Spring Cleaning - in the Heat...

We have Nicky and Mark staying this weekend so we took the opportunity to do a major bit of spring cleaning - in July!!!  John thought it would be nice to give guests the bedroom which opens out onto T&V corner and we would move into the front bedroom with the view of the not so nice wall between our house and Paul's next door.  The only trouble was that we wanted to have our own bed so it meant removing everything from the bedrooms and doing a complete swap - including dismantling the beds!  It did at least give me an opportunity to give the floors a complete clean of the tumbleweed that accumulates because there is nowhere for it to hide (think on about what lurks in carpets!!!).  Because we use under the beds for storage I can't often get to give it a good bottoming!

It was exceptionally hot work and as you well know I am never tall enough or strong enough or anticipate enough when I am working with John so our morning was not without a spat or two!!  Still we got there in the end - in terms of the furniture that is - our clothes will need to be moved in due course and we want to take the opportunity to have a sort through it and get rid of the things we know that we will no longer wear having been here a year and experienced all the weather that can be thrown at us.  The cats are confused because now they are allowed into the bedroom that they were barred from and no longer allowed in the bedroom they could go in - I don't think they will take much notice and will just wander into whichever room has the doors open!

We have been accompanied all week by people in the field next door laying the new road and now the footpaths and the kerb stones.  It is all beginning to happen quite quickly and I would imagine that with all this renewed effort the house building will begin in due course.  It is a shame as our view will diminish and we will have months of noise and dust - still this is Cyprus and they build just about anywhere even though there are houses upon houses that stand empty. 

This evening we were going out to Neo Chorio with Wheelie Helen and Alistair and Running Sue and John.  I was a complete duffer and thought we had to be at Helen's for 7.00pm when in fact we should have been there for 7.30pm.  Still while they showered we sat out on the patio getting to know the new edition to their family, Arni.  You can see by the picture on the right that he is a little tacker when compared to John's hand!!!  Arni found Helen and Alistair last week when he was a mangey tick-ridden rag.  When they first saw him from a distance they thought he was a small lamb or baby goat (hence he is called Arni - the Cypriot word for lamb).  He was very lucky that Helen and Alistair took pity on him and took him home and cleaned him up and decided to keep him.  He has certainly fallen on his feet with a kind and loving environment and the company of their existing dog Rocky.  His personality has started to come out and he is a bit of a devil when it comes to the pot plants which he loves to play in and eat!  Helen has given up!

We all had a very pleasant evening at Neo Chorio where there was a Greek evening with buffet and entertainment.  It was absolutely packed and with locals rather than visitors which is always a good sign!  As the guitarist was tuning up he played some european tunes that we all recognised and we thought he was very good but he was soon to be joined by a guy with a bazouki or something similar and it was good old traditional Cypriot songs which all sound the same to the untrained ear!  At the point at which the Bulgarian cook decided to take control of the microphone and do an impromptu karaoke session we decided it was probably best to make a move!  When she got changed into a sparkly gold top we realised she meant business and said our goodbyes and made our way back home!