D Day...

So this is it - this is D Day - the day when all the family arrive and my blog will become a little sporadic - let's just say that today we were up at the crack of sparrows and then had to wait until the tail end of the day for the flight from East Midlands to arrive and then deposit Janice and family down to their villa in Latchi and get John's mum settled here in Droushia - we three went to bed at about 3.30am!

In the intervening hours we managed to grab a few minutes with our dear friends Barry, Lynne and Joseph and their holiday pals at Rimini before racing off to the airport because the flight was coming in earlier and anticipated.  We shall catch up with them again soon.

Brief post today - knackered!

slow start

It was a slow start to the day today I blame the late night and the shite red wine we were drinking at the festival last night - that was until Marianna saved the day and offered to buy us a drink and returned with a proper bottle of labelled Sterna wine - Koralli.  All the other stuff we had been drinking had been decanted into unlabeled bottles and was carton plonk of an unknown vintage.  Let's just say it was dry - very dry and I forgot to take a bottle of water to bed with me.

We had planned for a quiet day today before life become hectic with a stream of visitors.  Our good friends Barry, Lynne and Joseph arrived yesterday, John's family arrive tomorrow, Laura and Mark arrive next weekend and my cousin and his wife arrive after that, then Jane and John will arrive and my John will celebrate his 50th birthday and then we will collapse and hibernate for the winter.  On that subject the weather is strange and we have had a bit of rain and more rain is forecast before the temperatures edge back up again.  This should make for more pleasant sleeping conditions for our guests - particularly Alicia who has not been abroad before so probably cannot anticipate just how hot it can be.

At last night's festival Stacey came armed with a glass which was filled with 'slips' from a lemon verbena plant the parent of which originated in Elena's garden at Orexi HQ.

I am partial to a drop of tea made with lemon verbena so I am keen to try and grow a plant for myself.  Apparently you should be able to get a cutting to root in water and then you transplant it into a very free draining mixture so I have my fingers crossed.

I must remember to return her glass, I shouldn't forget because we pass Stacey's house when we go to pickleball.  I am not sure what else I can do with the leaves of this highly perfumed plant so will put this link here and on the food page so I can refer back if I am successful with my propagation: Lemon Verbena uses.

We spent what was left of the morning cleaning the cars and getting John's Mum's room ready and generally tidying around so that tomorrow all we have to do is take things down to the villa in Latchi, make sure it looks ok and sort out about the keys.  I hope they like it - the trouble is that other people's expectations can be so different to your own.  The villa is in a fabulous position and I think that will seal the deal.

John spent the afternoon watching his beloved Blades accompanied by a packet of Tesco's Sweet Chilli Flavoured Peanuts (for which we have to thank the Bobster and Di who located them in Alpha Mega) and a bottle or two of Ruddles County supped from the special glass Athos gave him at the beer festival the other week.

The Blades secured at win and sat 6th in the league for a while as they were the early match today against Barnsley.  They ended in 10th but several places above the other Sheffield team.  It is going to be a learning curve this season so mid table is fair enough at this stage.

We were invited around to George and Pam's for a cup of tea and sticky and to meet their son Andrew (Andreas) who has come over for a brief visit with his daughter Niamh.  We met them briefly years ago so it is nice to make their acquaintance again.  We were invited to go to the Last Castle for a late lunch with them tomorrow but had to decline as we are having dinner at Mum and Dad's before calling in to say Hi to Barry and co en route to the airport.  By the time we get everyone settled it is likely to be Monday morning before we get to bed so I have cancelled going to Art that day.

We had toyed with the idea of going out for dinner just to the two of us before the silly season starts but were tired and were conscious that we have an expensive time ahead of us so I scoured the fridge and freezer and then the internet to get some inspiration for a meal.

I found it - a slightly tweaked take on a
Lesley Waters recipe for sticky honey and sesame seed stir fry beef.

I served ours with rice (lemongrass, coriander and coconut) and padded out the beef by adding some batons of onion, carrot and cucumber and throwing in some cashew nuts.  It was lush and light and certainly something I will be doing again.  Big thanks to the freezer for yielding a small piece of fillet steak which wasn't enough for two people on its own but made a fine meal when added to all the other ingredients.

