Barefoot Clan in Cyprus

Cara starts guitar

2011-01-06T15:39:00.004+02:00

Cara has bought herself an electric

guitar. She's very pleased with herself. Weekly lessons with 'Nicos'

(aka Dewey Finn, School of Rock) should be lots of fun! Stick it to the Man!

End of the year 2010

2011-01-05T18:42:00.003+02:00

The last 2 months of the year just flew by. It felt like summer for most of it. Ronan & Cara went on Cub & Scout camp on the last weekend in November. Ronan went cycling and kayaking that weekend, Cara went horse riding and scuba diving. They both had a fantastic time.

Granny & Grandad Johnson came to visit in December and stayed with us over Solstice. They left on the 29th Dec - back to the snow and freezing temperatures in Scotland.

The boys managed to go swimming in the sea on 1st January 2011, then.... winter arrived in

Cyprus - rain, thunderstorms and wind. Brr...

2011-01-05T17:48:00.007+02:00

October 2010

Went swimming and diving near Protaras with Nana & Grandad.

Grandad dives in.

Ronan jumps off the top (taken through the keyhole!)

Cara jumps in.

Sam enjoying some 'air time'.

Sean went to Gibraltar to join with some other old booties to run up the Rock carrying stretchers to raise money for Help for Heroes. The McKinstrys came to visit and we spent a lovely day at Governors Beach with them. The Foley kids took part in the Larnaka Run and the Scouts Swimathon. And after a brief short life, little Taco (Ronan's hamster) died.

2011-01-05T17:09:00.002+02:00

September 2010

September brought a blessed drop in temperatures. Cara turned 10 years old, we went to the waterpark with friends, and Nana & Grandad Foley came to visit for two weeks. Nana had a birthday while she was here.

Update time!!

2011-01-05T16:45:00.005+02:00

Here's a rundown of the last few months in Cyprus....

August 2010

Taking advantage of the cool of the sea to escape the heat and humidity. We discovered a lovely spot near Ayia Napa for jumping in and snorkelling. We didn't find a lot of fish to look at until we discovered that the 'Yellow Submarine' tourist attraction comes to this point at 11am every day to feed the fish. If you are snorkelling in the water at the same time, you get to see hundreds of fish! The kids had lots of fun diving under the water among the shoals and waving to the people looking out of the porthole windows in the submarine. They found that if they took a big enough breath, they could actually dive down far enough to go right under the submarine. We found another good bit for jumping off - the arch of rock just east of Ayia Napa. Only for the braver among us!

Sizzling!

2010-08-10T21:52:00.002+03:00

Cyprus is well and truly sizzling now. The nature of the build of the houses means that they soak in heat all day, and then release it into the house at night!! So even at 10pm, it's over 30 deg C inside.

Some of the barefootclan have taken to sleeping outside! Great for stargazing.

Ronan turns 12

2010-08-05T23:12:00.001+03:00

Ronan turned 12 on 15 July 2010. Where has the time gone? Only one more year til he's a dreaded teenager.

He had his first waterskiing lesson. This is him

learning the correct position with the instructor.

Also, walking out to the boat, and in the water.

Unfortunately, Sean didn't manage to get any

pictures of him actually doing it, but he did

manage to get upright and ski, holding a bar.

Later, we had a beach picnic with some friends,

and CAKE of course!!

Oh no, neglected again!

2010-07-18T00:13:00.005+03:00

Oh dear, it's July and I see my last post was April!! Then again, I don't really know if anyone is reading this blog any more - if you are, please leave a comment every now and again to encourage me to write more!!

SO........ a quick run down. Since April, we have moved house. We said goodbye to sleepy Cypriot Mazotos and moved to Oroklini on the other side of Larnaca. Oroklini is a considerably non-sleepy village, compared to Mazotos anyway, and we needed some time to adjust to the noise of people and traffic (those darn scooters!) instead of sheep and dogs!! Overall, we like it. We are closer now to activities, the beach, Sean's clients, Scouts & Cubs and..... English speaking people!

Mum & Dad came to visit in May, and it was so good to see them. We walked in Troodos mountains where we dipped our feet in the cool water, visited Cape Greko where Grandad's sandals were torn to shreds on the unforgiving rocks, ate Cornish pasties (!) in Ayia Napa, visited Dhekelia beach, watched a raft race, and ate lots and lots of ice cream. The two weeks just flew by and it was sad to see them go.

At the end of May, Sam had a dream about a hamster called Scribble, and this was his hamster. We searched the pet shops for a Scribble, and eventually found him snuggled up with his brothers and sisters in the back of a pet shop. Sam has been taking good care of Scribble, and we've all been sure to keep him away from Moony as she doesn't need a 'he' friend.

In June, we did some house & dog sitting for some friends in... Mazotos! It was weird to be back there for a week, and we were glad we had moved (phew). We looked after Hannah (a Great Dane).

Also in June, Sean turned 44, woo-hoo another birthday!!

Then at the end of June, Cara had a very sad day. Her beloved hamster, Moony, had been getting slower recently, and then one day, at the end of June, she passed away. Cara was so sad, but glad to have been able to hold her in her hands in her last few moments. Next day, she organised a beautiful burial ceremony on Oroklini Hill as the moon rose into the starry sky. It seemed a fitting way to let go.

