Catching up...

Today we were catching up with some friends who are staying in Peyia.  We haven't seen the Poole family since they came to the island in August 2011 just after we had moved here.  Simon is an ex-matelot who served around the same time as John but was in a different branch and their paths did not cross.  I met Simon through work when he was working for a company which introduced Porter Dodson to Blackberry technology and the rest is history so the saying goes!

Back in 2011 Simon, Jimbo and Millie came to our house (sadly Louise was ill) and spent the afternoon with us.  I think the children must have been about 9 and 7 at the time.  Now they are all grown up and there is a third Poole child Betsy who was 'in minus land' (her description) at the time - she is now 4 going on 44!

The Poole's are renting a lovely villa just a stone's throw from Neo's in Peyia.  Neo's is their favourite restaurant because apart from the fact that the food there is excellent they have been brilliant catering for the needs of the two older Poole children who have both been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease.  This is a dangerous and debilitating disease which is not to be confused with 'wheat intolerance' or any other gluten diet fad which seems to be oh so popular at the moment.   The children are brilliant about it and control it by being very very careful not to ingest anything containing Gluten which is actually easier said than done.

Simon, Louise, Jimbo, Millie and Betsy are holidaying with Louise's Mum Ellie and her husband Bern (master chef thanks very much) and Louise's brother Billie.  We were invited to join them for a family barbeque.  Sadly Betsy was quite unwell, it would appear she has an ear infection which is, unfortunately, quite common over here when they are in and out of different water.  She was dosed up and made a theatrical appearance later but was clearly unwell.

As I said she is 4 going on 44!!!  Her vocabulary is amazing and she winds everyone around her little finger starting by gazing at you and declaring that she 'loves you' so that you will then do whatever it is she wants.

I had to play her at table tennis because I was lovely and I had a lovely pink purse and pink phone and pink nails (they were red actually).  John had to sit at the side of the pool dangling his feet in the water with her just because he was my Dad and he was nice and she loved him!  Sadly her earache return pretty quickly and so we went in to give her a cuddle before she went to bed and told her we hoped we would see her again before they return to the UK.

We had a lovely late afternoon and evening with them all.  Jimbo (soon to be 16) has turned into a really nice young man who has been accepted into a rugby academy in September - apparently sport is his absolute passion and so he is being encouraged to pursue that avenue.   Millie is a confident and personable young teenager who takes after her gran (according to her gran) and is very intelligent but hopes to make a career out of dance and drama and we wish them both well - they are a credit to Louise and Simon.  Louise's Mum, Stepdad and Brother were all interesting and friendly people and we sat around the dining table discussing everything from beer to mediums!

August 2011

July 2016

It was lovely to catch up with Louise and Simon - we hadn't realised they were here for more than 2 weeks so thought they returned home on Wednesday but they have until the end of the week so we are hoping that we can catch up with them once again even if it only for a coffee and we really hope it wont be another 6 years until we see them again.  They have recently moved house so good luck building your new life down south and good luck to Ellie on her forthcoming well-deserved retirement.

no kidding...

We have seen some unusual things on our way home of an evening but nothing more so than last night when a very large black rabbit with bit ears crossed our path - John said that he, Di and Rob had seen rabbits the other evening or more specifically they thought they had seen hares.  We have seen a hare before in Kathikas - in fact the Kathikas hare was quite a legend and I believe there is a mural of it at the Vasilikon winery!  No idea where the bunny invasion has come from - guess they must have escaped from somewhere - lots of people keep rabbits over here and not as pets unfortunately.

We are about to embark on a really busy time with visitors so we are taking full advantage of any down-time to recharge our batteries.  We only have a few more games of pickleball before we have a break for the Summer which is not a bad thing as it is getting exceptionally hot in the room where we play.

