Lordos Ladies + Bee

Monday and a very quiet day for us again today save for the fact that I took Belinda down shopping because the Lordos Ladies, of whom Belinda is an honorary member, were convening at hers for a little get together and so nibbles and wine were in order.  We were, of course, missing Jan!!!  We had all contributed something to the occasion - Gail got top marks for her legendary sausage rolls.

Bless Belinda she had got her little place all spick and span and had laid a table out in readiness for the veritable feast that we managed to produce.  Big thanks to Ellen for driving up so everything arrived intact.  She had decided to leave the car there and get it tomorrow which was a great idea because it meant we could all have a drink together.

We had a lovely evening.  Great food, lots of laughs and some girlie time together which was lovely.  What is even lovelier is that we span quite an age range but it doesn't matter.  I don't think anything phases Ellen or offends her - in fact I reckon she could teach us a thing or two!

A Sunday at Home...

So after a late night having been to Katerina and Chris's wedding we had a day at home doing absolutely nothing at all.  We had negotiated with Mum that we would be at home today and so she had organised to have a meal sorted, it being Sunday.

I text Jackie to thank her and Costas for what had been a lovely wedding and I know that Mum and Dad had been good friends to them when they first got married but we were really quite chuffed to have been invited.  

It got us out of Paphos too and down to Pissouri which we used to visit regularly when our lovely friends Wendy and Bill lived there.  

There was a time, not so long ago, when they considered being neighbours on Lordos 1 but that didn't happen and now they are firmly at home back in the UK for lots of different reasons.  It is the right thing for them but we do miss them and realise that as time goes on and circumstances change our chances of spending time together become less and less.

The weather today started out reasonably ok and then deteriorated.  Before it did I managed to go out and did a bit of tidying and noticed that my lovely little water lily has produced its first flower of the year.  The sunshine was short-lived, we had thunder and rain and gale force winds which made a right old mess in the garden.  John is tearing out what hair he has left trying to keep the pool clean.  We just hope as we have several visitors arriving shortly that the weather bucks its ideas up.  Carole and Paul, Mike and Mel arrive next weekend and Hazel the weekend after.

I am going to enlist the help of Argy to see if her brother may be able to shed any light on house 4b which has been abandoned and is deteriorating badly and is next door to Richard.  He would like to buy it and do it up but so far has drawn a blank as to how to find the registered owner and move things forward.  Richard sent me some photos of the current state of disrepair.  I can see why he would be keen to get that sorted.

A fabulously chilled off-grid day was rounded off with episode 1 of Succession

What a lovely wedding!!!

The weather today was dreadful.  Gale force winds and extreme heat - not good for a wedding and not good because it sparked two massive fires nearby.

We started the day with John going on a mega bike ride with Richard so because of the wedding we had decided to have a late and filling brunch and I invited Richard to join us because I haven't seen him in ages and I still want to tap him up to clean my carpets and my floors!!!

We managed to sit outside and have our brunch before the wind got out of control - quite scary really - we had to batten down the hatches as we were leaving at 3.00pm.  We got ourselves ready and stopped at the garage in Kathikas to check the tyre pressure and fill up with fuel.  The younger of the two guys who work there (Joyce) asked if we were going to Peyia and asked if we might give him a lift which were were happy to do - they are both such nice friendly guys.  Anyway on the way down we had to pass by one of the fires which was just above Pikni Forest and surrounding the house that sits back and looks like a Swiss Chalet, on returning from the wedding this was just about being brought under control but it was dark so we could not see the extent of the damage.  Anyway it transpired that Joyce lives just along the road from where Mum and Dad's old house was built - what a small world!

We picked up Mum and trundled off to the Columbia Beach Resort in Pissouri where Costas and Jackie's daughter Katerina was getting married.  We reckon we last saw her when she was a teenager - she is now nearly 30!!!!!

The little church in the resort is lovely and the flowers were absolutely amazing but it is a little church so really only a very small wedding group can get inside - the rest of us sat outside but unfortunately there was no way of hearing what was going on and even if we could we would not have understood it!

It is also a bit strange that you get random holidaymakers wandering around semi-naked to and from the sea!!!

Anyway we settled down, I realised that I actually knew the woman sat next to me - Jackie's oldest friend Jane who we haven't seen for years!!!

