Day 60...

Yesterday afternoon we decided that we ought to up our broadband speed to 3Mb because we are streaming the TV through the internet and I am blogging and we have the Tablet that John uses for all sorts, so combined that can be just a bit too much for our current service...  We rang Cytanet and were told that it would take about 3 days.  This morning John was up at 7.30 and couldnt get onto the internet - when I got up at 8.00am I tried it and no joy so we rang Cytanet, they were in the middle of updating our service and so by 8.30am this morning we were on 3Mb and it is like shit off of a shovel - thank you Cytanet - cant fault your service.

So DIY day today...

We went off to Polis this morning with a long list...  We called into the village on the way to check for post and were soooooo excited to get a parcel from Gemma which contained a whole load of goodies that we had been waiting for - like the castors for the spare bedroom so that the bed doesn't shoot across the room!!

First stop in Polis was the DIY centre to get curtain hooks and screws so that we could put up the new curtain poles in the guest bedroom (or Mum and Dad's bedroom as we like to call it)!!!

The poles that we got in Glykis were actually really nice and it is good to get that bedroom finished at last.

Next stop the Bank so that we could get our money out for the month of July.  It is all a bit new for us as Cyprus seems to function on cash and we are much more used to paying for everything on a card.  We have taken out what we think will last us for the month - let's hope we have got our figures right!!!

From the Bank we went across to Chillies to get some chicken for tomorrow when we have Mum, Dad, Ray and Janice and Dave and Rosie coming up for lunch.

Then it was on to the Woodyard so that we could order the wood that we need for the boundary fence.  They thought they might be able to deliver this afternoon but if not it is going to arrive tomorrow.  We are going to alternate the boundary with wooden fence and wire mesh for the vines that we brought over from Greenwood Road.  Then we went across to the Farmer's Co-operative building to get the wire that we needed and also purchased a big blue container to act as my water butt.  Once the guy in the Farmer's Co-op realised that we lived here we had his life story so we know that he had a sister that lives in London and that his children are in the UK being educated and living with their grand-parents.

On returning to Droushia we found that Dad had arrived before us.  Mum had gone out for lunch so Dad was coming up to us and bringing some bits and pieces that we needed.

We stopped for lunch and then got on with the jobs in hand - the main one being the guttering - starting with the main building. 

As you can see John is checking how the water flows to make sure that the angle of the guttering is correct. 

Not sure why they are both right-hand on hips a la teapot style maybe it is a man thing!!

Unfortunately we didnt quite have enough to complete the job but we are well on the way to finishing it and we aren't expecting too much rain for a couple of months at least!!

It was very odd this afternoon working and hearing someone playing "When I'm 64" over and over again.  We realised that it must have been Big Dave (in the middle of the picture) from Hils and Keith's band practicing as he doesn't live very far from us!  It wasn't all bad - he did play some soothing Jazz afterwards!

We called it a day at about 6.30pm and decided to catch the last of the evening sun sitting in the front garden with a carton of €1.78 Sodap dry Rose Wine and some chilli, lime and coriander crisps.  Life is good!!

Day 59 with Day 58 Catchup...

As you know generally on a Tuesday I go down to Paphos to play pickleball with Mum.  Today John and I got up early so that we could get down to the Tax office to organise to pay our tax here in Cyprus.  There are much more generous tax allowances here (at the moment) so it is in our interests to go through the pain of the paperwork, forms, photocopying and €80 payment (each) to ensure that our liability is nil!

We needed to pick Dad up to take us to the Tax Office as we are still struggling to find our way round Paphos and to understand the workings of the government departments.  We drove down to Emba via Peyia so that I could call into the Kissos garden centre (once again) and spend the voucher which Shirley had kindly given us as a moving in present.  I had thought about getting a blue agapanthus for outside the kitchen door as they seem to grow well here.  However, when we got to the garden centre John decided he wasn’t keen so we looked around for something else.  Well you know that John and I struggle to agree at the best of times so our quick trip to the garden centre was destined to take a little longer!!!

Eventually however, we decided upon a Dipladenia with the money that Shirley gave us – we both were taken by the vibrant flowers and the fact that it will spread through clinging tendrils and it doesn’t lose its leaves in the winter.  We also purchased some very small leaved basil which smells heavenly and a very healthy looking peppermint.  Finally we both agreed on a very stunning orange plant that we had seen on our way into the centre.  We found out that it is called a Crossandra and should develop into a small shrub with glossy leaves and a long flowering period – its more common name is the Flaming Dragon Tree and you can see why!  The lady in charge ‘Mama’ speaks very little English so we had a lot of smiling and hand shaking and when we eventually paid she added a very pretty dark pink dianthus to the mix and indicated that it was a gift from her.

