not all beer and skittles!

I didn't sleep so well last night as Miss Minnie-Mou (who you cannot go near during the day) took it upon herself to come to bed with us.  She is normally waiting when we 'turn in' and is a bit vocal if we take too long to get ourselves settled as she is desperate to have a cuddle with John - she sits on his chest like the cat that got the cream and looks daggers at me!  She will leave as quickly as she arrives, normally because she has got too hot and then takes herself off somewhere cooler and then in the early hours she returns but at that time I am her target and she is the most loving snuggly cuddly cat imaginable until she decides to wrap herself around my neck like a real life snood.  She makes it exceptionally hard to get comfortable let alone breathe and will not budge until she is ready - if you do manage to push her off she comes back twice as determined!  Anyway last night I found it rather warm and her pinning me to the pillow didn't help!

It was the most beautiful Saturday and unusually we had nothing much to do save for a quick trip to the supermarket to get some food in for lunch tomorrow when Mum and Dad will be coming up.

It really wasn't so very hard to get into the pool this morning and as we didn't get up too early the sun had been up sufficiently long enough to give us some reasonably hot water for a nice shower afterwards.  There is just over a week until the end of October - that is my personal goal with regards to the pool although I think my efforts might be thwarted later this week as the forecast is for some rain mid-week.  The island will be glad of some rain as the reservoirs are low I just hope we don't get such a wet winter this year - last year the rain started in December and didn't seem to stop for several months.

Have you seen the magic trick where there is a fully laid up dining table and someone whips away the table cloth and everything remains in situ?  Well I can do a similar thing in reverse as I am able to make our bed, to hospital standard, with Charlie asleep in the middle from the outset and he never moves - I can move him, I can move the sheets, I can move the cover but he remains fast asleep.  He is at his most cute when he is like that - at least he isn't whinging for food!

I was quite prepared to nip down to Polis on my own and do the shopping but John and I struck a deal - we would go together if (a) I could take the camera and get out on the coast and take a few snaps and (b) he could do a bit of research as to the quality of the beer at the Turtle Tavern in case he were to persuade the Bobster to go there for a pint of real ale at some point.

We stopped a bit short of Limni Pier taking the car down a track which ultimately led to a farmer's field but we were in Kenny so it didn't matter.  It really was a glorious day and the sea looked absolutely stunning and the beach was empty for as far as the eye could see.  For me this is the best time on the island - most of the holidaymakers have gone and it returns to being 'our' space.

We stopped at the Turtle Tavern and managed to find a table in the shade as it was pretty hot and sunny and decided to have 'brunch' whilst we were there.  John opted for ham, egg and chips washed down with a pint or two of Old Speckled Hen and I had a small English Breakfast.

Both the meals were good, cheap and cheerful and hit the spot - there are times for me when only a hit of baked beans will do!  Often having returned from some exotic holiday where we have sampled some fine rich and spicy food I crave beans on toast!  We have eaten out so much recently that the sight of a big fat breakfast sausage surrounded by a lake of baked beans just did it for me!  We enjoyed a peaceful hour or so, John completed his research, we filled our tummies and then wandered back to Polis to do our shopping.

We bumped into the Bobster and Diana doing their shopping - this is an unusual thing - although we know plenty of people we rarely see anyone we know in Paps.

John was delighted to find that Paps had an offer on Marstons Pedigree selling them buy one get one free so they worked out to just over a euro a bottle with is the same price as Leon.

John loves a real ale and he loves a bargain even more so as we didn't need much by way of shopping and therefore our bill would be relatively small he took the opportunity to stock his shelves with some nice beer!  We also got a couple of fruit ciders for Dad tomorrow as we know he likes one of these before his lunch.

We returned home and got sorted so that John could settle and watch the Mighty Blades take on Reading.  Uncle David had predicted a 3-1 Blades win against his team Reading and he was very nearly right - in the end the score was 2-1 to the Blades and John was a happy bunny.

As he watched I got the lunch ready for tomorrow.  We are having a sort of shepherds pie - but only sort of - Paps had pork mince on offer - only 2.99 a kilo so we are having pork cooked with apple and cider and leek and carrot in a creamy sauce on the bottom and mustard mash on the top.

