I seem to attract the critters

Today's visitor in the frangipani tree, now denuded of leaves, is this frill necked lizard - I saw it from the house, to give you a measure of its size, and I rushed down to get a closer look. Little green tree snake was sunning itself, by the pool,  while this elegant gentleman with ruffles was making his way up the tree. This is one of Australia's most distinctive lizards, large (you can say that again ) scaly, it has a ruff around its neck and when it gets annoyed it lifts the ruff up like one of these middle age personalities from Black Adder !

Oh I just wonder what tomorrow will bring ! 

Eumundi market

The return to down under was relatively smooth and the day that greeted me was crisp with clear blue skies and a lovely temperature of about 20 C. This is the time, now that it is officially winter, to explore the markets and venture out a little further and I did just that recently going up the coast line to a place called Eumundi, which is on the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane, near Noosa Heads. 

A wonderful outdoor market with stalls to thrill every soul and eateries to satisfy the most difficult of palates. Inevitably, you walk away with a little something from the day which is a great reminder of the day spent among good company and with some interesting bargains and innovative ideas on display. 

All about beach houses and decor 

All about lavender and loving the old 

The cutest UGGS ever 

I like the sign for crumble bums

Purses made of hides - looking like toads - not really my thing

My favourite - a unique set of cymbals which created the most melodic music - he ran his fingers across this top to create the music. Of course swiss in origin. 

Finally to the contrast of hot dogs- now we have cold ones with a wide variety of snazzy coats for them to parade around in. 

Nature unperturbed by financial rumblings

Nature has been forceful and up front in Cyprus this year and perhaps it is just coincidence but is this not the year of the Snake ? I have seen more snakes this year then I have in my whole life and none more vivid then the display we witnessed a few days ago in Pomos of two black snakes, non poisonous, measuring a metre or more intertwined like a DNA sequence in a mating dance that had us all enthralled. We watched them slither and slide around each other for a good few minutes literally from a few feet away. Then suddenly one pulled away and disappeared into the undergrowth. 

A kestrel which is a bird that we have seen in India, the UK and in Cyprus decided that the deck was definitely its favourite place.We approached it and it seemed quite unafraid. Maybe it was looking for the snakes too. We came across another snake as we drove down the coastal road this one sadly coming  to a sticky end. 

So not just the territory of down under. Its their year it seems and they are out there. This if what is said on the internet on http://www.hanban.com

The Introduction of 2013 Year of Snake
2013 is the year of the black Snake begins on February 10th shortly after the New moon in Aquarius, the humanitarian of the zodiac. This 2013 year of Snake is meant for steady progress and attention to detail. Focus and discipline will be necessary for you to achieve what you set out to create. The Snake is the sixth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 Animal Signs. It is the enigmatic, intuitive, introspective, refined and collected of the Animals Signs. Ancient Chinese wisdom says a Snake in the house is a good omen because it means that your family will not starve.

I like the good omen - it counteracts the financial crisis perfectly! 

An island on empty.

This is the island I return to every year and bring my children to, but this year it is almost unrecognisable in the way it has been beaten and bashed and left empty and wanting. I could spend the rest of the blog attributing blame, the president who left the island in a good financial state as opposed to the one who has just spent five years running it into the ground. The new president who took over in 2013 seemingly issuing the right messages but short on the delivery and the great cloud of uncertainty that surrounds all dictated by forces beyond the shores- will Cyprus pull through, has it bottomed out, are there better days to come ? 

No one is unaffected- daily you hear stories of families whose lives have been turned upside down in ways that are unfair and hard. Some were depressed about the state of affairs, others have taken it bravely and are a little more accepting. The bank I used,  has gone. The bank employees who for years looked after me so well dont know if they will have a job at the end of the month. Houses lay derelict, there is no money to maintain, shops and whole office buildings lie empty waiting for those inquiries that never come. People have stopped going to their favourite beaches, those that are a little far and the petrol too costly, the restaurants have few, if any customers and the mood is as oppressive as the heat at times. 

I wish I could say this is the end and there are better days to come. My husband says I am a bit of a pessimist and worry unnecessarily. I wish to god he was right on this one.I would love to stay positive but fear there are harder times ahead. The ravages of war, the lives lost in 1974, seem a different ruination to the present one but this is perhaps more insidious. Both affecting generations to come and those who came before marking people in ways seldomly erased.

A Cypriot Welcome

We travelled to Cyprus on the boy's hated airline Easyjet which to them somehow is anything but easy but there were no hitches on this journey and we even arrived 20 minutes ahead of schedule.  This coincided with another packed Easyjet plane from Manchester. Some 600 passengers all trooped into the arrivals hall and there we witnessed a unique Cypriot welcome. 

Two slightly bored immigration officials decided that the best way to deal with the queues is to make them vanish. They just waved everyone through, stopped no one, and simply did not bother with passports - BAH formalities right ?  If these good people want to be here they are jolly welcome ! 

We laughed our heads off - such a great welcome. 

I end today's blog with the Cypriot version of a hot dog.