Monday 19th June

Dreadful night, coughing and spluttering and I've slept for most of the day on and off.  Great company I've been.  I don't mind a cold but I hate it when your bones ache, your head is at bursting point every time you cough and your eyes don't even focus to read...or you can't be bothered to read.

As for the weather...I think it came out in sympathy.  We didn't see the mountains until about eleven, and then the rain really came down...it cleared up briefly, rained again, more clouds on the hills and now it appears to have settled down with light cloud and wind.  Hasn't anyone mentioned to him up there that it's June and I think my guest would be much better off at home weather wise....it was a heatwave yesterday.

I've managed to get up and cook supper.  I woke up at five this afternoon dreaming of potatoes so whether it was my body telling me that I should eat or not I'm not sure.  I had spicy sausage in the fridge so into the pan with it and some onions and potatoes on to boil and supper was made and they's enough potato for fry-up tomorrow morning.  The brain is coming into action again...one and a half days down and I'm back.  

Starlings are jockeying for position on the electricity wires.  They're so funny to watch.  One flies over to sit by the next one and then they move up and yet another seems to be playing leap frog over all of them to the annoyance of the others....and I've just gone out on to the balcony to take the pickie and they all flew away.  Ah well.  LN...Normal service might be resumed tomorrow....LN

Tuesday 20th June

Shite night again...too much sleep yesterday and at three this morning my nose was bunged up so I was down for a home made honey and blackcurrant drink with a disposable aspirin floating on the top.  It did the trick...I woke up at seven and went off again and was woken up just before nine by the bread van man tooting his horn.  I needed white bread but it could wait...my morning was going to be slow.

I got washed and dressed, decided to make a day of it despite my frailty and set to by getting rid of the rubbish from the house and from the tree sawing and trimming over the last few days.  There was quite a pile but done and dusted by eleven.  Found a very dry looking plant so decided to give it a good drink and a new home and it's looking better already.  Unfortunately the one that I dug out to rehouse it needed finding a place as well so that's now under the wall just below the acacia...now keep up.   So I kept the fire going most of the day and it's still puffing now...I appear to have shaken off the cold, my chest is still aching and I'm coughing like a dingbat but needs as needs must.  I'm sure being out in the fresh air...all be it tinged with smoke has done the trick.

Supper is the a risotto made out of the remains of the chicken from a few days ago with curry powder added.  It save cooking in two pans and I'm sensing that it's ready.  Tomorrow I shall be going somewhere...it's yet to be decided and as the weather is looking OK...it might be Haskovo...I'm needing a new starter cable for the lawn mower....technology...it lets us all down.  And now for my only meal of the day...I've been starving a cold...LN...Going to make up for it...LN

Wednesday 21st June

Lousy night again ...I just hate coughs and colds.  Eventually I arose from my virtuous couch and was up and at 'em for six thirty and watched the sun come up which was lovely to see after the starts we've had lately....and it did us proud....it topped it this afternoon at thirty three degrees.

So what did we get up to...load of washing in and out by nine, I phoned the Librarian and no reply and about ten minutes later she appeared at the gate.  Coffee cups out.  It appears she phoned me this morning ...she was on her way to Djebel to deliver her neighbours and called on the way back.  It was good to see her.  We sat in the shade on the little house terrace and caught up.  I warned her that it was really a 'no fly zone', we were bug infected and on her own head be it.  She waved it off and fingers crossed that I was no longer infectious.  She stayed around until eleven thirtyish and I have a list of plants that she wants me to take cutting from and I saw her off the premises handing her a packet for Mrs D of S asking her to deliver it on her way home.  I again didn't want to risk the little one catching this horrible lurgy.

So armed with pickies of the lawn mower, we set sail via the garage for Haskovo.  One of my back tyres needed some air in it and it was still OK when we got home so no issues with it.  We arrived at the DIY store that I got the mower from and into the parts and repairs section and as per normal....not much help about.  We handed over the old throttle cable and asked if they kept one in stock and there was a decided 'no' so I asked if he could order two for me and have them dispatched via the courier service.  He went to his computer, found the part number, asked for my telephone number so I found out one of my cards, wrote my address on the back and fingers crossed...they might be with me tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest....and the best part is...you pay the courier not the store.  Over to the market garden and I picked up several plants, spend about thirty lev and felt I've done well so I know what I'm up to tomorrow.  

