It is Hazel's last full day with us - she returns home tomorrow and this week has whizzed by. She was insistent that we live as normal a life as possible so today being Friday John and I were going down to Emba to see Mum and play pickleball. It is the last game before we have a break for four weeks and with it being so very hot and sticky down there I was not too sorry.
Everyday Hazel has gone in for a swim and then we have taken our breakfast out in the garden under the gazebo. She has been looking around the garden at the plants we have and was particularly taken by the multicoloured plant that I have in a pot by the archway - until we got Hadge's rose (which is about to flower again) it sat in the pot we had earmarked for the rose and when in full sun was a vibrant crimson colour and produced very tiny small white flowers - it died back at the end of the season and I was doubtful that it would return and as we now have Hadge's rose its pot was consigned elsewhere the new position being in partial sun only. I was thrilled when it started to reappear and in its new location has multi-coloured leaves. I got it from London Road and the oh so helpful woman there (NOT) who, when asked what it was, said she didn't know. As it only cost €2 I was prepared to give it a go. I have subsequently found a plant identifying app for my phone which I used today and it reckons that this is some sort of Alternanthera which it could well be.
Mr Boo is getting back to his old self but has taken to holding hostage one of the old village chairs that Phillipos has given me for a project I have in mind. He gave me two chairs, one of which I plan to refurbish and give back to him and Marina - I may have to change my plans for the other because it I try and make it into a planter Boo is only going to sit and smother the plants!
I left Hazel reading a magazine up on the roof terrace. This morning was very cloudy to start with but the sun soon burned them away and there was quite a pleasant breeze.
Having learned her lesson from her last visit Hazel has been careful about sunbathing but misjudged the strength of the early morning sun and managed to grill the tops of her legs which presumably she had not smothered in suntan lotion. The rest of her however was ok and she is now sporting a very healthy suntan if suntan's can be considered healthy. I know that they are not but most women would agree that they look better with just a bit of colour.
I left things for Hazel's lunch so she could sort herself out and we went down to Emba for a very very hot and sticky but enjoyable couple of hours playing pickleball with Mum and John and Liselotte - who Hazel thought we called Lisa-Lottery and enquired when she had won and if it had been a lot of money!!
John and I called into the Municipal offices to see Marianna - the village is making a collection for the poor people in Greece who have suffered so badly with the terrible fires and now the flooding. We, along with Hazel, decided to donate some of the remaining kitty money we had and were quite chuffed to see we were the first ex-pats on the list of donations.
Mum was on good form and in spite of the heat played like a demon. Two of her long-term friends on the island currently have their respective husbands in hospital, one with a stroke and the other with dementia and it is a very sad situation. Mum and I agree that however sad and shocking Dad's passing he was still Dad up to the very end and we never had to witness any great deterioration in his health or his humour and for that we are eternally grateful. I do not think any of us would have coped had he had some long and debilitating illness.
This evening for Hazel's last night we were going into the village to eat a Meze at Finikas and for Haze I had ordered fish but with the head removed. Rob and Di were joining us and so I went and picked them up, dropping Rob and John into the village for a male bonding session and then Di, Haze and I had a drink at home before I drove us down to the village and abandoned the car in the Hotel carpark for collection tomorrow. We had thought about going to the hotel later for a drink but it looked rather busy.
We had a really excellent meal, as we always do, and Hazel said that the fish was the best she had ever eaten before realising that we had done her a fish barbeque earlier in the week so hastily altered her statement!!! By the time we were coming to the end of the meal it was lovely to see more people coming into the garden. We had loads to eat and loads to drink and loads to talk about but as you can probably tell from the photograph on this evening of the blood moon and lunar eclipse it was cloudy and chilly and we had taken cardies to ensure we didn't get cold - I even had to lend Di a scarf!!
We decided to go into Stathmos for a coffee rather than the hotel so that Hazel could have the full village night out experience. As we passed by the Cafe Vrisi where we get our post we encountered Loukas and a few of the local lads who were in party mode - it must have been because we were just about to witness the total eclipse and it was turning us all a bit mad!!! Anyway they were great fun.
We eventually managed to extricate ourselves and found a table under the vines at O Stathmos where the sensible ones amongst us had a coffee - John had a beer which we think was the thing which tipped him over the edge!!! Our drinks were on Bambos if we were prepared to make a donation to Greece, as I said ours was made earlier in the day and he had the list so I could show him and Di and Rob kindly made one there and then because tonight was truly one of those "Ain't we Lucky???" nights even if it was a bit chilly and the clouds conspired to obscure the spectacle in the sky.
