Tuesday 1st September

And my guest was snoring his little head off as I went around my morning chores....watering the garden, clearing the bonfire and burning the bathroom rubbish.  I watched the bee eaters swooping and catching their breakfasts and they appear to be gathering on the electricity cables with a view to taking off into the sunset and another life...I'll see you again next year....I put the beetroot that my painter had brought round yesterday into a pan and simmered it as per the instructions and we've had it at every meal for the rest of the day/

There was life around eight thirty and breakfast was the standby of tomatoes on toast closely followed by toast and marmalade and I put forward the question as to whether it was going to be a down day or a day of activity and we decided that it was a day of tranquility.  I did burst forth and tidied the garage ready for the men to put the final coating on the stone wall so that the winter wood can be stored at the back of the garage.  My next job is to move it all from the workshop...or maybe my painter will be doing it for me.  

Lunch was cold meats with the salads and we both took to the kindles this afternoon and snoozed for an hour or so and then it was back to it.  I made my way with the strimmer to the bottom of the garden and got rid of the brambles that were starting up and as my battery ran out....Gouldjan and her sister with her little one appeared and we sat with orange juice and had a special time that you only have with little ones.  He was running around the garden, on to the garden swing and back to the swinging bench...fun time was had by all.  

Supper went in...pork slices with sweet and sour sauce with potato wedges and lots of mayo accompanied by the beetroot salad and tomatoes.  Well and truly stuffed....nine thirty my time and time for a little drink....and a lovely chilled day was had by all...LN

Wednesday 2nd September

Early start for me and the mosque was active from six and every animal in the vicinity joined in the chorus.  I was up trying to get a video of the sounds if not the picture but by the time I'd got the camera the hojja was into the second refrain and the animals had lost interest.  They work on the shortened version.  There were two very bright planets visible before the sun rose this morning and I believe they are Mars and Venus.  I tried really hard to take photos but the magnification worked but then shrunk it down again so that it wasn't really worth photographing.  I really must read the book.....

Up to water the garden after yesterday's really high temperature and it looked as if it was going to be the same today and it was.  It has been in the mid thirties all day and even tonight my skin is leaking like a sieve.  Over to my Avatar's house this morning since I'd offered my guest's services to fix a new lock to her outside gate.  Over we went armed with screwdriver, extension lead, drill bits and managed to get the old one out after we removed the rivets.  Straight into Djebel but by the time we got back I reckoned she'd gone for her afternoon siesta and so we had lunch and then settled in for ours.  My guest took up the lounge and at this point I was still reading so moved onto the sofa in the hall and off I went for a couple of hours.  I woke at five and so off we went to successfully fit the lock and when it came to payment I told her it was a hundred leva and if she hadn't got a hundred then I wanted nothing.  We eventually came to an agreement....six eggs and some potatoes tomorrow.

Just before seven we set sail for my student's house where we were expected for supper and we've had a lovely time with the family.  The lottery cards came out and there were two wins which were reinvested in more tickets and at the end of the day...ten leva a a little fun was had.  Nice drive back through the forest and I noticed the moon on the horizon and it was a really bright orange.  By the time I'd got back home it was a little higher in the sky but I managed to get a couple of shots.  

One mastika and a vodka orange on the go.  Time to sit out on the terrace and enjoy the evening.....A very relaxing day...LN

Thursday 3rd September

So I missed the planets this morning and the sun was up before me.  Out to the garden with the water pipe and over and a telephone call from the Librarian confirmed...it was a swimming day today down at our favourite pool.  It was far too hot yesterday to lie around in the garden...I needed water.  My Avatar was out with the cement again renewing the top on her stone wall and Haciber was keeping her company but away from the cement.  My Painter arrived on the scene but unfortunately I couldn't help him out with a lift...he wanted Kardjali and we were heading in the opposite direction.....

