Tuesday - Family works outing...

Every morning now we face the 'make the bed without disturbing the cats' challenge.  If we have had the fire lit the cats tend to stay in the lounge and enjoy the residual heat - all except Minnie Mou who demands a cuddle when we go to bed - she may not have been anywhere near us all day but at the moment we get into bed she appears from nowhere and sits on John's chest - foof in his face until he gives her a cuddle and then she turns round gives me a 'na na na na na - I have got him to give me a cuddle' look and purrs away happily until she gets too warm and then she moves off down the bed and settles down.

As it has got colder the other cats have realised that the bed is the best place to be so after they have had their morning meal they shoot through the window and settle down - Boris generally likes to claim the 'blinkie' and lie where the sun comes through - this morning he was in danger of getting his paw bitten as he stretched out and nearly poked Mins in the eye.  If all four are on the bed they tend to keep a safe distance between one another because they get on OK but there are limits when personal space is being invaded.

We had arranged to go for a pre-Christmas lunch with Mum and Dad today but had errands to run beforehand - all associated with the dreaded Pool project.  We are now seriously considering the possibility of tiling the pool but trying to bring that in on budget will be difficult as we are going to have to pay for remedial works to be done thanks to Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - actually that is probably unfair to cowboys.  We thought we had found something we liked but when we put it against the tiles that form the walkway around the edge of the pool we aren't sure and then we went to a tile shop we hadn't been to before and saw something completely 'off piste' and are now in a right old quandry.  No-one has them in stock so they will have to be ordered so there is no rush to get it sorted this week and next week we reckon a load of the shops will be shut anyway.

It was a glorious day - really bright and warm and we had decided to go to the Blue Olive at Coral Bay for a light lunch as John wanted to go and play Badminton this afternoon.  If it is sunny it is always warm at the Blue Olive because the eating area is like a big conservatory in the winter when they have the 'sides' down.  Two of the resident complex cats have worked that out too and had taken up residence on the sofas in the seating area.

I am glad to say that Dad is feeling better and his chest is loosening up so at least he now feels he is coughing for a reason and gets some relief  - his appetite hasn't seemed to be affected which is good news and Mum always likes eating here as she can find something to her taste and Derrick always obliges with a small meal so she doesn't feel overfaced.

The food really is fantastic value.  This was my choice - Smoked Duck Wrap with Pomegranate and Hoi Sin Sauce, Coleslaw and Chips which was only €6.95 and absolutely delicious - it is probably a good job that we don't live closer otherwise we would be eating there all the time.   Dad had the home-made moussaka, Mum plumped for ham, egg and chips and John ordered at BLT with chips as a lighter option and it was massive.  Another plus is that they are one of the few places you can go and get a reasonably priced non-alcoholic beer which was nice for me as I fancied a 'beer' but didn't want the alcohol.

John took Dad home and then went to Badminton and Mum and I had a few errands to run including going down to one of the tile shops in town to look at their pool range.  Whilst we were there we came across a shop dedicated to Christmas Decorations.  Apparently the stock changes as to whether it is Easter or Carnival or Christmas or something else.

It was a complete Aladdin's cave and I just know that my friend Elaine who is the Christmas Queen would be like a kid in a sweet shop if she were in there.  I shall certainly make a point of popping in there every now and again to see what they have in store.

A quiet night in was in order as we have a busy day tomorrow preparing for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and we are having our Vegetarian Christmas with Sharon and Sean tomorrow night which will be nice.