Friday Smiles 2023: Week 15

Well another week has rolled by. It has had its ups and its downs, but mostly I have been at home. My back has continued to give me trouble, so I can't sit in any one chair for long, but I potter in the kitchen when I need to stand up, and move between seats when I want to sit down.

Last Saturday there was some improvement, and as Sunday was Easter Day, I really wanted to go to church, so Chris agreed to drive me there. It was a lovely service. We had forty-two people in the congregation, the most we have had since the pandemic started, and it was so good to see our little building almost full. I was doing one of the readings which is my forte, as I have a good strong voice when I need it. Fortunately there are only two steps up to the lectern so I managed it without stumbling.

Some of the ladies wore their Easter bonnets, and looked very festive. (Not me as I have had a hatred of hats since childhood when I was forced to wear one to church eveery week! I have a very short neck so hat brims hit my back and tip crooked, and feel uncomfortable and just don't look good). But some people wear them so well and a few can be seen in this photo. We always share tea/coffee and cake after the service and enjoy chatting together as we come from all directions and many of us only see one another on a Sunday. Through Lent we have not had cake, just plain biscuits, so this week was a celebration and cake was once again on offer.

Some of us took our drinks out into the sunshine and we were joined by a very friendly German shepherd dog. He was with a man and a little boy who had come to play on the swings. Our church building belongs to Zurgena Town Hall and they have installed  some children's play equipment on the patio. It is rather nice and gives us a chance to interact with some of the local village folk. The dog was just interested to find so many strange people there and wanted to say hello to every one.

Last week we ordered a new big fridge to go in the garage to replace the one that died back in the Autumn. I missed it but have managed without it during the colder months. But now it is needed again to keep drinks cold, and store more of the food that needs to be in a chiller during the summer. Also the very old drinking water dispenser that my friend gave me when she returned to UK a couple of years ago, had started to make an audible noise, and the water aquired a 'taste' that I didn't like. We tried to clean and sterilise it but it got worse so we decided to replace it with a big 8l water tank to go in the new fridge, and it seems to be working fine. The dispenser took 20 litres so we will need to fill this more often, but it will take me a while to drink 8 litres and it is easy enough to fill.

I wouldn't want to make you all jealous, but we have had warm sunny days all week and on Wednesday the temperature hit the dizzy heights of 32º. It is back down to low to mid twenties today which is far nearer to what we expect in Spring. But actually we could do with some of the rain that my UK friends and family have had this week. The local big reservoir at Almanzora is down to 15%, more what we expect at the end of the summer, not the beginning, but it is only April so we may yet get some heavy storms to help raise the level a little.

We have needed to get the hose out to keep our pots alive, and we were repayed when my Easter lily produced a flower for Easter day. It usually only has one at a time as it is confined to a pot, but at least I haven't managed to kill it yet.

I bought a nice pink mandevilla/dipladenia/Brazillian jasmine or whatever else you want to call it. It is to sit on a low stand by our front door and it looks good, but soon I will need to give it something to climb up.

Quite a few years ago I bought what looked like an almost dead stick for 1 euro, from a small garden centre in Turre. It was the deep fuscia pink bougainvillea that I like so much. I wasn't sure what its chances were but I planted it, watered it well, and talked to it, and somehow it hung on to life and grew. Eventually it thrived, and this week, in the warm sunshine it is looking glorious.

We have trained it across the little back gate and over our bedroom window, and round the corner it has swamped our defunct satelite dish, and tumbled down, and now I am encouraging it along the back railings, though I have to trim any stems that won't be trained, as it has some wicked thorns that catch our clothes as we walk by.

Today little Leo went to the vet to be neutered. When I brought him home he was still asleep and he looked so cute with his little soft blanket covering him. He is now awake and enjoying his tea. He was very indignant this morning when he realised he wasn't getting any breakfast so I expect he was hungry by tea time. I am hoping this will calm him down a bit. he is very good all day but he has a crazy hour before he goes to bed.

So now I will get ready to publish this and link up with Annie's Friday Smiles in the morning.