I hope “Yule” find these top ten tips really “Yulesful” (ha ha) As far as I am concerned, Christmas isn’t Christmas without a real tree. From going to the forest and choosing it, to bringing it home and lovingly decorating it. But how do keep your tree in tip-top condition and get it to last the festive period? Here are my top ten tips:
1. First and foremost, pick a really bushy tree that doesn’t drop its needles, ideally a fir. Although they cost a bit more, they are worth it. If you can find one with a rootball, so much the better, as this will last longer.
2. Trim your trunk! Freshly cut Christmas trees need to drink straight away, so chop off an inch or two and put the tree in a bucket of water overnight before decorating. Contrary to popular belief, drilling a hole in the bottom of the tree trunk does not mean it will take water up any quicker, so don’t bother.
3. Put your tree in a suitable container, making sure it stands firm. Christmas trees easily topple over when laden with decorations – I speak from first hand experience!
4. Make sure you can water your tree easily and remember to top it up every day because it will dry out quickly. Start off with at least a gallon of water – Christmas trees are very thirsty.
5. Did you know it is beneficial to add some sugar to the water? But don’t do what flower arrangers do and add some aspirin – save that for a hangover.
6. Although it may be tempting, don’t put your fresh tree in soil or sand. This might seem a sensible thing to do, but it actually blocks the pores in the tree bark and will prevent it from drinking.
7. Don’t put your tree too close to any heating, for example a radiator or an open fire. This will make it dry out even quicker – and can be a fire hazard too.
8. Although it might be tempting as this is an easy option, don’t buy a Christmas tree that has already been set in a block of wood as the tree can’t drink. It will drop its needles and die very quickly.
9. Turn the tree lights off at night.
10. And finally, when the New Year comes, be environmentally friendly and recycle your tree for mulch.
In Cyprus, the Forestry Commission has trees on sale at all the stations around the island. They are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 2pm up until 22 December. Pine trees, two to three metres are either eight or ten euros. Fir trees - which are the best – are around 50 euros for one to two metres.
The Paphos station is in Yeroskipou. You can call them on (00 357) 26 30 62 66 for further information.
Oh, and if you are looking for logs for your fire, the Forestry Commission will be able to help you with those too. Sometimes you can even cut your own.
And finally, if you really love trees, why not contact your local municipality in the New Year? There is a service now whereby the municipality staff will give come along to your property, supply and plant a tree for you free of charge. All you have to do is agree to maintain it.
Merry Christmas
Jackie
The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.Cyprusbuyingguide.com
Thursday 16 December 2010
Wednesday 8 December 2010
It’s behind you!
Two village idiots were assembling something. One said, “When I nod my head, you hit it." It gets worse. “What did Cinderella say when the Chemist lost her photographs? Someday my prints will come!” You’ve guessed. It’s time to forget your inhibitions, let your hair down and realise that it’s perfectly acceptable to become a five-year old again.
“Oh no it isn’t … oh yes it is!” Okay, okay, enough is enough. I’m sure you realise by now that the traditional pantomime is alive and kicking in Cyprus – and how fabulous that there’s more than one production to see.
You can “boo” and “hiss” to your heart’s delight, no matter what age you are, nobody cares. And in fact, the more you “boo” and “hiss” the more the actors love it - and the better the pantomime becomes. The atmosphere is always electric and it’s fair to say you’ll probably leave utterly exhausted - just as I did last weekend! Ah well, the big kid in all of us has to come out sometimes.
But that’s not the only entertainment available for you in Cyprus at Christmas. It’s endless. There are beautiful shows, gala dinners, special exhibitions, wonderful concerts, fabulous dinner dances – the list goes on. One thing is for sure, you certainly won’t be bored.
At Christmas time, Cyprus is beautifully decorated with striking displays of twinkling lights, Santa, reindeers, elves, sleighs and more. The town and surrounding villages come alive and are very picturesque when darkness falls, offering great opportunities for budding photographers.
Beautiful poinsettias are now in abundance, with most households displaying these outside their front doors. Of course, the weather here makes that possible. Oh, and the roses, I mustn’t forget the roses. They are now all out in full bloom in everyone’s gardens and the scents are quite incredible.
