If the cap fits...

Charlie is causing us concern because the wound at the base of his right ear is not healing - it scabs over and looks dry and then he scratches it so hard that it opens up again and weeps.  We are worried it will get infected or worse still never heal so we took inspiration from what we did for Chivers when he tore a strip of skin off of his back and it wouldn't heal - we repurposed one of John's socks to create a barrier between skin and claw.  Chivers sported a jumper for several weeks until his wound healed sufficiently for him to be released from his knitwear.

We rather unsuccessfully fashioned a balaclava out of a sock for Charlie but there were some design flaws so he ended up looking more like a Peaky Blinder than a burglar and managed to wriggle out of it in seconds.  We had hoped it would do the job but were thwarted.  We have noticed that the right hand side of Charlie's face is beginning to recede a little due to it not being used in any way.  He is still a fat lad and he is still a handsome lad to us but sadly his injury looks to have had some lasting effect on him.  It has not stopped him eating though.

I am running out of ideas for Sunday lunch - this is not my photograph but will give an idea of what I produced today - we had pork loin which was served in a honey and mustard sauce.  To accompany I did roasted vegetables, little new potatoes, parsnip, sweet potato and onion and then some green beans cooked with lemon juice and salt ( a la Old Cinema Peyia) and some carrots cooked in orange juice.  This was to be followed by a serving of my banana bread with cream, ice-cream or custard.   This is relatively easy as it didn't really need any prior preparation save for removing any excess fat from the meat.  Pork here is an absolute bargain and so much nicer than what we used to get in the UK - for a start when you cook it, it doesn't look grey and it has a lovely flavour.  In the UK it would rarely eat pork or cook it but now it is our go-to meat.  The finest pork loin joint is around 5.50 euros a kilo so you can easily create a lovely meal for very little money.  Mum had given me the new potatoes and they were yummy along with the other roasted veg.  I think all in all it was a successful meal and Mum was able to take a serving home for lunch or dinner later in the week.

We had a little Rummikub competition before Mum made her way back home.  It had looked like it was going to be a lovely day today but this afternoon it clouded over and became very grey - almost the sort of day when you might expect a bit of snow but fortunately non came - it was pretty chilly outside though.

We are still trying to decide whether or not to replace the curtains after the new blinds are installed.  We are trying to help the decision process by looking at the existing blinds in situ but without the curtains.  I still think the window looks naked!!!  We should get the official quotation for the blinds tomorrow and whilst I am at Art John is planning to fill the holes from taking the old curtain poles down and do a bit of painting in readiness. I am quite excited because I absolutely LOVE doing decorating and making changes to the house - I have always loved it - when John used to go away with the Navy I would be itching to get the paintbrush or the wall papering table out and poor John would come home to a totally different look and he would have had no input into the decision making process - probably just as well as we often fail to agree!!

We were thrilled when we got some photographs from Laura and Mark this afternoon showing us the contents of the present we had given them for Christmas.  Our lovely lovely friend Sally Allan has, in all the long years we have known her (over 20 we think) wanted to own her own business and now she does!!!  The fabulously nutty Mrs Allan now owns and runs Sally's Fish Camp providing fresh seafood in and around Dorset.  Laura is a pescatarian although somewhat fussy about what fish and seafood and in particular whether or not they are sporting a 'poo-sack'!!  Anyway I had organised with Sally to provide Laura and Mark with a luxury crate of seafood and had hoped she would be able to deliver it to them on the beach as a picnic but not only does Mrs Pamment not do 'poo-sacks' she doesn't do the cold either so Mark arranged with Sally for her to deliver it to them in Yeovil at the weekend.  We had thought that Sally, Mark and Laura would have recognised one another because we are sure that they would all have met at our leaving do from the UK but they didn't seem to remember if they had.  Laura knew we had organised something but Mark resolutely refused to let the cat out of the bag (or the prawn in this case) which obviously intrigued Laura and infuriated her in equal measure but all was forgiven when she saw the finished article - just wish we could have been there to enjoy it with them.  Anyway just have to say a big big big thank-you to Sally Allan for surpassing our expectations.

 

We watched a film this evening.  My choice - I had seen it advertised in the TV magazine mum had bought up and thought it sounded interesting.  The Last Witness is the story of a young journalist who makes public an unforgivable event which took place towards the end of the Second World War and which had been covered up by just about everyone.  The Katyn massacre was a series of mass executions of Polish officers and intelligentsia carried out by the Soviet Union in April and May 1940.  Though the killings took place at several locations, the massacre is named after the Katyn Forest, where some of the mass graves were first discovered.  This was a shameful thing to have happened and even worse that it was covered up and I cannot believe I have never heard anything about it previously.