Day 31...

I must add to my list of Skypers yesterday my longest standing (cannot say 'oldest') friend Hazel - we have got together at last!! and it was great to catch up on her news and news of her son Jordan (training to be a doctor - god bless him). 

Haze and I have known each other for about 30 years and had some mad old experiences together - we could probably write a book!!  We have both come a long way since our days in Cecil Street and the pink and purple rara skirt Haze used to wear and the mint green strapless dress from Etam we used to share when we went out (on the pull) in Yeovil!!  Haze do you remember Jeff Kyte's back stretching machine or Andy Gould singing Temptation on the bridge from Huish to Tescos, or the night Paddy Ashdown was elected as Yeovil's MP???  Good times...  Thank goodness they didn't have digital cameras back in those days or I might be tempted to find an embarrasing photograph of us to put on the Blog!!

More sorting this morning, putting up pictures and lights and making the spare bed - progress is being made but until we have insulated the spare bedroom roof we still have boxes and packing hanging around!

This afternoon we had promised to go to the Elea Golf complex to see the art exhibition being held there as our friend Jackie has three entries on show. 

We couldnt make it on Friday because our furniture was being delivered but we kicked ourselves because we hadn't realised the Friday was Jackie and Costas' twentieth wedding anniversary.

We made our way to Geroskipou via Polis as we needed to order more wood - it is a very scenic route and often there is very little traffic to cause any problems.

On the way down to Polis we could see the wood yard over to our right and John decided that there must be a route cross country that would cut out the need for going into Polis.   

We turned off at the bee-hives.  There are loads of them in this area so you wonder why squeezy honey is soooooo expensive over here! 

It was the most beautiful run - a bit bumpy in parts - not quite off-roading but the CRV was well up to the job and it meant that we cut off having to go through Polis and managed to come into the back entrance of the woodyard where we ordered the tongue and groove for the 'downstairs' toilet and the wood to build a fence up between ourselves and next door and the new gate.  It is being delivered either Friday or Monday.

We made our way down to Paphos via Stroumbi.  Twenty years ago Stroumbi was a very run down and messy village that you just passed through.  Now they have done a lot of work to it to make it a very attractive village indeed.  As you drive through there is a sequence of murals that have been created along the main road.  Apologies for the quality of this photograph but it was taken out of the window of the car as John was driving through the village.

We arrived at the Elea sometime after 4.00pm.   It really is a very attractive complex - although I cant speak for the golf - but as the course has been designed by Nick Faldo you would expect that it would be something quite special. 

Everything looks very green and the bar and restaurant areas are very very comfortable with everything finished to a vey high standard in colours and fabrics and soft furnishings that John and I would choose for ourselves. 

However, we have been there twice and not seen more than a handful of people on the greens so we wonder how it manages to pay for itself!  Golf is very expensive in Cyprus and although John has two sets of golf clubs over here I think it is unlikely he will get to play on a regular basis.

Anyway back to the exhibition: Jackie (on the left) and international woman of mystery - although I can't elaborate on that at the moment - is a very talented artist and of her three exhibits the one on the right was my favourite.  She tells me that she has a couple of paintings on the go at any one time and that they can take upto a year to complete. 

Costas came and joined Jackie, John and I for a drink on the terrace which was good of him as we are very conscious that he is a busy man.  John and I kept Jackie company until the exhibition closed at 6.00pm when we made our way to Mum and Dad's for our tea - a bit cheeky really as they were going out tonight for tea at Wendy and Peter's at Anavargos.  Wendy and Peter used to be their neighbours opposite Mandeville in Emba before they had their house built.

We had Dad's home-made pasties waiting for us which were absolutely lovely and we have sat down and watched one of my all time favourite films - The Last Samurai - just a little confusing as the sub titles were in Greek so the bits in Japanese could have been a complete mystery if we werent familiar with the film!!

We had two lovely 'New Home' cards waiting here for us - one from Derek and Evelyn - which was very kind as Derek has just gone into hospital for a hip replacement operation which was touch and go as he has a problem with circulation and a dodgy aorta, the other from Eileen (Hils mum and my mum's good friend and ex neighbour from Mediterranean Valley days).  Eileen has very kindly given us a voucher from the garden centre so we will have great fun chosing something for our new garden.  Hopefully when we are straight Eileen can come up and see what we have done.

Staying over at Mum and Dad's tonight and meeting up with friends at the Imperial Beach tomorrow before Mum and I play pickleball - blimey this retirement lark is very tiring!!!