Alison Michelle

Aggele mou ~ In memory of Nicos & Gretchen

2010-08-20T14:24:00.000+02:00

Happy 4th July everyone

2010-07-03T23:01:00.002+02:00

Thank God there was one Americano that didn't want total independance from the Brits ( :
Hope you all have a safe and happy Holiday weekend.

Origin of the word S-H-I-T

2010-06-21T21:43:00.001+02:00

Manure... An interesting fact

Manure : In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship and it was also before the invention of commercial fertilizers, so large shipments of manure were quite common. It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, not only did it become heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by product is methane gas of course. As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen.
Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!

Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening

After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the instruction ' Stow high in transit ' on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.

Thus evolved the term ' S.H.I.T ' , (Stow High In Transit) which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day.

You probably did not know the true history of this word. Neither did I.

I had always thought it was a term used when you forgot your spouses' birthday.

'Go England' show us your best and win the game,.

2010-06-12T03:37:00.004+02:00

Happy Birthday .... I will mention no names

2010-01-12T01:59:00.001+02:00

luv ya husband ; ) always x x x

Hillarious ~ Katherine Tate

2009-11-06T19:20:00.001+02:00

Congratulations Natalie

2009-09-26T14:18:00.003+02:00

After 4 years of hard work I am proud of my Daughter getting her degree in English , she really has worked hard and not only had to cope with the studying of her course work and homework etc but she went out and worked a few different jobs to finance the necessities of life , food accommodation etc. she really has made me proud.
I have to be the first to admit I was very doubting of her when she announced she was wanting to go abroad to the UK and study after leaving school in Cyprus , mostly because she never seemed to care about school so much ,like most teenagers I guess the friends ,nightlife and socializing seemed to be more important back then and I just had some visions of a wasted couple of years that would cost a lot of money , I was wrong, Natalie you have proved me wrong and I am very proud of you , well done and from both Chester and I we wish you a very healthy happy enjoyable future, and I know one thing for sure the Angels are looking after you especially one ( x )
Σ'αγαπώ πάρα πολύ

Congratulations JM

2009-09-12T20:36:00.002+02:00

Yesterday was surely a very very sad day for all who witnessed or were directly involved in the Terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and my thoughts and prayers would surely go out to all.

However on a much brighter happy note I want to congratulate my son John Michael on flying his first solo flight in a Cessna 172 N35111 , he had flown solo previously to that in a glider but never in a powered aircraft so he was feeling very proud, hopefully he will continue to learn and make progress to complete his studies and one day be a fully trained commercial airline pilot,
from Chester and I "well done " Johnnie ( :

Our trip to Savannah

2009-08-07T12:18:00.011+02:00

Recently Chesters mom Jane sadly passed away and we had the task of dealing with her estate, I know this isnt an easy task for anyone in general, and with us it was made just a little more difficult as we had to travel all the way from North Carolina to Georgia to empty a Storage shed of the furnature which had been stored there since 2004 which was the Date Jane left there to come and live up here in Grandy , NC.
Jane had intentionally planned to bring the furnature just a few months after she arrived here in Grandy but due to unforseen circumstances she never did ,so the result was her belongings had been nearly five years stored in the shed , we really didnt know if the stuff would be ok or damaged due to the climate being very humid and damp in those parts of the country.
Anyhow we set off to go and find out, fortunately we had the help of good family and frineds Dennis and his wife Bonnie and Chesters cousin Art and his wife Anita , so last week we set off in Dennis' car altogether with Art and Anita behind in their truck and made our way along the long highway to Savannah , its takes around 7 hours so we made sure we packed some food and drink goodies to keep us fuelled ( : Dennis like my sandwiches and Brownies and couldnt wait for a rest place to eat them so had some on route !

Fortunately we got there in good time and even though we were all so very tired , we made a start on hauling and unloading the shed of its contents, it was so hot and we really had a hard time doing it , sweating like bulls ( perspiring for the ladies )

We all really did work very hard , my job was to hold the parasol over Chesters head so he didnt get too hot and bothered ( wink ) it was sooo hard a job , think I worked the hardest really (another wink )and my kisses he said kept him going ( :

Eventually after a good few hours graft we got the storage shed empty and loaded on to the truck and into Arts trailer, we just say got the last piece fitted in ,then it was off to our motel for a long shower and sleep !
The next morning Dennis was so kind and took us all for a fantastic delicious breakfast to Deni's cafe we all filled up on bacon and eggs , and Chester chose a traditional breakfast of sausage biscuits ( for the Brits who read this -not our type of biscuit, its a bloody scone !!, crazy americanos ) ( another wink )

After that it was a case of having to get back on to the road and head home, so off we went to fill up the U -Haul with juice and hit the road,

I couldnt say the journey home was very easy , poor Chester was doing great until maybe half way when we hit severe thunder storms and the rain made the driving treacherous, but I have to praise my husband for staying calm and conscientious and he drove like a pro, you would think he had been a trucker all of his life ( :
Arriving back home late we just parked the haul and headed for the shower then bed, the next morning we were up at the crack of dawn to start unloading , its took us nearly 3 more days to unload and sort it all , but at last we have completed the job , its really sad Jane wasn't able to be with us and enjoy seeing her furnature again ,but we have of course kept some of it and I know she told us many times during her illness to make good use of it if she wasnt here with us , the best treasure we found was a scrapbook made by Chesters Grandfather which had so many interesting snippets and photos in it dated back to maybe 1920's or even earlier ,some parts of it were in a state of disintergration but Chesters skills with the pc he was able to enhance a few of the photographs ,amazing , im sure he will make a post on his blog and show some of them off later.

