We've only got 3 days to go now before we leave first thing on Thursday morning.  Tomorrow we want to leave free to have a day at the local beach and Wednesday will largely be taken up with closing up the house, packing, seeing friends for the last time and cleaning.  So today we felt we had to make a big push to get all the small jobs remaining finished.

​I am so lucky to have Bob.  For many reasons, but one of them is that he is simply brilliant at diy.  He can do almost anything: tiling; woodwork; painting; plumbing; electrics; mending things.  He's really good at mending things.  This trip he's tackled tasks as small as whittling a new spear for my Kenyan warrior wooden statue, to rewiring terrace lights damaged in a storm; building a cage around an a/c unit to keep out the pigeons, rebuilding from planks of wood an outdoor dining table, mending small leaks in the pool gulley; and fitting all the new small fitments to the bathrooms. 
​He is a genius and has saved us thousands over the years.  It's tragic that schools have stopped teaching these skills and thus consigned generations of young men to reliance on paying tradesmen to do even the most minor household jobs. 

​Anyway, we went out and chose the fitments for the ensuite this morning and Bob has fitted them - towel rails, rings, toothmug holder etc.  They look great.  He also did a host of other small jobs.  I helped where I could but generally my input was mopping all the floors (still a lot of fine dust from the tile cutting ), deadheading hundreds of geraniums, watering the pots.   

​We did fit in time for a haircut and shave for Bob at the local barber shop, Big Men.  Always gives us a chuckle.  He had the full nine yards today - haircut, eyebrows trimmed, ears and nose tapered, head and face massage, hot towels - the lot.  Came to about £7.  While he was doing that I went and got my feet "done".  Pedi, toenails shellaced with a rather fab silver glitter polish.  So very sparkly.  Can't do a lot about my beat up feet but they did their best.  About £17. 

​By the end of the day we were both knackered.  I mean: It's hot too.  So feeling in need of a cooling beverage.  Which brings me to my next topic: alcohol.

​It is fair to say that alcohol is very cheap out here in comparison to the UK.  You can get pretty much anything you want.  The local beer is called Efes.  The most common form of Efes is a lager but they also do Efes Malt and Efes Extra Strong.  Its cheap. A 500ml bottle is about 60p. 

​There are Cypriot wines but all are made (at the moment) in the south so not very available in the north.  Many Turkish wines are available: Doluca, Yakut, Angora being very popular brands.  They run from about £1 per bottle.  All supermarkets sell wine and beer.  You can also buy international wine brands in the supermarkets.

​If you want something a little bit special, then we recommend visiting The World of Wines which is on the main road between Alsancak and Lapta.  Turn left at the bottom of the hill and it is on the left after about a mile.  They have a large selection of excellent wines from all over the world and are glad to advise in a friendly manner.  We really like their South African Silver Boom wines.  Delicious.  Not expensive for the quality and they have all sorts there.  Give them a try.

​All sorts of spirits and liqueurs  are widely available.  We like the Cypriot spirits ie gin, rum, vodka, brandy.  They are generally on the lower shelf of the supermarket under the international branded drinks.  Honestly, in mixed drinks, they are indistinguishable and at about £3 for a 750ml bottle, a heck of a lot cheaper.  Lord Jim is a popular local gin.  The brandy is also very smooth.  

So, we cooked in, some pork souvlaki washed down by nice cold Efes.  Then watched Guardians of the Galaxy which we have on dvd, which was greatly enhanced by the Cypriot brandy.  An enjoyable yarn.  Rubbish really but oddly likeable.   

After those strange couple of ultra changeable days, the weather has settled back into its normal summer pattern of hot, sunny days and warm nights.  The skies have been super clear.  Turkey clearly visible although its over 60 miles away.  In case you were wondering, Cyprus is too far and too isolated for it to be a tempting destination for refugees.  Much easier to cross the few miles into Greece via the Dodecanese Islands off the Aegean coast. 

