Thursday 21st April

Five thirty start and not quite sure where the morning went,  There was no internet.  It had gone off last night when I was half way through one of the cookery programmes but I stoically switched the machine off and took to my book.  I was really tired last night....I'd done a lot in the day and only managed to eat two of the three turkey burgers that I'd cooked so that was breakfast.  I managed to telephone the internet company and by eleven it was back on.  Apparently they are moving servers and in my case it was down....my student's mum is having issues that it's up and down like the proverbial bride's nightie.

I've planted out the shrubs that were in need of love and attention and to do that I had to dig out under the wall and remove some more of the bushes.  It's looking good but I'm not going gungho on the bushes and trees...it has to be done slowly and surely...you can't really superglue them back on if you decided that you want them back.  I did say that I enjoyed this creative gardening but it was wearing a bit thin today.  Nearly there though...there shouldn't be so much debris from the final wall and that hedge is established anyway.

I came in at three for a cold drink ...got my head down for an hour or so....back to my book and was out there again at five.  I cleared up the debris and had a bonfire to get rid of the polythene that I'd discovered digging out under the wall and also a babies crib....don't ask.  They must have missed it or covered it up again when the wall went in.  Eventually came in just before eight....that's the problem with the light nights.  I just missed the sun going down and the moon was very pale when it first came up but it's a lovely specimen now.  You can see so much detail with the naked eye but the camera seems to lose it.  Perhaps and even longer lens might work...I'll have to investigate.

So my guest arrives tomorrow....so morning in the garden, shower and Kardjali for about three thirty depending on which bus he manages to get on from Sofia....Better start writing him a list of things that need doing.....LN...Where was that pen and paper...LN

Friday 22nd April

It's going to be a short one today.  It was the usual run of the mill stuff this morning.  My washing was out by eight, the bonfire lit by eight fifteen and I grabbed the garden fork and decided to weed the larger of the frog beds.  The shrubs are doing well but the bindweed and chickweed have gone wild so an attempt was made to tame it.  I came in for breakfast and it was three eggs scrambled and that kept me going until tonight.  Back out to the garden again and did the little frog bed.  My guest had phoned at seven this morning to say they were just about to board the plane and the next phone call was to say that he was sitting on the bus at twelve and it was about to leave.  This then meant that I needed to leave home at just after three this afternoon and so I filled the time heaving the lawnmower about and strimmed the flower beds.  And doesn't it look good.

I had five minutes in the sun and waited for the grass trimmings to dry so that I could brush them off my leggings and socks.  I'd completed the job without the box on the back so got covered and next time I must remember to wear safety goggles.  It was hell out there.  Shower, shampoo, hair dried and into the Beast by three ten and arrived at the bus station by three thirty and I beat the bus by ten minutes.  Suitcase into the Beast, over to the coffee shop for five minutes and then the onslaught on Kaufland and Lidl and home for about six thirty.  Picked up a couple of rib-eye steaks from Lidl and they were delicious and I served them up with mushrooms, fried egg and chippies.  The wine came out and I still chose to abstain and stuck to the apple juice.  It's all a matter of choice.  So tomorrow it's Kardjali again....my painter needs to go in to stock up his larder and since he won't take any payment for the jobs that he does for me....I get my own back iin my own sweet way.  Slo it's down to the bus stop for nine thirty in the morning....let's see what we can find him in the cheapy clothes shop...LN...I'm down for my guest and five minutes before bed time...LN...and the camera will be out tomorrow.....

Saturday 23rd April

Five thirty start this morning  and read for a while and then went back to sleep with the light still on.  Second awakening was at seven thirty so down for coffee taking it very quietly while my guest snored gently in the downstairs bedroom.  I went outside and sat for a while, came in to refresh the coffee and at eight fifteen made tea and delivered it bearing in mind that we'd arranged to pick up my painter for a trip to Kardjali.  I know how long it takes my guest to come round to morning activity.  

