is christmas over already?

For months and months I waited for London and christmas; and in the blink of an eye it was gone. And all I have is memories (and a handful of photographs and an overflowing suitcase) as I sit on the balcony in the warm December Cyprus sun. 

Christmas was exactly what I wanted it to be; there were lazy mornings, coffee trips, dinner dates, festive films, a huge roast dinner (I may or may not have had two plates) plenty of chocolate and christmas cookies and of course, presents. 

But the best bit was seeing friends and family. Spending precious moments with familiar faces. Although the huge chinese feast me and the boyfriends mum devoured in China town also ranks pretty highly! 

Only another 11 months until the countdown begins again. For now, it's time to embrace 2013 and all it has to offer.

Back to the blog

Well I did tell you it would be quiet for a while.

I arrived back from London late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning and since then it has been a blurr of work, unpacking, washing, folding and tidying away many, many items purchased whilst in London. The problem now is where to put everything! 

London was simply magical. 

It was cold (and rainy but the less said about that the better), there was christmas spirit everywhere and lights for that matter. And the food. Well the food was just how I remembered it. Only better. 

Unfortunately in my haze of excitement, taking in the moments and consuming the lovely faces of friends I havent seen for oh so long, I forgot to take any photographs. I literally have 2 photographs on my phone.

But I have the memories in my head and sometimes it is just better to be in the moment instead of trying to capture it.  

And after my whirlwind "holiday" thankfully I have 4 days off to relax, enjoy the new year and get back into life in Cyprus, which means eating, drinking, blogging and spending too many hours on pinterest im sure.

sunday sound: the christmas edition

It's Sunday. It's nearly christmas. I'm in London and feeling festive.

So this Sunday sound is a classic that instantly puts me in the mood for christmas.

I'm actually writing this in bed, on a rainy and cold Tuesday morning as I contemplate finishing my packing since I'm getting on a plane in 6 hours.

And since by the time you read this it will be the Sunday before christmas (thank god for scheduled posts) I thought I would make the blog feel that little bit more festive.

Enjoy.

its beginning to feel a lot like christmas

As you read this I am in London. Officially I was in London since last night but landing late at heathrow doesnt count. I mean anyone who has been to heathrow knows it's not exactly the hottest place to be.

Obviously this is pre-written from my cosy little bed in Cyprus, but right about now I should have taken in an adequate amount of festiveness that London has to offer. Oh and I probably got my hair chopped off. We'll see how brave I was...

While it may be a little presumptuous, I am sure I will feel incredibly christmas-y by now.

And so here is a little something I saw on pinterest to add a visual dimension to my ramblings.

There is no way the pooch would let us do this to her.

Londons Calling

Ever since I saw this advert, all those many months ago, I've used it as my pick me up. You know, when its been one of those weeks. When I feel really far from home and a little lonely. 

The BBC have absolutely captured everything I miss about London, the culture, the architecture, the food..... need I say more. 

But finally the time has come. London is calling and I get to hop on a plane in a few hours headed for heathrow and 8 days of London time. And more importantly, christmas London time. Christmas is probably the best time to live in London. Its crisp and cold. Its magical. Its beautifully decorated. It has a buzz about it like no other time of year. 

I wont be blogging while i'm gone because frankly I will be out and about enjoying everything London has to offer me and catching up with those faces I usually only get to see through Skype.

So consider this christmas holidays for the blog (although there may be a few sneaky scheduled posts thanks to blogger). 

I won!!!!

No it wasn't the lottery, but the fact that I have never won anything in my life makes this moment all the bit sweeter. 

I mentionned before, a great little online community called Expats Blog - which every year run the Expats Blog Awards, honouring some great blogs worldwide with gold, silver and bronze prizes. The guys over at Expats Blog not only found my little online diary but nominated me for an award and I won. 

OK so it wasn't the big gold (but that went to a very deserving lady), but I did grab a silver!!! 

I'm very proud of my little silver badge keeping my side bar company.

If your looking for some great travel blogs or blogs about life around the world - find your new reading here.

a haze of packing

Packing is probably the hardest thing about going to London on vacation. The dilemma is this; how much and what do I pack for freezing cold England and how much room should I leave for shopping?

