Rain rain go away...

The forecasters were not wrong, unfortunately, we got the rain that they had promised.  We had thunder and lightning during the night - I wasn't aware of much rain then but this morning we had torrents. We all tell ourselves that we need it, which we do, but it is so much better when it is confined to the night-time!!  Poor Nicky and Mark were meeting builders at their pad this morning and I said to John at least they would know if and where they had any leaks.  Little did I know that it would us, not they, that would be sorting out a deluge inside.

When I had got up to go across and get a coffee all was fine and then sometime later when I went to get John's second cuppa I noticed a mark on one of the rugs which was wet and then I looked up and I was dripped on and then I looked down and realised that there was a fair old puddle forming.  John leapt into action as the water was finding its way down through the light fitting.  Bugger, bugger, bugger this is not what we need.

What John had quickly realised, fortunately, was that there was a seal in the glass roof just above where we could see water and that over the years the silicon had probably dried out and perished so that today, with the very heavy rain, water had found its way in and in so doing had begun to form a right old rivulet which was ending up on the floor below.  This was not something that could be easily rectified whilst it was still raining so John dashed out to make a temporary fix by placing an 'angle' of aluminium over the seal so that the rain water would hit it and then be diverted away from the problem area.  Needless to say the combination of rain and lower temperatures was a bit of a shock to his system this early in the morning but he did a sterling job and sorted the issue quickly albeit temporarily.  The fact that he was so laid back about it meant I didn't worry that we would spend the forthcoming days when the rain is forecast wading around in the house.

I left to go to art just as Nicky and Mark arrived and was grateful for the umbrella escort to the car so thanks for that Nicky.

As I drove down to Sheila's I could see that there was some brighter weather coming across from Neo Chorio so it looked like the rain might be heavy but short-lived.

There were workers up at the cemetery - two trucks but I couldn't see the workers themselves so thought they might be sheltering in the little church.  With this amount of rain the undeveloped area beyond Dad's grave would be a right old mess.  I didn't stop to look - whatever is happening I can go and look when it is dry.

Another lovely morning with Sheila and Klaus.  I had gone early and was not staying for lunch as we were due to go to Mina's for a curry this evening with Rob and Di but unfortunately she had to cancel because she has fallen foul of the throat bug thingy that is doing the rounds at the moment.  As it happens we had leftover sausage casserole in the fridge so we wouldn't go hungry and John had said he would go and do my shopping today if the weather improved and as he had rung from Paps asking where to locate Tomato Puree I gathered he had been which meant that there would now be no reason to go out after art.


Not going out and some unexpected sunshine meant that we could clean the inside of the glass conservatory roof and the triplex layer and sort the leaky bit of silicon at the same time.

This is a tricky job which John cannot do on his own so I am his gofer which regular readers will know does not bode well!!!

Needless to say I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and doing the wrong job most of the time but we managed to get the triplex down and cleaned and most of the insect collection dealt with and the glass cleaned on the inside and because it had dried out nicely John managed to silicone where he thought the problem might be.  We then managed to get it all back up again without breaking anything or falling out which is a bit of a result.

When we stopped for a cuppa there was a cookery programme on where they were preparing brandy cured salmon, which John said he would give a go and pickled cucumbers.  John had purchased cucumbers today, they were not on my list for good reason as I had several in the fridge already so we decided to give the pickling a go as it was super easy and I had all the ingredients.  I will keep you posted as to whether or not they were a success or not.

Thankfully the heavy rain this morning was short lived and was followed by quite a nice bright day.  Apparently there have been the first proper snowfalls up on the Troodos but not enough for us to be able to make it out from our roof terrace.  There was a pretty spectacular sky and some interesting cloud formations over the mountains.  More rain is forecast tomorrow - hopefully not too much as we have organised a mini Droushia Day out with Rob and Di.  We keep saying we should resurrect this as we had some great fun exploring and discovering and revisiting when we did it previously.