In July, Sean made a fleeting trip back to the UK for his Dad's 70th birthday celebration. Of course, he also had a list of things to get - including those disgusting cheesestrings - that can't be found here!

Later in July, 3 new baby hamsters found their way into our lives: Texas (black & white female), Stella (black with white feet female) and Taco (brown & white male) .

Spring!

2010-04-01T21:41:00.004+03:00

Spring has arrived, here are some pics.

Layers!

Grapevines just sprouting.

Poppies and Daisies

Walk through the wheat field

A thistle??

Olive tree

Animal connections

2010-03-14T23:07:00.005+02:00

Here are a few photos of some of the creatures of Cyprus we've encountered recently.

A black Whip Snake that we found dead on the road when we were out cycling. These aren't poisonous, but give you a fright when you see one!

Also, on Sean's hand is the moth that started life as this enormous caterpillar.

Then we have a poor donkey who is tethered near the church. (The donkey

is the one in the middle). She is always getting sores on her legs where the rope rubs against them as she moves around grazing. The owner does treat the wounds with spray, but the flies make it difficult to resolve properly. Oh for a little fence so she could be untethered, but that's just not how they do things here.

Winter Walking and... Puppies!

2010-02-07T22:42:00.012+02:00

Here are some recent pics from a walk we had on Mazotos Beach (nearest to where we live) and our most recent trip to Argos Sanctuary.

We went to walk dogs and groom cats, but there was a new addition to the sanctuary this day..... puppies!

5 tiny puppies had been found abandoned in a
cardboard box, and brought to the sanctuary.

Just the job for the barefoot kids to give them

some love and attention!

Sam turns 7

2010-02-07T22:17:00.012+02:00

Sam had his 7th birthday at the end of January. In our house, turning 7 means leaving 'early childhood' - the years from birth to six. Something really seems to happen when a child turns 7 - it's a new era. We had a special ceremony for Sam, where he carries a globe with a tiny model Sam on it seven times around the 'sun' (the candles). As he went round the 'sun', we played a slideshow of photos from his birth, crawling, walking, running, riding a bike... all the up to the age he is now: climbing trees, reading,and swimming in the sea.

This year's cake theme was a knight's

castle, complete with Lego figures etc.

Volunteering at Argos Animal Sanctuary

2010-01-14T22:07:00.015+02:00

When we made our 'wishes for 2010' list

at the beginning of the year, the kids

all wished for more connection with

animals. So we went along to the Argos

Animal Sanctuary on 9th January to see

what we could do.

http://www.argossanctuary.com/

Cyprus has a huge problem with unwanted stray cats & dogs, with few

services to cope with them. Kittens and

puppies tend to find homes, but the

older animals aren't always so lucky.

Some do find themselves adopted by

holiday makers, and make their way

to the UK and Germany!

We spent an afternoon walking dogs,

grooming cats, being jumped on,

barked at, slept on and purred at.

At first, Sam was a bit overwhelmed with

the noise and craziness of the dog runs.

One run a day is let loose so there were

about 20 dogs roaming around the place

which was a bit scary to begin with.

The dog area sure was a contrast to the

peace and tranquility of the cat's

enclosure!

By the time we left, the kids all

reckoned they'd had a great time and

were asking to come back again the

next day - which we did!

What Happened?

2010-01-02T21:43:00.002+02:00

Well, the blog has been somewhat neglected since October - I don't know what happened, but I just have been so busy. So here's a quick run down til the end of 2009!

Samhain: pumpkins in Cyprus are not your round, plump, easy-to-make-a-lantern-out-of kind of vegetable. They're long and skinny. Cara was REALLY keen to make lanterns for our Samhain celebration, so the nearest thing we could find that would do the job was watermelons - just still in season. Of course, we had piles of watermelon after carving three lanterns, we just juiced it, bottled it and drank it for 3 days!

Kitten Rescue: in November, we found a little kitten
mewing pitifully in the road nearby our house. We left it over
night hoping it's mother would find it, but it was still there
in the morning. There are so many unwanted cats & gods
in Cyprus, many are feral and end up being poisoned by locals who get fed up of the mess they make raiding bins etc.
So this little chap was temporarily adopted by the barefoot clan. He was in a bad way - very skinny with terrible diarrhea (probably worms & fleas). We contacted a nearby sanctuary but they were full. The only place we could find for him was in Paphos - at the other end of the island. A sanctuary van comes up our way once a week, so we looked after the kitten for a week and then (sadly) handed him over to the sanctuary van. We know he'll get the necessary medical care there, and maybe even rehomed. It was a sad day for the barefoot kids.

Winter Solstice 2009: we celebrated Solstice on the 21st and 22nd December. On the 21st we had our winter feast and gift exchanging, and on the 22nd we were up at 5am to go to the ancient city of Amathus in Limassol to watch the first sunrise after the solstice. There was a small gathering of people there - it was being filmed - and the Ma Gaia frame drummers performed a drumming ritual to Aphrodite in front of the ancient temple grounds. In the picture of the five of us, you'll also see our delightful friend Natalie in the middle!

The Race....!!

2009-10-25T20:24:00.007+02:00

The 13th annual Larnaca race called to the barefootclan kids. We only heard about it a few days ago, and training was only for 3 days, but they were keen, keen, keen, so we went.

