Old Friends for Lunch - well Chicken Stew for Lunch actually...

Today we were having Richard and Angela over for lunch before they go back to the UK for Christmas.

Why is it that when you have friends coming something always lets you down?  Usually it is the fact that we are just sitting down to eat when one or other of the cats decides to deposit a humongous smelly poo in the cat litter indoors even though we have a box outside for them - today it was something else entirely but more of that later.

The weather here has changed and yesterday and today we have had rain - much needed I might add.  Strangely it feels warmer up here when there has been cloud cover all day as we don't have the huge differential between day and night.  Unfortunately though no sun means no solar heated hot water.

We got up early because we wanted to get tidied up but we didn't have to worry about the food because I had already prepared the chicken stew in the pressure cooker a couple of days earlier.  

Before we managed to get anywhere John did the normal cleaning up where the litter boxes live and found that, horror of horrors, we had some sort of infestation in the wood by the toilet door and we know that because as he was sweeping up the brush suddenly went through the door jamb and exposed some unwelcome guests which Minnie Mou found absolutely fascinating.  

We didn't know what they were but on further inspection and with the help of Google we identified them as wood termites - how lovely!! 

John has managed to scrape out the affected area and clear away all the bugs and again with the help of the internet found that orange oil is a really good way of getting rid of them - and I have plenty of orange oil.  It is strange because earlier in the year we saw some flying insects emerging on the outside which we thought were ants but they must have been termites.  Another little job for John to tackle.

Our babies are spreading their wings which is a frightening experience for us because it is a scarey old world out there particularly today when the locals are out hunting!  Chivers has found his way over the fence and into next door, Minnie is in love with the olive tree and can often be seen peering out of the top!  We know that we cannot contain them but we are worried that because the feral cats are fed at Sharon's and so there is always food outside that Chivers (and later Minnie) will mooch up there and not want to come back.  Today Chivers really disappeared and lo and behold John eventually found him in Sharon's garden just about to get a good battering from one of the 'Slappers' who lives and gets fed up there.  Fortunately he soon raced back home and has been indoors ever since being given lots and lots of love so that he knows where he is best off.

Prior to Angela and Richard arriving for lunch we decided to trim up for Christmas.  We had chosen the things that we wanted to put up so it was just a question of doing it!!!!  My newly refurbished wreath has gone on a hook outside the window to the lounge - the other wreath is on our wooden gate.  The little tree has gone up in the corner of the lounge and so far (fingers very firmly crossed) the cats have given it a stiff ignoring which can only be a good thing.  We are hoping that they just thing it is a light replacing the glass dome and candle that normally sits there.

Richard and Angela arrived at 12.00 and it is really good to see Richard looking so well as he has been poorly with his heart.  I know that Angela will kill me for having two photographs of her on the blog but I cant record the events of the day without including her!!  It was lovely to have them here with us.  They were lucky enough to experience Droushia when it is piddling down!!  I hope they enjoyed the lunch - it seemed to go down well and after the chicken stew we polished off some festive mince pies and brandy cream and then some of Mum and Dad's fresh satsumas.  We hope they have a lovely time back in the UK and we will see them again when they return next year.

I have received an invitation to the Village ex-pat Ladies Tea Party which is organised by Marianna who (wo)mans our community office.  I text her to say that I would attend - I think if they are kind enough to do something for us ex-pats in the village then we should support it.  The only trouble is that I am not entirely sure where she lives and even after her ringing and trying to explain I am still not really certain - still the village isnt so big that I wont be able to find her I am sure.  I think she said that she lives up near the Mukhtar and the supermarket with the coffee shop next door - that will be my first choice!!

Just before I finish tonight John and I are sat with the curtains drawn, the fire lit and the Crimbo lights on drinking a little glass of red wine and I thought you might like to see what the room looks like - cosy isn't it?