Whoop whoop my ''Chunky'' bench is still alive!!  

Thought it might have been fire wood by now!

Friday 7th September

Now how could I do that to you Mikey B after all the love devotion, sweat, blood and tears that went into.  And they were just mine

As I suspected, five of the clock and wide awake and rib number seven seems worse this morning but I did have three gigantic sneezes when I got into bed last night and thought I'd got away with it...I suspect....wrong.  Gently does it today.  Knocked off several games of Sudoko on my DS and the word scramble but I hate it when it comes back with 'a little tired are we' and if I was tired I would be asleep and not playing silly games.   So six forty...off to Kardjali with the Librarian today to get something 'legal' sorted with her car.  Something about re-registering it since the permit has expired.  Must look at mine...I could be illegal too.  

Coffee, garden, sun coming up....all's good in this neck of the woods...catch you later.

Friday continued

So we went to Kardjali to do the dastardly deed and it was all....closed up for the four day holiday for the Unification of Bulgaria.  If the police had stopped us there probably would have been questions asked but that's where you turn into being very English....not much unification there then.

Found some new shops and made some purchases...new trousers and warmish top for the winter (well it was cheap), new pair of black comfy shoes for the holiday for whizzing round the cities on route, bought some more plants for the garden from my little lady by the market and had chicken and chips lunch while we were there.  Stopped off at Lidl on the way back and we were accosted by a couple that had arrived two days ago with the intention of looking for a property here.  I seem to be surrounded by them at the moment,,,maybe I could become and estate agent.....a leva estate agent and not in Euros like most of them seem to think that the currency is.  I reckon they make the offer to the local in leva and immediately convert the said agreed figure into Euro and hope that nobody notices....cute cookies and when they say that we use cookies on this site.....they're normally the ones that show you round the properties.

I sat around with the librarian in the garden and we chewed over the fat and drank tea and coffee.  So that's another day that alcohol has not touched my lips and this is getting serious.  Got the washing in, she went back home at about six thirty and then I decided to have a fashion show to try to get some idea of the things that are going in the suitcase......well I only have one month to go now and I have only booked hand luggage.

Clothes hung back up, still non the wiser what I shall be taking, number seven has been playing up and I think it was down to those three massive sneezes that I thought were not so painful.....they might not have been last night but they certainly cut to the quick today.

Time for bed Zebedee....pain killers taken, need a glass of water to get into bed with, a few games on the DS and that's it.  The couple that we met yesterday are visiting tomorrow.  He did ask me to record on his phone how to get to my place but I made him spell it out and type it up.  All these maps on phones...what are the younger generation coming to.  They can't seem to stay away from the phone for two seconds at a time.  I almost did record it and use my Tom Tom voice....and some of you will know what I'm talking about.....but I don't know them well enough yet.....but it's bound to happen......LN....the computer is going to bed too...

Sorry about you accident and that your ribs are giving you trouble - hope everything is all healed up for your trip, still very much enjoying your journal, thanks for keeping it up.

Saturday 8th September

Thanks for the sympathy Tabs and for the comments on my journal...much appreciated.

Not a bad night's sleep last night but the drone of a mosquito woke me up at six o'clock so I jumped out of bed and couldn't spot the wee bastard.  Down for coffee it seemed a sensible thing to do and then into tidy mode.  All the things that I left off coat hangers last night are all back in place and tidily stacked for the great decision process.....yes I know a month to go...but I want it to appear seamless.  Went down and caught a glimpse of the glass panel for the cooker and realised that that hadn't been 'got at' for a while so out with the stainless steel cleaner and it removes grease in a flash and just as quickly as flash would if I had any.  It now sparkles.

Had a shower, washed my hair and sat out drying it in the sun with half a slab of fruitcake and a coffee.  Then back upstairs and sorted out filing which had somehow accumulated into a heap but now all the receipts are stapled onto the appropriate sheets of paper and into the plastic envelopes.....I now feel that I can find what I need to find.  Decided to write a letter to my very good friend Yvonne updating her on my escapades.  She doesn't have internet so appreciates the odd letters and my golly are they odd.  

With impeding guests, I cleaned the loos....well just to put a sparkle round the bowl...put all the bonfire rubbish into the burning pit and received a phone call from them saying that they were held up because they had a diesel leak from the filter and had to have the hire car changed.  Eventually arrived at about three thirty, they loved the house, picked my brains about starting here, and then heading off for the Black Sea.  Went into the wreck to show it off and there sitting by the door of the tool store was the....shepherd's bloody great kangol.  I stayed calm, told him to go....he didn't move for a while so my commands got louder and I could sense that my guest was a little perturbed at the size of this big dog.  Eventually it got up and meandered down the garden and out on to the hillside...windows will be a great improvement I think...that'll stop him.   They are only here for another couple of days and I get the impression that because they wont spend enough time here....it will all blur into one.  So dependent on the Sat Nav...off they sailed into the great beyond.  

