Not much excitement

Home, roasting in the sun ......... and that's about it for the last week.  Time spent in the garden, in the swimming pool and the beach.  Each day the temps rise to over 90F with the afternoon average around 94F according to the app in my iPhone.  Sometimes it feels hotter as the humidity has been quite high this week.  Both Lillian and myself get have gotten used to high temperatures over the years, remembering that we used to play golf in Dubai with the temperature well over 100F but cant remember it being so hot here in Cyprus.  But of course we were not here for much of july and August last year returning to the UK for the Olympics.  Was it really a year ago?

The garden continues to take time each day and we have given the bougainvillaea hedge a serious trimming. Means that it is not showing so many flowers at the moment, the first flower phase having past however it looks in a better shape and will we are sure benefit longer term.

After waiting for two years, much to our surprise this week Cyta actually arrived to erect telegraph poles and cables for telephone, TV and internet connection in all the houses.  We have been continually fobbed off by the developer that they could not fix the road which provides access to the compound of houses before Cyta laid the cables.  We had therefore expected them to be underground, which they are inside the compound but much to our angst they come to us via four large telegraph poles!  They can be seen in both pictures.  In the end its no good sweating the small stuff.  Nothing we can do about it and they certainly don't cast a shadow although take a bit of getting used to on the skyline.  The big question is will this mean a start on the road?  A neighbour has been told 'In September'  .... Inshalla.

A new place to go ....

Usually a walk to Faros is taken early morning with the customary stroll to the lighthouse, down onto the beach, a swim and a walk home.  When we get up early enough!

Over the last couple of weeks we have watched the Cliff top cafe at the lighthouse being renovated as the new home for the 'Restaurant and Artcafe' which has relocated from just outside the village.  So a Friday evening stroll to see what is was like.  Very good too.  Always a perfect location with sea views on two sides the main building has been expanded and although we were virtually the first to arrive it will soon become a popular venue judging by the evening trade.  Only a couple of drinks and a small nibble for us but we will certainly be back as the menu looks good and the meals being served seem to be well received by those eating.

As can be seen by the picture we had very comfortable seating and enjoyed our time chatting with a couple on holiday from Northwood, only 4 miles from our London home!

Temperatures rising

How many dead blooms today?

As each day rolls into one it is becoming increasingly difficult to write anything new or exciting in our relaxed life here in Pervolia.

Each day is clear blue skies with temperatures around 94F and increasing to 102F at anytime when driving inland in the car.  This was especially true with a drive to Nicosia for some general shopping. The temperatures for the coming week are set at 100-104F. Whilst at times the wind can be very strong the afternoon breeze is always well received.

So its been time for swimming in the pool and the sea both of which are incredibly warm.  With night time lows not dropping below 82F its hardly surprising they are warm.  We have walked across the road a couple of times for dips in the sea.  Waves have been minimal allowing to actually swim rather than just bob around ...... 30 strokes one way, then turn and 30 again.  The buoyancy in the sea is good and just floating is easy.  Early morning beach walks have been limited by the fact that we keep missing early morning.  Have The Times newspaper each morning on the iPad takes time to get through and now we have 'his and hers' iPads we both sit in silence for the first hour of the morning with paper and coffee.

The garden continues to take time each day with snipping and clipping and of course picking up bougainvillaea leaves.  Despite giving the hedge quite a trim a couple of weeks ago new flowers appear each day and it is a mass of colour..  The white at each end are lovely although these leaves fall and blow with the wind to all parts of the garden and unfortunately to the pool too!  A daily competition ensues between myself and Lillian guessing the number of dead heads she will pick from the petunia pot.  The normal number finishes between 36-48.  It is a mass of blooms.

Trips into the village are always enjoyed with the largest ever pork chop at Pyrgos a weekly treat.  Saturday in the pub resulted in early season despondency and loss of all the pre-season optimism.  Ipswich lose 1-2 their first game.

Another visitor gone

An enjoyable week with friend Anne who has always been a regular visitor to us when she has wanted some sunshine.  A third visit here in Cyprus added to the at least one a year slot in Dubai.

Anne left us with her second stone ............. the first visit being when we had just arrived in Pervolia and before the stone tradition had commenced.  A somewhat creative design.  This is the interpretation given by Anne when I politely asked. The yellow with two green blobs is the golf course we so wanted to be up the road at Terasafanou. Above an olive grove and bougainvillaea.  The two eyes at the top are brown and green olives on sandy beaches.  All surrounded by blue sea.  It's what dreams are made of.  Certainly colourful and has been placed next to her 'frog' from last year.  She will be back to add to her collection I'm sure.

