Tuesday, January 23, 2007
What weather we are having
Not very long ago I was starting to feel that winter was on its way, but just this past week I'm left again wondering when it will really arrive. Almost at the end of January with temps getting up to 63F and ok we have had some rain but really only a little not nearly enough to help out the farmers or to fill the resevoirs. I'm sure winter will come at some stage, but the longer it is delayed the shorter it will be. Maybe it will hit us in February. February as far as I am concerned being the worst month for rain and cold days, but then thats only 28 days, I feel so lucky living here.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
The Good Life (grow, cook and eat) Cyprus and the UK
I have just been updating the recipe pages on the website www.shopnorthcyprus.co.uk with a recipe for Pork or Chicken with Courgettes.
This gave me the idea that many of the ingredients could be grown in our gardens and so I have decided it would be fun to start a section with useful tips and methods of growing your own vegetables and herbs.
I intend to include recipes and suggestions for preserving and storing.
The times of sowing I can give are really suited to UK conditions, here in Cyprus they will have to change, for example runner beans, a friend of mine sows his in October. Another rule of thumb I have been given is to plant in Cyprus 3 months in advance of the UK
So calling all keen or experienced gardeners out there, if you have some useful advise on when best to sow or plant or indeed any other tips please let us have the details.
Where can you buy the best seed, onion sets, fertilizers and sow on?
Again a request to all cooks, do you have some recipes that would use home grown ingredients, if so please send them in.
As the recipe I posted was using courgettes I have started the section of with Marrows and Courgettes.
This gave me the idea that many of the ingredients could be grown in our gardens and so I have decided it would be fun to start a section with useful tips and methods of growing your own vegetables and herbs.
I intend to include recipes and suggestions for preserving and storing.
The times of sowing I can give are really suited to UK conditions, here in Cyprus they will have to change, for example runner beans, a friend of mine sows his in October. Another rule of thumb I have been given is to plant in Cyprus 3 months in advance of the UK
So calling all keen or experienced gardeners out there, if you have some useful advise on when best to sow or plant or indeed any other tips please let us have the details.
Where can you buy the best seed, onion sets, fertilizers and sow on?
Again a request to all cooks, do you have some recipes that would use home grown ingredients, if so please send them in.
As the recipe I posted was using courgettes I have started the section of with Marrows and Courgettes.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
to all Webmasters, Bloggmasters and Group Managers for North Cyprus
Over the past few weeks I have been looking for link exchanges that are connected to North Cyprus and there not that easy to find.
Knowing the large amount of websites, blogs and groups that do relate to North Cyprus I thought it might be a fun idea to start a directory of sites that are interested in swopping links.
Ive started this directory and have the address of 12 sites. Why not swop your link with these and add your address to this directory for others to swop with you.
Sites to swop links with
www.shopnorthcyprus.co.uk
www.easterndirectpromiseuk.webeden.co.uk
www.easterndirectpromiseuk1.webeden.co.uk
www.easterndirectpromiseuk2.webeden.co.uk
www.northcyprus.org.uk
www.trnc.uk.com
www.live-northcyprus.co.uk
www.trnc.org.uk
www.northcyprus.webeden.co.uk
www.northcypruscontact.webeden.co.uk
http://northcyprus-living.blogspot.com
http://learn-turkish.blogspot.com
Happy Link exchange
Knowing the large amount of websites, blogs and groups that do relate to North Cyprus I thought it might be a fun idea to start a directory of sites that are interested in swopping links.
Ive started this directory and have the address of 12 sites. Why not swop your link with these and add your address to this directory for others to swop with you.
Sites to swop links with
www.shopnorthcyprus.co.uk
www.easterndirectpromiseuk.webeden.co.uk
www.easterndirectpromiseuk1.webeden.co.uk
www.easterndirectpromiseuk2.webeden.co.uk
www.northcyprus.org.uk
www.trnc.uk.com
www.live-northcyprus.co.uk
www.trnc.org.uk
www.northcyprus.webeden.co.uk
www.northcypruscontact.webeden.co.uk
http://northcyprus-living.blogspot.com
http://learn-turkish.blogspot.com
Happy Link exchange
Friday, January 12, 2007
Cold Cyprus
Hi
How are you managing with the cold snap and problems with power cuts?
OK 55f in January to anyone living in the UK is not that cold but for some of us here living in older houses I can promise its cold enough. Added together with the power cuts we have been having of late its seems like winter has got a sting in its tail.
Even now with the power cuts we are getting at the moment its still not really a problem, nothing like it used to be 5 years ago. 5 years ago unlike now, the local restaurants didn't all have generators so when the power failed out came the candles and everyone, customers and staff alike run round lighting them. These nights would have been some of the buisiest nights the restaurants had. With no TV, no cooking facility and no heat what was there to do but get down to the local bar and join everyone in the same position as you.
