Tuesday 17 October 2017

Sunday together


We are continuing with our personal challenge to keep going into the pool for as long as possible.  Charlie clearly thinks John is a nutter!  This is the same Charlie who shlepped his way along to our neighbours' Persephone and Savvas last night to avail himself of some souvla and then we had a message from Persephone saying that Savvas (retired doctor) considered Charlie's collar was too tight - probably because he is such a glutton!  I duly changed said collar and he now has a looser white one.


It was a rather grey and chilly start to the morning but we still ate our breakfast outside and were lucky to do so because the weather deteriorated and we had thunder and rain although unusually for Droushia not anything like as bad here as in other places nearby.  In fact when Mum rang me when they had returned to Paphos after lunch she said they passed through some really terrible weather including some hail.


Kaye and I managed to dodge the showers and get in a walk after breakfast, returning just before the heavens opened.  We walked around the edge of the village and out towards the mast but cut across to the right which brings you out near Palates.  En route we came across some very pretty restored cottages which are now visible because either a building or some trees or something have been removed.  The selection of plants in pots look lovely outside with the terracotta complementing the lovely soft stone of the building.  I like the small trees in the pots and think I might have a go at trying to strike an olive tree to so something similar.


Mum and Dad arrived and were happy to be able to sit in the conservatory where what little sun we had had this morning had made it feel warm and comfortable plus I was cooking so there was warmth coming from the kitchen.  As we were going to be confined to barracks John had taken down the big family table top and was busy re-erecting it in the dining area so we could all have a place to sit in comfort.


John created the big family table top last Christmas and it really comes into its own on occasions like this and actually doesn't swamp our dining area.  It's nice to dress up the table - just a shame my crockery is blue!  We were having the magnum bottle of Tsangarides wine which Angelos from the winery presented to John for his birthday after his celebrations - on that subject when Kaye and I were out walking in Droushia we came across the bus which we went in under cover in a shed up by the Muhktar - no idea why it should be there unless it is something to do with the accident it had before we went out in it.


So here we are Dad, Mum, Kaye, John, Aunty Joyce and Uncle David around the big family table top ready to tuck into my signature dish - Stifado which I served with some Jimmy Floyd Hasselback potatoes, carrots, peas and spiced white cabbage and we finished the meal with some generous slices of Paps best carrot cake.  Uncle David and Dad enjoyed an after dinner snooze and then before we knew it they were ready to go so Mum and Dad could get back to feed Fred.  So glad they didn't leave it too late as the weather was so bad on the way home.


My sister asked me if I could get a frame together with a collage of photographs of Jack that she could give Mum as a gift - as it happened I had a suitable frame which we had used for our Silver Wedding Anniversary last year and which I had kept being loathe to get rid of it and good job too.  I took ages going through the photographs we had taken whilst Jack had been here and hopefully chose a selection which they will like.  I so love the one of Jack when he first met Dad at the airport and the one of Jack giving Mum a kiss goodbye when they left.  It had been such a successful trip - all we need now is to know that Kaye will be repatriated as planned on Tuesday although to be fair she isn't too bothered as long as she is back by Friday.

Sadly Kaye's mother-in-law Hilary passed away last night, she was nearly 90 and had been suffering with dementia for quite some time but even so this would make the end of an era for Kaye.  So thoughts with her and all the other members of the family who will have been affected by this.


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