30 Days to Go...

Just one month left in the UK, one whole month and for Jill that means just two weeks left at work.

Not too much to report today.  SF and his trusty little helper TLH (Mum) have been up to Droushia today to finish cleaning the pool.  All was going well, they had even taken their lunch up to enjoy in the sunshine, pool had been pumped out successfully, everything cleaned, pool being refilled when for some reason the pump decided not to work anymore.  Jill had to make emergency contact with Philippos who is notoriously bad at replying but he got in touch straight away and said that he will liaise with SF tonight when SF and TLH are at the open evening for the Laura Beach.  I think they should go for a sea view myself!!

Being at home has opened a whole new world for me.  Jill has been coming home lunch time and so I have been perfecting my beans on toast, or beans on toast with egg or cheese and/or both!!  I have become acquainted with the delights of daytime TV and I am fast becoming an officionado of 5USA!  Furthermore I have become a real whizz at Angry Birds which Jill downloaded onto the Tablet last night.  I throw in a bit of sorting and clearing but dont want to overtax myself and Jill will need something to do when she finishes work.

Out tonight with Vix and Trev.  We were impressed by the Preston on Saturday so suggested the four of us go there.  Hope they will like it too and it will be good to catch up.  If only Trev could turn down some weekend work I could get a decent drinking sesh in with my mucker - not easy to do when it is a school night - well it is for Trev!!

PS just been looking at the stats on the Blog and seeing how many page views we get and where the people are viewing it from.  Generally we get over 20 viewers a day and they are as far afield as Australia, Malaysia and Finland.  We know that people can stumble onto our Blog by accident but we hope that if they do they are enjoying it and have fun following our journey to the sun.

31 Days to Go...

A quick post tonight because it is Wednesday and we have just got in from crib and it is late.  On the subject of crib we have had a really good night.  The game was at home and we were playing 'Compo's Army' from West Coker.  The team included Mike Hughes who we have known for 30 years and also Griff, a blast from the past Odcombe days, someone we havent seen for about 8 years.  Let's just say that the Standard A team were victorious - to the tune of 4-0 and we are now giving the league leaders a run for their money.  In Grand National terms (being run 9th April) they are at the Elbow but flagging and we are coming up the rails a bit like Red Rum the first year he snuck past Crisp!!  Only two games left this season - will keep you all posted...




Rubbish removed from Pool

 

We have had an update from SF today who has been up to Droushia to finish off cleaning out the pool - at the tender age of 79!

What a madman or is that superman - even worse he is enlisting Mum tomorrow for the final bit. 

Now looking much cleaner

We are worried that they will have worn themselves out before we get over to them.  We cannot express our gratitude strongly enough - they are ramping up as our arrival date comes closer whilst we are both slowing down with our work!!



Let's hope they have a good night tomorrow at the Laura Beach and that they manage to escape or choose their rooms for the future!!  - JUST JOKING!!!





32 Days to go...



Green pool not looking great!



Well a quiet day today for me, with Jill now firmly in charge of the car, taking it to work every day does mean she gets home in time for tea and doesn't have to wait for the bus. It also means if we are going out she has plenty of time to get ready. Well we were in tonight for a change so we ate up the remainder of the Turkey that I won in the meat draw at the pub on Sunday, along with the lemon & garlic tangy sauce and a greek salad, very nice if I do say so myself.

Had an update phonecall from SF today to inform me he is tackling the draining and cleaning of our pool. Not an easy job, as you can see it was topped up from the heavy rains along with all the dust and silt that comes with it. Well he had the level down to a manageable level when he phoned and was going up with his wellies tomorrow to get in and get at the bottom - or if he has got any sense he will employ mother as his trainee pool cleaner. I will be happy if it looks half as good as his pool does even in winter. Many thanks again dad for all your hard work, it is much appreciated, but don't over do things as we can't afford 2 rooms at the Laura!!.



Tim also emailed us these photos of the new paint job on the outside of both buildings and garden walls together with photos of the stained eaves now complete, he was also going up today to skim the kitchen walls ready for tiling when we get out there in May. The tile selection is still ongoing with Jill and I now agreeing to wait until we get over there before we decide, a break through!! We are dotting the i's and crossing the t's with all things admin and are getting quite excited as the days seem to be flying now. We are sure we have all things in place and are just ticking along with the final sorting of what's going where and more to the point what's not going at all now. We seem to have come to an agreement that the container isn't a Tardis so we have to be sensible.





It won't be long before Jill can get her hands on her new garden which I know she is really looking forward to. A blank canvas for her to plan, organise, landscape and cultivate to her exacting standards - will we agree on the garden - probably not but we will have fun doing it and I know that I will get all the heavy donkey work!  Thank goodness I was able to make a start back in February - but even without rain those shrubs can grow for England or should I say Cyprus??

33 Days to Go...

I am feeling very sorry for myself today, very very snotty, sneezy and snivelling.  I managed most of the day at work but had to retire hurt at 4.30 when Gemma declared she had given up saying 'Bless You' everytime I sneezed.  I cannot believe it, normally I am so very rarely ill and these last few weeks I have had one thing after another - throat infection, sickness, cold.  I think it must be down to an element of stress.

John has been honing his culinary skills today and rustled up a really lovely frittata for tea - well it looked lovely and I am sure it tasted just as good but I have lost my sense of taste so cant tell you for sure!  It is an amazing turn round for someone who would have previously turned his nose up at a meal which was basically made from leftovers!

This evening John also managed to get rid of his ladders which he had advertised on Ebay and which was bought by a man who came up from Lyme Regis.  They were probably worth a lot more than he paid but it is one more thing we have managed to get rid of. 

Whilst I languished on the sofa this evening - tissue permanently clutched to nose - we spent a good hour or so sorting through photographs.  We don't want to make the mistake of getting rid of too much but even I had to admit there was little point keeping out of focus or over exposed snaps!!!  The trouble with this kind of sorting is that you spend ages reminiscing and saying 'remember when this was taken?' or 'do you recognise who this is or where that was taken?'  John was a cool dude as a youngster and if I can get to a scanner at some point I will show you what I mean!!!  Our lives have been a catalogue of changing hairstyles - even for John who embraced a Billy Bouffant look for a short period of time.  I am still a little unsure of his No1 all over but it is preferable to Billy that's for sure!  John insists I go back to Brown or Red - perhaps I will or if money gets really short it will have to be good old pepper and salt - failing that John has offered to give me a No1 at the same time he does his as it will keep the cost of haircuts to a minimum.  My friend Sue looks great with her very short hair but I am not convinced I have the head shape for it but who knows??

34 Days to Go...

Nightmare Day...  I cannot believe I have a cold - a snivelly snotty dripping head cold.  Worse than that in our confused state last night we managed to put the clocks forward downstairs but totally forgot the ones upstairs and so we woke up oblivious that we had lost an hour.  We have been out of sorts all day - heads think it is an hour earlier - hearts know that we are wrong!

