Life has been getting in the way. Given how complicated my life and social arrangements usually are, this is inevitable sometimes.

Sunday I am off to Forn Parts to go and see my Mum. No 1 Husband is coming with me, and we will hopefully have 10 days of sunshine, sea and good food. The good food is a given, as Northern Cyprus has never let us down on the food front. The sheer abundance of fresh fruit, vegetables and cheeses is a constant source of joy to me when I am there. I just want to cook, and feed people all the time. Thankfully I will be surrounded by people who love to eat, and cook, just as much as I do.

These grapes festoon the roof of a bar/restaurant that we go to. You can sit and drink and just pick grapes as you chat. So many of them grow that the owner sells them to the local supermarket.

I will have a better camera with me this time, so I hope to get some lovely foodie shots to share here. With any luck I might even get some recipes! There is a marinade that my mum’s friend uses on her meat and I am in love with it. This time I will write the recipe down!

The one thing I really look forward to is the Wednesday Girne market. It’s a wondrous place for me, full of teeming crowds but no-one in a hurry, everyone picking out the best fresh produce and bantering good naturedly
with the stall holders. Some of the nicest olive oil I have tasted is found here, fresh pressed from fruit gathered from the surrounding trees. Huge, twisted, gnarled trees that appear all over the island on almost every available piece of land. The oil is a vibrant green with glints of mellow gold. I’d bring back gallons of it if I could. Sadly I think the worry about a bottle bursting in my case is too much for me. One day I will have enough money to ship stuff here but for now, I’ll just hanker after it when I am back in Blighty.

See you in a week or so!