I actually bothered to use John's potato ricing machine for the mash and although it is a bit fiddly it did make it very smooth and lump free - with the extra I made some cheesy chili potato croquettes which I served to him with a sweet chili dip, bbq dip and salad cream.  He loved them - so much so that they filled him up and we didn't bother with our picky tea which we had pencilled in for tonight!

Friday night in...

After all the excitement of our misery tour last night and unique dining experience we were to enjoy a relatively normal Friday with a BIG FRIDAY NIGHT IN!!!!

We went out early this morning on a mission to find a villa which friends of ours are thinking of renting for three months in the summer and which is located in Pittikopos nearby.  I had hoped not to bump into anyone I knew as I looked extremely unkempt but this was stymied when we met the Mukhtar and Bassam in the space of a couple of minutes!!  The Mukhtar as a villa on the complex and is having some work done to it and Bassam is working on another one on the road behind.

It took us quite some time to find the particular villa in question but we eventually did.  The reason it took so long is because the photographs were taken some time ago so we couldn't match the garden in the picture to the garden as it is now.  Luckily there was a villa cleaning company sorting out one of the villas nearby and we asked the women and they directed us to it so eventually we could gather all the information we needed to report back to our friends.  Personally we think that these are too remote for their requirements and this year the villa they rented in Polis was set in lovely big gardens and well away from any neighbours and these are quite close together - anyway we reported back and they can make their own minds up.

On our return John decided there had been sufficient sun on the pool so launched himself into the water - I took a more measured approach but got in.

We had just got out when the doorbell went so I had to quickly dry off to answer it to be greeted by Sheila with my post - she decided we were nutters and to be fair she probably isn't far wrong!

Amongst the post was our CYTA bill which is for our phone and internet - we have recently upgraded our line to 20mb and were pleased to see we were paying less for that than we did previously when we only had 10mb.   Personally we don't have any problem with CYTA and since we have been here they have upgraded internet speeds and reduced the costs - we pay less now than we did originally for 2mb!

We are all back to normal now as Mum and Dad said goodbye to Aunty Joyce and Uncle David and we had a full headcount at pickleball today with some really excellent and good fun games.  John decided to go to Badminton afterwards as his leg is improving and he has missed it.  Mum and I shot off to Jumbos afterwards where the store is getting ready for its Christmas onslaught - all the back to school stuff has gone and is being replaced by Christmas Decorations in every shape size and colour.  I am glad to say there is very little evidence of Halloween which is good as this is one tradition that really doesn't need to be embraced by the island.

We almost couldn't wait to get home for our BIG NIGHT IN - we had the leftovers of our fridge surprise meal for supper which only needed re-heating and which was to be accompanied by a salad so that would take minutes few to prepare so we set it going and sat down to enjoy a nice little gin and tonic beforehand.

Supper was lovely - so much so that we didn't get round to having any pud so that will get put back and used on Sunday when I am doing lunch for Mum and Dad.

We had planned to watch a couple of episodes of something but in the end we struggled to manage one before throwing in the towel and shutting up shop and retiring to bed.  It has been such a busy summer it is all catching up on us now visitors have gone....

....until they start coming again in a few weeks!!

New venues...

We had the day at home today before we were going out trying somewhere very different to eat this evening - more of that later...

There is a familiar pattern now to the start of our day as we brace ourselves for an invigorating dip in the pool but it is good that the beautifully warm days have ensured that the temperature has remained just above 60 degrees Fahrenheit which is a figure so small in Celsius that it is almost not worth mentioning.  John is so much braver than me - he actually puts his whole body underneath the water - I just don't want to do that!!!  Our early morning constitutional was followed by breakfast and then a day at home doing things around the house and garden.  I love these days and when the weather is so lovely who could wish to be anywhere else - in fact I managed to top my tan up today whilst tackling the borders!

