D Day minus One...

Today was the day we put everything in place for Jane's 70th birthday which is tomorrow - this meant a trip up to the Yurts with my little helper Diana in tow to set up the secret dining yurt.  It was going to be difficult to keep Jane from sussing that this was where we were going to be eating and not a restaurant but we were being as SAS like as possible!!!  First disaster was that I had only brought or bought five placemats and we needed six but decided to dispense with them as the table was pretty full anyway.  Mum went off to get one and did get one so at least there is a full set of six for the future.

Very importantly the bar was beginning to take shape with several bottles of our favourite red wine and lots of Becks Blue for John who had agreed to be chauffeur for the night which was kind and took the pressure off of me because I reckon by the end of tomorrow I am going to need a drink or two!!

The upper Yurt is to be Jane and John's home for the night and we are hoping that because they are not averse to camping, gites and narrowboats that this accommodation will not throw them and they will embrace the newly built but not en-suite shower room and toilet!!

The plan was that on Saturday morning John and  Jane would go for a horse ride on one of Caroline's beautiful horses which we took Diana to see.  Although the weather today was changeable it would have been perfect so we had everything crossed that the next couple of days would go to plan and as Caroline intended to take them for a ride around the old abandoned Turkish villages nearby we decided to drive back that way to take a look for ourselves.

It really is the most beautiful spot and we were sure that Jane and John would love it - or at least that is what we kept telling ourselves.  Diana has asked that I do not organise any sort of surprise celebration on her behalf as she thought the sawdust toilet for her was probably a step too far!!!

We made a snap decision to call into the Water Mill at Steni to have a spot of lunch - I think John needed a pint after all the grief I have been giving him and they do Aphrodite's Rock beer there so he had one for him and one for the absent Mr Veasey who was busy at home working.

It is a small island and John was amazed to bump into the people he had sat next to on the plane coming back from the UK - he had jokingly said he thought he would see them somewhere but never imagined it would be here!!!

The remainder of the day was quiet with lists checked and rechecked and last minute items put in the car - nothing was to be left to chance!!!