A Slow Start to the Day...

It was a rather slow and delicate start to today - the morning after the night before meant I was a little jaded to say the least!  I was so grateful that I had prepared most of the food for this evening in advance it meant that everything could be done σιγά σιγά (siga siga, slowly slowly).

I was having Helen and Alistair and Melanie and Simon over for a meal this evening and needed to make sure the house was clean and tidy.

My insect collection in the conservatory is coming on a treat - we have beetles and bugs of every size, shape and colour and those which escape from Chivers and Minnie Mou seem incapable of finding their way out!  I don't mind if they are harmless but without a book to identify them I have no idea so I make John evict them.

We had decided to leave the dining furniture in the conservatory and I had planned a menu which meant that I didn;t have to be chained to the oven all evening.  Between us we got everything prepared which allowed us a little time to chill out before our guests arrived.

We got out Trevor the Table and my two slow cookers and the two hot trays that we own so that all the food could be kept hot and people could serve themselves.  The conservatory makes entertaining so much easier and as the temperature cools at night gives us an area with a really comfortable ambient temperature.  Guests were due at 6.00pm.  Just before they arrived John had to deal with some of the local kids who had decided to jump the wall to one of the holiday homes and help themselves to the pool - as he went out to see what was going on they jumped the back wall running off down the field with their clothes in their hand!  Swimming pools are a temptation to Cypriot children because, in the main, their homes don't seem to have pools.

We started our evening sat out under the gazebo enjoying the last of the day's sunshine.  Simon had met Alistair previously so we didn't have to do too much by way of introductions and we could leave them to chat away whilst getting drinkies and nibbles.

The evening seemed to go very well and I hope that they liked my food - John did say it was one of the best stifados I had cooked in a long time and with a light starter and light sweet we didn't feel stuffed at the end of it!  I have been amazed at how easy it has been to meet people up here in a rural area - I think it has been easier than if we had been down living in the Paphos area.  With less tavernas up here to choose from I think people tend to eat in one another's houses which makes for an easier environment to chat and get to know people - either that or the economic climate has forced people to stay indoors more!

The only downside to the evening is that we were just about to sit down and enjoy our meal when Minnie Mou came racing through the catflap complete with live fledgling firmly protruding from her gob!  She is such a little tyke!

Our Big Night Out...

The morning after the night before saw John and the cats all snuggled up on the bed and me getting up early for some reason!  We were having our big night out at Paradise Place in Pomos tonight http://www.paradiseplaceproductions.com/ going to see a band called The Zilla Project https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Zilla-Project/212543132097244 on the recommendation of Helen (Wheelie Cyprus) who is a huge fan and whose birthday it was today.  We knew it was going to be a late night and there is John and I who are normally checking the inside of our eyelids by about 10.00pm!  Anyway more of the band later...

On Sunday Helen and Alaistair and Melanie and Simon are coming for a meal so with the late night in mind I wanted to get the food ready today so that I wasn't trying to cook it with a baggy head! It will be an ecclectic mix of food - I think I should call my menu around the world in three courses!  We are having a Mexican Chilli Prawn and Grapefruit Cocktail to start followed by a Cypriot Stifado or Morrocan Lemon Chicken and to finish either John's Cherry Cheesecake or Trembleque with Mango-Kumquat Relish.  What is Trembleque???  Well I have never made it before but it is a sort of soft set panna cotta made with coconut milk and comes originally from Puerto Rico.

Having finished my cookathon I thought I ought to put some time in and do my homework because my next lesson is fast approaching - we have left the dining table and chairs in the conservatory which makes for a very pleasant working environment if not a little warm at times today.  It was so peaceful around the house today - no builders and John had gone over to Chris and Marian's to give a hand with something Chris was doing and the cats were asleep - so I was able to put in a reasonable amount of time - I can remember the verbs now and the numbers but the word for happy ευτυχισμένος pronounced eftikismaynos still eludes me - why do the words have to be so long??

At 5.00pm our world stopped for a while and John put himself through the trauma of watching Sheffield United in the play off finals for promotion from League One to the Championship.  120 minutes of pain (90 minutes of normal time followed by 30 minutes of extra time) then the penalty shoot-out and the Mighty Blades managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as we have seen them do so many times before. 