We had a nice time although I think it was all too much for Mum.  Jackie's mum on the other hand was the life and soul at the tender age of 93!!!  She had travelled over from the UK courtesy of assistance with some 'elderly' people.  She had spent her life fostering over 100 children, five of whom she adopted - Jackie being one of them.  What an amazing lady.

We were outside for the whole duration and Mum had not brought more than a short sleeved cardigan which she needed immediately even though I had suggested when we picked her up that she would need more than that.  

Needless to say she was cold and although there was an amazing buffet with everything from sushi to roast lamb I struggled to find anything she would eat.  The salad bar was so amazing that I stuck to that and we were lucky to have been sat right near the food and were the first to be called after the happy couple and before the melee ensued!!!

We were so happy for Jackie that after all her illnesses she had been able to see her daughter married and it was a really lovely event.  The hotel is set in a bit of a basin so the high winds didn't really trouble us and it was actually quite a warm and balmy evening.  I was in a sleeveless silk dress and didn't need anything extra so actually donated my scarf/wrap to Mum.

We waited for most people to have eaten before we quietly slipped away.  We had managed to get a golf buggy organised to drive us back up to where we had parked the car as we were never going to get Mum to walk back up that way.

So congratulations to Katerina and Chris - may they have a long, healthy and happy marriage.  Many thanks to Costas and Jackie for the very kind invitation to a lovely afternoon.  We will hope to see them soon once they have got over all the excitement.

Many Congratulations Lakis and Argy xxx

We were having a quiet day at home today before going out in the evening with Lakis and Argy to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary which is actually tomorrow but we will be at a wedding ourselves.

We were taking them to Finikas in Polis because we just couldn't really think of anything special to buy them.  Having said that we did go into Phil's Home which has a marvelous array of artificial plants and bought one for Argy because she cannot have real plants (they are not here all year round) so good artificial ones are her alternative.  I had also silk painted a card for them which I hope they will like.

Because we were going out this evening we had to forego a trip to the Stone Lion with Gail and Pete and Nicky and Mark who were off for a fish Friday meal.  I wasn't too disappointed because fried fish is one of the things which seems to aggravate my hernia although other items are available obviously!!!

The weather forecast for the weekend is stormy.  May has been a real disappointment for electric generation compared to previous years.  I had phoned in our readings but this morning a very nice man came to read the meter.  I also managed to phone Dr Lykoudis's secretary to see when I might be having my operation.  It is all in hand she is just waiting to find out theatre availability and will get back to me in due course.

Poor Charlie is most perturbed by the changes in the neighbourhood.  His morning mooching has been severely curtailed now that Derek and Jan are not next door.  He keeps running around in that direction and then comes back disappointed bless him.  There is only one thing to be done - get D&J to come here permanently then Charlie will be happy.  In fact after years of having no-one next door in 11a we now find it strange and a bit too quiet without them there.

Charlie in particular loves to have company so he was happier today because we were at home doing 'stuff', Miss Minnie was snuggled up in one of the drawers under our bed and Boris would periodically put in an appearance but settled to sleep under the outside dining table.

John went off on an errand this morning so I took the opportunity to do a bit of tidying in the garden - with Hazel coming soon I am hoping we will still have some colour but that does mean regular deadheading of the gazanias.  At long last the clock vines have put in an appearance but sadly the Poligala that I have a severe pruning to back in October remains nothing more than an interesting stick - a shame but can't be helped.  I want to get something topiaried to replace it but haven't found the right thing yet (at a price I am willing to pay!!).

On John's return we embarked on using up the remainder of Nicky's window film on the other window in the conservatory which we thought would benefit.  We learned from our first experience of using the film to be better prepared, leave less excess on the film before fitting and more water on the glass.  We managed to complete the job in record time but we are still absolutely no threat to Window Film Ian who is a veritable magician when he comes to do it professionally.  Anyway we need a nice warm day so that the heat from the conservatory can dry out the excess water trapped between the film and the glass.

We had a lovely evening at Finikas.  John drove there and I drove back.  For once I chose something different as my main meal.  I started with the octopus carpaccio and then had a salmon quinoa salad.  The jury is out on the salad - the flavours were lovely but it was very rich so I struggled to eat all of it but then that is no bad thing as I would really like to shed a pound or two or even three!

