Friday 6th August

Now my PC seems to be on the go slow and if it's going to keel over, please do it and then I can get a new one...I don't buy for the sake of

I found a bucket of limewash left over by my builders this morning and then had a mission.  To use it up on the top landing and when it was used up I found another poly bag of the stuff so I thought I'd carry on.  Now I've never mixed the stuff before, never used it, don't know how much water to add, so I added, stirred it round, added some more and I couldn't go by the consistency of the other since it was about a month old and not readying any Bulgarian, I couldn't even follow the instructions...

Then I thought, time for a photoshoot of the bucket, long handled brush and wobbly ladders..your life in their hands, so here goes...and I expect my men to work under such conditions.

Friday continued

I have just cooked the most delicious cheese, potato and onion omelette washed down with a little of the local stuff....the heat has gone out of the sun, it's a beautiful still evening and all's right in my little corner of Bulgaria.  

Didn't manage to get the back bedroom done but the landing looks good enough for something / someone to land there...aliens beware....I'm something to be handled with kid gloves....so don't threaten me...LN....I'm about to sit out and catch up with Alexander the Great...I bet he's thinking that I've abandoned him  

Saturday 7th August

Alexander the Great has gone the way of all great men....enjoying the opulence of money and concubines...but has at last come to his senses and is about to go to war again.  Darius is still around and that's my mornings update.

What a beautiful morning.  As I stood by the open bedroom balcony door there was a delicious perfume from the flowering Mexican tobacco that I am growing, but only for it's perfume may I add and it's not wacky backy.

The door has remained open since I moved upstairs although I was more than tempted last night to shut it. The crickets and wild life are ok and I love the noise, but..and it's a big but....there's a barking bastard dog, permanently chained up that lives in a house that I can see, frantically yapping last thing at night and started at about 4.00 this morning.  Coupled with the mosque that for some reason started not long afterwards.....I have been awake for a while and in surprisingly good demeanor,  but I think a siesta might be planned for later....

I think my PC heeded the warning of being despatched to the hillside....it seems to have perked up / speeded up although I did run Spybot yesterday and cleared out loads of cookies that just seem to get deposited in this marvellous age of technolgy and.....advertising.  The only cookies allowed are in jars in the cupboard and normally covered in chocolate....yum, yum, yum.

Now back to the downstairs bedroom and that bucket of limewash....I think I need a new brush, the old one seems to be full of dried 'stuff'.  I've soaked it overnight but I've got the feeling that it had set solid before I started using it and I know that it's a bad workman.....and all that....but I'm off this morning to get a new one and a decent little paint brush for getting in along the beams.  So with a plan in mind, breakfast, Djebel, brush, walls of the bedroom and then book, siesta and then into the evening.....pat on the back if that all goes to plan

Saturday continued

What a near miss.  I got back from Djebel after finishing my shopping, having Beauty checked out and cleaned and came into the house with goodies and left my keys in the door.  Wooosssshhhh.  Big gust of wind and Beauty's key was bent.  Now I only have one key so I went back to my book and ignored the fact and then curiousity got the better of me and I went to try it in the car....no go....and I imagined hitting it and the damn thing breaking...so back to my book until I thought it through.  So I found a piece of kit of the builders that was hard and flat, put the key on it and hit it with my favourite hammer but only the once....back outside and it fits Cinderella so now they are firmly esconced behind the door on the hook where they should have been hanging when the door slammed.

Done the back bedroom and boy does it look better.  It was the only room where we didn't renew the plaster and it seemed to suffer in the winter...but it almost looks good.  One more coat and it will be the dogs whatsits.

Lovely supper tonight.  Slow cooker special, ham with honey and soya sauce in mushroom chilli sauce and potatoes and carrots...how's that...washed up, sat outside and read until the light failed and now back in at 21.12 my time...time for a little drink and then beddy byes and hopefully no barking dogs tonight other wise he is for the chop...big time ...or his owner is.  Anyway...Lecka Nosht...the night is young and I've got a Vodka and tonic that needs attention....oh we know how to live and variety is the spice of life.....

Sunday 8th August

Last night before I went to sleep I realised that the water had been turned off so I disconnected the power to the boiler.  At five this morning, tried the water and we had some so reset the timer for the boiler and set it in motion.  Absolutely great but now it's off again. Can't wash up, can't shower can't do much at all and the annoying thing is that I have a 200litre water container that is waiting to be installed in the loft.....come back men...closely followed by...please.

Alexander the Great had his own problems...he ended up in the desert without water and I thought...we've got something in common....but he survived and I have the solution sitting outside...a car to take me to Djebel to get some bottled.....just has to be done.  It's getting to the interesting stage...he's about to attempt to take India but looking at the map at the front of the book, it's not part of his territory so I'm guessing he doesn't do it but I'm off to carry on reading to see what comes next...

3.20

Still no water....this is no joke.....I've heard the noise of a digger in the field below....of course I can always go to the well but think a trip to Djebel is more likely...

