Sunday 24 February 2013

Saturday 16th February - Mum Returns...


Since Trevor and Vicki arrived in Arodes Trevor has transformed the area into the Good Life and we may soon have to refer to them as Tom and Barbara.  The latest project, in conjunction with Crafty Jane, is to keep chickens.  The chickens arrived yesterday - free to a good home apparently which was very lucky and they were settled in and this morning I had a text from Jane to say they had had their first egg.  The hen house which Mark made must have provided them with perfect conditions and so far no sign of Bumble Foot!

Back in Droushia we spent them morning packing Dad up ready to go down to Emba and then on to the airport to pick Mum up from the Bristol flight which was due in at around 8.00pm and generally tends to arrive early.  He has made slow and steady progress but he felt it was probably more sensible for us to drive to the airport.  John and I were supposed to be going for a 'thank you' meal at Running John and Susan's but we knew they would understand that getting Dad and Mum home safely was more important and we can always do it another time.

The day had dawned dry, quite cloudy with a keen wind but I decided to chance it and get Dad's sheets in the wash.  With fingers very firmly crossed and looking to the skies and pegged it all out and hoped!

Around the area where I hang my washing I planted up the daffodil bulbs that Mark and Laura had sent for Christmas - I thought I might have left them a bit too long but they are all sprouting well and most have the beginnings of a flower bud.  In fact I don't think it will be very long before we get a bit of colour in the garden.  I have noticed that some of the alium bulbs I bought from the Euroshop have survived along with some of the narcissi that Dad dug up from his garden in Emba.

We kept Dad plugged into the TENS machine which Klaus and Sheila have kindly lent him - he seems to think that this has had a significant positive effect on his pain and so is quite happy to have a 30 minute session periodically.

As you will have seen on a previous post Chivers is in the wars having removed a piece of skin from his back about 2cm wide by 6cm long.  It looks very sore and weepy and he keeps scratching it and trying to lick it.  

We feel a bit sorry for him so when he disappeared for a quiet sleep on Dad's bed when I had stripped it for washing I couldn't really get too cross with him.  Normally the cats are barred from the spare bedroom not least at this time of year when they have dirty paws and certainly not when I have nice clean bedding on it!

I caught him just having a stretch and a yawn snuggled up on the quilted bedspread and left him to it.

We spent the day around the house - Dad got packed up and I remembered to give him the casserole I had made for him and Mum to have on Sunday.  The washing just about dried but we put it on the airer in the conservatory just to make sure and we made our way down to Emba for Dad to unpack and then set off for Mandria so that we could have something to eat before the flight came in.  Mandria is only about 10 minutes max from the airport so it is an ideal place to stop.

We had decided on Fish and Chips because, let's face it, they are the best we have had in Cyprus and they are relatively inexpensive - particularly as I have a child's portion!

John ordered a pint of beer that was being advertised at €1.50.  He said he wasn't sure what it was but that if someone said it was Keo he wouldn't have argued.  He was very taken by his glass though and at the end of the evening asked where they had got them from - apparently the name of the shop was UNIQUE and it used to be opposite Carrefour in Paphos but had moved and the woman didn't know where it had moved to.

This was not particularly helpful but what was helpful was the fact that she agreed to sell John one to take with him so he was well chuffed - in fact it is going to be his 'watching the footie on a Sunday' glass.


We were joined at our table by a tiny little ginger cat/kitten who was quite heavily pregnant and who was adorable with a teeny tiny little miaow.  John and I would rescue nearly every feral we see given the chance and we would have had this one in particular had we not already got our full quota.  She melted even Dad's heart who smuggled a few bits of his haddock under the table to give her and her unborn kittens a fighting chance.  John and I can't believe that when we lived in the UK we never ever saw a ginger cat other than Sally and Tommy's old cat but here we see them all the time.


We had our meal and checked with the airport phone line what time the flight was due in.  It was due to land at 7.47pm so we made our way from Mandria arriving just as the flight must have landed.  The airport was relatively empty as there was only one other flight due in from Warsaw and that was not for another three hours or so.

We had thought that after three very busy weeks and a flight which she never enjoys Mum would arrive looking tired but she looked fit and happy as she came through the doors with her bags.

She came through quite quickly and we were soon back in Emba with her rummaging through the case to find the things which she had bought for us.

It had felt like she had been away ages and now it didn't seem like she had been away at all!  She said she had had a lovely time but that it was nice to be back home - I bet Dad agreed!

We are leaving them to their own devices tomorrow although I have made sure they have something nice to eat - John and I will have a quiet day too.

1 comment:

  1. Only one egg a day at the mo we think they are either taking turns or one poor chick is doing all the work

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