Sunday 23rd March

So what's this about a day of rest.  I was up at six, out in the garden for seven and did a couple of hours before I came in , got showered and went off to visit my student and family.  What a morning....but I did plant some bulbs, cleared part of another flower bed so I felt really good for my two hours well spent.

What a beautiful sunrise....I opened the curtains and wow...it had to be captured.

Into the car, over to my students...coffee on the terrace and it has turned more into a talkathon than a lesson but it's what she really needs.  We laugh about the little word 'to' in the phrase 'I said to her' as opposed to 'I said her' but that little word 'to' appears and disappears as quickly as it comes...  She asks me why and I say I don't know and put it down to the idiosyncrasies of English.

We chatted for a while and lunch had been prepared by her father but the salads by her sister.  Now the sister is a never stop kitchen fiend while the one that I teach is more for being taught than working in the kitchen which is something that we laugh about.  Mother and father were working in the garden but there was a flurry of activity around lunch time and everyone pulled together and it appeared.  Talked for the rest of the afternoon and we tried to decide where I had been yesterday but we couldn't find it on the map but we had fun trying.

Home for five and did a little in the garden and then came in and got my head down for an hour..I was slaughtered from the morning.  Supper cooking...barbecued pork with oven chips and peas that will be ready in a little while...wood in and I'm set for the night and LN....everything is good....now I'm down for supper...and a little beer...LN

Wow beautiful pictures. Hope you are finding the internet better with the new antenna.  

Monday 24th March

Thanks Sarah....this is such an easy place to take photos....nature does it for me.

Quick update tonight...I'm going over to the Librarians for supper and staying the night since it's easier to pick up the men in the morning from her house...so I know that I swore about my previous service provider but at least I could take the dongle with me and use it where I wanted but the new one is so reliable and quick with wifi throughout the house, so it's much better on a day to day basis.

Today has been work, work and more work.  The men have more or less finished the bathroom and Sally has pointed up the new wall down the lane so that I can start to knock holes in it to put the climbing shrubs in.  He's not going to like what I'm going to do.   The roses are soaking in a bucket but I don't know why I bothered....it's threatening rain for the next two days so I've moved all the plants outside from the little house and everything from the third bedroom is currently being moved to the little house workshop.  My house is no longer for storing tools as well as living.

Men are on the count down so I better get some nightclothes together....When they are ready to go...we go quickly...LN....so I'm now on my own count down..LN

Tuesday 25th March

Slept over last night at the Librarian's but didn't sleep well.  She has additions to the farm, namely some little chicks that are in a dog travelling basket in the bathroom so I had a cheep, cheep, cheep as I went to the loo in the middle of the night and I apologised for disturbing them.  Little dogs started at about five thirty and the mosque struck up so the outcome is that I can't wait to get my head down tonight in my own bed.

As we left her house the heavens opened and the hail came down so I said Hail Caesar....which is my normal response to the white downpour.  It followed us to the restaurant where we picked up the men and then on to mine.  It's good in so much as those sowing crops need the downpours but please make it more of a gentle kind.  Baba Marta is true to form but as the men said...it is truly like a woman in that it not only changes day by day but hour by hour....

So we were about to set sail for Momchilgrad and there was a cry from the ranks that I had Gosti or guests and Kingdom and male companion arrived looking might I say, a little worse for wear.  The saga is that he was about to drive his car from the UK to Bulgaria but the engine collapsed before he had got very far along the way so he had the diesel money to play, so they flew to Sofia, hired a car and headed south.  Meanwhile the friend's wife is sunning herself in Cyprus with Ms. Kingdom and having a whale of a time on Kingdom's credit card.  That girl I admire....The invitation was thrown out by the boys that if we fancied a fish supper, Bulgarian style that we were to present ourselves at the Fish Restaurant in Stomanci and they would stand the bill...and more of this later...

So over to Momchilgrad and the market lady that we had earmarked for a few lev hadn't turned up because of the rain so I bought a pair of leather shoes from one of the shops, Bekir's wish list was satisfied and back to Djebel to the supermarket for refills.  We revved up the fire, sorted out the Librarian's Hotmail account and played around on the computer until it was time to take the men home.  Dropped off the boys, dropped off the Librarian and decided to take up the offer of the fish supper and went up to the restaurant.  Spoke to the owner, Kingdom had not made an appearance with his villagers so I turned round and came home.  It didn't look the type of place for a woman alone to take up refuge and wait...so I sat in the car for a while and then legged it.  Not only stood up by one but two males....but I have the feeling that those men aren't exactly standing tonight.  The visitor was shown Bulgarian hospitality of a certain kind and was suffering for it today so maybe an early night for both of them wouldn't go amiss..