The first race was the 6-9 year olds, so Sam & Cara were in this together. Sean ran with Sam. 1400m up Larnaca sea front and back. Cara was over the finish line with some of the first ones.

This is Cara finishing.

Sam at the finish line.

Then Ronan's race, the 10-12 year olds. By this time it was getting pretty hot - I was only watching, but still sought the shade. Ronan said he did feel like giving

up at one point, but he kept on and finished with the middle bunch, red faced

and puffing! Maybe the poem "The Race" helped - I read it to them on the drive in this morning, when excitement and anticipation was running high. Here it is:

The Race
"Quit, give up, you're beaten!"

They shout at me and plead.

There's just too much against you now.

This time you can't succeed. "

And as I start to hang my head

In front of failure's face,

My downward fall is broken by

The memory of a race.

And hope refills my weakened will

As I recall that scene,

For just the thought of that short race
Rejuvenates my being.

A child's race, young boys, young men

How I remember well,

Excitement sure! But also fear.
It wasn't hard to tell.

They all lined up so full of hope

Each thought to win the race,

Or tie for 1st or if not that

At least take 2nd place.

And fathers watched from off the sides
Each cheering for his son,

And each boy hoped to show his Dad
That he would be the one.

The whistle blew and off they went

Young hearts and hopes afire

To win to be the hero there

Was each young boys desire.

And one boy in particular

Whose Dad was in the crowd

Was running near the lead and thought,
"My Dad will be so proud!"

But as he speeded down the field

Across a shallow dip,

The little boy who thought to win

Lost his step and slipped.

Trying hard to catch himself

His hands flew out to brace

And mid the laughter of the crowd
He fell flat on his face.

So down he fell and with him hope
He couldn't win it now ...

Embarrassed, sad he only wished

To disappear somehow.

But as he fell his Dad stood up

And showed his anxious face

Which to the boy so clearly said:

"Get up and win the race!"

He quickly rose, no damage done,

Behind a bit, that's all

And ran with all his mind and might

To make up for his fall.

So anxious to restore himself

To catch up and to win.

His mind went faster than his legs

He slipped and fell again.

He wished that he had quit before

With only one disgrace,

"I'm hopeless as a runner now.

I shouldn't try to race. "

But in the laughing crowd he searched

And found his Father's face,

That steady look that said again,

"Get up and win the race!"

So up he jumped to try again

Ten yards behind the last,

"If I'm going to gain those yards," he thought

"I've got to move real fast!"

Exerting everything he had

He regained eight or ten,

But trying so hard to catch the lead

He slipped and fell again!

Defeat! He lay there silently

A tear dropped from his eye.

"There's no sense running anymore

Three strikes; I'm out; why try! "

The will to rise had disappeared

All hope had fled away;

So far behind, so error-prone:

A loser all the way.

"I've lost so what's the use?" He thought

"I'll live with my disgrace."

But then he thought about his Dad

Who soon he'd have to face.

"Get up" an echo sounded low

"Get up and take your place,

You were not meant for failure here,

Get up and win the race! "

"With borrowed will, Get up" It said,

"You haven't lost at all,

For winning is no more than this

To rise each time you fall. "

So up he rose to run once more

And with a new commit,

He resolved that win or lose

At least he wouldn't quit.

So far behind the others now

The most he'd ever been,

Still he gave it all he had

And ran as though to win.

Three times he'd fallen stumbling

Three times he rose again,

Too far behind to hope to win

He still ran to the end.

They cheered the winning runner

As he crossed the line 1st place,

Head high, and proud and happy

No falling, no disgrace.

But when the fallen youngster

Crossed the line last place,

The crowd gave him the greater cheer

For finishing the race.

And even though he came in last

With head bowed low, unproud,

You would have thought he'd won the race

To listen to the crowd.

And to his Dad he sadly said,

"I didn't do so well,"

"To me you won!" His Father said

"You rose each time you fell."

And now when things seem dark and hard

And difficult to face,

The memory of that little boy

Helps me in my race.

For all of life is like that race

With ups and downs and all,

And all you have to do to win

Is rise each time you fall.

"Quit, Give up, You're beaten."

They still shout in my face,

But another voice within me says,

"Get up and win the race."

by Dee Groberg

Medals and certificates were gratefully received. Oh, and ice cream!

Hot, Hot, Hot

2009-10-17T23:28:00.006+03:00

Today we were going to walk around the Salt Lake, which is completely dried up at the moment, but we wanted to crunch salt with our feet. However, it was just too hot - I think we've slipped back into
summer - it was 31 Deg C in the shade at 9.30am as we set off. We investigated the Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque, revelling in the experience of walking barefoot on carpet again - haven't felt that for a year now! By this time it was 10.45, and getting hotter, so the Salt Lake walk was abandoned in favour of the beach.

It was hot there too as there was little breeze - not like the day this photo was taken!

After a couple of hours we just had to head off for
ice cream.

We've been in Cyprus for one year now, and it
definately wasn't this hot when we arrived this time last year. Weird.

Elvish Impressions

2009-10-02T21:51:00.010+03:00

I love the Lord of the Rings books (& the movies), there's just something about that whole fantasy thing of elves and wizards and doing what's right for the good of all! Ronan (11) loved the books too.

