being nice...

We were being nice neighbours today and had put aside the morning to start clearing George and Pam's back garden.  We had done some of the front garden previously - it doesn't look too bad - a bit messy but it won't take too long to sort and is probably best done one evening.

Sadly George and Pam wont be out this year which is a shame and Charlie in particular is absolutely gutted because he just LOVES George so he is weedling his way in with Persephone - Charlie that is, not George.  Although George and Pam wont be here their daughter Louise and her husband Malcolm are popping over for a short visit and we don't want them spending the whole time fighting off the Japanese snipers who are living in the wilderness that is the garden and don't know that the war has been over for 70-odd years!!!

John was on drastic pruning and I was on weeding and clearing along with Gluteus Maximum who just refuses to go away completely!  We had our supervisors Charlie and Chivers by our sides the whole time we were working and we were glad that we had got up early because it was turning into a super hot day.

There are only a few established shrubs and trees in the garden but they get little to no attention and grow like mad.  The Bay tree in the corner is particularly messy and John found, to his cost, that the lemon tree was housing a wasps nest.  Both got a bit of a tidy-up and the shingle got a good old rake so it began to look much better by the time we had done that area.

We worked our way round from the back.

George would be disappointed with his vine this year but that is because there has been a problem in the area - some sort of 'sickness' which has affected them probably because we had such a warm and wet winter.  Commercial growers are being compensated for their loss and so in a couple of year's time we can anticipate a shortage in wine and and increase in prices.

Half-way through the morning it just got too hot to continue but we had broken the back of it and the place looked all the better for our hard work.  A bit nearer the time we will go in and just tidy the inside and make it look more like a home.

We packed up, brushed up the paths and made sure we hadn't shut any of the cats in the house and then returned home for a swim followed by a late brunch.  John's family were going for a bit of culture today and investigating the mosaics down by the harbour in Paphos and sorting themselves out this evening so we didn't have to go down to Latchi today.  We will be seeing them again tomorrow.

Conscious that we are embarking on an extended period of eating and drinking we are trying to eat more sensibly when we are at home so now that I know John likes noodle salad we are having that as often as we can as it is filling and feels like it is healthy.

We had a text this evening to say that our immediate neighbours are here for the weekend and would arrive later on so it will be a full house again this weekend as Charalambous and Galatia and Savvas and Persephone are here and tomorrow will see the return of the builders and their cement mixer - I wont miss that when they have finished!

After a hot day it was really very cool this evening - so much so that had we been sitting out in our garden we might have been tempted to put on a jumper but at least that means it is pleasant for sleeping.

Day one of family Holibobs...

It is the first day proper of the family's holibobs and we went down to the villa in Latchi to herd them together for a mega-shop in Paps.  We managed to get as far as the car then got delayed - the temperature was showing as 42 degrees so we gathered up Paul and Viv and set off with the rest following on behind or at least that was what we were hoping!

We decided to take Viv and Paul the scenic route along by the camp site.  We got to see where the big fire had been last week and hadn't realised it was Polis side of the campsite.  There is now a huge swathe of land which is bereft of trees and bushes and it was only just across the road from the house where Norma and Malcolm are living - it must have been so so scary but thank goodness they were safe.

John's mum sent Janice over with a load of bits and pieces including some gardening mugs.  I had bought one each for Di and Rob when I went over to the UK in May and John really liked them.  Mine is the "I get to excited I wet my plants" and John's is "Thyme for a drink" leaving the "Swig while you dig" for Mum when she is here!  Thank you Janet they are lovely.

In amongst the Red Cross gift parcel was the pattern I had ordered so that I can try and make mum some summer dresses.  Is it really sad to get excited about a sewing pattern?  I don't think I have made something from scratch for about 40 years but apparently Viv is into dress making so if I get it started whilst she is here she can always help me out if I get stuck!!!

So back to today, we managed to get Janice to complete her mammoth shop and went back to the Villa to collect our goodies and returned home to sort out the snorkel masks and inflatables, hair dryer, cuddly toy, set of towels, sliding doors etc etc that we were lending them.

We now have the task of getting our diaries sorted so that we can see as much of them as possible whilst still honouring our regular commitments - this is like spinning plates and leaves us with a headache - what we have arranged is that they will have the day to themselves tomorrow to go and see the mosaics down in Paphos and I have contacted the Bee Man in Chloraka as Paul and Viv keep bees and they are meeting up with Stavros which is great.