Back home...fire going...I have an easy morning since the school master is picking up the men and ordering materials from my supplier and the men get delivered here later.  Sounds like a plan....so LN...it's been an intermittent day of sunshine and showers so having purloined some twigs from Momchilgrad park namely of Japonica and Mahonia....it's the perfect weather for taking cuttings.... ...LN

Wednesday 26th March

I thought it was going to be a lazy morning but I remembered that Sally wanted the top landing cleared so that he could attack it with his paint brush and attack it he did.  The men were delivered this morning with my wood order from the yard and unfortunately the rain came down and it was a bit of a slow start.  Made the coffee, knocked up a breakfast for the schoolmaster and after discussing work in progress with the men and coming up with a design for a hanging clothes rail I left them to it.  It was getting things done in the right order or as we used to call it an in-box exercise and it's getting the men to follow the plan sometimes....it's rather like tunnel vision...they see the job in hand and not the whole picture.  So off to Kardjali and I took my home phone with me that's now delivering a message of 'Reduced service' now that i've cancelled the internet.   So why didn't the woman in the shop tell me that it wouldn't work after the internet was cancelled but since the school master developed a puncture in his nearside rear...we did a few errands, didn't managed to take the phone back, managed to 'acquire' some fir trees that obviously had started life very close together and need a bit of space to grow, picked up four 50 x 50 floor tiles for the kitchen worktop, stopped off in Djebel and got the puncture fixed despite not being able to provide the unlocking nut and finally to lunch in the local supermarket restaurant.

Down to the supermarket and picked up a few items and home with the greenery and straight into admiring the work that had been done and on to the next project.  Sally had slung some beams across the top landing so that he could decorate above the picture windows so I got up there without a parachute or safety net and cleaned the top windows.  The men were very impressed...didn't think that I had it in me.  

Men home...I've just down a stint and tidying and cleaning and now I'm settling in for a little beer.  No food for me....lunch is sitting quite heavily.  I'm tempted to try out my new back but I'm still waiting for the handbasin to be fitted...I might save it for another day and I'm thinking of making a new blind tomorrow...LN...it's all go here...LN

Thursday 27th March

Five thirty start and started sorting out clothes and rooms so that the men could have a clear path to destruction.  Looked at the clock and realised that I was over due  to pick them up so quick jump into yesterday's clothes, cat's lick so to speak and into the car and over to the restaurant.  

What a busy day today.  The men have been working their little sock off, Bekir building my bathroom unit for the wash basin and Sally painting and repairing plaster so that everything looks A1 OK.  I got a load of washing out and decided that the garden was the place for me and the trees that we purloined yesterday I planted up and since my company is called Tree Tops, there are two trees now adorning the gates more or less and I decided that the martinitsas were to find themselves on the said trees.  Worked my way down the new wall and had a really good time but there is still lots to do but tomorrow I'll carry on where I finished today.  I love redesigning and now that the wall is there I have two extra yards to play with so to speak.

Kingdom arrived this afternoon and we sat in the sun with a coffee but in truth I sat...he paced around as normal...nervous energy,  He'd had a good time in Istanbul but was pleased to be back among friends.  We have a date for Saturday...over to see the school master.

So the upshot of today is that Bekir has finished the unit more or less and it's ready for final placement and tomorrow Sally is on to something new, namely a little wall or finishing the garage wall so that I can get a few plants in.  Alternatively I might ask him to dig over the garden and get my onions in....I'll see how he feels tomorrow.  Pictures of my trees and my work today will be posted tomorrow...everything came with a rush and it was tidy away and get them home and it was too dark when I got back to capture anything...LN....just demolished chicken that I'd left cooking while I took the men home with roasted vegetables....almost to die for with lashings of mayo...LN

Friday 28th March

Now I really have to apolgise for such a late update but I have been sampling the delights of having my first bath in the new wash tub and I had great trouble getting out after I had great trouble getting in.  In the UK I had a corner bath which gave great space for elbows....this one is a little tight on so I fell in and had to heave myself out but I'm sure I'll get used to it.  I've just got to work out the boiler temperature so that I can give it a couple of top ups while I'm in there.  I did manage to work out how to control the water out swivel thing with my foot and the new tap works a treat...and that's also foot controlled....sorted.

