Thursday - Limassol phew...

This is what early morning looks like here at Villa 10b.  It has become Summer all of a sudden and the temperatures are pushing 40 degrees so my morning routine is to get up, feed the cats, take the cover off the pool and get rid of any unwelcome visitors and then GET IN.  It is bliss and makes up for all those days when we consider the pool to be a drain on our income.

John was going to physio today and I had arranged to meet my friend Gillian at the Art Cafe in Polis.  She makes skin products using her aromatherapy knowledge and now that Kate has sold her salon I prefer to get the little that I use from Gillian.  I have had her moisturiser before and really liked it.

So I dropped John off at Marios's and went across to the Art Cafe which is lovely and now there is more shade in the courtyard it is so pleasant just to sit and while away an hour or so.  We only had a drink and a chat but before I knew it John was texting to say he was ready and so I had to say goodbye.  Gillian is such a nice person and has had more than her fair share of bad times but is always calm and positive and understanding.

When I got back in the car it was 43 degrees even though I had parked in the shade - this is a swing of around 15 degrees from last week.  We are wilting!!!  As we were going out tonight with Steve and Kim when John and I got home I spent an hour or so just lazing on the bed with the fan on trying to keep cool and snoozing.  We had arranged that we would meet them at 5.45 at the petrol station in Stroumbi then all travel in one car to eat at a taverna that they used to frequent 26 years ago when they were based in Limassol!

Steve is looking more like his old self thank goodness and he was happy to drive us this evening - our first stop was Avdimou Jetty - which used to be simply a wooden jetty going out into the sea with a shack at one end which did food - in fact Dad used to say it did the best home made steak and kidney pie!

This was Kim's choice as she was in search of a traditional and well-made Brandy Sour which used to be THE Cypriot drink but which now is hard to find, in fact we have been to several establishments where the Eastern European staff just look at us blankly when we ask for one.

We had a very pleasant drink there and the brandy sour was worth the journey - Dad used to make a fabulous one - I shall definitely miss him for that.

We moved on to find Lefteris Taverna in Germasogeia which is on the far side of Limassol.  Steve and Kim used to go there many years ago and they wondered if it was still there, if it would still be the same sort of simple grill house place and whether the same people would be running it.



The place does still exist, it is almost exactly as Kim and Steve remembered it and the same people run it, Barbara, the wife declaring that she recognised Kim even though we reckon it was 26 years since she had eaten there last.

We sat outside because it was so warm even though the inside is absolutely charming.  We opted for meze and local wine and it was delicious - the meze was plentiful, fresh and well cooked - so much so that we had to ask them to stop.  The pilafi and the green eggs were fabulous, nearly as good as Marina produces here in the village.  It was a lovely evening and we really loved going somewhere different - just a shame it isn't a bit closer to us because it is definitely one to revisit - maybe on a Droushia Discovery Day.

Big big big thanks to Kim and Steve for taking us there - it really was a great evening.