Letters from Cyprus: A mid-autumn swim

Earlier this month we had a few weeks of cooler weather which was a welcome change after the long hot summer. Swimmers and fans were put away and blankets came out on the beds. Then last week the sun came back, so we've recently done a few beach trips to make the most of the late warm weather. The Mediterranean remains a very pleasant 21 or 22 degrees, so lovely for a dip, despite the fact that the Cypriot 'season' for swimming has long since passed. Cypriots seem to be quite ritualistic when it comes to swimming in the ocean. There's a season for swimming, which starts around the 1st July and ends at beginning of September. Outside of this time it's not so common to find locals swimming, regardless of whether it's hot or cold. This perceived 'season', however, does not apply to the multitude of Russian, German, Israeli and British tourists who can still be found on the beaches taking in a final dose of Vitamin D before returning to the rapidly cooling climes at home. As we sat on the beach last Sunday basking in the sun, we were talking to some friends in Europe who said that their maximum temperature that day was 5 degrees! We certainly do not take the temperate Cypriot climate for granted, and have grown to love the changing of the seasons here.

The other natural feature this time of year is the clarity of the air. At certain times of the year, Cyprus can be very dusty as strong southerly breezes whip up great dust clouds from the Sahara desert and Egypt and deposit it all over the island. Not a good time to wash a car or try and keep clothes clean! But at other times of year, such as now, the air is clear. From the mountain range to the north of Nicosia, you can clearly see Turkey and even some of the higher peaks of Lebanon or Syria from the north east part of the island. The changing of the seasons is a beautiful time of year. Cool mornings and evenings, but days warm with plenty of sun.

The kids are all well. The school year is now in full swing, and all of them are enjoying their respective classes and teachers. A brief snapshot of what each is up to:

Anna proudly shares with us the Greek numbers and words she is learning each day, and currently has not one but two boyfriends (her words, not ours)! These young boys do not stand a chance with Anna calling the shots!

Jessie currently has three loves in her life: music, acting and Zoe the dog. She plays the flute lots, and is also loving playing the oboe. She enjoys 'flexing her muscles' as a prefect at school, and can sometimes be found threatening younger siblings with detention or various other sanctions if they misbehave:)

Angus is pretty chilled out in general. Nothing seems to be much of a drama for him. He loves football, and is playing three times a week at Arsenal football school and also on weekends in the UN competition. He has aspirations to be the next Messi or Ronaldo. Nothing wrong with supporting such hopes so we can retire early.

Sam's great love at the moment is theatre and performing. He's quite the thespian (nothing new there), but his interest has increased since he joined a drama and dance group. His current fascination is with the musical 'Matilda', which we are hoping to all go and see as part of family trip to the UK shortly. He still diligently checks the weather each day (concerned about rain) so we're not sure how he will find the UK!

The kids continue to generate a prolific amount of noise, but are happy and healthy at the moment which is a blessing.

The Godfather in Cyprus? It's hard to see in the photo,
but this gentleman was walking up and down the beach
in the water carrying and smoking an oversized Cuban
cigar. Just what you feel like at the beach???