A misty start to the day

The weather in June has been much more unsettled than it was in May.  This morning we woke to rolling mists and hazy skies and a cool damp feeling in the air.  The sun was soon to burn it off and I went down to Paphos today because John is having his second Covid vaccination tomorrow - in Paphos it was hot and very humid and although I set off looking half decent I arrived a sweaty mess.

I had a load of admin stuff to do which included going to the bank for some paperwork.  Our lovely local branch was shut before Christmas - the staff there had been the same all the years we had used it so it was a pleasure to go in and do whatever we needed doing.  We don't really know the staff at the Mesoghi Avenue branch but the blonde haired girl who sits just inside the rotating door is proving to be very friendly and helpful.  She responds well to my request to take out our months' money which I do in Greek - it is easy because we have taken the same amount out every month for the last ten years!!!  She was also very helpful with the paperwork I needed so it didn't take me as long in there as I had anticipated plus I had managed to park directly outside which was a bonus as that road is very busy at the best of times.

I did a bit of shopping which included a trip to Lidl to go pick up some stocks of their own brand Castelgy Gin which we particularly like and which is normally reasonably priced but this week reduced to €4.19 a bottle!!!!  This reminded me of Dad who would make a special trip down to Lidl when the gin was on offer and be first in the queue in case numbers were limited!!  

I also had to pick up an old metal framed mirror that we had picked up for a song in an on-line auction and which we wanted to put in the garden.  Mirrors in gardens are great as it makes the space look bigger and reflects back nearby plants making the garden look even more floriferous!

I called in to have a coffee and biscuit with Mum.  We are a bit worried about her as she seems a bit low at the moment.  I know she gets very bored at home and sadly her friend Lilian has to go in for an operation on her eye tomorrow so will be out of circulation for a while so Mum wont get to see her very much for a while.  We talked about whether there are any things she can do or we can put in place to help her fill her time but is difficult particularly as her hands are not good for anything which needs some manual dexterity.  She does like Word Search books which she used to be able to get cheaply at the old Euro Shop and then the Hair and Beauty Shop but they have both gone now and the ones on sale in the supermarkets are so expensive you would have to sell your kidney to the highest bidder.  I have found two here which she must have bought up for use over Christmas at some point.

When I returned home John had made a decision about Chivers bed.  I think it being located up on Bramall Lane, which is where John put it on the day that Chivers was taken ill,  was a constant and visible reminder of that fateful weekend a year ago.  We have located it under the Campsis where there was a 'bald' patch - time will tell whether or not the cats will make use of it.

Some quiet time this afternoon allowed me to create an entry for this weeks' art challenge which is Beetles and Bugs.  Sadly I heard today that the man who is always first to submit his three entries, and has done so since the Park Rise art group joined the challenge, lost his partner to cancer this week.  She was only in her 60s and this all happened very quickly.   I have never met him, never spoken to him or text him as his entries are submitted through a third party but I felt I knew a bit about him through his art.  We have sent our sincere condolences.