Saturday 21st September

This morning was a little bit cloudy.  Sorted out the blown down trees and then off to visit a friend in an area that I haven't been to before.  Arrived around three this afternoon and sat at the Vulture Sanctuary until he arrived and then we started to explore the area.  On the way though I did stop at the Studena Voda lake to take some photos only to be approached by one of the heavies who told me that I was in the border area and I had no right to take any photos for security reasons so everything that I took can't be published.  I also realised that Kardjali was at the other end of this lake or reservoir and it had taken me two hours to drive there.

At the vulture sanctuary I found out that they are Egyptian vultures, about twenty nesting pairs that come back year after year and I really should investigate it further.  Went to see his grandparents house and found out something about the area.  Apparently his grandparents were Greek and the previous border made this Greece....not Bulgaria at all.  He also mentioned that there is a bridge in the town where there was a great loss of life and they are celebrating one hundred years of history.  Again his English is OK so I understood that it's to do with the First World War but I don't know enough to quote him so again, I have to look it up.  

Journey time taking the southern route was just over two hours but I came back via the back lanes into Kardjali and it took about one and a half hours.  Much quicker and not such a hazardous route.   The southern route was full of hairpins and twisty turny roads.

So back home.  Stopped off at Djebel to get some chicken wings and supper was those with Piri Piri sauce, potato salad and coleslaw.  I'm stuffed but sticking to the beer tonight.  Having guests here has raised the quantity of red wine that has been consumed and it was time to put a stop to it.  Enough for tonight....I'm to my virtuous pit...LN...tomorrow is a day of resting before the men start again...LN  

Sunday 22nd September

Brilliant moon last night again but the bloody dogs from  the neighbourhood were all barking and baying at it.  So much so that I took to Angry Birds until the battery ran out and the DS was already out of juice so I went back to reading until I felt that my eyes were sufficiently heavy to get me a few more zzz's in.  Lovely sitting out in the sun this morning with a cup of the black stuff on MikeyB's bench until the need to become active set in and I started a bonfire but realised that it was quite the wrong thing to do.  The breeze had got up and it wasn't safe ...I had no intention of setting fire to the hillside.

So cooking supper last night and the gas bottler eventually gave up the ghost but considering that I haven't filled it since last September it has done a year at a cost of about thirty leva.  A whole year for about fourteen pounds so that can't be bad.  Tried to get the connector off this morning but I need a Bekir to do it.  You sort have have to pull, push and twist all at the same time so I'll wait until a man with the knack, and I know he could probably do it with one hand tied behind his back though I won't do that to him since it's not challenges you want out here.  I give them enough by asking if the wall could be about twenty centimeters higher.  And their response is...it's what you want...not what we want to give you.

Right out with my trusty hedge trimmers....I'm going to remove the old grapes and toss them over the fence for the sheep....to horse

Sunday continued

Well the grapes are still hanging and the hungry sheep have now gone over the knoll but they didn't know my intentions so I have nothing to feel guilty about.  I always get this way when people leave...a very slow day for me.  I've played on the computer, answered emails that I should have responded to a few days ago but tonight I have got in some wood and lit the fire.  It's chill but not cold but it gives a different ambiance to the house...

I had a visit from Remsie today with her two grandchildren and since there is no photographer in Djebel they sought me out to take pictures of the children for their school documents.  They wanted passport size which I did and then she asked if I could take one of the two of them together for herself...now how could I refuse.  She came up with twenty leva which for them is a great deal...she went back with twenty leva and five photos for school and one for herself of the grandchildren,  The parents are working in ...somewhere in Europe and she looks after the day to day requirements.

Radiators are ticking over beautifully.  I've just turned the immersion off reckoning that the fire will do its stuff and produce enough for me to have a thoroughly good shower and then curl up with either Angry Birds which is mind numbing but pleasant or the DS now that it's charged which is mind numbing but competitive...what a choice.

Chilled but cool with Chicago playing tonight to be closely followed by Sting...it's all planned...LN...No food tonight...tuna mayo with toast at four and that's going to see me through until tomorrow....LN

Sunday continued

My sunset...

Monday 23rd September

So morning this morning was fierce and blasting out but instead I opened the doors and windows to let some air into the place..Having lit the fire last night, I shut up shop but had to open it up this morning....fresh, clean air...

Picked up the men, played around in the garden but this morning have not much energy for anything.  Went into Djebel after lunch to replenish the gas bottle and I am told that there won't be any until half past three so went into sit with my student's mum until the bewitching hour.  We talked Yusti's new school and the final bill for England...I really must sit down and work it all out.

