We go off piste!!!

 

It was dry and bright but with a biting wind today but Rachel and I were still going walking.  It all started swimmingly as we set off taking the track that runs under the Farmyard Restaurant along to Fitos (which is now back open).  We were chatting all the way discussing the restrictions and the difficulties faced by Rachel and Savvas who have been unable to run their businesses for over a year.  Things will, hopefully, relax next week but everything is up in the air and how on earth do you recoup a year's losses when the forthcoming year is still going to be a struggle?  Our couple of hours out in the fresh air provide some welcome respite for Rachel and I am more than happy to oblige.

So as I said, it was all going swimmingly as we passed through the lush countryside and came back up onto the main road and crossed over.  On my Komoot there is quite clearly a path which runs parallel to the main road on the Arodes side and that was what I had plotted - we found the entrance - this was actually more like a minor road so that was good and then as we carried on further the road became a path and then a track and then NOTHING!!!  There had clearly been a path there when the fields had been tended but we are guessing no-one had been that way for years and so we had three choices, turn round and go back and walk on the main road, find our way across to a known pathway that we could see down to our right which would mean extra time and distance or fight our way through the undergrowth and get out the other side.  We chose the latter and did emerge at the other end but not without collecting a fine collection of cuts and scratches on our bare legs.  Bless Rachel she just laughed about it even though I was cross with Narky Nora for sending us up a blind alley.

We carried on undeterred and picked up the plotted route crossing back over the main road and back into Kathikas but we were uncertain as to how delayed our impromptu Bear Gryls moment had made us so I did a quick look at the map and a re-route to ensure we would be back within the time allowed.  We carried on walking in the area which is to the left of the main road to Akoursos sweeping back in big loop so that we ended up at the pretty picnic area near the cemetery.

It was actually a lovely day to be walking save for when we crossed the road after the picnic area and headed back to the Farmyard when we seemed to be exposed to the biting wind once again and my hands were freezing!!!  Both Rachel and I will look as though we have been self-harming our legs but we had a laugh, we had some exercise and we managed to do nearly 9.5km which was more than I thought we would do.  Rachel will be walking with Nicky on Tuesday - I hope they have fun - we have made it all the way to Burnham on Sea in our Land's End to John O'Groats challenge.

We had an impromptu visitor this afternoon when Louisa rang wanting directions to the home where her yiayia Kia is staying - apparently Kia had a fall yesterday and Louise had asked permission to go and see her and make sure she was ok - she made her way to Droushia but then didn't know where the home was so John hopped in the car and she followed him down and then called in on her way back to report that Kia was fine which is a relief.

Most of my afternoon was spent getting food ready for tomorrow when we are taking a meal down to Mum' and Lilian is going to join us.  I had decided to make lamb tagine so I had cooked the lamb shanks in the slow cooker so that the meat had fallen off the bone - that way I could ensure it was tender and no bones or gristle to contend with.  I needed to find a recipe that would be flavoursome but not include any herbs and spices which disagree with Mum.  We were having 'jewelled' rice to accompany and Mum had bought some creme brulee from Lidl which were going to be zhuzhed up with some sharp raspberries, some ginger biscuit crumb and a garnish of mint.

Once our meal for tomorrow was sorted I turned my attention to our evening meal.  The clocks change overnight - they go forward so we lose and hour so we planned a nice supper, a glass of wine or two and an early night.  We were having a sort of surf and turf combo with paprika wedges and a green salad.  We had pork loin and a small fillet steak with a large prawn and some smaller prawns.  I made a sauce by mixing the remainder of the spicy satay sauce from our takeaway with a pot of the mustard sauce I make for steaks which was loafing in the fridge.  It was superb and we thoroughly enjoyed!