Into the Beast at nine twenty and at the allotted meeting place as agreed and off we settled.  My only problem is that I'm now having to translate what's going on and I sometimes forget the English word for it....challenges I enjoy....we'll see.  The programme was set out by my painter.  He wanted to look for a industrial type strimmer so we did the round of shops but I suggested that he tries mine out to make sure that it does the job that he wants it to do so today way purely exploratory and it was successful.  So into Mania and two shirts for the boys and a handbag for me...three leva and you can't turn your nose up that.  We walked back to the car, I popped into the shoe shop and came out with another pair of casuals and then on to Kaufland where I spied the flower 'hospital' and decided that they would me more suited to garden since they were all fantastically reduced in price and wanting only a little love and consideration.  Last stop Lidl and then home via the dirt road...it does take kilometres off the journey.  Painter dropped off and we've arranged to take the strimmer down in the morning to attack his garden....watered the flowers well and they're looking better already....chicken wings and jacket potatoes in the oven, washing done and dried since we've got back and even started weeding the garden.

Six thirty my time and supper is more or less ready.....It's an early update tonight and it might just be a night for a glass of the red stuff....to help supper go down.  LN....I'm going to take in the last of the sun...LM

Sunday 24th April

So we were both absolutely knacked last night and there was snoring coming from the downstairs bedroom by nine fifteen.  I managed to stay awake until eleven but even so I was up and awake at seven and the sun beat me to it.  I took my coffee outside and was surprised to see that my guest had woken up and was sitting reading in the kitchen by seven thirty....and for those that know him it was almost a first.

Bacon, fried egg and bread for breakfast and I'd tidied away by nine and it was out to the bench for the second cup of coffee but there were a few drops of rain so the bench was moved under the bedroom balcony and we sat there until it was time to leave for my painter's house with the strimmer.  The cutter replaced the chord and it was a training session in the use of while I stayed quite clear.  His wife was there and it was the first time that I'd met her and we were presented with cakes made that morning and cranberry juice that they had made.  Unfortunately I'm not sure that the machine will do the job that he wants it to do....he thinks he's getting too old for using the scythe and thinks that this will replace it.  

Back home for twelve thirty and I set about repotting some of my plants and taking cuttings.  I cleared out all the old pots and mixed the compost with new stuff to give plants a better start.  I forgot to mention that my guest brought me over a root of jasmine but without leaves.  I planted it up yesterday as soon as he gave it to me and it's already put out a small branch and the leaf is forming.  You just can't buy some of the shrubs here.  By two the heaven opened, the thunder crashed and lightening flashed.  The temperature dropped and so it was light the fire time and settle down with a book.  The sun did break through again and there was a complete rainbow ...so nice to see...and so tempting to leap into the field and start digging away...

A supper of cold cuts with home-made potato salad....very adequate and nine my time and almost time for bed.  The sky has really clouded over again and no hint of the sun tonight.  Quiet day again tomorrow....supposedly sun and thunderstorm around again.  LN.....I am still an alcohol free zone....LN

Monday 25th April

Up at six thirty, coffee and back to bed with my book until I realised that a visit to the bread van was sorely needed.  I'd bought the last lot from Kaufland and after a day it really needs replacing.  I did come back with two cheesy breads for breakfast though...saved any effort on my part.  The ladies asked about my guest and I said that he was still sleeping and that there was a gentle snoring coming from the bedroom....which most of them have forgotten about so I was awakening old memories for them.

The breakfast went down well and I was out to the garden and it's been a day of weeding and digging around the base of the special tree.  Lots of old builder's rubble had been dumped at the base of it and I wanted to give a couple of new shrubs a fighting chance and then came the standing stone.  It was a huge chunk of concrete that took me ages to dig out and I toyed with the idea of leaving it half exposed and then abandoned the idea.  I might do it down the bottom of the garden.  Planted up one of the very leafy jasmine and a rooted juniper horizontalis and one more under the hig trees against the wall.  We came in for lunch, messed around with water bottles and siphons that didn't work properly and due to the drop in temperature it was into the lounge with the Kindles and it was sleepy time for both of us.  I woke up at four thirty, grabbed a coffee, lit the fire and now I'm about to do a chicken and leek something with pasta.  Domestic goddesses...eat your hearts out.  

The skies have been amazing today....I love the variances between the blue and the different hues of greys...there must have been at least fifty shades of it.  The house is smelling delicious of jasmine and gardenia and they are far enough apart to be able to differentiate between them.  Kitchen calls....and tomorrow Djebel for starters for a new fork handle and no jokes please...or Kardjali if we don't manage to find one.....LN....I'm kitchen bound...LN

Tuesday 26th April

Rain. rain go away, come again another day....but it didn't.  Well it did briefly but it was back by six this evening.  I hit the sack last night at about twelve after my afternoon escape to snoozeland and I had to get up and close the curtains, the storm was raging and the lightening seemed to close for comfort.  I've never been one for standing out on the balcony and watching the lightening zig and zag on to the hillsides.  I think we lost power for an hour or so...the timer on the boiler had to be reset this morning.

