Friday 22nd May

Beautiful sunrise and I was watering the garden by six this morning.  I'd planted out some of the ones that I bought the other day and sat with coffee on the terrace and into the car and over to the men by eight.  I actually filled up my windscreen wash bottle in Beauty...it was touch and go whether anything could see in or I could see out.  My village food shop was stopped at the well filling up as I went for the men so I bought breakfast for all of us and a loaf of bread.

Unlocked the workshop and into the house and put the kettle on.  I took the men their breakfast and coffee and I sat out on the terrace and had mine.  Played around on the internet for a while and managed the Friday sudoku in record time and then out to the garden.  I've managed half of the lawn today and the rest will be done over the weekend and cleared the bank under my special tree but the photos will have to come tomorrow.  It was almost seven thirty when I got back tonight from dropping the men off.  

So what have they done today...the column metal work is all cemented in place and part of the bottom wall trench has been started.  We fixed the straight line and it's been decided that it will all be done in stone so that the view from the house is good.  The kmet's brother came round tonight ...apparently Bekir asked his son if he could work for us and it was a negotiation of daily rate.  We're of the opinion that it you offer the higher rate then it becomes fixed.  I'd rather off a bonus if the work is up to standard...it's far more flexible.

Strimmer did it stuff today but I did resort to the scythe to get the level down around the big tree.  The clover does hide the moisture and really winds itself round the spindle of the strimmer so that was brought into play when the rest was manageable.

Ham sandwich for supper, the ham wants using and I'm fresh out of energy on the cooking front.  I'm going to say LN...a lot has been achieved but as I said the proof of the pudding will be in tomorrow's photos of the wall....LN

Saturday 23rd May

Well another beautiful day and six thirty was watering the garden.  Stripped the bed and washing out for seven thirty and I've just fetched it in now.  Two coffees and I was ready for breakfast and it was a bacon sandwich with brown sauce...well it is 'le weekend'.

Haven't  done a whole lot today.  In fact I've done very little.  I did plant out the last peony into the new little garden, replaced the battery in the strimmer but that was as far as it go on the work front....Monday is a new week and that's when it will start again.  Today is a day off and shortly I'm off to the Librarians, out for supper tonight and I'll wend my way back tomorrow when the mood takes me.

Just a few pictures of the trenches...it was too dark to take them last night.  Early post...not sure if I can get my laptop onto the Librarian's internet so it will be done and dusted for today.  LD....have a good Bank Holiday everyone...

I thought you'd be able to see the wall on that last pic, down the right hand side? Is the wall behind the trees then?

Sunday 24th May

To answer you question Mikey B....it is behind the trees on the right of the garden looking towards the hillside....stone wall at the bottom so that it looks in keeping with the rest of it and the wall on the other side will only be showing by about two feet or so because the field falls away.  My fence by Gaudi might remain until it falls down by it's own devices...and that shouldn't take too long...

Lovely evening last night at the local restaurant and walked back under the moon and stars and the fireflies were out flashing trying to find a partner...Do you think I could do the same thing with a torch it might work.  Having said that, there were two locals walking to the mosque at about ten o'clock last night both with torches and I'm wondering it they were out doing what the fireflies were doing....makes you wonder...We had a little drink when we got down but both absolutely knacked and as for the man from the mosque this morning....I do wish he had a volume knob that I could reach....he's much louder than mine.

It was nice to have breakfast cooked for me this morning....spicy sausage and egg and off we went into the local town to make sure I had enough fuel to get home and come out in the morning and get the men.  We shopped and topped up alcohol supplies, back for a juice and water in the local restaurant and watched a police car going backwards and forwards trying to remove cows and wild horses from the road.  Prior to that they'd been sitting in their car photographing speeding motorists but it was suggested by a passing motorist that they do something constructive before there was an accident.

Back to the Librarian's and settled in to sort out her computer and log ons...We had to go through the process of getting a new password sent for Outlook and first off she handled the phone call with the code but it was in Bulgarian so next it was my turn and I eventually managed to get enough of the digits to succeed.  Cleared out the cache and debris and browsing history and it's speeded up considerably.  All good now but it was pretty late when this was achieved so I've decided to book for a second night here..from here to the men's pickup spot tomorrow morning will take me only ten minutes.  And now I'm having supper cooked for me and I'm listening to one of the neighbour's donkey braying it's head off.  Hope it's not like a poor version of the Godfather...ooopppsss.