Clouded over this afternoon...but was till OK.  The men have worked on the wall and we are onto the next phase...like towers....and they are making everything as if the next earthquake is imminent...and who knows...it could be.

So supper tonight was chicken wings with potato fritters with mayo...you can't have a meal like that without it.  Absolutely delicious....and now ready for tomorrow and Tommy will have another delight,  LN...I have other things to do....sleep tight everyone...

Tuesday 24th September

Woke up at three this morning with the light still on and a tablet under my left shoulder.  This was one more angry bird so straightened up the quilt, switched off the light and went back off having a dream about mice of all things.  Fully awake by five, on to the computer until six, realised that there was at least another hours sleep in me and was still thinking about 'five more minutes'and another five minutes until the urge to make the drive to pick up the men kicked in and 'she was off'.  Over to the materials yard to order the metal for my wall panels that the men are going to make and yet more bags of cement.  I am now considered to be OK to withstand earthquakes up to a certain magnitude...I'll have to find out which.  Quite funny today...Bekir was telling me the benefits of compressed steel to make the railings as opposed to boxed and he was quoting how long each would last.  I think he actually gave me a guarantee of twenty five years with the flat metal.  I'll stay around to prove him wrong hopefully.

So dug around in the garden and lifted the beetroot that must be done tomorrow.  I also lifted the carrots and I really have some peculiar shapes and sizes and unfortunately one meal and they'll be gone.  Lopped the grapes down and they have gone over the fence for the sheep and cows and that all started because Sally kept knocking them out of the way as he got his stuff together for another load of the white hard stuff.  The boys worked hard today...they didn't leave until seven thirty and I was almost tempted to put the outside lights on.  Tomorrow's work is to put up the four columns to support the metal work and then...I have a wall and only two to go plus one that goes round the whole property and the little house terrace.  That should keep them busy and also keep the local materials yard in business.

Back home by eight fifteen and I'm knacked tonight...little supper, little drink and then to bed.  I'm getting too old for this lark...LN

Wednesday 25th September

Good night's sleep but the tablet was still in the bed with me and I'm supposing that I was just too lazy to put it on the side table since I was playing with the light off.  There are worse things to wake up with I suppose.  Dogs and the hojja at the mosque sang in the sunrise...one morning I must record it.

Off promptly for the men this morning and they set straight to it and are now making the columns for the wall.  By the end of the night I shall have it done and the machine gun posts go in later this week...A little bit of local news...my first Gouljan's sister has given birth to a baby boy....my well wishes to the family.

So what did I get up to?  Stripped the beds and had two loads of washing out by nine thirty....the beetroot is sitting pickled in three large jars and it looked like there had been a major accident in the kitchen.  It's one of the messiest veg that I know but at least it's done.  I phoned the Librarian this afternoon and asked if she had a vacancy and arranged to stay tonight so that I have less of a trek tomorrow to pick up the men.  The cost...a bottle of beer and a bowl of potato salad...I love this bartering.  

And talking of bartering, I am now the proud owner of six bags of sheep shite ready for my garden for the winter.  It is such poor soil that I need to take drastic measures and it was deliver for the price of one two litre bottle of beer...that's neighbours for you but no potato salad this time.  I can't let it be known in the neighbourhood how good my potato salad is...they'll all want it.  

Early posting as I said...I'm out tonight and can't be bothered taking my laptop.  I'll settle for Angry Birds when we've had supper.  Back to the garden...I have some shite to shift before I go...a little of the black stuff to spread and washing to sort to leave the house straight just in case I have burglars...I can't have them thinking it's already been done...LN in advance...

Thursday 26th September

Supper with the Librarian last night and eventually got to bed at about eleven and slept the sleep of the just.  One visit to the toilet overnight but after that I didn't want to wake up and did a quick one two to get the men.  So today's challenge should we choose to accept it was to get the documentation in place to get electricity and water to my friend's place in Momchilgrad.  Now I haven't told him this since he hasn't responded on FB but what a day.  Picked the men up and headed for Momchilgrad.  It was decided that Sally would be better off working, be it solo at my house since the negotiations would be boring to him.

