Too much Dust

The weather overnight was horrible and as a result today we woke to leadened skies again and everything was covered in Saharan Dust - John needs to get the pool cover cleaned asap otherwise all that red sand is going to end up in the pool just when he had it looking sparkling and lovely.  We couldn't deal with it this morning because we were going down to Emba so that I could take Mum to have her check-up and John was going to do a few jobs for her and then go to Sayyas to get a takeaway for lunch.

One of John's friends, Amanda, had contacted us yesterday because her daughter is due to come over on holiday and stay on the Tombs of the Kings Road and when Amanda had been here years ago that road was very dangerous particularly if trying to cross.  We explained that it was now upgraded and there were plenty of crossings and bus stops but we wanted to go and take some photographs to try and explain how it looks nowadays.  Unfortunately the horrendous sand storm made this quite difficult!

We managed to get into the carpark of the Avlida which is where we think Amanda's daughter may end up staying.  It is an older hotel, maybe a little dated for some but in a good location and gets great write-ups for the staff and their attention.  I guess if  you are in your teens or early twenties that is all that you need.

Mum's appointment went really well and Mrs Metaxa declared the eye to be 'normal' and Mum was able to drive so she decided she wanted to drive me back to Emba - it meant negotiating the horrible roundabout at the end of the motorway which I hate at the best of times but even more so when I am a passenger!!!

John shot off to Sayyas and got a chicken, some roast potatoes and vegetables so that we all had a cooked meal together and we left Mum with some chicken for a sandwich and took the remainder back with us.

I am posting the photograph opposite as a reminder of what the island should look like but because of the storm hanging overhead at the moment this is about as far from what we are experiencing as possible.

We called in to see Argy and Lakis this afternoon - we know they will have had a difficult day today because they had to go and visit the home in Prodromi which was where Kia had passed away.  It must have been incredibly hard for them and we just want to try and be there for them as much as possible.

We did not have a late night - it is Easter Monday in the UK so there were loads of football games on including the not so Mighty Blades who managed a measly 1-1 draw against Bristol City - uncle Simon in Australia will be pleased - John less so because they are hanging onto a play-off place by a thread which is getting more tenuous by the day.