Update on Charlie...

People have been asking after Charlie so this is a photograph of him enjoying the morning sunshine coming through the conservatory roof.  Outwardly he looks ok but the right side of his face is still causing concern - we think there is a little movement on the upper lid of his eye but that might just be wishful thinking.  We have also realised that he has lost part of his fang on the left side and possibly another tooth.  He used to have a fine pair of Draculas but no longer and we need to keep an eye on the chipped tooth to make sure it isn't dying - it isn't stopping him eating so we assume it isn't bothering him too much.  Anyway Charlie says 'thank you' to everyone who has asked after him and in particular to Daisy Dog who sent him a lovely card.

We were up early this morning enjoying some lovely sunshine after the weekend of miserable weather.  John is making me a duckboard for the shower room - it has been built and this morning because it was dry John was staining it in readiness for use.  We have a wet-room of sorts, we are not convinced that the bathroom guy actually bothered to check that the waste water flowed its way back down the plughole so we have been looking for ways to make sure that when you have finished showering you aren't standing up to your ankles in water.

I went off to Art this morning.  Looking at the progress, or lack of it, made this week you would think that Sheila and I spent the whole time chatting!!!  Today I worked on the cinnamon stick and the bits and pieces in the foreground on the left which were clearly very time consuming.  I am in no rush to finish this one - it is just a subject matter I chose to push me.  After a lovely lunch of sweet and sour Chicken I walked up to the cemetery and John drove up to meet me.  We have a quiet few minutes with Dad - it is hard to believe that it is now nine months since he left us, some days it only seems like yesterday and others it feels like a lifetime ago.  Not wishing to dwell on this to much we said our goodbyes and returned home.  Judi has been having a couple of IT related issues so I checked she was in and John went for a coffee with Di and Rob and I went and sorted her out.

This afternoon I had been invited for coffee up with Jan Fox.  She and her husband have a holiday home on the Lordos 2 development the other side of Droushia and she found me through the blog.  We see each other periodically at Ladies' lunches and have a chat if we are sitting near one another but today was an opportunity to have a proper talk.

In her lounge she has the most fabulous charcoal drawing of an elderly Cypriot lady which was done by Harry Hawkins who used to live in Neo Chorio but who sadly passed away a few years ago.  In fact it was the books written by his wife Sheila about them building their lives in Neo Chorio shortly after the troubles in the 1970s which inspired us to try and build our lives in a village.

Jan was saying that her family found the portrait of the lady quite scary - I think it is wonderful and am absolutely amazed that it is done in Charcoal - this is not a medium I know anything about.  Jan said that Harry told her he had to be very careful not to sweat whilst he was working on the picture otherwise the charcoal would have been ruined.

I had a very nice time with Jan and I have to thank her for the splendid piece of ginger cake for which I now have the recipe.  I was thrilled to learn that she has been preserving her ginger having read the recipe that was on my blog.  I have to admit I have yet to use the jar I did but may well have to try it and make this cake - it was delicious.

I returned home in time to speak to John's mum who seemed in good spirits - talking of which I have given her the head's up that Lidl are going to be stocking Peaky Blinders Gin and she sampled that one when she was over here and seemed to like it!

We had a right old slobby evening snuggled up with the gas fire on watching Escape to the Chateau which I love - Angel reminds me of Gemma who I used to work with.  Then we watched an episode about Clivedon and some super dooper Anglo Indian wedding that was being hosted there - this was rounded off with an episode of Apprentice - all programmes which needed no brain power!