May 10th...

We were woken very early this morning when Mi-Mo decided to tap dance on John's head to tell him that she was everso slightly hungry.  She doesn't give up and, if ignored, accompanies her fancy footwork with a very very plaintiff  'I am almost too weak to miaow' miaow which is irritating.

The sunrise was stunning and we thought we were all set for a beautiful day but no sooner had the sun risen than the clouds began to form.

 

Today our car was ready to be picked up from the garage in Paphos so I had organised to go down and take Mum to lunch at a new restaurant she had seen advertised in the Paphos Post.  Then Dad said he would like to come as well so John was going to cancel badminton and come with me and make it a family outing.  Then Bryn from the badminton club said that there was going to be a cheque presentation to HOPE (the local Polis hospital charity group) of €500 which had been raised as a result of the Horse Racing Night and he really wanted John to be there as he had won the competition and had put so much effort into the evening (who could forget our Horses for Courses stable complete with Sheik Al!).  So the plan reverted back to me going to the garage and out to lunch with Mum and Dad and John to Badders.  I was fully briefed on the garage but I am guessing John would have preferred to have collected the car himself.

It was a sultry day and exceptionally hot and sticky - the weather forecast has been threatening rain but not until the weekend - it looked like it just might come early.

I took the opportunity to nip into Fitos the Framers' shop to take in my seahorse picture that I want framed to give as a birthday present.  Fitos is such a nice guy and certainly knows how to frame a picture and what's more is very very reasonable.  

I arrived at Mum and Dad's just after 12.00 - Dad had had his 'just before visitors arrive' haircut and was looking very smart.  Mum had been to hairdressers earlier this morning and was looking very smart - I was hot and sweaty and wasn't looking quite so smart!

Our lunch venue was Cafe Melissa in Geroskipou.  They were offering very reasonably priced set menus and, unusually, the facility to take your own wine and not pay for corkage - not that we planned to have a drink lunchtime!

I probably made the wrong decision, bearing in mind I was going out bowling later, to have garlic mushrooms - they were delicious but most definitely garlicky!  Dad managed to consume a deep fried brie starter and a big old lamb shank main course - Mum and I were more conservative with grilled chicken!

Mum dropped me off at the garage to pick up the car - the office space might be a nightmare but so far we have been very pleased with the work that has been carried out.  Lee showed me the dodgy drop links that he had replaced and had also taken the time to photograph the throttle body to show it opened up and dirty and then cleaned up.  He said that the revving issue should be improved now that the throttle thing was clean and the valve was no longer sticking (at least I think that is what he said!!).  Anyway the proof of the pudding will be in the eating and I should be able to see hear and feel the difference in the revving when I have driven it.

I managed to get back home before it began to rain and found Chivers in deep, deep exploration mode in the front garden.

The object of his affection was a small lizard that had managed to get the better of him and sneak through the Californian Poppies undiscovered and out to safety - Chivers had not realised so my poppies came in for a right old battering as he jumped on them with great enthusiasm but little skill.  I hope the lizard had the sense to get well away or the next time I see him he will most likely be disembowled under the dining room table.  We have to do a regular check so that unsuspecting diners don't get a nasty surprise.

We were going out tonight.  We have decided that we would like to go bowling once a month with the Arodes crew if we can.  Surely I can only get better by going more regularly?  Apparently not and I blame the footwear personally - was the person who designed these having a laugh?  Still these are better than the ones I had to wear in the UK because apparently in the UK people with a size 35 foot cannot possibly negotiate laces and has to have VELCRO.  I have sussed it - I was obviously traumatised by Velcro Minnie Mouse shoes in a previous existence and as a result cannot throw a bowling ball in a straight line - give me the Wii any day.  The meat treat pizza went some way to making me feel better.

Bucketed down with rain all night - May - lovely!