We dropped off the plants in exchange for Dad and trundled off to the Tax office.  First stop was to the counter to pay for the €80 stamps – the girls seemed to think that we only needed one so that was all we purchased.  We then went up the lift in search of the woman we had met originally a few weeks ago only to get out on the wrong floor and cause confusion with the woman that we did speak to – particularly as we have to refer to ourselves as ‘aliens’!!  We eventually found the woman that we wanted and found out that we needed the second stamp after all so John went off to get it coming back sometime later after having several trips up and down in the lift and even visited the basement!!  Despite not quite having the right paperwork Mrs-Woman was satisfied with the forms, stamped them, declared we owed no tax and wouldn’t owe any tax and said that once the forms came back from the UK we should get a rebate for the period from 1^st May when we arrived – couldn’t have been easier!!!

We had a visit to Homebase, the butcher for a replacement 10 litres of wine and then Timark to ask about the missing items for the car – they obviously realised we were never going away so made some phone calls there and then and assured us that the tonneau cover and headrest would be with them ‘tomorrow’.

We picked up Mum and then went across to the place where they manufacture the concrete rings that I wanted for the garden as our local DIY place no longer has them.  It must have been about a million degrees down where the concrete stuff is stored and there was a little Sri-Lankan guy working his socks off there – eventually we managed to negotiate the price on six half circles and six straight pieces that we are going to use to edge the pool to try and stop bits getting into it as John is now quite precious about it!!

Mum and I went off to Pickleball – it was good because we had a ‘newbie’ come along today to see if she likes the game and us!!  Her name was Jackie.  We obviously didn’t put her off too much as she says she will probably come back again next week.  Having a couple of extra people makes it much more enjoyable especially in the heat because you get a chance to sit out every now and again.

We were going out to eat and had decided on Costa’s Taverna in Koloni.  It is where John and I tried to persuade Jackie and Costas to go last week but Costas wasn’t keen.  The main road by the Taverna is closed but we were pleased that there was still access to the Taverna itself.  It is a very traditional place which is renowned for its Meze but last night we decided to order from the menu as we weren’t sure we could cope with a lot of food (wise choice as it turned out!!).  We went for village salad and dips to start and then John and Dad had a mixed grill, Mum Stifado (not her customary chicken) and stuffed sweet peppers for me.  The food was delicious and plentiful.  The staff were friendly and attentive without going over the top.  We were given jelly and fresh fruit and brandies at the end on the house.  We had watched the family sitting next to us try and plough their way through the Meze and knew that we needed to have prepared ourselves for that amount of food.  A definite tick in the box for that place – we will have to try it again.

My run round the pickleball court and share of two bottles of wine, a gin and tonic and free brandy combined with a poor night’s sleep the night before meant that I struggled through our best of three and fell into bed completely shattered.

Up refreshed this morning we came back home via Timark where we collected the tonneau which fitted and the headrest which didn’t – John may have to do a modification whilst looking out for a scrappie in the hopes we can find the right one!

A quiet day was planned so all we did was put in the plants that we had purchased to make sure that they survive.  I need help with the rose that I potted up.  The leaves have gone yellow – I don’t know if that is too much water, not enough water or sporadic watering or what????  Everything else is doing well – I shall soon be harvesting my first peppers!

Settling down to watch Murray at Wimbledon - do you think if he wasn't a wealthy sportsman he would have such a pretty girlfriend?? 

Speak to you all tomorrow.

Day 57...

It really cooled down last night and the temperatures outside were below 20 degrees for the first time in ages.  We spent our Sunday night watching a film - Mr Woodcock - a lighthearted comedy which didn't take much effort to watch.  It was a night for catching up with friends and it was lovely to hear from Mrs Pamment (Laura) and Mark.  Mr and Mrs P were our neighbours at Greenwood Road and they now have custody of the hearse which we were pleased to learn is still on the road.

John took advantage of the outside shower this morning and then brought me coffee in bed - how lovely - he is really good about acknowledging the fact that I dont sleep half as good as he does so he leaves me to starfish in the mornings.

Mum and Dad were due to come for lunch but we didnt know whether or not they were coming with their friends Trevor and Beryl.  We decided to shoot down into Polis this morning before they arrived to do some shopping.  First off a trip to the bank to transfer over some money from the house doing up fund, then to Paps for our grocery shop.  We have been quite surprised how reasonably you can eat if you shop around - meat in particular is cheap - just as well we are not vegetarians!!  We felt almost famous this morning when we called into the GB shop and the lady behind the till told us that she had found this blog and thought she recognised us.  The power of the internet never fails to amaze me!!  Last stop Glykkis DIY to purchase the guttering for the house and where I managed to find some reasonably priced curtain poles so that the guest room can now have curtains.

Mum and Dad turned up with Trevor and Beryl (who used to live at the bottom of their garden when they lived in their house "Mandeville" in Emba).  We all spent a very pleasant lunchtime at the Karithea Taverna on the road to Polis. Trevor and Beryl are only here for a week and were delayed getting out here so they drove themselves back to Coral Bay and Mum and Dad came back for Coffee, snooze and Wimbledon before going home.

