Tuesday 21st August

Six start and up before the sun this morning.  Down for a coffee and on to my bedroom terrace to watch it come up.  It's a very peaceful time and not many birds around at the moment.  A few finches were scrumping from the sunflowers but very nervous when I got the camera pointed in that direction.  They obviously had easier pickings.  Down for more coffee and watered the terrace plants.  There was a dew overnight but not heavy enough to do any good so they really needed it.  Washed, dressed and didn't bother with breakfast, wrote a shopping list and phoned Gouldjan and asked if I could deliver the card for her German teacher that she'd left here the other day. She was at home and her sister and the boys were here for the holiday but didn't see her parents, they were busy with a very large cow....the sacrificial beast to the slaughter and this afternoon they probably spent butchering it, potting it and doing what ever else they do with it.  I shall get mine from it tomorrow...

I stopped off and had a word with Avatar on the way back...she leaves tomorrow and is off to Germany for the winter with her daughter-in-law.  It's all happening too quickly this year.  I headed into Kardjali and to the hospital and fortunately managed to park near the Polyclinic.  Unfortunately my doctor is on holiday but the nurse offered to get an English speaking doctor for me for tomorrow morning so that he can give me the once over...how good is that.  She also wrote me out a prescription for some analgesics so straight round to the chemist for those.  Kaufland for shopping and I bought a Jigsaw...a real one for cutting wood and lots of goodies for the 'nibbles' box.  Hot-dog and chippies for lunch from the kiok, over to Lidl for a few more items, LPG for the Baby which came to twenty one lev and then to the garage to give her a wash and brush up.  I told the man that I bought it from to look away....it used to be immaculate all the time...not so now.  Over to the garage shop and unfortunately my student's grandmother has had a fall...it happens to the best of us....but she's got her leg in plaster and now staying with them.  

Home for six, unpacked the car and I'm really pleased with some conifers that I bought in Kaufland.  They must be a foot tall and looking really healthy and should look good at the bottom of the garden.  Half seven my time...I put supper in the oven when I arrived back and my chicken wings with potatoes and onions should be just about ready.  So tomorrow doctors and then on to the swimming pool if the weather is good and Kindle fully charged and at the ready.  LN...I remembered the mayo....LN

Wednesday 22nd August

Awake before the sky was even vaguely blue and pink but stayed in bed until six fifteen, down for coffee and then out on to my bedroom terrace.  It was a little chill out there this morning so I didn't stay long and dived into the shower, washed my hair and the intention was to be out and about by eight thirty and I was ready for eight.  I walked the garden, didn't bother with breakfast and in the car with my photo on the camera of the 'accident site' just in case I met a lawyer on the way.  I parked up in the square  for free near to where I usually pay for parking and had a gentle stroll to the Polyclinic.  The nurse called me in straightway and told me to wait and she went along the corridor and winkled out my English speaking doctor.  He looked rather like a Greek god with blond hair and spoke very precise English straight from the text book.  He examined my shoulder very thoroughly and I screeched at the right times enough for him to fill out the form and I was on my way to the hospital within walking distance and heading for the second floor.  I handed over my form to the receptionist and was asked to pay one leva for the e-ray.  I said that I was surprised how cheap it was and she reminded me that I was a pensioner and I thanked her.  So I received directions to the next receptionist that was equally pleasant and was told to find door number four along the corridor which I did.  There were a few of us waiting but after five minutes I was addressed in English by a young man inviting me to follow him and he took the x-ray.  He then asked me to take a seat and to wait  and then asked me to follow him 'where the doctor will carry out diagnostics'....and he did.  I think the said doctor didn't want to speak English so the technician said that nothing abnormal had been found on the x-ray and suggested that it might be a soft tissue injury and that's why I was having pain.  So back to the Polyclinic clutching my x-ray and the said doctor was again dragged from his surgery and other patients so attend to my needs.  He looked at the x-ray, said that there was lots of bruising to the bone, asked if I wanted physio which I refused.  I said I'd got a lawnmower and two dekera that was enough for me and a car with gears.  His final words were 'good luck with that', I thanked him for standing in for my doctor and headed back to the car and a little shopping stopping off at one of the small restaurants for banichka and yogurt drink.

