Thursday 12th January 2012

Our last full day before heading off back to the land of work!  The overnight rain had passed leaving a blue sky mixed with 50% coverage of large white clouds with dark great bottoms.  The sure sign of more rain on the way.  As expected we received a text from the Bowls Club to say the mats were too wet to play so we were left with an opportunity to adventure along new roads to find new places.  The target destination being the top of the Troodos mountains to see if the the stories about snow were true.

First stop the Helenic Bank in Dromalaxia where we paid this month's instalment of the site maintenance.  60 Euro.  Slightly less than the true month total as we were slightly in credit by a higher payment last month.  From there we went inland to join the main A1 road which runs the virtual length of the island.  Once again passing a police car with a speed gun, although we had been warned by a kind motorist travelling the other way flashing his lights continually.  A sure sign of warning ahead.  I had slowed to make sure I was within the limit and when about to speed up could see the police car ahead.  One motorist who whizzed passed us was not so observant and sure enough a policeman jumped out and waved him down.  I am surprised he even stopped at all he was going so fast.

From Lemosos (Limassol) we turned onto the B8 a single lane carriageway that started to climb and weave up the hillside.  The grey clouds had now turned to black and heavy rain fell with the cloud very low covering the mountain tops.  As we climbed so the outside temperature by the car reading started to fall quickly and soon it was a flashing 3C warning the risk of ice on the road.  Sure enough we soon started to see our first snow and we continued to climb until about 3 KM away from Troodos when the road became covered and the wheels not gripping on the 8% slope.  Ahead we could see a van that obviously had stopped and slipped back into a ditch and was stuck.  Time to stop and play.

The snow was beautiful and plentiful and thought that the rain down the mountain must have fallen as snow.  It was fresh and deep, in places about 9-12 inches.  Lovely, clean snow which squeaked as you walked on it.  Surrounded by lovely views I clicked on the camera and we played making a snowman.  For a few moments he sun cam out and we looked and admired the view, which was all the more amazing as you could see the sea down below.  We didn't get to the top as felt it was too much of a risk without a 4x4 but it was a great time and we stopped for coffee and honey balls (a sort of small doughnut soaked in honey) at the first restaurant open on the way back down.  Before long we were back on the main road form where we turned off to Zygi.  Snow and then an hour later driving no more than 10 m form the sea.

Wednesday 11th January 2012

The beach on a grey day

A morning trip to IKEA in Lefkosia (Nicosia) sees us return with a roller blind for the kitchen and a good stock of candles.  We have become somewhat connoisseurs on candle buying since the days when we nearly burnt Lincoln Road down with wax from a cheap Christmas candles and without a doubt those IKEA candles are great.  they burn well and give very little in terms of wax dribbling down the side.

The road to Lefkosia is a good run and we are there in 30 minutes passing two lots of police cars with speed guns.  For both I sailed past at 120km /hr where the speed limit is 100 km/hr.  Letter in the post?  It is a ridiculously low speed for such a good road.  Lillian made the outward journey amusing me by phoning Stefanos, the Quality Group engineer and giving him a hard time about the state of the road.  Lillian has a great style at being politely assertive whereas I would just get stroppy if I spoke with him.  However they as in QG still await a new permit to complete so we are getting nowhere.

Back home I decided to spray the mud and rubbish from the wheel arches to find the the attachment to join the hose to the tap was missing. Somebody has come in and stolen it can be the only answer.  Our first lost and can only be down to one of the contractors.  A bit of a worry but the hose will go in the cupboard when we levee on Friday just in case they come back for that!  I borrowed the attachment from the tap at the pool and put it back when I had finished!  A clean car ...... until we go out again.

A call from the heating engineer to 'play' with the dials on the underfloor heating again as some areas are not working.  (As I write this it is still not in our bedroom!)  Where it is as on the landing upstairs bedrooms, except ours and the study it is great and the tiles are lovely and warm.

The afternoon is spent with preparation again for the work I will do in Doha, Lillian helping reading documentation and making notes.  Blind fixed in the kitchen and although it looks nice the locking mechanism does not work well and it is hard to keep the blind in a middle position as it gradually slides down.  A shame but we can live with it either up or down.  Lillian left at 1900 to go to Greek lessons and I followed later meeting her and 3 other class members for a drink and meal in Bar Coast.