We watched John Wick tonight - I didn't rate it - no story and too many unanswered questions about what had happened prior to the action in the film - I have firmly declined the opportunity to watch John Wick 2 - I never liked Keanu Reeves in the first place and I reckon he only grunted 100 words throughout the whole of the film.

cool night

We woke this morning to black skies and the threat of rain.  I had seen it forecast for today and again on Monday but had not believed it.  I blame George and Pam because whenever they come the weather seems to take a turn for the worse - they bring a little bit of London with them and it had been raining in London when they left so I rest my case, QED, Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt!!

Fortunately the weather cleared and it gave me the opportunity to get some gardening done whilst John took little Kenny to have a puncture repaired - good old Savvas - the repair cost us nothing but his son benefited to the tune of 5 euros by way of a thank-you.  This transaction is generally followed by Savvas's wife Elena bringing us a selection of fresh eggs.  The cooler damper evenings have brought a few things to life and we have a number of visitors making their home chez-nous.

We had some billy big wasp-like thing in the pool - it was huge and we think it is a parasitic wasp in which case it is a loner.  This one was about two inches or more long - it wasn't doing anything bar having a drink and hitching a ride on the pool thermometer but I didn't fancy getting too close to it.

Tonight it was the annual village shindig - last year due to the tragic death of one of the local boys we didn't have one.  This year three groups from the village got together to put on a traditional evening - a different format this time with a 5 euro entrance ticket which was also a raffle ticket and then food on sale rather than a buffet.  It was a very cool very damp evening which was a shame because it wasn't as pleasant to sit there as it might have been.

We went with George and Pam whose son and granddaughter were arriving later at midnight - as it happened the flight was delayed so poor George had a long night - he will be exhausted after his journey yesterday and the trip to the airport today.  We kept them company until they left and then went and joined Di and Rob who had been on the Droushia Ex-Pat table.

It was a very traditional evening but the highlight was Phillipos's 92 year old Mother taking to the stage and doing her own version of a rap!!  the evening probably wasn't everybody's cup of tea and the damp cool conditions didn't help and the wine was pretty lethal but we had a good evening - failed miserably to select a winning ticket for the draw but had a laugh none the less and there was a good turn out.

Karma karma karma chameleon...

Not my photo - one from internet

This morning John and I were merrily on our way down to John and Susan's to water and then on to Polis for John's regular physio session when he did an abrupt about turn in the car and shot back up the hill and then stopped because on the way down he had narrowly avoided running over a mediterranean chameleon.  Last time that happened John shot back to save one only to see it squashed flat by a truck.  So I ran out and tried to pick it up - at this point it was leisurely sauntering across the road using a hesitant back and forward motion but when I tried to pick it up it shot off like Usaine Bolt in his prime - would you bloody believe it there I was on the main highway in my flipflops in hot pursuit.  I managed to pick it up and it was not happy - I got hissed and spat at for my troubles and it was a wee bit scary so I quickly liberated it into the roadside out of harm's way.  If you have never witnesses a pissed off chameleon you can do so here: spitting chameleon.

John and Susan return next week - we will do a final clean up and water on Sunday but today John got rid of the general garden detritus which had collected on the top of the pool cover.  I watered the plants but they are struggling - I think it is because it is so windy up there.  It seems so strange to be there and for Millie Mou not to be winding herself around our legs - poor thing we do miss her.

I did some Paps shopping for George and Pam who arrive later this afternoon whilst John was at Marios's - he found me at the check out having completed his physio and was pleased that Marios seemed to think he would be ok to return to sport - albeit gently in the next couple of weeks.  This is good news as he has really missed his regular badminton and pickleball sessions.

We had parked up in St Andrews' Square and this is where Anastasia the dressmaker has moved.  She is in a lovely large, light and airy shop which is so different to the one she had previously next to the haberdashery shop.

We stopped and chatted for a while - she is keen to make the most of this new space and to maximise her exposure.  I suggested she linked up with people who would add value to her brilliant dressmaking skills as people (like me) often ask for something to be made or altered for a special occasion and could be looking for jewelry or a fascinator or something to go with the item.