Today we had a visitor coming to try Pickleball for the first time but only as a visitor not a prospective newbie.  Liselotte and John have their friends Morton and Lena staying - Lena is apparently a sun worshiper whilst Morton loves racquet sports.  Morton must be about 10 feet tall so it was a question of little and large when he partnered most of us.  He was a natural and with his height and reach it was very very hard to get a ball past him.  He thoroughly enjoyed himself and will return next week when we play our final game of the season, looking forward to the challenge already!!!  We must all have been about three stone lighter the amount we sweated this afternoon!!!

Mum and I nipped to the Mall after PB - I am surprised we didn't clear it if my armpits were anything to go by!!!  I needed to pick up the sandals I had dropped off to be stretched.

I got these sandals from Next in the old town and as my feet have swelled in the heat I was having trouble getting my toes in - in fact it felt like their circulation was being cut off.

The key cutting/shoe menders in the Mall took them in to be stretched and charged me €5 which is a darn site cheaper than buying a new pair, plus white sandals don't seem to be very popular unless they have sky-scraper heels.  My feet currently resemble trotters -  I have short and wide feet at the best of times but in this heat they seem to double in size.

We also had a quick whip around Jumbos to pick up a couple of things before returning to John and Dad who were mid furniture removal when we arrived.  Mum wanted to remove the carpet in the lounge because it had some irremovable marks on them left by a ladder when they came to see whether or not ceiling fans could be fitted.  She then wanted to take the carpet from the dining room to replace it and will look for something for the dining room in due course.

Our lovely quiet evening started with sundowners up on the roof terrace with our new favourite tipple of gin and ginger beer with a dash of lime.

We were joined by Chivers and Charlie and knew where Minnie was, only Boris was AWOL - a bit worrying because our neighbour seemed to be taking pot shots off of his verandah even though it isn't shooting season.  I have a feeling that maybe big black bunny has gone to meet his maker.

a day of haircuts or not as the case may be...

Not too much to report on today because we had decided that we both needed haircuts so our activities were scheduled around a trip to Paphos.   Opening hours for businesses and offices in Cyprus are idiosyncratic - safe to say that up here in the Hills your can right off Wednesday afternoons, Saturday afternoons and Sunday (except for the Supermarket and kiosks) and Tuesday afternoons the petrol stations are generally not manned at the till so you have to use a machine or pay the person working who does so through the machine and Thursdays hairdressers and barbers close.  The rules seem more relaxed in the bigger towns and cities and tourist areas and the Malls.  Just to make sure John had phone his barber Stelios to ensure he would be open on Thursday and Stelios said yes.

Before setting off for Paphos we made a very sad trip down the hill to John and Susan's.  Susan had been stocking up with food for Millie so we would have plenty for her whilst they were away and this would now no longer be needed and I think Susan was keen to have it gone from the house.  She would not let me pay for the boxes of catfood, biscuits and flea/tick/worming treatment.  It was very sad not to see little Millie's harlequin face peering through the window at us and John and Susan's dog Zak was busy looking for her to play with.  Susan has said they do not plan to have another cat, in fact they didn't plan to have one in the first place but over here these things sort of happen.  It makes us even more protective of our four - if that is at all possible.  Chivers pitched up today with a small wound on the top of his head - we need to keep an eye on it - we thought the small wound on Boris's ear was nothing until all the skin round it started to die.  We have a headcount everytime we return home and cannot rest until they have all been accounted for.

So we tootled off down to Paphos good an early because John was anticipating a wait at Stelios's and then we thought we would do a bit of shopping in the Mall and have a snack before my hair appointment which was at 2.00pm.  Needless to say we pitched up at Stelios's to find that it was CLOSED.

Oh well there was nothing for it but to have a look around Paphos to see if we could find a replacement larder fridge as one of ours is not working properly - in fact the side of it was so hot the other day that you could have cooked on it and you hear all these horror stories about house fires being started by faulty electrical appliances.  We have switched it off.  No joy with a larder fridge - no where had one and so we will have to look further afield.

We decided to grab a coffee in the Mall and in homage to the Bobster went to Costa and decided to sit outside looking at the world going by.  We were sat there minding our own business only to be gate crashed by the Veaseys who were also in Paphos doing some shopping and who had decided to have a cuppa in Costa as well!!!