Can you believe my blooming book of stamps finally pitched up today - I reckon one of the cats had it as it appeared in the most bizarre of places.  Glad that the mystery has been solved and I am not going mad nor had thrown them away.

We got to the end of Peaky Blinders tonight - there is clearly another series to come so I will get another fix of the Shelbys in due course which is good!

The woodburner gets lit...

Last night we lit the wood burner for the first time this year - not because it was particularly cold but because we have plenty of wood now and we wanted to make sure there were no issues with it because if there were we could resolve them before we needed to use it in earnest.

John had watched a video on using the 'Top Down' method whereby you lay the fire up and light it from the top, funnily enough!!! and looking at the burner it would appear to be pretty effective.

Although it is bright and warm outside during the day the houses here can feel pretty chilly, although not in the conservatory thankfully.

We know Mum feels the cold so we like to make sure it is cosy for her so this morning John just gave the wood burner a bit of a riddle (not the "What kind of Tree can you carry in your hand?" sort of riddle) and brought it back to life so we knew that when we sat down for lunch it would be toasty warm.  In fact, even though we had moved the table as far away as we could, even Mum had to admit it got a bit too warm at times!!!

When Mum arrived we set off down to Latchi because there was a market being held and I thought Mum might like a bit of a wander before we ate.  We parked up in the 'sunken' carpark and saw that the old wooden ship which has been a landmark and photo opportunity for years was being dismantled.  I know I am probably in the minority but I loved that old boat so would be sad to see it go.



It was beautifully warm down on the coast, so much so that it is really hard to believe that bad weather is on the way.  I was still in shorts and had taken a fleece 'just in case' but didn't need it. We had a little look around - to be fair we didn't really need anything but is was lovely to be out and about and to be getting into the Christmas spirit.

On our way back to the carpark we stopped to watch what was going on with the old ship and to speak to the team that were working on it.

Apparently it is being dismantled and the space is being turned into more parking.  They are hopeful that some of the ship will be rescued and used in other projects - I do hope so.

Back at the car I bumped into the couple who had expressed an interest in renting the house at 3a.  We met the lady (Alison) who is supposed to be moving in on Saturday some time ago when she was having a fridge/freezer delivered.  Apparently according to this couple the house is being readvertised so we have no idea whether Alison is coming on Saturday or not although she did mention that she had expected some work to be done and we have seen no sign of the Master Builder and with rain forecast you would have thought he would have come when it had been dry.

Mum and I returned via the cemetery and we had a nice lunch together - we had left John in charge of the roasties and they were very crispy - so much so that Mum was in fear of chipping a tooth!!!  After Mum left John put himself through the roller coaster ride that was Norwich v Sheffield United.  In the first half SUFC didn't turn up but they must have got a severe bollocking at half time so came out and scored twice within the space of three minutes.

My reward afterwards was a couple of episodes of Peaky Blinders.  This series seems infinitely more violent than previous ones but it is still such a good watch.  We have left the final episode which we will watch and savour.

Checking out some properties...

I took this photograph last night in Finikas.  I must admit I haven't noticed these items before tucked away on a natural shelf by the stand Philippos has displaying traditional goods for sale.  I would like to think that someone has been in and carefully placed them in  as sort of "trendy interior design" fashion but I rather suspect they have just sat there for years - who knows maybe that radio still works!!!

We had a very exciting gift from Di and Rob - they have us summed up well - Bubbles for Gin - who would have thought?????  Initially I thought they might be some sort of toiletry but no, no, no they are little bubbles of juiciness to be popped into a drinkie.  We shall be trying them out during the festive season and are already on my list of things to track down when I return to the UK to celebrate Haze's birthday.  I have decided to bite the bullet and take a case as there are lots of things I can bring back - sadly Brexit or Greed (not sure which) now means that goods sent form Amazon or EBay incur extortionate postage charges and I mean absolutely ludicrous.

