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Elsa Peters
October 1, 2017, 4:02pm Report to Moderator

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Sunday 1st October

So we're really on the count down to winter now.  It had been raining overnight yet again and it was cold out there again.  I eventually got dressed and settled for toast for breakfast and contented myself taking pictures from the desk and managed to catch woody both on the ground and on the fir tree. lots of starlings around and the very timid jay is nicking something from the garden and having a field day but I'm not sure what.  The medlars seem intact at the moment but they are so hard that you'd need a hammer drill to remove them from the tree and I'm told that you have to wait until they're rotting on the tree before you remove them.  I'll test one out but may be actually leaving them..they don't look very big or appetising.  

So it was garden round-up time and from the bottom of the garden I noticed two woodpeckers on my tree but as per normal the camera was sitting on the desk.  I walked back up the garden and didn't look at them thinking that they might just ignore me but no...they flew off as I grew level.  I came in, got washed and dressed and headed down and made toast for breakfast and yet more coffee.  I set a load of washing going as the weather seemed to get lighter so I hung it out, there was a glimmer of sunlight and just a few spots of rain falling.  There was a stiff breeze so I left it out thinking that at least it would do something.

I headed into the little house and I've been looking at the way the wood has cascaded down the wall ending up almost perpendicular.  It's old wood from the building work and some of it is covered in cement so I decided to do something about it.  I brought in the wooden trug from outside that's never got planted up with anything, three quarters cleared the wall stacking some of the wood in the trug, some I put for burning and I was beginning to see the wood for the trees so to speak....except no trees inside.  I was working away and was brought out of my industrious state by a friend and his wife who are over from the UK.  I'd not heard their car pull up but they explained that there was something going on in the village and they'd had to leave it and walk down.  I suddenly remembered that it was Dushinkovo day and I'd missed it....almost so we had coffee in the garden and another surprise...Bekir appeared....he'd expected me to be at the fete and when he hadn't found me, he came down to the house.  We chatted for a while, he's still finding wood for me and is going to come down and finish the metal work on the wall.  I don't want much work done this winter...I have a list of 'bits'.  So Bekir left, I got changed and the three of us walked to the village and had roasted lamb with bread for lunch and the bones were packed up for a lamb stew but not one of my favourites.  Back to mine for more coffee and to warm up...by now it was raw so I lit the fire and in quicksticks the hot water was circulating round the radiators and is still doing so.  Off they went, washing in and in the bathroom to finish drying and now I'm settling into the evening.  

So to sum up September...too much heat in the early part and no real transition to the cold that we've had.  It sort of hit home and I'm really feeling it.  It's supposed to be getting warmer this week and about time to....I'm not ready for winter yet.  No supper for me...the lamb will see me through until the morning and a busy day tomorrow is planned.  LN....And relax...LN

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Elsa Peters
October 1, 2017, 4:40pm Report to Moderator

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Pickies from today...can't post them on the first post of the month....



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Elsa Peters
October 2, 2017, 5:13pm Report to Moderator

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Monday 2nd October

Seven start and that sun was coming up so it must have listened to me last night.  I asked it for same again today.  Washing away, washing up done, washed and dressed and ready for action by eight,  I made toast for breakfast with marmalade, checked round the plant pots and watered a few, put the the umbrella to dry it out so that it can get put away and also set the cushions from the outside furniture to dry.  I moved the Beast out onto the road and waited for my guests to arrive at nine thirty, we settled down with coffee and on the road by ten heading for Haskovo.

It was a fairly misty morning but it had cleared by the time I got to Kardjali.  The journey was uneventful and the first stop was the market garden and it still looks pretty run down.  The front of the displays looked very much as if they'd arrived on a pallet from Holland but the part that I was interested in needed love and attention.  I did select four berberis, two lavender and another winter flowering jasmine with a pretty yellow flower and two seventy litre bags of potting compost.  Leaving the market garden garden I spotted a very pretty plant which they didn't have a little one of so I asked them if they could let me have a couple of 'bits' and I could try to strike cuttings.  The lady actually said that she considered it to be a weed and I could take the lot.  I left with the Beast looking like something from Kew Gardens on the move.  From there we carried on to the hardware shop but I didn't get the carpet that I went for.  The cream one didn't look to be the same quality as the last ones that I bought so I'll go back and get the more expensive one when I've measured up the bedroom.  I've also managed to find some rechargeable batteries for the solar lamps that I've had for ages so that's a job for tomorrow.

