Saturday 8th February

Silly five o'clock start and no reason for it or so it seemed at the time.  Lay for a while trying to go off again but there was no joy so coffee and fire, continued with Codex 4 and up to the PC to do the necessaries and that's when I noticed the planet shining forth.  So on to 'thems that knows' and it's Venus that shows brightly before dawn so a lot of you won't have seen it.  Very clear, this morning, very bright and begging to be photographed.  So I tried it with the zoom on the Canon but the flash kept kicking in so out I went on to the balcony from my upstairs bedroom and wasn't it cold.  Out there for a few minutes and realised that there wasn't going to be anything like a decent shot so I was better off indoors.  As the light got better it was still visible so the Sony came into play but as the sun came up it was back to the Canon to catch the sun on the clouds before it actually hit surface.....delightful and eventually back to the Sony as the intensity faded but the shots became more normal.

Toasted ham sandwich for breakfast and that was about the height of my activity until the creative urge overtook me and I was designing the Baba Marta cards and bookmarks for the school so that they can make some money for books and things.  Some of you may have had a problem with this before...when printing double sided which way up and which way in does the paper go to print the second side....what a game but eventually got it right.

Logs in late and took to the activity centre this afternoon with a glass of wine and the Kindle and yes, the book went down and I woke up at five thirty and couldn't work out why it was so light at that time of the morning and why I was still dressed.  Eventually came to, threw another log on, back to my book and devoured another couple of chapters.  I think I'm getting a little obsessive about Jim Butcher.  Lovely starry night, wind has dropped and the temperature is more or less hovering around the two degree mark but without clouds it could drop rapidly tonight,  Student tomorrow and Gouldjan is coming round tomorrow afternoon to discuss the requirements for the school.  I've had rather a nice day with nothing much to think about...LN....I love it when I have creative days...LN

Stunning photos yet again Elsa!  

Wow beautiful photos!  I am afraid all we have is wind and rain, the same as when you was in the uk it still has not gone yet. Take care. Xxx

Sunday 9th February

Thank you , thank you kind ladies...all I do is snap away and post...nature does the rest.

Stupid o'clock start and I ended up reading my book at four thirty knowing that there wasn't an ounce of sleep left in me.  I got a coffee, finished book four but made no attempt to start book five...it would have been too invasive.  Shower, shampoo, hair dried, no fire this morning but emptied the ash can anyway, cleaned the toilets up and down so that the visitors don't think I'm too much of a slouch even though they were OK before I started.  A couple of slices of fruit loaf for breakfast, into the Beast and over to my student's house grabbing Pippi Longstockiing book as I left.  We might get round to having a lesson and it's good to be prepared.

Lunch was Banichka with grated carrots, oil and vinegar, with a home made meat loaf....delicious but I did draw the line at some sort of concoction that I was unsure about...it was local cheese with yogurt dressed with melted butter and oil but it just wouldn't go down...so I apologised and left it...just not for me.  Lovely day with the family and we were all talking a mixture of everything and number one daughter had a stiff neck and was suffering...get well soon.

Home for just before three and Gouldjan arrived at three thirty as arranged.  I'd lit the fire, I'd picked up some éclairs form the local supermarket so we sat down and had coffee and éclairs, discussed the things that I had proposed to make for the school and off and she came bearing gifts.  Fresh hot bread from her mother, some eggs from their own chickens and a small bottle of Domashne or home made Rakia from her father with the promise of a bigger bottle if I like it.  Gouldjan toddled off just before five and refused an offer of a lift home.  

Just watched a video and hence the delay in making the post....Relaxed, no need for supper after a good lunch and an éclair, fire going well, nothing much to do apart from maybe start the fifth book in the series.....I'll see how the evening pans out...LN...

Monday 10th February

Four thirty start but then managed to go off again and missed the sunrise eventually surfacing at seven thirty.  Lovely morning, no need to light the fire so cleared out the wood burner getting rid of the soot that had gathered under the plate at the top, and laid it ready for later.

The neighbours were out in force in their gardens and fields wheeling barrow loads of 'cow mulch' to their vegetable patches and cow fields and distributing it.  Instead of joining them in activity I sat out in the sun with a book and worked out that it was a better day for getting the first coatings of summer sun than working up a sweat on the end of a spade.  It appears that spring has returned for this week and next but then we're down to minus figures again with snow showers so I grab it when I can.  I took advantage of the weather though by stripping down my bed and washing everything in sight.  It was all pegged out and dry by just after one and bed made up again by two so fresh bed for this evening.

