Visitors...

It was a bright day again today but the wind had a keen side to it which meant that you really needed to be in a sheltered spot up here today to feel comfortable.  Not that we knew that very early on mind you as we were on Sunday slobbing routine which meant coffee in bed with the kids...

How snuggly do we look???  John took the photograph through the bedroom window which the cats use for their access and egress.  From my view point he looked like he was standing outside naked but I can confirm that he did have some underwear on just in case there was anyone around - just as well, it being Sunday he was likely to end up being shot or scare Elena half to death as she learns to drive Galadia's truck up and down the new road!

We had taken our slobbing across to the lounge and John was having a cuddle with duffer-boy who is a right old softy when Mum phoned to see if Villa 10b was open for coffee as they had decided to take advantage of the lovely weather and go out for a drive.  

I had just put the phone down from them when it rang again and this time it was Jane and John asking if they could call in this afternoon with Brian and Lynn as they were lunching up in Latchi and wanted to show Brian and Lynn where we live.  Jane and John are friends from Keinton Mandeville and who had, some time ago, stayed at 10b during its letting days.  We grabbed a quick shower and even though is was mid morning the solar panels had done their stuff so the water was reasonably hot and then we did a hasty tidy up as we wanted our visitors to see the place looking better if not at its best.

The last few days of sunshine has seen the amount of snow on the Troodos diminish but Dad said that Jane and John went up earlier in the week and there are still vehicles buried in the drifts - seems hard to imagine!  The forecast looks like this fine weather is going to break on Tuesday.

Mum and Dad arrived and we managed to have coffee outside - I know it looks like I have sat them in amongst the bins but it is the most sheltered spot and the place where we get the most sunshine!  The bins are actually our pool pump-house and pool store.  Mum brought us up some fresh strawberries as a treat which was lovely of her - I remember buying her some last year and I know how expensive they were then so we are really looking forward to sampling them later with a little bit of ice-cream!  Mum and Dad stayed for an hour or so and then left to go home for some lunch leaving us to await the arrival of Jane and Co.

We weren't exactly sure what time they were coming which caused John some angst as it was the Steel City Derby today (Owls v Blades) and should, in his opinion, be sacrosanct.  Even though it was such a crucial game it was not being televised or streamed anywhere and we struggled to find the commentary.  Poor John should know better - whenever we watch the Blades or listen to a game they never win and today was no exception - his allegiance is sorely tested.  Anyway we had expected our visitors around three-ish which would have coincided with the kick off but they didn't arrive.  In fact we put ourselves through the hell of listening to the whole game and wondered if they had been unable to find us before deciding to pack up all the outside furniture to protect it from the inevitable condensation that will form overnight.  We had no sooner done that than we heard a tinkling at the doorbell and our visitors arrived.  They had been to Faros for lunch and bumped into Trish and Alan and so ended up staying longer than they had anticipated.  It didn't make any difference to us, in fact from the footie point of view it was actually better and when they arrive it had started to cool down considerably so the fire was welcome and warming.

Jane and John are pictured here on the right.  John, I must apologise as I only took the one photograph of you two and it really isn't the most flattering one of you as I managed to get you with your eyes closed looking like you had had more than one glass of vino at lunchtime!  Jane and John are out here for a month so we will be seeing them again and I will ensure that the next picture I take of them is a better one - probably next Sunday when it is Jane's birthday and we are all out celebrating at Duomo and then again the following week when it is my birthday and we will be together again celebrating at Voukani!

On the left is Jane's cousin Brian and his wife Lynn who are only out for a week but it is their third visit so they slot into holiday mode pretty quickly.  It sounds like they have an action packed few days ahead of them which includes a visit to the North.  

I expect when they were down on the coast at mid-day shorts and sandals were ok but up here in the early evening not quite such a good idea so it made it quite hard for them to drag themselves away from the fire and back out into the cold to make the journey down to Emba.

Just as they were leaving we had a phone call from our neighbours George and Pam who have a holiday home next door but one and who live in London.  It was lovely to hear from them although they have had a pretty torrid time of things recently as George's niece passed away around Christmas time.  George has still not retired but has taken steps towards it and is going into hospital in March for an operation on his leg so they wont be out at Easter but are coming for six weeks in the summer so it will be lovely to see them then.