It was quite fortuitous really because it meant I could leave John chatting to them whilst I went off to the hairdressers.  I had to persuade Lumi to cut my hair really really short - it has been so hot and I can't bear the sticky out bits around my neck.

So the style remained the same but shorter round my ears and my neck and for a bit of fun she added some stripes of colour to the fringe.  It wont last too long - it washes out but for a while it is fun and funky.   Poor John had to kick his heels for nearly two hours but he was ok about it.  He still needs to get his hair cut but is going to tackle that problem another day.

We returned home and John headed straight for the pool - only to realise that we had forgotten to get some suction hooks from Jumbos!!!  He wants to put a couple on the patio doors so that we can hang a pool towel there so we dont drip all over the conservatory floor trying to reach one.

I bought John a new doormat for his anniversary present!  not quite the right colours for our cats but it's nice and cheerful.

We had planned a quiet evening but that wasn't to be - our Cypriot neighbours invited us to have supper with them at Fitos.  It turned out to be a very pleasant evening.  We all chose sea bream and it was absolutely delicious - just the right choice as both John and I are trying to keep our ever expanding waistlines under control!

It was our 26th Wedding anniversary today - where has that time gone? it certainly doesn't seem that long although to be fair John was away for most of the first 20 years.  It was a blustery day in Scotland when we tied the knot in Gretna Green - it was a blustery day here in Droushia 26 years later, a blustery day and a rather chilly evening compared to how it has been over the last few weeks.

We were having a quiet day at home - last year for our 25th we hosted an afternoon tea party with catering by Ooo La La Louise Rance and music by Louise Vreony.  It was a lovely day but it is sad that if we were to do the same today there are a number of people who would not, for a number of reasons, be sat around our table.

 We were further saddened by a message from Susan and John to tell us that their lovely little cat Millie had been bitten by a snake again and this time had not survived.  We had nursed her so carefully when they were away and had thought she had managed to pull through but Susan said she was never the same afterwards.  We were due to look after her again on Monday so we are somewhat relieved that this did not happen on our watch.  Run free little Millie-Mou we are going to miss you.

We decided yesterday that we would mooch down to the Hotel in the evening for a drinkie and John wanted to repay Rob's generosity when he funded the extra special cocktails that we had at the Anassa for Di's Birthday.  It was nice to scrub up a bit and go out but we hadn't anticipated quite how cool the evening was going to turn out!!!  There was a huge bank of cloud bubbling up from the direction of Lara which is always a bit of a bad sign and Di and I let our guard down and forgot to arm ourselves with a statutory cardi!!!

It was nice at the hotel - they had a little two piece combo providing some live music which, whilst all Cypriot music was rather more melodic than we expected and the girl had a really nice voice.  We braved it and sat outside on one of the sofas which had that unmistakable damp feeling due to the heavy condensation.  There wasn't much of a sunset because of the rising cloud and as the sun went down it became chillier and chillier!!

There was nothing for it but to fortify ourselves with some cocktails.  The first one I chose was a Pink Lady, gin based and very nice - John thought it was too sweet.  The second Mai Thai sat heavily on my stomach so I am thinking I will give that one a miss another time.

Kleopa from the post office was on duty and on hearing it was our anniversary busied himself away and returned at one point with cake and a carefully chosen romantic song to be sung to us which was so sweet of him.  We only wish we knew what she was singing but apparently it was a nice song and then we had all sorts of random people come and give us their best wishes.  Thank you Droushia Heights Hotel we love you for that, thank you Mum and Dad for the money which funded our cocktail evening, thank you Di and Rob for your company and thank you everyone else who sent us their love and best wishes.

Tuesday...

A fairly quiet Tuesday - it is still very hot but we continue to play pickleball until the end of the month.  John is still resting his poorly knee and has physio again tomorrow.

