Photos from Cyprus
Nov. 8th, 2025 07:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nanila
[Breakfast terrace view. Hire cars have red number plates.]
I didn't have much of an opportunity to research Cyprus before I arrived. Nicosia, the host city of the conference I just attended, is divided between Greek and Turkish Cyprus. The hotel I booked - and all I did was select the cheapest one on the conference accommodation list because it’s close to the venue - is only a couple of blocks from the Green Zone, the UN policed buffer that separates the two halves of the island. It is clear to see as soon as you go around the side of the hotel. Many shops are boarded up (though the flats above them are still occupied), their gates rusted and facades crumbling.
[Crumbling gracefully.]
[Crumbling less gracefully.]
A few stalwart businesses keep their doors open.
[Bold claim: “Cyprus: Irresistible for 9000 years”]
Just a couple of blocks away are shiny new high rise buildings and attractive public spaces. You could, as a tourist, choose never to stray from the wide boulevards and safe pavements.
[Eleftheria Square by day.]
[Walking below Eleftheria Square at night.]
Google maps certainly didn't believe I should do that, taking me on a different path to the conference venue every day, past an entirely new set of cats.
[Noble guardian.]
There are cats *everywhere*. Food and water are left out for them on the street corners and in vacant lots. They are even more prevalent at night.
[The Gang.]
I must have spoken to 15 different people after arriving before I encountered a Nicosian Cypriot. The first Cypriot I met was giving a talk in the firzt session I attended who of course lives in London, not Cyprus. He recommended the meze restaurant (see below). The food here is incredible. I've tried something new every day.
Georgian food.
[All of these bean paste / beetroot things are nice, but the ones in the middle are fried aubergine wrapped around walnut paste and I could have eaten about thirty of those alone and been very happy.]
Meze.
[This was about a quarter of the way through the meal, and they kept bringing dishes. Far too much food for two people, although PhD student and I made a heroic effort. Those little fried courgette strips on the far right were my undoing.]
[Dessert.]
“Healthy eating” restaurant.
[This may look heavy / oily but it was not. The pastry was delicate and crisp and the feta inside was like a little fluffy cloud. Amazing.]
Even the breakfast at my otherwise average hotel was delicious.
[The little roll covered in sesame seeds has a sort of olive pate in it which is *chef's kiss*. I had one every morning.]
In summary, 10/10, would come back to Cyprus to Eat All The Things.
The Friday Five for 7 November 2025
Nov. 7th, 2025 11:50 amanais_pf posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
thefridayfiveThese questions were originally suggested by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
newagebastard.
1. What’s harder to live without, chocolate or alcohol?
2. Does the colour yellow remind you of anything?
3. Who most annoyed you last week?
4. Do you have a cutesy romantic nickname for your partner (or previous partners)?
5. What is your favourite Stephen King movie?
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newagebastard.1. What’s harder to live without, chocolate or alcohol?
2. Does the colour yellow remind you of anything?
3. Who most annoyed you last week?
4. Do you have a cutesy romantic nickname for your partner (or previous partners)?
5. What is your favourite Stephen King movie?
Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.
If you'd like to suggest questions for a future Friday Five, then do so on DreamWidth or LiveJournal. Old sets that were used have been deleted, so we encourage you to suggest some more!
**Remember that we rely on you, our members, to help keep the community going. Also, please remember to play nice. We are all here to answer the questions and have fun each week. We repost the questions exactly as the original posters submitted them and request that all questions be checked for spelling and grammatical errors before they're submitted. Comments re: the spelling and grammatical nature of the questions are not necessary. Honestly, any hostile, rude, petty, or unnecessary comments need not be posted, either.**
A Place To Tell Me Stuff and Things
Nov. 3rd, 2025 09:13 pmludySo my poll about polls (and other things) came down slightly on the side of not bothering with a Great Annual Do You Fancy Me Poll with the lack of new people here on DW. But there was more support for making a post with screened comments for people to tell me stuff and things including (if you want to) if you fancy me more not…
So here that is.
