Restaraunts and Shopping Malls Reopen

The bars and restaurants in Cyprus are begining to open after our period in Lockdown, so we decided to have Sunday lunch at The Bunch of Grapes. The restaurant is situated in the heart of Pissouri village, has a wonderful covered courtyard and the food is excellent.

On Tuesday  the Shopping Malls reopened, as we were  in Limassol we went over to the "My Mall" center. It was something of a surreal experience, watching people stand in line to enter the shops wearing face masks and the staff wearing full face shields.

Cari's 3rd Birthday, a fire in Pissouri bay and more restrictions lifted

Back in the UK our Goddaughter, Cari, celebrated her 3rd birthday. We asked what she would like as a birthday gift and she asked for a Princess dress from the film, Frozen.

One of the restaurants, The Vineleaf, in Pissouri bay suffered severe damage from a fire that started in the early hours of the morning.

The Cypriot goverment announced the lifting of further restrictions as from the 9th June with the opening of 

• malls
• airports/airlines
• ports/cruise ships,
• catering establishments indoor service but taking into consideration their size and capacity depending on square metres
• open air theatres and open air cinemas (restrictions on numbers depending on square metres)
• sports competitions without fans
• nurseries, kindergartens
• children’s clubs
• outdoor children’s play areas

Restrictions End and 15 Years Anniversary for The Blog

Today is a landmark day on Covid 19 lockdown in Cyprus, from today we no longer need to send  a sms to the goverment or carry our passports.

After 8 weeks on restrictions of movement in Cyprus, the following measures have been taken,

From 21 May:

Elementary school and high schools are opening from May 21st

First and second grade remain closed in high school as well as nursery and kindergartens

SMS messages is completely abolished and

Traffic Ban between 10 pm and 6 in the morning is abolished

Houses allowed in houses of up to 10 people

There will be free movement in parks, marinas squares, etc, making sure that the gathering will not exceed 10 per group - excluding playgrounds.

The hair salon barbershops are reopening, tattoo massage centers

Outdoor catering services are reopen - people will not exceed 10 per group.

The "A New life planned in Cyprus" Blog celebrates its 15 th Birthday, My, how those years have flown by. The blog has been visited by people from 164 different countries. 

High Temperatures Arrive and Fires

As the partial Lockdown continues in Cyprus, the high temperatures have suddenly arrived. The day time temperatures have climbed to 42 degrees C and even at night time it hovered in the high 20's. These extreme temperatures are expected to last several for days.

 Photos by Marcos Foutas

Forests fires  are now a big danger on the Island as several break out around Cyprus.

The Residents of Pissouri are now looking forward to the next stage of the lifting of lockdown restrictions. This is due to happen on May 21 st.

Pissouir Bay Reopens

Taking advantage of the good weather and the lifting of some of restrictions on visiting the beaches of Cyprus, we drove down to Pissouri bay for a walk along the seafront. The place was pretty quiet but the colour of the sea was quite striking.

Back in the UK, some of our family members met up, but they observed social distancing by just chatting through the window.

An ease of restrictions and Walking

As we enter our sixth week of Lock down due to the Corona virus, the Cypriot Pesident went on tv to announce a relaxation of the rules during the Corona virus crisis. From the 4th May.....

 (i) The number of permitted movements within a day by sending SMS increase to three (3). Ban on movement remains in place from 10.00 p.m. to 6.00 a.m.

(ii)As of May 4, the exercise of religion will be permitted in churches, mosques and other places of worship, provided that there are no more than 10 persons present. The decree on weddings, christenings and funerals remains in force.

 All businesses in retail trade, except commercial centres and big department stores, can start operating. It is understood that the operation of the shops shall be governed by the safety and health protocols as these will be determined by the competent Ministries of Health and Labour.

(iv)  Flee markets, street vendors and bazaars can open for business, always under the terms and conditions included in the relevant instructions of the Minister of Health.

(v)   Tourist offices and tourist agents can start working again.

More rules witll be relaxed later in May as long as there is no spike in the number of cases reported.

We have managed to go out Walking on most days and some of the trees and plants have exploded with colour in and around the village.

Fourth week of Lockdown

President Anaastasiades addressed the Republic on tv to urge the general public to comply with the Lock down measures.
As we enter the Cypriot Easter period, things are obviously very different this year, with no church services, no parades, village games or souvla, the Cypriot BBQ.


Like a lot of families we have been keeping in contact with our family in the UK via video calls. This week we spoke to "The Cool Kids" who were kept busy with their new trampoline and a round of face painting.

Back in Cyprus, one of our residents took the opportunity to fly a drone over our village and surrounding countryside with some spectacular results.

Third week of Lock down in Cyprus

As we enter the third week of Lock down in Cyprus due to the Covid 19 virus, life settles into a strange daily routine.  Our home has never looked so clean, after breakfast we have a meeting to plan out our day ahead.

We are still allowed out once a day for a short time to conduct day to day tasks, shopping, exercise, doctor or hospital appointments.

Rob had a doctor's appointment earlier this week in Limassol which is a 30 minute drive away, he said that he had never seen the Motorway/Highway so quiet. The Police had various check points and Rob was pulled over and questioned, at a distance, about the reason for his  movements and had to show his documents through the windscreen.

