Jane and John arrive...

It was all hands to the deck this morning getting ready for our guest diners this evening as we had a trip to the airport to pick up Jane and John.  We were having soup to start which was fine because that had been made previously and was in the freezer - the only trouble was that John decided he could carve off a third of it for this evening to defrost and in so doing injured his thumb.  I decided it would do my cooking prowess no good whatsoever if he had to go to the doctor with it and when asked "How did you injure your thumb?" replied "I did it carving the wife's soup!".  Our main course was to be the good old standby of Hunter's Chicken which has become something of a favourite not least because it is deliciously tasty but because it is relatively easy to prepare in advance.  The coleslaw was all chopped up and the potatoes par boiled and John was creating a magnificent pudding in the shape of a banoffee cheesecake where we had made our own Dulce de Leche with the aid of a can of condensed milk which had been boiling away for a couple of hours.

We set off for the airport - in Droushia it was grey and miserable and a massive 9 degrees so I had my boots and jacket on.  When we approached the airport it was sunny and 21 degrees - Jane and John will think we have been making it up about being such an awful winter!!!

We watched the flight come in from the car-park of The Base - two flights came in from Bristol at much the same time so we knew we didn't need to rush to departures so went off to investigate the massive 'thing' which has popped up next to the Bona Mare Beach Bar.  The 'thing' is a shipping vessel of some sort - we think perhaps a roll-on roll-off ferry of some sort which is being refurbished - not to return to the waters but to become some sort of entertainment venue with access to the beach.

This is the front of the vessel which looks out to sea.  Close up it is enormous and completely dwarfs the Bona Mare which is right next door and I mean right next door although access to this is currently via the next turning along the airport road and not the turning to the Bona Mare if you are interested in going to have a look.

We normally park up by the picnic tables and wait before going to departures but today that would have been a soggy exercise as flood waters are half way up the benches and tables!  In fact that whole approach to the airport roundabout looks like the Everglades as it is so waterlogged.  It would appear that the trees which they chopped down last year must have sucked up all that moisture so now with them gone the land cannot cope.

Jane and John's flight came in about 10 minutes early but with the TUI one arriving at the same time they were not quite so quickly through as they might otherwise have been.  I always see someone I know whilst I am waiting for visitors and today was no exception as I bumped into Cara and Darren who were meeting the incoming Birmingham flight.  Happily we got Jane and John to their accommodation in Emba and inside without the difficulty we had last year when Owen sent them the wrong keys.  Sadly Owen has now sold this apartment although their booking has been honoured so if they play to return again we don't know if the new owners will be doing lets.

This evening we were having Di and Rob and Judi around for a meal.  Judi is Di and Rob's neighbour and I have helped her in the past with IT related issues and she very kindly gave me a box of Agios Onoufrios for my troubles.  When she did we said she should come up to the house one evening for a meal and to help us drink some of it and tonight was that night.  John went down and picked them all up and they were going to walk home.  I had told them to come with slippers so that they could be comfy.

By the time John set off to pick them up the house was looking lovely.  We had the woodburner lit but ticking over gently and all the candles glowing, the cats had been given a stern talking to about being on their best behaviour so Mini was asleep on the sofa, Boris asleep on the birthing chair, Chivers asleep on our bed and Charlie leaping about like a mad thing.

We had a lovely evening - I think the food went down well - certainly there were clean plates all round which is always a good sign and the conversation flowed along with the wine.  I hope that our guests got home in the dry - certainly we had some high winds, cold temperatures and rain overnight.