It has been good to be able to give the garden a tidy -  and in so doing was absolutely thrilled to see that my corkscrew vine had actually flowered.  The bloom was hidden up in the olive tree!  When I bought the plant from the garden centre place on the road going down to the main post office in Paphos the girl didn't know exactly what it was - I hoped it was a corkscrew vine as Elaine has them in her garden and I have always admired them - I have asked in the London Road and Kikkos nurseries but they have never had them when I asked.  It didn't cost much so I took it and hoped - I planted it to grow up the olive tree and it seemed to be doing well and then the leaves started to yellow and drop off - maybe that is just normal behaviour for this time of year I don't know so I thought maybe it was on its way out, not liking the conditions in Droushia until I saw the bloom.  These are also called Snail Vines and you can see why when you look at the shape of the flowers.  I am hopeful that it will survive with the protection of the olive tree that and the fact that Elaine has had them in her garden for years and the weather in Akourdaleia is not dissimilar to Droushia - a little warmer granted but the clock vine survives here and I didn't expect that to happen.  Also I think I may have germinated one of the snail vine seeds Elaine have me - I certainly have something growing which looks like it.

John decided to give the panels a good clean - all this extra sunshine has meant that October has been a good month so far for generating electricity and we should have a fair amount 'in the bank' for the cold winter days and nights.

He also started to sort out the corner of the garden where the permanent ladder to give access to the roof is going to go.  We are going to have to get one made and will probably use the same man that made our railings as he did a good job.  Having a permanent ladder would be so helpful for John as he will be able to get on and off the roof with ease whenever he needs to do so.  At the moment he either has to get his zigzag ladder out which is difficult to manoueuvre in a confined space or the long ladder and I have to hold on to the bottom to make sure he doesn't fall off.

Anyway thanks to the Bobster for the loan of the brush as the panels all got a really good clean and so we will be maximising the amount of electricity we can generate.

We did all our chores and then had a quite hour or so before getting ready for our night out.  We were going to Kika's Garden in Kallepia to celebrate Di and Rob's 33rd Wedding Anniversary (tomorrow) and Liselotte's 50th birthday (in November).  I was really worried about it as normally we eat somewhere first before taking others and this was a little more expensive than we normally pay but we were having the meal cooked exclusively for our group.

We took The Pug as it could seat all six of us and John drove there and I drove back.  The journey into the wilds was not without a little detour in Polemi as the road to Kallepia is easy to miss in the dark!  We had recce'd the trip a couple of days' ago so once on the right road we were fine and the car did brilliantly up and down the hills with all six of us in it.

We arrived at the venue to be taken into the newly enclosed sun terrace and our meal - which we had kept as a surprise to the other four.  Kika's has only been open for two months and so we were the first group to use the sunroom in the evening and the first group to opt for a curry supper.  I had created vouchers for Liselotte (from Mum and Dad) and Di and Rob (from John and I) as gifts for their respective celebrations.

We had a lovely evening - the experience was unique and reminded me of when we used to go to The Gables for a roast when we lived in England and the tea room would open specially for you of an evening.

It is early days for Kika's and there were a couple of things which we thought might improve the experience for future diners like having something to keep the curry hot at the table but you could not fault the quality and quantity of the food which came to our table and we loved the fact that the meal was accompanied by the Tsangarides Wines we had tasted when we went for John's 50th birthday and we ate so much of the curry and its accompaniments that we failed to do justice to the pudding which arrived afterwards.  Kika and her daughter are charming hosts and they deserve to do well - I really fancy trying the brunch next time and sitting out in their beautiful garden with views stretching across the valley.

I don't really know where the time went because at one point I was looking at my watch and it was about 9.00pm and then the evening just went!

We really hope that Di and Rob and John and Liselotte enjoyed themselves as it had been our suggestion to go but we like doing something different and we like doing things that other people may not have done.  There didn't seem to be any lack of conversation this evening which is always a good sign.

The drive home was without incident or detour and hopefully and hopefully not too uncomfortable for Liselotte's John who opted to sit in the baby seat in the boot for some reason but he seemed to enjoy it!

We hope Di and Rob have a lovely day tomorrow for their anniversary and that Liselotte enjoys her extended 50th birthday celebrations.

Saying goodbye...

We were up good and early this morning - the weather really is too good to miss at the moment and as we had the day to ourselves (before going out for a final meal with Joyce and David and Mum and Dad later) I wanted to get some more work done in the garden getting it ready for the winter.  I am trying to approach it more like Rob does - Rob has the cleanest shingle you have ever seen and takes pride in making sure he removes as much rubbish from it as possible and his efforts pay off because it looks like it has only just been put down it is so nice and clean and white - ours on the other hand looks exactly what it is, about 7 years old in places and 10+ in others and a bit shabby and a bit dirty and a bit messy!  The only trouble is that, at this time of the year, no sooner have you cleaned it than some other plant starts dropping and then it will be windy and more leaves drop and the cycle continues, drop, clean, drop, clean.  My efforts today were watched by one of the smallest Praying Mantis I have ever seen - photographed on the rosemary it wasn't even as long as one of the leaves!