So up by six thirty and not a mountain to be seen and all I could hear was the steady drip of the rain on the balcony rail...I really must replace the pink sock that breaks its fall from the roof.  The said sock became a casualty of the last storm and fell onto the downstairs terrace but it's now washed and ready for action.  Back top bed with my coffee....there must have been a sunrise somewhere but definitely not here.  Breakfast was yesterday's cheesy bread fried up along with bacon and eggs and it went down well and the rest of the morning was filled with a load of washing, the Kindle and Angry Birds....it was too wet for anything else.  By lunchtime it had eased so we got in the Beast and headed to Kardjali clutching the list.  I put the empty bottles ready to take with us and forgot them so we carried on to the garage and I got the tyres checked and an old car spring for making my next garden wood sculpture so watch this space.  

On to the hardware shop and bought some more clay flower pots for the patio.  They are just as cheap as the plastic ones, look better and last longer so why not.  Into the second hand clothes shop and I found a couple of pairs of long shorts and a duvet cover to make new covers for my outside furniture at a silly price and over to the next one and I found a body warmer for my guest since he'd though that he wouldn't need one....'nuf said.  Late lunch of hot dogs, chippies at Kaufland, back home for five.  I washed the things that we'd bought, lit the fire and we both settled down for an hour or so.  No photos today.....it's been a dull old day and the rain looks like it's set in for the evening.  The lights have just flickered....there must be a storm somewhere and I hope it's heading away and not towards.  I'll take shots of the pots tomorrow and of the new creative endeavour....LN...Now going to think of something for supper....wish me luck...LN

Wednesday 27th April

Really good sleep and woke up at seven but no hills were alive with the sound of anything....well...no hills...only mist.  Read for a while before I headed down to get my coffee and the drawing of the big curtain that separates the lounge area from the huge windows woke my guest up...not my fault...it's morning.

Breakfast was tomatoes on toast and by nine I was washed, dressed, washed up from breakfast and went out to start the bonfire and what a let down it's been today.  The sun eventually came out but the wind was very chill so it's as well that the bonfire didn't get going properly...I could have said goodbye to the village.  So my trusty English garden fork has a new handle thanks to my guest.  It's al little bit taller than the other but I suppose I could stand in a grow bag and keep my fingers crossed...and the rest of the day was taken up with pottering.  I chopped down some more of the wild hedge that growing along the long wall and that's the stuff that I was burning or at least trying to.  The rest of the little bushes have had all of the  thick branches cut out of them and they are going to be made into topiary balls which should amuse the locals.  I tried to explain it to my sheep farmer when we had five minutes over the garden wall but it doesn't come into there reasoning but he did complement me on the state of my garden saying it looked like a 'stadium'.....hard work achieves results.

Just finished supper and tonight we had a pork tenderloin with sweet and sour barbecue sauce with jackets, peas and carrots.  The rest of the pineapple we finished off with fresh yoghurt for the healthier and cream for me... Only a couple of pickies.....I didn't get round to it...that's what guests do for you.....Free agenda for tomorrow so far.....we'll see how it pans out.  Kitchen finished, time for book before bedtime....only two left in the series Kathy Reich's series....LN...time to find another series...LN

Thursday 28th April

What a silly night.  I was falling asleep on the sofa last night so I took myself to bed and was asleep by ten thirty.  So far so good.  I didn't draw the curtains, there was no storm in the offing and I'm not normally disturbed by the moon but I was wide awake at one and looked up and there it was....really bright orange and it was definitely a photo-shoot opportunity...couldn't miss it.  So out on to the balcony I went ...I tried to photo the stars...there were just so many of them...it was impossible....I need a new camera.  It nippy out there and I was soon back into bed but there wasn't an ounce of sleep in me and I ended up with Angry Birds and Kathy Reich.  Eventually at four this morning I managed to get my head down yet again until six thirty.