Well all in all the trip to Georgia was a tiring but we accomplished what had to be done and we have a houseful of memories of Jane , we miss her a lot .

Remembered with Love

2009-08-03T03:25:00.002+02:00

The Best Eyecandy yet .

2009-06-11T22:22:00.002+02:00

My Eyecandy ( :

2009-05-29T04:00:00.002+02:00

633 Squadron Theme

2009-04-18T13:09:00.001+02:00

The theme music from the movie of the same name 633 Squardron , released April 1964, music by Ron Goodwin.

Life in North Carolina - my new home

2009-04-16T00:47:00.002+02:00

Here I am in my 4th month of living in my new home town of Grandy North Carolina , oh its been a huge change for me moving to a quiet little town with a population of approximately 2,000 people in the County of Currituck with a population of 24,000. its been somewhat of a huge change for me leaving my previous adopted town of Limassol that is having a population of 201.257 from an Island of a million people altogether and wow have I felt the change , some of the changes have been wonderful but I have to admit to some days of wanting to pack my bags and my precious loving husband and return to Cyprus.

Arriving here to USA in the middle of winter I guess wasn’t the best time of the year to be settling in , mostly due to the area being a bit of a tourist place , it was very very quiet , especially where our house is situated , its unfortunate that I haven’t been able to drive yet due to me having to re-sit the drivers test and have to be having the immigration papers all in order to do so ,I’m waiting for my permanent residence status being processed right now and hopefully that will be soon, then I’m sure I will start to explore the are a lot more, work and make friends.

I have met only a couple of the neighbours around here up until now, I have to say a big Thank you to my immediate neighbour Dorothy and her husband Colon who have been so very very kind to me since my arrival, she has taken me shopping many times , taken me for lunch and entertained me at her home more than once , thank God for Angels , she has been so wonderful to me, not only me but to my son who came here on a short visit during his spring break from Uni. he was over the moon to be taken to see the Wright Brothers first flight memorial ,especially as his goal in life is to be become a commercial pilot .

Dorothy ,Colon and my son John Michael.

I did get to visit a few very nice places that I intend to visit again when I do eventually get my drivers permit sorted, I got to experience a good old English Tea house in Elizabeth City where I enjoyed the most delicate Cucumber sandwiches !! and strawberry cream scones

mmm..I want one now

Apart from this kind of trip out and filling my stomach with goodies I have also enjoyed the by now many trips to Maple Park that Chester has been mentioning in his blog , and instead of my stomach being fed I took along lots of bread slices and some of my less than perfect Hot cross buns from Easter and fed them to the Geese and ducks that I have found there ( I am very fond of ducks ), well I hope I didn’t kill them off with the hot cross buns as when we went to the park last time the ducks were no where to be found ! Here is 2 of the cutest ducks I have ever came across , so comical and very tame in comparison to the geese who are quite nervous and dont come too close to us

Maple Park definately one of my favourite places to go and feel relaxed, Chester told me it was actually constructed on top of a garbage dump ,but they sure did make a good transformation of it and its a real pretty area where there are lots of benches to sit and quite a few pergolas with picnic tables and handy grills for folks like us that like to eat outdoors often , we had our first Easter there together and cooked our lamb kebabs there , shame it was a freezing cold wind blowing but all the same I loved it .

This week there was a few days of mild weather so I had taken a walk along the main road running through Grandy where there are a few shops , I noticed a small Thrift shop called Classic closet consignments and decided to take a look , the girl who runs it is called Becky and was very nice and soon started to chat to me , well it was interesting as she told me that she had another Brit friend who lived in Grandy and proceeded to call this friend up and introduce her to me , well to my surprise Lyn lives but at the bottom of out Street !! since then we have had a couple of coffees together and chatted , Lyn has lived here in US for over 34 years and told me she felt exactly the way I did when she arrived all those years back but reassured me that she soon got used to life here in North Carolina and now loves it , well I feel better already finding someone who I can have a chat and a coffee with on a regular basis I really do miss all my pals in Cyprus ,well I still chat with them on Skype or by e.mail but its not the same as a face to face , so I am sure Lyn and I will become good friends also.

Not only did I find a friend in Beckys shop but I found the cutest cruet set for the kitchen table , a pair of ducks !! brand new and costing not even a dollar so I snapped them up instantly ,here they are

Well thats enough for now on my life in North Carolina , I think I am gradually liking it more here, of course it doesn’t matter where I am as long as I am having my Mr G next to me life is perfect

Happy Easter Everyone

2009-04-12T01:59:00.003+02:00

Chroniá Pollá! - Easter Wishes

2009-04-08T23:10:00.007+02:00

This will be the first year since 1984 that I havent spent my Easter weekend in Cyprus and to be honest I think I am going to miss the Orthodox Easter celebrations and activities, I am of course just so happy to be with Chester here in North Carolina USA as we have always just wished us together anyway wherever we are and thats the main thing , but Easter is just a very special celebrated event there in Cyprus and there are some very nice events and foods to be enjoyed so for sure I am wishing us both back there to participate.

well let me tell those of you who are not familiar a little about ' Pasxa '( Easter ) as its called there in Cyprus ! :

The holiday is usually never falling the same time as the Western world as different calendars are used to determine the dates Greeks using the Julian calendar and the western world uses the Gregorian one ,anyhow in Cyprus this year it will fall on 17th 18th and 19th of April
Starting with the Good or Great Friday all government building fly the flags at half mast to mark the mournful day and each individual church around Cyprus starts early in the morning to make an Epitaphios of Christ, this involves decorating a kind of wooden frame with fresh flowers , its kind of a little competition I think to see who makes the best one and over the years I have seen some very attractive ones and its always a hard decision to say which is the best ,here is a photo of one I took the last year before I left Limassol.
This Epitaphios when done is kept in the church until evening when they hold the service and then carry it out into the streets in a procession to be viewed by all the people .