You can tell me anything you want to here - comments are screened and will stay screened - I’m doubting that any of my regular readers are going to confess an unexpected crush (though feel free - attraction can be fluid and surprising. It’s a bit depressing to only hear about any changes from people who used to be attracted to you and no longer are!) but I would love to know about ways you like to do (virtual or IRL) socialising and any other stuff and things you want to tell me/you would like me to know
So here that is.
You can tell me anything you want to here - comments are screened and will stay screened - I’m doubting that any of my regular readers are going to confess an unexpected crush (though feel free - attraction can be fluid and surprising. It’s a bit depressing to only hear about any changes from people who used to be attracted to you and no longer are!) but I would love to know about ways you like to do (virtual or IRL) socialising and any other stuff and things you want to tell me/you would like me to know
New condo fixups; winter is coming
Nov. 2nd, 2025 10:17 pmflexagonA fairly happy week of bouncing back and forth between the new condo, my usual condo, and the squirrel's place. The new condo now has blinds in the windows (except the bathroom window where there's translucent film instead), coat hooks in the hallway, and protective bumpers installed in lots of places where a door would otherwise hit a wall. Tomorrow I'll work more on installing a couple of hinge pin door stops, putting protective drawer liner on all the drawers and shelves, and calling a locksmith to get a combo lock put on the door. I also spent a productive couple of hours installing towel rods for the new 2nd floor owner over there, who is obviously a good person to form an alliance with. All of it had to go in with drywall anchors (bleh, give me a stud!), but it went fine and she didn't have to hire a handyman.
Body stuff continues to be interesting. I held a 75-second straight handstand, by my coach's timer, on Wednesday, and he doesn't press the button until a person is up and balanced so you know that's really real. I shrugged it off, only mildly pleased, and he made a big point of telling me it's really good and quite an achievement, etc. So -- all right! I think it is a new record for a straight hold. I also discovered a big asymmetry in my chinup strength by experimenting with mixed-grip chinups, and did well in my press lessons but with no single big thing to report. Did my TGUs with 55lb again, and that made me happy.
Halloween occurred, and with it a very good circus show in which I got to see Tiny Person being insanely awesome in two excellent acts. In one she was a kind of undead Barbie-ish character, and in the other she was a sleeper who was awakened by (and thrown around, and stacked upon) two demons. So good. My enthusiasm was only somewhat dampened by getting gum on the train of my Morticia Addams gown -- heated white vinegar and a toothbrush did pretty well for undoing that, this evening, but what a pain.
My squirrel is leaving his big company for real in a few months; the exit papers are signed.
Following a good video call with my new collaborator, a new crossword puzzle is almost ready to send in. I ran it through several test solvers this week, and I think it's good! A couple of tweaks, especially to the theme "revealer" clue, and it will be good to go.
Winter is coming -- DST ended today. We are plunged into the dahk-ness. I bought a new coat on Wednesday (a puffer coat this year), and Birdie went to the Fluevog store and bought some of the same boots I have. So I suppose we are prepared enough. I'm daydreaming about sewing, and making mulled apple cider, and hosting craft nights and, most especially, sleeping a lot. Speaking of which... good night, internet.
Body stuff continues to be interesting. I held a 75-second straight handstand, by my coach's timer, on Wednesday, and he doesn't press the button until a person is up and balanced so you know that's really real. I shrugged it off, only mildly pleased, and he made a big point of telling me it's really good and quite an achievement, etc. So -- all right! I think it is a new record for a straight hold. I also discovered a big asymmetry in my chinup strength by experimenting with mixed-grip chinups, and did well in my press lessons but with no single big thing to report. Did my TGUs with 55lb again, and that made me happy.