Into the car by ten and picked up the Librarian by ten twenty and it was a little like a Brit's gathering.  Mr and Mrs D of S had decided to have a morning round the pool as a respite from builders and there was a distinct lack of locals so we had the pool to ourselves.  They didn't arrive until much later and it was only a couple of children....the parents didn't get involved...... Brilliant day, superb lunch and we stayed until near four o'clock but D of S was off after lunch to help out the workmen...such a stalwart youth.

Washing done and hung out so that the swim gear is ready for the next time, garden watered and decided on an early update but there might be photos of the moon  later.  I shall be ready for it tonight.  One of the photos today is specially for you Mikey B....the baby pool ....the trout and carp lake, the chalets and restaurant.  So relaxed after a day of swimming and relaxing under a hot sun and for those of you not getting such a good deal out of the weather....I'll blow a little your way.  LN...time for a little beer and it's self service in the kitchen tonight...chef's night off...LN

Friday 4th September

Usual morning but the blasted cats had upset my old burnt tins store and scattered them on the garden....I'm going to lie in wait tonight..  Breakfast was served at just after eight and washing up finished by nine...what a fit lot we are me and my guest....not.  The washing was left out last night so I waited for the dew to evaporate from it and got it in before I lit the bonfire.  Very careful these days ...everything is still tinder dry so you keep the hose to hand.

Sorted out the workshop this morning and cleared the floor of the debris.  My builders have a way of scattering tools on the floor so that they can see what's there and to hand or rather to foot but I just like stuff on shelves ...everything has its place so the new shelving unit is going up tomorrow but it's a toss up if it goes back into the little house workshop or into the new workshop.  The walls need to be cemented over first and the men just ran out of time last year...ah well...in the fall or if not them somebody.

Thirty six degrees in the shade today so there wasn't much activity this afternoon.  We did set to around five thirty though.  There's been a concrete pipe in the yard ever since I bought the houses and we never did get round to investigating what was down there.  I guessed that there might be a water meter clock and after almost tripping over it several time we decided to get the pick axe out and have a look at it.  We removed the top layer and found that there was a stone lodged in the hole, I filled it up with water to soften it up a little and managed to get the stone out and under the stone there was lots of sacking.  After removing that there was an old pipe with a big nut on it...obviously a stopcock type thing and after a little effort we managed to remove the surrounding pipe.  We placed a stone on top of the metal work just to protect it and filled the baby in.  We had quite a giggle about it...for five years it's been there and it's taken that long to remove it...ah well.

Trout in the oven for supper and it should be ready any time soon..... it will be served with Roesti potatoes and garlic in the cavity with lashings of lemon butter....Lovely sunset tonight and the temperature has dropped to about twenty five....looks like being a warm night...LN...I'm back on kitchen duty....and there's a bottle that needs opening...LN

Saturday 5th September

Normal routine but shook my guest out of his bed, stripped it and everything out on the line by nine.  We were in Beauty and into Kardjali by ten thirty taking the down hill route from the next village up from me onto the main Kardjali -Greece road and took a couple of photos of the road on the way down including the stork heading for its feeding ground.  

Parked up and there was a gathering going on in the square but by the time we got there the dancers were finished and the band was just winding down.  I'm not sure what it was in aid of but there were representatives from the local towns with awnings set up and a lot of eating and drinking going on.  We were heading for the machine repair shops to see if we could get a part for a jig saw that is due for the scrap yard if we can't.  No joy today...maybe we have to take another from the graveyard to check them out.  

Supermarkets and ending up at Lidl for a few top ups..the local hardware shop for some new gate hinges and back to Djebel for the coach screws to fix them to the wall.  The washing had found a breeze from somewhere and the under blanket was draped on the hillside but the others had managed to hold on.  Sleep called for the pair of us for a couple of hours...even with the breeze it was thirty seven coming back in Beauty and it didn't seem to get any less.  Out to the garden and there was a tortoise munching what he could find but he seemed to appreciate the water that was standing round the Berberis.  Beautiful night...we sat out with Emula sipping beer and chewing over the fat of the increase in local Kmets.....but why I shall never understand.  We are going to have a digger machine and a lorry to sort out our rubbish dump according to the mayor of Djebel....I thought fly tipping was illegal but obviously not in my village.....I burn all of mine and have no problems.

