Back to Blighty...

So the day had come for me to fly back to the UK for Jordan and Abi's wedding but not before I had ensured John would have something ready to eat when he got home.  Not that I really need worry too much as Argy has insisted that she will be feeding him.  John has jobs he wants to get done whilst I am away and once he gets started he tends to power on through so this may not fit in with other people's meal times so this morning there I was preparing Jamie Oliver's Afelia recipe which I hope goes down better than his restaurant chain and I also rustled up a Tupperware of coleslaw which is a good standby as an accompaniment or in a sandwich.

I then put all my indoor plants into a trough so that John could water them all in one go - whether they like sitting in water or not I reckoned this was their best chance of surviving.  We had one last turn around the garden together with his instructions regarding watering which is basically anything in a pot - I know he is nervous about keeping things alive but he has managed before and to be honest if it dies - it dies and can be replaced.

After a quick "bye-bye" to our lovely neighbours we went on down towards the airport where we had rather an unispiring Cypriot Sandwhich at Bona Mare and then John dropped me off, a little early but I didn't mind as this was the first time I had negotiated the airport with the new self check-in routine.  I ws in departures in about 5 minutes tops!

There isn't a huge amount at Paphos Airport but I had a wander around the duty free and shops before settling down and waiting for my flight.  The incoming one was a little late but Easyjet did a super fast turn round so we were boarded as quickly as they could manage and I must thank the nice guy who rents a villa opposite the Souli Hotel in Latchi for carrying my bag to the plane and putting up in the overhead locker for me.

My seat 2D was brilliant and I sat next to a nice couple who have a holiday home in Peyia - we engaged in just about the right amound of conversation to make the trip pass reasonably quickly and even better when I decided to have a sandwich on the second trolley run they were getting rid of them half price.  We had a bit of a delay getting off the plane because when we landed some other plane had pinched our parking space which was a bit of a bugger and even bigger bugger was the fact that my passport wouldn't scan - the computer just kept saying "NO!!" apparently there is an issue with my chip so I had to go through a manual queue which meant even more delay.  I made my way over to South Terminal to pick up my hire car but I did not get the keys into my hand until I had been offered all sorts of extras and upgrades - the "specially for you, one time only bargain" which I politely declined.  I had opted for the cheapest car but was led out to a large, red, new diesel Citroen GTI thingy which was to be my chariot for the next two weeks.  It took me more than a few minutes to adjust the seat and the mirrors and to work out how to start the damn thing!

I was praying that Mrs Google Maps was properly programmed so that I would not unwittingly traverse the length and breadth of Bracknell and Reading and fortunately she was so I happily tootled along the M23, M25, M4 and A4 as planned with no chance of me contravening the variable (or average) speed limited because to be honest now 70mph feels like you are traveling faster than the speed of sound - I know I will be used to the road conditions in due course but now I am just happy to tootle.

It took me an hour and a half to reach 23 Tredegar Road and my aunt and uncle who, can you believe it Victor?, find themselves with no water and I am all hot and sticky from my travels.  Hopefully just a sticking ballcock which will be resolved tomorrow - I hope so otherwise I will stink!!

After cheese, biscuits and a glass of vino collapso I was ready for my bed.  We are off to discover the delights of Tesco Extra tomorrow morning and I can't wait - this will give me an opportunity to stock up on the toiletries I could not bring with me and to have a look at all the other goodies that will be on offer.