Diabetes, life and all that - personal diary

[PSS]

Woke up extremely early today, must have been about 4:30 am.

What woke me up was the sound of the rain hitting our bedroom window. Must have been quite a strong shower for the sound to come through triple glazed windows.

I love being tugged in in bed on a cold(ish) night listening to the sound of the rain. It is a sound that takes me back to my childhood. We had a shed with a corrugated metal roof in our backyard just a few meters away from my bedroom window and I used to love the sound of the rain bouncing of it.

It's funny how certain sounds and certain smells seem to resonate within us and plug our emotional strings. I can never resist the smell of cut grass, baking bread and burning olive leaves. As for sounds, apart from the aforementioned rain, flowing water, crashing waves and perhaps rather surprisingly the sound of an orchestra tuning up before the start of a concert; it is such a wonderfully pregnant sound, full of the promise of delights to come.

I think of music as the most abstract of the arts but as the one that packs the strongest emotional punch. Perhaps it is this relationship between sounds and emotion which lies behind this. A beautiful piece if music, when well performed has the power to transport us from our current reality and in some ways offer us s glimpse of God. Surely it is no accident that music plays such a large part in many religious services.

By the time it was time for me to get up the rain had long stopped so I forced myself to go on one of my morning walks; after having a rest day yesterday I could not afford to do so again.

This was a decision I came to enjoy soon afterwards, as what greeted my outside was a lovely morning with lots of sunshine and a fresh out of a bath feel; everything washed clean by the morning shower

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We are heading for a short break in Dubai over the New Year, as the wife was gracious enough to inform me last night.

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We were there last four years ago ( the photo of Dubai creek with the worlds tallest building Burj Khalifa in the background was taken during that visit) and really enjoyed our stay there.

My comment that with the weather here being what it is we hardly needed a break to warmer climes was met by a stony silence and ignored with all the contempt my wife clearly felt it deserved.

We will be going there with some friends, another couple and their son who is the same age as our own son.
They came over so that we can "discus" our plans for what we will do during our stay there. For discuss substitute told by our wives - my suggestion that we should visit the world's largest indoor free-fall parachuting centre they have there,did not generate too much enthusiasm and, on second thought, perhaps just as well.

The shock of the night though, in a night full of surprises, started when they started options for what to do on New Year's Eve itself.

I almost had a stroke when I herd what dinner at our hotel that night would cost.

You never saw a man converted to the attraction of greeting the New Year under the stars in the open desert in the Company of beduins.

I don't care if the beduins serve us camel dung for dinner, I am not paying 350 pounds per person to see in the New Year at the hotel's dinner dance.

So having travelled full circle, from the sublime to the ridiculous, I bid you farewell for now.

Back again soon.

Pavlos

Pavlos

Lovely pics. I have been to Dubai few times. I am sure you will have a grand old time!

Glad you enjoyed the walk.

I am at home today waiting for shower repair guy fix our 2 months old shower!

Enjoy your day.

Regards

PSS

 

[whatdoesthisbuttondo]

The last time I was in Dubai was the late 80's, and spent New Years eve in The red lion bar in the metropole hotel.
As the duty Royal Navy warship on patrol at the time, the priority was ti find somewhere in the UAE to get a beer, so paying the exorbitant ticket price of £45 wasn't an option.
As a qualifier I'm a Yorkshireman, so paying £45 even at today's prices brings me out in a cold sweat.......

 

[pavlosn]

The last time I was in Dubai was the late 80's, and spent New Years eve in The red lion bar in the metropole hotel.
As the duty Royal Navy warship on patrol at the time, the priority was ti find somewhere in the UAE to get a beer, so paying the exorbitant ticket price of £45 wasn't an option.
As a qualifier I'm a Yorkshireman, so paying £45 even at today's prices brings me out in a cold sweat.......

Still shocked at that price of 350 pounds per person for dinner.

 

[VinnyJames]

I was quoted £100 per person for Christmas dinner in the Marriott, Majorca one year.
We declined

 

[Mike d]

Still shocked at that price of 350 pounds per person for dinner.

Yep, that's ludicrous Pavlos. For that, I'd want shares in the business.

 

[pavlosn]

There is no getting away with it. I do not like mornings like today, overcast, grey, cold and miserable.

We had snow up in the mountains and the temperature seems to have dropped by ten to fifteen degrees overnight.

At least if the snowfall lasts until the weekend it will be nice to visit the mountains on a day trip.

