RSDT

Here are a few photos showing our family, our house, and life here in Cyprus in 2001. You should be able to click on any of them to get bigger pictures.

Tim and Tessie

Our new kitten (making four cats in all) quickly made herself at home and adopted Timothy as 'her' human. Here they are together on a winter morning in January, sharing a comfortable cuddle and a book on the sofa in our middle 'Atrium' room.

A local house

Some of the local houses are empty and become extremely tatty, with paint peeling and weeds growing wildly all around. Here's one in our neighbourhood that has been empty for a few years now - potentially it could be a beautiful place.

Lighthouse at Kiti

Kiti beach is one of our favourite places to go, although it can be quite chilly in February. The lighthouse is the smallest we've ever seen - it's shown in this picture at the top of the hill overlooking the beach. The shells of the summer umbrellas are always there, waiting for the summer and the influx of visitors.>

Our garden in February

There wasn't much rain at all this winter, so although the garden was greener than in the summer, it still looked quite bare. The drought was becoming quite severe so we only had mains water switched on two or three times per week, and the reservoirs were looking dangerously low.>

Cricket with Grandpa>

My parents came out for their annual visit in March this year, and enjoyed spending time with the boys. A bit of cricket in the back garden was always a favourite activity.

Sandcastle at Kiti>

We also had a picnic at Kiti beach one day. We dug a huge moat and sandcastle in the morning, which helped to keep us warm since it was quite windy still.

Richard in Lefkara

Once again we visited Lefkara in April, the traditional town in the mountains where lace and silver are made. While the rest of us browsed the shops, Richard had a lengthy phone call on his mobile!

Sophia catches a snake

Of all our cats, Sophia is by far the best hunter. With humans she has very little patience, but with prey outside she will sit motionless for lengthy periods before making her catch. We were a bit worried when she brought a snake in one day - it was still alive, and hard markings rather like those of an adder. But a bit of research reassured us that she had probably caught a Cyprus catsnake which is not poisonous.

Cleo pretends to be a mat

Cleo, our first cat is also the most nervous. She likes to sleep in strange places, usually on a shelf or windowsill where she can watch what's going on in the room. Here she is in May in the dining room on a pile of tablemats.

Sophia on the porch

Here is Sophia again, sitting regally on our front porch watching the world go by. She is Daniel's cat, and probably the most sociable. She 'talks' in mews, some of which we can even understand, and always likes to be around people.

The Poseidon line ferry

We had a major holiday this year from late June to early August, driving all the way to the UK in our ten-year-old car, staying at youth hostels in family rooms, and visiting several interesting cities in mainland Europe. Obviously we needed to use ferries between Cyprus and Greece, and then between Greece and Italy.

The Colosseum at Rome

We could have spent far longer in Rome than we did - just wandering around almost randomly we came across the most amazing places. The queues for the Colosseum were so long that we didn't go inside, but we walked around the outside and marvelled at the building work. The boys and I are shown in this picture to give an idea of the size.

Tim in St Andrews

We spent almost all of July in the UK, mainly based at my parents' home in Birmingham. We met several home educating families as well as seeing some old friends, and we spent a few days in St Andrews, Scotland, visiting my grandmother. It rained off and on the whole time we were there, but Tim and I did take a walk to the ruined cathedral as he couldn't remember having seen it before.>

Daniel starts juggling

This was the summer when Daniel decided he would learn to juggle. He had a brief 'lesson' from one of my brothers, and spent many hours teaching himself to juggle with three balls. Here he is in Sussex practising with two tennis balls in one hand.

Boats in Venice

In August we drove back again from the UK to Cyprus, taking a different route. Instead of driving all the way up Italy, we had a day in Venice and then got a different ferry down the side of Italy to Greece. Venice was a remarkable place - we walked everywhere to save money, but enjoyed looking at the boats and gondalas.

St Mark's Square

We found our way to St Mark's Square in Venice, where we sat and watched the birds, and the many people. We had been warned not to buy even so much as a cup of coffee there, since the prices are so high - but we still enjoyed listening to live music at some of the restaurants nearby, and browsing the shops.

Tim relaxing

In September summer gradually comes to an end, although we stay in shorts and tee-shirts well beyond this month. Here's Tim reading again on the sofa.

Daniel on the computer

Both boys spend a fair amount of time at their computer; Tim does quite a bit of music and 'chatting' while Daniel does more art and programming.

Chairmaker in Kritou Terra in Cyprus

In October the home educators' group had a three-day trip to Kritou Terra, a little village in the hills beyond Paphos. One of our group worked at the Environmental Centre there, and arranged for us to spend some time in the science lab as well as seeing some of the local craftspeople. This photograph shows a traditional chairmaker, someone with a skill which is rapidly dying out in the island.>

Weaver in Kritou Terra

We also went to visit a weaver in her home, and she showed us the various techniques she uses to create the wonderful rugs and other items she sells. Unfortunately younger people are no longer interested in these crafts, so there is nobody to pass on the knowlege to, and this is another skill which will gradually die away.>

Abandoned plane

In November the home educators' group went on a trip to the Buffer Zone in Nicosia - the UN-controlled area between North and South Cyprus. Unfortunately the group was too big to be taken inside the UN building, but we were able to see the famous plane which has not been flown since the invasion in 1974.>

Abandoned airport in Nicosia

We also went to see the old Nicosia airport, which also hasn't been used for nearly thirty years. The windows are broken, and the doors locked, but we could see inside. Nobody knows if there will ever again be a functioning airport in Nicosia.

The Larnaka Town Band

In December the Municipal Band practice Christmas carols, and then perform a public concert outside a few days before Christmas. Here they are outside the CYTA building in the town, just beginning to play.

Tim on Christmas morning

Since we tend to spend Christmas Day with friends, we open our family presents first thing in the morning before the church service. Here's Tim investigating a large parcel from the UK.