Imagine our surprise to find Elrond of Rivendell emerging from our shower one night! (giggle).

Ears need a little trimming, but we're nearly there!

"The man who can wield the power of this sword can summon to him an army more deadly than any that walks this earth. Put aside the ranger. Become who you were born to be." Elrond of Rivendell.

Our version: "The person who can control their thoughts and direct their attention to what they truly want - for the good of all - can summon all the good in the world to them. Put aside the fearful act of compliance. Follow your heart and become who you were born to be." The Barefoot Clan :-D

Cara's 9th Birthday

2009-09-09T22:51:00.002+03:00

8th September & my little girl turns 9. Suddenly that seems awfully grown up. Her plan for the day was to spend time as a family with a special menu for lunch (leek & potato soup - in this heat!).

She received lots of crafty gifts so the afternoon was spent needle felting (quote: "oh, I've missed this so much"), coloring in and celebrating having lots of new creative stuff! Oh, and watching Mamma Mia on DVD.

We went out to a restaurant on the beach in the evening which was pleasant, then finished it off with a walk on the beach in the dark.

A simple enough day. Just spend time.

Barefoot in the mountains

2009-08-31T22:23:00.004+03:00

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

2009-08-08T21:26:00.013+03:00

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.

2009-08-02T20:46:00.006+03:00

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?

The heat is on.... (please turn it off again)

2009-07-26T17:47:00.005+03:00

Phew... a heatwave has hit Cyprus from NW Africa - 37 deg C in the shade today. No work was done - it is definately a day for dipping in and out of the pool - all day spent in temperature management!!

A small watermelon snack for

Sam.

Cara & I have been trying to

capture these acrobatic

dragonflies on camera.

Ronan's Birthday

2009-07-18T21:42:00.004+03:00

Well, it finally happened - Ronan turned 11. And horror of horrors - he didn't get a letter from Hogwarts, confirming the awful truth that he is actually a Muggle!

Not to worry though, we still celebrated, because after all, as Hagrid says "It's not every day yer young man turns 11 now, is it?"

He was up at sunrise (5.45am), and opened some parcels - books, books, and more books - so he was quite delighted!

We had a chilled out day at home til 3.30pm, then headed off to the beach for a home ed gathering. There were 5 or 6 families there, and loads of kids, so a good time was had by all, playing in the sea, on the beach and sharing some cake. We all headed off home after sundown (8pm), and poured 2 tired and windswept children to bed (Cara & Sam), and said goodnight to the birthday boy as he disappeared behind a book.

Sean & I reflected a while on all that has happened since 15th July 1998 when Ronan popped into the world at our house at Rossie, Montrose....

The birth of a son and a business (Activate)
The gentle arrival of Cara
The sudden arrival of Sam
Deciding to home educate (scary)
Moving to Crail pig farm (yuk, yuk, yuk)
Moving to Tayport (ahhh....)
Moving to Dundee
The death of a business (lots learned there)
Exploring What Next - USA? New Zealand?
Moving to Cyprus (making a sensible work decision)
Radical direction change (following our hearts not heads)
Conception of a new business

Out of money - emergency measures in place.....
New business nearly ready for birth - at the pushing stage now!

Gosh - did that really take 11 years!! I guess some other stuff has happened in between too!

Definately in Summer!

2009-06-29T21:54:00.004+03:00

Sorry I haven't been updating the blog so much recently - so much to do!

Ronan & Cara have finished their theatre productions and enjoyed it immensely. Cara was Violet Beauregarde in 'Charlie & the Chocolate Factory', and Ronan was a semi-mean kid called Jed in 'School Journey to the Centre of the Earth'. You can see a little tiny bit of each show in this video http://theatreantidote.com/link.php?id=261 which is actually a promotion for the summer school. There's some footage of oompa loompas in pink & brown (Cara became one of these after Violet gets taken off for juicing). Ronan's show is the fast moving one with the blue t-shirts and yellow chairs. I can't believe I didn't get any photos!

Cyprus is now definately in summer. Here's a selection of photos taken over the last couple of months.

From Green to Gold

2009-05-06T20:27:00.007+03:00

My last post was about how Cyprus had gone green, and now, only 3 weeks later,

it's gone golden! It's weird, a few weeks ago it felt so very spring like with the citrus blossom everywhere. And now, because of associations of home, it feels like it should be August - the smells of drying grass cut ready for baling, and golden hues everywhere, it's harvest time, and the map in my head says that summer is almost over! Of course, we ain't seen nothing yet as far as summer goes!

Here are some pictures I took tonight while I was out with my boys.

Cyprus goes green

2009-04-18T23:11:00.011+03:00

Fields at the back of where we live, & a big old tree with the sun reflected on it. We're staying in the house in the background.

It seems that we have finally reached the end of the winter, with not much rain expected from now until about November.

Cyprus has gone green - certainly not in the eco sense, but in colour. Everywhere there is an abundance of plants flourishing in the warmth after quite a lot of rain over the winter.

The fields are full of almost-ripe grain, the citrus trees are in blossom, with their gorgeous smell wafting all through the villages, and there are wild flowers everywhere.

I've been struck by the colours, which seem so much more vivid against a bright blue sky.