I mean, obviously there will be shopping, unless it's one of those times when the time limit of a week is too much pressure and I dont find anything I want to buy (this is worst case scenario, but I guess my bank balance would be happier).

Anyway, on a cold and rainy Monday night in Cyprus, I am trying to work out how to get an adequate amount of this.....

...........into my suitcase. HELP!

sunday sound

I heard this song on the radio today and knew it had that Sunday sound about it. Perfect listening for a cold day, all tucked up at home, in sweat pants, doing laundry and trying in vain to pack a whole wardrobe into one suitcase (but more about that another time). 

And I love that this doesnt sound like a typical Rhianna song. The video is pretty beautiful too.

winters arrived

The past few days have seen "winter" embrace this little island. 

We have had rain, wind, thunder and lightening and it is f.r.e.e.z.i.n.g. And when I say freezing I mean the temperature dropped below 15 degrees. Anyone in the UK is laughing at me right now, but seriously, after months of plus 30 degrees, it feels so cold that my bones are constantly shivering. 

I even wore a hat on my walk to work this morning so my ears would be spared that cold burning sensation.

With that being said it seems like the perfect time to discuss the John Lewis christmas ad. I think the christmas ads from these guys are amazing. Somehow, they always suck the emotion out of you and this years is no exception. Maybe its something to do with the soundtrack. I really feel like its christmas when I catch a glimpse of this. As well as the coca cola ad obviously.

What do you think?

hibernation?

For the past few days my head has been all over the place and forming proper sentences was not a skill I could manage. Which would explain the lack of activity around here. If I were to give you a visual perspective of what my brain felt like it would probably be something like this....

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I big white haze of nothing-ness. A weekend of sleeping, lunch with girlfriends and sex and the city seems to have done me the world of good as I emerge from my haze, well not quite, but ready as I will ever be for another Monday.

Maybe it's my inner desire for hibernation?

music to my ears.

When me and the boyfriend first started going out; way back when I was just 16 and he was 17 and teenage love was blossoming, our first discovery of mutual musical love was a Moby song. 

Everytime I hear it all those emotions and memories come flooding back. I remember the first time we saw each other [because the first time he saw me, I wasnt paying much attention], the first date; he got a projector and made a homemade cinema for us and the first time we realised, as we sat in the park in the middle of winter, freezing cold [don't ask, its what teenagers in England do] that our situations were more similar than either of us thought possible. 

And here we are 8 years later, living in together in Cyprus with a dog. His mum always says to me; "if someone had told you all those years ago that you would be living in Cyprus, you wouldn't have believed them". And she is right. I didnt even have a passport let alone aspirations of living in abroad. But if we survived the teenage years, university, long distance and many more challenging times, living together on the other side of Europe is like a walk in the park.

It's amazing to think how far life can throw you in 8 years.

the expat blog awards

The lovely people over at expats blog not only found my little online diary of love and life in Nicosia, but nominated me for an award. Expats blog is a great little (or should I say large) online community for expats the world over and I have had the pleasure to get involved (as I informed you here) and follow along with the adventures of all sorts of expats from Africa to Asia. 

And every year they launch the expat blog awards; they find the best expat blogs out there and award top blogs per country. 

So now my shameless plea for help - the awards for Cyprus are fast approaching and I would really appreciate if any of you out there feel like vocalising your thoughts to head on over here, and leave your comments at the bottom. Or click on the big blue expats blog badge on my sidebar - the same rules apply.

And while your there go check out some of the other fantastic blogs from around the world.

so december's here.

Don't you feel like this year has just flown past and suddenly December has crept up on us and its nearly the end of another year. Seriously. I remember January like it was last week. But here we are, counting down to christmas already.

source via pinterest

And this years countdown is a little more exciting than usual; because I'm going home to London for christmas!! 7 whole days of consuming everything christmas-y and London-ish I possibly can; inhaling the cold smell, seeing the lights and eating, well eating just about everything and anything I can get my hands on. (I have warned the boyfriend that he should expect me to return with at least an extra 5 pounds and im not talking money.)

