Wednesday 8th March

I love the month of March here...we have Baba Marta and day is filled with good wishes to everyone for the rest of the year.  It signifies rebirth of the trees now that winter is supposedly over and then we move on to the 8th March...International Ladies Day but in Bulgaria it is almost like a mother's day in the UK but without the having to go and see mother syndrome...it's flowers for everyone.

I was awake at three, read for a while and then managed to get off until seven.  The fires was still going and since it looked cold and wet out there so I threw on a log and it burst into life.  Quickly washed and dressed, tidied around but left the kitchen until later, out with the hoover, quick swish round downstairs, into the car by eight thirty and off to Djebel.  I parked up and went to one of the many stores selling flowers and selected ten singly wrapped flowers for my ladies, two rather lovely hyacinths for my visitors later in the day, and two pot plants for my students' mums.  Delivered the first one to the shop that she works in and she was very surprised to receive anything, on to the second and handed over her plant and she gave me a beautiful rose.  I also handed one of the wrapped ones to my lady in the hardware shop...can't leave her out.

So down to the supermarket with the shopping list and got everything that I needed for lunch for Mrs D of S and the Librarian and I was home for ten.  I whipped round the village and gave them the flowers, unpacked my shopping and at eleven my first guest arrived closely followed by the second.  We swapped presents and I'd made cards, we sat around baby watching as is our want because she's a little poppet and eventually I made it to the kitchen to start lunch.  Onions fried off with spicy sausage with a hint of chilli flakes, tomatoes, two lots of cheese, beetroot and pickles, cucumber and fresh crusty bread.  We were all on juice since the cars were parked outside and we finished off the lunch with a big fat slice of cream cake...it would have been rude not to.  Normally we go out for lunch but the weather was so rubbish that I thought it better to have the Ladies lunch at my house and we really enjoyed it.  Much more relaxed.  Coffee to follow but by three the little one was getting fractious so it was out with all of them.

I washed up, cranked up the volume of Neil Diamond who'd been playing gently in the background from the ipod, settled myself on the sofa with the Kindle enjoying the quiet after the storm.  Next thing there was a knock on the door and Zelinger is out there with a bag of goodies for me.  I invited her in but she refused...it was pouring down but she was quickly off down the road.  Two minutes later Haciber is at the door with yet more presents...it's almost like Christmas only better...the gifts are so unexpected.  So I wrapped up some cake left over from lunch and handed it to Haciber and two minutes later she was back with a dish of her home-made yogurt.  Their generosity amazes me.

So now it's tele time.  I have enough onions and sausage mix to get myself a super omelette but I might save that for breakfast....too much cake.  LN....I super day...LN

Thursday 9th March

I was awake at five thirty and I was awake and there was not an ounce of sleep left in me.  I read my new Ian Banks for a while, didn't sink into the book enough to keep at it so I was playing on my DS against myself.  The good thing about that is that you can pack up when you want without losing face...Seven still came around and the fire by this time was burning quite nicely and looking at the rain, damp and the trees blowing around...the fire would be a good place to be.  Topped up the coffee again and decided that breakfast was on the cards.  Yesterday's spicy sausage left over from lunch was put into the frying pan, I whisked up three eggs and made one ginormous omelette.  I also put the remains of the beetroot and tiny pickled onions into the mixture, topped it all off with grated cheese, folded it into a dish and...breakfast was served.

I washed and cleared the kitchen, topped up the log basket and walked the garden.  It was a grim old day.  I did have the feeling that I could get out there and get a few shrubs in but the mood soon went and I stashed myself on the sofa with the Kindle...so back to the book.  I'm getting into it a little more....so I'll stick with it.  I did get my head down until two this afternoon and then I decided that it was going to be a pc afternoon.  I got my old laptop down from the shelf, cleaned up the recycle bin and the temporary files so that it ran better and it managed Filmon very well except that the adverts weren't blocked.  I couldn't be bothered chasing why but there wasn't a lot of activity from the sofa this afternoon.

