Looking for something special for someone special

Today we were going off to the Garden Centre because on Thursday it is Rob's birthday and he has had an awful time of it culminating in his mum's passing.  When Di's dad passed away we gave her a rose for the garden so that it could be something to remember him by and we thought it would be nice to get a different rose today in memory of Rob's mum Vera.  We had found out that there is a rose called Vera and it is pink so as we were unlikely to get the actual one we were looking for something pink.

We stopped to have some breakfast and a coffee and whilst we were there one of the local farmers came in having picked fresh mango.  A massive bag was 10 euros and they are the most delicious thing I have tasted in a long time.  Although they still look quite green on the outside inside they are orange and sweet and juicy.  I know because Marianna kindly took one and prepared it for us before we decided to buy a bag.  Initially I didn't think we would eat them all before they became over-ripe but having had one you want two or even three!

Marianna took us in search of the best rose - now really isn't the best time to buy them but we actually had plenty to chose from.  We also selected a shrub bougainvillea in white and pink to go in the large pot which Isabel gave us before she left along with some other shrub which we think is called Hemigraphis and which has dark purple leaves and tiny white flowers.

This is the rose which we plumped for - it was John's favourite as it was a lovely shade of pink with plenty of flowers and plenty of buds and no sign of any blackspot, mealy bug or anything else nasty.

We got Marianna to wrap it and now we just have to keep it safe and sound until Thursday when John is going into the village to meet up with Rob for a coffee and will take it down along with his card and catch up with him at this difficult time.  Anyway we just want him to know that we are thinking of him.

Sadly we are of an age where the loss of someone makes us contemplate our own mortality.  John is very much of the opinion that life is too short and the last couple of years of uncertainty have made us realise that we should not try and plan long term and we should 'seize the moment' if we can.

I popped to see Sonia this afternoon, she was struggling with a hose extension to her pressure washer!  I had decided to take her a couple of mango - if nothing else she can, and probably will, plant the stones as she is loving the whole gardening experience - so much so that she and Andrea opposite want to turn the first green area into a garden space.  The one next to us gets razed to the ground by our neighbour when she comes - bit of a shame really as we had planted some new trees but note that they have gone as she had employed someone to strim the area back to bare earth.  

It was quite noisy today as the men were working on the grain again.  It will take them several days to get all the grain up from where it has been drying - I am assuming it is for animal feed or at least hope so because no end of dogs, cats, birds, human feet and vehicles have been through it!