Thursday 11th February

Five thirty start and not a glimmer in the sky apart from what appeared to be a huge star.  So out with the Canon to take a pickie of it and the battery was as flat as the proverbial and the magnification on the Sony wasn't good enough for what I wanted to capture.  The star looked like two really close together  and I really didn't understand what I was looking at so back to the drawing board Cecil and hope it's out there again in the morning.

As it got lighter the sky was quite magnificent...not any pink in sight.  I managed to take a pickie of the star but to the right of it there appeared to be a dark circle in the sky.  I checked out the lens but there was nothing untoward with it so all answers on a postcard please.  Again that's another one to watch out for in the morning.  

Changed my mind about going into Kardjali.  I did a cost analysis on it and worked out that I would only save two leva per box of juice and it was going to cost me about twenty lev in fuel...so a bit of a no brainer really.  Washed and dressed by nine, on to the PC and played around for a while, went out and surveyed the garden and noticed that I have tulips coming through in the tub on the terrace and a lovely clump of snowdrops in the frog garden.  The garden is at last coming to life but I'm wondering if it's not a little too early...it might all come back and bite us in the bum....it's been known before.  Not a bad day but still that cold wind blowing but I did climb the ladder to the top floor in the little house and went out on to the balcony.  It was really hot in the sun out of the wind so I dragged out the garden lounger and sat out in it for a half hour or so to try and build up a little colour on my face.  England sort of left me looking and feeling grey.  Filled up the log basket and then back into the warm.

Cornflakes for a late breakfast, kitchen cleared from last night, chicken out of the freezer for tonight and settled back down with the book grabbing another coffee.  I snoozed for an hour or so but I woke up feeling cold so I lit the fire and headed for the kitchen to prepare the chicken with bacon, onions,mushrooms and a stock cube and on to the burner with it.  I left it for about forty minutes, put a couple of potatoes on to boil, mashed them and put everything on the top of the big wood burner until I was ready to eat.  It was delicious and had the rest of the apples that had soaked up the brown sugar juice with cream for afters.

A little television this afternoon but I've been sorting out the photos that I dump on the desktop.....it's got really silly and I've decided to get organised.  I noticed lots of small birds feasting on the grass in the garden late this afternoon and managed to snap them.  I think they're starlings and then they took to the electricity pylons before they went on to swoop elsewhere....So...not a very productive day but I've definitely saved money by not going in to Kardjali so that's an achievement in itself...LN....the fire needs attending to so I better do something about it...LN  

Friday 12th February

Stayed up last night to watch Question Time and at two this morning I wondered why I'd bothered.  I've never heard so much waffle and only one person really heard the question and answered it...the rest fudged it.  And when I hear that they've just been awarded a ten thousand pay rise and have the audacity to add that they don't really want to take it but it's been put forward by and independent panel...what a load of nonsense.  I wonder how many will send it back and pay it into the treasury....

Sniffed my way through the night and issued the most alarming sneezes which signify the start of a spring cold.  Slept until seven thirty this morning and the sun was up so I missed it.  Washing on, no fire to get started but cleaned it out ready for tonight but haven't bothered with it, cornflakes and yet again and washed and tidied the kitchen and it was only nine thirty.  Had a small bonfire and waited until it had finished before I pegged out the washing and I sat outside to take my second cup of coffee....When I move I really move but it's nice just to take in the view and the morning sun.

Headed for the little house and tidied off the balcony clearing away the old plaster that had fallen from the wall.  This wall will eventually be plastered in between the stone but decided that the weather wasn't really good enough to strip it back yet.  I'll get workmen lined up first.  Started the next book in the series, had my little snooze, got the washing in and put it away and it was almost time to get out of work clothes and into 'out for the evening dinner with the family' attire.  Stopped off in the village to get some chimney cleaning tablets only next time I'll remember to clean the chimney after I've used one before I light the fire.  Smoke seemed to be coming out of every orifice last time.

Lovely evening...good food and we seem to cover several topics including political stuff.  The three words that they all learnt this evening...west, vest and poison....and that just about sums up our conversations. Home for ten twenty.....house warm or maybe I'm running a temperature with this cold brewing....It was raining hard as I drove home and there were lots of frogs hopping about on the new asphalt...Just after eleven now....I've let them know that I've got home safely...they insist upon it....Time for bed...LN....nothing so far on the agenda for tomorrow...I'll see how the mood takes me....LN

Saturday 13th February

Happy Birthday to my first born...I hope he is having a good day....

