The sound of a thousand closing doors - Paula Manoli-Gray

I find it so heartbreaking driving around Larnaca and seeing yet another shop has closed down, and as dramatic as it sounds, it feels akin to a kind of death.

The closures are happening at such a frighteningly rapid rate, and sometimes it really surprises me which stores have fallen victim to the economic massacre. Shops I had thought were popular or doing well are suddenly empty with the horrible big, red 'for rent' sign plastered on the front. I now find that sign so ominous and loaded with deeper meaning… representative of how the owners struggled, and a black mark added to the unemployment statistics. Each shop is more than a shop, it's lives and livelihoods, and I find myself wondering who the people behind the shop window are; how many people they employed both visibly and behind the scenes, and how they will now all cope. It just goes to show that you really never know what is happening behind closed doors.

It must look terrible too for visitors. Some shop rows - such as the one that leads towards the police station and seafront – are almost completely empty. They look abandoned, sad, pitiful and ugly, but most of all, desperate. For me, they really are the defining symbol of how badly we are doing, just as they will be the symbol of prosperity when they are (eventually) full again.

I am not very mathematically or business minded (an understatement, the truth is I am completely useless at both!), therefore I cannot understand the mechanics of all this closure. Is it possible that every single business is suffering to the brink of collapse; that every single person is completely without money? Where has all the money gone if no one has it? If everything keeps on closing, what then happens? Where will we 'get stuff from'? Surely people still need some things and surely not every single person is at the point where they cannot afford to buy anything other than bread and milk? I am sure that sounds very dim-witted to a lot of people, but none of it makes sense to me.

In trying to see the silver lining, I wonder if this means there will be a real shake-up and change to our commercial face? We had lost the Larnaca of old when we replaced it with lots of international franchises. They were welcome for various reasons, but they also meant that Larnaca's town centre just became another cloned European town centre with exactly the same brands and shops that you can find in any other generic European town centre. I hope that after they have all fled our little town (as many have already done so), that local, independent shops will open in their place. Of course, there has to be a lesson learned here for local businesses – that they cannot charge extortionate prices and that to survive they have to respect the customer in both what they offer and how they treat them – something which was sorely lacking previously, and a reason that I – and I am sure others – stuck to the shops they knew from abroad whose prices were more reasonable.

We have many lessons to learn, and much regeneration to put into motion, and I hope this time, that we do it right, because we simply cannot go through this all again, and those lonely empty shops are crying out for life.

First appeared in The Cyprus Weekly, 01/02/14

Photography Lessons

LPN January Competition

This Month's Competition Question 

Sponsored by
 Enoteca/Wine Bar Larnaca

Simply answer the following question and you could win a €20 Enomatic card.

When did Enoteca Wine Bar open ? 

The Winner will be announced on Friday 31st January ! Good Luck :0)

Our Enoteca/Wine Bar which opened on the 21st December 2013 is finally completed and fully operational. With our 3 ‘Enomatic Wine Serving dispensers’ intergraded into a common wine-card system, 16 different wines are served by the glass every day at their proper temperature.

Charge your own wine-card with any amount you wish and enjoy various wines by the glass at your own pace!

Our wine shop ‘The Oak Tree Wine Cellar’ right next to our Enoteca, gives you the option to select/open any of our 500+ different wines with an extra €8.00 per bottle serving charge from our retail prices.

Various types of cheese/meat platters are served to accompany your wines. We are open every day until late at night, except Monday!

Please give us a call at: 24815044 for more information.

Bugged by bugs - Paula Manoli-Gray

This time of year is a particular worry as a parent of two little ones as it is the dreaded bug season.

We literally live in daily fear that one of our two will catch a virus of some sort as it inevitably means the other one will too. And if hubby and I are particularly run-down, then so will we - just like dominos knocked down one by one!

Of course, it is not nice for anyone to get ill, child or adult, but parents of young children will know exactly what I mean about the worry, as children's immature immune systems are far more susceptible. If you are lucky, a stuffy nose is all you will have to contend with, but even that is tricky to handle as you struggle to squirt stuff up their noses, suction their snot (if they are too young to blow it themselves), battle with the fear that their mild cough will turn into pneumonic-bronchitis, and put up with their neediness and whining. If you are very unlucky then you will enjoy countless wash loads of clothes and sheets that come courtesy of tummy bugs and their colourful and frequent vomiting and diarrhea, or the sheer panic of monitoring a child's raising temperature.

This year, there has been an outbreak of Scarlet Fever in Larnaca, which causes a sore throat with white spots, swollen tongue, fever and rash - a horror straight out of Medieval times. And there have also been reports of Swine Flu on the island. It almost makes you want to put your kids in a giant protective bubble and never let them leave the house again.

But, I don't ever remember being this ill this frequently when I was a child. Am I remembering incorrectly, or were we just not so sickly in those days? My mother wouldn't allow us to stay home from school unless we were 'dying' (her words!), and I had very few sick days my whole childhood. Clearly, something was different back then – was it our immune systems or the bugs themselves?

It seems that nowadays, my kids spend the entire winter season with a runny nose at least, and it's not as a result of nutritional deficiencies. I am somewhat of a hippy mum in that area and I supplement them (naturally), give them herbal teas, chia seeds, flaxseed oil, probiotic powder, elderberry syrup, astragalus, all manner of inventively hidden fruit and vegetables, fresh air and cuddles… and still they get ill!

To be honest, bugs absolutely petrify me because you never know who is harbouring one until its too late, or how bad it will be. What if the next time round it is a new, incurable Super Bug, like in the film Contagion?

The bug season also rudely reminds me that for all our bravado and power trips, man is not the one in the driving seat, and it makes me all the more aware and appreciative of the importance of good health, above all else. I am just hoping 'the bugs' will be appeased by my awareness and acknowledgement of their power over us and take pity on us this year!

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie….what can I say? Is it not on your list of 'Top Ten Comfort Foods'? Well, it's definitely on mine and not just a perfect comfort food but also a cheap and easy meal to make that is satisfying for the whole family. Also perfect for people with busy lives, the mince mixture can be made ahead and kept in the fridge or frozen for another day. Everyone has their own way of making this classic dish, I've tried a few over the years to end up with this one which has become a family favorite…hope you like it!!!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 medium carrots cut into cubes
1 cup of frozen peas
1 tablespoon mixed herbs
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
700g of Beef mince…
1 pint of beef stock
1 tablespoon flour
11/2 kilo of potatoes, boiled and drained
Milk 

Butter
Salt and pepper

Method

Heat oil in a large pot, add the onion and on a low heat, cook until soft and transparent.

Add the meat, and cook slowly, I usually put the lid on the pot with quite a low heat and it cooks nicely with the steam in the pot, but keep an eye on it, making sure it doesn't stick.

Once the meat has lost its red color and has cooked through, add the carrots and peas, sprinkle with the herbs, add Worcestershire sauce and mix well. Now add the stock and cook on a slow heat. Don't allow your mixture to dry out, adding water if needed.

When everything is cooked and tender season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and mix well. Your mixture shouldn't be too dense, if needed add a little water, so it has a nice sauce. I like making it this way, so my shepherd's pie doesn't dry out too much once the potatoes are added.

Add butter and milk to the potatoes, season with S&P and mash until creamy.

Place your mince in an ovenproof dish and pile potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so you've got a few peaks, that will brown very nicely once baked in the oven,

Bake for about 25 minutes, at 180c, until the top of the potatoes start to color and you can see the meat starting to bubble around the edges…this is the part when I say ''Mmmmmmm!!!''

Serve piping hot!





Androulla xx