Another great day with friends...

Today I was a good girl and went to the informal Greek that Eleni from Kaponas holds every other Wednesday.  Today the group was joined by Ian and Angela who we met only the other day when we were looking at a house in the village that someone we know was interested in buying.  It was a good session - Eleni managed to find some flash cards which they use with the very very youngest children at the school!  As we all agree we are trying which is more than some do living here!

I walked home calling in on Elena to see how she was feeling today and to have a bit of a chat, she had a visitor there already and as she was very tired I didn't want to outstay my welcome.

Elean said that she and Hadeel were getting their acts together to put together a programme of Orexi events over the next few months.  This will give her something to get her teeth into and focus on.

In the meantime Rabia has his birthday party on Saturday which he is so excited about - he wanted to make sure that we would be there and I assured him that we will be attending once we have returned from the airport having taken Matthew and Sarah there - their week's holiday is flying by.

As I said I didn't stay too long because Elena was tired and because we were having Matthew and Sarah come up after lunch.  The walk home was lovely - a little warm in the sunshine but lovely.  You look at the village a little differently when you have visitors who enthuse about your surroundings.
There are nice little touches like the mosaics hidden in the archways of the natural stone walls dotted around the village and the onset of the summer is bringing about an abundance of fruits like figs, pomegranates and grapes.  When George and Pam arrive I can be assured of a bowl of freshly picked figs every morning after George has been on his walk.

There are still beautiful flowers to be seen even though now things are beginning to get very dry and parched.

We had planned an afternoon at the Hotel sampling the happy hour cocktails and were being joined by Lou and H, Diana and Rob, Susan and John and possibly Angela and Ian.

We had a lovely afternoon sitting on the terrace sampling a variety of different combinations but I stuck to a Mojito - I am rubbish if I mix my drinks and it was going to be a longish afternoon and evening!

We were saddened to see a water bearing helicopter travelling back and forth clearly attending a large fire somewhere nearby - we think it was around Kritou Tera - we hope it is got under control quickly.

Everyone seemed to enjoy their pre-dinner drinkies sitting in the afternoon sun with the wonderful view of the sea and mountains in front of us and with them at half price it was a bargain.

We then moved on to Finikas in the village for a meze sitting in the courtyard behind.  Marina was so excited to show me that the plant I gave her last year was flowering.  It was nice that we were not the only people eating there as others came in after we had settled down to eat.

I think this was the best meze we have had here - certainly there was plenty to eat and very varied.  We had freshly made stuffed vine leaves which are not normally a favourite of mine but these were delicious.  So pleased we had my favourite green eggs (eggs and courgette) and her lovely ravioli.

Although it was not a late evening we were all knackered by the time we came to say goodnight and John and I, Matthew and Sarah walked slowly back home.