We splash out...

Huge excitement in the Wiseman Household today because after a period of more than 10 years we have treated ourselves to a new mattress.  John removed the old one which on close inspection was misshapen, lumpy and bumpy and a really disgusting colour.  Underneath, between the slats that span the width of the bedframe there was guff, akin to belly button fluff only worse.  So I took the last remaining antiseptic wipes I have in the cupboard and everything got cleaned and sanitized ready for our new, pristine, purchase.  Here it is in all its glory, clean and cat fur free although Charlie nearly got onto it before even we did.  I was delighted to find that my new bedding fits it perfectly.  Clearly our old mattress was as thick as this one before it had seen 10 years of use.  Tonight we have new mattress and fresh hay and we can't wait!

Although it is unseasonably hot at the moment the plants which we bought on Monday seem to be liking the conditions.  These are compact Hibiscus in a very pretty apricot colour.  I am deadheading every day which hopefully means that the remaining buds will burst into bloom.  They add a lovely splash of colour to the border which was otherwise looking quite sad.

Several of the plants in the garden need a bit of a haircut so I have earmarked to tackle them tomorrow when I get up and it is a bit cooler although there is a weather warning again for the weekend so it will need to be done very early.

Mum was having her windows in the sunroom fitted with the UV film today.  We really hope it makes a difference for her as that room can be stiflingly hot at times - although not so bad now that she has had a flyscreen fitted to one of the windows and one of the patio doors.  These are fixed and constructed from a material which Freddo cannot get through thankfully!  Anyway she let me know that Ian the Window Film Man had arrived at around 8.30am as he too wanted to start when it was a bit cooler.

I thought regular readers might like to see my potting bench which is nearly finished.  John needs to secure the marble on the top with a slight slope so that no water can seep down the back and then the two sides need to be stone clad so that they match in with the rest of the house.  It is a lovely tidy space now and I am so glad that Lockdown gave us the opportunity to get it sorted rather than just keep talking about it - it would be good to get some old photographs of what it used to look like originally.

This evening we took our lives into our hands and ventured down into the village with Nicky and Mark.  They had had a hot and exhausting day in Paphos sorting out villas and apartments for visitors who are due to arrive but who may not as the situation around the world with coronavirus means that the goalposts are moving all the time.   They cannot take the risk that bookings are not being to be honoured so have to get the accommodation that they look after ready.  Well rather them than me in this heat is all I can say.  For a change we opted to sit out in Bambos's newly done eating area  as we have not been there with them for about 9 years as we usually got to Finnikas.  Fortunately although the setting sun started to nip my arm and leg it was shortlived as it slipped down behind the building which houses the barbers shop (white door in the picture below).

Good to see that finally this area seems to have been completed in terms of the cobbling and the pile of debris that had been sitting in O Stathmos carpark has been moved so when you look down towards the amphitheatre it looks neat and tidy (for a while at least) - shame that cannot be said about the rest of the roadworks.

We came across strings of these on our walk into the village - on closer inspection we could see that they were aubergines being dried on the washing lines of a house which is currently occupied by a Syrian family.  We have never seen this before so I decided to investigate why when I got home.  Drying aubergines is definitely something which is common on the Middle East and Turkey and is done now when they are plentiful and then they can be stuffed and cooked in the winter months.  How fascinating - never knew that.