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.
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.
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