​We have now begun our last week here this time and are beginning to take stock of the few outstanding jobs remaining.  The ensuite bathroom will be finished today.  To all intents and purposes, it is already finished.  He just came back today to test and then clean up.  We've been so happy with this chap and the Pakdus company in general.  Next year we will probably renovate the downstairs bathroom and they can do that too.  A couple of pigeons have decided to make their home behind one of the a/c exterior boxes and we have to more them on.  Bob is making a wire frame to go around it and to close off the favoured gap between its top and the wooden fascia board of the house. 

​In taking some photos today, I cannot help but notice the rate of growth of the plants over the last month.  The grapevine over the terrace is really going full tilt.  Guests in August and September are going to be able to lie out on the couches and hand pick grapes!  The geraniums, jasmine and passionflower have also really pushed on.  The perfect combination of good soil, warm sun and water, I suppose.  Certainly we have seen a massive difference in growth rate since we have installed the watering system.  It is fed by waste pool water and now topped up with mains water.  The latter will make a massive difference in the very hot summer months  about to begin. 

​Our lower garden is planted for shade and the trees down there are mature - great for reading under or shady meals in the heat.  The trees are jacaranda and tulip trees.  The jacaranda blossom blue/purple and the tulip trees pink/mauve.  They are just beginning to come into blossom.  We notice that ours are always a few weeks behind the trees down at sea level.  I hope they come out more before we leave.  It is a lovely sight when they are all in blossom together.  The jacaranda in particular are just so exotic.  I mean, a blue tree!!! 

​For the g&t lovers amongst our guests, we have two more lemons coming on the little tree behind the bbq.  Later in the year the figs and pomegranates will be ready.  Please do help yourselves to any of the garden's fruit and veg. 

​Last couple of nights have seen some spectacular sunsets.  We have enjoyed them sitting outside on the terrace with a nice glass of wine.  Must do a blog on the wines available here soon....

The last two days of our friends' holiday.  Yesterday, we awoke to black skies, thunder and lightning and then torrential rain.  Not the most promising of starts.  The sun started to come out at about 11 so we drove down the hill and along to Escape Beach and went down there for a coffee and a beach walk.  The wind had left the sea quite rough and the beach boys were cleaning up weed that had washed ashore.  It is a very manicured beach normally.  Like all beaches it is free to use but there is a beach club and if you use their facilities ie loungers, umbrellas,, pier, showers etc then you have to pay a daily fee.  Its only a couple of quid, well worth it.  The new loungers and umbrellas are really nice looking.  Obviously we didn't have to pay as we were just having a walk and a paddle.  Had a look in the dive shop but they weren't there.  Too rough to get out.

Went home and by the time we got there the sun came out and was out for the afternoon.  Stayed around the pool and enjoyed reading. 

​Gave John and Sue the choice of restaurants as it was their last night and they chose Efendi, down in Kyrenia.  Another lovely meal, great service and romantic atmosphere in the garden.  This time it has definitely been the best restaurant.  Our usual favourite, Ambience, is being extensively refurbished and we haven't visited.

​Today, we loaded up the car with John and Sue's luggage and set off on a road trip through the Troodos Mountains on the Greek side.  We had to get to Larnaca airport by 4 so we just planned to take scenic routes and end up in Kalavasos, a very picturesque village, for a late lunch.  Crossed the border easily and then headed west and then south towards Troodos.  We know some routes through the mountains quite well and we have maps.  GPS doesn't work.  We tend to og right off the beaten track and take the single track roads.  Much more fun.  The weather today was gorgeous, around 27C and blue skies.  The mountains are still so green.  It was a lovely drive and the scenery was spectacular.  We stopped for coffee along the way before wendering on and we got to Kalavasos about 1pm.  We stayed here for a week last October and really fell in love with the village.  Its very typically Greek Cypriot. 

​Had lunch in the Library Hotel there, sitting in their lovely courtyard.  I had moussaka.  Delicious.  If you want to read more about Kalavasos, see my blog entries for the last week of October 2016.  After a very convivial lunch we set off for Larnaca, about 30 minutes away, and said our farewells to John and Sue.  What lovely guests they've been.

Then headed back across the border and over the mountains to the villa.  The sun has shone all day so hopefully the strangely wet weather of the past couple of days has passed through, although it has been good for all the plants.

