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Walking in the Kyrenia mountains

Five Finger mountain

Five Finger mountain

Just outside the  town of Kyrenia is rather spectacular mountain range, called the “Five Finger Mountains” after the mountain pictured above, which from some angles looks remarkably like a palm and upraised fingers. I’m sure I can count more than five finger-like outcrops though!  The range shelters a number of small abandoned Greek Orthodox churches (several of which we were taken to see – after a while one church looks very like another!) and three crusader castles.   We went on a hot and steep walk up to the most inaccessible of the three – Buffavento Castle. That’s it in the picture below, just visible on the very top of the mountain.

Buffavento Castle perched on a rocky crag.

Buffavento Castle perched on a rocky crag.

I remembered half-way up the hair-pin drive to the car-park that I’d been there before with Christopher. Except that the top of the mountain had been shrouded in cloud that day, which made the very steep and rocky path up to the castle very difficult and dangerous, and by the time we reached the top the fog was so thick that we could barely see a hand in front of our face! This time the skies were so clear that the views were spectacular, and well worth the long hard climb.

The view from the castle

The view from the castle

When we staggered back down to the coach, after nearly two hours climbing up and down the mountain, our guide poured us each an extremely welcome Brandy Sour, the local cocktail.  I think by then she’d realised that there were already rumblings at the back of the mini-bus about the itinerary, as the measures she poured us were very generous indeed!

02 01 2015 Gillian Day out
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Boxing Day – Scattering the Ashes

On Boxing Day we were taken on a mini-bus tour of the Karpas Peninsular, the “pan-handle” in the north-east of Cyprus. We were heading for the old Greek Orthodox monastery of Apostolos Andreas right at the very far tip of the peninsular. But when we got there after a three-hour drive through admittedly beautiful and largely unspoiled scenery, it was closed for renovations! It was fenced off and covered in scaffolding  in the middle of a building site. The guide tried her best to save the day by saying “Look – wild donkeys!” as we were mugged by four very woolly creatures looking for carrots. The donkeys are the descendants of the animals abandoned by the Greek Cypriot farmers during the exchange of populations in the seventies when Cyprus was divided in two. They have all been rounded up and housed in a nature reserve on the Karpas peninsular, where they seem to have got very used to cadging treats off tourists. After five minutes looking at the donkeys, we got back in the mini-bus and drove back down the peninsular to lunch. I heard one of the chaps seated behind me grumbling “Do you think the person who put this tour together has actually been on it?” They certainly didn’t bother to check that the monastery was actually open…..

Scattering the ashes

Scattering the ashes

Lunch was at a very pleasant fish restaurant on the north coast of the peninsular, next to a lovely little bay with a sandy beach.  I went for a quiet stroll on the beach while the others were finishing their lunch, and scattered some of Christopher’s ashes into the sea just by the little rocks at the middle right of the picture above. It was very peaceful, with just the sound of the waves, and I think he would have approved.

 

01 01 2015 Gillian Day out Comments Off on Boxing Day – Scattering the Ashes Permalink

Secret North Cyprus

I’ve just got back from a week spent on a tour of the lesser-known sites of North Cyprus. I wanted to go away for Christmas, as I’ve done for the past few years, and this tour seemed to fit the bill. About ten years ago, Christopher and I spent a Christmas in North Cyprus, hired a car and “did” all of the major sites – crusader castles, Greek and Roman ruined cities, and a medieval abbey. It was very enjoyable, but I didn’t want to repeat that itinerary with a ghost sitting next to me. So a coach-trip with a small group to the unashamed “B-list” sites sounded ideal.

As it turned out, some of the sites in “Secret North Cyprus” were very secret indeed. I had an excellent guide book which covered almost everything, but even that didn’t mention the landfill site which we were taken to view on Christmas Day! One of the men on the tour grumbled over dinner that night that he “could see why they call it Secret North Cyprus. If they told you what it actually involved, nobody would ever go!”. Another chap said that he was already planning a tour of Secret North Kent – he reckoned he could find enough land-fill sites, partially completed infrastructure projects, derelict buildings and non-descript holes in the ground to fill a week!