Lunch from the hot dog stall at Kaufland but it took me ages to get to the Kaufland carpark.  There was a u-bend that was an option but there was a police car parked on the junction and I had the feeling that they were just waiting for customers so hence the diversion.  Eventually we drove by them after taking the diversion and they were handing out a ticket so I guess I was right.  A quick trip round Kaufland and then the drive back home.  I'd not taken the back lane on the way out but risked it on the way back and there was only one really muddy patch which wasn't bad after all the rain we've had.  Made coffee, took their washing out of the machine so that they could take it home to dry and off they went.  I brought the Beast back into the drive, unpacked the plants and gave them some water, wrestled the potting compost into the little house and finished off stacking the wood.  I did see some wildlife in the little house.  It looked very much like a shrew...it was really small with long back legs and moved very quickly.

So it's been a lovely day and it was a strip down to lightweight sweater by the afternoon and same again tomorrow please...pretty please.  No fire tonight...back to normal.  LN....Eggheads and a book at bedtime.....LN



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Elsa Peters
October 3, 2017, 5:05pm Report to Moderator

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Tuesday 3rd October

Late night bath and I think I need another one tonight....I'm knacked after a hard day on the chain gang and I'm thinking I'm going to stiffen up if I don't...

Seven start, washed and dressed by eight fifteen, toast for breakfast with Marmite and I was out to the garden by nine.  I'd set out my table for today....I intended to clear the rest of the stone heap at the bottom of the garden and it was going to be full on.  I did start off with a bonfire though and despite the fact that it was pretty damp from the rain that we've had. it burnt well and is still going now.  I did intersperse the nominated task with a few others that hadn't appeared on any list but were in my brain.  I used the new potting compost to pot up the Busy Lizzie that seemed to be struggling and I'm keeping my fingers crossed,  I also decided that I needed a spot to perch down the bottom of the garden so brought the wheelbarrow up the garden intending to put one of the large logs in it and wheel it down the garden but I couldn't even manage to get it in the barrow.  So the brain got into gear and I rolled it down the garden going down the grass between the house and the front wall and all the way to the bottom.  Out with the chisel and hammer and I stripped the bark from it and laced it with lamp gas to drive away the bugs that were starting to burrow into it.  Success on a plate and I how have a place to perch.

The rest of the afternoon was spent moving rocks, chips of rock and old roof tiles and eventually at six tonight I emptied the last wheel barrow, gathered my tools and by six thirty all was safely gathered in and chicken wings were put in the oven for supper.  Heading for a full moon tonight but bright and well formed.  Just had a phone call from Princess updating me on her new job...she seems to be really enjoying it.  There's an element of fear when you first start anything new but I pointed out that the team are on her side and she's such a lovely character ...she'll do fine.  

Anyway TV-Catchup is catching up by asking you to remove Ad-Blockers and wanting to download things.  I might have to try other things.  Chicken wings are ready so time to wrap up.  LN.....Hot tomato sauce...out of mayo...need to shop....LN



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Elsa Peters
October 4, 2017, 4:26pm Report to Moderator

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Wednesday 4th October

Six start but with the curtains drawn I wasn't really sure what the weather held until I ceremonially opened my window on the world.  Someone has stolen my mountains overnight. sun hasn't even come up yet but I felt there was little chance of seeing it.  As the morning progressed the sun was making a valiant effort and when it eventually broke through it turned into a very warm day.

I felt quite achy when I got up from yesterdays marathon in the garden so knew that today was going to be a 'bitsa' day and it turned out to be just so.  Washed and dressed and intended heading for the bread van but I was playing on the computer and couldn't raise the effort to leg it down the road.  I had two day old bread which had no lifeforms growing on it so it was into the toaster with it and Marmite provided the topping.  

First job was to replace the batteries with the rechargeable that I'd bought the other day from Haskovo and they all appear to be working.  I've left them on the window ledge in the corridor to see how they perform tomorrow.  I've had a bit of a mare with my little Lenovo after I'd carried out the system updates.  I'm not sure what was updated but I fell down on my Google password so I then went into meltdown and now can't sign in until tomorrow with the new password.  There are times when I hate computers.  I moved outside and put the umbrella into the little house, finished off the wood, swept the floor and collected up the debris, moved the swinging bench on to the main terrace, came in for a drink, settled down on the sofa and promptly went to sleep for an hour or so.  Woke up and knocked off a couple of Sudoku's and then found the log that I thought there was a duck hiding in and thought it was time to set it free.  I took the old bark off using a chisel and hammer and then it was down to the detail.  I took it into the little house workshop. stuck it in the vice and used the hacksaw to take off some of the bigger sections and the chisel to create the form.....and I love it....so far so good.  It needs more work  and tomorrow is another day.  I planted up the hypericom...it needs some decent ground to spread in so we'll see how it does now.

