Aaaahh....Summer!

Here we are in the middle of summer in Cyprus.  Our 3rd hot season here and loving it. 12 weeks of holidays for the kids, not too many obligations and a lot less people in town make for a much quieter, peaceful existence here in Nicosia.  A different rhythm evolves; one of cool early mornings spent walking or on the bike and evenings spent outside relaxing in the courtyard.  In the heat of the day we do quiet things inside; watch a film, draw, play games or read.  It's great to have a chunk of time to do NOTHING.  No big plans; just take it day by day.

Some of the things that I love about summer are:

• the 6am trip to the fruit & vegie market: the masses of plums, apricots, peaches, melon and nectarines;
• the fans whirring all night long;
• that lovely fatigued feeling the next morning after a day at the beach in the sun;
• the way the kids don't seem to affected by the heat at all (!?) yet it's consistently in the high 30's or low 40's every day;
• family walks after dinner with our dog Zoe;
• a trip into the old town for ice cream and to experience "a bit of humanity" (a regular quote from Ross there);
• the many souvlaki bars that open up on the street in the evenings;
• beach or water parks with the kids;
• the way the place comes to life in the evenings, with everyone out walking, cafes and many restaurants not filling up until 9 or 10 at night

and the list goes on....

Off to Inside Out summer school

This past week, the kids have been at a fantastic summer school called Inside Out.  Each day they were kept busy with a myriad of activities including volleyball, dodgeball, football, swimming, drama, music, Yoga, Hip Hop, Zumba, Pump, art, graffiti and, last but not least, WIPE-OUT.  They came home exhausted and went to bed early.  Perfect!  At the end of the week, they all performed a fun show for each other and Anna & Sam were very excited to receive the awards of The Most Amazing Starship and the kindest, funniest and best Earthling (respectively).  To top it all off; Menaka had a break from cooking lunches and I used those big chunks of quiet time to finally finish a course I'd started back in February.  That's a win-win all-round.

Summer school at home

The week prior to that, it was only Angus and Jessie on holidays.  We combined with 2 other families and created our own 3 day summer school for the kids.  That meant each parent created activities for a different day, and took all the kids.  It worked really well.  The kids loved it, and the parents also managed to get a break for 2 out of the 3 days.

Next week will be a bit different with no structured activities planned, except a day trip up to the mountains.  A necessary time of rest before it all begins again the following week! 

Resting in the heat of the day

A birthday for dad

Anna hits the slides

Dinner by the beach