Sean and Sharon's visitors arrived early at about 3.45pm and so we showed them into their accommodation and made sure they were ok before we went out to the local DIY merchants to see about getting some stone circles for the herbs and some paving slabs for the paths we want to put into the front garden.  Driving out of the village you can see the artichokes which weren't taken for food now producing huge vibrant purple flower heads.

The DIY merchant is the the guy who bought the old furniture out of our villa when we got rid of it in November and he works out of what appears to be a couple of shipping containers.  He has a young staffy/bull mastiff cross puppy which is very exuberant and a bit temperamental so with my love (not) of dogs I dont bother to get out of the car!  If you are looking for a Kleftiko oven then this is the place for you but not apparently for yellow stone circles as they didn't have any - still they are going to get the price for the paving slabs and give us a ring tomorrow.

From there we decided to go cross-country home and were hoping to get a drink in the square in Arodes but unfortunately we must have hit it at the wrong time as all the locals were sat outside waiting for it to open.  The square is really lovely and a huge amount of work has been done here restoring it all.  Still no matter we have plenty of other days when we can come here and have a drink.

We made our way back to Droushia taking the scenic route via Inea looking at some of the really impressive properties that are being built there and then were amazed to see how they are harvesting the fields almost by hand.  It is not uncommon to see the older villagers working in the fields with very old rotavators, hand scythes and sickles in the heat of the sun all dressed in black.

We entered the village at Stathmos where we would have had a drink but there was no-where to park - perhaps God is trying to tell us something!!!  We decided we would take the opportunity to call into the Sappho Manor to see what the accommodation is like and the pricing as Helen and Pete are looking for somewhere to stay and although we have told them they are welcome to stay with us they think it will be all too much. 

As I said to Helen the accommodation is very traditional so could be considered either basic or quaint - I prefer quaint.  It is 'self catering' so there are basic cooking facilities in each room and although located directly opposite the church is probably very peaceful except on Sundays!  There were a few people staying there today.  We were quoted €50 per room per night - we dont know if that is reasonable so will be looking at some alternatives in the area so that we can compare.

We took our drink at Cristos's Taverna and had a chat with Alkisti.  Although more expensive to drink there our Keo's were accompanied by freshly picked apricots and nuts.  We are going to try and get down there on Saturday to see the commencement of the next-door neighbour's wedding when the entourage will pass through the village with a traditional fiddler.

Now back at home we are catching up on the Murray/Gasquet tennis match on the I-Player before having tea.  Off to Paphos tomorrow to see the taxman, get the tiles for the kitchen, play pickle-ball and eat out at Koloni before staying over at Mum and Dad's so no post tomorrow but a catchup on Wednesday.

I will leave you with some shots of the local flowers:

The blue on the left is Plumbago - a rambler which only really looks nice when it is in flower.

The other is a kind of houseleek which has rosettes the size of a dinner plate - I quite like this one and will see whether I can get one to give it a try in our garden!!

STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS - have just had our first Skype video call with John and Sue in Bellac in France.  My John did the walk round guided tour of the property and John B scored us a 9.5 for our efforts.  Fantastic to be able to see and hear them even if the internet kept letting us down.  If you are reading this Mr and Mrs B make sure that you send our best wishes to Jess when she embarks on her new job at Now Magazine - the girl done good xxx

Day 56...

All is good in the Wiseman household.  Both John and I managed a reasonable night's sleep.  For my part I think I have to thank Mum for bringing up the Chillow Pillow she had originally bought for John and which I snaffled last night - my hormonal needs being greater than his!

For those of you who dont know then apparently... "The Chillow is activated only once by simply filling it with tap water. The water is fully absorbed into the patented foam core which creates memory foam like comfort that COOLS & SOOTHES"

And I can honestly say it does work - it remained cool all through the night and meant that I remained cooler too - so I slept, John sleeps so it is win win all round.

Fully refreshed we got up this morning and put together a new list of things to do and decided that today would be one of 'light duties' it being Sunday.  We decided to finish off the ceilings by putting the trim down the raw edges.  This was not without incident - starting off by John falling off the ladder in the bedroom - fortunately onto the bed - followed by rather more than a 'bugger it' I can tell you.  Then for some reason he miscalculated the lengths in the lounge and cut wood when he didnt need to!  Anyway job now done and it looks good.

People up the road are having their pool relined so John disappeared to engage the guys in conversation to find out how much a new liner would be and to pick their brains about the eyeball jets in our pool and how we can get them working properly.  I have to say they have made a wonderful job of the pool liner and were quick and tidy.  The price they quoted was very reasonable so if we need one sometime in the future we may well go to them.