When we actually got our acts together this morning (lunchtime) we decided to go to PC World avoiding the Yeovil Half Marathon and the chaos of the closed roads - by the way CONGRATULATIONS Hazel who finished the run in 2 hours and 24 minutes despite having asthma - no news as yet to the time posted by Geordie (Steven) John says best he didnt let a bird beat him!! 

We were off looking for a PC Tablet to use to stream broadcasts to our TV when we are in Cyprus - we wanted something small enough to sit in the cupboard and we can also use it for surfing the net and reading e-books.  For once we had a knowledgeable and pleasant assistant who knew his stuff and as a result we bought an Advent Vega Tablet - now all we have to do is work out how to use it!

John was successful at the meat draw today, just as well really because we are running the cupboards down and it looked like it was going to be that good old Sunday lunctime favourite... omelette although the eggs were free range and kindly supplied by our neighbours the Pamments!!  John won a large turkey breast joint.  Now I am not a great lover of Turkey as it can be very dry and tasteless but I found a recipe for poached Turkey breast with a lemon mustard sauce which was easy and the turkey turned out absolutely beautiful - moist and tasty - shall do that recipe again as I think Mum would really enjoy it.

Will close now because one of us has to get ready for work tomorrow and let's just say it isn't John!

35 Days to Go...

Whoop Whoop it's Saturday!!!

A lie-in this morning - but disaster because John had forgotten to get any milk so there was a measly little cup of coffee to share at 8.30!!

We had a lazy morning before Jill went to the poodle parlour this morning to get beautified. 

We went off to Street afterwards to visit Uncle Ivor and Auntie Margaret to say our good-byes. We haven't seen them since Christmas but were pleasantly surprised by the progress that Margaret has made - she now has some movement in her left leg which has taken two years since her stroke.  It has been a difficult time but she has never lost her wicked sense of humour and well played to Uncle Ivor who has been her rock through it all. We will always keep in touch with them and hope that we will be back at some point to see them - they are very dear to us both.

Moving on, mattress hunting began, after instructions from Uncle Ivor on the parking issues.  We decided that we would combine visiting them with a trip to Living Homes to check out a new mattress to take to Cyprus as John has worn out all the Z's on his half.  There is something rather odd about lying on a bed in a showroom as if you were going to sleep properly.  Anyway, we managed to choose a rather posh mattress with memory foam topping which was heaven to lie on but there could be a delivery delay which means it wont arrive before the shippers come in to pack up so we may be snookered on that and have to take the poor old mattress we have had for the last 10+ years!

This evening we had the onerous task of checking out a new restaurant free of charge!  If you read the blog last weekend you will know that we were invited to check out the Preston Hotel which is under new management by the same person that owns the Green Room - Peter Barlow (not the one from Coronation Street)!!!

We had a really lovely meal - the food is excellent and the ambiance and decor in the dining room is superb.  It is ideal in that it is close to town but far enough away not to have the problems associated with town late on a Saturday night.  We would recommend it.  There is still some refurbishment required but they are getting there and Andrea ,who we recognised from the Green Room, made us feel very welcome. 

We staggered home full of lovely food and drink having had a very nice evening indeed.  We will certainly try and go back again before we leave and will let Peter know exactly our thoughts on the evening which are very positive indeed.  We wish him well for the future as it isnt the easiest time to start a new venture, but somehow he seems to have got a winning combination.  Good luck Pete and thanks for giving us the opportunity to try out your new restaurant.  We certainly enjoyed it.

36 Days to Go...

Nothing to report on the house today as we have given SF the day off (not really there was just nothing planned at Droushia today!).  SF phoned in an update on the installation of the gas fire by Mr Ex-Pat I'm Rushed off my Feet sitting here all day doing Nothing Bloke who cant get up to finish installing the fire for a week or so - good job we are going over when the weather is hotting up and not mid-winter!  SF is on his case and will whip him into shape and have the fire installed before we arrive - have no fear!

The jury is no longer out on the sample tile for the bathroom.  It just isn't doing it for John so the decision is to wait until we get to Cyprus and choose something over there - will we agree?  unlikely? possibly? maybe?

This evening John and I went to a civic reception and skittles evening at the Phelips Arms Montacute held by the Soroptimists.  This was not a marriage ceremony for two same sex adults as someone thought at work - it was Civic because the Mayor was there!

It was a good chance for the two of us to say our goodbyes to the ladies (and gents) that made us both so welcome during my time as a Soroptimist club member, Club President and Regional President - if you dont know what the organisation is all about then do what the Mayor said he did - look it up on the website!

We had a really nice evening - John managed to find a drinking buddy in 'Dead Eyed Tim' i.e. Jim but someone got his name wrong on the skittles scoreboard!  Dead Eyed Tim is Lorna's husband and she is one of our devoted blog readers although she hasn't signed up as a follower yet - will have to get that sorted before we leave.  These evenings are never very exciting for the men-folk so it was good for the two of them to be able to compare notes at the bar whilst Lorna and I circulated amongst the attendees in good Soroptimist style.

I should think everyone had a good time - they certainly couldn't complain about the buffet as there was so much to choose from including nice little fancy cupcakes - sod the cholesterol on this occasion.

I see that Lorna has now become keeper of the huge engraved Soroptimist vase donated by Connie Dusko(?) many years ago.  I can remember having it in the house when I was Pres - constantly scared it would get broken (along with a box of miscellaneous bits and pieces that has been handed down over the years and which no-one knows quite what to do with!).  Lorna is next in line to be Club Pres and I am sure she will do a fantastic job if her time being my Club Secretary is anything to go by.  Lorna I will be thinking of you even though I wont be there in person to support you.

37 Days to Go...

 

What a difference a day makes...  Well it is two days actually but the kitchen has now been transformed from the picture on the left to the picture on the right.  Still a bit left to do - doors obviously!!  These are currently being made and we have chosen a wood called Iroko which is left to a natural finish and oiled periodically and should be roughly the colour of the wood you can see on the top of the units above.  Granite worktops (real Granite) are going to be put on top in a dark speckled finish. 

We then have to decide upon the tiles and the door knobs or handles - that is going to be major as we can never agree!!!  Jill brought a sample of a tile home today as a suggestion for the bathroom as a border which she LOVED and which I thought was just ok!  However I am trying to make it grow on me - showing willing by putting it up against one of the kitchen tiles and looking at it from all angles - still not convinced!

We have given SF the weekend off.  He only has two more soduko books left - he is racing through them whilst he sits and supervises the various workmen up at Droushia!  Don't know how we would manage without him there though. 

38 Days to Go...

Just a quick post before we go off to Crib tonight.

