May 11, 2008

Sorry I haven't written since Easter, but things just seem dull after that. Then Dale came home on the 4th for 24 hours, left for 48 on an emergency trip, then returned again on the 7th. It must have been the sight of the job-jar list that had him running. So far, he has tackled three off the list, so yesterday we took the motorcycle into the hills behind Kouklia for a break. Twice now, we have gone out for a bike ride and forgotten our camera. Not only that, we forgot a map, so we weren't exactly lost, we just didn't know where we were. That and only a quarter of a tank of fuel had us return from whence we came. Checking the map at home, we could have continued, but we will save that for later.
Today being Mother's Day - Happy Mother's Day to you all - Dale made me a nice breakfast and off we went in search of roses. The village of Agros in the Troodos mountains is famous for its roses and a large cottage industry of small factories creating rose water, liqueurs, sweets, pottery, etc. The drive up and the scenery were spectacular. We had lunch (grilled lamb, roast potatoes, village salad and Keo beer) in a little Taverna in Agros on the side of the hill looking out over the valley. We stopped at a couple of churches including Ayios Ioannis and Ayios Theodoros which house icons from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Thankfully it only rained on our way up, but any rain is much welcomed here, as we are in the midst of a very severe drought. The sun came out though for our touring and it was sunny and warm again by the time we got back to the coast.
We will be staying close to home for the next few days, as our friend Peter is going in for an operation on Tuesday to remove a tumour from his brain. It is benign, so everyone is very hopeful and the prognosis is good. We would still welcome any extra prayers as it is a six to eight hour operation. He will be in an induced coma for two days, and hopefully all will be well after that. We will keep you posted.
So take care and hope you have a lovely day.
Love,
Laurel