As I think of friends and family back home in UK, I hear of a forecast WET bank holiday weekend. How surreal this seems  when here in Kouklia we are either staying indoors to avoid the searing heat, - (90's in the shade) and humidity -or diving into the shower or pool at every available opportunity.
When I alighted from the plane on my return to Cyprus last month, I likened the experience to stepping into a warm marshmallow. The heat is positively tangible, and some of the effects  are as follows
-extreme lethargy
-extreme perspiration, being damp from head to toe all day an ---night
-less trips to the loo

I have been waiting to write for a while, in the hope that I could write a ' positive note' however, time has gone on, as it does in Cyprus, and I believe an interim post is in order, as I know from the stats that people actually DO read this stuff.
For the past little while a dispute has been going on about tenancy and ownership of the Blah Blah bar. Nothing to do with me as such, but I am caught up in it, and the gallery, sort of ' collateral damage' . The bar is now temporarily closed, and the courtyard sealed off. Ownership or right to use of buildings is a very grey area in parts of Cyprus, particularly when, as in the case of parts of Kouklia, Antiquities are involved.
To go into details would be totally inappropriate, and anyway, not my business, except to say that it has been very sad to observe the situation.
There has been much shouting and arm waving, and much upset, which is such a great shame when so many people have tried so hard and invested so much in creating something good.
Anyway, we are hoping that normal service will be resumed ASAP, with a few changes along the way. 
Meanwhile, I shall be operating from my home.

On Saturday night we had great festivity in Kouklia - The annual August festival hosted around 800 people to a wonderful meal and drinks in the village car park. For an exceedingly small fee, we enjoyed traditional  and very colourful Cypriot dancing, a great band, and fabulous traditional dishes. 
The great thing here is of course that you can plan without fear of rain!
Families, including tiny tots up to elderly grandparents danced and had fun together. The inclusion of children, (all dressed to impress) in every aspect of life is for me, part of the celebration of Cyprus - they are never ' shut away' and somehow become accustomed to late nights out within the body of wide extended family. They are able to wander freely, with parents happy in the knowledge that their little ones are safe.
Later in the evening, when the Zuvaneer had ' hit the spot' - came the free dances, with village men showing their talents at dance - there are no 'embarrassing Dad' moments here - as each dancer has grown up watching their fathers, uncles and grandfathers performing these manoeuvres and now their small boys watch and learn from them. There is a reassuring 'order' to it all.
Cypriots, and certainly the people of Kouklia certainly know how to pull the stops out and party. - Most impressive, and thankyou for your hospitality.

Having been away for some weeks, I am very impressed with the integration of Dali the kitten, who is now living in our guest room, and our 4 dogs. Dali is a plucky little chap, and anyway can out leap / out run the dogs with ease, so contact is very much on his terms. He loves to jump on top of Stan (seen here behind the loo) and Stan responds playfully - they are becoming good mates. Our Pekinese, Zak - just guards him, staying close by, and strangely enough Appollo, who is the nearest in size to Dali, is just becoming accustomed to him, and vice - versa. Dali is now venturing downstairs to join in in the lounge, and I suspect is destined to become a house cat. - We do have also Squeeky, who we feed twice daily on the back wall - but Squeeky has never come down much to the house. Ah well - our own little animal sanctuary !!