Sunday and the Clocks have Changed...

STOP PRESS

Since I wrote this Minnie has been rushed to the vets - information will follow as and when I have any - she is currently on a drip.

We woke early and had to go round the house changing the clocks - putting them back an hour.  The usual search for handbooks ensued as we can never remember how to do the weather station and we love the weather station - it fulfils our British preoccupation with the elements!!  You can see that we managed to sort it and at 10.23 this morning the temperature had reached a more than respectable 26.7 degrees!

The plan for today was to give the lounge, dining room and kitchen a good old clean but it was such a beautiful day outside that for the morning at least housework went out the window.  I chose to 'cat sit' Chivers on his morning run in the garden whilst reading my book and breakfasting on coffee and the bite sized cherry filled croissants that we have discovered in Paps - they are yummy and all the nicer for being baked rather than microwaved!!

Eventually we could put it off no longer and the broom and polish called long and hard and we just had to get some cleaning done - it is quite therapeutic when you get down to it (providing you dont get used to it that is!!!).

Today is the last Sunday that Supermarkets remain open because from November 1st they keep winter hours whatever that means!!  John and I shot down to Polis to get something in for lunch as we had decided that we should, for the first time since we arrived, have a proper Sunday lunch. 

I cannot lie we opted for the lazy option and brought a ready cooked rotisserie chicken and roast potatoes from the Prodromi Tavern with frozen Yorkshire Puddings from Orphanides (with very humble apologies to all our Yorkshire relatives and in particular my mother-in-law).  I did do the fresh veggies though and some rather first class gravy and we actually sat down and thoroughly enjoyed it all. 

There is even chicken left over - either for sandwiches or it might be required for a poorly little cat - Minnie has been very very quiet and lethargic today - she is eating and drinking but (apologies) it seems to be going straight through her and Chivers will not leave her alone when she is on the litter tray. 

At the moment John has her tucked up warmly in a blinkey and in the snuggle basket Mum gave us for Chivers.  Chivers has commandered Minnie's own blinkey and will not be moved from it.  Fingers crossed it is just the worming treatment and that she will begin to pick up tomorrow.

It is now late afternoon and we have just had a walk round the garden before we settle down for the evening - I dont know quite what the clock change has done to the wildlife but no sooner had I fished one lizard out of the swimming pool than a second one tried to commit suicide by running into the water!  They are now drying off in the remaining bit of sunshine we have.  The temperature is dropping rapidly and at 4.30pm it is now only 14 degrees outside.

All our Nicosian neighbours have gone home today - long weekend over.  Not sure how often we will see them now as the days are so much shorter.  The only knock we have had for Hallowe'en has been from a visitor in 10a returning the electric fire that we lent them!

Cosy Nights in Followed by Stunning Walks out...

We did give Nicky and Mark prior warning that they would find the temperature up in Droushia considerably different to that in Emba.  We were not wrong as we had a bright but windy day - a cold wind though and whereas the day before had reached 28 degrees we were lucky if it managed 18 degrees yesterday - we had spoken to Dad during the afternoon who was complaining what a boiling hot day it had been in Emba!!  GREAT - fortunately they came prepared thank goodness but John had left nothing to chance so all curtains were drawn, all candles lit and the fire was pumped up to the max!!!  The throws are to stop the cats wrecking the leather sofas but we reckon they make it look and feel warmer anyway!

How cosy does our house look???  We had the house all warmed up and dinner on the go when Nicky and Mark arrived.  We know they both work hard so we dont worry if we dont see them regularly and it's not like John and I have anything better to do!!!  My cooking was in competition with Poppadums (Nicky and Mark's favourite Indian restaurant) so the pressure was on!!! 

I did poppadums and dips (mango chutney, lime pickle and mango pickle) with home made raita made with fresh mint from the garden and a home made tomato, onion and coriander chutney.  We had flatbreads instead of chapatis (because I dont know if you can get them here) spicy rice, chicken tikka masala and singapore noodles in a fragrant thai prawn curry - and even though I say so myself I thought it was a first class meal.