At Christmas, roses here smell like the old-fashioned English versions, and these, combined with jasmines, fill the air with the most amazing fragrances. Because mountain air is so fresh and clean, the scents are stronger than you would ever find in the UK. Fortunately, I live in the mountains, so get to experience this first hand.
While we are talking about scents, there are also those of the oranges, mandarins, clementines, lemons and grapefruits. I go walking in the mountains every day at this time of the year and as I pass by these groves, I often pick a few on the way to take home. Nothing could be fresher, their taste is superb.
The pomegranate trees are currently laden with fruits the size of small footballs. The almond groves are almost harvested now and by the way – freshly picked almonds are delicious. Once you have tasted these straight from the trees, you will never like the packet versions again. Although the almond trees look very dark and sparse now, when they flower again in the spring the sight is spectacular, with seas of pink and white blossom everywhere.
Finally, at this time of the year, temperatures are still between 20 and 25 degrees with beautiful blue skies.
It’s no wonder Christmas shopping hasn’t really started!
See you next week
Jackie
The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.Cyprusbuyingguide.com
“Oh no it isn’t … oh yes it is!” Okay, okay, enough is enough. I’m sure you realise by now that the traditional pantomime is alive and kicking in Cyprus – and how fabulous that there’s more than one production to see.
You can “boo” and “hiss” to your heart’s delight, no matter what age you are, nobody cares. And in fact, the more you “boo” and “hiss” the more the actors love it - and the better the pantomime becomes. The atmosphere is always electric and it’s fair to say you’ll probably leave utterly exhausted - just as I did last weekend! Ah well, the big kid in all of us has to come out sometimes.
But that’s not the only entertainment available for you in Cyprus at Christmas. It’s endless. There are beautiful shows, gala dinners, special exhibitions, wonderful concerts, fabulous dinner dances – the list goes on. One thing is for sure, you certainly won’t be bored.
At Christmas time, Cyprus is beautifully decorated with striking displays of twinkling lights, Santa, reindeers, elves, sleighs and more. The town and surrounding villages come alive and are very picturesque when darkness falls, offering great opportunities for budding photographers.
Beautiful poinsettias are now in abundance, with most households displaying these outside their front doors. Of course, the weather here makes that possible. Oh, and the roses, I mustn’t forget the roses. They are now all out in full bloom in everyone’s gardens and the scents are quite incredible.
At Christmas, roses here smell like the old-fashioned English versions, and these, combined with jasmines, fill the air with the most amazing fragrances. Because mountain air is so fresh and clean, the scents are stronger than you would ever find in the UK. Fortunately, I live in the mountains, so get to experience this first hand.
While we are talking about scents, there are also those of the oranges, mandarins, clementines, lemons and grapefruits. I go walking in the mountains every day at this time of the year and as I pass by these groves, I often pick a few on the way to take home. Nothing could be fresher, their taste is superb.
The pomegranate trees are currently laden with fruits the size of small footballs. The almond groves are almost harvested now and by the way – freshly picked almonds are delicious. Once you have tasted these straight from the trees, you will never like the packet versions again. Although the almond trees look very dark and sparse now, when they flower again in the spring the sight is spectacular, with seas of pink and white blossom everywhere.
Finally, at this time of the year, temperatures are still between 20 and 25 degrees with beautiful blue skies.
It’s no wonder Christmas shopping hasn’t really started!
See you next week
Jackie
The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.Cyprusbuyingguide.com
Thursday 2 December 2010
An Ex-Pat View of Christmas in Cyprus
Just imagine. You’ve left the grey, cold, wet, windy and freezing days of the UK behind to be in Paphos, where at Christmas time the sun is shining, you still wear shorts and sandals and temperatures are usually around 20 degrees. But what is it really like here at Christmas?
Well, apart from being a very traditional and religious family time, in reality there’s only one word – fabulous!
Let me tell you why. First and foremost, nobody in Paphos is ever by themselves at Christmas, particularly the elderly. Refreshingly, traditional family values apply, and communities are such that not only does everyone know each other, but they also care about each other - and locals do tend to “adopt” ex-pats. So no matter who you are, or where you are, you’ll always be guaranteed an invitation from someone.