Breakfast of bacon and scrambled egg and I was determined this morning to get that fire going....and I succeeded.  I carried on digging up the wild plums and cutting them really low to make my topiary balls, quick hard boiled eggs for lunch with mayo and then back to the garden again.  I scattered some seeds on the little grave garden and we'll see what manages to come up.  Out with my trusty strimmer and cleared round the grave garden and down to the bottom to finish the end of the long wall when tragedy struck.  I broke the cutter carrier plate and so into Kardjali and Lidl and I managed to get a new machine.  On the upside I now have two batteries so can do twice the work.

Supper was liver and onions with mashed potatoes but I had to compromise on the gravy....no Bisto.  I managed to concoct the equivalent of Swedish meatball gravy using flour, butter and OXO cubes  and I shall do it again...very complementary to the liver.  There wasn't much of a sunset...there was too many grey clouds lingering.  Not sure what the weather is supposed to do tomorrow...I prefer to wait and see...I'm not on holiday.  So fire going...I can hear it crackling downstairs ...either that or the house is on fire.  Nine o'clock my time and feeling OK tonight....it must be the liver...I should buy it more often.  LN.....I'm about to settle in with my book....another twenty percent outstanding...LN

Friday 29th April

Caught the sky just before six this morning after a good night's sleep.  Out on to the balcony with the camera but as for actual sunrise, the clouds had come over and it was a bit of a let down,  And that's how it's been for the rest of the day.  The clouds haven't lifted much, we've had dribs and drabs of rain but nothing to really write home about.  It didn't stop my exploits in the garden....I've cleared more of the long wall rough area  and my guest got out the big strimmer and cleared the grass from the base of it and also under the short stone wall.  He was a bit hampered by the debris that had been thrown down there by the men when they were building the wall but now at last I can see it and just need to clear away the half concrete blocks and old yellow stone.  I've had a good day ...not sure of my guest.....I think he's a little frazzled tonight.  I also managed to weed the veg garden and intended sowing beans and more carrots since the ants seem to have devoured the original seed layering....I think I'll put the beans near the ant nest and see if they can carry those beasties....

We had a good breakfast and a very late lunch so we're not really in the mood for much tonight which is just a well....I'm not really in the mood for heading into the kitchen and being creative....So on Good Friday we had a good day.....and tomorrow we might just take the Beast out and find something interesting to do...time to get the maps out.  I'm going for a little Filmon...I'm getting withdrawal symptoms...LN...Out of routine...LN

Saturday 30th April

Woke up at five this morning and the moon was up...well half of it was showing....it's fading away rapidly.  I tried reading but really wasn't in the mood but then tried putting my head down again but nothing doing so back to the book and then tried again.  Successfully this time and came to at seven thirty.  The sun had come up but it was so gentle that you might miss it.  The mist was hanging in the valley and when I went down for my coffee, my guest was already sitting in the kitchen playing on his DS so I took my coffee outside to sit in the sun.  He joined me after a few minutes and it was really pleasant sitting out and that sun had some warmth in it.

Back in for bacon and eggs with fried bread and it seemed to keep us going until supper time tonight.  I went out to start on the bottom of the garden again...I tried strimming but the grass was holding too much water while my guest set to to mend the bottom of the main gate.  It did entail removing it from the hinges leaving a great hole so as well as mending the gate he was on cow watch to make sure that the bastard bovines didn't trespass but they were already in Star Mush's garden with Byser making sure that they didn't leach over into hers.  

The Librarian arrived unannounced at about one thirty with her neighbour.  They'd been to Kardjali selling chickens and she'd bought a couple of small rabbits.  They were cuties but I suggested that we put them in a larger box and give them some water and dandelion leaves and they spent ages giving themselves a good wash....I suppose the only water they'd had was from a drinking bottle...this afternoon... luxury.  We sat and drank coffee and off they went at about three remembering to take the rabbits with them.  I got chicken out of the freezer so that it could thaw out for supper and it came with home made chippies and baked beans.

The gate was reassembled and hung around six and I packed my tools away about the same time and in we came.  Supper was served, I washed up and lit the fire....it's not that it's cold...just pleasant to watch.  We're off to the restaurant the other side of Benkovski tomorrow for lunch with the Librarian and her neighbour....it's a day off from work...that can wait until Monday...after all it's Easter Sunday here.  Variable cloudiness according to the weather forecast for tomorrow...which means they haven't got a clue where it's going to be cloudy....Too busy to take photos today...promise to do better tomorrow....LN...I'll huff and I'll puff and blow the clouds away tomorrow...LN