Armed with the information about the eyeballs I got into the pool with my usual reticence to try and unscrew the jets - anyway I made such a song and dance about it that John had to go in and prove the point that the pool is, in fact, very refreshing and great when you get in and get all your bits used to it.  What a poser but at least his 'squaddie suntan' is looking a bit more even now!!

Our friends Sean and Sharon have visitors arriving tomorrow - we thought it was in July - so mad panic as they asked us if we would hand over the keys and make sure the place was clean and tidy before and afterwards.  We had to go up there today and check things out armed with bleach, fresh air spray, duster and broom - just call me Juanita the maid!!!!

We managed to catch up with Helen and Pete this afternoon via Skype (not to mention grandson Mason who was in on the act today - and what a cutey he is).  Helen is a Skype virgin and was well impressed by the clarity of the call and the video.  Having stayed at Villa 10b a couple of years ago they can well appreciate what we have managed to achieve with the property so far and it will be nice when they can come over and see it with their own eyes.

My wildlife shot today is showing a cicada emerging from its old body - very weird - this one was outside the bedroom door and as the cicadas make such a noise at night I was keen to make sure that that was where it stayed!  We have seen no end of these over the last couple of days and their noise is doing battle with the tree frogs at night (but of course with my chillow pillow I wont be disturbed by them!!)

There was been some activity in the field next door this afternoon although we are not sure what is happening as a sort of combine harvester pitched up with a truck - John is not impressed that it has parked completely blocking our view of the Bay!!

Not quite a roast dinner tonight but I have a coq au vin simmering nicely in the slow cooker that we will have a little later with some hassleback potatoes and veg. 

Mum and Dad are coming up again tomorrow - possibly bringing their friends Trevor and Beryl with them - another busy day ahead!

OMG - someone had better visit us and quick we are about to run out of our ration of Asda's own Fruit and Nut chocolate.

Day 55...

Today as usual we both woke early in fact at 7.00am I was putting the clippers over John’s head (the question is Ladies – is he or isn’t he wearing anything under his batman cape??). 

He has progressed to a No2 all over then a No1 up the back and sides - it is only a matter of time before I can see this becoming a No1 all over.  The only trouble is that he ends up with a white line around his neck where he has been wearing his faithful Liam Gallagher hat all the time.

Outside the backdoor is the coolest place for an early morning haircut even though John’s head is in full sun!!!  He was ever so pleased to be able to dive under the outside shower where the water was warm enough even at that early hour.

We wanted to get some of the garden done before Mum and Dad came up for lunch.  We are starting on the smallest patch which is as you come into the property.  I have decided to split it into sections with the first being where the fruit trees have been planted and where I am growing my veggies.  This is because it gets more shade here at the hottest parts of the day than anywhere else.  Opposite I have a small herb garden which currently houses a well established bay-tree, rosemary, sage, basil and some rather sad looking mint – not sure if that is going to survive and am not sure if it has been overwatered, lacking water or what!  Next to this I am saving a campsis (glossy leaves and orange flowers) which has always been there and am pondering whether to plant the Frangipani tree although Dad says it will get in the way of the footpaths.  In the front will go ‘Art’  a cutting of a plant which Arthur gave mum and which we don’t quite recognise but which I think is some kind of ‘hot water plant’ or Achimenes – when it flowers perhaps one of my more knowledgeable gardening friends can confirm or correct. 

Beyond that going up to the shed I am undecided as this is where my washing line lives so whatever is there cant interfere with sheets and towels.  I had thought about turning it over to veggies but the ground is like concrete and it is just too hot during the day and that area is in full sunshine nearly all day – in fact at 7.00pm as I type this is where you can catch the very last of our sunshine and being sheltered is a real suntrap – I may even put a couple of chairs there for visitors who want to get in as many rays as possible when on holiday – that used to be me but now I seek out the shade – much to John’s amusement.

Anyway I guess it was only a matter of time before our weather station showed the outside temperature reaching 40 degrees!!!  I checked it just after 10.00 am this morning and sure enough there it was.

The sensor is in full sun at this point so I think it is a little misleading but you will get an idea of how it is hotting up and it is still only June. 

We are lucky that we get a breeze most days which is more than welcome and there is always somewhere in the garden where you can sit in the shade.

Communing with nature went just a little too far today when Mum, Dad, John and I were sat under the Gazebo contemplating lunch when something caught my eye – I suddenly realised that there was some sort of Cypriot Rat running along the edge of the garden – I am guessing he was more scared of us than we of him but what the hell are the feral cats around here doing?  Irene is obviously feeding them too well so they aren’t interested in catching their own tea.  Will have to keep an eye out particularly as we keep all the doors open during the day.

We spent a pleasant few hours with Mum and Dad – Dad found the best place to catch an afternoon snooze – sitting on Vix!!  That really is the best place in the afternoon because you can look right across to Mount Olympus and see the ‘listening-in’ golfball on its summit (well you can on a lovely fine day like today!)  They left at around 3.30 as they are off out tonight and after they had gone John knocked up a shelf for the outside shower – that job is now complete so another one ticked off the list.