We had a little bit to drink (no shit Sherlock!!) and some of Nicky's scrummy trifle before retiring to the lounge to slob out.  Nicky has almost completed 63 weddings this year as photographer and is feeling the pressure - another week or so and she will be finished but it takes its toll being as enthusiastic with the last bride as you were with the first.  Still she loves her job and is doing a good one so she doesn't knock it.

Mark has just returned from back to back visits to the UK for his firm Currency Solutions.  He has a pretty high powered and pressurised job with the chance to take it further which will mean more travel back and forwards to the UK - success brings its own challenges but we can at least provide him with a bolt-hole and some downtime. 

If any of you reading this need to transfer money to or from the UK then check out Currency Solutions - we used them and they did a good job for us - mention Mark's name - it wont do any harm!!!

We didnt manage a very late night - all good intentions but failed miserably!!  Bedrooms were inviting with fluffy duvets at the ready and a good night's sleep was had by all.  Chivers and Minnie spent their first night together and didnt kill one another so that was a big bonus!!

We all had a hearty breakfast and said goodbye (we will be together again in a week or so when we go to Nicosia races) and John and I set off for our walk in Fyti.  En route we had a frantic call from Mum to say that she had been a complete duffer and changed the clocks a day early so Dad was running late.  If you know my Dad then you will know that he just doesnt do late EVER!!!  Mum is going to be sooooo in the s.h.1.t !!!!

We waited for Dad in the pre-arranged spot on the road to Polemi and we were to follow because we werent entirely sure where we were meeting - follow???  blimey we struggled to keep up with him as he was on a mission to make up the time he had lost!!  He was a mere blur in the distance!!!  Anyway we arrived at Fyti which is a really really pretty village and herded all the various walkers together - the ages ranged from 2 years to 92 years which must be some sort of record surely??? 

I think Trish called this the Sound of Music Walk and I can see why because we walked steadily downhill through the most beautiful fir tree forests.  For so late in October you just cannot believe the weather - it was beautiful and we had a really lovely time followed by an excellent meze at Maria's taverna. Standby the Hazzells & Pamments when your next out, its one for the itinerary!!

We returned home to find all was well - two cats still alive!!  Irene called in to worm and deflea Minnie - she has an appointment at the vets on Tuesday.  Chivers also needed flea treatment but he took one look at Irene and shot under the shed - he had to be coaxed out by John!

John is watching footie - the Arsenal game and then the Man City game - the Mighty Blades have had a shocker as normal - drawing to Exeter - what the hell is that all about???

Minnie has been very quiet this afternoon - we dont know if it is the after-effects of the worming tablet - it knocked Chivers for six when he had his the other week.  She is definitely not firing on all cylinders this evening so it will be good when the Vet has given her a check-up.

Our big night in and our walk has taken its toll and I am struggling to keep my eyes open - we will have to rely on ITV Player tomorrow to catch up on X Factor.

When Chivers met Minnie...

Today's post will be unashamedly dedicated to Chivers and Minnie's first day together...

We had kept Minnie in her box overnight and placed her in the hallway between the two bedrooms because this meant that we could be nearby if there was a problem and also it meant that Chivers couldn't duff her up when left to his own devices.  He hadn't been overly impressed with her, or us, last night and that was probably because we hadn't done the introductions properly having looked up on the tintyweb what we should have done.

Bless her, she wailed pitifully from the box but used the litter tray straight away and eventually she settled down and went to sleep.  We woke early because once she heard a noise she was wide awake and was making sure that we knew it.  John went off to make sure that Chivers was ok and that his nose hadn't been put too much out of joint and I went and took Minnie out of her cage and brought her into the bedroom for a little cuddle.  As you can see we like to have colour-coordinating cats in our household as she blends in nicely with the throw on the bed!  She is quite a different colour to Chivs as he is quite clearly a ginga and she is more beige and ash-blonde (being a girl!).

Chivers was ok and World War III was downgraded to Mexican stand-off with John desperately playing the mediator - Minnie was quite unconcerned about having walked into Chivers' domain.  He obviously found her constant whinging a bit irritating and she kept diving into his food and using his litter tray. 

The first breakthrough came with the scratching post and the pink fluff-ball.  John managed to get them both to play there at the same time without killing one another.  Minnie took a particular shine to the teddy bear that we had given Chivers and which he had quite stiffly ignored and it wasnt too long before she had found the sunshine and got her head down catching a nap.