Decorating the Epitaphios

Next is the Easter Saturday , apart form the families preparing the various easter specialities to eat , things like 'soureki ' ' and 'Flaunas' which are types of breads , eggs are coloured and after that the families are wanting to get their best clothes and get dressed ready to go to the churches to be there for 11pm they take along various styles of candles ( Lampada) ready to be lit at midnight when the bells toll to announce that Christ is risen , and the echos of the words 'Christos Anesti ' can be heard everywhere as everyone greets eaqch othere with the message , the response to this greeting is ' Alithinos Anesti ' which means the true lord is indeed risen. Fireworks are set off and huge bonfires are lit and the atmosphere is indeed joyful.

After the families get home , tradition calls for everyone to enjoy home made soup made usually only at easter ( Magiritsa ) its a kind of creamy ,lemony soup made from lamb sweetmeats ,and also some of the breads I have mentioned , and also the classic Ouzo or red wine is there to add to the enjoyment and contribute to the merriment !! usually this celebration is going on until early hours of the Sunday morning.

The big Sunday of course is again spent in rejoicing with family and friends and the grills and spits are turning all over the island barbecuing the Lamb/kid Souvla pieces which the Cypriots love to eat, along with a hundred other dishes and goodies , hotels on the Island have very reasonable offers for the local who want to travel to another part of the island to spend the weekend , I had the pleasure last year to stay at the Sunrise Beach Hotel ,my friend was visiting from UK so we headed of to the town of Protaras and had a wonderful time, she loved the traditional Greek dancers who entertained us with their show at the Sunday Lunch .

This year will be special just the same even though Chester will be working all of the weekend and instead of going to visit the Epitaphios at the church we are heading off to the Immigration offices in Norfolk to have my biometric finger prints taken to proceed with the process of me getting permanent resindency , not so exciting but a must all the same , maybe we will manage to still bring some of the traditions of Cyprus to the house here in Grandy and I can download some Greek music and Chester can don his white thermals and his huge homer simpson slimppers and dance a zorbas or something around the back yard whilst he cooks some American style burgers ...ha ha ha ha ha

Best wishes everyone for the coming weekend , and lets keep the real reason for Easter in our hearts and be thankful for Christs ultimate scrifice of his son who died on the cross but rose again,

Kalo Pascha from both of us .

Corny old jokes ...that made me laugh ( :

2009-03-21T13:58:00.003+02:00

1. How Do You Catch a Unique Rabbit?
Unique Up On It.

2. How Do You Catch a Tame Rabbit?
Tame Way, Unique Up On It.

3. How Do Crazy People Go Through The Forest?
They Take The Psycho Path

4. How Do You Get Holy Water?
You Boil The Hell Out Of It.

5. What Do Fish Say When They Hit a Concrete Wall?
Dam!

6. What Do Eskimos Get From Sitting On The Ice too Long?
Polaroids

7. What Do You Call a Boomerang That Doesn't work?
A Stick

8. What Do You Call Cheese That Isn't Yours?
Nacho Cheese.

9. What Do You Call Santa's Helpers?
Subordinate Clauses.

10. What Do You Call Four Bullfighters In Quicksand?
Quattro Sinko..

11. What Do You Get From a Pampered Cow?
Spoiled Milk.

12. What Do You Get When You Cross a Snowman With a Vampire?
Frostbite.

13. What Lies At The Bottom Of The Ocean And Twitches?
A Nervous Wreck.

14. What's The Difference Between Roast Beef And Pea Soup?
Anyone Can Roast Beef.

15. Where Do You Find a Dog With No Legs?
Right Where You Left Him.

16. Why Do Gorillas Have Big Nostrils?
Because They Have Big Fingers.

17. Why Don't Blind People Like To Sky Dive?
Because It Scares The Dog.

18. What Kind Of Coffee Was Served On The Titanic?
Sanka.

19. What Is The Difference Between a Harley And a Hoover
?
The Location Of The Dirt Bag.

20. Why Did Pilgrims' Pants Always Fall Down?
Because They Wore Their Belt Buckle On Their Hat.

21. What's The Difference Between a Bad Golfer And a Bad
Skydiver?
A Bad Golfer Goes, Whack, Dang!
A Bad Skydiver Goes Dang! Whack.

22. How Are a Texas Tornado And a Tennessee Divorce The
Same?
Somebody's Gonna Lose A Trailer

Wedding pics!

2009-02-17T21:57:00.000+02:00

more to come soon! :)

Redneck Couple

2009-02-12T03:32:00.003+02:00

~~Annie~~ Ali get your gun

Tradgedy

2009-02-08T14:25:00.001+02:00

I know it happens many times over that people make thoughtless silly mistakes in life that can and have ended in tradgedy , but somehow I got so upset when I heard this Sherrif Bob Bratton take on such a mean attitude when discussing the loss of life because of the fishermen not heeding warnings and advice issued to them beforehand , the first words he uttered were about money, yes he did say he was sorry about the deaths ,he just didn't sound it ,I am sure the families of the poor guys who lost their lives feel so bad without having to hear one mans unfeeling comments about their loved ones acting so irresponsible being broadcast like that , there is a time and place for everything to be said and in my opinion he should have shut his mouth in this instance .
My heart goes out to all the families involved with the loss , we all make mistakes and unfortunately those fishermen made one that cost them thier lives.

