Lets celebrate!

Today, Monday 11th February is a very special day indeed. My lovely step father, James, is “penaninda, trianda tris” today (83 for the uninitiated but the Cypriot version sounds so much more fun!) – and Shayleen Spence made her debut into the world in Dubai today, to the delight of her proud parents Mich and Russ and their families, who are spread around the world. Congratulations to everyone!

The exciting news is that James is partying with us at Yialos on Wednesday lunchtime, (he’s too busy today/tomorrow with “other plans”!) and Shayleen is here in March, staying in a villa near us on the hill in Peyia, so I’m authorising myself as “official baby cuddler and babysitter”. Course, I’ll have to do something about the doting grandad, aunt and uncle who are also going to be here but, having met them before, I know a few magnums of champagne and a sausage buttie gets their attention long enough for Shayleen and I to get very snuggly together!

The parents? Well, I figure they’ll be so tired after approx one month of new parenthood, that they will be pleased to have a mad woman like me taking their beloved daughter off their hands – for a nanosecond! Granny is a different matter though: she is more likely to rugby tackle the baby out of my hands than to let me have my unfair share of cuddles! Even the “trade off” of Jake hugs for Granny probably won’t gain me any ground……will have to think seriously about this!

If there isn’t a Cypriot Law which states that, “Those who let holiday villas to those visiting from overseas, get first option on access/loving/snuggling babies of aforesaid holidaymakers”, I’m going to invent one and leave a copy in the Ts and Cs in the villa.

This is a secret strategy: DON’T tell anyone!!