During the course of the morning we had a phonecall from Nicky and Mark inviting us out for a Curry we explained that we would have loved to but with the two newbies alone in the house we could come back to carnage.  I offered to do a curry up here and they accepted - we arranged that they would stay overnight (although we would be kicking them out quite early as we were walking with the Saturday Group in Fiti).

I shot off down to Polis to get the ingredients I needed for the meal totally forgetting it was Ochi Day and so I ended up getting stuck in the middle of the march by the school children in Polis (typical of Cyprus - they had started before the Police had pitched up to deal with the traffic!).  For those of you who dont know...

Ochi Day (Anniversary of the "No") is celebrated throughout Greece, Cyprus and the Greek communities around the world on October 28 each year, to commemorate the Greek Prime Minister's rejection of the ultimatum made by Mussolini on October 28 1940.  This ultimatum demanded that Greece allow Axis forces to enter Greek territory and occupy certain unspecified "strategic locations" or otherwise face war. It was allegedly answered with a single word: όχι (No!) However, his actual reply was, Alors, c'est la guerre (Then it is war).  As a result of the refusal Italian troops attacked the Greek border thus ensuring Greece's participation in  World War II.  On the morning of October 28 the Greek population took to the streets, irrespective of political affiliation, shouting 'ochi'. From 1942, it was celebrated as Ochi Day.

On my return it was clear that progress had been made and that John had persevered with his negotiation and arbitration - ACAS are missing a trick I can tell you!!

The only trouble is that we are supposed to have one cat each and my lap was very much empty!!! Still the boy done good and we are fairly confident that given time and encouragement Chivs and Min would at least tolerate one another if nothing else.  Time will tell but we are hopefull - only trouble is Chivs is being a bit of a wuss and backs off quite a bit!

We had loads of visitors today.  Irene came round to check out Minnie and declared that for a stray she was in pretty good nick but needed to be checked out by the Vet for all the usual ailments - we are quite certain that she has worms judging by the amount she eats and poos and her wind is legendary - it could clear the house in five seconds.  We dont want her passing anything on to Chivers having just got him sorted and we think that after he had such a poor start in life he will be a 'delicate' cat.

Ollie came round to ask John if he would help him put up some guttering - for that read that John will do it bearing in mind Ollie's accident when last up a ladder. 

Our neighbour Gregoris was here with his family and friends as was Angela from 3B who is having her house gutted - John managed to sweet talk her into giving us her old shutters which is a bonus!

Galadia and Charalambous called in briefly to catch up and to leave us a present of some home-made soutzouko which I absolutely love - what is soutzouko?  It is a traditional Cypriot sweet where strings of almonds are dipped in grape juice time and time again so they look like candles.  It is delicious and as it is one of Mum's 'only weaknesses' I shall make sure that she gets a string.

A New Addition to Our Family...

Yet another beautiful day in downtown Droushia - we dont know if this is a bonus or the kind of weather we should be expecting for this time of year.  It doesnt take away from the fact that the evenings are really quite chilly (well compared to the day time).  We are now getting used to what the house feels like at night and the gas fire is great. 

We are thinking about putting up a curtain rail on the beam between the kitchen area and the dining room and curtaining the kitchen off at night - it will give us a smaller area to heat and make it even more cosy.  I knew I would have enough curtains if I moved some around so that we could free up the chocolate brown ones currently at the kitchen door and the 'back' door.  As a result I was lacking some tie-backs so decided that I would enjoy the beautiful early morning sunshine and get my craft stuff out and recreate the beaded tie-backs I have in the bedroom - one of my efforts is in the picture.  It is nice now because when you are outside Chivers wanders around the garden and keeps you company.

The temperature began to really climb this morning and by 10:47 it was a very very respectable 28.8 degrees in the garden.  Chivers retired to his favourite spot just inside the back door to lie in the sun and play the new game of 'which of my mice gets it?'  He seems to have shaken off whatever it was that laid him low so we are guessing that Irene was correct when she thought it was probably the worming tablet that had done it.