We had a swim this afternoon - we have found out that our old water thermometer was actually not showing the correct temperature and was about 2 degrees cooler than it actually was which means that we probably did not swim in the pool last year until it was 50 degrees it might actually have been 52 degrees - I feel cheated!

We now have a new Derbyshire pool thermometer - how do I know it is from Derbyshire - because it is called "me duck" that's why!!!!

Anyway Me Duck showed that the temperature today was around 32 degrees and it felt absolutely fabulous.  It is so good to be able to just escape into the water whenever we like.

We had the remainder of the day and evening to ourselves.  Tomorrow we have set aside to clear George and Pam's garden as it is a bit of wilderness at the moment.  I cannot believe that the shrubs can grow so much with absolutely no care and attention.  I am sure we sometimes kills plants over here with kindness.  I have cut back on watering, even though I don't do much anyway, because I have noticed that we are now getting a lot of overnight condensation.

John was chuffed to bits that our parcel included some Yorkshire Crisps - flavoured with Henderson's Relish - not my choice I have to admit so the packet was quite safe in his hands.  It was good to have a quiet evening - I am feeling quite tired and I still have a little dalliance with Gluteus Maximus every now and again and he has to have the old heave ho before pickleball starts!

The family arrives...

Well we have now reached our busiest time with regard to visitors.  John's sister Janice arrives tonight on a Jet2 flight from East Midlands with husband Mick, son Nathan and niece Alicia but two hours before them their friends Paul and Viv arrive on a BA flight from Gatwick and they are all staying together at Villa Kleoniki in Latchi.

We were charged with getting the shopping they wanted and with making sure everything was ok at the Villa and today was one of the biggest bank holidays on the Island - the Ascension of the Virgin Mary.  I had checked in advance that Paps would be open but we anticipated it to be packed to the gunnels as people broke their fast today.

Actually we were surprised to find Paps pretty empty so we managed to get all the shopping relatively quickly - the only problem was we ended up leaving the majority of ours in the back of Kenny and we were leaving Kenny at the villa for Janice and Mick to drive!!!

So this is the view of the swimming pool ready and waiting for the Mooneys and the Edleys to enjoy - that really isn't a bad view to wake up to each morning particularly as the sea is only just beyond the fir trees.  This is the same villa that Janice stayed in last year - they liked it so much they went home and rebooked straight away!

Everything inside was spotlessly clean and we were just beginning to unpack and get sorted when I had a frantic phonecall from Mum, her car wouldn't start and it had a flat battery.  We were then in a real dilemma because we were up in Latchi and she was stuck.  I couldn't think what to do for a minute except jump in the car and go down but we were leaving Kenny at the villa and we had to go down to the airport in the evening anyway but that wouldn't help her right now.  It is at times like this that the distance between us might as well be 400 minutes not 40 minutes.  We thought the quickest solution might be to ask one of our friends nearer to Mum to put the battery on charge and then if needed we could swing by en route to the airport so a big thankyou to Ray for rescuing Mum so that she could go out.

Apart from leaving the majority our tea in Kenny's boot we got everything sorted for our visitors and went home and collapsed in a snotty heap because it was so hot today!  We were now down to one car so the plan was that we would go down to the airport for the first flight and I would meet Paul and Viv who are hiring a car and then travel with them back to the villa and John would sit and wait a couple of hours for the others to arrive and then drive them to Latchi - we would get them settled and then return home.

Our pool was at its absolute best today - we were hot and sticky and John has got the water so crystal clear and it is like getting into a warm bath.  We spent an hour or so in the pool before retiring to the cool of the lounge to chill out for an hour before making our way down to the sticky heat of Paphos and what we anticipated would be one of the busiest days at the airport.

John dropped me off and headed for the picnic area with the salad I had packed up for him and I went into departures - the BA flight had arrived early and I thought I would recognise Paul because I thought I had met him once but had arranged to meet at the car hire desks in any case.