Eggheads is on now and lack of exercise has dulled the appetite so there'll be nothing for me tonight.  Tomorrow I shall need to fortify myself...up to Kardjali to get my administration completed.  Back to the fire for me and hoping that tomorrow the weather will be better....I don't need a day in the rain.  LN..A rested but not very interesting day...LN

Friday 10th March

Fire was still going and I topped it up even though I was going out for the day.  I was tired but awake and again just like yesterday, I couldn't get off again.  Washed and dressed by seven thirty, I didn't bother with breakfast although I probably should have done and headed into Kardjali at eight thirty.  Horrible morning...rainy, drab, misty and very cold.  I stopped off at Kardjali to get a couple of boxes of chocolates...they always help the wheels go round when you are doing documents and are normally well received.  I also bought one of those taps that plug into the electricity and give you hot water.  I thought it would be a good idea for the outside sink on the little house.  If I got Bekir to put in a switch valve I could have hot or cold on the same supply but I could unplug it and take it in for the winter.  Good reduction on them otherwise I wouldn't have bothered.

So first office and document ready waiting for me, eventually found the next office and I've never met such rude people when I found the correct office eventually.  My company card has seen better days and I wanted to renew it...apparently ow you only get a document not a card and despite the fact that it was seven leva and I offered to pay it...she hadn't got the time so I left slagging her off to the security police on the door.  Nice men....Over to the charity shop since it was on the way back and I managed to find a pair of hardly used red leather shoes for five leva.  I walked back to the car park and headed for the second charity shop and bought a duvet cover that's got enough material to cover the outside furniture for the hopefully coming summer.  Over to the final destination and the head of the department was brilliant filling the forms in for me.  I got invited into his office so I could see the web address to check when my document would be ready and he offered me one of the inevitable  chocolates from a large box on his desk so I added to the cache with a box of biscuits.

Home James...I stopped off in Djebel for a chat with my student's mum and bought a fresh chicken from the supermarket and was home for four thirty.  Both fires lit and churning it out in quick sticks, chicken into the oven with roasties, onions and carrots, stuffed some apples to bake and feel thoroughly stuffed.  Everything went down well but it's sitting a little heavy at the moment...I probably need a five mile run to settle it.

Fires need to be sorted and the washing up needs to be done.  There is no magic fairy in this house.  The moon is hiding behind scudding clouds and I'm hoping for a better day tomorrow.  LN...Fire duty and kitchen.....LN

Saturday 11th March

Slept well but was slow to come round.  I was in one of those recurring dreams that you want to come out of but you don't.  Eventually I opened my eyes, headed for the kitchen, sat looking at the lousy morning and struck a few things off the potential days workload.  In fact I struck quite a lot off...I didn't see the point of going out there in the rain to get the shrubs in.  Fire and breakfast called and I attended to both.  Poached eggs on toast, sat at the table in the stairwell with the next cup of coffee and noticed that there were a couple of woodpeckers hanging around the wild plum tree.  I found the camera and managed to take a few pictures but I had to take them through the window...if I'd have gone out on to the balcony they would have flown.  Some of them were actually through the window and the fly screen so I apologise in advance.

Excitement over I cleaned up the kitchen and took to the sofa with the kindle to check emails and Facebook. I received a phone call from the UK which took up an hour or so and then moved upstairs onto the desktop and attempted the DM Sudoku which is still waiting to be solved.  It's one of those that I shall have to print and tackle slowly probably on the sofa in front of the fire.  Wood in, I settled down on the sofa to read for a while and it was no good....the afternoon was spent in the land of nod.

Today has been a rugby day and well done England..they started up well and got points early on and continued with the pressure.  Obviously the best game and result of the competition...congratulations.  Tonight I shall be watching the Voice but before that it will be a supper of cold chicken and mayo and the boiler is on for a soak in the bath.  Having said that ...I've just looked at the clock and it's just after eight thirty my time...the evening is well on its way to bedtime.  LN...Kitchen, food, bath, TV...LN

Sunday 12th March

Six o'clock start so it was the usual routines of fire, coffee, ash can, open curtains and I was pleasantly surprised that there was a hint of blue in the sky and it's been reasonable all day.  Unfortunately there was a pretty brisk wind and it was cold.  I'd got enough wood in for the day so didn't have to do the lugging this morning.  Tidies away the washing from last night, washed and dressed and ready to face the day and then wasted an hour on the Sudoku from the last couple of days and they are still unsolved.  I'll have another go later....even though the solution is on the click of a button....it's the challenge.

