Dem puppies sure are boofulls!...... Can you bring one over for me Mum....Pleeeeeeeaaaase!..... xxx

Friday 21st February

My Princess you can take one back with you but unfortunately even if they're chipped here it would cost loads of dosh to put them into quarantine....and there isn't one with a pink nose...just a white tip on the tail and on the end of her nose.  Good enough??

I managed to stay awake last night and went to bed at a sensible time and straight through until six.  Made coffee and came up to the computer and noticed a hint of pink and that about all there was until I went into the bedroom.  I've realised that the sun is moving round now and rising more to the east but having said that it didn't get violent this morning and then it disappeared behind the clouds and gave the impression that the mountains had slipped under the duvet for a little bit of a late start,

Fixed the garden/log carrier thing, shunted the cars round to make room in the drive to manoeuvre wheel barrows etc and decided to do some instant gardening.  I started to clear the garden at the base of the new wall and noticed that there was a Japonica Kerria that had sprung up from the parent so it was removed and it's now planted at the base of the wall.  I'd also put a honeysuckle by the old fence which now appeared to be sitting in limbo so that's been re-sited along with a lavender that the dogs seem intent on digging up and moved a clump of daffodils that again were on the perimeter.  Looking good but I still have to sort out levels around the well and between that and the wall....I might need to think about a couple of stepped areas along the length of the wall to add some definition.  Had a bonfire and got rid of the trimmings from the old shrubs, dug round a couple of flower beds now that I can see what's what and eventually came in at just after six.  It's not been a particularly good day weather-wise but it's been warm and I've got lots done.

Made a chicken soup this morning and I've just reheated it for tonight and the rest I'll freeze tomorrow.  It's got loads of vegetables in and would do well with a mashed potato topping at a later date.  Fire going but there's no real need tonight...it's something to look at...I opened the rest of the presents this morning from Princess.  Once I'd found the mini Kit-Kats it was down hill all the way this morning and last night the Ferrero Roche took a hammering.  As well as goodies there was a fridge magnet with a hug in it and a pair of slipper socks that I'm not sure if I'm to wear or hopefully kiss and see what happens,,,,LN...that might have to go to the vote...LN

Saturday 22nd February

Had a birthday phone call to make this morning and thank goodness that my DS reminded me.  I remembered last night and forgot this morning and now all is revealed...

Six am start but it was a cold dull morning and not even a hint of that beloved sun.  It was cold so lighting the fire required that I got more logs in so tested out my repaired log carrier and all was good. I tidied away from last night and thought I would go out and do something in the garden but five minutes out there made me more determined to light the fire instead.  I froze half of the soup and put the other in a dish ready for tonight, had beans on toast for breakfast and felt ready for the day, cleared the kitchen of the dross and decided that it was too cold outside so read my book until until lunchtime and that yellow object showed its little face and the mood struck.  

Out into the garden...I worked on the little frog garden and cleared the weeds and now you can actually see the daffodils that are raising their little heads.  The one snowdrop has departed but hopefully putting down bulbs.  I stayed out there for most of the afternoon, cleared the garden under the terrace and part of the vegetable patch, had a conversation with my sheep farmer who informed me that he had had sixty five twin births this year which was amazing and he has in total four hundred and thirty new lambs.  Fantastic and he was out there walking the hillside with them.  

Came in at just before six, put the soup in the bowl in the oven and two potatoes on to boil ready for mash.  Mashed them up with butter and put them back into the bowl over over the soup and waited patiently, read my book and sipped my drink.  Forty minutes later all was revealed and it was delicious but as with most things when you eat them piping hot...my mouth knows about it...I should have waited!!

So kitchen is ready for attention tomorrow...I would dearly love to be gardening tomorrow but I have my student so maybe tomorrow afternoon.  LN...I'm on my way downstairs and I've confirmation that the letters that I sent are arriving in the UK....roll on Baba Marta...LN

You are a wee gem.  Thank you so much.    You know what for!!!!    

Sunday 23th February

Danuta you are very welcome...enjoy the sentiment...

