Not the best of days...

Today did not pan out the way we had intended because we were scheduled to walk this evening around Tsada with Liselotte and then we were going to be joined by her husband John and go to the Brewery for pizza but sadly earlier this week Liselotte had encountered not one but two wasps nests whilst gardening and the wasps had stung her through her gardening gloves and so her hands were swollen and painful so a walk was really not the best thing to do.  I have to say I wasn't too upset because, at the time we were due to leave, it was still plenty hot enough.

So first thing I got up and did a bit of gardening.  I am thrilled with the Hibiscus plants we have and which are currently in flower.  The three smaller ones which are an apricot colour are from last year and managed to survive the winter which is good, the bigger one is deep red and was a gift from Argy and Lakis and hopefully that too will thrive and survive.

My beautiful hollyhock is now fully in the ravages of the grasshoppers that hatched out on it.  It had never occurred to me that they would eat the plant and devour it even quicker than a caterpillar.  I really don't know what I thought these little creatures would eat but not my hollyhock!!!  

Fortunately it is coming to the end of its flowering period and I have collected seed so hopefully we may get another one or two appear in the garden somewhere.  I just have to make sure that they do not move along to the rose which is nearby and do the same.

Interestingly as the grasshoppers are growing they have begun to change colour - they are no longer bright green, some are now quite grey and a couple are a brownish colour.  I am worried that they may not be the young offspring of a grasshopper but rather the young offspring of the native locusts we get here - I shall have to ask on the Biodiversity website for someone to identify them.

Nicky text this morning - she wanted to go to a couple of shops in Polis and find another in Latchi and she asked me if I would like to go with her.  I was really chuffed because I next to never get a girlie morning out!

We started the proceedings with tea and cake at Tina's Art Cafe in Polis before investigating the shoes at Festival Shoes where Nicky was schmoozed by the owner but in fairness he was really very helpful and attentive and eventually managed to find a pair of sandals which she was happy with and the prices weren't too bad either.  I told her to go investigate when they have their January sale as I have often been able to get boots at a real bargain price!!!  We then went off to find the shop she wanted in Latchi - she had seen some clothes advertised there but the ones they had were manufactured for children not women looking at the sizes!

We had planned to stop off at Sto Mouseio on the way back for a nice smoothie but although the place was quiet the bar guy seemed in a bit of a mood and the service was lacking to say the least.  Having sat down without any acknowledgment and waited we had to ask for a menu and then waited and waited again for some attention which, when it was not forthcoming, prompted us to leave.  Shame as this is such a lovely venue but if they cannot cope with 10 customers they are really doomed to failure.

We decided to go to the Brewery for pizza and forego the walk but sadly this turned out to be an equally disappointing trip to an eating establishment.  Having seen the Brewery grow from very humble beginnings to a very popular and successful enterprise it is a shadow of its former self.   It is now a very expensive place to dine.  The beers were warm and flat, the pizzas not a patch on what they used to be and they could only cook three at a time which meant I had to wait ten minutes for mine and when they came they all looked a bit of a car crash!  Sadly the service was lacking too - we just couldn't get any attention without shouting for it.  Lets just say we are unlikely to return.