Last night I said that there was nothing on the agenda for today and that I would do as the mood took me.  The mood didn't take me...so I went nowhere and I've done very little.  This cold has taken over, I felt really sorry for myself issuing gigantic sneezes and sporting a booming head.  I got through the morning chores, settled down with my book and thought seriously about self medicating but instead I settled to feed my cold with more cornflakes and lunch was tuna mayo on toast....

I did do a little outside clearing off the terraces where the dust from the pile of ballast for the wall building had been whipped up by the high winds but I don't know why I've bothered since we've had gale force winds today and it's still howling now.  I also found some supports for the freesias and tied them up since they seemed to be flopping everywhere but upwards.  I didn't bother lighting the big wood burner this morning, I settled for the little one in the kitchen which did it's stuff until four this afternoon when I got the big one under way.  About the same time the heavens opened and it's still going strong.  

I'm watching the rugby this afternoon...The second match is better than the first....but I think the weather is in their favour.  So it's a short update...I'm about to find the first aspirin of the day....the head is really going strong now and I'm really not good with colds...LN..I think it's going to be an early night, a snuggle up feeling sorry for myself...LN  

Sunday 14th February

Happy Valentine's today to anyone in need of a hug.  I presuming that the Bulgarian postal service is struggling to manage with all the celebrating going on in my village in the next week or so.....

Seven thirty start but I did spend a couple of hours reading in the middle of the night....I was also making hot lemon and orange juice drinks with honey and salt to try to kill off a few bugs that are lingering in the system....I hate colds....The sun was shining and the temperature was very springlike so there were no fires to light but I cleared them both out and set them for when there was a need to ignite.  I went out and got in two lots of logs for the little and big wood burners and was still in my PJ's and was surprised how warm it was.  I left them both out in the sun to warm up before I took them in the house and then settled down to finish my latest Sue Grafton and yet again I was disappointed with the ending....I might have to start sourcing a new series.  Shower and shampoo...my hair was in need of resuscitation....cold don't do much for a woman's crowning glory.  

A late cornflake brunch and head down this afternoon as I realised that my eyelids were falling as I was checking out FB and emails...I intended watching the English rugby this afternoon and slept through.it and only found out the result when I was discussing it on a telephone call from the UK.  I was told that it was a good match ...for England,,,, and will try to catch it on the Rugby run-down tonight.

Lit the fire at five and put some chicken wings into the oven and got settled on the sofa again and started the next book.  Supper ready by six thirty and served up with mayo and some lime and chilli chutney that I found in Lidl....and it's a corker...

So getting ready to dose up with aspirin tonight...I want a complete night's sleep...sneezing, coughing and hacking should be banned between the hours of midnight and six a.m  No photos today...sorry but I never sort of got round to it...LN....Fire, book and bed...LN

Monday 15th February

So again I was on the early shift with my book so it was throw another log on, make my hot orange and lemon drink and back to sleep eventually at five thirty.....why, oh why Delilah.... >

Second rising came at seven thirty which was OK and emptied the ash can to keep the fire going.  On to the PC to check things that have to be checked, on to the sofa with the book and eventually jumped to realising that I had a card to buy and post this morning .  I managed to get dried peas that I'd put inot soak last night into the slow cooker to chug away while I was out.  Up for a top and tail and jumped into my jeans and a jumper and despite the fact that the sun had eventually made its way out from behind the clouds, that prevailing wind was still chill.  I was out in the Beast at eleven ten and went straight to the post office with the intention of buying the card from there but there were so many people in there it was much quicker to leg it down to one of the little shops that I use and buy one there.  Back I went to the post office to write the card and I managed to get it all sorted before they closed for lunch at twelve.  I'd parked up at the top of town so walked down to the market and bought lemons and oranges, went on to my student's parents shop and had an hour or so chewing over the fat.....It had been a while since I'd seen her.

Bought small light bulbs for the standard lamp and moved on to my birthday buddy's parents shop and had a few words with her grandmother.   Back up to the top of town and back on the road and was flashed a couple of times along the road and there were two police cars waiting by the turning to Ustra but the gave me a friendly wave...they know where I live.  I think it's all due to illegals and with Greece being now under so much pressure we appear to be doing our bit.  Rescued the fire yet again, blitzed the peas, fried off some gammon pieces with an onion, peeled a potato and finished off my original pea and ham or rather 'p*ssing ham soup' as it was always known in our house.  Sitting down and there was a knock on the door and poster was there with a bag of goodies for me...four letters and a box which is going to remain unwrapped for the next couple of days.  