There has been some dramatic progress on the kitchen on day one.  SF has sent us the following photograph to show the cupboard carcasses being put up.

It's amazing how much bigger it looks with the units in.  It looks as though we will have as much space as we have in the Married Quarters which we have managed with for the last four years or so.  The cooker hob and extactor and sink have all been purchased over in Cyprus so are ready to go in when John gets over.  The work tops are going to be granite so they will be fitted by the specialist once the units are finished.  Just some tiles to choose and put up, handles to select and a bit more painting and it will be complete.

There should be another update tomorrow.

For those of you interested we have just returned from Crib.  A classy night out at the Labour Club!!  As a team we managed a 3-1 win.  We were only one point behind the leaders and we are hoping that the other Standard team have done us a favour as they were playing top of the table.  Will keep you posted when the table is updated.  Only a few games left this season.  We have been playing for the side for four seasons, we came second the first season, first the second season, second the third season so pressure is on for us to finish top this season.  We seem to have managed to take them from mid-table obscurity to league leaders!!  Watch this space ...

39 Days to Go...

Today is a quiet day with not much to report. 

Work is getting its pound of flesh before I leave as I was tied up with three meetings today - all about shaping the IT system for the future - and I thought I might get an easy ride before I finished!

John has spent the day evicting spiders.  God they must be confused as I have spent the last four plus years ensuring that they carried on their lives undisturbed!  Whenever John went away he asked if I wanted to know where to find the hoover but I politely declined - once you know how to use those bloody machines you will always have to keep on top of the dust.  I maintain that dust makes me sneeze so it is (a) best left undisturbed and/or (b) left to John to sort out in my absence. 

I am concerned though because in one house we had laminate flooring and there is just nowhere for dust to hide - it collects like little balls of tumbleweed and then starts rolling across the floor when guests are due or worse sitting down watching.  The beauty of carpet is that dust can just disappear - what the hell will I do with the tiled floors in Droushia - its going to be like starring in a western - tumbleweed everywhere - or John could dress in black and adopt the Cypriot women's role of sloushing down constantly irrespective of water shortages!

A couple of updates from SF today.  SF and Mum are splashing out on a new pool cover so they are donating us their old one complete with roller which John and SF will have to 'modify' but they are brills at that sort of thing - and how posh are we going to look with a pool cover???  Hopefully it will keep the water that bit warmer and stop unwanteds falling in - dust, spiders, gheckos and the like.

Second and most important bit of news from SF is that the new kitchen starts to be installed tomorrow and SF has to be up there for 8.30 on site.  Bless him - I hope we aren't asking too much of him - and that we can afford his bill at the end of it all!  Picture that follows shows what the kitchen currently looks like so will keep you posted on progress and put up some photos when we have them...  It can only look better!!

40 Days to Go...

Monday and work again for me so not a huge amount to report.

At 0800 hours we had our 'early morning call' from the Site Foreman (Dad) just checking on which parts of the property Tim was to paint and, as holder of the purse strings, if there was any more to be paid.   A bit later on today we had some pictures comes through once SF had been up to the villa to check out the work carried out by the Solar Panel plumber and electrician and also the painting of the outside that Tim has been doing.  Its amazing what a difference just a coat of paint can make and it is getting two so it will be doubly good when it is finished.  Only trouble is it makes the pool look even worse as the water is in desperate need of sorting out.  Still when we are there all the time that can be John's domain!

I went to visit Brenda lunchtime.  It was lovely to catch up with her as I haven't seen her for quite a while and in the interim her mum unfortunately passed away.  I will try and make sure I get to see her once a week until we go - we have been through so much together, good and bad at Porter Dodson - we really ought to get round to writing that book we talk about.  I think the Vodka in the Orange Juice has to be a real classic episode!

John has been sorting out the garden today - fortunately it remained dry although not as warm and sunny as at the weekend.  He is dealing with the bald patch left by the shed now that has been taken down and will be ploughing the fields and scattering tomorrow putting down some grass seed in the hopes it comes up a bit before we have our march out - at least we will have shown willing in putting it back to how we took it on.

41 Days to Go...

Well we had a lie-in planned for today but somehow the sun managed to creep into the bedroom, slap us around the face a bit and wake us up early!  Worse still it was my turn to get the coffees in today so I had no excuse but to get up and get breakfast - coffee, juice and toast - not that I had any toast - tum still a bit iffy!

It was the most beautiful day again today - it is so lovely to be able to get washing out and dry on the line.

We went over to see Trev and Vix this morning and deliver our vine over to them and leave it in their care. 

The cheap old vine I bought (from Wilkos I think) produced a really bumper crop of fruit last year - to the point where I was giving grapes away by the carrier bag load so it is good that it is going to a new home. 

I will expect updates on its progress - no pressure Trev!! 

It was great to be able to sit out in their garden and take advantage of the lovely spring sunshine.  It is such a suntrap I could have stayed there all afternoon except I started to feel poorly again.  Still hopefully we will be able to catch up for longer next weekend.

By the time John and I got to Asda I was feeling really green so we did a quick shop and then I went home and dropped John off at the Standard for a lunchtime drink and the meat draw.  No joy on the draw - just as well because we didnt need any meat for this week anyway!

Had a phonecall from Sue this evening.  It was lovely to hear from her and to know that she and John are safely in France for a couple of weeks the house is just sooooo lovely - the change of scenery will recharge her batteries I am sure. 

They have been a real inspiration in our plans to move abroad and make us feel all things are possible.  If we can make 10B half as beautiful as Rue Barbes I will be more than happy.

42 Days to Go...

The morning after the night before and so John and I had to go into town to retrieve the car.  I suggested we could walk as it was a really beautiful spring-like day.  John thought we should go on the bus until I pointed out that two single tickets were the best part of five quid and then the Yorkshireman in him took over and he visibly blanched and decided that walking was the way ahead!  Anyway it was a nice walk and it was good to get some exercise and on the way into town we discussed the walks we will be planning in the future, to Inea and Pano Arodes - we have to get a couple sussed pretty quickly so that we have somewhere to go with Trev and Vix when they come over.

Once in town John was able to reinact a famous scene from the Two Ronnies when we went into the ironmonger/tool shop at the bottom of town to ask if they had "any o's" (not garden 'ose - o's as in zero's). - we are trying to find some wrought iron numbers and letters for the gate in Droushia (10B)!!

We managed to get a few more packing chores done today - Mark helped John dismantle the shed and get it into the garage so we now have a very bare patch of garden to the side of the house.  Little by little things are getting sorted.

