I am so busy writing nowadays I cannot keep up with all of my blogs, therefore I am not going to continue with this one but you can follow one I am more active on:



I have decided to start a blog, I pop onto Cyprus Smy Home and see what others are up to and thought I would try and do a daily - weekly update on my life.Also I can now spend time outside and write as I have a new laptop and I love it.

We recently celebrated our friend Andy's 60th birthday, a good time was had by all (pics to follow I hope)

This week has been busy, our son Darren and his girlfriend..sorry..fiance have come to stay, at last we are able to see her ring in the flesh and to celebrate this happy time in our lives. Viv is a little live-wire, she is a qualified Pharmacist, incredibly the same as her future father in law! Our son is a Zoologist and is the assistant curator at Manchester Museum Vivarium in the UK, he specialises in poison frogs. A Black Whipsnake paid us a visit in his honour


http://www.museum.manchester.ac.uk/kids/galleries/liveanimals/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Poison_Frog

We have had a busy week discussing their wedding plans and they have asked me to make their wedding invitations, place cards and gift tags, Darren did not know his sister Nicola, our eldest daughter,who is also planning her wedding has asked me to make hers, so guess who will be a little busy with 200 + items to make!! It also looks as if both weddings will be a little earlier than I thought, we haven't been back to the UK since we left in 2005 and now it looks like wedding dress and outfit buying plus two weddings will force our hand to return. We are very blessed as our future in law 'children' are great folk.Viv and I got Darren and Pete involved with the designing too and great fun was had by all.

We went to Kato Pyrgos to show the kids the occupied area and stopped for a fresh fish lunch, we finished the afternoon with a drink at Faros on Latchi harbour and enjoyed the evening with a drink at Brambles in Polemi, they fell in love with the carrot cake and Viv declared it the best she has ever had and ended up booking a table for Saturday night, she looks forward to trying the chocolate fudge cake, which I claim is the best I have eaten, with two wedding outfits to buy I think I had better refrain!!....maybe not :)



http://www.gmayor.com/Cyprus_2003.htm





We hired a speed boat today 18/7/2008, we hire from Latchi watersports, they are very efficient and their boats are well cared for, Julie who works there always looks after us and we had a tow ring today, I did not partake of this particular activity, I am not that brave...or stupid.


The snorkeling today was the best we have ever experienced in the 3 years we have been snorkeling, The Blue Lagoon was teeming with fish today, I am exhausted with the thrill and the swimming I did, my usual 15 minutes, just to say I did it, ran into 2hours! I ache.
We came across two stupid divers, spear fishing away from their buoys and flags, they were off of Aphrodite's rock, they had no boat so had come from shore and they were in the main run to and from the harbour for the speed boats, considering there was a death recently they should be more careful,luckily Pete saw them in time and managed to shout to Darren.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/accidents-incidents/243077-british-man-held-connection-diver-death-off-cyprus-coast.html

Not sure what we are up to tomorrow but I know it will be full of laughs and wear me out, it is so lovely to have quality time getting to know our adult family, if we were still in UK we would all be at work at opposite ends of the country.

Ok, we went to my fave craft shop Infinity run by my friend Moya Craft shop the mission was to get the products to make Darren and Vivs' wedding invitations etc. mission accomplished in under one hour which pleased the guys no end. We headed off to St Georges Bay for a photo session and to buy some pottery then went to the beach area along the Coral Bay rd near Kissonerga, we treated ourselves to a lovely icecream (I have no will-power) and Darren and Viv enjoyed jumping the waves in a beautiful sea. I captured my son deep in thought and the lovers having a kiss, I love these pics.

We got home to a very hot Polemi, swam in the pool and then discussed the wedding table layout, I love the way Viv is involving me and I enjoy our relationship, we made last minute desicions on the wedding invites and we will be going to Brambles for our last evening together for a very long time.
Well a good evening was had by all, we ate more than we should and drank in moderation, Viv and Darren decided to have a slice of each of the chocolate fudge cake and carrot cake as they couldn't make up their minds. Today we are relaxing with a nice breeze around the pool, will be bbqing later and then sadly off the the departure area of Paphos airport.

