Sunday - Sussing out a Walk...

We said goodbye to Sharon and Sean today although we didn't actually say goodbye because we hadn't realised that they had actually gone!!!  Last time they were here they cut it a bit fine to get down to the airport in time so when they went off to Peyia this morning we thought it was just par for the course and that they were doing some last minute visiting before packing up and going home.  This confused us no end and as time went on we were convinced that they were going to miss their flight so phoned them and they were sat in the airport departure lounge.  God knows how that happened just a mix up in communication I guess.  Sharon's daugher and her friend have taken up an invitation to stay in Peyia so we are temporarily feeling a little lonely up here!

 

Once we realised what had happened we shot off out on the bike to try and suss out a walk for Running Susan and John.  It needed to be about 10K and, well you know me, the thought of walking all that way just fills me with dread so we decided to do it on the bike and that way could actually clock the distance. 

 

We started the clock in the centre of the village by the Co-Op as there is a bit of a carpark down the side of the bank where the walkers can park up and it is also close to Christos's Taverna if they are going to be eating afterwards. 

 

The weather was a bit stormy today which meant there were some pretty fantastic cloud formations and having already had the first rains of the autumn everything is looking that much greener. 

 

We had decided to start off taking the same route that we followed with Jane and John as it takes you down out of the village past the big rock formations and offers fantastic views down towards the sea and across towards the Akamas.

 

It is very beautiful and wild and there is water in places already.  It only seems like five minutes ago we took a drive down that way with Mum and Dad and Dad had to get out and make sure that we could get by in the car because there was a raging river making its way down to the sea!!!

 

It was a bit hairy on the bike in places as the road surface went from concrete to loose shingle and then to a bit of mud then back to concrete etc etc but I clung on and we made it - passing through some pretty breathtaking scenery.  We worked out a circular route of about the right distance which took us through Pittokopos and along by the bandstand where you get far reaching views over Lara Bay and then back to the village passing by two rather unsightly dumping spots (yes you've guessed it right on a bend in the road) - anyone wanting a sofa or two should go down and take a quick look - why do people do that??? Even if they were biodegradable how many hundreds of years will it take for them to create compost??

 

Only once on the whole route did we pass a vehicle but we did pass goats and some of those big cows which sport the red curly wig-like hair!

 

If Running Susan's walking group have not done this walk before we think they should enjoy it although they will need to be quite fit as there is a very long downhill stretch to start off with and we all know that for all that downhill there is the same amount of uphill to negotiate!!!  Wheelie Helen would probably call it a slow gentle incline - I call it pergatory!!  Boy I am such a couch potato!

In the past I never went much on a Sunday - it was closely followed by a Monday and the four letter word that is work but now I can't tell you how much I love Sundays - it is a day which John and I try and keep to ourselves.  After years of John's globtrotting it is a real pleasure to be spending time together and Sunday is special - it is a day when, as we spend the majority of the time without neighbours, we can generally have a good old slob around or get stuck into some trash TVcatchup without fear of someone suddenly calling in for a cuppa!!  Then we like to go out exploring and, when the weather is good, give the scooter a trip out and afterwards if the footie season is on John will select a match and I will cook something special for tea - knowing that a new week stretches out in front of us but one which does not involve the stress and strain of working for someone else.  I can quite understand how John, having had to spend so much time in close proximity with lots of other people on a ship, enjoys his own company so much now just so long as he has a project or something on the TV and/or the cats to keep him occupied!!!
 

The weather is most definitely on the change and we are being treated to some spectacular evening skies where the setting sun is colouring the clouds and then as the night falls they are illuminated by electrical storms - lightning but no thunder and then thunder but no lightning - it will only be a matter of time before they catch up with one another!!

 

We were off to Yiannis in Kathikas for a final meal with Jane and John before they return to England tomorrow.  John asked what my tastebuds were telling me as we were on our way down to the taverna and I said 'Beans on Toast' - we have eaten so much recently I just fancied something plain!!

 

As always we had a lovely meal and Yianni made us feel very welcome.  He even brought out some special wine that he had been fermenting in a gourd which apparently gives it a smokey flavour which John said was a bit like the taste of single malt - personally I thought it tasted disgusting!!!

 

 

Yianni grows the gourds over the pergola at the back of his restaurant - they must grow quickly as the last time we were there (not that long ago) they were nowhere to be seen and now look at them!! He says that he is going to let me have some seeds - no idea where I am going to plant them but if anyone wants to cover a structure in double quick time they could be the answer!