It almost seems as if all the plants are racing to get in their glory now, while the going's good, before the heat of the summer dries everything up!

Temperatures are in the twenties and I can sense it getting gradually warmer, week by week.

Below: the barley field with the sun just disappeared behind the hills.

Flamingos Gone

2009-04-18T22:19:00.003+03:00

I thought I posted this ages ago, but I can't see it on the blog so I must've forgot.

All winter flamingos have been living on Larnaca salt lake. They migrate there from Africa, arriving about November and leaving again in March.

Here's a pricture of them with the Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque in the background.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hala_Sultan_Tekke

And here's a closer picture of them.

A little green visitor

2009-04-03T23:36:00.010+03:00

I realised with shock as I looked at the blog to write this, that I haven't posted anything here for over a month. Oops.

We've been so busy with a new business, researching and writing webpage content, that I haven't got around to the blog. There hasn't been much to write as we've not been doing anything very interesting. Just living, working, eating, sleeping! Not very interesting reading!

But today, we had a visitor looking in the patio doors at breakfast, who caused quite a stir! Here's a photo of the praying mantis that was goggling in at us!

It hung around quite a while (long enough for everyone to have seen enough of it), and then flew off up into a tree in the garden.

This week has seen a sudden increase in the temperature in Cyprus. Three days ago it went from an average of about 17 deg C to 28 deg C overnight. The wind has dropped, and the kids are in the pool! They are still in wetsuits as the water is cold, but they can come out and lie around like seals to warm up again.

Thankfully last week we missed the tornado that moved over Larnaca, cascading huge hailstones which made dents in car roofs and cracked some windscreens. Here's a video on YouTube if you want to see! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1w5CX8QZIQ

We've also signed up to stay in this house for another 6 months. The main reason is because we've been just too busy to spend the time looking at properties. So we're still out in the sticks of Mazotos, escaping the hailstones, but wondering just how bad the sheep are going to smell over the scorching summer!!

Day out at Cape Greko

2009-02-21T23:01:00.006+02:00

Our last family day out took us to the East of the island. We went right out past Ayia Napa to Cape Greko which felt very exposed. We followed a sign for 'sea caves' and Sean found what he's been looking for.... a place to leap from the cliffs into the sea! We explored some of the caves, and Sean took the kids into 'a Dragon's Lair' - a large cave accessed by walking in the sea.

Sean took the chance to make a 'Passion Man' video for his website, joined by Ronan this time.

Not the most relaxing day out for me, (on top of a cliff with 3 children), but definately one connected with nature's elements!

Birthday Time

2009-01-30T23:30:00.008+02:00

The first of our family to have a birthday in Cyprus was Sam, who turned six at the end of January. We celebrated by having a trip to the beach to see huge waves crashing in (it was very windy), and we huddled in a little gulley in the rocks to eat some of the new season Cyprus strawberries that are appearing in the shops.

We got home just in time to avoid a downpour of rain, so we watched Wallace & Gromit in the afternoon. For educational purposes, we'll watch it in Greek next time! I wonder how Wallace's accent will translate into Greek?

This year's cake theme was 'dinosaur'. Sean & Ronan were tasked with making the cake, and I think Sam was impressed! It has become a bit of a tradition to make a marshmallow/toffee/rice crispy cake for birthdays in our house. The kids like it better than sponge, and it's wonderful for molding into shapes.

It's particularly good with a lovely cup of tea, as the toffee goes soft and gooey with the heat of the tea, and the marshmallowy, creamy flavour floods the mouth, leaving the crunch, crunch of the crispies on the tongue. (drool, drool, off to skim just a little slice off what's left in the cupboard....!).

Stavrovouni Monastery

2009-01-15T22:49:00.014+02:00

This morning, the electricity suddenly started going on and off - lights flashing, phone beeping, speakers crackling! Weird. Then it went off. Completely.

We decided to get out for the day, as there wasn't really any way of knowing how long this was going to go on for, and it was lovely and warm outside but chilly in the house. So we threw some food in a bag and drove off to the Stravrovouni Monastery. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stavrovouni_Monastery

We didn't take the normal (road) route up, we decided to try the track, which would have been perfect for a 4x4 truck of some kind, but a bit of a hairy experience in a Mitsubishi Charisma!! We did hear some scraping and crunching from underneath as we negotiated summits of hills and where there were deep ruts (yeek!). Of course there were no signs, so whenever we reached forks in the road, we just guessed. One such guess took us on a detour through a fruit farm, winding through tracks lined with oranges and lemons, eventually meeting the farmer in an olive lane. He was very friendly (probably thought we were mad), and he showed us the way to the road again, and unlocked his back gates to let us through!
The white, bare trees in the photo are fig trees.

The views from the Monastery car park were lovely, we could see from Larnaca and the salt lakes over to Nicosia and the North beyond.

The electricity was back on by the time we got home, the woman in the village shop reckons it was an accident ("usually a digger accident"). Seems like it happens fairly regularly then!!

Junk recycling

2009-01-06T22:34:00.005+02:00

I am very grateful for some warmer weather the last few days. The kids have been doing lots of exploring on the rough ground near our house. There is a den underway in a tree over the wall, Cara found a 'spot' for sitting, and they also found a large pile of compacted sand to shape. It was probably left behind by the builders, just like so many other things left lying around in Cyprus!