With priorities for the week of sun, swimming, lilo lying, sleeping and reading Anne is the lowest maintenance of all our visitors.  Hardly interested in moving away from the garden although we did have a pleasant evening in Larnaca on Sunday evening eating at Oceans Basket.  A seafood platter is always good fare.

So ........ home alone until 18th August when Emily arrives.  Sure we will find more sun in the interim.

Its hot

The temperature's rising ................. 33C in the shade means its sun bathing time with frequent dips into the pool to cool down and just float about on the lilo. Really a great way to spend the time and just what friend Ann had 'ordered'.  I remember so well the feeling of finishing a school year as a Head.  All you want to do is sit in the sun, swim, sleep and read.  Ann is certainly making most of the time to do all.

Whilst Ann sleeps Lillian and I potter about continually snipping and collecting in the garden.  It is certainly looking nice at the moment.

With a pattern of one night in to eat and one out last night was a trip to the village of Psametismenos where we visited for the first time the restaurant Lord Kitchener.  Lord kitchener, the British military leader and statesman at one time lived in the house that is now the restaurant.  The food was very good and Dean and Pina, the owners made sure we were happy with everything that was served and frequently returned to the table not only to serve but to check everything was to our liking and generally chat.  My belly of pork was truly excellent and we all cleared our plates.  This after some very good garlic mushrooms.  Washed down with two bottles of wine it made for a very nice evening and this is certainly a place we will be taking visitors in the future.

Clear Blue Skies

33C with the smallest of breezes is a great time for beach walking.  Its up relatively early 0900! but only 1030 we we set off for our normal stroll up to Faros and along the beach stopping for a drink at the Faros beach bar and then dip in the sea.  It wasn't cold but sure did feel it when first getting in!

Last night we went into the village to eat at Pyrgos, which because of its location, hospital owners and of course good food it is our favourite of Pervolia.  The village is so quiet.  Every year for the last two years the barriers have been dropped to prevent cars coming into the village and it being a pedestrian only zone.  Not this year.

This picture taken on our walk shows how quiet it is ..... hardly anyone.  Making a living from tourism is hard go ...........

Happy Birthday Lillian

Happy Birthday

A quick trip back to UK for what is possibly my last two working days as I complete the handover of various projects to others as I slowly move to retirement at the end of August.  It is always good to have opportunity to spend time with the children and a Quiz Night at the Case is Altered in Old Redding is a good bit of fun.  Andrew is determined to be a winner but even then Team Wright could only secure 4th place!  Not on form with the music round.  We missed Lillian.

Barnet v Ipswich

The weather in London was hot and on one day even warmer than Cyprus.  Oh so glad that I don't have to do the trip on the London Underground each day!  The two that I did with temperatures around 88F were quite enough.  First football match of the new season when Emily joined me for the Barnet v Ipswich match at their new ground The Hive.  It was good to see the game and the new players that Ipswich have signed during the summer recess however as a match it was very much a 'friendly' played pretty much at exhibition pace with many second half substitutions.  A 1-0 win for Ipswich but as they are 3 divisions above Barnet not a great resounding success.

Back home with the normal overnight BA flight which was full as the start of the holiday season gets into full swing with UK schools finishing for the summer break.

Home at 0530 ........ Lillian's birthday.  I am banned from mentioning the number of years but it was good to spend the day together along with friend Ann Lyons who arrived the night before.  Lillian's choice to walk into the village for a curry which was accompanied by a few drinks after bubbly in the hot tub.

Time with a friend

Michael and Lillian

Michael Chittenden and I started at GEMS Education in Dubai on the same day in August 2002.  We were staying at the same Dusit hotel and met on the very first morning when collected by driver to go to the office for the start of our induction period.  Michael had been recruited from a top Australian school, although a Kiwi, for what he thought was leadership of a Dubai school.  I was allocated that job and he was sent off to Doha.  Our paths crossed many times during the next 6 years as Michael made visits to Dubai and me to Doha.  He was also dispatched to sort out a mess in a school in Jordan.  He did another stint in Libya and as we both left GEMS about the same time we have worked in different places yet stayed friends mainly by the exchange of emails.  Michael stayed with us once at our second villa in Dubai.