I didn't feel too good this afternoon - still think it is the remains of the sickness bug I had last week and periodically it sort of comes over me - a bit like poor Catherine last night.  I decided to have a quiet hour so John went round to Mark's to watch the England rugby team get thumped by the Irish - much to Mark's amusement although the French repaid the compliment later on by thumping the Welsh.  Both John and Mark seemed to have questions about the parentage of the referees (if you know what I mean)!!  Still it wasn't a total loss on the sporting front today as Sheffield United managed a monumental victory over dirty dirty Leeds (sorry Trev!).

This evening we had a very pleasant meal at the Northover with Helen and Pete.  Their son in law Stu is head chef there but not working tonight.  Helen and Pete have just become very very proud grandparents as their daughter Kelly gave birth to a son, Mason, on March 8th - I do think she could have held on and done it on March 9th so he shared my birthday.  And I know we say it everytime but it is so hard to think of Kelly as a wife and now mother when we remember her as a five year old hanging out of the bedroom window asking if we were going to be her new neighbours.

Talking to Helen and Pete about Droushia is great because they have actually been and stayed there themselves so they know exactly what we are talking about.  Let's hope that they can do it again some day.

For those of you who don't know Helen and Pete were our neighbours for several years at Glenthorne Avenue and Helen and I used to be Saturday girls together in Boots in Yeovil when it used to be where Burger King is now - back in the mid 1970's!!!  Oh we looked sweet in those lovely pink and blue uniforms!!

43 Days to Go...

I managed to persuade Kato to let me get up in peace today - in fact he actually took me into work as he wanted the car and was going off to try and find some wrought iron door numbers amongst other things.

Lunchtime today I met up with an old school friend, Kenna, who I realise I have known for 40 years!!!  We first met when I went to secondary school (Bruton School for Gals) in 1971 and went through our secondary schooling together.  Strange really that we have kept in touch because I was a day girl and she was a border so not bossom buddies just school mates.  After 'A' levels I believe she left to become a Norlands Nanny but some seven or eight years later I started a new job, walked through the door and Kenna was there.  Over the intervening period we have kept in touch off and on, more off than on really but it has never been difficult to pick up where we left off.  Anyway lunch was fun and who knows where we will be the next time we catch up - possibly Cyprus or possibly Brittany where she has a house, anyway Kenna wherever it is I will look forward to it.

John had chores and things to do this afternoon and was going to pick me up from work as we were off out for a meal this evening.  He had a new exchaust fitted last week and found it hanging off this afternoon so had to do an emergency dash to Kwik Fit to get it sorted.  Fortunately it didn't take five minutes and we managed to get home in plenty of time to get changed for our night out. 

John dropped me off in town at the Green Room and then did the taxi run out to Ilchester to pick up Steven and Catherine and then swing by to pick up Ben and Michele.  Whilst I was waiting for him to return I got chatting to Pete who owns the Green Room.  He was asking about our move to Cyprus.  It turns out that we have known each other for over 30 years (must be my day for catching up with old friends!).  Pete has just taken over the Preston Hotel on Preston Road and has very kindly invited John and I to go there next Saturday evening and have a meal.  Apparently it is the same sort of food as the Green Room and the chef Lincoln has gone up there so it should be good and it is somewhere John and I can walk to.  Will let you know what it is like!

We all had a great meal and Catherine was lovely and brought both Michele and I birthday presents as we have each celebrated a birthday in the last week.  Unfortunately Catherine is getting over the same bug that I had and towards the end of the meal started to look a bit green around the gills so she and Steven bowed out early.  Sensible really as Ben, Michele, John and I soldiered on and managed a drink in the Globe and Crown and another in Woods Wine Bar before throwing the towel in and getting a taxi home.  We have decided we are all too old for town, all the women look like they got dressed in the dark, all the boys will catch their death of cold without a nice woollen jumper on and the music is FAR TOO LOUD.

Until the next time it is cocoa and slippers for me!!!

44 Days to Go...

First of all welcome to our official follower number 6 - the lovely Rachel Roberts xxx

The daily battle with John, for me to go to work and not stay at home, continues - he is perfecting his WWF moves: headlock, half-nelson, body-check.  Do you know it is not unlike living with Kato from the Pink Panther films!

I manage to get to work unscathed - driving has become a bit of a novelty for me but I still manage and I can still park the hearse up that narrow little shute without removing any paintwork - I just love the way disbelieving blokes watch me reverse park in a one-r - no messing!

John has had a busy day today cleaning the window tracks of gunge, dust and insects - you can't believe that Defence Estates, having left the married quarters basically untouched for the 4+ years we have lived here, will be concerned about window tracks - never mind that the overflow overflows continuously or that we have a dangerous socket in the kitchen - god forbid that we have a spider in the window track!

In between sorting the windows and following the racing card at Cheltenham, John spent quite some time with the Department of Work and Pensions trying to ascertain whether or not we require an E106 (now S1) to secure help with health care when we arrive in Cyprus (this is in addition to private care that we have to have organised).  So many of these places dont want notification until about 4 weeks before we leave which means that we can't get ahead of the game and it will make the last few weeks very hectic and even when you think you have made everything clear you realise they haven' t taken any notice - hence we now have a new TV licence pitch up with a schedule of payments well into 2012.  Another telephone call required tomorrow I feel!  I guess it will all get sorted in the end.

Good news we have heard that Hils and Keith are free the weekend that we fly so we are able to go up and stay with them before we go to Gatwick on the Sunday.   Then the next time we get together is when they are out in Cyprus in May playing in the band - we are already booked in for that and looking forward to it - apparently we are all assembling at Angela and Richard's beforehand for a meal as the concert is only just down the road from where they live.  Picture below shows the last time we went for a meal there.

45 Days to Go...

A month and a half to go...

This morning when the alarm went off John had me in a headlock trying to persuade me I had had a relapse and wasn't well enough to go to work.  No joy I am afraid - I still have quite a lot to get sorted before I leave. 

John has been practising for full time retirement by making sure he doesn't exert himself too much!  A few little jobs here and there, a bit of TV, you know that sort of thing!  He said it was quite enjoyable but would have been even better if I had been there doing nothing with him.

This evening I managed to complete going through all the photographs I took at the weekend so they are ready to send to Joani and Roger - I just need to put them onto a stick and send them off.

This evening we had a league game of crib at The Standard.  We were second in the league just one point behind the leaders.  Unfortunately Kev and I were the only pair to win their game and so we only scored one point this evening and I had to listen to John's post-mortem all the way home - is it any wonder that I never partner him??  He says I dont know what I am missing!

46 Days to Go...

I managed to make it back to work today although only firing on about three cylinders.  Not made any easier by the fact that Mr Wiseman doesnt have a job to go to although he has plenty on his list at home!

John has spent today cutting the grass, visiting the tip, pruning what is left in the garden, sorting the garage, going through his million screwdrivers and his lucky box of screws, nails and things that 'just might come in handy' and which have moved with us about 3 times (a bit like the paprika in the kitchen cupboard!!  don't know what I mean then checkout the Michael McIntyre spice sketch available on YouTube now - and thanks to Linda for telling us about it at the weekend).

