Pubescent Caterpillars!

Sorry posts a bit haywire as we have a visitor

This was the sunrise today taken from the garden - I know it looks more like sunset but when you point your mobile phone directly at the sun this is the effect you get.  We are in for another beautiful day here and we have very little planned.  It really is just too hot to do too much save lounge in the pool.

We did pop down to see Philippos and check the post - he returned from the hospital on Monday having had a stent fitted.  When we called in we were amazed with Marina explained that he had gone down to Paps in Polis with their son Marios but wouldn't be long.  When we returned they were all seated round the dining table and we had to decline the invitation to join them.  Amazingly Philippos looked absolutely brilliant - he jumped up and gave John a massive man hug and said that he had been for an MOT and they had fitted him with a Turbo!!!  Seeing him look so well made us realise how poorly he must have been feeling just prior to going into hospital.  We are so pleased to have him back in the village again.

John is channelling his inner-Cypriot and has dug out our old travelling backgammon set and we have a quick game now and again.  We are still getting to grips with the rules - there have been a couple of disputes regarding 'bearing off' mainly because I keep losing but hey ho - what's new?

We are uncertain as to how the local game Tavli differs from what we are playing but it will give something for John to do when he is too old to do anything else but sit in the coffee shop!!!

We have the chairs in the conservatory which is a bit warm but throw back the sliding doors to get a bit of air - that way if it all gets to much I can always tip the board into the swimming pool and declare the match nul and void!!

We planned to do a few bits and pieces around the house and garden today but only much later when it begins to cool down.  Our next visitor, my cousin Michelle arrives on 13th September (Friday 13th - hope that is not a bad omen!!) and obviously we want things to look nice and neat and tidy for her.

Our vine has been pretty poor this year - it started out with fabulous growth - so much so that our neighbours came to stock up on the leaves for their kitchen but then recently it has started to look bedraggled that is because it has become the most popular restaurant in the neighbourhood for vine hawk moth caterpillars.  I could see three today all munching their way towards puberty and I am guessing these are not the only ones from the amount of poo which is appearing underneath.  We only grow the vine for its shade so don't spray it and actually like to see these creatures enjoying themselves.

When it had cooled down enough for John to do some work he took himself over into the field where Tassos had cleared away all the weeds and brambles and set about securing the water pipe we have for doing a backwash onto the backside of the wall so that it is safe.  We cannot have the waste water pouring into what is a building plot so John has it piped along our wall and into the green area for those occasions when he needs to use it - which is not that often to be fair.  He was accompanied by Chivers who is a bit confused by the fact that there is no longer an assault course of flora for him to navigate before he can get up and over our wall.  I do think the cats have had less burrs in their fur since the perimeter was cleared which is a good thing as they will spend hours picking them out and spitting them across the floor - if they do this at night in the bedroom it is a most unpleasant experience!!