Thursday April 25th ...

John decided he would be on breakfast duties today so we had a gourmet meal of... TOAST!  Having said that it was toast with Elena's fantastic marmalade.  As I write this I have learned that my lovely friend Elena is poorly - this is not secret as Elena has posted on Facebook that she faces major surgery the week after next and by the time you read this she will have already gone under the knife.  I am hoping to catch up with her this week for coffee before she goes.  Whatever happens Elena all our love and best wishes are on their way to you.

I left John having a sort out this morning - he has taken on Dad's fishing equipment and found this Ronco Pocket Fisherman - an original version but you can still buy these as I have found them advertised on Amazon and billed as:  The Ronco Spincasting rod and reel combination is the famous fishing pal that has thrilled generations! Double-flex rod is hinged into closed position when stored away. Simply unfold from this position until it snaps into fully extended position. Automatic Anti-Reverse prevents the handle from turning backwards. It's always ready for the fish to strike. John said that he wanted to have a rod ready and handy in the car so that when the mood took him he could just stop and have a quick dabble!

We were just five at Pickleball today - and it was hot!  This makes for quite a workout with very little time to rest between games.  Vicki has said that Trevor would like to play more regularly - he has been making up the numbers when we have been short.  I have offered to move to a Tuesday and swap with Vix so she and Trevor can play together on a Thursday.  This does mean that (a) she will have to drop to one day and (b) play with Trev but she said that she thought it was a good idea and would ask Trev.

Vix dropped Mum and I off at Mum's house after Pickleball.  I was staying on as we were all going out this evening and John was driving down to meet up with us after he had helped Bryn paint the badminton building.  The weather has improved so much that Mum is now swimming regularly in the pool.  It is probably about 15 degrees warmer than ours but I think we should try and brave it if the weather continues like this.

Whilst Mum was swimming Dad and I went up to visit Frank who will be 90 next week and who is in the throes of packing up his house in readiness to return to the UK.  I wanted to photograph one of the paintings that his late wife Thelma had done so that I might try and reproduce it as one of my projects with Sheila and before it got packed away I got the chance.  I think it is of Poinsettia plants in different colours but neither Dad nor Frank agreed.  Anyway who cares?  It is a nice picture whatever it is!  We stayed to have a cuppa with Frank sat on his terrace which has a fantastic view out to sea.  It must be very strange for him to be packing up his life after 20-odd years. 

We were meeting up with Bill and Wendy tonight so that Mum and Dad had an opportunity to catch up with them.  We had chosen Costa's taverna in Koloni as it isn't too far for them to come from Pissouri.  It is very traditional and does a meze where you have to ask them to stop bringing food.  Don't go if you aren't a dedicated meat eater!