Saturday 21nd November

Seven start, games and techy stuff until eight and again it was a dull old start to the day.  The fire was still going and could have been resuscitated but I didn't bother...I was relying on that sun breaking through and I was disappointed...didn't show it's face today at all, the solar lights are going out as we speak.  Boiled eggs for breakfast followed by toast and strawberry jam, kitchen cleared, washing up done and the day was all mine.

My day has been one of 'cudda' and 'didna'.....I found a little computer that I bough in 2005, reset the date on it and wifi-d it on to my system but the second time I tried it couldn't find the address so I switched it off but left it charging.  I also found a Polaroid CD player that I'd bought for taking CD's on holiday when I took my grandson on cruises so that we could look at films in the cabin if there was nothing else doing.  I didn't manage to find the charger in the bag so this led me to sorting out the three olive tins of electrical leads, chargers and plugs that I've collected but still no joy.

I gave up this time and decided to watch the next in the series of Queen's Gambit and that was even a problem for me,  Netflix came back with an error message so I phoned by Princess to see if there system was OK and it was.  Her husband recommended that I used another browser not the one that I was using and that meant watching it upstairs on the desk on the landing not downstairs.  It worked OK up there and now the series is finished and I'm looking for the next to get stuck in to.

I suddenly realised I was cold, the temperature was dropping outside and inside was only eighteen degrees and it's only cold when you're sitting around and not being active which is unusual for me.  It didn't take too long to get the fire going and the temperature heading in the right direction.  Supper went into the oven at five and was out for six, jacket potato, another red one and so tasty with another of the spicy thingies.  I'm buying more the next time I'm in Kaufland.  Supper eaten washing up can wait and it's Strictly tonight.  No photographs...I don't think I've even put my nose out of the door except to put bread out for the birds on the bird table and on the grass for the cats and hope that the cats realise that some areas are out of bounds.  LN....Time to stoke the home fire and keep it burning....LN

Sunday 22nd November

Four start this morning, joy oh joy, and I couldn't get back off again.  Eventually I nodded off at six and woke up at six twenty and eventually at around eight I got out of bed.  I made breakfast of scrambled eggs but for some reason I've felt a little light headed today.  I should have rested but instead decided that the freezer was in need of attention and all those 'bits' that I'm going to use up and don't, needed to be gone.  I unplugged the freezer, out came the baskets and then the hairdryer and a knife...tools of the trade and everything came into play.  I was surprised how little water was washing around, I seem to get more around when I do the fridge.  I found out one of the heavy feather quilts, sorted out the wheat from the chaff...that which was going and that that was staying and there was more going.  I dried it off and plugged it in and that's when it got confusing.

The green power light didn't come on to confirm power to the freezer but it was going.  I Googled it and apparently the little bulb has done well to last this long and it suggested that I unplugged it, waited thirty seconds and plugged it in and still no green light,  I put it on to super blast and both orange lights were lit, the middle one went off and then they all went off so I replaced the baskets, the 'throw-aways' are still in the kitchen in the kitchen wash up bowl and I'll deal with that tomorrow.  I suppose I have this dread of it bursting into flames or something and it's just niggled me.

Half moon tonight after a beautiful day and the temperature has really dropped.  I lit the fire about an hour ago, inside temperature twenty one and outside four so I think this could be our first frost.....better check Accuweather.  I've been watching Ronnie your actual in the Irish snooker match playing against Judd Trump and he's having a really bad day but he'll claw his way out of it (hopefully) and I've just turned over and am catching the end of a new version of Annie that I'm trying very hard to follow....not like the old one.

No supper for me but I shall be having an early night and heading in to Kardjali to have a look at freezers.  It will be easier than trying to find parts like a switch panel for a ten year old machine.  LN.....Hopefully more zzz's than last night....LN

Monday 23rd November

So I found myself downstairs last night when it came time for bed.  It was cold, the fire was still going strong and I just peeled off to the right.  It was already made up with the winter quilt and had the advantage of the fleece bottom sheet which the one upstairs doesn't but soon will have.  I'm not ready to made the permanent move downstairs yet, I like the view from upstairs.  My inside/outside thermometer showed outside as being three point five and inside was nineteen, the fire had been going all night and at six I threw a log on to last until the sun came up and brought in my daytime central heating.  I made coffee and noticed that the green light was on on the freezer but not so brightly as it was before so I think the bulb is definitely on its way out.  Everything seemed to still be frozen so maybe I shouldn't worry about it and see how it goes before I invest in a new one.