Got on to the internet and applied for my Australian Visa and filled in my personal details for the cruise line.  Didn't find the box for inside leg measurements....I thought it was necessary information..   Supper for me is spicey sausage when I summon up the enthusiasm to get started...must water the garden first...it's been another hot day.  And guess what...I'm still on water, juice and coffee....this is a first....   LN....I've changed my mind...I've got fish fingers to fry....LN

Hello sugar
your inside leg measurement is vital to national security as is your lea hall welfare club affiliation No, and your intended intake of RED CABBAGE , so .how much red cabbage ? !! and does the insaid leg start at the top ?the bottom? or the lowest point of your Turkish trousers   your afiliation No as allways is embroidered into the rim of your flat cap next to your ferret breeders badge  
we are setting off tonight should be in BG wednesday ,,all being well ,we will let you know when we arrive MOS xx

Sunday 9th September

My MOS update:

My inside leg measurement is vital to national security ... you sure about that?  I'll measure it from the lowest point of my Turkish trousers...

..as is your lea hall welfare club affiliation No, .....and as we speak I am already embroidering this onto the rim of my flat cap along with my passport, visa and Bulgarian residence permit numbers so I shall be busy until I get on the plane.

My ferret breeders badge is polished and ready to be applied to the said head gear as soon as the embroidery is complete...  

Looking forward to you getting over here and have a safe journey.


                              .............................................................................................................................

And now....six of the clock this morning, garden watered by seven and the second cup of coffee on the go.  Now some wee beestie got me as I was sitting at the computer and I just saw the back of it disappearing...My arm came up in two large welts so down to the kitchen for the anti-histamine cream and it went down as quickly as it came up...must remember to pack some along with the tablets.

Breakfast was tomatoes on toast and I decided to process the rest of them and I now have a saucepan full of what could be described as tomato soup or pasta sauce and I think I'm going to freeze it not bottle it.  Everything seemed to come into play.  I skinned them, cooked them up with onions adding cider vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar, blended them and realised that there were so many seeds so I put it thought my local mouli thingy that took all the rubbish out of it and left it smooth as a baby's bottom.  Just in to finalising it when my mobile went and it was my Gouljan looking for peace and tranquility for a few hours so that she could read her book on child development.  When she arrived she came bearing gifts of one melon and two cucumbers so she went back tonight with the same cucumbers and I could have given her some of mine, a bag of pears from the tree and old bread for the dogs and chickens.  I also gave her the little dolls plastic shoe that I found in the garden.  As you probably know I call her Cinderella and when I dug it up I immediately thought of her and she was so pleased with it.....it is to have pride of place in her room.

So I played on the computer while she went from sitting up on the sofa in the lounge to fully stretched out with a couple of large pillows under her head.  I like it when she makes herself at home.  After a while I got round to making lemon tea for her, coffee for me and served with a couple of packs of biscuits but the honey waffles were pretty dangerous where teeth are concerned.  Better to break a chunk off and insert rather that trying to bite into it...not a good move.

Seven thirty now....she left about thirty minutes ago.  Apparently another catalogue outlet has opened in Kardjali and has some half decent stuff in there...maybe worth a visit on Tuesday after I have given my lesson.  Not really in to supper but I should eat something before I get to taking my overnight tablet....it's one of those slow release ones so I'm led to believe.  My Visa for Australia was confirmed by email last night....and PDQ it was too.  Beautiful night tonight...breeze got up this afternoon and I thought my washing was on its way to Greece but the pegs held and now all is safely gathered in.  LN....about to raid the kitchen to see if there is anything I fancy....LN...

Monday 10th September

Up and five thirty after deciding that there wasn't an ounce of sleep left in me as I went to my virtuous pit at about nine last night.  Flitted around, watered the garden and noticed that I had left the key in the door and nothing was taken and I wasn't attacked in my bed so I'll do the same again tonight...

Well what a surprise this morning...just finishing off dipping my soldiers into my eggs and clearing up, put a further five eggs on to boil so that they are there to nibble should I feel in the mood later and who should turn up but my librarian with a cheery good morning.  She was off to Kardjali to sort out the documentation for her car now that she had applied for her ten year residency.  The previous five year one had expired and the car permit runs parallel to it.  So a temporary residence permit has been issued and this carries the number eighteen which is not the national insurance type number required.  The proper one will come through when she picks up the new ten year on the seventh of October.

They closed for lunch telling every one in the queue to come back after lunch so we went into Kardjali, found a kebab shop and thoroughly stuffed ourselves.  Walked to a new second clothes shop and I found a pair of brand new leather shoes for ten leva with heels that will do for high days and holidays....result. Back to KAT or car registration to continue the process.

