uncropped

Hanging out with cousins at their hotel lobby in Yermasoyia, east Limassol.














And finally an uncropped selfportrait of the photograper, Eddie 4 years.

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Good times hanging out a week with Swedish friends this Easter holiday. Our place evening time involving plenty of discussions, wine, grilling and kids playing. Some excursions day time to Nicosia old town, an Easter dinner with family friends at a Paphos village and strolling Limassol city beach and old town.

just interesting

Sometimes I'm fascinated by a yarn or a pattern just for the sake of it. Like this drop stitch pattern, made up by dropped stitches and plenty of triple yarn overs producing an interesting square pattern. A beautiful variegated Noro yarn is just interesting enough with this otherwise dull knitting pattern. Honestly it wasn't all enjoyful knitting. Also still trying to convince my husband that it's a really cool mens scarf in it's beige-greyness.

Now that it's off my hands [read more about the project on Ravelry], I can finally start planning that hand knit pullover - I'm thinking one of these awesome patterns a | b | c - for my smallest.

a wonderworld

It's peak season for the orchids at Akrotiri.
 
Himatoglossum Robertianum
Orchys Lutea
Ophrys argolica elegans
Orchis Syriaca

bit of this and that

Someone turned four and had Swedish pancake cake, as he had wished for. Like in the awesome story of Pancakes for Findus by the eminent Swedish childbook writer Sven Nordquist. Those sweet moments. The day before I had intensly embraced the fact it was his last day as three. Normally I don't dwell particularly in the past. The present is where I find myself mostly. Or maybe pondering the future. But with kids and time there's something just so inevitable. The time can't be stopped. Life and kids are constantly and mindlessly transforming into something new.

The other day I pulled out a cardigan from the closet that I had been knitting on about 6-7 years ago. Realized it was finished and fit perfectly. Think I was annoyed with the arms and had wanted to re-knit them. Glad about this new fellow in my cardigan stack. [Read more about this knitting project at ravelry.]


We have a rainy week ahead, good for the dams, and orchids that will be in bloom anytime now. I'm itching to go and admire them. In the meantime I enjoy some memories from earlier this month, such as a clamfull Ladies Miles beach. It's still half a year until we can hand trawl fresh ones there. Here is how we prepare an easy clam dish, as in an earlier blog post:

Easy Vongole
Prepare spaghetti.
Chop finely a small onion and frizzle in olive oil.
Chop finely or press a clove of garlic, add it in the pan.
Let it all frizzle until golden
Add a splash of white wine and a splash of water, half half, and bring to boil.
Season with salt, white pepper and optionally cayenne.
Add the clams and let boil for 1-2 minutes.
Taste and add more salt if necessary.
Stir in everything, clams and clam broth, to the spaghetti.
Enjoy!

[Important note: Always throw clams that are open before cooking and those that don't open after cooking.]

Pissouri beach

Exploring more of beaches west Limassol we drove to Pissouri beach, located between Avdimou and Petra tou Romiou. On our way we passed the charming Pissouri village situated on top of a steep cliff by the sea. With it's winding roads and pretty houses, it's the kind of place where one would want to retire one day.




This tidy and pebbly beach has it's own beach promenade. A nice sequence was the handsome smiling cowboy who stopped to let kids pet and feed his beautiful horse with Carob seeds. We walked to one end of the beach, where kids found a perfect spot to play "house" in. We climbed some rocks that probably been pushed up the bottom of the sea as they where stuffed with fossilized shells.
This adventurous day had a great final with friends, ancient Greek style shadow theathre, Karagiozis, and a some nice food at Proto Kalamaki tavern at the Limassol castle square (do try their delicious chicken). A great opportunity to wear my recently finished Fall Away Cardigan the first time [more on this knit project over at Ravelry].

Petra tou Romiou

We drove to walk the popular beach by Petra tou Romiou, or Aphrodite's Rock, almost in Paphos. Not so many folks there and as usual we walked to discover what is behind next bend, and the next, and the next.




Simple chess cookies - when the boys get to choose.

limassol from a ferris wheel

Everything in Cyprus is kind of small. Small businesses. A national museum with true treasures housed in a tiny house. Can't even find an opera house. But when Christmas fair is installed in Limassol there's the hughest Ferris wheel, with great views of the mountains and the sea. We where there when only the attractions had yet opened, before Christmas holidays, and I wore my recently knit Pendulum shawl. This stripy, very wearable and soft scarf was ready just in time for the cold [more about the knit project on Ravelry].



Wishing You a great new year!

orchid hunting

After first autumn rains spiranthes spiralis is supposed to bloom during November-December. Walking in the garigue landscape at Akrotiri is always nice. Our first this season. We didn't have much rains yet though. So the expectation spotting my first ever spiranthes spiralis wasn't that high. But I found one dry tiny piece all alone and pretty.

Afterwards we went to a Syrian restaurant in Limassol. Tasty and fun, also for kids.