It was the perfect way to round off Hazel's holiday but she reckons she is going to have to go on the wagon when she gets back!
Everyday Hazel has gone in for a swim and then we have taken our breakfast out in the garden under the gazebo. She has been looking around the garden at the plants we have and was particularly taken by the multicoloured plant that I have in a pot by the archway - until we got Hadge's rose (which is about to flower again) it sat in the pot we had earmarked for the rose and when in full sun was a vibrant crimson colour and produced very tiny small white flowers - it died back at the end of the season and I was doubtful that it would return and as we now have Hadge's rose its pot was consigned elsewhere the new position being in partial sun only. I was thrilled when it started to reappear and in its new location has multi-coloured leaves. I got it from London Road and the oh so helpful woman there (NOT) who, when asked what it was, said she didn't know. As it only cost €2 I was prepared to give it a go. I have subsequently found a plant identifying app for my phone which I used today and it reckons that this is some sort of Alternanthera which it could well be.Mr Boo is getting back to his old self but has taken to holding hostage one of the old village chairs that Phillipos has given me for a project I have in mind. He gave me two chairs, one of which I plan to refurbish and give back to him and Marina - I may have to change my plans for the other because it I try and make it into a planter Boo is only going to sit and smother the plants!
I left Hazel reading a magazine up on the roof terrace. This morning was very cloudy to start with but the sun soon burned them away and there was quite a pleasant breeze.Having learned her lesson from her last visit Hazel has been careful about sunbathing but misjudged the strength of the early morning sun and managed to grill the tops of her legs which presumably she had not smothered in suntan lotion. The rest of her however was ok and she is now sporting a very healthy suntan if suntan's can be considered healthy. I know that they are not but most women would agree that they look better with just a bit of colour.
I left things for Hazel's lunch so she could sort herself out and we went down to Emba for a very very hot and sticky but enjoyable couple of hours playing pickleball with Mum and John and Liselotte - who Hazel thought we called Lisa-Lottery and enquired when she had won and if it had been a lot of money!!
John and I called into the Municipal offices to see Marianna - the village is making a collection for the poor people in Greece who have suffered so badly with the terrible fires and now the flooding. We, along with Hazel, decided to donate some of the remaining kitty money we had and were quite chuffed to see we were the first ex-pats on the list of donations.
Mum was on good form and in spite of the heat played like a demon. Two of her long-term friends on the island currently have their respective husbands in hospital, one with a stroke and the other with dementia and it is a very sad situation. Mum and I agree that however sad and shocking Dad's passing he was still Dad up to the very end and we never had to witness any great deterioration in his health or his humour and for that we are eternally grateful. I do not think any of us would have coped had he had some long and debilitating illness.
This evening for Hazel's last night we were going into the village to eat a Meze at Finikas and for Haze I had ordered fish but with the head removed. Rob and Di were joining us and so I went and picked them up, dropping Rob and John into the village for a male bonding session and then Di, Haze and I had a drink at home before I drove us down to the village and abandoned the car in the Hotel carpark for collection tomorrow. We had thought about going to the hotel later for a drink but it looked rather busy.
We had a really excellent meal, as we always do, and Hazel said that the fish was the best she had ever eaten before realising that we had done her a fish barbeque earlier in the week so hastily altered her statement!!! By the time we were coming to the end of the meal it was lovely to see more people coming into the garden. We had loads to eat and loads to drink and loads to talk about but as you can probably tell from the photograph on this evening of the blood moon and lunar eclipse it was cloudy and chilly and we had taken cardies to ensure we didn't get cold - I even had to lend Di a scarf!!
We decided to go into Stathmos for a coffee rather than the hotel so that Hazel could have the full village night out experience. As we passed by the Cafe Vrisi where we get our post we encountered Loukas and a few of the local lads who were in party mode - it must have been because we were just about to witness the total eclipse and it was turning us all a bit mad!!! Anyway they were great fun.
We eventually managed to extricate ourselves and found a table under the vines at O Stathmos where the sensible ones amongst us had a coffee - John had a beer which we think was the thing which tipped him over the edge!!! Our drinks were on Bambos if we were prepared to make a donation to Greece, as I said ours was made earlier in the day and he had the list so I could show him and Di and Rob kindly made one there and then because tonight was truly one of those "Ain't we Lucky???" nights even if it was a bit chilly and the clouds conspired to obscure the spectacle in the sky.
It was the perfect way to round off Hazel's holiday but she reckons she is going to have to go on the wagon when she gets back!
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