New Stones

A week of fun and time to sit and chat with our largest 'group' visit of family.  Cousin (Big Sis) Lynn and Mike.  Their daughter Shelley and husband Gavin along with two daughters Charlotte and Millie.  A full house but with the weather hot the garden becomes and extension of home so that we are never all in the same place at the same time so there is room for all.

Chris and Lillian at the right

'Chilling out' was the main request to the answer what do you want to do this week and therefore there has been plenty of opportunity with a couple of short beach walks and lots of dips in the pool and the hot tub and general lounging working on the tan. A couple of visits into Larnaca has provided opportunity to shop for gifts and momentous. In Charlottes' case two handbags.  A hire car for three days allowed an evening trip to the harbour at Zygi with drinks by the water edge after a stroll and photo opportunities. Only one very big boat with a group sitting drinking and a captain in splendid white uniform,but many fishing boats and other smaller vessels.


For Chris, Mike and Lillian a Saturday trip to the Elea Golf Course at Pahpos for a game with the Cottage Golf Society.  No prizes for us but an enjoyable time with only a couple of balls disappearing into the beyond never to be seen again.  For the Cole family an evening trip to Agia Napa with some eye-opening watching of young Brits on holiday "Children behaving badly'.

The swimming pool has been a good relief from the hot sun with everyone 'dipping' at least twice a day.  Sadly it developed a problem with the pump towards the end of the week with the water becoming very cloudy.  Fortunately with Lillian chasing things up and a good pool company a quick fix enabled the water to clear but further drastic and expensive work needs to be scheduled for this week to overcome damaged filters.

The hot tub came into more use than ever before on a visitor week with 'bubbly drinks' in the bubbly water under star filled skies.  Especially enjoyed by Charlotte I think.

Whilst Lillian as ever took on the role of hostess at home eating out in Larnaca and Pervolia gave an opportunity to sample the local dishes.  A busy Saturday night in Soutsos where unfortunately the service did not meet its usual high standards, provided some local traditional music to go with the food.

A lovely week ending on cousin Lynn's birthday celebrated with a fine spread and candles on cake!  Everyone seemed to have a good time ....... come again.

The week is to be remembered by 6 additional visitor stones.  A record breaker!

Time flies when you are having fun

Recently wrote how can a week be quick?  Well back here time continues to fly by and days come and go without a minute to just sit, even when you are doing nothing.

The temperatures are hotting up now inside and certainly outside with average daily temperature in the garden reaching 34-36C.  The pool is at 29C and lovely for swimming in with a daily dip for the customary lengths, although these only range from to 10-20 lengths and more for Lillian.  Whilst I feel my stroke and breathing are improving I really find it had to keep my mind on what I am doing!

We had our first swim in the sea this week whilst walking along Faros beach and after the initial 'its not so warm as the pool' it in fact was lovely.  The beach vendors are starting to get customers and as we walked it was very noticeable how many more sun loungers are now occupied.  Hard go for them though when some still sit on a towel on the sand rather than pay a €2.50 fee.

A trip to Lefkosia (Nicosia) a 35 minute car ride allowed some shopping in the large Leroy Marlin DIY store where a purchase of a small 'shed' meant we were able to tidy up the growing number of garden and small DIY equipments that are forever increasing in number.  The garden continues to give a lot of pleasure but as recorded many times takes up a lot of time with bits to trim, leaves to collect etc.

Today is a national holiday for Whit Monday with week long celebrations for the Kataklysmos (Pentecost) Festival.  A Greek Orthodox festival with strong pagan roots focusing primarily on water, Kataklysmos or Festival of the Flood marks the day of the Holy Spirit. The feast of the Pentecost or Whitsun is marked 50 days after Greek Orthodox Easter. It is known also as the day of the Holy Spirit as it celebrates the descent of the Holy Ghost to the Apostles. 

With the road closed the Larnaca sea front promenade has taken on the appearance of an open-air fair with scores of stalls selling toys and traditional food.  We ventured in on Friday night and enjoyed a stroll around the many stalls and sat at the Ocean Basket for an evening meal watching the street parade go by.  Stars of the parade in our view being the Pervolia marching band!  A mixture of very young and not so young, drummers and brass players they looked splendid in their bright red jackets and certainly had a good following.  Fireworks too . We have been lucky to see some of the most fantastic displays in various parts of the world and by comparison with some these were low key ............ but they are always so great to watch.  PS Ocean Basket does a great seafood platter!

We now look forward very much for the arrival of family tomorrow. A full house for the first time but fun to be had for sure.

Back to the sunshine

British Airways?  I fly with them a lot  and despite popular press find them an OK airline but why did they change the summer flight times to Larnaca to a night flight?  Don't enjoy this flight at all.  True to previous flights it pushes back off the gangway at roughly the departure time and then sits for twenty minutes before take off.  It must be something to do with it being the second from last flight out of Heathrow before the night time close down.  Its not much fun siting waiting on a plane anywhere but at the start of a night flight not good.

