Monday 20th February 2012

Happy Days.

Bleep bleep, bleep bleep, bleep bleep.  The dust cart reversing down the road.  Look at the clock 0405 ....... surely its not right. Yes 0405 and the bins are being emptied.  Amazing.  Certainly not something to happen in the UK.  Trouble is now wide awake and it takes an hour of reading to go back to sleep.

Ding ding, ding ding.  Lillian’s phone and a SMS message arriving.  Look at the clock. 0840.  Bowls is on this morning.  Having missed Saturday when the SMS message said mats too wet after the storm on Thursday night it was up for coffee, a quick bit of writing on the blog and off, leaving Lillian reading her book.  She decided not to come to be at home and keep Julia company.

Although Bowls is set to start at 1015 people are still arriving at 1025 which means a recalculation of the number of players and number of mats to be used.  A sharp rebuke from the Chairman for all.  Drawn on the wretched F mat for the first game.  This mat has a mind of its own due to the  irregular surface underneath and fortunately for me it even makes the good bowlers look poor at times!  When you bowl poorly to start with it becomes a nightmare and does nothing for your confidence.  I contribute nothing to my team and we are easily beaten.  Depressing.  However smiles return with the second game on D mat which is so much better.  On this mat you know it will come in sharply from the right and stay fairly straight when you bowl down the left side.  My team play well and score 18 points after 9 ends before the opposition get a look in, saving the whitewash on the 10th end.  We score another three on the last end to end resounding 21-2 winners.  At the end of the game I put the scoreboard back in the cupboard with the score still displayed.  A moment of glory.

Agia Napa Parade

Back home the ladies have done every little so I clean the car before lunch and then its a trip to the beach to collect stones.  I think I have said this before but two bags, each full so that I can just about lift them into the car, do not go very far when set under the ficus trees.  About a 4-5 foot length is covered.  Probably another 8 trips to get to the end of the wall.  The sun shines and the temperature on the patio thermometer reaches 72F.  It is really very pleasant and whilst Lillian and Julia read I just sit enjoying the warmth.

As evening fell Lillian, like a naughty school girl who leaves things to the last minute, gets out her Greek homework in preparation for her evening lesson.  79% in her test last week, with which she was pleased as she had not been there for the lessons! Julia and I sat listening to music at home whilst Lillian worked in her class, joining her in Kokos for an evening meal.

Early to bed for me after the wakening of last night.  For Lillian and Julia ...... still plenty to talk about.