Leg of lamb in the oven with potatoes and butternut squash and they should be ready in about half an hour.  I've just caught sight of the moon coming up tonight and it's but yellow in an early evening sky.  Time to concentrate on supper and the kitchen....I might even try out my gift of Bisto extra to see what extra it has.  LN...The anticipation is killing....LN



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Elsa Peters
October 5, 2017, 7:59pm Report to Moderator

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Thursday 5th October

Sorry late tonight...I was very settled with my student and her parents and where did the evening go?

Seven start, washed dressed early, intended the bread van but again didn't manage it so out came one from the freezer.  It was blackcurrant jam on toast this morning, sitting in the sun on my swinging bench and watching over my estate.  The birds were very active this morning but the light was just too much for the camera viewing screen...I couldn't see what I was trying to take so gave up as a bad job and setting into storing the memories in the brain cells.

I'd dressed for work but decided instead to head into my local post office to see if my other camera cable had arrived and it had.  I suggested that she wrote down her telephone number for me so that I didn't have to get the car out to check...I could phone instead and she did.  It's not stored in the phone book...  So being dressed for work I grabbed the rest of the bulbs, two of the berberis, a lavender, the euonymus , a snow berry and headed for the bottom of the garden complete with fork and garden spade.  They are all planted, beds dug over and at three I'd had enough since it was pretty warm out there so I came in, finished the rest of the lamb from last night, showered and shampooed and ready for the off to visit my student and her family at six.  They apologised in advance...they'd got unexpected visitors from Turkey so it was the usual round of 'where do you live, how many houses do you have, how many children and how much is your pension?????'  Just the usual things that occupy their minds.  They did bring over a batch of truly seedless white grapes which were delicious and I munched my way through them and also through the apple cake which had been made by my student's sister.  

So home safe and sound...no bears or wolves to be negotiated on my drive back through the forest.  LN....And so to bed said Zeberdee...LN
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Elsa Peters
October 6, 2017, 4:28pm Report to Moderator

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Friday 6th October

So last night I made the mistake of staying up to watch Question Time and I really wonder why.  There was no one on the panel that really had a grasp of the situation and the only one that I recommended was the man who said that he was at the Tory Party Conference and that it was insulting that the only thing reported was the last speech from the PM...He really had a dig at the reporters and television coverage.  Of course it was soon slid washed over.

I eventually got to bed at one thirty and had a hard time settling but eventually I nodded off and it was six thirty when I came to.  I sorted out the Lenovo and I'm really disappointed.  It was supposed to be a system update instead of which it obliterated all my settings and reset everything.  It's worth a complaint.  Washing in, went down the garden with my coffee to contemplate what the rest of the day would hold.  I abandoned the idea of Kardjali, sat on the wall and watched the birds with camera in hand.  Back up to the house, got washed and dressed and put on  work clothes...it was going to be another gardening day.  Toast for breakfast and then out to the garden with spade and fork in hand.  I threw some more stone over the hillside...the ones that I didn't want....loaded four larger stones in the wheel barrow and tried to head back up the garden but with a wobbly wheel...I had to take one out and carry it to the plum tree and then go back for the barrow with the other three.  It all started because I dug up a self set acacia intending to plant it close to the bottom wall....and realised that the soil was good round the tree and I needed a place to put more of the daffodils   and they're in.

I was in an out all day but eventually came in at five thirty...I'd had enough.  I'd finished off with a bonfire, clearing the down branches that I'd taken off so that I would end up with two working eyes and got the washing in.  I've got one of the steaks out from the freezer and working out what to do with it.  The last one was tough so I'll probably slice or dice and see what's available.  I think it's time to put the boiler on for a soak.  It's supposed to rain tomorrow and that should give my newly planted up a good drink to save me watering them.  LN...it's in the lap of the gods...LN



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Elsa Peters
October 7, 2017, 5:53pm Report to Moderator

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Saturday 7th October

Sleep of the just last night and awoke at six this morning.  It was very dull and clouded over and true to form and as predicted, it was raining by eight thirty.  I did manage to get the morning stroll of the estate in but soon back in.  I didn't bother with breakfast but went on the computer and wasted some of the morning until hunger got the better of me and I opened a tin of what should have been beans and bacon.  I think I found one nugget of bacon, three of a congealed substance and the overall appearance was one of soup with beans and carrots floating in it.  The flavour wasn't bad though but not for the faint hearted.  I'd made toast with it and it was ten thirty so early lunch/ late breakfast but it stood me in good stead until late this afternoon.

