h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In today's edition of 'Only in Cyprus' I'm touching on a subject dear to every Brits heart - the weather.

It's been a beautiful and pleasant autumn day today. Temperatures nudged 24C mid-afternoon with a bright, but occasionally wispy sky. Local crops are being harvested in abundance - the Yperagora and the Fruitaria are stocked to bursting point with the freshest produce at the cheapest of prices. 15 cents for a kilo of potatoes, 20 cents for a kilo of onions.

Wednesday is local Bazaraki day at Agia Thekla. This quaint little market is set right on the beach edge, just outside the heart of the village. Many hundreds visit every week to soak up the ambiance, have a drink in the beach Taberna and a chat with old friends. Some, like Campbell and Moragh, can be seen on their weekly pilgrimage. I was fortunate to bump into them today.

DDD "Lovely day, Campbell"
CAMPBELL "Aye, but it was nippy earlier on the golf course. Freezing".
MORAGH "Aye, and the nights are drawing in, soon be winter. And then we'll really know how cold it gets"!

Now, these are the very same people that just three months ago left the island and returned to Scotland for an extended break to 'get away from the heat'. As Moragh says (often) "I like it warm, but I don't like it *this* warm".

CAMPBELL "There's rain forecast for tomorrow".
DDD "Really? That'll be the first since April. Good news for the farmers - they've been struggling to irrigate the crops all summer".
MORAGH "Aye, have you seen the price of tatties? 15 cents a kilo they are. I think that's terrible".

Only in Cyprus.

He he. And I like even better the idea of poking (gentle) fun at the expats. He he.

Complaint is like clothing; some people just can't bear to appear in public without it.