Tuesday 26th June

Five thirty start and sat and watched that big ball of red breaking the surface....I love it.  I go back to how the Egyptians thought about that life force and you can understand why they worshiped it.  

Pottered for a couple of hours weeding, managed two cups of coffee and realised that I had to pick up Gouljan this morning after she phoned last night to see if I could take her into work....and also prepare a text for my student.  Found a huge moth/butterfly on the terrace and checked my emails hadn't hadn't had a request for landing rights... .  My guest suggested a fried egg sandwich at eight and I thought he was going to do it...wrong.  He sat reading his book so I cooked mine and went to join him on the bench which made him jump to action and go and make his breakfast.  Nice motivational technique.

Set off and got to the pickup point by nine and coming back my Avatar is looking very tearful and clutching money in her hand.  Apparently the grand-children had no money so we were taking it to Djebel so I found the house, stood outside and called the older girl's name a couple of times and eventually the young one came out and I handed it over.  Paid for and collected my ordered quilt, went to the shop and spoke to my student's mum and then I started the lesson.  Bless him...he does like his shooting games as do all boys but I persevered and told him that I wasn't leaving until we had been through the text thoroughly....it was a long lesson and eventually we ended up discussing football, Ronaldo and Peter Crouch of all people.  My skills are endless!!!!

Picked up some shopping, home about one thirty and unpacked it, tuna and mayo sandwiches were the order of the day.  Went to see my Avatar to find out if everything was OK since she really did look upset this morning and I think it is the worry of having two grand-daughters living on their own while their parents are working in Germany....she has enough to do anyway with such a huge garden and a couple of cows.

Got my head down this afternoon....it was very humid, thunder rolled around and it rained a little but there apparently is more to come tonight....good...it will save me watering the estate,

Supper tonight was pork kebabs, cheesy chips and a tomato and onion salad....just enough.  A couple of beers to wash it down and at ten thirty my time I'm heading to my virginal couch...sleep calls despite a two hour siesta.  LN...and thank you Joanna for the mozzy instructions and to Danuta for a copy of the things that Confusions didn't say but probably should have done...that should ensure that Baidau spider checks my blog...   

Wednesday 27th June

Lazy morning...I woke up at five, saw in the dawn, read for a while and then got my head down for another couple of hours....bliss.  Eight of the clock down for coffee and a garden stroll and again took my book down until hunger pangs drew me to the frying pan and the eggs and it was fried egg sandwiches taken on the terrace with more coffee.  Just the sort of morning I like.

Off to the library at about eleven thirty or so I thought until Beauty's flat battery threw the plans haywire.  Started it with jump leads from the Beast and I reckon that I had left one of the interior lights on from yesterday afternoon and despite the fact that the battery appeared charged, it wasn't enough to give it sufficient woomf to get it on to the highway. All lights are off tonight and we'll see what tomorrow brings.

So on to the library...the shelves are now upright and screwed to the wall so that she will be able to display more books, the toilet problem has been identified and can be solved and the computer has had Chrome installed along with Avast and is up and running.

Home and supper was nothing more than spicey sausages fried off with tomatoes and served on toast and toasted buns.....sufficient since we had toasted sandwiches at the library.  The beer is flowing tonight ...not a terribly hot day.  The storm clouds were evident until three this afternoon but now it's a beautiful calm night with a half moon in the sky.  LN....no pictures...I've been far too busy....

Thursday 28th June

Bit of a disturbed night.  Up and down to the loo for most of it and even ended up reading from one this morning until about two thirty but still awake at six.  Coffee called from the kitchen and then headed to the terrace with my book which I have realised is the follow on from Boadicea.  Working through it quite well this morning then stopped for tomatoes on toast but remembered that I had my student and it was a mad dash to the finishing post to get a few texts printed off and homework sorted.  As I was leaving Emaulet appeared in the garden, realised I was off to Djebel, asked if he could come to get his grandfather's gas bottles filled and so I said if he was quick it would be OK.  He ran down the road, I followed in the car, he dashed inside to get his long trousers on instead of his shorts, ran on to his grandfathers and appeared with two small gas bottles.  Set off for Djebel and it was only when I was half way there that I realised that I still had my rubber gardening shoes on which don't look all that elegant with town gear....ah what the heck.

