Monday continued

What a super moon tonight.....so big, orange and ...just there....it really is a beautiful night.....LN

Elsa, where are you? I know it's past your bedtime, but no post. Hope you are OK as you are so reliable, never miss a day. Don't keep us in suspense!

Hi Elsa Hope your ok   and hope someone would let us know if your not  
Jackie  

Wednesday 26th June

Thank you you beautiful people for caring.....I'm fine...a slight oversight on my part and I couldn't get a connection last night.  I'd packed my dongle or so I thought but at the last minute had changed from my laptop bag to a shopping bag and not swapped over the little beauty.  So when I got back tonight I checked and it wasn't where it should have been and divine inspiration lead me to the original bag and there it was.  Now my Librarian hadn't paid her internet connection so stuffed and apart from walking down to the local motel which after the beer we'd supped because it was such a hot day...that wasn't really on the cards...a day without....sincere apologies.

So what did we get up to yesterday.  Into Benkovski to the huge weekly market and it's not one that I normally visit but I managed to buy a lightweight bed quilt, a duvet cover set and a pair of shoes and I really didn't want anything....well you know how is.  As well we both purchased huge pink hydrangeas and mine is still sitting at her house.  I struggled from my car with it and there was no way I was struggling back to the car from her house.  She can bring it over next time she comes...she parks nearer my door.  Stopped off at the said local motel yesterday lunchtime to watch the youths gaming about in the swimming pool and we were both seriously considering going back to the house and taking a dip but since we were charged two leva each for watching the sport and it is only two leva for a swim...we both felt short changed and didn't go back hence the lack of enthusiasm to make use of their internet connection last night.

So up this morning at six thirty. We'd breakfasted by eight and on with the show.  She's got visitors soon so I've been giving her a hand to get things straight.  We worked in set areas, knew what we wanted to achieve, broke for coffee, went back to it, stopped for lunch, back to it, washed a carpet, swept the yard and all in thirty five degrees.  Sat down for a cuppa around five, supper finished by six and back home for seven fifteen.  Two very busy days but well worth it.  One of the neighbours arrived and we went through the conversation where I call the things that I'm wearing 'pantaloons' and they call them 'pyjamas' and I had it explained to me that if it's got flowers on it, then they are pyjamas.  Simple logic that I'd missed.

So now to start on mine.....I have to get the garden watered and get showered.  Tomorrow we have the hojja visiting so there's a bun fight in the square.  I hope I can find a shady spot to sit.....LN.....out I go and I promise photos tomorrow...LN

Thursday 27th June

Eight...late...start for me.  Mooched around the garden re-potting stuff and my neighbour arrived with a parcel from England which she waited for me to open.  Two new batteries for my camera and a credit card.  

Over to the village square and into the little mosque without a missile and I sat outside of the main hall in the overspill section with Remsie and a few other ladies.  Both hojas were in fine form and I closed my eyes and heard some fine chanting and a good few 'Amens' from the main room.  It went on for about an hour and there were hands outstretched and at one point you stroked each others hands between yours and the covered your face and wiped that over from hairline to chin....so I have some more investigations to carry out as to why.  The meat and rice was served with a drink of strawberry juice and a cake for dessert.  On leaving I put my head inside the main building and noticed that the men were on one side of the curtain and the women on the other.  Children ran in and out taking their shoes off at the door and I believe that one six year old had got new shoes and enjoyed putting them on and off.

Home for about one, did a couple of loads of washing and then got my head down.  It's been threatening thunder today but nothing came of it.  Playing on the pc this evening when another of may neighbours asked me if I would take their grand-daughter into what I believed to be Djebel.  Unfortunately she was a young girl and no one had mentioned to me that I had to pick up her boyfriend from Djebel and then head out into the hills for about eight kilometers up a dreadful road.  It was eventually sorted and I said that I would go back for them at nine but they said that they would come down in another car and I arranged to meet them at the Djebel hotel and I would stop and eat at my favourite restaurant.  Cheesy chips and tomato salad washed down with a fruit juice and a bottle of water.  I sat it out until the local football team arrived in a state of undress and then decided it was time to take up station to look for my passengers.  It was agreed that they would be there at nine thirty.  So I waited and waited and at nine fifty decided to take off home and I got here for just after ten.  I don't know whether it was lost in translation or not....we'll see tomorrow morning but if there is another car....I hope they got it.....my car is never to be painted yellow with a flashing sign over it.

It's been a frustrating evening....tomorrow I'm off to settle my house tax and to sort out the car tax for Beauty before I get the MOT's done on both vehicles next month.  There's a rather loud party going in the next village and a few fireworks have been let off...somebody celebrating something.  LN...I'm now going to celebrate getting home with the first beer of the day....LN....approximately forty kilometers round trip...LN

Friday 28th June

Well the party didn't stop me from sleeping last night.  I think I was out as soon as my head touched the pillow but five thirty when I made the first cuppa and watched the sunrise.  Beautiful time of day...a little cloudy but calm and peaceful.  Gouljan phoned at eight and I arranged to pick her up at nine fifteen at the bus stop to take her into work.  On my way down I saw the grandmother of last night's fiasco so I asked Gouljan to make sure that she got home safely and to let her know that I'd waited and no one had turned up.  I asked Gouljan to tell her that I was worried about her and so was her grandmother but apparently she came back in a taxi at twelve so that accounts for the white mice and pumpkins scattered in the road.....it wasn't Cinderella after all.  Just don't ask me again until I paint the car yellow and get the flashing sign.