We've spent the last two days on a road trip up to the tip of the Karpaz peninsular, the long arm that stretches out eastwards towards the Levant.  The weather has changed a bit.  Still warm and with bright sunny periods but also some very heavy sharp showers and fierce gusting wind. 
​We followed our normal route along the north coast, admiring the incredible colour of the sea against the golden beaches, rocky headlands and tiny coves.  As you head east from Kyrenia you pass through some miles of residential areas, then through areas that are very clearly large developments of holiday homes perched on the cliffs over the sea.  Not my personal cup of tea but probably nice enough for a fortnight's holiday.  As you drive further east, development peters out altogether and the green wilderness of the peninsular takes over. 

​We stopped at the Karpaz Gate marina for coffee.  It has been in existence for perhaps 9 years now and is really beginning to fill up with yachts of all sizes.  Some absolutely super ones.  We have had a massive motor yacht cruising along the north coast the past couple of weeks, rumoured to belong to an Arab prince.  That was in there.  Absolutely enormous, incredible yacht.  We had a good mooch about and played the game of picking which one we'd like.

​On into the nature reservation of the Karpaz and a visit to the Monastery of St Andrew.  This is a very important place for Greek Orthodox pilgrims and there are many coachloads on a daily basis.  St Andrew, the apostle, is believed to have been shipwrecked here on Cyprus and it is said he smote the rock on which they landed with his staff and a holy spring sprang forth.  He used the water to heal the one eyed captain (possibly the cause of the wreck!!!!) and the place became a shrine, the Lourdes of Cyprus.  There is still access to the healing spring for believers.  A rather beautiful old church and monastery which is being restored. 

​Then of course we had to feed the wild donkeys!!!!  This is a ritual of a visit and we had brought bags of greens for them.  There are lots and we found a group with a tiny baby one.  So cute.  After that we were hungry ourselves and we stopped at a little restaurant beside the sea for a lovely spread of fresh calamari and salad. 

​We stayed at our go-to hotel, the Blue Sea.  It's perched on a tiny fishing harbour with a small beach to the other side.  We love staying here in the massive new rooms formed from ancient fish/boat stores.  The owner is a real character, but this time he was not here!!!! He was on holiday and his son and a friend were in charge.  It all ran smoothly but we missed his effervescent but eccentric personality.  He really does make the place in some respects.   Food was good and almost too plentiful.  I had the fresh swordfish steak which is their speciality as did Sue.  Bob and John both had lamb - chops and mixed grill - and they were fantastic.

As we were finishing dinner, I noticed the owner's son was decorating a table with candle lights and rose petals.  He arranged the words "I love You" in Turkish, in rose petals with a design around the table edge.  He then put dozens of candle lights on the table top too.  It looked gorgeous.  I asked him what it was for and gathered it was something to do with a wedding.  Later on, all the lights dimmed down and we saw a young couple come into the restaurant.  The young man led the girl to the table and showed her the design, he then got down on one knee and asked her to marry him!!!!!!  The girl was quite overcome and of course said yes.  We all applauded!!!  What a special thing to witness and rather unexpected here.

​A good night's sleep - its so quiet and a hearty breakfast and we were off.  Still windy although warm.  No chance of swimming in the sea this time.  The waves were being driven straight into the harbour.  Never seen it rough like this before.

This morning we went for a walk along the seashore in Lapta.  About three years ago a walkway was built just above the rocky shoreline with lots of benches and stopping places along the way.  It runs for several kilometres and is ideal for jogging.  Eventually it will extend farther.  Anyway, a most pleasant walk and we stopped for a nice cup of coffee at a little café along the way.

​Coming back to the villa, we lay out by the pool and John decided to try a bit of scuba in the pool.  The first time he'd been underwater with his new hip.   Then of course Bob had to have a go.  Really lovely sunshine too.

​Tonight we went up to Bellapais and parked alongside the ruined abbey.  Such a romantic village perched high on the hills above Kyrenia.  The views are amazing.  We went into the Tree of Idleness bar, made famous by the Durrells.  Had Brandy Sours and watched the sunset.  Then we went across to Cybele, the restaurant within the abbey.  We had a fantastic table with a view straight down over the hills to the sea.  It is a really sublime location.  The food is good and they definitely aspire to be fine dining.  Just not quite there to be honest.  It's not bad, just nowhere near as good as it should be given the location. I had quail for my main course, a Cypriot speciality.  Delicious little succulent birds. 

