The Assumption of the Virgin Mary

A lovely quiet day at home today - it is one of the most important Bank Holidays celebrated here in Cyprus (and boy they have a lot - about 15 at the last count) the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.  This is celebrated on the 15th August and depending on which day of the week it falls means that the preceding or following days are often tagged on to make a longer holiday so shops and business could be closed for several days!

ASSUMPTION DAY is primarily a Greek Orthodox religious festival that honors the Virgin Mary's ascent to Heaven and is known as the Dormition of the Theotokos.

The Greek Orthodox church refers to Mary, the mother of Jesus, as the Virgin Mary or Theotokos in Greek.  According to Greek Orthodox tradition Theotokos was physically taken up to heaven at the end of her life and this is commonly known as falling asleep, or Dormition in Greek.

We did not venture into the village today but could hear from a distance that all sorts of things seemed to be happening throughout the day and late into the night - the music sounded like it was on our doorstep but was away in the distance - it was a still, starlit night and the sound was carrying.  It seemed to end quite early by Cypriot standards because when I went to bed around 11.00 I wasn't aware of any music - probably because the peace was shattered by John shouting at the 'pathetic performance' of the Blades playing away at Cardiff (and losing 2-0 into the bargain).

As I said in a previous post my lovely friend Sally sent me some advertising blurb for her new business Sally's Fish Camp and I had seen a photograph where she was doing her thing and there were some nice lanterns with her business advertised on them.

In amongst the blurb was one of her stickers and I wanted to give it a home so it is on a glass vase which houses my rather sad looking orchid which was a gift from Jane and John last year.  I say sad - it isn't really as it has survived and is currently putting on new growth but it is a really sad shape - it has very very long droopy leaves unlike other orchids I have had previously so it looks a bit like Deputy Dawg!

I decided it might benefit from being up high so the leaves weren't dragging on the sideboard - not sure if it is helping much but the stem that has been threatening to burst into life is still threatening but not dead.  The bloody thing has a couple of weeks to buck it's ideas up before Jane and John are here and will be inspecting it!!!  Actually it will be a brief visit so I doubt it will even cross their minds except now I have jogged their memory! So I will give Deputy Dawg some extra tender loving care and hope that the stem burst miraculously into life and soon.

The Bobster has his birthday soon and so I thought I would take the opportunity to get a card made for him - I don't make many now except for special occasions and I am trying to use up my crafting stuff to get it to a manageable level.  Men's cards are always an issue - I made a special Charlton Athletic one last year for him.

I am not happy with the card and may make something else.  The wording at the bottom seems to me to be missing the word MORE but it wasn't there on the sticker and it was a bugger to apply.  However the more I look at it the more (MORE MORE MORE) I think it doesn't make sense so I may have to revisit that and make another - bugger!

I think we could be in trouble for seating when John's Mum is here.  We have two sofas in the lounge - a two seater and a three seater and John is on the three seater with Boris!  Thank goodness George will be here and Charlie on his holidays with him at 11b because that means there is one less body to squeeze on the seats.