Saturday 21st April

Six thirty start this morning but I couldn't hear the tick of my clock on the landing so my first job was to find a new battery for it.  I always wonder if it is significant, that time has run out for someone but I've had no adverse reports from anywhere and I'm still OK.  One load of washing in and out on the line for eight thirty and I was beginning to wonder how my Avatar was doing.  I settled for toast and marmalade for breakfast that was after I'd done an hour's strimming and I heard a car pull up and I had a visitor.  I wasn't expecting him until next week, so I made coffee, finished my breakfast and he suggested that I head off to Kardjali with him but being the guardian of the keys for Avator's mansion and not knowing when to expect her I declined the offer.  Off he went and I set off down the road, my old ladies were sitting on the side of the road taking the sun and they offered to fetch me a stool. I said that I had to get back to the garden but I asked them if they had any news on Avatar.  As it turns out, I think Avatar is in Bulgaria but her daughter in law has gone to her mothers house first depositing her mother there and Avatar is due at ten tomorrow.  

I went back to my task for the day...yes you've guessed it...and at two I came in and settled in for the Snooker and promptly went to sleep.  My guest came back, I'd stuck a load of washing for him in the machine and pegged it out so it was ready and in return he brought two muffins which I've just had for supper.  Off he went and I went back to the garden and it was eight thirty when I came in....I'm knacked, I have only two patches left to do and should finish it by tomorrow lunchtime if I have a good start then I only have the borders to sort but that's no so important.  You could almost watch the grass grow,

So no pickies...it was just too dark when I finished but I'll update tomorrow.  LN....Same old....LN

Sunday 22nd April

Another late night for me...I'm a  Game of Thrones addict when there's nothing else on.  Today was different though...I now have the Masters to watch and today I caught Ronnie O'Sullivan and he seems to be on form.  He didn't start off too well but a surge to the finishing post and there you have it. He now becomes the bookies favourite and mine.

Six thirty start and I was out there with strimmer in hand by eight.  I decided to save breakfast until I'd finished one of the last two remaining patches  but first off I started on the base of my special tree.  I'd done half of it but now it's clover free and waiting some plants to make it look pretty.  The forsythia has finished and the potentilla is doing its best but it needs something more vibrant using the juniper and cotoneaster horizontalis as a backdrop.  Tomorrow's work.  I moved on to the next project, finished it by ten thirty and came in for breakfast and sat out in the sun with toast and coffee.  Out again and finished the second patch and what a relief it is to see it all down and I made a start on the perimeters against the long wall uncovering a plant with a label that I'd forgotten about and a kerria that's flowered but you would never have spotted it.  

So watched the snooker, settled in to the chocolates that I'd bought back from Istanbul and was very close to nodding off but I managed to stay awake.  I was still waiting for my Avatar, rumour on the street was that she was due this morning at ten but still no sighting.  I headed down to the bottom of the garden and did a bit more until I completely ran out of steam by the burning box and the wood stashed against the wall.  I've left it down there and am thinking about making a fence between the trees so that the bushes don't take over....let's say it's still in the planning stage.

The next thing my Avatar is standing on the terrace and I was a little surprised by how she looked. She's obviously very pleased to come back but found that she has no water in the house...the valve has seized up so she was on her way to see Remsia's husband to see if he could fix it.  Fortunately I had some water left from my visit to the spring so i offered her a couple of bottles to see her through...she carried on up to Remsie's house and I delivered the ten litre bottle to the house.  I made my way to the bottom of the garden again and sat on the wall at the bottom.  There were a couple of cuckoos letting others know they were there, I checked out my other little house in the mountains and it still seems to be standing, and realised that I could just see the road down to Greece through a gap in the mountains.  I looked back at the house and realised that I'm a very lucky lady....I love my house and village and my life and even though some of the chores like winter wood and spring grass seem arduous....it would take a lot for me to give it up.  One more day of strimming and everything should be down to manageable size and then just run over it with the lawnmower and maintenance.  I might even do Kardjali tomorrow and have a meander day...I'll see how I feel.  LN...On the hunt for supper....LN

