A Super Soccer Sunday

We had a Sunday at home today.  There is something rather luxurious about being able to lounge in bed for as long as we wanted and have nothing planned except a late meal followed by the Ladies European Football Final.  Mum is coming tomorrow and somehow lunch on a Monday seems to be so much easier and less stressful than lunch on a Sunday.

We woke, read the papers and then got up and had a swim.  I decided, for some unknown reason, to give the kitchen a good bottoming after breakfast - I am not sure why, maybe because I could.

Outside the kitchen door we have a trough of herbs and in the English Rocket which is looking past its best we have a tiny little lizard which has made it its home.  I remind John that he needs to wash any rocket he picks in case it has the added flavour of lizard poo!

This was good advice because this morning we were having my take on a Venetico Cypriot breakfast.  We had toast with bacon, halloumi and egg accompanied by a side salad of little plum tomatoes and rocket.  It was ok but I must get a new frying pan because my existing one is buggered to put it bluntly - everything sticks in the middle which isn't easy when you are trying to make nice looking fried eggs.

Once breakfast was done and dusted I started on the kitchen.  The doors got the toothbrush treatment first dust settles on the little ridge at the bottom.  Then they were washed and then treated with teak oil.  This is not my favourite job because after a while the oil starts to make my hands itch.

Everything was scrubbed and oiled (where required) and the floor got a good clean.  I even cleaned the cutlery drawer - where does all that guff come from?  The right hand fridge was done - but I was getting very hot and bothered so left the left hand one and I will do that in the week sometime.  

It was a warm day but the temperatures were reduced from what they have been of late and we had quite a breeze which kept it cooler.  Today is the last day of July and it has not been as hot as it was last year thank goodness.  We have just over a month before John's mum, Jackie and Stan arrive and we are trying to plan how to spend that time.  They have come up with a few suggestions which we are factoring in.

I spent quite a time in the pool this afternoon cooling off.  I was accompanied by our resident red dragonfly who always seems aware that I want to try and take its photograph.  

John was glued to the Commonwealth games and called me in to watch the triathlon for visually impaired which was absolutely amazing.  Even though the para competitor has a guide it is impossible to imagine how they manage to negotiate all three disciplines without tripping or bumping into something.  They are inspirational and hats off to the Commonwealth games for including the para events in amongst those for the able bodied because the crowds were amazing and if anything more enthusiastic for those who have overcome such physical difficulties to be there and competing.

It was actually nice, with so much going on, on the TV to be able to delay our evening meal until just before the England Ladies football match.  Actually we do prefer to eat in the evening.  Today we were having the pork tenderloin we had bought from Shuks on Friday.  It was amazing.  I trimmed off any sinew and fat.  In fact there was very little and we had it pan fried with a honey and mustard sauce, hasselback potatoes, carrots and peas and it was delicious.  We ate the whole tenderloin - all €4.50 of it!

Charlie was not so bothered about the football.  He snuggled down on the sofa beside me for a while but as the evening cooled he took himself off for a wander outside in the cool.  He will be disappointed as I expect Persephone and Savvas have returned to Nicosia.  We watched the game, it was at times frustrating and exhilarating.   It was amazing to see Wembley absolutely packed to the gunnels to witness an historic victory!