Tuesday continued

Well D of Samodiva arrived with lots of books in a bag so I am set for the next couple of months or so...four books of Julius Ceasar and one summary of his efforts and some to make me think....oh dear...gave that up when I left UK.

We opened the red only in the course of science to see if the quality of the glass was adequate to the quality of the wine and they both passed with flying colours.  He only had the one....apparenty there are a lot of Greek cars making their way over for cheap shopping.  Now all Bulgarian cars going over the border to Greece are stopped and all documents checked thoroughly so Bulgaria are doing tit for tat with the border police checking all Greek cars.  This is very reminiscent of Gibraltar and Spain ....both in the EU, no borders necessary but still very active...

Just had another shower.  At this rate I shall be washing myself away but it has been a tad hot today.  I have prepared my flower bed to get the gravel laid tomorrow, energy permitting and I did get another coat on the downstairs bedroom / eventual dining room.  It looks better but until the soil is removed from the outside wall, I won't know how damp it is and whether or not I need to get the plaster replaced...shame to spoil the ship for a half'penny worth of tar.  

Off to bed now and there is still wine in the bottle...I'll save some for tomorrow....LN...sleep tight everyone...

Wednesday 11th August

Yes I can confirm that Ramadan has started..the little man in the mosque kicked off at about 5.00 this morning and I think his loudspeaker had a bit of a hum with it.  I thought at first that it was a mosquito in the bedroom and if it wasn't so hot at night I would close the bedroom door but instead, I'll try cotton wool in the ears for tomorrow morning.  So locals are not supposed to eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset but as some of them say, they are working in the fields picking tobacco so they are leaving it to the pensioners to keep the mosque happy.  Chances are they would die of thirst when it's 34 degrees out there and some of them are thinking, well if I'm drinking water anyway I'm not keeping to my faith so I might as well have a beer.  That's logic for you...just thinking outside of the box.....what we do well out here.

No M-tel haven't phoned me and I just hope that they don't cut me off for none payment...otherwise...hell to play.  Since they are part of Vodaphone I was about to contact UK and ask somebody to sort Bulgaria out but hey, who is sorting out the UK....I think they are all as bad as each other....

So today I'm off to see if my kitchen manufacturer can do me a little job on a piece of wood.  It's got a lovely shape about it and I want it cutting into two lengthways so that I can make a headboard for my bed upstairs.  Designed on a shopping list pad, it would have been a ciggie-packet but I don't smoke...looks rustic....so we'll see what he makes of it.  He'll probably have a good laugh to which I will say....can you?, ...in Bulgarian....he'll shake his head and then give it a go.....and his volume always goes up....what's wrong with these foreigners

Catch you later with maybe pickies of the headboard....

Wednesday continued

As I've said the best laid plans of mice and men...it got so hot today so that when I had watered my garden, setting up and ingenious method with hose pipe, blue plastic bucket and floor bucket halving my workload, I decided to have a bonfire just to clear out all the rubbish that accumulates on daily living.  This was great until the wind got up, maintaining the 35 degrees on the outside thermometer and this wasn't even in the sun, so I doused the bonfire not wishing to destroy the hillside and settled down on the sofa with a book.  The eyes were going, but then I heard the mobile disco van and realised that my three day old bread was not for the feint hearted so I stationed myself in the Beast to await the delivery.  It seemed to take ages so I decided that not only did I need bread, but two bottles of beer would be appreciated by guests.....      so a glass of beer, fresh bread and stilton and then head down for the next couple of hours.  I'm refreshed...have just been on to another forum and sparred with some of the associates, had fun and now am back to my book.  

The headboard can wait for another day....LN ...the bed's not going anywhere......

Thursday 12th August

So last night I decided to take a few pickies of the garden and the flowers that I keep going on about,  There is one huge monstrosity growing in between my flowering tobacco and I haven't a clue what it is...D of S gave it a squeeze on his last visit and thought that it was producing some sort of fruit.  I thought it was a pumpkin at first but it has white flowers not yellow but perhaps it will 'take me to the ball' if I wish hard enough and ever find my Prince Charming.

Bed head....yes it is on the list for today since I have to go into town and pick up some bottled water.  I went to fill the kettle this morning for coffee and ....nothing...not even a dribble....so off to see the water board on my way through and ask approximately how long we shall be without and whether or not I shall need a huge supply of baby wipes for my chemical wash if the real stuff is not available....

