hot hot hot...

There are orange weather warning alerts again this weekend and I am not embarrassed to admit that I am struggling with this heat.

There is nothing better than being able to cool off in the swimming pool - even though for half the year we moan about it being an expensive luxury.  The temperature of the water is now over 30 degrees (according to our temperature duck) and you can get in without any sharp intake of breath but then it isn't quite so refreshing as it has been.

John has put the brollies up everywhere - Boris was taking advantage of the shade whilst keeping an eye on me in the pool.  This is one of the times when Chivers' absence is most noticeable as he liked to come and watch us in the pool and then bend down and lick the water from our fingers.  He loved water and we often had to encourage him out of the shower, often when we were actually using it, or from drinking the water out of the toilet - this love of water could well have been his downfall as he may well have drunk contaminated water or something which he thought was water but sadly was not.

On a much lighter note this week's challenge is Something from my Childhood and John wanted to submit some photographs from his family holidays which were taken in Mablethorpe - often a mass gathering of aunts, uncles, mums, dads, sisters, brothers and cousins.

Fond memories but we did laugh that in nearly every photograph we could find John is wearing a cardigan, jumper or coat!!!  Holidays on the East Coast seem to have been pretty bracing at times.

Our lovely friends Laura and Mark are about to get an addition to their family in the shape of this beautiful little grey female kitten which was born on the farm where Laura keeps her horse Nickleby and so she has seen her from the moment she was born.

She is a stocky little thing with big blue eyes and a hang-dog (or should that be hang-cat) expression.  She is adorable.  I asked Laura what she was going to be called - my suggestion was Stella but Laura likes the name Hatttie although Mark has said he is most definitely not going to be shouting either Stella or Hattie out of the back door so I guess this is still to be decided.

We have organised a bit of a surprise for Mum when she comes up for lunch tomorrow.  We are going to be joined by Liselotte and John who wanted to have a meal with her before they have visitors and Liselotte is able to return to Denmark to see her Dad.  This has necessitated me getting out the cookery books to find something a bit different as Liselotte and John like spicy food.  I wanted to do something that Mum could enjoy even if it meant making a few tweaks so I opted for chicken kebabs, Mum's with a lemon and black pepper marinade and the others with an Eastern Mediterranean marinade and then a selection of salads and some Cyprus roast potatoes.  We were rounding the meal off with a light panna cotta with black cherries.

I spent the remainder of the day getting prepped so that there was little for me to do tomorrow save give the house a bit of a tidy up.  It looks like it is going to be another hot one tomorrow if the evening sky was anything to go by.

The Mighty Blades were playing this evening - a big game against Chelsea which they bossed 3-0 and it could have been 5-0 - John was a happy chappy.

The circle of life...

There is a headstone in the village cemetery that I often go and look at.  The lady died on the day that I was born and was only 26.  I have often wondered who she was and through the magic of social media I have found someone who has been able to tell me about her.

So with much thanks to Chris Pavlides Messis-Pefkaros her sad story is as follows...

Eugenia Petza late first wife of Nikos Argyrou Petsas late daughter of late Christodoulos (Ttooulis) Pegiotis and his late wife Archontia (Arkontou) Ioanni Hadjifani and sister to Kyriaki Pegioti - Fengaras (mother of Ελενη Ιωσηφ Koupparis daughter in law of the presiding Muktar). Eugenia's death was one of the most sad events in Droushia at that time. She was a very nice young lady very much liked and loved by both her parents and relatives but also by all the residents of the village. She died within few months after she got married so, I remember ( I was about 10 -11 years young then) she was buried as a bride dressed in her white wedding dress and everybody turned out for her funeral. As we say in Greek on that day «ακόμα και οι πέτρες έκλαψαν = even the stones and the rocks were crying». I also remember that it was being said at the time that she died because she had a tumor in the area between her breast and her armpit which means that her death was most probably caused by breast cancer and possibly the lack at the time of proper medical facilities, the lack of proper medical knowledge and the lack of proper treatment. May she rest in peace and her memory be eternal

I told Chris that I am always drawn to her final resting place because the date connection and he replied...