On the plus side of things, the weather has improved and we have had several day of sunshine with a light breeze. 

A 100th Anniversary

Today (April 2nd) marks the  day 100 years ago, when Rob's Father, Billy, was born. 

Billy was born in the City of Cardiff in the UK. As a young  man he joined the Royal Air Force and served in Africa and the middle East during the second World War.

After the War, he married Val in 1958 and Bill began a 35 year career in the National UK telephone company, then known as the Post Office, but today know as British Telecom.












Bill enjoyed many years as a season ticket holder at Cardiff Rugby club and enjoyed a pint down at the local Grangetown Conservative club.

Tighter Rules on Movement Introduced

To try to combat the spread of the Corona virus in Cyprus, the Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou introduced an increase to the rules on Public movements. From Monday 31st March 2020 these include....

A completer curfew between 9.00 pm until 6.00 am.

People are only allowed to leave their homes once a day, for one hour and only if they receive permission after sending a text message to a special number.

The fine for those found disobeying the ban on movement has been doubled to €300.

House visits and gatherings are also forbidden, he said, adding that only residents must be in each home.

Supermarkets, bakeries, butchers and other retails shops will be closed on Sundays.

A new way of Living begins

As we enter the lock down period in Cyprus we have been informed that every time that we leave our home we have to fill in a form or use a special SMS service and carry ID at all times.

At the moment there are plenty of jobs around our home to keep us busy and the weather had improved which always helps to keep spirits up.
Rob has decided to grow a beard for the lock down time, there is no socialising  allowed so he thinks its the perfect time.

Cyprus on Lock down due to The Corona virus

The Cypriot President, Nicos Anastasiades, made an announcement on TV last night to inform the Citizens of Cyprus that of 6.00 pm tonight that their movements would be severely restricted.

The New measures include,

The government banned unnecessary movement from 6pm on Tuesday until April 13, unless it concerned work, the purchase of supplies, doctor and pharmacy visits, or going to a bank if an online transaction is impossible.

Also exempted are people who provide assistance to vulnerable groups and first-degree relatives attending funerals, weddings, or baptisms, provided they do not exceed 10 people.

Exercising and walking a dog are also allowed as long as they do not exceed two people and they are restricted to the area around their residences.

Everyone outside must carry their ID or passport and additional proof regarding their business,

Starting Tuesday 6pm and until April 13, the government will shut parks, play areas, open sports facilities, public meeting places – including squares, reservoirs, picnic areas, beaches, marinas, open markets and bazaars.

Visits to churches, mosques, and other religious venues were also banned.

All retailers will suspend operation apart from those included in a health ministry order: companies selling equipment for the handicapped, medical equipment, opticians, hearing aids, garages, tyre shops, bicycle shops, dry cleaners, post and courier officers, telecom companies – bill payment and repairs – car dealerships, flower shops, funeral parlours.

All businesses can trade online and deliver their goods.

The closure order includes construction sites apart from those relating to public utilities.

The Easter bonfire tradition was also banned, and any ‘fuel’ collected by youths will be removed by local authorities and the police.

Serious CoronaVirus Measures begin and Sunday Lunch

The Cypriot goverment introduces new emergency rules to help fight the spread of the Coronavirus across the Island. These include the closure of all restaurants, bars, shopping malls, shops, museums, sport centers, cinemas and recreation centers. The closures will begin on Monday 16th March and run for 4 weeks.

So on Sunday we took advantage of having our last meal in a restaurant for a while when we met several friends for lunch at the Ampeli restaurant in Pissouri Bay. Somebody thought it was Mandy's birthday (it was'ent) and handed her a birthday card. This produced all kind  of funny moments and even the restaurant staff produced a cake with a candle.

Closing the Borders and a Tribute Act

On Friday evening the Cypriot President, Nicos Anastasiades, addressed the country outlining new measures in an effort to combat the Coronavirus. The President announced that from 15th of March the Borders into the country will effectively be closed to Non residents (with certain exceptions) for 15 days.

A number of local functions have been cancelled in the village as a precautionary measure but on Friday evening we did  manage to go down to the Vineleaf taverna  to watch Nat Augustin perform his tribute act to George Benson and Stevie Wonder.

Lunch at Vasa

On Sunday we made the 30 minute drive North of Pissouri to the village of Vasa. On a beautiful morning we wandered around the narrow streets of this hillside village before heading over to the Pyrkos tavern.  

Marinos and the family made us very welcome and we enjoyed a super meze lunch overlooking the local countryside. 

We even left with a dozen free range eggs from the owners chickens.

Beachcombing and Green Monday

On Saturday night we were hit by a huge hail storm, the following day, St Davids Day, we drove over to Mandria beach for a spot of beachcombing. It was noticeable how much the sea had eroded the cliffs in certain places along our walk.

On Monday we made our way over to the Panorama area of the village where celebrations were being held to mark the begining of Lent known as "Green Monday".

The village council provided entertainment, food and wine as the local enjoyed the gathering in fine weather. The children were kept entertained by flying kites which is a tradition of there day which marks a 40 day fast of meat products  before Easter.