Today did not quite turn out as planned - not difficult as we did not really have any plans but we had not anticipated a visit from Mum but more of that later.  We had intended to go and do some shopping down in Paps but to be honest I couldn't really be bothered and I learned last week that often there is sufficient food in the house to russle up a decent meal for Sunday anyway.  We had a sausage casserole simmering in the slow cooker and as a result of my foray into the deepest darkest corners or my fridge I came across a whole load of tomatoes which were past their best so decided that tomorrow we would be having tomato soup so out came the new halogen oven so that they could be quickly roasted.  This week was to be Tomato and Orange soup because I actually had all the ingredients and had several manky oranges that needed something doing with them.  I shall report back on opinions tomorrow.

So the Kirby's were up again today tackling the garden and I had offered them a cuppa when they wanted a break and then we got a call from Mum.  Apparently her neighbours' gardener Spiros had approached her today to see if we wanted to buy a load of logs - most of which were olive and acacia which are both good burners.  So to cut a long story short Mum came as Spiros's wing man/woman to show him the way to our house and they duly arrived along with the wood and the tree trunk that has been sitting at Mum's waiting for John to cut up and bring home and even better Spiros had cut that up as well.  It was a quick turn round for Mum as she had to direct Spiros back - he is a very affable man but has limited command of English but even so that is better than Mum's command of Greek.  We were pleased to hear that she had got home in one piece.  Mum can be absolutely certain of being warm and toasty when she is up here and this early Christmas present was very welcome.

Nicky and Mark had a quick cuppa and then continued with their gardening for a short time before returning to Emba.  It is amazing how a bit of a tidy up makes all the difference to the houses that have been left unloved for so long.  We decided no shopping was essential today so we went out in search of the houses which Linda and Graham had asked us to check out for them.  We had recognised one as being the house that friends of ours used to rent so we knew where to find that one and we knew a bit about the history of that one.  We realised the second house was on the same development 'Little England' in Arodes which, having met Linda and Graham, was not what we thought they were looking for - the final property, a bungalow, we found more by luck than judgment but it was where we thought it might be and of the three was quite promising.    We decided that the best course of action would be to convene at the Gin Bar to compose a message with the information to Linda and Graham.  We were met at the steps of the Bar by a resident cat which we shall, in future, refer to as Batman due to the markings it has on its face!!

John set himself up for an afternoon of football watching (Charlton today as Sheffield United play tomorrow) by checking that the Old Speckled Hen was up to standard and I had a hot chocolate and we had a chat with Savvas and Savvas's Mum whilst taking in the afternoon sunshine, the weather is set to change next week so it seemed rude not to.  We got into conversation with a couple who are currently on holiday but interested in the possibility of a move to the Island so we were discussing all sorts of things from the cost of living to the new National Health Service.  They were a nice couple and we had a nice chat before we decided our sausage casserole was calling and we needed to get back home but not before we passed a van containing the biggest cabbages you have ever seen.  If I bought one of these it would last me the best part of a year!!!

Christmas is coming...

Another lovely day again today - knowing that this is not going to last we are making the most of it.  Marky Mark was up today to meet the electrician now that the work has been done on their house.  John and he were having manly talks over fuses and breakers whilst I was doing a bit of gardening - I had a couple of plants requiring a bit of a cut back so got that done whilst they were in deep conversation.

We had to set off early today because I needed to go down to the main Post Office to collect a parcel for which they had given me a tracking number which didn't correspond to anything I was waiting for from Amazon or EBay and they needed an invoice which meant that there was something to pay which is a bit irritating because I try and make sure that if I order items from outside the EU that I keep it below the £20 mark so I don't incur any extra costs.  Because I didn't know what had arrived I couldn't print off an invoice either so it was likely to be a bit of a faff.  The woman who generally deals with these things at the main Post Office is clearly related to Genghis Khan or Attilla the Hun but with less of a sense of humour.  The guy is rather more amenable as I sat opposite him when Caroline and Clem got married and he seems to remember me.  Anyway to cut a long story short the parcel was ours - it was something John had ordered for me for Christmas from Amazon which showed no indication of coming from abroad and thereby incurring costs so he was a bit miffed to put it mildly.  I have been instructed to send a 'firm' message to Amazon expressing our dissatisfaction.