For me if the power went out during the day then it was a time to sit down have a cuppa and maybe write some of the letters I had been meaning to write. A nice time when there was nothing you could do but to relax, pick up a book, play a game of cards whatever. You couldn't do any washing, vacuming so it didn't matter if the house looked untidy, everyone was in the same boat.
Ok so you couldn't cook a meal in the evening, that wasn't a problem either, get yourself dressed as best you could in the dark, and meet everyone a the local restaurant, better still if they had a roaring fire going. Didn't matter if getting ready in the dark you put your makeup on too thick or you had put rouge on your eyes, by candlelight it would look perfect just as everyother lady in the place. Only problem is if you had planned to go out and had just finished washing your hair when the power went. Oh well so it would look like you had taken the wet look just a little to far.
Funny how something like a power cut makes you remember back.
How are you managing with the cold snap and problems with power cuts?
OK 55f in January to anyone living in the UK is not that cold but for some of us here living in older houses I can promise its cold enough. Added together with the power cuts we have been having of late its seems like winter has got a sting in its tail.
Even now with the power cuts we are getting at the moment its still not really a problem, nothing like it used to be 5 years ago. 5 years ago unlike now, the local restaurants didn't all have generators so when the power failed out came the candles and everyone, customers and staff alike run round lighting them. These nights would have been some of the buisiest nights the restaurants had. With no TV, no cooking facility and no heat what was there to do but get down to the local bar and join everyone in the same position as you.
For me if the power went out during the day then it was a time to sit down have a cuppa and maybe write some of the letters I had been meaning to write. A nice time when there was nothing you could do but to relax, pick up a book, play a game of cards whatever. You couldn't do any washing, vacuming so it didn't matter if the house looked untidy, everyone was in the same boat.
Ok so you couldn't cook a meal in the evening, that wasn't a problem either, get yourself dressed as best you could in the dark, and meet everyone a the local restaurant, better still if they had a roaring fire going. Didn't matter if getting ready in the dark you put your makeup on too thick or you had put rouge on your eyes, by candlelight it would look perfect just as everyother lady in the place. Only problem is if you had planned to go out and had just finished washing your hair when the power went. Oh well so it would look like you had taken the wet look just a little to far.
Funny how something like a power cut makes you remember back.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Friday, December 22, 2006
North Cyprus December and the 1st Rain
December Rain Came Last Night
The first December rain came last night and looks as though we may have more today, still at least we are guaranteed not to get the freezing fog that the UK are getting at present.
Now its time to start to keeping the weeds down as Cyprus turns very Green and Beautiful with the first of the yellow flowers of Oxalis appearing.
Now the problem of what to do with the weeds, if I make a large compost heap, in early spring as the weather starts to warm up again I risk two problems. The first and always a worry for Cyprus is fire, the second a real worry for me snakes!! For this reason, early spring I like to keep the garden as tidy as poss and if I do have an area that is overgrown I will be very careful when I attack and clear it.
Over the last couple of years I have seen several snakes in the garden so I know this concern is real.
Still wondering what the weather will do Christmas day, to my mind it always seems a little grey around this time of the year and then in January the sun comes back, with the dreaded Feb not far behind, but springs only 8 - 12 weeks away, Were so Lucky.
The first December rain came last night and looks as though we may have more today, still at least we are guaranteed not to get the freezing fog that the UK are getting at present.
Now its time to start to keeping the weeds down as Cyprus turns very Green and Beautiful with the first of the yellow flowers of Oxalis appearing.
Now the problem of what to do with the weeds, if I make a large compost heap, in early spring as the weather starts to warm up again I risk two problems. The first and always a worry for Cyprus is fire, the second a real worry for me snakes!! For this reason, early spring I like to keep the garden as tidy as poss and if I do have an area that is overgrown I will be very careful when I attack and clear it.
Over the last couple of years I have seen several snakes in the garden so I know this concern is real.
Still wondering what the weather will do Christmas day, to my mind it always seems a little grey around this time of the year and then in January the sun comes back, with the dreaded Feb not far behind, but springs only 8 - 12 weeks away, Were so Lucky.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Autumn in Cyprus and Christmas just round the corner
Well I guess just days away from Christmas I can say that Autumn has now arrived in Cyprus. The days are lovely, today was 17C 63F with not a cloud in the sky (what more could you ask for) but for anyone living in an older style house its time to get the heating on. Houses in Cyprus are designed to keep the heat out and at the moment I can promise my house is doing just that.
As always I'm looking forward to my Cyprus Christmas, wonder if it will be overcast or sunny. Overcast will make it feel a little more like a Christmas in the UK, that is a much as it can, without having had the stress of getting everything ready. Christmas day has been booked for 6 weeks now, all set to head off to our favorite restaurant and bar to enjoy the day with friends.
As always I'm looking forward to my Cyprus Christmas, wonder if it will be overcast or sunny. Overcast will make it feel a little more like a Christmas in the UK, that is a much as it can, without having had the stress of getting everything ready. Christmas day has been booked for 6 weeks now, all set to head off to our favorite restaurant and bar to enjoy the day with friends.
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