Summer has finally properly settled in here, or so it seems. The winds have lessened… sunshine hours now exceed 11 per day… it’s very warm. Even the swimming pool is inviting. We’ve been in several times a day. Is it a bit bracing on first plunge? Yes it is!!!! But we are elderly winnards… kids and the more hardy would be plunging around like salmon in the autumn. And of course, it’s getting better every day.

Bob has been refurbing the garden wood burning oven. It’s a job he does every few years. The extreme heat causes cracks in the cement dome which need to be filled and then a new coat of white exterior paint applied. We have a mega stack of wood for it harvested mainly from our tree trimmings and the roots of the fallen hedge, together with chopped up pallets etc. All ready for guests to make their own pizzas, roast lamb legs, beef stifado…. bread…. it all comes out tasting amazing and it’s so much fun to do.

It’s so fertile here.We have a ton of lemons coming on the tree i grew from a 9 inch pot plant. And a tomato plant has sprung up in another potted plant that I water with the washing up bowl water – must have had tomato seeds in it from salad making. Please do use the washing up water to irrigate the pot plants, dear guests!!

Habibi came up and he and Bob measured the gap for the new fence. He has ordered the stuff for it and work will start on Sunday. Shouldn’t take long to get it up – it’s quite a length – perhaps 13m across the gap. Not a cheap job – £600 all in. It will need to stay up for a few years at least till plants can fill the gap and restore safety and privacy to our garden and Alan and Lesley’s pool terrace. It will be good to get it in place.

Other than that we’ve spent the afternoons sunbathing around the pool, having brief incursions into the water…. bbqing dinners. All good stuff. It’s lovely here…. so peaceful and serene. Having a day off tomorrow and heading to the beach….