Monday 17th August

Lovely start to the morning and while my guests slept...I removed the grass from the flower beds and did a general tidy up.

Emula was lingering to ask if I was going into Djebel but I said that In would be making the decision later on.  Down to the bread van and back with bread and cheesy bread ,,,something to munch on until breakfast is ready.  Looked like the beginnings of a thunderstorm as I pegged my washing out and off we set to see what we could occupy ourselves with for the rest of the day.

Fund out way to the oldest mosque in Bulgaria and was shown round by a very kind gentleman.  The story goes that seven men went off to war and didn't come back so they built the mosque in their memory.    No nails were used in the process except for one that holds the shoe horn to get shoes on after a morning praying.  Lunch at another restaurant with swimming pool and fishing facilities.  As it was we did neither but enjoyed their offerings of other food. Home for five via Djebel where we stopped off for beer to go back to England with my guests....rude not to...the prices are so good.

Supper of sweet and sour pork chops with jacket potatoes and braised cabbage followed by home-made banana ice-cream and I thin we used every chopping device available to man and me to reduce the bananas to the required state.  The washing up is a task for tomorrow and now to say LN....and see what photos to post...LN      

Tuesday 18th August

So I said goodbye to my guests today and I sent them off with a packed lunch which will probably see them back to the UK....English hospitality...

Lovely morning and I watched the sun up but it's getting later.  Shame my guests missed it at six forty....but hey...they're on holiday.  Tomatoes and bacon on toast for breakfast....into the car by nine fifty and off.  I got the washing underway, on to the computer and caught up with the messages on messenger that I hadn't responded to and organised my next few days.  Thursday swimming with Mrs D of S and the Librarian.  The season is drawing to a close so you have to pull out all the stops.

Spent a lot of the time this morning on the telephone and asking why I have to prove my existence to my bank after being with them for over twenty years...doh...and again on to the SORN guys to find out why the renewal certificate had not been received for my Calibra.  Good news in that the SORN  on the car is automatically renewed but I still have to prove my existence to my bank.  I suppose I shall have to translate everything...my electricity bill here hardly looks the same with my name in Cyrillic...

Very lazy afternoon and watched Filmon tv and this evening it was Pointless, Eggheads and back to my normal routine.  I must admit I decided that I would have a bath at four this afternoon, promptly fell asleep and woke up just in time for the TV....my way of relaxing.  The beer was out by three this afternoon and it hasn't stopped since.  

Out tomorrow for supper at my students...not much thought of food tonight...I've eaten for Britain and Bulgaria for the last few days so a few days of abstention will do me fine....Catch up day today with all and sundry...LN...I'll soon be back to normal...LN

Wednesday 19th August

What a morning it was...not only was the mosque going hell for leather but the dogs, cats and anything that could burst forth were ...bursting forth.  Not much change of lying in for much after six thirty.  Normal great orange ball in the sky for starters ...I settled for coffee and out to the terrace to enjoy if and just enjoy the morning.  It's pretty quiet now it's back to being just one.  

Melon for breakfast and again I took that out on the terrace and set about watering.  My painter came round with a few pairs from his garden and offered to resume work but tomorrow I'm out if the weather holds which I doubt it will.  We have severe rain warnings for the whole of Bulgaria and a drop in the temperature by ten degrees which isn't as bad as it sounds.  It will probably be down to twenty six.

Shower and shampoo, on with the bikini and onto the terrace for a top up suntan until it got too hot to be out there so I moved onto the swinging bench.  I was reading for a while but then I thought it was time for a few zzz's and half dozed for an hour or so and a chunk of cheese and a bowl of ice cream later reckoned it was time to catch up on the internet.  The sky was clouding over and there appeared to be rain in Velikdenche which is the next village over and suddenly the heavens opened and so I was out to collect the cushions from the benches and stash them under the terraces.  I was still in my bikini and my goodness....that rain was cold.

Over to my student's house for six for supper and it was good to see the family again.  They have their Istanbul aunt over for a few days and I've been invited to stay with her and I might take her up on it.  The range of topics up for discussion is huge and this is then translated for the rest of the family into Turkish by my student and we really do have a fit of giggles along the way.  Not much success with the lottery cards purchased from her father who works for the post office but the two lev winnings were invested in another card and a big fat zilch....was the final outcome.