You can say that if it makes you feel better. One thing for sure you have three things in common. Your date of birth and her date of death, she was and you are very much liked and loved by the Droushiotes and the village of Droushia. If you feel somehow connected with her, then place a flower pot or plant a flower bush at her grave and tend to it whenever you visit the cemetery for your dead relative. Her family will appreciate the gesture and they would not mind. My respects to you and your kind feelings.

I was so blown away by his very kind comments and I do intend to put some flowers there when it is a little less hot.

On the subject of flowers our garden never ceases to throw up surprises.  This year one of the hostas is in bloom.  In previous years I have always removed the flower spikes thinking that the plant would concentrate on them to the detriment of the leaves (for which I grow them) but I read recently that the production of flowers has no such effect so I have let them go this year and now we have a beautiful delicate white flower which I have not seen before.  The hosta at the back door produces some rather insignificant blue blooms which aren't worth photographing and apparently some hostas are grown for their flowers rather than their leaves anyway.

It has been incredibly hot again today.  I am wilting and so very grateful for the swimming pool which gives us an opportunity to cool down although the temperature is now over 30 degrees so not quite so refreshing as it has been.

The summer evenings are now filled with the unmistakable hum of cicadas.  We have obviously had some hatching around us because today I found the evidence of one which had shed its skin - it is amazing to look at.  If you turned it over you would see a massive split through which the adult cicada emerged, each bit renewed, including the eyes!!!!  Blimey nature is a fascinating and wonderful thing.

No football for John today - they play again tomorrow so we were having a nice quiet evening in - the last few Fridays have been no-cook Fridays but today I was trying to recreate the bobotie which Lilian had served on Sunday.  I found a recipe on-line and because we like a bit of spiciness in our food added chili.  It was served with yellow rice and a salad and was delicious.  We actually managed to watch a film in its entirety this evening which is not something we have done for quite some time!!!  We watched Book Smart which was ok but nothing special.

Now you see it, now you dont...

One day the other week when we returned home from shopping, or more likely from Emba having been there to meet with Costas to sort out the fly screen for Mum's sunroom door, the temperature in our conservatory was over 50 degrees because the doors and windows had been shut for a long period of time with the sun beating down through the glass roof.  Once it reaches those sorts of temperatures it is very had to get it to cool down to something more comfortable.  So we decided that we would invest in some window film that cuts out some of the heat and also provides privacy as it has a mirrored surface.  Should the house next door ever get sold that might be good because then, if someone is up in the top bedroom (which was built illegally but has now been given permission) they will not be able to look into the conservatory and that being the case we decided we would also have the windows of our bedroom done.

Ian, the window-film man, said he would arrive sometime between 8.30 and 9.00am which we thought would be more like 9.00am as he was coming up from Peyia but turned out to be almost dead on 8.30!!!  fortunately we were ready and John had moved the furniture and curtains out of the way.  Ian (known to us solely by his first name) has been on the island for about 15 years and been doing this all the time.  He came well prepared, did a very thorough job and was a nice guy.  He explained to us that depending on what the backdrop is behind the window will depend on how good the mirror quality of the film can be so in our bedroom all you can see is mirror unless we have all the lights on in which case it would be possible to see people inside if the shutters were open and as we have windows both sides of the conservatory there will be times and conditions when the mirroring is not as effective as it could be.  We knew all of this but to be honest if it can make the temperature in there more bearable than that will be great.

This is the conservatory finished and if you look very carefully you can just pick out someone stood inside but it does make the windows look bright and reflects the garden which is nice.  So well done Ian for a job well done - it took about 3 hours and we are very happy with it.  Now we just need to see whether or not it makes much difference with the sun.