21st July 2008

Bit sad today, our lovely kids have gone home, the invitation was tweaked at the last minute before they left for the airport and so I am about to embark on the first wedding batch of 100 invitations, 60 place name cards and 10 gift tags then our daughter will come with her request for her wedding.
I decided to continue working on the Newstand on this site, 3 times today it failed, patiently I finally got finished. This new laptop certainly has given me freedom from the stuffy computer room. I love the members pages and how they are growing daily. Finally got a ceiling fan for dining area, just got to wait for Pete to put it up, he got new tv and equipment to play with first, I must get these jobs listed for him as the footy season will be upon us and I won't see him for a while unless I hide the remote :) ...now there's an idea.
It looks as we will take a trip to Canada in a couple of years when Darren and Viv have settled, pity we can't seem to find a direct way of getting there though. We won't be celebrating our Pearl wedding anniversary next year because of two weddings so we will prob fly to UK see girls then fly to Canada from there, still two years is a way off yet. Well bedding needs attending to and the four dogs need a run so better get back to normal. Special request for a wedding anniversary card to get done by weds now, phone just rang...off to the craft room first.

22nd July 2008
Well you may have noticed a few changes today, new pages I have created, I hope you enjoy them. My problem started when I couldn't get them in order and the links board started to look a bit messy, I did what I usually do when this happens and contacted my nephew Ady who is my moderator on here, he was amazing and the result I am sure you will agree is a much neater viewing system for all to see, THANK YOU Ady, I owe you one.
I decided to leave the computer for a while and pop for a coffee with Julia, the reason? Pete was putting up a ceiling fan and I wanted to be out of the blue air that I know would be swirling around the home! It works, the fan is up and the ceiling intact.
There is a slight breeze today but it is still very hot out there. I decided it would be better if I dated my blog entries from now on.
Our daughters are supporting their partners at the moment, Nicola's fiance Dales' dad is very ill and fighting cancer, but sadly his mums brother had a fatal heart attack on Friday with no warning or illness symptoms and then blow me Emma contacted us today to tell us her life-partner Tom's dad had 2 overnight, he is ok but very ill !! These men are not even close to 60 yet! even more reason to live life as you want to.
Well the pool is calling and I must deliver my card order. Tomorrow I will be clearing the craft room to make way for the invite making items.

23rd July 2008
Not a lot of clearing out got done today, I forgot we were working on a garden and it was hot work. We jumped in the pool when we got home.
I wrote a couple of articles and they were accepted for publication on the net, so I was pleased. Karen coming for a drink and chinwag tonight as Pete off to warhammer club. Will ring mum and see how she and dad are doing, then settle down with a glass of wine.
Not a lot to write today

24th July 2008
A good night chewing the fat over a glass of wine last night, Karen and I solved the worlds problems.
I started on the wedding invites today, getting organised and familiar with the design.
I offered to help Julia put the menu on the bramblescafebar wiki, after many attempts I ended up typing it on by hand, for me a lot quicker than cutting and pasting, I was pleased with the end result, so if you want to choose your meal before you go, you can look online.
It was sooo hot here today, even the village breeze was hot. The man on the small holding has let his pigeons fly free at the moment and they are a real pain, one has decided to perch inside our landing window!
More articles were accepted for publication today, I was pleased as one is my Mother-in-laws story of when she was flooded out in 1953
My Mother-in-laws story

The sky is full of diamonds tonight! There are so many stars and I have just seen a shooting star it had a lovely green tail, I made my wish.

25TH July 2008
Well last night was a bit frantic, a baby rat came running in behind the tv, the cat played with it, Jake the Cairn Terrier who is a rat catching breed of dog,leapt onto the sofa and watched from a distance, in the end the cat got it cornered we got Max the hunter dog to take over, like the star that he is he had it in his mouth and in the garden in seconds,drama over.
Poor Nic is finding the cost of high summer flights expensive, Dales mums dog had to be put to sleep, as if she isn't going through enough!.
There is a breeze today, we need it,still no rain, we had a shower in March and that was the last rain we have had.
Off to look for flights for Nic and then make another invitation.

26Th July 2008
Cooler day, nice in the shade. looked for flights for Nic but she found what she was looking for. She is going to do the race for life run in Colchester at 11am, travel with Dale to Exeter airport and fly over night landing at Larnaca airport at 5.30 am ! I don't think she will have time to ache!
Thick dark rain clouds appeared tonight but no rain, we do need it. The last 3yrs we had a big storm for one day, the first was August 3rd 2005, the second was July 29th 2006 and the third was July 1st 2007, they were humid tropical storms with a lot of rain, we do need a rainy day like that soon, a shame for the holiday makers though.