I went upstairs, washed and dressed and came down and took the bread out of the freezer to make toast and strawberry jam.  There wasn't a van today so needs as needs must. The washing up is still waiting and can wait.  I played around on the upstairs computer for a while, checked one or two things on ancestry, worked out how to attach my Fitbit that I need a new strap for, it's held in place with a crepe bandage.  The earlier one that went wrong had now gone completely wrong and needs dumping  and the faceless one that I could use for swimming is absolutely useless.  I've spent too much money with that company and am looking for a replacement...there are lots on the market now.  Next task was to get rid of the stuff from the freezer that I was throwing out.  The cooked went over the wall for the animals and the uncooked went into the bonfire at the bottom of the garden.  At one point it began to smell like a barbecue but then I threw the old rubber gardening gloves on it and that changed the aroma somewhat.  

The rest of the afternoon was spent tidying up the rest of the pots, I dragged the polythene covered wooden structure over to the vegetable patch, knocked a few more nails in it to make sure that it's stable and stapled the polythene back in place.  The plants in the little house have all been watered well, the bulbs that hadn't gone in are now in pots for bringing in and in the garden containers that are staying on the terraces.  'Exterminator' has been put out to save the vermin getting a foothold in the little house and the woodstore....I'm not very good with wildlife.

I came in at three thirty and lit the fire, opened a tin of tuna and mixed it with mayo to have it on toast but when I tasted it it tasted very metallic so it's gone over the wall and I settled for spread cheese on the toast.  More of the same tomorrow if the weather is as good as today.  The leaves are mostly down and if it's as cold tonight the final few should fall...and I was really surprised by the little walnut near the wild plum tree, not only did the leaves fall but all of the side branches....I never noticed before, The cow cleared up the leaves from the lane which saves me a job, if only they didn't wreck all of the garden, they make very good leaf collectors.  No supper for me, temperature is dropping outside and the last big log that I put on is burning beautifully...I'm getting back into the swing of things...winter is almost here.  LN....Productive and pleasant day......LN

Tuesday 24th November

Six thirty start and it was another cold one.  I spent the night in the downstairs bedroom again, so coffee and back to bed and time for silly games.  Upstairs, washed and dressed and made toast and my apricot marmalade for breakfast and it's been a funny old day.  The poor robin looked frozen and there wasn't a lot of activity with the rest of the birds before nine, not only was it cold but the wind was icy and blowing a quite hard out there.  I'd put a log on the embers when I woke up, they hadn't really got going but as soon as the sun came up the temperature in the house started going up but outside never got about eight today.

I'm still managing with my Fitbit strapped to my wrist with an elastic bandage so that I can record my activities.  I've just had my weekly report through where my daughter's results are compared with mine and we both had a bad week last week...I wasn't wearing mine or the one that I was wasn't recording anything so Princess might be in the same position.  I think we should both get new watches.  Although with it bandaged on, I can't check the time anyway let alone the number of steps that I'm doing.  I eventually got out there at eleven complete with hat and over sweater to clear the leaves in the yard.  I know that I said that I would leave them but most of them are down and they were swirling everywhere so now they're down at the bottom of the garden hopefully serving as a blanket for the tortoise(s).  I was out there for a couple of hours or so and then it got really cold or rather I did so I came in for a coffee and never went out again.  I'd brought in a full log carrier when I locked up outside so no reason to go out again except to take pickies of the sunset patterns made when it went down.  I'd missed the actual sunset but lots of reds and greys mixed in with the blues...very wintery.