Once Ian the Window-Film Man had packed up and gone I cleared up, mopped the floors and put the furniture back so that things ere back to normal.  We had plenty of time to get ready as we were meeting Di and Rob at Yialos in Latchi to have lunch as today was Di's 60th birthday.  As I have said before it has not been the best of years so far for Di and we just wanted her to have a lovely birthday and to take time out to spoil herself.  John and I had been to Lyssos last week to get a voucher so that Di and Rob could have an overnight stay with an evening meal and bottle of wine and breakfast the following day.

Yialos bar was looking fabulous, Nakis has obviously done a lot of work tidying up the outside space and now the tables at the end stand on a beautifully paved area.  It is all clean and tidy and such a far cry from the bar we first went to which was just a raised area by the sea with a couple of picnic benches!!

I took with me our gift and a gift from Mum and a card which I had to write on behalf of John's Mum, Jackie and Stan because the post has failed to deliver theirs.

We had a lovely lunch sat under the shade trees - I had my favourite there - Chicken Caesar Salad which was lovely.  Di looked happy and relaxed and we hope she and Rob have a lovely night away.

I can reach...

With thanks to Liselotte for doing another order from Ikea because that meant that my new kitchen step arrived and I defy John to stand on this and break it like he has done my two other folding ones.

The folding ones were great and easier to store but I thought that this would be more a piece of furniture.  It arrived flat packed and is made of beech but we wanted to stain it to match the rest of our wood.  This was to be our job for the morning and it was a pretty quick and painless affair and now I can reach the things I need to reach!!!  Fair play to Ikea - all the bits were there and they even provided a neat little handle for the alan key so you didn't hurt your hand whilst assembling.

I was planning an hour or so in the garden and the weather was cooler today which was great and meant I could do what I wanted.

The memorial rose we have for Hadge is back in flower after a brief respite and a little haircut - it certainly likes its new position and this morning there were 13 flowers in bloom and loads of buds waiting.  It hasn't suffered from greenfly either this year which it normally does which is good news.

We also managed to get to the cemetery today and give Dad's little plants a drink.  I am pleased that they are also surviving and have been flowering now for quite some time and there is fresh growth and new buds.

This week's challenge is "Something from my Childhood" and I have done a couple of photographs and thought I would have a go at a painting as I have a couple of small canvasses to get rid of and some old watercolour paint to finish up before I replenish stocks (if I am going to).  It'll do as an entry to bolster the numbers!



After going to the cemetery we went up to the village to check the post - John's Mum, Jacky and Stan have sent Di cards for her birthday - in plenty of time but sadly they haven't arrived yet so I will have to write a substitute one until they do.  Work continues on the cobbles and they are slowly coming down the main drag - they are just at the entrance to the Post Office and you have to be careful to pick your way through so as not to disturb the more recently laid stones.

You have to feel for the residents and the businesses along this stretch for the disruption they have endured over such a long period of time.

It is certainly going to look lovely when it is finished and we just hope that they will all have survived and then will thrive when people hopefully flock to come and see the village in all its glory and patronise the bars and tavernas.  Unfortunately we cannot do it single handed!!!  Anyway we did see a few wandering up to Stathmos this evening - it is Lush's birthday today so know she will be having a celebration.

I was not cooking this evening - we had decided to have a takeaway of fish and chips from Fitos.  It came with a lovely box of fresh salad although I really only want chips with my fish!

Charlie, who is looking somewhat more svelte due to the heat, likes to come and sit at the table to see what is on offer - this is a bit annoying and we do try and deter him.  It is worse when he decides to come and sit directly behind you sharing your seat.

He was less than impressed by the box of salad although as he was a good boy and got down he did benefit from a bit of leftover fish later on.

We had takeaway because tonight the Mighty Blades were playing footie so we had tea and settled down for the match which took until time added on for SUFC to secure a win - John was a happy bunny and if John is a happy bunny then I am a happy bunny.

The cooler weather today was great as it was much more pleasant come bed-time.

An early birthday celebration for Di...