So to post pickies of my garden....I notice now that it is blown up to full size that it also contains D's ciggie butt which make you realise how small my rosemary is....I'm just going to remove it....no I am not growing filters for my tobacco plants....

Thursday continued

The Beast started without any problems today so of I went taking my avatars two granddaughters off to Djebel for an excursion into Kardjali...Grandmother had earlier presented me with a bowl of home made yoghurt and some friend pancake thingies....no I don't know the name but they are delicious.

The purpose of the visit....to get some bottled water so that I don't get caught out again.  Nothing worse that not being able to flush the loo when it needs to be flushed....if you get what I mean.  So took the Beast in to get the exhaust nuts and bolts tighened. It went up on the ramp, he looked at it, fixed it and it cost me....two leva the equivalent of 84p.  Just like the sort of service that you get in England....NOT.

So it's very hot, into my book about a human, who because of a freak accident, acquires control of the world.  I think it makes more sense after having a drink and because it's so hot, I think a beer might be the order of the day.  I've changed out of my jeans and town type clothes and am back into my cotton laze abouts and now to relax.....I have water so I think a quick shower before it goes off again but I am told that it was not a shortage but failing equipment which has now been fixed.....

Well I've just had a beautiful evening with my avatar and her family, the parents of the young girls that I took into Djebel this morning.  I was presented with food as soon as I arrived and the option of a beer which I refused.  I think I'd done well already so didn't want to spoil the fun.  We conversed in my Bulgarian and it's amazing how they are all beginning to understand 'my speak'.  We all take our time and we get there....

That's it LN.  I'm back to my book and the next story.  He turned out to be a descendent of the main god of the time so was entitled to rule the universe and in the end did it extremely well...onto the next story.....
LN...

Friday 13 August

Argggghhhhh.  Friday the 13th and I am off to tackle M-tel....if I don't pay my bill either today or tomorrow then I get cut off from the internet....now this bunch have promised to phone with a solution...and from Tuesday I have waited until I can wait no more as I said, if I don't pay, cut off and then more headaches.

As I approached the shop, it was heaving with lots of unhappy customers.  The manageress saw me walk in and straightway we walked together to the back of the shop where she started to explain in Bulgarian and I heard the word 'deposit' and froze....I told her that she had to speak more slowly and use fewer words but instead she took over from one of the assistants who has a smattering of English and who is very sweet.  She had obviously been 'dumped on' but then explained to me that they had made a mistake and it would take 30 days to get the money back.  I said that some one could have phoned and told me that, which they had promised to do but that now they owed me the equivalent of £50 which was more than the bills I was about to fork out for so that I still had my connection.  I then added that the help desk had told me that if I supplied the credit notes for the connection, that the shop would refund me the money so that I could use it to pay the bill.  They obviously don't like parting with money .....but they did it.....for the connection, which is half of it, so I'll have the rest within the next 30 days. Result.

I took my avatar's grandchildren with me to Kardjali, dropped them off at the carpark and we agreed on 13.00 back at the car.  I was just going to get a drink at about 12.30 and saw them on a park bench so suggested that we went to the restaurant on the lake and I couldn't believe that they had not seen the lake.  I had forgotten what hardwork 16 and 15 year old girls can be but the little looks on their faces when we came over the hill after climbing up in the car from Kardjali was a picture.  They were excited and then we walked onto the ship and ordered three Fanta and two cheesy chips.  Unfortunately the cheesy chips were a let down, greasy ready frozen things and the oil needed changing so we didn't enjoy them that much.  

Then back to Djebel and shopping with Mother.....I carried on home and started to read a book because the internet was spikey and kept dropping the connection but the outcome was, I dropped off too and have only just come round.  Most weird dreams and I'm putting that down to the fact that I bought a large bottle of Fanta from the shop and knocked back about a half of it before going to sleep so I think I overdosed on what ever they put into it....sugar mainly....Will wait to hear the girls' story from the mother later in the day....might be more...we'll wait and see.....D of Samodiva is going to be pig sick that I managed to get some money out of M-tel though

Saturday 14th August

I've just had a flash if inspriration...I have tried all morning to connect to M-tel and my thingie could not find the transmitter.  Now I can see the bloody thing from my bedroom on the top of the next high mountain so I thought, take the laptop to the mountain, meaning that if I move it upstairs onto the landing instead of being in my kitchen behind 2feet thick stone walls then I would probably stand a better chance.....doh....and so it came to pass that I carried the plastic picnic table upstairs and established a new office set up on the top landing with a plastic chair to boot as a temporary measure but now I have just found the site for my office.  And for now....four bars which is more than I've ever had before and it works quicker than it has ever worked before and so why didn't I think of it before..................

