A Quiet Day (except for the BDITFND)...

Well it was going to be a quiet day today after our busy day yesterday but the BDITFND (bloody digger in the field next door) had a different idea as it started up really early this morning although more up near Sharon than us.  Still, John has managed to speak to the man who owns the field and we now know for sure that there are to be eleven properties built in the field at some point in the future (unfortunately).  At least we know and we shall just see now how it develops and whether we will need to raise our boundaries!

I know that some of you will be wanting news of the kitten.  Well the kitten was captured yesterday by Sharon and Sean and we contacted Irene who was taking him to the vets this morning at 8.00am.  We gave Irene a contribution towards the kitten's care and it transpires that the poor little thing had cat 'flu (amongst other things) but we had managed to catch him early enough for him to have a fighting chance. 

Irene brought the kitten back home to Sharon who is looking after it and has called it 'Baby' - as she does all the cats!  Irene has supplied a cage and litter, food, bowls etc (although pink so I am concerned that the kitten will be confused about its sexuality!).  She asked John if we would like to name him - canny that as that would imply some sort of association between us and the kitten.  At first we declined but then on reflection decided (as a tribute to our friends Sally and Tommy) we would ask for him to be called Chivers. 

I have been having a look through some of the photographs which Vix has taken whilst she has been here.  Some how she has a knack of capturing my better side - not!! 

Does my bum look big on this beach?  You bet your life it does.  I was trying to capture the incoming waves as I had been taught by Nicky when I went out with her getting to know my camera.

When we went to the posh spa I was trying to get a good shot of the swimming pool and umbrellas. 

I seem to spend an awful lot of my time lying on my tummy trying to get the 'winning' shot!!

Mum and Dad were coming up for a barbeque today so I sent John and Trev off to Polis to get the things which we needed.  They seemed to be gone for an awfully long time and on their return I found out why - Trevor had been to buy us some pots for the garden as a thank-you for their holiday. 

I was gobsmacked - one would have been enough but all three that we had seen when we were out the other day was more than generous.  We will have such fun trying to find the right place for them to live and the right plants to put in them.  A big THANK-YOU T&V for a lovely reminder of our holiday together.

It was lovely to have Mum and Dad up with us - Mum brought some pergamano as a little project for Vicki to learn a new craft - dangerous I know and possibly expensive!!  Mum is keen to come to the Wednesday craft lunch group in Neo Chorio and we are planning a trip soon - Dad may go fishing with John.  Anyway John put on an impressive barbeque and we hid the BDITFND with the curtains from the gazebo!

Thank God for the internet.  I suddenly realised (thanks to John's reminders on Facebook) that it was Sue's birthday today.  I know that she has been having a horrid old time with her new medication and treatment so I was gutted to think I hadnt at least sent a card to her.  I managed to find a florist that would deliver same day and had a lovely message from her tonight to say that although she was feeling like a bag of spanners the flowers had really cheered her up.  I have everything crossed that this treatment (horrendous though it is) will sort out her rheumatoid arthritis and she can return to some sort of normality - she and her husband John were so instrumental in John and I living our dream here in Cyprus. 

Big love to you Sue (and John) as I know you will be reading this xxx



Hobby Day Wednesday...

Ok so Wednesday started like an episode of Pet Rescue.  I had heard some pitiful mewing late on Tuesday evening and saw the scraggiest kitten ever drinking out of next door's pool.  Now I can't bear that because the water is so full of chemicals and so I thought the least I could do was to put out some fresh water. 

This is the rocky road to ruin in John's eyes - if and when we get a cat (and it will be more likely when) John wants to choose it and not it choose us so he wasn't too keen but then he isn't heartless either so between us (and Sharon from up the road) we put out some food and water for the poor little thing - there is no photograph as we dont want to form any sort of attachment plus the kind of kitten we had envisaged would look more like the one on the right (he was at the White River Taverna) than a scraggy emaciated poorly ginger tom!! 

Anyway twice on Wednesday morning the kitten appeared - once in the abandoned house next door where it had managed to get into the garden but clearly couldnt get out and so John had to shin the fence and 'encourage' it over the wall and then secondly just sat pitifully crying outside our wooden gate.  Sharon provided more food and water and I left her with the task of trying to catch it so that we could get Irene (our lovely cat rescue lady) to take it to the vets so that it could be dealt with one way or another.  Satisfied that we had done the right thing we set off for our day of pursuing hobbies (once we had torn Trev away from his interesting book) - the boys were going to terrorise the fish in the marina at Latchi and Vix and I were going to the lunching craft group in Neo Chorio.

On arriving at the venue (which was a little difficult to find) we arrived and had immediate house envy!!!  What a fantastic place and what a fantastic location.

