Sunday 1st September

White rabbits...new month...activities recommence with my student in two hours time....better get showered and breakfasted...

Watered the garden before I left realising that we were in for another hot one.  It was mainly the acacia that I put in and at last one or two of them seem to be perking up.  As for the rest of the flowers. my Avatar was worried about how much water she was using while I was in England but a few good saturations and we have flowers on those that were looking very dried out.  

The family were very pleased to see me but mother and father had gone to his family home in a village a few kilometers from Djebel in search of walnuts and came back with ...nothing...so I've offered them mine.  The did ask me if I needed them to make baklava and my response was a withering look....enough make it in my village so that I don't have to.  They should be down later in the week to collect them.

We didn't have a lesson as such...my student was explaining how she had just had a week's holiday after carrying the fort during the factory's two week annual shut-down.  Her role in the sales and purchasing department is to take some of the calls but without her boss she was having to take all of the calls and she was particularly unnerved by an Italian lady who thought she could speak English but I reckoned that she was putting an 'a' on the end of everything.  I did an impression of this for my student and she responded that that was just like the Italian.  In the end she asked her to put the question in an email to her and all was resolved.

Their house is full of 'guests'.  Her maternal grandfather was there and insisted on talking to anybody who would listen and even to those who didn't.  He lives in Turkey and has one more week before he returns.  Cousins were there too and uncles.  A very full house.  Lunch was a busy affair with home made banichka, fried peppers, tomatoes and grapes plucked from the vines.  It was surprising to find that the elder sister also peel grapes and spits out the pips...we were two of a kind much to the consternation of the rest of the family.  Black tea and then home stopping off for a loaf of bread since I didn't have any in.  

I have nothing on the back burner for tomorrow apart from cleaning the house through ready for my guest....I think I'll give my other student another week off...   LN.....I've got to find another book....I've finally finished the other one and she has left cliff hangers but I'm loathed to start the next...maybe I'll give that another week... LN

Monday 2nd September

Slept the sleep of the just last night.....and it was a seven o'clock start. The previous night I'd got chilled at about five in the morning so I took the precautions of adding another quilt as well as shutting the door.  Down for coffee and caught the reflection of the sun, well in fact two of them in the little house windows but by the time I had the camera out...the clouds had obliterated it.  

The house work is done...confirmed that the flight gets in tomorrow and that I shall be there to meet it and not too sure what Plovdiv airport is like never having been there but I'm anticipating 'small'.  Don't think there is much chance of missing her.  

Now don't know whether you remember or not but I was having issues with my service provider telling me that I could upgrade to a faster connection for the rest of the month for a small fee.  My contract was already out so a couple of months ago I asked what I could do to stop receiving these stupid emails and I was told to take out a new contract and it would all be at the new speed...so I took the man at his word.  Guess what...the stupid texts and emails have started again so I think a visit to the shop is on the cards or a word with customer service.  They do speak English fairly well so I'll give that a go first.

Supper is nothing tonight....I might be picking later but it's been too hot again to bother too much about food and preparing a meal.  Out to water the garden now but after my atrocious water bill....four leva and a few stotinki...about two pounds...I think I can manage to afford it and as for the beetroot...I have to get them up soon or it will be getting the family over as it might end up in a similar situation to the giant turnip....slight exaggeration maybe...but might need bigger jars that anticipated.  More like pensioner's beets than baby beets...

LN...garden then a little beer me thinks and probably toasted cheese sandwich...now there's a thought...LN

Tuesday 3rd September

Lovely long sleep again and woke up to technology.  I played on the DS until the red battery light came on and then onto my new challenge on the tablet...Angry Birds.  I like this game....bombing pigs into oblivion and having to use your imagination and cunning to angle the chickens or the big fat roosters to smash the surrounding brickwork and  wooden trellising into smithereens...Anyway...played that until the warning that I had only four percent of battery left so both charging...finished the housework and final tidying including a special fluff up of the cushions for Ms Kingdom...and that's a gentle hint that Kingdom should be getting some soon if she has her way.

