Neo Chorio, Cyprus
25 September 2021
Macro Moments
Akamas National Park
Now that it’s a little cooler, we’re starting to explore nature here in Cyprus. Close to where we live is Akamas National Park where an amazing variety of flora and fauna can be found in an area of 230 km².
But, it’s very dry now that we are at the end of the summer and almost nothing is blooming.
Luckily I found this little creature to photograph, as well as the one and only plant with its white flowers.
On our way to and from the park we pass the donkeys and a very old olive tree.
Sure, it looks like the donkeys are dancing..
Neo Chorio, Cyprus
18 September 2021
..where Dreams are Born
“Come with me,
where Dreams are Born,
and Days are Never planned”
– Peter Pan
Chrysochou Bay, Polis, Paphos, Cyprus
20 August 2021
Pomegranate
Pomegranate
…
Flowers & Colors
Finally, it has become a little cooler, just over 30 degrees and a pleasant breeze.
The beautiful Bougainvillea with its lovely colors blooms to the fullest, despite scorching sun and drought!
Cee’s Flower of The Day / Bougainvillea
Yesterday morning, we signed an agreement for a house in Tala Village.
We have only been here for barely a month and yet, we have already found our new home.
Life is an adventure, life is good!
Neo Cherio, Paphos, Cyprus
18 August 2021
Hello from Cyprus!
We have now been in Cyprus for almost three weeks and these are my very first pictures from where we live right now, on the outskirts of Latchi Marina located between Neo Chorio and Polis very close to the sea.
A Farmer’s Salad is enough as lunch in the heat. 
This is the house we rent. 
This is the name of the house we rent, Korona 1. 
We are not far from the Baths of Aphrodite where I’ve been a couple of times because of it’s sandy beach.
—–
💓“Shaded by an old fig tree, amidst lush greenery, legend tells that the Ancient Greek Goddess Aphrodite used to bathe in the waters. According to Greek mythology, Aphrodite met her lover Adonis at this beautiful spot when he stopped for a drink whilst hunting, and fell in love with her the moment when he drank the water.”💓
Since we arrived it has been very hot here on the island, a heat wave is going on but the doggies are doing well.
Glorious sunsets in the west. 
Polis Church
Polis and Neo Chorio are two very small villages while Latchi is a marina and holiday resort. We will not settle here permanently but on the other side of the mountains, closer to the city of Paphos which is about an hour from here by car.
Neo Chorio, Paphos, Cyprus 13 August 2021
Bye Bye Malta
Bye Bye Malta – Hello Cyprus!
We’ve arrived, we’ve been here for exactly a week now and it feels great! We rent a house by the sea in Latchi and we’ll stay here for at least three months while exploring the area around the Paphos district.
In Malta I found the power of flowers and colors. 
My brave beloved basenji dog Fanny gave birth
to six puppies in September last year.
This is what the buses looked like when we moved
to Malta in 2000. Today, they are a tourist attraction.
All photos in this post are from my archive. Every single picture I’ve taken during my years on the small island in the Mediterranean will be unvaluable memories from a time I’ve now left behind.
Bye Bye Valletta, the capital of Malta and a World Heritage site.
The island of Filfla, a small islet in the most southerly point of the Maltese Archipelago. Symbolically, it could be Malta seen from Cyprus, where the Paphos district is only slightly larger than the island we just left.
A new chapter in life has just begun…
CoLor ColoUr…
I love color, color makes me happy!
Being surrounded by colors affects how we feel, even though we don’t always know about it.
“We live in a rainbow of chaos”
– Paul Cezanne
“Life is a great big canvas; throw all the paint you can at it”
– Danny Kaye
Pre-Moving Checklist:
Today all our belongings were packed and are now stored in a container here in Malta. Everything, except what is to be packed in our suitcases. We don’t know when the container will be shipped to Cyprus, first we have to find where on the island we are going to live…
Three days left…
Skyltsöndag
Någon flitig skyltare har jag inte varit under de senaste åren men ett skyltinlägg känns som ett måste innan vi lämnar Malta för gott. Bästa BP håller i trådarna och där kan man verkligen tala om att vara flitig. Den tjejen kommenterar alla mina inlägg och har så gjort ända sen jag började blogga! Med tanke på hur många följare hon har känns det hedrande att hon faktiskt tar sig tid även hos mig. Stort Tack Beate!!! Du är fantastisk!!!
Här bor vi nu, på Triq Ir-Rgajja i Rabat.
