Visitors

It is lovely when John's Mum and Stepdad arrive because we receive all sorts of goodies - some gifts and some things we have ordered and had sent to them for onward journey to Cyprus.  I was most excited about the photo book I had ordered for our Silver Wedding because I wanted a physical reminder of TD and with the best will in the world I just don't look over my digital photographs like I would do an album.

My lovely mother in law also brought me some magazines.  Oh I do love a magazine but they are such an exorbitant price over here I only get to read on if it is second hand and then it could be four or five years out of date. Even so the gossip is probably still all news to me as I don't really keep up to date with the world of celebrity!  I shall savour these and read them little by little cover to cover before passing them on to Diana by which time they will probably be four or five years out of date!!!

This was just a selection of the goodies which we received - we had chocolate and we had solar lights for the garden and a beautiful beaded heart - all lovely gifts so thank you very much we shall find them all a home.

Today we brought Janet and Hadge up to our house for a swim before we went off for a family get together down at Coral Bay with Gail and Paul and Rhys and Heather.  It is always so strange to meet up with people that you know from one location in a completely different country.  In the past we would have all been together in Janet and Hadge's old pub the Double Top and it might well have been in the winter and it would have been cold and quite possibly raining so to get together out here in the sunshine in a taverna is just lovely and lovely for John that some of his family are here to catch up with.

We decided that we would go to one of our favourite eateries The Blue Olive.  It is in walking distance from the hotel where the Hancocks are staying and has good access for Hadge and his clackers and we know the food there is good plus they have the Aphrodite beer and cider for sale.

It was a very successful choice as we all had a really lovely meal.  Derrick had added a new pork dish to the menu which he had labelled Scrumptious and both Janet and Hadge chose it and agreed that it was indeed truly scrumptious.  We sat around the table and ate and drank and chatted and Heather took the opportunity to take a cooling swim in the pool which is next to the restaurant.

The boys took the opportunity to check out SUFC's woeful start to the season on John's Ipad - Rhys is a season ticket holder and will have missed their first five matches although I think we all agree that he hasn't really missed very much!  Surely it can only get better!!!

As we were sat around talking we noticed that the restaurant area was being 'buzzed' by a bird of prey - eventually it settled in a nearby palm tree and we rushed out to take its photograph.

We are not entirely sure which bird this is - we refer to the smaller ones as Merlins but are probably wrong.  Anyway it flew between a couple of the palm trees and then landed on the ground right next to us to grab a lizard.  It took us so by surprise that none of us had our cameras at the ready but at least with the zoom on my new Canon I got a pretty decent shot when it was up the tree.

Whilst we were getting ready to leave I got a call from Elena to say she was homeward bound from Nicosia and wanted John to help Bassam get her into the house.  She said that she was quite happy to sit under the shade of the vine until we arrived and that is where we found her.

She looked so much better than when she had set off for the hospital and we all sat round in the shade having a chat whilst Bassam went off foraging (or as John would say scrounging) for figs and prickly pear fruit for Janet and Hadge to sample - Janet loves the figs and these were the small green honey ones which are delicious.

We spend a very pleasant time sat there under the vine chatting before John and Bassam did the fireman's lift thing to get Elena settled indoors.

It had been quite a full on afternoon so John went off to see Sean who is recovering from going to the dentist and now looks like the Elephant Man whilst I took Janet and Hadge back down to Polis where they thought they would have an early night and Eva had different ideas!