T minus 10 days to go

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Saturday 4th November 2017

So here we are on the real countdown now with just 10 more days to go before we all head home to the U.K. We will of course miss our little place, the weather and our adventures out here but will look forward to returning in 2018. Not booked our return as yet as we will see how our build project progresses and also we have the more important new arrival to look forward to........ exciting times ahead. ?. A nice start to the day with a clear blue sky, a few white clouds and the sun has returned. For how long we don’t know as the local forecast does predict rain for today and also tomorrow. Cup of tea in bed to get us going and then followed the normal routine with the dogs for an hour before home and then off to buy some veggies for tonight’s supper. Down to Supreme supermarket, very busy as usual and an hour later back home. Clouds building up and the forecast is for rain so we put the jeep under the balcony and made sure it was watertight, just in case. Temperature at midday was still showing 20C so we really cannot complain. Sarah prepared the veg, which will be roasted later and John sliced up the beef (Slow cooked piece of brisket) which will finish off in some lovely gravy. Also on the go was the apple ? pie for tonight’s pud. With everything made ready we then relaxed for the afternoon. Of course as it’s Saturday there is the football to enjoy ? and today it’s the FA Cup first round with a game against non league Tranmere........let’s hope we don’t slip up. We did slip up tho......1-1 draw. Poor result.

John headed out with Kilroy on his usual afternoon walk, plenty of clouds around but as yet no rain. Home and we made ready for our guests before getting changed and enjoying a small glass of red before supper. Around 8pm Brendan, Beryl, Gary and Ellie had arrived and supper was cooking nicely. After introducing himself Kilroy then retired to his favourite spot for a snooze. The beef, roasted potatoes and veggies was excellent as was the apple pie and custard. Plus we also had an extra treat as Ellie had bought a great strawberry cream tart as well. The evening was made even better by the “butler” aka Gary busying himself making the Irish coffees complete with Jameson’s whiskey. A lovely evening to round off our stay here in North Cyprus and with Brendan and Beryl flying home on Tuesday we said our farewells and will look forward to seeing them again in 2018. A final lap around the block with the dog and then off to bed....it was already 30mins into the 5th November so a late one for us.

Sunday 5th November 2017

It’s arrived.....the rain that is. A windy night and as we surfaced at around 7:30am it was to clouds and rain. Kilroy looked out of the patio door and was not keen to go out for his morning wee, he stuck his nose out and just stood there. Eventually Sarah decided to hook him up to his lead and he had to be almost dragged out of the door, suffice to say he didn’t hang around long and soon came trotting back in and back on his bed. He wasn’t keen on this wet stuff - better get used to it Kilroy as in a short while you will see a lot more of it. Cup of tea in bed before we started our day. Sarah off to church, John watching the dog and the rain outside. Lunch was bacon and egg sandwich and the afternoon was taken up by a couple of films. The day did brighten up at around 3pm but an hour later the grey clouds were back and a more rain as well. Temperature for most of the day has been around 17C. Slightly shorter evening walk with Kilroy mainly because we were keeping one eye on the weather and trying to dodge the showers. We failed as shortly after setting out the heavens opened, good job we had our waterproofs on....sadly Kilroy had no coat and was not happy at all. After about 10mins the rain eased off so we decided as we were wet anyway we continued on for another half hour. Back home and we rubbed Kilroy down and he promptly headed to his favourite chair and fell asleep. Humans changed and then it was hot chocolate and some tv. Supper was roast beef part 2 as there was some left overs to be eaten from last night. After our supper party yesterday it was an early night for us all.

Monday 6th November 2017

The rains have gone, the sun is out ? so we could sit on the front balcony for our pre walk cups of tea. Kilroy enjoyed the warmth on his back! Usual hours walk then breakfast before we changed and headed off to do a couple of jobs. Firstly tho we had a bit of FaceTime with Kayleigh and George both were at home today working on their house. Busy laying new central heating pipes and radiators - these youngsters have far to much energy. Good catch up with them both, we will see them a week after we arrive back home. FaceTime done, time to head to town. First stop was the print shop, another peiece of paper to print.....our printer at home was being difficult. Then to the supermarket for milk before heading up to Arapkoy to check on Bill and Joan’s place following the rains of the last few days. All was well. Back home for lunch, just tomato soup as tonight we are going for it......a final bbq! Weather is set fair for a day or so so it would be the last chance to enjoy a bbq even tho we will eat indoors. Into the freezer to select the meat, pork chops, sheftalia and some liver. A quiet afternoon followed, watching a film, booking our transfer to the airport and generally chilling. Around 4pm and it was getting decidedly cool outside and sun was beginning to set so it was time for Kilroys evening walk. A wander around the Sea Vistas site before a stroll around Buffavento Village and 40mins later we were back home. Just read an article on Facebook, posted by Kyrenia Animal Rescue giving details of a couple of dogs that they had arranged travel for .......Kilroy will be undergoing the same experience next week. We will be taking his bed down with him and also a couple of old t shirts of ours so he recognises the smells and hopefully will understand that we haven’t abandoned him. Everything is ready back in the U.K. for his arrival and his new rescue greyhound friend will be there to welcome him. Hopefully the fire will lit when we arrive home that evening and he can snuggle down and relax after his journey. We are looking forward to taking him out on walks with his new friend, especially as a couple of them do involve dog friendly pubs ? plus we also will take the dogs to the woods and also onto the common as well.