Just settling down to watch a bit of Wimbledon – cant think it will be a very late night tonight!

Day 54...

God Almighty I just dont know where the days go at the moment - it is 6.00pm and we have just sat down having been working ALL day!

John woke early and decided to get up whilst it was relatively cool in order to give the olive tree a bit of a haircut - that would have been about 6.45am - I could hear him pottering about so crawled out of bed to see what was going on.

He said that he had to fight off the bug on the left which was doing lengths of front crawl in the pool re-enacting the Wham video to Club Tropicana!

We have absolutely no idea what it is but you can see an ant next to it so you can see how big it was.  John fished it out and threw it into the field as it was still alive then thought perhaps he should have killed it just in case it brings its mates and family round the next time - perhaps someone can enlighten us - or not if it turns out to be something dangerous.

Having given the pool the once over I thought I might give it a go but it was only 73 degrees - John kept telling me to get on with it and just get down under the water but we women have an anatomy that makes getting into cold water so much more difficult - anyway after a lot of fuss I did eventually got in - it was bracing!!! but very refreshing all the same...

We were waiting for the remainder of the wood to complete the outside shower so in the meantime we cut and laid out the black pipe that would carry the water round the garden.  John shot off down to the farmer's co-operative shop for the remainder of the bits we needed so I started work on the front garden but boy it was a hot old job.  Whilst I was outside I got a visit from a Cypriot lady who has come from Nicosia for the weekend to her holiday home which is next door to Sean and Sharon.  She introduced herself as Tina and asked if she could borrow some garden tools as she had some help with her to get things tidied up.  I have never met her before but let her have my rake and shears - dont know if I will see them again!!  I poked my head down the path a bit later and saw what I think was her husband wearing what looked like a World War 1 tin helmet - maybe the garden is so overgrown there are snipers in there that dont know the war has ended!!!

It got so hot that I ventured back into the pool again - this time it was a balmy 76 degrees so I didnt fuss around quite so much and decided that whilst I was in there I would take the opportunity to give it a real clean - hence the toothbrush on the side and the wire brush that I am wielding!!  It was so refreshing in there that I really didnt want to get out but the wood was delivered and John was keen to get the shower finished.

We worked all afternoon cutting, staining and putting up.  I cant believe how long it took but eventually it was all done and looks fantastic - rather like a Swedish Sauna!!!  We need some sort of shelf for toiletries - we did have one but the plastic had age hardened and it split as John put it up.  I jumped at the chance to try it out and I can confirm that the water was hot and it was refreshing even as it began to cool down.  Another tick in the box and a job off of the list.  It does mean that there is a second option for someone to grab a shower and in full sunshine it doesnt take long for the water to be hot enough.

Our life was complete today as I had managed to find some good old English Back Bacon at the Meat Masters shop and John and I enjoyed Bacon Butties for lunch - we are planning on beans on toast for tea - something quick and simple!

I take back what I said about the woman borrowing my garden tools - Tina has just returned them and given me a bottle of Thisbe wine to say thanks.  She is back again mid-week and says she will call in - she thinks we have a lovely house - how nice is that?

Day 53...

You hear people saying that they are 'living the dream' and I often wondered what they meant by that.  If the dream was to be able to get up when you want, then John and I are living the dream - if the dream was to be able to rely on the weather so that plans are not spoiled, then John and I are living that dream too - however for me living the dream is knowing that all the hard work that we are putting in at the moment is for our benefit solely and I have never worked so hard!  (Well maybe that weekend when Porter Dodson moved from the old Taunton office to Blackbrook and I finished at 3.00am one morning and was back again at 8.00am). 

I have politely asked John not to treat me as a Part 4 (you Navy people will know what I mean) and that we both count to 10 before we lose our rags!!!  This meant that today we have worked together well and achieved such a lot...

...first job of the day was to give our beautiful Stephanotis a permanent home.  We had located it outside our bedroom for several days and it seemed to be thriving so that is where it is going to live.  John put up some training wires and I carefully teased out the new growth so that it can begin to cover the wall.  We are hoping that we will benefit from its fragrance in our bedroom.  Anyone who sits in the Trev and Vix corner will also get the benefit.  Anyway we have to say a big thank-you to Hils and Keith for giving this to us as a moving in present. 

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my garden and so I will get real joy out of creating what I hope will be a little oasis of colour and smell.  My "Mediterranean Gardening" book that Mum gave me is proving to be invaluable!

Second job of the day was to start creating our outside shower area.  We only have one small shower room indoors and if we have visitors then that may prove to be a bit of a bind.  John has decided to harness the power of the sun and place a very long run of black pipe around the perimeter of the garden.  We know from experience that the water trapped in the garden hose gets pretty warm when left in the sun so it seems a shame not to use the free hot water.  We had quite a bit of wood left over from doing the ceilings so we used up what was left and then went down to the woodyard in Polis to order some extra which will be delivered tomorrow.