Back to Kardjali and to the chicken restaurant in the market for chicken soup and a whole chicken,salad and chippies and part of it sitting in my fridge tonight....eyes bigger than and all that.  Home for about five thirty wondering where the day has gone...one dress for the little one and one for the big one...and Mrs D of S sent a pickie of the little one wearing it...beautiful....and I'm still waiting for the other.

Remsie came round for a chat tonight...she'd been to Turkey and hadn't seen me since I'd been back.  I sent her off with a lavender bag...she was complaining that she couldn't sleep so it might work it's magic.  Sorry this is late....the internet has been off for four hours of so and only just come back on....but better than nothing I suppose.  LN...We'll see how efficient the parts department are....LN

Thursday 22nd June

It was one before I managed to get off last night...I awoke at three...off again until five thirty and then it was down for coffee, back up on to the terrace and I watched the sun come up.  It was a beautiful start to the day...the late sun was quite magnificent but as for the rest of it....hot, thunderstorms from the west, clouds, gale force winds, thunder, rain from the north...more rain from the north and after the sunset it's clouded over again.

Bacon and egg for breakfast and I lingered over the internet and managed to order the spares for my strimmers and more blades.  I'd chased round trying to find suppliers so I went on to eBay, entered the serial number of the machine and the parts jumped out at me...will be delivered from Germany and no postage costs....result.  I'm lost without one...I keep looking at the bits that need attention and the petrol one is too large for me and if I request that it gets done....it's on somebody else's list.  Now on to the garden and planted up some of the new acquisitions from yesterday, turned my attention to the frog garden and finished the weeding on that and moved on to the lounge terrace and was visited by not one but two little lizards.  Eventually they came face to face, the big one laid into the little one, the little one shot off over the terrace and into the garden and the big one sauntered off...Territories egh....

Beds stripped and  three loads of washing done and dried and beds remade.  I moved on to garden under my special tree and cleared out the grass and bindweed and dug up one of the juniper horizontalis that was getting hidden by the cotoneaster...it's sitting in a bucket and will find a home tomorrow.  Tools away and then the rain started.  Good for the plants but not too good for me.  Nothing on the agenda so far for tomorrow...let's see what the weather holds.  LN....Monty Don tonight....LN

Friday 23rd June

Six o'clock first wake up, seven thirty second and eventually out of bed just before eight.  Again I heard the bread van but I didn't think my pj's would go down a bomb with the ladies so I made do with old bread yet again.

Yet more washing....I think others are hiding it in my basket....my guest got his own breakfast not liking what was on offer so I got on with the gardening and made mine when the kitchen was clear.  The bonfire didn't want to play so I left it for later and set to clearing the side new wall garden from weeds discovering that the honeysuckle has developed a life of its own and was going along not up smothering the winter flowering jasmine.  Restitution was at hand...I found a very short ladder made by the men for getting over the wall so I painted it with my old engine oil mix and used the lump hammer to bang it in against the wall until the metal fencing goes up.  I picked up the honeysuckle and draped it over the said ladder freeing up the jasmine and jobs a guddun.  It will do for the time being.

Beautiful day and I spent some of it in the shade reading my book.  It was just to hot to be out there.  Played on the pc for a while, almost fell asleep on the sofa but my neighbour woke me up by delivering a couple of pancakes.  I called my guest from the little house and we sat and had them with yogurt and pine syrup, I was back to the pc, his turn to nod off and the next minute Haciber was round with two more.  It must be the day for pancakes and tomorrow we should be having the frothy ones.

Back to the garden at about four and planted up one of my large shrubs from Greece, baby zinnias, tobacco, large zinnias and some of the yellow daisies.  Watered them in well, washing in, bonfire raised from the dead, shower, hair washed and we were off to a restaurant in Momchilgrad for supper.  I really couldn't be bothered to cook.  Off down the back lane to Momchilgrad which take loads of kilometres off the journey.  My guest asked why we hadn't been to that restaurant before and I explained that it's all down to the lane being brought into play.

Absolutely fabulous meal for very little money....home for ten thirty...relaxed and ready to put my head down.  The only downside with the restaurant is that the pool is not functioning....it was one of our haunts last summer and no one could tell me when it was going to be up and running.  More of the same tomorrow with the garden...spade work in the morning and planting late afternoon.  LN....Time for bed said Zeberdee...LN

Saturday 24th June

Hot sticky night last night but the food from last night sat very comfortably for a late meal.  Seven this morning and I dressed for the bread van fairly early on but it didn't arrive until just before nine.  I'd emptied my money pot of all the small coins and he was very grateful for them...everyone seemed to be using notes...it must be pension day.  So the order was one unsliced, a cheesy bread and a cheese stuffed pastry but breakfast was yesterday's delivered pancakes heated up in butter and served with pine syrup and yogurt with a little of the cheesy bread to follow.  A very civilised breakfast.  