Not only was it Argy's special anniversary she will also celebrate a special birthday this year.  What an amazing lady and how lucky are we to have her and Lakis as friends and neighbours.

We always have a laugh in their company!!!  John is now nearing a time when he is going to have to get some proper glasses instead of the off the shelf ones he purchases for 'small print'.  He looks like a young Ray Winstone in this photo!

Orchid Trees

I was up early this morning to go walking with Nicky which I haven't done for ages.  Needs must, I seem to have piled on the pounds recently and it is a bit depressing because I had a few 'special' dresses in the wardrobe that had been purchased and worn only once for a special occasion and not one now fits and I had hoped that at least one would be suitable for the wedding we are going to in Pissouri on Saturday.  I could get them on but not zipped up.  When you are not very tall every extra ounce is so much more noticeable.   I don't know if it is the medication that I am now on that is contributing but I was on a right downer.  

It was nice to walk and we were lucky enough to pass by two beautiful trees seemingly growing wild just on the edge of the village.  Both are Bauhinia.  The one above Bauhinia Alba - Bauhinia is also known as the Orchid Tree and even though the blooms are not orchids you could be forgiven for thinking they are.  The tree has large white blooms and pretty heart shaped leaves.  I looked it up and apparently it is fiercely drought-tolerant, easy to cultivate and requires little attention, full sun and poor soil and whatever water it can get.  I plan to go after the flowers have gone to get some of the curly seed pods because although I haven't got room in the garden they can be grown indoors and kept small with some pruning.  

Opposite the white tree is a pink version which I think is Bauhinia Variegata - perhaps even more stunning than the white.  Apparently the flower buds are used in Indian cuisine where they are known as Kachnar and turned into a pickle.  It is a good anti-oxidant and used for the prevention of cancer.

We also saw a horse and her foal.  At the moment the landscape still has plenty of green so it almost looked like a scene from the UK!

We were passed by three men in lycra somewhere in the middle of Inea - the boys were out on their bikes.  Mark had not gone today, he was having trouble with his blood pressure.

Both walkers and cyclists got home much the same time and we had the chance to catch up with Lakis and Argy and have a coffee before we got ready for our regular six monthly visit to the dentist for a check-up and clean and polish (free on GESY this time!).

We got to Peyia a little early so called into Phillipos supermarket to see if they had any non-alcoholic gin.  My sister had said that the Tanqueray one was quite palatable - we had tried the Lidl one and it was awful! (I am blaming alcohol calories for my weight gain).   Anyway there was no sign of anything much non-alcoholic but we were gobsmacked by the price of the Hendricks Specialist Gins.  The Lunar which sounded lovely was €61.15 and it retails at £30! best it does taste lovely for anyone stupid enough to buy it!

No problems for me at the dentist in the hands of the lovely Dr Haris but John has to have a filling replaced.  We came out laden with brushes, mouth wash and toothpaste!!!

Bye Bye Sis!

My sister was returning to the UK today.  We went down to pick her up as she had to vacate her accommodation by 11.00am.  This building is actually at the end of the carpark and opposite where she stayed - we joked with her before she arrived that this was her accommodation which, although basic, did at least have CCTV!!!  We made the same stupid joke with Matthew and Sarah when they stayed in No20 years ago - we clearly haven't matured much over time!

Having checked her out of No20 which just meant giving the cleaner the keys as we left, we went up to the Garden Centre to have brunch.  It was lovely sitting in the cafe eating and chatting over the last week which had by anyone's standards been a real success.  Having Kaye staying nearer us meant we could keep her company in the evenings which she appreciated as she doesn't really like being on her own then.  She took the pressure off me by going to see Mum on several occasions without me and Mum seemed to enjoy the attention she got and was good company - even better when she had had her sodium infusion.

Kaye's flight was not until 11.00pm which meant getting her to the airport by 9.00pm - John was doing the same run with Jan and Derek who were returning on the Newcastle flight due to set off the same time as Kaye's Birmingham flight - either side there were about 3 others all going in quick succession so we knew the airport would be chaos.  We were going down early to Mum's for a Chinese takeaway before heading to the airport and John was taking Jan and Derek there via Bona Mare.