I went out into the cool of the morning to do some early watering as we had been late home last night after our Ooooooo What a Night Jersey Boy concert (thanks and big kisses to the Veasey's).  I am not counting my chickens or my floribundas for that matter but I am very excited about my 'interesting stick'.

When John's stepfather passed away earlier this year we bought a standard rose in his memory to plant in John's Mum's garden.

His mum hoped John might be able to bring a piece back here for me to try and grow.  Unfortunately the piece John brought back was basically a bud with a couple of leaves either side.  Now I am no gardening expert but trying to strike from a bud is night on impossible but I shoved it into my 'nursery' pot where I shove any cutting I get hold of and I left it there.  I removed the bud so the stick wasn't trying to produce a flower and then shortly afterwards one set of leaves shriveled and died and then the second set of leaves shriveled and died so I was left with the interesting stick and John had given up hope.  The stick remained green and whilst it did so I left it in situ.  Then a little bump appeared in the middle of the 'Y' and at that point I transferred it into a pot of its own in partial shade.  The bump grew and then a little leaf appeared and these leaves have flourished and grown.  I have been in this position before trying to strike a Cystic Fibrosis rose from my sister's garden so I know that it is early days but every day it seems to have grown a little more and whilst the stem remains green there is sufficient nutrient to support the leaves.  It is being fed and watered carefully and I have my fingers crossed that it will survive.

Although John is resting he is doing one or two little jobs and were so happy today when we finally solved the conundrum of the shower-room ceiling.  When we had the shower room refurbished by Billy the Kid about three years ago we couldn't wait to get rid of him so the finish was never quite what we had hoped for.  There is still adhesive on tiles which we just cannot shift and Billy had tiled as far up to the ceiling as he had wanted and left an uneven finish with adhesive and grout all over the place.  In some places the gap between the tiles and the ceiling was small in others massive - it looked awful and we hated it but we hadn't been able to find a suitable solution knowing that the walls were so uneven.

In the end the solution was relatively cheap and easy!  We needed something thin, light and flexible and a fortuitous with Alan the Plumber Plumber man led us to discover that you can purchase lightweight polystyrene coving from George's DIY in Polis.  John spent a lot of time making a suitable mitre block to make sure the corners were cut as evenly as possible and did a test 'stick' with a piece to ascertain how tacky it would be in this heat and then we decided to go for it.  I am so happy with the finish - visitors probably haven't taken any notice but it bugged the life out of us and now it has GONE!!!

Gold star to John xx

A great start to the week...

The new week starts with my regular Monday morning art at Sheila and Klaus's and I am making good progress on my 'glass' challenge as I have completed two of the glass fishing floats and am now on the final element.  I am enjoying this and have chosen something similar for my next project if no-one comes up with something they would like me to do.  Sheila's commission was received enthusiastically which is great news and well deserved as she worked hard on it.  Sheila has now moved on to a painting in acrylics for a change.  I like my Monday mornings and am grateful to Sheila for allowing me use of her materials and for Klaus for feeding me.  I am hoping that when they sell their house they will relocate somewhere nearby otherwise I am really going to miss them.  Still we will cross that bridge when we come to it - maybe I should just hold them both hostage?   I am not sure how many years I have been going to their house on a Monday - I could count it in pieces of artwork as I have kept a record of everything I have done so far!!

We were having a special treat tonight for our impending 26th Wedding Anniversary - can't believe it was almost a year ago that we had our Silver Wedding celebration tea party in our garden - tonight Diana and Rob had very kindly bought us tickets to join them at the Jersey Boys concert at Chlorakas Amphitheatre and we had arranged to eat at Thanasi Taverna in Emba with Mum and Dad and then park up at theirs before Mum dropped us off to walk to the Amphitheatre and then pick us back up.

We had a lovely meal - it is great that this place is open early because it gave us time to eat before getting to the show - this is also useful for anyone going to Stage One at Emba because you can eat there and then wander down to the Theatre for the performance.  Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal and after a quick 'comfort break' at Mum and Dad's when we nearly forgot to pack our cushions and cool boxes we were off...

