Monday...

I didn't sleep well - the whole tyregate thing was playing on my mind so I got up early to survey the damage in daylight.  The tyre was shredded and I am not sure whether or not the wheel itself will be ok as I had driven on it for a while to get to safety.  I started the car and got no warning lights and couldn't see that there was a pool of fluid in underneath so hope that the wheel is the limit of the damage.

I passed by Savvas the tyreman's house but no-one was in so decided to speak to Marianna in the Community Office as her husband runs the garage where we take the cars if there is a problem.  Her English is pretty good so with the help of the photograph she called the garage and said someone would come straight away.  I went back to the Pug and waited.  Marianna's son-in-law arrived and obviously didn't think it was going to be a long job as he left the engine of his battered pickup running but then Klaus commented that maybe he did that in case the ancient beast wouldn't start again.  This guy is also called Savvas and his command of English is about the same as my command of Cypriot (how I wish I could converse more fluently) so we were like the blind leading the blind.  He removed the old wheel but then had enormous trouble removing the spare which is located on the underside of the Pug - when it dropped it nearly hit him in the face as he was lying in underneath it.  He put that wheel on and then we exchanged a few confused words and I decided it would be better if I rang Marianna and he agreed - the upshot was that I was to take the car to the garage on Wednesday for them to swap the spare but whether or not I have to have a new tyre and wheel is a mystery to me.  Time will tell.

I eventually got to Art and I was so pleased because I haven't been for a while and what with one thing and another this picture has taken me forever.  There is a week left for it to be finished and then I will need to start something new.  It was lovely to be with Klaus and Sheila and we are all together again on Wednesday when we are partaking of Afternoon Tea at the Elysium.  I had everything crossed for them as they had a viewing of their bungalow later this afternoon - the last one got cancelled which is just so irritating when you get yourself all geared up.

Bassam was at the cemetery - he has been fashioning a headstone for Elena's grave and it is so her.  He said he doesn't think she likes it because as fast as he erected it, it would lean over - I said she was just playing games with him.  He said he had been chatting to Dad but feared that Dad didn't understand his Lebanese.  We spent a companionable half an hour or so sat at Elena's side discussing life, death and the universe.  Bassam is such a lovely man and I know that when he has completed his work it will be stunning and completely different to anything else - that was surely Elena to a tea.  I am going to have coffee with him on Thursday, Elena's mum is here so we can get her to make some Finnish coffee for us.

I walked down to retrieve the Pug - it was hot but the route is all downhill so easy walking and the views are spectacular.  The Pug was there and I drove it back home without any problem so there doesn't seem to be any undiscovered issues at least I hope so.  John keeps doing the 'don't worry it is only a car' speech but I am so pissed off that I failed to avoid that bloody lump of metal in the road.

I have been saying how hot it is at the moment so here is a photograph of the temperature in the car when I went to get it back from Kellys - it had been in the shade but inside was sweltering - tomorrow is set to be the same - this is good news for the visitors who have come for the sun - I just hope they realise how strong it is at this time of the year - I have seen so many puffy pink tourists over the last couple of days who have overdone it and probably without meaning to.

I have been trying to clear out some of our cupboards whilst John is away and in my wardrobe I had stored some books of my Dad's which Mum just didn't want to throw away or give to a charity shop to gather dust.  They were very specialist so I was holding out much hope but took a photograph and advertised them on one of the local buy/sell sites only to be contacted by two people who had links with Westland and one of whom used to live just round the corner from us in Yeovil but like us has now retired to Cyprus.  They will be going to an appreciative home which I know will please Mum.

With the weather so hot and dry I am having to do a lot of watering to make sure that things survive.  There has been on failure already in a hanging pot so I need to get a replacement white million bells to replace it.

It never fails to amaze me that flowers spring up in the garden and I have no idea how they get there.  Obviously birds drop seeds and the annuals reseed each year but today I have come across what looks to be a sweet pea and I have absolutely no idea how that got to be where it is growing and it has thrived without any care and attention whatsoever.  I do like plants like that!

Tomorrow I have earmarked as a cleaning day, John is home on Thursday and we have friends staying at the weekend and the dust is now settling on old dust.  I have given my pickleball place up to Liz so that she gets a game so I have the whole day to crack out all of my chores and then I have been invited to dinner with my neighbours which is to be peas, artichokes and meatballs - I wonder if she has been in cahoots with my mum's neighbour Effie!