Wednesday, 30 November 2011

Shopping in Limassol...

Today was the Crafty Ladies shopping trip to Limassol and I decided not to take my camera just in case I left it somewhere and decided to rely instead on my trusty Blackberry or the Bloody Blackberry as John calls it!  So I will apologise in advance for the quality of the photographs which are not up to their usual standard.

My first dilemma of the day was what to wear because I knew it would be warmer down in Limassol but no idea how much and not knowing exactly where we were going or what time we were coming back I didn't want to get cold so I opted for layers and hoped that I didn't look too much of a country bumpkin out on a day-trip (which was exactly what I was!!).  I remember all those times I went to London and refused to carry an A-Z so I wouldn't look too much like a visitor!  It was really nice to get the chance to dress up for a change and go somewhere different.  

The plan was to go to Jumbo first (a cross between The Range, Wilkos and Dunelm) followed by a fabric shop and bead/button shop, then lunch and more shopping at My Mall followed by the Mosaic shop.

You can see what a really beautiful day it was when John dropped me off at the Farmyard in Kathikas to wait for the mini bus to arrive.  I was joined by Carol, Jane and Pauline.  The majority of people got on the coach in Polis, and two others joined after Kathikas so there were twelve of us in all with a very patient driver called Theo.

I dont know if these photographs will give you an idea of what Jumbo's is like but it is like an enormous warehouse piled high with STUFF all at very reasonable prices.  I could have gone wild in the aisles save for the fact that I couldn't remember the pin number for my card so I kept to the cash that I had taken.  

I did manage to get the kitties a huge cat basket - once they have taken to it (jury's out at the moment) I will post a photograph.  I got some rugs, candles, curtain tie backs, little Christmas gifts for Mum (I am struggling to find things for Dad and John) and could have spent more - John would have loved it so I am hoping that maybe he and I can go together one day - it only took just over an hour to get there although I dont think I would be able to find it again.

I did not really have any need to walk around the fabric shop although I am sure it was fantastic as there was soooo much to choose from - I would like to get into dress making but I dont have a machine nor the room to house everything that goes with it so I went on down to the button/bead shop which was an absolute Aladdin's Cave with buttons and beads in every colour and style a crafter could possibly want.  I did buy some buttons because where I have sewn the curtains together by the kitchen I wanted to tidy up the stitching and make a bit of a feature of the join.

On the way back to the minibus we passed the most fantastic electric shop which stocked just about every kind of electrical Christmas decoration that a person could possibly want.  There was a huge display outside - the trees were absolutely fabulous with absolutely fabulous prices to go with them!

Inside, the shop had a million and one decorations which were stunning and there was something to suit every pocket - I didn't buy anything as we have plenty of Christmas decoration but if I had been looking for new things then I could have spent an absolute fortune here and you have to admit the display of illuminated animals is rather sweet!

Next stop was My Mall.  I went there with Mum and Dad sometime last year or possibly the year before and managed to get some lovely rugs for the sides of our bed - John hasn't been.  This is a Mall like most people are familiar with and has a food hall upstairs which is where we all headed first as we were starving!!!  Five of us opted for the Bamboo noodle bar as I remember eating there with Mum and Dad last time I went.  The food is really good, cooked fresh to order and plentiful.  I hadn't realised how much I had missed a good Chinese meal and I wasn't disappointed - nor were the others that ate with me.

The one unusual aspect of this Mall is that the ground floor is dedicated to a skating rink which is open to the public and I keep threatening to take John because when I watch Dancing on Ice he questions "how hard can that be???"  Bloody hard I can tell you!!!  The floor above the rink has a Costa Coffee and you can sit in a circle looking down at the people on the rink below.
The decorations at the Mall were absolutely out of this world with a fairy woodland theme.  In fact we thought that all the decorations we saw as we passed through Limassol on the way home were stunning - not sure what there is in Droushia (if anything!!).

The final stop for the day was to the Mosaic shop - I think I am about the only person in the group that doesn't do mosaics and I don't really want to get into a new craft at this stage as I have so much for card making and jewellery making in the cupboard.  However, the shop was absolutely fascinating with tiles of every colour - I could see that for some of the ladies it was like being a child in a sweet shop!

It was a fairly quiet minibus on the way home as we were all exhausted having had a really lovely day.  John was there to meet me at the Farmyard and help me bring my purchases home.  