We are on a hill, and although the half dozen properties on the hill are all well finished, with landscaped gardens, you only have to step outside the boundaries and look down the slopes to find all sorts of discarded junk. Bits of wood; dead palm trees; sheets of corrugated iron; plastic pipes; cardboard boxes; paint pots. There's even a rowing boat! Sometimes it feels like we are living on the top of a midden. It's not just here though, we're seeing lots of junk all over Cyprus!!

As ever though, there is a plus side. For the creative explorers in our family, it's more like treasure island. The kids are forever finding things to make into other things, so the (lovely landscaped) garden gradually fills up with bits of junk!! Just look at this wonderful vaccum cleaner that Cara & Sam made to save me from the task of sweeping!!

Sam also made a sling shot today. A lovely big tree outside our garden was cut down on Saturday for firewood, leaving behind lots of branches with perfect V shapes. A saw and a piece of strong elastic allowed Sam to make a catapult, while Ronan & Cara cycled off into the village to a previously spotted tree which had cast down lots of little round nut-like things which were perfect for firing in the sling shots. It's now not safe to bend down around here!

All in the name of Home Education of course!!

Happy New Year for 2009

2009-01-01T18:56:00.001+02:00

Best Wishes

I wish you the best
The very best
Of Everything

The best bed
To sleep in
And Food to eat

People To be with
Best cold
And Best heat

Best times
Best clothing
Best thoughts
And dreams

The best
Of the best
Yes
The very best
Of Everything

by Gary Revel

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year - I hope 2009 is the best year yet for you!

The Crunch hits Cyprus

2009-01-01T18:16:00.006+02:00

I can hardly believe it! Here's how it happened....

Out for my morning walk (to set myself up for a day with my 3 noisy, er.. exuberant children), I crossed a field and dropped down into a little valley, as yet untouched by the sun's morning rays. Following a rough track made by offroad vehicles, I was reflecting on how chilly Cyprus felt this morning - about 7 or 8 deg C, when I heard it.... CRUNCH! I looked down to see that I had stepped into a muddy tyre rut which was FROZEN at the bottom.

Imagine my horror as I realised that it must have been below zero during the night - in Cyprus - by the sea - not even near the Troodos mountains. Now this was all a bit too much for a Scottish lass on the run from the cold. Moving to Cyprus was a major step in my Mission to escape chillblains, white numb winter fingers, sore ears from the wind and an overwhelming urge to hibernate from November to April. My Mission had seemed to be complete, but encountering that frost has exposed gaps in my plan. Cyprus (by the sea) is not supposed to get this cold according to the books, so that brought me to my next conclusion..........HELP!! it's following me!!

This theory was confirmed later in a conversation with another expat who admitted that he'd never felt Cyprus so cold as today in all the years he's been here.

OK, so the forecast for tomorrow is 11 deg C, and getting warmer over the weekend, which is a huge improvement, but I'm still considering moving on to Egypt!

Solstice celebrations too

2008-12-22T22:13:00.016+02:00

Next day (Sun 21st), we greeted the sun, opened presents, and went to the harbour. Cara & Sam took bamboo sticks and made fishing rods (with no intention of catching anything of course), while Sean & Ronan got wet again.

Cara & Sam found some dead fish, and we saw a big octopus moving around under a boat in the harbour (yeeeeucchh!) before hunger drove us home for a Solstice Feast, enhanced by Sam's napkin-on-fire stunt.

We finished the day off with a chocolates treasure hunt in the dark followed by a movie, where we almost managed to eat all the chocolates!

Solstice celebrations

2008-12-22T21:49:00.005+02:00

A beach fire seemed like a great way to mark the Winter Solstice this year, so off we went with a box full of snacks to toast on the flames.

We scrambled over quite a lot of rocks to get to this deserted little spot, where we watched the sunset and got very sticky with scorched, gooey marshmallows as our fire danced against the rocks.

No moon meant that by the time we left at 6.30, it was very dark! Hmmm... faced with the choice of 100m of clambering over all those rocks again with picnic box, 2 fishing rods and 3 children or going up the short, steep ascent to the track above, we decided to take the latter option. Sean & I took the stuff up top first, leaving the kids on the beach, clinging together for safety from the giant monster squid that was sure to slither out of the sea and grab them!

We did go back for them, and they did brilliantly well scrambling up the slope, feeling their way on hands and feet. At the top, it was declared that this evening (the first part of our Solstice celebrations) had been a Grand Adventure!

Water, water everywhere, but not in our house!

2008-12-15T21:30:00.009+02:00

My new home education system is in place! We worked on reading, writing, music and maths skills after breakfast then threw some food, the wetsuits, the inflatable boat and spades into the car and went to Faros Beach at Pervolia, for er... outdoor education, yes that's it! The kids played in the boat, rowing like mad against the wind and waves (physics), swam in the sea (physical education) and drew pictures of horses and dinosaurs in the sand (art).

We got home windswept and salty, but alas! no water coming out of the taps in the house! So the older two got in the very cold pool to rinse off the salt water (is chlorinated water any better?) and Sam got a quick rinse in the bath with some warmed bottled water. I went to make them some hot chocolate to warm up, but alas! no milk in the fridge. Sigh.....