Wood you believe it...

We got up early and slipped away from Mum and Dad's so that we could get back home, make sure everything was ok and feed the kids.  We were also having our neighbours Sharon and Sean around for dinner this evening so I needed to get my act together.

We worry about the cats but I ask you does Minnie Mou look bothered about the fact she was left home alone last night?  Not on your life - once she has wormed her way into our bedroom and snuggled down onto the duvet she doesn't give two hoots!  Still we much prefer it when they are both around the house or garden somewhere or another, because there seems to be a lot more shooting going on at the moment and that is a bit worrying.  She did make me laugh today because she got up and ventured out having a nosey in a bag of rubbish which was waiting to go into the bin and managed to attach herself to a Coke can!  I didn't manage to get a photograph because I was too busy trying to catch her and remove the offending can which was almost as big as she is and was impeding her movement!

Both John and I seemed to be suffering just a tad from our night out - god we are by no means pub fit I can tell you!  So what is the best remedy for a baggy head - bacon butties that's what and that's what we tucked into this morning before facing the rigours of the day.

We were just sitting down and chilling with the sunshine streaming in through the kitchen door when we had a text message from Sean to see if we would like to share a load of wood which he was getting from Dimitri down the hill.  Although we only had a load delivered yesterday we are keen to stock up so that we have enough to see us through this winter and into the next.

Dimitri and his son came up with the delivery of wood in their twin cab and made a valiant attempt to start Sean's car which has been sitting untouched for about a year.  

They tried but failed but as Sean pointed out a week's car hire was less than a new battery so until he wants to use the car for a prolonged period of time he is going to leave it as it is and with it parked outside their villa it does make it look like someone is home.  Anyway I applaud his optimism  that it just needs a new battery - it looked and sounded pretty terminal to me!

I am not very good at judging amounts, distances or weight so this load of wood looked quite small to me although each individual piece was a fair old size - it was a mixed load so there was a bit of all sorts.  Anyway the rate that John likes to stoke the burner to nuclear levels the more wood we have the better.  Sean and John decided to split some of it and store the remainder until it is required.  It was typical of Sharon that she would appear with a blingy gold wood splitter!  You can see by the size of the one that Sean is tackling that once split there was a lot of wood there.  Sharon shuttled about four wheelbarrow loads up to our house valiantly doing the first lot with a flat tyre on the wheelbarrow.  I piled it all into the woodstore and was amazed when John said that we had only had about two-thirds of our share and we would take the remainder at a later date.  At the moment we have no more room to store any so at least we shouldn't go cold for the foreseeable future!

Having dealt with the wood delivery I need to get cracking on the meal for tonight and my thoughts turned to Laura.  Not because she and Mark are moving out of married quarters into their new house this weekend but because I spent quite some time dutifully removing the 'poo sacks' from prawns!  Like Laura, Sharon does not eat meat and like Laura, Sharon does not like to find the intestinal tract of a prawn adding to the flavour of her meal!

Vix, you will recognise the hoodie that you brought out for me.  I have to have it surgically removed as it is warm and fluffy and when the sun has gone down or if we have had all the doors open in the house it does still get pretty chilly.

Anyway back to the dinner I was preparing, we were having mum's grapefruit with yoghurt and mint dressing starter followed by my lemon chilli garlic prawns and noodles and finishing with my apple and yoghurt cake with cinnamon swirl served with Lidl bourbon vanilla ice-cream.

As you can imagine John wanted to show off the wood burner and chose the biggest log you can imagine to 'keep us going' whilst we watched the England v Wales rugby (hence the shirts).  Poor Sean got the hot seat right next to the fire and was threatening to go home and change into his pants and vest!  Not on an empty stomach surely!  The rugby was pants so we decided to drown our sorrows (not Sharon as she doesn't drink), eat our meal and then recommence the men v ladies Droushia Cribbage championship.  The men had a very very very lucky win when a slightly socially confused Sean declared he needed a 24 hand and bloody well got it - whether he could count it or not is a different matter but having been about to pull stumps they then snatched victory from the jaws of defeat - spawny gits!

Happy Birthday Raymondo...

NEW RECIPES HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE FOOD DIARY PAGE!!

Another beautiful day in Droushia - slightly more cloud than yesterday but beautiful all the same.  

