Monday 28th April

So there I was at four this morning bright as a button.  I had a bath last night and slept for two hours under the water...well not quite under or I wouldn't be doing this update but close and so at three thirty I was ready for action.  Fortunately that action wasn't required until five so I read and then at just after five Gouldjan hadn't phone me to make sure I was awake so I phoned her to make sure that she was.  That's friends for you.  She answered the phone and at five thirty I headed down to the bus stop and her mother appeared lugging the biggest suitcase I think I've ever seen and she's away for two days.  The girl is going to be changing every fifteen minutes to make sure she shows them everything....

Over to the bus stop and I dropped her to wait for the Zaltograd-Kardjali minibus that turns into a big coach in Kardjali to head to the Black Sea.  She promised to phone when she was on the bus, she didn't so I phoned her and she was in Djebel and about to head to Kardjali so I was content.  So back to bed with my book and realising that I was due to depart to pick up my men at just after seven so what was the point of sleeping.  I'd not heard anything from Librarian's son as to whether he was doing the transporting of my maestors or not so off I set.  I arrived at the pick-up point and who should be there but the Librarian's son.  I said that I'd tried to contact him and his mother to no avail and that he might as well carry on to the school since I was there to do the shipping.  Home with the men and it was raining ever so slightly....and according to my Avatar's cockerel it was going to stop raining in thirty minutes....that bird wants shooting...it's no better than the TV for weather predictions.  

The men carried my chest up to the bedroom and there were discussions about whether it would make a decent burial chamber or not.  I chose to ignore the comments and went out and dug up some wild plum trees and roots from my garden and gained approval from the men.  They call it 'play' and I call it 'work'.  I also planted the remains of the fir trees that hadn't gone already much to the astonishment of my men and to be honest, we both agreed that they have two chances...either they will survive or they won't.  Pancakes arrived this afternoon from my Avatar at the same time that I received a letter from my daughter.  Now both were a surprise but Bekir stood by while I opened it and it was a poem and as I read it I turned to jelly and there were tears streaming from my eyes.  Bekir and Sally were looking on and couldn't understand the emotion so I did a rough translation and I think they were almost reduced to tears.  Thank you Princess and so I had to put fingers to keyboard as opposed to pen to paper and send her a response...now it was her turn to blub...result...

Men went out eventually to distribute several wheelbarrows of cement over several tons of stone and I have a wall in the making.  I left them with their bottle of rakia to change into dry clothes and then drove them to their village or rather Bekir to the Swedish watering hole and Sally to the drop off point.  Home now and I'm sinking in to a glass of mastica to put the world to rights and drive the rain away and supper might be what I can find in the kitchen...I have no plans at the moment.  LN...Tomorrow I am advisory and official translator on materials for the school...so I better lay off the mastica...LN

I am very envious of your lovely boxes. I particularly like the rebate/groove that holds the lid to the right place on the base. That is so neat. Do they smell as good as they look?

Tuesday 29th April

They really do smell as good as they look Jean and I hope the man that made them has that one sense that remains...he is deaf and dumb and I managed to get what I wanted...he's coming to my house to  see them in situ....love him to bits and he has so much energy....amazing.

So today I was helping out the friend that has bought the school and acting as interpreter.  We were supposed to go to the restaurant to pick up Bekir but Bekir appeared at my doorstep and my Librarian's son had not understood the instructions and it was all arse about face but there again...it could be adapted to meet requirements.

The schoolmaster arrived and off we went to visit various woodyards to get the best deals on wood for the roof and we lingered over coffee in various establishments but the last one came up with the best price and has been accepted.  Over to Djebel to obtain the best price for the bagga machine for the school...the invoice had been received and refused so with a little negotiation the price was agreed.  I love it when  things work out.

Home for about two thirty....I was so cold that I got the fire going straight away and eventually thawed out.  It is so cold today I'm sure my fingers were blue and Bekir reckoned that I had no blood in my system.....I know that I have blood but obviously not enough.

Supper was spicy sausage with pineapple, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and it was delicious.  Michael Jackson is belting out in the background tonight and it's a pretty cool evening.  Not sure what's happening tomorrow...it depends on the weather....no rain...work...rain...no work....givot.    LN...let's see what the morning brings...LN

Wednesday, 30th April

So what of today?  It was raining this morning and so Bekir phoned to say that he had other work to do and that documents had to be completed but in all fairness the weather was not fit to be worked in.

It was a very grey start and not much could be seen of the surrounding mountains but by ten the mist had cleared and there was sun but the wind had a winter's chill about it and not what is normally expected in April.  I donned the fleece and went out with a shovel, put in a couple of shrubs that had been lingering in their pots, emptied the bonfire pit and rebuilt it but the wind was so strong that there was no way that was being lit  today,  I'd finished all that I was going to do so say in the  sun for a while realising that my old Kindle was better for reading in the sunlight than the new one and finally moved the bench from the terrace into the shade of the lounge terrace and sat there reading until the  wind was almost up to gail force and inside was much better than out.  

That more or less sums up today. At three I had the pangs of hunger hit so I went into the kitchen and prepared a bacon and egg sandwich that went down remarkably well and would have settled for a second but there is a waistline that appears to be increasing somewhat so abstinence was required.  Arthur has just been born and is into safe keeping, the two brother kings have been dispatched to higher halls of learnings and the mutual widow is about  to stake her claim on the thrown.  

Gouldjan has returned from her training and I got a phone call asking if I would pick her up from Rogosche....she appeared adorned with lipstick so I thanked her for her thoughtfulness and we had a little giggle about it.  Dropped her off at home and she now has a week of lazing around.  We have Bank holidays coming up so she has days of leisure.  Let's see what the weather brings tomorrow....it doesn't look good again and I think I can blame the threat of wall building and concrete. The school master has guests and what a shame the  weather looks to e rubbish for the visit and I've already issued warnings for other visitors that they should be bringing wet weather gear and I jest not.

LN....my fire is going and I have a little mastica on the go.....and it's now raining again.....back to Arthur and Merlin for me at ninety six percent and then on to the  next book....the rise and fall of King Arthur....LN