Sunday 27th August

And my day of rest...well it was supposed to be but I stripped my bed down, washed everything from mine and all the sheets and duvet covers from my downstairs bedroom.  The machine does it very quickly though and it was out and blowing in what turned out to be a very stiff breeze with everything flying including things off the line.  All was safely gathered in around mid afternoon and I've just made up the bed and put on the insectocutor just in case anything fancies a nibble tonight.

Breakfast was bacon and egg and I'd finished it before the bread van turned up and not many people were out there today.  It looked like they were sleeping in too.  I downloaded more books on to the Kindle and hit a sticky patch with the little one...there wasn't enough battery in it to keep it activated on the computer and so I couldn't load up the books to read outside.  Never mine...it's charged now and I'll do it later.  The big one's OK but you can't read it in sunlight.  

True to my word I got out the bikini and was out in the sun on the bench on my bedroom terrace but it didn't last long.  It was just too hot and once that wind got up. I knew it was doing damage though I wouldn't have felt it.  I took my Sudoku book out with me and suddenly the wind caught it and that went flying so put a stop to that activity and after another half hour or so I came in, settled on the sofa in the hallway and got my head down.  It was a much better plan.

No supper for me tonight...it seems like my breakfast is still lingering.  I night get something later.  The wind has dropped and it's a beautiful still night, crescent moon is up and the sun's just got down.  What more could you want.  Tomorrow I think I'm up to something that involves a wedding and eventually a pool if the weather stays good.  I think my bride wants to get a bit of colour on before the big day.  Her husband is driving down from Germany and should by now be going through Serbia.  Another day more or less and he should be here with the car to get the rest of the plan for the weekend wedding into action.  My work is virtually complete except that I shall be taking photographs on the big day and have gained myself a place on the family table.  Probably means I get my cake first.  I'll await phone calls to tell me the action plan for tomorrow.  LN...Better go and put the phone on charge...LN

Monday 28th August

What a night....I think that electrocutor is a mistake...things were throwing themselves at the fly screen so I had to shut the door and at three this morning there was a fly that just couldn't find the blasted thing.  I'm back to spraying about an hour before I go to bed...that should sort things out.  Seven start and I was waiting for a phone call to see how the day was going to pan out which came at twelve lunchtime.  I was dressed, breakfasted by nine, I took cuttings of forsythia and hypericom and generally sorted out the little house workshop so that it still remains tidy despite the pots.  As I said the call came at twelve...Gyludjan had finished her work in Djebel and I was picking her up and we were off to Kardjali so that she could get more documents completed and stamped by the Notary.

I occupied myself while she got on with her stuff.  I headed down to the Monday cheapy shop and meandered through the very cheap stuff and came out with some goodies.  I found a fitted purple jacket that will be perfect with jeans, a couple of t-shirts and a lovely little t-shirt for Mrs D of S's little one.  I like the slogan on the front and I'm sure father will approve.  Even I was amazed at the checkpoint...I paid one lev fifty for the lot and translated that's sixty five pence.  We met up again at the Beast and off we set for the swimming pool.  I'd packed an extra towel fortunately ....Cinderella had forgotten hers but remembered her bikini.  The pool lived up to expectations...very few people. spare sunbeds and umbrella.  I was straight way in the pool and swam for about half an hour without many breaks in between.  It appears I'm getting fitter ...   Eventually Gyuldjan managed to get in despite sitting on the edge for about five minutes tying to acclimatise herself....no way....in or out.  I dried off and enjoyed my rest and relaxation but was back in for a second bout for about the same length of time.  

We packed up around five, saw a squirrel on the road but couldn't manage to get the camera out in time so we headed for Lidl, home for six thirty and there was a dog in my garden that I haven't seen before.  I've just had a visit from my Avatar with a photo that her sister has asked me to make larger and frame for her.   Apparently there were four dogs roaming while I was out...the one I saw has a bad paw...I sent him out of the garden but a minute later he was back in so I sent him out again.  I do like dogs but it's the responsibility of having one....    Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow so far....I've still to do the Sunday Daily Mail Sudoku....that could be my challenge after I done and delivered the photo.  Lovely sunset...beautiful day.  LN...The Photographic Studio is up and running...LN

Tuesday 29th August

It was a pretty warm night last night so I opened the door to the balcony and lay on top of the duvet with just a sheet covering me but seemed to spend the rest of the night trying to keep warm.  By the time I woke up sufficiently to get under the duvet and warm up again it was five this morning so more or less time to get up.  I shan't make the same mistake tonight...doh.  First job today was to get the photographic studio into action and get my Avatar's photo sorted.  It was a long narrow photo so I chopped off the legs from my copy, enlarged it and got it into a decent size frame.   All delivered by eight thirty and job well done.  It was a picture of my Avatar's sister and their father and there were almost tears shed..

I was pegging last night's washing out at seven and got another load in the machine.  I walked the garden and noticed that the dogs had obviously been in the burning bin leaving bits of plastic lying around.  The lid was off and the huge stone that was holding it in place was in the bin...big dogs.  I went back to the house and got the rest of the rubbish that needed burning, cleared up the debris and got it going again and checking later there's nothing left but black ash....have a try at that.  The second load of washing was hung on the line and not ten minutes later there were a few spots of rain but nothing too drastic so I left it out.  After about an hour I checked again and brought it in, the sky was looking particularly black over to the west and the temperature had dropped considerably.  Good timing on my part...the rain started not long afterwards, I toyed with the idea of lighting a fire but instead found my sweater out and put socks on....and it's still only August and what a change from yesterday and the pool.

