Hello[color=blue][/color] Elsa

I have spent almost all day following your journey from 2008 BUT I did cheat as I was so desperate to know if you managed to get the house finished or not....

so, after reaching Jan 2010, I went to Feb 2015 and of course there has been lots going on in between.

I shall just have to make more free time to find out how it all came together.

I love the sound of your life, honestly and I dream that one day we will follow your trails and trials too!!

The scenery is awesome and some say there is no God!!! wow.... I can see why you bought what and where you did. You are blessed in being able to wake and sleep to these images

Anyway, the family is home, we are about to have rice with Indian spices, char grilled chicke, yoghurt, salads and a hot sauce for more taste... all washed down with bottled water.... no wine or beer for us!! haha.... I remember those days.....

Bye and Salaams for now from Abu Dhabi, where the sun always shines!

Regards Aisha, Sulaiman & Gillian XX

Tuesday 17th February

Woke up to snow this morning and very cold temperatures but not enough snow to pay the postage to write home about.  The fire was still going so I gave it the kiss of life and noted that while it was about minus three out it was up to eighteen in and when the sun broke through it shot up to twenty four more or less.  My solar heating.  Found my camera...in the bedroom on the chair so it never did make it to the Librarians for the night.

Breakfast of bacon, eggs and fried bread and I was outside when the bread van arrived and he stopped outside the gate so I had one uncut and one sliced from him feeling that I had to make it worth his while stopping.  Unfortunately I missed out on the get together at the bottom of the village but it was so cold that I bet no one was really hanging around.  Bit of a catastrophe with the polythene windows in the little house porch...I hadn't secured it properly so there was a little work there but my fingers were so cold after a minute or so but I changed the design and now it should hold much better.  Sat and read for a while and logged in to Loose Women and picked up on some of the hot topics and gossip and then made a card for my eight year old birthday buddy and decided to deliver it this afternoon.  I had one letter to post but the post office closed early so I popped it round to my student's mum's shop so that her husband can put it in the post in the morning when he starts work.  Into my other student's mum's shop to pick up my Avon order and had a lovely surprise...she'd ordered me some rubber gardening shoes with gold skull and crossbone studs on them and she reckoned that they would frighten the worms away.  So one to the eight year old's party...hugs for mother and grandmother and the money from the card was handed over to mother to look after.  The restaurant was heaving with load of kiddiwinkles but it was too much for my little brain to cope with today but grandmother insisted that I came back with a goodie bag of pizza, home made banichka and cake so that's supper sorted out.

Pulling into the drive avoiding a cow lying down in my grotty bus shelter, the post lady pulled up in front of me and handed me three cards, an ebay parcel and my electricity bill.  Thanked her, she drove off, I finished parking the Beast, the cow set off along the road as I closed the gate and straightway I dug into the banichka as I opened the cards.  Thank you Princess for the card but I was disappointed that the promised seven foot 'do it yourself assembly' giraffe had been replaced by a Dolly Parton CD.  Thanks Timbo and Co. M and A for yours...and they all arrived on the day.

Hatches battened down, fire thumping out and it's going to be another cold one tonight and well into the minus.  Nothing planned for tomorrow but as you know ...things change quickly here. LN....I'm on the hunt for more food...LN

H[appy Birthday Hope u have a wonderful day. All the best from us in OZ xxxxxx

Happy Birthday Elsa.  Hope you have had a wonderful day.  Lots of love!    

Belated Happy Birthday

Trev and Vania

Happy belated Birthday second mummy! Glad you had a lovely day too! xXx

Wednesday 18th February

Thank you for the Birthday wishes and as for you MikeyB.....if the price is right I'll set the adoption process in motion...

Really cold start and there were small clouds scudding across the sky before the sun came up.  The wind actually woke me this morning at about five thirty and when I'm awake, I'm awake so it was a hot lemon and orange drink for starters, fires seen to and both chugging away to counteract the minus eight outside which I experienced when I went out to empty the ash can.....straight through the jim-jams and to the bones.  Back to bed and read for a while and enjoying a coffee but then it was back to the kitchen and a breakfast of kippers on buttered bread was prepared and finished by eight o'clock.  Wood in, a little housework completed, showered and hair washed for no other reason than it seemed a good idea and the phone went at ten thirty and it was the Librarian asking if I fancied lunch in Djebel.

She arrived just before twelve with some birthday goodies and a huge box of chocolates which I won't forgive her for.  We headed in Djebel and went to the Soup Kitchen for chicken noodle soup with bread and for two portions...five leva and that included a couple of Fantas.  Try that in England.  Stopped off at the supermarket and topped up with oranges, bought some chicken wings for supper and back to mine for coffee and the grand opening of the chocolates.  She left at four, Gouldjan arrived at six as I was assembling onions, sweet and normal potatoes ready to go into the oven topped off with the chicken wings.  They were ready by seven and so I invited Gouldjan to stay for supper and out came the mayo and my home made pickled beetroot and we more or less demolished all of it.  She'd never had sweet potato before so I took her home with an uncooked one and I'll get some more tomorrow if I go into Kardjali.  I got Beauty out to run her home.  She wanted to walk but the temperature has dropped again and it was bitter out and I couldn't let her walk the kilometer home.  Pleased I wasn't stopped though by Mr Plod...the insurance has run out and I haven't put this years road tax on it yet...it's still sitting in my purse.  All will be sorted tomorrow.

