Catching up...

This post was 'in the bank' ready to be posted before events overtook us so better late than never but a little out of date...

Last year I found out that one of the girls I had been to school with all those years ago in Bruton lived in Paralimni which is the other side of the island but last year we managed to get together meeting sort of half-way in Pissouri.  It had been so easy catching up after not seeing one another for 38 years that today was going to be a doddle.


Sheri has her niece staying with her and had checked into the King Jason in Paphos for a few days so we had arranged to meet for lunch in Latchi as she had never visited this corner of the island.

I drove down and waited for her to find the large carpark just past Psaropoulis - as I thought this would be a big enough place to be able to find one another and when I parked I was only the second car there so we were hardly going to miss one another!!

Prior to meeting up for Lunch Sheri and Sophie took a visit to the Tala Monastery Cats.  Like me, Sheri is a cat lover currently having been adopted by six feline friends.  Whilst at Tala she couldn't resist and sponsored one of the more unfortunate looking cats - a black long haired with (in her words) a manky eye!  Well done Sheri - they all need as much help as they can get and the cute ones get sponsored or rehomed much more easily than the older and not so cute ones.

Although she got a little lost getting from the hotel to Latchi via the monastery she arrived on time and as the third car in the car park we were, as I thought, easily able to spot one another!!!  It was bright down on the coast but there was quite a keen wind - courtesy of Hawa - the current coptic storm which is described as a gale and that isn't far wrong by way of a description.

We walked from the carpark to the marina heading for one of our favourite lunchtime spots Molos and we did take the plunge and sat outside - after last week with our number one stalkers we realised it was probably no warmer sitting inside although not so blustery!

We had a lovely hour or so catching up, talking about old times and comparing notes on living in Cyprus and then I left Sheri and Sophie to enjoy the remainder of the day - Sheri works for the whole of the summer season so will not have much time to enjoy herself until the season ends for her at the end of November.  She and Sophie planned a little walk around the harbour before going to investigate the Avakas Gorge providing that my directions got them there!!!  She sent me some photographs today so I am pleased to report that she is not still trying to find her way home somewhere near Lara Bay!!!

As I walked back to the car I saw the marine police vessel racing out of the harbour.  It would seem that they had gone to rescue yet more refugees fleeing from Syria.  I have subsequently read that more were picked up - Latchi harbour is only about 30 kilometers as the crow flies from the Turkish coast so it is a short trip across.

As happens so often with humanitarian crises it would appear that some of the captains of the refugee boats are somewhat unscrupulous and jump shift leaving the human cargo to drift and be at the mercy of the tides and the marine police.  Apparently there is a lot of money to be earned by shipping refugees.  I have seen photographs of some of the bombed out cities in Syria and I cannot blame anyone trying to get away to try and ensure their safety and the safety of their families.  We have a couple of Syrian families near us - sadly communication can be difficult - language and customs form barriers but we smile and wave and acknowledge one another and the other day when we came home with a storage box on top of the car Ham'ed came out of his house to help John get it off and get it into our house which was kind of him.  I always try and be friendly towards his wife who doesn't seem to speak any English save Hello but that is one word more than my Syrian.

As John Read is away this week we had asked Susan to come and Join us for supper and knowing that she loves fish I had prepared a Thai spiced salmon dish with penne pasta and a big old salad together with some crusty ciabatta as she is most definitely a carb-queen.  It must have been ok because she had three lots!!!!

Pudding was an orange flavoured creme brulee served with some spiced oranges and the sultanas I forgot to put into the banana bread I made at the weekend.  Susan doesn't like driving in the dark and is a very early riser so we weren't too surprised when she said her goodbyes at 9.00pm giving John time to catch up on Skype with his family.