Droushia/Drouseia Dits: Vicki Takes to the Wheel...

I had decided that I needed to go to Paphos today because we had received a text from Melanie and Simon announcing the arrival of their daughter Jasmine on 14th September - John was very disappointed that she had not pitched up two days' later to share his birthday! I wanted to go down and deliver the congratulatory cards I had accumulated and we thought it would be nice to go and get a Jasmine plant to mark the occasion - a Jasmine for Jasmine! Vicki thought she would come with me and then it turned into a full scale expedition with the boys coming along too. That being the case we decided to take Trevor and Vicki to Oniros. Vicki took the plunge to drive down to Paphos so that she could get used to driving conditions over here. Fortunately she and Trevor have an automatic CRV although it is considerably newer than the one which Mum and Dad had lent them. We decided to stop off at the London Supermarket on the Polis Road to look at the plants so that Trevor could see what was available as he is an avid gardener and to get the plant for the Spiby-Rogers. On looking around Vicki was startled to find the caterpillar above munching its way through a plant. We are familiar with these creatures as every year Mum and Dad have one or two on their oleander plant. That is because it is an oleander hawk moth caterpillar (Daphnis Nerii).

Having purchased our Jasmine and got it all beautifully wrapped (for free) we made our way across to Emba to drop it off and have a very very brief word with Mel and Simon who were looking somewhat shattered after their first night with Jasmine at home - apparently she has a good pair of lungs on her!

Next stop was Oniro (which means Dream) which is, as it says, by the sea and it was a beautiful day to be down by the sea. Vicki and Trevor were very taken by the scenery and the food - Crafty Jane needs to take the credit for taking us there in the first place - it has become a firm favourite with us. The food was delicious - particularly the garlic bread that John ordered which came with a 'shot glass' of tomato dip which had a flavour which was so intense and scrummy. Trevor worried the poor waitress when he asked for extra chillies on his Nachos and she kept insisting that they were hot enough already - but as Trevor likes HOT, and I mean HOT - extra was what was required. She went away shaking her head like he was a mad-man!

Whilst there we bumped into Mum's neighbours Janice and Ray who were out celebrating their 31st wedding anniversary. Ray was kind enough to take Mum and Dad to the airport last week and is fetching them on Wednesday which is brilliant as it saves us having to go all the way down from Droushia - not that we wouldn't have but it was nice not to have to.

Having finished lunch we took some photographs and remembering what Nicky had told me the other week got Vicki to do the "look over your shoulder, long neck, chin down, look down your nose at me" pose!!! Fed and watered Vicky then negotiated her way safely back to Droushia via Peyia and has now got one up on Trevor as she has driven in Cyprus when he has not!! In fact she said it was the first time she had driven abroad in years and years and she did it very well before she knows it she will be bombing down a road and coming up against a dead end just like the rest of us!! This is an occupational hazard when driving on the island - particularly when they are putting in mains drainage!