Sunday 28th April

So my first night upstairs last night...awake at five thirty....I forgot to draw the curtains.  I was late to bed.  I enjoy the Jonathan Ross show and followed it with Victoria Wood...she was so clever and original...shame she's no longer with us.  So not long in bed but I slept OK so today I decided to strip the bed, put the zebra blankets away and set it up for summer.  It was such a lovely day that I stripped the downstairs bed, everything washed, dried, my bed is made up and the sheets are ready for putting together the downstairs bedroom for my guest's arrival in the middle of next month.  I also moved my clothes out of there so there's only the tarting left to do.

It's been a beautiful day and I spend some of it just sitting and watching the birds.  I caught sight of the hoopoe but didn't manage to get a snap of it, and I love the way the blue tit swoops from the log with the hole in it that it's made home over to the bottom of the valley and then zooms back straight into the hole.  I spent some time weeding the vegetable patch and I'm amazed how many parsnips and carrots have come up.  The ants seem to have left them alone.  I still have more to do on the weed front but I can't do everything...some things do take time.  The back has been agony and I translated the leaflet contained in the tablet box and the instruction was not to expect the pain killer to kick in immediately.  It had to work into the system...so I've suffered.

My neighbour from down the bottom of the village paid me a visit and she's one that looks at the things that are growing in the garden and always either wants to pull a shoot from the shrub and spends time looking 'babies'.  I did allow her to take a shoot from the wisteria and I potted it up for her.  I kept the promise...I went round the garden photographing the flowers and even I was surprised how many there are and how many are yet to come.  LN.....Back to the snooker....LN

Monday 29th April

Silly early start, the moon was up and I noticed that the sky was displaying some beautiful colours.  I found the Canon and managed to get a couple of really good shots.  The nice thing about it is that it has a view finder where the Sony used to have but after I dropped it...it doesn't work.  I went down and got myself a glass of water and took my tablets and went back to bed.  I decided to rest myself for a while longer and I woke up at nine twenty...it's time to start blaming the tablets...I was awoken by a noise, looked out towards the pond and a digger was making it bigger so I watched it for a while.  When it was being dug out, the digger tipped over and it took another digger to get the first one out.  It looked precarious at times bit it went without a hitch.

It's been one of those days when you start one job and several drop out of the first task.  All my clothes are out of the downstairs bedroom.  I made up the guest bed, moved other things upstairs and the drinks that lived behind the bedroom door are now in the kitchen for anyone that wants them.  I decided to delve into the storage chest in the said room, took everything out, material for sewing was to go upstairs in the third bedroom, I washed a small feather quilt and got it out in the stiff breeze and then turned my attention to the porch.  I took out the mats and the beat the big one, swept the floor and washed it over.  I turned my attention to the packets of seeds and the Lavatera are planted and on the shelf in the porch....awaiting germination.  

My Fortinovo friend arrived at about one thirty and we sat on the terrace drinking coffee and putting the world to rights.  He said that he wanted his bath fitting  and I suggested Bekir if he hadn't got work so he asked me to telephone him.  Bekir is going round there tomorrow to speck out the work.  He didn't leave until three thirty so I finished off the clearing up, put the zebra nests away for the year.  Now that I'd cleared the downstairs chest, I managed to get all the zebra blanket in there and all the spare bedding for the guest bedroom.  Also in the chest were the clothes that my guest didn't take home so those are all on the coat hangers and I did a quick inventory in case he asks me what he left behind....and he has so my effort wasn't in vain.  I had the snooker playing in the background as I worked and spent time between the desk on the landing, running up and downstairs and rescuing the washing that had thrown pegs to the ground and was making its way across the lawn.

Tele-time tonight...it's the final of Only Connect.  Kardjali tomorrow and tomorrow night I'm off to my student's home for supper....it's all go here.  LN...Time to post.....LN

Tuesday 30th April

Late back from my student's family house so not much of an update.  Another late morning in bed after a silly five start.  I played on the Kindle and caught what there was of the sunrise...definitely not as spectacular as yesterday's.  Showered and shampooed, dried my hair and set off for Kardjali by ten in the Beast...I was on a mission which turned out to be different than expected.  I called in the cars shop and handed over a belated Easter pressie in the form of chocolate eggs in one of the egg shaped plant pot holders and carried on to  Kaufland and the bankomat so that I had enough money for my purchases.  When I got there, the chairs had been sold as had the mirror so I meandered round and eventually found an  oak footstool that is desperately in need of a new cover and that wont be difficult to do. a mirror that will do in the bathroom or the downstairs bedroom and a bedside cabinet again in oak that has yet to find a home.  And a thank you to Mr and Mrs D of S....your birthday present has been put to good use...   I loaded up went to the cheapy shop and bought the Nivea bath cream that was the only thing on my list for today apart from the chairs, a pair of jeggins from the cheapy clothes shop and back to Kaufland for a couple of potted roses, my Avatar returns from Germany tomorrow and it's a welcome home gift and finally to Lidl for a few items.  The journey home was uneventful and I came up the back road and it really does take time off the journey.  The surface is not bad...the Nipper will be able to manage it, there should be plenty of clearance.

Home and unpacked the Beast...as I said the new furniture has yet to find a home.  The clothing went straight into the washing machine,I watched a little of the snooker and then it was time to get ready to head off to my student's family home for supper.  She'd not had to work today and could have come with me today but lack of communication so didn't.  She'd cooked supper and I was under strict instructions to say that every thing was delicious which I did.  Her sister arrived home from work and came in laden with Easter painted eggs gifts from her work colleagues so after supper we played the smashing game where you bang eggs together so see whose is the strongest.  It reminded me very much of how we used to play with conkers.  My blue one was the champion and I got a biro and painted a face on it and wouldn't let anyone else bash it for a second attempt at it.  It's now called Eggward.

Early meeting tomorrow in Fotinovo...the Librarian is off to the dentist and I want to check out how much my work would cost before I make any commitment.  LN...Want a better night tonight....LN