Monday 8th June

Caught the morning sky but not much to write home about.  There was a hint of pink but nothing else.  I was out to the garden with the intention of making a name for myself but it was the sort of day where it was better to be inside than out so I came in and made breakfast.  I got involved in one or two conversations on messenger and it was eleven thirty before I knew it and so I got dressed for town and took Beauty in to check out what was really wrong with her.  The rattling had finally got through to me so into the garage, over the inspection pit and I went down to join my student's father to investigate underneath the car.  I'd broken one of the armatures and this was the noise that I heard when I went over bumps.  So two new ones ordered and they came down on the bus from Kardjali, fitted and repaired by three thirty that afternoon.

So the other part of my quest in Djebel ws to go to the Architect's office in Djebel to see what they intended doing about the bus shelter that had moved it's position in the storm.  I'd printed off the photos that I'd taken and the reception I got from a blond headed lady was far from acceptable.  She screeched that she couldn't understand me and I was convinced that she wasn't trying and eventually a man joined in the conversation to see if he could help out.  I thanked her for the help she had given me, my tongue in my cheek and eventually another man appeared who tried to speak English to me.  I showed him my photographs of the resited bus shelter and he said that it would be necessary for the department to come out and survey the scene so I'll wait and see with baited breath.

Home for five having stopped off at the supermarket and bought a chicken so straight into the oven with it.  Haciber came round and asked me ifIcould reconfigure her telephone settings so that she could only see the clock giant size on the screen and I didn't managed to work it out.  Supper was delicious served with jacket potatoes....A full stomach desires rest and I fell asleep in front of the pc and have just woken up...and now it's time for bed.  LN.....too late for photos...tomorrow is another day....LN

Tuesday 9th June

Cramp woke me up and I was hobbling around and trying to stretch the tendons....Don't you just hate it when that happens.  Morning was nothing to shout about and I couldn't decide if it had rained or not but it was not good enough to peg out the washing at cheap rate electricity.  Meany me!!

I had a message that threw me on Messenger so I wanted to go out for the day.  I messaged Mrs D of S and we arranged to meet and would she have the kettle on..and she did.  I took over with me my fisherman's smock to collect the dust, a pair of rubber gloves and a scraper to help her out with one of the rooms she was working on but as it happened ...she didn't want to get me working.  We went off to the local village, hit the market and the local shops and on to a local hotel and ordered lunch.  Lovely food and it was a place that she hadn't been before...success.  We shared a pizza but no way would she share her chips with crumbly cheese...so we didn't.  Two portions were ordered.

We sat there and chewed over the fat and then over to her garden and we carried on.  We have had a lovely day...and on Thursday...we will carry on with our sojourn.  As for tomorrow...the mastika is on for tonight and she had a bottle of beer on the go... lovely day and evening.  Last might on my way home I stopped off and chatted to men that are renovating a house in the village.  They have done a really good job on the property and worked really quickly on it....They've got another twelve days or so on it so maybe they can help Bekir and Sally out with the wall....who knows.....LN...

Wednesday 10th June

Went through until six thirty this morning and it really couldn't decide it it wanted to rain or not so I was out to retrieve the washing.  Up to the bathroom with it and onto the airer and then it could please itself.  No breakfast this morning...I wasn't in the mood and then it was out to the garden firstly to burn the house rubbish and then to get rid of the branch and tree cuttings left over from the wall clearance.  

It's been a gardening day to day.  The damp warm weather has made the weeds spring up everywhere especially in the newly created gardens.  Most of the established ones have been cleared several times this year but the I headed for the rose and honeysuckle garden and really gave it a good going over.  The sun did come out briefly and I worked up a bit of a sweat but am still wearing a sweat shirt and not a t-shirt.  I hoed the vegetable garden and planted an old dead branch in the top garden as the sweet peas were starting to come through hence the dead branch to resemble pea sticks.  Unfortunately, haven't got any photos today as it really started to rain and it was just too damp out there to show anything at it's best.

A slight mishap in the kitchen tonight.  I'd peeled the potatoes to make chips to have with the cold chicken, went to pick up the chip pan and it tipped over and I lost about half a litre of oil on to the kitchen floor.  What a mess...I used up about three quarters of a kitchen roll clearing it up.  Unfortunately I only had about a fifth of a bottle of oil left in the bottle so I sort of made chips but they were more shallow fried.  And now it's really coming down but I've just been out to lock up the workshop and I have fireflies in the yard again.  They just make you jump when they suddenly flash.  So half nine for me....I want an early night tonight, it's a girls' day out in Kardjali tomorrow...I think it's a trip for the Beast.  LN....a little time with a new real book....it might draw me in...LN

Thursday 11th June

Now this really is going to be a quick update.  The thunder has been rattling around since round about two this afternoon and I want to get it done before we lose the electricity or I lose connection to the internet.

