Thursday continued

Thanks Linda and give her my love and a big hug and the same goes to you too.

So I thought I'd just go out and survey the estate before I went to Kardjali to complain about the cooker and saw that the wind that is raging after last night's rain had brought down some of the plums so decided to start harvesting before the rest were down or the wasps had munched the lot of them.  They seemed to have ripened very quickly so one hour later I have two large containers of the things and remembered to get the sugar when I was in town.

Went into the electrical shop clutching my 24 month warranty only to be informed by a stroppy assistant that I should have phoned the number on the card that was attached to the receipt and that they could not help me.  Disgruntled I left the store, went into Billa and stocked up with coffee at 5.40 leva for 200grams and some spare ribs forgetting that I hadn't got an oven...dohhhh...so I'll have to do them on top of the stove.  Made my way to Lidl and got tuna, beer, a tool for scorching designs into wood (why? ...it seemed like a good idea) and a light for the bathroom that was on offer.  On the way back through Djebel it occurred to me that  Gouljan would just be finishing up and then I had the brainwave that she could make the call to the engineer and she could explain everything.  She was surprised to see me but packed up her laptop, we headed home and she made the call to the number that the store had identified from the card.....wrong...'I'm the service engineer.  Why are you phoning me?' and Gouljan said that the store had told her to and his response was that there was a service desk so we should be phoning there.  And so she did and got a million (slight exaggeration there) questions and 'have you tried another plug?' with the response that there is power to the cooker it's just that the oven doesn't work and the hot plates do proving that there is power to the unit.  The outcome...if we're in the area we'll come out....so she wished him 'good work' and if they are not out here by the weekend somebody will get 'good work'.  

I gave Gouljan a taste of my cherry plum jam and she thought that it was delicious.  So took her home and her mother was very insistent that I stayed for supper but I kept telling her that my shopping was in the boot and I needed to unpack it before my butter turned to a puddle and my beer got too warm.   Mother thought the consistency of the jam was superb and I have a cookery demonstration over the weekend at her house.  Anyway...that beer went in the fridge and I'm sure that it is just about right now....LN....I feel a thirst coming on.  Jam can wait 'till tomorrow since I'm fresh out of jars.

Friday 12th August

Pretty slow morning.  Got up at the usual time, made my morning coffee, went out into the garden to drink it, put coffee down, picked up garden fork, and two hours later have a cup of cold coffee but now no builder's rubble bulge at the base of my lovely stone wall.  It has gone and in the process I also got rid of a little polythene mine which has now gone up in smoke along with the couch grass that had intermingled with the half house bricks.

I looked at the plums and now the smaller container (four pounds) has been converted into two large jars of plum jam and the remainder will be made into plum chutney...how much jam can a girl get through and I use the work 'girl' tongue in cheek before any of my buddies add a suitable comment.   Into Djebel tomorrow....I have to get smaller jars for packing the stuff into.  As I said before it makes you feel far more productive...it's a bit like using a bigger font in a document.....you get more jars...you get more pages.  Simple.

To date...no engineer to fix my cooker so those spare ribs look like going into the freezer.  Right, things to do...got to tidy up the kitchen after the jam making episode...still not got it down to one saucepan and one slotted spoon yet but I'm working on it....

Friday continued

Beautiful full moon tonight in a dark velvet blue sky.  The crickets are chirping their little sock off and there's a distant dog barking.  It's the one that starts howling when the Jamir kicks off the morning call to prayers.  Come on pooch, time to go sleep so that we call all get some rest.  LN...six o'clock comes round pretty quickly.  Sleep tight ...

Saturday 13th August

Seven thirty start..... concious in the night of only having my little quilt over me so tonight the one from downstairs comes upstairs.  I sleep with the door and window open but maybe it's not quite as warm as it should be for August...so...remedial action.

