A new week...

Although yesterday's storm had been forecast I think we were all taken by surprise by the ferocity of the hail/snow, thunder and lightning and the plummeting temperatures for this late in March - silly really that we have a few nice days and think that is it - Summer is here!!!  It had been very cold walking home from the hotel last night but this morning was fine and bright again but with a nip in the air.  I walked to Art and was greeted on my journey by cheerful daisies which have sprung up all over the place.

I could not get a picture on my phone which showed how clear it was today and because of that you could make out the outline of the mountains on the Turkish mainland which had a blanket of snow on the top.  If you look closely at the picture you will see a line above the horizon which is the top of the mountains and there is a faint smidge of white on the top - take my word for it that is snow!!

As is my normal routine on a Monday I went to check on Dad.  There is no change to his plot as yet but I see that Angel Guardians have started the surround to Terry Westhead's grave and I think Garry said there was one other after that and then the monumental mason would come and take the final measurements and Dad's can then get started.

There has been another death in the village recently.  Sadly the husband of Julie Cobbin (who comes to our Ladies' Lunches) passed away.  Apparently he is not being buried in the village, instead they are flying his body back to the UK where he is to be cremated.  There is not such facility currently here on the island so if that is your preference then you have no other choice.

I still marvel at the fact that, for the past year, Dad's grave has had constant colour with the plants we have placed there - today after that awful weather there are geraniums, gazanias, osteospurmum and the plant which Di and Rob put there all in flower - I know that I have a lot to thank Klaus for as he visits and waters when necessary.

Currently Sheila is working on a picture of an elephant and I am working on a picture of a clematis flower that is past its best.  I liked the colours and I seem to get on well with flowers so the picture to the left is the progress I made last week and the picture on the right is how I finished this morning.

Klaus's lunch was a triumph - the description didn't really give much away or fill me with enthusiasm - vegetable pie-  but he had used root vegetables and bacon and cheese and served it with salad and coleslaw and it was absolutely delicious - so much so that I really ate more than I should have!!!

We nipped to Polis to get some shopping and hoped that Glykkis would be open (it is a bank holiday here today and again next Monday) which is was because I wanted some beeswax polish so that I could finish off the furniture in the spare room before Jane and John come tomorrow, if they come as poor Jane appears to have had food poisoning.  Glykkis was open and I got my wax and set about sorting the tops which I have painted.  This may not be everyone's cup of tea I know but I am really pleased with the result because it has lightened the furniture and given the bedroom a bit of a makeover.  Knobs and Tops are the way to go!!!

We got everything ready for our visitors and I made a curry using one of the sachets which were a gift from Laura and Mark - a chicken balti this time.  We had a few issues with the rice because the steam generated in the microwave kept wafting towards the socket and it tripped on a couple of occasions which is a bit worrying - another job to go on John's list!!

It was not as chilly this evening as last night but chilly enough to have the gas fire lit which the cats are quite happy about.  

Mum forgot last week's TV times when we met on Sunday and as we watch our 'live' TV a week behind I wasn't sure what we should be watching - we weren't overly bothered and found an episode of Escape to the Chateau that we hadn't seen before so settled for that.

Hope Jane is feeling better tomorrow as we have booked a meze in the village and there is always so much food!!