Another earthquake...

I had really not been feeling so good for the last day or so - no hives but real chronic heartburn and the feeling that something was constantly stuck in my throat which makes me feel very sick.  I had got up at around midnight and was strangely unsteady on my feet with a funny shaky feeling running through my body.  What I didn't know at the time was that we were experiencing our third earthquake in as many weeks and I wasn't having a funny turn after all I was just feeling the vibrations!!!

I had a busy day today.  I had agreed to pop down to Isabel's this morning to colour her hair now that, thanks to her neighbour Iris, she had been able to get hold of some of the colourants she likes to use.  This is a quick job - she only really wants the roots dealt with so I carefully create a right old Mr Whippy quiff so that the ends of her hair are swept up on top out of the way.  I am no hairdresser so I am always somewhat relieved when Isabel texts to confirm that she is happy.

After Isabel's I had arranged to go and see Mina who had very sadly lost both her beloved Staffies in a road accident a few weeks ago this was just about the final straw for her after several years when life has been less than kind.

I decided to do a Bobster and go across country via Kritou Tera.  I had hoped I might get to see some lovely spring Anemone as I have noticed that they are appearing in various parts of the island.  No Anemones but a Father Christmas still hanging around on one of the houses.

As I drove down to Giolou the sun was shining and it was a warm and bright morning - so different from recent days and I was hopeful that this was to herald a change in the extreme wintery weather we have experienced this year - sadly not, this bright weather did not last.

That route across the valley is a beautiful one and I particularly like to stop at the church which is dedicated to Agia Aikaterini which was built in the 15th Century.  It is always worth stopping here and there is plenty of space to park.  Here I saw my first giant orchids of the season.  Soon they will be everywhere!

Driving to Mina's I stopped at the point where there is a hidden summit - it is a bit scary as you go over the top as you have no idea where the road is under you.  It is difficult to remember that there was the most horrendous fire here last summer.  You can the green terraces but these had been covered in trees previously.  It will take years and years before this landscape is anything like it was just 6 months ago.  

It was an emotional meeting with Mina.  Her world, which was crumbling anyway, finally fell to pieces with the death of her dogs.  She runs boarding kennels so cannot escape from dogs and she says her house is so lonely without them.  She has been desperately trying to restore her home after she so nearly lost it in the fire.  You can see the trees just down below her are charred and dead.  She has planted hundreds of trees along her boundary to try and introduce some green back to her surroundings.  Some of her out buildings had to be knocked down and removed, fortunately the kennels were unaffected but she managed to get all the dogs out safely anyway.   She is very isolated where she lives although her home is amazing and the view, even after the fire, still quite beautiful but for her it has lost its shine.  I felt awful that I had not been to see her earlier but she was just glad I had made it today.   It was a brief coffee and chat together as she had fallen down the stairs last week and hurt her arm so was going to the Physio for some help.  Like she said - Just when you think things cannot get any worse.

The good weather didn't last, by the time I got back home the heavens had opened and there was thunder, lightning, hail stones and a power cut.  John had the Bobster round for a coffee today and when I arrived Das was also there.  They were sitting in the conservatory which was warm because of the morning sunshine thankfully because if we have a powercut we are stymied - even the gas fire needs electric to light.

During a brief break in the bad weather (which rolled around off and on for the remainder of the day) I did manage to pot up the violas I had bought when I went to the Garden Centre with Di.

The winter weather had ravaged the poinsettia that had been in the pot and before the frosts and snow of last week I had thought I might be able to rescue it but that short sharp cold snap proved too much and the stems had gone to mush.

I shall keep the pot in the conservatory for a while until the little plantlets roots get established and they begin to fill out.  Hopefully by then the hail storms will have been and gone as they do such damage to the flowers and leaves.  Mind you I have known us to have hail in May one year.  I hope that isn't the case this year as George and Pam are coming much earlier than they normally do.  The last time they did that the weather was appalling and George got a cold.

We hunkered down for the remainder of the day.  John dug some sausage and mash out of the freezer which was exactly what was needed on such a grey afternoon and evening.