Nästa söndag flyger vi mot nya okända mål på Cypern.
Farmer Lucas notering på en sten i Majjstral Park.
Nej, jag behärskar inte det maltesiska språket.
Här har vi gått många gånger utmed de branta lersluttnignar
högt ovanför havet i Majjstral park, men nu har delar av stigen kollapsat.
Gneja Bay känner jag till men de övriga ställena
är för mig okända, trots mer än 20 år på den här lilla ön.
Polisstationen i Mdina 
En av Malta’s många fina gatuskyltar.
Ovan syns några skyltar från Malta medan de där nere är från Sverige valda från mitt minnesarkiv.
Minns ni Cykelfix? Skåningen som lagade cyklar med kärlek vid Slussen i Stockholm år 2014.
Gissar att han inte är kvar och Slussen ser idag förmodligen inte ut som då.
Min ambition att lägga ut minst en bild om dagen fram tills vi flyttar fungerade inte men det känns bra att jag iallafall fick till det här. Nästa söndag lämnar vi Malta för Cypern och ett nytt kapitel i livet tar sin början.
Det känns spännande, ibland nästan lite läskligt men framförallt, väldigt roligt och positivt.
Seven days left…
Basenji
🤍 Today, my beloved Fanny turns four years old.🤍
Pre-Moving Checklist:
Today I have gone through all the papers, forms, insurance, declarations etc…
I need to decide what to store in the container and what to take in our suitcases when we fly…
Twelve days left…
By The Sea
There is no need to have it all, just make the best of what you have.
Pre-Moving Checklist:
Today I only packed two boxes, then I went swimming. It’s hot here now and 27 degrees in the mediterranean sea.
Thirteen days left…
The Fly
“I’m just Another Insect on the Windshield of Life”
– Don Mashak.
“Watching house flies at close proximity to catch them rubbing their hands is my new hobby”
– Mr. M
” An optimist is a fellow who believes a housefly is looking for at way to get out”
– George Jean Nathan
Pre-Moving Checklist:
We have sold our car but can keep it until we leave Malta.
Fourteen days left…
Luzzu – Malta
It’s been a while now since I showed some of the colorful boats which are so typical for Malta, the luzzu’s.
A luzzu is a traditional fishing boat and often considered as a symbol of Malta.
They are usually painted in bright colours while the bow often has a pair of eyes.
“The Eye of Horus”
These eyes are a symbol of protection and good health and are believed to protect the fishermen from any harm while they are out at sea.
Pre-Moving Checklist:
Most of our winter clothes are now packed in boxes to be stored in the container and shipped to Cyprus.
Who knows for how long….?
Fifteen days left…
Flower of The Day
Greater Snapdragon.
Cee’s Photo Challenge Flower of The Day
Pre-Moving Checklist:
Has found out what requirements apply to bring our dogs into Cyprus from Malta.
Passport / Rabies vaccination date / Microchip Number etc.
Sixteen days left…
Malta Doors
Have you ever thought about how many doors there are?
Doors can really look different depending on where in the world you are.
I’m from Sweden, live in Malta and will soon move to Cyprus after twenty years on this small Mediterranean island. Here I have chosen to show a selection of traditional Maltese doors.
Hope you enjoy!
Colorful red and a small extra door. 
Here you also see one of the typical Maltese balconies. 
A garage door. 
Pillars can look magnificent,
at least as long they are well maintained.Yes, here we put our garbage bags outside the door for collection. Some days for plastic and paper and some days for organic. 
Both the wooden door and the stone wall are old and worn.
Someone has left food and water for the cats.
I guess someone from Sweden lives here.
They have named their house “Blå Dörren”
which means the blue door.
Blue doors are quite common.
Of course, the shutters have the same color.
This post was inspired by a challenge hosted by Dan.
Thursday Doors Challenge
Pre-Moving Checklist:
All our belongings (almost) are now packed and stored in one of the bedrooms in our rental apartment here in Rabat. The date for loading in a 20 foot container, shipping and storage is now booked.
Seventeen days left…
Extraordinary
“I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.”
– Anne Frank
Pre-Moving Checklist:
The dogs have got used to their travel cage. Though they don’t know they will be locked in and stored in the baggage compartment during the flight.
Eighteen days left…
The Tree
It’s been a while now since the last post so I’ve decided to try to post a picture a day from now on. At least one image a day either from my archive like the one above or a newly taken image.