The water came back on for 2 hours late afternoon then went off again. It wasn't enough to fill our tanks, so there's only a dribble coming out of the taps. Fingers crossed for the morning...!!!

Playing with the moon

2008-12-12T20:51:00.000+02:00

We've been really enjoying watching the moon and tonight it is FULL. Cara & I couldn't resist to try to take some photos of it because it looked so large and yellow against the pink of the sky as the sun set behind us. The pictures don't do it justice at all.

Cara plucks the moon from the sky.

Sun Up, Sun Down and One to One

2008-12-10T22:38:00.002+02:00

Sunrise is about 6.40am

Sunset is about 4.35pm

We have started a little habit of evening walks with each of the kids. Simply walking along the road in the dark, chatting and looking at the stars for 20 minutes or so with each of them in turn. They really value one to one time. It's amazing what comes out in conversation during these short strolls. I don't say much - one mouth and two ears surely means listen twice as much as you speak?

Other uses for climbing equipment!

2008-12-10T22:17:00.001+02:00

I did wonder what was going on when Cara (8) and Sam (5) went off into the field across the road with a bunch of Sean's climbing equipment. Soon, I responded to yells of 'look what we did' and found one of the garden chairs swinging from an olive tree competently suspended by slings and karabiners. Sam is even wearing a helmet!! This is a lovely old tree, with lots of hidey holes for lizards.

Balance and Creativity

2008-12-10T21:27:00.000+02:00

3rd December 2008:
Cloudy day, perfect for a long cycle. We went to Mazotos beach and found a lovely little spot where some travellers had created stacks of balanced stones and a driftwood swing. We added some 'standing stones' to the collection, and a thank you note (charcoal on a white stone).

We also found some soft sandstone rock down there, enclustered with shells of all shapes and sizes. Cara (8) was determined to dig out some surface ones with the penknife!

Home Education and School for the Barefoot kids.

2008-12-10T21:01:00.001+02:00

28 November 2008:
I'm feeling the pain of no routine right now, but we just can't seem to get into the swing of home education again. I was wondering whether the kids would be better off at school. Then a strange thing happened. I heard that there were Greek lessons for kids in a nearby village, paid for by the government, and run by the local teacher in after school hours. My 3 were keen, so we decided to check them out.

I also sat in on the lesson which was 1 hour and 15 minutes long. The first 30-40 minutes went well, then I noticed that Cara (8) had kind of glazed over, was yawning and not paying any attention. Another 5 minutes and Ronan (10) was doing the same, looking at his watch, and fidgeting around. Sam was doing his own thing, drawing on his bit of paper, so he was quite happy. I was suddenly transported back in time to my own school days, attending but non attentive. Watching Cara was like looking in a time travel mirror, the glazed, 'wish I was somewhere else, but I know I've got to sit here' look on her face. It was really interesting to watch them, and REMEMBER how many hours I spent in a class, wishing, wishing, I was somewhere else, only a tiny portion of my awareness in the classroom (just enough to keep me out of trouble!!).

So, a timely reminder really. Home education isn't perfect, not by a long shot. But, for us, it's definately preferable to the classroom alternative. It's something about freedom... freedom to choose to do something else, freedom to decide how to spend a day, freedom to think about whatever you want, whenever you want.

Phew. The school experience has also given me a metaphoric kick in the butt to organise our day more efficiently, and prepare learning material for the kids. A new system!! (yep, another one, but hey, I'm enjoying the freedom of changing my mind too!!).

Spot the Difference competition

2008-12-10T20:36:00.000+02:00

Ronan (10) just can't stay out of the water. The name 'Ronan' means 'little seal', so today I sent him an email challenging him to a Spot the Difference competition.

The kids have now all got email accounts and they just love getting stuff in the mail. I try to send them a silly picture or joke every now and then. I love receiving their replies too!

Boxes arrive!

2008-12-09T22:59:00.000+02:00

18 November 2008:
Our boxes have arrived! They came over land in a lorry. Most of the stuff is in good condition, but our PC didn't make it (dead). The kids had great fun re-connecting with their toys after a month, and Sean was happy to have his hammock to sling up under the balcony (no palm trees in our garden). NOW we're in Cyprus!

Something funny has been going on however. The kids have been squabbling and I've been feeling restless and edgy. Then I realised that we've been here for a month, and whenever we've moved, we find that everything seems fine for a month or so (honeymoon period), then the adjustment starts to kick in. We all took a homeopathic remedy (tuberculinum) and after a few days things settled again.

I guess this is really quite a big upheaval for us all. Lots of new things to get used to, and in a different language too. Many Cypriots speak a bit of English, but we've also been using sign language at times! We have a few Greek phrases now, and are learning as we go.

Cars and bikes and cost of living

2008-12-09T22:39:00.000+02:00

Mid November 2008:
We've been looking at cars (our hire car goes back next week), and bicycles for the family. We knew cars were relatively expensive here, but didn't realise that everything else is too!! Bikes, food, clothes, utility bills, ice cream, electrical items, chocolate .... they are all more here than in the UK. Even flip flops! The only things we've come across that are less expensive are cucumbers, herbs, local wine and meat!