Monday 23rd April

Six thirty start and I'd had an early night and fell good for it.  I went over to see my Avatar to deliver some chocolates as a gift from Istanbul see if she wanted anything from Djebel.  I was  wrong,,,she'd travelled back with her DIL's mother and without DIL and she said that she'd really enjoyed the flight but the taxi from Sofia was not to her liking.  She was about to cook eggs for breakfast and invited me to join her and there's no bread van today so she had about three slices from Haciber and that was about it. She'd cleared the house completely and didn't have sugar so I hopped back home, found a kilogram of sugar, half a loaf of bread that I'd taken out of freezer that morning and a tin of Bulgarian corned beef just in case.  I also arranged that we are going into Djebel in the morning and to Kaufland to top her up with everything that she needs.  A nice early start and we should be back by lunchtime.  She mentioned that she had to go into Djebel first to get money out of the cash point and I said that we could get it in Kardjali....Bless...

Next was a phone call from the Librarian and her car needs to go into the garage.  She said that she'd be over by twelve but she didn't appear so I phoned her this evening and there's a change of plan....it's now moved to Wednesday.  As for this morning...I didn't feel like tackling the bottom corner of the garden so I didn't.  I put a bench together that I'd got from Kaufland and stated sorting out cushions and realised that I have to get the machine out and make a new lot.  The mouse has attacked the swinging chair cover so that's another job on the list...it's getting longer.   I came in when it got too hot to be out and settled in for the snooker.  I was just about to nod off when OH appeared and came bearing gifts from Greece.  I made coffee and we sat chatting for a while and we moved on to the terrace and a large bird settled in the walnut.  I nipped in to get the camera and it wasn't until we looked at the shot close up that we could see it was a cuckoo.  I'd never seen one that close before...only heard them.  Off he went and I got the lawnmower out and managed to do about half of the main house grass and the side garden and it's the first cut of the year with the machine. What a difference it makes and it didn't take too long.

In by eight, Kardjali tomorrow while I guide my Avatar round the shops.  I hope she's made a list and checked it twice, closely followed but 'naughty and nice'.  LN,,,Wish me luck...LN

Tuesday 24th April

Seven start and it was shower, shampoo...I was off to the grand 'metrolopes'  with my Avatar.  I don't think that she'd told the other ladies of the village where we were going and I made it a nice early start.  She'd been down to the bread van to stock up bread, I'd taken the Beast out of the drive at eight to check that it was all set to go and she thought I was ready to leave so I confirmed the time with her.  She came over at ten to nine and sat on one of the logs by the side of the house and I asked her if she'd made a list just to make it easier when we got in the supermarket.  She's not used to progress.  She came into the house and we sat down and I wrote a list of the priorities mainly to make it easier for me.  She's not too good on her pins so I could nip round and get some of the things and it was only when a decision had to be made that I dragged her down the aisles.  We went down the back lane and unfortunately there was a lorry in front of us depositing hardcore that had obviously been removed from somewhere.  The Kmet was aiding and abetting the driver to make sure it was dumped in the right place so it took us a while to get to the main road but once there we were fine.

I parked up, helped her out and went round to my side to lock the Beast and I couldn't see her.  I eventually spotted her on the other side of the street and told her that we needed to be on the other side of the car park .  I had a little chuckle...there was nothing slow about her movement in Kardjali.  First stop the cash point and I got her money out for her so that she could pay for her shopping and the taxi-fare down from the airport as we came back through Djebel.  We more or less filled the trolley, she's got lots to go at and chicken for the freezer and I picked up a few things for me.  Back to Djebel and we spotted the taxi driver as we drove through so we paid the man, down to the little supermarket at the bottom of the village and we managed to get her a voucher to put money on her phone.  All in all...a very successful trip. I unloaded her shopping and put it in the house, she offered to help but it was much quicker with her standing watching and I parked up by the wall, unloaded my shopping and have had a very lazy afternoon.  I did manage a bonfire and a few weeds out of one of the flower beds, sliced up a lump of pork and put it in the freezer and used a joint of lamb to put a casserole in for supper tonight.....which should be about ready.