Dad managed to send us some photographs today about the progress on the Villa.  I have absolutely no idea what has been preventing him from sending emails to our home address - but it looks like there has been a general problem with some 'free' email addresses - ours being one.  We now have fully fitted Solar Panels which hopefully will provide us with many months worth of free hot water.  Thanks Dad for being our site manager on this job and for persevering and eventually getting them through.

You can see from the photograph that the eaves have been fully boxed in now - sorry birds there is now no way you can build your nests up there any longer.  We are just waiting for the wood to be stained and the outside of the buildings to be painted - in a colour called Biscuit.

This afternoon John was called upon to help a damsel in distress - Laura had collected a puncture when out visiting her horse Josef although on reflection she did mention the screw in the tyre sometime last week!  John sped off to South Barrow leaving me to come home on the bus.  Nothing strange about that except that I had gone to work without any keys as I had expected either a lift or for John to be at home.   I spent quite a while trying to throw the bolt on the garden gate but being vertically challenged this is nigh on impossible - having managed it - eventually - I got round the back of the house in the hopes that maybe, just maybe John had left the back door open but no joy.  I had to just sit it out for about half an hour.  Good job it was a lovely evening - if it had been raining he would have been dead.  One other thing - is a mobile phone called mobile so that you can have it with you at all times?  Then why is it when you need someone in an emergency their mobile phone is (a) being charged (b) on silent with no vibrate (c) in the car and they are not???

I cant complain too much though as he had been preparing tea when the SOS went out and so it was only a matter of minutes on his return when he served up chilli con carne and garlic bread and it was lovely, a tad on the spicey side and I will probably stink tomorrow but very nice all the same.

One last thing before I close...  Isn't it lovely how a small gesture can make you feel so great - not just the tea John cooked but the fact that I received the most lovely Get Well card from Lorna who had read on this blog that I had been unwell.  Thanks Lorna it was really kind of you xxx

47 Days to Go...

We all seemed to manage a little bit of a lie-in this morning after the activities of yesterday.  Linda had to take Daisy for her early morning constitutional because John wasn't about in time! 

He made up for it later in the morning though when we both took her along the coast path for a bracing breath of fresh air.  Quite a change in the weather today - no spring sunshine like we enjoyed yesterday.

I am now feeling about 95% but unfortunately food is still a bit of a hit and miss affair although I have to say I did enjoy Joani's famous or is it infamous sandwich soup - I guess for a small fee Joani might divulge this recipe!

John and Roger had some little man chores to complete today - one of which involved a Heath Robinson type erection aka a pole to house a new weather station!  All jobs done and before we all started to nod off on the sofas, plus we only had hard clues left to the Telegraph Cryptic Crossword, John and I made our way back home armed with ham, jam, florentines and tulips - an eclectic mix!!  Thanks Joani and Roger - promise to meet up again before we leave.

The journey was uneventful but we felt shattered.  So I am quickly doing these few lines before we go up the stairs to Bedfordshire - one of us has work tomorrow and it isnt John!

48 Days to Go...

Today has been Roger's 70th Birthday Party - his birthday being 10th March. 

For those of you who dont know John and I met Roger and Joani through the Soroptimists.  We have spent some really fun times together (who can forget Guernsey when the Stansells stayed somewhere posh and John and I were in the Christian Retreat with the farting vicar?).  Roger and Joani have rescued John from the clutches of the RN on several occasions.  Joani's roast lamb is legendary and they are just two of the kindest people you could ever wish to meet.  If I didnt have a Dad then I would choose Roger as a surrogate.  I cant say the same about Joani being my mum - she is only a couple of years older than me!!

It has been a beautiful day both in terms of the weather - which has been kind and unseasonably warm - and the company.

Having thought we had so much time this morning getting prepared we seemed to be rushing around at the last minute - Joani barely had time to shower!!  I am guessing we will all collapse in a big heap later exhausted.  I am pleased to say that a good night's sleep and some soluble Neurofen this morning has left me feeling much much better.  Still not to bothered about food or alcohol - just pleased that I was able to enjoy the day.

The celebrations started at 3.00pm and even though there was enough food here to feed an army, visitors also came laden with all sorts of goodies.  There was just so much to chose from and every dietary requirement had been catered for - except we had no goats milk - bugger!!

Those of us who are or were Soroptimists just couldn't help ourselves when it came to washing up so hopefully a little later when the last few have gone home Joani and Roger wont be faced with a mammoth clearing up task.  John was in his element in charge of the bar and I became trolley dolly for the afternoon so hopefully all the guests will have felt they were well fed and watered. 

Will close now and post some of the photographs up when I have a minute to download them.

49 Days to Go...

A late post as I have only just managed to get to a PC. 

I had progressed from poorly to merely unwell in John's eyes so still feeling like a bag of spanners and very queasie he decided that it was reasonably safe to try the trip to Plymouth plus Joani needed a piping bag so we really had to go. 

Have you tried getting a bloody piping bag in Yeovil?  Well dont bother - let me tell you they only seem to sell them in Wilkinsons and then the piping bag kit is a waste of money - the bags split under pressure - so go for the syringe type instead - much more reliable.

We managed to get down to Plymouth without me being sick - which was a bonus!  Mewstone House was an absolute hive of activity - or death by vol-au-vent as John described it.  Joani and Linda were in full swing catering for the 250 people due to celebrate Roger's birthday - what do you mean there weren't 250 coming?? it felt like we were catering for it!!!

Read the next post for an update - I had to retire to bed fairly early - still not 100% but getting there...

50 Days to Go...

Another short post today as I have been upgraded from "proper poorly" to just "poorly" today. 

Believe me you really dont want this 48 hour 'flu and sickness bug because it is really gross.  The bhaji last night seemed like a good idea but was a BIG mistake - I should have stuck to the dry toast that felt like I was chewing a carpet tile and tasted much the same (I guess as I have never actually eaten a carpet tile).  Today I have managed a little porridge but the way I look at it at least it will no problem if it decides to come back again - anyway thanks for the suggestion Catherine.  I did manage to make it downstairs today but poor John had to sit in sub zero temperatures with the windows wide open as I kept burning up - still it will save on the heating bills!

I expect he was quite glad to escape for a couple of hours this afternoon down to the Standard with Mark from across the road.  The two of them had a look at the Hearse today and confirmed that the exhaust is blowing so we have decided we need to get it fixed even though we wll be getting rid of it in a couple of months - John has to get up early tomorrow morning to get it into town. 

Hopefully if I feel well enough we will make it down to Plymouth tomorrow to visit Roger and Joani for Roger's 70th Birthday celebrations.  That is the plan but we could leave it until Sunday morning if we really have to as his birthday tea isn't until Sunday afternoon.