I forgot to put on the blog the beautiful Thank You card that Vicki left for us after her stay.  Her cards are so professional.  I may have to dismantle it and recycle it at some point so I will apologise now if any of you readers receive it in a different guise but will take no credit for it myself - that would be wrong!

We have adopted Mum and Dad's 'privy purse' routine when we have visitors as it helps with the cost of food, petrol, eating out etc and dispenses with the arguments as to who is paying for what, one purse, one pot, equal shares!  As I had done a mega cook-fest in preparation for Vicki's stay her privy money has actually helped us to pay for another load of wood.  We were expecting it earlier in the week but Charis's chainsaw was broken - this must be a common problem this time of the year as John's has gone back to be looked at because it kept conking out.

We got the call from Charis first thing to say he was coming this morning - he brought with him a load of well seasoned Lemon which looks great and which he says is a good slow burning wood - well he is hardly going to say it will go up in a puff of smoke is he!  It has filled the wood-store and appears to be a larger quantity and better quality than the last lot which as you know contained a lot of unwelcome wildlife and was full of holes and slightly damp.  As Charis said with the wood full of holes you get to burn a lot of fresh air.  He seemed a very genial and honest guy so I expect we will be using him again and soon as apparently there is a shortage of wood on the island - more wood burners and colder winters can't help.  Must thank Simon for giving us Charis's number.

We have completely cleared the gap between the two buildings in readiness for the conservatory to be built - it has confused the hell out of the cats who keep wandering in looking for the sofa to snooze on.  Unfortunately the weather forecast for next week is not that great and the guys are due to start on Tuesday when rain is forecast - still it might change you never know.

Vicki had brought out a couple of toys for the cats which had been hanging from the shutter knob on the bedroom window but John has moved them and they are now hanging from the olive tree in T&V corner which is a favourite play area for Chivs and MM.  

It didn't take long before Chivs found them and he was soon to be seen dashing up and down the trunk beating the hell out of the black spider - bits of which are all over the garden now - it is looking quite bedraggled and is only sporting six legs!

There is, however, nothing quite like the real thing when it comes to play or pray for that matter and Chivers appeared with his second mouse - this time a dead one.  In fact it looks pretty much like the one he had yesterday (but I guess all field mice look the same) which probably died from the shock of being battered by his big old boxing glove paws.  John had to encourage him to let go of it, which he eventually did but by this time Minnie Mou had become interested and grabbed it and ran off.  John was busy shouting not to let her indoors but with it being a nice day all our doors were open and I managed to shut them, all but the back door - so where did she head for?  Yep you guessed it the back door and into the house proudly carrying her new toy - we don't mind them catching mice but we dont want them in the house dead or alive, nor do we want lizards, geckos or snakes for that matter but somehow I think we will be getting little presents brought to us as time goes on.

Anyway as I said in my Weather post it was such a nice day that I got completely carried away forgetting it would be a damn sight cooler come the evening so as we got ready to go down to Emba to celebrate Raymondo's birthday I wore short sleeves!  I did take a coat and scarf but you cant really sit in a restaurant in  a coat and scarf throughout the meal can you!

The island is just so beautiful this time of year when the sun is shining as everything looks so green and lush.  Its hard to imagine that in just a few short months it will look like a cross between the desert and the moon!  Just at the moment though there is an air of anticipation of the long hot summer that is to come with balmy evenings, barbecues, trips to the coast and meeting up with friends from the UK albeit briefly.  Fortunately our visitors are all well spaced out (not in the head obviously - calendar-wise!) so we have different people to meet and greet between now and September.

Returning to the theme of this post - Happy Birthday Raymondo - it was indeed Ray's birthday today and we were joining him, wife Janice, Mum and Dad for a meal at Gustoso which is along the Tomb of the Kings Road.  I needn't have worried about my short sleeves as they have some fantastic and attractive gas fires and I was sat right next to one - I had jokingly said to Ray that I had been booked as his strip-o-gram (NOT) but as the evening went on and the fire got warmer and warmer I was in danger of actually making this a reality - thank God I had matching underwear on!

