Changeable Weather

It is Monday and the start of a new week in which we are forecast to have horrendous weather on Thursday.  Normally we think about taking down the Gazebo covers and the brolly cover then don't do it and then we get a nasty storm and it shreds the covers and we kick ourselves for being too late.  This year we were not going to be caught out in the same way so this morning we had the brolly open so that the overnight condensation could be dried off before it was put away for this season.  My repairs have held firm and it will do us for another summer.

I had a bit of a surprise this morning when I went to see Dad.  I had gone with Mum yesterday and he was there as he always is, last grave in the cemetery but today this was to change as there was a freshly dug grave next to him.  I had not been expecting it and it really knocked the wind out of my sails.

I just hoped that during the internment people would be respectful of my Dad's space - I was reminded of the day Elena was buried when people just seemed to walk everywhere irrespective of whether there was a grave underfoot.  I need not have worried because in the end it was a very small affair - I saw only about half a dozen people go up to the graveside.  I cannot make out from the gentleman's name what nationality he is but he doesn't appear to be Cypriot, his is not a name I recognise nor do I think I have seen him around the village.

I finished my picture today - and now looking at it in all it's glory I am rather pleased with it and I hope the recipient will be too.  I just need to arrange its handover.  It is not a bad thing that I finished this week as we learned today that Donald Barton (or Diddy Donald as Mum sometimes called him) had passed away.  We last saw him at Dad's funeral - he was looking quite unwell then and his health had deteriorated rapidly.  He had been a jockey in his youth and he had very kindly taken us on a VIP trip to Nicosia Races one Boxing Day and had taken us everywhere from the parade ring to the weighing in room.  His funeral is next Monday and we will be there to pay our respects.

On my return from Art I could see that John had had a busy morning and it is now most definitely Autumn at Villa 10B as the gazebo covers have been taken down and washed if necessary and put away.  We will need to pack up all the cushions and lash down the furniture up on the roof terrace so that no damage is done on Thursday when the worst of the weather is forecast and I kid you not there have been warnings coming from the Met Office at Akrotiri.

This evening we were catching up with Costas and Jackie, this having been postponed from last week when Costas blew us out for an electrical products trade show in Germany.  This was Mum's choice - Mothers in Kato Paphos - a place she had visited a couple of times recently and had enjoyed but tonight was not to be their finest hour although it didn't really spoil our enjoyment and has given me plenty to write about in this blog!!!

So the place is quite atmospheric, traditional and quaint and tucked away from the main street.  We should have known things might not go smoothly when both Jackie and I tripped over the eletric cable attached to the souvla barbeque motor which was trailing across the dimly lit courtyard.  It was all going so well until Costas noticed a massive cockroach making its way along the woodwork and then it and its mate scurried across the rafters over our heads and I had visions of one or other of them dropping into our dinner.  Neither Costas nor Jackie seemed perturbed but this was the first time in over 7 years I have ever seen one (and now two) over here.

The restaurant was a bit like being in an 80s time warp - it was pretty full and everyone arrived at about the same time (except Jackie and Costas who were fashionably late) so the kitchen was pushed to the limit so we were treated to a lot of "hello pretty ladies" which didn't cut any ice with our table - we have heard all this sort of flannel before.  In fact Jackie remembers coming here about 30 years ago with her friend Jane and being invited to join one of the waiters at a nightclub after she had eaten - she wondered whether any of the current staff might be that waiter - I have my money on the chuckle brother with the dodgy footballers perm - he looked a bit like a cross between Keith Harris and Kevin Keegan!!!

It will not go down as an epicurean delight but we did have a laugh particularly as we ended up discussing fridges and blenders with Costas!!!  Ok so this will probably be scrubbed off our list of places to go with the Pentaliotis's - they like Thanasi so that is fine by us!