Into the house by nine and it was eggs mayo with sliced chicken for supper....lunch in town was very filling.  Now a little more to drink and bed calls...a very restful day despite the heat...LN

Sunday 6th September

So I was o count down this morning knowing that I had to get out to my students, bacon and eggs for breakfast and just after nine fifteen I checked my messenger and there was no swimming today.  The young lady was not up to it so it was stand down and slum for the rest of the day.  I'd done the usual like watered the garden and had a bonfire so all those clothes that would have wanted washing had we gone to the pool didn't happen so I stripped my bed and got a good load going and everything pegged out by just after ten.  Unlike yesterday, a raging hot wind took most of it off the line as soon as I'd pegged it out but it was rescued and rehung.

So this morning I was into the workshop and did a general sort of all of the little pots of stuff that get accumulated.  My builders have a habit of saving bent nails, the intention is good but they rarely seem to get straightened out and used...they are off to the nail bed in the garden and should do well round the hydrangea.  Bit of a pickie lunch and I suddenly remembered that I'd asked for my Tarot cards from England and it hit me that I had the cards but no book to decipher it all so I spent the afternoon downloading the meanings of the Major Arcana and reformatting the text and another reason I wasn't out was that it was ticking over at thirty seven degrees again.....much too hot to be doing anything outside.  

The clouds came over so I took a beer on to the swinging lounger and just watched the world go by....there's something really good about this part of the world and the scenery changes all the time.  It's amazing how the sun plays on the mountains and catches the nooks and crannies that you don't spot unless you have nothing better to do.  I put supper in the oven, sweet and sour pork with jacket potatoes and roasted beetroot and went out to water the garden just to top them up with moisture.  I missed sunset but the remaining cloud formations were interesting.  Tomorrow it's supposed to be down to the mid twenties and it will be a welcome change.  Djebel tomorrow since it's market day and I have a couple of letters to get in the post but as for the rest of the day...absolutely nothing on the agenda...nice....LN...I hear a beer calling me from the kitchen...it's a hard life....LN

Monday 7th September

Cloudy. cloudy start and there was a chill in the air...utterly brilliant.  I didn't water the garden...I did have a bonfire and I sat out enjoying the calm and reading until my guest decided to surfact.  As I was about to suggest toast and marmalade for breakfast, the electricity went off so I ended up using the gas to cook bacon and eggs...it's not the weekend but any port in a storm so to speak.

I got my stuff assembled for my bank in UK in answer to their request to prove my existence and right to use their services.  I think they've got a cheek...I've only been with them for twenty years but it's to comply with new banking regulations or so they say.  Into Djebel and the post office for eleven and clutching my receipt for my two letters we headed for the market.  Lovely morning...I don't normally go into town on a Monday but met up with several local friends that I haven't seen for a while and so we caught up with each other.  I am thoroughly accepted here and love it.  

Little bit of shopping in the leva shop, down to the supermarket and home for one thirty more or less.  Made lunch and by this time the clouds had departed and the temperature was ticking over twenty seven and five minutes on the computer and it was a short walk to the bedroom for me from the landing and sleep beckoned......two hours later I was up and at 'em...grabbed my nail varnish holdall and a bowl of water from the kitchen and I was in for a foot soak and pedicure.....brilliant.  Avatar came round and asked if I wanted some of her home-made iran.  I was just applying a base coat to my nails so I suggested she joined me on the swinging bench and her eyes fairly shot up when I got a bit of speed up on it so I slowed it down.  Over to her house and she filled up two Ariana bottles with iran and they're sitting on the table outside since I have no room in the fridge.  Not sure about supper....we're both still stuffed from lunch so a little beer might do the trick tonight.  