I've spent the afternoon on ancestry and Find my Past have messed around, or in their words, improved the display of the trees.  It just seems to go on for every and I have children out of place and becoming grand-children so I really have to put in some work deleting some and organising others.  The last time they did work on it I seemed to lose some people and then one of them seemed to come back.  A few people have commented on their FB site....it's not gone down well but I suppose we'll have to get used to it and I probably will when I get the hang of it and get my tree sorted.  Supper went in at around four thirty so I'm ahead of myself today.  I felt cold and hungry so lit the fire around the same time that supper went in and now all's good in my world.  I need to go to Djebel tomorrow, I've not biscuits to munch at and when it's cold, soup wold be better but a bar of chocolate makes things better.  LN....Time to serve supper and throw a log on....LN

Wednesday 25th November

Seven thirty start this morning, the sun was up and despite the fact that the fire had gone out overnight it was warm in the house, the sun was doing its job for the day.  I threw the remains of yesterday's supper out for the birds and again it was like yesterday, not many around only a blackie foraging underneath one of the bushes in the grave garden while its mate scurried under the honeysuckle against the long wall.  I've put my nose out and that was enough for me, the wind was blowing quite strongly and it was cold so I came inside and sat on the chair in the stairwell, warmest place in the house.  

I'd got no bread and had missed the van so didn't bother with breakfast and there weren't any goodies in the basket on top of the freezer.  Old mother Hubbard's cupboard was bare and needed a refill.  Fore some reason I thought it was Thursday so convinced myself that it would be better going into Kardjali tomorrow on Friday and remembered that it was my son in law's birthday so checked an old calendar and it was only then that I realised that it was Wednesday.  This Covid has a lot to answer for, it's nothing to do with age and marbles...mine are kept in a jar so no way of losing them.  That being the case, I settled on a trip to Djebel but decided that I would get a load of washing done first, it was such a beautiful day that it would be a shame to waste it.  I also cleared out the log burner and re-laid it for tonight and collected another load of logs from the wood store to keep me going until morning or the morning after,,..,I'm not burning loads, no need once that sun's been out for the day.

For the last two days I've been bandaging my Fitbit on my wrist and it suddenly occurred to me that because the old strap was rubber I could stitch it back together again.  The thought germinated and I have some strong thread that they used on leather so I found a large needle and managed to cadge it together and it will do until I get round to ordering the new one.  I'd been a bit slow, on the internet some comments said that the clips on the ones they'd received didn't hold the watch firmly so I'd been reticent in ordering...but at least it's now back on my wrist so it will do for now.  So off to Djebel complete with list, had a short time with my student's mum discussing the state of play in Bulgaria with regard to Covid and the government seems to be taking a blanket approach, not tiered like in the UK.  It wants to close all schools until January and while teachers and the likes have holidays with full pay, other businesses might have to close and take the chance that they will come out the other side.  Djebel is not like Sofia, people go to Djebel for 'stuff' not for a walk around to spread the virus.....it's only the likes of me that go there for a walk and a chat and of course, basic foods and goodies for my basket.  I filled up with essentials and bought a pizza from the banichka shop that I intended having when I got home, a sort of early lunch and late breakfast.  Home for one, shopping away, phone call to England and pizza during the phone call.  The washing by this time was dry so I brought it in and put it on the closes airer in the bathroom so that I can put it away later.

I lay on the sofa and played a few games and then tablet down and sleep and I woke up at four thirty.  Roasted veg and chicken wings for supper tonight and it's ready more or less now.  Woodworking day tomorrow, the garden is fairly neat and tidy and nothing much left to do in preparation for winter.  LN.....I might wake up before it's time to go to bed....LN

PS  Just noticed that one of the pictures is labelled up wrongly...the white one is the bourgonvillea....doh...

Thursday 26th November

Funny old night....I was having one of those dreams that you can't seem to get out of and woke up feeling that it was a good theme for a book and then promptly forgot what I'd been dreaming.  Maybe it will come back to me tonight or tomorrow but I'll have to write it down as soon as I wake up.  It was another cold one over night and at six this morning I checked the thermometer and outside it was minus four and inside plus seventeen but as the sun came over the hill it eventually rose to twenty five.  I went out to throw bread for the birds and soon came in again...it was cccccold.