We had a lovely evening and returned to Chez Burgess for a nightcap or two or three.  Mum and Dad did the sensible thing and retired at a respectable hour before Raymondo got out his vinyl (old fashioned Music - nothing kinky) and we ended up dancing into the wee small hours in Lakoudia Street. 

Days like today remind us why we live where we do...

John woke at some ridiculously early hour this morning and got up - it registered JUST but I snuggled down - it is the best part of the day - just before the builders start!  I was joined by Chivers who leapt in through the windows and sat right on my chest (not easy granted) and fell sound asleep so my excuse was that I was pinned to the bed and couldn't get up!  The builders did not disappoint starting at about 7.15am but by then I was coming to so it didn't really bother me.  Although the sky was cloudy you could just tell that once the sun had burned off the cloud it was going to be a cracking day Gromit!

We were joined for coffee by our neighbours Sharon and Sean who arrived last night and borrowed a bottle of wine before sleeping in the lounge next to their wood burner - it has been quite a while since they were over last so it will take a while for their house to warm up!  No photographs as they were waiting for the water to heat up and have a shower - bad hair days all round they said but I thought they looked fine if not a bit tired but they had a long old day yesterday.  It is nice to have them around again and hopefully they are coming for a meal on Saturday if they don't get a better offer!  The Droushia Cribbage Championship can recommence - I seem to recollect that we girlies are in front!!!

Avid followers will be excited to learn that SF (Site Foreman) is back on the scene - boy we have missed him!  Dad came up today to help John get the space ready for the new conservatory.  It is strange to see the pergola and doors being dismantled - I have got so used to that space.  It is also very encouraging to learn from Sean (who is in the double glazing trade) that the price we have been quoted is very very reasonable. It was also encouraging to hear from Dad that the weather up here in Droushia was better than he had left in Paphos - that is a rare thing indeed!

He wasn't wrong about the weather because you can see the weather station showed a temperature in excess of 27 degrees midway through the morning! 

What a difference a week can make but I have heard that next week is back to wet and windy so I am not going to gloat too much.  I cant believe the humidity level in the house either - down to under 30 degrees which is fantastic and means that we don't need to use the dehumidifier during the day which is a bonus.

A sure sign that the weather is improving is the proliferation of wildlife that has come out of hibernation.  This little fella (which was only about an inch or so long) was one of a pair that emerged from the wood that John was removing from the pergola.  They are like tiny little dinosaurs and absolutely fascinating but dont stick around too long to have their photograph taken!

It is lovely to see them as we know for certain that spring/summer is just round the corner and it will only be a matter of time before we are moaning about how hot it is outside - we have our fingers crossed that the weather will be kind to Laura when she arrives at the end of March and talking of Laura (and Mark) we wish them well for this weekend when they finally move out of married quarters and into their lovely new house.

One of my jobs today was to try and get Dad's driving licence sorted, the form is only issued in Greek but I had managed to find a translation on the internet, Dad had tried to print it but without success.  He also needed a passport size photograph.  The only trouble was that today it was very bright and sunny and Dad's photo chromic lenses kept going black!  Eventually they calmed down enough to take a snap - Dad looks like Prisoner Number 6!!!  

I offered to run it through my airbrushing software to iron out the wrinkles!  I think he must have had a rather severe haircut recently - obviously wanted to get value for money and not have it done again for a while!  Still you have to admit he ain't looking bad for an eighty year old!

Chivers had a coming of age today as he caught his very first rodent - a tiny little mouse - John managed to rescue it from his boxing glove paws and set it free in next door's garden in the hopes that it escaped to live another day rather than die of shock.  We just know that we are going to be greeted by some dead or half dead wildlife as time goes by.  Sean and Sharon were well impressed with the way that Chivs has developed as the last time they saw him he was only just recovering from cat flu and boy that feels like a lifetime away.

It must have been warm at ours because as I was leaving to go down to Paphos and play pickleball in Paphos I left Dad and John eating lunch outside in the front garden.  I persuaded Dad to take his hat off - nice that he had it on to stop getting sun burnt rather than because it was so bloody cold up here!  I am trying to persuade John to do something with this space which gets the bulk of the sun all day - after all we have some glass doors that need using now that we have taken them down from the conservatory!!  I mean to say that a man of his calibre should be able to come up with something surely???