So what sort of a day have we had?  The new bathroom unit is installed but the washbasin is not fitted.  I think there were one or two measurements that weren't quite to plan and Bekir had had enough and will get back to finishing it on Monday.  I also have to source something like linseed oil for water protection and have got the translation written down...IKEA do it but I'm not really up for a trip to Sofia for one item...it could end up with more.  Sally has filled his day sorting out the things that have been lingering for a while namely removing the old asbestos gate post, taking over my digging down the wall line and completing the task and removing the humps of soil that were blocking up the lane.  My Avatar came round this morning and invited me to a ladies' lunch party with pancakes and syrup, cake and yoghurt drink and it still amazes me how the local women can sit on the floor in such weird positions.  It must be all that working in the fields.  I didn't take photos...it would have seemed rude somehow now that I'm a local...I respect their privacy at such an event.

I've planted more roses and moved a few plants dug up by accident from under the terrace wall but one heck of a thunderstorm stopped play and I was reminded by Bekir that my insurance on Beauty ran out at midnight tonight and that the fine for not having a valid insurance was four hundred leva so off I dutifully went.  As I set off it was as if the car was being shot at and down came huge balls of hail and together with the thunder and lightening it was if I was being attacked.....not a nice feeling.  Back from Djebel, men home, chicken leg for supper and two hours in the bath...and I'd got the sense not to take the Kindle in there with me...I have been known to doze and I believe I did....now what could be nicer than that....I'm hoping that I've not blocked the drains.  LN...There's a box of biscuits calling to me from the kitchen and a little mastica tonight I think and then to bed...LN

Saturday 29th March

Five thirty start and no interruptions to that little room at the end of the corridor...what a good night's sleep.

So I pottered around and cleared out all the gunk so that the furniture I'm picking up tomorrow can go straight into my upstairs bedroom and I can sort out after that.  My downstairs bedroom is tidied and apart from the two mattresses that are still festering in the downstairs, everything is taking shape.  Today I had a visitation from Kingdom with one of his local laddies and off we went to the school to see the lie of the land.  The local looked longingly at the pet rabbit and the loaf of bread sitting on the worktop but it was not to be.  The word barbecue was mentioned but there was none of it to be had.  

Over to mine stopping off in Djebel for provisions to prepare a meal for two hungry lads which turned out to be the reamains of the cooked chicken with mushrooms, carrots and onions in a chicken sauce and served with pasta and chunks of bread.  A little beer washed it all down and then Kingdom was off to get his packing sorted as he flies off to Cyprus tomorrow from Sofia so I reminded him that the clocks spring forward tonight....one less hour to rest his weary head after the hard time he's had here.

Went really cold this afternoon but then it warmed up so the school master and myself went off to the forest to collect a few more shrubs for the garden.  We got juniper and a few pine trees but on trying to identify the type of juniper from my encyclopedia botanic there are about forty varieties so I shall die in ignorance.  Supper was tuna mayo served with crusty bread, mastica and a little whisky on the go, the fire is roaring away and the plants have been brought back inside the little house since there has been a frost warning for the region.  Pretty cool  night, Bob Marley on the ipod, all quiet now though...LN....I'm off to find a camera cable to get some interest into this blog...LN

Sunday 30th March

Quick Mother's day greetings to my daughter and daughter in law.....I hope you both had a beautiful day and got waited on something chronic...

Up before the school master this morning...timewise that is not for any transgressions.  Coffee and tea were the order of the morning...my breakfast was a couple of yogurts as a base for anything that I would put on the stomach later.  We sat in the kitchen and I noticed a hoopoe on the terrace so out with the camera to catch this shy bird.  

Off with the trailer and over to my student's house to pick up her father.  The clocks sprung forward last night so there was a reluctance to any sign of life from the two daughters but the mother was her usual bubbly self and the father....well he was just normal.  We sat down for coffee and cake and then off to the man who was making my furniture, with the trailer attached to the jeep so that we could accommodate all.  There was really no need.  The man was working on his motorbike when we arrived and the wardrobe and the shelf unit were still in pieces in his workshop and his excuse was that the wood was damp and he couldn't risk it.  He has now promised it for next Sunday...if it's not ready...I don't want it...the law of the jungle...I have cash, he has the potential to earn it...screws it...tough.  We did have the conducted tour though but this is getting a little stale but by all accounts he is getting married again....so maybe there's not much chance of my furniture next week...

