Lazy Sunday

We were all a bit tired this morning after a lovely day yesterday.  Charlie had found himself a nice bed on the sofa with his feet resting on the foot stool I gave my Aunt yesterday when she was reading in the conservatory.  We had anticipated a long power cut today and I was doing lunch so I had got a lot of it sorted just in case my oven was unavailable.

Breakfast was taken outside and my Aunt and Uncle took themselves off to the gazebo for a read whilst we awaited the arrival of mum and dad.  The morning started out beautifully but cloud soon started to bubble up from the direction of Lara and pretty soon it was getting cloudier and cloudier and you could feel the temperature dropping.

We remember the first October we were here and Mark and Laura came to visit and we went ot Lara for Mark's birthday and drove home hotly pursued by a storm which eventually caught up with us and we experienced thunder and lightning and heavy rain so weather like this is not unusual in October.

I sorted out the outside table in preparation for a game of doms and then lunch but had the dining table indoors as a back up if Mum and/or Dad felt they were cold.

Charlie moved from the conservatory but only as far as the sofa in the lounge and contorted himself into what looked like a very uncomfortable position but he was as happy as Larry!  He kept me company with his snoring whilst I got the remainder of the lunch prepared and we waited for mum and dad to arrive.  Their cat has been really in the wars - he won't stop going out and getting into a vicious fight and he has no teeth so he comes off the worse - yesterday he went missing after a particularly nasty fight and was badly injured.  Fortunately he returned this morning and allowed Mum to give him a bit of a clean.  They were then happy to come up to us having seen him.

Mum and Dad arrived safe and sound but they the time they did it had begun to cloud over - having lived over here for so long they are much more conscious of the cold and we are always a good 6 degrees cooler up here than in Emba.  It's fine in the conservatory but outside is a bit of a different matter.

We managed to have the first half of our doms game outside but it did begin to get cooler and cooler so we thought it would be better if we sat inside to eat our lunch.  It is good to have the three members of the September 16th club all together once again.  We have been talking to Joyce and David about them returning again next year if they are feeling fit and healthy enough and it would be lovely if they were able to manage it - bless them for even considering it at their ages!

My meal seemed to go down well.  I had prepared a coq au vin in advance and then tweaked the recipe and added the black eyed beans which I picked from next to mum and dad's earlier in the week.  The coq au vin was served with hasselback potatoes and carrots and leaks in cream and garden peas.  I had made basil and lime infused pannacotta which was served with poached raspberries.  It was better to eat it indoors although it is a bit of a squeeze!  We will have to sort out seating arrangements over the Christmas period when we have eight at one point!!

Finally news on Bigfoot and her foal - Sharon was very concerned about her yesterday as she was tethered in the field opposite Sharon and Sean with what appeared to be very little to eat and she has her foal to support.  Bigfoot was looking exceptionally thin and Sharon was thinking about getting some hay for them both but the good news is that they have been moved into the field behind where they appear to have more to eat and they are obviously being looked after as the owners were there feeding and watering them.