Repotted a very sad geranium that had been overtaken by a dandelion so that should do better.  Watered the rest and at last I have new green shoots starting on those I thought were dead through lack of water.  Acacias are looking OK but not holding my breath... honeysuckle are showing signs of rapid growth and the maple looks to be forming a new bud at the top ready for a growing surge.  Keep looking at the cactus and know it needs repotting...and I dread doing it since there isn't a lot of root to hold it in place in the new sandy soil....I'll have to google it to see if there is anything else I can do to improve its chances.  It was only an inch when it came...and look at it now....and again that's specially for Kingdom...he gave it me to look after.

Dug a little in the tundra and the head of the fork separated from the handle...the soil is so dry and hard.  The beets still remain.  It is for a day when there's nothing else to do and with a guest...they're probably better where they are....

So shower, hair wash, check the car over for water and oil and off to Plovdiv airport.  I was expecting the Librarian but maybe she has other fish to fry now that her son is here....she's not exactly written out a list...but close.  Might catch you later and wish me luck...this could take some time Oates...

Tuesday continued

Now I had a mare of a time posting the pictures and you're lucky to get one with the message.  Now this is all down to the speed of my connection and a quick update...I phoned the supplier this morning and was told that there was nothing they could do about it...it apparently it's in my contract but that's in Bulgarian so I'm not going to read the small print even with my new +2.5's..

And there are no more pictures for today....goodness knows what is happening to the connection but it might be worth five leva to keep it at the top speed after all...aaarrrhhh... >

Wednesday 4th September

All go today.  Another hot one and only a few clouds in the sky that are doing nothing to drop the temperature but the wind today keeps everything moving and bearable.  Toast for breakfast...my Ms Kingdom was not up for much after we stopped off on the way back from the airport and landed up at a fish restaurant.  

I found the airport alright...only one mistake and that's where the sign said three kilometers to the airport but I missed the arrow and thought it said straight on and so I did.  Instead it was a directional arrow for a right turn.  So much for keeping you guessing....so carried on, did a quick turn off the road at a very difficult junction, your life in their hands and went for it and fortunately there was a lull in the traffic and I headed back from whence I came.  

Now this road is a bit like wacky racers in that it's a three lane highway and the middle one is a free for all so with about two hundred meters to go to the junction I put my indicator on and was ready for the left turn.  Sodded a few up behind but I'm in front remember.  Lovely airport...small very friendly and the plane was thirty minutes early since most of the passengers were travelling with hand luggage.  Not my guest...she came through with a big bag on her back and her rucksack on her front and once I'd removed the front one to give her a hand there appeared to be a danger of her ending up on her back like a grounded turtle but we negotiated the exit quite well...went to the car and on our way to Asenovgrad in quicksticks.  Missed the turning for Kardjali but off roaded for a little while in Beauty and there it was...Kardjali turning....and it was non stop until the restaurant.  Sharan, cheesy chips and salad, orange juice for me and a beer for Ms K and then back home stopping off for eggs and a loaf of bread in the supermarket in Djebel.  Sat up with a beer until we were both ready to hit the sack and both to our individual virginal couches.

Into the car this morning with a mission.  Over to their house...check on the new roof, measure up the rooms, pay builders and suppliers and added to the list was a call on the Librarian for a trip to the loo and coffee.  All tasks completed and home for just before five.  I've powerpointed the plans, she's reading her book...chicken wings and salad for supper and the chicken is going in and the beer is coming out.  It's going to be a chilled evening...LN...

You had Sharon for lunch?  

Thursday 5th September

Thanks Mikey B...no...we had sharon (fish) for supper, not lunch...and so delicious but I left the head....the eyes put me off.

Lazy day....have done very little apart from basics and spend the afternoon checking out the bus departures from Kardjali bus station so the Ms K is in Sofia in time for her flight to Cyprus.  Nice afternoon flight but come the border opening...it could be a flight from Alexandroupolis or Thessaloniki instead....makes more sense than traipsing all the way to Sofia...four hours on a bus.