My thoughts right now are mostly about organizing our move to Cyprus. It’s getting closer now, we leave Malta for good on 25th July 2021. I need to dispel my thoughts…
Nineteen days left.
“We walk from darkness to light,
From light back to darkness again,
From unknown to known,
Known back to unknown”
― Eric Overby
A Rose is a Rose is a…
Someone has planted roses along the path where I usually walk with my dogs here in Rabat. Every time i walk by the flowers have changed, sometimes there are no flowers at all but there are always new buds coming up.
“A single rose can be my garden…
a single friend, my world.”
– Leo Buscaglia
“I don’t know whether nice people tend to grow roses
or growing roses makes people nice”
-Roland A Browne
“My life is part humor, part roses, part thorns”
– Bret Michaels
“Just remember, during the winter, far beneath the bitter snow,
that there’s a seed that with the sun’s love
in the spring becomes a rose.”
– Bette Midler
The meaning of “A rose is a rose is a rose” is often attributed to the notion that when all is said and done, a thing is what it is.
“A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
― Mark Twain
Green & Blue
A lush green Malta just before the summer drought takes over while the sky and sea remain equally blue all year round. Will this be my last summer in Malta? After twenty yrs on this tiny island in the Mediterranean, it’s time to move on.
Blue scarlet pimpernel flowers. 
Ghajn Tuffieha, Riviera Bay 
Blooms from December to May. 
Wild Borage… 
Greenery, a blue sea and the blue sky.
Enjoy it while you can!
Its leaves, flowers and stalks are edible
and taste a little like cucumber.
The one way ticket to Cyprus is booked, we have rented a house by the sea in Neo Chorio, a serene, secluded small Cypriot coastal village. We have no idea what it’s like to live in Cyprus, an exciting challenge awaits.
The countdown has begun, only.………………………………………… days left!!
“If life was easy where would all the adventures be”?
Monday’s photos
A bee and a plant…
…and some kind of spider that seems to have captured a very small creature, barely visible.
Malta 24 May 2021
Today’s mood..
Found these little stones on my desk the other day. What more is needed to create some joy. Thank you my dear husband, you always have something going on while your brain is constantly in full swing for new inventions.
Wish you a Happy weekend from Malta!
Another Wild Plant
Here’s another interesting find within the huge kingdom of plants.
What do you think is so special about this one? Does it produce something edible?
Each flower lasts only for one day and one night
and they emanate a delicious scent.
The flower bud is edible and the flower
itself can be used as decoration in a salad.
This plant, which actually is a bush, is best known for its fruit
(caper berries), that are usually consumed pickled.
Caper buds not only add some vibrant flavor to your meals,
they are also known for their many health benefits.
This very special plant is considered to be one of Malta’s most beautiful flowers!
Flower of The Day
With reference to yesterday’s green plant and the question, “What are you looking at?”. It wasn’t as simple as I thought but it’s certainly a kind of onion-plant. Onion is a vegetable cultivated species of the genus Allium, Allium is Latin for Garlic.
But the Allium family includes more than just onions so I had to seach by image of the flower. It took me some time to find out that it’s a garlic flower while Mr. Ohh.. was the only one who guessed garlic, without even having seen the flower!
Thanks for giving me a clue Mr. Ohh..!
In my next post I’ll show you some images of what is considered to be one of Malta’s most beautiful flowers.
The question is whether it’s edible or not..?
On the Farmer’s Field
What are you looking at?
Some Recently Taken Images…
… and some quotes that are not related to the images, or maybe they are in one way or another.
“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”
— Dalai Lama
“There are no mistakes, only opportunities.”
— Tina Fey
“The secret of happiness, you see is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
– Socrates
“Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny.”
— Stephen Hawking
My dogs and I usually have a lot of fun together. For me a picture doesn’t have to be perfect as long as you captured a valuable moment that otherwise would be forever gone.
Malta 09 May 2021
Artwork of Nature
“The beauty of the Natural World lies in the Details”
– Natalie Angier
“To the artist there is never anything ugly in nature”
– Auguste Rodin
“Choose only one master – Nature”
– Rembrandt
“Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy.
– Isaac Newton”
“All nature wears one universal grin”
– Henry Fielding
Below are a collection of moments…
Please click on an image to enlarge.
A very fragile detail, soon gone with the wind.
Yes, this one can also be seen up there,
but for the sake of simplicity, twice is not too much.
Felicia fits in well with the shades of the colors.
