Saturday 1st August

White rabbits or whatever you want to say, I'm thinking this year is slipping away.  It's been a pretty poor year for me for swimming and taking the sun, too much rain at the beginning of the season and then not wanting to complain but it's been scorching for the last few weeks.  Only one trip to Greece this year and getting my toes in the sea is as far as I've got.  Thank you virus but at least I feel very protected on my hillside.

I went down to buy bread and I was the first one there...everyone seemed to be on 'le weekend'.  I was leaving as the others were arriving.  No sign of Avatar this morning and I found out later that she was organising the killing of an animal for the holiday.  The rest of the day she would be cutting, cooking an bottling and it would be making its way to Germany for the winter when the family return.  The old bread went over the wall, the new bread provided two slices of toast and I warmed up the rest of the beans.  I washed up, had a shower, dried my hair and headed into Kardjali via the back lane.  It was a bit hairy, everything was very dry and the Beast manages it a lot better than the Nipper but gas is much cheaper.  I parked up near the centre, went down to the stationary shop and they'd put a screen in place so you couldn't go in the shoo.  You asked for things and they fetched them for you and fortunately one of the guys speaks English and show off his talent when I go in.  In to trips he got what I wanted, I paid the money and off I went.  I walked down to the high street and managed to find a present that seemed very appropriate and it will be delivered as and when.  Back in the car and over to Kaufland, I didn't go to Lidl, had the man put ten levas worth of gas in the Nipper and chose the back lane for my journey home.  I'm always worried when I approach the turning, the idiots still seem to be dangerously driving towards the border.  I indicate well in advance and pump the brakes to let those behind me know that I'm abut to do something serious.  I negotiated it safely and left the rest to it.  I was more concerned going up than coming down...the small tyres did have a bit of a problem but eventually I got to the top.

I unpacked the shopping and was pleased that it was only four by the time I sat down for a coffee.  I decided to water the garden at five thirty and it was then that the first raindrops appeared and I decided to let nature do it for me and now it's throwing it down and it's beautiful.  I stood on the balcony and realised the rain was cold so I came in and the light out there is amazing tonight.  I have the feeling that that my grass will come alive tomorrow, better get the blade on the mower sharpened.  The chicken that I bought didn't make its way to the oven, I shall have it tomorrow, smoked cheese and biscuits was enough for me for tonight,  LN....I'm just going to watch the rain....LN

Sunday 2nd August

It's been a lazy day...well it is Sunday.It had rained well last night but had dried up overnight and only the cushions on my bedroom balcony was damp.  I sat out on the terrace and enjoyed the cool of the morning, the sun was up but the clouds were gathering and the temperature just right said baby bear. I took my Kindle with me and played the games that I would normally play before I start my day while sipping my coffee.  The day was marching on and I was hungry and I remembered that I'd out a packet of bacon into the fridge from my shopping yesterday.  That was quickly turned into a bacon and egg sandwich with the new HP that I'm managed to buy yesterday in Kaufland at an exorbitant price from the normal but, it's available here.  I took that up to the computer and that was my downfall...Gardner's World was on and I settled in to learning what I should have done earlier in the year and there was Monty telling me of the jobs for the next week.  I'll pick my own out thank you.

Washing up done and the kitchen but back to normal, no watering of the garden was necessary, no washing to do so all I had to get done was to sort myself out for the day.  I picked up that Ronnie O'Sullivan was playing snooker in the first round of the snooker later in the day so at four I put the chicken in the oven with a very large jacket potato and so my supper was work in progress.  I had to wait, there were other matches on when I put the computer on and Ronnie wasn't playing until the afternoon session so I settled in to finding ancestors....the sun had come up, the temperature climbed and I was just as happy inside.  The afternoon session started and Robbie is annihilating the Thai player, hes; leading eight games to one and only has to get to ten to go through to the next round.  Looks like he's on his way.  It ws strange to watch though without any audience....no 'oohhs' and 'arrhhs' and phones ringing.  I ate my supper watching the snooker followed by chocolate cake and now I'm stuffed and struggled to water the garden.  I only went round with the liquid feed....I think the plants need it.

