Me and Gluteus Maximus

Here is my mate Gluteus Maximus and we have been together now for a couple of days since I pulled him whilst using the sewing machine!  Actually things with him are easier today so maybe this relationship is going to be short-lived - let's hope so!

So today we were going to go down to Paphos and do a few chores like sorting out the stuff that is going on the conservatory roof before catching up with Mum but Mum has an issue with her fridge freezer and as it is a half day for many businesses today we decided that sorting this out was the priority particularly if we were going to have to order a new one.

We set off down to Emba quite glad to leave behind the noise of the building works.  Poor Gregoris and Dora aren't going to get much peace and quiet at this rate.  Lakis and Argy have gone off to Spilia to the house there and are being joined by their son and family for a couple of days.  We aren't really sure exactly what Angela is having done but it doesn't look like the builders are going away any time soon unfortunately.  God only knows why she has decided to have this done during prime holiday time when everyone else is wanting to relax but I could probably hazard a guess.

So we got to Mum's and made a decision that it was probably safest to replace the fridge freezer as there was clearly something major wrong and we didn't want her to be worried about whether or not food was going to be wasted.  The machine is over 15 years old and they seem to be made nowadays so that most repairs are not economically viable.

We headed off to the Mesoghi Avenue where there are a whole load of electrical shops.  Electrical items used to be extortionately expensive and so often people think that the Cypriot retailers are charging over the odds and head to Premier Electric or whatever they are called because it is more 'British' but to be honest we have experienced better choice, service and pricing elsewhere but I can only speak as we find.

When you are intent on shopping it is easy to miss that there are some fabulous houses on that stretch sort of shoehorned between massive retail outlets - I am guessing that most of these homes were there before the shops and have subsequently become dwarfed by them.  Right next to the second shop we went into was a house with a really lovely garden and wonderful garden gates which I have never noticed before.

We were successful in the second shop - I cant remember what it is called but it is opposite Steptoes maybe Hadjikyriakos and Sons.  They were exceptionally helpful and the man demonstrated the robustness of the Hitachi Fridge Freezer we chose by standing on the veg box which was a tad bizarre but proved his point.

He did us a 'deal' on the already discounted item which included delivery and installation and removal of the old freezer and he promised that we could have it today.

It was probably rather more than mum was expecting to pay but she ended up with a Rolls Royce of fridge freezers which will probably outlast her - although the man in the shop said he hoped that would not be the case!

So we paid up and gave the details regarding delivery only to find that the girl cashier walks her dog past mum's house every morning so knew exactly where mum lived and who she rented her house from.

This girl's name was Miretta and she is a Tupperware rep - YES Tupperware is still alive and kicking and going strong on the island!!!

So if anyone is interested let me know and even better she offered me 20% on the prices!!!

So job done we returned to Emba for a spot of lunch and to empty the old fridge freezer and move it outside ready for collection.  Mum has a smaller newer one which she is going to sell once the new new one has settled in.

Just after 1.00pm the men came and brought in the fridge freezer and installed it to their satisfaction and then struggled with the old one to get it in the van and away but eventually they did - poor guys as it was so very hot when they came to do this.

Once everything was sorted John and I returned home.  We were going out with Gregoris and Dora this evening to Maria's in Kathikas along with two friends of theirs Tassos and Dimitri.  We had met Tassos before although that time with his wife - he is the head honcho of the C.D.A. College in Paphos and was at university with Gregoris in London many years ago.  What a very interesting and lovely man to speak to and spend the evening with.  He lives during the week in Tremithousa and then returns to Nicosia and his family at the weekends.  Dimitri splits his time between his family home in Lyssos and Nicosia.  He was formerly something to do with the Cyprus Post.  Again a lovely and charming man.  We opted for a selection of fish for our meal so started with bread and salad and dips and then shared two sea bream, one sea bass, a dish of prawns, a dish of calamari and a huge and absolutely delicious salmon steak.  Everyone really enjoyed the food and the ambiance was fabulous.  We were seated on the balcony so sheltered from any cool breeze.  Kathikas was buzzing and we just had a really nice evening.  We said goodbye to Tassos and Dimitri followed us back to Lordos 1 where we sat outside at Dora's and the men had a nightcap before I drove down to the main road with Dimitri following so he could find his way back to Lyssos.  Once again a lovely evening with our neighbours - we are so very lucky - isn't that right Bobster?