Whilst down in Polis we did a bit of shopping and John returned his beer empties mainly as a recyling exercise but it transpires that you get money back on the bottles so it reduces the cost of his beer by nearly 15%!! 

He also called into the DIY shop in search of something to make sure that I dont switch the freezer off by mistake (which I did this morning but fortunately realised in time).  Whilst he was in there I got chatted whilst sat in the car by a Kurdish Turkish builder!!!  Why is it that men are usually in and out of shops like lightening but on this occasion John was AGES!!!!

Back home there was great excitement when I did the watering because I have my first tomato!!  This will go with my first cucumber which is growing slowly!  Not yet producing enough for the local supermarkets to ask me to become a key supplier!!

Whilst I was watering John got to grips with his new boy-toy which was a small headed hoover attachment for cleaning the bottom of the pool.  He says he really could do with some new pipe and a new pole - ooh er ladies!!!  Anyway I am sure you will agree that the pool is looking very inviting.  We have actually now invested in a thermometer and tonight it was registering 76 degrees - bearing in mind we dont cover it at the moment (we are waiting for the pool cover to be bound) so we are losing heat during the course of the night, I dont suppose that is too bad, but Mum and Dad's is up near 90!!!

It is now 8.00pm and I really need to get some tea so will leave you with a shot of the coastline in the evening sunshine...

Day 52 with Day 51 Catchup...

First of all many thanks to our dear friend Joani and her little anatomy lesson regarding the goat which was, as she pointed out, unable to provide milk to make cheese, as HE didn't have the right equipment!!

So to yesterday then - well we had to get up early because we needed to drop the car off in Paphos to have its over-revving issue looked at again so we packed up and went into the village to do a couple of admin things before going down to Paphos.  First stop was the community office to check with Marianna if we owed anything for services.  This is such a laugh because the community office is located up a rickety flight of stairs inside the Weaving Museum!! 

Then to the post office which as you know is located in Finikas coffee shop and from there to the local Co-Op bank to see Mira and set up a standing order to pay our telephone bills.  In the bank we were given a real once-over by the guy collecting his pension.  Women should obviously never be seen in banks!!

All done and dusted we drove on down to Paphos and stopped off to exchange the golden brown wood stain that turned out to be clear and dropped the car at the garage where Dad was waiting to pick us both up.

John and Dad did their own thing and Mum and I went down to the Imperial Beach to play pickle-ball.  I am not sure how much longer we will be doing that as the temperature on the court was really high and as there were only four of us no-one gets a break during the hour and a half that we play.  I also had a stinker for some reason - I put it down to the fact that we were on a different court and the net was new, tight and higher!

John collected the car late afternoon and pronounced that it was like a new vehicle - which is great as apart from that little hiccup it is a good car.

Our evening out with Costas, Jackie and Jane was a complete disaster.  John and I arrived at the taverna to find that is was hosting a wedding reception to a load of chavvy brits who were all the worse for wear.  I thought they had karaoke going on but John was sure that it was, in fact, the hired entertainment!!!  Poor Andreas the owner kept trying to persuade us that he could squeeze us in but really you couldnt hear yourself think! 

We rang Costas and Jackie to explain and suggested that we try the Taverna that is opposite Kaizon on the old Airport road.  I dont think Costas was keen as he suggested Seven St Georges. 

Well Seven St Georges is like marmite - you either love it or you hate it and John and I fall into the latter camp.  It is a bit pretentious, in a lovely setting though, but they do go on about their home made bread and organic wines.  It must be popular as it was packed.  Unfortunately service was awful, food decidedly mediocre, two brit kids continuously ran round and round and there was a swarm of noxious black bugs to annoy us.  Apart from that we did have a nice evening because we always enjoy Costas and Jackie's company and it was good to catch up with Jane.  Jane is the reason that Jackie originally went to Cyprus on holiday, met Costas, got married and the rest as they say is history.

Three and a half hours of sitting with the bugs on uncomfortable rattan chairs meant that John and I crawled home at 11.45 - way past our bedtime and way past Mum and Dad's.

This morning John and I packed up and set off home.  We called into Timark to enquire about the missing tonneau and head-rest and were assured by Stavros that it would be 'next week'.  We also managed to find the bike place we had seen advertised as we are still searching for a two-seater scooter.  Unfortunately the bike he had was too expensive so we will contiue looking and maybe we may be able to find something second hand.  From there we called into the Citizen's Advice Bureau to register our S1's so that we are entitled to free medical care for a couple of years.  This couldn't have been more simple as all we had to do was pitch up with our yellow resident's forms and our S1s and the girl in the CAB did the rest.  We now have to wait for them to come back from Nicosia and then we can take them up to the hospital in Polis to register there.