Countdown

2009-01-31T21:16:00.002+02:00

Just to update everyone,
Chester and I are going to have the first of our two planned wedding ceremonies, the first one being a very romantic private service with only two witnesses attending , we have to have this service to oblige the immigration visa rules , but still we want it to be very special and it will be of course , saying I do to the man I have loved and adored since we met on Christian Mingle Singles site 3 years back , who would have thought 2 people could fall in love without ever meeting face to face .....We did and its felt so perfect since day one.
The second ceremony we plan to hold around end of May or beginning of June , its not easy as we really would love to give the chance everyone including my relatives and friends to attend, not an easy task being across the other end of the Ocean ,but hopefully things will work out , having kids studying in different places and doing different things is one of the things to consider , and its a big expense nowdays to fly across the sky, oh to win the lottery and pay everyones tickets !
It really is feeling very exciting to me now , I feel like a young teenager again , I am so in love and so ready to become Mrs Weikel ( :
this Valentines day is going to be Very Special and I cant wait.
As soon as we have the second date confirmed we will inform everyone so be ready and watch this spot.....

luv ya my Cowboy

Lunatic in the snow ( :

2009-01-20T23:10:00.002+02:00

Transcending: Words on Women and Strength by Kelly Corrigan

2009-01-19T02:12:00.001+02:00

Dedicated to all my friends

Before and After

2009-01-06T14:47:00.005+02:00

One month living in North Carolina and my footwear and feet seem to be on the decline , well the saying goes , when in Rome do as the Romans do...... hey im a Redneck gal already ; )

Wine Time again in Limassol

2008-09-11T19:55:00.005+02:00

Once again its the famous Limassol Wine Festival , the festival has been an anual event since 1961 , and was only not held during the period of unrest during the cicvil wars that occurred on the Island in they years 64 and 74 .
its a wonderful event and has much to offer both locals and tourists to the island alike.
It seems there is always food at any special event here in Cyprus and the wine festival is one of the best events to sample almost every traditional kind of food available and inside the grounds of the central Public Gardens many local restaurant and cafes owners set up tables and chairs or just serve smaller dishes from stands along the walkways around the grounds to cater to the fancy of all the people , which are many and can see in one night alone 15,000 visitors.
This year I went along with my cousin Sharon and her daughter Andrea , they have been before and liked it so much that they asked me to go along again with them , it was the first night of their holidays and actually the last night of the festival which had already been on a full week, so it was their last chance ,so off we went , we bought some of the wine glasses at the entrance and proceeded to the first local wine comapny to test the varieties they had , there must be 5-6 that are set up and all of them offering such a wide selection of differnt types , well I am preferring dry red wine , but found some nice Rose ones too , Andrea really liked the sweet white ones , Sharon being a diabetic was restricted to just a few sips , but siad she liked the white also , we all tried the Commandaria which is really sweet and is more like a sweet Sherry , that particular wine is used as the communion wine in the churches here and is quite often given after a meal here in Cyprus .
after testing the wine we followed the wonderful aroma of the local 'souvlaki ' kebabs being grilled on the charcoals and found ourselves a nice table to rest and eat, oh the food was so good, well we had pepsi with that as being the driver home after I had to take care ,
After finishing our meal we started to stroll around and look at various little shows and displays that were taking place, they have some short plays and also some traditional dancing and singing , one dancer realy caught our eye , he was in a huge barrel actually dancing and treading on the grapes ! and yes Andrea and myself maybe feeling a little happy form the samples of wine we had ,decided to go and get in the barrel and join him ( :

it was a fun night and really we had a great time , so did a lot of others and some of them I think had really been doing the rounds of the free samples more than once and saw some some of the tourists who could hardly walk in a straight line ! there is a water display near the entrance and over the week I think more than one person had fallen inside it , luckily its not so deep and there is always someone there to pull them out ,pity I didnt catch a few of them on camera.

There is a very nice web site to read more about the history and traditions of this event which I will post here below,

http://www.limassolmunicipal.com.cy/wine/4.html

anyone getting the chance to go there to the festival in future years shouldnt miss it, get your glass raise it and say ' stin ygia sas ' which translated is all the best to your health

Diet Prayer

2008-08-30T19:53:00.005+02:00

Father, My soul is ripped with riot

incited by my wicked diet.

"We Are What We Eat," said a wise old man!

Oh, if that's true, I'm a garbage can.

I want to rise on Judgment Day, that's plain!

but at my present weight, I'll need a crane.

So grant me strength, that I may not fall

into the clutches of cholesterol.

May my flesh with carrot-curls be dated,

that my soul may be poly unsaturated

And show me the light, that I may bear witness

to the President's Council on Physical Fitness.

And at oleomargarine I'll never mutter,

for the road to Hell is spread with butter.

And cream is cursed; and cake is awful;

and Satan is hiding in every waffle.

Mephistopheles lurks in provolone;

the Devil is in each slice of baloney,

Beelzebub is a chocolate drop,

and Lucifer is a lollipop.

Give me this day my daily slice

but, cut it thin and toast it twice.

I beg upon my dimpled knees,

deliver me from jujubees.

And when my days of trial are done,

and my war with malted milk is won,

Let me stand with Heavenly throng,

In a shining robe--size small & long.

I can do it! If You'll show to me,

the virtues of lettuce and celery.

If You'll teach me the evil of mayonnaise,

of pasta a la Milannaise, potatoes a la Lyonnaise

and crisp-fried chicken from the South.