As I got into the house I noticed that Gouldjan had left a birthday card and a present on the sofa...silly girl.  I tried to phone to say thank you but she wasn't picking up....I'll catch her tomorrow.  Ten my time...the kitchen can wait until tomorrow...supper was a real success and Gouldjan is going to make it for the family at the weekend....the final dollop of honey over the chicken wings is the magic touch...Both fires going, snuggled in for the night....LN....I'll see how I feel tomorrow as to whether I go for an expedition or not...LN

Thursday 19th February

Happy Chinese New Year to my friends of that persuasion and there seems to be some confusion as to whether it's sheep or goats....so whatever you choose to call it...wishing you Happiness, Prosperity, Longevity and today I'd like to post a special birthday wish to Trevor an old mucker from my Somerfield days....he might not see this but it takes me back to when I was considered the Matriarch and now I'm not sure what they would call me.

Woke up at five this morning and threw a log on the fire to get the central heating pumping....and again it was really cold in the night and as I emptied the ash can at such and early hour I was pleased to get into bed.  I made my hot lemon and orange mixture and sipped it as I read Stephanie Plum and the more I read it I think it would make a fabulous television series.  Unfortunately by six I was ready to get my head down again and didn't surface until just before eight.  

I got on with the normal, tidies the kitchen from last night and had toast for breakfast,  I noticed that the gale force winds had scattered the contents of my burning pit round the garden so out I went to retrieve the debris.  There was no way that it could be lit...it was still blowing a gale out there and cold with it.  Found one of my Avatar's dishes in the fridge and decided to take it back adding a couple of satsumas as a gift.  There is no way you should take back a dish without anything in it which I reminded her when she gave me back my Tupperware.  As I arrived at the house I noticed several pairs of shoes neatly lined up and knocked on the door.  My Avatar opened it, I handed her the dish and immediately she hid it....I'd not taken gift for the others.  There was a knitting party going on.  Two sitting on the beds and one on the floor and they were all knitting furiously following patterns for the over socks that they wear.  I am still overawed by the technique...one day I shall master it.  There was a pot of potatoes on the cooker and soon this was transferred into a dish and they all dipped in.  I'd have slathered them with butter or mayo but they were neat.  I didn't take my camera...sometimes it seems like an intrusion into their lives and I'm still a guest in their homes and village.

Home for one....warmed up my soup from a couple of days ago and it's destined for the freezer.  I put a huge log on the fire and settled in to start on my next book and I've had a very restful afternoon with my eyelids heading southward for an afternoon kip.   Seven my time and curtains all drawn to keep in the heat.  Lovely sunset tonight and watched the sheep coming home after a day munching what they could find on the hillside.  I had a little conversation with Semile's wife...we both commented on how cold it was.  Warming up to tonight's TV.  I've not followed Easties for years but I must find out who killed somebody I'd never heard about.  LN...it's time I put the tele on...LN

Friday 20th February

Just before seven start and I was surprised how light it was already but boy was it cold.  No fire going but I emptied out the ash can and checked the thermometer and it was showing minus six but because there was no wind this morning, it didn't feel as cold.  Coffee but I didn't go back to bed and decided to take advantage of the stillness, burn the rubbish and so put on padded trousers and a sweater over PJ's promising myself a shower after I'd finished.  The bonfire finished but since it was such a good morning I cleared out the ash from the bonfire and moved the pile from the back of the little house balcony dumping it at the bottom of the garden.  As the day wore on I realised that I was still inwardly clad for bed but outwardly for gardening.  I moved on to topping up the oil in Beauty and removing last years road tax and replacing it with the new and left it running for a while to top up the battery.  

Quick look at the clock and it was two in the afternoon and I'd achieved quite a lot outside.  Came in and lit the fire even though the sun was half in and half out and there was enough wood in to see me through until tomorrow.  Lots of birds in the garden today.  I was surprised to see the jay...they are such shy birds, the magpies are regulars but again fly off at the slightest noise, lots of tits, a couple of blackies, the usual starlings and I saw a wren.

Made barbequed pork with mashed potato for supper tonight and feel dutifully stuffed.  It's been a productive day outside and it was good to be in the fresh air...LN....it's almost time for a book at bedtime and to strip down to the night clothes...LN

Saturday 21st February

Well I had very vivid dreams last night and woke up feeling not very rested.  The sun was more or less showing her face by the time I came to so I grabbed the camera and caught the rising.  Toast for breakfast, out to the garden and did a tidy up of the old plants from last year and put them in the burning pit and because there was no wind...set fire to it and almost smoked out my neighbours,

Decided to tidy up the shelving system on the landing getting rid of some old documentation and things that I'd put to one side to keep even when I shouldn't have.  Found the athletics on BBC1 and congratulate Mo Farah on his new world record.  Got caught out by the husband of the post mistress though...I was heading up to my computer clutching a glass and he asked me what was in it....so I said, a little cognac and he congratulated me on my choice.  Unfortunately when I opened the late birthday card I found that the husband of one of my best friends has died.  I knew there was a problem but she never opened up but now I'm going to invite her out here. My thoughts are with her and I've been asked to light a tree in his memory....I'll be getting one on Monday.  I lit the fire at six more or less and it was quick to get the water belting round the system.

Supper was chili con carne with toasted bread....and it was delicious.....I caught the crescent moon as I went up the stairs so grabbed the camera,  so atmospheric.....LN....I'm down to the fire...it's got pretty cold...LN