Pissouri, Cyprus - first day of the lockdown.

The lockdown started last night at 6pm and within a short period of time the mobile number that we were instructed to contact to register/get permission to leave the house, crashed! There is a local community counsellor, Markos, who seems to run the I Love Pissouri Facebook page, the internet cafe in Pissouri and a pizza restaurant in Pissouri Beach. (maybe more, I don't know). He is amazing about keeping everyone informed. Anyway when people mentioned on Facebook that they didn't have Cypriot phones to use the text system, he printed off the forms (in Greek and English) and left them on the steps outside his, closed, internet cafe.

I wanted to go to the pharmacy (I have 12 days worth of acid reflux medication left but don't know what it is going to take to get some more, so thought I would start the process) and while I was down at the bottom of the hill anyway, get some groceries. So I wrote out the form on a piece of paper and then picked up more at Markos' place.

Sunflowers opposite the Pissouriana Hotel. More fodder for my flower painting obsession.

The village square was absolutely empty as I walked through.

This is the form we have to fill out and have in our possession. If we don't have this, and identification (in my case, my passport), if stopped by the police, we can be fined. I picked up 3 copies, not wanting to deplete the pile too much and willing to share with others in my row of houses.

Looking down from the road up to the village there was a mixed herd in the field below.

Neither the shepherd (on his phone) nor the 2 dogs (heads down and sniffing) were being particularly attentive.

While standing watching the sheep and goats I noticed this bird fluttering in and out of the bushes behaving like a flycatcher does at home.

This is a better photo from the Endemic Species web site.

The Cyprus Wheatear comes to Cyprus to breed, having spent the winter in countries like Ethiopia and Sudan. From March - October it is common all over the island from the mountains of Troodos down to the coast. from birdlifecyprus.org 

He's the first I have seen, just back from his winter in the South.

The Pharmacy was closed. I have since realized that it might have been because it was Greek Independence Day which is a public holiday in Cyprus.

Papantoniou's was open. They were limiting how many people could go inside so I had to wait outside, 6' behind the guy in front of me. While waiting my hands were squirted with hand sanitizer then I was given latex gloves and then, when I had them on, they were squirted with hand sanitizer. Inside there were people shopping for multiple families and neighbours, juggling different lists and different packets of money. Passing down the aisles happened infrequently, due to the limits inside but when it did we each turned away from each other. It was a quiet and intense experience.

My walk up the hill was considerably slower than going down as I had my backpack and 2 bags to carry.

But you notice more when you are going slower and I noticed

that the Mimosa was starting to blossom.

Catching my breath and looking out across the valley

I could see the shepherd was moving the herd to a different field and they flowed like a brown and beige stream down a path and then spread out on the new grass.

They must be hunting dogs because, in spite of a lot of yelling, he had to go and chase the strays back in the right direction.

The fig trees have been pointing their bony, skeletal, fingers to the sky but are now starting to leaf out

Home and I had lunch and then lay in the sun, on a lounger on the front patio.

I love oat cakes (Tim Hortons and also those found in the grocery stores). Here there are about 8 different varieties on the shelf . I haven't tried the ones on the left before but LOVE the ones on the right!

Yesterday Nikki suggested I should pick some of the Freesia growing in her garden and bring it inside to enjoy the scent. Today I took her up on the idea and placed them on the fireplace (which I have used for at least a month).