Day 30...

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I have found the secret to a good night's sleep ... a night out with Costas and Jackie and fresh bedding!!!  When Dad phoned this morning I couldn't work out what the noise was or where I was or what time it was!!!!

Well we have now been over in Cyprus for a whole month and we are into our fifth day of unpacking.

A good night's sleep obviously did John the power of good because first thing this morning he solved his Krypton Factor puzzle and got all the plumbing fixings attached in the right order and in the right place.  We should, fingers crossed, have a fully working sink any day soon and I wont have to wash up in the shower any more. 

Unpacking has been hard work but today we actually opened the last box and we are pleased to say that everything arrived unscathed so thanks to Aaron and John (the packers at Greenwood Road end) and to the five guys who brought it all into the house on Friday.  We may have opened all the boxes but we have still to find a home for all the contents and we are yet to find the key for the mantle clock which John tells me I put somewhere 'safe' but god knows where.  The picture on the right is of all the boxes that we have put aside for the recycling man that Costas has arranged for us - it is about two thirds of the total.  The song 'Little Boxes Little Boxes and they're all made out of ticky tacky' keeps running through my mind!!

Progress is being made slowly and I am thrilled to report that I have a working cloakroom again - haven't been able to get to the loo since Friday and it has meant traipsing across to the other building when the need arose!!!  Some of you may remember that John and I could not agree on taking the wicker baskets that used to live in the bathroom in Greenwood Road - I was all for getting rid of them but John got his way and we have found them a home over here - I hate to admit it but they don't look too bad!!  The plan is to tongue and groove the lower half of the walls (they are a bit rough and ready) and we have a new smaller wall hanging sink to give us a bit more room in there.

The major project today was to get the garden shed cleared out and reorganised so that John can easily find his tools and we can get more of our gear stored in there.  I concentrated on that whilst John did the manly drilly jobs!!  I now have a washing line and the washing machine is more or less plumbed in - deep joy!!!  During the course of tidying up John found this little fella hiding in one of the tarpaulins.  He looks rather like a baby dinosaur and is some sort of gecko-type creature.  You can see how tiny he was because he is perched on John's thumb.

Most of you will know John as a mild-mannered, patient, laid-back kind of guy but little things can really get him wound up and the 'deluxe' (if you paid more than £5 for it Jill you were seen off) drainer that needed putting together managed to wind John up a treat - it was very very close to being lobbed into the swimming pool at one point.  It is now the object of much ridicule and he is running a book on how many times I use it before it collapses or I get fed up with it and get rid of it!

Our social life is beginning to improve.  John has invited our neighbours Sharon and Sean over for lunchtime drinks on Friday.  They are only out here for two weeks and we have been so tied up unpacking boxes that we havent had a chance to catch up with them so far.  Apparently is it Sean's birthday so I had better get a cake or something in!! 

John got a call from Bill (Liz and Bill, Bill) asking if he would like to crew on his boat one Thursday or Saturday when he goes across to Turkey - no idea about the specifics but it sounds like a nice thing to do - only trouble is John doesn't always get on too well with little boats being a veteran of the old grey funnel line - talking of which John got official confirmation in the post today that he is a pensioner and will receive his pension on the 26th of every month - yeehah!!!

We took a quick trip out before tea tonight to go and get some milk - we swung by the field below our house (you can see it in the top right of the photograph) to take a look at the horse which has suddenly appeared there (thought you might be interested Laura!).  In fact there were two horses there the other day and they both looked in good condition (not that I know much about horses) but there is shade and water and we have seen a man attend to them/it everyday so far.  He was there tonight and his name is Andreas.  He told us that the second horse has gone to Kritou Tera to have a baby.  We think he is the man who is having the house built on the land opposite the horse.  It will have the most stunning views over Chrysochous Bay.

This is John visiting our local 'supermarket' in search of milk (gala) - calling it a supermarket does make me giggle because I reckon our bedroom is bigger than the shop!!!  It seems to open at very random times and fortunately is open on a Sunday when nothing else in Cyprus seems to be!!!  I have thought it was Sunday all day today for some reason.  Probably because I would normally only have a very late night out on a Saturday when I was working!

Driving back to our house takes us past the house in the village that we have seen renovated from a real wreck and which I think is lovely - we would aspire to have our place look something like this but then the natural stone makes all the difference.

We have had skype night tonight with calls to John's Mum, from my Aunty Vera in Canada, Pete Garvey (ex next-door neighbour from Glenthorne Avenue days) and Mum!! 

Now about to settle down with a DVD before calling it a day... that would be Tuesday and not Sunday!!