Morning after the night before...

It was lovely this morning to be afforded something of a lie-in as even the cats seemed to appreciate that we were a little tired after the events of yesterday.  We had raced down and back from Emba to play a particularly hard session of pickle-ball, quickly turned things round so that we could entertain Amoura, Rabia and Lola when they came over which meant (a) ensuring that they did not drown in the pool and (b) fall off the roof and meet an untimely end before Bassam and Elena pitched up.

We had the additional worry that we had timed the barbeque so we would eat at 6.00pm and then poor Elena was delayed so we panicked a bit about the heat in the charcoal as we didn't think it would be appropriate to give our guests a dose of food poisoning as a parting gift.

I had stayed up and cleared the kitchen before going to bed.  I usually do because I hate having to face the dirty pots and pans the following day and the mere thought of cold old fish wasn't very attractive.  I don't often miss not having a dish washer but on days like today I wouldn't mind having one - somehow even though John says my hands seem able to withstand nuclear heat I can't seem to get the water hot and soapy enough for the really greasy things - here a dishwasher wins hands down but sadly we have no room for one.

I take my hat off to Elena who, even after everything she had been through yesterday, pitched up and joined in the party - she is a real trouper and I hope we didn't wear her out too much although I think she may pay for her late night today.

We opted for a quiet day - John was more than happy with that decision and took the opportunity to catch up on a couple of films he had wanted to watch before settling down for the FA Cup Final.  I just tootled round the garden faffing about and as it was pretty warm I cooled off by dipping my feet into the pool.  Now the Roman steps that caused us so much grief are a blessing.

The garden is coming on a treat - now that the clock vine (on left) has decided to show itself it is growing almost visibly and i will soon be able to tie it into the 'A' frame ladder John has built and before we know it it will be as high as the roof like it was last year.

The purple moon-flower which Dad grew for me has established itself and has its first flower bud on show.  To help it along I have cut back the white moon-flower which is growing behind so that it does not completely engulf this new-comer.  I am glad it has survived and hope that, like the white one, it will over-winter up here and return again next year.  I shall collect the seeds because if it is successful there are a couple of other places one could go.

It is my turn to entertain Mum and Dad on Sunday and I had planned Dad's favourite Shepherd's Pie in the hopes that he would have a better appetite than he had last week when we were concerned by his lethargy.  If he turned his nose up at a Shepherd's Pie we would know that he was seriously ill!!!  Having been given loads of potatoes it seemed like a good idea until Mum said she had batch baked several for them so I had to think again and do something with the mince I had bought.  John came up with the idea of meat-loaf and as I haven't made one in ages thought that it would be nice for a change.

My attempts to make our bed this morning were thwarted by two of the boys who, having got themselves really comfortable refused to move for hours so I had to sneak in at the earliest opportunity and sort it out.  We are down to a sheet and a throw - only trouble is the throw sheds bits like nobodies business so I had to take it out and give it a massive shake and put the sheet into wash as it looked awful.  I shall have to keep an eye out for a nice turquoise/teal coloured throw which isn't going to leave bits everywhere.

I had an idea for some old cushions I keep on the spare bed to cover them so that they can be moved into our room and when I was having a tidy the other day came across a couple of scarves that I don't wear but which are a perfect colour for our room.  I made two covers really quickly and easily because I chose just to tie the fabric off rather than stitch.

This evening we took some of the leftovers from last night and I rustled up a sort of Spanish frittata which we were having with some coleslaw and salad and a bottle of the wine which Elena's Uncle brought for us.  2005 South African Wood Matured Cabernet Sauvignon probably deserved something a little more exotic than my hastily assembled frittata!!!

This was followed by a 2 hour shout at the TV as we willed Crystal Palace to beat Man Utd in the FA Cup Final.  I think that Palace were robbed personally but then I can't stand Man U and neither can John.