Di celebrates her landmark birthday later this week and I think it is fair to say that this year, so far, has not been the year she would have wanted it to be.  Until fairly recently she had said that she wasn't bothered about celebrating at all but then she contacted Mum and I and told us to keep this afternoon free.  

She had organised an afternoon tea with her Pilates girls, Mum, Sheila and me.  Sheila had been a question-mark as she is awaiting an injection in her hip and didn't know when that was going to be but happily she was able to come along.  I had arranged that if Mum drove up as far as Stroumbi I would meet her at The Oaks and she could safely leave her car there and then I would drive and pick up Sheila and then go onto the Stone Lion in Goudi which is where the celebration was taking place.  I had been before and I knew exactly how awkward the roads up to the venue can be - to begin with they are easily missed and then when you do find them they are very steep and quite rough so Kenny was the best vehicle to use.

It was a very hot and sticky day again but at least there was some breeze out on the terrace which was very welcome.  Initially we managed to drink the establishment dry of bottled water so they had to shoot off and get some more!!!  This was before those of us who had tea, had tea, and those who were treating themselves to a little vino, had vino!

The afternoon tea was massive.  I have to say that after my sandwiches and half of the scone, jam and cream I was ready to wave the white flag and that was before the selection of home made cakes arrived.  

I think Mum must be contemplating what is happening to her sugar levels by just looking at that plate of confectionery!!!

There was home-made battenberg cake (which for some reason I used to call Thunder and Lightning as a child), little carrot cakes, millionaires shortbread and a sort of fridge cake come rocky road combo most of which we had to box up and take home with us as we were all feeling podged out!  But at least the men-folk who had not come would get to sample some of the delights.

I needed to return Mum to her car so that she could get back to Fred and so dropped Sheila off en route and then took Mum to Stroumbi.  I am guessing the Pilates Crew probably took advantage of the shade and the breeze and the vino and had a couple more after we had gone and I hope Di enjoyed her afternoon because she certainly deserved to do so and a big thank you to her for inviting Mum along and for paying for us both.  Her actual birthday is the day after tomorrow and we will be giving her her gifts then.

Showing off the village...

Today is Monday.  We had not planned to do too much save for showing Das and Belinda around Droushia to aid them in their quest to find their forever home.  They are currently renting a traditional house in Kathikas which they love but they want to take the time to do some research and they had hoped to visit Droushia when they were here before lockdown but hadn't made it and to be fair without knowing what to look for in the village when the roads are all up might have given them a poor impression.

This morning is the start of a new week and the start of a new Challenge.  I canvassed the members of the group and there were three themes which came out on top so I made an executive decision and chose "Something from my Childhood".

I may do some sort of art but I shall definitely enter a photograph.  In this picture is our musical dog Bimbo from the Chiltern Toy Company which I think dates back to the 1940s or 50s but I cannot find any record of a similar design but I know that is where it is from because there is the tiniest scrap of a label bearing the makers name.  With Bimbo is my beloved teddybear Hayling Island - so called because my Uncle Gordon won him playing bingo (with bottle tops) on a visit there.  He has one ear that is ok and one in need of attention and very little fur and is stuffed with sawdust or wood shavings but if that is the case it would appear that Hayling may be older than I think.  The books are all from my childhood including My First Prayers which was given to me when I first went to Sunday School - it is dated on the bookplate 1965 and signed by the vicar of the village.  They are all getting on a bit but have been with me a very long time.

We met Das and Belinda at the Droushia Heights Hotel.  We have not been in there for four months as a result of lockdown.  We had last been there with our friends for my 60th birthday when we had all stayed overnight after my party at Chakra and then had breakfast together the following morning.

Things have changed a little, you have to sign in and you have to social distance and the staff wear masks and gloves and after you have left they steam clean the soft furnishings.

We thought it would be good to start there and show them the more modern face of the village.  As it was a lovely sunny day the view was spectacular and the welcome from Irene the manager was as warm as the temperature outside - she was so pleased to see some familiar faces.