An important detail in the noble art of photography
The thin leaves turn where the wind is blowing at the moment.
Do you see the small insect?
A very special plant with a variety of tiny details.
Seen once I don’t rembember where or when.
Malta 06 May 2021
Flower of The Day
| Maltese name: Ħalib it-tajr kbir |
Plant Family: Asparagaceae 
Present on the Maltese islands before man
English name: Large Star of Bethlehem
Flowering time: April-May
Miġra l-Ferħa
Last weekend we went to Miġra l-Ferħa which is just a few kilometers from Rabat where we live. As you can see in the image above, the cliffs are high and plunge vertically down to the sea while people and cars look like miniatures.
There are plenty of paths to walk along the high cliffs,
where you can walk for hours.
A plant is a plant, there are plenty of these
but I’v no idea what it is.
The color fits well into the slightly pale surroundings.
Felicia, on the edge. 
They may not understand how close they are,
but I trust them and I know them. Otherwise,
I would never leave Felicia or Fanny without a leash up here.
It’s a quite barren area but I saw at least a few colorful flowers 
Sky and sea merge on the horizon, the Mediterranean is calm,
the boats are few, it’s a bit hazy and it feels very harmonious.
Felicia senses the smell of something. 
Wonder who came up with the idea to build a window here!
Miġra l-Ferħa, Malta – May 2021
Going Nuts
In January, the almond trees bloomed. Today there are no flowers left but the fruits are now maturing.
I read that when the fruit ripens about seven months after flowering, it dries up and opens up. When mature, these turn into greyish-green, fleshy fruit, which split open to reveal the hard-pitted shell of the almond nut inside.
The word nut is mentioned several times while I at the same time read the following; The fruit of the almond is a drupe, consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed, which is not a true nut inside!
Conclusion, almonds are not nuts but seeds enclosed in a hard fruit covering.
So, then it’s clear, what I always thought was a nut is not a real nut.
Apart from that, almonds are said to be one of the world’s most loved tree nuts. Yes, I read nuts! They are highly nutritious and filled with fats, antioxidants including vitamins and minerals. Nut or not, eat almonds, live healthily and stay fit.
Note:
Twenty three almond (nuts?) is the ideal daily portion while an over-consumption can lead to breathing problem, nervous breakdown, choking and even death. So it’s important to be careful and not eat too many of these fruits nuts.
Lovely Spring!
It feels wonderful to be able to go out and find nature just around the corner. I’ll never regret moving from Sliema to Rabat. Even if it’s temporary, this is how I want to live in the future, close to nature along with my lovely dogs.
Lovely Poppies 
Grains 
The grapes will ripen in autumn 
Lavendel? 
Within a few months, the figs are ripe to eat 
Bituminaria bituminosa 
Borago officinalis 
Prickly Pear 
Felicia, always curious…
A selection of images taken while walking my dogs in the surroundings of Rabat.
Malta 25 April 2021
Different Views
Next to Rabat, where we just moved, is Mdina. The ancient city dates back 4,000 years, is older than Valletta and was the capital of Malta from antiquity to the Middle Ages. Mdina is today also referred to as the ‘Silent City’.
This view was taken just a few steps from where we live.
From a distance you can see where we used to live, in Sliema, closer to the sea but far from the countryside.
From Fanny’s and Felica’s point of view, they are much better off here.
And so am I…
Rabat, Malta 23 April 2021.
Yellow Mellow
“How lovely yellow is! It stands for the sun.”
– Vincent Van Gogh
English name(s):
Crown Daisy, Garland, Chop Suey Greens
Indigenous.
Present on the Maltese islands before man.
“Silence isn’t golden. It’s yellow”
– Zell Miller
Species name: Glebionis coroniaria 
“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot,
others transform a yellow spot into the sun.”
– Pablo Picasso
“Yellow usually means it’s not that serious.”
– Bobby Unser
Above are some trifling knowledge, a couple of quotes and some flowers from yesterday’s walk with my doggies. I chose the yellow ones, there are plenty of them now. Don’t forget to click on an image to enlarge.
Cee’s Photo Challenge Flower of The Day
By the way, we’ve moved from Sliema to Rabat! Nature around the corner, the dogs can run freely and it feels great! Here we’ll live temporarily, finally on our way to “who knows where” to our new home in Cyprus. Meanwhile, now that the first move is complete, I’ll get more time for the blog and to visit you and others out there, in this amazing bloggosphere.