Six thirty start this morning and straight through and felt better for it.  Hair washed and showered and out with the girls today.  Switched the cars around as we were taking the Beast out for the day, sat and had coffee in the sun when they arrived and it was a tour of the garden to see what what new out there.  Of we set at about ten, up to town for just after ten thirty and Mrs D of S to sort out internet banking and the Librarian and myself into the shoe shop and then on to the cheapy clothes shop.  Bit of a joke really...I found a dress that I thought Mrs D or S would like and it was a bit like a mother buying for a daughter and my intuition was right.  She tried it on, perfect fit and purchased in quicksticks for little money.  I picked up a canvas handbag, a blue over top and a very fine cotton pink blouse for the princely sum of seven lev...

Kaufland for my hedge trimmers, almost bought a pair of sun loungers but the offer had finished despite the advertising material and they wanted twice the price so they were told in no uncertain terms where they could put them and it wasn't on the terrace.  The advertising was clear...just out of date....poor data management.  Lunch was hot dogs and chippies and three of us ate for seven lev...not bad for a snack.

Down to Lidl and hit the reduced bargain basement and topped up with potatoes and veg, back to mine for coffee and we sat and watched the storm brewing and it hasn't stopped since.  The heavens opened around four so no need to water the garden at all today.

Went over to see my Avatar to give her some apricots that were on offer at Lidl.  Her son was barbecuing some three month old calf and it was delicious with her home made bread.  I'd got chicken wings in the oven, I asked if there was any smoke from my roof and she insisted that I rushed back and so I took four out of the pan and returned and handed them over.  That's what I love about this village...it's give and take.

So now I'm going to wrap up ...the storm is coming back over the top...LN...nothing planned for tomorrow so if the weather is still like this it could be a sewing day...providing we still have electricity...anyway for now...LN

Friday 12th June

Woke up at six and noticed that the sun was up and shrouded in mist so obviously grabbed the camera and caught it.  As it broke through it was really pretty as a picture and almost looked stage set.  Washing in, washing out and felt that there might be a chance of rain later but it turned out to be a really good day.

Noticed this little black lizard on the terrace as I was going down to the bonfire and so again I had to get him.  The word skink came into my head and he really was a slow mover but perhaps he hadn't warmed up enough to run.  I Googled him and came out with a blue tongued skink but I really didn't get that close...not to check out the colour of his tongue.

Pottered in the garden and dug up the broome.  It has really suffered in the snow and a lot of the branches were doing nothing on the growing front and starting to turn yellow.I've pruned it severely and have managed to take several branches with hardwood and they're going in tomorrow to see if I can get some going.....and replanted the remains of the bush and it has two chances.  The roots looked alright ....we shall see.  Also edged the long flower bed and got rid of most of the weeds.  The couch grass is the worst...the roots go like wild fire and are a good match for the bindweed.  Tomorrow I have to finish it off, plant some more zinnias and marigolds and then I only have the frog garden to sort...this rain just makes it all go wild and if the weather is good and it dries it out....lawn needs doing again.

Over to my students and took the Beast and their kitchen is still in the throws of renovation but it should be fixed this weekend.  Home for ten thirty and I have to send them a message to say that I'm home safely but coming back through the forest was a little slow.  The road builders if I can call them that have taken the surface off a lot of it ready for the new asphalt and it's down to bare earth in places...but better that the flaming big potholes that knackered Beauty's suspension.  Off to bed....I have a new lot of books on the Kindle...le's see if I can get stuck into a series...LN...I'll keep you updated...LN

Saturday 13th June

Well it is the 13th and I've had a heck of a job trying to get his posted tonight...Let's hope this is a success or I shall scream and you'll probably hear me......

I missed the sunrise this morning...it was up before me and what a day it's been.  It's still twenty eight degrees tonight so it looks like being door open tonight on to the terrace.