The first two children arrived for their sweets at ten thirty this morning and I realised that I didn't have enough if the hordes descended so I was in the car by eleven heading for Djebel.  Firstly I went to the supermarket for coffee, bonbons and chocolates, over to my student's mum's shop to deliver one of the boxes of chocolates and I must have stayed there for about an hour.  Secondly heading to my other student's home I met her father, asked him to deliver the chocolates but he said that they didn't have any guests despite it being their holiday and I was welcome to go down to the house.  Not having seen them since before I went to the UK...it was good to catch up with the family.  Finally another visit to the supermarket for a chicken for supper and then home James.  

As for the weather...it was a beautiful morning and then the wind got up and the clouds rolled over.  Thunder was in the air but only a few rumbles, a couple of spots of rain and that was it but it was very humid.  I sat outside reading for a while but by four I was digging up a couple of my beetroot for supper, peeling potatoes and onions and it was in to the oven with all of them, all chunked up to a good size and the chicken in a separate dish.  While it was cooking I got the strimmer out and tackled the grass between the house and the front wall and dug over the flower bed.  It's now ready to put in some of the plants that are sitting in the veg garden but that's a job for tomorrow unless we find something exciting to do.

So washing up done, not much of a sunset tonight...the clouds appear to be gathering so it's cushions in...just in case.  LN...Yet more deliveries of fluffy pancakes....LN

Sunday 25th June

Six start this morning and what a wonderful way to start the day.  I was out on the balcony to welcome that red thing that seems to be elusive, coffee on the terrace, a spot of gardening before breakfast, a line of washing and let the day really begin.  Cooked for breakfast and it was just as well...it's been so busy in the garden today, a drop in guest for a couple or three hours this afternoon to stop me from my endeavours but it was pleasant doing nothing.

Back to it when he left though and I had a very reluctant bonfire to sort and start....it just didn't want to go.  I've dug out the grass from one of the beds down the bottom of the garden and edged it with a couple of old supports that they used for the concrete pillars when building the wall and it needs a step putting in between the two levels that have been created.  The alternative is to dig out about two cubic meters of soil to even up the levels and I think I'll settled for the step.

As social secretary I appear to have failed miserably.  It was going to be lunch tomorrow with the girls but one didn't want to come out to play so I've moved the day, date, time and place and now it's set for Tuesday, and includes a swimming pool.  Much better idea than shopping.  Cold chicken for tonight and I'm just about to get some chippies on the go.....easy pickings tonight.  More of the same tomorrow please.  LN From the duty lobster....LN

Monday 26th June

Early start again but that's OK.  I watered the garden and sat on the terrace enjoying the birds calling to each other.  The golden orioles are around and I caught a flash of them as they headed for the last of the cherries, the wagtail is pack hovering the garden, the martins are putting on a beautiful display and the woodpecker is wondering whether is is better to head on to the next site with me being so near....and he did.

So breakfasted on tomatoes on toast and decided that I would go into Djebel and get my tyre fixed.  It appears to be still going down.  The garage looked at it, found several shards of metal embedded in it and advised that I swapped it out for the one that was taken off the front when I had the new ones fixed.  We did the market, had coffee with my favourite restaurant lady who no longer owns the restaurant since her husband is not well and ended up in the soup kitchen for an early lunch.  We also noticed the extensive renovations that are taking place at the mosque....the roof is off and most of the interior is trashed with only the minaret standing.  Sorry for the rubbish mosque photos...I only had my mobile with me....that'll teach me.

