The weather has really turned hot now and looks set to continue the same for the foreseeable……

Yesterday we finished off a load of jobs and also prepared to host Pamela and Eddie for dinner. Bob was chef and cooked up an amazing – and huge – chicken and leek pie with a puff pastry lid. Served with mash. I should have taken a picture but greed overcame me and I forgot… He also made tomato brushetta as a starter and strawberries with vanilla chantilly cream for pud. We had a predictably lovely evening – sat out on our terrace for quite a long time, just lovely company.

I made an sweet orange jam with brandy. It was really easy to do and tastes pretty good.

Whilst they were still here, our neighbours from lower down the hill came back from England after quite a long stay. It will be lovely to have their company too.

Today. I started making a batch of orange marmalade with scotch whisky. I have the orange and lemon slices soaking in the sugar syrup overnight. Tomorrow I will make the actual marmalade. It’s all small batch stuff. The fruit here is so amazing. Our lemon tree produces lemons all year round. Later we will get pomegranates, figs, almonds, later still grapefruit and more oranges…. I’ve so enjoyed making use of what’s been here on this occasion. I’m leaving some pots in the fridge for guests to try.

A nice lttle surprise today. We found a little flowering plant on each of our entrances left by the local council. Apparently it is Mother’s Day here so they were giving them out to each household. I have planted them up in the terrace planters. What a nice gesture…. I haven’t ever had anything like that from Folkestone council despite paying them 10 x more council tax than we pay here.

And in another first, I got in the pool today!!!!! It was so hot I just had to get in. Bob went off to the hospital and got his ct scan cd and took it to the specialist in Alsancak.

Tonight we ate more chicken and leek pie and froze another meal’s worth!!!!! It was a very big pie……