Monday 23rd April 2012

Carna Lilly

St George's Day and a number of St George Cross flags are seen about the village.  Sometimes I wonder about Brits abroad.  A pleasant day of blue skies and warm sunshine with the customary breeze keeping temperatures to the low 70s.

Back to Bowls for a Monday morning.  Probably one of the lowest tun outs we have seen during our membership with only 17 bowlers.  This meant on one mat, one bowler bowled four woods so that matches could be played in teams of three as per the norm.  3 mats in use.  The first game, with Lillian in opposition was a very quiet affair.  In fact with so few people playing it was all quiet without the normal shouts and laughs that echo around.  Our quiet game remained a fairly close match until the last two ends by which we had built up a two point lead which extended to seven by the end of the eleventh end.

Bird of Paradise

The second match was entirely different.  I was drawn this time with Lillian but against ‘Super Bob’ no less.  Bob, the Treasurer is a really nice guy who is completely modest about his own bowls ability and only encourages others.  “Its all down to experience” he says, “That’s why I am better than you”.  “You will get better with practice”.  I’m not so sure I will ever reach his standard.  Bob continually rolls every bowl to within a dustbin lid of the jack.  The other day I think I was writing that I needed to be drawn in his team in order to win a match.  When you are in opposition you have no chance.  Lillian, Gareth and myself are 0-17 down after 8 ends, with Bob performing wonders.  Much to our surprise we win the last three ends by one point to lose 3-17.  At least we finished on a high.  One win, one loss.  Practice required.

Back home via Larnaca to report to the “Blind” shop that one of our vertical blinds has broken and request help and Lidl and Carrefour to stock up for our run of visitors for the next 28 days!  Kevin and Julia will at last arrive on Tuesday night at 2240 into RAF Akriteri,  at Limassol, followed by Andrew and Eve, followed by the Rocks.  Not even gaps for turn arounds with all overlapping.  I will miss the last few days of Andrew and Eve and all of the Rocks visit as another trip to Washington DC beckons.  No piece for Lillian for the next month.  She is always the perfect hostess.

I take a call from the WCL Chief Finance Officer about continuing some work for them post  August.  It might be that I will do ‘some days’ but nothing much and I have pushed it back to them to come up with a proposal.

Red 'candles' on our new tree

Tonight sees the return of Lillian to her greek lessons and she spends a couple of hours on ‘homework’ whilst I sit in the sun being lazy.  Lessons finish at the end of May and Lillian is determined to have maximum attendance leading up to that time.  She will not be able to take the ‘Exam’ at the end of the course as she has missed too many lessons, even though she thinks she would pass.  If she is to continue next year she will have to repeat this class.  The whole idea in education that you cant progress because you have not met attendance criteria, even if you meet the required standard is alien to us.  Far too many education systems have this ‘hold you back’ mentality.  We met recently a young 14 year old girl from UK who goes to a ‘local’ school.  As she had no greek when she arrived she has been placed with 11 year olds.  So hard for her.  No wonder she ‘hates’ school but realises the only way she can have a ‘half decent time’ is to work hard to understand.  She seems to get little extra help or differentiated work.  Very sad for her.

I walk into the village to meet Lillian at Pyrgos to eat.  She comes from her lesson knowing that pyrgos in greek means tower.  There on the menu is a picture of the lookout tower that we walked to a couple of days ago!  Pyrgos is a favourite restaurant in the village where the food from the grill is great and we often go there as we are able to sit on the terrace and watch the world go by.  All of this time and we had never seen the connection between the restaurant name, the picture  and what it meant in english!

Back home one episode of Prison Break.  I need to re-watch it during the day!

The pictures are from the garden.