So into the car and home for ten fifteen but I tried the internet just to tell them that I'd arrived safely and not got eaten by a bear in the forest and it was down.  I reloaded and just as I'd managed to get on and leave a message...the phone went just to confirm that I was home.  Really caring people.

I think tomorrow's swimming is off but I'll literally take a rain check on it tomorrow.  If it's not good I'm sure the three compatriots in crime will find something to do with the day....LN....Sorry no photographs today...I was too busy taking the sun and me in a bikini...I don't show to the world......and now I'm off to bed...LN

Thursday 20th August

Silly night last night.  I ended up asleep in front of the television and woke up at two watching a film and it wasn't even a good one.  I did catch Anne Robinson's comparing lifestyles and found it very interesting.  Switched the film off without finishing it and it was still a six thirty start for me.

Promised thunderstorms for today which never came to pass.  We almost called off the swimming but decided that if the weather turned by three in the afternoon that we'd still have had a good day in the sun.  Over in the Beast to Mrs D of S for nine thirty, we had coffee and over to the hotel in Motel but we looked at the pool and it didn't look very clean so we piled into the Beast and headed off for the infinity pool restaurant that I ate at the other day with my guest.  We were there for just after ten so settled for soft drinks, checked out the weather and off we went to the pool, down to swimming gear and we were in the water for eleven and we were the only ones in there.  We swam for about half an hour, out into the sun and dried off and got another of the brown stuff on, another swim and then lunch.  I was impressed with the lunch the other day and we settled for more or less the same and it was only me that did the swimming after lunch.

Packed up as the clouds gathered but still so sign of rain by three in the afternoon.  Into Benkovski to pick up bread and basic provisions, ice creams all round and dropped the Librarian off by four.  Carried on to Mrs D of S' above and topped up with coffee to try to breathe some life into us.  It was too late to sleep but with the sun and the swimming...we were very relaxed and sleepy but the coffee got me home safely by about five fifteen.  The Beast is back in the garage and did it in one fell swoop....no toing and froing.  Shopping unpacked and as the wind got up I had to secure the canopy on the swinging bench....I had visions of it ending up in Greece.

Pointless, Eggheads, washing done and it will be dried inside.  There's not much chance of it staying on the line tonight.  Nine thirty my time...I'm not going to sleep tonight in front of the computer....and heading off in ten minutes or so with the Kindle.  I'm determined to finish the last fifteen percent of something that I should have put down long ago but I do stick with it.  

I'm picking the cranberries tomorrow and some are for me and the rest for my student's sister or all for her and she can make the juice for me.  That seems like the easier option.  Nothing else on the agenda so far for tomorrow.  My painter might be round to do the benches and chain saw some of the wood that got gathered as part of the wall building...it's all weather dependent.  LN.....and just a few photos tonight...LN

Friday 21st August

Very cloudy start to the day but I lingered in my pit and suddenly realised that my painter would be here soon so out and up and at it.  I was on the computer when I saw him in the garden looking for me so down I went and it was all action go from his time of arrival.  He has a lovely sense of humour....so we go for what we consider must be 'patented' and we both put up ideas.

The bench was taken apart and the struts of the bench are lined up like soldiers on a firing range and are now covered with 'lac' and they look a darned sight better than they did before and one more bench to go.  I think I got it wrong.  It should have been wood preservative not 'lac' but it will do for this year.  And the second bench gets done tomorrow.  Haciber came round with six pancakes that got put into the kitchen until I could do them justice.  I covered them with sugar and lemon...it was a reminder of pancake day in the UK...

Meanwhile I was busy digging up the plants that I'm watering that are not being productive.  The tomatoes have now been strung up on the cucumber.  It has been so dry and my garden has no substructure that I was watering but to no avail....The cucumbers have gone...the tomatoes have been rejigged and I'm happy with the outcome.  The aubergines have been ditched, the peppers are on their way out, the bean seeds have been collected ready for next year and my garden for this year is not exactly abandoned but it is due for mouth to mouth with lots of animal droppings.  I dug over the beds and tomorrow I'll barrow the cow droppings onto the beds.

So my painter disappeared after lunch so worked a half day and tomorrow he's assembling the bench that has been done today.  The second bench is done tomorrow and he's good value for money.  When he left I closed down the house, took my Daily Mail sudoku to bed and promptly fell asleep for the next three hours.  I think the tiredness at having guests is now coming out along with the high temperatures that take their toll.  Got up and watered the garden and some of the plants were really desperate....but there are less of them now that I've done the cull.

