Spring or Global Warming in North Cyprus?

I don’t need to tell anyone who lives in North Cyprus that we’ve had a bit of rain recently. OK, an awful lot of rain, all within the space of a few days, and that’s not like North Cyprus at all! Personally I’ve missed out on the water rushing down the mountainside and through my villa living room experience, although my pool bottom is now decorated with an assortment of leaves, twigs and mud. (Husband’s job, pool cleaning!)

Despite the fact that most ex-pats living here are used to seeing more rain in a year than most Turkish Cypriots probably see in a lifetime, there is much sucking of teeth and talk of global warming. Well, as far as I’m concerned, a week of rain does not constitute a massive climate shift – yet. Having said that, Smug Sister in London (known as the SSiL to us) sent me pictures a week ago of daffodils about to burst into bloom on her terrace. Yet this afternoon the BBC web site is full of pictures of heavy snow clogging motorways and closing schools. SSiL had to walk into work from Baker Street because the London Underground system ground to a halt. I got in my car and drove to the shops no problem. Now who is feeling smug? Moi!

Smug, because despite the rain, it’s definitely not snowing in Northern Cyprus. Smug, because all that rain has turned TRNC into our own green and pleasant land again. Extra smug, because wild flowers are shooting up all over the countryside, so we can enjoy a special North Cyprus wild flower display of colour for free, just by taking a walk. So, Smug Sister in London, I’ll leave you to shovel the snow off the drive...