Saturday 30 March 2013

Thursday 21st March...

There are two posts to read today because yesterday's disappeared into the ether!


The strange bird with the strange call is one of a pair it would seem and they manage to keep just far enough out of camera shot for us to get a clear picture so that we can identify exactly what they are.  Dad seems to think they might be something called a Shrike but further investigation on the internet does not show a Shrike as being as large as these birds which are just slightly smaller than a magpie and which when flying have a similar shape with a very long tail.  No doubt someone will identify what it is and let us know.


We were off down to Emba today via the banks to try and get some cash out if we could and via Kissonerga to drop the car off for repair.  We are hopeful that the longtime over revving issue might be sorted by having some butterfly valve cleaned and after an off roading trip with Dad when a clunk resulted in us having no fuel gauge we needed to have that fixed as well.  We were also calling in to see Eileen who has had an on-going issue with a tap in her kitchen.  I also had to take our trusty laptop in for repair as I kept getting a Microsoft warning telling me that the hard disk was failing - this would account for the fact that it was running like a dog then!


Would you believe it but the minute John started to sort out the tap issue the water was switched off so it was impossible to tell whether or not there was still a drip.  There was clearly a problem with the seals, filters and probably a new tap was in order but John was going to try the seals first and promised to go off to Nikkonikos to see if they have the requisite parts.

After a brief spot of lunch with Mum and Dad, Mum and I set off for pickleball.  Mum hadn't expected to return to play until next week but being short in numbers as Vicki was poorly decided to give it a go and actually did very well.  John swung by to come and watch us at the new venue and to give us a lift back to Mums.  We were staying the night as we were hopeful that the car would be ready to pick up in the morning - then we could give back the white CRV kindly lent to us by Mum and Dad.

We had not been able to catch up with Melanie, Simon and Jasmine the last time they were (briefly) up in Droushia.  Our plans to meet for coffee had been scuppered by the announcement of the bank levy.  So when John saw Melanie today she invited us round for coffee and a catch up.

Jasmine is growing fast and has recently celebrated her half birthday.  To begin with she looked very much like Simon and then more like Melanie and now she looks like a little girl in her own right.

John is quite happy to entertain her now that she no longer has a floppy head - he doesn't do floppy heads!  Whatever it is that he is doing to capture her attention has also attracted Hector!

Melanie had made the most scrumptious carrot cake and I have to admit to having to have two pieces just to make sure that the second was as lovely as the first.  I shall have to get the recipe from her.


Simon and Mel have a budgie which I think is called Gemma - they inherited it from a friend who left Gemma with them when she left the Island.  Gemma is quite clearly a Daddy's girl and spent her time out of the cage either on Simon's shoulder or his head.  Poor Simon got a head of baby sick when he was bouncing Jasmine around and then got a head of budgie poo!


We left them too it hoping that we will be able to meet up in Droushia soon and under less stressful circumstances.  I then went round to visit Mum's other neighbour Rosie and have arranged that, all things being equal she will give me hair a cut next Thursday if I go down to pickleball.  So much will rest on whether we can get money and whether we can still get petrol.

An evening in with Mum and Dad with a meal, a game of noms and an episode or two of Dinner Ladies restored a feeling of some normality.

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