Latchi on a Sunday...

There are some advantages to the cats waking you up early, at the precise moment they do it is hard to think of any and then you go outside and are greeted by the spectacle of the sun rising over the hills across Argaka way.  The view is breathtaking even with the telegraph poles (which were not there when we first bought the house).  The orange morning sky heralded another hot day.

Our guests Nicky and Mark stayed with us for breakfast as they normally do and then made their way back home having pencilled in our next weekend together which is to be in August sometime.  It is good to get it in the diary even if it has to be changed.

Mum was coming up today.  Sundays seem to come round very quickly!!!  We have eased ourselves back into an easy routine and she will text to tell us she is on her way around 11.00am and then about 45 minutes later she arrives - usually bearing gifts in one shape or another - today however it was a little sewing job for me to do and to be fair she has given me her sewing machine so it is no bother.

Having had Nicky and Mark for the weekend we had decided to take mum out today and next week I will be cooking at home for Mum and her friend Lilian.  John and I haven't met Lilian yet, Mum made friends with her one evening over a bowl of soup at Tweedies.  I think it is fabulous that Mum has increased her social circle and so we are more than happy to extend our Sunday Lunch to include her.  Today however we had decided to take Mum to Latchi to the 'all you can eat and drink buffet' currently being offered at the Latchi Family Resort.

We got there early because (a) we always arrive anywhere early (b) we weren't sure about the routine on a Sunday lunchtime and (c) we anticipated it might be busy.  The buffet lunch is served from 12.30 and getting there early means you have the food at its freshest.  A superb choice once again - I could happily have just gone back to the salad bar several times but I tried some of the food in the hot trays and from the chef cooking outside.  We even went and investigated the sweets and ice-cream today just to get a taste of it all.

It is fair to say that for the amount you pay it is terrific value for money.  The unlimited wine is very palatable - although I can only report on the white because that is all I have had so far.  Mum seemed to enjoy her meal too because there was plenty to chose from and if you took something you didn't like then you could just leave it and try something else.   We certainly all had more than enough to eat and drink.  I even managed to suss the hot drinks dispenser and make Mum a reasonably weak breakfast tea.

We returned home via the cemetery - it is so nice to see that Dad's corner of a Foreign Field that is forever England is now, and will always be, neat and tidy and cheerful.  We do not have to worry about whether the flowers need watering or changing or if the weather has ravaged them.

Mum and I spent some time sitting with our feet dangling in the pool before she decided to make a move and return home to Fred.  It had certainly been a very hot afternoon.  Our photovoltaics are working overtime at the moment - we think they are probably producing to their capacity which is good news.

Monday was relatively quiet.  John has finally managed to get down to Polis for a haircut so he no longer looks like a cross between Michael Heseltine and Dr Emmett Brown from Back to the Future.

I went to art - I missed last week because Sheila had gone to have an injection in her hip and took a funny turn with her blood pressure and ended up spending the day there.

It was good to be back with the old pencils although I am beginning to regret my picture choice because it seems to be taking ages and ages to get the top bit anything like how it should be looking and now that I have posted this picture in the blog I can see areas where I have missed the shading and detail on the right hand side so that still needs more work.

I was grateful that John picked me up after lunch because it was too hot to walk back through the village home.  It was too hot to do much of anything this afternoon so John caught up with his Mum via Skype and I did the sewing my Mum wanted so that I can let her have it when we go down on Friday.

I am not often in photographs, preferring to be behind the lens rather than in front but Jordan and Abi posted a link to their wedding album online and I am there in one of the photographs and I didn't scrub up too badly in fact the fascinator that I got for a couple of quid off of Ebay looked pretty stylish!

Neither John nor I felt up to doing much this afternoon/evening so we took the opportunity to watch some more episodes of Killing Eve - we are now on Season 2 and enjoying it - the only trouble is as we approach the end we will need to find something to replace it and that isn't always easy.

We have our fingers crossed that over the next few days Aunty Joyce will have built up her strength sufficiently for the hospital to go ahead with the operation that is scheduled for Thursday.

Early night for us tonight - fairly quiet day planned for tomorrow but we have an important errand to run which I will report on in due course.