Breakfast of boiled eggs and toast, washed up and cleared last night's tins that I used for the chicken wings and threw the debris onto the garden and really confused the cats.  Unfortunately the birds were pecking at the bit and I had to chase the cats of. They were using the bushes to hide in to try to ambush the birds...I'll have to throw the debris over the wall again....I was being lazy.  I cleared the fire out and laid it for tonight so that a flame would start the ball rolling when the temperature started to drop,

I put a roll neck on to keep warm and it was soon off and I was down to my vest and tights again but I did keep my socks on.  I read for a time, there was nothing to do outside so I carried on with ancestry but again I got very frustrated with the new system.  I keep getting hints sent over to me that I've already got in my tree and one of my children of my original Thomas had disappeared again.  I must have added her three times now, I could see her in one view but not in the main one.  I might have to report it and also that they put Thomas' death correctly as 1841 but his grave was listed as 1828...what is that all about.  I've gone into the system and made manual changes, let's see if they're still there tomorrow.  Cheese and biscuits filled a gap this afternoon but now I'm thinking it was a mistake....I'm not in the least bit hungry so it will be a late session in the kitchen.  I've just lit the fire, it was slow to start to didn't take too long before the hot water was powering though the radiators and I've put a big log on to keep it ticking over.

The camera didn't come out at all today, I've been too busy clattering the keyboard keys, I promise to do better tomorrow.  LN....Clear night and it's cold again....LN

Friday 27th November

Minus five this morning at six thirty and eighteen inside so I stayed in...rude not to.  I did go out at around seven to put some bread out for the robin that was bobbing backwards and forwards from the terrace but the black cat was hiding again in the bushes so I had to disturb its morning activities.  I know it's nature and that's what cats do but I always seem to go for the underdog in any contest and this time it's 'underbird'.  I had visions of what I was going to get up to today and as it turned out, I did very little.  The final leaves are off the trees so the yard could have been 'hoovered' with the leaf blower/collector/chopper but that remains in the woodstore while I remained in the house.

I only got as far as removing my pyjama bottoms and replacing them with a pair of thick tights and the top with a fleece jumper.  The fire was still going when I went to the kitchen for the first coffee of the day so I tended it and soon brought it back to life and got the hot water going round the system keeping the inside temperature up until the full heat of the sun came through the windows rocketing the temperature up to mid twenties.  I'd gone back to bed with my Kindle and tried to load Soda Crush, yesterday it was bombing out on me and again the same so I did a bit of research and apparently they applied updates yesterday so I've emailed them and am waiting for a replay.  I've worked through the program and appear to have lost the progress I've made...let's see what they come back with.

Spicy sausage for breakfast with a fried egg and it's still lingering now.  I made my way up the stairs to the main computer and started where I'd left off with ancestry, looking back at the original parish records.  I went back to page one of one of the volumes to see how far back it went and came across a marvellous piece of sixteen sixty graffiti....what a find.  Obviously the hairstyle of the day so I downloaded it and took a pickies so that you can appreciate it.  I didn't find the information that I wanted but it got me wondering if the artist was having a go at the state of the church around this time....it was an odd period for religion.  This took me through to one o'clock so I lay on the sofa playing Sudoku, wasting time on FB and doing emails but the sun and the sofa got the better of me....I woke up at four thirty.  The sun had moved round and was now hidden from the winter lounge so it was time to revive the fire again and now it's chugging along nicely.  I did manage to go to the woodstore and bring in another full log carrier, don't want to run out inside when there's loads out there.

So two ongoing issues now FMP and King Games....both have got back to me with suggestions but since they are both putting out updates i think some of the problems could be down to them not me.  I did quite a bit of new system testing in my last few jobs and the hoops you have to go through to verify that things are working as they should be takes a lot of time but I suppose quick to market saves money.  I've sent responses back and I await the next episode in the sagas.  No supper for me again.  I did make a spicy sausage casserole and it's sitting in the slow cooker and will find it's way into the fridge tonight and come out again for tomorrow.  I'm not in the least bit hungry so far tonight.  Now for a little evening's viewing and I need to investigate another series on Netflix.  Kardjali tomorrow before they apply the full lockdown and a need for documentation to get through road blocks...'Is your journey really necessary?'.  LN.....Cosied in for the night......LN

