I've spent the weekend wrestling with TV and the apparent changes that Filmon has made to their method of streaming. Almost all channels, when streamed through XBMC, kick you out after about three minutes. The developers of the XBMC addons are tearing their hair out and getting nowhere fast. Unless things change, all UK TV in Cyprus will have to be paid for by subscription.
I've investigated NTV, and persuaded them to give me free access to their service for 24 hours. Initial impressions - absolutely brilliant. Rock-solid and many channels in high definition, with the added bonus of Sky Sports and BT Sports in HD, and Sky Movies (although we have sourced these from Mashup). For €14.50 it seems to be a no-brainer, although we shall wait until we see whether the Filmon debacle is resolved.
Cloudy this afternoon and lovely and cool, with tomorrow being the first day of autumn.
Sunday, 31 August 2014
Wednesday, 27 August 2014
"It won't last till Easter ..."
Florence and Brian (late of the Wellington Arms, Hawkhurst, Kent) admitted to those fateful words when I introduced them to Ann in 2002. Four years' later, at our wedding, and there were hand-painted Easter eggs at our wedding breakfast in Canterbury for them. They saw the joke.
Eight years' later, on our wedding anniversary, they would now doubt be astonished and pleased to see we are retired, living in Cyprus and are perhaps happier than we have ever been in the last twelve years.
Tonight we celebrate and tomorrow ... well tomorrow is tomorrow, and the alarm clock won't be set. The cats may well come and knock on the door and demand breakfast, but they might just have to wait. Food on demand most days, but probably not tomorrow.
That's all I have to say today, but normal service will be resumed tomorrow (late), but a big thank you to our friends who have wished us well.
Eight years' later, on our wedding anniversary, they would now doubt be astonished and pleased to see we are retired, living in Cyprus and are perhaps happier than we have ever been in the last twelve years.
Tonight we celebrate and tomorrow ... well tomorrow is tomorrow, and the alarm clock won't be set. The cats may well come and knock on the door and demand breakfast, but they might just have to wait. Food on demand most days, but probably not tomorrow.
That's all I have to say today, but normal service will be resumed tomorrow (late), but a big thank you to our friends who have wished us well.
Monday, 25 August 2014
"The cheese has melted."
Now there was a first. We were watching TV waiting for supper to cook. I had grated some cheese to sprinkle over the top of our supper, and Ann suggested covering the grated cheese with a plastic lid. I assumed this was to stop the cats having a nibble, but Ann told me it was to protect the cheese from her ... she must have had that desire to munch through the cheese. Fifteen minutes later and supper was served. Ann took the cover off the cheese and it had all melted. I have no idea what the melting point of cheese is, but it had reached it. Just wondering how warm it was inside the house at ten o'clock last night. Great supper though.
Off to Polis this afternoon to see the air conditioning guy, as recommended by Mikis, and to - hopefully - get the aircon in the car working.
Our eighth wedding anniversary on Wednesday and we are looking forward to a lovely meal at Finikas in Polis.
I am now writing a couple of new chapters in the book, leaving them half-finished, and moving on to the next section. Then a few days' later, going back to the unfinished chapter, checking the details and continuing with it. This seems to keep topics fresher and more interesting to write about.
Off to Polis this afternoon to see the air conditioning guy, as recommended by Mikis, and to - hopefully - get the aircon in the car working.
Our eighth wedding anniversary on Wednesday and we are looking forward to a lovely meal at Finikas in Polis.
I am now writing a couple of new chapters in the book, leaving them half-finished, and moving on to the next section. Then a few days' later, going back to the unfinished chapter, checking the details and continuing with it. This seems to keep topics fresher and more interesting to write about.
Sunday, 24 August 2014
It's a wonderful life
There are some days when you wake up and count your blessings, and this is one of them. Sitting on the terrace, with Polis Chrysochous Bay calm like the proverbial millpond and looking at the Akamas in all their beauty, with a cup of coffee in hand, it was one of those moments. Cyprus is a marvellous place to live, despite its problems and faults. We feel privileged to live here and that's a fact.
The decision to move here was not the easiest and took a fair bit of courage as well. To some of you reading this blog, who are possibly enduring the same feelings we had in the year before we moved (and we moved a year earlier than we planned), you are probably wondering how hard it was and how difficult to cover all the bases. I suppose that is one of the reasons I decided to write the book. If it helps one person to decide "Yes, I can do this" it will have achieved its aim.
Writing the different chapters has been quite an experience, taking us back to those early days (Ann is always being asked about the fine details of what we did, and which forms we filled in and what was needed). Without the help of one particular forum, this would have been so much more difficult. In putting together all the parts of our experience, with some "Hot Tips" (but I don't want to call them that - too redolent of the Macintosh Bible and images of spent matches), I hope the ebook will be a work of reference for those that decide to follow us to Cyprus.