We stood in the queue, when we eventually reached the desk and were sent to get the appropriate form from the next office.  She paid over her three leva for the form but there seemed some confusion when it came to the temporary permit and the number printed on it.  Anyway she seemed to frig the system and the form was printed and we went back to the first desk clutching the print out, handed it to the assistant and now we had to go to the bank to pay over ten leva fifty to carry on to the next stage.  Now this is very reminiscent of 'pass go and collect two hundred pounds' but they were the ones collecting or we were expecting...'go to jail'!!  over passport, temporary residency permit,  So now we thought since the computer had been fooled, we were in with a change of completing the process but no.....we went back to the first lady after the bank and the computer said 'NO'.  It was as I suspected...without the residency with a full registration number we could not complete.  I explained to the lady behind the desk that she was due to pick up the permit on the seventh of October and now she has to go back after that date with the residency.  Note to self...mine expires on 2014.....I think I'll start the process off in 2013 just to make sure that all runs smoothly but the Beast is registered to the company so we'll see if that makes a difference.  I'll just take my company stamp along and stamp it wherever she tells me and if I have problems, she might just have the company name on her forehead...

On the way back the car exhaust was rattling like a good'un so we called into my garage and they fixed it with a new weld stating that the previous repairs were rubbish....it's all back together again at the cost of ten leva.  They are always happy to see me with new customers for them.

Tomato stuff boiled up and put into jars tonight.....had a couple of boiled eggs since I' still full as a little tick from lunch but needed to eat something to take my evening tablet.  Still on the water and this is getting serious.  I think I'm beginning to dry out.....   LN...It wont be long before I hit the sack....but I was only jesting...the key is already on my side of the door... ;)

Tuesday 11th September

Autumn is here and we had a dusting of rain and that about sums it up.  I was out watering the garden after what looked to be a sunny start with just a few dark clouds about but they accumulated as the morning wore on and by ten it started.

Breakfast this morning was two hard boiled eggs on toast and it's still my own diet that I'm following...a little and often for me is the secret and if I don't feel like anything in the evening I don't have it.  There is the saying, breakfast like a king, lunch like a lord and supper like a pauper....sounds good to me and I've taken out the one of 'drink like a fish'....these tablets have a lot to answer for.  A weight loss of around six pounds already.  I sat outside in the sun for breakfast but I was wearing a sweatshirt...this morning was colder.

So into Beauty this morning at nine fifty for my student at ten and put in the key and turned it....absolutely nothing.  A few bahh and humbugs and some that I know that the automatic bad language moderator on the site will remove or change to something that I would never write and out came the Beast to get me to the lesson on time.  His mother was rushing around finishing off bottling tomatoes when I arrived and the big one was teasing the little one and it took me back to parenting and I didn't envy her one little bit.  I think they are all waiting for the return to sense and sensibility when school starts on the seventeenth.  No way in my state of health could I push Beauty it to get it in a position to jump start it  from the Beast.  I need a strong man or two so I'll look around tomorrow.

Missed the post office by about ten minutes but couldn't be bothered to wait around in Djebel for an hour or so so headed home.  Played on the computer for a while, lunch was a toasted cheese sandwich and then my eyes were heading southwards so at three I took to my virtuous pit which undoubtedly I shall resent come the silly o'clock morning start.  Six when I woke up and couldn't understand why it was so light and realised that it was still day.  Took a few pictures of the evening sky...very dramatic over Smolyan to the west.  

Off to get a cold drink and a couple of biscuits to have something for my evening tablet to rest on....but feeling pretty rested and chilled after my afternoon sojourn....LN....healing the body me thinks....

Wednesday September 12th

Five thirty start and I wouldn't got out of bed but there was the tssss of a mosquito so I was like a bullet out of a gun and I didn't manage to spot the winged intruder...well it saves swearing.

Down for coffee, tidied the kitchen and back up to play on the computer and noticed dawn breaking.  I love my mornings here...just a pity that it was a little early this morning but hey...I had a good sleep yesterday in the afternoon so I can't complain and what's the point...nobody to listen if I did.  Decided that I wanted tomatoes on toast for breakfast but one snag...all that I had were bottled and stored but then I remembered that I had some in the garden and managed to salvage about eight of the beauties.  Into the frying pan with a little oil, salt and pepper and out to the garden with the plate and saw Gouljan's mother with a cow on the end of a piece of rope.  I waved, she carried on but was sitting in the sun when she came back down the road and it transpired that the cow had been given to the bull and she was walking it home and no it didn't have a silly grin on its face but I did check.

Been out doing a little gentle digging but realised that I have put one flower bed in the wrong place.  It was supposed to be over the first toilet pit that was dug but I missed it by about three feet so another one needs to be dug but the ground is so hard.  It will have to wait.  I wanted to see if I could get a couple of the shrubs in containers that I have into the open ground before I go away but I suppose I can over winter them in the other house...so what to do next?  Let's see what gentle exercise I can get up to....