John remained philisophical throughout it all - after 40-odd years of being a Blades supporter he knows exactly how to take the rough with the smooth mainly rough unfortunately.  It was probably a good thing that we were going out tonight to erase the memory!  Time for a rest from footie until the season begins again which will be here before we know it.

So misery over we were picked up by Jane and Mark and set off down the hill to Helen and Alaistair's where we all piled into their 7-seater and headed off to the band.  Our friends John and Sue would have been so proud of us because the event was being held in connection with the Great Bikers Ride around Cyprus so for them it would have been Harley Heaven!!!  Poor Helen kept apologising in advance, for the band, for the venue, for the toilets!!!  It was all fine - blimey we have been to worse places in the world!!   Through friends of Helen we had been secured seats right by the stage and although we didn't know what to expect we had a brilliant time.  I think experiencing something live even if it isn't really your bag it a wicked experience.  Apologies for the quality of the video but the bloody Blackberry was playing up.

The evening probably ended a little earlier than anticipated because of a visit from the local constabulary and we weren't even flagging much to our surprise - I think we will be looking out for events there in the future.

A Barbeque for Friends...

We are beginning to wonder whether we should ever invite anyone round to ours for a barbeque because we woke this morning to leaden skies.  The clouds were fast moving and periodically we did get a little sunshine but it was cool and blustery and not conducive to sitting outside and eating - we would all have been in danger of getting smoked out.

As we prepared the house for guests we decided that we would have to eat indoors and that John would cook the barbeque regardless of whether he had to cart it into the gazebo like he did when Mark, Gemma and Archie came last week.  What is it with us and barbeques?  We are the kiss of death to the weather!

Chivers was in complete play mode today and hardly left our sides all morning.  It's not easy to clean the floor when you have a cat sitting on your feet - for some reason he loves bare feet!  He also found the top of the gazebo this morning which was an absolute nightmare - he thought this was a brilliant new toy and was leaping about on top ignoring John's calls to come down.  We can just see him falling through the material as it ages.

It was only a matter of time before he realised that if he lay between the roof supports the swag of material made quite a nice hammock so he lay there keeping an eye on proceedings from his vantage point - just out of arms reach!

As the day progressed the weather began to improve and although neither of us wanted to put the mockers on things we both were secretly thinking that it was 'brightening up'.  John had got the pool cleaned (and put in the concrete block on the drive which is going to be needed for the metal supports Sofoklis is bringing on Tuesday), I had got the house clean and tidy and a burr-free zone for a little while, the food was all organised so we had time to sit and relax before our guests arrived at 3.00pm.  The weather really bucked its ideas up and John took time out on our newly decked bit of garden - this is something we seem to do so very rarely actually sit down and take advantage of the space that we have!  Both cats came outside to play and be near us - I think because we had been out quite a bit yesterday they were making the most of having us around.  As we sat sheltered from the wind in T&V corner John decided that it would be a good idea to rearrange the furniture in the conservatory and the gazebo.  That would mean we could relax under the gazebo and eat in the conservatory which was a great idea.

It didn't take us two minutes to move things round and, as we have people coming for a meal on Sunday, we have decided to leave it like that as it is much more practical - in fact for the summer this might well be what we do and if we have Kaye's party up with us for a meal when they are over we will be able to seat a large number easier as we can add Trevor the Table to the end of what we have already got.

About ten minutes before Marian and Chris and Sheila and Klaus were due to arrive the goatherd brought the goats through the field next door.  Brilliant!  they fart (the goats not our guests) bring flies and ticks with them and, more importantly, Chivers HATES them and both Chivers and Minnie Mou were over in the field.  Minnie gave the goats a stiff ignoring but Chivers set off after them with that funny open-mouthed expression he has when he is excited/scared/hunting.  I am always so worried that he is going to get too close and get a hoof in his head.  As the goats walked down through the field he was off in hot pursuit - mouthing and panting - it is quite extraordinary to watch.  John went up onto the roof terrace to watch out for the cats and was promptly joined by Mins who is unimpressed by these great big lumbering smelly beasts.  John could see Chivers and eventually Chivers did return and joined John on the terrace where he could watch the goats from a safe distance.

