Wednesday 26th October

Cold, miserable but at least the windscreen washers are still working.  The men are here...I was working away upstairs and got the message later that my Avatar had been round and did I want any leeks since she was digging hers up so yes, was the reply and I legged it over to her house.  Came back with about a dozen with the intention of making soup for the freezer only to be told by Bekir that it's better if you heel them in the garden and use them when you want.  As I've said before, I'm a novice at this self sufficiency lark so I did just what the man said and I now have a bed of leeks.  Back I went upstairs to prepare the lesson for my student when another neighbour came round but this time searching for Bekir...apparently my Avatar had lost her phone so the other neighbour had to program Avatar's number into the phone so that they could carry out the search...just love them don't you...and a good job I have workers to see to their every need.

Little problem today.  The men have worked so hard on the shuttering for the support structure and had to take down some of the wall of the room that my wood is stored in to make way for another support.  They chipped away at it but it had its own ideas and part of it came down.  What it does do is to show the wood in its full glory but problem solved, they made the metal support this evening and it will be all systems go for the concreting tomorrow.  As I've said before, mention the word concrete and the weather changes and this is no different from the rest.   The picture of the men on their coffee break says it all....they were thinking about the stone fall and you could just see them asking me to take the bl**dy camera away.  Perhaps today wasn't the best for them.

Fire going all day so that the house is super.  I brought in some of the old ceiling slats and they make instant starting material and pick-ups for when the big logs that I've put on need that extra boost.  Washed a couple of the leeks (free), Kingdom of S's potatoes (free), my tomatoes, a dollop of my tomato and chilli chutney and knocked up a veritable supper in the slow cooker that was ready when I had taken the men home.  Tonight I served it with croutons.  Delicious and there is enough for tomorrow so three spicy sausages at the cost of under two leva have done three days and a possible fourth.  Not that I'm mean but I enjoy the economy.  So doing emails and managed to locate a friend this morning whose website was no more via another friend on Facebook so it's definitely got its uses.  LN....my glass is empty and I've a difficult Sudoko waiting....

Never thought of heeling in the leeks and that gives me an idea, we have a few outside and I am not ready to use them just yet, so I can heel them in in the greenhouse and then I can reach them even if it snows. Perfect!

Thursday 27th October

And am I late tonight or what....I think I have been playing catch-up all day after waking at three this morning, reading my submarine epic and doing Sudoko until five then going off again until seven twenty and realising that I had just twenty minutes to be up and at 'em on my way to pick up the men.  Made it as the radio pinged eight on the dot clutching my coffee in my T-Mobile insulated beaker.

The third man was not obvious when I got to the pick-up and they were hoping for one of the lads from the village to jump to attention but he was not to be risen from his slumbers.  The third was agreed upon since there was a hell of a lot of concreting to do today as they were filling the metal columns with cement.  The mixing is OK.....it's lifting it up in half filled buckets and then dropping it down the hole.  Bekir realised that they were down to two and said they they would just have to go for it and go for it they did.  I almost offered to help but the cold wind today put me off.  It was northerly and so I dug out my faithful home hand knitted jumper, Barbour boots and leather coat from by cheap shop in Kardjali which looked anything but cheap...in fact rather chic when I went in to see my student.  

My Avatar came round this morning to have her axe sharpened by Bekir on his grinding machine.  Now I thought she wanted it for her own use but what I didn't realise was that she was off to the forest from whence cometh my wood to offer her services at trimming so that she could 'earn' some wood.  This is so amazing since her son purchased seven cubic for his house in Djebel, I bet the other son has too and she has to work for hers.....something wrong here but I did say to Bekir that I would hold my tongue.  Not really my business and I have no place making it mine but as I said....amazing.  As it happened the Gorska man didn't need her services so she was home in quick-sticks and just as well, it was very cold today.

So the men finished filling the columns and I delivered Sally's statutory glass of the red stuff at about half past five to warm him up before he gets to the pub in his village.  On the way back I realised that I hadn't much fuel in Beauty since I had forgotten to fill up when I was in Djebel so decided to go in tonight and get cheesy chips and chicken wings at my lady's restaurant washed down with a fruit juice since I was driving back.  Home just before nine.  The fire was still in, has just be rejuvenated and is crackling away....just poured out my first red of the day and I'm feeling filled, warmed through and set for a reasonably early night.  LN...we have more columns tomorrow but it shouldn't be as hard a day as it was today....

Friday 28th October

I am told that there is no signal tonight so goodness knows how I am connected to the internet and for how long it will last so my little fingers are going like fury....

Woke up at silly o"clock again and this is really getting to be a habit...either must stop drinking or drink more.  Eventually decided at six to dog-nap and managed to wake up at 7.20 and on my bike for 7.40.  The men were off their starting blocks and Bekir appeared clutching two axe handles for my Avatar that he had hewn out of chunks of wood.  She is now the proud possessor of a Bekir handle since he worked on it for an hour at the end of what he considered to be his day.  Sally decided that he just couldn't down tools so he removed the window / door from what is to be the lounge in the wreck and the rotten wooden lintels and we have the design figured out for the replacement.  I was a bit concerned that I didn't quite know where I was going with this house unlike the biggie but I think it will just happen a bit like this one did.

Went to deliver the axe and ended up with a huge plate of Banitsa, the local filo pastry speciality and did have some of that before I took the men home knowing that I had a chicken leg marinated in curry, garlic and yoghurt with tomato paste added in the slow cooker for when I got home.  Brought rice to temperature and then put the pan on the wood burner and in twenty minutes I had perfectly cooked rice.