Looks like there might be rain tonight...there's been thunder loitering and I'm not sure which way it's going to go....over to Turkey or drop its load here.  No photos...I've been far too busy but I've been told that the one that I labelled as a maple is in fact a acer....I stand corrected.  LN....Supper calls....LN

How many benches can a lady have... You're becoming the mad bench lady of the hills!  

Wednesday 25th April

Yes Mikey B but the one closest to my heart my sweet is the one that you though I might put on the wood burner and never did...I'm saving it for a really cold spell.... New terrace...new bench...that's the theory....

Eight start this morning and I was having a very lazy time...I was trying to plan what to do and with all the options...I was finding it difficult.  I didn't bother with breakfast, got dressed and decided that the veg patch needed love and attention so dug over the first two patches and planted them up with beetroot and carrots and then settled in to the rest of it and put in a cross piece of wood and I now have another two beds that will be planted up tomorrow and only one left to go.  The strimmer came out for a while but wasn't put to too much use but the battery is on charge for tomorrow.

The Librarian appeared mid morning, she'd taken her car into the garage, bought breakfast in Djebel and arrived by taxi thus saving me the effort of fetching her from Djebel.  She settled down with her Kindle after out late breakfast and she started watching a video in the lounge and promptly nodded off so I went back to digging and tilling the soil.  I came in at one thirty...it was just too hot out there, phoned the bank, answered a few messages on FB and we had a late lunch at three. We walked the garden, I suggested that we went to a restaurant in Momchilgrad for supper so it was boots blacked and ready for the off at six thirty.  Lovely supper and we were home by nine.  She's stopping the night since her car isn't going to be ready until tomorrow.  Very restful day and achieved a lot in the garden...runner and broad beans going in tomorrow...tomatoes and a couple of cucumber plants by the weekend.  LN...Eat your heart out Monty....LN

Thursday 26th April

Well I think I feasted a little late last night and they must have been magic mushrooms...well they were stuffed with something.  On the menu it looked like a jacket potato and we were amazed when the mushrooms appeared and we thought at first they were small potatoes sliced in half and stuffed so we sent them back and back they came...We'd ordered them from a picture...we'll know next time.

Five thirty start this morning and I've been tired all day mainly because it's been a corker.  The Librarian's car was in overnight so I phoned the garage for an update but there was no replay.  Knowing that they had issues themselves which included a trip to the hospital we decided to head into Djebel so see if the shop was open and fortunately it was.  The tyres wouldn't be delivered until lunchtime so we headed into Kardjali for a little shop up.  Lidl had not opened it's doors to the public and there were two work vans on the car park...maybe it's a freezer problem and not safe for the general public.  We headed into our leva magazine and i got two more water pumps for watering the plants from ten litre bottles.  Until I get the hose pipe out it's a bind walking backwards and forward to the taps.  I also bought a new t-shirt...I'd put a long sleeved one on that morning so  got a purple one and a pair of scissors to take off the banding round the neck....makes it more trendy.  Over to the cheap electrical and pot shop at the top of town and I managed to get a hairdryer to replace the one that blew up.  Down to Kaufland for a quick trip round and bought some more plants for the garden, hot dog and chippies for lunch and then back to the garage.  The tyres were on and all switched around as instructed and the Librarian set off for home.  I lingered a little longer and mentioned that I have a s mall oil leak so they cleaned the engine and I'll take it in early next week for them to have a look at it.

Home James and the Beast was put in the garage...it was so hot that I nestled myself on the sofa watching the snooker and promptly went to sleep catching up on my early morning start.  I've just spent  the last hour trying to work out the settings on my Sony camera. For some unknown reason it had started taking three of everything and I can only assume it was inadvertently changed when I handed it to one of my guests to capture the cuckoo the other morning.  It nearly sent me cuckoo trying to work it out but in the end I managed it.  Gardening day tomorrow and then it's out for supper at my students....and then a weekend off.  LN...Long live Le Weekend....LN

Friday 27th April

Fairly late start, I made coffee, sat on the terrace and finished it, toast for breakfast with blackcurrant jam. washed up from the last couple of days and it was a day of washing, clothes and curtains.  I did head over to speak to my Avatar and sat in the sun for a while, the village was having prayers said for it and four hojjas were singing their little hearts out in the mosque in the village.  Apparently we have to pay fifteen leva each for the privilege and a bowl of rice and meat is the reward.