Father, if you love me, shut my mouth.

Thanks and credit to Peter Ustinov the author of this marvellous poem

I went to the local store today to buy a pair of blue jeans, well I went there feeling quite happy and looking forward to getting a pair at half price as the last days of the sales were on and I havent bought a pair of jeans for years , well choosing a few from the display rail in various sizes I went off to the changing rooms to try them , ( thank goodness they were not those communal ones)
first pair wouldnt go past my knees , the next ones got past my knees but got halted by the excess butt I have , oh the last pair nearly got there but then failed to get zipped up to the top even though I was lying flat on the floor and trying to pull in my tummy muscles !
defeated I resigned myself to missing the bargain priced jeans and thought about heading off to the new club that opened just down the road to my house , 'Fat Fighters ' but then decided to buy myself some comfort food ( chocolate ) and a drink and go home and read the glossy magazine I bought , full of super slim models without an inch of fat to be seen , why do these publications never show women like me from every walk of life that are a little 'cuddly' and a little less than perfect( ok a lot )
the diet can start on Monday , but which monday of which year , who knows , anyone out there who reads my blog that knows some kind of diet that has tasty food and doesnt leave me starving can you please let me have it ....I want some blue jeans !

They Live in our hearts

2008-08-21T05:37:00.006+02:00

As long as we live, they too will live;
for they are now a part of us, as we remember them.
To live in the hearts we leave behind, is not to die.

The tide recedes, but leaves behind bright seashells on the sand.
The sun goes down, but gentle warmth still lingers in the land,
The music stops, and yet it echoes on in sweet refrains...
For every joy that passes, something beautiful remains.

The month of August will always be a month that in some ways remain more significant than others for both Chester and myself , its been 4 years now since both of us lost our spouses , the loves we had shared our lives with for so many happy years ,
never dreaming at that time in 2004 we would have another happy day without them , how wrong could we have been , well it certainly wasn’t easy , and for sure we spent many miserable dark gloomy days and nights grieving ,
Throughout that time I really did pray a lot to God , he is always there listening
Nicos and Gretchen , I believe with all of my heart that they were there in heaven together , planning a way to bring the two lost and lonely people they had left behind in the world together to share one very deep and devoted love , And they did , they made sure even though we were a huge Ocean apart that we found each other and found a love that could only be described as heaven sent

Today I didn’t want to stand at a graveside and be sad, I wanted to close my eyes and whisper a prayer of thanks for the love we had and the love we have received now , as the little passage above says in the last line
‘ For every joy that passes ,something beautiful remains ‘ and that beautiful something is the wonderful love Chester and I share today and forever more .

Nicos and Gretchen - , As long as we live, they too will live for they are now a part of us as we remember them.

2008-07-23T13:07:00.000+02:00

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

2008-07-18T12:49:00.000+02:00

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Bowie or Mercury ?

2008-06-07T16:26:00.000+02:00

Bowie or Mercury

2008-06-07T16:23:00.002+02:00

Only you - by JM and Aris

2008-04-25T13:27:00.001+02:00

My son JM and his friend Aris performing at 'Spotlight' a small show for amateurs , run by Premiere Society a cultural society in Limassol .

2 wonderful years of love

2008-04-05T07:04:00.003+02:00

Happy St Pats Everyone

2008-03-17T21:41:00.006+02:00

St. Patrick's Day is with us,
The day when all that's seen
To right and left and everywhere
Is green, green, green!

OK so i'm not Irish ! ....but I do like to have a little fun on the day , well as you can see here I have been playing a little at dressing up ...thanks to my fun lovng Cowboy in USA who thoughtfully sent me this wonderful gift pack saying he always wondered what I would look like in Green hair !! ( : wonder if he is running yet ...
my son has just gone out the door with his best buddy Aris , who is half Irish ,they have gone off to a place called Molly Malones which is a super place in Limassol , as you can guess by the name geared toward the Irish crowd that live on the island ,but of course many nationalities are welcome....I have been quite a few times myself and they serve great food.....and yes tonight will be serving Green Beer well one of the things that may be on the menu tonight could be the famous Irish Stew.......anyone who likes to cook...here is the recipie :

Irish Lamb Stew
Serves 8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients :
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 pounds boneless lamb stew meat (preferably shoulder), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1-1/2 cups dark beer
1-1/2 pounds medium new potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut ? inch thick diagonally
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Preparation :
In a large bowl, season flour with salt and pepper.
Dredge lamb in flour mixture, shaking off excess.
In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Working in batches, brown lamb on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
Pour 1/4 cup water into pot, scraping up browned bits from bottom with a wooden spoon.
Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until water has evaporated and onion is beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.
Return lamb to pot; stir in thyme, beer, and 1 1/2 cups water.
Cover; simmer until lamb is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
(can also be refrigarated, and taken later)
Add potatoes, carrots, and 1/2 cup water. Cook, covered, until vegetables are tender and stew has thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely before storing. Stir in parsley just before serving.