The washing up can wait until tomorrow, I'm just about to have a quick shower to freshen up and cool off before bedtime.  I've just caught the moon coming up but now it's disappeared into the clouds and gone from sight.  Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow, I can find work in the garden if it's dull but now going out there if the sun's shining...too draining.  LN.....Just one of the moon and the evening sky.....LN

Monday 3rd August

Six thirty start and no need to water the garden, last night's watering must have done the trick.  I did my statutory walk of the garden and not a tortoise in sight and not even a rustling from the dried leaves near the wall.  The rain from the other day appeared to have been turning the grass green but I was wrong.  As I looked out at the grass today I noticed black cat silhouetted in an attack position.  It was cavorting around, pouncing, attacking, shaking something in its mouth but from the desk I couldn't see what it had in it's mouth.  Now nature being what it is I left it to play out, if I saved something it might have been too damaged to do anything about it so I watched and then the cat shot over towards the long wall and it was then that I went out to check out the grass...and nothing.  It had either escaped or the cat had taken it somewhere else but there was nothing to go by. I did take a photo but at that distance I couldn't make out what it was.

I somehow got settled in to finding my relatives again and then realised that breakfast was calling so I went down and made a bacon sandwich, came back to the computer and carried on where I left off.  I didn't get any further so decided to turn over to see if the snooker was on and the morning session had finished...Robbie had done it and had recorded the fastest time for winning a session and now holds another record.  He's a bad boy.  More hints from Find my Past, more tails to chase but nothing new for me unfortunately.

So this afternoon I decided to phone Fotinovo to see if they were available for a visit later today...I had a pressie to deliver.  I set off at just after four and had a leisurely journey down there and we sat in the garden chewing the cud.  The present went down well, I'd bought an ashtray for the terrace, it was a very pretty green glazed one with a very large pale yellow sunflower on it,  Probably a bugger to wash but....it's not mine to be concerned about.  Lovely afternoon in the sun and I left around eight and home in quicksticks.  Cold chicken for supper so nice and easy to get ready, beautiful moon coming up this evening but the camera didn't do it justice.  It was so yellow but the camera took the colour out of it.  Nothing serious on the agenda for tomorrow....I need to check when the Nipper has to be MOT'd and re-insured....it's on the 'to do' list.  LN.....Another meander day....LN

Tuesday 4th August

Out of bed with the lark, went outside with my coffee, put the garden umbrella up to keep the sun out of my eyes and generally watched the morning.  I had a green woodpecker ground feeding but by the tune I'd got the camera out and focused, it had gone.  After a while I was up and at it, the pots were not looking too bad but I gave everything a good soaking including the trees at the bottom of the garden and I suddenly heard the bread van and realised that I'd promised to meet my Avatar down there so that we could walk back and have breakfast in her garden.  She was on her way back by the time I'd got going and she was walking back with Haciber.  I bought my bread, asked for a cheesy bun or a banichka and he'd got none left.  When I walked into Avatar's garden she'd got both...no wonder he'd got nothing left for me and I made her aware of it and we had a laugh.  She sliced up a few tomatoes and that was our breakfast with the cheesy bun for me please.

Haciber left, one of the other neighbours took her place and we had a little frivolity.  I don't understand Turkish, Beyser doesn't understand Bulgarian or English and Avatar speaks no English, some Bulgarian and Turkish fluently.  It leans we can all talk about each other without anyone getting offended,  I came home for about ten thirty, finished off the garden and sorted out the hoses, had a few words with Rosie who was at the bottom of the garden and now I'd lost Blue Boy who was out and about earlier and none was wearing a mask.  I went in and got ready for the day but I could have stayed in my pyjamas, after all they'd done me OK so far.