At Mum's she has broken into festive mode and there is a plethora of snowmen and santas outside her front door.  Inside she has put a few tasteful items including her new 'tree' which she got having seen mine last year.  I know Christmas is for Children but I think it is right that we make a bit of an occasion of it otherwise it would just pass by unnoticed save for the fact that Paps is closed on that day!!!

It was the last Friday this year that the normal pickleball six would be playing together and we had some real cracking games although poor Marios's hanging Christmas Balls got a it of a hammering and I managed to hit one and knock the whole thing off its string.  We shall get in one more game before the break and John and I will go in and remove the court markings and give it a clean before Marios has a 'do' in there on 22nd.

We returned to Mum's for a cuppa and to cross off the final tasks on our to-do list plus John finally managed to get Cyberflix installed on Mum's TV Box so that if she is in the lounge wanting to watch TV she can get a series in that room not just in the sunroom.

We were going out this evening - a meze in Finikas with Di and Bobby, Les (no Clare as she is not over from Hong Kong yet) and Stephen and someone/thing called Tracey which we thought might have been the name he had given to the car he is borrowing but was actually a real person!!

I wanted to get Marina a plant as I know how much she loves her flowers and at the moment the quality and range of colours of the festive Poinsettias is absolutely mind blowing.  We chose one with multi-coloured bracts which looked lush and healthy.

The florists/nurseries here are brilliant because they will gift wrap free of charge and they do so brilliantly.  My plant got swathed in Christmassy Cherry Red foil paper neatly folded into pleats and the leaves were sprayed and then frosted with glitter - all this for a massive 6 euros.

There was yet another fabulous sunset as we travelled home.  We caught the tail end as we took the new 'motorway' road which bring us into the back of Droushia via the tip.  We cannot work out why this previously ropey old rural track has now been widened and flattened at Arodes - we can only assume that there is going to be some new housing development there somewhere and this is to accommodate the heavy machinery - it will be a bit of a shame if that is the case.

Tonight's meal was a resounding success.  Marina loved her plant which was a good start and Philippos had the fire roaring (John had also brought along a few extra logs) and there were others in the taverna.  Tracey turned out to be the woman who helps Stephen promote his novels over here.  She knew Rob and Di well but had not seen them in a while and amazingly lived in Mediterranean Valley when she first moved to the Island - renting Eileen's old house which was and is currently owned by Nicky and Mark - what a blooming small world!!!!

The food was excellent as always and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Visitors and a lovely lunch in the sun...

I blooming well forgot to post last night so did so this morning
you may need to read the post below this one for continuity!!

We affectionately refer to Charlie as 'Fat-Lad' because he is, of all our cats, the biggest one and it isn't just fur - we know that!!!!  He is greedy and has been confirmed by the vet as greedy but everyone loves him and he has perfected his starving hungry demeanour so they love him all the more and feed him. 

He can also play his disabled card quite successfully.  He reminds me of the character Phil Davis (played by Danny Kaye) in White Christmas who periodically strokes his war wound to remind others of his misfortune.  Charlie may well be disabled and fat but when he wants to he has a fabulous turn of foot and can still play like a kitten as you will see from the bit of video I took of him playing with a knotted wrapper.

We had anticipated a quiet day today but no, no, no, silly us, we had not bargained for a message from Dip saying he had escaped the abysmal weather in the UK with his mate Gerry (aka 'The Spy') and he had a parcel for us.  We immediately offered for them to come up here so that we could meet up and take The Spy to Latchi so he got a chance to see a different part of the island.  We told him to put on his thermals even though it was a really lovely day - so lovely we sat outside at Molos taking in the view of the boats in the harbour.

