A cool start to our walk this morning

Looking at the chairs out the back this morning I have a feeling it must have rained during the night - there was far too much wet for it to have just been heavy condensation.  I didn't mind though because it meant it was beautifully cool and somewhat overcast so it would be perfect for my walking later this morning with Nicky.

I had plotted a nice little walk that took us round some of the backstreets of Inea and Droushia which was about 6.5km and not too steep.  I switched Narky Nora off because we actually started to go off-piste early doors and she gets rather frantic if you don't stick to the plan.  

Taking a rather circuitous route to Inea we were to walk down the old cobbled street which Nicky and I have walked up before.  This has been somewhat cleared of weeds, save for a couple of massive spikey capers half way down.  This is a beautiful little unexpected path which leads away from the main road and out into the wilderness.  From here we walked along the bottom to the right and then took a sharpish narrow street which took us back up parallel to the cobbled street.

Inea is a maze of little streets, when we first came it used to be a really rough and run down looking village but over the years it has been spruced up and there is a mix of old and new rubbing shoulders.

In the middle of the little street we suddenly encountered a field with a cow grazing.  If you zoom into the picture it looks like the cow is wearing massive earrings and a straw hat!!!

From here we wandered along other residential streets until we were back out on the road between Inea and Droushia.  It is interesting to note that when we are passed by drivers we get a cheery wave or a smile - a nod at the very least.  I am not sure if that is because the residents think we are bonkers walking - Cypriots generally, in my opinion, like to drive everywhere and park as close to the venue as possible - hence the haphazard parking arrangements you encounter everywhere and which you start adopting yourself after a while!

At one point we encountered a lovely old Cypriot lady dressed all in black with her boots and headscarf on who cheerily bade us a Kali Mera although she looked like she thought we were aliens!!!

Further on into our walk, as we past the Forestry Station in Droushia we came across a beautiful horse grazing in the early morning sunshine.  This looked to be a really healthy specimen with glossy coat, possibly pregnant, I cannot be sure, and for once with a massive water container that she could not kick over.  I wondered if it my be one of Andreas's from across the road from us. 

You have to look carefully in this picture but between the white truck in the middle and the green jeep on the left is a peacock with its tail feathers on show.  Nicky and I waited ages for it to turn round so that I could try and get a picture.  We would have walked closer but there was a rather large gaggle of geese nearby and they can often be used like watch dogs.  Plus this is Vassos yard and there is often a rather large Alsatian like dog there.  Vasso was out slooshing down the patios.  I haven't seen her in ages (she used to be the chef at the Droushia Heights and then had the Karithea for a short while).

Nicky and I made our way back home and agreed that the temperature and time had been perfect for a lovely walk - which set her up for a day of moving wood!!!

John and I did very little today - it was quite overcast and muggy for most of it and we had planned to cook and eat outside (particularly because it was fish) but it was far too windy for it to be comfortable so in the end we had to be inside.  We had Sea Bream and Red Mullet for tea with new potatoes and salad.  I wasn't overly impressed with the mullet as it was fiddly to get the flesh off the bones but the Bream was superb.