There were some members of staff who we recognised but some newbies too and a small cockup at the bar resulted in us being given a free cocktail so we weren't complaining.

We had one drink there before going for a walk around the centre of the village so we could show them where they are doing the road improvements.

We stopped to have a look around the church.  I hadn't really been in before to appreciate the beauty of the icons and the stunning chandelier.

There was evidence here too of social distancing measures together with the provision of hand sanitiser - not something I think they would ever have expected to have to provide.

One benefit of having Das with us is that he is Greek speaking and reading so we are able to get him to translate stuff for us and I am hoping that given time he will help me improve my grasp of the language.

We walked down towards the amphitheatre and then along to Finnikas so that we could go in and have a late, light lunch together.  It is always a bit worrying when you take someone who loves traditional Cypriot food and who cooks themselves to a local taverna because they may have a favourite way of preparing something and therefore not really like what they are offered but we need not have worried because they seemed to love it all and to be fair what's not to like about Marina's honest, fresh food.  We had ordered a 'light' lunch and then realised we were one course too many but the Tsipoura (fish) was just perfect so we made a good stab at it.


We were watched closely by Marina's kittens - she has got five from one litter - three of them are in the picture.  One of the others, a ginger, so reminiscent of Chivers, was clambering up the tree and the last one, a tabby, was very shy but equally cute.  Bless Marina she had offered us one when Chivers passed away but we declined - it was a good job we hadn't seen them all at that time because we just might have been tempted.

It was a successful lunch and we brought Das and Belinda up to ours to have a look at where we live and what you can do with a property which may not initially seem to fit your brief.

They returned reasonably early because they have recently got their dog Lindy back from Stray Haven and they didn't want to leave her too long unattended but she seems to be very well behaved which, taking into consideration the awful start she had in life, is good to know.

Another hot and sticky evening lay ahead of us.  We are trying to sort out a routine which ensures us a reasonable night's sleep but we aren't doing too well as the temperature in our bedroom started out at 28 degrees and didn't seem to go any lower.

Sunday out - lunch with Lilian

I know that we shouldn't complain but it is so bloomin' hot at the moment that we are melting.  At this time of year we fleetingly consider the merits of air-conditioning and then dismiss it as a bad idea.

We have always thought if we had it, we would get used to it, and then over use it.  There are only a few weeks of the year when it gets this bad and to be fair it is only really at night that it is a major problem and then only really for me - not John who could, at a push, sleep on a washing line - any possibly has!!!

I am also not entirely sure that it is just the elevated temperatures that are causing me to feel so uncomfortable at the moment - age and hormones are probably playing a part too!

We have, for the last couple of nights, gone for a late swim prior to going to bed in order to cool down.  It is fabulous at that time of night and we play a stupid game of getting in, getting out and getting cold and then going back in and marveling at how the water feels like a bath.  Childish I know but fun all the same!!  We do feel cool for a while but the bedroom temperature is currently 29 degrees so it doesn't last long.

We are thrilled that at long last the box of face masks which John's sister Janice made for us has arrived.  There were six in the box - all beautifully hand crafted and with the material carefully chosen and two of them for Mum if she wants them.

Currently there is less requirement for us to wear them - there are a couple of places we have been (like when we went to the Accountant to pay Mum's tax) where they have been compulsory but in the main it is a matter of choice.

Obviously that is the situation at the moment but we are under no illusion that if we get a spike we may well need to wear them more regularly and I have had a real problem with the ones we have had up to now as they get spidery fibres which get in your nose and mouth so these are the Rolls Royce as far as I am concerned.

We have read in the paper that there are localised lockdowns in force in the UK, Spain and Australia and as borders are relaxed and people travel we are sure there will be more to come.  So big big thanks Janice they are fabulous.

We had been invited with Mum to have lunch at her friend Lilian's house today.  Lilian lives in Peyia and has this fabulous rose in her front garden - I am not sure I have ever seen one quite like it - the roses are all shades from white through to deep violet and they have a fantastic scent.