Im pretty sure a christmas trip to London is bad for my waistline and bank balance but you know what, you cant put a price on happiness. And christmas should be spent with family and friends right - while its always nice to get a tan, christmas day is for roast turkey, chocolate and an afternoon on the sofa watching christmas films and opening presents. 

weekend...

This weekend I will mostly be hibernating under the blankets and putting up the christmas tree. It's 1st of December tomorrow and I only have 18 days until I head off to London, I need to inject some christmas spirit into our apartment. And since the boyfriend is away, there is no one to complain about glittery baubles and muddles of christmas lights.

I only wish my bed was something like this.... 

to tattoo or not to tattoo.

Putting ink on your skin in a permenant manner has never really appealed to me. Maybe it is due to my poor pain threshold, or maybe it's my fear or that buzzing needle, but the thought of getting a tattoo kind of freaks me out. 

Maybe it's the devious ways of pinterest encroaching on my brain again, but I could easily put any of these on my body.

Maybe.

Once i'm over my fear.

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pizza pasta gelato *said with Italian accent*

The big 8 year anniversary occurred two weeks ago so it seems a good time to relive the amazing dinner I consumed. As usual there are no pictures of our food; and not because we were staring deeply into each others eyes all night. No. Because we both hoovered up our plates before my camera even had a chance to get out of its case. 

Tutto Il Giorno Romantica is a super stylish Italian restaurant, tucked down a sleepy residential street in central Nicosia - if you dont know the area and are trying to find it, good luck - with a gorgeous modern décor and a great menu.

The restaurant itself reminds me of something you would find in London; it has the clean white, luxurious feel going on with wonderful paintings and mood lighting. And the menu is compact; with just enough appetizers and mains to keep your mind ticking away but not so many you need four hours to make a decision. My pet hate is huge menus that have no substance and just seem to encompass every possible dish anyone could think of. No. We like short, concise and quality menus thank you very much. 

We took the Beef carpaccio with rocket and parmesan to share as a starter, which was probably a bad idea as it was so delicious we nearly had a battle of knives and forks on our hands over the last piece. For main I usually opt for something I would never or cannot cook myself and since I am lousy at risotto, it was saffron risotto with prawns for me. Which I can highly recommend. The boy had some fabulous pork with roasted potatos and green beans, which i obviously helped myself to; its a girlfriends right to eat off your boyfriends plate no? All that along with some amazing warm fresh bread meant dessert was a no no. But that gives me every excuse to go back! 

As for the service - it was flawless. There is one thing I hate more than bad food and thats bad service; especially when I am out and paying for the pleasure of dinner. But these guys were on top of their game when it came to service. And they make a mean mojito! 

If you are in Nicosia and you want Italian, I recommend this place for the atmosphere, food and great prices. Check out their website for the menu and directions!

that feeling you get once a week...

...comes on a Sunday evening when you realise the weekend is all but over and another 5 days lay before you, all fresh, shiny and new. It can be daunting. 

But since I have a mere 22 days to tick off until I hop on a plane and head to London for christmas.....well that puts a whole different spin on things. 

In 22 days I can shop in H&M til my hearts content, I can pick up all those affordable beauty items im lusting after, I can visit my hairdresser and my favourite London food places. And more importantly I get to see long lost friends and family; savour their familiar faces and spend quality time catching up. Possibly the best christmas present of them all. 

In the meantime, I will be listening to this song on repeat. For 22 days. Until I land in London.

Saturday tea and self diagnosis

Today I will mostly be drinking tea and lying on the sofa with a pooch who insists on being as hyperactive as possible now that she is "over" her ordeal of having her womenhood removed. Apparently this means she will bouncing on the sofa and licking my ears until she tires herself out. Oh to be a dog. So easily amused and so content.

I have diagnosed myself with the beginnings of a sickness; that pesky little lump when you swallow and sick feeling is making itself right at home in my throat so it seems like the perfect excuse to not remove my sweat pants and hoodie all day, have a bath with an extreme amount of bubbles, put fresh pyjamas on and read in style.

And maybe try out my new blender and make butternut squash and carrot soup. And maybe chocolate brownies.... well it wouldn't be a weekend without fun food!

So let go and take some time to relax. Embrace the laziness of a wintry (well if your anywhere except Cyprus) afternoon and snooze to your hearts content.

