birthday tea! Apart from teddy bears (which was our party theme several years ago) butterflies are my Mum's favourite thing, so with the help of the boys we created decorations, food and a birthday cake all with a butterfly theme.  With a party tea, music, presents and board games we had a lovely afternoon. Among the presents was a slate ready for Mum to choose a photo to be printed on it, so an impromptu family photo shoot took place... Another of our presents was a voucher for afternoon tea, for Mum...

I started this blog in 2009 for no reason other than it seemed a good idea at the time, I didn't really expect anyone to read it, I knew nothing about twitter, pinterest, SEO and I had no plan.  Gradually I 'met' other bloggers and joined some linkups and forums, people were reading and I got into the habit of writing regularly, although I've done a few reviews and sponsored posts over the years as and when the opportunities arose, I have only ever blogged for me, for something to look back on one day and as a hobby to pass the time - when you live with only Arabic TV for 4 years you need something! It's been a long time now since the best days of this blog, once Loukas was born, and I started the Famagusta Parents Network things slowed down, and of course in 2014 we started our business, I have often thought about stopping the blog, it seemed a bit silly to be posting once a month or less and then what should I be writing about if its that infrequent? I starte...

Regular readers of my blog know that we've been to many of the events at Cyherbia Botanical Park and Labyrinth and this weekend they held their 2nd Annual Fairy Folk Fest. For the last few events we have been working there with our children's Photo Booth and although they were fun days, we didn't get to enjoy them with the boys so I was really looking forward to visiting as a guest - and walking round the maze and gardens for the first time in ages! The event promised to be a day of adventure and enchantment and it didn't disappoint. Despite the fact that I have 2 boys who would usually think faeries are 'girlie' they loved the day - especially duelling with the knight and planting 'magic beans',well, fighting and digging in the dirt - what's not to love! In the Herb Gardens our task was to spot all the faeries, and find out their names (they were named after the plant they were hiding by - a great way to get the kids to read the inf...

I love this time of year in Cyprus!  Over the last month the tourist areas have become a hive of activity as restaurants, hotels and bars prepare to reopen after the winter.  Carnival, Green Monday and the bank holidays, Easter and the anticipation of the summer season just around the corner gives us a spring in our step and a sense of optimism. It all begins with Tsiknopempti (which literally translates to 'Thursday of the smoke of grilled meat', due to the gorgeous aroma of meat being barbequed all over the island).   It's not widely celebrated by many expats here, I knew nothing about it until the boys started school but for me it now marks the start of the celebrations.  Last year I joined Leo at school to watch the celebrations and enjoy the BBQ laid on the for the parents, staff and children.  This year Leo is in big school and once again I went in to join the fun. It was a little strange as I was (as always) the only English Mum there, but...

There are many things that I imagined I would do (or not do) when I had children and in most cases it turns out that I was completely wrong - providing fresh home cooked meals every day, no junk food, limited tv and technology time, educational arts and crafts etc but one thing I was right about was the fact I would read to my children and try and encourage a love of books in them. As a child I absolutely loved visiting the local library, and spent many hours there choosing hundreds of books over the years. I remember the excitement of becoming old enough to get an adult card and suddenly being able to take out 9 books at a time.  I think they actually let me get one early as I used to go through the books so fast! When Leo was just a couple of months old I took him to a Baby Bounce and Rhyme time at the library, and although he was way to young to appreciate it I know it is something I would have continued, and I'm sure we would have been regular borrowers of children...