Fell asleep after that big meal last night and woke up at twelve in front of the fire and so to bed.  Not an ounce of sleep in me so read until one thirty, head down, brain going ten to the dozen realising that I hadn't drawn up the designs for my man for the furniture meeting this morning.  Back to my book, made a coffee and must have gone off at about three thirty.  Didn't feel that I'd slept well but it was just before eight when I came to so I must have slept at some point during the night.  So computer on, powerpoint drawings of the wardrobe unit done, photographs of the chest from the guest room put into the file and highlighted the types of joints and how I wanted th lid to be hinged and all this is because...the man doing the work is deaf and dumb.  Hence detail plans...

I'd arranged to meet the family this morning and we were going over as a job lot so decided to take the Beast.  They insisted that we had a coffee before we set off and we eventually got on the road by about ten.  Now the father is the postman at Mishevo which is up in the mountains above Djebel so we took the keys and he wanted to show me the post office, we moved on to the next village where the man works and we approached the house very cautiously.  We couldn't should to him since he lives alone and we were unsure if there was a dog or not but as it happened we found him in his workshop to the side of the property.  I was introduced, the plans were discussed, the price was agreed on and the time scales and then he insisted on giving us a tour of his property.  He must have about twenty decara of land which is you might say...very big and I was wishing that I had my camera but having said that ...it was raining and there was a lot of hill fog around.  He has a water reservoir so that he gets all his water for free, and this could almost be a swimming pool.  He took us into his leanto by the side of the house and he had an old gleaming motorbike in there beautifully maintained and when he took us to the garage, not only did he have another motorbike but two gleaming red sidecars.  The one was attached to the bike but the other was free standing but it looked like you could clip it on as required.  Gobsmacked and again...where's that camera when you want it.  Despite the fact that he couldn't put into words what he was trying to say...he spoke with his body and his eyes and he was a joy to meet.  So my work will be ready in four weeks and the second commission in the following two so next time I will ask if he will allow me to take photos.  

His house is up a single track road and he advised me to back up but I felt I could turn round further up the lane.....I managed it eventually since it was very wet and lots of stone underneath and he indicated that I handled the Beast like a man.  I shook his hand again and we gave each other huge smiles....and rumour has it that he isn't allowed to drive because of his disability but that he comes down to the outskirts of Djebel, leaves his bike hidden and walks into town.  You've just got to love the man.

Back to the family house and we had lunch prepared by the two daughters....Home by three after stopping off at the three cash points and none having money in them and spending thirty lev on fuel and the last six on a bottle of wine, a loaf of bread and an eclair.  I know how to live.  Fire going, damp and horrible outside and there was a man working on my neighbour's fence since she had Semile's cows trespassing yesterday which didn't go down well at all.  No supper for me tonight...I'm stuffed from lunch and I'm going to try hard to stay awake until a sensible time so that I can go to bed at an equally sensible time.  LN...I'm back to my fire...LN

Thursday 27th February

I'm back after what seems like a long absence but does that make the heart grow fonder????  Or is that absinthe....never sure.

Now the saga of how it came to pass.   I've been having issues with spammers that want to sign up to my website to sell things like Ugg boots and the likes.  As you know with the sign-up process and email was triggered and so my service provider quite rightly said that in my own way I was a spammer generating my own set of emails automatically through no fault of my own.  The compromise was that I would remove the sign up process and would be able to join if they contacted me any other way.  This was agreed on and so I contacted my super-hero in the States and the wheels were put in motion.  So the next thing I know is that my sites not working and I get an email from my service provider to say that they have taken steps themselves and moved me to another server that isn't able to generate the emails.  After numerous emails they decided that the problem lay with the diary software and that it was no further concern of theirs.  Last night my super-hero took a look and advised me that when the transfer took place it reset all of the permissions and basically screwed it up.  And this morning what do I get from my service provider, a satisfaction survey....this might take some answering.

Apart from that...with the website down I felt very low....when you are so dependent on others to do the job for you, you feel like your hands are tied but I did manage to get the bookmarks done for Gouldjan and I'm meeting her this morning at nine to take her into work and then on to Kardjali to my material shop to try and find the one that I want.  I've seen it at other places but unfortunately no one else seems to be stocking it so back to Aladdin's cave to see if she has it.  And now to get a move on...to be shampooed and showered before I hit the big city...have a good day...