Bbq coals were fired up at just before 7pm, it will take about 40mins to get them ready to start the cooking. Sarah rustled up the salad whilst John did the important task of setting the table, preparing some nibbles; olives and crisps tonight and then a Cyprus brandy sour. Sarah was only saying that 2 weeks ago we sat outside enjoying supper with Brendan and Beryl until 9:30pm, a week ago we were eating indoors but the patio and front doors were open and tonight we have all doors closed and curtains shut......so we are returning to the U.K. just in time! We say this because out here the insulation is pretty poor and things can get very chilly when winter sets in. We haven’t yet needed to get any form of heating set up but if we were here for another few weeks we would probably pull our halogen heaters out and also get the air con on to blow out some warm air. At home if our son allows it, us old folks might be able to enjoy central heating or maybe the open fire ?.........hopefully. ? Sarah took Kilroy on a quick stroll round the block and then came back to watch Nigella doing some cooking, John took his iPad upstairs and watched a few things on YouTube. Lights out at 11pm.

Tuesday 7th November 2017

Another bright start to the day but looking out to sea there were plenty of clouds and it did appear to be raining, Sun is nice and warm and at the end of the mornings walk we both had a slight sweat on. Home and a couple of jobs to be done, pack the bbq away, plus sun umbrella and a few other items. We are slowly doing the pre leave tidy around so as we don’t have so much to do on our last full day, Kilroy was oblivious to it all and just snoozed on the balcony, occasionally wandering indoors as he was getting hot! Sarah was preparing tonight’s supper, mackerel done the way her mum used to do it.....cooked in wine vinegar with onions and then eaten cold with salad. Then it was another day of doing not a lot, just reading and enjoying the last of the good weather. To be fair the morning sunshine up to around 11am was very warm and it was perfect sunbathing weather on the balcony....... but as midday approached the clouds came over, temperature dropped and it was back indoors for all of us. Within a couple of hours the wet stuff began again, lasted about 20mins but not the downpour we experienced over the weekend. John decided to make a Keema curry ready for tomorrow night once we return from the quiz and when he had finished it certainly smelt good. By the time it was Kilroys walk the rain had moved on so we didn’t get wet today. Back home we saw Kyrenia Animal Rescue had posted there dog of the month which needed sponsorship. As we used to sponsor Kilroy but that finished as we are taking him home with us we decided to transfer the sponsorship across to Nicky.....looks like a small scruffy wire haired terrier. Don’t think we will get to see her before we return to the U.K. but next year we will pop up and take her out for walks......she won’t be coming home (!) with us but we will take an interest in her welfare in the kennels. She was admitted as a puppy in 2011 and apparently needed a lot of nurturing during her early months and like the other 350+ dogs is looking for a forever home. A stroll up to the pool for John as he was going to sort out the pool light timer. Now that it is dark just after 5pm the timer needs adjusting.......however on arrival at the pool Gary was there with a few others which included the pool maintenance men. Problem with pool pump! Seems like that after it was repaired earlier in the summer the cover on a transformer was not replaced and of course the rains of the last few days have managed to cause it to fail....again. Gary not best pleased so a call will be made tomorrow! Eventually the maintenance men left and John was able to sort out the pool light timer. Now set to come on around 5:30pm and go off at around 10:30pm and will give some light around the pool area for anyone who happens to be wandering around. We don’t want them to wander into the pool ?. Home, shower, changed and watched some tv, then supper followed by a film....Prisoners - pretty good it was as well. Then whilst Sarah made the pre bedtime coffee John took Kilroy out for his last stroll of the day before we were all tucked up in bed by 11:30pm.

