This has, of course, been a relatively quiet week, as it always is when the summer draws to a close. I am sure, all over the country, mums have been proudly displaying "First day of school" photos. They record such a special moment, and although they are really only important to the parents themselves, they are moments to treasure for ever.
This week my grand-daughter posted her two; Isaac is now 8, but Alfie will be 5 at Christmas so this was his first day in 'big school'. He looks really happy to be going which is a bonus.
I posted back with this photo of his Grandad, my son Michael with his big brother James, on Mike's first day. I just love that photo and it is still one of my favourites. Uniform for primaries was much stricter in those days, but they did look cute in it.
On Sunday we took our grandson Mikey and his girlfriend back to Almeria airport. We were not in a hurry to get back home, so we detoured via the coast to find a coffee stop. Ameria is the capital city of our province, but it is built right on the coast, so you can literally drive through the shops and in two minutes you are on the beach. The airstrip runs parallel to it so when the planes leave and take off you think are going to end up in the sea!
The main beaches were very crowded with local folk and the last of the holidaymakers, making the most of a sunny Sunday morning, but we drove a bit further along and stopped by a lovely deserted stretch of coast line. It was so calm and peaceful there.
As you can see it is a bit short on facilities so we got back in the car and drove a bit further inland until we came to an open market. It was very busy but we managed to grab a parking space as someone drove away, and we spent a pleasant hour browsing the stalls. There was lovely fruit and vegetables on sale, but I really didn't need much. We did buy big, red plum tomatoes and two delicious melons. You couldn't buy just one but we thought we'd be able to manage two, but when we got them home they seemed a lot bigger than at the market. Still the first one has gone, so next week we will enjoy the other one.
We found a refreshment stall near the entrance, with a big sail providing shade, so we sat and had a drink and some yummy fresh cooked churros, before driving home.
Each evening we have had one or two cicadas coming to rest on our fly screen. They are amazing creatures, with very stiff, strong wings and a very ugly pattern on their back. They have a 'sound box' inside their abdomen which the males use to attract a mate. The sound is almost deafening some days, but they go silent as soon as you approach them. The days are drawing in now so they won't be around much longer, but I did manage to find this one that had fallen into the pool. So I scooped him out to take some photos.
Here is a close-up of the 'false face' on its back. Not very pretty is it?
I have been grateful for slightly cooler evenings to sit out on the porch with my crochet. I still need the big fan on to handle the wool, but bed-times are a bit more comfortable. All of us, but particularly our visitors, have suffered a lot with insect bites this year; far worse than we have had in previous years. So when I sit out at night I burn a citronella candle to keep the tiny ones that can come through the net, well away from me. Because the fan would blow it out, we put it on the floor which protects our legs and ankles. Nearby there is a small white footstall, and Tango has taken to sitting on it each evening. He seemed transfixed by the flame, not making any effort to touch it, but just staring at it. The dogs hate citronella and keep a safe distance away, but it doesn't seem to bother him at all.
Although there is plenty of washing and cleaning to do, I always feel a bit at a loose end when the visitors leave, so this week I have kept busy making Christmas cards. I got out my Brushos (ink dye crystals for anyone who doesn't know), and played around making backgrounds. Then I used a new die to cut out a fancy silhouette of the three kings. I made a set of eight to start with, getting two cards out of each sheet of backing paper I had made. I cut the die from black card or mirri-card according to what colour looked best. Here are just two of my set.
Because I was quite happy with the end result, I had another play with the Brushos and made a second set of eight. I entered these in my usual Christmas card challenge on Rudolph Day (25th of each month), and I won the prize for August of a nice Christmas script die.
Over the last couple of days I have made a set of twelve different cards, ready for the challenge at the end of this month. Now I have enough to start writing some to take to UK when I go.
Sadly for Ben, he is still waiting for Dave's death certificate so he can't plan the funeral yet, but he has other things that he can start moving on. I am so grateful for our smart phones, that have enabled me to chat with Ben every evening, sometimes for several hours, as the evenings are the hardest time to be alone.
I don't want to end on a sad note so here are a few funny things that have caught my eye over the passed few weeks. This just shows what a silly language we have at times.
This is so true. I wonder if they actually realise it.
And this one, I just loved those little faces!
Now I will link up with Annie's Friday Smiles and Rocking Your World. See you next week.