We have had a number of update telephone calls from our site foreman today (aka Dad)  he has been supervising the installation of the solar heating.  Apparently it is a much bigger job than anticipated because the water tank is going inside instead of up on the roof.  We were under the impression that because of where the house is we had to have it hidden even so aesthetically we think it looks nicer anyway.

51 Days to go

Well, Jill is proper poorly today... I arrived back from visiting Mum & Hadge in Chesterfield to find that she had been up all night and had not gone into work. She was asleep in bed when I got in and had been there all day trying to get warm and shake off a mahoosive headache and aching bones.
Whilst visiting I managed to get Mum's loft boarded out so the dreaded Xmas decorations can finally move from the spare bedroom. The loft was a hell of a mess with knee high insulation in places and a right snakes wedding with more cables and wires than you could shake a BIG stick at. Laying the boards on this was hard going at times with lots of joist cutting to tuck the cables safely away. Job done by yesterday lunchtime so we had free time to go off to Crystal Peaks shopping centre for a mooch and I was able to pick up a B'Day prezzie for Jill to get me back in the good books!!!
After Coffee and toast I had an eventful morning as the M1 was closed in both directions due to an accident and the roads were chaos so I couldn't drop Mum and her friend Jackie down into Chesterfield to the poodle parlour or where ever they were going, for fear of getting stuck in Chesterfield that was now grid locked according to the local radio. I left earlier than planned to make a cross country trek on the A and B roads to join the motorway further down country. Once I was clear of Derbyshire I had a nice clear run and was home in 4 and a half hours.
The fillet steak dinner I had planned cooking for her birthday that I missed due to being UP NORTH was put on the back burner and I had an Indian takeaway delivered for tea. I managed to convince Jill to come and lay on the settee and try an onion bhaji. She has kept it down so far but the headache is still nagging away.
Tonights entry is very short as I am a novice at this compared to Jill.........
Normal service will resume on the blog tomorrow if she is feeling better... fingers crossed everyone or you'll have to suffer my poor ramblings!!                                          

52 Days to Go...

Happy birthday to me happy birthday to me yaddah yaddah yaddah.  Have you guessed yet?? today was my birthday and it was a great day even though John wasn't here to celebrate with me.  I don't mind though because he is up at his mum's and I have got years to spend my birthday with him - in fact so many (hopefully) we will probably get bored with one another!

It started with me opening loads of cards - in fact I think I got more this time than I did last year when I was 50!  I had a lovely bag from Laura, money, a Marks and Sparks voucher and a lovely bracelet from my sister.

The famous five (Gem, Horatiu, Alex, Deborah and I) went to ASK for lunch and had a nice relaxed time.  We have all invested a squiddle in tonight's rollover lottery - lets hope...

When I got home from work Laura stopped me with a beautiful bunch of flowers and then Hazel turned up with the magnetic notice board I had spied in Athena on Saturday.  Fab Fab Fab it will look great in the kitchen in Droush and will be a permanent reminder of my oldest (in length of time not age!!!) friend with whom I have so many really good memories - sum up Haze in three words???  Purple RaRa Skirt! She will remember and despite our differing body shapes we used to share a mint green strapless dress from ETAM - she needed cellotape and I didn't - those were the days!

My evening was spent with the boys playing crib.  Really touched to receive a birthday card from Mr Owen and another from Mr Simmons and because I wasn't driving I indulged in one or two house doubles.  It didn't help my card playing though because Kev and I lost 3-2 and were well and truly thrashed in the deciding game.  How can you play against someone who starts by being dealt three fives and a jack (one turn up away from the maximum 29 hand) and then gets another jack turned up and cant count that the hand adds up to 22??  All in all we managed a draw - not good enough but probably leaves us still second in the league.

I was amazed to recognise the woman behind the bar as someone I worked with in Boots when I was a Saturday girl 35 years ago.  Neither of us can have changed that much as we both recognised one another although I am blowed if I could remember that her name was Mary!!  We could both remember Saturdays in the store which is now Burger King and those lovely pink and blue uniforms.  Happy Days!!!

53 Days to Go...

It's been a good day today - not work, work is work but after work I met with Laura in ASK for a (birthday) meal.  Those ASK vouchers certainly do their trick because one of our meals was only £1.00 so it makes for a cheap night out.  Mind you I am due to go there again tomorrow lunchtime with work and then possiblyThursday evening with Hazel to I will probably be all ASKED out by the weekend!

Laura and I managed to get home just in time to watch the GOK Clothes Roadshow.  This week it was coming from Cardiff and 5 weeks ago Laura and I managed to get to see the show being filmed live at the Millennium Centre courtesy of the lovely Mrs Roberts (Rachel). 

Well we only just managed to make it there by the skin of our teeth (two minutes to spare) as they had delayed the start as it was the Friday that England played Wales in the six nations rugby and although we left Yeovil at 2.15pm the traffic was a nightmare.

One of the bridges had been closed because of high winds and every man and his dog was off to the rugby.  Poor Laura had to change in the car - much to the amusement of other travellers in the queue and I had only got to about Bristol before I was busting for a wee and there was no way we could stop.  Well that was me and the dogs (Geth and Shay) busting for a wee!!!

It is true what they say, TV does put pounds on you, Gok is considerably skinnier in real life than he appears on the TV and Brix is as irritating in real life as she appears on the box and let's not even mention those poor bloody dogs of hers!!!!  And as for the floor manager - when she appeared on the catwalk she obviously hadnt been Gok'd as she looked like she was in a suit several sizes too small for her - talk about two puppies in a sack!!

If you get to see the programme at some point then you will see Laura on and I one row back from the Catwalk sat down on the right hand side.  We were so absolutely sure we had sussed which was the Designer collection and voted enthusiastically for the PINK collection only to find that it was in fact the high street ensemble put together by the Gokmeister!

54 Days to Go...

Monday - a RED LETTER DAY - John actually handed in his ID Card today so I guess that is it - hello to Civvy Street MR Wiseman!!! 

I guess for a little while he will just feel like he is on leave - free to grow a beard (not a good idea as it would have ginger (he says titian) tendancies!!) free to wear odd socks if he wants and free to call his time his own - after 20-odd years that is going to seem a bit strange!

Well you had better all take one last look - you wont see him in his mess undress again - bit of a shame as I always thought he scrubbed up quite well when he was wearing it!

No celebrations of his release for us tonight as he has gone up to his family for a couple of days to do a couple of little jobs for his mum.  When I got home this evening I found his valedictory certificate and all his medals on the kitchen work surface.  An end of an era for him but the start of an exciting new one.