Back home to listen to the second half of the Ipswich game for them to lose yet again 1-2 with the winning goal scored  in the 94th minute.  They have a relegation battle now.  Sack the manager.

Tuesday 10th January 2012

Our tree has oranges - 6!

Woken to the sounds of ladders being crashed together and the sound of voices speaking in Greek.  Quality Group had returned at 0745 to check that the pipe was OK.  Think it crazy that the boundary wall was built to cover the outflow pipe! Although we have some 'angst' against QG because to the road, which has turned into bog with the rain, their after care service in terms of dealing with snagging has been good.  The hole had worked and the roof is now clear of all water although we wait to see if they will come back to repair the car port ceiling which has a large brown stain without prompting.  It will be a while to dry out.

A 'At Home' day with a mix of working in the garden.  Spent some time tying up the hedging which had been blown down in the heavy winds and of course digging the 'Charlie'.  We had bought back some spray weedkiller from the UK, even though it is a prohibited item for carrying on planes, and where Lillian had sprayed the weed is certainly looking very sick.  Good!  Unfortunately one bottle did not go far.

Time also spent preparing for my working trip to Doha next week and changing flights so that I can then go straight to Washington DC for two weeks after our stay in Dubai.  With my own flights sorted via the London Office it took a long time to sort Lillian's as Emirates wanted 3400 Euro to change her flight from Dubai / Larnaca to Dubai / London!  They said it was because she was ending the flight in a different country than the departure flight.  We therefore had to cancel all flights and start again.  This is a long process with Emirates and the need to fill in on-line to have money less fee cancellation returned.  Lillian will fly back to London on a different flight from me.  I will be on Emirates and she on British Airways where we used cash and airmiles. The two flights have only a 20 minute departure time difference although arrival at different terminals at Heathrow. Quite an expensive business but I was not happy with Lillian staying here in Cyprus for two weeks by herself whilst I am away.

A little bit of shopping in Carrefour, meal at home and 3 more episodes of Prison Break.  Highly recommended for those who have not seen it.

Monday 9th January 2012

A restless night listening to rain beating against windows is not what we are used to here in our lovely house, so it was a fairly late start.  With coffee made it was time to welcome the world of bright sunshine and clear skies with some fluffy white clouds blowing at fast rate across the sky.

The 'sun comes out and dries up all the rain'.  Fortunately no incy wincy spiders to be found however the first problem noticed.  No spout!  The flat roof of the car port could be seen from the window on the stairway to be full of water which.  On further investigation the water was seeping through the roof leaving a huge stain. Why was it sitting there?  Well although there was a hole in the roof we found it hard to believe there was no hole at the bottom!  It had been plastered over.  Later in the morning, by chance a Quality Group Customer service van was on site.  With the aid of a drill and a hammer the problem was fixed and the water gushed out.  Not an attractive hole but there we are - no more seeping water.  Just as well rain will come again that is for sure.

Faros Lighthouse

After some time in the garden tying back the bent bougainvillaea of a hedging it was time to go for a walk along the beach to Faros lighthouse.  A sea was fierce in the stung winds with huge waves yet two kite surfers were having a great time jumping and riding the waves.  Sometimes you lost sight of them as they went into a trough and you thought they had fallen only to reappear with a huge leap and flight.  All looked exciting.  We thought they were very brave to be in such high waves and admired their skill and strength of arms to hang on to their kites for so long.

A trip into Larnaca to pay the internet dongle an another walk along the seafront there.  Deserted and 'packed up' for the winter months it still made a nice stroll.  Two walks in a day.  More exercise than we have had for the last two weeks!  Need to do some more as the scales say we have had an indulgent time back in the UK.

Deserted beach - Larnaca

For the evening Lillian went off to her Greek lesson whilst I went to the pub.  Later a meal in the new cafe / bar that has relocated from near to our house.  Nicely refurbished and good food, we sat chatting with the owners of their plans for their new premises before it was time for home and bed.

Its good to be back.

Sunday 8th January 2012

A rain bashed garden with flooded road!