I was gobsmacked to see the airport really empty and Paul and Viv came through mega early and found me straight away.  We managed to get the hire car relatively easily and then took the scenic route to Latchi as they wanted to see a bit of the island and we had a couple of hours to kill before the others arrived.  It wasn't too easy being co-pilot as poor Paul is deaf in his left ear so couldn't hear what I was saying!!!  Anyway we got to the Villa without any problem and settled down outside with a coffee waiting for the others to arrive and I had managed to find the remainder of my shopping so that was good!!!  It seemed to take forever for the others to pitch up and then they came in like a whirlwind - it is going to be a hectic couple of weeks!!!

Changes in routine...

With John's family arriving tomorrow we were having a change to the routine we had set for visiting Mum whilst we are not playing pickleball.  We had tentatively suggested seeing her on a Wednesday to split up the week but we have airport runs tomorrow so swapped for today when we had arranged to go to lunch.

Mum has now got to grips with her new fridge freezer and has decided that she really only needs one now so we were going to sell the little one (on the left) and keep the Bosch Biggy but then the Bosch Biggy died and so now she has her brand spanking new Hitachi-you-can-jump-on-the-veggie-box replacement.

The little Beko is immaculate and I said I would advertise it for her but saw someone asking for a fridge freezer so sent him some photos and he wants it when he moves over to the island.  He will be getting himself a bargain as it is a super little fridge/freezer and looks brand new.

We had a quick trip to Jumbos before going to lunch as both Mum and I wanted a few things - this was nearly a big mistake as it was chaos in the Mall - I guess people are escaping the heat!  Jumbos was rammed but we managed to get through the quick till reasonably quickly and for once the shoppers seemed to be abiding by the 10 items or less requirement which makes a change.  That was the only place we wanted to go so were glad to get out and head off to what was, for us, a new place to eat.  Mum has been before a couple of times.

Darcy's is in the building which used to house the old Coral Breeze/Harrison Auctions/Swanky Wags businesses.  The place is unrecognisable from its past and is clean bright and airy if not a little off the beaten track for some.  Had we been going direct we would have just shot down the Peyia by-pass and turned left along the main road but coming from Emba you need to go to Coral Bay and carry on past the big Phillipos Supermarket and the row of shops by the go-karting place and then it is on the right.

We had a nice lunch and sat outside on the verandah where there was a cooling breeze.  I know mum hates having her photograph taken but it is so nice to see her smiling and she looked lovely today in a nice new top plus, as this was her choice of eating establishment, we knew we needn't worry that she would be able to find something she liked to eat and there were a lot of nice things to chose from to suit all tastes and budgets - John was particularly pleased when I spotted that they had 6X on draft and so I told him I would drive home and so he was able to enjoy two pints which he said were excellent and only €2.80 a pint which is bargainous to say the least.  It was to be our main meal of the day and it was very nice so good choice mum - one for Aunty Joyce and Uncle David when they come and even possibly for a Sunday Lunch when it has cooled down.

It is a bank holiday tomorrow - a religious one to celebrate the Ascension of the Virgin Mary so lots of places will be shut.  Had we not had to get everything ready for Janice and Co and pick them up from the airport we would have spent it with mum because I know she will find it difficult not having anything to do or not being able to go out somewhere but on this occasion we simply couldn't be in two places at the same time.

Once back in Droushia the remainder of our afternoon was spent snoozing (some more deeply than others it would appear) in the cool on the bed!  We need to recharge our batteries for the forthcoming weeks - it is going to be fun but tiring and I better just go and check the bank balance is in a positive position!!!

A new week begins...

I love Mondays and my morning of Art with Sheila followed by my lunch with her and Klaus and I love it even more when I am enjoying the picture I am creating.  I continue to work on my picture of the Australian beach huts and although it doesn't look like there is much left to do the blending and shading of the structures takes forever!  I have my next picture sorted which will be for Kim and is of a flower and then I might get round to tackling something a bit different which will be a bit of a challenge for me.

We had a quiet afternoon - it really is quite hot here at the moment and we are about to embark on a few weeks of frenetic fun with friends and family and I know John is mega-excited and has morphed into Yiannis the Holiday Tour Guide as he jots down all the things he thinks should be covered whilst people are here.  Understandably he wants to spend as much time with them as possible and we still have our regular lives to lead with Mum and our regular friends that we want to spend our time with - we could do with a few more hours in the day and a few more days in the week.

