One more visitor than expected...

We had a quiet day today getting ready for our visitors who are arriving at around 4.00pm today.

We had to put the brollies down overnight last night because it looked a bit stormy - in so doing the bougainvillea was exposed and so I decided to cut down some of the blooms to provide a bit of colour in the dining area.  I know this isn't going to last but for a while it looks nice.

Everything was going swimmingly - the bedroom was done and the sheets changed over - I have a system whereby I have designated duvet sets for our regular visitors so that if they are only slept in once I can fold them up, put them in a bag and pack them away and then put them back on if it is unlikely that I can get them washed and dried in time or if I feel one sleep doesn't warrant it - my visitors know!!!

Everything was tickety-boo and we shot off down to Polis to get some food in readiness for the barbeque we are planning for Saturday - weather permitting because can you believe it the forecast is for rain - to be fair we don't really care and we know that Nicky and Mark will appreciate escaping the oppresive humidity down in Paphos.

I say everything was going swimmingly but when we got home and I started putting the shopping away I came across the tell-tale signs that we had an unwelcome visitor.  I should have realised because Boris was taking an unhealthy interest in the newly exposed gaps under the kitchen cupboards when I had fed him earlier in the day.

The signs were in the cupboard under the sink so everything had to come out and tipped up, cleaned or washed or whatever - this was fresh so I am guessing Minnie or Mickey was brought in the evening before and had been running around and shot off behind the washing machine and then through the hole in the cupboard where the pipes are.  We didn't find it so sadly we will have to set a trap because we cannot have it living in our cupboards.

We cleared every cupboard in the end just to make sure he/she hadn't been anywhere else particularly as one of the cupboards houses the cat food and biscuits which they seem to like but fortunately they had not been any further.  We have a bit of a mystery though.  After we had mice in the pump house we left a trap in there 'just in case'.

Have to thank Simon, who is currently in the UK, for sending Mum and I some photographs as he had been for a run around Portholland and stopped at the family memorial bench where there are little plaques in memory of our loved ones - he is sat by the one for Dad and the one for my brother in law Richard.  Sadly over the last couple of years the number of plaques has been added to.

This is Portholland - I spent many a summer holiday here with my cousin Christine - we used to walk there from my aunt's in Polmassick.  It was about a four mile trip and we were probably about 13 - maybe not even that old - we wouldn't have been allowed to do it now!  It was Christine's 60th birthday yesterday and we spent a couple of hours in conversation about the things we used to get up to all those years ago when we couldn't even imagine what being 60 was like let alone that we would reach that age.  I have promised to try and get down when I am over in January even if it is only for a day - I would so love to see her again.  I have asked her to see if her mum has any photographs from those days.  What would we have done without our transistor radios, bakelite ear-pieces and Radio Luxembourg!!

Our visitors arrived on time but Mark was in the dog-house having forgotten to pick up the drinks and the burgers which Nicky had made for tomorrow so he and John took the trip back down to Emba to fetch what had been left behind.

By the time they returned and by the time we had been able to get our pizza order in at the Pizza Box in Kathikas we were all rather tired and so shortly after John returned with our supper we all started to flag - so much so that before 9.00pm we were fed, watered and all in bed - although not together obviously!!!

Nicky and Mark were amazed by how cool it was in August up here in the hills but the weather forecast for the next few days is like this all over the island.   Actually this summer we have had very few chilly damp evenings less so than in previous years.