A Trip Down to Paphos...

Chivers is in disgrace today because he has lost yet another collar and magnet - he is going to end up costing us a fortune at this rate.  He is such a thicko that he just head butts his way through the cat-flap even though he isn't wearing his collar with the magnet that allows access.

His punishment is that he is now sporting a very girlie turquoise collar with flowers which no self respecting ginger Tom would ever want to be associated with but then beggars can't be choosers and these were cheap off of the internet because at this rate he is going to be spending my pension all on his own.

In fact both cats have ended up in disgrace today because we have discovered that they have been using the shingle that is under the table in the Gazebo as the world's biggest cat litter - they had found a nice dry area as we had covered up the table and chairs for the winter and by the looks of things they found it some time ago.  John does not 'do' poo so it was my job to try and sort it out and if we are ever going to sit under the gazebo and eat again we are going to have to encourage the little buggers to go elsewhere.  I laughed my socks off when Chivers started to squat in the area and John picked him up to take him to the place we have designated for them and he pee'd all the way there (Chivers that is not John).  If anyone has any suggestions please let me have them.  I have cleared the area, and put down lots of citrus fruit as apparently cats hate citrus - I have also flooded the area with lemon scented washing up liquid.

We were going down to Paphos today as we had a million and one things we needed to do which we cannot get done in Polis.  It was, however, one of those days that starts badly (Chivers losing his collar) and then deteriorates.  

We went off in search of the shoe mender in Droushia as Mum has some shoes she wants re-heeled - we thought we knew where it was but we couldn't find the sign.  We found the local donkey who we can sometimes hear in the garden and eventually found the shoe-menders (the sign had been taken into the garden) but I was unable to make anyone hear me so the shoes will have to wait until either someone is at home or we go to Polis where we know there is another shoe mender.

We took the back road out of the village following some sort of buzzard who flew just far enough away not to be able to take a decent photograph!  As the sun started to break through the rain clouds it all started to look very pretty - lush green fields all round and Kathikas in the distance highlighted on the horizon.  It was, however, just a tiny break in the clouds as there was more rain, hail and thunder to follow as the day went on.

We had a number of things that we needed from the One Stop DIY shop on the Polis Road and while I was waiting for John I was tickled to watch the decorators in the Vets next door - Health and Safety means nothing out here in Cyprus - hence the guy balancing precariously on scaffolding!

We managed to get the roofing material for the wood-store and some insulation for the downstairs toilet but the fire-blankets were extortionate so I will get one from the internet.  

We called in on the place where we got our double-glazing done to ask them to come up and give us a quote for turning the space between the two buildings into a proper conservatory - once we had got through all the explanations that George had retired we were surprised when they said that they were going to be in Kathikas in the afternoon so would come to us next.  This meant that our lunch with Mum and Dad was cut slightly short as we needed to be home in good time.

Mum and Dad had a complete nightmare after the storm earlier in the week losing both of their TV Digi-boxes which means that their access to TV was severely limited in the interim.  We have, therefore, set up Dad's laptop with internet TV so that they have a choice as to where they access their viewing.  I think Dad has got it sussed - time will tell!

We got back home in sunshine and decided that we should put the roofing material on the wood store whilst it was dry.  This was not without incident as I managed to tear most of the skin off of my little finger just as it began to rain and the guys pitched up to have a look at the work we want done.  John was pumping out the pool and forgot so I had no idea what to turn off - so I turned off EVERYTHING - but better that than not!!

Anyway to cut a long story short - it has been one of those rather fraught days when tempers get a little frayed and jobs that should take two minutes don't and the weather is against us.

We are now sat down in the warm - the log burner is bouncing and we have had a lovely tea - the remainder of the pulled pork made into a sort of curry with jacket potato and peas and I have baked a fresh orange cake for pudding to make amends to John for being such an incompetent Part Four at times.

As Dad would say...

...No shipwrecks!