Morning walk in Rabat
Malta 19 April 2020
Poppy- Flower of The Day
Yesterday I saw the first poppies of the year, one of my favorites when it comes to wildflowers.
“The earth laughs in flowers.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson”
The purple is not as common as the red ones. Sure, they’re all beautiful!
“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.”
– Buddha
This look a bit like a butterfly.
“Butterflies are self propelled flowers.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
With this post, I wish you all a Happy Easter Holiday!
Now I’m takinga short break and I’ll be back in a week or so.
And don’t forget…
Basenji Malta – Fanny & Felicia
This post is dedicated to my lovely dogs Fanny and Felicia. They bring so much joy and have completely changed my life and daily routines. Fanny came to us as a puppy in November 2017, Felicia, her daughter, was born September 27, 2020.
💚 Mother and daughter, soon to be the same size 💚
Unforgettable memories, that was then, 25th October 2020. Six adorable basenji puppies, Cinnamon, Paco, Luna, Milo, Felicia and Gin. Five moved to new homes when they were eight weeks old and they are all very well taken care of!
Fanny, just a week before she gave birth to six puppies 
Felicia, only six weeks old 
Today almost six months since she was born. 
To run free in the green grass is pure happiness 
Fanny with her daughters Felicia and Cinnamon. 
Playing togehter 
Fanny 
Curious, alert and always on the go…
Malta 19 March 2021
Malta’s Countryside
My precious dog Fanny almost disappears in this picture, but she can be seen down there, on the edge. And if you look closely, Felicia can also be seen among the bushes on the side. I didn’t even see her myself until I enlarged the image.
Here are a selection of photos from Malta’s countryside, along the sea. This is where I prefer to go with my dogs, in nature, far from home. Here we can walk for hours and forget the hectic traffic, high rise buildings, all the construction work and cranes that have taken over in the small town of Sliema where we live, where I feel I have lived too long now.
Hello!! 
It’s pretty steep here! 
Come on, the wooden bridge has been repaired so it’s not dangerous to cross anymore. 
Look at the couple on the narrow walkway far ahead!
It seems to be crowded here.
The walkways are narrow, the clay wall is steep and the sea is far down. It’s exciting to run here. 
Already sunset and time to head back home.
These are the places where I can fill my soul with energy while my dogs enjoy freedom and new exciting discoveries.
A valuable part of my everyday life here on the small island of Malta.
Ghajn Tuffieha, Riviera Bay & Il-Majjistral Nature & History Park
Malta March 2021
Gladiolus – Wild plants of Malta
This is one of many colorful wild flowers that can be seen here on the island right now.
The beautiful gladioli are sometimes called the sword lily because of the sword-shaped leaves of the plants in this genus but the most widely-used English common name for these plants is simply gladiolus.
This lovely flower appear between March and May and is quite common throughout the Maltese countryside.
Feel free to click on an image in the collage and it becomes even more colorful.
Malta March 2021
Almond trees, Flowers & Nuts
Species name: Prunus dulcis
Maltese name: Siġra tal-Lewż
English name: Almond
Status for Malta:
Non-native species, but introduced in Malta before 1492 when Columbus discovered the New World.
Flowering Time: Dec-Feb.
But they are still in bloom here in Malta, even though we are in the middle of March.
Flower & Color of The Day – Mimosa
Swallowtail – The Queen’s Butterfly
I’m happy that this year’s first butterfly that I managed to capture was this special species,”The Queen’s Butterfly”. The dry blade of grass may be seen as a disturbing detail, but I decided to leave it instead of wasting time editing.
I was lucky to capture another one of these rare beauties. I read that the Swallowtail is Malta’s only endemic butterfly and its scientific name is Papilio machaon melitensis where melitensis shows that it is a Maltese species.
This species of butterfly, the Red Admiral is on the wing all year round and is relatively common here on the island. Regardless of being rare or common, it’s the same joy every time I manage to get a butterfly in front of the lens.
It doesn’t take much to feel joy in our everyday life.
Positive thinking!
Flower & Color of The Day
I still have some pictures left from the bouquet of tulips that I bought in early February.
In a previous post, I showed the pink ones while these have shades of orange, red and yellow with hints of green.
Please click on one of the images above to enlarge, then it will be more colorful!
“With color one obtains an energy that seems to stem from witchcraft.”
~Henri Matisse
“Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form,
can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways”.
~Oscar Wilde
“Color is a power which directly influences the soul.”
~Wassily Kandinsky
