An unwelcome guest...

I knew today was not going to be the best of days when I woke and went across to the kitchen to feed the cats.  Thankfully I was wearing flipflops and was not in bare feet because on opening the door I found my glass vase with flowers and lights in a million pieces on the floor.  It used to reside on the top shelf of the book case but no more, nor was my Wiseman Family picture (made by John's cousin Gail) still on the shelf and nor was the gourd lamp given to us by Klaus and Sheila.  Thankfully the only items to remain intact and in situ were my photographs of Dad and Hadge.  I couldn't work out what had happened except that sometimes Charlie has a made five minutes and jumps up onto things but this would have meant he had been pole vaulting.  Boris had followed me in and was desperate to get up onto the bookcase which meant that we must have a visitor.  I got John out of bed and we eventually located the lodger - it was a small mouse which had gone into hiding inside the curtain which is at the back door.  The bloody cats were totally disinterested because they were awaiting a more gourmet breakfast so there was John armed with a broom trying to encourage said mouse out of the house via the backdoor but said mouse kept escaping into the toilet or behind the cat bowls - eventually it left and we think it was outside but we didn't actually see it's final exit.

One bit of good news is that my bird of paradise plant is flowering - I am just a bit sorry that Dad never got to see it.  On the subject of Dad it was with some trepidation that I went off this morning to what I hoped was going to be my final visit to the tax office in my attempt to get his file closed.  I had filled in the forms as best I could with the advice of the tax adviser who had marked up the bits I needed to fill in and I had got all the paperwork and the receipts for tax paid and a complete print out of all the tax Dad had paid in Cypurs since he started doing so in the 1990s.  Why does Tax have to be so complicated?  I managed to park up in the 2 euro carpark rather than try and find a free spot and got to speak to the same woman I had spoken to last week and she cast a cursory glance over the paperwork and told me to take it to the counter and ask that they close the file.  I am hopeful that is the end of that and the file will be closed and there will be nothing else to pay.  There are now only a couple of items left to sort out but there is no urgency with them.

On returning home after playing pickleball John suggested we went to the cemetery to take the new pot with flowers to replace the remaining arrangement from the funeral which was now passed its best.  We did this and then decided to call into the Hotel and have a glass of wine - I know Dad would have approved - it was a rather nice drop of Kolios Red - one of his favourites.  The Hotel is looking lovely as it prepares for the Cypriot Easter Weekend.  I know that Dad loved coming here so John and I raised a glass to Ronnie - it could only have been better if he had been there to enjoy it with us - I know that he will have been in spirit.