Other assorted Best Bits - Part 1

So its been two weeks now since I returned home to Chicago from my fabulous long Christmas vacation in Cyprus with the folks.  Somehow, it already feels like a lot longer. This blog post is to mop up all the other cool stuff that I got up to with my folks back home and is shamelessly dedicated to my sis and her two awesome boys. I miss you guys already - hopefully it wont be another two years before I see you all again!!  Anyway, here's Part 1 of the best of the rest.... 

Tea leave-ing 

Right then.  Last things first.  On the night before I was due to fly home, I made myself a cup of tea while packing (of course).  After I finished the tea, I was just about to wash the cup up when I peered into the bottom and saw.....

Come back soon?

.....Cyprus!!  Yes - the tea stain looks uncannily like a map of the island which, if I believed in the celestial above, I could take as a sign for something.  But, as I don't, I'm afraid any higher message was completely lost on me.  I did, however, use it as a very handy excuse not to do the washing-up after all but, instead, leave it for my beloved sister to do after I'd left.  I'm sure she thought fond thoughts of me the whole time... (thanks, sis!)

Northern Cyprus Parking

One of the particular "charms" of Northern Cyprus is the truly atrocious driving practiced by everyone on the island, combined with parking "skills" whose main characteristic is an utter and complete disregard for general logic, spatial awareness or, basically, anything.  Turkish Cyps just do not give a flying rats ass where they park, whether they are in the lines or not, or whether they block you from getting out.  They are also pathologically lazy (think Florida or LA) and will attempt to park as close as physics allows to their intended destination, so they don't have to wear out their precious little legs by *shock horror* actually walking anywhere.

Not so much parked as abandoned....

I guess after a couple of weeks of being bombarded by such terrifically insouciant behavior, it can start to rub off on you, as evidenced by the photo below.  I had a little white hire car for 3 days while I was in Cyprus (thanks Dad!) and used it to mainly shuttle to and from Mum's house and Villa Ten Ten, as well as few trips to the shops to buy Heinz Salad Cream and my body weight in Cadbury's Dairy Milk.  I'd just parked up outside Mum's - and felt I just had to capture the moment.  I'm not sure whether it was Cyprus Parking or rampant indecision about which spot to park in, but I somehow managed to successfully avoid parking in any of them and instead leave my car parked in a fantastically cheeky manner.  Fortunately its a dead-end, with the only traffic likely impacted to be a flock (herd?) of passing, jingle-bell-y goats.  I was really quite impressed with myself, in a mildly horrified kind of way, but fortunately the car was returned to the car shop the next day, and I returned myself to the US before such wickedly atrocious habits could set in permanently.....

Buffavento Buffet!

Loopy indulging in that favorite age-old sport of Teenager Baiting.
Thomas is trying his best to remain stalwart....

As the end of my holiday drew close (*sniff sniff*), I wanted to take Louise and the boys out for a special lunch to celebrate my whole trip, the time we'd spent together and try to annoy them so much they'd be glad to see the back of me.  I'm not sure we quite achieved all our objectives (I'm just too damned lovable, thats my problem) but we did discover a fab restaurant that is definitely on the list to go back to on a future visit.

It was Loopy's choice for our lunch venue, so she picked the Buffavento restaurant - a traditional place with Turkish kebabs, meze and the like.  So far, so good - but the cool thing about this place is that its nestled right at the very top of the "Five Finger" mountain range (no, I'm not making that up though its proper name is the Besparmak mountain range).  Its tucked away by the side of the road, just where it crests over the top of the mountains and you start to descend again, down towards the sea.  Its always served as a very fond milestone on that first drive back from the airport that we're almost home and we'll soon be there!

Eren checks out the feast,  preparing to dive into the world's
biggest pita bread....

Its also a place then that - until our visit - we've driven past for 10 years and never been inside! (kind of the culinary equivalent of your local museum,  I guess).  So anyway, off to Buffavento we went, me driving my little white car with the full intent of using as much gas as I possibly could, seeing as the hire car company had delivered it empty and running on fumes, and I'd had to put in 20 TL worth of petrol. (that's just so typical of Northern Cyprus right there - you run a car hire company, then "forget" to put any gas in it when you deliver it to the customer- assclowns!).

