Wobbly bits and genius ideas - Paula Manoli-Gray

Despite an unusually slow start, summer has finally made its grand entrance! The good news for residents of the island is that this year the summer will be 'milder' – or so the press tells us. That means it will be hot – too hot at times – but not super-unbearably-hot for the most part! Considering that it is almost July and we have yet to have to turn on the air-conditioning, we have done very well so far!

I cannot imagine there are too many people on the island who absolutely hate summer, because logically, they wouldn't chose to live here, but I am sure there are a fair portion, who – like me - still get a shock when it is time to bare some flesh!

Despite knowing all-year-round that summer is coming with certainty, and therefore sandals, shorts, t.shirts and swimwear are inevitable too, it is always a little traumatising when you first reveal a patch of white skin, or wobbly, cellulite-d, varicose veined or scarred imperfections! But the summer and the sea have a strange way of making us compartmentalise our body exposure. I personally wouldn't dream of wearing leggings, hot pants, a mini skirt or even shorts slightly above the knee, but I have no issue with wearing what amounts to underwear-in-a-purpose-made-fabric (a.k.a swimwear) at the beach. That said, I do choose my beaches with care and do not frequent those where the young and beautiful are living life like one big party, so that could have something to do with it…

…but I do adore the sea (I don't sunbathe, it's all about the water for me), and I love going early morning when the water is cold and calm and the sea creatures have not gone into hiding yet. Already this year I have found some unusual shells that I did not have in my collection, and have met a starfish, crabs and other assorted fish. And it is on one of these mornings, mulling over how we have once again topped the list for Europe's cleanest coasts, and how on earth that is possible when I am forever picking rubbish out of the sea, that I had one of those genius ideas that you know would be a winner but that you will never do.

If anyone from the municipality is reading, I would love them to take my suggestion on board because I really think it would help everyone to pitch in and keep our seas clean and safe. So, the idea is (drum roll please) Floating Sea Bins.

If there were Floating Sea Bins (moored down like buoys) with slots for throwing litter in, but that you could not take litter out of (like bottle banks), then maybe more people would care for the state of the seas by picking up any litter they found and depositing it in the bins. So far, the waters are generally clean but I have found too many tin cans and plastic bags for my liking. I do throw them out of the sea when I am close enough to the shore for my weak throw to catapult them out of the water, but most of the time I am too far from the sands to pick the litter out the sea and keep taking it out.

Floating Sea Bins… you heard it here first!

First appeared in The Cyprus Weekly, 26/06/15

Do you want flies with that? - Paula Manoli-Gray

As an advertising copywriter as well as a journalist, I am guilty of regularly extolling the virtues of al fresco dining on the island (a posh way of saying 'eating outside').

On many occasion I have painted a picture with words about how amazing it is to be able to eat outside in nice weather; either at home in the garden or on a veranda, or at one of the many restaurants that have lovely outdoor areas. It is a wonderful vision of intimately sharing delicious, fresh food under the sun or stars, with smiles all-round and beautiful memories created…

…I don't know about you, but as a resident of the island, I have rarely enjoyed a meal outdoors that has not been ruined by insects!

We don't eat in our own garden due to flies, mosquitoes and ants. When my parents invite us to eat on their veranda - or at the horafi where dad has a clay oven - we literally spend the entire time fighting off the flies; swatting the kids food (and sacrificing our own in the process so that our precious babies' meals are not tainted), and generally getting incredibly grumpy that we cannot enjoy what was potentially going to be another great, big, fat Cypriot feast! It is horrible. Al fresco dining is certainly not all it is hyped up to be!

But something that visitors do not realise is that having insects in and around your home in Cyprus is not an indication that you are dirty in any way… everyone has them, they are everywhere and that is just the way it is!

I sometimes read online reviews for hotels on the island where the guest from abroad has written of their disgust of finding a single, solitary cockroach or ant on the premises, and I really feel for the venue. Whilst a hoard of roaches running riot anywhere is horrible and could indeed be an indication of lowly hygiene standards, the odd roach here or there in houses and hotels is perfectly normal, and no matter how much you take care to treat against them, a rogue one will always surface. Ants too are notoriously hard to get rid of once they have taken hold and decided that your home is a good source of food! I know of people with extremely clean kitchens who simply cannot get rid of the ants, and of others whose kitchens are not so clean that have never had an ant in their life. It seems it is partly how you keep your abode, but also partly luck of the draw.

And as for mosquitoes, some people genuinely dread summer if they live in an area particularly bad for mosquitoes, or have the kind of blood that the critters go crazy for. No matter what precautions they take, my son, sister and mother-in-law especially appeal to the bloodsuckers, whilst hubby seems to appeal to them the least!

I personally do not kill insects unless it is absolutely vital, preferring to take them – or guide them – out of the house. I consider my garden to be fair game and that I have no right to deny insects any outside areas, as they are just being what they were made to be, but that said, I do yearn for the al fresco dining that I promote. And yes, whilst there are far worse problems in the world (and Larnaca), as an island built on the tradition of food and eating outdoors, that experience of spoilt fly-laden souvla really can seem like a tragedy sometimes!

First appeared in The Cyprus Weekly, 19/06/15

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