Walked the garden, watered some of the plants especially the melons and squashes, did a bit of gardening, lit the bonfire and got rid of the rubbish and opened up the pc.  Working away and suddenly looked up and there are about thirty sheep at the bottom of the garden and more deciding to pour through a small hole in the fence.  Out with my 'cow' stick and started the round up process...some went one way ...some went the other but eventually one worked out where they had gotten in and so it was follow the leader...but with me hot on their heels, I think they went out quicker than they came in.  You can't blame them, there is very little grass on the hill side and my garden must appear like a banquet and each of them had to make sure of one last mouthful before they hit the highway.

So my Avatar came round to thank me for the damson jam that I left with her son last night and I happened to mention that I was heading into Djebel to try to get some small jars for the jam/chutney and the order was placed for two packet of cigarettes.  One local and one that turned out to be 'contraband' and I am asking if the supermarkets stocked it.  I am dutifully informed of the fact that it is contraband and that if the shop stocked it its cigarette licence would be revoked and the police called. I asked for a similar brand, supplied and everything OK.  Now on to the subject of jars, I happened to go into my car shop and his wife was working that morning so I asked her where I might get some small jars....and lo and behold, on one of the shelves she had lots of baby food jars that to Goldilocks, were just right....the cost...nothing...the gift for them...a box of chocolates which was refused, and refused until she eventually caved in...result...  Went to see my restaurant lady, she's had new teeth fitted in Kardjali and it's changed her face completely...now that's one dentist I shall avoid.  

Came back, delivered ciggies, wash jars, inspected plums and decided that I shall have a go at spiced plum chutney tomorrow.  I'll have to see what spices I have in the cupboard but I did manage to get some raisins, cider vinegar but no brown sugar but I'll give it a whirl anyway tomorrow.  I mended the fence so that the little beauties can't get in any more so that should cheer them up when they do the return run.

The moon again is really big tonight, Avatar is working in her garden, the sheep are up on the hillside and all's well with my little world.  LN....had a really big ploughman's lunch so not up for much tonight...just see what I can have for a snack...LN...and I just heard some gunshots and have found out that the sheep farmer has shot a couple of his dogs that have just killed three of his sheep...Shan't be buying any meat in Djebel on Monday, it could be dog...LN

Sunday 14th August

Sun's up in my part of the world at seven a.m....while most of you are sleeping in your little beds.  I can't wait to get the full story of the shepherd and his caretaker dogs and I did tell him that the red sky in the morning should have made him realise that something was going to happen....   I've said for a long time that his dogs are not safe.  Driving from my house to Gouljan's my car has been chased by four of the big beauties and I have seen two of the young ones from the latest litter definitely 'playing' with the sheep and I'm not sure of this interbreeding...from my balcony, I see 'all sorts' and none of them liquorice....

So firstly jam followed by chutney.  I have found a recipe for Tomato and chilli jam and since I have a glut...well not 'glut' about ten 'going over' I thought I would make a couple of small jars as an 'experiment'.  This is not natural for me. I normally prefer the hammer and nails but I'm still waiting for my rib so heal before I take up my 'hobby with quick results'.  I do need another chest in the bedroom so I might be tempted to give it a whirl next week end to see if normal duties can be restored.  Anyway kitchen calls...first breakfast and then chutneys.

Sunday continued

So I'm playing Freecell and avoiding the jam making at eight thirty and suddenly I see what looks like a mini-kangaroo crossing the garden so into the bedroom, out with the camera and hey presto...a hare and a big one.  If you look closely at the first pickie and you really have to look closely, you can catch him in the sunlight beneath the walnut tree at the bottom of the garden.  In the second you can see him escaping as he realised he had been spotted...I'll keep looking out for him and get the slow cooker ready...

Sunday night

Update on Saturday night..

Three dogs shot.... three sheep killed...how sad....givot (life)....I think not.  What makes them change?....

The pack mentality. Simple as that. Once the pack deviates from the task in hand, it is impossible to put them back on the rails. In effect, he is nipping the problem in the bud. Gruesome, but if your "tools" are damaging your income, get new ones.

Any chance you could get the sheep farmer to visit certain areas of inner London soon?

