Category Archives: Celebration

We’re fast approaching Easter in the UK and a week after it will be Orthodox Easter and this year I get to celebrate both, being in the UK for their Easter weekend before flying back to Cyprus for theirs.
I love Easter, for me it truly signals the end of winter and spring and the start of the countdown to the heady days of summer. Whilst for many, it’s just a time to consume tonnes of hollow chocolate objects and have an excuse for another family dinner, for the more religious it marks the most important festival in the religious calendar.
I’ve often wondered, especially since living in Cyprus, why the Cypriots don’t really do Christmas and save all the celebrations for Eastertide until I looked up a theological essay on the subject.
As far as I can see, the birth of Jesus is relatively unimportant in its significance to the development of Christianity and I can understand why Epiphany is more important as being the first time he is acknowledged as King by the wise men. But it’s Easter and its implication in the ideology of eternal life that is the main festival because it’s when Jesus shows us that it is possible to be raised from death, if only as a soul, and to take our rightful place in heaven. The whole dogma of Christianity hangs on that one event and is summed up succinctly by the Easter morning Greek greeting of ‘Χριστός Ανέστη’ and the reply ‘Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη’, Christ is risen and the reply, truly he is risen.
On a far more light-hearted note, it’s this time of year when I laugh at the friends who have decided upon a ‘bikini diet’ to prepare themselves for their summer holidays. It usually starts when the clocks go forward only to be rudely interrupted when Easter pops up and they’ve just got to gorge themselves on the chocolate eggs and accompanying individual chocolates not to mention those fondant filled eggs that shall remain nameless.
So what should we get for those people who we know desperately want to look svelte in their swimsuit and not bulgy in a bikini? Nothing fits the bill better than a bouquet of flowers and especially at Easter when spring flowers abound and if you want to go for the traditional, you can send white lilies signifying purity and new birth. As always I find the best flowers come from Cosmea Gardens.  Feel free to use coupon “savethiseaster” on checkout and save 10% with a minimum order of 50Eur excluding shipping. It expires the 16th of April. I’ve never had cause to complain about the quality and condition of the blooms they’ve delivered and their flowers last for weeks; a benefit of them using only the freshest cut flowers in their arrangements. They might be a little more expensive than some but when a gift is important for the message it sends, a couple of euros extra is well worth it for the quality. So this Easter, if you need to send a gift to a horizontally challenged friend or relative, be a thoughtful person and send them flowers that will add considerably to their impressions of you and not their waistline!

March 18th is Mother’s Day across most of the world and despite the commercialism that has taken it over along with Valentine’s Day and Father’s Day, it’s a day when we should do something that shows appreciation of our mothers.
Think of the pain they went through to bring us into the world, women often joke that if men had to endure the pain of childbirth, the human population would have died out long ago. Then there’s the sacrifices made to be there for us, bringing us up, working to feed and clothe us, going without to make sure that we didn’t.
For my mother, the pain and sacrifice was all too real with her developing a condition during pregnancy that was to affect her for the rest of her life and still does today. On many occasions she’s had to suffer painful operations, been confined to bed or a wheelchair for weeks or months and had her life limited by the restrictions placed upon her. I’m sure that if we were to delve more deeply into the lives of our parents we’d find similar, possibly less obvious sacrifices, but sacrifices all the same.
In my last post I told you about the sad event that had overtaken one of the children I teach and my heart will be going out to her this Mother’s Day when the flowers she gave her mum each Mother’s Day during her lifetime will now be placed onto a cold grave. It’s times like this that I realise I’m lucky to still have my mother and it makes me determined to show her whilst I still can, just what she means to me.
So how will your mum be celebrating Mother’s Day?
Many will be alone with sons and daughters far away, the lucky ones will receive a phone call or a gift whilst others may hear nothing and feel forgotten, unappreciated and unloved. I sincerely hope your mother isn’t going to be one of those. If you’re lucky to be spending Mother’s Day with your mum, then don’t think that just being there is enough. Take time to find her a gift she’ll really appreciate as being the way you show how much she means to you but don’t just stop there. Flowers are a wonderful gift but they’re often used as a ‘catch-all’ when the giver can’t think of anything else. On Mother’s Day, flowers should be an additional gift because they don’t last long and weeks after the event has passed, all your mum will have is the very nice memory. For the best flowers, you have got to trust Cosmea Gardens who, for decades, have been sending love and happy thoughts across the miles through the language of flowers. Last year I used them for Mother’s Day and the beautiful flowers they delivered lasted for nearly three weeks.
I’m in Cyprus this year whilst my mum’s in the UK but on the day, she’ll receive a gift that she’s worthy of as well as the customary flowers. Skype will bring us together and let me tell her just how grateful I am for all she’s done for me.