Anastasia is also an artist - in fact George and Pam have one of her paintings in their house and she remembered them coming in and buying from her.  She said it was one of her most favourite pictures which reminded her of where she took her children to swim in Argaka and she didn't have a copy of it so I will go in and take a good photograph of it for her.

We returned home and put the food in Pam's fridge and then encountered a strange car outside - it transpired that the occupants were from a surveyors and that the house next door had been handed back to the bank so they had come to secure it with their own keys.  I think they must have had a bit of a shock when they managed to make their way inside - it has been empty and deteriorating for years.

I spent a little time in the garden in between keeping an ear out for Diana who was calling in for a cuppa and keeping an ear out for George and Pam's arrival.  The weird phallic looking field lilies have started to put in an appearance - yesterday they weren't there and today they are about 8 inches tall.  They start off as a rosette of green lush leaves which then die completely and then the spikes come up.

My gardening efforts were monitored by a little bright green grasshopper which was sheltering from the sun in amongst the morning glory.  It was warm but very windy today and the forecast is for rain this weekend.  There was heavy condensation this morning and as the day progressed it got pretty chilly - chilly enough for a cardigan!!!  George thought it was very pleasant!  He and Pam arrived safe and sound and we caught up with them over a bottle of wine - their son arrives on Friday - they are so excited as they hadn't expected any family out with them this year.

ch ch ch changes...

Today we were ringing the changes and going down to see Mum and Dad instead of yesterday when everything was closed, having said that there were still things closed today including the Hair and Beauty shop which we particularly wanted to go into as we had a shopping list from John's sister for particular products for her and Alicia whilst they are here.  We managed to get most of the things in Ikoagora (Cycleband) but have had to admit defeat with the Pantene BB Creme which I am sure I could have got. Still never mind if that is all they have to bring it wont be too bad.

We went with Mum and Dad down to Choccos for a spot of lunch - it was a bit of a bargain and good too.  They had an offer on so we went for it.  A bacon and halloumi baguette with a frappe or other drink of your choice was €3.95 and the baguettes came with a fairly decent sized salad.  It was quite busy in there which was good because at €3.95 for all that you have to sell a fair few of them to make a profit!  We had fun and games with Mum and Dad's android TV box which has come back from the Computer shop and deemed to be ok only for it not to be working - the HDMI port seems to have died now.  The delivery of television over here is frustrating unless you want the local channels everything comes via the internet which can be hit and miss at the best of times.

On our return we had some jobs we wanted to do before cooling down and having a swim.  The mornings and evenings are now much cooler and it is noticeable how much later the sun rises.  This should make for easier sleeping but for some reason over the last few nights John and I have both slept very fitfully guess we must have things on our mind.

John wanted to get the panels washed as they were looking very dusty and I couldn't resist but to take a photograph of him standing on the roof Rambo-like looking like he was having a giant wee!!!  Actually he was up against it as it suddenly got quite windy and the water pressure from the hose up there is not so good.

I wanted to get the Conservatory clean and tidy - the floor is difficult to keep clean because all sorts blow in from the garden when the doors are open and then water gets on the tiles from people getting in and out of the pool and then the cats walk through it and we get nice little dusty paw prints all through the house.  It all looks lovely for about five minutes!  We are more or less ready for our visitors - just some last minute shopping to do on Sunday.

We brought some cuttings with us from a grapevine we used to have growing along our fence in the married quarters - we don't really grow it for the fruit more for the green and the shade but this year it started to grow quite a few bunches of grapes.  The last year we were in Yeovil we had a bumper crop and I remember them to be sweet with a distinctive Muscat dessert flavour.

The embryonic bunches started well and then faltered - we don't use any sort of pesticide because of the cats but apparently it was more likely to be due to lack of or sporadic watering so I have been giving the vine regular drinks and the bunches have benefited.  The grapes are big and juicy and actually taste delicious.  Next year I shall make sure I don't make the same mistake again and try and produce some better looking specimens.

John found some grapes the other day - and loads of figs which are now ready up here - we shall put a bowl into George and Pam's fridge ready for their arrival.  When George is here he goes out early every morning to pick figs and always brings a bowl back for me.  John's mum likes figs so that is something we can give her.  I think I may have done baked figs for her in the past.  John doesn't like the 'bitty' texture.

