Friday 1st September

Silly night again.  I was falling asleep at nine thirty so went to bed...wrong move.  I was awake at one thirty. read for a while, back off again and awake at five, back off again eventually and awake at eight.  I think the five alarm was the man in the next village with his very loud music that he plays in opposition to the mosque in Djebel.  The hoddja in Djebel does his best but he hasn't got a volume knob attached as does the man with the player in the next village.  Having said that...it's their holiday so why not.  I'm sure we have some revellers around Christmas that get up peoples noses.  

So phone calls were made this morning and I ordered the new batteries for the Librarian's Surf.  She's been caught with no juice so no go.  I waited for the phone call from the garage and it eventually came at two.  Prior to that Gyuldjan arrived at eleven this morning to use the internet again but came with a parcel of meat that I put straight in the freezer.  I get a portion of the animal that was killed for the festival.  Poor thing looks absolutely knacked leading up to her wedding and after about an hour on the computer asked if she would go to sleep on the bed and of course I said yes.  I cleaned up the little house balcony and some of the wood that's lying around and was about to start on the potting up when her husband arrived.  I told him where she was so he went up to the bedroom and I hope woke her with a loving kiss but probably a good shake would work better.  Off they went to visit his parents in his village but she did ask if she could come back and sleep here tonight...I know her house is full so she's down stairs in the winter room.

Off to Djebel to get the batteries and then down to the Librarians to deliver them.  I think she knows 'a man who can' who's going to fit them tomorrow.  Today is difficult...no one is available...too busy with families.  We sat for a while with coffee and I was home for five thirty.  I warmed up the remains of the curry from last night and finished supper early and decided that a few of the pot plants looked in need of a good drink so it was out with the hose pipe.  Half way through two of the children from the lower village arrived clutching several black plastic bags full of meat.  With much deliberation and a very serious face he handed  two to me that are now sitting waiting on the kitchen table and need packing for the freezer.  Such a wonderful surprise.

So now Egghead has just started....Gyuldjan was warned to be back by eight and she's already late and might not turn up...I'll wait and see.  Can't do pictures on the first post of the month...they are to follow.  LN...Now...relax...LN

Saturday 2nd September

My early morning electronic 'spiritual' music that is much better sung locally woke me up this morning before the sun so I had an hour or so watching the birds and the bees clutching my coffee to my chest.  It was not so warm out there.  The birds were very active and it's amazing how many different ones there are.  I was dive bombed by the martins but they were moving so quickly that I just couldn't catch them in flight, there were a couple of woodpeckers that I could hear but not see since they were in the bushes at the bottom of the garden, the fly catchers were on sentry duty and swooping down to catch insects on flight and the crow was telling every one to stay away from his or her patch.  The blue tit was pretending to be a flycatcher and jumping up and down on my tree and there was a wagtail proudly flitting across the grass.  All in all ...a very gentle start to the day.

I was slow to get dressed and missed the first visit of the bread van and wanted to catch him on his return journey.  Remsier was walking down the road so we waited together, I bought bread, she bought a couple of chocolate croissants and she handed me one and we sat in the garden and had our breakfast together....so my intended bacon sandwich was put on hold.

Off she toddled, I went back to taking my cuttings and generally clearing out the little house.  It's been a bit of a dumping ground for glass bottles and old coffee tins but they have to go...you only need so many for soaking paint brushes and the rest.  It was so hot so I took to the computer and caught up with essentials.  There was a shout from the yard and my painter was there with his family...they'd been down to the cemetery which is something that they all do at this festive time.  He's not going back to Sofia to work so I've lined him up for one or two jobs when the holiday is over.  My benches want painting again and my old wood wants chopping.  Had my nap today...it's been a busy few days and I felt I needed it and managed to catch the highlights from the Diamond League athletics.  When that was over I realised that it was now too late to get the Beast cleaned for the wedding tomorrow so I decided to do it myself and I've saved myself twelve leva and it didn't take long at all and would have been much quicker if Remsier hadn't come back for a second instalment.  I finished it when she left and even hoovered the inside.  Haciber came round and gave me some baclava that was a present from her son's new girlfriend.  Apparently she's paying a visit to the village tomorrow...it would be good to catch up with her since I've fiddled around with photos of her for the family.

