Getting ready for our neighbours to arrive...

Today we were getting ready for George and Pam's arrival which is tomorrow.  There were still workmen in the garden sorting the pool and the cleaner was due this afternoon so I went in and made up the beds so that was one more thing to tick off the list.  I think the family will think John and I have been over exaggerating how cold it has been because today is glorious!

The bedrooms looked really smart with their new bedding and throws and I had pulled everything away from the walls so that the cleaner could get into all the corners so that the floors were good and clean.  We cannot make up the sofa bed in the lounge as Pam and George are bringing the bedding with them but there is a new duvet, four new pillows and a throw ready for them and I have put a nice clean flannelette sheet on it for them.

We have loaned George and Pam a rug because we think they might find the tiled floor quite chilly at night - we had to wait for the cleaner to finish before we put it down but we think it makes the room look a bit more homely.  It has been four and a half years since George and Pam were last here (they were here for John's 50th) so I guess there are times they don't even remember what the place looked like.

The guys finished putting the pool liner in today - they have chosen a yellowy-beige colour which is very unusual and modern - certainly there is now much more choice than there used to be when you could have any colour you liked as long as it was blue!!!   Apparently the water is due to go in tomorrow.

It had been such a lovely day today that we decided to go up onto the roof and have a drink as the sun was going down.  It is still a bit on the cool side in the evening but a massive improvement on what it has been like.  Charlie definitely approved - he has always loved to come up on the roof to join us.  It does make me quite sad though because Chivers always used to come too.  Even though he will have been gone two years in June we still miss him - he was such a lovely lovely cat.

We had a quick visit to the Winery today to get some wine it has gone up in price for a box from 60 euros to 70 euros - to be fair you get the box of 12 plus a free one.  Everything is going up - we have been given notification that chicken and pork will increase by 20% on Monday and I noticed that petrol has gone up again and is over €1.47 which is the most expensive I have seen it on the island since we came.

We will just have to spend more time at home eating and drinking and save going our for special occasions and be as efficient as possible with menu planning and buying food.

Tonight we were making our own pizzas and having a bottle of wine.  The pizzas were the best we have ever made - we now have these off to a fine art and we use Greek pittas to make the bases and they really work.  I had made a lot of tomato base previously and we had the remains of the pepperoni, pastourma and chorizo from the last time we made pizza.

It was all lovely but I think the combination of spices and red wine didn't do much for my hernia because I really suffered in the night.