There's a chill in the air and quite a cloud base tonight.  I'd suggested that swimming might be on the cards for tomorrow so I better check the weather forecast since I have six bottles of the local beverage to deliver to Mrs D of S....the travelling bottles.  Almost nine my time so I'm about to join my guest downstairs....and a little light reading before bedtime.  LN....it's been a very pleasant day with temperatures that have been comfortable for a change...maybe we're into autumn...LN

Tuesday 8th September

Five thirty start and it was a grim day.  Grey clouds from wall to ceiling and someone has stolen the Greek mountains..they are no longer there.

Guest was up and active and sitting in the kitchen with his Kindle going strong by seven thirty so I was up and at it, watered the garden despite the threat of rain and out to the bread van to top up on essential supplies so that I didn't have to get the car out today.  So what did I do?  The outside intruder light was replaced since the other bastard seemed to want to come on at all hours day and night.  We'd tried to adjust the day/night setting but that seemed a waste of time so the new one should sort out the problem.  It actually was a little precarious with sunshine superman balancing on a wooden stool half hanging over the balcony with my hand half way down his trousers trying to hold on to him should he over balance...As one would say...there would be more chance of plaiting nasal secretions...he's a big boy but we managed it between us.  I've just checked it out...it lights as I hit the gate and lasts for about three minutes which will give me plenty of time to get a key in the door..

So the next challenge today was that the camera battery charger was living a life of its own and only partly charging batteries.  There is new one order from eBay and the postage to Bulgaria is for free...amazing and I've had notification that it's in the post already...

Out to the garden eventually and spread the load of shite onto the underwall garden and got rid of the weeds so one job achieved.  The rest of it is going to be scattered on the flower beds but there is an urgent need for my sheep farmer to drop a load in the lane so that I can cover the rest of the veg patch...my soil is just so depleted of nutrients....but there again is has been so dry for so long that even the worms have deserted us.

In to cook Lidl cod portions for supper with oven wedges and peas and I still managed to cook too many peas that there are always some left...Lots of lemon and mayo and really delicious and followed by some Turkish Kek or cake and adequately stuffed so to speak.

The rain that had been threatening all day eventually arrived late this afternoon and no sooner had I collected up the outside cushions than it stopped and there was a hint but nothing to write home about.  The forecast for tomorrow is sunny and cloud and it depends on the percentages of either as to whether we do the swimming pool thing or not....I'll let you know.  LN...the washing up is in the bowl for the morning...CBA tonight and tomorrow is another day...LN

Wednesday 9th September

Well after a brilliant start after the rain yesterday...it was full on Narnia with the mist clinging to the mountains and I just love it.  Breakfast of toast and stuff and we were off to the Librarians and a day of swimming.  I had to stop off for a beer drop at Mrs D or S's and it was at this point that she said that she wouldn't be joining us for a swim....lightweight just because the weather had changed.

Librarian picked up as arranged and over to the pool and the signs were up for 'No swimming' so we had a coffee and were told that the pool hadn't been cleaned and that it was OK but it was down to us and so in we went but goodness was it cold.  I sat on the edge of the pool with the Librarian and eventually she was in first and I was in closely behind but once you were in the water...it was surprising how soon the body got used to it and we were in there for about fifteen minutes of pure exercise...up and down the pool until we were both knacked.  Lunch beckoned and after that we sat in the sun on the beds and really chilled down.  One thirty and we left the pool and headed for Zlatograd.  I wanted to do the leva shops and head for the butchers and top up my supply of minced meat.  You choose the chunk that you want mincing and the man or woman does if for you but at least you know what is in there.....pure meat.  Dropped off the Librarian, home for six and it was on with the beetroot so that it's ready for tomorrow and out with the equivalent of corned beef and served with toast.  And that was supper...I'd had a hard day too.

Out on the patio watching the world and reading the book of Tarot that my Librarian had found out of her stash...all requests for readings are to be a postcard please....

Lovely day...chilled and calm after the swimming despite the greenery in the pool through lack of cleaning....lovely day in Zlatograd and everything was there that we needed....I so love Bulgaria....LN