Shopping over I headed for my swimming pool and was there early enough to get a couple of sunbeds one being under a large umbrella.  The wind was quite gusty and the small ones always seem to fall over. Not so pleasant today...there were groups of lads jumping in the pool and they were old enough to know better.  They were obviously from Turkey and over for the holiday and probably bored at home with the culling and bottling and I was amazed at how many of the youngsters were on their phones.  Free WiFi has a lot to answer for.  I'd had enough by four, got changed and headed into Lidl for more bottled water...I was down to half a bottle and home.  I put the swimming things into the washing machine along with other items, pegged them out and now finishing off in the bathroom.  Gouldjan was supposed to be here for seven and obviously ran out of time...she flies out tomorrow morning early and her brother is taking her to Sofia.  I picked the last of the cucumbers and took them over to Avatar and she's heading for Germany tomorrow....everybody is going somewhere.  The garden is watered and everything has had a good drink tonight ready for tomorrow's sunshine.  I think the little electric lawnmower is due for its first outing tomorrow...the grass needs doing and I'll see how it performs and then a little weeding.

Nine thirty my time and the swimming did the shoulder good...it's not so painful tonight.  It's a home day tomorrow.  LN....Time for bed said Zeberdee.....LN

Thursday 23rd August

Bit of a sleepless night last night....I reckon I must have got bitten by some little critters at the pool yesterday and the suntan lotion proved to be and insulator...they nibbled I didn't feel it.  I was aware of scratching most of the night and was up at five thirty but settled down again..well sort of...and eventually made the first cup at six thirty.  I emptied the rubbish and had a bonfire...it was a beautiful morning  and having taken the garden fork down with me, I made use of it and cleared the weeds from around the walnut, under the wall and joined up the paths around the new beds at the bottom of the garden.  It wasn't the intention...I was going to clear by the bonfire and move the wood from the wall but I'll save that for another day.  

I'd thrown out the bread so was waiting for the van to beep but at eight thirty I thought I'd missed him.  I grabbed some money and headed out of the gate and then I heard him...he was really late this morning.  I met my Avatar at the gate and we walked down together and she asked for a got an unsliced loaf, I asked for the same and she'd got the last one.  We then had a tussle when she was trying to force the unsliced on me and me being me refused and this conversation went on for about twenty yards when she suddenly realised that she'd forgotten eggs so I went back with one leva of hers, she hadn't told me how many she wanted, so I held out my hand, he took more money and I had ten eggs.  Eventually we settled that she would have four and I'd keep the rest...the joys of country living.

Poached eggs and ham on toast and after that it was a lazy morning.  I'd watered a few of the flower beds and the pots but that was about the height of the exercise.  I moved upstairs, lay on the bed playing Soda Crush and the next thing I was waking up at twelve and by this time it was too hot to do anything else.  e-mails and FB and then I looked at the lawn...and it's now done but with the biggie not the new electric.  So tomorrow it's the strimmer to finish off the job.  Showered and shampooed....my feet were black and now I need to dry my hair.  It was so dusty out there and whenever I emptied the box over the wall, the wind brought it back again and it stuck to the sweat on my furrowed brow.  I must have looked like Worzel Gummidge but now I'm all clean again.

No pickies today...I've been far too busy but I do have stripes on the lawn.  My Avatar's washing line has been full most of the day....she's flying tonight and I shall miss her.  LN...She'll be back next year....LN

Friday 24th August

Another itchy night despite my shower last night and I think I'm putting it down to a change of washing powder.  There are too many bumps for insect bites.  Five start, a few games and then back off again until seven.  I didn't need bread so I was out watering the garden again and I've only just finished watering again tonight...it's been a warm one today.  Ham sandwiches for breakfast out on the terrace and my plan for today was scuppered, the electricity was off for about an hour and a half and then it was too hot to go out strimming.

Instead I cleaned out Beauty, put the charger on it and fingers crossed it will be gone by the weekend...even it I have to pay for a trailer to get it down to the garage.It felt quite sad getting it in again and I realised how decrepit it looks now that I have the new Baby but it served me well.  I left it on charge for the rest of the day and checked it out...it starts...so I pumped up the one tyre that I could see that needed it and the others will be done when I can get to them...it is right up against the bed under the wall.  I also put in a Japonica kerria down the garden against the wall and watered it in well and then turned my attention to the very spiky bush that's self set in the bottom left corner.  I've cut it right back and thrown it over the wall and intend to dig it out but not yet.  I also took out some very healthy weeds and the strimmer was going to finish it off...another day.

