It's that time of year again in Kouklia Village - most tourists have now returned home  and we are able to be ' US' the Community, coming together in celebration of Christmas and New Year. 

What better way to celebrate and acknowledge the community at this special time than through the children - The future - full of eagerness, anticipation and promise. With families coming together, Parents and Grandparents, to enjoy the inspiring and emotional performance of the very youngest in the Community. - The Nursery school. 
For a while - world problems and politics could be forgotten as our children, in their innocence,  delivered a most endearing Christmas play. So many people came together to make this happen - Aristos on the sound system, Skippy - (George Vassillis) - playing Santa Claus (Saint Vasilios)    - and who normally drives the road sweeper! - Stathis, - electrician, Neoklis, from the Council and most of all Nicoletta - the Nursery Teacher and her assistants. 
I was delighted that Kouklia Arts was asked to produce backdrop scenery for the play, and given it's size, could only work on the floor of the Council hall. ( more notice next time please)
​This is a piece of work which will also be used by the Junior school, and the plan is, with slight adaptation, for years to come. What a joy to be painting whilst listening to the children rehearse - what a privilege to feel so much included here in Kouklia - who, as an Ex - Patriot very much miss my own Grandchildren and family at this time of year.

Many thanks again Kouklia people, for making us so welcome - and giving this very special opportunity. 

 

' It's our first time, but we'll definitely be back' 
'We've just fallen in love with the place' 
On and on it goes - something about Cyprus - and in my experience Kouklia, just reaches out and grabs people. 
Our second year in business in Kouklia has shown just how many people come back again and again. 
August in particular has provided a steady stream of  repeat visitors to the Village - and it's wonderful to renew friendships and catch up on news of the year gone by. 
Many have their favorite Taverna, and again and again we see heartfelt ' hello, welcome back greetings from Taverna Owners. Some make a point of dining at different Tavernas on different evenings but at the shop we are in a quite unique position, because most visitors pass through our door - some on more than one occasion at some stage during their stay. 
Some visitors speak of plans to retire to the area in years to come, twice this year already returners came with the news that they had bought property nearby. Some families with children and a holiday property relocate to Kouklia area for the entire summer holidays. 
So what is the Kouklia secret ? 
First and foremost Cyprus is a great holiday destination which has it all! Sun, Sea - Great places to visit, fantastic food and plenty of it, we drive on the left, and the Cypriot people are most welcoming.  -
Within this, Kouklia itself has a secret ingredient,  -  the co operation of Business owners, the local Council, friendly locals and the ' real feel'  of ' Cyprus Culture'  in a picturesque Village Square. 
Somewhat unusually in Cyprus I'm told, people talk to one another and work together to the greater good of all involved, creating a destination village venue which, once experienced,  draws Visitors back again and again. 
Kouklia is not ' over developed'  thankfully retaining a population which is made up of many more Cypriot Nationals than Ex Patriots. 
We don't have bingo nights or pub quizzes blaring screens with football. ( yes there's one on the square, but it's ' low key' and doesn't effect the ambiance of the Village.
This is Cyprus - real Cyprus at play on summer nights - something very special - and once bitten - your'e hooked!!!!

This week at Kouklia Arts we are struggling with intense and unusual levels of Heat and Humidity - but we carry on !!!

In the shop we have fans churning around all day and night to create some air movement, staff no longer sit outside under a shady umbrella - finding it more comfortable to retreat into the shop and placing themselves in front to the fans. 
In the Gallery and school we unashamedly perspire into our paint and onto our canvases- it's just ' how it is'.

Painting in Acrylic is somewhat exacting as the conditions create poor application - things just don't ' flow' in the usual way. 
We aim to stay tucked away in shady areas, with a constant flow of Frappe, water and soft drinks to keep hydrated. 
We celebrate any breeze afforded to us - arms outstretched - embracing the cooler currents and air movement. 

In the school at present - some of our Adult Students are focusing on large oil paintings of cool flowing rivers and streams - and perhaps taking a moment to wish they could step into the painting for a while to enjoy cool rippling waters. 
Even Artists have deadlines however - so the work must go on - -
Thankfully we have the opportunity for plenty of breaks when concentration ebbs - and top sit for a while and share a drink with the Guys in the Coffee shop - Cyprus Style, and to head off to the beach or the pool - a treat to round off the working day - and provide respite from these extreme Middle Eastern conditions. 

