Michelle's first full day...

It was a slow start to day one proper of Michelle's visit.  We had insured her on Kenny so that she could take herself off down to Paphos to visit her friends Linda and Graham so after finally getting Google Maps to give us a route which avoided any major diversions, and some tea and toast and instructions as to where the car documents were if stopped by the police and what to do in case of an accident Michelle set off like it was her maiden voyage in a car - she is in her 50s!

It was a very different Sunday for us, no mum so once Michelle had left we just relaxed around the house.  I waited to hear whether Michelle was returning for an evening meal before getting food ready for the day.  We had been given a lovely home grown lettuce from Mum's neighbour Effie which was going into tonight's salad.

We had also been given some more of the magnificent tomatoes being grown in the polytunnels next to Mum so I made a tomato base for a pasta sauce because although Michelle doesn't eat tomatoes per se she is happy to eat them in a sauce.  The tomatoes were at the peak of ripeness, I had left them out on the worksurface because apparently the flavour is adversely affected if you keep them in the fridge.  They made an amazingly piquant tomato sauce with a hint of chili added for some extra zing.

This is not my photograph as I was driving at the time (I had to nip out on an errand) but on my return home a beautiful Golden Oriole flew straight across my path into a tree near the Scrimshankers house.  I have had the pleasure of sighting one previously near Andreas's house on the corner two years running when we first moved over here apparently they have a distinctive call which I need to investigate so I know if there is one around again.  

On the subject of wildlife we currently have a very persistent Carpenter Bee zooming around in the garden looking for a home.  This one was trying to make a hole in my trellis.

These bees are huge, double the size of a bumble bee and when flying in the sunshine have an iridescent blue colour and an unmistakably loud buzzy hum which sounds a bit like an old Spitfire engine - hence why I think they are referred to as the Cypriot RAF!!!

It would appear that my trellis wasn't suitable as a home because when I went back later to show Michelle it had gone but I could see where it had been.  Maybe it was just on an outing?  I will have to go back and investigate whether it has done more carpentry to my trellis, I just dont think it would be thick enough to provide it with any protection.

Michelle returned safe and sound having had a lovely day with her friends.  She does not eat meat so tonight I was making a prawn and halloumi pasta dish with the fresh sauce I had made earlier.  Even if I do say so myself it was absolutely delicious and I will be making something similar when my friend Hazel comes as she doesn't eat meat either.  Actually we are always happy to embrace other people's dietary requirements it means we get to try things that maybe we wouldn't normally try.

We settled down to watch some snooker before calling it a day.