I had a little sleep this afternoon and felt much better for it and refreshed I did a little more in the garden and turned my attention to the workshop and refolded the polythene that had been dumped in there, sorted out the tools and tomorrow I'm going to remove the concrete blocks that I used last year to keep the wood stacked only this year I'm going to use the back wall for my wood.  It's on order and I want it before my September guest arrives because then I'm in to October when Princess comes out.  So everything had a good drowning tonight...I don't think that there's going to be much of a dew drop tonight.  No food required tonight...aghhh...maybe some peanuts.  LN...Time for shut down....LN

Saturday 25th August

So seven start this morning and I'm now convinced that I have prickly heat from the pool the other day.  Probably exposed a little too much or stayed out there too long....and you never know if the tablets that I've been taking made me a little sensitive.  I'd also worked in the garden the day after swimming and done the lawn raising quite a head of steam so that had probably intensified it.   And that's all from the home doctor...

Coffee on the terrace and I'd taken my camera out with me and suddenly there was a cacophony....the martins were back and swarming round the only nest that I have under the eaves of the little house.  I don't know what's of interest there...the nest has been abandoned after two hatchings but maybe it's a swan song...I guess they're off soon and just saying goodbye until next.  The bread van was late this morning and some of the old dears couldn't decide what they wanted making him even later....he asked me if I wanted cheesy bread so I said that I did and an uncut and while the lady was making her mind up I was processed and fully paid up.  I said cheerio to the others, took my cheesy bread on to the terrace with a coffee and that was breakfast sorted.  Unfortunately...more like a sweet bread than a cheesy bread so the birds had most of it but it was enough to get me going in the garden.

I planted up the cuttings of the escalonia, trimmed the lavender so I can now get down the steps to the garden without a swerve to the right and the next job is to string it up.  I've still got last years to process and remove from the stalks...it's still in the little house bathroom so that's my first job tomorrow but I need to find a face mask first to stop the dust irritating my lungs.  I came in at eleven thirty and meandered around playing games and at one made lunch, lay on the sofa and got my head down.  It was much too hot out there to do anything else.  I went out again at five and trimmed the bush along the wall near to the acacia and the large berberis ...the berberis is now visible against the hedge line....before that there was no contrast.  I also took down most of the rose and found a very healthy forsythia so that should give it much more light.  I've also cleared most of the couch grass from the little side bed...it was really going rampant.  Everything watered and I didn't come in until eight and just caught sight of the moon....in the evening sky.

More pottering tomorrow.  I'm making my list for Monday...maybe MOT Baby and pay my yearly fee for the internet...save worrying about when it's due.  LN...A little 'Night at the Proms' ...LN

Sunday 26th August

So last night I became an insomniac... it started off by watching the Proms Leonard Bernstein hundredth anniversary performance and then the second programme detailing the writing of West Side Story and the history behind it.  That programme went on until two this morning, went to bed, not an ounce of sleep in me and it was four before I eventually closed down and went off to the land of nod.  The upshot was that it was eight before I came back to the world and it was a pretty slow start.  I had toast and Marmite for breakfast just to full the gap , cleared up the kitchen and headed out to have a bonfire and get rid of the dross.  The rest of the day was gardening, watering and digging more weeds out of the area of the walnut tree.  It's very stony down there since this is where the building rubbish had been dumped but at last it's getting into shape.  

As the temperature rose I decided that inside was best.  This prickly heat is irritated by the sweat glands so it was a coldish shower and a change of clothing and an afternoon of sleep, sudoku and triathlon and by this time it had clouded over.  There were rumbles of thunder which amounted to nothing and I think it will be a thorough watering in the morning...I'm still crossing my fingers and hoping for a downpour.

I've cooked spicy sausage with onion and a little chilli and that was supper over and done with...well almost.  I finished it off with ice-cream and that should see me through until the morning.  Tomorrow's list is finished and I shall be putting it into action fairly early.  It's market day in Djebel and you have to go early to get a parking place.  LN...Early night for me then....LN

Monday 27th August

Six thirty start, watched the dawn and eventually made my coffee...I was slow this morning.  There was a cool breeze and there was quite a mist hanging in the valley on the mountains opposite.  I got dressed for Kardjali...I had my list ready and I'm pleased to say that the major items were completed.  