I don’t know if you’re like me or not but at this time of year it’s always hard to think of what to get for Great Aunt Bertha or cousin Tilly for a Christmas present. Did you know that last year 34% of presents received were classified as ‘unwanted’ generally meaning that the good idea to get Uncle Eric that rotary soup maker wasn’t such a good idea.

Some people go for gift vouchers or cash but that seems too impersonal or shows a lack of thought, so what’s the alternative?

It’s a bit unusual, and personally I’ve thought it a bit unseasonal to do so, but why not send flowers. They last for a good while at this time of year, brighten up drab days and the everlasting message that flowers are sent with love fits in nicely with the season. Last year I sent my aunt a bouquet from Cosmea Gardens; red carnations and gold sprayed bracken and it looked beautiful. The carnations had a slight scent that pervaded the rooms of her house and the colours were in keeping with the season. Each time I spoke to her in the year she brought up that gift. So it shows that if you’re stuck for ideas, give flowers!

Although the weather is noticeably cooler, I can’t believe it’s nearly Christmas, so it’s time for some tips on how to make your home look effortlessly festive.

I love poinsettia plants and although there’s a myriad of colours to choose from these days, I still love the ones with the red bracts. You can spice them up by putting them in a festive looking container or simply get a terracotta pot, paint it green and then when dry, daub some wood glue in patterns such as bells, snowflakes or Christmas trees around it and press on some contrasting glitter. Don’t forget to bung up the drainage hole before putting the plant in it or you’ll have a soggy mess on your table!

If you want to keep the pot plain, then a quick squirt of spray-on glue over the leaves, followed by a dusting of silver glitter gives an instant effect.

If you can get hold of any evergreen foliage, it doesn’t have to be holly or ivy, make up a wreath by intertwining the stems and tie in red or gold ribbon in bows, add small Christmas decorations or small sprayed pine cones – there are hundreds in Cyprus at the moment – then hang it on your door or over a fireplace.

Finally, if you can’t afford one of the really expensive real Christmas trees this year which, to be honest, won’t survive long in the Cypriot climate, buy an Araucaria, otherwise known as a Norfolk Island Pine, which looks exotically similar and which will grace your garden afterwards. A 1.2 metre specimen in a pot can be bought for around 20 euros, less than half the equivalent for a Norwegian Spruce. Check out Cosmea Gardens for their range of festive plants and have a Plant-astic Christmas this year.

I’ve just spent over a month in the UK experiencing what you might call the English summer which, with its usual washout had left gardens and parks looking dull and bedraggled. All it did was to make me wish for the sunnier climate of Cyprus so last Wednesday we grabbed the easyJet flight out of Gatwick and headed for the sun. Before leaving, I texted a friend to ask them to open up the windows so it wouldn’t be too oppressive in the apartment.

We arrived late in the evening and struggled with our bags up the stairs and flung open the door, glad to be home. I wasn’t prepared though for the surprise that greeted us when we went into the dining room for they had organised a bouquet of all my favourite flowers that brighten the island so even though it was dark when we arrived we immediately had a taste of what we’d missed back in the UK. There were the roses that bloom through the most intense heat set against white bougainvillea that in the garden looks like fresh snow in the wintry sun backed with rolled banana leaves. What an amazing creation I thought and looked at the label that accompanied them – Selected and hand-tied especially for you by Cosmea Gardens I should have known!

So it goes to show that if you want something really special or just to say something as simple as ‘Welcome home’ Cosmea Gardens are the ones to help.

It’s under a week now until Father’s Day and I’d like to thank my father for all he’s done for me: 47 years of care, advice, understanding and some chiding, but above all, love. I’ve yet to become a father so I don’t know the sacrifices that are to be made to give the unconditional love that father’s give but I see in my father all that I hope one day to see in me. You often hear the cliche, ‘If I was half the man….I’d have done well’ and I could easily apply that to my father.