Tools away....I've just finished watching the end of Mamma Mia and I'll be taking a soak in the bath and tarting up my toe nails...getting ready for a wedding.  I'm not sure about supper...it's probably going to be a cheese and onion sandwich but no plans as yet to get down to the kitchen and burst into action.  LN....Gentle day. lots of amiable contact with the villagers...LN

Sunday 3rd September

So this morning it was a seven start and my deadline for today was ten thirty.  I sat with a coffee working out a bit of a timetable and at eight it was in to the shower, hair washed and enveloped in towels I headed for my bedroom and the hairdryer.  I had only one problem...I hadn't decided which outfit to wear.  I had a choice of three but shoes to match two and was short of a top to wear under any of them.  I had to dig through my underwear drawer, tried one, tried two and eventually settled for a little black number which could go with any of the outfits so back to square one.  I decided to dry my hair instead and contemplate which one it would be and I eventually settled on the German grey number with a large belt with a huge silver buckle.  I suddenly remembered I had black toe-less shoes which meant that I had to do the naked toe nails so I hitched up my skirt which is more or less mid calf length, toe nails done and fingers to match.  I tried the shoes on and settled for the enclosed one so job done but not really necessary.  The bed now was looking as if a bomb had gone off but at least I'd made my decision and was ready to get into the Beast by ten thirty.

I headed down the village towards Cinderella's village and there were lots of people waiting at different points of the road for the coach.  I stopped at the bus stop in the village and her parents were there along with her sister and children and the children were dying to get into the Beast.  We settled for the sister, husband and children and the Cinderella's parents were travelling with the villagers on the coach.  We went down the back lane and were more or less first to arrive at the venue but it didn't take long for the relatives to arrive, the coach to park up and a minibus for the bridegroom's villagers.  It's the way it's done here...it's normally one or sometimes two from each family and I think there must have been around three hundred in total.  I was sited on the family and my official title was photographer although two others were present...one sporting a huge Sony and the other a smaller Canon but they were both much bigger than mine.  I wasn't frowned on though and took my place with the officials and I think I got a few more than they did since I was there earlier.

The bride and groom arrived in their own car which was decorated with ribbons.  She eventually emerged, straightened out the frothy dress, headed for the boot to retrieve wine glasses, champagne, a bottle of wine and they were all set head down the arcade of guests clutching carnations.  The couple moved through and the bouquet was traditionally thrown, caught and I stayed well back from that.  The champagne and glasses were brought out in the venue, the couple sipped the champagne and the glasses were thrown over their heads and crashed on the floor.  Now I'm not sure which bit of heritage this comes from.  I know they do it in the Jewish religion but not sure of any others.  Anyway out came the dustpan and brush and they were in to their first dance with the fireworks a little too close to the dress for comfort for me....again...tradition.  There was a lot of dancing, I picked at my salad which everyone had, ate a few peanuts, drank water and there was just a lot of activity.  No speeches though so that's good but the food seems to be interspersed with everything else.  

Money time and this time I got a better view of the action.  Ribbon was placed round the bride and bridegroom's necks and it started rolling in.  His parents gave jewellery and I was surprised to see a pop sock materialise to get the bracelets on the bride's wrist.  I hope she's got one to hand to get them off again.  She received a beautiful necklace and other bits of gold were pinned to the neck ribbons.  The rest of the food came interspersed with activity and the finale was the cutting of the cake. again with fireworks out of the top of it. a little more dancing and then a winding up.  I had gained another two for the Beast on the way home.  The mother of the bride came back in the back of the Beast and I helped to get her out when we stopped off at the bus stop in their village.  We unloaded the goodies, I refused any more cake but I reckon that some will be heading my way soon.

I have taken loads of photographs which now need sorting so I've just got a few to post.  The day went well and soon the couple will be heading back to Germany.  It wasn't the usual crowd for me but I've made more friends from the other villages.  I was approached by the father of one of the ladies that come to visit me when they come to visit their parents and he explained that he was the father of the three girls....and as I took off from the bus stop they were just heading back and waved.  So out of my glad rags and into a pair of cotton trousers and t-shirt....it's been a very hot day.    I've just eaten an ice-cream as well....I've given up counting calories for today.  LN....They're married and the parents are happy....LN

Monday 4th September

Lovely night last night and woke up at six thirty and watched the sun come up with a coffee.  I went out to the garden to check up what might have happened overnight and ...nothing has.  I watered some of the pots since yesterday was a pretty dry day and checked out the cuttings in the little house.  I gave them a good watering and at some point tomorrow I'm going to get the two hundred water storage container and get it set up to save me walking backwards and forwards.  So I got the car out and had a few minutes with my Avatar.  She was mixing cement and dolloping it on the top of the wall ready for winter protection.  She collected up the ends of the grit heaps at the beginning of the year and used that as ballast and I've offered her more if she wants it.  She can have it from my heap.  