We suffer for our Art in the knowledge that we are indeed privileged to be here at all in Cyprus.

WOW!!! - Kouklia has emerged triumphant for the 2015 season, with many new additions, attractions and improvements, all of which add to the ambiance of this unique traditional village. 
We now have 5 established Tavernas, each offering a unique style and excellent quisine - Regular Coach parties arrive at Thanasis Taverna for Cyprus nights and 

It's that time of year again - Cyprus is commonly known as a warm to hot weather country, however - for around 2 months of the year - there are periods where those of us who live here struggle to cope with winter conditions. 
Of course up in the Troodos Mountains, heavy snow brings new life, with plenty of visitors to the woodlands and ski slopes. - A veritable winter wonderland.

But for those of us ' lower down' - we struggle to keep warm, and sometimes to keep dry. As gale force winds bring an icy chill we baton down the hatches. Heavy rain and hail are common, and we are just not ' geared up' for it. 

Out comes the winter wardrobe, electric blankets, hot water bottles and temporary heating devices. 

Not many houses have central heating, and with stone floors, high ceilings and no insulation in modern built houses, we potentially live in a fridge.  It's not unusual to spend all day in coat , hat boots and gloves, - time to visit Tavernas of friends where there are open fires - JUST TO WARM UP!. 

Of course the Cypriots knew what they were doing when building their old stone houses - with thick stone walls and low ceilings they were equally efficient at keeping the interior cool in summer and retaining heat in winter. 

People don't venture out without necessity, and there are few tourists, so the social structure also changes - the Guys huddle around roaring fires in the coffee shops, deliberating on the damages of last night's storm, and longing for the upturn in temperatures to rise soon.
However - there is comfort - never driving in ice and fog, never scraping ice off the car windscreen, and traipsing through slush. 

We also know that we have to ' just get through it' - and it won't be for too long. Within a week temperatures can change and the sunshine comes back to us. 
And we have the sure knowledge that from May to October we will not see rain - so we also celebrate the wet weather to fill the dams for summer water useage,

It's not all bad!!! - in fact we're probably a little spoiled.!

It can feel strange at first to have Christmas on hot, sunny days, with clear blue skies above. - However the towns and villages do their bit to engender the Christmas spirit, with a range of decorations, Christmas trees and lights. - even a little pretend snow here and there.

Christmas is a low key affair compared to the hustle and bustle of some other countries - of course central to any celebration the observances of advent and Christmas at Church, and strong family links, bringing families together to share company, and the traditional feast of souvla, mezze, accompanied by the ' best' Chivas Regal, and plenty of local wine and Zivania, until the dancing kicks off in true Cyprus Style. 

We Ex Pats have done our best - no doubt as I have, year on year - trawling around shops for Cranberry Sauce and Chestnut stuffing,the trappings which make our Christmas ' traditional' for us. - and passing on the word ' they've got mice pies' here or there ! - but nothing tastes quite the same on a sunny day as it does ' in a bleak mid - winter'. 

Perhaps a visit to the Troodos mountains is the answer - where we can find snow and ice, and make footprints in the snow like Santa does.

Here father Christmas (St Vasilios) is actually celebrated at New Year, - his name day - although family presents are exchanged on Christmas day also. 

It has been highly amusing in the past week or so to see the mix of clothing of people visiting Kouklia Square - I see the recently arrived tourists and some Ex Pats - in shorts and tee shirts - determined to make the most of the strong mid day sunshine - and then the locals, wrapped up in Jumpers and warm jackets, and feeling the difference in temperature from  searing summer and autumn heat. - I have to admit it is more difficult to choose a daily wardrobe at this time of year!

There are, of course, no Christmas Carols other than sung by Ex Pat Choirs, but the Church bells at 4.00 in the afternoons, and chantings of the Priests remind us that it is a special time of year.

Many English residents have now returned to UK to spend the season with families there, - at this time of year the community is therefore ' more Cypriot' in number. 

Thankyou to the locals who have brought gifts of cake, home made sweets and preserves - the traditional offerings of friendship. It can be hard to be 2000 miles or more away from loved ones, particularly at this time of year, but for me anyway the extended Family of local friends brings a warmth to the Christmas season to match the mid day sunshine.