On the cars, we ended up with a 10 year old Mitsubishi Charisma for nearly EU4000. It seems a lot, but the car feels newer and in much better condition than the 10 year old rust bucket we sold in the UK for £600 before we left! Where rust is a problem in the UK, cracked dashboards are something to watch out for here - left in the sun, it can crack (our new car has this!). Now we know why everyone has silver windscreen protectors :)

Sweeping... Pah!!

2008-12-09T21:44:00.000+02:00

12 November 2008:
OK, I'm done on the sweeping thing! Our rented house comes fully equipped with brooms and mops with which to clean it, but it takes so long, and it doesn't get all the dirt anyway. I know it's sad, but I'm longing for a darn good vacuum cleaner. We looked at Dysons in Carrefour (supermarket) today and nearly fainted at the price. I'm grateful for helpful family members who are willing to send us one out from the UK!

A new addition to the family

2008-12-09T21:27:00.000+02:00

5th November 2008

Finally, finally, after so much waiting, Cara (8) has a hamster. We spent a mad day in Nicosia (or Lefkosia as the Cypriots say), getting some things at Ikea, then searching all over the place for a shop called Pet City.

"It's easy to find!" says the man on the phone, just turn left (or right) at the coffee shop, or further on, or we're on the main street or perhaps a back road.

After a ridiculous length of time and many, many U-turns (thank goodness I wasn't driving), we found it, and one delighted daughter spent most of her saved up money on a baby hamster and all the trappings. This is Moonsilver, and I don't know how much more love a little hamster can take.

Settling In

2008-12-08T22:19:00.000+02:00

Early Nov: Phew, it's good to stop somewhere for a while!! This house suits us well for the moment. And there are no water cuts in this village which is strange because everywhere else seems to have alternate days where the mains water is switched off, and they use the roof tanks for supply.

We've sent for our 13 boxes (our worldly possessions!!) from Scotland.

Thoughts on Cyprus so far.....

Very dry - the island is parched after the long hot summer.

And building work! It's going on everywhere! They are definitely gearing up for a huge influx of people.

Larnaca: I love how Larnaca's beach is so accessible from the town. Here I was, shopping in the town with hot, hot feet, so I simply cross the road onto the sand and cool them off in the sea!

This picture is Larnaca promenade - shops and restaurants on right, beach on left.

Driving: well, same side as the UK, but different rules, especially around use of the horn! Honk Happy or what!!

Ah, lemon trees - I love to see the lemon trees with their abundance of fruits. Figs, grapes, pomegranates and oranges are all being harvested now.

I love the little teeny cucumbers here, they are so crunchy.

The smell of jasmine in the evenings, and the feel of a warm wind.

The pleasant temperature of the sea.

The mix of old traditional and modern - farmers in old tractors trundling along the roads being overtaken by 4x4's and BMWs. Older women dressed in black sweeping outside their modest homes only a stones throw from luxury villas with electric gates, statues and swimming pools. Souvlaki (kebab) being cooked over the coals on the pavements not so far from McDonalds, KFC et al.

Blue skies in the day and clear, starry nights. It's so wonderful to see the stars every night!!

So far, so good (nobody has asked to return to Scotland yet!).

We made it!!

2008-12-05T22:24:00.001+02:00

Phew.... we made it! Despite me throwing up in the toilets at 7am at Glasgow airport ( I'll never drink green tea and cranberry again!), AND having to be called by name to the gate at the last minute, we arrived, bedraggled and happy, in Cyprus.

It was mid October, sunny and warm (about 27 deg C) and we could hardly believe that we were here for good.

We were met at Larnaca airport by Costas the car man, and so with a Pajero stuffed with 2 adults, 3 children and 10 bags, we set off on our new life. Our first impressions of Cyprus were: hot, dry, desert-like and quiet.

Our first week was spent at Erimi near Limassol. Using holiday accommodation as a base, our mission was to check out the area and find possible houses to rent. Ah, but there's the call of the beach, the waterpark, the swimming pool, plus the groan of the kids about viewing lots of houses....!! A juggling act was the answer, balancing house viewings with trips to interesting places.

We had a lovely few hours here at Aphrodite's Rock, climbing and swimming in the sea. Legend has it that Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, rose from the waves at this spot. The rock is limestone so it's lovely to clamber about on, especially as some of it has been well polished by the many hands over the years.

We also had a fun day at the Fasouri waterpark, visited Pissouri, Paphos & Polis, and the lovely Curium Beach. Oh, and we viewed seven places for rent, two of them apartments, and the rest villas or houses. Apartments seem to be about EU650-800, and villas EU800+. We saw a few that would do the job.

On to the Larnaca-end the next week, to do the same thing!! We had a day at Kapparis and Fig Tree Bay, where the beaches are beautiful. Dad and the kids had a blast on a hired jetbike there. We stayed in Pervolia for 7 days, and viewed five houses. It definately seems like you get more house for the same money in the Larnaca area. We finally decided to rent a 3 bed holiday villa at Mazotos for a period of 6 months while we check out locations for a more permanent home. Most of the rental contracts in Cyprus are for 12 or 24 months, so we want to be sure about where we want to live before commiting to that length of time.

Faros Beach at Pervolia where the sand is excellent for sculptures!! This started off as a mushroom, but ended up as this little guy stuck in the sand.