Our Visitor Arrives...

So a day of final preparations before shooting downto Emba for tea with Mum and Dad and then off to the airport to pick up Debra whose flight was getting in at about 9.45pm so it was going to be a late one by the time we had returned to Droushia and caught up on all the news.

I will probably only do a series of short posts whilst she is here because, as ever, we are leaving nothing to chance and have planned her five days so that she gets to experience something of our lives in this little corner of Cyprus.

The day did not start well with Minnie Mou coming in minus yet another collar - what it is with these cats - I am fast running out of magnets and as my bank card has expired with Paypal and they wont let me put in the details for the new one with a Cyprus address I am going to struggle to buy some more until this is resolved.  John decided that he would hop across into the field and remove a couple of branches from a grotty old tree and see if he could spot any of the four missing collars at the same time.  Knowing that he could encounter a snake at any time he dressed appropriately but in temperatures pushing 40 was sweltering.  We did find one collar which must have attached itself to one of the cats and was sitting just the other side of the fence in a place where we have looked before but unfortunately none of the others - even dressed like Bear Gryls John wasn't keen to poke around too much in the undergrowth - my hero!!!

We didn't get everything done that we had planned - the termite door didn't get a second coat of eggshell but it looks ok so that will have to wait now - everything else was spick and span even down to a vase of fresh flowers in the guest bedroom.  To be honest it is getting far too hot to do housework - that's my excuse and I am sticking to it.

We set off for Mum and Dad's at about 6.00pm making sure that we arrived in time for a game of cards before tea.  As it turned out we had time for a game both before and after what was a scrummy tea - Mum had roasted a pork joint which was served with a mango sauce and was delicious.  Thanks Mum you are a good 'un.

We made our way to the airport forgetting that this is now heading towards peak holiday season so it was chaos with about six flights coming in at the same time - this would throw the baggage handlers into a right old state of flux I can tell you!!!  Fortunately the Squeezyjet flight from Gatwick was on time and despite the masses Debra's bag was about third on the carousel so she was through relatively quickly and with no incidents in the carpark with either the ticket machine or the car we were soon on the road to Droushia.  It was too dark for Debra to see any of the scenery except for the colour changing fountain in Paphos!!  We arrived home safe and sound to a chorus of tree frogs - bloody well hope none of them pitch up in the garden as this is one of the things that Debra doesn't like - the snake wouldn't have bothered her!!  Fortunately she is a cat lover so was delighted to be greeted by Chivers - I was not so delighted as he was - you have guessed it - COLLARLESS AGAIN - not only that he was limping and his front leg was swollen.

We sat outside on a lovely balmy evening - even up here in Droushia and caught up on old times over a glass or three of Kolios Rose - I am going to have to dig out that hideous photograph of us at Sara's wedding - watch out Jane it is the one where you were wearing black spiral patterned tights - what were you thinking???