That was possibly unfair. I found the Bronze Age tombs and some of the Byzantine churches quite interesting. The problem was that I was the only person on the trip who had actually already seen the A-list sites, and without that context the lesser-known sites were rather disappointing. Several of the group had in fact originally booked onto the “Highlights of North Cyprus” tour, only for the operator to decide that it wasn’t viable to run both in parallel over Christmas. So everyone from the two tours was combined onto just the one, the “Secrets” tour. That was an odd decision – if they’d moved everyone onto the main “Highlights” tour, then I would have been the only person who was disappointed. As it was, there were definite rumblings at the back of the coach when we stopped to see “ABC” (Another Bloody Church) or “MBR” (More Bloody Rubble).

I got back very late last night, caught up in the chaos caused by a closed runway at Gatwick. Photos will follow when I’ve caught up on my sleep and had a chance to look through them and select the best.

30 12 2014 icyjumbo Day out Comments Off on Secret North Cyprus Permalink

Under Another Sky

The course on Hadrian’s Wall finished a while ago, and I’ve missed reading and learning about Roman Britain. But then I received my copy of the Balliol Record, my college magazine. It’s the usual mix of college, university and alumni news, and it usually is of only passing interest. But this issue had a book review of Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain by Charlotte Higgins, a classicist a few years below me at Balliol who is now the arts correspondent for the Guardian. I ordered it immediately on Amazon and it was delivered a few days later.

The book was very interesting – Charlotte and her boyfriend tour round Britain in a clapped out and highly temperamental old VW camper-van, visiting as much of Roman Britain as is left standing. On the way they are guided round various Roman sites by a number of eminent archaeologists – and were shown the key sites in Roman London and Colchester by the same experts who introduced me to them. Her journalistic training means that she writes very evocatively and fluently, and her classics background (and the help of senior archaeologists) shows through with the level of background knowledge she has about the Roman world. I did spot one mistake – the new excavations in Colchester are of a circus (chariot racing stadium), not an amphitheatre. But apart from that, it was very well written, and as far as I could tell, complete and accurate. I certainly found it a very easy and enjoyable read.

I’ve been to the majority of the places she mentioned – Christopher and I spent a lot of time visiting Roman ruins, including returning to Chester and Wroxeter just a few months before he died. And of course I’ve kept up the interest and the visits since then too. But I’ve not seen any of the fortifications in Scotland well to the north of Hadrian’s Wall. They sounded interesting, and may have to go on The List for a future trip.

21 12 2014 icyjumbo book Comments Off on Under Another Sky Permalink

Round One to English Heritage

The local planning fuss I mentioned recently about broiler sheds is rumbling on. I’ve been keeping half an eye on Herefordshire Council’s Planning website, and there have been over 600 comments from members of the public, approximately 95% of which are objecting to the development. Interestingly, one of the local big landowners wrote a letter of support – I wonder whether he has aspirations to diversify into intensive chicken production too?

Earlier this week however, the application was withdrawn by the agent, apparently in response to some pretty damning objections from English Heritage and the Malvern Hills AONB. Both organisations objected strongly to the situation of a large-scale development in the foothills of British Camp hill fort, slap bang in the middle of an AONB. However, they didn’t say a definitive “No, not under any circumstances ever”. It was more a case of the application having inadequate screening, and being far too visible from the hills. The implication was that the organisations would be less implacably opposed to the development if it were less obtrusive visually.

So now we have to wait and see whether a new application is submitted that is visually more in sympathy with the surroundings. That of course would not have any impact on the noise, smell, pollution, potential flooding and traffic problems that the locals are also worried about.

It does make me all the more determined to make an effort to eat free range chicken! Not only does it taste better, but I don’t want to increase the demand for huge broiler sheds on either my doorstep or anyone else’s!

19 12 2014 icyjumbo Uncategorized Comments Off on Round One to English Heritage Permalink

Chimney Sheep

I’ve got an open fire in my living room which is hardly ever used. It’s a useful back-up if and when the boiler breaks down or there’s an extended power cut, as it means that at least I can heat one room. And Christopher used to quite like occasionally having a roaring blaze on a bleak winter Sunday afternoon. But since he died I don’t think I’ve ever bothered to light a fire, even though I still have a large wood-pile in a corner of the garage.