Chlorakas amphitheatre is small and beautifully located with a view out to sea and, if you enlarged the photograph enough you can actually see the old wreck bobbing about just left of the right-hand set of spotlights.  It was packed - thank goodness we had cushions because the concrete steps are not the most comfortable.

We were all a bit uncertain about the evening when the pre-show slot was filled by a rather dodgy 'hypnotist' but he was short lived thank goodness and when the 'Boys' did come on they were excellent, actually outstanding.  They could all sing and dance and looked to be having great fun and got the crowd up and dancing from the first number.  It was sooooo hot for them to be performing in the iconic red jackets but they did.  Three guys from Carlisle and one from Essex did good, did very good in fact!

John was keen to mark our anniversary with a photograph down by the stage and some nice girl in the audience obliged by taking two or three shots to capture the mood.  Really have to thank Di and Rob for this gift - John and I thought it was one of the most entertaining shows we had been to anywhere and certainly the best we have attended on the island and we would definitely look out for something happening there again - it was much more intimate than a half-filled Tala amphitheatre (which I dont like anyway).  Also have to thank Mum for being our taxi service as it meant we didn't have to struggle to find somewhere to park.  All in all a very good day and big big thanks to everyone concerned but extra special thanks to Di and Rob for the lovely gift x

Wimbledon Men's Final...

It is Sunday and it is my turn and I am mindful that at this time of the year Mum loses her appetite and Dad just doesn't seem to be eating as much as he did and so I really want to try and tempt them both with something interesting.

I thought that as it was the Wimbledon Men's final I would do a special Wimbledon Afternoon Tea after John's Mum mentioned she was going to one and would incorporate the Pimms, the strawberries and the cucumber.  All in all I was a bit disappointed with the final match and the afternoon tea.

I had tossed and turned all last night with loads of 'things' running through my mind including making sandwiches and keeping them fresh so I had my plan about when to make them and when to serve.  Mum and Dad were coming up early for our traditional Sunday card game and then Di and Rob were joining us for the match and we had agreed to eat at 5.00pm because Dad didn't want to leave Fred too long alone at home - and to be fair now that Fred is a house cat and the house can get very very warm shut up that was perfectly understandable.  My plans went out the window when we realised the match didn't start until 4.00pm our time and right at that point our internet threw a complete wobbly as did our android box and we had to dust off the old steam driven one and get it working.

We had done a sweep stake for the tennis - each one of us choosing a card which related to a score and the winner was to receive a prize of a rather nice box of truffles.  John and I both selected cards which would have necessitated Cilic performing out of his skin and out of his skin he didn't do!  Rob took first prize having selected the Ace of Clubs which corresponded to Federer winning in straight sets - Rob was pleased because he says he never wins anything but not half as pleased as Federer who won his 8th Wimbledon Men's singles title and pocketed a cool £2.2 million which is outrageous - but with tickets at over £2K for that game there is so much money involved - hope the attendees thought they got value to money.

So Mum and Dad came up after brunch and having settled Fred and we had our game of cards and as usual the scorer (John) won so the world is still spinning correctly on its axis.

Mum joined me in the pool afterwards, the water was the warmest it has been for us at just around 31 degrees and I think she enjoyed the dip although she says she has lost her confidence in the water which is a shame but she can just cool down on the steps so doesn't have to venture out in the water and our pool is small enough that even in the deep end she is not out of her depth (if she stands on tip-toe).

We settled down to watch the match - John having been watching the Grand Prix from Silverstone to be faced with nothing, NADA and a panic to get the game on by the time Di and Rob arrived.  We didn't quite manage it but rectified the situation pretty shortly afterwards and it must have just been a blip because after they had gone home we put the normal box back on and it worked perfectly - the law of SOD.

