Saturday 20th March

I have my first door.....I told you yesterday about the trouble we had finding the extra wide wood!!  Well now it's in place and filling the door frame beautifully.  The men are so pleased. I found the pattern of the door in the old book that Richard gave me and true to form the copied it.  One problem...I want one of the old fashioned latches and can I find them here, can I buggery so anybody coming over???

I had a really good day.  The kitchen that I thought was ready for finishing has just been taken apart since my wonderful Sally decided that the plaster wasn't really good enough so I suggested that I stripped it off and that's what I was doing this afternoon.  There were whelps of 'stigga'  I've had enough but I did manage to finish it while they were finishing the door.  They get such pleasure out of what they create.

Also spent the morning finishing off a carving of a pear that I managed to find at the wood yard 'bez pari' or free which they looked ascance at me wanting.  I'm going to finish it tomorrow  and I'll get the pictures for you, and I'll show it to the guys at the woodyard on Monday to convince them that there was a method in my madness.  LN tout le monde..

Sunday 21st March

What an absolutely brilliant day and the beginnings of a ...wait for it....suntan.  Weather t-shirt jobbie, no workmen, visitors this afternoon, had a bonfire and got rid of the workmens woodworking rubbish that they didn't have time to clear yesterday and part of my rubbish that was the residue of stripping the wall.  The wheelbarrow is full of something that they use on a regular basis so it looks like I shall have to buy one for me...yes me...and only me, otherwise I would have cleared it completely but there's only so much you can carry down to the bottom of the garden and I considered it men's work so they can finish tomorrow.

I have worked out how to use the reciprocating saw with confidence and now have lots of logs from the old roof timbers so all set for a couple of weeks.  I used the workbench to secure them so that the saw didn't kick back and kept my legs well out of the way.  As I say to CJ, I counted my fingers before I started and I still have the same number so game on.  

My visitors were impressed with the house but shook their heads at the amount of work still to be achieved.  I made a pact with the workmen that the kitchen, toilet and hallway have to be finished before I let them loose on the rest of the house.  I am getting tired of coming back to the hotel, there's so much I could be doing in the evenings.  I have plans to be in there in about a month.  Not set in stone so to speak but a dangling carrot.

Short and sweet tonight....off to Kardjali tomorrow....LN.

Monday 22nd March

Spring has arrived if only for one day....it's supposed to rain tomorrow.  I arrived this morning at the house and the motto is....I think I have one room sorted and then...whosh....it's back to square one.  Well this is how it is / was with the kitchen.  After stripping down to bare rock on the window wall and me deciding that it needed a thin skim so that the kitchen tiles could be applied...it was one out, all out and the room is now bare and everything is now in the room that I cleared on Sunday morning.  There is a lot of splashing the white stuff around again and so I went to Kardjali and left them to it.

The dolly birds were out in force with midriffs on show with the sun tempting them out.  I did my favourite clothes shop, had lunch in the square and listened to the chiming clock and headed to the woodyard to pick up the wood that was promised for today which is now promised for tomorrow.  That's BG for you.  Back to the house with a fair load of other wood that they had got in stock and five men laughed as I filled up the Clio.  That's men for you....

Early evening meal, and back in my PJ's ready for an early night.  Let's hope the rain stays off...I've got lots of old wood to burn tomorrow.  Lecka nosht....

Thursday 25th March

What a beautiful, beautiful day today.  Picked up my men as arranged with wood in tow and made the coffee and got the petchka fired up so that they would have background heat for the rest of the day and all they had to do was feed the brute.  As expected my little old man came round as soon as we had opened up and sat by the fire and went to sleep.  After washing up the coffee cups I set sail for the garage, handed in the keys so that my little Clio could get valeted since the wood shipments had left a lot to be desired and then round to my car guru and off we went to Plovdiv seeking fortune and things that I couldn't possibly do without.  What did I come back with?  An eighty litre boiler fed by electricity and solid fuel, two light fittings for the lounge and one for the kitchen, several litres of white emulsion and screws for the builders as per their order and ......lots of shrubs for my garden.  Cracking place...I have forsythia, honeysuckles, jasmines and philadelphus, geraniums and an azalea.  Not sure what my men thought of it...I had gone out looking for terracotta tiles and loft insulation.  Tomorrow is another day.