This weather my hair grows like mad and I am about due to have a trim at least.  The pink and blue colour at the front has faded nicely and I am happy with it at the moment but I know that in a couple of days it will have gone just too far.

I am thinking I will go sometime whilst John's mum is here and she can have a manicure at the same time as she usually likes to have her nails done whilst she is out here.  I know it is going to be very different, and difficult for her this time so we are going to leave what we do and where we go entirely up to here.

John managed to get to skype his sister this evening - she is looking forward to being here but not to getting here as she doesn't relish the journey.  We hope they like the villa we found down in Latchi - it will be a very different holiday to the one they had four years ago when they stayed in Arodes and liked to watch the morning mists rise up the valley.  We think Nathan and Alicia as teenagers will like the proximity of the life in Latchi to the solitude of Arodes although Alicia has never been abroad and never flown so it is all going to be one big aventure for her.

We finished our evening as we have begun to do recently by sitting up on the roof enjoying the last of the sunshine and the cooling breeze along with the cats for company and a little gin and tonic, or in my case tonight bitter lemon.  John's mum likes to have her gin with bitter lemon and we managed to find some today so grabbed a slab of it because she is with us for a month and who knows how many little drinkies we might partake in that time.

Silly season for visitors starts tomorrow with the arrival of George and Pam providing they don't miss their flight like they did one year!

The Assumption of the Virgin Mary

A lovely quiet day at home today - it is one of the most important Bank Holidays celebrated here in Cyprus (and boy they have a lot - about 15 at the last count) the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.  This is celebrated on the 15th August and depending on which day of the week it falls means that the preceding or following days are often tagged on to make a longer holiday so shops and business could be closed for several days!

ASSUMPTION DAY is primarily a Greek Orthodox religious festival that honors the Virgin Mary's ascent to Heaven and is known as the Dormition of the Theotokos.

The Greek Orthodox church refers to Mary, the mother of Jesus, as the Virgin Mary or Theotokos in Greek.  According to Greek Orthodox tradition Theotokos was physically taken up to heaven at the end of her life and this is commonly known as falling asleep, or Dormition in Greek.

We did not venture into the village today but could hear from a distance that all sorts of things seemed to be happening throughout the day and late into the night - the music sounded like it was on our doorstep but was away in the distance - it was a still, starlit night and the sound was carrying.  It seemed to end quite early by Cypriot standards because when I went to bed around 11.00 I wasn't aware of any music - probably because the peace was shattered by John shouting at the 'pathetic performance' of the Blades playing away at Cardiff (and losing 2-0 into the bargain).

As I said in a previous post my lovely friend Sally sent me some advertising blurb for her new business Sally's Fish Camp and I had seen a photograph where she was doing her thing and there were some nice lanterns with her business advertised on them.

In amongst the blurb was one of her stickers and I wanted to give it a home so it is on a glass vase which houses my rather sad looking orchid which was a gift from Jane and John last year.  I say sad - it isn't really as it has survived and is currently putting on new growth but it is a really sad shape - it has very very long droopy leaves unlike other orchids I have had previously so it looks a bit like Deputy Dawg!

I decided it might benefit from being up high so the leaves weren't dragging on the sideboard - not sure if it is helping much but the stem that has been threatening to burst into life is still threatening but not dead.  The bloody thing has a couple of weeks to buck it's ideas up before Jane and John are here and will be inspecting it!!!  Actually it will be a brief visit so I doubt it will even cross their minds except now I have jogged their memory! So I will give Deputy Dawg some extra tender loving care and hope that the stem burst miraculously into life and soon.

The Bobster has his birthday soon and so I thought I would take the opportunity to get a card made for him - I don't make many now except for special occasions and I am trying to use up my crafting stuff to get it to a manageable level.  Men's cards are always an issue - I made a special Charlton Athletic one last year for him.

I am not happy with the card and may make something else.  The wording at the bottom seems to me to be missing the word MORE but it wasn't there on the sticker and it was a bugger to apply.  However the more I look at it the more (MORE MORE MORE) I think it doesn't make sense so I may have to revisit that and make another - bugger!

