Why are we here?

It would be something of an understatement to write that 2020 has been a difficult year for us, and billions of others on this planet. We have coped and adjusted and are fortunate to be in a situation where we can still enjoy “life” here in Cyprus. Restrictions come and go, and we abide by them. 

I found wearing a mask indoors to be very demanding and claustrophobic. It is mandatory and I very much wanted to shield Ann from having to do the shopping. But, a chance encounter, has made that particular problem much less so. On one of the expat forums of which I am a member, a lady (from whom we bought some garden furniture a few years ago) was extolling the virtues of a mask. It is called an HeiQ Viroblock Mask, and has been designed in Switzerland. It offers Antimicrobial properties and was found to be effective in protecting wearers from previous coronavirus epidemics. To cut a long story short I met Maggie and her husband and bought four masks from her (she had apparently bought a batch of twenty, not realising that they can be washed up to thirty times). This mask is triple-layered and the layer next to the face stays dry and is therefore comfortable to wear and to breathe through.

They are therefore ideal for us and I highly recommend them. You can see the details and buy them here ...

https://shop.heiq.com/collections/masks-available-in-eu/products/copy-of-heiq-viroblock-washable-mask-duopack-eu-uk

So we are as safe as we can be, and will take whatever precautions that we believe to be necessary. But Ann will stress, and she is right to do it, that we came to Cyprus to have “Fun in the Sun” and that is what we shall do. Now how many shopping days are there to Christmas?

Butcher, baker ...

 My skills as a baker have never been really utilised and Ann’s efforts to make scones over the last few months have been sabotaged by the oven’s inability to heat up to the correct temperature. When Andreas the engineer came to look at it, he told us that when set at 220°C the oven temperature was actually 150°C. No wonder our pizzas were soggy and Ann’s scones flat.

But help was at hand. The next day we had a new oven installed and we were itching to experiment. Scones were the order of the day, and the results were outstanding. In fact they were so good we took a batch down for the staff at the shop where we bought the oven. The evidence ...

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Is the end nigh?

 Despite the relative calm and tranquility in Cyprus, we see that the number of virus infections continue to rise - although at a containable rate for the moment. There are “clusters” in Limassol and Larnaca, and the government has brought in additional measures. The confusion in many commentators’ minds arises with the fallacious argument that “herd immunity” is desired ... or even possible. From all that I have read, the various antibodies and t-cells that infected people generate to protect themselves do not last long. If that is indeed the case, a vaccine would be equally ineffective for the same reasons.

Back in the UK, confusion and changing direction abound. When I heard the PM stating that a national lockdown would not happen (although you could always confuse the issue by calling it a “circuit-breaker) I immediately realised it was only a matter of time before there was not another rapid about-turn. This was the same man who described Liverpudlians as “seeing themselves whenever possible as victims”. I suspect his latest decision is unlikely to have a statue raised in his honour in Liverpool.

A triumph however at Castle Douglas. We bought a new oven on Tuesday (one where the temperature was as advertised) and Ann set out to bake some scones. She had tried valiantly over the months and - on each occasion - they were as flat as pancakes. On this occasion they rose and rose and rose, and were absolutely delicious. The engineer who fitted our oven told us that the old oven was heating to 150°C when it was set to 220°C. No wonder we had flat scones. A brilliant purchase ... we went to the shop on Tuesday morning and the new oven was fitted by 4.00 pm on the same day. That’s what I call service.

Out to try a new place for lunch after Ann has been to the hairdresser. And then, perhaps, a sit in the sunshine when we get home. Virus or not, life in Cyprus is good.

A lovely time of year ...

 I cannot decide whether autumn or spring are my favourite times of the year, as both have sublime weather. Now that October has arrived, the fierce heat of the last four months has subsided and temperatures are blissful. 2020’s summer was one of the hottest on record and Cypriots and expats suffered. But now, the days are warm, the breeze cooling and we can sleep with the air conditioning off.

But aware that our wood supplier ran out of supplies last winter we have taken delivery of our first two cubic metres of lemonwood. It was beautifully stacked by “the professor” (as Ann calls him), and we shall order another two cubic metres next month. Lemonwood burns beautifully and we shall top off our wood burner with kiln-dried oak, which burns slowly and very hot. Now that I think about it, when winter does arrive, there is something very comforting about lighting the stove and being cosy indoors. I suppose that is a byproduct of living outside for nine months of the year.

I don’t think we have had breakfast or dinner inside the house since May. And that is what we love about life on this beautiful island. And, of note to us, yesterday was the eighth anniversary of our arrival here in Cyprus. Although Ann has returned to England twice to see her daughter, I have not left the island. What an adventure it has been, and continues to be.