'Tis the season.......

.....to be slightly less miserable. Now those of know me well, know that, contrary to popular family opinion I'm not a miserable bugger - I'm just not one to get over enthusiastic unnecessarily. However there are certain times of the year when it is almost compulsory to get all togged up and smile like a Cheshire cat whether you feel like it or not!
Now Beccy may well have written about the couple of mess do's we've been to over the last couple of weeks - to be honest I've not really read what she's written (but I promise I will sweetheart honest!) so she may have mentioned that I've donned my penguin suit twice already - I think that's as many times as I did in the whole of my tour last time. And just to prove it....

There's loads of stuff happened since I last blogged, the boys have been and gone, the migrants have been and some of them have gone, then come back and are still here, we've been to our first proper formal dinner as the Colonel was "dined out", got hammered at the Mess Xmas Party and were the last to leave with our new drinking buddies Ian & Anita (that's what happens when you invite retired sergeants into the Officer's mess). Abbie has arrived for an unexpected visit - it was £53-00 return from Stansted to Paphos - so how could she not come out and visit at that price? 

 Now Paphos is around 85 miles away from here, which isn't far, but when you ask anybody who's been in Cyprus for more than 10 minutes, how long do you reckon it'd take to get there - they say something like "Paphos all that way, I'd allow at least two hours, maybe two and a half" - now bear in mind it is motorway all the way - which at most has about 12 cars on it, except for around Limasol when there's about 20. Anyway I'd forgotten this Cypresian (I know that Cypresian isn't a real word - but it should be) peculiarity and allowed at least two hours - we got there about 45 minutes early and I only speeded a little bit....

We've had several meze's one for the dive club Christmas Party, one for the office Christmas Party held in Greek Cypriot taverna in a nearby village. As ever the Turkish Cypriot contingent of my team outdid themselves - at the risk of criticism for not being very PC, and proved once again that they really are rubbish muslims! They got absolutely blatted on whisky and zivania, ate at least half a pig and had a fantastic time celebrating the birth of Christ! I reckon if we inserted a couple of Turkish Cypriots into ISIS the whole organisation would fall apart in a matter of weeks - and Syria would be a much more relaxed and generally happy place. Maybe I should mention this to Obama next time he's round for tea.

Gladys at Cape  Grekko

At CESSAC

Gladys with bear

Gladys & Dusty

I've mentioned in a previous post about Cathy's mum being here with us until Mr Jif and Cathy come over at some point to lay her to rest. We've been looking after her, she's been in our spare room quite happily sitting with her bear on the armchair - but I thought she maybe needed a day out - just to stop her getting bored with her own company, so last weekend we took her to a few of her favourite haunts.

We are back home next week for Christmas, then on to France for New Year - not sure when the next blog will be - but if it's not before then and we don't see you we wish you and yours ALL THE BEST.