Just to prove how close the goats get this is a picture of Marian in the Gazebo with them directly behind her!  It was nice that we were able to sit outside and have a drink whilst the barbeque was being prepared.  It was my job to make sure that the salad, dips and potatoes were ready and I am checker in chief when it comes to ensuring that everything is cooked through as we don't want to give anyone food poisoning.  Marian had kindly brought with her some homemade Sheftalia which were delicious and prompted her to declare at some point during the evening that she 'couldn't live without a mincer!'  Sheila knowing my weaknesses had brought chocolate (After Eights yummmmm - I was in two minds as to whether to just bury them in the fridge and bring them out when I was on my own!!!) and a bottle of our favourite red wine Agios Onoufrios.

Why is it that the men always do that standing round staring at the barbeque thing?  We girlies left them too it and whilst I was flitting in and out of the kitchen Sheila and Marian had a chance to relax and catch up in the gazebo - although periodically I think they were subjected to a right old swirl of smoke as the wind changed direction.  Eventually though everything came together and we were able to sit down in the conservatory and enjoy our meal.  I have to admit that John got everything spot-on and more or less at the same time which is always a challenge.

The afternoon flew past with a wide range of topics covered in conversation some serious and some not so - the winner being Marian's Greek Fly v French Fly observations that had us in stitches (along with the declaration about the mincer of course!).  What a very sociable way to spend an afternoon, good food, good company and good wine!

A Trip Down to Paphos...

We were going down to Paphos today so that I could play pickleball and John could go and see the 'iron man' Sofoklis to discuss the reinforcing brackets that he is going to make to ensure that the car port does not collapse.  John Boulton, our builder friend, will be relieved because he skyped the other day to have a chat with John about it having seen it on the blog!  So after brunch we packed up and set off calling in to try and pay Mel and Simon's water bill but failing because Marianna wasn't in the community office again and then on to the post office.  Whilst John was in checking the post I took a photograph of the flower opposite.  People here will be familair with them but until I came over here I had never seen these before - they are the flowers from a pomegranate tree and if you check out the bottom of a pomegranate fruit you will see the same star shape which is what remains from the flower.  These are quite attractive plants with glossy leaves, bright and cheerful flowers and then fruit.  The only trouble is they drop their leaves and can make quite a mess as inevitably not all the fruit gets eaten.

Attached to the post office which is also a coffee shop of sorts is a taverna called Finikas - Sheila tells me that it is open - John and I have pressed our noses against the window on several occasions and have heard that the garden out the back is lovely so we are keen to give it a go at some point so now that we know it is open we can although how you tell is a bit of a mystery as it has always said open and the tables are always laid but apart from that NOTHING!!  Maybe this could be a venue for the Ladies Wot Lunch and it would be supporting the village - I shall discuss with Sheila as I am being handed over the responsibility of finding venues whilst Marian is away over the summer so no pressure!!

We travelled down to Paphos via Peyia and this time we managed to find the Vanessa Apartments for Catherine and Steven.  It was advertised as a luxury five star complex but, whilst it might be lovely when you actually get into it, we thought it was very uninspiring from the approach and a car would be a necessity there because it is sort of on the periphery of Peyia.  We also called into the vets to settle the bill we racked up that day/night when Chivers managed to escape.  We were pleased that they did not try and charge us for the overnight stay but are still undecided about whether we continue to use them.  We thought continuity of care was important but after the last episode...

As we drove to Kissonerga and the bank we passed by Banana Bay where the sea was pretty rough and there were plenty of white horses.  We laughed as we watched some divvy drive straight towards the waves in one of those beach buggy things being everso macho and then stall - it would have been so funny if he had got it stuck!  It took a while before he got it going again.

We did the bank, Paps and the shop in Chloraka that sells the cider and also, as I have found out, boxes of 24 kit-kats OMG - kit-kat HEAVEN - I don't know now how much a four finger good old fashioned kit-kat costs in the UK but these worked out to just over 40 cents each.