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Happy Monday

Usually Mondays have that feeling; from the moment you wake til the moment your head touches the pillow, Monday just feels like a burden on your week. In order to face this monster head on i'm trialling a new tactic; positive, happy vibes for a Monday. 

Yes, my alarm went off as normal and yes the dog licked my ears (despite her condition) but today was different. Armed with my positive attitude, nothing, not even the pile of quality checking (and no I wont go into detail about this task because it is not in the slightest bit interesting) I was confronted with this afternoon, could hinder my mood.

And with the words of Kelly Clarkson resounding round the office this afternoon - you know, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" - I left the office feeling somewhat bouncy and happy. Its a bit strange that a Monday could bring with it such a joyous feeling. But obviously my tactic worked.

And winter weather finally feels like its catching up with us here in Cyprus; I mean I still wore sandals to work but my outfit was accompanied by a cardigan (shock horror), I am settling in for a cosy evening tucked under blankets, overwhelming my eyes with pinterest.

all from pinterest - follow me here

I take responsibility seriously

When we got Millie (the pooch) I became besotted with her; I had never owned more than a bunny rabbit and goldfish in my entire life and was always somewhat scared of dogs. But as soon as I saw her, she found some emotion in me that made her stay by side all day. It was love at first sight and when we brought her home it was like having a third person in the apartment.

She has a personality that is in tune with my own - although she isnt as tidy - and displays her emotions as obviously as I do. 

Taking on a dog is a huge responsibility. One that I take very seriously. And with the amount of abadoned dogs that call the shelter their home, I think preventing more unwanted puppies is important, especially in Cyprus. 

This Friday Millie lost part of her womanhood. And judging by the expression on her face when we went to the vets to collect her, she wasn't happy about it. And the little pooch cry when we had to pick her up to put her in the car broke my heart. 

This weekend has mostly been spent on the sofa nursing the pooch. With a tiny row of stitches in her belly, she isn't allowed to run, jump, bounce, climb or generally get excited. But since she is half jack russell, most of these things come tuned into her brain. So far so good. She has spent the weekend on the sofa, being stroked and cuddled and doesnt seem to have any discomfort anymore. 

Although she wont talk to me. 

I'm sure we will be back to play time in no time. 

a continutation of lazy

Lately the boyfriend has been on a youtube frenzy and our apartment has been filled with relaxed remixes, perfect for a Sunday. And as you know this weekend is full of laziness, food, TV and magazines! The reason for the extreme laziness will all become clear later.

lazy

This is the sort of weekend when I could easily stay in my sweat pants and hoodie til Sunday night. It is the sort of weekend where all I want to eat is pizza and all I want to do is watch movies on the sofa. It finally feels like winter is coming to Cyprus and I think my hibernation instincts kicked in somewhat.

I just need one of these and Il be a happy bunny. 

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somewhere between summer and winter

The weather in Cyprus is somewhere between summer and winter. I know you are probably thinking what's this crazy girl talking about since there is a season between summer and winter and its called AUTUMN! 

Yes you would be right, except Cyprus doesnt have autumn. It just has days where the sun shines, the mornings are fresh and the nights are freezing..... As you can imagine, picking an outfit is near impossible and in the past few days my outfits have included, a skirt and t -shirt with tights, jeans, a jumper and flip flops and a jumper, jeans and scarf. 

All I know is that my wardrobe cannot last much longer in these conditions. And there are so many gorgeous winter items just screaming at me to be bought. So while everyone enjoys the colder month of November, I am stuck in limbo, lusting after a combination of the below items.

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Oh and on Saturday its going to be colder than today. The temperatures meant to go down not up right....?

the best balm

I have a thing about lip balms; I have always had kinda dry lips and so lip balm has been an essential item in my hand bag since the day I started carrying a handbag. 

Over the years I have tried so many balms, all in pursuit of that perfect one. My girlfriends at university used to mock me for spending more money on lip balm than grocery shopping. But whats a girl to do when she suffers from dry lips.....

I thought I had found my favourite in the MAC lip conditioner but thats been pushed aside for now. In it's place is a balm I have heard a lot about, Co Bigelow Rose Salve. This stuff is one amazing multi purpose salve perfect for lips or wherever else you need some intensive moisture.

