Saturday 23rd July

Thank you Joanna for your well wishes and yes I agree we both have choices that locals don't have.  As for you KingDom of S, I started to listen to my Buddhism, did ten minutes and while there's lots of 'logic', I would have preferred a debate instead of a monologue so went to bed...'I've had a fall....you know' (in a whiny old persons voice) and I've got to get my rest dear....   As for you sounding sadistic...I only report the facts...just the facts.

I can't see the bottom of my garden, a little thunder last night, a little rain and it started just after I'd finished watering my garden so at least a couple of the pots that I missed got something.  My hose pipe is one of those collapsible infuriating things that seems to twist over and stop the flow between you and the outside tap, finds every stone or obstacle in the garden and gets caught up and then needs attention to 'unbend' and 'dislodge'.  My own fault, I should clear the ground or buy another hose pipe....I'll clear the ground...it would probably take only ten minutes but because of my 'fall', everything will take longer today

Sun is creeping out, the bottom of my garden has been revealed...let's me take a stroll...

Buddhist goes into a Pizzeria. "Make me one with everything"

I'll get my coat

Saturday continued

As for that joke OH...try watching Bi-Centennial man...it's one of the first jokes that Andrew...the robot learns.  I found it funny then but did you see the video clip where the American news journalist told it to the Dali Lama and he didn't get it....the investigator cracked up but as they say 'some fell on stony ground'.

It's been a very slow day...well I've been slow.  I ache front, back, inside and out and I have to gingerly take the stairs.  Must take some aspirin tonight to get a better sleep...it was a bit turn over...ouch, turn over again, ouch, ouch...still frail voice...'I've had a fall you know'...(especially for KingDom).

Seriously decided that there was no way I could swing that hammer high and fence build so got stuck into Chairman Mao Zedong and I can only take that in small chunks...very factual so it was interspersed with internet and DS.  Got a new good score on Germs today so the flesh was weak but the brain was compensating...also finished the Daily Mail 5* Sudoko in record time .  Something strange going on here....

So now the evening is drawing to a close.  I shall have another gentle day tomorrow and by then it should have worn off.  I get the feeling that the bone is bruised so I shall get my trusty dictionary out tomorrow and try to get some Arnica...normally works for me.  I've got Julian Webber banging out 'Variations' at full volume and with a glass of red to deaden the pain....I should survive.  LN...

There are quite a few other herbs that can be used for bruises if you can't get arnica such as chickweed, yarrow, comfrey, elder leaves. Basically simmer in oil and then add beeswax to get an ointment or just rub in the oil.

Sunday 24th July

Thanks for that Joanna....it's a times like this, as my mother used to say, that you need 'mothering' or 'smothering'.  I know that at times she was tempted to do the latter.  I was not an 'easy child' .. I'll try Arnica first it comes ready made and if not I'll go out and fight the chickens for the chickweed.

I had a good night's sleep, picked up on nothing yet from one of my favourite websites where they seemed to 'party' but were not so out of it that they didn't tidy up after themselves...news is that the kitchen doesn't look like a bomb site....I'm off to the shop...catch you later....

Sunday continued

Well as you can say, restarted again.  I didn't go into town but decided to take an extra strong Aspirin instead to ease the pain....lay on the bed with Chairman Mao and promptly fell asleep...meanwhile...three hours later...came round to the land of the semi-living, have just had my supper and getting on the web has been fraught with trials and tribulations.  M-Tel has reinstated the 3G service and now it insists on trying to connect me to it but I know that I live of the edge, so to speak, of GPRS and 3G and the latter, despite there being a quick service, keeps throwing me off...so I go back to GPRS, which declares that there is no connection, but I'm writing this now without any glitches.  So M-Tel get sorted....the 3G is wonderfully quick but up and down like the proverbial bride's nightie.

So Sunday night, the sheep are coming round for the final feed of the day and the light is that mellow evening summer yellow where the trees look exceptionally green.  I'm just going out to enjoy the last of the sun....LN

Monday 25th July

What a restless night...I really paid for having two hours in bed with Chairman Mao and his great famine...

My BG phone was warning me that the battery was low at 3.30 this morning and could I remember where it was?  could I buggery.....I could hear it bleep and searched where I thought it should be and ended up using my other phone to phone it and it was in the place that I should have looked first.  Next problem...I use a USB connector since my standard one is naff and I couldn't remember where I'd put that.  Now this is not senile dementia setting in...remember..it's 3.40 in the morning by this time.  Eventually located it under the cushion on my pc chair so why didn't I think of that in the first place...   It's not that I'm untidy.  Just occasionally things don't get put back and that's when the problems start.