It settled in for most of the afternoon and I've read for most of the day apart from my hour's siesta...still on the sofa with the door open but as soon as I came to again I closed the door and at last the house warmed up.  I'd like to know where the rest of the day has gone.  I've had troubles with my Lenovo newby and unsure whether it's developed an issue with connecting to WiFi or the security program is the issue.  I need to get to another source and try it out first before I restore factory settings.  There's not much stored on it so it shouldn't be a problem but it's a step I don't really want to take.  I've had a few phone calls to the UK about it but nothing resolved to yet.....I'll try and sort it tomorrow.  

Kitchen calls...not really thought about supper yet.  I did pull one of the steaks out of the freezer but not sure my teeth will manage it...it's not what it says on the packaging I'm sure.  I'll make a curry out of it tomorrow.  LN...Another ham sandwich is beckoning...LN

Wednesday 30th August

So the sun was up this morning before I was......I spent a much better night last night under the duvet snuggled up not struggling to stay warm.  I went down to the kitchen and got a coffee and took it back upstairs, opened the door to the terrace but picked up a sweater to put on top of my pyjama top to keep out that cold wind.  I ventured out into the garden with the secateurs and chopped off some of the dead heads from the marigolds to get them to flower again.  I moved on to the roses and deadheaded those and also chopped off the zinnias to get even more seeds before the birds get them.  The sheep were out in force trying to stay out of the wind and sun and all under one tree...well that's going to work isn't it.  Just too many of them.

I had a bit of a problem with my little Lenovo yesterday as I mentioned and it was playing on my mind.  I'd been running a program to let me know if anyone was trying to get on to my network and it had tripped and thrown a spanner in the works.  I couldn't get the Lenovo to see my router despite lots of effort on my part and the frustration was beginning to show through.  I hate it when things like that happen....I'd removed a PUP yesterday and that could again have been part of the problem.  So in the end I removed the tracking program and then took the Lenovo back to factory settings and spent the next couple of hours setting it up again and working my way through passwords etc.  Anyway....all back to normal apart from downloading the tracking program but I think I'll leave that off for a while.  At one I suddenly realised that I'd missed breakfast and now it was lunch time so I made a bacon and cheese omelette finishing off with ice-cream and now supper seems very unnecessary.  I'll see how I feel later,

Toyed with the idea of laying the carpet on the landing but the first job to do is to get some casters on the bottom of the desk chair or buy a new computer chair. Instead I cleaned off the desk, got rid of the 'bits' that accumulate just because it's a flat surface and filed the paper 'bits' in a 'look here first' folder.  I've also sorted out my computer cables and connectors...since most of the cables fit the sockets of the various items...some have gone by the way.  Suddenly realised that it's gone very dark very quickly and noticed how red the sky was tonight.  It was unusual in that it was more like a band of colour without much permeating through the rest of the sky.  Anyway ...grabbed the camera and captured it so you have long shot and with a coupe of zoom.  Nothing on for tomorrow so far.  I might go into Lidl...they have an offer on for a new axe which I could really do with and a four kilogram lump hammer...a tool and a half and it should help me with some of the bigger logs that need to be chopped...unless I get a man to do it which is very likely except that my painter is plying his talents in Sofia....and good luck to him.  'Nuff' for now,  LN....Desk admiration time...LN

Thursday 31st August

Another month very nearly gone...this one has just shot by...and then we are into September, wood ordering and preparing for winter.  So the sun was up again this morning before me...lazy bunny...and I didn't really get going until eight.  I'd made my mind up to go into Kardjali mainly to get the axe from Lidl and I headed over to my Avatar's house to see if there was anything she wanted.  As we sat in the garden I noticed that there was a sheep in Haciber's garden and she eventually explained to me that it was going to the son's girlfriend's house as a present for her family for the meat 'kurban bayram'  holiday.  My sheep farmer turned up in his big wagon and between them they wrestled the sheep into the son's car covering it with a blanket.  Haciber was helping to shove but I'm not sure that she did much good but the thought was there.  Two more of the ladies arrived in the garden so I said my fond farewells to head to the grand metropolis but was it busy down the back lane.  It was a bit like the M25 on a Bank Holiday Friday.....but with the traffic going in opposite directions.

I stopped off and managed to get my axe but also managed to spend another forty leva on I know not what....that's Lidl for you.  I moved on to the leva shop and picked up more buckets and rubbish bins that I'm going to use for potting up my cuttings which is my task for tomorrow should I choose to accept it.  I carried on to my other cheapy shop in the centre of town and they'd got three pairs of fluffy socks for one leva so I stocked up for winter already.  I also sifted through some cards that were sitting on a shelf and selected eight for various occasions and they refused to take any money for them and told me they were a present.  I joke and asked if the police were outside and they were trying to trap me and we all laughed once they got the joke.  Sometimes things get lost in translation. On to Kaufland and picked up another seventy pounds of items with four large tins of Nescafe making up most of the bill but as for the rest...not really sure.  

Back home via the lane and again there was a little congestion...I unpacked the shopping, settled in to see my messages on my phone and Haciber was at the door with a plate of fluffy pancakes.  I thought that there were only a couple for me but I was wrong...two from Haciber, the same from my Avatar and yet another two from Beyser.  That was lunch sorted and tomorrow I have my breakfast at the ready.  I put supper in the oven at five...the steak was turned into a curry and everything was ready for six thirty.  Absolutely delicious followed by an ice-cream and now I'm stuffed.  Gardening tomorrow...potting up cuttings and I've collected the seeds from clematis that need to be put in.  It's been a good day...no pickies...but I promise to do better tomorrow.  LN....And the sun's gone down....LN