It was good to see Dip even though he has not been back in the UK that long.  He said the weather had been so awful he had been forced to be indoors and he hates that so he grabbed a flight and grabbed The Spy and they arrived yesterday for a week and it looks as though they just might get reasonable weather for the duration although rain is forecast for later next week.



We love Latchi and it was Dad's favourite spot - he preferred the harbour at Latchi to that in Paphos and although it has grown over the years it still remains quaint.  In fact I think Dip is warming to this area even though it is cooler than Paphos and he likes the sun.  As I said we lunched at Molos taking advantage of the warm sunshine and then we took a stroll right along the harbour to the end of the sea wall.  The Spy is keen on trying a bit of fishing - Dip less so!!!  Taking that walk enabled us to have a look into the waters to see if there was much in the way of sea life on view and to watch a couple of local lads trying to catch something although to be fair the only thing we came across was a crispy old sea bream about an inch long.  Nevertheless it was idyllic for a Thursday afternoon in December - a real 'ain't we lucky?' moment.

It may well have been sunny and warm but the sea was quite rough - as we walked along the bottom of the breakwater by the harbour you could hear it pounding against the rocks and as we neared Porto Latchi you could see the waves crashing onto the beach.  I love it when the sea is like that - it is exhilarating.  We have had several Boxing Days in the past when we would do this walk and blow away the festive cobwebs.

We returned home to 10B for a cuppa.  The Spy was tickled by the fact that Boris takes no time to settle on your lap and when he does he is out sparko in about 5 seconds flat - this is not the most flattering photograph of him but at least he has a clean bottom!!!

We said our farewells - they return home early on Wednesday so it is unlikely that we will get the opportunity to see them again but if we can we will.   Mid afternoon, once the sun is dipping down and particularly if it has been a clear bright day like today, the temperature begins to plummet up here in the hills so we 'batten down' and get ourselves settled in front the the fire - gas, wood or both - and the TV.  At long last the time has come for us to enjoy the most recent series of Peaky Blinders but not before we have reacquainted ourselves with the plot by watching the last two episodes of the previous season.

It's good, in fact it is very good.  Welcome back Cillian Murphy you have been missed.  Anyone who has not watched this series really should and that is by order of the Peaky F*****g Blinders!!  Their words - not mine!

woah forgot to post this yesterday!!!!

We had a bit of rain overnight but the day started clear and bright and sunny.  John had some errands he wanted to run including trying to get hold of Bassam but two visits to the 'Orexi Castle' were fruitless.  Whilst he was out and about I decided to tackle taking down the large clock vine even though it is still flowering.  More rain is forecast tomorrow night and if that plant gets sodden it will be a nightmare to deal with - the smaller one out the back will be easy and currently it looks beautiful so that one will stay as is for the time being.

I started up on the roof terrace where this year the vine has gone along two sides of the railings.  It was lovely and warm up there and the view spectacular - so clear across to the coast in one direction and across to the Trodos in the other.  From here you can watch the world go by.  I noticed that some other kind soul had stopped outside Andreas's villa where the little hunting dog has made its home and it looked like they were giving her some food.  I am sure she is pregnant and if so it will have been the result of that scabby old Alsation sniffing around.

Whilst clipping back the vine I disturbed a Praying Mantis.  I can't remember whether these disappear during the winter months or whether we just don't see them because we are indoors more.  Anyway this one didn't get scooped up with the garden waste - I put it on the privacy panel and let it go about its business undisturbed.  I hadn't reckoned on Miss Minnie finding it later on and using it as a play thing.  We realised she had something because she was running around like a mad thing on the glass roof of the conservatory.  Initially we though she had a flower or a feather but when John went out to investigate he could see it was something living but not sure what.   He managed to get his pool net and get it away from Minnie and down to safety.  It wasn't until we had a good look inside the net that we realised we had one very angry Praying Mantis inside - in full pissed off mode with all its coloured wings on show and waving its front legs in a very aggressive looking stance.  Saved once again it fled to the safety of one of the Solanums - living to fight another day.