Back at 10B and all was well.  John and I are slowly getting round to the culture of eating outside and sat under the gazebo looking out to Chrysochou bay having our lunch. 

Boy oh boy is it ever hot here today - we dont think it will be too long before the weather station is showing the outside temperature as being 40+.  Fortunately the lounge remains reasonably cool as does 'Mum and Dad's' bedroom and I am tempted to sleep in there if ours gets too hot - but it is so lovely in ours it does seem a shame not to sleep in my own bed!

Not able to sit still for too long John decided to check out his new pool equipment and decided to go for a bottom clean and a back wash (sounds painful).  He started with skimming the top of pool of debris and then hooked out things that had met their maker on the bottom - this included a poor little gecko and this thing which was humungous (it is pictured next to John's finger) and looks for all the world like a locust.  John is making good progress with the pool though.

I set to with the new varnish and completed the work on the bit that joins the two buildings.  We were just admiring our handiwork when we had a knock at the gate and it was Philippos who used to deal with the rental of the villa from the Droushia Heights Hotel.  He was very impressed by the work we had done and kept saying we had created a 'little paradise'. 

He is hopeful that the electric will be sorted soon but we are not holding our breath nor too worried whilst he continues to pay for it!!  He made us laugh because he says that he is going with this family for a week's holiday shortly to Rhodes (making use of his company perks he says).  I told him to leave his mobile phone behind - he says he will have it on silent and check it only once a day - REALLY - I think NOT!!!

Anyway he stayed for a drink - said we would see him again soon and left by saying that if we ever wanted to go on a boat trip from Latchi to let him know as he could do us a 'good deal'!!

Day 50 with Day 49 Catchup ...

Well as you know yesterday was Father's Day for us Brits so we had arranged for Mum and Dad to come up for a meal and stay the night.  Ugly Betty (Missie) is in the tender care of Jenny (Mum's cleaner) this morning!
         

Before they arrived we wanted to complete the job we had started the day before and which I didn't blog about because we wanted to keep it as a surprise. 

This is stage one of our trying to join the two buildings and provide a bit of a break against the prevailing wind - we have utilised two of the patio doors that were taken out when we had the double glazing installed and we now have a more private and secure area which gets the morning and late afternoon shade  - which John is well pleased about not being a sun worshipper - and is where he had a little snooze this morning (just trying it out for size) and where I am now writing the blog.

The task resulted in several "bugger-its" - particularly when we got a door in place and couldn't close the bloody thing (hinges wrong) and a SH*T when one of the frames slid and hit one of the new fly-screens making three little holes in it.  Still the fly-screen can be replaced at some point and the result was well worth the pain - although I am worried that John's arm is never going to get better if he doesn't rest it.

Whilst working on it we had a visit from our neighbours telling us about a July 4th celebration (meal and music) taking place at the Taverna down the road which is only open on special occasions (this being one of them).  We have decided to go and are dragging Mum and Dad along with us.

Fauna and Flora shot for today was this ugly bug which we think is a baby cicada - the cicadas are the chirping insects that you hear in the evening and which I think are synonymous with the Mediterranean.  This thing sat on a stone right next to where we were working and never moved despite the drilling and the hammering that was going on.  

I just get a picture in my head of our friend Dave Mac singing 'Ugly Bug Ball' when I see this photo (brings back memories of giving him and John a lift home after a particularly messy do in the Mess!

Unfortunately today I am being plagued by a swarm of little thunder or fruit flies which are doing my head in!

We never quite managed to finish the joining buildings job because I went to stain the wood in between and said to John that it looked very pale - he gave it a shake and said it was the sun reflecting on the top - strange as I could see down to the bottom of the tin!!  It was supposed to be brown but was in fact clear - it will have to go back!

I then set about using my new oven for the first time as I wanted to make a Tarte au Citron for tea using up the bargain lemons.  I should have read the manual - like I used to tell our computer users at work!!  I didn't seem to be able to get the oven on unless I had the timer set as well.  At one point nothing was happening and that was because it wasn't on!!  I had to blind bake using some of the shingle from the garden - but I did wash it first!!

Mum and Dad arrived at about 4.00pm - it was a glorious afternoon and so we decided to take a walk around the village and have a drink before coming back for tea.  John looks like he is laying the law down to Dad about something and Dad looks singularly unimpressed - and I am not sure how I managed to chop their feet off!!  The other picture is of our complex from the top road - it doesn't look too bad from that angle!

Parts of the village are very traditional - and quite a few of the homes make halloumi cheese - they seem to hang it from the washing line in what appears to be American Tan tights (not really) and John is desperate to go and buy some.  I am guessing that this chap's milk is probably used in cheese-making - he looked quite well but was being kept on quite a short hobble.

I haven't been able to take a photo of some of the older houses which are basic 'one room for everything' and dont appear to have running water.  One in particular fascinates us and the lady that lives there looks about 105!!  I dont want to intrude on her privacy but boy it would make a fantastic photograph.