Today I think I've had the breakthrough that I've been looking for.  I've had the link before in ancestry and gone off on a wild goose chase but I seem to have gone full circle and have now gone back another three generations.  I'm tentative...I need to check it out and it's all to do with my greats birth date which has three different entries and he's been allocated to two different couples in the baptism records.  Fingers crossed.  I suddenly realised that I was hungry so went down to the kitchen and made two very chunky chicken mayo sandwiches and so that chicken has done three nights...and now it's no more...thank goodness.  It's cooling down now it's been a corker all day.  The black cat has decided to use my wooden kimono dragon tree root as a scratching post..unfortunately for the cat it's only held upright with a house brick and it toppled it over.  It shot up the garden like a scalded cat, frightened out of its life...well almost.  

Tomorrow I've ear-marked filing the documents and putting them in order.  I need to write up my findings and index it so that I can reference dates quickly, thumbing through printouts is time consuming.  No pickies, the boiler is on so that I can have a shower or linger longer in a cool bath....and I've found out that Ronnie,my bad boy of snooker isn't due to play again until Friday so it's on the calendar.  I didn't check out if the Nipper needs attention, I never looked at the list.  LN....There is a shaft of light....LN

Wednesday 5th August

It's been an exceptional day for confirming that my great, great Thomas definitely had Mary Jones as his mother and I confirmed this by checking for every loop and twiddle on his signatures of two documents.  His marriage record and her death record...apparently he went to report the death and signed the document.  I've searched for his mother and her maiden name for around a year and a half....the baptism records when I search never pointed to this record and only gave me Thomas and Ann and I couldn't find a marriage record for these two.  The baptism for Thomas, had his name as Jno Jones Sherwood which had been transcribed as John so he never showed up in a search for a Thomas and I've had this on file for ages and in desperation decided to follow it....and it worked.

The morning was good, I watered one or two of the crispy plants and tonight I've watered everything well.  Breakfast again was served in my Avatar's garden, I'd gone over there with an elastic bungy, there's a hammock that is suspended between the grape vine support and each time she has to go to her outside sink she has to lift up the hammock to get underneath it.  Some brainwave kicked in and I took the bungy over, slung it over the grapevine support and suspended the hammock so Avatar no longer has to lift it up and can walk straight under it.....simple but effective and Avatar was overjoyed with it.  The outcome...she was making eggy bread and she brought it outside with a dish of hone for me and that was my breakfast.  I came home and made a couple of phone calls to England.  The first was to Penny my good friend who introduced me to family chasing and about three months ago I'd asked her to look for my Thomas and she'd had no luck either.  When I told her how I got the proof from two signatures on wills and marriage bans she was impressed.  She's never had to search using wills before.

I made more coffee and sat on the terrace enjoying the morning.  Obviously solving one problem only brings more issues with it.  I did come across a record for a Clandestine marriage in London between Thomas and a Susanna and I'd never heard of this before so had to Google it.  The strange thing is that his occupation was given as tailor and my Thomas' profession was given as tailor.  It's much further back so at the moment it can stay on the back burner.  I turned to my Kindle and played a few games and now was feeling hungry so made toasted smoked cheese sandwiches having spotted the machine in the back of the cupboard.  What a find and as they say, a full belly requires rest and I took to the sofa and soon the eyes went southwards.  I remember coming out of a coma and decided that I could re-enter the state of limbo for a little longer and it was six thirty when I surfaced and was amazed.  I did feel good though, I obviously needed it so watered the garden and the pots, dug up a struggling plant that the moles have obviously tunnelled under so the roots have no purchase.  It's now in a pot, in the nursery area with potting compost and well rotted manure in the bottom and it's got two choices...either to live or go to the great plant heaven in the ....compost heap.

Nothing logged for tomorrow so far...the day will pan out I'm sure as most days do.  LN.....No supper required.....LN

Thursday 6th August

Another lazy day....it's been much too hot to do anything once it got started.  It was pretty chilly this morning and a cloud layer blocked the sun for the first few hours but then they burnt off and it was back to sweltering.  I did take my first coffee sitting on the wall but I came in after twenty minutes...I wasn't used to the drop in temperature.

