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Elsa Peters
March 1, 2017, 5:22pm Report to Moderator

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Wednesday 1st March

So pinch and a punch for the first of the month, white rabbits and because I'm in Bulgaria....Chestita Baba Marta....we welcome grandmother Marta for the start of March.  Today's the day where we give each other woven white and red bands which get tied on the wrist and don't come off until we see the first stork or a new fruit tree in blossom.  I've sent several to the UK to friends and family and I'm sending the rest of you a imaginary band for well being for the rest of the year...

Silly four thirty start, read for a while and tried to go back to sleep but nothing doing so out of bed by seven.  Coffee and then into the shower, washed and dried my hair and was ready for eight to head to the bread van clutching my Baba Marta bands for my ladies. Unfortunately they'd forgotten that it was March the first but Haciber, Zelinger and Byser had theirs first and then one more lady arrived and she had one as well.  I asked the mobile shop owner who happens to be Byser's grandson if he wanted one too so I added one to his collection.  Walked back home and the clouds were really peculiar this morning.  There were stars out at five, gathering clouds at seven, a little rain at seven thirty and dull as ditch water apart from on the mountains where the sun was shining.  

The Librarian arrived at nine thirty, we swapped wrist bands and set off for Haskovo.  I stopped off in Djebel to see my student's mum and again we swapped bands and then into the hardware shop to see my favourite assistant.  Uneventful journey into Haskovo, straight to big hardware shop and straight to the shrubs that were on offer and I filled up the trolley.  There was a female assistant who was determined to speak to us in English and wanted to help us out.  Her level of English was good and when we got to the checkout...there was yet another one that wanted to try us out.  From there we went to the market garden and after a phone call we got the prices reduced...they're not officially open yet.

Into Lidl in Haskovo and picked up ham, French stick and had lunch on the side of the road and I used a lollipop stick to spread the butter on the bread...needs as needs must...I don't carry dangerous weapons in the car.  Home for four and kettle on, quick coffee and the Librarian sett off for home.  I unpacked the car, put the chicken that I'd bought from Lidl and lit the fire.  Chicken was ready for six thirty and I feel thoroughly stuffed.  Post lunch date with Zelinger tomorrow with the rest of the ladies of the village...plants to put in tomorrow and so a busy day.           LN..Time for washing up....LN
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Elsa Peters
March 1, 2017, 6:00pm Report to Moderator

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Pickies for today



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Elsa Peters
March 2, 2017, 5:33pm Report to Moderator

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Thursday 2nd March

So it was an early night for me last night and as expected I was awake at six but I blame the rain.  It was pouring down and I thought that we were set for a miserable day and I was surprised how it eventually turned out.  It had stopped by eight thirty, I grabbed myself a bowl of the dreaded concrete muesli with mild and settled down in front of the fire attempting a one to sixteen sixteen square sudoku.  Happily I decided that I wouldn't spend the day worrying myself with trivia so I went out, painted the keys to the workshops with different coloured nail varnish so that having a choice of three would not be a problem in future.  It had got too much for my addled brain and I always picked the wrong one and having them all on the same ring...I always seemed to go for the wrong one twice if you know what I mean.  

I took the camera out and took a photo of the crocus on the little terrace bed and the bulbs that are coming up.  I went down to the little terrace and noticed that the winter flowering jasmine was in flower.  They are so pretty and out before anything else.  The forsythia looks about to burst forth and by now the sun was taking over the sky so everything else was having a boost.  So now what did I get up to for the rest of the day.  I decided to carry on digging out the rubbish from the bottom of the garden and I found the inevitable jam pot lids along with the broken roof tiles and the off cuts from the floor and wall tiles.  Amazing what you find.  At five to twelve I realised that I had to be down the road for a lunch date so it was a quick wash, change and a skip down the road.  Lots of my neighbours were there, a few speak Bulgarian but always Turkish to each other.  I sit there like a bit of a lemon but I love to watch the animation between them.  The food was good, stewed beef, stuffed vine leaves and frothy pancakes with honey, pine resin sauce, figs, roasted pumpkin and fresh yogurt.  Coffee to finish with a slice of gateau and I was home for one thirty.  I topped up the fire and sat with a coffee and my mega hard sudoku, managed to put two numbers in and decided it was less painful moving old brickwork.  So out I went again.   Emula came round and we chatted for ten minutes or so.... I came in at six thirty and I could see where I'd been working...I've had a good day and another couple of days on it should finish it.

