Barefoot in the mountains

Well, the August sun in Cyprus finally got to us and we took off to the mountains to cool off! We took shoes, but of course, within a short space of time, the clan cubs were barefoot again. Sam (6) recommends this approach to hiking because "you can feel the vibrations of the earth" . He's been talking a lot about vibrations recently - vibrations off ants, vibrations off my bed - that's why he's always in it apparently!

We went to the top of Mt Olympus and soaked in the wonderful smells of warm pine forest. I couldn't get enough of it into my lungs! It was so peaceful up there. Well, apart from the pack of wolves that ran wild among the trees, howling and yipping to each other before asking the alpha male if there was any chance of ice cream.



Then we walked the Kaledonia Falls trail, delighting in COLD water which we haven't felt for months now! Sean & Ronan stripped off and got in the freezing waterfall.

All agreed: A Grand Day Out.

Adventuring at Cape Greko

We wanted to make a new outdoor video for the business at Cape Greko, and we needed to get there early before the wind got so strong that Sean can't be heard over the buffeting on the microphone! So 5.30am saw us all in the car, heading off in the dark to Greko. We arrived 6.15, sun was just up, and we got videoing.

Then it was playtime! Cara (8) decided that today she would do 'The Jump' from the cliff top into the sea below. It's about 8m, with a BIG splosh at the bottom.

She took some time to talk herself into readiness, and caught me (camera operator) unawares and I didn't get the whole jump (see video below). Then we swam in the sea, looking at scores of fish. Ronan took a tumble on the rocks and scraped his hands and feet and we finished up with a bee sting on Cara's hand! It was time to go! We all agreed it was a grand day out.

Little Orange Pencil & Arthur and the Mouse.

See that little orange pencil in the photo? I don't know how it's managed to survive and follow me around for so long, but it's actually an old school pencil of mine. I had a pack of 3 fluorescent pencils - a yellow, a pink and this orange one. The other two are long gone, but this little one has endured all these years!

The other day, it struck me as funny that Sam (6) is using this pencil to write his first book - Arthur and the Mouse. After all this time, the little orange pencil has a proper use!

I went off in a daydream then, imagining my 14 year old self sitting at my desk in one of my classes, gazing out the window as was my habit, and being visited by a messenger from the future. This messenger pointed to the pencil and told me that in years to come, I would be living in Cyprus, married to The Passion Man, and my THIRD (home educated) child would be using the pencil to write his first novel, which he wants to get published. (Watch this space!)

I wonder how I'd have reacted?