Well I have yet to visit Ireland , but my daughter who is having an irish boyfiend living in a town named Eniskillen , is lucky enough to be going there soon for a wedding , so maybe I will get to see some nice photographs later on and can post a few here on the blog......they say Southern Ireland is the prettiest part to go and visit ,but Im sure Northern Ireland has also some wonderful places too, I sure would like to add that to the list of places Chester and I plan to someday visit together ,

The irish have turned out quite a few famous singers over the years, they have actually had quite a few winners of the Eurovision song contest , Johnny Logan got first place two years in a row and a lovely girl named Dana won it way back in the very early 70's it must have been .....must go and check it on the You Tube sometime . im sure there are a few more but I havent got my thinking head on tonight, I got dizzy trying to do an Irish jig around the dinner table and bending down trying to find the lucky Leprochauns that my friend Paddy insist are existing LOL......OH well I guess I had better go and mail my cousin who is having a birthday today.....
just in case you are reading this Stuart ...Happy Birthday !!

well if anyone want to know more about this special day ,here is a page giving a bit of the history :
http://www.theholidayspot.com/patrick/historyofpatrick.htm

and just to finish off .......
May you be in
Heaven a half hour before the
Devil knows you're dead!

Green Monday In Cyprus (beginning of Lent )

2008-03-10T19:40:00.008+02:00

The day after the Big carnival parade is the Green Monday, the first day of lent. The Cypriots are deeply religious and young or old, most fast during the forty day period. They go vegetarian for the duration. Green Monday is the first day of fasting. The many picnic sites are full of people eating, drinking, enjoying with friends and family and flying kites. Yes that is the tradition; the sky is full of colourful kites of all sizes.
Its a really fun day out in the open countryside and weather at this time of the year is just beautiful, And the table is laden with variety of salads, pickles, olives, breads and delightful traditional vegetarian and sea food preparations. All washed down with the famous Cypriot wines......In our case lots of it ; )

Well this year we were three couples and myself and all the kids too, we have been doing this tradition since 1984 without fail,we started off just 2 couples but as the years have gone by more and more of our friends have joined in until it has became quite a big group ! and the kids have gown up now but still love coming !

Here are 2 of our daughters ages 3-5 in 1990 Laura and Natalie

We were very lucky this year with the weather , it was absolutely boiling , and we had to have sme umberellas for shade !
we had a bit of fun this year too as one of the guys came in his carnival outfit , the parade was yesterday ,but I think Marios really fancied himself as a mexican bandit of some kind and was a bit reluctant to remove his poncho and sombrero hat !

Well over the years after we have eaten and had our fill of all the goodies like grilled squid , King prawns and other seafood stuff,

the guys would try to play a game of football with the younger boys and the woment would go for a walk around the country to try and burn some of the calories off ....well the most energetic thing we managed this year seemed to be the women lifting their wine glasses and the men sitting playing backgammon !!! old age creeping up ....even the kids who used to go and find frogs and other pond life to have some fun have grown out of those activities and were just lounging about with I pods in their ears .....oh well still we had a great memorable time, its so nice that in Cyprus the weather permits these wonderful days ....speaking with my mom in the UK today they were having Gale force winds that were disrupting a lot of things including the flights into some of the airports , well we had just enough to help fly some kites.

Well all in all we had a great Green Monday 2008 , I dont think I will be her next year , if all goes to plan I will be with my love in USA well I will not be here in body but in Spirit I think I will always be with my friends here in Cyprus , and who knows if Chester and I come up with the winning numbers on the Lottery then we mat just fly back and join them again ! but anyhow I guess I could always start a tradition over in North Carolina of having a Green Monday of our own ,

Well if you want to see more of our pics from todays picnic just click on the link here :
http://picasaweb.google.com/alison.markides/GreenMonday2008

Off to have a sleep now its been a long long day ......

Valentines Day...Candyfloss happy and in love : )

2008-02-14T14:33:00.001+02:00

Hope my Smile says it all ,
I am very blessed to have such a loving and romantic fiance ,
these roses are so beautiful , what more could a girl want !
well just wishing they could have been delivered in person, ....
well not long now hopefully and there will be no more ocean between us
Thank you Chester mou x x x from your future Mrs ( :

The Moody Blues - Driftwood

2008-02-09T19:11:00.001+02:00

Justin Hayward has an awesome voice , I could listen too it all day and night and never tire , this group is pure talent

Happy Shrove Tuesday ( time to eat pancakes)

2008-02-05T22:06:00.000+02:00

Here I am trying to turn the pancake over in the pan ( :

I did manage but JM missed the moment , experts get them high in the air then catch them ...not me they usually end up on the floor !....well this one was ok and edible ; )

For a Little history on the day : http://www.pancakeparlour.com/Annual_Events/Shrove/shrove.html

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHESTER

2008-01-11T22:22:00.001+02:00

Flying Birthday kisses from across the Ocean, wishing I was in the USA to give them personally ( : Love you x x x x x x
JUST JOKING ->

Gene Pitney & Marc Almond

2007-12-29T16:50:00.001+02:00

Thank You My Love

2007-12-17T23:23:00.000+02:00

Thank you Chester mou for making my Birthday such a special wonderful day , I love you x x x x x x x
for Chester
x x x

A Merry Christmas to all my friends.........

