Our errant parcel finally arrives...

As we career ever more certainly towards total lockdown we try and take advantage of the freedom we currently have.  We are allowed to exercise and so providing we do not walk all together (you are supposed to exercise only in twos) we have continued with our girlie walks.  It has been a trying week for Nicky and Rachel for various reasons, so we opted to do the 'Machu Pichu' walk, which we did the other week and which will hold no surprises on a day when no-one wants surprises anyway.  It is a lovely morning to blow the cobwebs away and exactly what we all need.

There is a short part of the walk at the beginning that takes us through Kathikas and we are mindful of the restrictions and have our masks with us even though they are not required for walking - as I am always taking photographs I bring up the rear and am always way more than 2 meters behind whoever is walking in second place.    The exit out of the village is uphill so we complete that at our own pace and generally can't catch our breath until that has been negotiated!

Today we are in splendid isolation - no passing cars unlike the other week when the road was like the M1.  The sunshine breaking through the clouds is warm and there is birdsong in the air - it is glorious and so different to winters previously.  We may well be in for a nasty shock but at least it may only be a short sharp one rather than the long wet winters of late.

We make a little change to the normal route but nothing significant.  Rachel has us amused as she explains the difficulties she encountered with Kamoot and her fat fingers!  I feel her pain as I too have fat fingers and some of the routes I have planned have us walking through unchartered territory even though I think I have tapped a road, track or pathway!!!

As we negotiate Big Dog Hill we see that Big Dog is watching us but unconcerned by our presence thankfully so basically ignores us as we descend down the hill and cross the main road.

The views looking down to Theletra are spectacular and even though we know there is quite a bit of uphill to negotiate we have done it before so know what to expect.  We are good at motivating one another and happy to push ourselves, me and my fat fingers are planning a new route if we can walk next week - I am opting for longer distances or greater inclines but not both at the same time at this stage.  We complete today's walk in good time and in good spirits.  It is worth getting up and out and off by 8.30 so we aren't too hot by the end of it.

On my return I was ecstatic that our missing parcel from Mark and Laura had arrived safely - a beautiful personalised gift which had been made by an ex-serviceman and which we love.  There had been such a saga with that particular parcel that we thought we might never receive it - particularly as the post office in Paphos had marked it as being delivered in Droushia when it had never left - apparently this is because there is no scanner in Droushia - we think it is more like them fudging that they have met delivery targets.  Anyway whatever the story it is here now thank goodness.

We were also delighted to hear from George and Pam today and hope that when all this madness is over they will be able to come over as they have planned for the last couple of years and been thwarted.  As I said to George, Charlie is missing his mate and I know George is missing him back.  Just hope that the various members of their family who have been struck down by Covid make a speedy recovery.