Cold chicken and mayo for supper watching Tipping Point but no jackpot counter out tonight.  More garden work in the morning if the weather is good and I might be out to lunch...depends on one or two things.  I'm about to put the boiler on...I'm going to longer in a hot bath tonight to make sure the old bones don't ache.  Lovely moon tonight....we're back to a crescent one.  LN...A very pleasant rewarding day...LN



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Elsa Peters
March 2, 2017, 5:35pm Report to Moderator

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And there's more



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Elsa Peters
March 3, 2017, 5:24pm Report to Moderator

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Friday 3rd March

And what a beautiful and productive day it's been.  Seven ten start and the sun was trying hard to burn off the mist and eventually it succeeded and it turned into a chocolate box morning with mist hanging in the valley and over the road to Greece.  I tried the muesli again and it's the last morning for it.  It sets solid just over the rib cage and gives me gyp.  I'm back to bacon and eggs, beans on toast and the fattening foods.

I was around with the camera and captured my long time friends in the form of teddies that have travelled well and my tortoise that was a present from my son years ago.  Dressed and out to the garden since my lunch date wasn't up to it and is suffering from a cold but it's been rearranged.  I started off clearing under the little house terrace getting rid of the weeds, managed that but didn't finish the big terrace garden.  Instead I removed the cotoneaster that was a cutting from the Polyclinic in Kardjali but it's just too big where it was initially sited.  It's now under the long wall and should do well there.  My next task was to rake over the section of the veg garden dug over yesterday to put the garlic in and it's still waiting.  My brain tripped again and I ended up making a shelving unit out of a pallet for the bottom of the steps leading into the underneath room.  It was out with the old engine oil and it's drying off before I put it at the bottom of the steps.  It's to take all those things that I have to walk into the workshop to fetch such as the secateurs and coated wire for supporting the plants.

I came in at four to enjoy a cup of coffee, settled down to do a sudoku and unfortunately my eyelids went down for an hour or so.  I woke up suitable refreshed, got the fire going and more wood in and then out to the garden again and dug over another couple of beds on the veg garden.  What a day.  More cold chicken tonight...in a lazy mood.  LN...the fire needs attending to...LN



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Elsa Peters
March 4, 2017, 4:40pm Report to Moderator

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Saturday 4th March

So it was a six start this morning and I opened the curtains in the bottom bedroom so that I could watch the dawn.  The sky changed to that marvellous predawn blue and orange and I waited for the sun to come up.  It was a calm morning...no wind to speak of and a perfect day for washing but then the wind got up and there was a distinct chill in the air but not a cloud in the sky.  

I was down to the bread van and it wasn't that I wanted bread but Haciber has been bugging me for a photo of the grandchildren's birthday taken in Sweden.  The bread man has it on his phone and despite my efforts on the internet I can't managed to locate it so I gave him my email address and asked him to sent the photo to. me.  Haciber was by my side as I explained the full story so I put my arm round her and gave her a reassuring hug that I was doing my best...honest.  I had a fresh crusty loaf and made ham sandwiches for breakfast...no muesli for me as promised.

I'd done a little in the garden before I headed for the bread van and carried on with the valiant effort and planted a couple more of the shrubs.  I tried to light the bonfire to get rid of the house rubbish but it just wouldn't go.  I'm thinking that I've got to get rid of the barrel and go back to the burning pit...it was much more efficient.  

Came in at eleven  and tackled my nails so that I didn't look as if I'd done an engine change having painted the shelving unit with old engine oil yesterday.  Soaked in washing up liquid, nails cut down to a reasonable level and cleared the dirt and oil from the cuticles.  I found a bottle of Sally Hanson nail restorer and applied a couple of layers and now the resolution to always wear gloves...watch this space.

Over to my other neighbours for  fluffy pancakes, cake, yogurt, macaroni in yogurt and coffee.  More ladies here today than yesterday but more or less the same crowd but this time we had videos taken on mobile phones.  This little bunch use technology more than I do.  So home for two thirty, head down for an hour or so and Haciber was round with a bottle of home made yogurt drink asking if the photo had arrived and I had to say that it hadn't.  I suppose he must be busy.  I lit the fire, got the washing in and put it on the upstairs radiator, tidied my toys away from the garden and now chilling.  Lining up the indoor athletics and then the Voice tonight.....I'm a little bit hooked on it.  It seems like the cold is a little better so we might be out for lunch tomorrow but we'll take a rain check in the morning.  It there's a cold wind it might be off.  No supper...still stuffed from my lunch with my ladies so now back to the athletics.   LN....Another beautiful day...LN  



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Elsa Peters
March 5, 2017, 5:34pm Report to Moderator

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Sunday 5th March

Stupid phone went off at five thirty this morning....by the time I got there it had stopped and I was heading back to bed when it started again.  I answer the early morning calls in case there is a problem in the UK but it was some Bulgarian man asking for somewhere in Sofia....No apology but there again didn't expect one.  I didn't managed to get off again and it left me feeling jaded but the day could only get better.