The Librarian arrived and I shouted that I was over with my Avatar but I used Bulgarian.  Avatar asked me why when the Librarian doesn't really speak it and I said I didn't know and we had a little giggle about it....I do love her.  So back home and collected my things together, out with the Beast and we both drove into Djebel to get her car sorted.  I popped into the Garage shop and explained the problem to my student's mum who has it happened was on the phone to her husband at the garage.  By the time the Librarian arrived they were all waiting with spanners at the ready and she really thought they were mind readers.  We piled into mine and left them to it...stopped at the leva shop and I bought a couple of large bowls for the little house for storing the plants in, more potting compost, pizza for late breakfast and then we went down to the market and I saw lots of changes.  I'd not been down there for a while and they've built shops at the road side which adds protection for the stallholders.  I bought grapes and the Librarian filled up with fresh veggies, back to Kaufland and I noticed that it had Gold Blend coffee on promotion so I bought one jar.  I always used to buy it in the UK but felt it must be the water...it didn't taste the same here and for the extra in price just wasn't worth it.  Lidl for me and the Librarian picked up her computer that was in for repair and was told there was nothing wrong with it.  I find this surprising since it wouldn't even boot for the woman in the repair shop when we took it in.  I didn't go in....I might have felt pugilistic tendencies coming over me...

Back to the garage and her car was ready...home to mine ...we had a cold drink and off she went.  I've had a very lazy afternoon....I might jump to tomorrow.  It's been pretty hot and sticky since lunchtime and I was hoping it would rain but the clouds have rolled over and it looks like I might have to water the plants.  Ah well...winter comes soon.   LN ...Pointless,   Eggheads and then bed....LN

Tuesday 5th September

It was a half seven start this morning and I lingered in the pit with my coffee and Candy Crush until eight forty five.  The sun was half hidden by clouds and they had to be captured.  I missed the bread van but there was a third of a French stick which sufficed for breakfast with my new reduced pear jam.  I wouldn't write home about it...very sweet and the chunks didn't really taste of anything.  I shan't be buying that again.  Dressed and headed for the garden and the clock was quite swift to go round today.  

I opened up the card for Ms D of S's daughter's first birthday and realised had to find another present to go in it,  I'd bought a set of skittles for her and the gift bag to go with it and they definitely wouldn't have fit in the first one.  I scanned the gift bag and made a card for the little one, packed the little one with a t-shirt that I'd got from the charity shop and put everything ready for a visit later in the afternoon.  I headed into the little house and removed the old window frames and put them into one of the other rooms.  I stacked up the rest of the wood, took two old tyres from the what will eventually be the kitchen and used them to make a stand for the new big plastic container earmarked for compost.  Three more pots of cuttings, buddelia babies potted up and two pots of clematis seeds buried and fingers crossed they will germinate.  I need to buy another couple of clematis, the ones that I have flower early and I it would be nice to have more colour in the workshop terrace garden.  It was a pretty warm day so everything in the little house needed watering again as did the terrace pots.

I came in at one and settled on the sofa with my tablet , checked emails and Facebook and by two made contact with Ms D to confirm that it was OK to go over this afternoon.  I dressed for the occasion, went into Djebel to get some fuel for the Beast, stopped off and had a few minutes with my student's mum, popped into the supermarket to get chicken wings for tonight and a loaf of bread...everything at home is destined for the hillside tomorrow.  I arrived at three thirty and spent a lovely afternoon with them all.  The little one is a poppet, pulling herself up and walking round furniture, she's not too sure about getting down from furniture yet but that will hopefully come before a flat head. Home for five thirty, chicken wings, onions and potatoes into the oven and they were ready for seven.  Now demolished, only the washing up left and after threatening rain when I was driving over to Ms D of S's but it was only a threat.  Now it's coming down though and the temperature has dropped considerably.  I've just caught the sunset though and was surprised....just a band of red over the mountains...the rest of the mountains have all disappeared, grey everywhere.  Time to shut the windows and doors and batten down the hatches.  LN...The plants are enjoying it at least...LN

Wednesday 6th September

Seven start but the rain from last night had evaporated and now the mountains were no more.  You could hardly see the bottom of the garden.  Everything was still, no wind at all and it took ages for the mist to burn off.  I was slow off the mark too....I had nowhere to go and nothing to do so what was the rush.  I got a load of washing in ever hopeful that we would have a good day.  Accuweather said that we would and I believed it but it didn't really get going temperature wise until this afternoon.  