Our last stop before Mum's was to Sofoklis' workshop - now there is a place that Health and Safety haven't visited!!  Not only that but there is a swift's nest up in the eaves and you run the risk of being dive bombed!  John loves this place and these are getting rarer and rarer.  Sofoklis is such a lovely genial man and seems to understand exactly our requirements even though his English is limited and our Greek non-existent.  He calls in his son periodically - his son is a car mechanic with his business next door.  Anyway he is coming up on Triti (Tuesday) Τρίτη (John knows this word!) so then John can be absolutely confident that the car port is safe and secure.

I went off to Pickleball with Mum leaving John to finish the last of the errands.  There was quite a breeze down at the Imperial Beach which made playing quite a challenge although it kept the court a bit cooler than it might have been otherwise.

We returned home to find Chivers asleep in his bed in the conservatory and Minnie just emerging from our bedroom - no guesses as to where she had been.  I have been busy making two citron tarts for tomorrow - pastry a bit of a disaster I'm afraid but hey it will be better than nothing.

Chivers and I are chilling out on the sofa - I look like I am in convicts clothing but these are my slobbers!

I am knackered...

For some reason I have just lost the whole of the post I was about to save - bugger, bugger, bugger - still never mind it's not like I have anything better to do!!!

This morning I woke at some unearthly hour that began with a five - I hope I am not going to inherit Mum's erratic sleep patterns!  I wriggled round for a bit and then decided to get up and feed the cats and return to bed with my 'tablet' so that I could catch up on the news.  It was only a matter of time before John woke and so the two of us sat in bed with a cuppa and our 'papers' deciding what to do with the rest of the day.

John suggested that we could try and give T&V corner the makeover we had planned and as it seemed a bit of an overcast day we thought we wouldn't get too hot working - just how wrong could we be??? Both John and I are nursing tight rather pink shoulders from being outside!  'Glowing' doesn't even cover it!!

We left Minnie Mou snoozing on the bed.  She is totally in love with John's pants - well not his pants exactly - they are his bed shorts which he wears for modesty when we have visitors and of course we had Mum and Dad staying at the weekend so they were still in the bedroom - the bed shorts not Mum and Dad.  The whole bed could be free but Mins seeks out the pants!!!  John will tell you that she isn't made of wood which means that she isn't oblivious to his charms!

Whilst I was preparing breakfast John had to go and rescue a little baby bird before Chivers got to it.  It must have fallen out of a nest (probably up in our roof somewhere) and we couldn't afford to let it just sit there until Mum found it - the bird's Mum not mine of course.  We hung around but no Mum so John took it into the garden next door and put it into a nest which he had spotted earlier.  It will have two chances - slim and slimmer I expect but time will tell and we have our fingers crossed.

T&V corner was cleared and we started on the decking.  John is getting everso good at this - I, on the other hand, am still a totally useless Part Four and John said that I would have got the sack from the Navy for my abject uselessness!!  Undeterred I gave him a stiff ignoring!

Despite me not living up to John's expectations on the work front we got the decking finished pretty quickly - partly because we were able to borrow Sean's chop saw so that John didn't have to cut each length by hand.  With everything back in its place the cats came to carry out quality control and declared it a good space for relaxing!  We only need to get that bloody drain in the corner sorted and we will be laughing!!

After a short lunch break we continued with our DIY and between us got all the decking for the front garden cut to the correct length and safely stacked so that when Marian and Chris and Sheila and Klaus come on Friday they can walk round the garden without fear of falling over. 

John then decided to try his hand at making some wooden planters whilst I was busy weeding - where do all those little buggers come from?  One minute the shingle is clear and the next there are a million weeds poking their heads up.

Our reward for jobs well done was to sit on the newly refurbished T&V corner this afternoon and have a beer (John) and a shandy (me).  Both of us were (understandably) knackered and it was as much as I could do to drag myself into the shower.  It is the one and only time I miss a bath - the chance to soak aching bones!

Over tea John admitted that I had 'done good' but said that he has to praise me after the job is done and not before because apparently that is the Navy way - I have to remind him that he is not in the Navy anymore!

Not Much to Blog About...