It has been quite a hive of activity up in the field as the Bloody Digger was joined by an even Bloodier Roller as they are trying to make good the road once again now that the water has been installed - the Digger is ok but beeps loudly when in reverse (which is much of the time) but the road roller shakes the very bones of the building - good job Mum isnt here because it would play havoc with her tinitus.  As we were going down to Paphos this afternoon we gave it a stiff ignoring and packed up what we needed.  As Chivers had rallied, John and I were going down together - I was going to play pickleball and John was going to check out rugs as we want to put a bigger one in the lounge.  After pickleball we were all going out to Tea for Two to spend the vouchers that Jackie and Costas had given Dad for his 80th Birthday.

More importantly we were going to meet the kitten that Mum and Dad had captured to decide whether he/she was coming back with us.  John was unconvinced because he was sure that Mum was telling us 'porkies' when she said that she was able to handle the kitten and handling was a prerequisite.  As you can see kitten did a complete cutie cutie flirting act (on inspection we ascertained that she was indeed a little girl) and against his better judgment John agreed to give her a trial run at ours.  If it doesnt work out then Ray and Janice have agreed to give her a home anyway so at least we know she wont end up at the pet rescue.

We had a lovely evening with Mum and Dad and enjoyed our meal at Tea for Two.  We even got to bump into Jane and her son Theo who are unexpectedly over for half term.  We packed up all our bits and pieces including the kitten and made our way home desperately trying to agree upon a name - we have decided upon Minnie - she is very vocal so Moaning Minnie, she is naughty so Minnie the Minx and she looks like a small Chivers so Minnie Me!!

Her first encounter with Chivers was very tetchy to say the least (more like World War III) so we decided to separate them overnight and pack Minnie into her box with food, water and litter tray and house her in the hallway between the bedrooms.  I will let you know how we got on...

Watching the Cat Wednesday...

As I said yesterday Chivers seems a bit out of sorts.  We think the worming tablet has upset his constitution.  He looked a bit forelorn when we were going to bed last night so we decided to take him across with us (with food and cat litter).  I should have known that it was a bad idea based on previous experiences - John just sleeps through anything - I dont!!  Chivers was very sleepy and I was worried that when he snuggled down between us that John might turn over and squash him so I moved him over to my side and then I thought he wasnt breathing (the cat not John!)  Chivs got himself very comfortable in the crook of my arm and then I couldnt move so woke up this morning in agony!  He is still a bit off but has been fairly active today and eating and drinking so hopefully whatever it is will go through his system quickly.

Just to show you that yesterday wasn't a one-off weatherwise today started equally as bright and so we opted to have breakfast outside - well make that brunch as we were going for eggs on toast - although hardly brunch as it was only 9.00am!!

Brunch was followed by me giving John a haircut - winter must have set in as it was a number two all over instead of the usual number one!

By the time the hairdressing session was over the temperature outside had shot up to over 28 degrees!  We have no idea whether this is the norm for this time of year but it is certainly very pleasant.  I was pleased that the weather was good because I was going to do my washing yesterday but of course we had no water so I didnt so it meant that I could do it today and get it dry on the line.

It is really nice now because Chivers comes outside and keeps us company when we are in the garden - he isn't very brave and likes to know where one or other of us is but there is so much to keep him occupied - everyday is a school day!!  Today he encountered one of the big moths that had been attracted to our outside light.  I guess we should have put the poor thing out of its misery but think it is all part of Chivers' learning curve - it kept him amused for ages but unfortunately the poor old moth was alive for most of it.  Chivs has his eyes on the gecko that lives under the campsis but I think he has two hopes of catching it and one of those is Bob!

Fortunately as I said we have water but we still dont have the thermostats back on the solar heating so the water has to be circulated manually and then we aren't too sure how much we have so John suggested I showered outside today - he did the kind thing and had the cold and warm water and then stepped out when the water was hot.  Just goes to show what a hardy bunch we Navy wives can be compared to a wussy ex-army warrant officer (sorry Trev!!).

Whilst John was on pool cleaning duty I took the opportunity to do some weeding - its amazing what a little bit of rain can do and what a mess the garden is looking.  So you can see my before and after shots as I tackled the worst bit which is where my washing line lives.  John reckons that I have probably just disturbed a different load of seeds and that in a couple of days it will be looking just as bad as it did previously.  He may well be right but it felt good to be outside and doing something constructive.  

