Monday 8th April

All change.....the men are not working today since it's raining cats and dogs and not the furry variety.  Summer has gone...one good day and that's it but at least we aren't caught in the grip of winter...I've just checked the long term and this is a blip but at eight degrees...it's a big one after we were sitting out in the sun on Saturday with a glass of the red stuff.  I suppose yesterday was as bad but I thought it would be over and OK by today.  So we'll have to take a rain check for tomorrow morning as to whether I have men or the weather rains off play.

So today I got the information together for the stuff that I'm working on and off to see my window man tomorrow that's after I've picked up the men (weather permitting), gone down to the yard to order the materials and my next challenge and I chose to accept it is to get my Avatar into Djebel and into the bank to check if her 'Tobacco' money as been credited.  I did think I could carry on to Momchilgrad but I don't think she has her passport and that's a slight exaggeration.  She doesn't leave the village much so I'll bring her back here and then head out again, it's market day in Momchilgrad so a trip out should do me good.

Supper is just about ready....so I'm not going to delay.  Pasta with spicy sausage and onions with just a hint of chilli has more of a calling than sitting here on the landing...LN....I'm off...

I've finally found you on the map! How far are you from Momchilgrad?

Tuesday 9th April

Quoted from 38714

I've finally found you on the map! How far are you from Momchilgrad?

As the crow flies Chris, I'm probably about five kilometers from Momchilgrad but since I have to use the roads, probably ten.  There's one big river in between but when the new road is built it will cut off one hell of a corner....and that should be up and running in August so I'm told but not reliably informed...shall we wait and see on that one.   The new road will cross the border into Greece and should take about forty minutes to get my little tootsies into the Med....now there's a thought.

So one out of three isn't bad today.  Men decided that the thought of a shower was enough for them to stay at home and get on with their own jobs.  I phoned at seven thirty this morning and they didn't want to come out to play but I couldn't really blame them.  It's just been dull most of the day and the air has been cold.  My Avatar was ready with her boots blacked at ten this morning, her money was in the bank, is now in her hand and she was back at home for just before eleven.  She insisted on paying me for the trip to Djebel and we nearly came to blows over it.  Because of her pride and after much deliberation I accepted it but I'll get my own back and she knows it.  Pensions here are not the best in Europe and while her sons find their future in other European countries, you have to feel for the ones left behind.  This culture here will die out with this generation of oldies.  The daughters no longer wear the old style dress but maybe time to move on.  It reminded me of both of my grandmother always wearing wrap around pinafores and grandfathers wearing caps and that changed...Last of the Summer Wine....

As for going to Momchilgrad....that will happen tomorrow after I collect the men.  It's weather's supposed to be good.  I decided that I would do a little bit in the garden which turned out to be just that.  The strimmer that I bought to do the job is just too big for me so I went out there with the garden sheers and trimmed some of the grass back....that worked...not.  Too much of it and if the sheep come in they would decimate the flowers.  Tomorrow is another day and I'll see if one of my men can get it going and Emaula can earn a little bit of the readies.

The sun has just poked it's head out and is casting a lovely glow over the mountains...keep it up Phoebe....I want to see you again tomorrow....LN....I'm about to raid the kitchen...

Tuesday continued

Just a little add on for today.  On my way back from Djebel this morning one of the men from the next village was standing by the road and flagged me down.  I thought he had a problem so I got out and he wanted to show me a deer that was down the bank.  It was too far away to take a photo but I thought it was so sweet of him.  I thanked him and he said it was nothing and we all went on our way...that's life in BG....

Seth says - That is a flower coming up in the middle of your rhubarb, and it needs to be cut out asap!

Wednesday 10th April

Quoted from gottaknit

Seth says - That is a flower coming up in the middle of your rhubarb, and it needs to be cut out asap!

Thank you Seth...it is obliterated, removed, sent over the hills so the sheep could have it.

I didn't phone my men this morning...I went on the off chance and there they were but Bekir had to have a session at the doctors in Fotinovo but that was after we had ordered the materials for the little little house roof...Priorities.

