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Elsa Peters living a new life in Bulgaria    General Boards    My Diary by Elsa Peters  ›  MARCH 2014
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MARCH 2014  This thread currently has 9,622 views. Print
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Elsa Peters
March 17, 2014, 6:45pm Report to Moderator

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Monday 17th March

Half way through this month already...where do the days go?  As it happened the mood took me to do the washing up last night so that I had a clean kitchen to start the day with knowing that the only washing up fairy is in a green bottle my the side of the washing up bowl.

Out to pick up the men and just after seven thirty, back to the ranch and they started straight away telling me that they needed a few bolts but that they could wait until later knowing that I was destined for Kardjali today and could I please bring back some waste water pipe...tow meters of the stuff and all tasks successfully completed but not in record time.

Over to the old school and off we set after a cup of coffee to make the required purchases of white goods so that housework, all be it mechanical, could commence as soon as one plug was placed in one socket.  There is the river at the bottom of the hill where one could 'dobbie' if the mood took but not much danger of that.  Over to the chicken restaurant taken with the statutory half a loaf, on to the leva shop for all those bits that you really need and I've yet to see anything in there for one lev.  Back to the starting point and I stopped for yet another cuppa, drove to the garage and have booked it in for tomorrow morning giving me a couple of hours in Djebel to find the shop and get a new internet provider...I'm tired of this one that forces me to purchase extra band width to maintain the speed that I get for the first two weeks of the billing period.  Nobody mentioned that when I took out the contract.

Men home...no need for supper after such a big lunch but a little beer might just settle me down for the night.  Heck of a lot of smoke when I lit the fire this evening and I thought we were back to where we were about six weeks ago but it was all down to an westerly gusting wind and as soon as there was heat in the chimney it all settled down.  Lovely moon tonight....it's just so huge....I think I'm going out to bay at it...LN



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DannyC
March 18, 2014, 11:11am Report to Moderator
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Hi Elsa - what a coincidence: I too am reading Sarum. On p 577 so probably another week's worth of reading in it. Then I move onto his book London.
What a busy life you lead! x x
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Elsa Peters
March 18, 2014, 2:13pm Report to Moderator

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Tuesday 18th March

What a busy life you lead Danny....already thinking about the next book.  Not a clue what page I'm on since it's on the Kindle. I'm on 95% and the hero gets killed in the end...   

What a morning.  Over to pick up the men...they're working happily on the bathroom and into Djebel to get the 'tampons' done and the cost of stripping it down and fitting one new one was nine leva.  I gave him ten and he gave me back five eggs....how's that for a transaction.  My new neighbour brought his car over for the 'clunk' to be investigated and investigated it was and he can pick it up tomorrow.  Most of the parts were in stock but two bits have to come down from Plovdiv and there was a mystery about five apples that I bought....we had them before we hit the garage but didn't have them in the Beauty when we got back to his.  Went over to the new Internet provider and they are over at his as we speak and are coming to mine later this afternoon.  It means putting up a dish but not too sure where it would be best sited...I don't really want to see it.  We'll take advice when they arrive.  The mystery of the apples was solved however when I went to the garage to pick up two loads of washing from the weary travellers since they were running out of clothes and Widow Twanky will be delivering tomorrow.  The apples had been put in the Jeep but since it was too ill to travel they had been removed to the car shop.  One load of washing complete, the second load is rumbling away and first is out drying already.

Bekir is building and applying silicon and I really hate the smell of it and Sally is busy grouting...coffee has just been served and after this little update I'm going to sit in the sun with the Kindle to knock off the other five percent and then I too might start on London by My Rutherfurd.....I've already finished New York (Danny)....

Second load finished....out to hang it out...catch you later I'm sure but with some pickies this time....I've been a little mean with them for the last few posts....
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Elsa Peters
March 18, 2014, 5:17pm Report to Moderator

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Tuesday quick update

Men arrived for the internet installation, looked over it and decided that they will come back tomorrow at ten roughly.  Suits me fine so I've asked for the washing to be collected tonight....tomorrow Widow Twanky turns into the decorating queen and the kitchen is on the priority list.  Having said that I might be so pleased with my internet and wifi stuff that I shall be on You Tube all day or downloading everything in sight....or on site.