I did the usual washing that was sitting in the laundry basket and pegged out on the line and because it was such a good drying day, I washed my two wool cardigans by hand and put them in the washing machine to rinse and spin.  The winter covers came off the sofa and they were next in the machine and finally, my bedroom curtains were washed.  No sooner than the next were ready but the first lot were dry.  It was a really good day for getting stuff done.

My Princess phoned as she was on her way to work to give me the update of life back home and she's off to a murder mystery party this weekend and has to go as Ms Scarlet and she's wearing an evening dress that she bought out here for around thirty five pence from my cheapy shop....a just have to have...which at last is having its day.

Out to my students this evening and on to her sister in law's house for supper.  The mother and sister in law were full into the Turkish soap and I was more into talking to the  youngsters.  Father fell by the wayside pretty early and made his way home.  We said farewells at around ten, the mother and girls insisted on walking home and I set off through the forest with not another car in sight.  The Beast is safely stashed in the garage, I've realised that Ronnie your actual is fighting hard for his place in the snooker next round so I'm going to wrap this up and watch him.  LN...I just love all sport....LN

Flowers are looking lovely. I like that striped iris, does it have a name? I think that Vania would like that as well. Must see if I can find it here for her. The 'greek' plant I thought might be a penstemon, after looking at some photographs probably not.

Saturday 28th April

Thanks Trevor...I love this time of year and follow the seasons with the shrubs.....April has done me proud with the Forsythia,Japonica Kerria, Potentilla and now the annual iris in so many flavours so to speak. The Greek plant is Gaura lindheimeri and my two from last year have reappeared but not flowering and the ones that are came via a friend from Greece last week.  As for the stripy iris  it' either Iris pseudacorus or palida....it could be either.and needs no special treatment...it did the hard winter.  My biggest problem this year was all of the grass, clover and lot of other weeds. I live next to the field and mine was a field before I started to tame it....hard work but the grass is down and now it's out with the mower....still ....worth the effort.

As for today....it was a misty start to the morning and the wind was pretty brisk as it whipped over the hillside. I went out with the coffee cup but soon came in again and ventured out again with a washed  lounge curtain that covers the stairwell in the winter to stop the heat from the woodburner leaching itself out into the great beyond.  It's such a big heavy cotton curtain that in previous years I've unpicked it and washed it in two loads...CBA this year...it all went in and the machine still works....the theory had to be tested.  I went over to ask my Avatar to order me eggs from her village supply but found that the village ladies were sitting in Beyser's garden having meat and bread for breakfast.  I was asked to join in but had just finished poached eggs on toast and the idea didn't fit ...dipping bread into a dish of cooked beef.  I'll have it tomorrow when it's mixed with rice...the village is in for a mevlit .  I asked Beyser if she had any eggs and she managed to find me five which I insisted on paying for and I walked back to my Avatar's house and she insisted on giving me another five.

So today I cleared the cut grass and slung it over the hillside for the animals.  The lawn mower will pick it up but then I have to keep emptying the grass box and clearing it was the lesser of two evils.  I was very hot out there so I worked on it slowly but fairly thoroughly and it took me about an hour. The intention was to mow the grass but it was just too hot today so I came in and watched the snooker, then promptly fell asleep for a couple of hours and then resumed with the snooker.

I've just had a visitor who has a house in the bottom of the village but lives in Germany.  She wants a staircase apparently and wanted to see mine but it didn't stop at that....she managed to do the whole house in two minutes flat and has invited me to go down to her place tomorrow to help her plan the staircase.  Off they went and I looked down and the cows were meandering home and had found the late night buffet. ...and they're still there now.  Not sure about supper for me....not really hungry but I'll have to find something to make sure I don't wake up at three in the morning with hunger pains. Mevlit at ten but if I have a good start I could knock off some of the grass....LN..Better have an early night....LN