So emailed KD of S to see if there was anything he wanted from Kardjali and the response was negative and he advised me that he was going fishing.  Now this fishing is not the normal sit on the bank with a rod and wait while sipping a beer.  The locals usually strip down to their undies, wade into the river and 'tickle' the fish or have been even known to catch them in their under garments.  Bet he gets second or third degree burns...it's been hot as you like today and I know he's not the type to say to the locals...'can you just rub in this sunblock...' and they're not the type to do it....  

Went to Kardjali in Beauty....did Billa and ended up buying a five litre wine for just under 10 Leva.  I liked the flagon and I have it on good authority that it's OK after the first.  Got some beer since it is 40 stotinki cheaper than in Djebel and eventually plucked up the courage to get the car to the garage for it's MOT.  I always feel like it's going in front of the headmaster....the guy is really nice in his cut off jeans, t-shirt and flowerpot hat and while I waited in the office, they were MOTing a pretty high van.  Now I had noticed them standing on the back when they were getting it into the bay and thought nothing of it.  Then came the time to get it out and I realised that they could only get it out if they stood on the back again to lower it...it was just too tall.  He made out the documents for mine before he had even looked at it...asked for the keys...drove it in...they lifted the bonnet...put a few connectors around the place...moved it onto the rollers ....he came back in...everything OK...window sticker in place and supporting documentation back in the folder....the cost...25 leva.  I've arranged to take the Beast in later this week so keeping my fingers crossed that that one passes too.

Drove to my nearly new clothes shop but there was nothing that took my fancy so went on to Lidl to stock up with  butter, tuna, Brie, a superb chives plant for me to kill and that was about it.  Back into Djebel at about 1.00 so tripped round the market...no not tripped...(only do that on a Friday)....they were just packing up so decided that it was home James.....tuna with home made potato and carrot salad for lunch.  It's been a scorcher today so stayed indoors and watched a video....finished watering my garden....it's 8.15 and my shoulder and chest are both giving me a bit of a hard time although the leg is much easier....I think it was the driving that did.  I'll see how I feel in the morning...I might even take the Beast in tomorrow to get it out of the way and off the list of things to do.

LN.....I can hear Chairman Mao calling.....

Tuesday 26th July

Rubbish night sleep again....I was up at 4.00 getting an extra strong Aspirin.  No matter where I put my shoulder it hurt in the vicinity of my top ribs so I'm sure that I have done at least one in.  As I said yesterday, it was probably driving that did more damage yesterday and so today...day off.

Just spotted my Golden Oriole in the garden nicking my ripe wild damsons.  Now I've heard this bird call for a few days now, normally very early in the morning and couldn't spot where the sound was coming from...it was a sort of long warble...and now I know.  I have the RSPB book of birds that I used to identify him and I know that it's a 'him' since the female is much drabber so I'm told.  I then went on to their site and you can listen to the song and so...confirmed...it was a European Golden Oriole that nicked my cherries and now is going for my wild damsons and with the plums about to ripen, I reckon that he will be with me for a few days.  I couldn't get a photograph....my camera is just not up to it and he's very shy and in the leaves he looks like sunlight shining through the branches even with binoculars so I resorted to downloading a picture from the web...he's so beautiful.

Coffee calls....investigation over for this morning...catch you later...

Hi Elsa, Sorry to hear about the slight trip you had. I guess as we get older, our bits take longer to get better. I do hope things are better soon. My Mom said to say hello and hopes you are doing ok there. Not much happening in OZ, winter days with a bit of sun, and cold at night. We are due some rain and storms, dont like driving in the wet, as everyone seems to take their cars when its raining over here. Anyway take care, love the pic's and the paragraph's....hehehe. Good read. Linda.x

Tuesday continued

Thanks Linda.  The nice thing is that I have a wonderful excuse to be lazy...weather not too good this afternoon so into bed with a book and managed a couple of hours in the land of nod.  Weather was 'close' though, thundery and sticky so I was in the perfect place.

So supper tonight...I cremated a chicken leg with my onions, my garlic and somebody else's mushrooms and served it with my potatoes as French fries (chippies to me and you).  I dug up garlic this morning and my what a sorry state it's in.  'The cloves are so small they are no good at all and they never would ever win prizes'.....that set to music would be great.  As for my onions, KD of S was disparaging about the size but great things come in little packaging so to speak and they did taste good.  I cooked the ones that he said I should have pickled, one mouthful and that is sufficient.

As for the rest of the evening...the storm blew itself out as far as I'm concerned or I slept right through it.  It's now turned into the perfect evening, fluffy clouds, still as you like and that beautiful evening glow or maybe that's the beer talking.

LN...Chairman Mao is getting a bit boring but still needs to be read as part of my education.  Goodness knows why at this late stage of my life I am catching up on world events that were happening at the time of my birth (Hitler and Stalin) and later when I was a mere sprog in the UK. Maybe it's part of the grand plan....LN