There were no new photos...the sun was down by the time I got back from dropping off the men...LN...I'm just about to get me a beer so I'll raise a glass to those that will appreciate it...LN
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Elsa Peters
March 19, 2014, 7:04pm Report to Moderator

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Wednesday 19th March

What a mix up of a day....men over this morning and Internet men over by 10.45 but Bekir was orchestrating the installation.  He knows that I don't like cables stretched forever over the inside or outside of the building so he takes my feelings into account.  The lads put up the antenna which is perfect and not at all obtrusive which I was thinking that it would be.  Strategy came into play and part of my lovely wild plum tree had to be removed to get a clear sight of the mast so Bekir was up there and was down before the camera managed to get focused.  He was balanced like a money between the branches and only the top came off but I think we've got to have it neatened to strike the balance.  So men twisted and turned the antenna and now I have a perfect signal and it also means that I have wifi in the house which is the main reason for changing.  

Pianna mush one of my neighbours was directing operations today until I reminded him that it was my house not his and that he should talk quietly....I think the volume is controlled by the amount of rakia consumed and I couldn't find the volume knob so he had to go.

Going back to this morning...I was stripping out the kitchen and about to start on the whitewashing and Bekir decided that there would be more on me than the walls if he allowed me to go ahead....Sally was nominated from a short list of one and it looks superb.  Two coats of the white stuff and then we moved on to my downstairs bedroom where the old plaster was looking not too good and that's now replaced.  Sally, Sally, Sally....   The kitchen is now put back together and it looks really good.

Guests this afternoon so out with the tea bags and tomorrow I'm scheduled to pick up Gouldjan in the morning at nine for school, Andrew down at the garage for nine fifteen or thereabouts...over to pay for my new internet connection, back to the garage and eventually to the school and on to Kardjali.  My life seems to have a life of its own at the moment....back home for the men, just cooked chippies with eggs done in the chippie pan for supper tonight and there is some German beer on the go.

Fire going well despite the fact that it was not lit until I got home from taking the men....quick update...and now I'm looking to put new books on my Kindle since the last 5% of Sarum is complete and is no more.  LN....I have things to do, no places to go but I've heard that we might very well have tickets for Andre Bocelli concert in  Sofia...who's a happy bunny....LN



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Elsa Peters
March 20, 2014, 6:21pm Report to Moderator

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Thursday 20th March

Went to sleep on the sofa last night, woke up at ten and staggered off to bed and awake at six so all in all a good night's sleep though happening in various places....Quick shower this morning and over for the men, picked up Gouldjan at nine so that she could get into work later than normal and down to the garage.  This morning was the day for paying for my internet so I decided to go for the year when you pay ten months only...seemed like a deal and no paperwork except the receipt as payment.  I asked them about time off if I went to England and all you have to do is unplug your modem...simple as that and how difficult to other service providers make it...

My new neighbours Jeep wasn't going to be ready by lunchtime so over to his local town to pick up his parents and deliver them to his new abode.  Father and son had the day planned out while his mum and I set off for Kardjali to return one kettle that had an intermittent fault.  Their immediate response that they would send it away for repair to which I replied that we wanted a new one or our money back since his parents were leaving for the UK on Tuesday and what good was that going to do them.  So off the young lady went to discuss it with the chief and his response was that there wasn't a problem with it....so off she went again and this time one of the young lads came out and explained in broken English that the chief had said that there wasn't a problem so off I went to find the chief....He decided that he would demonstrate that there wasn't a problem ....and his demonstration failed miserably.  Result...they do not have one in stock so there will be one sent over from Haskovo tomorrow and I'll collect and return to home base.  Bulgarian guarantee...not worth the paper it's written on.

So took Mum to Mania and she managed to get a pair of trousers for her husband, a spiral bound book as a small gift....I gracefully received four new black dishes to match some that I'd already bought and then back to the school, into the car, Jeep ready for collection, back to mine since my men are working one plumbing and electrics at the school tomorrow.  My tools over to the school and men to home.  I'm tired tonight...it's been a warm one and lots of to-ing and fro-ing and tomorrow it's off to Kardjali again to sort out my annual company tax returns, my reinvestment of my Bulgarian bank account and to pay the tax on my car.  All go for me.  I have to pick up the kettle...probably have negative words with the big chief but hopefully not and after that it's gardening for me.  I have a veg garden that is severely in need of love and attention since the sheep poo did it's stiff but what fantastic weeds I have....

Bathroom is nearly finished.  A couple of floor tiles, a wooden beam to be inserted, sink to be fitted in a new shelf so almost there.  I can hardly wait for my new bath.  So enough ramblings for tonight...



