Sunday at home and good job too....

Unusually we were at home today, Sunday, having been out last night with Mum and Dad and I have to say bloody good job too because we are in the middle of one of the worst coptic storms I have encountered during my time here.  So what are coptic storms?  Apparently the ancient weather lore of Arabia listed a series of gales which occur regularly in the Eastern Mediterranean area and the dates are pretty darn accurate - the one scheduled for March 10th is called El Hossoom and is a gale due to last around six days!!!!  It arrived a day early on my birthday and has been wreaking havoc ever since.  Last night we had the most spectacular thunder and lightning and heavy rain and strong winds - it freaks the cats out big style - they really don't like it and they run around like mad things.  I was so glad that we weren't having to travel today but even more glad that Mum and Dad weren't either.

Being at home gave me the opportunity to check out my outfit for the wedding at the end of April - I had purchased it all some time ago before Christmas and I am pleased to report that the dress fits like a dream and I will manage with the shoes, one pair for wearing when the photographs are being taken because they are exceptionally high and I don't wear high shoes any more, the other pair are much more sensible with a small Cuban heel and will take me through the evening although I will be about six inches shorter when I am wearing them - how sad that nowadays I purchase shoes for comfort and not style - I have that enlarged knuckle on my right foot to accommodate - which is not a bunion apparently and could actually be gout - GOUT bloody hell how unattractive does that sound?

When we were out last night Jackie and Costas very kindly brought me a plant for my birthday so I am the proud owner of an Azalea which hopefully I can find a home for outside in due course.

I daren't look at the garden at the moment as the weather has decimated it - the high winds and heavy rain previously had done enough damage but the hail storms today were absolutely unbelievable - we ended up with a step outside the front door - the stones were about the size of a Maltezer and coming down with such force that they were like bullets.  The sound of them falling on the glass roof of the conservatory was absolutely unbelievable   Take a listen to the video below - John is amazed that the weather is coming towards us horizontally and although the garden is completely surrounded by a wall and fencing we still copped it big-style!

When it had subsided we looked like we were in a winter wonderland.  Fortunately it didn't hang about for too long but long enough that the plants like the solanum look like they have been attacked by a flame thrower.  It is all so disappointing but I am so glad that Helen and Pete managed to avoid this weather when they were here the other week - they would have had such a different impression of the island.

Being confined to barracks meant that we were all in today - the cats like to be in with us when we are at home and they needed a bit of comfort during the worst part of the storms.  We had to have a towel constantly to hand as one of other of them catapulted themselves through the catflap drenched.  We also had to make sure that Minnie-Moo went out to answer a call of nature - she wasn't keen!!!

We noticed that
Charlie has been scratching his ears recently and Minnie suffers terribly with ear mites so we wondered whether he had caught them from her.  Bless him he allowed us to clean his ears and then squirt some gunk into them but then he felt very sorry for himself and sat with his ears at half mast for ages.  He soon perked up when he got extra tea for his troubles!!!

We snuggled up with the fire roaring and a casserole of Minted Lamb with Saute Potatoes to warm us up and a little glass of wine to warm the bones!!!

I have no idea what Boris was up to - looks like he was practicing Yoga but he was sound asleep until he tipped over and then got up looking very embarrassed with himself!!!

We had to start on a new series tonight - quite often having watched something gripping we struggle to find a replacement but tonight we embarked on Taboo which had us gripped from the start - we managed to watch three before throwing in the towel and retiring to bed - neither of us had got much sleep the night before because the weather had managed to keep us awake.  Fortunately by the time we retired the weather had calmed down from this afternoon's blizzard conditions.  Good job too.  Apparently we have a couple more days of this cold and unsettled weather and then it is back to something like it should be - certainly hope so as Bill's mum and aunty arrive on Wednesday and it will be awful if they don't see the sun.