First job was a bonfire and there was still a lot left in the burner from last time so I turned it over and got it going again and added today's rubbish to it.  It was still a little damp but it soon got going and there were several others on the hillside doing the same thing.  It must be the day for it.  By the time I got the washing out most of the smoke had dissipated but I've enough garden that it doesn't really bother me....the smoke never seems to cling to anything that's out there.  So breakfast was a ham sandwich...I'd bought fresh bread yesterday so it was OK but it does go over very quickly here.  I suppose it's because they don't stick in the same amount of preservatives as in the UK.  The old stuff was lobbed over the wall for the animals...it's pretty poor pickings now that I've got the burner down the bottom but the cats still come round and look at where the bin used to be sited...ever hopeful.

I settled down after lunchtime for a snooze on the sofa but I was only half there when my Avatar appeared in the doorway clutching a plate of home made banichka and now lunch had arrived.  She didn't want to come in, she said she was going back to sleep and we decided it must be the weather.  The change from hot to cold, dry to moisture laden air has caught us all out.  I went back to the sofa and read for a while, ate my newly acquired lunch and promptly went off again.  A full tummy as they say requires rest...so that's what I gave it.  I was still on the sofa reading when she came back.  I'd heard the ladies talking in the road and I eventually found out why she was here.  She doesn't like asking me to do things for her but tomorrow I'm taking her to Djebel to get her gas bottle filled up before she goes back to Germany in eight days time and to get some money out of the cash point.  She wanted me to take her card which as we know in the UK is a big no-no hence that's why I said that she must come with me....We went into the little house and I showed her my cuttings  labelling them for her sake 'spring shrubs', 'summer shrubs' she never knows the names of anything and it's our little joke.  At this Beyser appears in the garden with one of the lovely honeysuckle shrubs that has the most amazing red tubular flowers.  It had sprung up with her tomatoes and now it was mine so tomorrow's task is to find a space for it where it will flourish.  

Almost eight my time...cold chicken wings left over from last night for supper so not a lot of effort there.  Tomorrow and early trip into Djebel and then I think it's time the grass was cut before it really takes hold again and it might be out with the hoe to chop the heads off the weeds.  Decisions, decisions.  One more trip tonight with my Kindle to show the wedding photos to my Avatar and a picture of one of the neighbours who is the father of the woman that comes to see me when she is over from Ankara.  I have to put a name to the family and she will probably know them.  LN...I'm on my way....LN

Thursday 7th September

Five start so I turned over and managed to get in another couple of hours. I opened the door to the terrace but soon closed it again.  Despite the sun it was cold so I hopped back into bed, picked up my Kindle and spent the next hour spreading jam and getting bears over the string and winning counters.  I suddenly remembered that I was destined to take my Avatar in to Djebel this morning for a top up for her cooker gas bottle and to get some money out of the cash point.  I dressed for the occasion, went over with my Kindle to show her the photographs of  Gouldjan's wedding and the family that I was trying to place and Haciber was out there like lightening to join in the fun.  I saw the gas bottle by the gate so knew the trip was on so I explained that I was going to have some breakfast, she was going to do the same, and I'd be back by nine.  Marmalade on toast, half a cup of coffee, car out and down the road to turn the car then back to her house.  I loaded the bottle into the back of the Beast, she loaded herself into the back and off we set.

I managed to find a parking place near to the bank and she handed me her card.  We had to wait...the woman in front was taking out money from several cards and checking the receipts to make sure the machine was working properly...doh....it's not human.  I asked my Avatar to watch me to show her how easy it is to take money out but she wasn't having any of it.  I handed the money and the card back to her after slipping it in the folder with the password on the front and security is not as good as in the UK.  It's all come very quickly to them.

Over to the gas station and I recognised the man as the husband of my lady from the hardware shop.  We had a conversation about the weather, I explained that it was my neighbour that wanted only ten leva's worth which he dutifully put in the bottle.  Down to the supermarket, she didn't get out and I popped in for a few things so that she thought that I needed things.  She only let me take her in because she thought I had things to do...so I tell fibs sometimes.  We made it home safely and I wrestled the bottle into the house and as we came out Gouldjan and her new husband had pulled up in their car.  She'd gone to Haciber's house so Haciber had to run quickly back home frightened that she was missing something, I got in the Beast and headed home.  Gouldjan followed on and I told her that I'd got one hundred and ninety photos from the wedding and did she want them on a memory stick.  I gave her three bags of charity clothes that I'd been holding for her and off they set and she said that she'd come back after lunch.  I set about putting the photos on the stick and they picked it up around one thirty.  They're off to Germany tomorrow...two thousand plus miles to drive and he was yawning already and she doesn't drive....good luck to him.