Some of the passion flower in Wendy and Bill corner got a haircut whilst I was at it.  We were going to take the gazebo cover down and save it for another year until we realised that it was only hanging on by the skin of its teeth anyway so we left it there - the wind will see it off in due course.  The garden doesn't actually look too bad because the recent rains have nudged it back into life so some of the tired looking plants have greened up or put on new growth, this also means that the weeds are making a return though so every day whilst it is dry I try and go out and deal with a patch although sometimes they are easier to pull up when they get a bit bigger.

We were on a bit of a roll by early afternoon so decided to get the rugs out and put them down in the conservatory.  We are still in shorts and t-shirt but appreciate that others might not find it so warm and the tiled floor in there can look and feel a bit chilly.  It does make it feel cosier and we need the rugs to flatten out before Mum comes on Sunday otherwise she will be going arse over tip if she isn't careful and we don't want that.

During the day the conservatory is a lovely place to be - it is light and it is warm and when we are at home the cats like to be near us so generally Charlie will be on his throw upside down on the sofa or wedged into his basket and Boris will be in his basket under the table or on the birthing chair.  Chivers and Minnie tend to snuggle down on the bed!!

I was out this evening.  It was the Droushia Ladies Lunch Christmas meal - not a lunch but an evening 'do' at Finikas in the village.  Sheila took over from me organising these events several years ago and this, she decided, was to be her swan song - she is hanging up her Ladies Lunch gloves and bowing out in a blaze of glory!!

John very kindly dropped Di, Judi and I off at the edge of the roadworks so we could pick our way carefully up to the venue.  At this time of year tavernas can be cold so we were dressed for this but I have to say Philippos had his little fire roaring and it was toasty warm inside - made even toastier by a welcome drink of Klaus's homemade mulled wine which went down a treat.

There were not quite so many ladies tonight as there had been last year but it was a fun evening.  We had all taken a little 'secret Santa' gift which Sheila distributed at the end of the evening and bless Andri, she had made a gift for every lady to take away with them.  She must have seen the same snowman picture as I had on the internet because I made my Christmas Cards this year and used the very same design!!!  How sweet of her - we all had a pair of gloves and inside the snowman was a bar of white chocolate - I have no idea how or when she finds the time as she works in a school and has her own family when she isn't helping with her two yia-yias

There was so much food to eat that I was stuffed even before the turkey came out.  There was the beautiful rocket salad with cheese and pomegranate we had last year and a ring of jewelled pilafi which was delicious and then came gammon with a sauce (which none of us recognised but which was lovely) hot cheese pies and Andri's famous quiche.

Philippos was keen to get a photograph of him presenting us with the turkey.  My only observation regarding the main part of the meal was that the beautiful pyramid of vegetables was on the table when we arrived and remained there throughout which meant that they were, in true Cypriot style, cold which is a bit odd to us Brits!!  The meal was topped off with massive slabs of cheesecake.  Lucie had organised a thank you gift of a voucher for the Farmyard for Sheila - which is great because both Sheila and Klaus have their birthdays in December and I know they like a bit of Chinese so they could use it for that.

Big thanks Sheila for all your hard work - we shall no doubt organise some get togethers next year but in smaller groups on an unofficial basis which will save all the headaches of trying to please everyone which never happens!!

Chrimbo Shopping...

It was a beautiful start to the day - a day which we had earmarked for a second attempt at doing a bit of Christmas shopping and which turned out to be every bit as unsuccessful as the last time but never mind - we obviously neither need nor want something which can be wrapped up and handed over on 25th.  There are things we do need and want but they are either very boring or more DIY based!!  

I had seen a second hand furniture shop advertised in Polemi of all places and we are in search of something to make into a cupboard for the conservatory to hide my hoover and other bits and pieces so we decided to go and investigate.  The second hand shop was a bit of a disappointment but what was not was the shop next door which we are going to have to take The Bobster to go and see.  The Bobster is a huge music and vinyl fan and in here he would be like a kid in a sweet shop.