After our chores were completed John and I took the opportunity to sit outside and enjoy the afternoon sunshine and Chivs came too.  I have worked out how to download books onto John's tablet so that he can use it like a Kindle.  Try as he might to get into his book Chivers had a different idea - we aren't sure why he is so fascinated by computers but we often find him sitting on the keyboard of the laptops!! 

Chivs loves to sit in the sunshine so he is really enjoying the weather at the moment.  God knows what we are going to do when it is raining - he will be as miserable as sin - well that will make two of us!!

What a Beautiful Day...

So if it isn't one set of builders waking us up it is the other and today it was both!  Worse as they are laying the water pipes in the field next door we were without water yet again. 

We started our day by breakfasting outside!!  Now that can't be bad for late October can it?  At this time of year the garden that we refer to as the 'back garden' comes into its own as it is sheltered and gets the early morning sunshine so it is the ideal spot for breakfast.  We retained some of the original plants here too so you can see two Solanum and a Bourgainvillea in the background.

On the subject of plants the photograph to the left is one of the geraniums we bought for our anniversary in July.  We bought two and they have flowered and flowered and flowered with the most vibrant shocking pinky-red flowers.  I have been dutifully deadheading and removing wilting leaves and hope that they will survive the winter and come back again next year.

We decided as the day was so beautiful that we would go down to the beach today which is quite novel for John!!  We thought we would share a sandwich at the Truckers Stop and then go along to Asprokremnos beach as it is quiet and it is easier to get into the sea there than at Latchi.

The drive down to Prodromi was absolutely fantastic - the scenery is stunning and the late summer sunshine is such a bonus. 

Karavani was quite busy and 'mama' was tickled to see us and that I was taking a photograph.  We had our usual frappe and shared a beef giros pitta and chips.  At six euros it is a real bargain!

We ate our lunch and then made our way to the beach.  There are 60-odd steps down to the beach but it is most definitely worth it because it is really beautiful when you get there and as you can see was almost deserted.  

We sat in much the same spot as we did when we went with Laura and Mark.  The backdrop of the cliffs acts as a great wind break so it was really lovely and warm down there.

So warm in fact that we both went into the sea for a swim.  It was really warm and very clear and we just feel so blessed that we have this on our doorstep and the weather to enjoy it.

We had a couple of hours on the beach - John reading his book and me sleeping - it was fab - and has to beat working anytime!

As the sun began to lose its heat we decided to pack up and do a bit of shopping and then go back home.  

We got involved in a most unusual traffic jam on the way home.  A boat was being manoeuvred into a carpark and we all had to wait whilst it was being moved across the road.

All in all a lovely day.  And BONUS we had water when we got back. 

Chivs had to have a worming tablet this morning and he seems a bit out of sorts this evening so we are all snuggled up with the fire on chilling out watching Corrie Oggie!!

Monday Monday...

Early morning wake up because the BDITFND started up at 7.30am!!!  John got up and went across to give Chivs an early morning cuddle and to tell them that it was TOO early and in fairness they did say sorry and that they would finish today.  We think they are laying the services to the building plots.  They have only just finished and it is now 6.00pm so they have put in a fair old day's work.

John's one man mission to ensure that NO BIRD ever nests in our roof ever again took a step closer to success today because he decided to tackle filling the gaps with expandable foam. 

Unfortunately it isn't an easy job because there is a large part of the roof that is only accessible from the swimming pool.  Poor John had to get very cold feet getting onto the ladder - not something I was going to offer to do!!

John managed to fill all the holes so once the foam is hardened John is going to go back up the ladder and cut off the excess and then spray it black so it isn't quite so noticeable.  The birds seem very confused now but there are plenty of other places for them to nest.

More maintenance work followed as we needed to do some running repairs in the 'downstairs' toilet - the heat had caused glue to dry out and some of the tongue and grove had 'popped' out so John had to re-glue and brace the offending areas!!  It is one of the jobs that we wanted to get done before Hilary comes and visits.  Hopefully this time it will do the trick otherwise I can see that it will all have to be ripped off and start again!!