The problem with an unused fireplace though is the draught and consequent heat-loss straight up the chimney. The house is difficult and expensive to heat anyway, and an open fireplace just compounds the problem. So what I really need is a temporary and removable chimney-draught-excluder, so that I can use the fire when I want to, but block it up the rest of the time. Hence the Chimney Sheep. It’s effectively a woollen cushion with an extendable plastic handle. It comes in various sizes, and you need one slightly larger than the size of the flue. You shove it up the chimney, and it stays in place with friction, blocking the draughts. Then, if you want to light a fire it’s simply a matter of tugging on the handle to remove it.

It’s easy enough to use – it took a torch, a bit of fiddling and a face full of soot to get it positioned correctly, but it’s staying in place just fine. There’s a tag which dangles off the end of the handle and hangs down into the middle of the fireplace, so you can’t fail to see it if you go to light a fire. I think it would get a bit sooty if you kept removing and replacing it, but the main cushion isn’t visible from the room, so that’s not a major problem.

It’s noticeable already that the room is warmer and less draughty than before. There’s been a heavy frost on the ground all day, but there’s not a howling gale coming down the chimney. I’m hopeful that it will pay for itself in reduced heating bills.

13 12 2014 icyjumbo house Comments (2) Permalink

Planning permission fuss

There is a big fuss going on locally at the moment. The farmer just down the hill from me – he of the potato lorries – has put in a planning application to build four huge “broiler sheds” to intensively rear chickens.

The big problem is that this is slap bang in the middle of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the development is industrial in size and scope, and would be clearly visible from the hills. There are also serious concerns about pollution, flooding, increased traffic, smell, and the impact on the tourist trade, including on a local pub with quite a good reputation for food which is directly opposite the site. So there are a number of legitimate concerns that need to be addressed.

Despite this, the local council don’t seem to have been particularly proactive about actually telling anyone about it – sticking a notice to a telephone pole on a fast stretch of road with no stopping places isn’t particularly helpful! Furthermore, the application has been amended part-way through the consultation period to slightly shift the location of the sheds, but those people who had already commented (and were therefore clearly interested parties) were not informed of the change. That I thought was very sloppy practice by the council. Indeed, many of the neighbours most directly affected by the application found out by accident, or by reading about it in the local paper, rather than being properly informed. And many of them are not happy!

I looked out of my living room window a few weeks back to see a man acting suspiciously on my drive. Since I was on my own I decided not to confront him, but just checked that the door was locked. The next day I found a flyer under my car windscreen wiper from “Colwall Action Group” trying to drum up opposition with lots of rather alarmist statements about the proposed development. There’s now nearly 600 comments from local villagers on the Herefordshire Council planning website, the vast majority of which are objections, including from the parish and town councils. Even our local MP has got in on the act. He’s not noticeably proactive or ambitious as far as I can tell as one of his constituents, but he’s clearly decided that, with an election coming up, he risks losing the votes of a significant portion of the residents in the surrounding villages if he doesn’t speak up against the application. There’s even been a petition with several thousand names from PETA the animal welfare people objecting to the development. I’m not sure how much weight that would carry though – intensively reared chicken may be ethically dubious, but it’s entirely legal, and personal morals are not legal grounds to refuse a planning application.

I fully understand that farmers need to diversify to make a living, and someone needs to rear the cheap chickens that fill the supermarket shelves. It’s going to be very interesting to see how much weight the county council gives to local opinion and its statutory obligation to protect the AONB from excessive development, and how much to the farmer’s desire to expand into new areas of production. Either way, I expect the battle will go to appeal, so it could drag on for a while yet.

11 12 2014 icyjumbo Uncategorized Comments Off on Planning permission fuss Permalink

The Terrace on the Hill

I finally got my latest huge technical report finished earlier this week, and took a day’s leave today to unwind and relax. I decided to treat myself to lunch out at a new restaurant that has recently opened in Malvern – The Terrace on the Hill. By day it’s a cafe/brasserie serving light lunches, and on Friday and Saturday evenings it metamorphoses into a fine dining restaurant with a Michelin-starred chef serving a 7-course tasting menu. I’m sure that Christopher would have loved that, but it’s hardly the sort of thing I’m going to indulge in on my own. I was however curious to see what the restaurant was like, so I thought I’d give lunch a go.