27th July 2008
So proud of Nicola, she ran 5k/3m in 35 mins a 2 secs, the winner ran it in 22 so for a self declared non natural runner Nic did the Rogers and Smy family proud, she ran the race of life for her future father in law. She should be on her way to Exeter now, she said she is stiff and aches but she will probably sleep on the plane, Nic can sleep on a clothes line!
The day has been very windy with a big drop in temp over night and first thing, the wind stayed but the temp rose and is rising as I type. 3 of our 4 dogs got treated to a shower today, they have been left a little longer because of the shortage, the loved the freshen up.
Polis Paps was busier today, the tourists enjoy having a decent supermarket that side of the island, I like the drive.
Jakeyboy decided to take himself for a walk which is unusual, he wambled up to our neighbour Gills and popped in for a visit, so now the french doors have a Jake barrier, he is getting old and silly, no I mean Jake not Pete! ;)
Not many more days now and I will get to meet Sally from this site, she is over for her hols, we will prob bump into each other at Brambles.

4th August 2009
Well this site is a bit quiet at the moment as folk are on hols. We have just had a week with Nicola and Dale,(holiday pics to follow) they were telling us their wedding plans for July 2009, they went home yesterday and are looking at wedding venues, we will wait for the call for the deposits, their adventure starts. Hopefully they will get the date they want and it all comes together.
The car went wrong but we were giving the number of a UK guy who is mobile, he came within an hour and a half, fixed the problem and charged us much less than we expected! nice guy..I will put his number on the info page.
Very hot August is upon us! no sign of the summer storm we have had in the past, the garden is very dry.

5th August 2008
Off to meet Sally from this website (Sallys' Page) we are going to have coffee in the village (Brambles) so Julia, Karen and me can get to see her before she finishes her holiday.
Well Sally and I met at 11am and parted at 2pm, we had a chat over frappe, it was a lovely few hours and I look forward to meeting her again.

6th August 2008
Well the day starts with mixed emotions, Darren has accepted the job in Canada and will start Oct 1st. He leaves Viv for a year to set up home, she is being very brave and supportive and for that I thank her, it can't be easy. Gardening day today so will be busy. My writing is going well and my articles are being published all over the net, I have a few cents and I mean a few cents in my account, I am pleased though as it means I am a paid writer!;) My work...just type in my name when you get there
Ok now the pigeons are annoying me, I have spent valuable time chasing one out of the bedrooms, words will have to be spoken to our Cypriot friend, he is so lovely it will upset him tho if he thinks he has caused us some problems, but since he has started letting them out we are over run by cooing & pooing! Pete favours the idea of buying an air rifle and having pie for lunch ;)

7th August 2008
Louie Jerome a writer pen/email pal has joined the site, she got me working today, I have set up a writers corner and she has her page ready for her to add some of her fantastic work, I look forward to reading her page.
The pigeons don't like the ribbon I have attached to the window...hooray! No more running around the house in 39+ degrees waving my arms like a crazy woman.


8th August 2008
Up early today, working at Catkins for the day, I enjoy meeting Karen's customers. She now has air con and I can't wait for the day she gets wifi...maybe not a good idea I am there to work not write and browse! I will not be online until about 7pm Cyprus time (5pm UK), I look forward to seeing what might have happened on here later. Have a good day. A good day at Catkins, in the quiet moments I wrote Rhyming Recipes, Silence (poem) and a brief story from my Dad of his evacuation.

9th August 2008
Oh how I hate cleaning in this heat but it has to be done. I am now fit for nothing for the rest of the day, well at least I can write.
I read an article today that sparked me into highlighting the dangers of one sentence to an editor, so brave of me, I was very professional tho as it was concerning medical issues. I am wondering what to write next, I need to find something more unusual for me.

10th August 2008
Very hot today. I swam 30 lengths of the pool today, it is 8mtrs long so that is 240mtrs! I ache a little now. I did 100 2yrs ago and wonder if I will ever reach that target again.

Darren will become the Senior Aquarium Biologist at Vancouver Aquarium in Canada in October...Congratulations Son ! x


August 12th 2008

I swam 20 lengths today not so many as I had been busy earlier on and the heat makes you tired.
I see that the Brits are the most holiday makers locked up in Cyprus for being drunk, Cyprus has the highest record of arresting Brits in the world for being drunk Boozy Days what a great record to be held! This youtube clip shows the problem in Greece a year ago




I seem to be writing all over the place at the moment and I love it. I must go and do some cleaning now though, bye.

13th August 2008
Not much to write about today, Cyprus newspapers still reporting about the Brits and their arrests for drunken behaviour. Maybe they would be more use here.......