Flags at half mast tonight as Sheffield United miss out on promotion down to a penalty shoot out - we are gutted

A bit of a nothing day today.  We didn't wake until 8.00am when Angela's builders started their generator.  Although not settled it must be getting generally warmer as neither of the cats come to bed with us now - too warm I guess.  In fact the Minzer dared to sneak a little nap in Chivers new bed and looked very comfortable until he had had enough of the usurper and unceremoniously evicted her.  She doesn't take a blind bit of notice as she is as hard as nails, she just purses her lips, flicks her head and stomps off snootily.

We have our friends (and neighbours) Marian and Chris and my art teacher supreme and magic chef Sheila and Klaus coming round on Friday afternoon for a barbeque, and on Sunday we have friends Simon and Melanie (Avanti Hotel) and Helen and Alaistair (Wheelie Cyprus) coming for a meal so today was dedicated to tidying up and shopping.

It was a good day for washing and as Mum and Dad stayed overnight and we may have Hilary and Keith staying over I changed both beds and both were treated to a makeover and some of the new bedding I brought with me in the container.  Bedding is, as Mum would say, my one weakness, as I could never resist buying duvet covers - trips to Dunelm were such a joy for me!  I had obviously been very lax at keeping on top of the washing as I had four loads today and although I sorted it all fastidiously I have ended up with a mixed wash pink bra - bugger, bugger, bugger.  John says I had better make sure I don't get run over when I am wearing it although I thought that applied to wearing clean knickers and I have to say I wasn't planning too any time soon.

The conservatory is probably the best thing we have done to the house since we came here particularly on a day like today when my washing line was fit to burst so I was able to put some of the washing on an airer to dry inside the conservatory.  On the down side we get all sorts of butterflies, moths and insects trapped inside and both cats hound them (an oxymoron surely?) to their deaths.  Today we had the biggest bee/wasp type thing we have seen (other than the hornets which we avoid as they are dangerous).  This thing was about two and half centimetres long and John was keen to get it out of the conservatory before Minnie got hold of it just in case it was likely to do her harm.  John was flapping about with one of the fly swats and gave it a right old cuffing before it flew out and landed on the bay tree where we were able to get a close up shot of it nursing a headache.  I could be wrong but anything sporting yellow and black stripes is best avoided surely?

I am pleased to report that the cheapo bulbs I bought in the Euro shop and which looked decidely dry and past their best have started to grow and one or two have actually got flowers forming .  I cant actually remember what these are but they have quite cheeful pink flowers - Oxalis I think.

I have been a good girl and started on my Greek homework after yesterday's lesson.  It is easy for a week to fly by and I have to get my head round the verbs 'to be' and 'to have', count to one hundred and master sentences like 'he is clever but boring' although I am not sure how often I am going to need to drop that into conversation!  There are two or three letters in the alphabet that I really struggle with writing in lower case so am practising them too.  John is very impressed!  As I have said before I never appreciated when I did Latin at secondary school just how useful it might be to me throughout my adult life so at least talk of conjugating verbs or the declension of nouns doesn't come as any great surprise!  As a reward for doing my homework we are tucking into the bar of Galaxy that Hilary brought over with her - although I am not quite sure how come John qualifies for a reward.  Now I remember why Galaxy was always my favourite back in the UK and how I have missed it!!! 

Must just thank Gemma and Mark for dropping off the curtain tie-backs to Laura yesterday - can't be bad can it - purchased in Limassol on Friday and delivered to Yeovil on Monday!  Laura was delighted and can now start decorating her spare room!

The end of this week heralds a busy time for us including our big night out to see the Zilla Project at Pomos Point on Saturday - at least it will give me something to blog about!

 

Early Morning Call...

We had an unexpectedly early morning call from Sofoklis this morning when he arrived pre nine o'clock with our railings for the roof terrace.  It was a grey old start to the day and John and Sofoklis look like they are either doing a rain dance or the funky chicken - difficult to tell really!

As I was getting ready to go to art at Sheila's things seemed to be going well with a lot of the work being done in situ - including the welding.  The cats were terrified of Sofoklis and Minnie was running around on her knees everytime she heard his voice - no idea why because he is a lovely genial man.