Time to go down for my soup.....lovely clear sky tonight and a very bright moon....and it's been a really nice catch up day.....LN....And now a chilled evening...LN

Tuesday 16th February

So I know what woke me up at silly o'clock this morning....it was a coughing fit and I'd got tears streaming down the face and bolting into the kitchen for a glass of water.  While I was up I decided to go for the hot lemon and orange, salt and honey potion and it seemed to do the trick and calm it down.  Unfortunately it left me with a pounding head and I'm convinced that the bugs and virus are having a field day since there's no alcohol batting round the system...might have to start again...I did manage to get a couple of hours in and caught the magical sunrise or not so much as a sunrise more a cloud colouration that disappeared as soon as the sun managed to get high enough.

Didn't have to bother with the fire...the temperature was up in the twenties in the house but I cleaned it out and set it ready for the evening.   I emptied the ash can and did a walk round the garden and lit the garden burning pit to get rid of the rubbish.  I put a load of washing in since there was a warm wind blowing for a change, pegged it out when the fire had finished and checked out the garden and the plants that were starting.  This week's raised temperature has really brought things on.

I took my printer apart this morning and gave it a good clean but I think age isn't on it's side.  I've had it for eight years or more and I think it's the print jets that are worn out.  I found a replacement but they won't deliver to Bulgaria and the cost of getting it to the UK from Jersey and then the onward travel pushes the price up but I can't get the equivalent one here so I might settle for a local second best.  The other one was an A3 one that did double sided printing....it's up in the air at the moment...I'll sleep on it....

My painter came round this afternoon with a battery charger so that I can get Beauty up to scratch again.  I have neglected her lately but the big one is so much more comfortable and considering the miles that I do...it's not an extravagance.  Anyway it's all wired up and I'm supposed to go out and plug it in tonight so that it charges at cheap rate and he's supposed to be coming round in the morning to put it back in the car.

Pea and ham soup with toast for a late lunch followed by black cherries and cream and I think that's me done for the day.  The fire is going gently...it's more for effect than required for heat and it's so comfortable in here tonight.  I'm about to go downstairs and settle in for the night.  If I remember to switch the battery charger on at ten this evening...so be it....if I don't ...damn the expense...I'll do it at the day rate.  As for today.....spring appears to have sprung....LN...keeping fingers crossed it will stay now that the shrubs are budding...LN

hi yes start of spring is here but its febuary...........happy birthday to you.................... hope you get better soon .hope you ok for friday...take your antibiotic/will clear your head  sooner xx
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Wednesday 17th February

Thanks for your well wishes my Librarian....it seems to have lifted quite a lot this morning...it might have something to do that I got very little sleep....

So at two this morning I was reading again since I hadn't got an ounce of sleep in me and that went on until four thirty.  I did managed to get another couple of hours in, got washed and dressed pretty early on and my painter came round at eight thirty to put the battery into Beauty.  It's not that I forgot to put it on charge, the blasted thing made such a noise that I decided I didn't want to cope with any emergencies at silly o'clocks so I felt it best to leave it unplugged.  I explained why I'd done it and he agreed and off he went to work on his father's old house with his brother.

Into the car for ten thirty, dropped off the empty bottles at the garage shop so that they can recycle them with oil, on to Kardjali to discuss how much I can get out from the cashpoint each day with a local bank card, dropped off my glases for repair, Kaufland for a few items and driving over to Lidl I spotted my student's father waiting for a bus to Djebel so picked him up and we did a Lild shop.  I left him in there and went into the electronic shop next door and bought my new printer.  Can't be a**ed trying to clean the old one up.  Dropped off the father, back to the garage shop and found another couple of friends that I hadn't seen for a while.  I stopped off at the local supermarket and bought a couple of Tiramasu gateaux,  I took the birthday card for my birthday buddy round to her grandmother's restaurant and left a cash loaded card for her....back home and my painter was waiting for me and we got the battery back in the car together.  I sliced up the cake, put it on to paper plates with very jazzy serviettes, loaded everything into Beauty now that it was a goer again, dropped my painter home and handed him some cake, drove back to my village delivering cake as I went.  Byser gave me a couple of hamburgers uncooked that I could have for supper and I plonked them on the driver's seat and I forgot about them, sat on them and those two hamburgers were now.  Into the frying pan with them and on to French bread so that we supper sorted and after two slices of cake...I should go through until tomorrow.