I've had a very leisurely afternoon....it was too hot to do anything else.  Had a conversation with an old friend about the Live, Laugh and Love' phrase and I mentioned that I had a drawer pack with individual drawer for each letter and now she wants one.  I went out at four and managed to plant up the honeysuckle that Beyser had given me yesterday, I've cooked spicy sausage and onions and supper is over for tonight....a little tele and then an early night for me...no siesta today.  LN...Supper with the family tomorrow....LN

Friday 8th September

Lazy morning and again the sun was up before me but I did take a coffee out on to the terrace and braved the cold air.  I had bread from yesterday so didn't need to go to the bread van but the phone went at eight thirty and it was Gouldjan to say that they were in Haskovo already and on their way to Germany.  She also wanted to thank me for all the help that I'd given her in the run up to the wedding and for allowing her to use my internet for the invitations and the likes and the bed where she rested her weary head when it all go too much.  I've told her I'll get my own back when I go visit them in Germany probably later this year.

Eventually I got round to doing something in the garden.  Again I put off the lawn...it was just too hot again once that sun got up.  The lavender is no more...I've trimmed the flower stalks off and they are now in little clumps hanging upside down drying off in the little house.  I did take pillow cases out so that the seeds would fall into them but I'm going to give them a couple of days first so that the moisture doesn't hang about in the pillow cases.  I also gave the lavender a hard trim and got rid of the dead stuff underneath.  The one at the furthest end from the steps has lots of honeysuckle growing through it and I've now got a jam jar full of the trimmings and I'm hoping they'll root.  The rest of the debris was taken down to the bottom of the garden and while I was there I decided to do a little weeding....well the amount was little but the weeds were gynormous.  It's been a neglected area but I think I've now decided what I want to do with the area and the sort of path that I want running through it.  Tomorrow might be a day for putting a plan into action.  Finally I watered the garden...the flowers were looking a little worse for wear and positively parched and some of the shrubs had leaves hanging down.

I came in at five fifteen, washed and got ready for an evening with the family.  Supper was up to usual standard with one of the local dishes served along with very sweet tomatoes from their garden.  Melon and biscuits for afters and I left at just after ten hence the late update,  I didn't have a siesta this afternoon and I'm looking forward to my bed tonight....there's nothing on the agenda for tomorrow outside the perimeter...so far....so I'll see what I can achieve from the blue print.  LN....Bed calls....LN

Saturday 9th September

Seven start and coffee on the terrace but I could have done with a sweater this morning.  Sun was up but no warmth in it but it soon caught up with itself.  I was going to head out to the bread van but realised that the loaf that I got from the supermarket on Thursday was still worth doing something with so I fried it off with some bacon, lashed it with brown sauce and glutinously munched my way through it.  My failing was that I didn't make the second but since I'd cleared the kitchen I decided to abstain.  More coffee, DM Sudoku and a five star in ten minutes is a bit of a record.  I meandered for a while on FB, answered a few emails and made apologies for a none appearance at a wedding celebration tonight in London.  Maybe I was feeling my age when I refused but I saw the photos of the bride and groom on FB last night so I'm only missing out on the bun fight.

I did managed to get the pillow cases onto the lavender but it did fight back.  I swept up the already fallen seeds and ended up sneezing and feeling asthmatic...it's pretty powerful stuff.  I came in for water and five minutes but then grabbed the nettle disguised as a lawn mower and decided to tackle the grass.  My enthusiasm did fail me after I done the big house lawn and the surrounds to the grave garden to the side and the rest can be done tomorrow.  I've already put the fuel can in the back of the Beast....I had to top up the mower and expect there to be insufficient to finish the job.  The strimmer needs to be brought in to play tomorrow....there's a lot of this creeping weed which looks very pretty when it's flowering but hangs itself over the surrounds of the gardens and the mower just doesn't cope with it.  Having looked at the weather forecast...it's supposed to be thirty plus tomorrow...I could be heading for my last day at the pool so early start in the garden...or perhaps leave it until Monday.  Not sure of the bird that I caught on the electricity wires this afternoon...I'll have to get the bird book out.

So I've got TV Catchup on and just watched a repeat of University challenge and was amazed how many of the answers I remembered from the other night.  Only Connect is on, how do people's brains work that way and as for the Wall...so obscure.   Strictly starting tonight so I'm on a countdown to Christmas or so it seems....where as the year gone.  Nothing on for supper so far...it will be a look in the fridge to see what's available, probably spicy sausage again.  LN....I think my mojo is coming back.....LN