Back of Beyond

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A Tour of The Back of Beyond

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Finding Back of Beyond

Look for the Art Studio sign

- on the Latchi to Neo Chorio Road, just after the hillside Z bend, turn Left

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Back of Beyond

Situated in a tranquil valley

on the approaches to the Village of Neo Chorio and the Akamas Peninsula, this a perfect place for Harry and Sheila to gain inspiration for their painting and writing.

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The Studio

pop in through the back gate

- give the bell some 'wellie' and Sheila or Harry will greet you

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A Garden to Enjoy

throughout the seasons

offering peace and tranquility

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Lazy Lizard

- content in the Back of Beyond sunshine

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A Cool Corner

- poolside retreat

one of many interesting corners in which to sit peacefully.

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Springtime

the Judas tree in full blossom

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Time for a tune

Always ready for a musical interlude

- Harry, ever ready to join with friends in an impromptu session.

Sheila's Blog

Every year, as soon as the weather warms up, half a dozen or so beautiful red dragonflies appear and spend the summer months hanging out around the swimming-pool. Known as Red Squadron or the Red Dragons, they are completely fearless and extremely territorial.

Red Dragon
Red Dragon
They pass the days darting around above the water or landing on the poolside, where they seem to spend ages simply doing nothing. They interact continuously with each other in the air and aggressively drive off any other dragonflies who try to butt in.

Some large blue dragonflies, who regularly turn up, are more than twice the size of these fierce little red ones, but they take off pretty quickly once Red Squadron is scrambled and airborne.

From the water it is fascinating to be able to get a close look at these normally elusive creatures. Once landed on the edge of the pool they remain absolutely motionless and take no notice of anyone shoving their face an inch or so away from them. Here you can see every exquisite detail of their sparkling gossamer wings and segmented torso. You can even see their tiny mouths working as they consume minute flies or ants.

They tend to drive the large rock lizards in the area mad. These guys are used to chasing and leaping up to catch butterflies and can't resist having a go at the tasty red morsels. While they tend to be rather successful at grabbing the odd Cabbage White or Painted Lady they don't have much luck with the Red Dragons. Time and again I have watched them patiently waiting for one to land in the near vicinity before stealthily stalking it and making a sudden leap. The problem is the Reds are too smart for them. Having alighted on the very edge of the pool, they take off just as a lizard makes its move. This generally results in the dinosaur look-a-like being unable to check its momentum and dropping into the water with a considerable splash.

Unlike the softer-bodied lizards, who swim quite well and have the sense to sit on the skimmer until rescued, the large Agama lizards have negative buoyancy and sink like stones. If no one is around with a net to fish them out quickly, they end up as unwanted decorations on the bottom of the pool.

In really warm weather the Red Dragons are on patrol from about half past six in the morning until around eight o'clock just before it begins to get dark. I have no idea where they sleep, but I bet it's somewhere predators can't get at them. I have no idea how long they live either, but I'm really happy to have them around.

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