Our host Jeanette is a mosaic guru and obviously very artistic and her home was full of beautiful things.  At the back of her house she was fully geared up for housing the crafters and she and her husband had his and hers workshops!!  We were made very welcome and enjoyed a chat and tea/coffee and delicious chocolate cake and banana cake whilst crafting or watching people crafting.

Jeanette's husband summoned us all for lunch which we took sat around a huge table looking out over the swimming pool to the sea beyond. 

We continued with the crafting after lunch - most ladies were mosaic making, one was carving some sort of building stone to make a huge shell to go in the garden and Vicki and I had frantically rustled up a paperfolding project that we were making into a heart-shaped decorative wreath - whilst we were in awe of what others were doing they all seemed to be more impressed with what we had achieved - and it doesnt look much for about 5 hours work!  I intend to keep going to the Wednesday group as and when I can - it was a good day.

We rescued the boys from the bar - it had been a little hot for them at the harbour fishing - and made our way back to Droushia.

Vicki and I were going to sample the delights of the Akamas Health Spa and Vicki was going to have her toes painted (for nothing).  We had decided to go and have a cuppa (with home made biscuit) first and to check out the facilities because we had been told that they offer a daily rate so that you can take advantage of them all and we were thinking of doing that on Friday as a special treat.

We had a lovely hour or so and were taken for a guided tour.  There is an indoor pool with exercise bikes in the water, the outside pools, a steam room and sauna, fully fitted gym, volleyball court and tennis court.  The food menu looked nice and they do a proper high tea in the afternoons with little sandwiches and cream scones!! That sounds better to me than the fully-fitted gym!!

We decided to take a walk into the village for our evening meal - something which we had not managed to factor in yet with Trev and Vix.  We opted for Christos's where we had a really lovely evening with some very very large G&T's!!!

All round a very very good day - our visitors will be going home for a rest!

If it's Tuesday it must be the Avakas...

In John's quest to show all that is good about Cyprus Tuesday was an action packed day for our guests...

Our first stop was to the beach which is on the White River bend near Viklari.  The plan was to have a few hours on the beach, followed by lunch at the White River Taverna and then on to the Avakas Gorge which John and I have been planning to walk for ages and we thought it would be a good photo-opportunity venue for Vix and me.

The weather (yes I know Brits always have to mention the weather) has been warmer again since the thunder earlier in the week.  We arrived pretty early at the beach having taken the cross country route over the hills from Droushia.  This beach used to have nothing on it but now is resplendent with colourful sunbeds and brollies and goats!!!!  How random is it to see a herd of goats looking down on you as you sunbathe!!!  It was hot on the beach and the water was cooling but it was much rougher than at Latchi. 

We had a simple lunch at the Taverna on the bend - sitting with the lovebirds (feathered - not Vix and Trev).  We amused ourselves by watching the tourists in tiny little hire cars trying to navigate the road to Viklari or Lara about to remove the sumps from their Nissan Micras!! 

Trev and John had pork chops which the guy told us were from his own pigs - he probably tells everyone that but Trev did say that they were very nice.  Vix and I satisfied ourselves with a healthy salad and not quite so healthy tsatsiki!!

Having lunched we then made our way to the Avakas Gorge - not sure what we were expecting but we were hoping to find cool and running water and nice scenery.

We parked up and started to walk and boy oh boy was it hot and to begin with we were very exposed and finding the heat a bit much. 

However, within a very short space of time we entered the mouth of the gorge and were not disappointed - there was running water and shade and stunning scenery.  We walked into the gorge for about an hour until we could almost go no further (well Trev and Vix were in flipflops and it was getting muddier and stonier).  We sat on a stone by the water to catch our breath and watch the goats before wending our way back.

Our final stop was to have a cooling drink and a walk around St George's.  It was a stunning afternoon and even at 5.00pm still very very warm. 

A full day left us all absolutely knackered so I rustled up a chicken and noodle dish which we demolished before waving the white flag and retiring to bed!

Another Day at Latchi - Another Thunderstorm...

We made a joint decision that we would shoot off to Latchi again today for some beachtime as yesterday's weather had been a little strange.

We packed up early and got down to the beach setting up camp at our favourite spot next to the life guard station which provides John with some shade.  We like sitting there as the life guard is quite entertaining.  Today he was joined by a mate who sang very loudly - not to the song being played on the radio mind!!!

During the course of the morning we were very priviledged to witness about 50+ birds of prey which looked like sea eagles flying in from the direction of Turkey.  The life guard said he has never seen anything like it before and it was certainly a sight to behold.

This was shortly followed by the sound of thunder rumbling around the hills once again.  We could see lightening in the distance but fortunately the weather never quite got to us.  The sun was veiled by a thin layer of cloud making it far too easy to sunbathe.  The boys collected lunch from the Caravan again - this time the woman gave them each a free frappe coffee.