It being so hot today we were having lunch indoors with aircon for which we were so grateful.  It was a really really nice lunch - we had an avocado, mozzarella and tomato starter with a balsamic vinegar dressing to start.

Our main meal was something called Bobotie which I have had before and which is a South African take on moussaka in that it is a savoury mince dish with an eggy souffle topping which was delicious and which she served with new potatoes and salad.  John and I enjoyed it so much that when it is a bit cooler I shall be trying it for myself.

Her piece de resistance though was her pudding which she bravely made whilst we were there and this was passion fruit souffle served in the shells.  I fancy having a go at making those as well one evening when we have friends round.  She kindly gave me the recipe and I have stored it somewhere safe for the future!!!

We got home safe and sound and John was pleased to find that he could watch the Sheffield United match he had missed on catch up so he had carefully avoided all news and sports reports so that the result could remain a mystery.  He might have regretted that decision as it was a 1-1 draw!

Saving a bee...

We have, on two occasions today, been trying to save exhausted bumble bees with a spoonful of sugar water.  To be fair - they seemed disinterested in the water preferring to be moved to an area of shade where they were able to regain their strength and fly off again.  The advice on what to do if you find a bee in this condition is conflicting - some say feed sugar water, some say not.  We don't like to see anything struggle and die so we try and do our best to make sure they survive.

The garden is currently full of butterflies and dragonflies.  We have a load of swallowtail butterflies at the moment and the lovely little red dragonflies, blue dragonflies and the iridescent damsel flies darting around the pool and the new pond.  The pond lily continues to produce new flowers and I am really glad that we made this addition to the garden.

It is so hot at the moment I can barely summon the energy to do anything much but we decided that we would venture into the village to check the post as we are awaiting one or two things including the cable so that John can watch TV outside - useful for the remaining footie games as it is too hot in the lounge to be comfortable.  This was the view from the post office.  Workers out in full sun forming the cobbles for the road.  The progress is painstakingly slow and it occurs to us that the raised level of the road will cause some issues for people trying to exit their properties as there is now a massive step up.  I guess these things will be addressed.  It would just be nice to think the whole project will be finished soon and everything tidied away but that never happens here in Cyprus!!

Before making our way back home we decided to call into the garden of Finnikas and have a cold drink.  It had been locked up as we walked by to check the post but Marina had come out and had a chat and she said she would open it up for us.  We love sitting at 'our' table - Dionysos Table and we sat in the dappled shade and sank a very welcome bottle of Leon - or two in John's case!!!

Can you believe that we only had three beers and Marina still brought us a plate of salted peanuts, then some delicious hot fresh halloumi bread straight from the oven and a jar of 'Garadaki' - sweet pickled walnuts which are spiced with the flavours of Christmas and a favourite of ours.  She is so kind and works so hard.  When we asked her how Philippos was she said that both he and Marios were having a siesta leaving her to deal with anyone who came in (like us!).

When we came to leave she didn't want to take any money but we weren't having that - I told her to give it to the grandchildren if she wouldn't have it.  We didn't expect our drinks for nothing - on the contrary we want that lovely little business to survive so were more than happy to pay and leave a tip.

I guess the one consolation is that they do not appear to need to depend on the income from the taverna for their livelihood as it has never been packed to the gunnels day in and day out and so the disruptions from the village 'improvements' and the lockdown and lack of visitors will not affect them as much as others.  We did read somewhere that the Droushia Heights Hotel was participating in a discount scheme to encourage Cypriots to holiday there and it appears to be quite busy to maybe Finnikas may pick up some trade from there if people venture out of the Hotel looking for a change of venue.

On our return and after the current mandatory head-count of cats after we have been away from the house for a period of time I decided I couldn't cope with the heat and felt very tired to put the fan on in the bedroom and kept Boris company as he too was complaining about the heat.  Poor cats don't seem to want to eat during the day but then start demanding food during the cool of the night which has meant me getting up at all sorts of strange times to feed them.  At the moment I really don't want to ignore their requests and have them going out and scrounging elsewhere when we don't know what they are eating.