In a few days the Bobster will be celebrating a milestone birthday and John and I want to find him something special to celebrate that fact.  After a lot of thought and discussion we have decided upon something and now hope and pray that the delivery service will not let us down but at least we agreed on a gift which was a miracle in itself!

This evening the village was holding its first ever Halloumi Festival.  All the villages in the area hold a festival at this time, some celebrating wine others rezi or trachana or something traditional.  Over the last few years for one reason or another we have not always had one held here and I know that there has been some debate about this new 'halloumi' festival not least because we have heard that not all the producers in the village had been invited which was deemed to be 'political'.  We really don't want to get involved in village politics so treat everyone the same and decided to attend because all too often we hear complaints that nothing goes on in the village and then when there is something no-one attends.  We had arranged to meet Di and Rob outside Luscious Linda's and they were coming with their neighbour Norman and Judi from down the end of their road.  As we walked down to our meeting place the sun was going down like a ball of fire but there was the unmistakable feel of condensation in the air - we have yet to attend a function at the School which didn't turn out to be very damp!

To be honest we hadn't expected much of the festival and thought we would pitch up have a wander and then be finished within about an hour.  We arrived on time as Brits tend to do but on-time in Cyprus means early to the locals so they were still setting things up in the school when we arrived.  To be fair there was no entrance fee so we had nothing to lose by going in and we were gobsmacked to see they were setting up tables and chairs to seat the entire population of a small town.  We wondered where the hell they expected all the people to come from.

We sat ourselves down on the end of a row - nearest the bar and decided we would have a drink and then we could go home.  They adopted a ticket system so you went and purchased tickets for the value of your food (we didn't eat) and the drink you wanted - we were a bit worried at the beginning when we could only see a choice of whisky, zivania or beer!

As it happened we need not have worried as our mate Soteris was manning the bar and produced bottles of our favourite red Agios Onoufrios at a very reasonable price of €8 a bottle!!  The girlies were sorted!!

After that we got settled and were joined by others we knew from the village like Sheila and Klaus and Kelly and her family and then there was a stream of locals who came in and greeted us.  We even got presented with an invitation to the wedding of Tassos the taxi-man's daughter which is next month in Limassol.

Before we knew it the evening was racing away - it was traditionally damp and cool but we were having a great time and we had been joined by Argy and Lakis who had found us and added to our mountain of loukamades (sticky honey balls) which was on our table.  Then we were found by Steve and Mary from Australia - his parents have the funny little traditional house up the road and Steve's Dad insists on sitting in the outside dunny with the door open to take advantage of the fabulous view whilst doing his business!!!  They want to meet up before they go back to Australia - they both seem really nice and unbelievably have three children all shoehorned into that little house!

The entertainment was provided by Michalis Hadjimichael who is apparently quite famous for those in the know - it was traditional but reasonably melodic and there were traditional dancers as well.

We were absolutely amazed by the sheer volume of people who pitched up - maybe because it was free or maybe it was a case of 'build it and they will come' who knows but it clearly was a success and I am pleased for Marianna who was obviously worried it.

We enjoyed ourselves on our big night out in Droushia!

Emotional...

So late last night I received a text message from our lovely friend Simon Rogers which brought more than one tear to my eye.  Simon took part in a 100K run along the Roseland Peninsula and coastal path in Cornwall raising money for the Mount Edgcumbe Hospice in Cornwall in memory of his late father.   This is known as the RAT run and if Simon was fit enough (when we last saw him he was nursing an injury) he promised that as he passed through East Portholland he would stop at our family memorial bench and pay his respects to my Dad who lived there with his parents and siblings until he moved up to Yeovil to serve an apprenticeship at Westland Helicopters.  Simon used to live in Gorran Haven which is practically next door to East Portholland and then ended up living in Emba with his lovely wife Melanie behind Mum and Dad - it is a small world.



To be honest we really did not expect him to break his run to do this but he did and he sat where we could see the plaque in memory of my Dad and then the heart in memory of my brother in law Richard.  It was very moving to receive these pictures and you can see from the picture on the right the sort of terrain and views he had (when it was daylight).  My Dad grew up in the tiny hamlet you can see right in the distance and it is where we used to holiday as a family in my childhood - I don't think I ever really appreciated the beauty of that hidden little cove and the handful of houses clinging to the hill side, I don't know if I will ever get back to that place again but I hope one day I will so that I can see the bench for myself.  In September a new plaque will be added in memory of my Uncle Doug (Dad's brother) whose ashes will be scattered there - he will have come home to rest after living in Canada for about 50 years.  He will be in good company.