All in all it was a great day.  We rounded it off by taking Vix and Trev for a drive along the coast as far as the nursery where we had got our geraniums for our anniversary.  We were in search of a flower which Mum had seen at a garden centre near Paphos.  We are not sure if what she was looking for was the Coxcomb flower (Celosia).

We did a major shop in Paps, Chilly's and the GB shop so that we were well stocked up for the remainder of T&V's holiday.

On returning home there was still thunder rolling around the hills which resulted in some spectacular cloud formations which picked up some interesting colours as the sun began to set.  We stood and watched before getting ready for our evening out.

The clippers were whipped out so that both John and Trev could have a barnet tidy-up before we got spruced up for our big night out at Yiannis in Kathikas.  We had a brilliant evening there - Yiannis goes out of his way to make you feel very special.  Trev and I enjoyed a meze and had to call it a day asking for no more food to be brought to the table.  We all enjoyed the cheesecake and apple cake and fruit at the end of the meal and came home feeling well satisfied.

The rumbling thunder must have cleared the air somewhere as the evenings have been feeling a little warmer and the dew a little less severe.  We are planning the ramble up the Avakas Gorge tomorrow - all four of us - should be a good day with plenty of photo opportunities.

Tiredness and Thunderstorms...

It had been our intention to go walking along the Avakas Gorge today and leave Trev at home sunbathing but we were all feeling a bit jaded and Vix was recuperating from her headache so we decided to spend the day in Droushia and chill out - the BDITFND (bloody digger in the field next door) wasn't digging so it was all pretty quiet and a day at home was just what the doctor ordered. 

I had a pot of Stifado bubbling away on its second day of cooking which we were having later for tea so there was nothing left to do but relax!

Vix sat in T&V Corner and I decided to paint the driftwood I had collected from Lara Bay and make some signs for the fruit trees.  I decided to use the opaque nail varnish that John had got me from Balsall Common as it would stand out well and I did a sign for the Lime, the Lemon and the Clementine.  I shall probably have to go over them again at some point but they looked pretty good by the time I had finished them.

The day started brightly enough but as lunchtime approached there was a real shift in the weather and we started to hear ominous rumblings of thunder coming from the Troodos mountains.

I dont know if it is the fact that we are moving into Autumn or it is the change in the weather but the Garden is now inundated with strange wildlife.  This moth with what looks like huge ears which are actually feelers has been in the front garden for a couple of days.  John fished out this humungous centipede from the pool next door (those are John's toes you can see - I shall tell him that he needs to get the scissors/clippers on his nails!).

The boys watched the weather deteriorating from up on the roof terrace - there was thunder all around and some of it pretty close by but fortunately no rain.  The weather remained like this for a couple of hours but ever the optimists we kept on looking to the skies and declaring that it was 'improving' and sure enough it did so Trev was able to get a couple of hours 'panic-tanning'.

John and I walked down into the village to check the post.  Even though it was Sunday if the Vrisi Coffee Shop has its doors open then it means we can go in and sort through the box holding the mail.  We are waiting for our solar spotlight to arrive so that we can light the pathway approaching our gate.  Nobody loves us so there was no post.  We returned to Villa 10b to the fragrant smell of an almost ready to eat stifado. 

A couple of games of Wii bowling took place whilst we got the potatoes and salad ready and then our evening meal was complete.  We slobbed out catching up on the X Factor before admitting defeat and going to bed.

Tomorrow is another day as Scarlett O'Hara said and that means a day on the beach.

Goodbye's and Golf...

Yesterday we went down to Emba to catch up with Mum and Dad and to take the opportunity to say goodbye to Aunty Joyce and Uncle David and Kaye and Richard as it was the penultimate day of their respective holidays.

John took Vix and Trev down to the harbour for a look round and up to the market in Paphos old town for a bit of shopping whilst Kaye, Richard, Mum and I went off in search of a pot - the reason being that Kaye and Richard wanted to buy us something as a house warming present and as we had purchased a weeping fig tree with the money that Aunty Joyce and Uncle David had given us we wanted a nice pot to put it in.

We went down to the Lemba Bazaar (or whatever it is called now) and got the one that you can see on the right.  I want to get some pebbles to put around the top just to finish it off but it is looking great - thanks Thomas Family and Miles Family for the gift(s).

We had arranged to meet everyone for lunch at the Garden in Paphos old town.  It is a favourite venue of ours - the food is simple - basically filled pittas - but you sit outside in a walled garden under the dappled shade of an ancient vine.

It was exceptionally hot down in Paphos yesterday (the precursor to thunderstorms today) so the shade was very welcome.

We enjoyed the food and the company - in fact Trev thought it was one of the best meals he had had (are you going to try and recreate it when you get back home?).

