Tuesday 17th May

This is yesterday's post which didn't happen due to a massive thunderstorm last night.  Everything got switched off and boy was it close.  Lovely sunset but I just couldn't get to photograph the closing sun and the lightening strikes...anyway....tuesday's happenings.....

The Bea Eater birds are back, my beautiful butterflies are winging their way round the garden, my third worker who was doing his other work yesterday, like looking after his father's sheep came round with a 'present'.  I got the call to go downstairs with my camera....it was a two meter Smok....snake.  Now this one's not dangerous apart from the fact that it drinks the sheeps' milk so is more of a nuisance but if bitten you do have to go to the hospital for an injection...so my knowledge is increasing all the time

This morning Bekir got into the car and had a small spray bottle in his hand.  Apparently it is supposed to encourage the bees into a hive so my hive has now been moved to a new site surrounded by clover and has been sufficiently sprayed.  It is Bekir's duty to inspect the hive on the hour every hour for the new colony but with the bea eater birds hanging about on my electricity cables....I'm thinking that it isn't going to happen this side of christmas.....let's keep our fingers crossed or get our shot guns out.

You mean this storm

Wednesday 18th May

So as you can see from the above, Dom has more patience than I have...he probably sat for hours to come up with the pickies.

Today has been a day of changes.  This morning it was promising a good day but then it rained on the way over to pick up the men, then the wind picked up and it was cold.  So mid morning I put on my winter trousers and a sweater and felt a bit more to face the day.  We call this weather 'Bekir' weather.  He much prefers it when it's cold but Sally snuck upstairs and found his sweater before he started again.

So what have they done today.  The outside insulation from the lounge is now complete and the step is in place.  I made it a little more difficult for Bekir when I said that it would look good if the bottom of the concrete step had stone there and he spent about an hour wondering the garden for 'just the right lumps'.  It now has terracotta tiles on top of it and it looks good and will look the DB's when he has pointed it up.

Men are not working tomorrow...it is Dzebel carnival or 'prasnic' day so Bekir is off with his 'mates' to drink a few beers and eat some barbecued lamb.  Not that he is short of them having about 300 of his own but I suppose his are still walking the hills while someother poor sods are providing substenance for the inhabitants of Dzebel.  In fact...my sheep farmer is having about three sheep roasting and profitering.

I had visitors today...the lady that was born in the house and lives in Turkey came round with her husband, daugher and another friend who thought the house was 'cok guzel' or 'very beautiful' and yes it is.  I had a 'podarik' 'gift' of strawberry flavoured wafer bicsuits from Turkey so I shared them with the lads this evening.  I also found that I was losong water from Beauty and on closer inspection there was a hole in one of the water pipes so straight to the garage...said pipe was removed, welded and replaced for the princely sum of 25 BGN...(twelve pounds to you and me).

So now settled in for the night....fire is going but I know not why but I suppose it's pretty to look at.  Chicken with garlic dug up from my own garden (the garlic that is not the chicken), oven roast potatoes, onions and carrots and now I am stuffed....time to get another little drinky.....LN...catch you tomorrow....

Thursday 19th May

Rain rain go away.  Please come back another day.  It is Djebel fair today and local fairs have a similar format.  The women stay at home with the children while the men go out with men friends, have a little beer, some barbecued lamb and generally a good time.  Some women might venture out with children for the bouncy castle experience and the fair rides but generally come sundown....a bit like Shreks girlfriend... they are destined for a life under wraps.  I was going to go if the weather was good but instead I was a taxi for Gouljan and her family at 10.40 this morning, saw the crowds and decided that I would prefer to spend the day in the garden once it had cleared up.....and I did.  I sorted out nasturtiums, painted my really old woodburner and it will now have the said flowers growing out of it.  I moved my forsythia which didn't seem to be doing well where it had been moved to, planted out my geraniums, potted up some freasia bulbs for me and my village ladies and dug over the bean bed so that I can put in some more potatoes.  So not a bad day.

Had lunch in the garden and then finished off more of the gardening jobs, had a shower and then headed for Djebel at 7ish this evening and it was still going strong.  Ended up at my restaurant for cheesy chips and chicken wings and a fruit juice since I was in control of a vehicle........car...no booze despite being told that I can have one without there being a problem....I abstain but now home so am sampling a vodka and tonic and if I like it....I just might have another.  Fireworks were set off to conclude the celebration and I did take a few pickies but tomorrow I shall look them over to see if there are any worth posting.  

LN....want a second opinion (mine) on the vodka and tonic.....pickies tomorrow....LN

Friday 20th May

Dull cloudy start but boy is it warm when the sun breaks through.  So what to do?  We were taking off for a couple of days up country but I've just checked the BBC weather, and good old BBC, gives me Kardjali weather for the next five days and guess what...thundery showers until Monday when it changes to 'slight cloud'.  Time for a rethink of places to go or things to see.........off with my map and my guide book now.