We did our circuit round the village stopping for a photo opportunity so that we could change our photograph at the top of the blog (it being Sunday) and to show Mum and Dad looking fit and healthy.  I love the blue doors and shutters that you see in the village!  These are on a building that overlooks the Church.

From here we stopped off at Stathmos to have a welcome drink - it really was a hot day up in Droushia and we felt that we deserved it!

Back at Villa 10b we set up the table-top gas heater that Mum had found for a real bargain at the market - it meant that we would be able to sit out all evening.  Before we sat down to eat we managed to Skype my sister so Dad's day was made complete as the wonders of technology meant that he could have both his girls round him on Father's Day.

My meal of Stifado, Jacket Potato, Carrots, Green Beans, Peas, Leeks, Red Cabbage and Tarte au Citron washed down with more than a little carton red wine went down a storm before we attempted the best of I dont know how many!!!

A lovely day all round ...

Up at the crack of sparrows because we were expecting the pool-man at 7.00am - only to contact him and find out he is coming at 11.30!!

Mum and Dad duly fed and watered have made their way back to Emba and Kyri arrived at 11.30 on the dot.  He is a very genial guy who has resolutely kept his dungarees on even though the temperature outside is well into the 30s!  He says that once his work is done our pool will be absolutely immaculate so I cant wait to be able to jump in later...

... five hours have passed and Kyri is still here...

... six hours and he has just left - he is now like John's new best friend!

Need to leave it all to settle before we can test it so that will not be until Wednesday as we are off to Paphos tomorrow and have a night out with Jackie and Costas and friends so dont expect a blog update tomorrow!

Day 49...

It is Father's Day and Dad and Mum had come to stay with us tonight - a full blog will be posted tomorrow with all of today's news xxx

Day 48...

Saturday - and even when you aren't working Saturday feels different!!!

Thought you might all like to see what the Gazebo looks like with the new furniture.  Took this photo last night and we think it looks rather smart although I am not sure what was going off with the flash as John looks a strange colour!! 

Anyway it will be a nice place to eat outside although it will have to warm up a bit in the evenings because so far it has been a little too chilly to sit out to eat at night - unlike down in Paphos where the evenings are much more sultry.

Today we decided to concentrate on the swimming pool and surrounding areas in readiness for Mum and Dad coming up tomorrow for Father's Day. 

I was tasked with cleaning the pool steps whilst John got the bug out to try and get the stuff off of the bottom.  A bit of a pointless exercise until Kyriakos comes and fits the sand filter but some of it goes away and on the whole it does look better. 

My next job was a bit of sewing - our pool net isn't fine enough so a lot of what we try and scoop up manages to get back through again.  Mum had brought up some finer netting so I had to do a modification and make an inner layer out of the new netting. 

Whilst I had the sewing box out I sewed the old blue towels that we bought when we went to Penang in 1997 so that they fit over the two blue sunbeds and then sewed pebbles in the bottom corner so that they stay put (John's idea).  If we call the two white chairs Vicky and Trevor we will have to call these Ron and Mo as we managed to persuade Dad to take a snooze on one of them when we first came up here and he was working his socks off for us.

We took a quick trip into Polis to go to the cashpoint and to see when the Citizen's Advice Bureau is open as we have to go with our resident's paperwork and our S1 forms so that we can secure some free medical care until 2013.  The CAB is only open from Monday to Friday so we will need to go back next week.  We stopped for a coffee in a very traditional coffee shop at the back of the fish market in Polis and as a result of a complete misunderstanding John ordered a Metrio (traditional Cyprus coffee with a little sugar) instead of a Skerto (traditional Cyprus coffee with NO sugar) - just as well it came with a glass of water to help it go down!  I found a tiny little jewellers manned (or womanned) by an elderly Cypriot lady who was gasing away on the phone - when she eventually stopped she spoke the most perfect English - she is going to try and repair my broken eternity ring - when I asked how much she said that if it was possible it would be 'very little money' so I have no idea what that means!

On the way back home we decided to stop in the Podremi Tavern which I have wanted to do for some time.  There are always chickens outside roasting on a spit with potatoes being roasted underneath.  The place sells very traditional food like stifado, afelia, and pastichio.  As they are renowned for the chicken and potatoes that is what we opted for along with a small village salad.  It was delicious and we felt absolutely stuffed.

We pottered around this afternoon - we made a list this morning of the important outstanding jobs so that we know what we are working towards - John still has a poorly arm so he needs to rest it some of the time and of course we have the rest of our lives to get things completed!!

Came across this little fellow this afternoon outside our bedroom door - the grasshoppers here come in all shapes and sizes but this one had such long legs and antennae I had to take a shot of him before he hopped off.

We are trying a movie tonight - it's 9.30 and so far both of us are still awake!!