One of the downsides of living here has been the reliance we have on the BBC for news. We have all the TV channels we could want through the wonders of our Android TV Box, but - they say distance lends enchantment to the view - I have become very disenchanted with the BBC. With their political correctness, the standard of both reporting (nowhere near as objective as it once was) and presentation, it no longer epitomises all we were brought up to admire. With reporters (far too many with incomprehensible regional accents) who do not seem to be able to say anything without "Um" or "You know" or "Err", it is increasingly irritating to watch. I do not wish to sound like some latter-day Victor Meldrew, but I find the decline of the BBC so sad.
Still breakfast beckons, and some writing awaits. The Belgian Grand Prix this afternoon and a Skype call from one of my closest friends this evening, and who knows what else.
The decision to move here was not the easiest and took a fair bit of courage as well. To some of you reading this blog, who are possibly enduring the same feelings we had in the year before we moved (and we moved a year earlier than we planned), you are probably wondering how hard it was and how difficult to cover all the bases. I suppose that is one of the reasons I decided to write the book. If it helps one person to decide "Yes, I can do this" it will have achieved its aim.
Writing the different chapters has been quite an experience, taking us back to those early days (Ann is always being asked about the fine details of what we did, and which forms we filled in and what was needed). Without the help of one particular forum, this would have been so much more difficult. In putting together all the parts of our experience, with some "Hot Tips" (but I don't want to call them that - too redolent of the Macintosh Bible and images of spent matches), I hope the ebook will be a work of reference for those that decide to follow us to Cyprus.
One of the downsides of living here has been the reliance we have on the BBC for news. We have all the TV channels we could want through the wonders of our Android TV Box, but - they say distance lends enchantment to the view - I have become very disenchanted with the BBC. With their political correctness, the standard of both reporting (nowhere near as objective as it once was) and presentation, it no longer epitomises all we were brought up to admire. With reporters (far too many with incomprehensible regional accents) who do not seem to be able to say anything without "Um" or "You know" or "Err", it is increasingly irritating to watch. I do not wish to sound like some latter-day Victor Meldrew, but I find the decline of the BBC so sad.
Still breakfast beckons, and some writing awaits. The Belgian Grand Prix this afternoon and a Skype call from one of my closest friends this evening, and who knows what else.
Friday, 22 August 2014
Sweaty keyboard
Been very hot and humid over the last few days so,I have taken a few days off from blogging, and writing. But back to normal tomorrow. The aircon in the car needs to be regassed, which will be a relief. Miki has recommended a friend in Polis, who sorted out Antonia's car.
Lovely meal out on Thursday evening and a late swim, which lead to a very cool night's sleep.
I see the Argaka gossip machine is in full flow, having met a friend at Saint Barnara's tonight. Haven't people got anything better to talk about?
Onward and upward ... tomorrow is another day.
Lovely meal out on Thursday evening and a late swim, which lead to a very cool night's sleep.
I see the Argaka gossip machine is in full flow, having met a friend at Saint Barnara's tonight. Haven't people got anything better to talk about?
Onward and upward ... tomorrow is another day.
Monday, 18 August 2014
Family and Friends
It was great to hear from my step-daughter, Becky, today with her news and a possible outlet for my blog in her local online paper. That's "blue sky thinking" for you. Even better was the news that her passport might be renewed at some stage soon and that a visit might be forthcoming. I would criticise her for being dilatory about not renewing her passport except for the fact that my passport expired in October 2013 and I've done nothing about it yet. It's at times like this that I realise how much I miss people back in the UK.
After my break over the weekend it's back to writing again. I realised, when I sat back and read some of the chapters and part-chapters, that there was an awful lot of text and that might make the book too wordy. So, with diagrams and breaking the chapters into "bite-size chunks", and adding photographs where appropriate, it is starting to look more digestible. Although the aim will be that readers will be able to dip in and out of the book to find the information and opinion they are looking for. Thank goodness that an index and a table of contents are the last things you include. That bit will be more like hard labour.
I've been rereading the two online diaries I published on one of the forums. One covered the last eight weeks of our preparations in Bexhill before moving here, and the other was our first four weeks in Cyprus (finding a house, immigration, healthcare and the like). Lots of lists there that I must check to see whether things have changed in the two years we have been here. In any event, enough blogging and on with the real work of the day.
After my break over the weekend it's back to writing again. I realised, when I sat back and read some of the chapters and part-chapters, that there was an awful lot of text and that might make the book too wordy. So, with diagrams and breaking the chapters into "bite-size chunks", and adding photographs where appropriate, it is starting to look more digestible. Although the aim will be that readers will be able to dip in and out of the book to find the information and opinion they are looking for. Thank goodness that an index and a table of contents are the last things you include. That bit will be more like hard labour.
I've been rereading the two online diaries I published on one of the forums. One covered the last eight weeks of our preparations in Bexhill before moving here, and the other was our first four weeks in Cyprus (finding a house, immigration, healthcare and the like). Lots of lists there that I must check to see whether things have changed in the two years we have been here. In any event, enough blogging and on with the real work of the day.
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