Paid my house tax for last year and this....thirty eight leva for both years....the car I couldn't sort...I have to have the previous, previous owner with me but since she has died and the car was used by the son...bit of a dodgy one to sort out.  All I have to do I'm told is to get a solicitor to say that I have full permission to drive the vehicle and that's the end of it.  All my speeding fines go back to him....nice one.

Did Madame Tussauds text with my student today.  He went to Turkey with the school yesterday so feasted me with Turkish Delight and iced tea that he had brought back.  Such a good lad.  Into Kardjali with his mother and father while he manned or boyed the shop and managed to pick up a shower curtain rail instead of having to go into Haskovo for it.  We now have a shop that stocks everything after a revamp and I think I might go in tomorrow and have a real look round.  Back home for four thirty after a little shopping getting in essentials like beer and spicey sausage.  Cooked a late lunch/early supper and I've finished for today.  Watered the garden and planted out a few pinks that I'd still got in pots.  The tomatoes are coming along just fine and picked another couple of huge cucumbers and they smelled delightful.  I only wish that I liked them but my guest arrives tomorrow night so they'll come in handy.  Eight of the clock my time....housework tomorrow to tidy up before my guest and then I have my Sunday student tomorrow afternoon so that I have Sunday free.  It's a beautiful calm night so I might just go outside and get stuck into my book.  Gabaldon's fourth but at fifty six percent I'm still not sure and flicking over a few pages.  The book is just so long and it's not a riveting yarn like the others.

Glass empty so I'm going down the wooden hills and putting my pc to bed.   You can spend too long on these things.  I'll say LN and see what the weather is like tomorrow before I make a decision as to what I'm doing.  Have a good evening everyone...LN

Hi Elsa good to know your well   can you book a few weeks  respite time for me in the little house looks fantastic   a very grateful friend    
Jackie x

Saturday 29th June

Quoted from createdbyme4you

Hi Elsa good to know your well   can you book a few weeks  respite time for me in the little house looks fantastic   a very grateful friend    
Jackie x

I think you'll be better in the big house Jackie....not much plumbing and electricity in the other yet since my workers are busy with growing tobacco and sorting out their sheep until September or October and they consider it too hot to work.  It's better when it's cooler...I get two days work out of them for every day worked.  And yes....the rest home is open for bookings.. ;) ;)

Late start this morning and to date I'm not even dressed.  The plan was to get the house sorted but in truth there's not much to do...it's normally reasonably tidy.  Sunny start with just a few clouds...it's supposed to rain today but since they have been wrong with the forecasts just lately.....I watered the garden just in case.  Not so funny one yesterday...I must have put the empty fly spray can in the burning rubbish instead of the container rubbish and my goodness did it go off with a bang last night.  Fortunately I was standing about twenty yards away from it when it exploded but it certainly set the dogs off...sounded like a gunshot.  Note to self....firstly don't do it and secondly make sure to stand well back once the fire is going...

Now to work....I've done the Daily Mail sudoku for yesterday and this morning and I've lazed about enough....let's see how the rest of the day pans out....

Saturday update

Cleaning...done...washing done....two loads of it on the line....over to my student for the lesson....thunder starts....rain pouring down...washing undone.

Home after being fed and arrived about nine so the washing is now going through the rinse and spin programme.  I would have left it out but the forecast for tomorrow is rain again so it's as well in and sorted.  All ready for my guest at probably midnight or one.....I'll just leave the lights on and take to my virtuous  couch if it's any later than that....LN.....busy day tomorrow....

Sunday 30th June

This is going to be short and sweet as I can make it tonight.  As you know I have a friend over at the moment and the challenge today was to set about cleaning up the school that he has invested in and by golly did we clean.  Typical of the old schools that were abandoned, there were lots of interesting things left lying around so for the first couple of hours this morning we tackled one of the rooms and put the pictures from the floor into a pile, the slides that were scattered into another box and other things of interest such as old press cuttings and photographs into another.  The we set about putting burnable rubbish into black plastic sacks and the fallen plaster from the ceiling and general dust was wheelbarrowed out and dumped in the garden.  Bonfire is scheduled for tomorrow and an architect is due on site to come up with workable plans.

We're both knacked.  We bought a couple of brooms from the local shop and there is a technique with it.  Not quite the Nimbus 2000 of Harry Potter fame and I tried with the spell to get it off the ground but it didn't work.  Well I can say that his brush is as good as new while mine isn't.  He didn't get the hang of using it while my comes from years of experience but I can safely say that he has been on the end of the newly purchased wheelbarrow while I managed to avoid it......

Stopped off and got a couple of bottles of beer on the way back and I was almost ashamed to show my face in the supermarket since my legs and shoes were covered in a thin layer of dust.  My money was as good as anyones though and no one seemed to take offence.  Supper cooked and over...spicy chili sausage, fresh home made potato salad, tomatoes and cucumber salad and hot crusty bread rolls.  There are sweet cake things for afters but I can't say I have much room for anything and just need to go to my bed.  Nicely tired after physical exercise is good.  

Tomorrow is much of the same but morning with the architect might delay the picking up of the tools.  Let's see how it goes.  Weather tonight ...the sky is covered with heavy grey clouds and it looks like we are in for a downpour.  Upside...I don't have to water the garden ...that would be a step too far tonight.  LN...back to my guest and my beer....LN