Friday and how the Quickly the Tide can Turn...

We were absolutely chuffed to bits today to have been asked to go on Crafty Jane and Mark's boat as the weather was tipped to be good and the sea calm. We had arranged to meet down at Latchi Marina for 8.30am and, as there is still a lot of work going on by way of improvement it was a hive of activity and as usual the workmen had parked as close to their work as possible making it an interesting slalom for getting the boat into the water and back out again. The Springate's boat is beautiful - I know nothing about boats but I reckon this could be described as rather 'sexy' and John now wants one - to be fair he has wanted a boat for some time but this just confirmed it!! And, hats off to Jane who manoeuvred it around the harbour like a real professional!  I just wondered whether the boat had been named after her - Miss Chief!!

On the way out, en route to Kingfisher Bay (just before Blue Lagoon and a spot where the bigger boats cannot get in close) the water was flat calm and Jane and Mark took turns at water ski-ing. Jane had brought the numpty novice skis and asked if I wanted a go. Having watched Jane (who darted in and out across the wake and made it difficult for me to capture on camera) and having seen how strong she is I realised I would never manage to stay upright and the thought of hitting water at speed and getting it up my nose did not appeal although I can see the attraction. I realise now how unfit I am and how I really need to get into some sort of regime. It has been really really wonderful to have a steady flow of visitors but boy it has taken its toll on my waistline!!! The food here is just too damn good and my hour and a half pickleball which I whinge about is just not cutting it in the fitness stakes - time to get out the Wii and take things a little more seriously and, if nothing else, it will keep me warm in the winter months!! Anyway I digress... 

..the journey to Kingfisher Bay was absolutely idyllic - Jane and Mark call it Kingfisher Bay because you are more than likely to spot kingfishers there. Today was no exception as we were treated to a flypast by a pair!! They are much much bluer than those you see in the UK (if you are ever lucky enough to do so) and very fast - a real flash of sapphire as they shoot by and too fast for me to capture on camera - but I will one day! I had more luck capturing Mark once I had managed to get my eye in and take account of the movement of the boat! Perfect conditions for water ski-ing apparently and a real bonus for this time of the year! Maybe one day I will give it a go for myself!

I had my camera with me (no shit Sherlock I hear you cry) and managed to get an arty shot whilst we were zipping along the water with Jane at the wheel, John beside her and Mark ski-ing in the distance - this must be reasonably early on as my hair has been blown into oblivion!!!  I hadn't been on the ball this morning though because I didn't check the battery in the main camera and it was very low as we were leaving the harbour and I didn't check the battery size for the new camera and picked up the wrong size which was a shame because the original ones didn't last long at all.

Trying to get to grips with the new camera is a bit difficult but I did manage to get a couple of shots where you can actually see what I am aiming at!!  It is quite difficult to suss out what you have within the view finder and of course the fish aren't swimming around waiting for you to take their 'best side' so you get geared up and then the little buggers have gone!!!  I think I am going to have to do some practice in the swimming pool but that is going to have to wait until next year now when it will have warmed up.  Anyway the one of John is pretty good and you can see just how clear the water was.  The one of the fish (and they were big) isn't too bad but they were in a shady crevice so obviously the quality is better when you have bright sunlight coming through but then you struggle to see what you are aiming at!!  Practice and better batteries are the order of the day.

This is a really excellent place for snorkeling as the clear water and the caves and rocks provide lots of different environments in which to find sea life.  You really don't have to look far as there were all sorts of small fish right on the surface and a shoal of garfish kept approaching the boat.  We had managed to get there when the bay was empty and had done our snorkeling before other boats started to arrive and busy the waters so we were really lucky.  We felt like we could have stayed all day but for two reasons.  One, I had arranged to go to Running Susan and John's this afternoon to sort out something they wanted to know about their computer and two, I asked Mark why there was a very dark blue line of sea visible on the horizon and he told me that it was rough water and it could be coming inland.  Sure enough as we started to make our way out of the bay and into deeper water to make our way back the sea began to get choppier and choppier and we had a fair old bumpy ride on the way back!!

Once in the harbour we had to dump Mark on the side so he could get the truck and trailer down to the slipway (avoiding all the cars and trucks which had been abandoned by the workmen) and Jane had to negotiate the other boats and get Miss Chief up onto the trailer.  What a brilliant morning and how lucky were we to have enjoyed the best of the weather???

My afternoon took me back to my working days and PC training although Running Susan and John were rather more attentive listeners because it was something they wanted to know!  They are now fully au fait with removing photographs from their camera and putting them on the PC and using Picasa to manipulate them!  They were keen to organise their own photographs but also wanted to take a photograph of the beautiful kitten that was dumped near their house in a box the weekend of the awful weather.  She is a little girl and about three or four months old and very, very friendly - she just wants some attention and a cuddle.  Unfortunately Susan already has two cats which she has taken in and like us has made a decision to stick to just two.  I am sending a plea to the lunching ladies in the hopes that between us we can find it a kind and loving home.  Susan says she will look after it for two weeks whilst we try and then if there is no joy will have to take it to the rescue place in Paphos.  Let's hope someone takes the little thing on - I hope so.