I left mid morning to go on down to Paphos to play pickle-ball  and John and Dad followed on later.  It has been such a beautiful day that tourists staying at the Imperial Beach were out lying in the sun in bathing costumes!  There were only four of us for PB today.  It makes for a right good old workout as we get little respite between games but standing on the court today in balmy temperatures in the 20s with the sun sparkling on the blue Mediterranean sea we are reminded just why we have chosen to live here and reflect on how lucky we are.  The cold wet and windy weather is now a distant memory!

We are back from Paphos - I have had my hair scalped courtesy of Rosie (Mum's neighbour).  

Just want to say Happy Birthday to John's Mum and our nephew Michael and also get well soon to my god father Terry (Mum's little brother) - our love and thoughts are with you all xxxx

John gets Stressy...

Retirement is supposed to be about chilling and calm isn't it?  In the main that is what we achieve but where the cats are concerned they are constantly causing us angst.  Thank God we didn't have children - that's what I say! Today Minnie Mou decided to follow John into the shed and get under his feet when he was carrying a load of tools.  As a result a pot containing white spirit got knocked over covering MM.  She managed to evade me as I tried to shut the kitchen door to trap her in the house and so John shouted at me, I shouted at him, we both shouted at each other.  I had consulted the internet and as you know a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing as the posts ranged from don't worry to this could be lethal.  As you can imagine panic set in as we tried to corner her and wash her off and encourage her to drink some milk.   She shot off and John managed to corner her in the garden next door and drench her with water from the swimming pool - we then had to try and towel her off but she can be like a greased pig when she wants to be.  She acted quite strangely for a while and we were very concerned - we had hoped she would settle down on our bed like she usually does then we could keep an eye on her but she wouldn't - she disappeared over the fence and didn't come back for hours.

She has been home now for a while, and is probably none the worse for her experience, Chivers is busy cleaning her as her fur is looking a little clumpy and he will probably be ill now as he is a martyr to his bowels!

We keep sniffing Minnie Mou to see whether or not the smell of white spirit has gone and we think so - we will be keeping an eye on them both for mouth ulcers or any other signs of anything untoward.

This is all very unfortunate as MM had started to become much more of a lap cat since her operation - just take a look at her relaxing on John last night! and now she is being wary with us again.  Not helped by the fact that we also had to squirt her ears with the gloopy stuff again today - poor little bugger she has really gone through the mill today.  Good job they have short memories cats and their hearts are ruled by their stomachs.  We have no more wet food left after today as they have both been treated to the max - let's hope tomorrow is uneventful for them at least until I have time to top up the wet food store!

Anyway in amongst all the trauma of this morning I was getting ready to go to Sheila's for my art lesson and lunch (courtesy of husband Klaus).  Sheila is a brilliant artist who uses the medium of pastel pencils and had asked me if I would like to have a go.  In fact she kindly invited Vicki as well but as you know Vix has now returned to Odcombe.  John was staying at home dismantling the temporary conservatory in readiness for the permanent one which is being constructed next week.  By the time I was due to leave we were fairly sure that MM was ok-ish or at least well enough not to have to be rushed to the vets.

It was warm but overcast today (and remained that way all day) so I decided to walk to Sheila's - although she lives fairly close by there is no direct route so it means I get to walk through the village and can call into the post on my way.

I came under scrutiny as I walked past Marion and Chris's house as one of their cats was playing in the long grass which is everywhere at the moment and makes the countryside look so green and lush except for the trees of course and they are taking their time to spring into life.

It is hard to believe that these skeletons will be full to burst with figs in the late summer.  There is a little blossom about which I think is on the Almond trees although I don't actually remember seeing any almond nuts on them when we walked passed last year.

Downtown Droushia during the day is a hive of activity - not - I am guessing that most of the working men are out in the fields somewhere particularly as now they are busy cutting back the vines in readiness for the new season - that is if the rain water has subsided sufficiently.  I saw the guy that cleans our streets and the lady who we irreverently refer to as Dick Emery - ooh you are awful but I like you! and the lady in front of me heading for the post office cum WI cum local creche but that was it today!

No post for us today - it looks like Kaye's Christmas parcel is destined never to arrive now and is probably lost somewhere in Athens - as it contained name tags for the cats and as they continuously lose their collars then it will be no great loss to them!