I think we could be in trouble for seating when John's Mum is here.  We have two sofas in the lounge - a two seater and a three seater and John is on the three seater with Boris!  Thank goodness George will be here and Charlie on his holidays with him at 11b because that means there is one less body to squeeze on the seats.

It is Monday - blimey Monday's come round fast these days - and so I was walking to Art this morning.  The village is buzzing because for many this is either their main holiday or they have taken today off as it is a bank holiday tomorrow (The Assumption of the Virgin Mary) that way they get a nice long weekend.  Lots of things have shut today and will remain shut tomorrow - this is one of the major holidays when the government puts its foot down about opening.

I have arranged to meet Wheelie Helen at the Droushia Heights because she wants some tickets for Friday's village shindig - whilst I am waiting for her I am spotted by Irene the manager and Philippos Droushiotis who helps with the marketing - they both try and encourage me in for a coffee but I have to decline.

My artistry today looks feeble - I don't seem to have got much done but the wooden table (upon which the glass bowl of flowers is sitting) is a challenge plus I helped Sheila find out something on her phone which took a while so that's my story and I am sticking to it.

John felt sorry for me as the day hotted up and came and picked me up which meant I could deliver Bobby's lemon pickle and in return received some rather lush looking cake and some coleslaw which seemed like a reasonable deal to me.  Both Bobby and Di were busy outside and we needed to get back to finalise George and Pam's garden as they will be here on Thursday.

Our neighbours have gone up to their mountain retreat for a few days so Argy gave me her flower arrangement so I could get the benefit of it whilst they are away.  It will seem strange them not being there and they will be returning to the UK again shortly after they return.  On Thursday every house that could be occupied on the estate will be with the exception of Gregoris and Dora - they had said they might come this weekend but I know it was a special anniversary marking 40 days since the death of Dora's mother so I wasn't surprised when they didn't arrive on Sunday - who knows they might come today just for an overnight stay.   It seems a shame that they managed to get the pool up together when they were here last time and at this rate they wont take advantage of it.

We returned from George and Pam's having done what we wanted to do - it looks fine but I know Pam will give it a good bottoming herself and having spoken to her on the phone today it transpires that she is unexpectedly having some family out who arrive on Friday.  We had stored our winter throws round at their house so we needed to find a new home for them.  John suggested putting them flat on the conservatory floor and hoovering them before rolling them up into some massive Jumbo bags - the minute our backs were turned Mr Boo found them and got himself comfortable so adding extra fur to that already firmly attached which resolutely refused to make its way into the bowels of the hoover.

I am still on chicken duty although it would appear that so too is someone else - probably Aunty Friday as the chickens had plenty of food and water when I checked them today.  There were only four to look after and I am happy to report that there are still said four in the coup.  They are joined by the resident cat (and if you look closely on the left of the photo you can just make her out) who I call Batman because her markings make it look like she is wearing a mask.  She was born in the chicken coup and has remained there.  Elena was allergic to cats so Batman is lucky that she was allowed set up home with the poultry.  Batman considers herself a chicken - Batman is weird!

It was such a lovely afternoon that we retired to the roof terrace for sundowners.  Angela has her grandchildren over and they are pretty noisy jumping in and out of the pool but up there with the ipod we cannot hear them.  We are joined by all four cats who keep watch (except for Mr Boo who is checking his eyelids for pinholes) Charlie likes to growl at any passer by - it is his Keep off My Land growl - as John so rightly points out Charlie is 'cock of the north' or 'dad of the pad' as far as Lordos 1 is concerned.  He keeps asking how many days are left until his yia-yia and papou arrive - he is marking it off on the calendar with his paws - I tell him only three more sleeps and he seems satisfied.  Thank God he has lost some weight as he will have six weeks or so of George's chips to contend with and he is a martyr to his waistline at the best of times.

I leave with a picture of the cactus which lives up on the roof terrace where it gets no attention whatsoever.  It is about to flower for the second time this year and when it does it will be beautiful but brief lasting less that a day.