Back to the house, the men appraised the situation, the wall of the garage was to come down and come down it did.  We had a bit of 'what goes where' but tomorrow, Emaula is working and moving the hard black stone that was the wall of the house to the old'var' pit and the rest of the soft stone is being used to go beneath the terrace to the bedroom of the new little house.  Now that might sound very confusing but I know what it means and I have Emaula and his oppo working the weekend on stone removal.   Sorted.

Materials arrived at lunchtime so I had a trip into Djebel to pay my dues and I am now the proud owner of thirty bags of cement. and seven hundred and fifty tiles and the capping stuff.  I like to pay my dues as I go.  Unfortunately the rest of the load was meant for Remsie but they were not at home so it was dumped on the grass verge...such is life.

Removed more of the grass from the garden with my trusty clippers and dug over some of the garden...hand gives me gyp so a little and often is the code.  Didn't make it to Momchilgrad to do the window stuff...Bekir decided that we could do it over the phone but unfortunately we got the wrong man so I have to go in tomorrow to get it sorted....no problem ...I shall go into Kardjali, work out if any of the offers from Lidl are worth basketing and the do my student at two in the afternoon.  Once my men are here...my life is my own.

So tonight...fire going well...I've just put diced potatoes and onions in a pan with chicken wings on top of it....it might be ready for a midnight feast...and hopefully I\ll stay awake to enjoy it....LN....I've got to check the kitchen, fire and wine glass and I'm not sure in which order they come...I'll leave you guessing...LN

Wednesday continued


Went ladies anatomy skywards (tit's up) when I tried to post pickies earlier...so here goes...

Renovations looking good. You are very brave to tackle such a big job (or, it seems, several). Are you drinking Bulgarian wine? I've seen some in the liquor store but not tried any yet.

Thursday 11th April

Thanks Chris for the wonderful accolade...I often wonder if it is braveness or stupidity of not letting go.  This house will not beat me...she says with anguish   As for the wine Chris...you've obviously missed that I seriously imbibe on odd occasions and I can recommend the local brew.  I think the price will inflate by the time that you get it....but well worth trying...

Six thirty start this morning and into the fray by eight.  Men were ready in their cafe filling up with the bounce juice and bounce they did when we got here.  Straight to it.  The told me that they were going up on the roof and Emaula arrived at the allotted time and his day was scheduled in and we spent the rest of the day trying to keep him to it.  Bless him he\s young and keen....on the girls in Djebel and his mobile phone and need I say more.  He cleared out the spot that we had designated for storing the dark stone and the polythene was ceremoniously dumped on my burning pit and by eleven I had cleared it out and all the polythene was gone..there was a comment about how badly it pervaded the air so I  told him to stop breathing until it was all gone.

Got an interesting text for my student....there was a story in ten parts and he had to read, inwardly digest and put it into sequence.  I did it on the computer before I went and managed to get it all sequenced but panicked until it came back that it was all correct.  I quickly jotted it down so that I didn't have to go through the whole thing again and he got it right first time....bright spark!!  So we did a crossword and between us we managed it...I have to keep the lessons interesting before we both nod off.

Got in my car and the fan belt had decided to slip even more so down to the garage before I set sail to Momchilgrad to see the window man....All stuff delivered, one more thing off my plate.  Back to the boys, coffee and the tiles are being heaved on to the roof for dispersal tomorrow....I see progress and while this was happening, my wall was coming down....the one that is supposed to before any signs of alarm start echoing around.  Two days back and I see real improvements already.  Time to go home and I realised that my young protegee was not working tomorrow so I asked Bekir how much he should get paid for today.  He told me the rate and I asked the lad what he was doing tomorrow and he said that he had to go and pay a fine for not having his car lights on when he should.  So I offered him more towards the fine which he was not going to accept but Bekir told him that he had to.

Boys home, back in my little house, fire going, glass of beer at my elbow and all's good with the world....LN

One that was missed

Forgot to mention, we had to remove the last part of the roof water down pipes today and we rescued two little birds that had dropped down, were fluttering and couldn't escape.  They shot out so rapidly that there wasn't a snowball in hells chance or recognising which variety...Good deed for the day...LN