 STOP PRESS - I have made contact with one of the blog followers who is neither family nor friend - how exciting is that - technology is such a wonderful thing!

Tuesday, 29 November 2011

Another Week Begins...

Never underestimate the power of a Princess and the Pea bed with electric blanket, duck feather mattress topper and 15tog down duvet to give you a good night's sleep - it was gone 8.00am this morning when we thought about getting up and I don't think that would have happened if Andreas hadn't had the builders round at his house.  

Mornings are fab once the kitties have been sorted out: fed, watered and litter trays cleaned, because then they go to John for a cuddle.  I know that the whole idea of having two cats was so that we each had one to warm our laps on a cold winter's evening but even as I type they are both firmly snuggled up on John's lap and I have to make do with the laptop - such is life!!

Talking of the laptop one of John's first jobs after sorting the kitties is to check the emails - usually he tells me that nobody loves us but today we had an email from Sally Allan (we named Chivers after her cat Chivers who sadly passed away earlier this year).  It might have been a little while coming but it was lovely to hear from her with all the news of husband Tom and children Freddie and Molly, dog Buddy and cat Bruno.  We used to live next door but one to each other and round the corner from Frank and Cheryl and BC (before children) we all enjoyed some legendary parties and really classic weekends away which included Cornwall in a cottage and camping in Weymouth and Charmouth.  AC our activities together continued but were centred more on socialising in each other's houses so that the children were included.  To Freddy and Molly I was the shoe-fairy as I used my Mum's discount card to get them proper school shoes although I always struggled with the fact that boy's shoes nowadays have velcro and not laces (how are kids ever going to learn how to tie a bow?).

The job which John tackled today was to finish off his bird defences.  Having filled the tiles with wire (which the birds tried to pull out) he decided to fill the gaps with spray expanding foam which needed the excess trimming off and then, because the foam was bright yellow, John decided to spray what could be seen black.  The finished job can be seen on the right - lets hope the little buggers keep out now - we will probably find that they peck out all the black foam and stick it in their nests!

Whilst John was tackling the roof I decided to tackle the ironing.  Even a chore like ironing can seem so much better when you can do it when you want to do it and also do it with the sun shining in through the window even in November.  John will be so pleased to be able to put on freshly ironed clothes rather than looking like he has slept in them!  I did everything so I now have an empty basket until the next time!

After a conversation with Mum on Friday I realised that I had a pair of hard soled slipper socks lurking somewhere in the house so I took some time out, threw everything out of the wardrobe, and eventually found them.  I know they are only Primani but they are just the thing for keeping your feet warm and running across the buildings.  My poor old white TOWIE ones have just about had it as I have nearly worn the soles through and they were never really meant for wearing outside.

The weather continues to be fine and bright and warm until about 3.00pm and so before going down into town to do some food shopping I took the opportunity to sit outside and catch some rays.  We were only saying this morning that it is so lovely to be able to have the doors wide open in the morning - makes it so much easier now that the kitties like to go outside and play, and that they take themselves out and come back in when they are ready.

Our trip to Polis food shopping was a bit fraught as we got all the way down before realising that we hadn't picked up any money so poor John had to go back to Droushia to fetch it.  We did our normal run to GBs, Chillies, Orphanides and Paps but rang the changes by throwing in a little visit to the drinks shop to pick up a bottle of vintage Offley port ready for Christmas.

Unpacking the food is a nightmare as we now have to pass the C and MM quality control sniff test.  They only get dried biscuits so I guess the smell of something different is too much for them to ignore.

Off to Limassol tomorrow with the craft group - real shops what a treat!!!







Monday, 28 November 2011

Bloody Hell it is Cold on the Bike...

This morning I was woken by the sound of hunting dogs being fed and shooting in the distance - this can only mean one thing - it is Sunday (or it is Wednesday but I have lost three days!!!).  