Dropped them off and arranged to meet my car guru for supper at the local restaurant since he had done the driving for the day so after a plate of cheesy chips, pork with onions and mushrooms and several bottles of the local brew all for under seven pounds I feel that 'jpbsaudun'.

Tomorrow I'm planting shrubs and gardening so let's hope it stays fine....lecka nosht...I'm off to my bed.

Saturday, 27th March

Unfortunately bad news yesterday so I'm on the easyJet flight on Monday evening and home for two weeks.  My sister who has been fighting cancer passed over yesterday, quickly and peacefully which we are all thankful for.  My thoughts are with her three children and their other halves.  It was strange that I have been buying shrubs and flowers and planting a garden.  It is now dedicated to her and I always wanted her to see this place, I hope she does.  She's welcome anytime she wants to pop round.

The men packed up the house today and yet again but I secretly think that they want the rest.  They work so hard for me and achieve such a lot.  I now have new door frames and wonderful new tongue and groove doors that will be further enhanced by suffolk door latches which I shall bring back with me.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog you just can't find them here.  I have all rooms fully replasterd and bathroom and kitchen are awaiting floor and wall tiles.  Unfortunately I think their wives have lined them up for home renovations so a bit of a busman's holiday for them.  I sat down with my neighbours today and we had a sort of conversation.  She had 12 new chicks and I made a joke that she was a few eggs down that day and then the rooster got frisky and we all laughed that she couldn't afford to loose any more eggs.

Anyway, tonight I pack up my room so that if they want to let it to anyone all they have to do is to move a couple of bags out of the way.  Lecka nosht....I'm sitting down with my thoughts and a drink for company.

Sunday 28th March

Palm Sunday in the UK but I suppose that doesn't mean a lot to most people.  Blasts from the past on Facebook...it's a surprise when you get a message and you remember the name, the face is familiar when you look at the photo and then you start searching the memory bank for facts and figures...fates funny isn't it!!

Today I'm clearing out my hotel room into bags so that if there is a sudden rush of visitors to Dzebel then they can easily wheel my life into one of the back rooms without air/heating conditioning.  They kindly let me stay in the same room and now that I am a fully paid up member of the 301 club I know that I am welcome back anytime.  

I'm off to the house to print off my travel details and to give a final tidy so that it is straight when I get back.  I also want to take more photos of my cultivated patch of my 2000 deca which is about 10ft x 3ft and yes I have no intention of converting that into meters

So off I go....I'll post a few pickies later of doors, gardens and things .....BFN...

Sunday evening

Backwards and forwards like the proverbial yoyo.  Got to the house, realised my camera was still at the hotel and head like a seive at the moment.  So lit a fire, dried my washing and then....yes it started to rain so headed back to find a message from Richard that he has sorted out several things that he no longer wants to take back to England so could we take them to the house....So....went and filled up the Clio and off we went again.  So here goes with the pickies.  Newly acquired bike that I'm sure a certain CJ will have great pleasure in winging round the garden, table and chairs for the use of and a couple of pickies of my garden and my new door.  

Tuesday 30th March

Clocks went forward overnight on Sunday and the first I knew about it was when my car guru mentioned that I had remembered....wrong...just a case of the normal insomnia.  Sorted my room out at the hotel and the song 'Another suitcase in another hall' came to mind only I'll change the words to 'several bags' stashed so that if the hotel gets a rush on they can move me out of the 301 club and wheel the next one in.

The bus journey to Sofia was good but now that I am recognised by the booking clerk I have the option of and aisle or a window seat.  Now that's progress.  Easyjet were two hours late in so two hours late departing blaming the failure of the automatic booking system at Gatwick for the delay.  The downside was that it didn't get in until 01.15 this morning so this morning...shattered.  Sorted my mail already, now going to order all those parts that I wanted in BG so that they can be winging their way to my door ready for the 'next bag to leave' on the 13th April.  Busy day....and an update.  Didn't do much at all!!

Lots of emails giving us all support at this sad time and went to sleep this afternoon on the settee and when I woke up couldn't understand why the television that had never worked in the hotel was in colour and working.  Completely disorientated.  Need a good night's sleep so LN....

Sorry to hear the sad sad news Elsa   My thoughts are with you and the family.

Lots of love

Me xxx