I tried to stick to the 5.00pm tea time but it wasn't easy getting sandwiches freshly made and plated up so they didn't ressemble something from a railway museum.  With a bit of help from John I got there in the end and we sat down to Egg Mayo, Pate and Cucumber, Beef and Caramelised Onion sandwiches, Pork Pie, Onion, Apple and Cheese Flan, Watermelon, Halloumi and Mint kebabs, with crisps, pickled onions, beetroot, coleslaw, cherry tomatoes and pickle.  This was followed by strawberries and cream (for which, as you know, mum had auctioned her kidney as they were sooooo expensive), gin and tonic drizzle cake and stones, butter, jame and cream.  I say stones because bloody hell Paul Hollywood you really let me down with your light and fluffy scone recipe.  I was mortified at the canon-ball-like lumps I offered my guests.  No amount of 'refreshing' was going to make these babies fluffy - next time I shall stick to a tried and tested recipe otherwise I feel some hefty dentist bills coming my way.

Mum and Dad left a little later than anticipated but not too much so.  Rob and Di stayed on to finish up the Pimms.  Maybe not my finest hour catering-wise but a lovely day all the same.  Must find out from Rob what he chatted to Dad about - they were deep in conversation for ages.  

getting ready...

Not much to report on today as it was a day at home having a bake-a-thon in readiness for the Wimbledon Tea which I am doing for Mum and Dad and Di and Rob tomorrow when they come up to watch the men's final which has turned out to be a less than trilling prospect - Federer v Cilic - not the game we would have hoped for.  So with temperatures at a million degrees or thereabouts I chained myself to the kitchen.  I am in awe and total wonder-ment as to how Louise Rance provided such an exquisite afternoon tea here almost a year ago catering for about 40 people - I am catering for 6 and am struggling.

I started by getting the table partially laid and I have to admit it is lovely to get out my cake plates and cake knife and all the lovely bits and pieces that make up an afternoon tea.

Armed with my list I started to tick off all the things I planned to provide.  We would have the statutory welcoming glass (or two) of Pimms - check! and there would be strawberries because mum had sold her kidney off on the internet to get some here as they are sooooo out of season - check! and I had managed to locate and purchase some half decent pork pies - check!  John was despatched up to my friend Tanya in the village for some of her lovely eggs and my bakers dozen included one where she wants me to photograph the contents because it could just be large, could be a double yolker or could be an egg within an egg!

I didn't think I would have time to make the scones in the morning - shame as they are always best fresh but opted for a Paul Holywood recipe for light and fluffy scones which was pretty complicated and included the addition of yoghurt but I thought he ought to know how to make a fluffy scone - apparently he doesn't as these turned out to be more like stones than scones (Dad's verdict and sadly also mine).

I did make some pastry - which is rare and actually easy - don't know why I buy frozen really other than convenience and out of the bowels of the fridge found some cheese, onion and apple and made a very passable flan type thing - in fact my taster in chief was so impressed I thought he was going to tell me not to offer it up for general consumption.

All the fillings for the sandwiches have been prepared - the bread remains reasonably fresh and I have a plan in place for tomorrow.  Mum and Dad will come up after brunch and Di and Rob will come for the tennis.

I was officially hot and bothered by the end of the day so John and I had a late night swim and went to bed with a refreshing chill on our skins - it didn't last long and I had a fitful night's sleep with lots of 'stuff' running through my head.

Flaming Friday...

No pickleball today so we were having a day at home - except we didn't!  We had invited Di and Rob to come for a swim and a bit of a BBQ this evening - we have to do this to ensure we eat outside every once in a while!!!  So as a result I wanted to go down to Paps to do some shopping for tonight and for Sunday when we are having a Wimbledon Afternoon Tea.

We have been looking after Bassam's chickens whilst he and the children have been to the Lebanon visiting family and they returned yesterday so I wanted to call round to make sure everything we ok.  To say the kids were pleased to see us was an understatement - even Amoura who is now an oh-so-cool teenager but not averse to a cuddle now and again.  They had a brilliant time and wanted to share breakfast and their stories with us.  It is so good to see them animated and happy and when they showed us a book which some photographer friends had sent them of an Orexi Supper Club filled with photographs of them and Bassam and the 'star of the show' Elena we wondered how they would react but they were so proud of it and so happy to show it to us.  Elena if by some weird and wonderful means you are able to read this you should be so proud of the children.  They all seem so well adjusted and never make it difficult to visit - your presence is everywhere, never more so than in my kitchen when I try and recreate some of your recipes!  Lovely lovely Bassam brought me a box of the fabulous Lebanese sweeties that he first started giving us when he came to build our wall - they will come out for special occasions only.