So no photos tonight....I wasn't intending to be in for the long haul....so there'll be a bounty pack tomorrow....LN....it's my time to pour the drinks...LN

Monday 25th May

Beautiful night's sleep and woke up at the Librarian's to the sound of a boiling kettle and what could be better.  The cups were ready with the coffee and I helped out by pouring the water into the cups and got a jug of the cold stuff so that we could get our faces into it immediately.  The mosque had kicked off at five or thereabouts and I'd dog dosed until I heard the kettle.  We sat and chewed over the fat while the dogs joined in with the mosque overtures at seven and the village news updates of hatched, matched and despatched and I was ready off to pick up the men at seven fifty allowing ten minutes to get to the men's village.

They were ready with little rubber shoes blacked or rather the dust removed, and we were over to mine for about eight thirty.  Coffee came early since I wanted my second cup and Bekir stopped the village shop and bought a box of chocolate cake slices which were breakfast.  I'd left the boot of Beauty open to transfer yesterday's shopping to the kitchen and the next thing I know my Avatar is delivering two full buckets of 'things' to my door so I told her there were lots more and to busy herself.  We had a little conversation and I asked her what she wanted and she said nothing but I managed to get out of her that she is going to spend the winter in Germany with her son and his family and I'm looking after her house....a real turnaround...it's her job to look after mine...she's not supposed to go anywhere...

Finished a present for a friend and went off to the post this afternoon with my two letters and they are off into the great beyond.  Phoned up Gouldjan and asked her if she wanted a lift home and we stopped off at the local supermarket and both picked up a few things.  Dropped her at three thirty which was a bonus for her since the school bus at four wasn't running, and home and into the coffee making for the men as they worked the stone base of the wall.  It's rather like the trials of Hercules but tomorrow is my day for trudging backwards and forwards with the wheelbarrow...On the way down it will have three or four breeze blocks on the way back...nothing and my rate of pay is twenty lev a day.  By the end of the week I'll have eighty to spend on myself...result.

Men ready for home at six and I picked up a bottle of beer to deliver to Mrs D of S.  We have what we call this travelling bottle and it's to save the embarrassment of going to the local and topping up...we should really call it a 'face saver' bottle.  Remember we live in an area where most of the women don't drink.  On the way back with the men they saw a man at the side of the road and it was a 'do you want to pick him up or not moment'.  I found a safe place to turn round and went back for him needing to turn round to be going in the right direction and in his backpack he had a huge portable radio.  This seemed to be a bit of a talking point for the men and eventually I dropped them all off at the restaurant and I asked him if there was going to be music and dancing from his player so I said I'd be back later with friends.  The men found this funny so I wished them a good evening and over to Mrs D or S.  Bottle delivered, coffee drunk, home for just before nine so no chance to take photos of the men's endeavours today.  Realised I was hungry so got a sausage and an onion underway, beat up three eggs and made a super omelette putting a block of cream cheese on it and pouring myself a little mastica to sip while I created.  Supper was delicious and quick and easy, blog almost updated and tomorrow as I said I have my work cut out on paid work....LN...I'm back to my own bed and my own mosque with the lowered volume....LN

Tuesday 26th May

Five start this morning and don't ask me why.  I have no idea unless it was to beat the man at the mosque.  Put a load of washing in at five thirty making it a cheap rate wash, made a coffee and sat out enjoying the morning.  There was very little sunrise...she showed her face and then disappeared behind the misty clouds that shrouded the mountains.  Washing out, garden watered and in my car by seven thirty to fetch the men.

I had one more today and it turned out to be the husband of Bekir's niece.  I'm not sure if he's back tomorrow, he's had a job interview at a Kardjali engineering firm and not sure if they are going to call him or not. Labourers are as scarce as hen's teeth in this neck of the woods.  The good ones go abroad...I'm just lucky that I have two that have other irons in the fire here.