A belated Happy New Year!  After an enjoyable two week stay back in the UK celebrating the Christmas period with family and friends it was back to our second home of Pervolia.

An early start with an alarm going off at 0545hrs. is not something that we are used to.  However we were reasonable well organised and ready and waiting for the taxi to London Heathrow Terminal 3, which arrived exactly on time at 0615.  As you can expect there was little traffic on the road and in exactly one hour we were in the British Airways lounge having coffee and bacon baps!  Its great to be able to use the lounge even though we fly economy.  One perk from all of the business trips that I have completed in the last eighteen months qualifying me as a silver card holder.  Lounge access makes flying so more 'relaxing' as I genuinely hate waiting for planes and still after all the travel I have done get anxious about the whole 'check in - get a seat process'.

As ever the usual British Airways style flight.  Rubbish entertainment which you can't see as the planes are without setback screens.  Food that whilst it is OK is often served by cabin crew who have little in the way of smile and customer service.  I almost missed breakfast as I was dozing when it was eventually brought round!  However with the 'small sleep' and sunday papers to read the flight even though 4.5hrs passed quickly.  Our seat of 14F and 14G was near the exit so it was a quick getaway on landing being one of the first in the passport control queue.  I don't know why we even show passports as they get no more than a cursory glance.  Oh that US immigration was so easy.

Cases where quick in coming through and it was out to get a taxi.  With Pervolia only being about 12 minutes away from the airport the drivers are not keen on the trip, especially today with us with a lot of luggage (3 cases and hand luggage with laptops and camera) and it pouring with rain.  I mean pouring.  It was lashing down and the roads were flooded.  This was light compared with our made-up road which was like a lake and the driver took some persuading to take us to the door.  A 20 euro fee was hardly surprising in the conditions.

The garden as you can see had taken a bit of a bashing and if you look carefully you can see the dread 'Charlie' who had made a 'reappearance' despite all of our effort before Xmas.  With the rain we did no more than look out of the window, eat, drink and watch some DVD's before off to bed.

Its nice to be back ...... even if it is only for the week.

Sunday 18th December

Another nice and bright sunny morning prompted us to be energetic for our last morning and cycle.  Up to faros lighthouse, along the coastal path, past the beachfront houses we can only admire, across fields, into the village and home.  A total of 50 minutes and not out of breath!

Full English breakfast at the Kebab Station - our last time eating there for breakfast as they will relocate into the village for the new year, followed by the last tidying up in the garden.  It didn't take long to pack and one suitcase we took back to UK was completely empty.

Taxi pick up for the airport and before we knew it flight was underway and back in Uk in 4.5 hours.  Good Steve won the 'pick the parents up from the airport' reward whilst Emily and Andrew flopped about in front of the television.

Is it good to be back?  Well perhaps the answer will come in two weeks time.

Saturday 17th December

Preying Mantis watches garden labours!

Heavy overnight rain meant no bowls today.  A shame because as well as missing playing it would have been nice to wish everyone festive greetings.

So with the sun shining it was out in the garden and spending time browsing the net.  Booked flights for Lillian to come to Qatar with me in January and then for us to stop off in Dubai for a week on the way back staying at the new Holiday Inn at Al Barsha.  It will be good to catch up with people in Doha and Dubai, especially Tommy and Eliza and the Cracknells.  Expect we will see lots of changes.

A quick trip into Larnaca and then to the Cottage pub to follow Ipswich to a second successive victory.  Times are changing at last.  Too much to drink meant a late night  leaving the brain tired this morning so that's about it for yesterday.

BA flight at 1625 this afternoon (Sunday).  Looks as if we will need our winter woolies whereas it is already 62F here at 0809 hrs.

Friday 16th December

 An enjoyable day starting with a visit into Larnaca to buy mince pies form Marks and Spencer - what a treat?  Surprisingly these traditional pies are not readily available here.  Well the places where we shop anyway.

Whilst in Larnaca made time to photo the Xmas trees mentioned earlier in the week.  Didn't get them all but the slideshow to the top right I hope gives you the idea.

