Best laid plans...

Our house is currently filled with the heady fragrance of narcissi thanks to Tom from Pickleball who allowed Mum and I to go and pick as many as we wanted last week.  They look cheerful and smell incredible and bring a little bit of spring into the house.  As the clocks change at the weekend and 'spring' forward it is officially the beginning of the new season and although the weather currently is warm we are due another cold snap and there is even talk of snow here at Easter which would be unbelievable although looking at the weather in the UK at the moment if that cold snap were to sweep across the Mediterranean we could be in for some pretty chilly conditions.

We have our fingers crossed that it will remain dry for Wednesday when Bill and Wendy are bringing their visitors up to this end of the island and on Thursday when it is our next Drouseian Day out and being organised by Di and Rob this time.  It is always nicer to explore the island when the sun is shining and we were so lucky when we went to the Troodos last month.

I got up early to go to the bank and to collect a parcel from SCS and to investigate what second hand books the Charity book shop had hoping to find one that Dad might enjoy once he has recovered from his operation.

The bank was open but the parcel office and the charity book shop don't open until 10.00 so my early start didn't actually help very much and I had to go and while away an hour in Paps doing a bit of shopping until the other establishments opened.  The parcel was the bike maintenance stand that I had ordered for John so that he can keep our pushbikes up together and I got very excited in the book shop when I found a bargain 50cent book by Nelson Demille only to read the back and see that it was the one that Dad had just read and really enjoyed - so anyone looking he has read Up Country.

I plumped for a Ken Follett, apparently you can't go wrong with a Ken Follett although I hated Pillars of the Earth myself.  This time Eye of the Needle which is one of my all time favourite films starring Donald Sutherland and something called And All the Kings Men by Gordon Stevens which is a story a bit like the SS-GB series currently on UK TV about what it would have been like if the Nazis had won the war.  Hopefully he will be able to return to reading and when he does these will be waiting for him.


Whilst I was down in Polis John went on another glasses hunt but to no avail and now that the goats are being grazed in the area there is no hope as they will either get eaten or get trampled on - I have given up hope now and with new ones on order will only have to wait until Friday for replacements.  I am coping ok except when it comes to using my mobile which is proving to be a challenge!!!!

Anyway as I said the goats are back and I smile at how much we used to panic when Chivers was a little kitten as he would insist on jumping into the field with them and we were concerned he would get kicked.

The cats are interested in the goats but not overly bothered by them - Charlie would normally growl if there is a stranger about or someone in the field but he normally just watches from a distance - as does Boris who likes to have the security of an elevated position!!!

It is a good time for the goats as there is plenty for them to eat and we tend to supplement their diet by chucking into the field any cuttings or weeds as we know they will get eaten.  No little kids in the flock as yet and no goats that are limping which is good to see because they are walked for miles and we are always concerned when we see one dragging its foot as we know it will have to do that for a fair old distance.

Pickleball this afternoon for me and Badminton for John.  I was travelling down with Diana and John was coming down later.  Mum is changing her day from Tuesday to Thursday so that the numbers are evened out and so that she can be around today should Dad need anything.

I walked to the end of the road to meet Di - it was the most beautiful afternoon and the views from the village are outstanding.  Despite having every slow moving vehicle known to man in front of us we still managed to make the trip in time and had a good session playing.  Mum came to pick me up as Diana was going straight home today.  We spent the afternoon with Dad who says his eye is gradually improving and a visit to Mrs Metaxa today confirmed that the operation appears to have been a success - time will tell.