Tuesday 29th January...

 Sorry Orexi Elena that this is late being posted - we were out in Paphos last night!

It was not a particularly nice day today - the wind was coming from the North West and was biting - a day to be indoors except that little Minnie Mou had to be taken to the vets.  John was a brave bunny and did this on his own whilst I kept Dad company. Apparently she yelled all the way down in the car and then was quiet as a lamb for the vet and then sulked all the way home!!

I was quite miffed when John said that the vet thought MM might have mange - mange - I ask you?  How could either of my little lovelies have mange?  If they did then they must have picked it up from the mangey ferals up the road!!!

On closer inspection - which involved the area being scraped with a scalpel blade - it was agreed that MM had cat eczema.  MM continues to suffer with an ear mite infection and I have read somewhere on the internet that ear mites can help contribute towards eczema so that came as no surprise.  Unfortunately we struggle to get the ear mite gunk into her ears - John has to grip her under his arm like a big fat rugby ball and she wriggles like a greased pig and the gunk goes everywhere.  To make matters worse we now have some secondary gunk to squirt in her mouth which is an antibiotic for the eczema.  This is going to be fun - we have to do the first of the double dosing tomorrow so I will report back on the carnage that is bound to follow.

Needless to say MM ran off in a fit of pique when she returned home and refused to come out until most of the day had passed by which time John was forgiven and she went and sat on his lap - Dad and I continued to get a stiff ignoring from her.

Whilst John was at the vets I busied myself in the kitchen - tonight's offering for tea is going to be slow cooked orange ginger beef casserole.  

Before going out John double wrapped some big old potatoes and shoved them in the embers of the wood burner to see if they would cook and I have a glut of vegetables as I know that Dad really enjoys his veg. Creamed leeks and carrots together with green beans and peas for tonight I think will be the order of the day.  The tintyweb is bloody marvellous for finding tried and tested recipes that ordinary people post so I was inspired by one that I found here: http://www.inspirededibles.ca/2012/01/oven-roasted-orange-ginger-beef-stew.html I didn't follow it to the letter because I never do but it gave me enough information to get started.  I will report back on whether or not it was successful!

It was not a day for going out - in fact I ventured outside for about 10 minutes to do a bit of weeding and lost the feeling in my fingers so came back in again sharpish.  The conservatory has proved a godsend as it provides decent light for Dad to do a Sudoku or read and is either warmed by the sun when we have any or is easily warmed by the Super Ser or patio heater - only trouble is that if they are on too long the gas can smell and it gives me a headache and I am mindful of Klaus's warning about carbon monoxide fumes which came from his gas burner.  Being confined to barracks meant that I could finish my latest gecko project.  It hasn't been easy to get the pebbles to stick to the uneven surface - they kept slipping or falling off but I have eventually got them to stay in place and have put an extra couple of coats of PVA on top for good measure.  I am not sure whether it would survive the ravages of the weather outside so I will find a place for it indoors for the time being.  He is looking good though.

We are hopeful of a better day tomorrow as the sun went down beautifully and cast a pink glow in the clouds above Andreas's house.  If it is nice we may venture down into Polis with Dad to get some fresh air.  Mum seems to be having a busy time of it back in the UK and sends regular text updates.  It is strange for her not to be here - I even dealt her a hand of cards tonight - DUFFER!!