Shopping was a brief affair as it was just soooooo hot in Polis.  We were chatted to by a man in there who clearly knew us from sometime in the past but neither John nor I could recall him and we both felt rather rude that our conversation with him was so stilted, John thought I knew who he was and I thought John knew who he was!!

Back home we got everything ready for our evening. The pool was looking absolutely sparkling although the difference in temperature from that of the Veasey's and ours is probably 5-6 degrees, theirs like a warm bath ours not so - Di wasn't sure the Robster would come in but he did, fair play to him.

We had drinkies up on the roof terrace before our evening meal.  We were having lemon yoghurt marinaded chicken skewers, village halloumi, honey and mustard grilled sausages with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank potatoes, pittas, salad and a selection of olives and dips - I had even made caramelised onion humus and lemon and coriander humus like I used to buy in the UK.

It was a lovely evening topped off by the fact that John could watch his beloved Sheffield United on TV as the friendly against Malaga was televised and they won!  Rob and Di got home safely and without any of the cats in tow so that is a result.  It would appear from a text I had from Persephone at 1b that Charlie likes to go visit her in the evenings.  I can foresee a tug of love when George and Pam are over!

Bad night...

Our idea to sleep in the guest bedroom which generally seems cooler and which we hoped would afford us a better night's sleep because it is easier to ignore the cats from there didn't work and so I was up and feeding Charlie, Minnie and Boo at around 5.30am (Chivers is much more civilised and doesn't put in an appearance for at least another hour or so).   The sunrise was beautiful and heralded another hot hot day.

It is amazing how the threat of visitors can galvanize you into action even in this hot weather!!!  Today we had a massive clean and tidy because Wendy and Bill said they may call in with their visitors Alison, Dave and son Thomas who are out here on holiday.  The heat has been my excuse to do even less housework than usual and John would tell you that isn't much in the first place (it really ain't my thing!!).   We finally tackled the sofas which are usually swathed in great big throws because the fabric really wasn't the best choice when it came to cats and dirt.  The cat hairs seem to harpoon themselves to the seats and stubbornly refuse to be removed and any bit of grease or dirt seems to stick to the microfibre like shit to a blanket.  We decided to use some of the Turtle Wax cleaner that Rob had used on his car to great effect and given the remainder to John and this has actually made a great difference.  Conscious that we didn't want to sit on the sofas when damp from the pool or sweaty we have still covered them with some light and easily washable throws that I already had and they will do for the time being.  The other throws got a blow and a beating and are currently residing in George and Pam's until I can make room for them.

I must admit I love it when the house is clean and tidy but am so disappointed that it lasts for such a short time, the with doors open and the cats it is only a matter of seconds before there is crap on the floors.  Still everywhere got a clean and tidy today and we did as much defurring as was humanly possible and we were exhausted and dripping in sweat by the end of it.

Not content with just cleaning I decided to go the whole hog and make a cake - choosing to try a Gin and Tonic drizzle cake rather than just a plain old lemon one and blow me we forgot to sample it when we had our visitors!  Hope it is nice because it was an easy recipe and John is partial to both a bit of cake and gin and tonic!!

As the evening went on we didn't expect to see Wendy and Co particularly as they had to return to Pissouri via Paphos but they did eventually arrive having taken a wrong turning en route.  Bill you are useless, you have been coming here for six years and you go wrong every time!  They stayed long enough to have the Wiseman tour of the property and then to have a drink up on the roof terrace and watched the sun go down before making their way home.  We assume Bill will have managed to navigate his way out of the estate and the village but knowing him they will be lost out on the Akamas somewhere!