Where ever we are, it is Christmas, and of course the first Christmas happened not so very far from here - a leveling thought - maybe it was even a little warmer there !

Seasons Greetings from Cyprus - where ever you are.

Foxy the Kitten and I showing off our work - yes - it is ' huge!!!!!!!

Two days ago, with heart in mouth, I put little Lady Kitten in a box and set off for the Vet in Paphos who supports the Trap Neuter and Release programme for feral Village cats.

She seemed so very small to go through the ordeal of spaying - still very much a Kitten - and yet at 3 months, now at risk of being pursued by Tom Cats and producing a litter of her own kittens.- I was not at all concerned about the ethics involved, but purely because here is one very special little Lady - cared about by so many.

I need not have worried - Lady predictably charmed everybody at the Veterinary surgery, enjoyed an overnight stay whilst she ' healed', and was once again racing around the gallery, meeting and greeting visitors within minutes of her arrival back in Kouklia. - Lots of well earned treats and a very neat 'op' scar on her tum. ( see picture)

Lady is another success story for the TNR programme and Mandrays Fund. As a team we have found ways to protect her until the time came to release her from the perils of Village Cat parenthood through the Spaying operation, and adding to the control of numbers of feral cats in the village. - below are some surprising facts - 

The average number of litters a fertile cat can produce in one year is 3.
The average number of kittens in a feline litter is 4–6.
In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats. - just imagine!

So congrats to Lady, and her Team, to those who donated toward her ' op' the Paphos Vets and Mandrays Fund - on yet another success story.

An Update from Cynthia Smith re the Cat programme - please read if you can help with the Kouklia Cat issue-

(the picture above is our lovely spider cat - rescued last year)

Thanks to Angela Winstanley of Kouklia Arts for coming on board with our neutering programme. As things have been going at such a pace I hadn't had the chance to put her in the picture about the fund so am going to take this opportunity of updating everyone.
Known as, Mandry's Fund-Cyprus feral cat project, (TNR trap neuter and release) it was started April 2013 to help a heavily pregnant kitten surviving outside Mandria fish and chip shop. My friend Judith Jurner and her friends Anna and Norma instantly donated funds towards getting Mandry and her litter neutered. When we had raised enough money for that we moved onto a colony of feral cats that Judith was feeding in Timi.During the year we raised €1,100 , but needed some exposure about what we were doing. 
In comes Jo Welsby ,vet nurse from the uk who set up a fb page for us as I did not do fb then, she has posted all our pics and stories and is in fact updating the page this coming weekend.
Mandry's fund has nothing to do with the Tala Monastery Cats for whom I raise seperate funds by holding events at my home.
The link to Mandry's fund is https://www.facebook.com/mandrys fund
Please like and share our page 
At the moment we are concentrating on the cats in Kouklia square and the taverna owners have been very responsive to our efforts. 
In an attempt to reduce the kitten population we are neutering these cats (one such Tortie pictured above) at no cost to them as all these cats belong to the village and not to anyone personally. At the moment we have funds availeable but it won't take long for them to dry up if we continue to be so successful in our captures.We have a pay pal account where people can make donations and will be letting you know in future posts of hways in which you can help
Thanks Cynthia.

Today we joined the programme with our first caught cat - who we have been feeding and wormed - named Chalkie. - and narrowly missed another - (as the scars on my arms will testify!)
We have many feral cats in the village, - and with the help and sound guidance ( 'get him by the scruff of the neck Angela') of Cynthia Smith, we atKouklia Artworks are promoting her initiative to humanely manage the feline population. through the capture neuter and release programme .
Chalkie may be disgruntled with us at the moment, but I know will return to us tomorrow unharmed after his stay at the vet's in Paphos, and if he chooses to ever come near me again- he will be treated to some of the lovely sardine which he was aiming for when he entered the trap.

He certainly WON'T be adding to the problem of more kittens who would have no home and require rescuing at a later stage through Cynthia and the Tala Monastery Cat rescue association . http://www.talamonasterycats.com/

Although Villages actually need cats to keep on top of the rat and mouse population, which in turn manages the snake problem, cats are cats, and breeding can run out of control.

If anybody is interested in getting involved, Cynthia runs a Cattery in KOUKLIA, for rescue, and boarding, and raises funds for the programme- Nice one Cynthia.

We are hoping for ' the one that got away' tomorrow !'
http://www.talamonasterycats.com/