Very gentle evening...television...but the temperature has dropped today to a very comfortable mark on the scale.  Not much on the cards for tomorrow except for my painter who is insistent on reconstruction or destruction of the second bench.  My next guest arrives in ten days....not so much to do this time in readiness....LN....it's been it's own sort of day...LN

Saturday 22nd August

What a very chilled day…and I’m not only speaking about the weather.  I had a really good sleep yesterday afternoon and I was expecting the worst but I did manage to go through until four thirty which for me is good.  Unfortunately it was a bloody mozzie that aroused me from my slumbers so out with the spray and not sure if I annihilated the flying excuse for an existence.  Heard the gentle rain drops from heaven descending so went downstairs to move the bench cushions from the table to the bench under the kitchen balcony so that they didn’t get absolutely saturated.  

My painter arrived as promised but the second bench was just too damp to start on so we put the first one together, together and had an accolade from my Avatar.  My painter was not to happy at his daily rate and decided to reduce it…and I said that it was OK as long as he would allow me to throw in a bottle of beer to which he agreed.  Too wet to work for me so off he went to do some internal painting in the village but came by and asked if he could borrow one of my brushes….Agreement was reached and off he went on his bike.

As for the rest of the day….it’s been so cold that I lit the fire, put on some socks and a sweatshirt and watched the athletics from Beijing.  The highlight for me is following Jennifer Ennis-Hill and Mo Farrar who had an incredible victory over the Kenyans.  Their decision to work as a team didn’t work out….they had nothing in tank to beat him…What a performer.  As for now…the internet provider has decided top pull the plug on the antenna and so I have no connection to carry on with the viewing.  I’m writing this in word and will update later if I get the opportunity.

So bacon and eggs for breakfast, Turkish Pishmania for lunch which is like whipped sugar from the funfair and not sure what supper will be….I’m having to work up to it….LN….as I said …such a relaxed day with the central heating still pumping away…and it’s August…LN

Sunday 23rd August

Well woke up last night in front of the computer and I realised that I was watching Calendar Girls so realising that I knew the ending I switched off and went to bed.  The result was that I woke up at just after eight this morning so grabbed a cup of coffee and legged it out to the swinging bench and took in the morning sun.  Much warmer this morning after yesterday and the need to light the fire.  Checked out the garden and the terraces and I noticed that one of the benches that needs renovation was missing,  I'm hoping that my painter has removed it and has taken it home to renovate or.....it's gone to a new home.  I'll wait and see...all should be revealed tomorrow.

The sheep were making a real din this morning and I think it was because they are hungry and some of them had managed to get out of the field and into the lane where there was obviously food.  There is so little on the hillside because of the hot weather.  Out to the garden and it was a weeding exercise and a removal of the spreading honeysuckle from the new front wall.  It's spread all along the wall and is impeding some of the other shrubs planted there so now has been removed.  The escallonia is doing really well as is the choisya in a very difficult year...it's just been so dry.  The rest of the afternoon was spent watching the world athletics championships and I must admit that a tear fell when Jessica managed to secure the gold medal for Great Britain.  Such a brilliant athlete...beautiful on the outside and also it appears on the inside.  The men's' one hundred meters was billed as the high light of the day and I have issues with this.  I wanted Bolt to win...the American contenders were drug rehabilitates and that disturbed me.  If you are taking drugs to enhance your performance and you know that's wrong...the punishment ought to fit the crime and two years suspensions reduced to one year for assisting the authorities sucks to me.  

Back out to the garden and did a little more on sorting out the grave garden beds and then back in and now the rugby is calling me.  Beans on toast for lunch so there is no need to head to the kitchen yet.  I must admit that I've got the urge to get the chip pan out and the mayo....all will be revealed.  LN...I'm now on to the rugby....LN

Monday 24th August

Well it was a late start for me but no one was knocking on my door to start painting.  So the enigma of the missing bench was solved.  As I was looking at the house in the morning sunlight...I noticed that the bench was in the little house...it has not been stolen.  Now it has to be painted and displayed.