John had a bit of a panic attack when he went to read the electricity meter because all of a sudden our electric consumption seems to have gone up and we havent had anything extra on the last few days.  However, we realised that we can hear the impeller pump on the Solar Heating system running all the time and apparently this is wrong and it should only work when there is a differential between the water in the panels and the water in the tank.

John rang Savvas who was sceptical about it but agreed to send the electrician who originally set the system up.  He duly arrived and after some investigation removed the two thermostats (indoor and outdoor) and agreed that there was a 'problema' and that they needed to go back to Paphos for testing.  It is a bit of a bugger but John was pleased that he had been correct in his diagnosis and hopefully that will explain away the electric consumption and the fact that I thought that the water was not as hot as it had been.

Aunty Irene came round today to check on Chivers and to have a cuddle without dragging him off to the vets like she usually does.  She also brought round a diary of all his treatments and a worming tablet which he needs to have tomorrow.  We decided to weigh him whilst she was here.  He had weighed 1250 grams on Friday when John took him for his injection and on my scales today he weighed 1400 grams so he is putting on weight quite well.  We need to keep an eye on his ears (I know that sounds Irish!!) because they were filthy when we first caught him. 

John and I nipped down to Polis to get some shopping in and stopped off at the Truckers stop to have a frappe and to share a pitta.  It was a very pleasant 25 degrees although a little overcast and that was at about 4.00pm.

On our return Chivs was desperate to go outside and play and for the sake of my curtains that probably isn't a bad idea!!  He now has a mad hour or so in the morning and again in the afternoon and then he is exhausted!!!

We have given him the tree stump in the garden as his play centre and scratching post.  It was going to be removed but it seems better that he batters the hell out of it rather than my furniture!

Sporting Sunday...

John has had a day of sport today starting with the Rugby World Cup!  We are currently watching our third premier league football game of the day and, it being Sunday, we have had it confirmed that there is a God as Man U were thumped 6-1 by Man City!!

Mum has been trying her hardest to persuade us to take on the kitten that appeared at their house yesterday - apparently it is a real cutie and is going in and out of the cat basket.  John says that unless it can be handled then the answer is still very firmly NOOOOOOO.

It was a really lovely day again today and I guess every day like this is a bonus now that we are heading towards November and I know I keep saying it but it is a shame that we didnt have settled days like this when Mark and Laura were with us.  Today at lunchtime it was just under 30 degrees outside in the back garden and it was like the nicest of English Summer days.

So this morning the job I was given was to paint the ladder which goes up onto the roof terrace to stop it rusting. 

I was having a bad hair day as I wasnt showering until I had finished the painting and with our hot water heated by the sun then it is better to shower later in the day rather than put on the immersion heater which costs a fortune!  As usual John and I had a barney about the job I was doing - so I told him to bugger off and leave me to it!

Chivers is now getting much braver and asking to go outside but he only really likes to go out somewhere where he can sit in the sunshine and he likes to keep either John or I on his radar.  He particularly likes the spot outside the backdoor and the draught excluder which comes in for a bit of a battering but that is better than him clawing on the furniture.  The kitten Mum wants us to take on looks very much like him but we are very concerned about introducing anything to upset him as he has become such a big part of our lives and he has only just about recovered from all the illnesses he had when we originally found him.

On the subject of showering John is still showering outside when the weather has been nice.  October 24 and still showering al fresco - now that cant be bad - these photos are for Trevor to prove just how hardy an old Fleet Air Armer can be!!!  

Having finished the jobs, watched Man U get a cuffing and brought Chivs back inside we took a walk down into the village as we havent done this for ages.  En route we scrumped some lovely looking figs (σύκα which I think is pronounced sika) which we are going to bake at some point for pudding - only trouble is that we rarely have puddings nowadays! 

We stopped to have a drink at Cristos's taverna and had a couple of beers which were accompanied by salted nuts and then some fresh pomegranate (ρόδι which I think is pronounced rothi) - we were going to stay out longer but I had a real weary coming on and I think it is the start of a cold so we decided to go back home.

I decided to cuddle up on the sofa as apparently did Chivers so we looked like a couple of bookends wrapped up in our 'blinkies'!!

I feel a bit better now and we are snuggled up having had tea about to watch the X Factor results - we think Frankie should be the one to go - he needs to sort out that mullet that is on his head for starters.