My son keeps dropping hints about starting skiing lessons. In fact he was very keen for us to go on a skiing holiday over the Christmas school holiday but as neither my wife nor I ski we vetoed that and will go to Dubai instead. They have an indoor skiing slope there, so he can have his lessons there.

I was too busy trying to protect my fingers from the cold, tagged them up my sleeves and into pockets, to take any photos during my walk this morning - the scenery was not particularly inspiring either.

So here are some indoor shots instead of the wife's Christmas decorations:

She did do a fine job even if I hate to admit it

At least with the cold weather all the decorations do not look so premature or out of place.

I guess they are growing on me.

The house will probably look a bit bare when we have to put all this glitz and glitter away.

Pavlos

 

[cold ethyl]

Beautiful house and decorations. Puts my cheap tinsel to shame. This year I'm not even having a tree as having house re plastered so keep posting photos and I'll live Christmas through them.

 

[pavlosn]

Taking the photos actually made me feel a little less miserable this morning - at least the subject matter was colorful and not uniformly grey.

I should not complain, but I have been spoilt with our usual sunshine and miss it terribly when it's gone.

 

[daisy1]

Spectacular and beautiful. Your wife seems very artistic.

 

[nancyb]

I hate dark mornings too. It's been a very dark November here in the north of England. I have had my light-box on for a few weeks now. Get outside as much as you can. Love your photos - really brightened my day.

 

[pavlosn]

Spectacular and beautiful. Your wife seems very artistic.

Nah, just I woman of impeccable taste. Just look at who she picked for a husband for instance!

 

[Janiept]

Ah, now I understand why there were so many boxes waiting to be unpacked
You are quite right. your wife does have impeccable taste, and I am referring to the decorations lol.

 

[pavlosn]

Ah, now I understand why there were so many boxes waiting to be unpacked
You are quite right. your wife does have impeccable taste, and I am referring to the decorations lol.

I am not sure if I should be liking this. Lol

 

[Mike d]

Gee she doesn't like Christmas much does she ??

 

[PSS]

@pavlosn

Hey Pavols, as commented elsewhere, lovely pictures. And if you think its cold in Cyprus just think of us in the UK. That should make you feel better !

Regards

PSS

 

[pavlosn]

@pavlosn

Hey Pavols, as commented elsewhere, lovely pictures. And if you think its cold in Cyprus just think of us in the UK. That should make you feel better !

Regards

PSS

Much much better today!

Pavlos

 

[pavlosn]

Just woke up.

Still lying in bed,in fact. Sunday mornings are about being a little lazy after all.

I can see sunshine streaming through the curtains of my bedroom window and blue sky above the tree canopies outside.

The lack of cloud cover means that our nighttime temperatures can be significantly colder than daytime ones but once the sun is out things tend heat up quite quickly. I check the forecast to see that it is now 11 degrees centigrade and that with clear skies the temperature is expected to rise to a high of 20 degrees by lunchtime.

It does seem like a fine day for a day trip outside Nicosia but no firm plans for the day yet.

Whether we are actually able to get away will depend largely on how much homework my son still has to do.

He is actually very bright and gets vary good grades at school but getting him to do any studying for them is a real pain in the *ss.

Like many gifted children he seems happy to get by on brains alone.

My wife and I are trying to teach him how to be more methodical and organized in his approach to study, as we know that he will not be able to always manage on minimal effort as he seems to be able to at the moment.

Brains will only get you so far. It is hard work that makes the difference in the end.

It is amazing how many reasons he will find to postpone starting his homework and then once he does start, he will usually inform us after the shortest time interval that he finished say his Maths and will now take a break before starting work on say English.

Typically the breaks take longer than the homework!

Definitely he spends longer arguing and complaining about the homework than he does actually doing it.

Enjoy your Sunday

Pavlos

PS Just tested my sugar. A very nice 5,0 mmol.

 

[Mike d]

I know what that's like

My older brother got a private (and expensive) education and me, nope ... public. He barely passed year 12, and I was dux of the state school. I NEVER let him forget it. That's the combative streak in me running wild again.

He'll get there and I know that you know it Good fun nonetheless listening to the excuses

Mike

 

[pavlosn]

Just seen the scales dip below 90kg for first time in a long while. Breaking the 90kg barrier may not be on a par with the sound barrier but I know which one makes me happier ( plus the chances of my ever breaking the latter are not worth thinking about)

Only just mind you at 89,9 kg.

Still I like the look of that 8 digit.

Pavlos

 

[douglas99]

What's that now then?
About 13kg in 3 months?
That's pretty good going!