So that we were not sitting around for too long Kaye and I took ourselves off on a walk around the village enjoying the afternoon sunshine.

We spent a few hours at Mum's including having our takeaway and Kaye had the opportunity to shower and change before the flight.  You can see Mum is looking so much brighter even though she got emotional when we came to leave.  I guess in the back of her mind is whether she will see Kaye again (although she plans to return in December, this time staying with us) and Kaye must wonder the same in reverse.  It is always difficult on this occasions so we try and make light of it.

The airport did not disappoint - it was utter chaos and there was nowhere to park in the quick drop-off points so I literally pulled up, parallel parked and chucked her out!  I do hope she got home safely!

Trying somewhere different for a family meal...

My sister stayed overnight and although it was a bit of a grey and windy start to the day she braved that for a dip in our pool which she said was warmer than the sea at Latchi. John was pleased as he had spent quite some time cleaning the pool in case she wanted to go in.  Not to be beaten I went in later and it was actually not bad at all - my first dip of the year about a month later than normal but to be fair the weather has not been anything like as good in April and May as we would normally expect.

Kaye went back to the Eliofos for some time to herself as we were having a family meal together with Mum down in Paphos later.

Whilst she was out I decided that I would make a pasty pie with the veg left over from Sunday and a bit of the skirt I had got from Shuks and the last remaining bit of pastry.  Now I know how good this pastry is and how lovely the other pasties tasted I am on it bonnet!!!!

John had the jolly bomba idea of using up the pastry cuttings with some cheese to make cheese straws which were also lovely but next time we need to use some extra tasty cheese and then they will be perfect!!!

So after a nice quiet afternoon of cooking and gardening Kaye came up and we travelled down to pick Mum up to go to this new restaurant we had been recommended called Vardas Seacret.  We hoped that Mum would like it.  We had asked to park nearer the doors so that she wouldn't have so far to walk and they had responded to say that was fine and that they would give us a code to exit the barrier on our way out which they did.

The restaurant was lovely.  There is a seating area right by the sea and a covered terrace behind that then there is a glassed in indoor area where they could open all the doors in the heat and a fully inside bit.  The staff had booked us a table in the glassed in area which suited Mum down to the ground.  She wasn't cold at all and we had taken a cushion so she was comfortable on the slightly rustic seating.

We all found something we liked the look of on the menu - I had baby calamari as did Kaye and they were lovely.  Mum had chicken kebab and managed to eat three sticks.  John had a pork chop which he said was nice but not rendered as much as he would have liked but if he went again and had that he would tell them.  As we were completing the meal who should come in but Michael who sold us our Nissan!!!  He is charming and came over and told us that his best friend ran (or maybe even owned) the restaurant.  He also invited us for coffee when we are next near the Nissan garage.

A very successful evening for Kaye's last night and it was her treat too.  I drove but I didn't mind they made a very very acceptable virgin mojito!!!  I think we would certainly visit there again - if only for the lovely view and staff!

 

Eating out...

I managed to get a little amount of time out in the garden this morning before my sister arrived.  It is vast turning into a bit of a wilderness.  Generally I go out and spend a little time every day and that keeps it under control.  Out the front the lemon tree and the lime tree have put on a spurt like they are on steriods and the wysteria has grown so much it is now beginning to smooch the fruit trees.  This was the area that I tackled this morning along with the poppies which are coming to the end of their show and are looking leggy and tired.  I had really wanted to wait until they set seed but they are putting John's teeth on edge as they are a bit of a mess!!

I am somewhat underwhelmed by the new clematis that I bought and which is in a tub in the front garden.  Unlike the ones which are climbing up the trellis this one has minuscule blooms - certainly much smaller than the picture which was attached to it on purchase.  It's ok but is hardly the statement piece I had hoped it would be!  On the plus side it is definitely not pink as the other two are even though I had asked when I bought the second one for it not to be pink!

There is lots of colour in the garden at the moment and the much cooler and wetter than normal weather for this time of year is suiting the plants even if it is not suiting us.  Fortunately for Kaye she is down on the coast so has had better weather than if she had been staying with us and she is enjoying the accommodation and location which is good as we had suggested it and you can never be exactly sure what people's expectations are.