We stopped after a while and did our dip in the pool.  The temperature hasn't changed over the last week or so and so it isn't too bad getting in because you know exactly how it is going to be.  We waited a bit today so that the sun had been on the water for a while although I am not sure it makes that much of a difference.

I grabbed a shower afterwards and threw some clothes on as I had arranged to meet Elena's lovely but crazy Aunty for a coffee at the Droushia Heights Hotel with Diana at 11.00am

Aunty Maura, or Maroulla to be correct was born and lives in South Africa but her mother was from Droushia and her father from Peristerona.  She returns every year at this time for a couple of months to live in the village in the family home which was built on the site of her grandmother's house.

Maura is a larger than life, flamboyant character who is fast approaching 70 although you would never know it.  She sadly lost her Greek husband about 5 years ago and misses him dreadfully but has the company (in South Africa) of her teacher daughter who she had when she was 41.

Maura is fascinating and can tell you so much about the people in and around the village and has so many funny anecdotes.  Back in South Africa she owns a coffee shop - but not a Cypriot type one - her niece is a very successful business woman who has a string of coffee shops called Tashas.  She must be successful as she has twenty coffee shops including four in Dubai!  Maura is here until early December and gets a bit lonely so I will endeavour to try and see her at least once a week if I can.  It should get easier once Joyce and David go back (tomorrow) but having said that Karen and Dip arrive early November and one of John's school friends is coming over with her partner/husband (not sure which) for a special birthday celebration.

Coffee at the Droushia Heights was lovely - particularly as we were able to sit outside on the terrace and laugh at the holiday makers braving the outside pool.  I know ours is cold but there is so much more water in the Hotel pool it must surely feel colder - the trouble is it is so lovely and hot in the sun that the pool looks so inviting to cool off in.

One nice chap decided to throw his girlfriend in - I was glad she was made of strong stuff as I had visions of having to ring John to get him to demonstrate his newly acquired and fully up to date CPR skills!

Di and I walked back going out of the back of the hotel and along the path which leads along the side of the Droushia Holiday apartments which is where Dip and Karen stayed the night of John's 50th birthday.  The apartments always look quite nice and the link with the Hotel for breakfast and use of the amenities is a great idea.  We were admiring the gardens when the gardener came out to have a chat with us.  We were saying how lovely the bougainvillea looked - he agreed but said it caused a right old mess so he was having a job keeping it under control.  He had a very strange accent - like Mrs Australia - it must be what happens when you mix Cypriot and the Colonies!  We had a little chat with him and then made our way back home as I wanted a bit of a rest before getting ready to go out for our evening meal.

It was a very pleasant, if not a little hot, walk home.  People were sat out in their gardens taking advantage of the sunshine.  There are still quite a few holiday makers in the village which is good to see and I could hear the school children playing in the playground as it was their lunch hour.

There are still loads of figs to be had on the trees if you can reach them - John has his fig stick which makes getting the high ones accessible.  They don't have quite so much flavour now with less sun to ripen them and make them sweet but they are still lovely - well I think so, John doesn't like them himself but he never minds going out and getting some if I want them or we have visitors who want them.

We were eating out in Coral Bay this evening which is something we haven't done for years and as we drove down through Peyia and could see the lights of the buildings below us we felt like holiday makers.  We were eating at Lekanto for Joyce and David's last night - Mum and Dad have been there several times before and liked what they had - this is a bit of a departure for them being in the tourist area but we were happy to give it a go as we had heard good things about it.  It does all sorts of food, in fact there was a vast menu so we were quite pleased when everyone decided to stick to one of the set menus as it made it easier to make our choices.  Normally we would have gone to Gabors for a special last night but the last couple of times the food has been excellent but the service not up to standard.  Probably if you have never been before you wouldn't think anything was wrong with the service but to us it lacks the finesse it used to have when Michelle was working there so Mum and Dad are trying out new venues.

