Something different

Something different 😊 I’m writing this blog while lying on a sun-bed on the beach in Cyprus. It’s a beautiful sunny day, the sea is calm and being a Monday there are very few people on the beach. We are staying at our usual hotel, family run, beautiful gardens, next to the sea, it’s an oasis of tranquility. Most of the people who visit are on a yoga retreat, a religious retreat, a hiking holiday or similar. It’s all about nature, peace and getting away from it all. Believe me I have had more than my fair share of things that I would like to get away from this year!

I have never seen so many praying mantis, they seem to be on every lantana bush. I think they are all the same Sphodromantis species, it’s great fun counting them up and seeing how many each of us can see. Of course, the well tended gardens are organically grown. The orchard is a delight at this time of year, so many amazing fruits and herbs. I love to sit in the orchard alone with my thoughts and listening to the humming of bees from the hives (I still intend to get one next year, there is a local bee keeping course starting in March 🐝)

We have been driving around the island enjoying the countryside while looking for bugs and of course snakes (no, I haven’t seen any yet). I searched the area where I found the mole crickets some years ago, sadly it was very dry this year, too dry for mole crickets. There are however loads of little green beetles flying into the hotel in the evening. I nearly ate one the other evening, the light is dim on the terrace and it was in my salad. I didn’t see the beetle until it moved, yuck!

I had an eventful first day of our holiday. I managed to get locked in the toilet of a beautiful outdoor cafe. Thankfully I had my phone and called my husband. The owner managed to unlock the door from outside in the end and we were given free pastries 😋 I also got into an argument at the new reptile exhibition in the village near to our hotel. I was so looking forward to visiting this place, it could be great but!!! What can I say? I could say lots but all I will say is that nobody is going to convince me that being a “hunter” is a good thing and who the hell would choose this person to run an animal exhibition? I tried to be polite, I was a visitor, it’s not my country but he kept pushing and I told him what I thought. I think my parting words were “animals have feelings too and how would you feel if someone was running after your children with a shot gun?”. I finally lost the plot after him telling me, he’s doing me a favour hunting animals and rats kill babies. My thoughts on the set-ups are not suitable for an open blog!

Anyway I shall carry on dragging my poor husband around the island for the next few days in the search of seeing the wonderful wildlife that I know is there somewhere 😂

When I get back it’s the AES annual exhibition. We have to get back for the show, I’ve been going every year since I was a teenager. I was on the verge of retiring last year but now that I’m fully retired I can just swan around chatting to everyone. Hopefully I will get this blog entry uploaded before the show but we don’t get back until Thursday night and it’s more complicated than it used to be when I had my website, so I have have to rely on my husband to help and he’s working on Friday. What I’m trying to say is that if you see me at the show, I’m up for a chat 😁

I will put some photos on Facebook of whatever interesting bugs I find but now I’m going for a dip in the beautiful blue sea.