My first impressions were very favourable. It’s a small restaurant with not much more than a dozen tables. It’s been very tastefully done up with comfortable seats and good quality furnishings. There’s some sofas in the window for people who just want coffee and cake, and I was pleased to see that newspapers were provided. When I’m dining on my own, I do like to have something to read so that I don’t feel so self-conscious about eating solo. I’d taken the precaution of putting a book in my handbag, but didn’t need to resort to it.

The menu I found was surprisingly limited. Three soups, three salads, a small selection of pasta dishes, and some upmarket all-day brunches. It also heavily featured smoked haddock, an ingredient which I positively loathe. There wasn’t actually very much that I fancied eating, which was disappointing. I settled on the Eggs Benedict which were very good, but made a very light lunch indeed. So light in fact that I had plenty of room for a dessert, from their selection of freshly-baked tarts and cakes. I chose a pear tart, with gorgeously crisp pastry and a side order of clotted cream.

It was a pleasant and very reasonably-priced lunch in comfortable and friendly surroundings. However, I’m not sure that I’ll become a regular unless they significantly change the lunch menu – it just wasn’t interesting or varied enough for me. I would be interested in trying their fine-dining tasting menu, but I think I’ll have to talk my sister and brother-in-law into coming over for a visit to make that viable!

05 12 2014 icyjumbo Day out
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They surely should have known better

Christopher got a letter today from the NHS. I opened it with considerable annoyance – surely they should have known that he was dead, since he died under their jurisdiction! The letter said that his medical exemption certificate to give him free prescriptions was about to expire, and would he please renew it. Since he only was eligible for the certificate in the first place because he was terminally ill with cancer, and he hasn’t used it for over four years, you would have thought that it would be something of an indication that he wasn’t in need of it any more. But no.

I phoned up the helpline number on the letter and eventually got through to a person. I pointed out that it was really somewhat upsetting to get letters addressed to one’s very dead husband, and that the NHS of all people really ought to know better! The chap was very apologetic, and said that the NHS systems are all completely stove-piped with no connection between the GPs, consultants and the business services systems. There apparently had been an attempt years ago to connect them, but it would have cost millions of pounds so that didn’t go anywhere. He did however close Christopher’s account and promised that his particular bit of the NHS would never write to him again.

I know that big computer systems in government are clunky, inflexible and expensive. Indeed, I deal in my day job with trying to overcome stove-pipes in information systems that were acquired piecemeal and don’t talk to each other. And I don’t want all my personal data held in one huge insecure pan-government system in a Big Brother fashion. But it’s really annoying when a badly specified computer system causes such completely inappropriate actions to be taken. I’m sure there ought to be ways around it – even if it requires manual intervention to check the register of deaths before sending out automatic letters.

28 11 2014 icyjumbo cancer
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Turning and Decorating

Work has been extremely busy for the past month or more. I had a major meeting with my customer and suppliers, which needed a lot of preparation. Consequently, I’ve been working a lot of overtime and feeling rather stressed. So it was really good to spend Sunday at Eastnor pottery. I wasn’t throwing this time, but rather finishing off the jugs, saucers and bowls that I threw last time I was there. That involves putting the leather-hard pots upside down on the wheel, centring them, holding them in place with coils of fresh clay, and then shaving off the rough edges around the bottom. Since I pay for my pots by kg of fired clay, it’s well worth shaving off as much as I can at this stage. It not only makes them look more elegant, but the lighter they are, the less I pay to take them home!

I don’t find turning and decorating the pots to be quite as much of a stress-reducer as throwing them in the first place, but it’s still pretty relaxing and the morning flew by. Once I’d turned all the pots I decorated some of the pieces by splattering coloured slip onto them with an old toothbrush. I’m sure I learned that technique in infant school, but the end result looks surprisingly good. It also doesn’t take a great deal of skill, which is a good thing as I’m really not at all artistic. Bold colours and simple designs are more my thing, trying not to detract from the underlying shape of the pot itself. Jon the potter promised that all the pots would be fired and glazed in time for Christmas, so what with the glass bowls I made earlier, that’s Christmas sorted…..

25 11 2014 icyjumbo Day out Comments Off on Turning and Decorating Permalink