Saturday 21st May

And yes the BBC weather was correct and didn't it come down in buckets in the afternoon.  Brightened up again and then started all over again last night.  Still it saves me watering my flowers.

We are off heading north today and hopefully the morning mist will clear and it should be good until this afternoon so camera at the ready, I might this time be able to take photos of the Shipka Pass and Gabrovo and heading back we are intending to go to the Sunday market at Dimitrograd.  Best laid plans of you know what...we'll see how far we get.  The last time I tried for the Shipka, the rain came down, the mist came down and my visitor had a slight attack of 'let's get out of here' since the roads were narrow and the car was big.  Now I thought it was more of a worry for the others but still.

Pictures from the village fete as promised....it was all but over when we got there though so not many were taken.  Here you go...

Sunday-23rd May

I have just got back from sojourning to Gabrovo, and various villages around there.  I did not know that there was a wonderful carnival taking place there celebrating Bulgaria and its customs and the photos will be posted tomorrow.

I have seen the Shipka pass and the war memorial was something else.  After that we went to Gabrovo where this wonderful carnival was taking place and then on to a little village where we spent the night,  Today we visited lots of villages on route filling in with a shop called Pratrica and another by some American name and bought some pots and plants for the patio....so whose going to be busy tomorrow.

Home safe and sound, the Beast did its stuff and we stopped off at the fish restaurant on out way back.  Lovely meal, back safe and sound, bottle of red at the ready and home we go.

Looked throught the photos and will post tomorrow...Need sorting out a bit... only so that you have the best...LN

Monday 23rd May

Those photographs didn't get sorted...by the time that I came to do them tonight both camera batteries are flat so it is a job for tomorrow.

I picked up the men at the usual time and they have had a day of bitsas.  They finished off the plastering over the insulation on the house and now only have the exterior kitchen wall to sort.  It does look good and this afternoon Sally found himself down the hole in the garden removing the earth that the cows had hoofed in so that they can start to get the stone walls built.  That hole is huge but the funniest part was that I didn't know that Sally was down there until I suddenly saw a shovel full of earth shoot out of the hole like a firework and on closer investigation realised what was happening.  It was a hot day though so when it came to 5.30 and both Sally and Bekir were shovelling, I appeared with a 2 litre bottle of beer and two glasses and men were last seen in the shady part of the hole with glasses in hand.

So waiting for them to emerge at 6.30 to go home, I set to work finishing off the weeding that I had started earlier.  There are so manny weeds and self sets that I am not sure which are weeds or self sets.  I removed what I could but have loads of Mexican flowering tobacco that now needs repositioning so that's my job for tomorrow along with putting the new plants into the big pots which is something I didn't do today...

Clouds came over about 7.00 is but I did sit out after supper for a short while but soon came in and lit a  token fire.  Time for bed now and the batteries are on charge so pictures will be sorted tomorrow....I have some funny ones of 'storks' for my good friend Danuta....LN...a demain...

Tuesday 24th May

Lovely pictures today of two men down a hole now lining my outside cesspit with stone.  They almost melted since it warmed up considerably and had to be cooled down with beer.  The other problem is that they have a lot of their own work to do at this time of year.  Bekir has a day's work with his bees and Sally has five deca of tobacco that he and his wife manage to do.  With the subsidy off it, it has been deemed as being not worth it but when it is your only income...you still depend on it and it is the usual routine that few seem to get out of.

I have my new gate, well half of one, the rest is just a sketch on a piece of paper but it has been put alongside the old one so works.  It means now that I do not have to take out the gate post so that lorries can come in....I have hinges.

As for those pickies, they are still in the camera but I shall have more time....Martin goes home tomorrow so it will be back to normal...eating when I feel like it and not at allotted hours....but we did have my wintered broad beans for supper with potatoes with mayonnaise and onions and the remaining hamburgers....filled a corner and the beans were super....they have a second crop on their way so more to follow.

LN....early night. I have to get to the bus station in Kardjali early and hopefully the but will be leaving at 6.00 otherwise I have a four hour trip to Sofia and a four hour trip back....fingers and everything else crossed....LN

Wednesday 25th May

Martin left on the 6.00 o'clock bus for Sofia and wasn't I pleased that I didn't have to take him up to Sofia...nine hours at the sheel by anybodies standard.  Back home for  6.15 and the sun was only just coming up adnd the decisiona was...bed or no Bed so I settile for the no bed.  I have no workmen, the day is mine so I decided to 'meanr45'  The rest of the day was spent betweeen a book. gardening and using mu newly acquired sheers tp drop the grass in quicksticks....pickes.....