On a lighter note we decided to take mum out for lunch today - it has been exceptionally hot this weekend and with having Nicky and Mark to stay I wasn't really in a position to have sorted out Sunday Lunch.

So Nicky and Mark shot off after breakfast for their golf and mum arrived shortly afterwards looking none the worse for having thrown a boiling hot cup of black tea over her the day before.  I had her swimming costume all ready and we spent a very pleasant half an hour or so cooling down in the pool which we now know has a thermometer which is reading low - not that it makes much difference because the temperature is the temperature but psychologically it helps to know what it might be.

We decided to take her out for a ride along the coast to Argaka and to Coast Taverna for a change.  You can see from the photographs that the sky was cloudless and the sea the most amazing colour with stripes of vivid blue, turquoise and aqua-marine and when we parked up there was a bit of a breeze coming off of the sea.

It was really nice for someone else to be doing the cooking today and it felt a little bit like being a tourist down by the sea.  We noticed a new (to us) taverna on the beach side of the road which looked interesting so we may well try that one in due course.

We returned home to a bit of light banter and our regular game of Rummikub which I was winning all the way until I got hammered with a 'smiley' tile and a penalty of 50 points on top of my unlaid tiles.

John's sister, family and friends arrive on Wednesday so it will be a different routine for us this week - we plan to pop down and see Mum on Tuesday for lunch - it is going to be a hectic few weeks for us because this is the most popular time for us to have visitors - we end up chasing our tails trying to make sure we get to see everyone but to be fair on John he really wants to spend as much time as possible with his family and rightly so.

Visiting friends...

 I suddenly remembered late last night that I had forgotten to post my blog so you may have an unread post below this one...

Today we had one of our regular visits from Nicky and Mark.  They come on Saturday, stay over and return to Emba on Sunday - in the Winter they like to come and enjoy the warmth and cosiness of the wood burner but in the Summer the love to escape the heat and humidity.  They aim to get here about 11.00am but generally text to say they are running late but today they announced their early arrival with a few toots on the horn!



It was a quick dump of the bags and then in the pool which John had looking absolutely sparkling which is important as Mark is a fully-qualified pool cleaner!!!  We always have a good time when they come up to us and today we had planned a light lunch and then a walk into the village to the Hotel where we would have a drink and then we were getting the village taxi to Kathikas for a cocktail at the Kathikas Square Bar and then pizza a Imogen's before returning home to watch the perseids if it was a clear night and we were awake enough.

The heat is getting to us all and so the cats are finding anywhere they can to get a bit of cool.  Today Charlie had retreated under the wood burner where John normally stores his 'fire' box to take advantage of the cool of the tile in underneath.  Nicky barely recognised him as he has lost weight or more particularly fur I think as he doesn't seem to eat any less even though it is so hot.  Boo and Minnie had squeezed themselves behind pots to grab a bit of shade and Chivers was wherever it is that he goes which is somewhere across the road in one of the abandoned houses.

So this was our light lunch - a Thai spiced chicken noodle salad which was absolutely fabulous - John, who was very unconvinced by my choice yesterday, wolfed it down and Nicky had three helpings and asked for the recipe because this is something she could make and box up for her and Mark to take on their rounds when they are working.  I have to say I was well impressed - I poached the chicken in a packet of Thai soup mix I had rather than follow the recipe which would have had the same result but I had forgotten to get some fresh ginger.  The rice noodles are super easy to prepare and then you mix in really whatever you want but we had onion, lettuce, rocket, mint, chili, peppers, cucumber, peanuts and mango!  You make a light sauce with lime juice, ginger, honey, fish sauce and orange juice and mix - SIMPLES!

So after a lazy loungey afternoon we two girlies got on our gladrags and walked (in heels!!!) down to the Hotel (with John and Mark) where we sat out on the terrace and had an early evening drinkie before getting our taxi.  Whilst there it was lovely to see Sonia and Andrea come in - Sonia really seems to be nearing the end of her long journey of recovery after her stroke and then later on a fall.  We were well looked after and our chariot arrived dead on time.  Tassos is a lovely guy although our communication is limited he did manage to confirm our suspicions that the building works near to Fitos is going to be a petrol station or at least that is what we think he said!