Sunday evening continued

I have water, now I can shower and wash up and then back to bed.  Not much to report from this afternoon.  At around 5.00 it started to rain, the thunder thundered and the lightening was flashing around a bit so I took myself off to bed for the afternoon, woke up at 7.00 then promptly went off again and came to about half an hour ago so there's not that much life around.  I suppose I'll suffer for it and will wake up at silly o'clock.

I've got some of last night's supper in the fridge so that will do for me...just a little bit 'picky', not really hungry but if I don't eat, coupled with insomnia, double disaster.  That'll do for now....off to Kardjali tomorrow to blast out M-tel. Ive got the credit through for the lines but not for the overusage of the connection.  If they had brains they would be dangerous or a joy to be connected to and as for the service desk, got through yesterday and was told that the service desk was closed and to please call back.....what sort of service is that....so I'll save this all up for tomorrow...

LN...I'm after something to read now that Alexander the Great has succumbed to the fever and gone to meet his maker...so three books back to D of S and probably going to raid his library again...

Monday 9th August

Off to do battle this morning....M-tel, my internet connection are for it and my planer has to go back to the shop.  After that I am on the search for wood for more construction.  Need more furniture was the yell from the hillside.  I have decided to put a dining table in the hallway by the stairs.  It's light and airy and is like eating outside but without the flying creatures bothering you.  I know all hot countries have them but with flyscreens on every door and windown, I am in, they are out and that's the way is has to be.  Can't stand the beasties where food is concerned.

Of course it is not completely sealed since the builders have yet to plaster the two upstairs bedrooms and the bathroom so the odd one does get through but then there is the wall of flyspray to get through and on close inspection, they haven't fitted themselves with little aqualungs or face masks yet.

Monday continued

M-tel were a joke...they explained what I already knew but they didn't know how not to take payment of the new bill when it is less than they owe me.   So a telephone call was made and they're going to phone me back. Fat chance.  I also asked them to explain why I was charged for Internet 'trafic' when I was paying for a huge allowance and I was adament that that could never be correct.  So we fetched the manageress, they looked at the screen, made a phone call and said that they would call me.  I pointed out that I live the other side of Djebel and I could not keep 'tooing and froing' just to get this abortion of a bill sorted out and again they said that they would call me...if my service is cut off before they make the adjustments they can stick the contract where the sun don't shine....a good afternoon was had by all.

So what else did I get up to?  Bought six wine glasses that caught my eye, bought a bottle to help fill them from Billa and a few provisions.  It came to about 40 leva but when you think I got four meals, a 2ltr bottle of red, a 1 ltr bottle of vermouth, pasta, stilton, 4 ltrs of orange juice I think that was good (£17 English approx).  I also popped into Djebel and got a little pressies for D of S.  Got one for me, thought they were damn good, so got one more for me at the same time.  So just testing out the wine glass, nice feel about it.  Fresh bed made up and two loads of laundry completed this mornng...what a good day....oh the glass is half empty or is it half full...no just topped it up...it's full...LN...a demain

Don't you just love Vodafone!  I hope they shrugged their shoulders at you!    The glass is definitely half full otherwise you haven't poured it properly.  I have a four book set of Julius Ceasar ready and waiting.  After that there is Gengis Khan, Hitler & Stalin!  Can you see the pattern!

Can I drink the present?  You do know that Ramadan starts on Wednesday, so no beer for a month!

Regards

D of S

Tuesday 10th August

Firstly I must reply to D of S...no you can't drink it and secondly, isn't this the time with Ramadan starting that you make everyone understand that you are not local and as for the books....I can see the pattern and don't we all love strong men....so what are you trying to tell me or is it hero worship?   And I'm still waiting for the phone call and how to you recognise a phone shrug.

Now as for my morning...yes silly o'clock again but very refreshed and so with camera in and I thought I would chart the sunrise.  The sheep beat the sun this morning.  They started their fun with Bow (my shepherd...he doesn't understand the joke but I how you do) calling them back the other way obviously where the grass was greener and they've certainly nibbled the grass outside of my boundaries.  The sun didn't rise until 6.30 this morning and the more I think about the Egyptians, you can understand why they worshipped it.  There everyday and it brought light, heat, saved on heating bills and made their tomatoes go red while mine are still very green.

Socks was around this morning scavenging in my bonfire bucket.  That's the trouble with them when they have been strays...the habit never leaves them and despite the fact that they are fed, they still feel the need to most things in their path...so the sun came up, beautiful morning and it's cleared away most of the mist but only lingering over the river.  I've watered my garden, hoed my flower bed and got out all of the 'twitch' grass thats roots seem to go on for ever, put what I was going to have for breakfast, a big fat sausage into the slow cooker with chilli, mushrooms, garlic, honey and tomato paste and so I know what's on the menu for tonight....so now to Samodiva to get some literature....Another little visitor that made me jump but not as high as he was trying to do....a tiny frog / toad who was heading for my outside tap...tried to get up there but couldn't manage it so a saucer went down.

A few pickies