A job well done today...my summer clothes are away and my winter ones are sorted and have taken place of the summer ones in the hanging space and shelving.  I've also been through my shoes and socks, ditched a few of both and know exactly where to find the rest.  I've lots of darning to do on the woollen ones...or maybe it's time to replace instead.  I have visions of unpicking down to the holes and knitting new bits on them but I think this could be more of a chore than a pleasure.  By three thirty I'd put supper into the oven, remembered that it was the world gymnastic finals from Canada so settled down to watch it but being aware that there was thunder lingering around.  I lit the fire more as a comfort thing, by this time the heavens had opened after the sun tried desperately to come through but miserably failed and that fire took some doing.  There was no draw in the chimney despite the wood being perfectly dry but once going, just one big log and it's away, the pump kicked in and the house is toasty.  By six I'd had supper, realised that the thunder and lightening was going no where so I switched off the computer, removed the cables to the modem, took to my bed with a print out of Friday's sudoku, succeeded in completing it and must have promptly fallen asleep.  

Summing up....I missed Djebel fair but it really wasn't the weather for it, I could have carried on with the planting but again, not the weather for that either but perfect for sorting clothes and enjoying the home comforts.  It's still rattling around now and it might be worth risking it for Strictly...I've got my wood coming tomorrow so that could be an active day for me but it might be a day for throwing a sheet of polythene over it and leaving it for another day.  LN...It's in the lap of the gods again....LN



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Elsa Peters
October 8, 2017, 4:51pm Report to Moderator

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Sunday 8th October

Well I was still playing games at two thirty this morning...the sleep during the thunder left me ready for everything...except sleep.  I was still awake at six fifteen this morning and it was rather an eerie start to the day.  There wasn't much of a sunrise but the clouds were hanging low in the valley after yesterdays downpour.  There was quite a bit of wind about when I went out on the balcony to take the first shots of the day and eventually the sun broke through the clouds.  It's been quite a chilly day though.  I played around with sudoku knocking off the Sunday five start in twenty minutes.  There were a lot of variables and just the threes and fours in various positions which once they were home and dry led on to several other possibilities.  It took me two attempts so not so bad.

I was out to the garden by eleven only managing toast for breakfast.  I planted up the rest of the newbies and am only left with one berberis to find a home for.  The remaining daffodils are in.  I also chopped the rest of the wood that was lingering bringing the chop saw in to play and lavished linseed oil on the ducks head.  I was trying to work out how to fix it to the base and what the base should look like but that's for another day to worry about.  I managed to dig out two decent sized holes at the bottom of the garden but it is absolutely riddled with stone and I think it's part of a seam that's running along there.  Guests for coffee and to pick up something that they wanted printing out and at four this afternoon they left, I headed for the kitchen and used the meat that I'd thawed out overnight and got a curry in the oven.  Tidied up outside and just to update you...my wood didn't arrive so a bit of a wasted day waiting in but I've achieved loads in the garden...so not really wasted.

Had supper watching the Chase which is quite a good program except that some of the questions are absolutely unfathomable....three multi-choice but they could be any of them.  Today though the three remaining contestants managed to win the money and I like it when that happens.  So kitchen tidied....I've just lit the fire going as a comfort factor and the chimney must have warmed up...first time goer.  Strictly tonight and I'm hoping for a better night's sleep.  I'll be on the phone tomorrow to Bekir since he made the arrangements for the wood...he can make the calls.  Lovely sunset and the huge humming moths were out round the tobacco but no...they are just too fast in the twilight.  Now I've got the new cable for the Canon ....I'll give it a shot tomorrow...LN...I'll be waiting....LN



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Elsa Peters
October 9, 2017, 4:22pm Report to Moderator

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Monday 9th October

So late to sleep and late to rise makes me....grumpy but eager to get on and do something.  I got dressed q
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