It was a gift many Easters ago from my neighbour Galatia and would probably benefit from being repotted but it is covered with vicious spikes.

I believe it is an echinopsis cactus hybrid and the flowers will be the palest pink when they are fully opened.  I have been up and had a look today but they probably wont be ready until later today.

Tomorrow we are going to enjoy the bank holiday at home - the beaches will be crowded and shops closed so where better to chill than at home around the pool starting with a lie-in and a leisurely breakfast, followed by a few chores, a spot of ironing and then nothing, nada, τίποτα - looking forward to it already as we are going to be so very busy over the next few weeks.

Sunday

We are fast approaching VT - visitor time with John's family arriving next Sunday - in fact late on Sunday so by the time we have them settled in Latchi and John's mum settled with us it is going to be Monday and so I will cancel art that day as I will be shattered.  We also have Barry, Lynne and Joseph and Laura and Mark all out at the same time so I will apologise now if my blogging gets a bit sporadic!

It was my turn for Sunday lunch today - John's choice was to go for something a bit more traditionally Sunday lunch like and had asked for filled Yorkshire puddings.  I have to confess (sorry to all my Yorkshire relatives) that I had bought my Yorkies - the medium sized ones that they sell in Paps and had made a sort of Boeuf Bourginon in the pressure cooker yesterday all ready for today.

Dad is a rose wine drinker in the summer and John had found a cheeky little number on offer in Paps - it was a Waitrose wine and it was very nice indeed - red wine would have been too heavy.

Mum and Dad came up at around midday and it was pleasant enough to be able to sit out under the gazebo and play cards before eating.  We have returned to playing cribbage but whereas I used to partner Dad it is now boys v girls and although we had to continue playing until the boys won Mum and I were the actual winners.

I think lunch went down well - I thought of Klaus as I took out my roastie potatoes - they were a triumph and to all those who say it is too hot to eat a roast dinner, it is too hot whatever we have so I would rather put out something people like!

So we had roast potatoes, carrots, peas and green beans and the beef in the pudding and everyone seemed to enjoy it - we have plenty left over for the remainder of the week!

Dad took himself off for a little snooze in the shade before we had our pudding.  It has gone back to be very hot during the day but here in Droushia the evenings and mornings have been misty and damp - it makes it easier to sleep at night - hopefully John's family will find the nights cooler right down by the sea - Alicia has never been abroad before so I don't think she can begin to imagine how warm it is going to be particularly as the temperatures back in Sheffield this week have barely touched 20 degrees.

I had some rather sad looking pears in the fridge which needed using up so I cobbled together some pear and ginger individual crumbles. I pad out the crumble topping with some porridge oats which adds a bit of a different texture and cook the crumble separately for a while to ensure it doesn't go soggy when it gets put on the fruit - this seems to work well and I know Mum loves ginger so that proved to be a hit and John ate up the leftover portion for his supper.

We  played another couple of hands of crib until the boys declared themselves winners (as I said) before mum and dad returned home.  We will see them again on Wednesday - Tuesday is a big bank holiday so no point going down to Paphos on that day to try and get some shopping done!  The shops have been told they have to close unless they are exempt for some reason in which case they have to pay their staff extra.

John wanted to watch the footie and I had a bit of a headache so I left him to it and went for some peace and quiet and a cool breeze lying on our bed.  We caught up with John's mum - I know she is worrying about the flight over so we hope it all goes without any problems for them.  The weather forecast for the forthcoming week for Sheffield v Latsi (Latchi) is below!

Good friends...

Sorry this is late - visitors are disrupting the flow!!

We had a letter in the post today with the unmistakable handwriting of our lovely friend Sally Allan on the outside.  I thought it might have been an early birthday card for John because she never forgets our birthdays.

On opening she had sent me some advertising blurb for her business Sally's Fish Camp.  All the years we have known her she always had a dream to own her own business and now eventually she has fulfilled her dream and I am sure that it will be a fabulous success if I know anything about her!