So tonight is the night of the grand party to celebrate that Dom has been in BG for two years.  I can notch up a tad longer but going backwards and forwards not actually living here.  If I want to see the goat cooked I get there at 5.00ish, if I just want to eat then I get there at 8.00....probably get there at 6.00 and watch part of the cooking process and cry as they waste he beer on the beast.  I shan't be drinking tonight since I shall have to drive back....only this ime I'll remember to leave lights on and not stagger back in the dark...no street lamps to light my way and no moon to speak of.

I did offer to bear gifts like salad and stuff which he declined....too many people grow too much salad and speaking of salads.....my first tomato has a tinge of pink about it and I am watching it with great enthusiasm.  It is the first one that I have ever grown.....as for my peppers I'm not sure how big you have to leave them so I'll try for a little advice on the subject or get the book out.  

I did say that I would take my camera and take a few pickies of tonight but I am strictly concerned with the chain of events while the goat is cooking and when the locals start drinking after sundown (Ramadan) it goes away otherwise I might be wearing it.....Now siesta time....it's 36 degrees today....

Sunday 15th August

So I arrived last night to D of Samodivas house, no car, no Dom, so I went to the restaurant, no car, no Dom but fortunately I recognised one of the locals and he advised me that they were cooking the lamb in a field belonging to the sheep farmer so off I went.  What a setting.  Through the farmyard on foot and into one of the pastures by a stream that as a lake above it.  Apparently the owner wanted to keep fish, so he got a JCB in to d the stuff and now he has a lake....

The story goes that Dom had to select the young male for slaughter at 7.30 that morning.  Can't be a ewe, they give birth so ewe know that makes sense....any male can do the job.  He told me that they prepared it with ease, apparently one of the dogs ran off with the liver so got his share before anyone else ad then it was scewered, secured with wire, fire lit and four hours at a nice even temperature stoked up from the never ending supply of hot coals from the barbecue, basting the beast with yoghurt and it's stomach lining.  When ready it was wrapped up in brown paper like a huge takeaway and transported to the house where Dom had laid on beer and salad.  Neighbours then started to appear and I was the only female present.  I came out with some of my best Turkish which impressed them but when they started in full flood, I asked Dom if he knew what they were talking about since I thought he did and he confirmed that he didn't but wasn't it fun just listening and watching and it was.  The lamb was ceremoniouly carved into a metal tray, beers were opened and we all picked and threw the bones and fat into the garden for the cats and dogs...very middle Brittain.  I made my excuses and left at 11.00 ish so that they could start letting their hair down, those that had any, and I couldn't have another beer since I had to drive home.....brilliant night....my resolve...to learn more Turkish...


As for the tas

Sunday 14th continued

As and add on, I took a picture of my house at night and just thought I would post it....as for the camera and the barbeque...as promised it did not come out once we were all assembled....I had previously been warned that it would not be going home in it's case and I could have been walking funny....it would have ben an infringement.

And so today after some bloody man with a gun has shot all of my pidgeons from the electricity cables, the garden looks comparatively empty.  They used to come to feed but now they are feeding someone else by the looks of it.  Seven o'clock this morning they were at it.  Why don't they shoot the marauding magpies??
I've cleaned my kitchen and polished the table downstairs not that my laptop has a new home and for the first time ever...five bars up and signal excellent.....doh, doh and thrice doh.....sometimes a penny just has to drop....

Now to tackle that pear tree....

Sunday continued, continued

Just had to come on quickly to show you what I found nestling in my Mexican flowering tobacco.  I've been watering this thing and despairing that there was no fruit and nothing seemed to be setting....well now you have it/them/lots of them somethings which look remarkably like gourds....I'm so pleased....this is my first vegetable growing season

So now to read the book to see what to do with it....