The heart of summer - just past half way

Anna with her friend Katy

Whilst the daily institution of the afternoon film is playing, I get a chance to write.  And what a wise person that was who institutionalised that in summer holidays!  With little ones still waking around 6am and older ones not going to bed until after 9pm, it's a little tiring.  All good though with 2 swims a day if needed, no morning rush and lots of time to simply play, create and relax.  This can only go on for so long, however, before the effects of no routine and sometimes boredom set in. It's been particularly hot and humid these last few weeks, the sort of heat that saps you and just makes you want to sleep.  The Cypriots deal with the heat in the normal way - a long siesta in the afternoon and then the place comes alive in the evenings.  We continue to try with somewhat limited success to get our kids into this groove!

Weekend with friends at a lovely house near Paphos 

Since the end of June, we've had lots of time at home together, various play-overs with friends and a few trips to the beach.  Fortunately it hasn't been the deathly slow July that last year was, purely because we're much more settled here now and know what to expect. Some days have been difficult to find anything happening (nothing is open for kids until 4pm!) and other days have been all a bit too social with far too many kids in our apartment and me flopping into bed at 8.30pm wondering "how did today end up so crazy?"  Sam & Anna have been at home with me, whilst Jessie spent 2 weeks at a gymnastics summer school and Gus attended his school summer programme complete with rock climbing, swimming and football.  Ross travelled for about 10 days in total this month and I went snooping around for houses to rent that have a yard for the kids to play in.  You never know, next blog might be from a different house!


Only one more week until we head off on holidays for a month.  First we will spend a few days in Cyprus at a lovely old village house by the sea which has kindly been offered by some friends. Following that, we travel to western Europe to spend time in Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium.  It will be good to have a decent break as a family; our first longer holiday together in quite a while.  


A few recent pictures of life in summer holidays over the past month:

Cyprus coast near Aphrodite's Rock

Aphrodite's Rock

Siesta time.......

What lies beneath

A modern city with ancient street sweepers

I have just returned from Baku in Azerbaijan via Moscow today.  It was good to be back in the Caucasus, and I enjoyed the opportunity to engage with our team in Azerbaijan.  It was fascinating to visit Baku so soon after the Eurovision song contest.  When I was in Baku late last year, preparations were in full swing and now the city is basking in the aftermath.  It's quite a remarkable transformation for the city. Inspiring on one level, but somewhat disturbing on another when you consider the poverty levels that affect the rest of the country.  The government has literally invested billions into the city.  Over 1000 London taxis were purchased for Baku prior to Eurovision, and grand architecture that would look more at home in Paris than the Caucasus has been built across the city.  Even the road from the airport into the city is walled on both sides by ornate architectural works for the road's 20km length.  It's only when you hear that behind the walls lie sprawling and largely impoverished communities that you are reminded there is a very different side to this country.   This is immediately evident beyond Baku, and poverty levels throughout the rest of the country are very high.  In particular among the large numbers of displaced persons from the frozen conflict with neighbouring Armenia that reside in Azerbaijan.

During the evenings thousands of people come out to walk along the large seafront boulevard in Baku, and the old city is alive with crowds, carpet sellers and markets.  The seafront boulevard and old city are fine models of architectural design and innovative use of public space.  Azeri families dress up and walk together in the evenings on the boulevard, sometimes stopping to have a photo taken together (a ritual that goes back for many years).  However as I walk with the crowds and look at the faces, for me there are some profound societal pieces missing, and something feels 'wrong'.  No amount of grand architecture, fine public space, impressive light shows or modern technology can compensate for the lack of a vibrant and free civil society. Government reforms have made some progress in this area, but there is still a long way to go. It reminds me in some ways of Dubai, which I once heard described as an 'artificial version of Las Vegas'. 

So I leave somewhat perplexed.  Impressed by the architectural wonders of Baku, but restless at the facade this represents of a country seeking to define itself as a modern and progressive state.  

The modern and the old

The Eurovision song contest venue

Jessie........... (at the moment) By Jessie

Everything is going well at the moment but I am still missing EVERYBODY in Australia. Some days at the moment it gets up to 45 degrees. (Celsius!) Everyday I am going to gymnastics summer school which gets long and tiring but it is (for me) the best thing in the world. As some of you know, my birthday is coming up and what I really want is a bar!!!!


 Jessie: Hey, mum. I really, really, really absolutely want a bar for my birthday! Mum: (laugh) Dream on. The chance of you getting a bar is 1 out of one hundred. Especially one that costs 450 euro. Jessie: But how come girls on YouTube have one???   Mum: I don't think I can answer that at the moment.
Here are some photos of my gymnastics:

Today I learnt how to do a front handspring by myself!!! My goal by the end of the summer is a back handspring which is SOOOOO hard.

Fasouri Waterpark: Best Day Ever

Hi. Its angus typing. Yesterday for dads birthday we went to Fasouri (water park). This is a video of me on the scariest and steepest slide in the park. It is called the kamikaze.

Yesterday I was a dare devil because I went on a pitch black strait down slide. At the end there is a big jump which leads to the pool.This is a very funny picture of me on the black cannon. (that is what it's called)

This is another video of me on the pro bowl. It is just like a  toilet - but better. At the beginning you go through a tube and when you are going fast, you do a sharp turn then shoot out into the toilet and go round in circles until you slow down and go through a big hole in the middle of the bowl and you land in very deep water.

Here is the last video of me on the black cannon.