We didn't have too much planned for today but did hope to get out on the bike later to blow away the cobwebs.  It was a beautiful morning and we realise that there is now less than four weeks until Christmas and so we wanted to get Mum and Dad's bed ready by adding the duck down mattress topper that we had purchased - having made the bed it looked like something out of a fairytale - the Princess and the Pea sprung to mind - and Mum will probably need a step to get into it!!  In fact it looked so inviting that we decided to put the other topper on ours - I cant wait to go to bed tonight especially as we have put the electric blanket in as well and set to turn on by timer.  Don't think I am joking when I say it is cold at night.  Today the temperature at its height was about 22 degrees but as I write this at 5.00pm it has dropped to 9 degrees and our bedrooms get very little sun during the day.  We have some electric radiators but with the price of electricity high and getting higher we are holding off using them.  We have also found that up here there is quite a problem with condensation which additional heating seems to exacerbate - having worked hard to try and eradicate as much damp as we can we don't want to introduce anything that might encourage it to return.

We moved the router from the spare bedroom into the lounge (saves traipsing across the courtyard when there is a problem) and John tidied up where the phone sits on the bookcase drilling a new hole and taking the base unit to bits so that the wire could be fed through the hole rather than on view.  We also rehung the brown curtains between the kitchen and the dining room in readiness for hanging the second pair of curtains when I have got some hooks.  I bought some cracking 90 x 90 inch lined curtains off of the tintyweb and had them delivered to Cyprus for a total cost of £30!!! They are cream with a self pattern and a slub in the weave (will show you when they have been hung).  I know that curtains are expensive and particularly so here in Cyprus so these were a bargain and to be honest we have had little or no problem getting items delivered even though they pitch up in a wooden box in the local coffee shop!!

All jobs done we decided to make the most of the remaining sunshine and go off on the bike - we haven't been out on it for a while (probably since Hilary was here) and it needed to have a run.  We hadn't decided where to go - Sunday lunchtimes most tavernas are full with Sunday Lunchers so we just hopped on and decided to head towards Argaka which is to the right of Polis going up the coastline towards Pomos.

Just down the hill from where we live is a house that never ceases to amaze us.  We call it the Egyptian's house even though we don't know who lives there.  There is always washing hanging on the line but fundamentally this is just one room which benefits from a satellite dish and solar panel with toilet located across the garden!! The fridge is propped up outside although with the dropping temperatures that probably isnt even plugged in!

I took this snap from the back of the bike on the way down the hill to Polis hence it is a bit out of focus but this is to show you that we do get some colours of autumn here although nothing like on the scale we used to get back in Somerset with all the lovely trees changing colour - I particularly used to love driving to our Wellington office across the hills through the avenue of copper beech trees in the Autumn with the fantastic colours, low lying mist and weak sunshine adding to the picture.  Still the vibrant blue skies and the Mediterranean Sea in the distance more than makes up for it!

On a detour off the main road somewhere down by the Natura Beach Hotel we came across this old Bedford-type bus.  These buses used to provide a regular service all over the island but have now been replaced by modern air-conditioned vehicles and the only working old style buses are used for weddings or organised tours.  This one seems to have been abandoned which is such a shame.

My arty-farty shot for today was taken on Argaka beach where there was this one plastic chair sitting on the beach.  You can see from the lengthening shadows that it is getting quite late and although bright the temperature was dropping rapidly - my plan to swim on Boxing Day is looking dodgy!!!  

Our plans to find a bar for a drink went out the window as it was bloody cold so we decided we should go home to the kids, the warm and Sunday Dinner.  Neither of us had to think twice about it!!

We had a visible reminder as we left Argaka that Christmas will soon be upon us as we passed the community tableau.  Over the years we have seen huge changes in Cyprus with regard to the celebration of Christmas as Easter was always their big celebration.  With more ex-pats living here Christmas has become a bigger and bigger celebration.

On our return home we were surprised to have a ring at the doorbell - we were being collared by someone doing the official census.  I left John to it as I got ready to cook Sunday Dinner.

Another day done in Droushia!



Sunday, 27 November 2011

Exploring Polis...

My wish for a good night's sleep and a lie-in went unheeded as I had very strange dreams about sharing a flat with someone who had tail-less cats the size of bulldogs (I think maybe I ate too much cheese for my tea).

We were a bit at sixes and sevens about what to do today because at craft on Wednesday someone had said that this end of the island was going to be without power all day.  We are very dependent upon electricity for pumping the water, heating the cooker and running the turbo fan on the gas fire so basically without it we are buggered.  We had the presence of mind to borrow a burner from Mum and Dad and John got up early to fill flasks with hot water in readiness.

We had power so we took advantage of the electricity to catch up on TV and grab a shower but we needn't have panicked because the power was unaffected here in Droushia.

