Sunday...

This morning I went up to Orexi HQ to catch up with the kids and to deliver a letter and some money from Kerry who paints the Dream Happy pebbles and who had sold one called Goddess of the Hills to one of Elena's friends and this friend had paid over the odds so that the extra money would go to the children.

Amoura was in full cleaning mode when I got there - she had the washing out on the line and was tackling the fridge and then she said she would be cleaning the cooker.

Lola was being Lola and Amoura was bemoaning the fact that Lola refuses to comb her hair properly.  I told Lola that she would end up with mice nesting in the mass at the back if she wasn't careful or I would tackle it like I had tackled her mum's and then she would end up looking like a cross between Dora the Explorer and Gollum.  Undaunted she told me that she had conditioned the sides and they were ok - in fact she had me feel the ok-ness to reinforce the fact and then she announced she would tackle the back in her own time.  I was not up for the argument so let it pass - Philippa would be visiting later this afternoon so I would prime her to repeat the threat of mice and maybe she might take notice of her.

Another glorious day meant that my new red octopus got its first outing and very fine it looked too with that brilliant blue sky behind it. I hate to say it but ever since Jane and John returned home the weather has been glorious and this is good news.  If it remains like this for the remainder of the month we will surpass the electricity production of January 2016 and will go someway to making up for all the extra electricity we consumed during the very dank and dire December.

The sun has charged the battery for the water feature - it has so far escaped unscathed which is good news - to be fair it is constructed of a material which should not really be affected by the weather but where water is concerned there is always a worry that something will go wrong but as I say so far so good.

Even though a lot of the plants are dormant at the moment there are still some hardy ones which are flowering and adding some welcome colour to the garden.  The osteospurmum and the gazanias have one or two flowers so at least it is not completely barren outside.  Good news - the man in the petrol station says we only have to hang on until February 15th and then it will be sunshine all the way - I don't know why that date or how he knows but he is a local so I am going with his prediction as it sounds good to me!!

Whether inside or out the cats are enjoying the sunshine.  Chivers always seems to prefer being somewhere cooler so today he was sitting on Gregoris's wall surveying what was going on whilst indoors Boris had found the sunny spot on one of the sofas in the conservatory and was making himself comfortable on one of my crocheted blinkies.  They love a good blinkie and at least it stops some of their fur settling on the seating ready to adhere itself to someone when they sit down.  It is an occupational hazard in this house - cat fur - be warned don't wear black or if you do be prepared to have to be de-furred on exit - I have one of those sticky things at the ready at all times.

We were at Mum and Dad's this evening and had a lovely meal and good natured game of cards together.  We also finalised plans to go to Dubai later in the year for my nephew's wedding.  Not a cheap exercise going to Dubai but after trolling the internet I found some reasonable flights - the downside was that they go via Cairo - not my preferred route but at a third of the price and at sociable hours it was the one we went for in the end.  Fortunately we also managed to get accommodation in the same place as my sister and her family so we will all be together.