Over to the waterboard who wanted to see the official documentation for the purchase of the said property and that was at the electricity board office.  Now the lady that we had communicated with earlier was not in so it got rather complicated and we had to go back later.  So over to my men to order my windows which was a five minute job and then on to the electricity board so that we could get connection to the property.  They said that without a new planning document they couldn't do anything so complete with post-it note, we went to the municipality to get the work underway.  Now when we got there we were told that it wasn't possible to go for a change of use and that all schools should remain schools.  My comment was 'Why did you sell it then if there cannot be a change of use?'.  So off to the waterboard to see the original lady and it has been decided that Bekir is a water 'maestro' he can do the work but we have to keep quiet about it so we went to the property to measure and calculate what we needed to complete the water connection.  As it turned out we are able to connect unofficially to a water supply that we don't pay for and to the official one that we must make the connection to that will get signed off.

So back to the electricity supply.  We went for lunch and received a telephone call to say that we could not have a temporary one on the old connection since that would not be allowed.  So we went back to the electricity company...who gave us another post-it note to take with us and when we are there I threw a very gentle wobbly which instigated the inclusion of the mayor of Momchilgrad.  After several telephone conversations he has assured me that we shall have an electricity connection even if it has to be via the local mayor's office....

So home...the men were on their bikes around five thirty...I had had enough and so had they...a little red wine tonight and I feel positively chilled and it was a beautiful sunset.  So frustrating but successful day....tomorrow we are back to normal...LN

Friday 27th September

Lazy morning and well in time to pick up the men.  Went down to the materials yard to pay my debts for yesterday's metal delivery and then back to design, yes that ciggie packet came out again, the way that I wanted the metal to look for the front wall.  I'm not ostentatious as those that know me don't need reminding....the fence is plain, painted brown (well will be) and normal and it looks divine.

So I mentioned to Bekir that I could probably play at moving stone today from the dump to the work in progress but he suggested that I moved the sheep shite from out of the bags since it doesn't keep well in there so today I have move and scattered six bags of the stuff, cleared out the weeds and the finished growing stuff, like tomatoes and cucumbers, and spread the black gold.  Not sure I like the smell of it around the place but it has been worse today because it...and wait for it....it rained.  It was such a joy to be out there...it wasn't heavy but the thunder was rumbling in the background but tonight it has really set in.

Bekir knackered his metal cutter today so we have on loan one from Semile my sheep farmer who also insisted that Bekir wear his soldering headgear even though I had offered to buy them one today which they refused.  So the upshot is...I have four panels completed and the undersides painted, the columns don't have their 'hats' on yet but that can come later but it looks really good.  I think Bekir's soldering set came out of the ark and I really should have posted a picture but I didn't want to offend him.  It did the job but tomorrow is another day and it's sitting in my workshop...oh dear.

So boys home.  They are not with me next week working on my friends place so we've got the tools out ready for a Monday start.  The following week it is a holiday for them so it is going to be three weeks before they are back with me....boo hoo.  Tomorrow morning cleaning and tidying and maybe a lesson with my student since she or I can't do Sunday.  Supper tonight was a spicy sausage, onion and potato omelette....I might not move for the next few hours and I'm still finishing off a wine box from my last guests....slow aren't I....LN...washing up then hitting the sack...it's been a good day and a lot has been achieved by all of us...LN

Saturday 28th September

Seven start and straight through last night and so a few Angry Birds to welcome me to the day.  Down for a coffee and then to the garden and picked up where I'd left off yesterday.  The fire was rip roaring and my Avatar appeared on the terrace just because she saw lots of smoke and wanted to make sure that it was a controlled burn up and yes it was.  We walked out to the gate...I told her where the rest of the wall was to be constructed and by the time I'd got back to the fire...it was in the doldrums.  I put more combustible material on but it got to the stage of smoking.  Now you know what it's like...you expect it to burst into flames because no smoke without fire but the little beauty defies all the laws of nature.  So I took it apart again, played around and it was having none of it so in to the men's workshop and came out with all of the stuff that they should have set fire to before they left and off we went again.  Result....all of the small branches from the tree that came down have gone, the vine from the little house and the mildewed grapes have gone, toilet waste has gone along with the empty crisp packets that have appeared in the upstairs waste bit...I must have lodgers that I don't know about .

Swept through to clean out the debris to welcome my guest and had a time in the back of my mind and was working to it.  Unfortunately he was pre-my clock and I don't think I had had a wash but the time he put in his appearance.  So off he went for an hours sleep having partied yesterday and early morning planed while I showered and washed my hair to face my audience in Djebel.  

He was up within an hour and off we set working from a list of things that he wants and things that he needs and over to the supermarket and it was chicken and chips tonight.  Supper over, lashings of mayo so my night might not be as peaceful as it should but it's my own fault.  So now he's champing at the bit to update his own blog so it's goodnight from me and hello from him....LN....I'm back to my gin and tonic tonight...LN