The venue for my art class was Klaus and Sheila's lovely home - lovely warm home - they have central heating!!!  Their beautiful bungalow is situated across the road from the cemetery so their neighbours are very quiet and I like to think they are watched over by a host of Angels!

It is hard to imagine their home as the wreck they found it because now it is a light, airy and comfortable home filled with all sorts of interesting art and ornaments many of which evoke memories of their lives in Africa.  They are a fascinating couple and Klaus is a wonderful cook!

So here is a picture of my lovely teacher Sheila who has the patience of a saint and was most encouraging in my endeavours to create a picture of an apple in pastels.  After three hours this is what I had accomplished and I have to say I a pretty chuffed with how is looks so far and I cant wait to return next week to complete it.  Sheila has suggested that in due course I tackle something in sepia which I am quite keen to do and wonder if the photograph I took of Minnie-Mou might be a reasonable subject - I shall have to ask her - it would be nice to do one of each of the moggies to replace the pictures of the Charles Bridge that we brought back from Prague and which have begun to fade in the sunshine.

I had a wonderful lunch of prawn pasta with a fragrant salad which was wonderful and gave me an idea for a meal for when Laura is over as I know she loves prawns.  I may have to ask Klaus for the recipe!  Sheila very kindly gave me a lift home and came to see what we were doing with the villa - hopefully if the conservatory goes to plan we can craft together in the warm and light it will provide.

I had put the money that Vix had given us towards her stay to one side to pay for a load of logs as we are running short.  They were supposed to be delivered today but unfortunately the guy didn't turn up so we will have to get them from somewhere else.

Dad is coming tomorrow to help John with getting ready for the conservatory - I am pickleballing, John is not.  Our friends from up the road, Sharon and Sean, have arrived this evening - thank God John managed to get their dodgy door lock sorted or else it would be a nightmare for them trying to get to bed!  I expect we shall see them tomorrow.

It's Official - I am in TROUBLE...

I had a text this afternoon from Galadia who had just read my blog and she says I was right when I said that she would kill me for going to Nicosia without letting her know.  It was a miracle that we didn't bump into her because she goes to the gym in the Hilton every day - she may even have been in there when Trev was working out.  I have solemnly promised - cross my heart and hope to die - that when we see them next we will arrange a day when we will go to Nicosia and see them, we really do want to and it will be easier to do so when we have nothing else planned and the Israeli Prime Minister is not in town!  I will be doing some serious grovelling this weekend.

So back to today then...

We woke early this morning after a brilliant night's sleep and were greeted by sunshine and lots of it and it was actually warm even at 7.30am when I took the opportunity to chill in T&V corner before shoving in another load of washing - it's those pegs from Ikea - I just can't wait to use them again!  We are hoping, as Sharon and Sean arrive tomorrow for a week, that this weather will last for them because it wasn't very good last time they were here if I remember rightly.

We were having a day of DIY today - poor John still has a list as long as your arm of things we want to get done - some of which are more urgent than others and we have had a phone call from the aluminium people today to say they are ready to do the conservatory next week so we know what we are up against.  However John's priority for today was to get the extractor fan vented to the outside in our bid to win the battle against condensation.

I have had the feeling of deja vu today looking at the kitchen cleared and ready to go.  Never underestimate how much dust and mess one small hole for a pipe going through the wall can make - or how long it can take to make and make the correct size.  Still John managed to get it done and tonight I have had the opportunity to test it out.  

It works brilliantly and now all the steam generated from pans on the hob is directed up into the extractor and out into the garden - this must help with reducing condensation surely!

My kitchen is now back to normal and has benefited from a deep clean!  My collection of preserves is multiplying and I could put them in a cupboard but they look so colourful and inviting!  

I am looking forward to the kumquats in brandy - I think they will probably go very nicely with some natural yoghurt or vanilla ice-cream!

On the subject of food I have tonight made an apple and yoghurt cake with cinnamon swirl - mine is still in the oven so I cant take a photograph but I am hoping that it comes out looking something like the picture as I am planning to take some with me tomorrow when I go to Sheila and Klaus's for my pastel drawing lesson.  My subject matter is going to be apples - strangely that was the first thing I painted in my water colour classes years and years ago and which hang majestically in the kitchen of Hilary and Keith in Cookham!