Back home it was time spent int the garden whilst we waited for the repair man to come and finish the hole in the bathroom ceiling that had appeared with the first rain storm of the year.  It was a good job that Lillian was here to phone straight away and get someone to come and deal with the leak.  All credit a good job has been done and you would not know there had been a hole some 20 inches in diameter.  Although we are miffed with Quality Group not to have sorted the roadway leading to the compound and most importantly the telephone lines for good internet connection the after sales service has been good with a quick response and every little snag dealt with properly.  Worriyngly see have had an email saying that nobody, except us are paying the maintenance charges and the consequences of no maintained pool etc.  Can't understand the shortsightedness of the other owners, but with only 4 of the 15 houses permanently occupied it is somehow not surprising.

A lovely evening spent with Bowls club members at the lighting of the Kiti Christmas tree and the switching on of the new fountain in the new park next to the old church.  Everything new.  Santa arrived on top of a bus along with bowls club members who were the sponsors - we arrived too late to have the ride around the village - fortunately!  Normal stalls with hot chestnuts, wine, mince pies (donated by the bowls club), carols sung by the local school and traditional dances.  The mayor spoke in greek, of course, and briefly in english.  It was a nice to mix with the locals.

A meal in the Taramala Tavern, which was mainly full of locals watching the local football on TV.

Thursday 15th December

A beautiful day with temperatures reaching 75F on the patio during the afternoon.  Blue skies, nothing but blue skies.  You can live with sweater in the morning and again in the evening with days like this.

Panoramic view of the Kiti & Pervolia Bowls Club

Thursday is Bowls morning and today we took along new friend Gareth who Lillian met through her Greek classes.  For him the first day was watching but he seemed to enjoy the atmosphere and will come again to 'have a go', perhaps on Saturday.  The morning started with rounds of applause to the club team who had won their first match of the 'Island' league with a responding 18-2 home victory against Farmagusta.  I would think home advantage is a powerful thing as mats are surely different and with the odd minor slope on ours would take some working out for visitors.  Having said that there are some incredibly accurate bowlers at the Kiti Club so a win was probably well deserved.

The normal two matches with a narrow defeat having been winning 7-0 after two ends and a good win in the second game.  I bowled a lot better today.  When dropping Gareth back to his home which is about half a mile towards Faros lighthouse we were able to visit inside and take in his sea view!  One day we might have the same.

Back to stone collecting and two bags were quickly gathered from a deserted beach.  The garden is coming back into a 'perfect' state and will be ready to leave on Sunday.

Wednesday 14th December

Sun sets at 1630 after a day in the garden

Keep right on to the end of 'Charlie'.  White stones now moved across although not enough for the new wall length.  More trips to the beach beckon as we start to dig the other side.   Will all this work be wasted and it just re-grow?  Wait until the January instalment of 'Set for Cyprus' to find out!

However it was not all Charlie today and a trip into Larnaca and a couple of hours wandering around meant some Christmas presents were bought along with a scart lead for the DVD player in the TV room / study.  I had an interesting conversation with the greek speaking young lady who served me with the lead as you can imagine! Surprisingly Larnaca remains fairly busy and car parking still a challenge.  The beach whilst deserted of  sun loungers looked inviting and a few people wandered along.  An effort has been made to Christmasfy by the town council and lights span across the roads and three huge decorated Christmas trees with nativity scenes are in strategic places.  An interesting one on the main square, which must be at least 45 feet high, made totally from re-cycled drink containers, coke cans, plastic bottles etc.  Another first was the use of poinsettia plants in planter boxes.  Have never seen them planted outside before.  Too cold in UK and guess too hot in Dubai.  They looked lovely.

The village square of Pervolia is also decorated - it does however seem strange to see giant snowmen when the sun is shining.  Need to take some pictures to supplement these words.

Lillian went off to her Greek lesson, having only completed homework tasks the hour before - all those years of telling the children to do their homework as soon as they came in and NOT leave it to the last moment.  She says it was because I would not let her off Charlie duty and made her make Christmas Cards.

I waited in the Cottage Pub where the Wednesday night Bingo session was in full swing.  Perhaps I can get a job as the caller each week?  Eating out at Kokos ....... The biggest pork chop imaginable was just too much.  I have put on weight since we returned here last week.  Not surprising with eating and drinking and not enough exercise.