We decided to pop down into Polis to take advantage of the sunshine and to investigate some of the streets we haven't walked down before as we are not entirely sure what other shops there might be lurking in the backstreets!  This was a clever plan of John's because on a Saturday afternoon in winter in Cyprus you will be very hard pressed to find anything open at all - maybe in the tourist areas but certainly not in Polis.

We stopped off to check the post en route and it was like Christmas with about half a dozen parcels and some post - it is sooo exciting to get parcels and thanks Laura for the SIX that you have sent (we have hidden the kitty treats and toys from Minnie Mou and Chivers until Christmas).

We got down into town just before 1.00pm which meant that John's favourite shop (Glykkis DIY) was open and we were able to get some more curtain track bits and pieces as my new curtains have arrived - only trouble is they don't sell the curtain hooks so we will need to find somewhere else to buy them.  

Apparently Polis was affected by the power outage and it was going to last until 5.00pm this evening but strangely there appeared to be random shops open when you wouldn't normally expect them to be.  We found a very very nice interiors shop that was having some sort of open afternoon and was serving tea and cake and opposite we found the 'Trading Post' where the lady takes in goods and sells them on your behalf splitting the proceeds so that the seller gets 70% and the shop 30% - that had all sorts of interesting bits and pieces in it but it was quite difficult to see as the rooms were small with low ceilings and they were without power.

Although I think there was an expectation that, at the height of the ex-pat influx, Polis would follow in the footsteps of Paphos and grow to be a much more cosmopolitan town, it has remained quite untouched by large-scale development (apart from the introduction of Paps' and Orphanides' Supermarkets) and as a result retains a certain charm.  You can wander around and come across reminders of the past all over the place and at the moment the municipality looks like it is in no rush to bulldoze them.

Whilst wandering around we were invited by one of the locals to admire his very bizarre collection of insects and reptiles which were preserved in bottles and jars.  This appears to be quite common practice for snakes as our neighbour very proudly showed us a snake he had caught and killed and put in a Gin bottle.  This collection embraced all kinds of lizards, locusts, fish, turtles and snakes - he seemed very proud of them - we thought it was a bit odd and I wasn't sure if he wanted to charge me for taking a photograph so I walk away a fair bit before sneaking a quick snap - hence it isn't awfully clear.  The most bizarre thing of all was that this collection was housed in a building advertising rooms for rent - how scarey - I would be terrified that I would end up pickled in one of his bottles!!

Our walk around Polis brought us back to the square which is very pretty and much quieter now that the tourists have more or less gone although there were still quite a few in the fish taverna enjoying the afternoon sunshine.

Feeling peckish we decided to return home via the Truckers Stop and treat ourselves to a late lunch of beef gyros and a frappe.  It is so lovely to be able to sit outside in the sun and read the papers and magazines that they provide.  Not sure that the Watchtower would be my normal choice of magazine but then beggars can't be choosers as they say and you never know when you might need God on your side!

This afternoon I had a go at making some chicken liver pate - I got some chicken livers in ready for Christmas but John found a recipe in one of the freebie magazines today so we thought we would give it a go.  Having had a late lunch neither of us are currently feeling hungry so we think we might have the pate with some toast and a salad for our tea.  We are hoping the TV will behave so we can watch X Factor - that is if I can stay awake long enough!!  Minnie Mou doesn't care either way - she is already in the land of nod!!





Saturday, 26 November 2011

An Exciting Day Chez the Wisemans...

We had a late night last night (more like an early morning!) so we didn't actually rise until 8.30am which was a bit of a worry as we were expecting Mum and Dad and Janice and Ray up for the day and I had chicken soup and an apple cake to make.

We got up and got our acts together.  John was preparing for Ray and Dad to help with the very exciting job of joining the two buildings together in a more permanent fashion - I cant tell you how excited I am about this particular project!!!

I got the chicken soup on courtesy of the pressure cooker and made the apple cake using the convection oven part of the microwave and waited for the text message from Mum to say that they were on the way.

In this picture you can see the initial planning meeting between John and Ray and a cup of tea!!!  Apparently the plan is to get a pergola up between the two buildings and then cover it with tiles or, preferably, some perspex or triplex type material, then we will look at the other side which will point towards the swimming pool and for which John needs some metal structure and then ultimately maybe some sliding doors along by the side of the swimming pool. 