I had left her this morning to do her own thing - she has been taking herself for an early walk along the coastal path and then having a dip in the sea which she is says is ok if not a little bracing!

She was coming today late morning so that we could go and pick mum up for an early lunch - we had invited Kaye to stay with us overnight so that we could walk into the village and all have a drink together.

After some debate we decided that the weather was good enough for us to eat outside at Sentiero by the Sea and got mum to take her cardigan 'just in case'.  There aren't that many places that are open on a Monday so the carpark was pretty busy but we managed to park up.  Mum said she didn't need her cardigan but we told her to take it and although there was a lovely table right by the sea by the time we walked there Mum declared she was cold.  She might have been cold but she ate a good sized lunch - she had three pieces of halloumi in sesame and honey and most of a large plate of chips.  Kaye and I had a nice salad (no cheese as Kaye doesn't eat it) olives and tzatziki which was lovely and just enough as we planned to eat again later!!!

Mum seemed to enjoy herself which is good and to be fair Kaye has been with her or taken her out every day that she has been here.  We took mum to Lidl for a bit of shopping and then returned home.  Kaye went back to her accommodation for a bit of a rest and to get what she wanted for her overnight stay.

We walked up to Kaponas, it was quite a pleasant evening but as soon as we sat down outside the wind gusted through and we decamped indoors.  It was a lovely evening although we were the only ones in there save for the family.  John had a pork chop, Kaye had lamb chops and I had chicken souvlaki and sheftalia which were lovely but gave me heartburn unfortunately!

Perfect Pasties

Today we had Kaye, Mum and Lilian here for lunch and I had planned a roast dinner but plumped for Pasties instead because we found a reasonably sized, reasonably priced swede rather than one which was the size of a head and the price of a kidney.  

We started out with a pea and mint soup which was lovely, I had made mum's without chili and ours with.  Then we had the pasties which were, if I do say so myself, the very best I have made ever in the history of my life EVER.  Everyone enjoyed them and even Mum said they were good - almost as good as my Nanny's but Nan was Cornish through and through so I was never going to reach those dizzy heights.

John was ecstatic that there had been enough meat to make a spare which he had already ring-fenced for his lunch tomorrow when Kaye and I are taking Mum out.  Not only ring-fenced but hastily packed away from view as we often offer Mum a meal to take home with her.

Mum has not been up with us for some time as it is not so easy now that she is not driving - it is a 60Km round trip down and then again back and when we take her back she is always keen for us to stay for a 'cuppa'.  We despatched John off this morning to get Lilian and mum, Kaye and I were taking them back.

Mum has been so much better since her infusion - it just makes you realise what a detrimental effect low sodium has on her.  The doctor has told her that unfortunately it is a sign of her aging and so the regular blood tests and top up infusions are going to be with her for the remainder of her days.  It is a small price to pay for staying alive.  She looked lovely today too.  Kaye and I are trying to reinforce the items in her wardrobe that do her justice as there are quite a few items we would gladly bin!

Kaye had brought a game for us to play after our lunch.  We all had a mask to wear and were allowed to ask one question to which the others could answer only yes or no.

Looking around the table it was obvious that there was a 'theme' of royalty going on so this picture is Mum as what is now the new Queen.  Lilian was Prince William. Kaye was Prince Charles, I was Princess Anne and poor John was a Corgi - he didn't stand a chance!!!!!

So a bit of a laugh and it whiled away half an hour or so.  Our biggest laugh was the sight of Mum sampling the lovely chocolates that her hairdresser had given her for her birthday and which came from Lidl.  Mum couldn't duck having one because they were a selection of Dark, Milk and White chocolate but the face she pulled when I handed her a Dark Chocolate with Salted Caramel centre was priceless, Kaye said she couldn't have pulled a more disgusted face than if she was on one of those eating challenges on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and she had been presented with a Kangaroo's do-dah!!!!  Still you won't change her.

As I said Kaye and I took Lilian and Mum back and we managed to duck the obligatory cuppa because we were stuffed from the pasties and it was getting a bit late.  Mum forgets we have another 30-40 minute drive back home plus Kaye and I wanted to check out a restaurant for Tuesday night when we will be having a family meal together somewhere down near Emba.

