2018 ... our “annus horribilis”

2018 has not been a great year for us, and especially for Ann. It was compounded on Friday night when she slipped and fell in the bedroom. She fell heavily and hit her head on the corner of a cabinet. She was bleeding from the wound, and stunned. I telephoned for an ambulance and made her as comfortable as I could. Fortunately the bleeding stopped. The ambulance had difficulty in finding us (as we live in a field) but George, who runs Santa Barbara Resto, got into his car at midnight and guided the ambulance to us. What a great fellow.

I followed the ambulance to Polis Hospital and then to a nearby private clinic for X-rays. Then it was back to the hospital for stitches and cleaning up. The X-rays, thank goodness, showed no breaks. We arrived back home at 2.30 a.m. and I finally got Ann to bed. We were both awake a few hours later and I sorted out pain medication for her. Fortunately the pills knocked her for six and she slept for hours and hours.

Two days later she is still discovering new bruises and is in a lot of pain. But no permanent damage has been done, and she will recover ... but I suspect it will take a couple of weeks. Looking on the bright side, if she had landed a couple of inches to the left, she might well not have made it.

So we are both looking forward to a new year, and will trust it will be better than this “annus horribilis”. Davie will arrive on 5th December for a week and that will raise all our spirits, including those of local bar owners who will undoubtedly see an increase in turnover.

STOP PRESS ... Macmillan Cancer Support

Ann and I, as readers of this blog will know, we’re delighted with the success of the Coffee Morning and Buffet Lunch we held in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. A staggering €1000,00 was raised and  it was beyond our wildest expectations. A chance meeting with Tony, of Parker Barnes Estate Agents in Polis, led to a further donation. He asked me to pop into the office, which I did this morning. Tony then handed me a cheque for €200,00 to swell the coffers. What generosity!

Are you that blogger?

Ann and I had just finished a delicious Sunday lunch at the Turtle Tavern in Argaka, when I was aware of a customer asking the landlady who I was. Having been identified, this lady told me she followed my blog in very complimentary terms. I, as you would expect, was gracious and modest. When she joined us a few minutes later, and called her two female friends across (this was to let them know the website address of the blog) I was quite taken aback.

I have met one or two other people who follow my blog, but - by and large - they have been friends or acquaintances. To meet a stranger was quite a surprise. And a pleasure. I suppose as there have been over thirty-five thousand visits to the blog it is not outside the bounds of possibilities. In any event, ladies, it was a pleasure to meet you.

Cyprus, for no doubt arcane constitutional reasons, does not have a British Ambassador but a British High Commissioner. He is a new arrival to the island, but what a mess he is making of his job. I know he is just a mouthpiece for the dreadfully incompetent government the UK is enduring (and they are undoubtedly doing a better job than the Opposition could ever do) but perhaps he ought to draw breath, think and then think again, before opening his mouth.

Only weeks ago he was advising expats that they only needed a MEU1 to ensure they would be able to continue to reside in Cyprus. We have that, and we were in the process of investigating whether we ought to apply for a MEU3. With his advice in mind, we thought it best to wait and see what happens in the coming months. The Cypriot government produced a twelve page document dealing with this, which appeared to confirm this ... but only in vague terms and only in the event of an orderly withdrawal from the EU.

And then, at the end of last week, he announced that he was recommending we applied for a MEU3. For goodness sake, find out what is happening and let your advice reflect the reality of the situation. The application process is straightforward but involves lots and lots of paper. Not a problem with the redoubtable Ann to organise things, but there are British expats all over the forums panicking and rushing to Immigration. How on earth did the British Empire and its administrators manage to cope only a few generations ago?

Macmillan ... the final count

When Ann and I were discussing the Coffee Morning and Buffet Lunch before the event, we thought it would be marvellous if we raised €100 - €150. We concluded that any amount above that would be truly marvellous. As many of you will know, we ended the day with the grand total of €705,00.

But more was to follow. A generous (anonymous) benefactor handed in €100,00 to Gary, and everything was all set for an auction of the remaining raffle items during the Turtle’s Monday evening Quiz and Bingo. Ann and I planned to attend but neither of us felt well enough to go to what promised to be a long evening.

Gary telephoned me on Tuesday morning to give me the news. The Latchi Watersports voucher, which had already been won and returned, raised €110,00. This had already been sold for €100,00 and returned to be auctioned again. Mike Turner had offered aerial photographs of your property from his drone and this raised another €20,00. Various items of clothing and other items were laid out on a table for “any offers” and they were snapped up. The total crept up and up. The final gesture of goodwill came from one of the Turtle regulars who offered to bring the growing total up to €1000,00.

And so, on Tuesday morning, we found ourselves with the grand total of @1000,00. Unbelievable and incredible. The generosity of Gary and Ann Milner, the local businesses who gave raffle prizes, the customers and friends who brought raffle prizes of incredible variety, and the support of all the people who attended what turned out to be a fabulous day can take credit from this.