Rather overcast today with sunny periods and the odd spit of rain.  Not ideal pool weather.  So after we'd settled the bathroom guys in, we set off for Nicosia or Lefkosa or Lefkosia, the capital of Cyprus.  It's a journey of about 45 minutes from the villa.
​We entered the old walled city through the Kyrenia gate and parked near to the Law Courts, a fine colonial era building.  From there we wandered through the narrow streets past the  Great Hamam to the main bazaar.  It's not a covered bazaar like in Istanbul but a rabbit warren of shopping streets loaded with goods of all sorts.  Our first stop was the Great Han, originally a lodging for pilgrims and crusaders, now an arts and crafts centre.  Built on two floors around an open courtyard with a ceremonial well at the centre, it is a lovely haven and very atmospheric.  On the ground floor there is an excellent café serving both snacks and meals.  We enjoyed our coffees, drinking in the atmosphere as well, and then we wandered around the upper level looking at the craft shops.

​Leaving there, we walked a few hundred yards to the Cathedral which is now a Mosque at the centre of the historic district.  We wanted to see the whirling dervish performance and bought tickets for the midday demonstration.  It was about 1115 by now so we walked around the covered market in the meantime.  The covered market was built by the British in 1939, a stone building with lots of individual shops inside.  Some are still fruit, veg, meat and cheese but many are now handicrafts, antiques and tourist goods.  It's interesting to see.

We went back for our performance, but it wasn't in the usual building, which is a renovated old church next to the mosque.  It was in a small studio theatre on the other side of the mosque.  The demonstration of whirling, is not performed as a dance show or as an entertainment.  Rather it is a serious demonstration of the meditative whirling dance performed by the Sufis in which every movement and position has deep significance.  We have seen it many times before and find it very moving and beautiful.  This time there were two performers and they were both very good.  Really enjoyed it and I do recommend going to see them when you are in Nicosia.  It is only 7 euro (28 ytl) and well worth it.

​After the performance we went into a small restaurant called Mosaic for lunch.  It is an old Ottoman era house with quirky antique filled rooms backing onto a courtyard garden.  We ate in the garden, a selection of small meze plates.  Really nice.

​Then, we had a wander around the old town, looking in the shops.  Sue and I both bought some of the Turkish style towels on offer.  They have a smooth cotton side and a cotton towelling side and are really very big.  Going to take them home.  They were 10 euro each and good value at that.  A nice souvenir.

​After a last coffee we wandered back to the car and got home around 430.  The bathroom guy had got on well with tiling the ensuite. 

 sFabulous day today. Started off with breakfast on the terrace in the sun and also getting the bathroom guys settled in again to start the second bathroom.  We decided on a day away from the house because experience with the first bathroom told us that today they'd be hammering and electronically lancing off the existing tilework.  Noisy. Yes.  So made the guys coffee and they started to settle in.  All seemed well and at about 930 we set off for our day out. 

​First stop was the weekly market in Kyrenia.  It's a very large market and a mix of clothes/shoes/knickknacks and a central fruit/vegetable/plants area.   The produce is absolutely remarkable and fantastic.  All local stuff and you can wander around tasting.  We bought some amazing fruit and veg - tiny little apricots, super sweet; green beans; olives both black and green; artichoke hearts.... the cherries are just starting, strawberries fully ready.  A lovely experience.

​After that we headed uphill to drive along the mountain track at the pinnacle of the Besparmak Mountains that runs from St Hilarion Castle all the way along to Lapta and Karsiyaka.  It is now tarmacked all the way although it is narrow in parts and with sheer drops on both sides at other parts.  The views are extraordinary.  At times you can see the coast all the way along the northern coast towards the Karpaz and at other times you can see across the great central plain of Cyprus towards the Troodos in the south and the sea again in the west.  And all the time you are driving through wonderfully scented pine forests, with viewpoints round every corner.  Shortly before the road starts to descend towards Lapta and Karsiyaka, there is a tank memorialised from the 1974 conflict which is interesting to see, blown off the road and hanging on the mountainside.  After that the road descends with clear views over the reservoir and out towards Camlibel and Guzelyurt.  A really great little road trip which I highly recommend.