2007-12-11T07:23:00.000+02:00

http://gpsinformation.info/main/merryxmas.swf

Hope you all have a healthy happy and loving 2008 , may all Gods Blessings be upon you all, and hope I get to meet all those people I havent met yet who are friends from a distance , have a good one.....
CHEERS
Alison

Enya - Silent Night (in Irish) Christmas Lyrics

2007-12-07T21:40:00.001+02:00

The 3 A's - Then & Now

2007-11-28T22:30:00.000+02:00

Making a permanent move to Cyprus in 1985 I didn’t really think that the first 2 friends I would make would be 2 Brits….yes and wait for it both of them named Alison . ! well there you go …… God was arranging things in perfection as he always does .he must have thought to himself cant have those 3 young women struggling to adjust to the different culture of this Beautiful but sometimes crazy island ( : they each will need a pal to moan and groan and share the good
as well as the bad throughout the years to come. Well just for those of you who don’t already know , we all were there in Cyprus because we had all started holiday romances ….( yes some of them do work ! contrary to the reports of many who say they never last ) we were all dating 3 local Cypriot guys who were all friends together also !!! ….and we were all in the first year of our new life ..in Cyprus , we were not actually married when we all met each other , but the following couple of years saw us through that stage , and of course we were able to be there for each other in many ways and giving each other the usual girlfriend opinions and advice , supporting each other when all the greek relatives got to much to bear now and again ….LOL…anyone ever seen the movie ….My Big Fat Greek Wedding ? well if you have you may have some ides of the way the Greeks live ….everything is big and loud and well different to the way we do some things back home ! so having some friends who were there to escape with was a real good thing for us all …..oh don’t get me wrong of course we loved our Cypriot relatives …well not quite …we sort of loved them in small doses would be more precise ; ) LOL OK so when I say they they do everything BIG…. That includes food and how much they eat….so you judge yourself how much will power I had to refuse the food when you see the before and after pic here with this post !! ….well ok I have to admit …It looks like I am the only one who grew bigger !!! ) Well not long after that first photo I was getting bigger….not from food but yes, I was going to have a baby !! :) and once again my Brit pals the 2 other Alisons were there to support me through it all ….. well I was the first friend out of the 3 of us to be a mom, and what a date the baby chose to make an appearance ,yes the date Allyson was getting married ! so I missed my good friends big day…well not all of it though as much to the surprise of all the staff at the hospital , Allyson and Marios her husband came to congratulate me on my daughters birth wearing her wedding dress , oh what a lovely surprise that was, and the champagne was flowing right there in the clinic to celebrate 2 wonderful occasion s ! Well of course we all had a couple of children each in the following years, we went through so many good and bad times , but the wonderful thing is , when God places someone in your life he does it for many reasons and even though we don’t see each other as often as we would like the 3A’s have always been there for each other when ever there is the need …..we have seen each other through so many sad occasions , we all have lost loved ones over the years but having the love of a good friend always gets you through what seems to be the worst days of your life , I thank each one of them for being there for me always. Well just recently we decided we would like to do another line up for a photograph , and we had another wonderful get together over a coffee last week……oh how our tongues never stopped chatting , well we must have covered the events of the 22 years we have been good friends…lol…..and umpteen cups of Costa coffee the place where we met up ! There have been some significant events in my life where I have needed the other 2 A’s to be there for me ….one was not a situation that anyone wants to find themselves in …..I became a widow, so they cried with me , oh after so many years of all of us knowing each other the husbands as well as the wives , we were devastated to suffer the loss of Nicos my husband at such an early stage , ….but we cried and cried but yes life does go on……….and I thank God for my friends once again . Now I have to say recently my two Alisons have been smiling and laughing with me as God once again has placed a very important person in my life…..Oh how things work out , all for a reason , well I have to tell everyone that even though when I announced that I had met the the most amazing man who arrived in my life via the internet ! my Alisons ,being the protectors and guardians ! were surely mortified …LOL….oh they surely never believed such a thing like perfect love could start up on the net !!! well they didn’t really say they had doubts but I think they did, well still they supported me …but warned me that maybe he could turn out to be some mass murderer/psycho or something else just as bad …oh what scary things could happen to me ……. But still they smiled and said I looked so very happy that maybe ….just maybe he was a genuine good guy ( : ….. the 2 Alisons have finally admitted after meeting him here in Cyprus last October this could be weirdo is actually one wonderful guy…… and yes given me their approval that he is one ‘ Canny’ man…..thats Allysons North east of UK language for a lovely fella….especially after my wonderful fiancé (Yes we got engaged ) put our photos together in a small movie what can be viewed here on this link………. Oh well this post has been a bit long but not as long as it would have been if I had told the many stories of the wonderful friendship events of the 3A’S …maybe in the future I will post many more events including them ( : well I hope so but the one very important event which I hope they will be part of will be the day I will marry the man of my dreams , the one I adore and cherish and love with all of my heart………My Chester Wade ( Garazon ) who is more important to me than the air I breathe With this closing paragraph I just want to say Thank you God for sending me some loyal wonderful friends in this life , to the 3 A’s and many other good friends here in Cyprus who have been there for me. Most of All I want to Thank my Mr C. for loving me the way he does, without him I wouldn’t have been where I am today .he has changed my life completely and I love him so very much. . So wherever my future will be , maybe from Cyprus to America my friends will always be there in my heart,

Love you all folks, Alison M.

WARNING

2007-11-11T11:31:00.000+02:00

You've heard about people who have been abducted and had their
kidneys removed by black-market organ thieves. Well, this kind of cruel
theft is happening with other body parts as well!
My thighs were stolen from me during the night a few years ago. I
went to sleep and woke up with someone else's thighs. It was just
that quick.

The replacements had the texture of cooked oatmeal. Whose thighs
were these and what happened to mine? I spent the entire summer
looking for my thighs. Finally, hurt and angry, I resigned myself to
living out my life in jeans. And then the thieves struck again.

My butt was next. I knew it was the same gang, because they took
pains to match my new rear end to the thighs they had stuck me with
earlier. But my new butt was attached at least three inches lower than my
original! I realized I'd have to give up my jeans in favor of long skirts.

Two years ago I realized my arms had been switched. One morning I
was fixing my hair and was horrified to see the flesh of my upper arms
swing to and fro with the motion of the hairbrush. This was really
getting scary - my body was being replaced one section at a Time. What
could they do to me next?

