A nasty scare ...

Last Thursday morning I woke up with a very sore throat. It became steadily worse and I reached for my grandmother’s remedy of gargling warm salty water. This didn’t improve the situation and so we went down to the local pharmacy to buy some industrial-strength gargling solution and some painkillers. I was finding it very difficult to swallow and I couldn’t eat even the softest of food.

Friday and I felt as if my tongue had swollen, and I had swallowed broken glass. It’s not in our DNA to rush off to the doctors and so I soldiered on. Sleep was impossible as my mouth filled with saliva, which I could not swallow.

By Saturday I needed some help so we rang the medical centre where my GP is based and were told to come over at ten o’clock. It was empty and the young Dr Maria (as opposed to the older Dr Maria) was there. She questioned and examined me and thought it must be a throat infection of some sort and proposed antibiotics ... but being a junior doctor she telephoned my GP who insisted I saw an ENT consultant.

Being a Saturday this was a problem and each of the GESY ENT specialists was not working. So with a referral we headed off to Paphos General Hospital (having made arrangements for our lovely dog-sitter to come and look after Daisy). When we arrived the Emergency Department it was like an armed camp and I thought at one stage that Ann was going to end up having a firm and frank exchange of views with the triage nurse.

But I was registered and spent the next couple of hours waiting to be seen. A very pleasant young doctor took me off to be examined and said he thought I had a kidney infection, and so I was put on oxygen, a drip and had a very large injection in the backside. An hour later, and there was a change of shift, and a female doctor came to enquire whether the pain in my kidneys had subsided. When I explained that I had not been in pain there, she told me there was no ENT consultant on call.

Shortly afterwards she announced there was a consultant in Limassol on call and he might come out at some time. She also suggested that I might have to be admitted as she did not know when he would arrive. Ann and I decided she would drive home and we would see what we would see. Off she went and ten minutes later a young ENT consultant arrived who had driven from Limassol and really enjoyed the ride on his big motor bike.

He examined me and shoved a camera down my throat to make sure there was no abscess. There wasn’t and he announced he could see the infection. So a prescription for antibiotics, steroids and a magic spray for the pain in my throat was handed over. I rang Ann who was not really up for driving back to Paphos and so she arranged a horrendously expensive taxi to pick me up.

Too late to get the prescription filled we waited until Sunday and off she went to get the stuff I needed. The magic spray worked wonders and I was able to take the antibiotics and the steroid straight away. With more of the magic spray I started to rehydrate and take some food.

By Monday morning I had managed some upright sleep and by the afternoon I was feeling much better. Food and drink are a marvellous restorative, and I slept well on Monday night. By Tuesday I was as right as rain, although tired, and we both managed to talk about the fears we both had that I had caught the dreaded virus - which I hadn’t. A frightening time but “all’s well that ends well”. Keep safe everybody.

Waste not, want not ...

Some weeks ago, at about the beginning of our period of self-isolation, we looked at the amount of food that we were wasting. A Shepherd’s Pie would be eaten one evening, and then put into the fridge, with a view to eating the remainder at some time in the near future. Inevitably other meals were cooked and the remainder of the Shepherd’s Pie would be thrown away.

And so we decided we would not waste food (whilst so many people in Cyprus were relying on food banks) and a new deal surfaced. The remains of evening meals were combined with other bits and pieces, and the end result was some lovely and unexpected combinations. Half a tin of baked beans (left over from breakfast) would be combined with a pasta sauce (I always make too much) and reheated with Basmati rice, and a couple of boiled onions. Delicious.

We won’t solve the world’s food shortage but it does mean that what we buy is what we use. Money saved has been used to furnish basic food supplies for a local group who provide hot meals for people in the area who have fallen on very hard times due to the pandemic. Our lovely local kiosk (a sort of mini-market) put the food supplies together and delivered them to the collection point at the bowling alley (I know) and all we needed to do was pay them by card. Interestingly they refuse money and only accept food and other necessary items. So total transparency and no “what happened to the money I donated?” questions.

It is eight weeks since we decided to self-isolate and the slight easing of restrictions by the government will be welcome. Slowly, slowly ...

A cloudy day today and then what looks like sunshine and blue skies going on and on, according to the weather forecast. Ann and I are celebrating a joint birthday on May 12th (I unilaterally moved my birthday to May this year as it was too cold and wet at the end of February) I suppose in future years I could have a birthday and then an official birthday (rather like the Queen). Now there’s a thought.

A new blogger ...

My darling wife has decided to blog about our life here in Cyprus. It’s a series of musings from our garden here. No doubt her take on life here will be different to mine and may well be illuminating. You can access her blog at musingsfromacyprusgarden.blogspot.com

Have a look and see what you think ...

Stoicism and the lockdown ...

Well we have now been self-isolating for nearly forty days and we are still here - alive and kicking. If this scenario goes on until December 2021 (according to a statement from a minister in the government here) then the economy will be ruined for a generation. Cyprus depends on international tourism and confidence in flying to destinations in the sun will be low. But the alternative is to ease restrictions too early and allow the virus to flourish. This is not a decision I would like to make.