So home for the weekend.....I can lie in tomorrow if the mood takes me so let's see what happens.  Happy snapping all day today so lets post a few that's if the connection holds...LN...here we go....

Saturday 29th October

Not much to report.  I've had a very quiet day today.  It's rather nice having the house all to myself and not to think about making coffee for the boys.  I messed around on the pc until lunchtime...considered making leek and potato soup with the milk that my avatar came round with yesterday but it seemed such a shame to dig up the leeks when they've only just been heeled in so instead it was onion and potato. One potato, large I must admit, three onions, a stock cube, dash of salt finished off with cheesy toast on top.  Now yesterday my Avatar gave me her banitsa, so today I delivered the dish back to her with my soup and cheesy topped toast with the proviso that if you don't like it...give it to the dog.  I used a cheese that is more like English cheese so I'm not sure if it will suit the palate but hey....done and dusted.

Today she was going down to the forest to find some wood....Hansel and Gretel all over again.  She didn't go so I have offered to take her there in the Beast tomorrow and we can go scavenging together just so long as she knows where to scavenge legally.  The last thing I want is the Gorska police arriving on my doorstep especially after I've just purchased ten cubics of the stuff.

Lazy day, lazy night.....into reading about submarines and it's finally getting more interesting.  The weather picked up this afternoon and the sun actually came out for a while and it ticked over at twenty six degrees in the house.  I didn't have to light the fire until late this afternoon.  Lovely calm night...just a hint of cloud over Greece which might have something to do with the Euro...

LN....I'm thinking that I might be finding a film.  Must remember to change the clocks...Spring forward...Fall back...looks like it could be a frosty night......LN...

Sunday 30th October

Why oh why do they mess around with the clocks?  I have spent the day catching up with myself.  I remembered to change my two biggie clocks last night but as you now know I am going through a 'silly o'clock' wake up time and this morning was no exception.  Four thirty which would have been five thirty in the old money of yesterday and the rest of the day to play with.  The DS came out, the submarine hunter is still seeking submarines and has left Gibraltar after dropping off prisoners of war, carried out escort duties to Russia and encountered force 12 winds on the way back.  What is it with me and war at the moment?  I suppose I missed it all being the result of post war copulation or one too many at the local but thanks to KingDom of S my education on all 'that was' has improved.  I must admit though that if the font was larger I would enjoy it more.....even my 2.5's from the Pound shop have struggled.

So breakfast this morning was some more tomatoes that have ripened and I seem to be coming to the end of them.  I forgot to mention on Friday that I made two jars of tomato and onion chutney and I sent the men off with a jar each....not sure what they'll make of it...they only normally make them into tomato paste or juice and not go the whole hog with the sugar and vinegar....their comments will be appreciated.  At eleven thirty which by now which should be twelve thirty, the toaster reappears on the worktop, the outpourings were smothered in butter and apricot jam and devoured with gusto, showered and washed my hair, had a pedicure and out came the vest and the tights.....first time this year.  Fairly sunny day but not much heat in it so the fire was lit and it's been ticking over most of the day.

Now almost six and have awoken from two hours on the sofa by the radiator.   It now feels like late o'clock and I've realised that my men's finishing time is going to be earlier since light will stop play.  So by the time that my body get's into the new rhythm....we'll be changing them back.  Too early to be having that drink...but hey it's Sunday so maybe, I just might.  Off to the kitchen...to see what I can find since I have nothing to declare as being under way. LN....I might just update later if I come up with a masterpiece...

Monday 31st October

Firstly Happy Halloween to those that celebrate it.  There are some marvellous formed pumpkins on the internet and I've not even got one this year. It reminds me of when I used to stay with Suzy in the homestead and at the bottom of the hill was a field of pumpkins belonging to Sally may I add and we had this notion that we would go down, carve them and stick tea-lights in them and did we giggle and did we do it?   No.  What you have to remember is that it is food not pleasure.  Breakfast for all of us this morning was home made Mr. Heinz...I put the beans in to cook in the slow cooker overnight and did the honey, salt, tomato thing this morning and they were superb.  At least I know what goes into to them.  Tonight it is the same but with chunks of ham thrown in with fresh crusty bread...

Fristy frosty morning and temperature up to three degrees when I eventually got out this morning.  The broad beans  looked a little limp as did some of the flowers but the freasias are standing up to it well.  Most of the others are inside already just in case.  Went to fetch the men and it was frosty on the way out but warmed up on the way back until we got home.  I'm a little bit higher than they are so we still had mist and frost.  Didn't need to light the wood burner this morning, the house held the temperature well overnight and in fact didn't light it until four this afternoon.  As the sun came out, the thermometer rose and it was pleasant in the sun.  I even sat in my swinging chair for a while and contemplated the world.  

The hole that Sally made on Friday is now filled in with brick with my bookcase to the side of it.  Since the stone is going to be covered up it made more sense to get a straight edge and not worry about trimming the stone to fit.  The other wall where we put up the concrete support by the wood store was being attacked this afternoon and I was on stone collection while the men erected it.  We're now up to the 'we need a platform' stage so it's getting to look OK.  We have another man joining us tomorrow...the pay has been negotiated and if he's good he gets more...if not he gets the order of the boot by about Wednesday...

Lovely sunset tonight but I caught it when it had gone down....there is a crescent moon and I'm guessing that it's going to be a cold one tonight so I'm about to throw another log on the fire...LN...my beans are calling from the kitchen and so is the wine....hope the ghosties and ghoolies don't bother you too much...no trick and treating here....but it is Byram sweety time on Saturday...I have been warned.