So wall continues and my paid work went by the by although as I said ...I was paying myself for moving stone and breeze blocks.  Had to go into Djebel to get some more cement for the boys, one packet of cigarettes for my newby and three banichkas for the boys at Bekir's request.  I popped in to see my student's mother for a couple of minutes or so but delivered the breakfast still warm which went down well.  Lots of activity, laughing and joking but Bekir did manage his afternoon siesta despite the others talking.  I went out and pottered in the bank under my special tree, dug out some of the debris and planted up the Juniper Horizontalis that I want to cover the bank eventually and a couple of pockets with self set marigolds taken from one of the other gardens.  Unfortunately both wheelbarrows were in use so it still looks like a demolition site where I was working...tomorrow...one of them is mine.

Men home, not sure if I want supper or not at this point so I'll give it an hour or so.  Not sure if I have the third man tomorrow...I'll see if he's at the allotted spot and if he is ...super...if not...I'm working for the day.  Beautiful night...the wind has dropped, lots of high clouds over the Greek mountains and let's hope they stay there.  Bekir's newspaper reports on the weather have become a talking point.  At the moment the computer seems to be winning but we'll see what time the thunder starts tomorrow.  LN....I think we've all had a good day.....LN

Wednesday 27th May

Five thirty start and I was out with the water this morning even though it had threatened rain for later on in the day.  The plants needed it.  Just before six I sat down with my coffee on the lounge terrace, looked up and a very red sun was peeping through so went in and grabbed the camera and managed to catch it before it disappeared again.  Funny old sky this morning and by the time that I left for the men it was spitting with rain but I managed to meet up with the local magazine and got breakfast for us all.  

It was fine in the men's village and as expected, the third man didn't appear.  I suppose a steady job with one baby and another on the way is a better proposition than labouring even though he'll be subjected to shift work.  We sat down with coffee and breakfast and then it was all systems go to beat the impending thunder storm.  It stayed off for the morning and hit us at three this afternoon and was it a sharp short downpour.  I'd been working on the little garden at the base of my special tree and planed up the lavatera, zinnias and marigolds and the tobacco goes in tomorrow.  It should look good when they all take off.  Storm blew over and the men went back to the mixing and laying the blocks and unfortunately it was too dark when I got back to get a pickie of the progress.  I started tidying up some of the polythene dug out from the trench and lit a bonfire keeping it going with some of the hedge stuff that had been cleared and it was going well until the storm returned at about half five with more thunder.  Into the car by six and it was a slow journey there and back...the road after the rain was a little slippery and I didn't want any mishaps.

Fire lit..it wasn't really necessary but it's nice to look at when it's blowing a hooley out there and bucketing down.  I did fall asleep in front of it and woke up about half an hour ago....I must have needed it...five is a little early...I must remember to draw the curtains tonight just in case the storm returns.  LN...let's get some pickies posted....LN

Thursday 28th May

Beat the sun and beat the mosque...after a very restful night's sleep.  Took a video of the sunrise but spoilt it by commenting 'come on' but I was concerned that my battery was running out ...and it did but it still worked.  No need to water the garden...there was a tremendous storm last night and everything was more or less washed out but the grass is growing nicely already so I guess I know what I'm doing on Saturday.

Shower, shampooed and realised that I might have a bit of a problem on.  If I was leaving the men today while I went out to play with the Librarian and Mrs D of S I had to get into Djebel and get some cement so that they were able to carry on with their endeavours.  Out with the Beast, over to the men's village, back to Djebel, handed over the money in the shop, cement loaded into the Beast and Bekir went off to get breakfast for us all.  Back home...on with the kettle and settling down to a coffee and breakfast when my compatriots in crime arrived and we were off to town.

First stop Mania where we had lots of bargains, over to the other car park, Mrs D of S into the bank to set up a new account, I got a pair of shoes from the shop next door and then we hit the second Mania.  Sat on the wall and waited for Mrs D of S to finish her work and then off for lunch...chicken wings, chippies and salad with soft drinks. Round the market for tomato plants and I bought a male and female kiwi plant, over to Kaufland, on to Lidl and back to mine for coffee and delivered coffee for my men.  They'd worked really hard today...they wanted to know if the wall had to go up one more layer of blocks and it did, they'd tidied up outside the wall and it looked really good but by the time that I'd got back the men had blocked it off for the cows so I couldn't get out to take photos.

Men home, fire ticking along, supper needed more time so I opened the wine and waited and watched Pointless and Eggheads.  Finished off supper with a Grand Delight double chocolate pudding...delicious.  Going down to the fire now...computer being switched off ...it's been a very damp day.  Hoping for better weather for tomorrow....LN