A little snow...

The weather is getting worse!!!!  This morning we woke to a smattering of snow and Baltic temperatures inside and out but at least the sun was shining so it seemed warmer than it actually was.  I hadn't realised it had snowed until I flung the bedroom windows open to see the old village chairs (one of which has some seedling valiantly trying to grow in the seat) covered in white and then when I went across to feed the cats I opened the back door to see the table there covered in white.

When we tell people it is cold here in the winter they look at us as if we are nutters muttering that it is all relative when it has been so hot in the summer but I can assure you sub zero temperatures are cold wherever you live and with poorly built houses the temperatures inside can plummet - I do not like a hot bedroom but even I balk when I woke to see 7 degrees showing on the beside clock - I shall have to get the timer out for the panel heater so that we can ensure the room is a reasonable temperature when we go to bed and when we wake up.

Apparently the weather up in the Troodos is spectacular but as approach roads are currently closed we will have to wait a while before we can go and see for ourselves (if I can persuade John to go).  We do have some 'bum' boards hidden away somewhere which we have yet to test out so maybe this year could the the time when we do.  This is not my photograph, obviously as we have yet to visit, but one which someone posted on social media today and which is stunning.

We did go up several years ago in February when my friend Debra came to visit and there was a reasonably smattering even then and last year or maybe it was the year before we went up on a Droushia Day out with Di and Rob and in places the snow was really quite deep.

The massive overnight drop in temperature meant that there was quite a bit of condensation lingering on the aluminium frames of the windows and doors on those where they are not insulated so as John was kitting himself up to go and scrape the snow off of the conservatory roof and the solar and PV panels I put on some scruffers to wash down the frames with some bleach to ensure that no mould accumulates and whilst I was at it I decided that I would crack on and wash all the floors as they were quite grubby due to the weather conditions and I thought that the sunshine should dry them out fairly quickly.

The cats clearly thought I had gone mad and got the huff as I kept moving them out of the way so that I could pick up rugs and give them a good shake and hoover and wash the floors - I think my Syrian neighbours could teach me a thing or two on that score as they seem to have their rugs out 'for a blow' come rain or shine.  Once laid back down Chivers used them as a sort of skateboard game so where they had been neatly put down they were rucked up and all over the shop.

John, crazy fool that he is, went out to tackle the outside jobs with a big old bobble hat and shorts!!!  He said his legs weren't cold but dealing with water, ice and snow meant his hands were freezing so he kept coming in and out clasping a hot cup of coffee to get the circulation back.  There wasn't a lot of snow but it was good to get rid of what we could.

It was rather nice to give the house a good clean.  My friend Di had said she had been keeping warm by cleaning and I thought that was a bit extreme but actually it works really well so I was warm and I was happy with a clean house.

John and I received some lovely gifts at Christmas including this rather special candle - a Jo Malone for which we have to thank Lakis and Argy.

The box alone is so stylish that I just want to go up and give it a stroke every now and then.  I am so thrilled with being an owner of a Jo Malone candle that I am not sure I will ever be able to light it because what on earth will I do when the candle is finished? either nothing else is going to come close or I am going to be disappointed by the reality - I am putting money on the former personally.

So today we had hoped to catch up with Mina but the weather has taken its toll on the dog kennels so today wasn't going to be an option and tomorrow she is taking delivery of her new puppy so we rearranged for Thursday which left John and I with time on our hands that we hadn't anticipated.

We decided we would tog ourselves up and brave the Arctic temperatures and get some fresh air, check the post, visit the cemetery and then grab a coffee in the Hotel to warm up.

We took a circuitous route looking at some of the old properties which have been left empty for so long that they are falling to pieces which is such a shame.  There are plenty of these in the village but they have deteriorated beyond economic repair so will probably now never be a home again - the situation isn't helped by the poor initial build, the ravages of weather and time and the inheritance laws here which means that an old crumbling building might be owned by many many people.

We called into the post office where there was quite a lot of post and a few little parcels waiting for us although sadly not the parcel from Laura and Mark which I think is now long gone.  We then carried on to the cemetery and walked through to keep our feet relatively clean.  I had thought that Dad's grave would have sunk further but it was fine so we think that now it has gone as far as it can and we can start considering what his permanent memorial should look like.

We then walked back to the Hotel where the electricians were finishing off the lighting in the bar so we bagged a table by the log fire and treated ourselves to a wobbly coffee each - my Jamaican coffee was so warming as it had both rum and Tia Maria in it - it was really lovely and warm sat there so we were quite reluctant to move but move we had to and make our way back home - an all this before we had our late lunch of home-made carrot and coriander soup with some lovely fresh Paps cornbread.

The remainder of the afternoon we snuggled up on the sofas and watched back to back episodes of the Body Guard with Keeley Hawes and Richard Madden which passed away a good six hours and was good - not maybe as fabulous as all the reviews had led us to believe but good enough.