Quoted from Elsa Peters

Thursday 27th February
so my service provider quite rightly said that in my own way I was a spammer generating my own set of emails automatically through no fault of my own.  

What a load of BS Elsa.

The majority of fora software does exactly the same, when people register it acknowledges the registration, just like yours did, how can that be spam. It is letting someone know that their request to register has been received.

And, to move your account to another server without telling you is also not good, especially after you had a conversation about this so called 'spam problem'.

Anyway, glad to see you back, I was getting withdrawal symptons.

I tend to agree with this as well, having experience of a few boards myself. But nice to see you back up Elsa!

Thursday 27th February

Thank you both of you for your support.  The satisfaction survey was fun to do and I even added another couple of emails to the person that had made the decision to move the site.  He said that the software was a threat to his system so he had to make the move but that he had checked out the forum software first.  If he had, he wouldn't have moved it.  I found the link saying that it was very possible that the permissions would be screwed and that you would have to go back to the drawing board.  I think I'm going to take it higher...for those that follow in my footsteps.

To picked up Gouldjan as arranged and had five minutes with her mother who's just come back from a month in Turkey visiting a new grandson.  Lovely picture of them both on FB so I left a comment in Turkish for them which was appreciated.  Went into the shop and repaid the fifty lev I'd borrowed from my student's mum when the three cash points were down on Monday and then off to Kardjali to try to get the material that I had set my heart on but to no avail.  Found another one and it will do the job superbly but I guess I'll find the original requirement now that I've found a replacement.  Went into my second hand new shop and bought two cardigans and a sweater and found a pair of suede trousers and the total at the checkout...two lev fify seven stotinki....and the carrier bag to put them in...fifty stotinki which was almost a fifth of the total cost.  I'll take my own bag next time.  Over to my stationery shop and two bottles of Parker ink in black and red and the green one is to follow...they hadn't got it in stock at the suppliers. Called in Lidl and again it was very empty now that Kaufland has arrived in town and back to Djebel and the car shop waiting for Gouldjan to finish work so that she could have a lift home instead of waiting for the bus.  Nice spend up today.

Two loads of washing done and dried including my new purchases, had a little head down this afternoon now the stress of the website is over for the time being, bonfire, wood in, fire going and supper was two fishcakes almost created as I was busy putting the washing away.  Might go to the school tomorrow since it is Baba Marta day but a day early because if falls on a Saturday this year.  It's such a nice atmosphere with the children and handing out the red and white bands.  Down to the fire, my book and I think there's a fiddler on my roof that needs exercising.  My Princess sent me a surprise gift when I said that I wanted to get the cd the last time I was in England.

Oh dear...a little niggle...it won't allow me to update with any pickies so you'll have to bear with me until Justin get's back from work...it's probably his lunchtime in America...LN

Friday 28th February

Well another month draws to a close and my birthday month is over for another year.  It's so busy for me in February.

Fell asleep last night in front of the fire and no change there then...staggered to bed at one thirty and read until three and then off until six thirty.  A huge sun crept over the mountain but it's moved from my desk now and all I get is it's reflection in the side windows.  Glad I saw it though...it deteriorated and now it's raining.  

Today's been a bitsa day.  I cleaned off the kitchen worktops thoroughly even taking the spice rack apart, cleaning the jars and putting them back.  I didn't stop there I reorganised the shelving unit on the landing, well partly, some of it's back and the rest is sitting on my desk and my workspace has now been invaded but it can wait for the morning.  I went off to see Gouldjan and delivered my martinitsa since there is no school tomorrow and I have another one to add to the stork and the octopus hanging on my stairs.  This one is a Baba Marta and so much work goes into them.

I didn't wait for Gouldjan to finish work...she had a late consultation and the bus was not long after.  I stopped off at the supermarket and got a chicken and a few other goodies and the chicken was in the oven as soon as I came home, lit the fire and I have enough wood in for today and tomorrow, peeled a couple of potatoes and chicken and chips has been served, eaten and all that remains is the washing up.  Six forty five my time....I'm saying swift goodnight tonight...I can't show you any photos but I'll save them for next month.  I don't suppose I shall see any naked shepherds rolling in the morning dew tomorrow but I can always keep my fingers crossed....LN.....I'll wish you what I have to wish you tomorrow..... LN