About six weeks ago an exchange of emails found we were both in Doha at the same time and a few beers later Michael agreed to 'drop in' on Cyprus on his way to Malta to see some friends.  It has been good to have him here this week and late nights chatting putting the education world to rights along with the English rugby and cricket teams has been a nice way to spend a few hot days.  Blue skies and sunshine all the way, although as I write this there are a few white clouds to be seen.  Go away!


Apart from drinking, eating out, bike riding, walking and swimming in the sea the only event of note was  short trip to Choirokoita, a neolithic village about 30 minutes drive from Pervolia.  It is on the UNESCO World Heritage list and dates from the 7th millennium BC.  Amazing to think all that time ago collective labour set about building a village on the side of a hill within the meander of the Maroni river.  We climbed to the top and wondered how it was all done.  On the hillsides around there was plenty of evidence of scrub fires caused by the hot summer sun.  Everywhere is very dry now and the fields of cut wheat and barley are now just but dry brown areas awaiting ploughing for new crops.  Large 'swiss rolls' of straw are being collected.

Discovered a great app for the iPad which allows you to listen to UK radio over the internet.  Three days of having the England Australia 1st Test on has not impressed Lillian.  My love of cricket is the only thing that she has never shared with me.

Michael followed the tradition of collecting a stone from the beach, decorating and placing in the garden in a position of his choosing.  A maori tattoo.

Another week gone

A family stroll at Zygi Harbour

A week has passed since we said goodbye to our latest group of visitors.  Memories of their visit still linger as I walk into the Cottage pub and I am asked if they are still here!

So not much to write about in terms of activities.  A couple of long beach walks and swims in the sea.  A bike ride, but only a short one as the wind was blowing and its been some time since Lillian has ventured out.   Plenty of time spent pottering in the garden with trimming and leaf collecting.  Further remedial work needed on the pool with the sand in the filters being changed.  There we were sweeping water from the underground pump room at 10pm at night!  Still it appears to be working again.  With a growing number of houses being occupied the pool is now a 'little busier' at the weekends and evenings.  The water is beautifully warm.

An excellent Saturday night at a large joint party for everyone who has a birthday in July.   The group were looking for a celebration after the recent sadness of the passing of a young guy who was a regular at the pub.  Only 29 and to suddenly pass away. Organised at the home of George along with John Watson,who we met via the Cottage Golf Society it was a good affair and the latest we have been out ever here in Cyprus getting home about 0130. Slight headache in the morning!  George, the homeowner has a large place with big patio area and great large swimming pool which a number of the younger ones ended up in as the booze took affect!  There was even live music and about 100 people.  Great fun.

Much of the late afternoon and evening has been taken with following Wimbledon on Abu Dhabi television.  Even though the commentary was in arabic it is surprising how many 'tennis phrases' are said in english ie passing shot.  Sporting success lifts the spirits of British people.  We all celebrated the British and Irish Lions victory over Australia.  I watched the game in the pub and a great atmosphere even though a lunchtime game and cheered the team on even though it contained 10 welshmen. And then of course along with a TV audience of 17.3 million in the UK cheered Andy Murray, a Scot,  to his victory.  Didn't he do well?

Two years

So it is now two years since we first took the keys for House 15, Pervolia Residences. It doesn't seem that we have been 'living here' all that time. Or have we? Work has certainly got in the way with much travelling over this time but the end is nigh and I have decided to finish at the end of August. Retirement? Who knows when the phone will ring?

When the 'visitor stone' tradition was started by Nick and Chris Plastow in November 2011 who were the first to put just their initials on a black stone we had no idea that it would become a 'requirement' of staying at House 15.  In May 11 Andrew when labouring on his stone made a comment that it was 'unfair' that visitors 'had' to do this and were given a  countdown to do so when the householders did not.  So in July last year Lillian selected a flat round stone and decorated whilst I was away with the idea that each year another would be added forming  cairn.  Very impressed I was too at the time only for there to be an expectation that Lillian and I would complete alternate years.  So here is my effort.  Not great but hey the shape of the 2 follows the stone doesn't it?

Start of the cairn

We have had a great time over the last two years getting into the swing of a much lazier and less frantic life than of the UK.  With travelling over it will now be time to consolidate what we have, develop friendships, certainly get back into the Bowls Club which we have deserted due to not being her so much.  All things to look forward to.

With visitors gone Lillian has restored the house to the status quo, ready for the next arrival on 9th July and time has been spent trimming and picking leaves from the garden.  Last night, a stroll into the village to eat at the Coast of India