Well my birthday is over for this year...I've really enjoyed it in a quiet sort of way.  I love my village and my neighbours and they're really appreciative of anything you do for them.  I need to catch up with messages on FB....some of the comments were really lovely...you forget the impression you leave on people on your journey through....LN...Nothing so far for tomorrow...playing it by ear....LN

Thursday 18th February

Fell sleep in front of the PC last night and woke up at one absolutely frozen.  The fire had gone out and I realised that I'd actually opened the bathroom window and I was sitting in a draft.  Ishut the window, perked up the fire and threw another log on and promptly headed to bed.  What a way to end a birthday.

Six thirty start this morning and yes, the fire was still going so I emptied out the ash from the bottom of it, made my orange lemon drink and got washed and dressed early today.  By nine I was on the sofa reading and munching cornflakes for my breakfast,  Played around for a while with some games, loaded up the log basket and moved Beauty back into the drive after she had spent last night out in the lane.  I heard a strange noise in the under eaves of the little house.  I think a bird has got stuck up there and couldn't find where it had got in.  There's no way I can help it...to all intents and purposes it's sealed....I'll see if it's rattling around tomorrow.  

Next task...to install my new printer.  As I unpacked it I realised that the data cable was missing but fortunately the old one fitted otherwise I'd have been snookered.  It's in, it works but it's a downgrade from what I had before but it was down to lack of choice in the shop.  IJT Direct would not supply to Bulgaria and by the time that I'd have got it into UK from Jersey and over to Bulgaria...it would have made it very expensive.  The only reason that I like Brother is that there are four printer cartridges so if one of the colours runs out...you only change one cartridge.  

Lazy day for the rest of it...the fire's been going all day since the sun hardly came out and it's been damp and cold...more like a November day.  Well stuffed French stick for lunch and no need for supper.  Loads of birds enjoying something from the grass in the garden and later they took to the overhead electricity cables...and managed to stay still when I took a few shots of them...with the camera may I add.  Haciber came round with a letter that arrived to my Avatar's house and she wanted to transfer the responsibility over to me.  I tested out my new scanner and now a copy of it is on it's way to Germany....Nothing to tonight...out for lunch tomorrow with the girls...so blacking boots for the occasion....LN...fire, book and no going to sleep up here tonight...LN

Friday 19th February

Six thirty start and fire rescue duty and as the light came up I realised that the temperature had dropped and it was raining quite heavily.  I had to be ready for just before ten...Mrs D of S and the Librarian were coming over.  They were on time and the Librarian was clutching a box with plants in and a box of chocolates for my birthday and I made coffee and then we walked the garden.  I was hoping to pick their brains and pointed out a cluster of new plants and I'm thinking that they are new specimens of the white poppies that have self set.  We came to an agreement that they probably were so that a lot that now need replanting in different parts of the garden before they get slaughtered by the lawnmower.  

We arrived in Kardjali just before twelve and managed to get into the post office before they closed for lunch.  The assistant was so sweet...she was shy at first but decided that she could have a go at trying out some English on us and I ended up teaching her a few phrases since there were no others waiting to be served,  So my Baba Marta cards are printed and despatched.  

I went in to pay my home telephone bill and I was offered another two year contract only this time for only an extra one leva a month I would get 500 minutes a month to all home phones and mobiles and one hundred minutes a month to UK fixed numbers but not mobiles.  Unfortunately there were no free cash points so I shall have to take it out on another day since my two buddies were waiting on the pavement...such a good deal.  We did the charity shops and shock, horror...I didn't buy anything.  We tried the shoe shop and again I came out with nothing and then over to the restaurant.  The food was brilliant...local meatballs, chicken in cornflakes, lamb skewers, salad and cheesy chips with orange and lemon drinks.  

Over to Kaufland and bought more primulas for the garden, packets of seeds and a few other bits of foodstuffs,  Back to Djebel and into the hardware shop for a smile with the owner and her assistant and I managed to buy an extending handle and tomorrow I'm going to have a go at cleaning my landing windows...the more the sun shines...the moor I feel guilty about them....they are in much need of love and attention.

So off they went, I lit the fire and now it's belting out the hot water into the radiators.  It's not been good weather today...damp and the kind of cold that gets into the bones but at least the rain held off.  The precedent has now been set ...this restaurant is being used for all birthday treats and the other two pay...so I have until October to save up for it but I'm sure there will be more visits before then.  Television is on, I shan't have anything to eat tonight...I'm still stuffed from lunch....so I probably need some carbonated water to get it going down.  I might go into Kardjali again tomorrow to take out the telephone offer...it's too good to miss.  LN...I might see if there is anyone else that want's to come to town to play....LN