Haboob....

The current coptic storm has changed what was a lovely warm sunny February into grey, cool and rather uninspiring.  The storm was scheduled to hit on February 9th - the chart is reasonably accurate plus or minus a few days - this storm was billed as a dust storm gale Haboob - I thought this was a name but a haboob is the term for a large dust storm in the same way that a tsunami is the term for a high sea wave caused by an earthquake or other disturbance.  What we are experiencing is NOTHING and I mean NOTHING compared to the dust storms that they have in Arizona (see photo above).

Visibility this morning in Droushia was poor and Mum and Dad were coming up for lunch which we had chosen to have at Fitos's.  I suggested that if the conditions didn't improve we would drive and meet them there rather than them come all the way to Droushia to pick us up.  As it happens by the time they came to leave things had improved and actually there was the faintest of glimmers of sunshine as they arrived here - the wind was cold though and we smiled to ourselves that when we had originally booked our table (No 1 in the corner at the front left) Andri had been concerned it might be too hot sat there! We were now hoping that Fitos would have the patio heaters lit!

We sat in the warm of the conservatory for half an hour or so before leaving for lunch.  Tomorrow Dad is going to day surgery to remove the growth he has on his head - we are hoping that this will be quick and straightforward although we are all surprised at just how quickly this unwelcome visitor has grown over the last two weeks - we are taking it out to lunch today before it gets the chop.

Dad noticed that my hyacinth is about to flower - and it will be a blue one - John is disappointed as he doesn't do blue in anything as blue is the colour of Sheffield Wednesday!  I really don't mind I am just glad to see that it has grown and soon it will fill the conservatory with its pungent smell which I love and which Mum does not.

We defurred everyone before setting off for lunch - wearing black is an occupational hazard and Mum was dead to toe in that colour!!!  You would think they would know better having Fred who sheds continuously!

We arrived at Fitos and sat at our table, it was warm in there and we were glad we arrived early and booked because it filled up really quickly with a mix of hunters and diners.  I said to Dad that if I was going to run a little eatery I would like it to be as successful as Fitos - I don't think I have ever, since the day it opened, seen it without a single diner.

We had a lovely lunch - it was warm in Fitos and the atmosphere was great and the food even better.  

We started with the usual dips and salad and pittas and toasted village bread and then I decided I would try the cod and chips, mum had halloumi egg and chips, John a pork chop and Dad village chicken.  I am not normally a great fried fish person but it was absolutely delicious.  Thick white chunky cod in a light crispy and non-greasy batter about the size of Moby Dick's younger brother!

We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals which were accompanied by a bottle of Vasillikon's finest red and John had a beer to start and mum a tonic to go in her wine and our meal with a tip was a mere 50 euros for the four of us.  We were all too stuffed to manage cake or coffee.

The  deaf and dumb lady that we see in there - or at least I think she is deaf and dumb - she might only just be dumb actually, arrived with massive bundles of the local wild narcissi unlike in the summer when she comes round with bags of sea salt.  

We bought a bunch for 2 euros because although I would prefer that people left them to grow where they grow these had already been cut so we could do nothing about that and they would be better in a vase of water than unsold and left to wilt and die.

They look pretty in the conservatory where it is cooler and smell fabulous and will last a couple of days max but whilst they are there will brighten up the space.   Mum doesn't like the smell of these either!

We decided that we would have time for a quick game before Mum drove back to Emba and with conditions quite changeable at the moment we wanted them to get home safe and sound before it got dark.  I had also heard that there was due to be a carnival parade at Coral Bay and as this is the route that Mum prefers she might have got caught up in the extra traffic that would attract and as it happens she text when she got home to say it was pretty chaotic around that area.

I was useless at cards today finishing up with minus figures!  It doesn't really matter it is just an hour or so of fun and banter on a Sunday afternoon after we have eaten and before Dad has his snooze!  We have everything crossed that things will go well for him - he is due at the hospital for 9.00am so hope they wont leave him hanging around.