I came in and made beans on toast and put half of the can into the fridge for later and they're still there.  At six this evening I was hungry, my beans had been worked off and so I took a chicken breaded fillet and fried it off and had it as a sandwich.  It was too much effort to cook anything else so the simpler the better and the quicker the better.

As for the rest of the day, I got really in to working out my ancients.  It's one thing finding the first connection but then you have to link the rest, find brothers, sister, mothers and the fathers, dates and relationships.  I've managed to get back to sixteen eighty and now it proving the relationships.  At one time I thought that I was wasting time, but what is wasting time when it's mine to do what I want with.  I think it's the feeling that I'm not being active but it's summer after all....and it's much too hot to be really active.

Washing up done, I've just been out and watered the pots, I felt sorry for them so thought they could top up over night.  LN.....Promise to get the camera out tomorrow....LN

Friday 7th August

Six thirty start this morning and it was a dull old start until that sun came over the mountains.  It was soon hidden again and it was like that for most of the morning and then the wind came up moving everything that wasn't tied down and the bird table took a tumble this afternoon.  Fortunately no damage was done, I managed to get it upright despite the weight and wedged it back towards the wall using an old roof tile.

I'm ahead of myself.  I watered the garden and the pots and then my attention was drawn to the garden near the low wall that really did need attention.  The weeds this year have been horrendous early on and there was a lot of grass the like I haven't seen before.  It was so wet and it had gone wild but this weather has dried it off, along with the grass, so I set about clearing it and pulling the grass out.  The iris flags were looking very bedraggled and lots of the leaves scorched so I decided to give them haircuts, it didn't do them any harm last year.  I cleared round the acacia and the plum that have the stone surrounds and I'm going to get some compost and manure on them and plant them up with Sweet Williams that have self set and will be able to survive the winter and have a good start for next year.  I'll scatter some seeds about as well ....worth a try.  

I came in at ten and had already knocked up six thousand steps according to my Fitbit.  I was now into cooking breakfast and decided to make a smoked cheese omelette which was a first but I'd left too much oil in the frying pan so it turned out a little greasy but it has seen me through the day.  More coffee and I sat outside on the terrace with it but then I found myself in front of the computer and that's another day gone.  I had a lovely surprise around five this afternoon, Gouljan, my friend from the next village who now lives with her husband in Germany visited with the family.  We sat outside, they only wanted water but I took a carton of fruit juice out as well as water and glasses and it went well.  I apologised that I hadn't got the usual welcome gifts of chocolates or biscuits, if I have them in I eat them so I've stopped buying to keep in....they never keep.  The left around six and she apologised for not coming sooner.  She's been for three weeks, been busy shepherding both parents to hospital, bottled meet for the winter from the animals killed for the festival and settled into her Cinderella role very easily.  I said that she'll be OK, she can sleep on the plane tomorrow.  

I've had my invitation and will go to see them next year and hopefully there'll be less travel restrictions....when the world settles again if only it would.  LN....Kitchen bound...I need food......LN

Saturday 8th August

Funny night last night...I was woken up pretty sharpish with a gigantic gas escape from my stomach.  It was like being sick but nothing came up.  I'd had tuna may last night and followed it with a large pot of yogurt and whether it had fermented I really don't know but it was a horrible taste, it really seemed to burn and I ended up in the bathroom and drinking lots of water.  I did managed to get back to sleep again but was up at six thirty as per normal and coughing quite a lot but no real after effects.  I did notice though at three thirty this morning there were a couple of dogs barking in the next village and what a pain they were and also there was a short sharp shower and quite a lot of wind blowing so I closed the door to the balcony.