Someone had recommended Vardas Seacret (spelt like that) so we went to check it out.  There has always been a cafe/restaurant at Vardas Beach but this looks to have been given a right old facelift.  The menu looked ok and there were loads of staff so we decided to go for it.  I shall report back after we have been.

Out and About

The boys went on a mega bike ride today.  John's was even more mega because he left his bag at the cafe and had to cycle back to get it!!!!  

Anyway they set off early 8.00am but just before they did Gail sent me this cartoon which looks like Richard, Derek and John being photographed by Pete.  It tickled me because that isn't too far from the truth.  Men in lycra is just wrong in our book!!!!!

Because my sister is here and leaving on the same day as Jan and Derek I wont get the opportunity to go out and say our farewells to J&D so I had suggested to Jan that we went out for brunch today whilst the boys were on their bikes and then Gail said she needed to go down to Polis so we decided we would all go together.

Poor Jan is an a right tizz because her current three month stay has raced by and she doesn't feel like she has achieved anything like the progress on the house that she had hoped.  I think she does herself a disservice because if they look back at the starting point they have actually done wonders.

We plumped for Venetico for brunch which is a lovely venue with an amazing view and the food was great but the service very very slow.  It didn't really matter as we were having a nice chat in the sunshine but I think had we been there with the boys they might have given up.  I had the Cyprus breakfast which was lovely and actually turned out to be my only proper meal of the day.

We had a quiet afternoon after John finally got back from his longer than expected ride!  John watched football and I set about creating an anniversary card for our lovely friends and neighbours Argy and Lakis.  It is their 50th wedding anniversary at the weekend and we will be at a wedding in Pissouri which is the law of sod.  Anyway they are planning a bit of a celebration when the weather is more settled (which it is not at the moment).

I did a silk painting card which I hope they like and now we have to conundrum of what to get them as a gift.  They are so very generous to us that we want to reciprocate but not sure what we can get them and time is running out.

I think we should take them out for a meal, just the four of us, as we are very conscious that since they arrived we have had very little time to spend with them and normally we would have seen quite a bit more of them than we have done.  The only trouble is that we have a short break and then more visitors arrive with Mike and Mel staying at the Souli and Carole and Paul staying at the Souli and Hazel staying with us!

We had arranged to go and meet up with Kaye this evening.  She had been with Mum for lunch.  I was spending time getting everything ready for the meal I am doing for lunch tomorrow.  Just the pasties to make first thing if I can get my poorly thumb in a position to crimp the pasty edges properly!

We have discovered that we have a bird's nest in the car-port.  We think it is probably a sparrow and it has patiently built the nest under a bit of a mat that John had put up there to stop rain dripping on his car.  We shall leave it undisturbed until it is empty because then John plans to replace the terracotta tiles with something less heavy.

As we headed down to Latchi John decided to grab the opportunity to get a hair cut if he could and we got to the barbers about five minutes before he was due to open and John cemented himself to the chair and refused to budge until Chris pitched up having had a coffee at O Stathmos.  The big red 1993 truck belongs to Chris who is actually a fireman and does barbering on the side!!!  He doesn't rush a cut, beard trim, nose hair and ear hair cut!!!  So we were later leaving the village than we had anticipated!

Down on the coast it was a lovely evening and so we walked all the way to the Souli to sit on the waters' edge and have a drink.

Such an amazing and friendly hotel and a lovely place to sit and have a drink.  I think this has been such a different and positive experience for Kaye - she loves the Eliofos because she feels safe and comfortable there even though she is on her own.  She takes herself off for a walk every day in the morning and goes for a swim before she comes to us or goes to Mum.  We have been reminded what a lovely place Latchi is and have enjoyed going out in the evenings to feel what it is like to be a bit of a tourist!!!

A Little Bit Poorly

We had a day at home today which was lovely - Kaye was coming for supper having gone to the beach at St George's and then called in on Mum who had had her sodium infusion this morning and was like a different person as a result.  It is amazing how it perks her up and John and I have begun to notice when presumably her levels are low as she becomes less steady on her feet and more confused.  I am guessing that probably contributed to her having a fall on Sunday.

