We’ve had a quiet week, some medical issues to deal with – about more in my next blog – just enjoying the sunny weather around the villa. Now that Habibi has cut our hedge back in the top garden, there is suddenly a lot more space in the border there. We have visited a few of the local garden centres and bought some new plants and a couple of new containers for pot plants as well. I’ve gone for a mixture of exotic foliage plants and local Mediterranean flowering shrubs – a red hibiscus and a giant red form of salvia. We have to plant them now so that they can establish themselves through the cooler, wetter winter weather. It’s not like England where you tend to plant out in the spring after the risk of frost has passed. Here you are planting to avoid the hest and drought of the summer months. Have also bought another orange tree to go in the top border. A Washington navel orange variety which I hope will be quite prolific. We already have another orange tree and a tangerine in the orchard area.

We have only eaten out once this week – a visit to our local favourite, Tervetuloa. A very nice, great value meal as always.

Bob has been busy with small jobs around the villa. He has replastered some small areas which had suffered a bit over time and he has finished installing our rainfall diverter from the master bedroom balcony. It looks slightly weird but it will work well and we can take it down in the spring.He’s been chopping up the branches and trunk cut off our fir tree into fire/oven sized chunks. The old electric saw went a bit wobbly on the first go at it so he has bought a new electric (rechargeable) chainsaw which is nice and light. The big petrol one is too heavy. Anyway, he’s making good headway, the hardest bit is stripping off the fir fronds.

The weather has been pleasantly sunny and warm – 20C+ – with some showers. Today I can see a big storm out at sea north of us but it seems to be missing the island. We have taken down the pergola curtains now and they’ve been to the laundry and are now stored away ready for next year. It’s getting a bit Christmasy out here, at least amongst the ex pat community. Lots of Christmas bazaars underway for charity, handicraft fairs and a pantomime. The big hotels are all decorated and advertising Christmas and New Year Gala packages. Our various friends who live out here tend to book them and they sound amazing. We are going to a Christmas Black Tie dinner and dance on 3rd December given by The Foreign Residents Society at one of the local hotels. We went to it last year and it was great fun. The chairman, who is a German gentleman, dresses up as Santa and there are raffles and all sorts.