I had to nip into the village this morning to see Philippos at the post office because he had asked me to help him getting information across to the non-Cypriot residents and holiday makers in the village. Fortunately there is a local lady on the organising committee who speaks really good English so I collected the paperwork from Philippos and then rang Stephani.to make sure I knew what was what.  There is going to be a Greek night up at the school and apparently they are planning a load of other things to try and get the people of the village together.  I have been given some raffle tickets to try and sell so I shall be tapping up all the people I know!  Anyway I am more than happy to try and help.

We were going down to Polis to do our shopping as it is my turn to cook tomorrow and called into John and Susan's to do the watering and today we had an encounter with a bit of wildlife which was much nicer than the viper we encountered the other week.  John went off to do check the pool and shouted for me to come and have a look.

Under their barbeque was a large Chameleon which was dark brown until John moved him out to put him in a safer place when he began to turn green.  I love to see the Chameleons they are like mini little dinosaurs and move so slowly with their big funny feet.  John managed to get it onto a stick and then placed him up in a tree.  I bet the poor little bugger was well pe'ed off - it had probably taken him a lifetime to get to the barbeque and now he had been taken away from it!!

We did the shopping and I got the ingredients to make Bobby some lemon pickle but I was well miffed that it didn't fill the pot - it isn't the best of times for lemons at the moment - when they are in season people can't give them away but that is later in the year.  Poor Bobby had eked out his pickle until there was nothing left and he does like a bit of pickle on his cheese!

John was watching his beloved Blades on the TV this evening so his choice was to have spicy pasta for tea which was a bit of fridge surprise as I used up some chorizo and pastourma which had been knocking about for a while.  That turned out to be the best bit of the evening as the Mighty Blades were robbed of a point when their additional time equaliser was ruled as being offside when it wasn't.  John was not impressed.

I quite like football but I can't bear watching John watching the Blades because he gets so worked up and screams at the screen so I used the opportunity to go and rescue my handbag which I had left at Philippos's earlier in the day and Andri had phoned to let me know it was safe.  It was also an opportunity to go down to the amphitheatre because they were screening a film made in the village and featuring Nicos who sadly died recently.  In English it is called Beloved Days.  As I walked through the village to get my bag I bumped into Nicos's sister Chrysoula who was so pleased I had made the effort to go.  It was lovely to see the amphitheatre being used although it was a tad chilly and there was the obligatory rolling mist!

Gardening...

Being nice neighbours we spent time this morning tidying and cleaning George and Pam's villa in readiness for their holiday - they arrive next week and although I know Pam will spend day's giving it a 'good bottoming' and swilling out in true Cypriot style we like to make sure it looks reasonably clean and tidy when they arrive.  Hopefully they won't get waylaid at the airport and miss their flight as they did one year!

I need to tackle the weeds where the sunbeds are - these are awful and sticky when you pull them up and are best left to get a reasonable length because it makes them easier to deal with.  We work through and are kept company by Charlie who is running around almost beside himself with excitement - he moves out when Pam and George are here.  He is confused as to why we are here and they are not so like a fool I sit him down and try and explain that they arrive next week and we are merely there cleaning up - like he understands!

We did not clock the fact that we shut him in when we left.  In fact it was some time afterwards when John realised that Charlie was absent - it didn't take much working out where to find him and as I put the key into the look I could hear his distinctive cry coming from indoors - not a cry of indignation for having been locked in, a cry to say that he was hungry.

After all our decorating we decided that we, and in particular John's poorly knee, should have a rest so we spent a quiet afternoon chilling out before getting ready as we were unexpectedly going to the Winery to watch the sun go down with our neighbours who have been there to purchase wine but not ventured any further than the reception.  They were mega impressed because although it was a slightly cloudy night the sun went down beautifully and they couldn't get over what a fabulous place the winery is although they are well familiar with the quality of the wines.

Initially there were only three wines produced by the Vasilikon winery but now they have added two heavyweight reds and a new white.  These are more expensive and produced in fewer numbers so are not available to sample.  I have to say that I am not normally a white wine drinker because the acidity gives me chronic heartburn but the latest offering of the standard white Vasilikon is 2016 and so smooth I could be tempted to have some.  We stuck with the red - you cannot go wrong with the Agios Onoufrios - some years are better than others but those better years are exceptional.