He’d be happy on Father’s Day to see me and to hear the words from me but I’m in Cyprus and he’s in England so the only way I can express my feelings are with a card – already posted, and, remembering the fondness he had for growing flowers in his greenhouse, a floral arrangement. It may not appear too masculine to receive flowers but I know that by sending an arrangement of the flowers he used to grow, he’ll know that I remember the times we shared. I always choose Cosmea Gardens for my flowers and for Father’s Day they have a special offer. You can save 7% off bouquets and arrangements over 50 euros, just quote WELOVEYOUDAD at the checkout. The offer ends on the 20th June so you can even get the discount if you don’t quite make it for the day! Go on, tell him how much he means to you.

Yes it’s that time of year again when those with a partner want to remind them how much they love them and those who’ve caught the eye of someone they like hope to receive at least a Valentine card or if they’re luck, a beautiful bouquet.

I’m still apart from my wife, she’s in England and I’m here in Cyprus so it’s even more important that she knows that although I think of her every minute of the day, she’s especially in my thoughts on that special day for lovers.

Over the years I’ve tried different gifts for her, perfume, lingerie and jewellery but none has been more appreciated than flowers. Last year I ordered a bouquet of roses for her from Cosmea Gardens and they were truly beautiful. She loved them and after the reaction I got from her when she received them I’ve decided that this year, whilst we’re apart, I’m sending her another beautiful bouquet from Cosmea Gardens.

For most of the world the celebrations of Christmas and New Year have passed and we now look forward to taking down the decorations on twelfth night and get on with 2011.

Not so for Cyprus for at the end of next week we have St Basil’s Day and Epiphany, major celebrations on our beautiful island.

Mothers and wives across the island will be digging out their recipes for Vasilopita and children will be looking forward to extra presents and two days off school as the island celebrates a key event in the Christian calendar forgotten, or at least overlooked by most of the world.

St Basil is the Greek Orthodox santa and is looked forward to greatly by Greek children. Epiphany was the day when the Wise Men arrived at the stable bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Jesus.

If you are visiting friends or family for the bank holiday weekend be wise and take your own gift. The host may well love a gift of gold, may not be quite so keen on frankincense or myrrh though. take your own gift of gold with a bouquet in gold from Cosmea Gardens and your host will treat you like a king!

It’s only eight weeks until I make the move I’ve wanted for the last twenty years or more. I’m moving to Cyprus!! I can remember being on holiday with my parents at 18 years old and enquiring at a bank in Ayia Napa if I could borrow to buy an apartment. It’s taken this long but I’ve got there.

Over the years I’ve gained and kept many friends on the island and I’m really looking forward to spending more time with them. I’d like them to become like an old cardigan, well used but loved, rather than the clothes I find in the bottom of the drawer and had forgotten about. My wife is having to stay in the UK to begin with to finish her work contract so I’m expecting to have to spend out a lot on flowers to tell her just how much she means to me. I’n not looking forward to the day of departure because I will miss her so much. I think my first job on getting to Cyprus will be to order flowers for her as it’ll be her birthday six days after I leave. I really need a quality florist with trustworthy partners in the UK so I’ll be choosing Cosmea Gardens to tell her how much she means to me. If you’re going to be parted from a loved one soon, I do sympathise but make them feel better with a delivered arrangement. It may not replace time you spend together but at least it shows they’re in your thoughts.

Well we did do Mother’s Day so it’s only fair dads get a look in too!

Though mum may not agree, our fathers have played a priceless part in our growing up too. Whilst mum’s been there to dab the tears and kiss it better, dad’s been there with the stoic advice and protection.

So, do men want flowers or has it always got to be chocolates, wine or something for the car? Contrary to gender stereotyping, a recent survey indicated that 70% of men say they’d like to receive flowers and I’d count myself amongst that 70%. The trick is to go for bold, manly colours such as reds, yellows and oranges, backed up by strong dark green foliage and presented in a modern or contemporary design.

I’m going to try it out on my dad this Father’s Day and I think he’ll be chuffed to receive them. Go on, do something different this Father’s Day and surprise him with flowers from Cosmea Gardens!