Our little lovelies continue to provide us with hours of entertainment - they have both now mastered the art of getting onto the roof (and back down again) and then onto the conservatory where they watch the birds nesting in the house behind us.  

Today I was trying to make an insulated jacket for our hot water tank using an old blanket and some of the rockwall sheets and Chivs and MM thought I had made them a big old bed which must have been so cosy and warm!  They can be such a pain but we wouldn't be without them and MM has become much more cuddly and loving since her little op.

One last picture just to prove what a lovely day it has been today - a day for getting jobs done and washing done and ironed and cakes made!

Cat Checkup Day...

Today we were due to take Minnie Mou down to the vets to check her out after her operation and also to make sure that we have finally got to grips with the deep mite infection she has in her ears.

Neither of the cats like going to the vets but she is generally fairly stoic about it all and settles down with just a few pitiful mews now and again unlike Chivs who suddenly becomes some sort of whirling dervish performing somersaults inside the basket yowling at the top of his voice.  As a result we have to get the basket down and act like members of the SAS in our endeavours to capture one or other of them and get them into the basket with as little stress as possible.

It was yet another beautiful day and Minnie took it upon herself to do some top exploring - little bugger must have known that we needed her to be around in time to get her to the vets for 10.45am in Peyia.  For the first time ever I saw her up on the top of my shed and then seconds later she had jumped all the way down in pursuit of a leaf - her absolutely most favourite toy in the world EVER.

John was concerned that she might go on a full scale wander which she tends to do at night and then we were going to be buggered so he went off in search of her with a bag of cat treats in hand.  Bribery and Corruption?  you bet your life when a visit to the vets is required.

In the midst of all this we had a panic phone call from Irene who was up at Sharon and Sean's and was unable to open the kitchen door.  Sharon and Sean arrive on Wednesday so what a time for this to happen.  John went to have a quick look and promised to go back after we had been to the vets.

Anyway back to the cats and the Bribery and Corruption finally worked but only once John had climbed up onto the roof terrace to find the kids!  

It was such a lovely morning that the view from the terrace was stunning - the pool looks almost good enough to go into except for the fact that it is still under 50 degrees and that is bloody freezing!  We didn't really have time to sit and take in the vista because having captured the Minnie Mou we couldn't afford to let her go again!

We got her in the basket and she was as good as gold barely making a sound all the way down to the vets and back.  Dr Inna has declared that she is fine - the little lump around her scar is just scar tissue and eventually the ear gunk seems to be doing its stuff - although she has very selective hearing.  She was none too impressed when Dr Inna shoved some great long contraption down her throat to administer a worming tablet and has had the hump with us for the remainder of the day - not even a bowl of her favourite wet food as a treat has brought her round completely.  She had a great way of making us feel very guilty indeed!

On our return home John went round to Sharon and Sean's to sort out the door which he managed but came home minus most of his thumb nail - ooooouch that must have really hurt.

I have been most excited with my Ikea purchase - I know that most people go and buy some of the lovely furniture or the goodies that are in market place but I bought... Clothes Pegs!!!  The sun reeks havoc with all things plastic and so you really need some good heavy duty pegs and I have struggled to find any so I was well excited when I came across these in Ikea.  Another day good enough to hang washing out has meant that I could get them out and use them.  I know - little things please little minds!

I had a phone call this morning from Pam (the lady I have leant my black dress to) as she had a load of kumquats for me so on our return from the vets we decided to go down to Prodromi and pick them up and then get a few bits from the supermarket.

The traffic on the way down into town was awful - only joking!!  John so wants to get a rotavator like this one which we doing down the road past our back door everyday with Father in front and Mother in the back - they are probably some of the richest people in Droushia (or maybe Inea) as they seem to have land all over the place!

We picked up the kumquats and I have got them preserved already - one lot in brandy and the other in salt and I have also made some grapefruit marmalade with some fruit I bought in Paps for 30-odd cents!  I have a glut of natural yoghurt as we didn't eat any whilst Vix was here so I am planning to make an apple and yoghurt cake later today or tomorrow.

This afternoon we went on another hunt for Minnie Mou's collar and the cats decided to come too which was so funny as they trotted on behind us!  We still haven't found Moosers collar - I think that one is going to evade us.