Catching up...

This is a Swallowtail Caterpillar which has attached itself to a crevice in the Great Wall of Droushia.  I think it is the caterpillar of the Eastern Black Swallowtail and it is probably there getting ready to shed its skin and become a chrysalis.   That would be a lovely addition to the garden and would go with the cicadas which are multiplying by the day!  There were two on the orange lantana emerging into their adult form and a huge one on the underside of the soffit by the spare bedroom which was making a right old racket chirping and because of its position it was echoing all around the garden.  I like to hear them though because it is so typically Mediterranean.

We started our Saturday slowly with a lie-in and then a dip into the pool which is now a very pleasant temperature hovering just below 30 degrees which is about as warm as you would want it.

We had nothing really planned for the day save for a bit of tidying up in and around the house and garden and John went down to the cemetery to sort out the steps that he had made when Dad died which allowed Mum to get up to the plot easily - over the years they have begun to deteriorate and as it is Father's Day tomorrow and I will be going down he wanted to make sure they were safe and sound.  I am not the only one that uses them for sure so it will be for the benefit of others too.

We were having brunch today.  I am trying to use up bits from the fridge so we had a crumpet topped with scrambled eggs where I stirred the cheese in at the end rather than cooked it in then little crispy pieces of bacon and some fried onion.  It was so good I did not even crack open one of my last remaining bottles of Branston Sauce to accompany it.

We took a walk this afternoon although it was a bit too hot really.  The landscape has changed from green to brown very quickly and we have noticed more fields around us being planted up and harvested which previously had lain fallow - a sign of the times maybe that the island is going to have to try and grow more of its own.  

We were going to call on Clare for a quick chat.  She had rung to say she was going to be in the village for the next couple of weeks as school has broken up and she may be involved in a summer school but wasn't sure as yet.  We never know whether she is up here or down in Paphos and the last time she was here we had to cancel because Mum had had a fall.

We arrived late afternoon and sat out on her patio catching up.  I think it is fair to say that she is struggling a bit building her life here without Les, you could argue it might have been easier if she had been with him when he moved back from Hong Kong but she wasn't and that cannot be changed.  Droushia has limited places to socialise and the regular ladies lunches have stopped.  Her's is not a house that you would walk past so I am guessing unless she ventures out she might not see anyone.  It is never easy when you lose your partner and are left on your own and there are no easy ways to move on from this.

We walked home past the mare and her foal which were further up the road a couple of week's ago.  Thankfully they have both water and shade - both of which are most needed at the moment with the hot weather we are experiencing.