It was an absolutely charming place - very rustic and log cabin-y, complete with roaring fireplaces, wood-lined walls (and ceilings!) and brightly colored woven woollen blankets, draped here and there.  The whole vibe was completely reminiscent of the El Tovar lodge, at the rim of the Grand Canyon, similarly adorned and beautifully basic.  Despite the fire places, it was a bit chilly (we were also seated right next to the windows, as you can see - great for views but a bit drafty!) but the views were fabulous, especially as the earlier morning cloud had given way to completely clear views across the mountains.  The food was pretty good too, especially the massive flatbread thing that was almost as big as Eren! I tried to resist its seductive aromas but, alas, I caved in.  I may be completely awesome but I am, after all, still human.  With the caveat that Thomas needs to chose differently next time (alas, poor manipedi!), its definitely one we'll come back to!

Rustic flava!

The external walls are actually all made from matchsticks.  Its
an incredible feat of engineering.  All true.

Public transport is a bit ropey, though.

Fabulous view of the Five Finger (count 'em!) mountains

Parachuting turtles try to escape the
oncoming blaze.  Or something.

Look, Ma!  We're on top of the worrrrrrrld!!!

Life - and Death - imitates Art 

EDDIE!!!!  You need to read this - NOW!!!  

Crumbs! This really happened!!  Takes the
biscuit if you ask me.....

And - for those of you who don't get this reference - watch this..... Eddie is and always will be my comedy hero.  Rather an ignominious way to go, though (I wonder if police have ever ruled IN foul play in the case of cake deaths?) but I guess at least she died happy. 

Unless it was traditional Northern Cyprus cake.  In which case she probably died mildly disappointed and still trying to work out exactly what the flavor was....

CatMaggedon

If Alfred Hitchcock were to remake The Birds, but using felines, I think the final scene before the protagonist meets their sticky, clawed and pawed end would look something like this.  Its like a Cat Infinity Mirror - it never ends.  Schrodinger would be having a heart attack...

Self-replicating cats!! EVERYWHERE!!  

*******ERRATUM*****

Due to the optical illusion and gravitational shift brought on by some many cats in close proximity, I discovered an error on my previous Cat Census hopscotch post and - can you believe this? - actually missed one!!  Yep, I completely forgot about the grey one - he's pretty magnificent - but I can't now remember his name!!  My sincerest apologies to grey cat - sorry old chap.  Honestly, though, you can't blame me - two weeks on and ELEVEN cats names to remember?   I need that brain space to try and remember everyone's birthday's....

Cat No.11 looking all moody and broody.  And really
quite fluffy.  All at the same time.  Its a tricky look to pull off.

Square egg, round hole

To be perfectly honest, there's not really a huge amount to do in Northern Cyprus.  We tend to make our own entertainment (as evidenced by the Reindeer Massive - more on that in Part 2) and below is a perfect example.  As described in an earlier post, one of my top 10 pressies this year was this fabulousity- an Amazing Square Egg Maker.  This contraption is impressive for a whole host of reasons.  Firstly, I am in deep admiration for whoever wrote the copy on the back (click on the picture and it'll enlarge so you can read it properly) - I've been in those meetings, back on the agency side, where you are desperately searching for something, anything, to hang onto as a hook and tell a convincing story.  I just had to imagine the brainstorming (or pot smoking or excessive drinking) that went on to come up with this little lot.  Pure and simple advertising magic.

Promises, promises....

Frustrated by boiled eggs rolling around when you try to slice them?  I'm incredibly frustrated.  
Disappointed to find corners of your egg sandwich empty?  I am devastated and can hardly find the strength to continue the day.
Help is at hand!  Thank GOD!
Just make square eggs!  Oh wow!  That's simply Amazing.  I no longer feel disappointed or frustrated by my sandwich fillings at all.  Why didn't I think of that?  I could have been rich!  

Secondly, it actually works!!  And, whats more, we captured the whole thing just for you!  So now you can enjoy the glory that is the Amazing Square Egg Maker and watch a bona fide miracle unfold before your very eyes.

Warning: some people may find the images below disturbing.  Viewer discretion advised.

How I long for corner-to-corner sandwich filling....

The lovely Loopy and the Test Subject

I would like to say that no eggs were harmed in the
making of this, however....

In it goes..... ready for its transformation....

Putting the squeeze on.....
And then we wait.

Oh.  Right.  This is one of me and a
tiny plastic goose.

Umm.....

FINALLY!!! Its ready!!  And LOOK!  What
are THOSE?  Are they CORNERS??

OMG.  It actually worked!!  Cool, huh?

And, just to prove this was not some high-faluting, Photoshopping trickery designed to impress and amaze you all, we all made a little video to PROVE the claim that we had, indeed, stopped our egg from Rolling About.

And thus concludes Part 1 of our Best Bits.   Part 2 to follow shortly....  Now, where did I leave that sandwich....