Wednesday 8th Nobember 2017

Nice morning when we woke at 7am. Usual start to the day with a cup of tea, Sarah reading and John checking on last nights football. Peterborough won, now there is a surprise! The day has got off to a good start. Weather is fantastic today and looks likely to stay the same for the next two days, clear blue sky with not a cloud to be seen. Temperature at midday hit 24C. Pottered around for the morning after the dog walk and then at around midday we decided to head to the weekly market. This will be our last one for this trip, don’t need anything but just a wander, coffee and some people watching. Turning up at around lunch time does seem to be a good option as the market is not as busy and a little easier to park up. First stop was money exchange shop - rate now 5.08TL to the £. Then to the market and sure enough found a parking spot easily. A wander around and then the usual stop for coffee, cold drink and some lahmucen as a snack for lunch. Back into the market for a few items to bring home, peanuts, cashew nuts, dates and pistachio nuts - all very reasonably priced. Hmmmm...... wonder if all this stuff will be under our weight allowance when we check in for our flight. Market done it was home via the bag shop.....Sarah was after another backpack, onwards to CreditWest (Our bank) to check on the funds in our bill payment account. We just want to make sure there are enough funds to cover the bills whilst we are back in the U.K. Then to the supermarket for milk and bread, stroll across to pharmacy to pick up another slack handful of tablets for Kilroy, he now has enough for at least a year at a fraction of the cost in the U.K. Back home for an afternoon of knitting, surfing and reading. Ben sent an email to let John know that on Weds 15th the FA Cup replay between Tranmere and Peterborough is live on BT Sport, which Ben subscribes to ......... so hopefully after picking Kilroy up we will be home in time to catch the game. Quiz night tonight so at around 5:15pm we headed off to Ozankoy to meet Gary at the Club Tropicana. This will be our last quiz before we leave, going to give the Friday night quiz a miss as Gary is south side spending the weekend with Ellie. With just a team of 3 we did ok and after the quiz it was a quick game of stand up bingo before home for supper. Kilroy greeted us on our arrival and was also looking forward to his supper as well. For humans it was the Keema curry John had prepared yesterday along with some pitta bread - excellent it was as well. A bit of tv, walk the dog and off to bed.

Thursday 9th November 2017

Awake at 6:30am, tea and off with the dogs. Another beautiful start to the day with the sun shining so once we had returned to our place Sarah and Kilroy settled down for a bit more sunbathing. John was busy in the garden trimming the shrubs back and generally tidying around, one less job to be done. Later we will finish off cleaning the back bedroom and can then close up the room until next year. Rest of the morning was spent chilling, reading and enjoying the weather. As the afternoon came on, John headed around to Gary’s to give him a hand in replacing a number of electrical sockets. The original sockets fitted when the place was built were past there sell by date so needed to go. Just over two hours later and with the job done it was time to return home for a late lunch....ploughman’s and then the rest of the afternoon was spent watching a bit of tv. Soon it was 5pm so we both took Kilroy out for his evening stroll and then on return home it was time to get ready to meet Norman and Jill for a meal. Plan was to go to Leman, our favourite lahmucen and pide place in Catalkoy, however on arrival the place was locked and in darkness- first time ever says Norman. Maybe there is a problem. No doubt Norman will check in a day or so and let us know. A quick discussion and we went back into the village centre to Ikelmez....a small taverna next to the barbers shop. Simple menu, local food. Three of us had the kofte and Norman the sheftalia which came with home cooked chips, tomato’s, plus a bowl of salad, lovely yoghurt and some toasted bread drizzled with olive oil. All washed down with some red wine and a glass or two of Efes beer. A lovely meal with good company - the perfect evening. Dropped Norman and Jill off at their place, said our farewells and we headed home to see what Kilroy had been up to....Not a lot. Usual quick stroll round the block and off to bed.

Friday 10th November 2017

Kilroy decided he was in puppy mode this morning and whilst he has his own soft toys decided John’s slippers were preferable. Despite telling him no he insisted on playing with them until eventually they were removed well away from him and placed beside our bed.....not impressed so he just flounced back on his bed and promptly went back to sleep. ? However he is nothing if not determined and 15mins later after his brief snooze, he had obviously be plotting something. We were sat in bed enjoying our second cuppa of the day when the soft padding of a four legged creature was heard coming slowly up the stairs. A swift suspicious glance across to us and the hound skulked down and stuck out his paw.....after a couple of attempts he managed to pull the slipper towards him. Quietly grabbing it between his teeth he then reversed slowly downstairs and outside to have a lovely game of throw the slipper! We could not do anything for laughing so much. He does make us smile. ?? Dogs walked as normal and once back home it was more cups of tea and then John made a start on packing a few things into our suitcase as Sarah was off to church to meet the lady who would be taking over the duties that she has been doing during our time here. Packing went well but as predicted our one case will be overweight - so back online to book another case on board the flight. By the time Sarah got back home it was lunch time so fish finger sandwiches all round before settling down for another relaxing afternoon watching some tv and reading. Weather had been good all morning but clouds had started to come over just after midday as the temp peaked at 21C. There are showers forecast for today and tomorrow and hopefully more sunshine for Sunday. Sarah did interrupt her tv viewing to prepare tonight’s supper which is going to be slow cooked lamb tagine. Took a stroll up the hill tonight with Kilroy and once back home it was doors closed to keep the warmth in, tv on and a coffee. The rest of the evening was spent doing not a lot apart from enjoying supper before it was time for bed.

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Photos

My chair
Kilroy relaxing indoors whilst the rains come down

Dull Sunday
Rainy Sunday

Rain clouds
A wet Sunday

Glorious weather
A beautiful November morning

BBQ
Bbq in November!
Pork chop, sheftalia and liver plus salad, grated cabbage, pittas and dips.

My chair
Kilroy chilling