Not much to mention with regard to our move.  I managed to organise our postal redirection - notification of change of address used to be so much more straightforward before all the new anti-money laundering rules came into force.  Nowadays everything has to be supported by copies of bills the only trouble is that John and I dont have any.  Having gone for the 'green option' all our bills are online - the only trouble is that most places wont accept them if they have been downloaded.  Still if anyone is interested it costs £150 to redirect post for a year - a bit pricey if you ask me and although I think I have notified everyone there is bound to be somewhere important that I have missed and so it seems worth it for peace of mind.

Anyone that read my post yesterday about my pervy phonecall will be gobsmacked to learn that when I got into work this morning someone else had done exactly the same thing and phoned my work number from their mobile and left a 'message'.  I didn't recognise the number - it isnt in my mobile, but I do know that the message consisted of a man (and it must have been a man) going to the toilet (no woman can wee for that long) and discussing what to wear with a woman - did he or she need a scarf?  I expect so as it was perishing last night!

A warning to all you people with mobile phones - just take care if it is in your pocket that you don't ring someone by mistake and leave random messages!!  If you go to the toilet then remember you never know who might be listening, and if you are going out in the cold you may well need to wear a scarf!!!!

55 Days to Go...

Good News - John's flight arrived on time.  I managed to find somewhere to park up without incurring costs because, as usual, I arrived early.  I blame Dad - he is, and was, a stickler for time and John is just the same so as you all know the Wiseman's are NEVER late!!!  If they ever are then it is time to worry - big style!

We managed to get up and back from Bristol Airport without having our photographs taken (which makes a pleasant change).  John had had a good flight back and seemed to have managed to relax courtesy of a glass of wine or two!!

Whilst we were unpacking we were very suprised to receive a phonecall at 1.30am.  It always bothers me when the phone rings that late - John, ever the gentleman, let me answer - the call connected and all I could hear was noise, rustling, muffled voices that sort of thing.  John then transformed into Man the Protector telling me to 'put the phone down and dial 1471'  only trouble was that this didn't disconnect the call.  John then became even more cavelike - hollering HELLO down the phone and getting quite agitated - I mean who would make a pervy phonecall to me at that time of night...

...suddenly the penny dropped.  "Have you stuffed your mobile phone into your pocket and phoned me by mistake?"  I asked, he grabbed his phone, studied it intently and then started to smile "How did that happen???" God knows but you can bet your bottom dollar that Janice was to blame somewhere along the line!!

Pervy phone calls are one thing, but pervy phonecalls from your husband???? now they are a different thing altogether!!! and, like an elephant, I am not going to forget...ammunition for embarrassment - PRICELESS!!!

Time for Bed said Zebedee - and we duly went!!

A quiet day today.  It is John's last week in the Navy - what a milestone.  He does whatever it is he has to do and then is going upto Sheffield to spend some time with his mum - insufficient leave for me to go with him but I think it is good that he spends some special time with her and the rest of his family on his own.  We will go up together at Easter.

56 Days to Go...

I will keep this brief today because John is on his way back from Cyprus and I am off to the airport to pick him up.  Hopefully his flight will be in on time 11.45pm - deep joy - but at least the roads should be empty - must remember to watch out for those pesky speed cameras otherwise I will be filling the coffers once again. 

He will be able to give me a first hand account of all that has been happening over the last 10 days before he shoots up to Sheffield to visit his family.

Mum has phoned tonight - I expect she will find it strange not to have her surrogate son around and no windows to clean for at least 6 weeks!!

Thanks Mum and Dad for all you have done to help us with our move.  I know it is only the start and you will probably be fed up with us before long.  Laura Beach is on hold for the time being - promise xxx

57 Days to Go...

Friday and at least part of my morning was taken up with a lecture on Money Laundering - how much excitement can one girl take??? and I still haven't out how to launder my money without being caught (well that would be the case if I actually had some!!).

Lunchtime the three mustketeers, Deborah, Alex and I had what we call a half coffee in Mocha, not that we drink half a coffee but that we only spend half our lunchtime in the coffee shop and then go off to do the various chores we have to accomplish in town.  So John (if you are reading this) that means that there is Fillet Steak waiting for you on your return!

This evening I spent a lovely evening with Vix and Trace and Murph (and Trevor when he had managed to negotiate the A303 on his way home from London). We had a lovely Indian and a glass of red - which has gone very firmly to my head.  I haven't seen them for a couple of weeks so it was really good to catch up and share my addiction to Eyefetch (photo sharing website) with Vicki and impart to her some of the knowledge I have learned about manipulating photographs (she takes a very decent shot in the first place so it is just a question of enhancing the raw material).  Just one question... Who in their right mind calls a piece of software 'Gimp'?  You can get into all sorts of trouble if you Google that without qualifying what you are looking for!!

John had what can only be loosely termed as a day of rest - in that he wasn't up at the villa - but spent the day chasing around Paphos sorting some last minute bits and pieces before he comes back tomorrow.  I tried to sound very knowledgeable when he rang to ask me where the Electricity Board was but in truth even after 20 years Paphos is still a bit of a mystery to us both.  I called him from the Hazzell's this evening so that he could catch up with his mate Trev.

For me it seems as though he has been away for ages, you would think I would be used to it by now but apart from having complete freedom with the remote control and starfishing in the bed, I have really missed him and am really looking forward to him coming home tomorrow.  Perhaps I shouldn't say 'home' rather that I am looking forward to him being with me again tomorrow!!

58 Days to Go...

Thursday - quite an action packed day today for me and John.

For me I had to take my new glasses back to the opticians today to have the lenses remade.  I have struggled on with them but cannot seem to get things in focus unless I am looking directly at them - and being vertically challenged that means that what falls within my range of sight is quite limited!  It also meant that I had to cope this morning without them - not easy as I had to keep relying on Gemma to read the small stuff!!  They have replaced the lenses but I am not convinced that they are any better and so the optician has decided to go for a different Varifocal with a greater field of vision - they are more expensive but I am so dependent on them that I am prepared to try anything.

I had a really lovely lunch today at ASK with Lorna and her daughter Janine (hope that is spelt correctly).  Janine spent some years living in Greece when she was younger and I know that she and her husband would love to move abroad and Cyprus is high on their list.  It was good to be able to share some of our experiences.  She asked me what concerns I have and I know that leaving behind so many good friends from all sorts of walks of life is something that bothers me.  Technology makes contact easier but there is nothing like a good old chin wag over a meal shared with friends, friends who share your history and with whom even silence is comfortable.  Lorna, I know that you will read this, so thanks so much for our shared experiences, particularly those spent as Soroptimists - both good and bad!!  Thanks too for lunch - let's hope that some time in the future I can repay you with a meal in a local Taverna but I promise we will meet up again before John and I go!