Showered, shampooed by nine, I'm off to the send off ceremony today for Crava Mush's wife who died a month ago.  I was invited to the house along with the world and all its friends and when I look around there are a lot of old ladies who are probably asking themselves who's next.  I got my headscarf out and had it round my neck in a way that I can pull it onto my head in a backward headscarf...and it worked.  I arrived just after ten and we sat outside the house waiting for the hojja (or top prayer man) to arrive.  The three rooms were packed, two for the ladies and one for the hojja and the men and we all sat on the floor except for the odd few that managed to find a seat.  Now getting down is OK, getting up is OK but there comes a point where your bum goes numb and you try to squish around to get a little more comfortable and it hit me about an hour into the proceedings.  I'm getting used to these occasions but I was not with my usual gang so I didn't join in the chorus and wipe my face at the appropriate times.  You firstly get your drink of clove flavoured cherry juice which I must learn how to make, you get a serviette and just before they're going to wind up you get rice with meat or liver, a yogurt drink and a small cake.  The hojja then winds up again...a few more prayers...a lot of 'Amin's, we all stagger to our feet and home we trot normally clutching a bag of rice and stuff to take home.  I was handed two bags, refused them on my behalf but was ordered to take it to my Avatar who had got guests so hadn't made it.  I find it a very safe atmosphere to meditate in....lot of like minded people and being the only non-Muslim there...I feel very privileged that I'm accepted as one of them.  A few speak Bulgarian but mainly Turkish especially the older ones but I manage.

So home and stripped down to working gear and planted out a version of honeysuckle that I came back with last night from my students.  I tried to start the lawnmower but it was having none of it for a while.  I cleaned the filter, given up as a bad job, came inside and added some tonic to last night's wine and thought I'd give it one last try and it started.  Managed to do a few ups and downs and sideways and the blasted thing failed at the third hurdle.  Tomorrow's task is to strip it down unless I get a call that there is water in the pool at the Librarian's village and it will be down tools and diving in at the deep end.  The weather's supposed to be really good tomorrow.

No photos of this morning....it seems wrong to take them....but some of this afternoon in the garden.  Lovely evening and this is what summer should be and the starlings are going their aerial acrobatics and it amazes me how they avoid each other.  So, I'm about to see what I can find in the kitchen.....I know I have slices of salami type ham.  I'm off to be creative...LN

Interested to see you mention language - one of the nurses I met last week was Bulgarian , and said she had visited near Kardjali and found herself feeling a stranger  by the number of Turkish speakers. At least I know now how to say Kardjali  but I hope I spelled it right! Just checked - OK!

Sunday 14th June

Quite right Jean but it's normally the older folk in the villages that speak Turkish.  All official business is conducted in Bulgarian but there has been an influx of original Bulgarian families that moved to Turkey when the Bulgarians put pressure on them in the late eighties.  A lot of those receive a very good Turkish pension when they're in their fifties so are coming back to renovate village properties or their children are especially if they have been working abroad and earning good money.  I think it's more natural for them to speak Turkish but some of the locals do try to communicate with me in Bulgarian....but it leads to an interesting life at my age...

Now one from last night that was too late for the posting.....

Sunday continued

What a productive day.  I had the intention of finding a swimming pool but it's finding one with some water in.  The weather has been so bad that nobody has filled them up yet but after the last couple of days where it seems to have settled down...many next weekend.

So having said that I went in search of jobs to do.  I was sorting out some of the winter clothes from the bathroom pull out drawers and took them into the bedroom.  Now you know that I get a small problem with one or two munchies that were in the beams before they were in my house so out with the brush and the gas fluid that's been recommended to me and I ended up painting the beams and I'm hoping it will sort out the problem once and for all.  Apparently though you have to do it each year but it didn't do my lungs any good so I'm hoping it will annihilate the beasties.  Having finished my bedroom I moved into the third bedroom, took down the hanging clothes rail and painted those beams.  It's made a mess of the bedroom, the bedding is sitting on the landing, the clothes are all over the beds, the floor needs cleaning now that I've been into the corners and I need some more furniture to finish off the bedroom.  My material is in an old green outside storage box that I acquired...it's time it went.

Having taken the water pipe down that the clothes hung from, the next job was to clear the old cement from it so that I can get it painted tomorrow so that it can go back up.  It was a quick job to get it up but now it will go up properly,  I've put one of my outside chairs from the corridor outside and it was good to sit in comfort out on the terrace.  I've also cut up the wood to make a leg rest/table to use with the outside chair so that I can stretch out and that will get done tomorrow.  

So just after eight my time....the men are back tomorrow to carry on with the wall so it's back to normal.  I'm going to have another go at the lawnmower tomorrow morning and if I can't get it to fire and stay going I'm going to take it into Kardjali for a service.  It is three years old and works its little socks off all summer so it deserves a holiday.  Meanwhile...the strimmer will have to earn its keep.  Not really in to food...it's too hot tonight.  Lunch was a huge slab of Brie with cheese biscuits and it seems to have wedged solid in the gut so I think I'll be fine until tomorrow.  LN....I have to sort out the downstairs bedroom, I'm moving in...LN