This establishment is run by a guy called Tass (Tassos) and he has a passion for music and vintage items.  There was even a Dansette record player on the counter although not a strawberry and cream one like both John and I had.  We spent quite a while talking to Tass and have promised to bring Bobby to meet him.  We shall have to try and sort it out before this post gets published because we would like to keep it as a bit of a surprise.

So we achieved nothing save for a lovely cross country trip on what turned out to be a clear and sunny day when you could see for miles.

To give you an idea of the sort of weather we are having at the moment this was the temperature from the car at just about midday.  John and I were still in shorts and t-shirts even having set off from Droushia.  It is certainly better this year than it was last.  

We stopped at a number of places on the way down the Mesoghi but only managed to purchase some new pillows which we need now so they will not be being wrapped up and put under the tree!!!  We did have a small amount of success in the Beauty Shop but by then we were losing the will to live and I wanted to call in to the upholstery place in Peyia to see if they could make new shower proof cushions or recover the existing ones on the rocking chair.

At this time of the year the colour of the sea is absolutely fabulous and as we drove along Banana Bay I took a quick snap for you to see the sea.  Di and Rob were on their way home and I think they stopped here en route to take in the view and you can't blame them.  This is where they want to build a marina - in some ways I hope they don't because I just love this stretch of the coastline as it is rugged and reasonably unspoilt at the moment!

The trip to the upholsterers was as unsuccessful as the rest of the day.  The guy wasn't there and the girl who was couldn't do anything without the guy.  I had rung him because when I went into the shop I couldn't find anyone around at all.  I had spoken to him so he knew I wanted a quote.  I gave up - I wasn't in the mood to be messed about and I am not desperate to get it done now.

We made our way back home and I suggested that we called into the Kathikas Square Bar to have a light lunch.

John was more than happy with that suggestion as I said I would drive home and he could have a pint.

I noticed that the Folk Art Museum doors were open - I have never been inside so took the opportunity to have a peak.  It is a single room with an old loom and some cabinets displaying some old and traditional artifacts.  Not a huge amount to see but at least I can tick this off and say that I have been in there.

We ordered a sandwich and some chips to share and sat out on the veranda taking advantage of the remnants of the day's sun before it disappeared and became chilly.  We had decided that the new pillows would go straight on the bed when we got home and we would dig out the 4.5 tog duvet and put that on too.  Not that I think it is cold in bed but the duvet does make it snuggly.

I guess this is what constitutes a work's Christmas 'Do' nowadays!!!!  A bacon and halloumi sandwich to share with a portion of chips, a latte for me and an Old Speckled Hen for John.  Very nice too!!!  We had this and then headed home for the big bed change and a quiet afternoon.  We have a bit of a mystery on our hands though - I had a text from the Post Office in Paphos saying I had a parcel.  They gave me a tracking number which doesn't refer to anything I have coming my way and they want an invoice which I cannot produce because I don't know what it is for.  

We have a new toy...

You have got to love the electrician that Nicky and Mark have got  coming to sort out the supply in their house.  He was due to come today and John had agreed to let him in after he had phoned to say he was on his way.  We did not in a million years anticipate a phone call at 7.00am!!!!  Anyway that was the time he called and he arrived shortly afterwards with his crew and they started work.  Good job John was already up and about!!!

I have been charged with looking after The Bobster's beloved Cyclamen whilst they are away.  I am not normally good with these plants so I have been worried that I might have to go out and get a replacement - would Bobby notice if he returned home to find a yellow gerbera I ask myself????

Anyway I have lovingly nurtured said cyclamen.  It has survived and even produced new flowers and today I decided to return it to its rightful place on the Veaseys dining table.  

John and I were going for our final house check today before I went to Art.  Di and Rob return home tomorrow early afternoon and we wanted to have a good look round to ensure everything was tickety-boo.  There has been an issue with their water supply and we noticed the road was still dug up where the leak had been discovered.  We think they must still be doing some work on it but knowing Cyprus this is just how they plan to leave the site.