This would make a lovely large sun-room and provide complete shelter when walking between the two buildings which will be fantastic.

Fortunately SF was on hand to oversee the whole procedure.  It has been nearly six months since Dad's supervisory skills were called into action.  He may not be up to heavy building work but his technical eye is second to none and his input invaluable - I heard a conversation about the grain of the wood which went right over my head but was, apparently, key in deciding how the structure should be erected.

Whilst the menfolk were on building the pergola Mum, Janice and I had a crafty couple of hours.  We started by painting some Christmas cards and then progressed onto making a Christmas wreath with local fir cones and some of the Christmas decorations that I wasn't going to be using.  The finished article can be seen here on the right.  In the end I think you will agree that it turned out pretty well even if it did cost an absolute fortune in glue sticks!

We all stopped for a spot of lunch - the chicken soup went down a storm as did the apple cake which John had made.  Even though it was dry and bright outside it was quite chilly so the hot soup was welcome and warming.  Still we cant really complain as it will be the first of December next week and I am guessing that people back in England aren't sat outside doing craft!!

The boys got phase one of the building join project completed and it looks absolutely fab even at this early stage - as I said we would ideally like to put some sort of see-through roof to preserve the light and the warmth but failing that we will weave sail material between the wood but obviously we would prefer a more permanent solution but we have to check out on the costs of all these things.

Quiet weekend is planned - maybe a lie-in tomorrow but I am very doubtful!!!



Friday, 25 November 2011

Just Another Day in Our Lives...

Minnie Mou has found the olive tree and shows no fear at all climbing although the look on her face as she lost her footing and plummeted down was quite funny!!!  My poor old solar lights are getting a right hammering and I have to check each night whether or not they are still functioning.

We are convinced that Minnie Mou has a hearing problem as we get very little reaction from her when we make a noise whereas Chivers is all ears and comes to call.  John has been reading up on tintyweb about what to do and we have a concoction of green tea and tea tree oil to squirt down her ears and massage in.  It cant do any harm and hopefully will shift all the crap that is down in the ear canal.  It is a problem for poor feral kittens who spend time outside and get a mite infestation.

I have been crafting this week and having finished the origami heart I had to find something else to do, so decided to paint some Christmas cards.  They were, what I would call, happy accidents as I couldn't reproduce them if I tried!!!  The group were well impressed and want me to hold a Christmas Card making workshop in the New Year so that we can recycle our Christmas Cards.  

Our group is having a day trip out next week to Limassol - it should be an experience!!  The plan is fluid (great that means no-one has a plan).  Apparently first of all we are going to Jumbo which sells everything and is a bit like The Range and then we are lunching somewhere (Ocean Basket has been mentioned or Debenhams salad bar) and then we are going to a mosaic workshop as most of the crafters produce mosaics.  I will report back next week.

For the first time since we moved over here John came down with me to play pickle-ball as we were short on numbers.  We had just four which means that we dont get much of a rest!  Bearing in mind that Jeff and Mum are in their 70s they gave us a run for our money I can tell you. We arrived early so we played for about two hours rather than the normal hour and a half.  

I have never found a sport that I enjoyed before so pickle-ball has been a revelation and I really enjoy it but Mum never ceases to amaze me that for a lady in her 70s she is such a wicked player.

After pickle-ball I went next door to Rosie and Dave's to get my hair cut for the first time since August and I so needed to have it done although for a short while I had toyed with the idea of growing it.  I was a bit perturbed when Rosie said she needed to put her glasses on as she was recovering from a cataract operation!  Apparently both she and Dave had been to Larnaca this week for eye operations, Rosie for her cataract and Dave for having his eyes lasered to improve his eyesight.

We had been invited to Eileen's for a meal and had a lovely evening - a meal of beef casserole followed by apple cake (we had to take the recipe home as John was keen to make one for himself).

I was victorious playing domino 'trains' and we left feeling full and happy - an uneventful drive home avoiding the Police who were hiding by Dionysus Taverna in Stroumbi.

The kids had been on their own for hours so we stayed up and spent some time with them.  They are looking resplendent in their new collars which Laura sent to them in the post (along with a million and one other toys and treats for them for Christmas).  Thanks Laura - you have better things to think about at the moment as your dog Gethin (boxer) has just become a dad!!!