Popped into Djebel and to my students house and we sat having tea in the garden despite the cold.  They've bought a new bed settee for the lounge and the old one has found itself onto the terrace.  I offered to take it away...like over to mine but they're going to leave it out for the summer but it's going to be wrecked if we have any more rain.  I think they should have stored it in the corridor until the weather gets better. Back home for eleven, the fire needed a little love and attention and the weather drew me outside.  I put my fisherman's smock over my sweater to keep out the wind and planted my two new rose bushes in the hole left in the concrete on the new little house terrace.  I dug it out well to get rid of the builders rubbish first, then took soil from the vegetable patch and dug it in deep.  Walking back I noticed a patch of chives in the lawn so it was out with the trowel and I split up the clump and buried the newbies in the vegetable garden next to the garlic that I'd put in earlier.

In by four thirty, hot cup of coffee and a little time on the Kindle and now it's in for a gentle evening.  It's the second part of 'the Voice' tonight and all twelve contestants will have be selected for the next phase.  It's nice to see talent come through but as to yet I have no favourites.  Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow but things can change overnight.  LN...Cold chicken and mayo on the menu....LN

Monday 13th March

Four thirty start but I managed to get off again in quicksticks and came to at six thirty.  Felt pretty energetic this morning...got the fire going and by eight I was ready to get going.  I didn't bother with breakfast, I intended getting most of the shrubs in today and had enough bread so didn't have to leg it down the road.  I got the shrubs out to start but then got waylaid by how untidy the logs looked in the garage.  I was running short of the large ones that can just gone on and last forever and I knew there were some lingering under the huge ones so they had to be removed.  Instead of just doing the obvious I decided to get out the axe and chop up some of the really big ones but I don't do it the conventional way.  I get the axe embedded and then wallop it with the club hammer and wait until the wood decides to give up and split.  Not pretty but effective.  I managed to spit enough to manage for the next few days and the 'ready to go' are stacked and easy to get at and all that before ten thirty this morning, swept and cleared the garage and started the bonfire with the debris....

I came in for a while and grabbed a coffee and biscuits for dipping and had a few minutes rest and relaxation before the next onslaught.  I cleared the little house terrace and burnt a couple of old plastic pots and planted the contents of one against the corner of the new wall.  It should restore privacy to the garden from my nearest neighbours.  The rest of the day was spent putting in the shrubs and moving plants around the garden.  I had a huge clump of daisies and now I have several smaller ones scattered around and I've dug up some day lilies from the frog garden and distributed those.  Was I pleased when it started to rain...I could come inside and not feel guilty but I sure ache.....it's been an active day.

So all tools away....I've got some chicken soup on the go and I've added vegetables but that's for tomorrow....Again I've got nothing on the agenda for tomorrow....it could be more gardening now that I'm in the mood if the weather improves...I'll have to wait and see.  LN...Biscuits and tele...rude not to...LN

Tuesday 14th March

Early start but didn't managed to get off again.  Coffee, fire, ash can....all the usual routines....washed up and tidied the kitchen, emptied the household rubbish and got the fire going outside and that should keep the cats out.  Yesterday's bonfire of the old flower pots left very little for them to root in overnight.  Breakfast of beans on toast with the second cup of coffee and got out the Sudoku book and exercised the brain for half an hour or so.  

It wasn't raining but looked as if it was about to any minute.  I cleared the little flower bed on the main terrace...the chickweed had really taken over.  I found a packet to seeds and decided to pot them up and they're watered and sitting in the little house.  I also found some exclusive seed packets and there were a couple of horn of plenty so read the instructions and they're soaking in warm water for the next twenty four hours.  They'll be potted up tomorrow.  I did read up in my flower encyclopaedia and they're supposed to be really poisonous so I better not put them too near the base of the wall for the cows when they pop their heads over looking for something to nibble.

I came in for a coffee and at three went out again having summoned up the courage to tackle the downstairs bedroom garden.  With the new wall going in it's upset the levels and the garden edging had stopped in mid flow.  I searched round the garden and found some good chunks of old stone and it became a challenge to move some of them from the bottom of the garden to the top.  The wheelbarrow came into play, turned on its side, the chunk was manoeuvred into the barrow and I heaved on the other side and managed to get it upright with the stone inside it.Several trips later...I had enough stone and began the challenge.  The job is more or less complete...I have to move more earth until I'm satisfied with the levels...came in just before six and that will be a job for tomorrow.

