A normal Sunday...

John is now getting well into the swing of these early morning dips - if we are mad then it is a good madness - I can't tell you how wonderful your skin feels afterwards - it's like someone has come along and sloughed every bit of dead skin and guff away and smoothed you down with the silkiest lotion possible.  We are incredibly, and I mean incredibly lucky to be able to do this, we are incredibly lucky not to have to work, to have food in our cupboards, good friends and family and more importantly, our health.  Carpe Diem peeps Carpe Diem!

We enjoyed our lie-in and our swim and a leisurely clean-up around the house in readiness for Mum and Dad and what was to be a 'normal' Sunday with a game of cards and a meal and a snooze for Dad.  This is another sign that winter is on its way - Sundays revert back to the norm and actually it is quite a nice feeling - we need to make the most of these days before the clocks change because then everything seems to change.  One more week....

Mum was impressed by the cork bathmats we made and asked if she could have two - a small one takes 96 corks and a non-slip mat and about a packet of glue sticks plus some varnish so by my reckoning if you were making one from scratch and having to drink the wine it would cost the best part of €500 but it would be fun getting prepared!!!

I am contemplating making some more coasters - not that we need any but I have a load of serviettes that need using up in some way and John dug out some tiles the other day.

I think Pam needed some new ones so I could make them for her and leave them in the villa for when they return.  Her colour scheme in the lounge is blue but she loves the cats so much I may do some like that - I like a bit of craft to keep me occupied and these are easy and it is always nice to utilise something which you don't want to throw away but just takes up space!

It was a lovely lunch/afternoon - Mum and Dad seem to have recovered from their visitors and seemed to enjoy the lunch which was made with Dad in mind - he loves shepherd's pie and it was a take on that.  John complained that my beans were too long - bloody hell at least they were cooked so Dad couldn't pass comment!

We returned to our regular game of Noms and today Dad was the winner - I think there must have been something wrong with the scorer because the scorer always wins and today that didn't happen - it will snow tomorrow!!!

After Mum and Dad had returned home we battened down the hatches and slobbed out with some TV - I have dug out my knitting box and the wool which John's mum got me and restarted my crochet which I know I do in the most peculiar fashion but it works!  I have also got out the two throws I made previously just in case it starts to get chilly in the lounge at night and to stop John lighting the wood burner which is now ready!

The cats are most appreciative of the throws and as a result take up more of the sofas than we do.  When it was time to go to be Mr Boo was missing and didn't come in to call which I hate - I went out to find him but he wasn't around - it was particularly windy and the dogs at the top of the village were howling their heads off - we can't hear them when we are indoors or even in the garden for which I am most grateful.