And the gorgeous rose smell and cute vintage style packaging make me love it even more.

In terms of stockists I cant really help you; but you can find it on ebay.

8 years feels like 8 minutes

Somehow 8 years have passed in the blink of an eye. 

And I have had the opportunity to share them with an amazing man. Right from the beginning his friends told me I am the female version of him; which I guess is true minus the passion for graffiti. We have conquered growing up, a long distance relationship and moving to another country. 

There were some tears along the way but we made it to the sunshine island and have taken the next step in our relationship. 

No not that one.

We got a dog. 

*now for the soppy bit* 

Joking aside, I have my best friend by my side and I know no matter what happens, I have his love and support and he cooks. Well a happy belly is just as important as a happy heart no?

2 years: the Girls

When you move to a different country you don't know what will happen. Sure you can plan, organise and schedule as much as you like, but when it comes to the little things like finding happiness and friends, it kinda falls to fate. 

Fate must have been on my side when I moved to Cyprus, because somehow I have ended up with the best group of girlfriends I could have ever hoped to find. They will mock me endlessly for this because the nature of our friendship is to wind each other up, usually until we scream with laughter. 

Developing friendships, especially through work can be difficult, but we all have a sense of humour, love for chocolate biscuits and need for shopping. Ok so the chocolate biscuit thing sometimes becomes an issue when they bring up the dreaded "c" word; (thats calories in case you didnt work it out) in fact it is the only time I think maybe our friendship couldnt work. 

Joking aside, I am not sure what I would do without these girls to see me through the homesickness and heat that come as part and parcel of island life. And when one of your friends happens to be the walking, talking version of the time out guide for Cyprus, you quickly settle. 

Now to see them in all their glory (the bit they will have been dreading)

 

The rain caught up with me... and the powers cut

..... and all I can hear are big, puffy water drops splattering on my window. Maybe winter has officially found us. 

And today we had a surprise power cut. Yipppeeee. I hope we are not going back to the days of regular power cuts; that was not amusing. But since Cyprus still hasn't rebuilt its power station, this is always a possibility.

While I contemplate living without power, I will try and drown out (no pun intended) the sound of the raindrops with some calming sounds.

Happy Camper

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I dont even like camping. 

I went once and it rained the whole time; it was probably one of the worst experiences of my life. Maybe thats because I didn't have this happy camper t shirt. Or maybe its because we were in England; the combination of tents and an unpredictable weather system do not go well together. 

Maybe it the jumper or the fact that its 28 degrees in November, but I have this huge urge to escape; go up to the mountains where the air is clean and cool and spend the day in the forest, walking the pooch through the trees and embracing the calm, quiet and cold. 

And then go home for some hot chocolate!

2 years: the pictures

After my 2 year post the other day, I got to reminiscing about our time here. It easy to forget how much we have done and accomplished in this time and I love looking back at our photographs.

Since 2 years is no 2 weeks, we have built up quite a collection of photographic evidence of our time here. From the places we have visited, the views, the sun rises and sets, the friends, the food and of course the pooch. 

Warning: what follows is mostly visual - words will stop here (minus the captions).

on our way to a new life

priorities = bed + mattress

time to make an ikea bed

granny was happy to have her favourite grandson back

shopping in Cyprus for the first time is a bit confusing

goats head anyone?

market time

kebab and sunshine for our first christmas day in Cyprus

men make fire! and smoke....

and thats just half the table

we got a dog!

I found my love for watermelon

our first summer and our first 40 degrees

we feel in love with Latchi

for the views alone

the dog finally got over her car sickness

the dog went swimming for the first time....she didnt like it.

we went mushroom picking in the mountains

and I fell in love with the tall trees

Harry fulfilled his dream of opening a graff store

and our lives became filled with paint

our second christmas and a proper christmas tree and decorations!

millies first christmas

a trip to England and of course it snows

we moved into a new apartment

Harry learnt about the importance of kebabs

Millie almost got a new friend

some beautiful skies have been witnessed from the new balcony

a beautiful wedding

our second trip to Latchi

I love that pool and the view

visitors! Sharon and Herman

sunset

and a best friends wedding