Beautiful sunrise

Friday 29th May

Short and sharp tonight...I've just got back from my students after a lovely evening, PJ's on and a little mastika to help my eye lids but I don't think it will take much tonight...

Cold and miserable start and it was lunchtime before there was any of that promised sun.  The men's local shop had run out of Bekir's cigarettes so we were straight into Djebel and the men shot off in different directions but they seemed to come back with what they wanted and Bekir provided breakfast for us all.  I made the coffee and we sat in the yard and about fifteen minutes later there was a shout and Bekir had remembered that they needed a special size wood to create the wooden top for the wall and that could be found in...Djebel where we'd just come from and we also needed a few kilograms of size seven nails as well.  This time we took the Beast so that we could bring the wood back with us and it was ten thirty before there was very much action.  A call was sent out for Semile to bring his tractor and straighten the coiled metal and the promise was made that he would come down after lunch and we're still waiting.  I busied myself with a bonfire and got rid of the tree trimmings that had to be taken down for the wall but I notice that there is still a lot up there than needs to come down which was part of the storm and snow damage and that's a job for the men.  Bekir had his lunchtime siesta despite the fact that there was little heat in the sun and meanwhile Sally got out the back pack pump, mixed up some Roundup and sprayed the area where the little kitchen terrace is going to go.  The weeds had fairly ...or unfairly taken over.

Lots of banging and hammering to straighten the metal for the cement topping....busy keeping my bonfire going and Haciber came round with food, drink and a chocolate bar for the three of us as a mevlit offering remembering her husband's passing.  Managed to get the men in the car and ready for home at six, dropped them off and I'm back to Djebel and over to my student's home for supper.  Remembered to take a melon with me as an offering and there was also cherries and strawberries from their garden.  We really do have some serious and interesting discussions and it's fun to watch the rest of the family join in with some English and they test me on my Turkish.  Home for just after ten and had to confirm that I'd got home safely....into my jimjams and a little mastika to hand and a few messages went backwards and forwards....really nice family.

Tomorrow I have no plans except that I want to remove the stone from the little terrace and get out my reciprocating saw and get rid of some of the wood...it's beginning to bug me now that I can't see the terrace at all.  The kiwi plants (male and female) have to go in against the wall and near to the cranberry so that they'll go upwards and spread....and the idea is to put a seat round the cranberry so that the kiwi doesn't get squashed at all.

And so to bed...just a few pickies of the wall....and two more days and Bekir is on his holidays to Izmir for a week with his sister to a family wedding.  His wife can't go....there is too much work to do.  LN....I'm off to my slumber sack...LN

Saturday 30th May

What a lazy bones I've been today.  It was eight when I woke up nine before I went out on to the balcony to open up shop.  I did a late load of washing last night at cheap rate so that went out onto the balcony on the airer...I was too much effort to walk down the garden and peg it out but there again, it was almost dry.

I used the Kindle to check the morning emails and Facebook but was spurred on to put the big machine on when I was messaged by Mrs D of S to tell me that she had cracked the Daily Mail sudoku in just over seven minutes so the race was on and that was my downfall today.  I tried it online a couple of times, restarted and ended up printing it out twice and eventually managing it late this afternoon.  I wasn't all the time playing it.  I cooked a late breakfast of sausage, mushrooms, bacon, onions with two fried eggs while I know she only settled for a bacon sandwich, weeded one of the flower beds and planted up some of the zinnias from my secret stash under by special tree and in the cow garden as it's now become known thanks to Sally and his imagination creating the vision from the root he dug up.  I also managed to grab a few photos of a stork as it circled looking for new ponds to scavenge and terrorise the frogs and posted a couple on FB.

Bed called this afternoon.  I took the printed sudoku with me eventually finding the solution and then got my head down and woke up at six thirty my time.  I reckon last week fair wore me out...this building lark is hard work.  Not much in the line of food going though my brain at the moment but it might hit me later that I'm hungry.  My brunch was very substantial and it's not that I've been very active to work it off.

Filmon tv going on shortly...not sure what there's to watch but I'm sure I'll finds something to waste some time until bedtime.  I haven't yet managed to find a book series that I'm in to...I must look back on the cd I have for something interesting and inspiring. The evening has turned out to be calm although the wind has a chill to it....thunderstorms planned for the next two day or so...according to internet weather but I'm not sure what Bekir's newspaper has to say on the subject.   I'm going to say LN...time to relax even more....LN

Sunday 31st May

What a busy day.  No Daily Mail sudoku today I thin Mrs D of S broke it with her record time yesterday or I did when I kept trying to solve it.  Any way...let's hope it's up for tomorrow.

Bacon sandwich for breakfast followed by shower, shampoo and nails ready for the baby party at twelve.  Walked down to the meeting point and I was pleased to see that my Avatar was coming along.  Sometimes she side-steps these occasions but because it her close neighbour's son's birth that's being celebrated....she got her finery on.  We sat around waiting for the bus to take us into Djebel and when it arrived it was a fifteen seater so Haciber stopped off at her house and came back with two plastic stools so that no one had to stand.  It was a rickety old bus but we got there and climbed the steps to the restaurant and were given a chocolate and a fridge magnet as a keepsake.  There were about one hundred ladies and children there, no men are invited it's strictly a female thing.  Soup, followed by chicken and potatoes, rice and beef and some very sticky honey buns to finish on.  Plastic bags were handed out for those that couldn't manage to eat it all and the bones went to the cats. All finished by two and back home for two thirty and this time I had one of the plastic stools and was door person making sure that it was shut properly....I have my uses.

So got out the lawnmower and now I have stripes.  It was a little temperamental and decided to give up the ghost two thirds of the way round.  I cleaned the filter but I'm guessing that it needs to dry out properly...the grass is still damp from the downpour the other night.  Cut back the forsythia, cleared bindweed from one of the smaller beds and Haciber came into the garden and gave me a box of Pepper Kokka biscuits that her son had brought over from Sweden for me.  I think they appreciate that I look out for his mother.

The Bee Eaters are back and I spent about half an hour trying to get them in flight to show off their feathers.  Not much success but I did upset a sparrow who I think has nested in the roof when I went out onto the balcony with the camera.  So eight twenty my time....I'm going to try and watch Filmon again tonight but last night it was absolute rubbish....I think too many people had logged in to watch the cup final.  No food for me....lunch sitting heavy....LN....early start for the men so early to bed...LN