I think it must have been the hottest day of the year so far so we decided to have a late night swim to try and cool down before retiring to bed.

I haven't been sleeping well - mainly because of the heat but also because of the Chivers incident and I have also been worried about Mum who sleeps poorly too and has been feeling low.

She told me tonight that my sister has suggested that before Mum goes to bed she should write down three good things that have happened during the day so that she goes to bed in a positive frame of mind.  I think I will try and do that too otherwise I think it is easy to get overwhelmed by negative emotions.

So here goes - Good thing number one - we managed to save two bumble bees today in a world where the bee population is diminishing.  Good thing number two - we went for a quick drink in the village and were showered with gifts which makes us feel so very welcome.  Good thing number three - we returned home and our remaining three cats were safe and sound and pleased to see us.

No Cook Friday...

It is Friday and the island has been gripped by a heatwave for the last week or so and they are giving warnings for even higher temperatures over the weekend and to be fair, I am struggling.  I am no longer the sun-worshiper I used to be and John has never been one so I was more than happy not to be doing much today.  John did nip down to Polis for a bit of shopping and to go and get our living money and I was happy to stay at home.

The 'pond' is proving to be a big hit with Minnie who uses it as her after breakfast watering hole but I am not sure who would be more surprised by a close encounter - Miss Minnie-Mou herself or one of the resident mosquito fish!  On the subject of the 'pond' the first water lily flower is now at an end but we have two others in bloom today and more on the way.  I am so chuffed because sometimes it can take a long time for a water lily to flower so it must be happy.

The challenge this week is 'all things wood' and I have taken some photographs but the art section needs bolstering so I wanted to paint something but wasn't sure what as I now have very limited paint to work with.

I trolled the internet and found a technique which uses cotton-buds - yes really cotton-buds - to create the illusion of cherry blossom (amongst other things) and so I was keen to give it a go.

Whilst John was down in Polis I got out the remains of my watercolours and some paper and a bunch of q-tips.  Who knew that you could get such a great effect from something we use to clean our our ear holes!!!

To start with I watched a video on YouTube and then gave it a go myself and was pretty pleased with the end result.  I have never had much success recreating trees and I would definitely give it a go on a larger canvas if anyone wanted one - we don't have anywhere else for my artwork to go unfortunately.  I shall stick it into the weekly challenge although I know that there are much better entries for people to choose.

This evening, being no-cook Friday for me, we were going to the Gin Bar in Kathikas.  This is where we first met Das and Belinda.  Initially they weren't going for ribs but we had decided we would because we want to support Rachel, Savvas and Valentina.  Then they changed their mind and so we shared a table.  The food was excellent again and I ended up bringing half of mine home because I couldn't manage it all.  Das and Belinda are settling in.  They are awaiting the arrival of their own belongings and are trying to decide whether the property they are renting will be their forever home although it is somewhat overpriced but they have time to look around to see if anything else grabs them in the way that this traditional Cypriot home has.  They now have the dog they rescued before lockdown living with them and although they only rescued her the day before they returned to the UK and have been stuck there for 4 months she has settled in and is part of the family already.

It was not a late night - in fact John was home in time to catch the football and watch the Bobster's beloved Charlton Athletic.

At the Gin Bar John's beer had been served in a very nice Marston's Glass and John likes a nice beer glass so was tempted to ask Savvas if he could have one.  Before he got the opportunity Savvas asked him if he would like one to take home which was fabulous - apparently a good beer glass makes all the difference - I guess it is like having tea served out of a china cup.

We had covered the pool to prevent iggies committing hari-kari but left the pool light on because we rarely, if ever, use it.  Charlie was fascinated by the black dot of our duck thermometer trapped underneath - so much so that we thought he might launch and attack and get a soaking.  For that reason it seemed sensible to turn it out!