​We got back to the house about 1pm having stopped for some fresh bread and milk.  Had lunch on the terrace and then pegged out around the pool with our books.  The builders finished stripping out the ensuite bathroom about 2pm and headed off for the day so it was a peaceful afternoon.

​Tonight we met up for a sundowner at 615 then headed down to Kyrenia for dinner.  We were eating at Efendi Restaurant in the old Turkish quarter of the city.  Very peaceful and picturesque.  We stopped at the Kyrenia Tavern on the way to make a reservation for Saturday night but it was closed.  As we got back to the car, the son of the family came up and explained that they were renovating and that mama and papa had been ill, so they had been only patchily open for the last year.  Shall await the reopening with interest.  Anyway on to Efendi.  We had asked to eat outside and were lucky enough to have a table set up on our own in the courtyard garden.  Everyone else was eating indoors.  No idea why, plenty hot enough to be outside.  However, our gain.  It was so atmospheric and romantic.  Food was amazing.  Wine was even better.  I started with mushrooms stuffed with a blue cheese cream mix, Bob had tempura prawns,, Sue had salmon in a beetroot gravadlax, John had black pudding with chicken liver parfait and an onion chutney.  All divine.  Such nice waiting staff too.  For mains, 3 of us had breast of duck on a bed of red cabbage, with a red wine sauce, thyme carrots..... John had lamb tagine with buttery flatbreads.  All fantastic.  Most of us couldn't manage dessert but John, brave man, had a tropical fruit sundae and we all had several rounds of Turkish coffee, the latter ones taken sprawled on some chaise lounges under the stars. Rated the number one restaurant in Kyrenia at the moment and well deserved.  It's not cheap by Cyprus standards but excellent value.  We had a round of pre-dinner drinks, 2 bottles of a good wine, bottled water, 2 course dinner x 3 and a 3 course dinner x 1, rounds of coffee and it was about 150 ytl/£30 per couple. Fantastic!

​ A fabulous day and I do recommend the mountain road trip especially.

Today has been a very good day!  It started with brilliant blue skies and hot sun.  Then, at breakfast we picked the two ripe lemons off our little tree.  There are two more developing.  It's brilliant for such a small tree which started off as a patio plant.  Anyway, I used one of them in the marinade for our leg of lamb which we were having for dinner, cooked in the wood oven in the garden.  The marinade was the zest and juice of a lemon, a head of garlic chopped, olive oil, salt and pepper and rosemary.  Which also came from the garden.  So the lamb went into the marinade for the day.

​Then we ran off in the car to World of Wines and John kindly stocked us up for the next 2 weeks.  Some very nice wines of all types and most of them at around 4 or 5 pounds.  Would be at least double that back at home. 

​Spent the afternoon at the pool, multiple swims.  Lunch out on the terrace.  Reading.  Bob went off to get a  few diy supplies and took Sue to Amore for a pedicure.  Her feet came back looking fabulous.  Really nice colour. 

​Then we had the best news.  Daisy has had her dream job offered to her.  As a researcher with an entertainment media company who maintain a massive database of celebrity events for clients such as the tv companies, most newspapers, other websites, theatrical agents etc.  She starts next Monday!!!  Its been such a hard slog to get to this job and she's tried incredibly hard.  So very happy for her. 

​So, tonight we first celebrated with a lovely bottle of Taittinger Rose and we aimed toasting back towards the UK and Daisy.  The leg of lamb was in the oven sitting on a bed of roast potatoes and I also roasted some gorgeous asparagus at the end and dressed that in butter and parmesan.  We had a lovely lamb dinner sitting outside on the dining terrace as the sun set.  Washed down with a lovely bottle of Fleurie, courtesy of John and the World of Wines.   

​Ended the evening with a movie from the massive dvd collection washed down with espresso and liqueurs. 

​A super day.