Halloween occurred, and with it a very good circus show in which I got to see Tiny Person being insanely awesome in two excellent acts. In one she was a kind of undead Barbie-ish character, and in the other she was a sleeper who was awakened by (and thrown around, and stacked upon) two demons. So good. My enthusiasm was only somewhat dampened by getting gum on the train of my Morticia Addams gown -- heated white vinegar and a toothbrush did pretty well for undoing that, this evening, but what a pain.
My squirrel is leaving his big company for real in a few months; the exit papers are signed.
Following a good video call with my new collaborator, a new crossword puzzle is almost ready to send in. I ran it through several test solvers this week, and I think it's good! A couple of tweaks, especially to the theme "revealer" clue, and it will be good to go.
Winter is coming -- DST ended today. We are plunged into the dahk-ness. I bought a new coat on Wednesday (a puffer coat this year), and Birdie went to the Fluevog store and bought some of the same boots I have. So I suppose we are prepared enough. I'm daydreaming about sewing, and making mulled apple cider, and hosting craft nights and, most especially, sleeping a lot. Speaking of which... good night, internet.
1SE for October 2025
Nov. 2nd, 2025 09:15 amnanilaRegarding the penultimate video (30 October): Whenever the bloke goes away, Astro goes into a heightened state of alertness. He comes into the front room every evening to inspect the adult humans. If he finds me alone, he will go and sit on the mat by the front door. He curls up and faces me with his ears back, half-closes his eyes, and stays there until I go to bed. He follows me upstairs and curls up on the landing. I don't know if he stays there all night, but I often find him there when I get up in the morning.
If he sees both of us in the front room, he will come and stand on me for a short while, make biscuits on my legs, and then transfer to the bloke's lap, where he rolls onto his back and flops out blissfully. It's as if he can't relax completely if Alpha Cat isn't present.
Comet, on the other hand, couldn't care less about us in the evening. He's only interested if Humuhumu is around and has left her door open so he can sleep on her bed. When she isn't here, he walks around the landing and gives occasional plaintive yowls.
The Friday Five on Halloween 🎃
Oct. 31st, 2025 11:10 pmnanila
[Cutest crochet pumpkin, sitting on my laptop.]
- Did you vote in your most recent applicable election? (If you're not yet old enough, do you plan to vote in the future?)
Yes, I did. We had a by-election yesterday, in fact. I am very pleased to report that the Reform candidate was soundly defeated. - Have you ever protested or attended a march?
On a handful of occasions. The first was when I was still in high school, protesting Desert Storm. It is the only time I ever cut school and got detention. - What political issue is the most important to you?
Wow, that is a big question. I think probably human rights. Without the enforcement of a level of fundamental respect for others, we have terrifyingly little recourse from people who would happily trample over everyone else. - Are you a member of a party in your country? If so, which?
Yes to the first question. I’m not putting the answer to the second in a public post. - Do you ever plan to run for office?
I’ve been a paper candidate before, but I don’t think I’ll ever do it again. It’s very nearly mandatory to have to use social media to campaign as a candidate, and I’d rather not.
The Friday Five for 31 October 2025
Oct. 30th, 2025 03:03 pmanais_pf posting in thefridayfiveThese questions were originally suggested by twirlandswirl.
1. Did you vote in your most recent applicable election? (If you're not yet old enough, do you plan to vote in the future?)
2. Have you ever protested or attended a march?
3. What political issue is the most important to you?
4. Are you a member of a party in your country? If so, which?
5. Do you ever plan to run for office?
Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.
If you'd like to suggest questions for a future Friday Five, then do so on DreamWidth or LiveJournal. Old sets that were used have been deleted, so we encourage you to suggest some more!
twirlandswirl.1. Did you vote in your most recent applicable election? (If you're not yet old enough, do you plan to vote in the future?)
2. Have you ever protested or attended a march?
3. What political issue is the most important to you?
4. Are you a member of a party in your country? If so, which?
5. Do you ever plan to run for office?
Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.
If you'd like to suggest questions for a future Friday Five, then do so on DreamWidth or LiveJournal. Old sets that were used have been deleted, so we encourage you to suggest some more!