Home for one thirty, I sat outside and managed to do Saturday's Sudoku that I'd printed off and promptly fell asleep on the activity centre on the lounge terrace....so not much activity.  I woke up at three thirty and decided that I would take the car back to the garage to have the tyre changed....I'm off to see the Librarian tomorrow and didn't want any blowouts.  So back to the garage...stopped off to fill the car up and put some petrol in the can for the lawn mower, sat down to take the photos of the mosque from the phone and write my blog and Remsier appeared with her daughter and grand-daughter to collect the Linden blossom that they dry to make tea so we've just had a 'smartie' party in the garden with the daughter ending up in the tree to get to the higher branches.  So I have now to go and make food...the kitchen calls and I need inspiration....not a lot there tonight....here goes.    LN...BG corned beef hash sounds about right...LN

Tuesday 27th June

Six start but I was pretty slow off the mark managing to get out of bed by six forty five.  Out to the garden  and got the watering done although there won't be any need tomorrow...it pelted it down this afternoon and everything looks fresh and lovely.

So poached eggs on toast for breakfast, swimming clothes together and there was a slight digression...one of my other neighbours wanted some of the blossoms from the tree to make her tea so we had to get the long loppers out to cut some of the higher branches.  That done she was on her way with enough to last her until next year.  Into the car by ten and a leisurely drive over to the Librarian's village for ten thirty and it was straight on to the lake swimming pool restaurant hotel for coffee and sun beds.  We managed to get there before the masses which was good and got our first swim in before the 'lads' appeared that seem to get more pleasure from jumping in and 'bombing' than actual swimming.  Now perhaps I'm showing my age... Mrs D arrived with the little one around twelve, we chatted for a while and then went into the restaurant for lunch but bad marks....no child seat...that needs to go on to the review.  It didn't matter, we enjoyed 'passing the parcel', lunch over then back in the pool again.  We tried the little one in the water...I think it was too noisy for her and too much activity.  It was short lived but that was OK.

The forecast predicted that the clouds would roll in at around three and they were just about right.  They seemed to come in from the north east and got steadily worse until the pool attendant closed the pool ordering everyone out.  Most of the people cleared the pool area but we stayed for a while, Mrs D of S legged it with the little one which was just as well.  The clouds really thickened, the thunder and lightening started so we threw the things into the bag and went under the large umbrellas and watched the rain.  So out with the camera and I tried to get the rain drops bouncing off the water and you can just about see it in the pickies.

Dropped off the Librarian in her village and headed down to get some screws from one of the hardware shops in Fotinovo, stopped off to visit a friend who is renovating there and caught up with Bekir for a chat.  Home for five, washing done,supper will be pickings since lunch was rather full on and I'm now settling in for Tipping Point since I've not seen it for six weeks or so.  

The nice thing about swimming is that you feel really refreshed and gently tired after the exercise.  LN...I should sleep well tonight....LN

Wednesday 28th June

Lovely start to the morning. I grabbed the camera, sat out on the lounge terrace and watched the garden activity.  There was mist on the mountains, the sun was up but there were light clouds shielding me from the heat and I watched the birds at play.  The first visitor was a green woodpecker who started on my tree but then realised that there were better pickings to be had on the ground after yesterday's rain.  Why give yourself a headache bashing seven bells out of a hard trunk of a tree.  It must have been down there for about ten minutes...others came and went but it was pretty determined to protect its territory from the interlopers.

It was late when my guest raised his head and getting on for ten.  He said that he'd woken at six but decided to go for the long haul.  It might have been me coming down the stairs to start my day.  Bacon and egg for breakfast so a good start to the morning, I popped over to see my Avatar and she said that her grand-daughter with the new baby is coming later today from Germany.  I'd seen a photo of the baby on the internet so I downloaded it and printed it up for my Avatar, there were almost floods of tears and was insisting that she paid for it so I came back with my usual reply that it would cost her one hundred lev and if she didn't pay me that, I wanted nothing for it.  It's our little joke.  She did insist that I came back with a portion of her home made banichka which went down well for lunch.

I played around in the garden and didn't see much for my efforts today.  It's been mainly weeding, the rain and sun encourages them.  After lunch I realised that a siesta was about to unfold so I lay on the sofa with my Kindle and just as I was heading off my guest got the lawnmower out much to my chagrin and what can you say...nothing.  Eventually I went off and woke up around five.  I've just done another couple of hours in the garden planting up another hypericom that I've managed to grow from a cutting, had another attempt at the bonfire and eventually got it down to ash so I'll start with an empty bin tomorrow.

Lovely evening...it did cloud over and there was a few mumbles and grumbles of thunder this afternoon apparently while I slept but no rain so that hose will have to come out before I get my head down.  I'm not really hungry so far tonight...it's very humid and it seems to knock the edge off the hunger pains...might do something later.  LN....Eggheads now on the menu....LN