Driving down from Lysos towards Polis, just outside Peristerona I saw an old friend basking in the roadside sunshine.

It was an Austin 1800 ‘Landcrab’ – a car design dating from the mid 1960s.  I remember well having mixed feelings when a mate turned up in one.  What an ugly, supremely comfortable car.

We were invited to the Atlantida to meet some friends, one of whom was organising a wedding there.

As a subject, weddings leave me cold.  I can't be doing with the posing and making sure you haven't missed Aunt Gertrude (the one with the silly hat) out of the pictures.

I'm reminded of a wedding photographer we knew in London.  On the desktop of his PC were three folders; 'Ugly Brides', 'Fat Brides' and 'Fat, Ugly Brides'.  Hey ho...

It was my birthday last week, so we took an afternoon off to head for the hills.

We went up through Aigos Fotios, cut across to the deserted village at Vretsia, and then down the track to the Roudia Bridge.

The bridge was very special.  Caught in the dappled sunlight of the trees, the light and shadow was great fun to play with.

Of course it had to get silly too, playing with some splashing water, 1/10th of a second and rear curtain flash.  I love abstract pictures!

As you drive along the highway between Paphos and Limassol, you can't help but notice the new wind farm being built at Orites.

Yesterday work took me to Secret Valley, so I went to go and have a closer look.

Strange.  You live in a town, and yet you never visit its tourist attractions. 

The remedy?  We took a stroll around the Archaeological Park in Kato Paphos.

I’ve been there before – almost four years ago – but that was long before Paphos became our home. 

Free hugs? 

Sure - a group of happy teenagers were stopping the passing tourists by the harbour in Kato Paphos and offering free hugs.

Vrisi ton Peyiotisson Springs is a very important landmark in Pegeia for both residents and visitors alike. 

In the bustle that is Pegeia today, the springs sit in a peaceful corner of the grounds of Pegeia Town Hall. 

As such, it has become the backdrop for lots of couples who get married in the Town Hall's gardens.

Vrisi ton Peyiotisson Springs was constructed in 1907 by the builder Achilleas Konstantinou, presumably to replace an older fountain.

In those days, the village fountain was hugely important.  As recently as 1956 it provided the community with its main source of drinking water.

The fountain was a source of life for Pegeia because the village had been suffering from a drought.  Pegeia formed and grew around the enlivening springs.

25 March was "Greek Independence Day", a national holiday both in Greece and in the Republic of Cyprus. 

It marks the start of the Greek's fight for independence from the Ottoman Empire which began on 25 March 1821.  Independence was finally atteined in July 1832.

Greek Independence Day is marked by historic exhibitions and cultural displays in many of towns, cities and villages.

In Polemi we heard the kids practice for the parade for several days, the sound of their drums carrying across the peaceful countryside.

So of course we had to go and check it out. 

As always in Cyprus, there was a great sense of community. An eqaully always internationally, how do teenage girls perfect that sullen look?

Enjoy the pictures!

My quest to find deserted villages in Cyprus has taken another leap forward.  Again, just like happened with Pitargou, it was a casual conversation when somebody mentioned Zacharia.

It took a bit of research, and I found where Zacharia was.  And in doing so, I discovered it's one of a group of four deserted villages in the Paphos Forest, the others being Sarama, Istinjo and Melandra.