We are getting better at trying to embrace the long leisurely meals that the Cypriots seem to enjoy - only trouble is I dont like cold food but they dont seem to mind!

We said our goodbye's and the four of us headed off down to the Crazy Golf near the tourist beach in Paphos.  It was unbelievably hot and we were all more dressed for the cooler temperatures of Droushia so we struggled a bit.

Having completed our game we went down to the beachbar at Ricco's to count up the scorecards over a well-earned drink.  Needless to say we two girls ended up as Drag Ass Charlies!!

We completed our trip to Paphos with a trip to Paps for some shopping and a quick mooch round Carrefour's - we all decided we were too tired and too full from lunchtime to go for a meze - in fact Vix retired to bed with a thumping headache (too much sun on the golf course we think) - she put in an appearance later in time for us to watch X Factor, eat cheese toasties and then call it a day.

Funday Friday...

We woke this morning to rain - 'What???' I hear you cry - yes RAIN!!!  However looking at the skies it was clear that this was only a temporary situation and that the day was going to improve.  We also woke to the BDITFND (bloody digger in the field next door) re-doing the road which they put in last week.  Peace was shattered and so we took ourselves off. 

Mum, Dad and Family had been to Viklari the day before for lunch.  Viklari (or the Last Castle) is one of our favourite places for the view alone and so we decided that we would go there for lunch and then on to Lara Bay to see the Turtles and spend a couple of hours in the sun and then back to Droushia and then possibly down to Polis in the evening for one of the free concerts in the municipality.

John used his best Cypriot greek to try and book a table (with a view and beans) for 12.00am but wasnt sure that he had actually made himself clear - only time would tell!!

As we thought the sun burned the clouds away and we descended down to the Paphos coast with the sunshine breaking through and the temperatures rising.  The storms had stirred up the seas and we were greeted by some of the most fantastic views of the sea I have seen in the 20 years I have been coming to Cyprus, something was giving the sea a vibrant two-tone colour scheme.

We headed down through Peyia and round Coral Bay so that Vix and Trev had the full tourist experience before heading out to Viklari.

I took loads and loads of photographs of the sea and the coastline on our way - I wont bore you all with the details but you can see that it was looking really really beautiful.  We will be heading back this way tomorrow when we go to the Avakas Gorge for a 'proper' walk before our stifado Sunday tea.

If you are ever contemplating visiting Cyprus you really ought to try and get to Viklari - although we did have to sit on wet seats courtesy of the storm the night before. 

We arrived early - just as well as John's booking didnt materialise but they weren't full for once (weather may well have put people off!!).  We got a seat with a view and ordered our food - spit roast pork and chicken with mega chips and salad and a plate of their beans (fasoulia) which I adore and which they dont often have unless you order it.  These are like naked baked beans cooked in stock with carrot and celery.

Although breezy it was beautiful and the food good and plentiful and it was so good to share this with friends.  We even got Vix into trying to learn the basics of the language although as we have found out learning Greek is a bit of a mistake as the locals speak Cypriot!!!

Full and content we then made our way to Lara Bay to check out the turtles and to spend some time checking out our eyelids for a couple of hours.

Lara was beautiful and warm and Vix got to see some of the little turtles that are there.  They are due for release very soon so we are trying to find out when that will be in case we can witness it for ourselves. 

The sea was beautiful and warm and it was lovely to be on the beach with about ten other people instead of hundreds!!

Sun and sea'd out we made our way back to Droushia cross country which was a bit hairy at times but interesting all the same.

Needless to say we were all too exhausted to go down to Polis so Vix and I retired to bed early leaving John and Trev to watch dirty dirty Leeds scrape a 3-3 draw against Brighton.

Wet Weather Wii-ing...

I spoke too soon when I was blogging last night as shortly afterwards we were subjected to one of this area's mammoth thunderstorms which lasted well into the night and again this morning - we had loads of rain so it was our first experience of running between the buildings when we needed to go to bed.  As a result we spent the evening in and we dusted off the Wii to entertain ourselves.

We have borrowed a number of different disks from Mum and Dad and we were playing the carnival games for a change.

Vix is perfecting her crazy golf skills which will come in handy for tomorrow when we are planning to go down to the course in Paphos just for a laugh.

Trev is desperately trying the make the bell ring in the test your strength competition but failing miserably.

John is also trying to make the bell ring and doing a little better than Trev on this occasion!

I have absolutely no idea what I am doing or what Trev is doing (it is his hands you can see in the background) but I am guessing that it is probably the crazy golf the same as Vix.

It turned into a really good impromptu evening and we had a right old laugh and supped a few drinks before having our latest night with our guests.  It was still warm inside so the rain didnt bother us at all.