A few years ago, anything to do with Christmas in Cyprus was always left until quite late. However, this year for the very first time - shock and horror - Christmas trees were up in a large local supermarket on (can you believe it) 3rd October! Was I really in Cyprus? Was this really happening this early? The answer, unfortunately, was “yes”. I guess it’s a sign of the times.
But despite this early arrival of all things festive, Christmas here is still very much a last minute affair, because - thank goodness - no one takes much notice until far later on. And it’s easy to see why.
We are currently experiencing the hottest November since records began. While I am writing this, it is 27 degrees and there’s not a cloud in the sky. I’m not complaining!
Mind you, searching for presents on Christmas Eve in Cyprus and getting into an absolute panic because you can’t find what you want can be a bit stressful, so perhaps a little forward planning does help.
I think my sister-in-law has the answer. To save any panic, she buys all her Christmas presents, Christmas cards, wrapping paper, birthday cards and birthday presents for the coming year in the January sales. She saves a fortune, sometimes as much as 75%. She then simply stores them away until the appropriate occasion arises. Not a bad strategy when you think about it - particularly in the current economic climate.
Seriously though, when the sudden realisation that Christmas is just a few days away, it does tend to cause chaos. Most people in Cyprus go absolutely crazy when they suddenly realise the deadline is looming. And it can be quite tiring if you are one of the last minute shoppers and have to face the queues that inevitably form.
But the shopping atmosphere here is very different to the UK and as usual, the laid back attitude always comes into play.
So what’s the secret? Do what the locals do. Read a newspaper while you are in the queue waiting with your trolley load of goodies - and just relax. At the same time, get yourself a coffee or just phone your best friend and have a chat.
Eventually you will get to the checkout.
That’s it from me for now.
Best wishes.
Jackie
The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.Cyprusbuyingguide.com
Well, apart from being a very traditional and religious family time, in reality there’s only one word – fabulous!
Let me tell you why. First and foremost, nobody in Paphos is ever by themselves at Christmas, particularly the elderly. Refreshingly, traditional family values apply, and communities are such that not only does everyone know each other, but they also care about each other - and locals do tend to “adopt” ex-pats. So no matter who you are, or where you are, you’ll always be guaranteed an invitation from someone.
A few years ago, anything to do with Christmas in Cyprus was always left until quite late. However, this year for the very first time - shock and horror - Christmas trees were up in a large local supermarket on (can you believe it) 3rd October! Was I really in Cyprus? Was this really happening this early? The answer, unfortunately, was “yes”. I guess it’s a sign of the times.
But despite this early arrival of all things festive, Christmas here is still very much a last minute affair, because - thank goodness - no one takes much notice until far later on. And it’s easy to see why.
We are currently experiencing the hottest November since records began. While I am writing this, it is 27 degrees and there’s not a cloud in the sky. I’m not complaining!
Mind you, searching for presents on Christmas Eve in Cyprus and getting into an absolute panic because you can’t find what you want can be a bit stressful, so perhaps a little forward planning does help.
I think my sister-in-law has the answer. To save any panic, she buys all her Christmas presents, Christmas cards, wrapping paper, birthday cards and birthday presents for the coming year in the January sales. She saves a fortune, sometimes as much as 75%. She then simply stores them away until the appropriate occasion arises. Not a bad strategy when you think about it - particularly in the current economic climate.
Seriously though, when the sudden realisation that Christmas is just a few days away, it does tend to cause chaos. Most people in Cyprus go absolutely crazy when they suddenly realise the deadline is looming. And it can be quite tiring if you are one of the last minute shoppers and have to face the queues that inevitably form.
But the shopping atmosphere here is very different to the UK and as usual, the laid back attitude always comes into play.
So what’s the secret? Do what the locals do. Read a newspaper while you are in the queue waiting with your trolley load of goodies - and just relax. At the same time, get yourself a coffee or just phone your best friend and have a chat.
Eventually you will get to the checkout.
That’s it from me for now.
Best wishes.
Jackie
The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.Cyprusbuyingguide.com
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