I managed to get the bonfire going eventually and got rid of the rubbish from yesterday.  I was out in the garden for seven and finished weeding the flower beds knowing that I was on a short day today....I was out for lunch.  Cleared away the tools by eleven thirty, washed and changed and into the Beast by twelve twenty and over to Mrs D of S's as arranged.  The little one gets bigger everyday and has come through her cold OK.  We set off for Romantica, my lunch companion settled for a beer while I headed for the water and orange juice and the little one was on the bottle again....cheesy chips and mixed grill but not the world's best...I think we were both disappointed.

It's been a while since I was doing the holding and nursing but it soon came back and she's a poppet.   Coffee and then more coffee at the drop off point, home for five thirty and not a bad day...No pickies today...LN...Too busy baby worshipping....LN
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MikeyB
March 6, 2017, 11:12am Report to Moderator

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Thank you and Chestita Baba Marta to you too! xXx



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Elsa Peters
March 6, 2017, 6:55pm Report to Moderator

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Monday 6th March

You are very welcome Mikey B but it's a shame it didn't get there on time but they're still selling them here so no sweat.I wish you everything it said in the letter..Unfortunately I'm going to have to resize your pickie...it's thrown the formatting out...

Lovely sunrise but it was downhill after that.  I spent the morning in Djebel at the police station with CID but can't discuss much about it but all will be revealed...I'll give them a little time to work on it.  Very friendly office and the head of CID came round with a box of chocolates for no apparent reason and then I had to go in to Kardjali clutching a document that was to be show if anyone asked.  It's a follow on from the incident with the gypsy woman at the end ofl last month.  Lots of to-ing and fro-ing in Kardjali and I have to go back on Friday.  I really would like to do some process flow documents to help them out...left hand, right hand and elbow spring mind.  We had a tremendous downpour in Kardjali and a massive wind sprung out of nowhere but as it died down the rain stopped and it turned into a beautiful blue sky with white fluffy evening.

Back home for five thirty....got the fire going since the temperature has really dropped.  It looks like winter is making a comeback....LN  Chop some more wood someone...that'll be me then...LN



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Elsa Peters
March 7, 2017, 4:51pm Report to Moderator

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Tuesday 7th March

Six thirty start this morning and the fire was still going so bank it up....get more wood in and keep it going all day.  The temperature has been down again with rain showers most of the day.

I put the news on Filmon this morning and I realised why I never used to watch it in the UK.  I know it's not to be sat in front of because they keep repeating stuff so it went off quicker than it loaded first thing.  Breakfast was poached eggs on toast, the bread was a little stale but I hadn't bothered to go down to the van this morning.  I was busy making cards for international ladies day tomorrow and a couple of gifts and remembering to switch my laminator off....I think the thermostat has gone on it as it gets very hot.  Cheap enough when I bought it and so it's time to look out for the next Lidl specials.

I was reading most of the day and a couple of calls to the UK to sort out a few administration items.  I find some of the call centre people really annoying and you can get from pillar to post but fortunately it was only the once today with another number to phone.  That's the advantage of the new home phone deal...one hundred minutes to the UK and five hundred to any other network in Bulgaria for only six leva a month.  

I didn't bother with lunch...the eggs are sitting hatching in my tummy and I don't think I'm in for supper either.  I've got visitors tomorrow for ladies day and tomorrow at the crack of I'm heading into Djebel to buy flowers for my ladies in the village and a few for my Djebel ladies.  I'm doing lunch with the girls here but it's going to be a cold one....but maybe made a potato salad in the morning.

Settling in for Filmon tonight....I've done too much reading.  I'm starting onIan Banks....Culture series....so good to get my teeth inti something as long as it's not hypnotising and addictive.  I've got too much to do in the garden at the weekend....it's supposed to be drying up.  LN...Happy International ladies day for tomorrow.....LN



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