It was quite a nice treat to be out 'on the strip' seeing the island through the eyes of tourists - watching them in their skimpy clothes when we had tossed up whether or not to take a jumper with us!!!  Anyway we had a lovely evening and it was quite sad to say goodbye to our visitors.  We have everything crossed that they will return but as they are both in their 80s who knows?

midway through October...

We are midway through October and the weather at the moment is absolutely glorious.  Anyone who has come on holiday here now are truly blessed.   Sunrise is later of course and so when we get up the sun hasn't yet really got high enough to shine upon the pool but is some ways that makes it easier to get in and to be fair it really isn't that bad.

John is embracing this bracing experience in a way that I cannot!!  but a refreshing start and warming shower is a great way to start the day - follow this with a nice bowl of porridge and we are ready to face whatever the day has to throw at us.  John wasn't going to badminton having spent the whole of the day yesterday on a first aid course for the badminton club and I was taking Di to pickleball and then coming straight back as Mum and Dad were out to lunch with Aunty Joyce and Uncle David.

Getting up early means that we can get on with things in and around the house and at the moment we are concentrating on getting the garden winter ready - today I removed the Morning Glory which was growing around the gazebo in Wendy and Bill corner as it was beginning to get old and leggy - why is it that the amount of garden waste you accumulate is so much more than it looks when it is still attached to the plant?

We also cut back the vine today - the old grapes that were still attached were attracting all sorts of flies and wasps and it was beginning to make a bit of a mess.  The garden looks tidier but rather bare in places but shrubs that are beginning to get woody will benefit from the haircut although there are some which I think may need to be replaced - my lovely dark pink Gaura seems to be dying and I am not sure why.

There were only four of us at pickleball this afternoon so it was a good work out for us - so much so that we finished a bit earlier than normal as we were all exhausted.   Di and I stopped on the way back at the 24 hour bakery at the traffic lights and it was here that I introduced Di to the delight that is a Chino.

As a Chino-virgin Di made the fatal mistake of taking a big old slurp and got not only brain freeze but nose freeze for her trouble!!!

I was back good and early which was nice as it gave me time to get a shower and then organise tea before we decided it was such a beautiful evening we should make the most of it and go up onto the roof terrace to take in the remaining sunshine.

It was one of those 'Ain't we Lucky' evenings even up in the dizzy heights of Droushia.  Dinner was cooking downstairs - it was fridge surprise tonight - we had some ham, bacon, cream and cheese that needed eating so we were having a sort of carbonara with cheesy bread topping and it was absolutely lovely.

We had a couple of drinks up on the terrace before having our dinner and then we watched the final episode of Liar.  It had been a good day.

Monday

John was up ever so early today because he was going on a full-day first aid course at Kamares for the Badminton Club - he had left before 8.00am to get there on time so his early morning dip was very early morning! And because I want to make sure that every minute I am in that cold pool is captured for posterity I got up pretty soon afterwards to get my dip in.  I am sure that had I not gone in before John had left I might not have gone in at all!   Anyway we are still doing it and will continue to do it for a little while longer - the target is the end of the month but we are only half way through so to be honest I don't see that happening.

As I was up so early I took a quick trip down to Polis to get some bits and pieces which we needed - although sadly no liver for Mr Boo and Minnie Mou - they will have to make do with what we have in the freezer until I go back down again on Wednesday.

I was back for Art and my picture of the hyacinth in the vase - although it doesn't look like I managed to do much I did get the butterfly completed and the two bottom flowers are beginning to take shape.  Sheila has finished her lovely picture of the Madonna holding the baby and a lamb and I think it is one of the best she has done recently.  Her new project is something completely different.

This afternoon I went to meet a lady who is holidaying here in Droushia on her own and who contacted me via the internet - her name is Annie and she has a very long association with the island but is now a kitchen designer living in London.  She comes to the village several times and year and stays at the Akamas Spa staying in an apartment in one of the top-most blocks which is privately owned.  The Spa could have been the jewel in Droushia's crown but sadly it looks a bit neglected and tired.  The tennis court is unusable and she says the sauna and steam room no longer function.  Some of the jacuzzi's in the penthouse apartments are no longer in use and the restaurant rarely seems to be operating.  It is such a shame - she has stayed her on many occasions so knows exactly what she is getting and likes the fact that she more or less has the place to herself.