I dont sleep on planes at the best of times, but serving a meal at 1130 at night is quite unnecessary in my opinion and why do parents take children on a plane when they cry most of the way?  All credit though to the parents who did seem concerned for others and not once uttered that famous phrase of the stressed parent "If you don't be quiet I will give you something to cry about" or words to that affect.

Arrival in Larnaca at 0510 and then waiting for a case and taxi ddid made home about 0600.  A quick look around and to bed for a couple of hours before out in the sunshine.

Wow its go warmer over the last week and instead of the 80s its now the 90s with blue skies.  The pool is warm and a few lengths and general play about is the total exercise of the day with the rest of the day spent trying to get the garden, which is not too wind beaten back into shape.  Two pots contents have given up through lack of water despite putting them in the shade but its looking good as I hope the pictures show.

Any evening at tow of our favourite Pervolia places - the Cottage pub and Pyrgos restaurant.  Just to let everyone know we are back.  Watch this space for more stories of busy doing nothing.

A quick week back in London

Cheers for Fathers Day

How can a week be quick?  Well it seemed to have been as it has been a busy time.  Arriving on Monday it was into the London Office for a day of chatting, visits to doctors, dentist and hospital for check ups which all took up two and a half days of travelling and waiting!

Good news that the hospital says keep taking the tablets although they need to be increased as blood pressure is rising.  Await a date for an echogram ...... all routine.

View from the terrace of the pub in Harefield - Sunday lunch

Couple of highlights were a night out with all of the children and their respective partners to participate in the local pub Quiz night.  With Andrew and Eve clearing up on the 'Musical' question and Eve being a star with anagrams we should have been in a good position to have been the overall winners but for two silly mistakes - a group decision to overrule Lillian of all people on 'How many legs has a scorpion' and our scribe failing to change my hasty comment of Skegness is in Yorkshire (which I changed to Lincolnshire) meant we take second place by one point.  A lot of fun.

Emily and Jerome

Steve's girlfriend Amanda celebrated her 30th birthday with a Black Tie party at the golf club where I used to be a member where we 'drunk' the night away chatting with people from our past.

Amanda shares the same birthday as Emily whose birthday was spent with family time and a nice meal at a pub in Harefield.  Being Fathers' day too it made it all special.

It has been good to watch the television too ........ with the British Lions, England cricket team and the US Open Golf all showing live there have been some late nights.

Back to the sunshine of Larnaca today .......... the weather here in London has not been bad, although some heavy bouts of rain so tomorrow garden and sunshine.

Record Breaker

Forgot to say in the previous update that I am making every effort to swim each day.  Never has been a strength and with my breathing struggling a bit at the moment its a big effort.  Some days I don't feel so bad and others I am gasping after just a few lengths.  But today was a record ...... 30 lengths.  On a 2:1 ratio meant that Lillian needed to complete 60 ........ and she did.  Bravo Lillian x

A trip to Lefkara today to buy some gifts for work colleagues who I might not see much more of after the next trip back to London.  They have been friends as well as colleagues.

For those interested in the weather - its hot!

Feels like retirement

Recently I have been asked on more than one occasion what do you do each day? With the sale of the company that I work for meaning a new line manager who has different priorities and different approaches has made me reflect on what do we do each day when I'm not jumping up every five minutes to spend time on the phone or sitting in front of a computer.  The last five days since the last record here is I'm sure what the future brings.

Recent trip to Cape Greco

Two bikes rides.  Not long but a good route with a mixture of coastal path and across the fields. The farmers are busy as crops change.  Wheat and barley have been harvested and the fields are now strewn with lines of straw forming form the crop stems.  In many fields this too has been collected and now stands in giant 'swiss rolls'.  First crops of potatoe have been harvested and now in some case replaced with corn.  Some fields have been ploughed ready for the next.  The landscape colour continually changes.

Walks to Faros, down on to the beach and paddle along the waters edge back home.  Still stones to collect, red and green figure and are strategically placed around plants in the front garden and now to the side.  A trip to the garden centre buys four new plants which take a time to 'grounded' as they replace three plants set along the front wall that don't really earn their keep.  Have grown big and the roots are a struggle to separate from the place to which they have become accustomed, but no flowers.  Time for a change. A blue plumbago.

A night in the pub.  The Cottage to watch the last important football match of the season   The Play off final.  I go in a yellow shirt as Watford is only five miles from our home which causes a bit of banter with the four ho wear Crystal Palace shirts.  Palace win and get the star prize of promotion to the premiership. To think Ipswich beat Palace 3-0 only a matter of six weeks ago.  A meal at Pyrgos.  Always good.

Friend Hazel, who lives in Northern Cyprus needs to return to the Uk urgently calls and we collect her at the Pyla border crossing and drop her at Larnaca airport.  Their car is unwell in the garage and with only a hire car, Geoff couldn't cross the border.

What else?  A drive into Larnaca for some food shopping, watch some tele and sit in the sun.


Retirement really does beckon ....... its going to be tough.