Well today started early. I was so shattered yesterday that I went to bed at 3pm and woke up at 3am. I got up once to go to the loo and scared the daylights out of Danae who was all dolled up to go out with her dad. Suddenly a rumpled, disoriented stranger loomed out of the darkness and stumbled off towards the bathroom...Lucky the girl did not scream.
The good thing about waking up ultra early is that there is nothing to distract you from corrections. I got through two and a half sets and felt that we could go out today with a clean conscience. Of course, before we set off Helen had her daily lesson on the computer. This time I showed her how to open up widgets hat give you the weather, time, calendar, dictionary e.t.c...
We breakfasted on a high chol meal of eggs, bacon and fried halloumi before setting off for the day's adventures.. award. We planned to go into the city centre and play tourist as Danae has gone camping at Troodos for the Duke of E award.
It's never as simple as it seems though, as a cousin has asked Helen to field calls from prospective tenants. As it was difficult for various relatives to take the prospective tenants through, that somehow also became Helen's job and we had to lob into Uncle Andrew's to pick up the keys. It's like Grand Central Station there with his various daughters, their husbands and even grandchildren passing through, leaving messages and getting a bite to eat. We sat at a table eating gliko (preserved apricot) as this maelstrom whirled around us.
Visit over and rental property keys in hand we joined the other maniacs on the road. Helen tells a cautionary tale about traffic etiquette and road rules. They had a visitor from Aust who was as alarmed as me about the scant regard for road rules. Apparently he was going to show the locals how to do it…Well he had a crash 25 metres down the road. The locals had no sympathy…” you were so busy clicking indicators on and off and reading road signs etc that you weren’t watching the other drivers”.
Our first stop was at the seafront where the travel agent is. I thought you might enjoy the snap I took of a mini minor. Locking the door involves locking up the padlock which has been welded to the outside. Mr Bean could not have done better. Helen has organized to cash in her cruise ticket and get 2 cheaper tickets for a 3 day trip to Egypt. We cross the sea to Port Said and travel down the Nile.
We sauntered through all the little lanes with all the other tourists, when suddenly, duty called. A neighbor was going to be late back from Nicosia and asked Helen to pick up Ifigenia from school for her. Actually it was probably time to go home as it was baking hot and were starting to feel it. At the school Helen met up with old friends again. An elderly lady from Scotland (a mother of Helen’s friend Catherine) was there to pick up her grandson. Is there any one in this city of 130000 or on this island, that does not know and like Helen?
Tonight I’m either home with DVDs or minding Helen’s friend’s children so they can go to see a Remos concert. Danae got tickets from her dad but as she is on camp, Helen is using them. At first Helen planned for me to go with her but she could see that I was not likely to get as much of a buzz as her friends at the prospect of 2 hours of non-stop Greek music.
It's late afternoon on a friday and the traffic has developed a new frenzy but we are out again, meeting an agent at the rental property. We keep making phone calls and giving each other directions, but we can't find her. In the end Helen leaves me in the car and takes a hike to track her down. She's on a parrallel road apparently. With the agent in tow we screech around to the property. New problem... right key but wrong door. Helen tries to cajole the lock into cooperation, and I try to assert some authority (by giving the door an almighty kick) but nothing works. We catch sight of Petros, (our cousin's young smoothie of a son). He finished work at lunchtime and has been at the gym all afternoon. He looks like he could shoulder the door down. "Can you get the door open Petro?" apparently not as he shrugs a "don;t know" kind of look and throws up clouds of dust as his new black Merc dissapears into the distance.
Helen resorts to describing the property in glowing terms and the agent looks convinced as she makes copious notes of the many and varied features.
We are on the road again but not bound for home yet. There is an aunty to see. She's done some clothing alterations for Helen. Yes, you guessed it..coffee and a catch up on the latest news. Aunty isn't feeling well. She has badly swollen knees that have become very painful...but her greatest anxiety comes not from the fact that she is in pain but because she will not be able to get to the local church and its the celebration of not one saint, but two! Some time later we are back into the traffic and belting home.
Well, must go now, love to all. Will keep you posted. Lily
