We had a good sleep and woke up feeling a lot brighter to a lovely sunny day. And a fridge/freezer purring away frozenly! It then took a dive.

The olive tree planter returned at 830 and dumped another tonne load of topsoil for which we paid him an additional £23 which he demanded right away. The soil was tipped right up against the tree. He then drove off!!! We did rather think that “planting the tree” meant totally planting it, not leaving it unfinished….. however….. he clearly felt that he had done his job yesterday and was not doing more. Let’s just say we were very unhappy with him and certainly would never use him again Not only did he not complete the job but he left the garden area around the planting looking like the aftermath of the Somme. We therefore had no choice but to grab our shovels and set to because it will rain over the next few days and that will just compact the earth heap…. It didn’t do Bob’s shoulder any good and I’ve got blisters on my hands now. But still, it is now in some sort of shape around the tree. No doubt Habibi can attack the “somme” on Sunday but the topsoil pile couldn’t wait for that. Frankly this sort of work ethic is why we prefer to work with the Pakistani community.

Got showered off and went out late morning to get a few things we needed for the house and to look at outside lights to be fitted in the spring. I also took a small watercolour into the framers in Girne to have the glass replaced. It had been knocked on the floor over the summer and smashed. It’s a little view of Mullion Harbour in Cornwall which I am fond of. The guy did it while I waited and it cost £1.30. We looked at various lighting shops and I found some I liked for the upper drive which are solar. We will probably get them in the spring. Couldn’t find just what I wanted for the dining terrace wall lights though. Will have to get them in the UK. We managed to get some new ice cream sundae glasses from China Bazaar, total failure on mattress protector everywhere. I don’t want those sort that jjust have a bit of elastic round the corner – I want the ones that come down the side of the mattress like a fitted sheet. I may have to bring some new ones out from the UK in spring.

We called into Mermaid fabrics in Karakum to look at potential fabrics for re-upholstering two of the settees in the spring. They have a lot of suitable ones and they will do them in about 2 weeks from collection to re-delivery. I will do 2 for next year and the following year we’ll do the three seater and 2 armchairs. It’s never ending!!!!

We had a nice lunch at Tim’s Bar in Karakum. I had egg and chips which was a real treat. Also managed to get two little tables for poolside to go between the loungers. We were down to two after the summer so that was a result. Bob fitted a new bit of watering line when we got home. The plastic pipes dont seem to last very long till they split. We will have to run a dedicated line to the tree for a while once the ground is sorted out. Just to settle it in and try to ensure the roots don’t dry out.

Absolutely knackered by 4, so that was that….. Bake Off final tonight. Thanksgiving tomorrow!!!!