Anyway bar a little hiccup reactivating the alarm everything was fine which is good news and hopefully they will have a safe and uneventful journey home tomorrow and that they will have had an enjoyable and successful trip back to the UK.

It was a glorious start to the day and the view from their house was so spectacular that I took a quick photograph to send to Di and Rob as a reminder of what will be waiting for them when they get back.  The forecast looks pretty good for the remainder of the week and bearing in mind that it is the first week of December we really can't complain.  Well we can and we do but we shouldn't!

The main road through the village is blocked off again so John took his life into his hands to go to check the post before we went to the cemetery as we normally do on a Monday.  The grave next door but one to Dad's is a riot of colour with what I think are called Tagetes which are a sort of simple marigold.  It is clearly a haven for butterflies and bees which were busy doing their thing in the glorious Winter's sunshine.  In the words of John Marsden "in the midst of death we are in life".

Sheila finished her picture of the bee-eaters today and it is beautiful - full of stunning vibrant colour.  I, on the other hand, am still working on my house leek picture although I can see that the end is in sight, well if it were just the one house leek I would be on the final stretch but there is a smaller one at the bottom of the picture with as much detail and colour as the large one!!!

As always I have a lovely morning with Sheila followed by lunch cooked by Klaus.  Later this week we are having our December Ladies Lunch which is to be a Ladies Evening Meal, made a bit special because it is so close to Christmas.  It will be the last culinary get-together that Sheila is going to organise - after several years she is bowing out and no-one seems keen to take up the reins.  I have done my stint prior to Sheila doing it so it wont be me!!!

It is a bit of a thankless task because it is impossible to keep everyone happy and even though you cannot be responsible for the food which is produced you feel that you are because you have organised the event.  Anyway my personal thanks go to Sheila for doing it all this time.

We had quite a pile of post today.  Lots of parcels which is always exciting and two of them contained Christmas gifts for John and I.  A parcel from my sister and a parcel from Lakis, Argy and Kia.  We are very grateful that people remember us at this time but John is wondering what is going on with all the blue wrapping????  We are most definitely a red household!!!!!

We have decided to go on another Christmas shopping trip tomorrow as we need to try and get something to open on Christmas Day.  I know John says he used to get very excited as a child to get a satsuma and a walnut in his Christmas Stocking but as of yet I have neither so he is going to be very disappointed.

We decided to go down to Polis to do a bit of shopping this afternoon and to do our recycling and we had to go and pick up John's new toy - a halogen cooker which he thought would be a good addition to the kitchen particularly for cooking sausage rolls which they are currently stocking in Paps and from Sainsburys so not the frankfurter type, proper English sausage type.  I cooked some last week and they didn't get any further than the cooling rack!!!

We got it home and put it through its paces and it passed the sausage roll test.  Actually I was quite impressed and have ordered a halogen cook book so that I can make good use of it.  I do remember Mum having one of these years ago when she first moved to Cyprus and I remember she used to do some pretty fabulous roast potatoes using nothing more than water.

We were going to eat up the remainder of the curry this evening but the sausage roll quality control tasting overtook events and we didn't want anything else after that!!!  Any tips on using one of these ovens will be gratefully accepted.  I have taken the opportunity to have a clear out in one of the kitchen cupboards to find it a home.

Escape to the County reminded me of my Nan as the beginning of the programme was broadcast from outside Caerhays Castle where Nan used to work.  Her home was located in East Portholland which is part of the Williams' Estate and was a tied 'cottage' although it was actually an old Inn and when she passed away young Mr Williams gave the eulogy although I think 'young' was a bit optimistic and I also remember that old Mrs Williams was sat in her wheelchair all dressed in black at the back of the church and she frightened the life out of my cousin Christine and I.  Dad could remember playing cricket on the grass in front of the castle.  Dad's cousin Philip was head gardener there for over 40 years and there is a magnolia named after him.