Retail Therapy for the Girls...

Today Laura and I were having a day of retail therapy visiting Jumbo's in Limassol.  We started out from Droushia in glorious sunshine and called in via Mum and Dad's for coffee and to pick up a fuse for my microwave as I had managed to 'blow the bloody door off' in an uncanny reenactment of the Italian Job when trying to boil a couple of eggs which exploded in spite of me having pierced them.  I cannot live without my combi microwave and I know that they are an arm and a leg job over here so having looked up the symptoms on the tintyweb I am hopeful that it is the fuse that has blown and not the magnetron which could be costly.  Fingers crossed then that John can fix it and if he can he will forever be my hero.

We took the old coast road out from Paphos so that Laura could see Petrou Tou Romio or the birthplace of Aphrodite.

It is one of those views that I just never tire of and today in particular it looked fantastic as it was such a beautiful morning and after all the stormy weather we have had the sea bed makes the sea all sorts of shades of blue.  Here is Laura looking a total tourist!  Still I know how much she hates having her photograph taken so I am grateful that she stood still long enough for me to take her picture!

We nipped back onto the motorway from the Rocks and with the traffic police tucked in both on the way and on the way back I took care not to exceed the speed limit - a fine would have made it a very expensive shopping trip!  As we approached the outskirts of Limassol there was a smoggy layer over the city - it is such a different environment than rural Droushia!  

Laura and I took a long slow mooch around Jumbo's and although neither of us spent a huge amount we had a lovely time.  I don't think the economy in this part of the island will have been boosted by Laura's €14 and my €17 purchases!!  Amongst other things I stocked up on tea-lights as we must burn half a dozen every night along with some little organza bags that I am going to use for lavender to hang in the wardrobes.

Having had our fill we walked out of the shop to be faced with RAIN - the beginnings of a storm which we fortunately drove away from - it was as black as your hat behind us and I guess that somewhere got a right old soaking.

We took the scenic route home and arrived to find John up on the roof cleaning the solar panels and having a go at seeing whether his pole (titter ye not Mrs) would reach the panes of glass on the roof of the conservatory - it will!

He then turned his attention to my microwave and I am absolutely delighted to say that by replacing the fuse it appears to be working properly again.  I haven't tried it out fully - I am a bit nervous of a re-run of the egg incident to be honest but John heated a glass of water without any problem so I am hopeful that next time I need to use it it will be OK - Laura is never going to let me live down this little incident and when I ask her if she wants anything she cheekily says an egg sandwich - cow!

Tonight APOEL Nicosia are playing Real Madrid in the Champions League.  This is quite something here in Cyprus as it is the first time a team from the Island has reached this sort of level.  John was keen to watch it somewhere and so we were going out for a meal tonight.  Although we are still in layers 'just in case' it is chilly in the taverna they are at least thin ones!  We had decided to go and eat at Yiannis so that John could slip over to the sports bar for the footie whilst Laura and I relaxed with a drink after our meal.  That was the plan but it failed on two counts - the first was that when we arrived in Kathikas it was clear that the sports bar, which is undergoing a revamp, and which was supposed to be reopened in time for the footie was not and secondly John had got the kick off time wrong by a couple of hours!

We were very early by Cyprus standards which is why we are the only people in the taverna at this point but it was beginning to fill by the time we left.  

Yianni was his normal genial self and we enjoyed a lovely meal - Laura plumped for a tuna-mayo jacket potato and salad, I had a mixed omelette, salad and chips (not very traditional I know) and John had stifado, rice and veg.  We did miss Mark being there to make up the four and hope that the next time we go there with Laura he will be with us too - still we gather he is enjoying the 'peace and quiet' back in Yeovil and working through the 'to-do' list that Laura left him to keep him out of trouble.

The cats were waiting for us on our return.  Laura was playing with Chivers and one of his mice and Minnie Mou was tagging on behind playing with Chivers' tail.  Laura and I think that MM is getting a tad chubby - John wont have it but looking at this photograph I would say that she has a definite thickening around the midriff!

We are slobbed out on the sofas watching TV and driving Laura absolutely nuts by trying to get up-to-date with what is going on in Eastenders.  This is not an easy task as the last time we saw it Dirty Den was still alive and running the Queen Vic so the characters and the story line are completely alien to us and we keep winding her up by asking things like "is Ethel and her little Willy still alive?".

John is trying to fatten Laura up and has just given her a bowl of strawberries - she has declined Lidl Bourbon Vanilla Icecream as she knows our stocks are low and it is John's absolute favourite and John is growling at anyone who looks the slightest bit interested in having any.  We are going out again tomorrow - checking out the Duck Pond market and then the Steak and Prawn eatery down by the Harbour - courtesy of Laura.