So today I was out in the garden at seven thirty and worked on the garden.  I cleared lots of weeks, found shrubs that were seriously short of water and got to work on them.  The weeds have seriously taken over this year so it's different than it's been before...Worked in the garden until ten...in for a coffee and the out again until twelve and then it got really warm so I was ready to settle in to the athletics from the world championships.  They are not fully watered and the weeds have been removed so that they don't take all the water that is available.

Phoned my daughter this afternoon for an update and got to grips with the UK...I think Christmas in the UM might be on the cards...'ve been away too long. Watched the athletics most of the afternoon and then out again to move the hose so that all the plants got a good watering.  It turned out to be very hot this afternoon after a couple of days of thunder an inclement weather....

So out again at six and the hoses were once more moved around the garden to top the plants up before nighttime.  Supper tonight was fishfinger sandwiches and it's gone down very well...

There is nothing on the cards for tomorrow except that I am out of butter so I might make my way into Kardjali for a bit of a shop....I might make a few phone calls to see if there is a playmate...LN

Tuesday 25th August

Late start this morning but I did make the sunrise with the garden hose in my hand.  I was round the garden with the hose extension making sure that I covered all the bases.  Yesterday was so dry again and by the look of the sky we were in for it again so I wanted to give the rest of the shrubs a chance.

Down to the bread van and there was an altercation that I didn’t understand.  Haciber was attacking one of the other neighbours and wrenching something out of her hand and I hadn’t a clue what it was all about….obviously in internal issue.  I walked back from the van with my loaf and a cheesy bread bun and I sat in my Avatar’s garden and she poured out her woes….I gave a few ums and arghs in the right place and I was home for nine fifteen.  I sat out watching the martins and for some reason there were two back in the nest on the little house and I was fair bombed.

I couldn’t get started this morning.  I’d done my watering….I’d brought the buckets of cuttings out with the intention of potting them up but they remain in the buckets.  It was hot today and as the temperature rose I moved inside and by two my time I was watching the World Athletics run up.  I got a telephone call from the UK and chatted for a while and then another from Ms D of S asking if they could come round for coffee.  Mr D or S is over for a holiday, white as you like and carrying a little more weight than he left with.  He is obviously having a more sedentary life than he had here.

So congratulations to Mr Rutherford for achieving the gold medal.  Unfortunately I think he will be spilling some beans when he gets back to the UK.  Such a shame but it’s a difficult time for athletics with all of the drug revelations.  

Lovely warm night again…sunset beat me again but it was good having friends round today and doing the tours once more and catching up on local gossip. Thursday could be a swimming day and Sunday could be a day of local traditions in one of the villages near here.  Roast chicken for supper and now back to the television…LN….a very relaxed day…LN

Wednesday 26th August

Again I was awake before the sun came up and as I looked out of the window I couldn’t fail to miss the one cloud on the horizon being lit up like a halo.  About a minute later there was another light making its way across the sky and I assumed it was a plane.  We don’t get many going in that direction at that time of the morning but I didn’t stay out on the balcony long…there was a distinct chill in the air.

I sat out with a coffee on the swinging bench and just took in the morning.  It was so calm and there was real heat in the sun when it got up there.  I watered the shrubs just to keep them topped up and at eight I saw my painter heading up the road on his bike so he obviously had work.  Decided that today wasn’t the day to do nothing so I took the second bench apart, put the screws and nuts and bolts into a jar with a little oil in it, it will get rid of the rust and make it easier to put them back in when it’s reassembled.  I was sitting out in the sun taking off the old lacquer with a shard of glass which is the way that I always used to do it.  At just after twelve thirty my painter arrived and he’s round tomorrow morning to carry on my good work.  He showed me a soup tureen that he’d bought from the lady he was working for and at five leva it was a bargain.  So off he went with another bottle of his beer from the back of the garage and at one I settled in for the athletics until I heard the gate go and Gouldjan arrived with her boyfriend and her nephew in tow so we sat out on the terrace with glasses of apricot juice and discussed some of the plans that they’d made.  A long way to go though before they tie the knot.

Cold chicken for supper and I attacked the ice-cream from the freezer left over from when my guests were here.  I’m finishing off the apricot juice with a little gin and topped up with tonic water….it makes a change from the beer.  Swimming tomorrow so once I set my painter to work…I’m off.  I might be picking Mrs D of S up on the way alternatively she might be on waitress duties keeping the workers supplied with coffee or it if’s really hot…beer.  Nine ten my time and it’s going to be an early night for me…LN….that weather looks good for tomorrow…LN