I sat out on the terrace watching the sun come up and despite the sun it was pretty cool out there.  I move in to make more coffee and had an early phone call from the UK.
I went out again and noticed that I had a few crispy flower so set about to bring them back into the land of the living.  I ended up tidying some of the stuff that was in the wrong place, I don't know why I bothered it all over the place again.  It's been windy all day, thunder and more rain shower what a day of variances, the sun was out and it was more of a tropical wind.  While I was watering, my painter arrived in the garden and gave me a couple of cooking apples more like the size of grapefruits.  He noticed that I was using the outside tap to do the watering and insisted on looking at my well and suggesting that I use the one in the lane.  I've got a pump so might give it a whirl...the pump came out with me from the UK and I've never used it yet.  I suppose I should.

Success today....I've proved the link between the ancestry chart that I had before and managed to get back to seventeen thirty two with confidence with lots of names, dates and original parish records to back it up.  I smell success and suddenly the hard work has paid off.  This morning I couldn't work it but suddenly it unravelled, I have more to do but it's been worth it.  Snooker this afternoon with my hero but he really didn't play very well at all but it's 'even stevens' and we have to wait for tomorrow now for the match to continue.  I suppose not having an audience makes it more difficult and I with they would do away with the recorded applause....it's really not necessary.  The snooker finished and suddenly the papers from the desk started flying so I quickly got up and shut the balcony door, went out to take a photograph, came back in and suddenly the bench on the balcony flew across the terrace and ended upside down knocking the plant pot over.  I was torn between getting the bench in but I was more worried about the flyscreen ending up over the hillside so instead I took a rope and lashed it on to the balcony with pretty orange rope.  I'll probably find the balcony rails on the grass tomorrow.

Nothing for supper tonight, I'm giving my stomach a rest.....the Voice Kids are on television, such talent but I do feel that putting them against each other is such a shame but I suppose they're learning about the real world.  LN.....Bath and bed and hoping for quiet dogs....LN

Sunday 9th August

Last night's sleep was without issues.  I woke up refreshed, ready to face the day and I had to remember which day it was...now that I'm out of routine and have no set days for shopping makes things difficult,  My only landmarks are that on Monday and Friday we have no bread van...Monday market day and Friday, mosque day but sine the mosque kicks off every morning without fail, that's nothing to go by.  I sat out on the terrace and was reminded that my only beef was that I noticed the scratching of the acacia on the north side of the house.  This tree has sprung up and suddenly it's huge and probably grabbing water from the well that I haven't managed to get anyone to sort out so than it can be used.  Maybe I can get my painter at the bottom and me at the top and I always think of the Danish comedian sketch where the bucket of bricks is meeting the man coming down.  I put everything back in its place, one or two of the pots were over and so those were uprighted and watered....it was still blowing a gale out there.

I made it towards the bread van just as it disappeared  down the lane so sat in the bus stop waiting for it to come back to the main road.  Some of the ladies were there and we kept our distance from each other and I explained that I was back to have breakfast and I told them in Turkish that I didn't have bread.  The love it when I try and even more when I use both languages at the same time.  Toast and Marmite and I did gravitate to the computer to check out some details on my ancestors that I'd been pondering on overnight, it was too hot out to go and work.  From my desk I could hear the scratching of the acacia so I went to the little house and grabbed the long handled lopper with the string pull on it and took the first branch off.  I was using my body to steady the long polled lopper and using all my strength to pull the rope controlled cutter but it worked.  The first one took of the bottom branches but I found the one that I thought would do the trick, extended it to its full length and went for it and it worked.  It's taken the branches away from the house and the branches are over the fence and on the hillside and the house is quiet again...no scratching.

I watched some snooker, played a few games, found a few more ancestors and am in the process of transferring all the handwritten notes and putting them in some sort of order so that I don't go over old ground.  It's very easy when you start going back so far and end up with lists of births for the main characters, deaths and marriages.  I'm now getting to know the individual churches and areas of Shropshire which was where most of them came from.  Eyes did go southwards for a while and hunger pains suddenly came on when I woke up so I went down to the kitchen and fried off a chicken burger and that will manage me until tomorrow.  The wind has brought down most of the fir cones from my tree and the wind has really dried out plants so I watered everything.  Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow...so far....I might be tempted to get out and about.  LN.....I'll see how I feel tomorrow.....LN