Monday 15th August

Quoted from Old Holborn

The pack mentality. Simple as that. Once the pack deviates from the task in hand, it is impossible to put them back on the rails. In effect, he is nipping the problem in the bud. Gruesome, but if your "tools" are damaging your income, get new ones.

Any chance you could get the sheep farmer to visit certain areas of inner London soon?

I'm just checking easyJet now OH.....who do I charge it to?  The Met, the Mayor or 'call me Dave'?


Now do I feel an idiot.  My cooker that only comes with the instruction booklet in every language except English is now repaired.  The engineer came, took one look at it, turned the nob to 'Manual' and hey presto...it works.  Now I thought the timer was like an egg timer...set it for five minutes, it goes 'ping', you take the pan off the heat and ready to serve.  Wrong....it has to be set to a little hand sign for the oven/grill to work at all.  Now whose silly idea was that.  Fortunately he was working in Djebel so charged me eight leva for coming out to Dushinkovo (just under four pounds) and didn't fill out my guarantee or anything so is not even making a claim for the work....is this vaguely reminiscent of anything English?  So I gave him ten and said have a couple of beers which he can do for two leva.

KD of S has redesigned his website and it looks really good....not sure if he has gone public on it yet or whether I had a preview but this one allows you to comment on his articles. What fun this could be, OH mentioned the other day that there was nowhere to leave a comment and so, obliging chap that he is, he changed it.

I don't know whether you remember Angela, my lady 'what I lunch with' in the UK and my BG house guest who came out last year.  Her Labrador has been ill for some time and unfortunately they had to have her put down last week.  She has always had rescued dogs, they have been loved, given good lives and left huge holes when they have gone.  This one will not be an exception..my thoughts go out to her and her hubby.

So what else have I done today.....not a lot.  I've watched another episode of Hugh Laurie's 'House Doctor' and am just waiting for the heat to go down a bit and even though it's five o'clock, it's still pretty warm.  The slow cooker is warming up last night's curry that I made so that should be me sorted for tonight....early night I think...I just might head into Kardjali tomorrow.  I need some sticky labels for my jam pots.  

Right, the garden calls.....I'm off....

Tuesday 16th August

Lovely sunrise but the camera didn't capture how red the sun was...need a new camera

Not sure where this morning went...I was moving the heaps from under the walnut tree until I convinced myself that the guttering had to come down from on top of the excuse for a fence and the wood that I risked life and limb for and the jeep and a fine if we had gotten caught, had to be put top some use.  So I started.  Now two people putting a fence up will some how manage even if a few 'words' are expressed with some volume.  On your own...not so easy.  Anyway the upshot was that I did the easy bit first where the sort of 'posts' would support the cross timbers and some should be very cross the amount of nails that went in.  By noon I'd worked up a bit of a sweat so showered and headed into Djebel to get fresh bread, mayo, beer and a melon so you can guess what I had for lunch...yep...tuna mayo sandwiches.  Watched another of Dr House since it was too hot to work outside (32 in the shade) and headed out again at about fourish and I've just come in at seven thirty.  Result...it looks much better...only phase one complete and will finish it in the morning probably finalising it with barbed wire to keep the pesky cows from attempting entry.

Forgot to mention.  Hotfoot's daughter came round last night and delivered some Halva and Turkish Delight from Turkey.  I don't know if it's a special time but I also got a packet of biscuits this morning from my other neighbour.  Note to self...it's the children's sweety day soon...must check it out with Gouljan.

Beautiful evening...you know the sort when the light is just right at the end of the day.  Calm as you like...I have achieved something today but shall probably suffer for it tomorrow.  I got the odd twinge when I was swinging that hammer and lugging four meter long pine off cuts down the garden but hey, it certainly looks better.

Update from the farmer...it was four dogs...one of the older ones and three young ones and four sheep....and so.....LN...I'm going to sit out with a beer...not particularly hungry so it might be a hamburger later....see how I feel...LN.