This evening Laura and I supported a Swishing Evening organised by Mrs Allan in aid of her netball team.  After a slow start everyone got in the swing and it was a good opportunity for both her and I to offload excess clothes and shoes!  We both won a prize on the raffle (unheard of that I have one on two raffles in the space of a couple of days) but I donated my Body Shop smellies to Laura, she kindly offered me her Shortbread but I turned it down - much to John's disgust as he LOVES shortbread!  We were both amazed at how possessive people became of their chosen items and how at the end of the evening it looked like a swarm of locusts had been there!

John has had what can only be described as a trying day!!  First of all the solar heating people managed to arrive the one time that John had nipped out to the bank.  On his return he found them trying to install the new water tank on the roof which is a big no no and he had to convince them that it was supposed to go into the space where the existing tank currently resides.  Solar heating installation is now put off until next week so will be a job for our site foreman (Dad) to oversee along with the kitchen installation which has also been delayed.  Thanks Dad we really couldn't manage without you.

John also started to drill a hole in one of the walls only to hit reinforcing rods that he hadn't anticipated being there so that has to be filled and it is back to the drawing board for that project.  He also managed to break the pick-axe handle trying to remove some of the root balls in an effort to clear a spaced for the shed and the gas bottle.  He has phoned tonight to say that he did eventually complete that task.  He must be absolutely knackered because those plants could grow without any help at all and have been largely unchecked since the property was built.

He is now back with Mum and Dad so Mum doesn't need to keep supplying him with Meals on Wheels although she isn't entirely redundant as she is going up with John on Saturday to help him clean up.  Thanks Mum because we couldn't manage without you either.  Anyway she knows that she needs to be useful or else I will be checking her into the Laura Beach Hotel (private joke - the Laura Beach may well be a residential care home in the future!!).

I hope that John manages some sort of day of rest tomorrow - although I doubt it because once he has the bit between his teeth there is no stopping him.

59 Days to Go...

Time is beginning to tick down now...

Dad informs me that it isn't Bull Frogs that are making the noise but Tree Frogs!  How exciting - I wonder what chance we have of ever spotting one - I have visions of those bright green big-eyed ones that you see on wildlife programmes - I have done a quick Google and apparently they are green with a black stripe - small but noisy!!

I have just spoken to John to have an update on his activities for the day.  He is working so hard, bless him!  Dad has been up this afternoon to help fit the gas fire.  John worried Mum to death because he thought it had suffered some weather damage whilst stored at Emba.  Silly Sod he was looking at the protective film which was peeling off of the surround!!!

He says that he has put up some fencing today along the footpath which leads up to the property and been out and about hacking down bushes and weeds which were obscuring our view down to the bay at Polis.  I know that there is an scruffy old tree in the vineyard next door that he would really like to have down but that is going to take some negotiation with the owner and we dont know who that is yet.

Apparently John has 'pruned' the olive tree unsupervised.  It doesn't really matter because it seems to grow regardless and we aren't planning to do anything with the olives (unlikely as they don't like to fruit after being lopped anyway!).   The big tree has also been given a severe haircut.  It was interfering with the roof and Dad is worried about how big the roots are getting.  We may have to make it an 'interesting' feature if and when it dies as removing the roots will be a major exercise!

John was going to settle down with the radio and a tin of Leon this evening and one of Mum's meals on wheels.  I hope the food delivery continues when we are both over there - it might turn out to be a godsend!

One quick PS - someone has asked whether John is stood on a box or I am stood in a hole in our profile pictures!!!

60 Days to Go...

Things have taken a giant leap forward today, and John, I know you are working your butt off, but it is really really appreciated.

Apparently John spent most of last night painting the kitchen ceiling and crawled into bed to be awoken by an unusual dawn chorus... BULLFROGS!!!  I think there is a huge colony which have made their homes in the abandoned swimming pools nearby so what with them, the birds and the cicadas we will have some very different sounds to get used to!

The photograph above will show you the repaired shutters in situ, brought out flush with the walls rather than inset.  I think once the eaves have been boxed in with wood and painted and the shutters and utility boxes are all the same colour it will look fab-u-lous!!

Today CITA came and connected the home phone and installed the internet connection with a wireless router.  Amazing how it only took them three days when the bloody ISP for work cut off our internet connection 'by mistake' on Friday and an expedited reinstatement took until this afternoon!  Mum lent John a phone so that he could check out the connection so I now have a hotline to Command Central and he had the foresight to take up Dad's laptop so that he could ensure the broadband was working.  I am so excited to know that we will have communication and will let you all have our contact details separately as this blog is open to all!

John also had an interesting trip into the village to find out where everything is.  A great source of information is the COOP bank - we will have to open up an account there for something - small village branches are a godsend and without support will go the way of the bank branch offices in the UK (i.e. disappear).  He managed to find the 'Post Office' manned by what appeared to be the WI running the local Creche!!  My guess is that there was a lot of smiling and nodding before an English Speaker managed to show him the wooden box (and I mean a wooden box) that houses the post for Lordos 1.  Great news that my test letter arrived safe and sound - we now have an address as well as a phone number - heaven!

Best news of all is that John was able to register us for the winter heating allowance (if the Cyprus Government continues to issue it) which we should be entitled to as our house is in a qualifying area.  That will be a godsend as electricty is EXPENSIVE.

I know that John has been working like a Trojan - he has been knocking out the hole required for our gas fire.  He said that he never thought he would have to pick up a chipping hammer again and that apparently those of you in the Navy will know what he means!  He has also given the kitchen ceiling a second coat of paint and says that his top tip is to buy a paint tray that fits the roller or roller that fits the paint tray (he didnt!!) and to get a roller on an extension as his arms just weren't long enough and he is aching like he has been run over!  I just know that he will push himself to get as much done as possible.

Final photo will show you what the kitchen looks like just now - stipped out and bare.  I cant wait to be able to post a picture of what it looks like when the new kitchen has been installed.  It is all going to be small but beautifully formed - but when you can live outside for the greater part of the year - and when heating is expensive - small spaces are good!

61 Days to Go...

Just a short post tonight as I am late in after adjudicating at the Soroptimist Annual Quiz Night for the seventh and last time.  It was a great night, well attended and an excellent fund raiser.  It was good to meet up with members of the Club who gave me such a wonderful opportunity to make something of myself when I was a member.  I wish them all the very best for their special year of celebration and will see some of them soon when John and I attend a social event during their Friendship Weekend.  Nice to come away with a bottle of wine too - very rare that I ever win anything in a raffle!!

Have spoken to John a couple of times today - he is up at the Villa and staying over tonight on one of the Z-Beds - I bet it will seem strange as there is very little in the property at the moment and no TV to keep him company.  I think he is grateful that Tim (the builder) had left his radio behind.  He seems to be pulling everything together at the moment but is panicking that he is running out of time.  It will be what it will be - we have a long time to get it right!

I just wish he wouldn't sound so miserable on the phone - he says he doesn't - I beg to differ!!!