Two texts for my student today, one about Marco Polo and the other about umbrellas and when we spoke about the latter I dug him in the ribs to explain what  the ribs of an umbrella were....he should remember that.  Arranged to meet Emaulet at approximately 11.20 and who should he be talking to but Sally who had gone in to have three teeth removed and was looking sorry for himself.  I realised that I hadn't paid them for the last lot of work they had done which is quite normal but thought that Sally might be running short so over to the cash point and I am now a fully paid up member of the builder's society.  Leaving Djebel I saw Sally walking out of town so I stopped and asked Emaulet to find out why and apparently his lift had disappeared so I took him home. I felt really sorry for him...hot day and aching from the dentist's chair and a ten k walk if nobody had stopped for him.

Home....designed new table supports for the lounge and one done and one more to go and already applied the wood stain.  Will be put in place tomorrow.  Had a phone call from the garage and we are meeting my student, his parents and the little one for supper tonight in Djebel so that's why my update's early.....LN....I'll be on orange juice so light on the alcohol tonight....I'll have to make up for it by stuffing my face....and I can make up for it when I get home.....LN

Friday 29th June

After writing a superb piece of prose the like of which may not come out of my fingers after a considerable amount of beer, I am posting pictures tonight and the rest will be left to your imagination.  The thing wouldn't load, the camera didn't want to connect to the PC and the only thing that I can think of is that I removed the USB connector and replaced it...ah well...

Weather was brilliant...early morning start, supper last night was very pleasant with my student's parents, shopping today in Kardjali and both Billa and Lidl took a bashing but isn't that always the way when you have guests staying.  I had a 'rescue me' plea from Gouljan from the next village and despite a couple of glasses of beer I headed off knowing that there are no police in the villages...only on the main roads.

Supper tonight was fried chicken with potato salad with egg, coleslaw and tsiki.  Tommy was destined for the bones but he had gone off after one of the local ladies and was a 'personno non grato' with my Avatar....Washed up and a packet of sort of chocolate hobnobs are taking a bashing....not too late tonight...the six o'clock starts most days is beginning to tell....LN....

Saturday 30th June

Six thirty again this morning and decided to log on and and who should I see down the garden but Harold Hare....he's back.  Fortunately he doesn't get anywhere near my veg patch or he would be for the pot but grazes down the bottom of the garden.  Upside he's not a problem...downside with this camera I cannot get a decent shot of him and if I make any movement towards him he's off.  He lopped around for a bit, I did manage to get out to the terrace but then he headed for the safety of the bushes at the bottom of the garden and was last seen sprinting off over the hills and far away.

Watered the garden since the promise of a scorching hot day appeared to be on the cards, moved that thumping great stone from the yard to the bottom of the steps, weeded under the terrace wall and put in a yellow carnation that I bought yesterday.  It’s quite funny buying plants here.  She tells me the name in Bulgarian and most I recognise the from the leaves.  This carnation looked different somehow so she went back into the shop and appeared with a white one in her hand.  Dug out by the new veggie patch and removed lots of bindweed but I know for a fact that it will be back tomorrow so with a little persistence I might clear it one day,   

Missed lunch today...it is just so hot and instead got my head down for a couple of hours.  Woke up at around four thirty, back into the garden and now realise that it's getting near opening time.  Supper is anything that I can find in the fridge that needs eating up along with my first tomato and cucumber for guests.....I only grow them, can't stand the things though I might be tempted to make face or hand cream out of them when they are no longer getting eaten.

Beautiful big green caterpillar with a tinge of blue near the forsythia that the sheep insist on sticking their heads through the fence and attacking.  I shall have to try and identify it along with that huge white moth that I haven't managed to track down yet.  Beer calls from the kitchen...I can hear it from here.  LN...the temperature is still up in the high seventies but should be about right in half an hour or so...LN...Nut brown hares in the morning....no white rabbits.