Breakfast was bacon and eggs and we didn't have much after that until it was spicy sausage (specially for Princess) with potatoes, onion and served with pasta...and we were doing OK until the wine got opened since we were out of beer.  Only just after eight and we have more or less finished drinking for tonight.  It's not that we don't have it but I'm driving and seven thirty tomorrow and she flying so no bad heads for either of us for tomorrow.  May be were showing a little responsibility in our old age and tomorrow hopefully we'll be back to normal but she'll to in Cyprus and I'll be changing beds ready for the next.

Email today from my Princess who is still getting excellent marks for her essays that she's putting in as part of an History 'A' level that she has decided to take.  I did ask how she was bribing the tutor but to date, not necessary at all...she's just a bright kid and must take after her father.  She's back at school organising the naughty ones...but she loves it really...ABC is what it's all about.

So now to attack the Angry Birds with a vengeance.  I've knocked off a few more levels but stuck on one at the moment.  This could take some working out but I have time and patience....and determination.  Downloaded several new books on to my Kindle by recommendation so a few to keep me going.  It's always good to hear of other authors that you might have missed and if you don't enjoy it...you can always say that what they suggested was sh*te.  Really good for maintaining friendships.  So it's LN from me.  We might finish the bottle but we have lights out at nine and have to be in the car for seven thirty, all bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow...LN time for a refill....

Friday 6th September

Up nice and early, in the car for seven thirty, Kardjali by eight ten and bus ticket purchased by eight fifteen.  She was on her way by eight thirty.  I left the bus station and bought breakfast, sat in the car and finished it and was ready to shop 'til I dropped or the money ran out.

Local hardware shop first and got some woven baskets for the bathroom, heat protectors for the dining table, found another swinging garden chair for the cherry tree but this time with arms and found that they stocked loft ladders so I won't have to journey to Plovdiv  to get one.  Not sure it if will fit though Cinderella...I might need my very own Buttons to make fine adjustments to it so that it goes between the beams in the final bedroom to be finished.    On to Billa for a few food items and finally Lidl to find that they no longer stock the fish portions and it seemed to be a 'one off' for them...what a shame.  Back to Djebel for bread and then into the car shop to chat to my student's mum to catch up with the gossip.  I'd met her mother in Lidl earlier and heard that they were off to Greece for a week so I was able to tell her what she was doing before she could tell me.   Stayed for about two hours, home for about three thirty so a late lunch and by four my eyes were closing so onto the sofa in the lounge.

Seven thirty. a knock on my door and Avatar was there with Emaula and they had a message from the dentist.  Apparently he is off to the sea for the weekend and has moved my appointment from Monday to Tuesday morning.  They were both surprised that I was asleep saying that it was early...what they didn't realise was that it was an extended afternoon nap...not an 'in for the night' early night but it won't be long before I move upstairs and head down again.  Have the feeling thought that I might live to regret it...tomorrow morning could be an early start.  

LN....I'll risk it...and thank you Ms K for the donation to my newly started Cyprus holiday fund but it wasn't under the eggs where I expected to find it...   Hope you've arrived safe and sound, let the planning commence and the cushion fluffing start...LN

Saturday 7th September

Not too bad...slept until six and there was a lovely red and blue glow over the mountains before sunrise.  The hojja sang in the morning with the dogs howling it in and then all peace was restored.  Got myself a cup of coffee and watched the sun come up.  The air was cool but I've watered the garden as it's been forecasted for upper twenties again and some of the plants still need it especially the acacias which seem to be thriving.

So what does today hold?  Not anything on the agenda but I might go and sort out the little house back terrace.  I've got several plants that would do better getting their feet in the soil before winter and it's a relatively sheltered spot.  My old tree chair needs restoring...two winters out there and three summers have taken its toll and next year I shall have the two of them swinging from the cherry....a list of takers is being assembled...all enquiries on a postcard please!!

Breakfast and to horse....

Hi Elsa Good to read up on all your adventurers  and your keeping well    postcard from me     name to go on the list please

Jackie