Lordos 1 Lunch Out

It was a beautiful day today, one of those real bonus days when the sky is clear and the sea is blue.  It was a day to go and do something to remind ourselves of how lucky we are to be living here.  We think things are about to change drastically with the announcement of over 200 more cases today so whilst we are still able to do so we decided to go down to the Souli for lunch and to take Nicky and Mark with us as they had not been before.  

Our first discussion was as to whether, being from different households, we needed to wear masks in the car.  We erred on the side of caution, being mindful of Mark's recent operation, and wore them - better to be safe than sorry.

To begin with it was quite cool sat under the gazebo but as the sun moved round it got much more pleasant and it was good to see quite a few locals as well as hotel residents eating.  We asked if, as in previous years, the hotel would remain open over the Winter but sadly this year this is in doubt.  It just reinforces what a terrible situation we all are finding ourselves in yet again having hoped that the lockdown earlier in the year would have sorted things once and for all.  It would seem that this awful virus is going to be with us for a long time to come and nowhere will ever feel quite the same again and sometimes it feels like I have woken up in a bad dream.

We like to go to the Souli for calamari and that is what we chose along with chips, olives and a tomato, onion and fetta salad.

It was just so lovely to be sat by the sea watching the world go - how grateful are we that we are still able to do this?  

Earlier in the morning I had been down to Isabel to make sure she was ok and to colour her hair for her.  She would dearly like to return to Scotland to spend Christmas with her son and his girlfriend but restrictions at that end make it impossible at the moment although she is keeping an eye out in case the situation changes.  It would be so much better for her but her hands are tied and any thought of returning permanently is also on hold for the same reason.  I feel so sorry for her that her whole world has been turned upside down and she is unable to start to rebuild her future through no fault of her own.  She remains philosophical and, amazingly, cheerful even though things must be very tough for her.

I think Nicky and Mark enjoyed their lunch and it was nice to introduce them to somewhere new - even though they have lived on the island longer than we have their lives have been centred in and around Paphos so our neck of the woods is a real voyage of discovery for them.

Back home John settled down to watch the football and I spent some time in the garden.  I am amazed that yet again this year I have Cyclamen coming up and I have no idea where they came from.  This year the leaves are enormous and looking very healthy so hopefully I will get a colourful display of flowers to brighten up the garden in the winter.

Only a week or so ago I had made the decision to but back our standard rose which we planted in memory of John's stepfather Hadge.  It had flowered all summer and was still in flower when we moved it and I found that all inside was dead or dying.  When I cut it back I was a bit worried that it would not survive but all the new growth is fabulous and there must be a dozen buds on it again already.  I am thinking that maybe I will get another standard rose for somewhere else in the garden as this one has been such a success - I rather fancy a yellow one.

I did some potting up, planted some seeds and top-dressed some pots that looked in need of more soil.  I have a selection of plantlets that Liselotte gave me which seem to be doing ok and I had some salvia seeds which I wanted to bring on and most importantly the Solomon's Seal tubers that arrived this week which I have shared with Sonia.  Nicky asked me what the difference was between a tuber and a rhizome and I couldn't tell her so the answer is HERE.  The potting bench had begun to look a bit messy so I took the opportunity to take everything off and give it a clean.  

Finally I am excited by the continued growth of one of my mango seeds which is doing very well - in fact I have two that have sprouted but this is the better one.  I have earmarked this as a gift for Liselotte - she will certainly have plenty of room in her garden to accommodate it, if it survives the winter of course.