The chicken soup was tarted up with the remains of the can of baked beans and macaroni.  Delicious and yet more for tomorrow.  The temperature is dropping and we're supposed to be going back into minus figures tonight.  Let's hope it doesn't knock the new buds back.  Rest of the top garden tomorrow and then I'm heading down to do a bit more stone shifting.  All go in my neck of the woods.  LN....I need another soak to ease the muscles...LN

Wednesday 15th March

Seven thirty start this morning and I put it down to the late bath...I got in at nine thirty...promptly fell asleep...kept topping up the water in a half sleep and eventually emerged at twelve thirty.  It's normal for me to go to sleep in the bath.  I remember when I lived at home, my mother always knocking on the bathroom door asking if I was asleep in there and I usually was. I'd washed my hair so it was bed with damp hair but lovely warm pj's from the radiator since the fire was still going.

I didn't bother light the fire today but I'm regretting it now.  It seems to be taking ages for the house to warm through even though it's been going since five.  Poached eggs on toast for breakfast to set me up for the day.  Fascinating today...I've never seen a cat fight and this seemed to develop very quickly.  Firstly I spotted the ginger and white one heading for the burning barrel and in it went eventually emerging when realising that there was nothing there to eat.  Five minutes later I looked out again and this time the ginger male and the little one were sizing each other up and then it kicked off.  I think he was in the mood and she wasn't and at the first encounter there was fur flying.  I stood watching a little longer, another spat, more fur and I didn't want to have blood on my hands so I went out and shouted at them.  Neither took any notice so I headed down the garden and eventually they skedaddled.  They could have their differences in another place...not my garden.

I went out at ten thirty to fill a lidded container with potting compost and was just putting my horn of plenty in when I heard a car pull up outside.  I went to look and it was one of the men from the other village and he was asking about the rubbish metal from my old fence.  He'd asked me about it before and I said that he is welcome to it and so he pulled his trailer down near the well in the little lane, I found the wheelbarrow out for him and basically left him to it after showing him that there was lots more on the hillside.  I offered him coffee at two when I stopped for mine and we sat out at the little table in the yard and drank it together.  Off he set again and by four I don't think he could have got another nail in the trailer and he's coming back on Sunday to clear the metal from my garden and I'll probably pay him for doing it even though he's going to sell the metal....it should pay for his fuel.

So as to my exploits in the garden.  I moved some daffodils that were growing in the lane....I think they were my bulbs any way from before the wall went in.  They're now in the new gardens.  I dug over the garden halfway down the wall and cleared some of the mutilated hedge, shifted lots of soil and raked the lawn over dumping the rubbish at the base of the wall.  Before I do much more, the toilet needs to be demolished and I can bury the debris in the same place....so much to do and so little time.

I came in at five, fire going, supper is left overs from last night but I've added some curry spice to it, Filmon seems to have gone into deep decline with the racing from Cheltenham or wherever it's coming from...out of kilter.  I'm about to go start warming up the soup and feel that it's been a good day today.  We had a brief glimpse of the sun this afternoon but it's raining again now.  Still, good for the garden but please stop it by tomorrow...pretty please.  LN...Seven my time, supper and bed....LN

Thursday 16th March

Silly early morning start and at four twenty I still couldn't get off again so I was out with the Sudoku book and settled in and knocked a few off.  I made a coffee, lit the fire because I wanted it to be warm for tonight.  It had been a cold old night and I think that's why I didn't sleep well...I was cold watching filmon last night and when I got into bed since the fire had gone out early through neglect.  So tonight the house is warm as the fire's been ticking over all day.

I was out in the garden at seven thirty this morning and settled on clearing the top garden and was good to my word.  I had to get bread today so headed down when I heard the horn going and there were new people down there that I hadn't met before.  I was introduced as a neighbour, the man said that he didn't speak English but I countered it with that most of the ladies did and his eye brows shot up.  This was translated into Turkish for the neighbours that don't even speak Bulgarian and it caused quite a giggle from the girls.  I brought back two loaves and a cheesy bread and had my breakfast walking round the garden.  I was straight back to it, dug most of the patch over, raked it over and took down most of the quince.  It should really be dug out but today wasn't the day.  Once it was raked I found some old grass seed in the workshop so decided to spread it and see what comes up that's if the sparrows leave it alone.  I haven't put any string over it to stop them...they're welcome to it.

I came in for a coffee and managed to get my head down for an hour or so and felt pretty rested after it.  Straight back to it again and ended up clearing the weeds from under the front wall but ran out of steam when it came to clearing it away and dumping the debris down the bottom of the garden.  I've put it on the list for tomorrow along with painting the old windows that I've used as flower borders with the engine oil but this time I shall be wearing gloves.

Supper is going to be a cheese and onion sandwich and I can almost taste it so I better get on and make it.  Another good day in the garden...LN...It's coming together...LN