When my poor neck suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a turkey neck ,I decided to tell my story , women of the world wake up andsmell the coffee !
Those "plastic" surgeons are using REAL
replacement body parts stolen from you and me! The next time someone you know
has something "lifted", look again - was it lifted from you?

THIS IS NOT A HOAX. This is happening to women everywhere every
night.

WARN YOUR FRIENDS!

P.S. Last year I thought someone had stolen my boobs. I was
lying in bed and they were gone! But when I jumped out of bed, I was
relieved to see that they had just been hiding in my armpits as I slept.
Now I keep them hidden in my waistband.

God at Work

2007-11-07T07:11:00.000+02:00

November 1, 2007

Dear Partners,

Today our media office launched a new website, CommissionStories.com http://www.commissionstories.com/

This site features multi-media presentations (photographs, stories, video clips and audio slideshows) of current ways God is at work among the nations. The site is still young, but it won’t be long before there are stories updated weekly from around the world. Matt’s work runs in a variety of places, and this will be one of them. When he does have a story on CommissionStories.com, I’ll be sure to let you know. But don’t just look for Matt’s work — go there to see and hear the reports of the many other talented writers, photographers and videographers within our company.

You may choose to subscribe to receive notification by e-mail when new stories are published, subscribe to receive iTunes podcasts, join the Commission Stories YouTube group or add a link to Commission Stories on your blog. Just go to the Feeds & Sharing page for more information on how to do that.

Another neat feature about this website, as stated on the About page, is that every piece of media on this site is available for download and use. Below each feature is a “Download” button that provides various sizes and formats of media to fit your needs. We hope you will use the photos, video, text and presentations to educate and inspire others. Join us in sharing how God is moving today among every nation, tribe, people and language.

Check out the website. Watch the videos and read the stories. Keep checking back in weeks to come, and tell your family and friends! Please feel free to forward this e-mail to anyone you may think is interested. We want to spread the word!

Grace and peace to you,
Laura and Matt

A dedication

2007-10-28T08:37:00.000+02:00

Its Chocolate Day Today ! for all addicted people like me !!

2007-10-28T07:02:00.000+02:00

http://www.afterlifetelegrams.com/FREE_CHOCOLATE/Free_Chocolate.html

Drunken Monkeys

2007-10-24T20:13:00.000+02:00

Happy in Cyprus

2007-10-20T14:41:00.000+02:00

Thought I would share one of the photos of Chester and I trying out the traditional Cyprus Meze with my friends Agnetta and George, and of course washing it down with a bottle of local red !

Michael Bolton - Missing You Now...I love you Garazon

2007-10-03T07:10:00.001+02:00

Very addictive ! Air Force test

2007-09-29T18:52:00.000+02:00

I managed 18 seconds on my 3rd attempt.....

http://members.iinet.net.au/~pontipak/redsquare.html

JM

2007-09-01T20:39:00.000+02:00

ok so Im a proud mom ! meet my son JM he is singing here on this short lousy recording that we took from a cell phone , well he is singing at our church for the Easter Service , a duet with Aris his buddy, JM is the one thats starts the song off, and just as an extra brag ...lol...he just called me today to say he flew solo in a glider for the first tiime and got his silver wings badge .
Well Done JM in case youre reading my Blog ( :

Meet Churchill

2007-08-23T18:05:00.000+02:00

Flying Pickets - Only You

2007-08-18T09:01:00.001+02:00

Just wondered if anyone out there likes capella style music, most of my friends mocked me for liking this particular group.... I think to produce this sound without a musical instrument is talent, I like it.

In Cyprus its now ....

2007-08-18T06:19:00.000+02:00

Best Friends

2007-08-15T19:30:00.000+02:00

This is my Daughter Natalie and flossy the horse she had just had her first riding experience with looks like he enjoyed it and accepted a hug after, I tried to upload the actual movie but failed, I think I need help.........maybe another day I will manage to do it.....

Simply The Best - Sunderland

2007-08-11T18:48:00.000+02:00

Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham

Chopra made the perfect start to life on WearsideMichael Chopra scored in injury time to give Roy Keane's Sunderland side a stunning victory over Tottenham on their return to the Premier League.

This is scary !

2007-08-06T17:54:00.000+02:00

Check out this clock and data - http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf

Meat Loaf --Bat Out Of Hell

2007-08-05T08:10:00.001+02:00

This is one of my all time favourites....love to do my housework to this !...I remember my mom couldnt hear well and she thought he was singing ' Battery hen '...lol

Two Hearts as One

2007-07-28T17:21:00.001+02:00

The bond that holds two hearts in love

Receives its strength from God above,

Kansas - Dust in the Wind.

2007-07-15T17:02:00.001+02:00

Kisses for my love

2007-07-15T07:05:00.000+02:00

For Chester

2007-07-15T06:53:00.000+02:00

Soul Mates

Our meeting was more than fate.
God knew you were my soul mate.
Your timing is never wrong
Now we share a bond so strong.
Our time together means so much.
Each moment intensifies the need to touch.
Your love has reached my deepest soul.
Longing for you to daily hold.
May our love and need continuously grow.
Forever, LOVE, NEED, PASSION to each show.

I love you
Alison

2007-07-08T13:30:00.001+02:00

This is me sitting here trying to learn how to be a proffessional blogger like Garazon !!! ( :

love you!

2007-06-07T03:06:00.000+02:00

hi my love!
just playing around while you are sleeping and found a way to post to your blog from my cell! :-)
luv you XXX luv you XXX luv you XXX