Day 13...

Today is Saturday and Dad managed to opt out of helping at Droushia by going walking instead, so that left SS Herr Ubergrupenfuhrer Weismann, TLH and I making up the decorating party.  Actually TLH did a great job of cleaning the kitchen units as they were full of dust and bits from having the doors and handles put on.  SS brought up the granite splashbacks and put them in place ready for fitting tomorrow.  It really finishes off the work surfaces and we are going to take our time to find exactly the right tiles to finish the job.  We think that we need to find something the colour of the sink which is a kind of oatmeal.  We have also had the offcuts shaped into chopping boards but my god they weigh an absolute ton!

You will see that SS does allow the staff a small break every now and then and fraternises with the paid hands - you can see him here with TLH - probably giving her a pep talk on her cleaning standards - he will be putting his white gloves on later and checking the surfaces for dust - god help her if he finds any - it will be several days 'nines' (Naval punishments) for her it he does.  Having been told our MQ was 'immaculate' on the march out I guess SS feels he is fully qualified in that area.

These next few photographs are to give you an idea of the garden that is attached to the Villa.  There are five areas that need cultivating or decking/paving.  Visitors must be prepared to wield a spade or secateurs!  The area to the left and at the end of the pool we think we may deck depending on the cost.  TLH has christened this the breakfast area as this is the best spot for the sun in the morning and our bedroom door opens out onto it.

The next piece is to the side of, and off the end of, the kitchen.  The area at the end gets the afternoon and evening sun and is where we plan to put the Gazebo we purchased from Carrefour in Paphos so that John can get some shade.  John would love a big day bed in there so that he can snooze away but will have to make do with some sunbeds for the time being! 

If you have your back to the kitchen wall and look down across the green stuff over the vineyard you get a lovely view of Chrysochous Bay providing it isn't raining!

Walking round the building we come to the area that I refer to as 'outside the back door' but which is in fact our front door!  It is in the most ridiculous place that no-one would ever use it for that purpose.  In the front you can see the box that houses all the pool controls.  The severely pruned tree that you can see in the background may well come out or be cut down further at the very least - John plans to put our shed end on from the tree down to the little white shed next door.

This next bit of garden seems to get the sun all day and is what you can see as you walk up the front path to the Villa.  You can see a whole load of garden rubbish that SF and TLH have removed from elsewhere (I think we have taken eight or nine large bags down to the rubbish bin already!).  The little tree on the left is a bay tree and has wild thyme growing around its base so I intend to have my herb garden there - Droushia is fantastic for growing herbs - sage, fennel, basil and thyme all grow in abundance.  To the right I think I would like some lavender which also seems to love the cooler wetter conditions that Droushia offers.  Behind the bay tree up to the shed I plan to try and grow some of my own vegetables.

The final piece of garden is immediately on your left as you come up the path to our Villa directly outside the guest bedroom.  It was where Geoffrey the Gert Big Gekco used to lurk before SF and TLH took their lives in their hands and cleared the area which turned out to be bigger than it looked.  This is where we plan to grow a lemon and a lime tree (if you can grow limes in Droushia).  John can't wait to pour a G&T and add lemon from his own tree.

Cleaning done and more walls painted in the guest bedroom we called it a day so that we could get back to Emba and watch the FA cup final.  We can begin to see the wood for the trees now!