I lit the fire at about three thirty, cooked a chicken that I'd forgotten about for supper with roast potatoes, carrots and onion and as they say, a full tummy requires rest hence the late update.  I cleared the kitchen, lay on the sofa with my book and the next I know it's nine thirty my time and I'm thinking about getting undressed and off to the wooden hills.  LN...It's been a very peaceful, lazy day.

Tuesday 11th February

Six thirty start for me and six fifty for the sun or thereabouts...What a wonderful morning and each one is so different.  As for me...all I have to do is decide which camera and nature does the rest...it really is very stunning.

I played around on the PC for a while this morning and my phone rang and the arrangement for tomorrow was brought forward...the Librarian had got the wrong day so change of plan and I was in her village for twelve of the clock.  She has acquired five adorable puppies dropped in a barn and then thrown out by the barn owner and she has such a kind heart...she brought them to hers and is feeding them and the mother.  I was tempted for all of one minute and then sense and sensibility kicked in...I don't think I'm the dogternal type.  Off we set and went into her nearest town and had lunch in the square and did the market since it was the market day, off to the next nearest town to get a quote on the mattresses for my third bedroom and into the new Greek owned supermarket to check out the prices.  Now this is a first...the prices are in duel currency which is something not experienced before and it's something to watch out for,  There were so many Greek cars in the car-park since it's about twenty minutes from Komatini to Kirkovo and they are indeed busy.

Back to mine...we checked out the garden and the bulbs coming up...got some wood in, lit the fire and have just finished chicken with carrots, peas and onions in red wine with mashed potatoes.  This is now on the list of favourites and I'm sure my Librarian will be providing her troops with it when they come over.  Easy, quick and delicious.  We're both so stuffed that the pudding will have to wait.  

Tomorrow off to Haskovo and the DIT shop...I want to check out the price of the mattresses in the big city instead of the small towns.  Very pleasant relaxing day...we're both into our Kindles and set for the evening....we'll see what time we set sail tomorrow...LN...I've got a beer getting warm...LN

Wednesday 12th February

So there was a patter of tiny feet and I heard the Librarian off to the loo at about seven.  I'd already crept upstairs and grabbed my camera to catch the dawn but she said that I didn't disturb her.  Now at home the dogs sleep on her bed and she said it was so peaceful not to have to worry about sticking her feet out at any angle that she wished and not having the little one waking her up to shed the excess in it's bladder at around six thirty.  Joy oh joy...how does she make allowances for so many in her life...it's not for me...

Toast for breakfast with Vegemite and thank you Linda...it's still going strong.  Did the cards for March 1st so that the Librarian can send some cards with Martinizas winging to the UK and I shall make mine tomorrow and get them in the post.  Set sail for Djebel at just after nine thirty and noticed yesterday that the Beast needed a little attention...he was coughing up more black smoke that he should be so over to the garage to the car doctor.  I opened the bonnet and noticed that there was a smidgen of water surrounding the neck of the radiator so after inspection, a clear plastic solution was applied, more anti-freeze was put into the radiator and the oil checked and topped up.  Good as new and with a swift 'Put it on my bill' we set off for Haskovo.

Stopped off at a stationer's Aladdin's cave and bought lots of goodies that we can't seem to get in Kardjali.  Found the market garden that I'd found on the internet and was informed that the plants that I was wanting wouldn't be ready until March or April and then back to the shop that we'd originally come to visit.  Walked round and checked out the prices of mattresses and decided that my man in Kardjali was probably similarly priced and after all I knew him so let's bring trade home.  Bought a few seeds and seed trays and deposited the items in the car and went back to get lunch at what used to be a good restaurant and got stitched up and they lifted twenty leva for nothing worth writing home about.....and OK...once bitten.