Grapes are being gathered at the moment, the are a little earlier this year, so we are getting the 5am wake up traffic now, it doesn't make a happy hubby!

15th August 2008
Assumption Day = Bank holiday read all about it
The prayers were said in church today for Mary Mother of Jesus and for rain....we had thunder at 2pm today!!!! No rain but even the sound of thunder gave hope.

16th August 2008
Visited my friend Moya at her shop in Paphos to collect the card for Darren and Viv' invites. Had a good chat, Pete's bow makers are selling well, clever thing. There is a partial eclipse tonight.
17th August 2008
The Eclipse was amazing!

I have submitted an article with pics if it gets published I will put link here if not the pics will follow Lucky me pics are published on Scienceray
I did 10 lengths of the pool today. Total so far since 10th = 60 lengths @ 8mtrs = 480mtrs

18th August 2008
well the prayers were answered on the 15th as the Troodos apparently had rain with that storm on Friday. It was hot at 6pm Don't believe all you read in the papers, especially the temp!!

Today started 32 in the shade, we made a picnic and headed off to Panagia Pine forest and sat on a shady bench, bliss. Peace was soon shattered as family loads turned up and good fun was had by all. We checked out the new dam at Kannaview, very pretty

Swam an amazing 40lengths today, total now stands at 100lengths 10 - 18th August = 800mtrs


19th August 2008
Had coffee with Sally and her daughter today, very nice to meet up again. Hot and muggy today, talk of thunder storms.

21st August 2008
Had a night on the porch with Karen last night, you will be pleased to know we have sorted the world out and everything is ok! It was a hot muggy night, by 11pm there was thick fog!
Today has been very hot and muggy, this evening became dark quickly and it was dull and sooooo muggy, there is talk that storms are in the Troodos mountains, I pray we get one soon, the atmosphere is hot. It will probably happen at the weekend as Stroumpi and Polemi celebrate the festival of Wine.

23rd August 2009

Last night a drop of rain fell!!!! As I write this it is thunder

27th August 2008
Well yesterday we had a shower of rain at about 4pm!!!! It came from nowhere,it didn't even refresh the air. Today it clouded over at about the same time but nothing fell from the sky.
The wedding planning couples are busy spending their cash and organising. Darren and Viv have to get a lot done before he leaves for Vancouver.I have only been doing 10 lengths of the pool every other day, the heat seems to drain my energy. The pidgeons are still trying to move in! The first bag of grapes came through the door today, we will be sick of them by the end of the season but they are so yummy and fresh, we have been given fresh picked melons on a daily basis, sometimes 4 at a time are left for us, I make smoothies from them to use them up, the prickly pears on the cacti are reddening off and will be ready to pick, they are growing like crazy in our garden.

Modem went down...sorry about the last few days I will give you a run down of what's been going on...
Glynis, Sally & Julia say goodbye, Sally has to return to the UK and we met up at Brambles for a farewell frappe. John (Sallys better half) took this pic, it was a frappe he had...honest





5th September 2008
Well it is over! the heat of August has given way to a cooler more bearable September. I would like to wish my Dad a Happy 75th today.
Grapes and Melons are overflowing from my fridge and fruit bowl, the generous gifts of others. Our roof needed a look at and Spyros and Andreas obliged, the pigeons had built a nest and pushed the weather proofing away so they climbed up to see what to do. The sky was so blue that day, it was about 5pm
Note all health and saftey rules do not apply in Cyprus, the only accidents I have read about in 4yrs are the ones that were involving large companies around the world and on the island who were using saftey equipment! Both were wearing flip flops and walked across the roof, the chaps who put the satelitte dish up wore the same.



4th September 2008 The mists rise at 7am ? where is the Metochi Tavern!


September 9th 2008
Wishing our friend Daren a Happy Birthday.
Well my ticket is booked, I will be stepping onto UK soil for the first time since 2005 on Sunday 29th Nov until 14th Dec. I am returning to buy Nicola's wedding dress. Sadly I won't get to see Viv this time but I will be kept occupied by Nicola with several activites, all wedding related so will not get bored! There will be a lot to do together it will be fun, it will be the longest Pete and I have ever been apart so it will be hard for me but at least I will be with my girls. I love digital scrapbooking, a new hobby this weekend, I have started putting together her wedding ideas and throwouts into scrap pages, it will be fun to look back on. They are private at the moment but after the wedding I will show them. Here is one I can share..