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Elsa Peters
March 21, 2014, 7:26pm Report to Moderator

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Friday 21st March

Welcome to the first day of Spring today....didn't feel much like springing out of bed though and could still be found hiding under the sheets at ten this morning.  I think it was knowing that I had lots of things to do in Kardjali that involved paperwork and I wasn't in the mood for it.  I eventually got out of bed at around ten thirty...got a load of washing underway, showered and hair washed, two difficult sudoku from the Daily Mail and eventually set sail for Kardjali at just after twelve so not bad timing really and the washing was hung out and since I got back late it's still out there.  I have no intention of breaking my neck staggering round the garden.

So as for the rest of the day.  Changed the kettle for a new one and the Bulgarian guarantee is transferred over to the new one.  The boss wasn't there though so it really wasn't much fun.  I paid my local tax on the Beast which was forty three leva and over to the other building to submit my annual returns for the company but unfortunately the very kind lady that normally completes it was no longer working there so I found another angel of mercy.  Cost for submitting paperwork...nothing...and all legal for another year.  Made my way over to M-Tel and told them that I was cancelling my contract with them and when asked why I told them.  The connection speed is rubbish and it keeps dropping off or telling me that someone else is using my connection and since it is a dongle...how can that be....I have no idea but now it is no more.  My contract has expired so no excess to pay but I'm keeping the home phone for the time being...at four leva a month it's still worth it.

Stopped off at Lidl on the way out of Kardjali and picked up some packets of bulbs so I have work to do tomorrow.  Went by the school to deliver the kettle so that mum and dad can have coffee in the morning in their room at the hotel and chatted to Bekir and Sally working their little socks off installing a boiler, putting in a kitchen sink and water into the house and the washing machine was going as I left.  The 'appliances of sciences'.  Men were just about to leave and I was sitting in the car when I had a call from Gouldjan saying that she was at my house to collect some face cream that I'd picked up for her from Kardjali.  Made it back to the house in about twenty minutes and she sat out on the terrace enjoying the stars.  Into the house we went, lit the fire, poured her a little wine and I opened a beer for me.  Sat and chatted for a while until the wine hit the spot, the English took a turn for the worse so I drove her home.  Made myself a couple of sandwiches since it's fairly late and not really in the mood for cooking and to be followed by a jam doughnut.....got to be done.

So LN...I'm toying with the idea of going for a walk tomorrow but I'll check out how I feel in the morning....it might just be a day for gardening...LN
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Elsa Peters
March 22, 2014, 7:05pm Report to Moderator

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Saturday 22nd March

What a day....it started off gentle enough and I was promised a little walk to find a box.  I'd never heard of it before but this was my introduction to Geocashing.  By definition:  'Geocaching is the real-world treasure hunt that's happening right now, all around you. There are 2,340,219 active geocaches and over 6 million geocachers worldwide.'  So they hid and we seeked and eventually after a really hard slog up a mountain we found the box with a few treasures inside it...my instructor signed the paperwork inside it and the last visit had been made last year and my was it well hidden.  There is a clue...there is a photo taken from the site that you have to try to match to your surroundings and with the skillful eye of the instructor it was unearthed or rather unrocked in our case.  

We set off using the GPS reference but sat nav took us to the nearest point which is not necessarily a route to follow and having forgotten the crampons we had to find another way.  So back in the car and fortunately saw a man pushing a bed on a trolley obviously going somewhere so I wound down the window and he said that we had to find the way through the forest that was back in the village we'd just driven through so so much for sat nav.  We drove until the road ran out or we chickened out...not sure which and then we started to leg it up to the outcrop.  The scenery was absolutely stunning and we met a coach load of ramblers on their way down from the ancient ruins of the medieval fort but we gallantly put out best foot forward and got to the top and that's where the fun began.  As I mentioned you had to find the box and success was to hand.

So down we came and as we descended there was the thrum of an engine and a Lada Niva had made it to the last point of the trail and out they got to finish it on foot.  Well done Lada Niva and my driver was extremely jealous that this little one had made it.  Quick descent, packet of crisps and a juice drink then over to the restaurant at Kardjali dam to finish off the day.  We sat overlooking the lake eating delicious food with a bottle of beer to hand and watched the sun go down....it's been an idyllic day despite the effort required.  I can't say that I shall be taking it up as a sport but interesting introduction...LN...I'm home now and ready to get stuck into a book feeling the sort of relaxation that you get from a day in the sun, pleasant company with pleasant people and exercise...LN



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Elsa Peters
March 22, 2014, 7:10pm Report to Moderator

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Saturday continued



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Elsa Peters
March 22, 2014, 7:13pm Report to Moderator

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And yet more



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