Wednesday...

The weather has ramped up - the temperatures are in the high 30's even here in Droushia.  This means that shade is imperative so this morning I embarked on make do and mend part 2 as the velcro we had attached to the big brolly cover had given up the ghost as the sticky had got hot and melted so the velcro wasn't secured.  Today I sacrificed a skirt that I rarely wear because it had a working short plastic zip.  John was happy to give up a pair of shorts but the zip was metal and I pointed out that (a) it would get exceptionally hot in the sun and (b) would rust with the overnight condensation.  I managed to put the zip in but didn't have a zipper foot which made it a bit more difficult but once finished John actually said I had done a good job and all that without a SAMCO (which is a naval term for a pre-exercise briefing and display!).

We are in the middle of tarting up the pathway to our front gate and John has built some stone pillars which look fabulous.  The plan was to paint all the walls and between the pillars put some terracotta pots or something.

I had in the garden a large 'plate' which was made from fiberglass and was grey so we decided to try and paint it so it looked like terracotta.  I did this by covering it with some terracotta external paint and then antiquing the exterior with some brown wax which seemed to do the trick.

It was ladies lunch today at O Stathmos in the village and I walked down because it was such a beautiful day - I decided to cut through the churchyard and come in the back way so that I could avoid turning Despina down for a coffee.

Our village church is lovely and as I passed by the back door I could see that the lights were on - I didn't check the door simply taking this photograph through the glass panes.

We didn't know what we were having for our lunch today - Sheila had been to discuss with Bambos and he had got her to agree that he would just sort it out!!!  Food at the taverna has always been infinitely better than when we were persuaded to eat up at his hotel Palates when everything went terribly wrong and Sylvia had a melt-down - sadly this was one of the occasions when John's mum and my mum came along.  We had chicken you could have used as cornerstones in a building and service provided by Mrs Overall of Acorn Antiques!  Bambos did redeem the situation by inviting us back to eat at the taverna and then the food was fabulous.

It being summer and hot Sheila had asked for a 'light' lunch - what we got was fabulous but by no means light!

We started with village salad and tzatziki with village bread toasted and oiled, then came fresh moussaka, aubergines baked in the oven with tomato and fetta, toasted pitta filled with village halloumi, chips, stifado and rice, water and honeydew melon and baklava.  It was absolutely delicious but there was so much food we hardly did it any justice.  It was a lovely lunch, Diana kept me up-to-date with camera-gate which has been going on down their road and Clare was back from Hong Kong for the summer holidays.

I walked back home - it was searingly hot so I didn't hang about.  I had left John with a packed lunch in the fridge and he was being sensible and keeping out of the heat of the sun.  When it began to cool we went out to do some more work on the alley-way - the 'plate' is up, the last bits of stones have been chosen, shaped and put into place ready to be stuck.

John and I painted all the remaining surfaces that needed painting save for the very end underneath where the honeysuckle grows.

We had a surprise visitor - Elaine had been up in the village seeing someone about cleaning their villa and rang to see if we were in so that she could catch up.  We haven't seen her for a few months.  She regaled us with stories of what had been happening to her since we last met.

As she left John and I went across the road to take photographs of the progress that had been made today on Lakis and Argy's property - at long last it is nearing completion.  We have a bit of a mystery on our hands - there has been no sign of Mohammed and his wife and children nor the other Syrian family round the corner.  We don't know if they have gone away on holiday or gone away for good.