So back to mine dropping off my student's parents on the way and I think they were expecting us for lunch but I said that we had things to do.  The Librarian had a cooker that she wanted to shift and the schoolmaster wanted one so off we went.  As it turned out she was suffering Montezuma's revenge and not in a fit state to see to our needs so had taken  to her bed.  We met up with her son and sorted out what we needed to name the cooker and I picked up a kamina for the kitchen for the winter....I was going to get one this year but there was no winter so to speak.  Now at this point there is no money changing hands since I am robbing Peter to pay Paul and goods are being delivered instead of cash....jobs a guddun.

Back to mine with loot and sorted it out.  I said goodbye to the schoolmaster and then set to in the garden and dug over a couple of beds and planted up other stuff that I'd dug up from other beds.  My Avatar paid me a visit today...once when my daughter was wishing me a happy mother's day and secondly when I was digging for victory in the new bed and she wanted to tell me that Tommy had been set upon by Semile's three dogs in her own garden and there was nothing she could do about it.  All because it is the season for male dogs to search out the females but there are several males in the pack and Tommy is an interloper.  Dug up an offshoot of my Japonica Kerria and it's now planted in my Avatar's garden....came back and did a little more digging and tidied my tools away for another day.  That hour has made such a difference....I didn't come in until seven thirty but I'd lit the fire so despite the chill outside I was toasty in.

Supper might happen....and the moment I'm not feeling the need....LN.....beautiful chilled day and I'm now the proud possessor of a trailer and it's staying here until next week when we go our attempt to pick up the said articles.  Alternatively it might be filled with bags of sheep poo for garden mulching...Semile...I have a favour to ask...LN

Monday 31st March

Where has the month gone..I didn't realise that tomorrow I shall be looking out for the practical jokes that abound in the newspapers in the UK.  It's not a great day for humour here but I might be tempted to try one out on the men but maybe not....they might walk off the job and where would I be then?  Not worth the hassle.

Read for an hour in the night but woke up at seven thirty and so had a bit of a dash on.  Somehow the clock in the house was showing a different time than in the car so I was thoroughly confused when the watch that I was wearing had completely given up the ghost so I've still no idea if I was early, late or on time...so what the heck.  Had a few final decisions to make in the bathroom and eventually that inner sanctum will be mine but Bekir is still claiming ownership.    One more day...hopefully.  Sally has occupied himself with the final dressing on the outside garage wall and I initially thought that it would work better pointed up but looking at the stone work is would be a heck of a job so the decision was made....just bang it on to protect the stone and make it watertight.  

Set off for the school masters but had forgotten to pick up my home phone so that I could shout at the M-Tel shop so back to the house for the offending item and then to the school.  Stopped off at the Internet shop to arrange for the Librarian's connection and a morning phone call confirmed that she seems to be over the worst of her Montezuma's revenge put down to a tin of beans and pork but I think there are several funny bugs going around so it could have been anything.  Into Kardjali clutching the phone, over to the shop who couldn't give me any idea why the display was showing that I had a reduced service.  The girl asked me if I wanted a new number....I replied if I must but I didn't realise that the new number and connection would up the price by fifty percent but the rates to phone England are good so not such a bad deal.  After I'd signed the new contract I challenged her yet again as to why it wasn't working and she denied all knowledge of closing down the original connection.  I suppose they can always claim language misunderstandings.

Lunch in the chicken restaurant....picked up my Parker green ink that had been on order for a while and then we set off on rather a scenic route to an old power station that has caught an eye and not necessarily mine....photos of that will follow when I manage to acquire them.  Received a phone call from Bekir that seemed highly confusing at first.  I thought it was the internet providers for the Librarian's connection but eventually it was sorted and a new contact has been made.  Please ring Chris and we'll set up a meeting.

Home for the men for five thirty but they insisted on carrying on working until after six thirty.  Only trouble with that is that I get home and it's time for bed...not a lot of evening for me.  Fire lit, no food required...I'm stuffed from lunch, a little mastica to force the chicken down and soon to bed said Zeberdee...  All clocks have been synchronised, the new M-Tel phone has been changed to English language so at least I have some chance of setting up the rest of the programs.  LN....I'm heading down to appreciate the fire that I've got going and to have an hour or so with my book before I get my little head down...LN