Get your sunglasses on...

This morning we were treated to a glorious sunrise.  This is so welcome after the miserable weather of the last couple of weeks.  It is amazing how much more energy you have when the day breaks bright and clear.  In fact it had galvanised the whole estate into action!!!!

Persephone and Savvas were here with Electrician who was dealing with their electricity shorting 9out.  Galatia and Charalambous were here with the alarm man dealing with their issue and the issue that Marilena had.  The Syrian workforce were crawling over 3a and 3b but the witch and the weasel had opted to remove themselves from the situation.  Sharon was sorting out the flat roof of 9a, Mark and Nicky were taking a delivery at 9b, the owners of 8a and 8b were up and Sean's car was at 12b although he didn't put in an appearance.

Although Nicky and Mark are aware that they need to get the construction work done on their new house they had taken a delivery of a suite and a bed in readiness.  Providing they wrap both up against the elements they will be fine and the suite in situ gave them a better understanding of the space they have available to them.  It is a lovely charcoal coloured corner unit which Nicky had accessorised with mauve throws and cushions.  She was wearing a new jumper courtesy of Mark's Mum which was a cross between mustard and lime green and it set of the mauve perfectly so she is now in search of some more cushion covers in that colour.

I had a phonecall from Galatia asking if I had a minute to pop round as she had something for me.  She had recently been to Greece and had seen the little hanging sign 2020 - All the Best and thought of me.  How lovely was that?

We managed a bit of a frenetic cup of coffee with her, she had to talk in the alarm engineer and Charalambous had to shoot down to Polis for a new sim card for the system and in amongst all that she still managed to make some coffee and give John a piece of cake to go with it!!

John disappeared with the engineer to Marilena's where the engineer semi-sorted her alarm issue but could not do so completely until the other fob, which Marilena has in her possession, is here in Droushia to be paired with the system.  Galatia says she will bring it when she next comes for a weekend unless Marilena comes first.

In the midst of all this Sheila and Klaus pitched up with our post.  They looked so much happier now that the issues they have had with electric and central heating have been resolved and I am so pleased that the final solution was not as expensive as they had feared.  In amongst our parcels was one from John's Mum who had been uncertain about the Christmas Jumper she had posted because of the colour of the reindeer's scarf (which I had to adjust as you will remember) so sent this little beauty instead - cats and Christmas Trees - I am uncertain as to whether the old guys in the coffee shop are ready for this ensemble just yet but we wouldn't need a torch for a walk home that's for certain!!!

When everything had settled down and we had done everything we wanted to do and Nicky and Mark had done the same we took a trip cross country to the Winery for lunch which was to be our belated Christmas get together because they were unable to come to the Jingle with us.  We wanted to go that way rather than by the main road so that Nicky and Mark could have a look at the scenery as this corner of the island will ultimately be their forever home.  We knew the road would be bad, it is often bad in the height of the Summer, but hadn't anticipated it being quite so rough and cut up from the rain.  We bumped and skidded along until we got to an incline just before the Winery when John had to make a decision as to whether we were going to have sufficient speed to get up it but not so much that he would lose the car in the mud.  We made it but my car is now filthy.  Bobby you would die!!!

Nicky and Mark had not eaten at the Winery before and we had a lovely hour or so sat there in the beautifully central heated room (so much warmer than when it was just the log fire although not quite so ambient).  The food was lovely and I think they were pretty impressed by what they chose.  John was driver so Mark, Nicky and I had wine.  We nearly made Nicky sit on another table when she insisted on a can of Sprite to go in a glass of Vasilikon's finest and she calls me a lightweight!!!

We went back home using a more normal route than the one which we had chosen to get there although this did involve the new motorway where there is now quite a nasty fissure where the lumpy bumpy bit by the tip joins the more tarmac'd stretch near Droushia.  You have to be really careful at this point particularly if you are in a normal saloon car - so we were glad we were in Kenny.

Our great plans for a little wander around the village and its drinking establishments went right out the window when we got home and John stoked up the fire and we settled down in the warm and watched a film.  Our minds were willing but our bodies were weak - as the afternoon slipped into evening we managed a bit of TV followed by some cheese and biscuits before calling it a day and retiring to bed.  At this point we realised we were without water - let's hope it is back in the morning.