As you can see from the series of photographs the weather improved steadily as the day went on so a by the time the railings were fully installed it was a bright day and this is the view that you get from the roof terrace - with no danger of falling off!  Even if houses are built in the field we will still be able to enjoy the view of the bay and the mountains from the roof terrace but as Vix had just said on Facebook there is a danger of falling asleep and getting a stripey tan!!!

Last year when Sofoklis came with our roof ladder he brought me a melon - a melon which he said would not be ripe until Christmas (several months later) - and he was right!  This time he brought fresh cherries which he had picked from his trees in Kathikas and which he said were a couple of weeks earlier than those that would be appearing in the shops in the next week or so.  They are fantastic and so full of flavour that I doubt they will be around for very long!  John says that Sofoklis wanted to make sure that we would be attending his daughter's wedding in June and we have agreed that we will!

I left the men to it and went to Sheila's for my art lesson.  Today I was to start a new project - it is a bit daunting starting again from scratch - I had got so into the Portholland project.

For my next picture I have opted to try and do a picture of the clematis flowers that I photographed in Sheila's garden the other week.  Sheila and I worked together for several hours, she on her wolf picture and me getting to grips with the foliage in the background - it doesn't look much but it is a start!  I can't tell you how much I am enjoying this new past-time and how much I appreciate Sheila's patience and encouragement.  Poor Sheila, no sooner has she sat down to try and work on her own piece than she has to get up and give me direction!  Once again I was treated to a lovely lunch before I had to set off for my Greek lesson.  I am now going to Sam's apartment in Prodromi for my lesson and having it on a one to one basis.  Blimey we managed to cover a lot of stuff in one hour - I am really going to have to do my homework to make sure that I remember everything I have learned.  I am not sure how often I am going to want to say "I am not from Argentina" but you never know!

This evening we got the opportunity to catch up with Hils who arrived here on Saturday.  She has come over to do a number of band jobs and will be joined by husband Keith who arrives on Wednesday.  We love Hils because she brought us CHOCOLATE.  John and I went down to her mum Eileen's and between Hils and I we sorted out Eileen's internet and email as she has changed internet service provider and set up her laptop so that she can access internet TV.  We are hoping that Hils and Keith will find some time in their busy programme to come to Droushia and see the house and stay over if they can.

Birthday Celebrations over...

We all seemed to have a really good night's sleep, even Mum which is really unusual - it could have been the vast amount of food we have consumed over the last couple of days, or the alcohol but I like to think it is the shutters and the fact that the sunshine can't come in at the crack of sparrows and slap you round the face. 

We none of us really wanted much breakfast so after a quick bit of toast we packed up and tootled off down to Coral Bay so that we could catch up with the Woolmingtons before they returned to the UK.  Even though we tried we still cannot find the Vanessa Complex that Catherine and Geordie are interested in - we have now done some further investigation and think we have located it although nowhere near where it appeared on the map!

I was so pleased that I got the opportunity to see Gemma before she left (not to mention Mark and the Adorable Archie).  It certainly didn't seem like a year since we were last together sat opposite one another in the IT department - hearts sinking when the monitoring system went red and started to sound like someone flat-lining!!  That is me and Gemma of course not me and Archie!!



Mum was keen to get to see Archie and she wasn't disappointed as he was on fine form.  Mark should have looked eversoslightly jaded as he stayed up to watch Chelsea last night go to extra time and penalties before winning the Champion's League.

We hope that they manage to get out here again because it would be so lovely to see them again and for longer.  Still it sounds like they are returning home to some much better weather in the UK.

I shall be interested to learn all the news when Gemma returns to work in a couple of weeks' time.  It may feel daunting but I bet within a day or two she will be back into the swing and enjoying being Gemma at work and not just Gemma the mum, as she says she is ready to go back to work and ready for Archie to experience nursery which will broaden his horizons.

We said our goodbyes and called into the Duck Pond so that we could get some catfood and treats for the kids and some of the wonderful bread rolls that the cafe sells.  Nothing else took our eye so we made our way back to Emba.  Everything at the house was fine except Mum's front door mat was missing - no idea where it has gone - our guess is that possibly the decorators might have spilt something on it and taken it away.

On our way home I got John to take a detour because I wanted to go and see a church that Sheila and Klaus had told me about which is up from the DIY container where we got our roof tiles.  Sheila was saying that there is a new little church built next to the original one which is built into a cave.