In the meantime the sun shines and we can feel summer approaching. There is a danger that we sit in our ivory tower thinking things are not too bad, whilst Cypriots across the island face destitution and financial ruin. Being a great believer in Stoicism, we ask ourselves if there is anything we can do to change matters. As things stand, we cannot and Stoics believe you should not worry about matters you cannot influence. But that is easier said than done.

We have been keeping ourselves busy - Ann more than me - and as a result our garden has never looked more lovely. Mornings tend to be when we do things and afternoons tend to be for relaxing, and having the occasional glass or two. Our experiments in the world of cookery become slightly more adventurous as time passes.

Our plantings of spring onions, chilli, courgettes, strawberries and tomatoes may not make us self-sufficient but it is marvellous to see things grow. Strawberries and ice cream for breakfast the other days was hedonistic in the extreme.

23 days and counting ...

So we have been self-isolating for 23 days now and it is instructive to see how the rest of Cyprus and also the UK is reacting to increased restrictions on movement. To us it seems that a considerable proportion of people in both countries are just not following the “instructions” their government is issuing. The result here in Cyprus is that for the second time in a fortnight the government has issued stricter proclamations. The end result is that people who were obeying the original proclamation have now had their freedom further restricted by the actions of the thoughtless and the entitled.

What a pity. Anyone with half a brain cell can surely understand that this pandemic is potentially fatal - if not to them, then to their family and friends. There has always appeared to be a part of the Cypriot mentality that means people only obey laws if they think they are either sensible or likely to be enforced. Driving to Polis to shop at 06.45 in the morning and the coast road was akin to a Grand Prix.

I like to feel we have dealt with this curfew well and we have behaved sensibly. And, of course, we enjoy our own company which is a bonus. We are experimenting with all sorts of cooking and the shelf of Jamie Oliver cookbooks is being delved into more than we might have expected. We also set ourselves a target of not wasting any food at all, and so all sorts of leftovers are being recruited for experimental cookery.

As the weather becomes warmer then the easier it will be for us to enjoy having “fun in the sun” which was our raison d’être in moving to this beautiful island. It should be warm enough to swim in the pool in about five to six weeks, and that will be a daily pleasure until October. I trust that by then the restrictions will be lifted but in my heart of hearts I fear it will be more like this time next year before life returns to something like normalcy.

Businesses (especially anything related to the tourist industry) may not survive and others may struggle for years to come. Tourism requires trust and many people will not willingly step onto an aircraft or board a cruise liner for a long, long time. But, with optimism and sense, mankind will come through this crisis.

Self-isolation ...

We decided, before the Cyprus government made its lockdown decision, that we would self-isolate as we are in the age group that is deemed vulnerable. Since that time we have shopped twice (larger shops than we normally do), been to the pharmacy once to collect medication, and I have walked Daisy most days. We have also made a couple of visits to our local nursery, which Ann decided were essential. In order to legally leave the house, we text a government service and receive permission about twenty seconds later. When we are out, we must have the mobile phone with the text message on, and our passports.

Do we feel this is draconian? Not a bit ... if the virus is to be survived then certain freedoms need to be temporarily removed. Are we bored? Not really. When the sun shines, and we sit outside by the pool, then that’s what we would normally be doing. Our cookbooks are scoured for all sorts of dishes we have not tried before, and YouTube videos are devoured - which makes us hungry.

We listen to music most of the time and have dipped into all sorts of tv programmes. The bar has been known to open at odd times of the day. A friend in the UK posted something which suggested half the people would become much better in the kitchen and the other half would develop a drink problem. How true.

What can I add?

I have thought long and hard about blogging, with the COVID19 pandemic circling the world. I grieve at the news from countries I have visited and loved, and always have to keep an eye on what is happening in my homeland - the UK.

I watch the news broadcasts and YouTube videos of (in the main) younger Britons behaving badly in foreign lands. They congregate and get drunk, they disobey the rules of the country they are in - and bring shame on the rest of us. London and the big cities are under the spotlight and I watch with incredulity at the behaviour of (mainly) young people who are acting as if this is all some sort of game.

Panic buying seems to be a particularly British phenomenon. The long queues from early in the morning, the storming of the supermarkets and the stupid, inane, stockpiling going on beggars belief. I can see martial law, and rationing, and a host of other draconian restrictions being imposed by a “liberal” Tory government. And these people will have brought this on themselves.

Cyprus remains calm, with the government closing our borders, all flights have stopped and everyone has had a text message from the Ministry of Health forbidding unnecessary travel. Almost everything has closed down and only essential stores remain open - supermarkets, kiosks, petrol stations, pharmacies and business selling takeaway food which can be delivered. Self-help groups have sprung up all over the place, pledging to deliver food and medication to those who should not or cannot leave home.

What have we done? Nine days ago we decided to self-isolate for the sake of our health. We shopped well but sensibly (no shortages here), and locked our gates. We had to let our lovely Filipino cleaner go, but have maintained our pool man. We leave the house to collect medication and to buy fresh vegetables, milk and other essentials. We are isolated of course and it is easier to be content with our lovely house, garden and pool (once we get to May). For the rest we have always been happiest with each other’s company, but miss our friends and social life.

I can’t see matters improving until this time next year at the earliest and trust you all remain safe and well.