on a Yiannis Tour!!

The weather was kind this morning - a bright and clear start to the day meant we were able to sit outside for breakfast and because we are going out to eat tonight I thought a good hearty start to the day was in order so I gaily offered scrambled eggs and bacon on toast only to find that I had used the eggs earlier in the week and only had two left!  John was summarily despatched off down to the village to purchase shares in an egg farm!  He returned with six of the very finest, they must have been judging by the price for a half dozen but then as John pointed out he didn't have to drive down to Polis to get them.  Breakfast was back on track and enjoyed by all.

We took a trip to the cemetery before going on our misery tour.  Last week Aunty Joyce and Uncle David had bought a pin-cushion Chrysanthemum in a beautiful russety-red colour - it was full of bud but today thanks to the recent rain and Klaus's TLC it was in full bloom and looked fabulous alongside the seemingly everlasting osteospurmum, gerbera, gazanias and African Violet.  His spot is glorious - he would be so proud.

There were other ladies in the cemetery today visiting various graves and lighting lamps.  We said Kalimera to one in our finest Greek and she replied with a heavily Australian accented Hello.

I think they were curious as to whose grave we had been attending as they scurried over to take a look as we left - I think they will have been impressed because even though this is currently only temporary it looks so loved and cared for.

I know this is emotional for Aunty Joyce but I am so glad she has got to see where her older brother has been laid to rest.  She and Uncle David like the cemetery - they think it has a good 'feel' to it.

Yiannis' Tour today was along the Argaka coastline and out to Pachyamos - Aunty Joyce does not think they have done that trip before, if they have it would have been years ago.  We thought we might be chasing the sun but in fact we caught a few drops of rain when we finally got to Pachyamos.  We stopped for some fresh orange juice at Koula's Sandwich shack which has the commanding view across to Pomos - this was certainly not a place they had been to before and it was a good stop off point - the view is stunning.

We headed out to the church of St Raphael which is a favourite spot to take visitors and of course has a special meaning to us as this is where we scattered some of Hadge's ashes underneath the tree with the 'eyes' and whilst my Aunt and Uncle were having a good look around I went and had a quiet word whilst John lit candles for Hadge and Dad.

We spent quite a while there and, as I said, as we emerged we were greeted with a few large spots of rain and noticed the skies above where getting increasingly more angry and there were rumbles of thunder in the distance - time to go but not before taking a look at the stall selling traditional goodies - an opportunity to purchase some honeyed cashew nuts and shoushoukos.

We headed back towards Polis mindful of the speed traps en route which we had been well warned about on our way down - John didn't have to worry as he had set the limiter on the car to ensure that our trip out today did not end up as an expensive one!  The traffic police had pitched up at Koula's when we were there - this didn't seem to worry any of the beer-drinking, car-driving Tavli players!

Next stop was Pomos Harbour - sadly the sea was choppy today so no chance of seeing the turtle or any squid but here the sun was still shining so we had a pleasant stroll looking at the boats and catching a glimpse of fish darting in and out of the rocks.  The beach was empty and the beach bar which was open when we came with John's mum the other week shut up and all the sunbeds stacked away.  We didn't go up for a drink at the taverna - from down below we could see a couple of people sat on the terrace but it had lost the hustly bustly feel that it had two weeks ago  - the summer season is over as far as Pomos is concerned!

We returned home via Agia Marina football ground and the icecream parlour in Prodromi where we all tucked into our respective choices.  I am not a great ice-cream lover myself but the Vanilla there is beautiful and still my favourite - occasionally they have the cinnamon which I loved and the mandarin but not regularly.

The sky upon leaving Pomos was spectacular with the storm clouds swallowing up the sun.  Back in Droushia it was fine and we had not had any rain but down in Paphos Mum reported that she could feel a storm brewing as the wind was whipping up and then shortly after confirmed that they had rain.  Amazingly this is something we managed to avoid today - a rare occurrence indeed!

Aunty Joyce and Uncle David kindly took us out this evening and we had chosen to return to To Stekki tou Panai (Maria's) in Kathikas.  Again this is somewhere we have not eating in for a while - not for any reason just we have so many other nice places around but we went with our neighbours a couple of months' back and loved it.  I know that my Aunt and Uncle like fish so that is what the three of us chose - two sea bass and one salmon with a small portion of calamari thrown in for good measure - John stuck to meat.  It was lovely to see this place packed and buzzing - we shall definitely return in the winter when the wood burner is lit.