We found the original church whish is tiny and very pretty in its own right.  These churches are all over the island and are, in the main, left unlocked so you can let yourself in and take a look and pay your own respects if that is what you want to do.  Although this church is in the middle of nowhere it is obviously visited on a regular basis and well looked after.  It is packed full of icons, smells of incense and icons and fills you with a sense of calm.  I am not a particularly religious person but I can appreciate the tranquillity that emanates from these tiny places of worship.

If you walk round the back of the new church and down some steps you come across an older building which is the original church and which we had not realised was cut into the side of the rock.  On opening the door you open up into what is indeed a cave!

I made John open the door because this must be the home of a million and one geckos and lizards - and some pretty big ones at that!

It was difficult to get a photograph that truly captures what it is like inside.  To one side there was a deepish tunnel-like entrance with what looks like some sort of tomb with plants lying next to it.  It is obviously still visited and people still worship there in some way or another.  We left a contribution which we hope goes towards its upkeep because it is so unique.  We have to thank Sheila and Klaus for telling us about it because I can honestly say that we would never have come across it on our own.  I shall tell Kaye about it because she wont be staying far away and I know that she and Richard are planning on doing some walking whilst they are over and this appears to be on quite a nice walk.

We returned home and opted for a quiet afternoon - we have a busy week ahead of us with some entertaining to do at the end of it.

Still Celebrating...

After a bit of a restless night's sleep, what with the mattress, the pillows and the fact that John woke in the middle of the night and whacked the light on saying that a mosquito the size of a Lancaster Bomber was dive-bombing his ear (I think this was probably because both Mum and I got bitten to death the previous evening and I didn't help by saying that it had probably landed and buried its eggs in his arm - he spent the rest of the night itching for England!!) we got up to a glorious morning and went for a wander around the gardens of the B&B.

The gardens are stunning and have given me loads of ideas for what I would like to do with our place.  I want height and colour and some lushness - if that makes sense.  I would like the garden to look more established - choosing the right plants might help!  Whilst the view at the moment is uninterrupted we aren't too bothered about the boundaries but if and when any building takes place I would want to be able to soften the view.

What is it about a child's swing that just makes you want to get your fat arse wedged onto the seat and act like an eight year old?  John says that is quite easy for me!  It was a really pleasant morning and the smell of a freshly cooking breakfast kept wafting through the kitchen window in our direction.

We were soon joined by Dad and Mum and settled down in the sunshine to eat our breakfast which included Christos's free range eggs with bright bright yellow yolks.  We had toast and Maria's home made strawberry jam and marmalade and she even pitched up with her apple pie but we were all sooooo stuffed we couldn't manage any.  I took the opportunity to take some cuttings from the garden before we packed up and set off back home.

We had arranged for Mum and Dad to come back to ours and stay over for the night, then we were going to drop them back down to Emba via the Ascos Hotel so that I could say goodbye to the Woolmingtons and drop off Laura's tie backs which they were taking back for me and a quick visit to the Duck Pond to see if anything was being given away!

We had a quiet afternoon in and around the house and Mum got her cat fix with both Minnie-Mou and Chivers who were both none the worse for being left home alone and who are getting much much more used to both Mum and Dad.

I don't know quite how Chivers is lying on Mum's lap but he looks pregnant!  I am glad to say that he is looking back to his old self - I just wish he could stop collecting burrs and ticks! 

Mum and I took a little walk around the village in a bit of an attempt to build up an appetite because we had decided to go down to Latchi and have a meal at Faros.

The harbourside was pretty busy - tourist season has started - and there was obviously something going on at the Anassa because we were treated to rather a spectacular fireworks display - for once I didn't have my camera on me!  I tried to kid Mum that we had organised it for her birthday!  We had a lovely meal - nothing too spectacular but enjoyable all the same and then we took a walk down to Roberts supermarket so that Mum could have a look at the half price shoes - even at 9.30pm Mum can still find somewhere to shop!!!

We returned home and rather than our usual 'best of five' we are concentrating on learning the intricacies of Spastra!  That Christos has got a lot to answer for!