Wednesday

Today we were going to Ladies Lunch (Mum and I) at the Droushia Heights Hotel - this means we are in the Winter season as that is our regular location during the Winter months!!!  Having checked out the taverna at Kritou Terra John was taking Dad there as a new experience.  We took the opportunity to spend a little quality time with the cats this morning conscious that the Israeli fighter jets and the recent thunder storms plus the extra people now living on the estate has spooked them a little.  John's No 1 boy is our original Chivers, or Chivvy Pops or Popsi - he will answer to all three - he is Mr Gentle and, apart from the fact that he feels the need to assert himself periodically by battering Charlie on the head, causes us very little grief.

Number 2 cat is Minnie-Mou aka Mins, Schmoo, Schmoozer Moozer, Minzer-Mou or Mrs Minniver - she will answer to any of these if she deigns to do so.  She is Miss Independent and skulks around on her knees most of the time except for first thing in the morning when she makes it known that she is hungry and then having been fed comes into the bedroom for a John cuddle - never me! and at night just before she settles down to sleep she comes into the bedroom for a John cuddle.  She should have been christened Greta Garbo as she likes to be alone - preferably on the guest bed which I will now have to change for our impending visitors!!!

Number 3 cat is Charlie aka Charlie Farley, Charles Farles, Chunky Monkey, Chunker Munker, Fatty-poo, Fatso or Fatboy Slim.  He is such a character with a face that always has a concerned appearance.  He is naughty and he is greedy but of all the cats he is probably the one that is around the most as he loves company - during the summer he leaves home to settle in with George and Pam where he feels he is more appreciated and then it takes him a while to get used to the fact that they are no longer around.  If he is not around come food time we get concerned as he is a martyr to his tummy.

Finally cat number 4, Boris or Mr Boo or Boo-Boo or simply Boo - you can't tell from this picture but of all the cats he has been the one most freaked out this week and we are giving him some extra TLC as he is skittish and unnerved.  He is Mr Vocal as he always announces his arrival and will always call back if I go and shout for him if he is nearby.  He hates to wear a collar and spends time removing them but we want people to realise he belongs to someone so we like him to wear one.  He returned home today without his brand new one supplied by John's Mum.  He is a beautiful cat and normally very kind and loving.  Unfortunately he got trapped in the door today as the wind blew it shut and disappeared for a while but returned for tea as he too likes his food and stands on his back legs when I am cutting up his liver and pogos trying to get to it.

So enough of our feline family, today we were back to the Droushia Heights and although it was bright outside there was a keen wind and we were all feeling a bit chilly after the very high temperatures of October.  The Heights is clearly a favourite destination at this time of the year as we were a very healthy 20 for lunch and the hotel and its staff did us very proud.

It was lovely that Marianna from the Community Office was able to come along with Kelly who used to work at the hotel but now works at the Anassa (currently closed for the season) and the inimitable Aunty Maura who hails from South Africa but whose mother was from Droushia and father from Peristerona - she is an amazing character and kept us well entertained - sadly she will return to South Africa at the beginning of December so miss the next lunch but in the interim I intend to catch up with her for coffee along with Norma and Diana.

Once again the hotel looked beautiful.  The table was all laid out for us and in the middle was a fabulous but simple arrangement of roses which looked so nice.  The floral arrangements are always so nice, simple but nice.  We are so lucky to have the hotel on our doorstep (aren't we Rob Veasey!!!)

On our return home we found that John had put the kerosene heater on in the conservatory for Dad.  It was toasty warm in there!  He and John had a lovely lunch - they did some exploring in Kritou Terra and then had a good lunch in our favourite new local eating establishment!!!  Apparently they had the same amount of food for the two of them as we had the night before for the four of us!

Mum and Dad left so that they could return in daylight - it gets dark so much more quickly now and John and I chilled for a while before Sean and Sharon came round for a game of crib - Sharon has recently lost a close friend so we weren't sure whether she would want to come but she said it was better to get out and she and I managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by winning two hands which we really should have lost!