Funny old world, isn’t it?

 We hope, as do all mankind, that the terrible happenings in the Ukraine and in Gaza come to an end soon. And we pray that China does not invade Taiwan. All of these events, and others, have the potential to unleash unimaginable suffering on millions of people. And the thought of either the increasingly senile Joe Biden or the crazy Donald Trump becoming president of the USA fills me with foreboding.

Domestic and other matters tend to slide into the background and you make the comparison that these things do not matter as much. But, of course, they do. Man’s inhumanity to man is not limited to nations attempting to blow each other to smithereens. It can be scaled back to petty injustices felt at home and locally. People can be unkind intentionally or thoughtlessly, and then just move on - leaving unhappiness and distress in their wake. 

Small communities seem to excel in this and the reverberations are felt more intensely because everybody seems to be aware of them. Social media is both a blessing and a curse, and I cannot remember who suggested that keyboards should be fitted with a breathalyser. You can almost instantly see who has had a glass too much, especially those private messages that are sent in the evening. These keyboard warriors then commit the ultimate in cowardice by blocking the person to whom they sent the message. What intellectual giants they are.

Was there ever a time when people were not bitchy, being always ready to stab others in the back? Social media makes everything easier but you just need to glance through Twitter to see how many set out to disparage, hurt, libel and destroy others with their half-truths and rumours. I love skimming these posts for the gorgeous pet videos people share. They restore my faith in human nature. Just about …

For a different point of view on our life here, you might enjoy Ann’s blog “Further Musings from a Cyprus Garden” which you can find at

http://furthermusingsfromacyprusgarden.blog

After the storm …

 Our lovely visitors have returned to the UK and what an impression they left. Becky brought a friend with her and she was like a bottle of champagne - all bubbles, which dispelled the gloom. What a time they had. They stayed at Savvas Villa in Argaka, which was only ten minutes’ walk from us. They were very impressed with the villa and highly recommend it (Google is your friend here).

After a slightly enormous Chinese banquet (thanks to the always reliable Farmyard Restaurant in Kathikas) at our house, they staggered off into the night to their accommodation. The weather was fabulous for this time of the year. On Friday we went to the museum in Steni and then onto the Watermill Restaurant across the road. We have not been there since before lockdown but it was as if we had been there last week. Warm, welcoming and very professional. The food was a delight and defeated us all (doggy bags were the order of the day). Interestingly they were very busy but the table service was fast and efficient, and friendly. This is what happens when a staff team gels.

All too soon it was departure day and we all went to Santa Barbara Resto in Argaka. It was intended we went for lunch but it became very obvious that we had all eaten too much the day before. A few drinks followed as we waited for the taxi to go to Paphos Airport. This is another hostelry where the greetings are warm and the service terrific. Another highly recommended venue for that lazy time in the sun.

A couple of weeks I dropped my iPad onto a hard surface and cracked the screen and crucially the surrounding bezel. Repair was possible but very expensive. And so, with Ann’s support, I ordered a new one online at an Apple Authorised Reseller in Nicosia. The price was identical to the price I would have paid in the UK. A couple of hours after ordering they telephoned to say the model I had ordered was out of stock, but they were prepared to offer me a more expensive model at the same price. The only drawback was that the screen was slightly bigger, which meant it would not fit into my Logitech Slim Folio. I explained this and he said he would order the out of stock iPad from Apple for me. An email following on from this conversation stated the estimated delivery time to be one to three weeks. A week later the store telephoned to tell me they had received it from Apple and would courier it to me. The following day it arrived. Brilliant service. If you are in the market for anything Apple then Prisma in Nicosia should be your first port of call. 

http://prismastore.com.cy/

Spring is teasing us at the moment and for the last couple of years it has been very brief, and then summer has come roaring in. We love Spring and Autumn so please hang around a bit longer this year.

For a different point of view on our life here, you might enjoy Ann’s blog “Further Musings from a Cyprus Garden” which you can find at

http://furthermusingsfromacyprusgarden.blogspot.com/