Back to Kardjali...went into my stationers and ordered Parker ink of various hues and they should be delivered next week.  Into my second hand shop and found a pair of curtains....they are three meters wide and two and a half meters long or thereabouts in very unusual striped pattern and after weighting them it came to thirty two leva..and who could say 'no' to that.  Went to my mattress shop and had lifted on to the top of the Beast of Burden two mattresses but had to go back to the cash point before I could pay for them.  The shops 'Patrons' enjoyed securing them to the Beast and said that there should be, not would be no problem getting them home so slowly and sedately we made it back, removed the said items from the roof and it wasn't until I'd lifted them off that I realised I should have manoeuvred them on to the top balcony and they would have been already upstairs.....shame but too late and they are now sitting in the lounge.  What a day...I was going to stay at the Librarian's tonight but I decided that home was best.  I'm enthused for making beds tomorrow for the third bedroom, sorting out curtains for the lounge or starting off my flower seeds....so many possibilities and on that note....fire going...wine going into the glass, supper not necessary since that abortion of a meal is still sitting pretty proud in my abdominal cavity.  LN....I'm off for my book and having spent a lot and enjoyed it thoroughly...LN

Thursday 13th February

Happy birthday to number one son....where have the years gone?

What a day....I decided to get the card stuff done for the school and some other letters that I wanted to get done and dusted and they are all done and ready for posting tomorrow.  I was going to take them to the post office today but by the time that they were ready ...it would have meant that I would have had to go back after lunch to finish them...there's no such thing as buying a stamp and sticking it on yourself here.  The other drawback today was that I though I'd come up with a master stroke of being able to use the laminator as a single sided entity but instead of that it stuck to the internal roller and so I became a mechanic and now it's fixed.  I did have to bring a Stanley knife into play and a pair of tweezers but when desperation strikes, all hands to the pumps.

So what else did I do?  I watched several woodpeckers going hell for leather on a couple of my trees and I was intrigued as to how they were feeding.  They appeared to take out and drop bugs to the ground and then drop to the ground and clear them up.  One or two other birds had got the hang of this and stayed under the tree...must have seemed like fast food takeaway to them but they soon got bombed and then off to the tree again.  I took lots of pickies but unfortunately they were behind glass and if I'd have gone out, the birds would have flown.  So bear with me...I did my best.  I also had a green woodpecker in the tree half way down the garden and it stayed there for ages.

Lit the fire on one of my sojourns to the kitchen, went down five minutes later and realised that the downstairs bathroom was full of smoke again....tomorrow....I have a job to do and thank goodness it's not cold tonight otherwise I would be swearing like a trouper and that's so unlike me.  Another little funny today.  From our honeymoon I brought back some coasters and the label said...'Hand made by Niarchos Hellas as you will see from the pickie.  The base of said coasters was covered with a layer of foam but considering these were purchased over forty years ago , the said foam had disintegrated and on my last trip to the UK I brought them back with me and today thought that I would set about renewing the foam.  I put them into some hot water with some soapy stuff and as I cleaned them off, one of the labels started to peel off and underneath I found 'H&R Johnson Ltd...MADE IN ENGLAND'.  I thought they would feel more at home nearer the Greek border....wrong..they were more at home in the UK.

Early night in my onsie with my book tonight  I think now I can't have the fire going.  What a bummer...LN...I might have to have a drink to lessen the blow...LN

Friday 14th February

Well I’d like to report that the postman or in my case postmistress was snowed under with the weight of my Valentine cards but sadly ‘No’.  I did have an early birthday card and an electricity bill so the post is working.

What a night…as you know I had issues with the wood burner and so much so that I didn't even light it last night and took to my virginal couch early.  Unfortunately I also went to sleep early so at two thirty this morning I was full of beans and ready to remove those ruddy pipes to try to sort out the problem.  I came to my senses, and left it until six this morning before I dismantled everything, cleaned everything, checked out everything and phoned Bekir at eight this morning.  His response was that he would be there later.  I asked if I needed to fetch him but he said that he could get a lift.  

So this morning I posted my letters and the head post office guy staggered under the weight.  Off to the petrol station and stuck in another fifty levs worth just to keep me going and straight back just in case Bekir decided to be early.  He eventually arrived at just before three thirty, his friend that I didn't know had an exceedingly loud voice which was painful to the ears.  Bekir went up to the roof armed with my neighbour's brush on a pole and managed to get it from the roof down to the offending soot removing point,  Not a lot came down but at least we have a proper job done now and there is no more  smoke pouring out.  Off they went and Bekir left me an orange on the gate while I returned the chimney sweep pole and brush to its rightful owner, until the next time.

Supper was fried flattened chicken breast with mayo between two slices of bread.  I'm replete, ready for sleep but determined to stay awake until I should be going to bed…don’t want another two thirty start.  Thunder and lightening storm this afternoon and I think I've just heard a rumble in the jungle so the machine is going off.  Caught the rainbow just right as Bekir was turning up at the gate…is he my pot of gold?  LN and on that note, definitely…LN