The initial chill when the rolling mist was passing through soon dissipated and whilst cool was very pleasant the sunset was stunning and the halloumi and lounza pittas with a cheese and charcuterie board to accompany the wine were perfect.

It was good to see several other tables filled with people enjoying the wonderful surroundings.  We want the place to survive but we like it when it is pretty empty - it feels like our place and we were sat at our table.  In fact I think I prefer it in the winter when the log fire is burning and we sit in the sofas.

We were saying last night that, whilst we don't decry anyone who takes their holiday in one of the all inclusive hotels in Paphos and sees only that tiny part of the island, there are so many beautiful hidden treasures that many holidaymakers simply never get the chance to experience.

Ain't we lucky? you bet your bottom dollar we are and I am happy that every week we seem to uncover something or somewhere new on the island to experience.  It may only be small but there is still so much more for us to see - from the ultra modern to the traditional and we intend to try and find it all and sample it just because we can!

The heat is on...

We were up early this morning as we had a lot we wanted to do before we took Kenny down to have his radiator flushed and then we were going to drag Mum and Dad down to the Mall for lunch and a mooch.  The decorating is a priority - more than anything we want to get it done so we can sit down and watch the TV in peace because at the moment all the furniture is pushed to one side and covered up so it doesn't get paint on it.  Although the main wall had been a coffee colour it is covering reasonably well but the light in the room is poor and are cast all over the place so we cannot be sure what has been missed and what is a shadow.  We are hopeful that a coat this morning and another after that will be sufficient for the time being at least.

We both drive down to Paphos so that Kenny can be left and we can go on to Mum and Dads.  Mum has been to the hospital to get an injection in her trigger finger.  If this doesn't work then she will have to have an operation if she wishes to continue to play pickleball so fingers crossed this works.

Before going out we did a bit of rearranging in their house and swapped over the computer station with the ironing board so the ironing room has now become Dad's office.  This is because we have the devil's own job to get stable internet in the den and in the sunroom and the new office is much nearer the router so wifi signal is pretty good.

We go to the Mall once everything has been moved and we are sure that it is working properly - Dad is on quality control so we had to wait for his thumbs up.  We head straight for the food court where I share a Chinese with Dad and John shares a Kentucky with Mum - that way we are all happy.  The Chinese was excellent - we had one portion of Hong Kong Style Chicken which came with egg fried rice for €7.95 and it was more than enough for the two of us especially as I added some chicken satay as a starter.  I haven't had Chinese since we went to that weird place on the dual carriageway for my birthday and this was a million times better.

John took Dad to Costa Coffee whilst Mum and I took a spin around Jumbos which is obligatory if you are in the Mall and then we returned them home as we had arranged to pick up Kenny at 2.00pm.  As it turned out the fan belt needed replacing - we weren't surprised as we had heard the familiar squeal a couple of times recently so we had to kill a little time whilst that was done.  We headed on down to the Cynthiana where we wanted to check out what had been the location for the Undersea Walking that we enjoyed when it was Mark's 50th birthday.

This hotel has been here for years and is right on a rugged bit of coastline where it has fashioned a swimming pool right in the sea which is protected by rocks - it is a lovely place and an unusual setting.  When it was Mark's birthday we assembled here and went on our undersea walk before having lunch.  We walked all the way along the jetty to take a look but the undersea walking has gone - we had heard that it had but have no idea why save that the old jetty which used to have the sheds with the equipment looks to be breaking up so maybe it was no longer safe.  We walked all the way along and back before settling at the beachside bar to invest in shares in a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice - I know the location is lovely but really €3.50?

John got his money's worth by sucking the life out of the orange garnish - that was probably a euro's worth on its own!!!  At this rate the cheap visit to the garage for Kenny was going to turn out to be rather more expensive when you tot up lunch in the Mall, Jumbos, Buy-rite or whatever it is called now and the Cynthiana!  The good news was that Kenny was given a clean bill of health and with it a small bill of works.

Back in Droushia we cracked on and by the end of the evening had given the wall another coat and once dry had pushed the furniture roughly back into place.  We will need to see how it looks in good daylight - either that or always have the lamp on because that casts all sorts of shadows so no-one would notice if we had missed a bit!