I stopped off at the car parts shop and had a few minutes with my student's mum and further more managed to park outside the shop...wonder of wonders for a Monday.  Next stop ws to the bankomat and it amazes me that technology has arrived and the simplest things they leave to others.  The bank manager came out and helped one old lady get her pension out, he took the card and the pin from her, did all the input, removed the card and the receipt from the machine but made sure that she removed the money....self protection and all that.  The next in the queue were three ladies with one card but it took three of the to negotiate the questions and answers and eventually they toddled off and I was in and out in quick sticks.  My first stop was to the Internet shop and I paid up front for twelve months explaining that I have visitors for September and October and wanted it off my brain which now it is.  

I carried on to Kardjali and into my cheapy shop picking up an autumn cropped sweatshirt for the princely sum of fifty one stotinki, back to the car park, Kaufland for a quick spin and lunch from the kiosk finishing off at Lidl for a few more things including a four kilogram sledge hammer that I'd missed last year and carried on to the garage to get the Baby MOT'd.  The garage owner was there which was a surprise for me, normally I have the lad and we discussed England and his visit with the camper van and he said that he was depressed by the economy of Bulgaria and he's right.  The young are all leaving for the streets paved with gold in the rest of Europe....Bulgaria is emptying.... it needs more investment but until they get the backhanders under control, there are not many investors.  The Baby sailed through its MOT and he said that it was an excellent car....that's nice to know.

So back home for three thirty,  stopping briefly on the roadside to take some cuttings from a beautiful pyracantha that was covered with amazing berries.  I'd driven passed it several times and promised myself that I would pull off the road and so I did.  They're now sitting in water and it will be my first job tomorrow.  I had to struggle to get the two pots of ice-cream stashed in the freezer so I had to finish the remains of the one that I took out and everything else got put away.  I took to the sofa with a bottle of water and a antihistamine tablet to stop the itching and it promptly put me to sleep for an hour or so but I felt much better for it.  It's gone really full again, thunder and rain was threatened but nothing has arrived yet...maybe later.  No supper required again....the lunch has worked its magic.  LN....Home base day tomorrow...LN

Tuesday 28th August

Bit of a disjointed sleep...woke up with the  light still on and my tablet playing games with itself...so a quick lights out and back to the land of nod.  Six thirty this morning and it was a cool one with the wind whistling through the open door to goodness knows where but it was still very pleasant.  Coffee and back to bed, I toyed with washing the dishes and gave that idea up before it took root.  The sheep were out early this morning and the two dogs were playing with each other.  I'd thrown a couple of loaves out for the dogs and they'd certainly found them.  The one was clutching half a loaf and the second one was trying to persuade the other one to give it up but very little chance of that.  There was other bread around...I'm never sure why somebody else's is always better...it's the same with the birds especially in winter time.

So toast and marmalade for breakfast, I went out and watered the pots and potted up the cutting that I'd taken from my journey back yesterday.  I decided that all cuttings should go in blue water containers so made another one out of one of the large water bottles and sprayed it with blue paint.  So now I have three on the go, forsythia, escallonia and cotoneaster.  The hypericom has yet to be done.  Today was another bitza day.  I decided that the first aid box had to be sorted and is now in a plastic box not a shoe box, the plants were all watered upstairs and down and the acquired rubbish in the bathroom, odd pots of old creams etc has all been binned.  I seem to get this way when I've got visitors coming and seem to see it with fresh eyes.

Lazy afternoon with a sleep thrown into the mix and at four I was out there with the garden hose and didn't come in until I heard the telephone going and tomorrow, I have Bekir and Sally back to start on the floor laying in the porch and to get the windows put in properly.  I also want them to make changes to the stairs but that might be after my next visitor leaves and the new ones arrive.  I feel and 'in box exercise' about to occur.  I've picked at food all day so not in to cooking tonight....I'll have an early start to fetch the men and we'll breakfast later.  I suppose tomorrow will be a day of working out materials and getting them in...the Beast will come into play....Baby has to keep smart...not a workhorse like Beauty.  

So despite the threatening of rain in the afternoon, nothing has fallen from the sky and it turned into a very beautiful sunset.  LN....Time to start work....LN

Wednesday 29th August

Watched too much television last night and played games well into the  bewitching hour and the consequence was that I was awake at five, made myself go off again didn't wake up until seven forty.  Now in the grand scheme of things that wouldn't have been so bad but I'd arrange to pick up the men at eight in their village, washed dressed, out into the Baby and foot down foregoing coffee and got there for eight ten.  Not a bad result.  They were waiting for me and it was hugs all round, I hand't seen Sally since last year and it was good to have them back.  Driving back there was a fully noise that appeared to be emanating from the radio but it seemed to be working in sync with the accelerating and braking so I wasn't sure with this car being new to me.  There were no warning lights on the dashboard and the temperature was normal so I carried on and we arrived home safely.  