Anyway I was in getting food ready for the evening when I got a text and photograph from Gail to tell us that poor Dot was in the wars again.  She had had an allergic reaction to one of the antibiotics she had been given and it had turned into a nasty mass on her back and she was bendy enough to be able to scratch it.

This reminded me of the times when first Chivers and then Charlie had a wound that they kept scratching and ended up having to wear one of John's socks which we modified so it looked like a jumper.  Neither of them seemed to mind wearing it, in fact bless Chivers he stood loud and proud in it!!!  Gail has got Dot a child's t-shirt to keep the wound covered.

On the subject of wounds I managed to chop the top of my thumb off this morning whilst John was talking to his mum.  

When I went to Ikea I bought a mandoline set and decided to use it today to do the veggies that go into Cornish Pasties as this is what we are having on Sunday.

I cut the veg up no problem, in fact the mandoline was so sharp it made slicing the swede an absolute joy but when I came to clean the thing I just hadn't appreciated quite how lethally sharp it was even though I had a double thickness tea-towel the blade sliced through that and the top of my thumb.  It was so sharp I didn't feel it but I knew what I had done and I didn't think it was going to stop bleeding at first.  Eventually after a lot of pressure it did settle down and I managed to put some gunk on it and a plaster.  The only problem is I am not very good with plasters and so my thumb ended up looking like it was dead.

So tonight we had three little fishies on a little dishy for supper but not before we had had a selection of non-dairy dips for starter including my piece de resistance - muhammara which is absolutely the best dip in the world ever - amen!   We had muhammara, houmous and tahini because they are all fine for someone who doesn't do dairy.  We followed this with Thai spiced Sea Bream with new potatoes and a salad and it was absolutely delicious even if I do say so myself.  

We are now so geared up to feeding people with dietary requirements that it doesn't phase us at all which is good and doesn't make our diners all stressy which is doubly good.  I have tomorrow off too which means I can have a good night's sleep and face the day knowing everything is in hand!

Mum is 88

Quite a full on day today.  It was Mum's birthday - she was 88!  For her it started with a blood test, for me it started with unpacking the things which my sister had brought over with her which included the covers for our tub chairs.  They had been cheap and I wasn't holding out much hope but they were much much better than I had anticipated and I am really pleased with them!

Kaye got lost trying to get to us this morning but it wasn't a problem and we managed to talk her in and then we went to Emba to see Mum, picking Lilian up on the way to celebrate Mum's birthday.  Bless Mum she had been for her blood test and the results had shown that her sodium was really low, we didn't need a blood test to confirm that, when it is low it really affects her and she becomes unsteady and a bit confused but the infusion she is due tomorrow generally sorts that out.  Anyway Kaye, Lilian and I assembled at Mum's with our presents and we had a cuppa and gift opening before setting off for Sonny's where we were having lunch.

Mum has been going to Sonny's for a very long time, she and Dad had their 60th wedding anniversary celebrations there.  Prior to being Sonny's it was known as the Banana Bar and was a house of ill repute or that might have just been an urban myth!  Anyway now it is a very nice restaurant and Chris the proprietor makes us feel very welcome (Dahlin).

I had spare ribs today, no room on my plate for anything other than the ribs!!!!  They were lovely, in fact all the food was good.  We were a little concerned about Mum who, due to her lack of sodium, was a little confused which is such a shame as I don't expect she enjoyed her day as much as she should have done.

So here we are, Lilian, Kaye, Mum, a leaf and Me!!!!  combined ages of nearly 300!!!  We had had a nice lunch and left from Sonny's and went back to Mum's for a cup of tea before taking Lilian home.

Kaye left from ours to go back to Latchi and have a rest before we went down to join her for a walk along the coastal path from the Eliofos.

We decided to walk as far as Yialos to sit and watch the sun go down with a glass of wine and an olive or two.  When we had left Droushia it had been blowing a right old hooley but down on the coast it was much warmer and so I felt a little overdressed in my hoodie and denim shorts.

It was actually lovely to be down in the tourist area doing tourist type things.  It is easy to forget when you live here the things which attracted you in the first place so sitting at the waters edge on what turned out to be a lovely balmy evening with a glass of wine and good company is a great thing to do.

I just need to ask - does anyone see a resemblance?