I had thought we were just going to go for a coffee in the village but she wanted to go for a bit of a walk down by the coast so we headed for the Baths of Aphrodite which I haven't visited for some time - generally passing by and going to the campsite nearby or taking the road which you can drive to the Blue Lagoon.

Strangely the baths seemed larger than I remember them - I thought they were more like a bidet when I went about 30 years ago and I hadn't remembered how nice the gardens were and the views from their out to sea are absolutely stunning.  October is turning out to be absolutely glorious and anyone taking a late holiday (like Annie) will be having such a great time.  When the clocks change at the end of the month so too does the weather and the days are so much shorter and winter is just around the corner so we really should be making the most of these beautiful autumn days.

We didn't stop for a drink at the cafe which is there - we just took in the view and decided to make our way slowly back to La Plage so that Annie could have a frozen yoghurt before we went back to Droushia and I got myself ready for belly dancing.  Annie is a huge quiz fan and was asking if I knew anyone who might like to accompany her when she goes out this week to exercise the old grey matter.  I say I would put a shout out for her as it is always nicer to do these things with someone rather than on your own.

We took in the last of the sunshine at La Plage before returning to Droushia.  Annie leaves early next week and with a busy week ahead of me I am not sure our paths will cross again this visit.  John turned up just as I was about to leave for bellydancing - he passed his course scoring 100% (really???  no there is a surprise - NOT).

Family together...

Sunday and I am a bit confused as to whether it is my turn or not but we decided we would eat at the Droushia Heights Hotel as they have reintroduced their Sunday Lunches.  But no guesses at how the day started!!!!

We have now gone beyond the date we set ourselves and the temperature we set ourselves and our daily routine starts with a morning dip which makes a lukewarm shower feel much more pleasant!  We now do not get sufficient sunshine to heat the water via the solar panels for a shower early morning - the sun is just too low in the sky to make much difference and for some reason even though we have lagged our water tank the water just doesn't stay hot overnight.  Lukewarm or warm is the best we can hope for unless we put on the immersion heater.  Unless I can absolutely guarantee I wont be seeing anyone during the day I do like to have an early morning shower to sort out my bed head if nothing else!

Mum and Dad were travelling up and joining us for lunch and then would take Aunty Joyce and Uncle David back to Emba with them for the remainder of their holiday - they go home on Thursday so we will spend their last evening with them and hope that they are fit and well enough to return next year.

The morning was beautiful so we were able to take our breakfast outside.  Nothing too heavy as we are eating lunchtime and the hotel always puts on so much food.  John had been out to get some fresh figs for Aunty Joyce with some extras so she could take them back to Emba with her - apparently last year she even took some back to the UK with her!

Uncle David was the epitome of an Englishman abroad sporting shorts, a jumper, flat cap, sandals and socks to eat breakfast - who cares???? he was happy and never ever takes himself seriously so why should we!

It was a really lovely day and Uncle David took himself off for a little walk around the village whilst Joyce and I sat in the front garden (something we never do) to take advantage of the lovely sunshine whilst the gazebo cover provides a bit of shade.

We took morning tea/coffee sat there - we really ought to try and use that space more in the winter because if it is a nice day then we get the majority of the sunshine there.  Even Chivvy-Pops joined in getting himself comfy on John's lap - he is most definitely a daddies' cat!

We all got together at the Droushia Heights - it was such a lovely morning that we managed to sit outside on the terrace to have a drink before lunch and even Dad demanded some shade!  How lucky are we that mid October the temperature up here in the hills is so pleasant.  I know we are gradually getting acclimatised and Mum and Dad do feel the cold when others don't - it is the price we pay for having such a lovely climate most of the time.

There was loads to chose from at the buffet.  The veg soup was lovely and the salads excellent as usual and then there was a whole load of hot food and a lamb joint and a pork joint with fabulously crispy crackling - and do you know that the Cypriot word for crispy is - CRISPY.

We hope people enjoyed it - I did particularly as it meant I didn't have to cook!  Mum and Dad took Joyce and David back and we relaxed for a while before having an early night - John has to be up mega early in the morning as he is on a first aid course at Kamares tomorrow.