This is a bit of a dark shot but we were joined at the Kathikas Square bar by Liselotte and John who had quite coincidentally decided to get a pizza takeaway.  Having ordered their food they came across for a drink.  The bar is nice but we were somewhat bemused by the fact that the waiter brings the drinks one at a time and not all together so by the time Liselotte's came Mark had almost finished his.  Not sure whether the waiter is learning and I know some of the drinks had to be mixed but it was odd!

Imogens was very busy and we had to wait quite a while for our pizzas so we were given a free large carafe of red wine while we waited which was fine by us.  Nicky and Mark love a pizza so we hoped that they would like these - you can never tell what other people's tastes are like but when they did arrive they were piping hot and really lovely and we had said to Nicky and Mark to tell us if there weren't to their liking but they loved them so we know we can take them there again.

Tassos was there right on time ready and waiting - lucky we hadn't done a runner (not that we would) because he didn't want paying until we got home.  We had toyed with the idea of having a nightcap at the hotel but didn't do it because (a) we girlies were in heels and it is an uphill struggle on the way home and (b) the additional carafe of wine had tipped us over the edge.

We had a quick look for the Perseids and having decided it was probably not safe to negotiate the ladder up onto the roof terrace where we would have got the best view retired to bed - it had been a lovely day and Nicky and Mark want to get off early tomorrow because they have a game of golf penciled in - crazy peeps it is going to be soooooo hot on those greens.

Blood...

The temperatures have ramped up again and it is due to get even hotter over the weekend.  We have Nicky and Mark coming tomorrow and staying over so today was mainly spent tidying the house and collapsing in the pool to cool down.

Unfortunately we could not avoid a trip down to Polis and Paps supermarket as I needed to get some bits and pieces in.  John is unconvinced about my choice for a light lunch - I am going to try a recipe I have found for a Thai chicken noodle salad which should be light, colourful and full of flavour but I haven't actually ever used rice noodles before so it will be a bit of an experiment.

I was surprised to find Paps considerably quieter than I had anticipated and so it wasn't too much of a chore to nip round and pick up a few bits.  Our reward was to purchase a couple of bottles of Finca Ramos wine that was on offer which we hoped would be the same as the one which the Bobster had served the night before at the barbeque - it had been deliciously smooth.  I also spotted some Cypriot beer which we hadn't seen before and although a little on the pricey side John chose a wheat Ale and I chose a ginger Ale to try - the ginger Ale was exactly what it said an Ale flavoured with ginger which I thought was rather nice - I would certainly have it again.

We spent a very quiet afternoon at home.  We retreated indoors into the cool of the lounge and sat under the fans watching some completely un-taxing tv programmes.  I was pleased that Mum was fully occupied today - Friday is her hair day then she was off for coffee and then Angela and Richard were taking her somewhere for lunch.  I always feel happier knowing she has something to look forward to.

The blood bank was at the village today so I went off to do my bit - having O negative means that anyone can receive my blood no matter what their blood group so it is always in demand (not mine particularly but the group!).

This is clearly a very macho thing to do in Cyprus - not only was I the only non-Cypriot in evidence but I was the only woman apart from Marianna!  I am sure this changed as the session went on but when I arrived there was so much testosterone flowing and posturing and looks of complete disgust when a couple were turned away for having bad blood pressure.  I am pleased to report that the doctor told me my blood pressure was perfect as was my haemoglobin count which is particularly good news as there is a family history of blood pressure issues and as a child I was severely anaemic. I gave my blood although the girl struggled to find a vein and opted for my left arm - it is a bit bruised but actually I never felt the needle going in and my blood flowed pretty quickly.  I was given a cup of lemon square and some tachinopitta for my troubles - there were plates of pastries both savoury and sweet but I didn't really fancy any of it - actually I could do with fasting for a while as we seem to do nothing but eat at the moment!!!

So with that in mind we had opted for a simple Greek salad with pittas, dips and olives for supper this evening and it was delicious - as was the wine which we confirmed with Bobster was the same and he is shooting off down to Paps tomorrow to get some more whilst it is on offer and will get us some at the same time.  The light supper hit the spot!