First job for me was to clear the table in the little house that they use for a base and then we set about creating a list of requirements and clearing the porch.  They knew what they had to do and spent about half an hour working out the best way to do it and having set the plan, I headed into Djebel in the Beast to get the materials.  The Baby unlike Beauty was never was never bought to carry cement and the likes.  I popped into the car shop and mentioned my concerns to the owners wife and my student was there after his travels to Poland and he'd remembered me,,,,I have a new fridge magnet...   Everything purchased and we headed home, unloaded the Beast and I drove into Djebel with Baby and waited at the garage for the car to be looked at.  The brother I'd purchased it came over, I explained the problem and thought it might be coming from the radio while it was searching for a signal and his eyes lit up.  I'd hit the nail on the head.  The garage owner gave me a hug, we all smiled about it and off I went home with the radio turned off.  There's just a dead spot in the signal between my house and the men's village...and now I know.

The men got started on finishing the window installation which means they were removing the yellow foam that keeps the window in place and substituting polystyrene insulation.  Slow but masters work not quick as the Bulgarian saying goes but at least I know it's going to be done properly and the windows will not leak.  I pottered around and set about clearing out the woodstore ready for the new supplies and now you can bring on the wood to set me up for winter.

They had their lunch and I found jobs to do like repotting one of my plants that is throwing out yellow leaves through too much nitrogen...and countered this by using the rotted down leaf mould from the base of my two large trees in the yard.  Fingers crossed it will do the trick.  At five thirty they were ready to leave, I picked up a recipe for beeswax polish for Ms D of S and arrived to be hugged by a little one and received an invite to stay for supper which was really appreciated.  We had supper and sat in the conservatory after the little one had gone to bed and hence this is why the update is late.

Same again tomorrow only this time  I hope I will have a better night and be up a little earlier.  LN...Good to have the men back....LN

Thursday 30th August

Six thirty start so a lovely start for the day.  I didn't have to set off until seven forty so I had time to have my coffee, take in the morning and do everything in a leisurely fashion.  Just as mornings should be.  Over to pick up the men and I was there as the clock on the radio struck the appointed hour, they were ready and fully ensconced ready to start the day.

A lot has been achieved, Sally set to on finishing the gaps round the window and I only had to make one trip to get more of the filling material from Djebel but that tied in nicely with me having to go and fill up with gas.  I've been pointed int he direction of the garage in Kardjali so that's where I headed but stopping on the way in Djebel to buy the stuff that was needed and I would pick it up on the way back which I did.  I stopped off for a packet of biscuits in Djebel and the lady from the hardware shop said that I would get fat eating those so I offered her one and she accepted and I said that we'd get fat together...it was a nice little smile moment.  I got back to find that Bekir was mixing cement and he explained that the existing floor in the conservatory had a fall on it which meant that the water wouldn't hang around the house in the days before the conservatory.  He said that he was going to put a skim on the floor to make it easier to lay the tiles and using much less on the material for laying them.  It was a plan Batman and I left them to it...they were both working in unison and tomorrow the outside should be finished. the tiles laid and just the internal tidying up to do.  Not bad for three day's work.

My day has been spent gardening and I got torn to pieces by the wild rose that seems to have infested my little top garden next to the wall.  Eventually I cut it down to size, cleared the grass and the rest of the weeds and that's one more or less done.  I moved on to the veg garden and decided that my carrots life was over.  I'd put lots of seed in and only one had germinated and boy had it grown.  So in with the fork, it had gone down by about a foot and it looked like a carrot and smelled like a carrot but as I carried it to the men to show them, I turned it over and it had out grown itself and spilt down the back.  It is now in the men's village and will be fed to Bekir's rabbit....it hasn't gone to waste.

Bekir had mixed too much concrete and was left with a wheelbarrow full of the stuff so now I have another large step on the little house terrace near to where the outside sink is to be  located.  Photos were duly taken but for the life of me I can't find the camera.  I went visiting after I dropped the men off and came home in the dark again....I'll bore you with them tomorrow.  LN...Late posting and only words...sorry....LN