Saturday 28th November

Another beautiful day but at four this morning when I woke up with not another 'z' in me you couldn't see much of it.  Pitch black outside and nothing was stirring, not even a mouse....as far as I knew.  All the cats were holed up and some of them under my benches on the terrace but I left them to it.  Joy oh joy, my game is back on and the screen tells me that it's been automatically updated so I was able to fill in time this morning playing my game but at seven I was out of bed and ready to face the day.  There was no getting back to sleep.  The fire was still going and this year despite the fact that I cursed the man for delivery what I considered to be duff wood. it seems to be turning out OK.  A few of the smaller ones brings a dying fire to life very quickly and the bigger ones seem to last ages.

I washed and dressed and made breakfast settling for poached eggs on toast.  I washed up from this morning and yesterday, no sense in doubling up on the work and checked out a few things on ancestry, I didn't realise that I'd go as far as I had with my paternal grandfather and mother's tree so I filled in a few more details.  I hadn't realised that they too had moved from Shropshire to Staffordshire following the mining tradition and to Cannock as did a lot of families but I did manage to track down my grandfather's family on a census but wasn't able to find my grandmother's maiden name.  I also realised that the morning was sunny and why was I sitting at the computer so on with a body warmer and out to start my day outside.  I had things that needed burning and I also wanted to cut down the bush on the little house terrace by the bird table.  I've had very little activity there and I think it's because the cats hide under the bush near the wall and lie in wait....foiled, no bush to hide in.  Now maybe the tits will come back.  I started the fire and got it going well and burned the bush trimmings and some of the leaves that I'd swept up from the terraces.  The black cat was ever hopeful hanging around but there really wasn't anything for it.  Next job was to fill up the log carriers and tidy up the lawn mowers in the woodstore.  I moved some of the logs from the front row and put them on top of the others, moved the wooden ladder on to the first row of logs out of the way, moved wheelbarrows and the shredder and gave the floor a sweep.  Everything is now looking much tidier.  

I came in at half one for a coffee and switched on the slow cooker with yesterday's supper in it and that will do for tonight with pasta.  I took to the sofa with the Kindle and a book on how to create astrology charts, the games were OK, the book was confusing and yes, I went to sleep on the sofa in the sun waking up at around four this afternoon.  I seem to have acquired a shift pattern of sleeping.  Another log on the fire and that's ticking along beautifully, the pasta is boiled and I've added it to the slow cooker and put it the warm setting, the boiler is on and I'm gong to have a bath to ease out the bones.  I'm seeing the girls and family tomorrow and we'll be sitting out on their terrace if the weather is good and if not, I shan't be going.  They see far more people than I do and I'm not prepared to take the risk and of course, we'll be wearing masks.  Almost full moon tonight but we have clouds over towards the west, the temperature is dropping but maybe it won't be as cold as last night, minus five.  LN....Off into my evening....LN

Sunday 29th November

Much better night's sleep and woke up at five to seven.  It was a cloudy start to the day but at least the temperatures were on the plus side.  I made toast for breakfast and sat at the table in the stairwell eating it and noticed that I had a tit in the bird feeder station so at least cutting down the bush had worked.  I went out and filled it up with oats and cornflakes, not necessarily the ideal food but they were just tempters.

I had a shower to wash my hair and started to get ready for my trip to the family today.  I'd worked out the odds and as long as I wore my mask and we sat in the garden I should be alright...fingers crossed.  I had a problem working out what I was going to wear...I went though about five sweaters until I settled on my favourite black one and the rest are still strewn on my bed upstairs waiting to be put away.  Since I'm sleeping downstairs it's not going to upset anything.  I set off at ten fifteen and stopped off at the little supermarket to buy more large boxes of After Eights.  I'd decided to hand over the ones that I'd bought the other day to the family as a gift but wanted to make sure that I had a replacement....they had so I bought two..one mint and another with orange filling.  

The parents were working in the garden moving the plants in for winter but unfortunately the aloe vera had not survived but I have more babies for them.  My student was just as lovely as ever and her seven month pregnant sister was eating for her and the baby.  We didn't sit outside, we sat at a distance from each other and I wore my mask all the time except for drinking my coffee and eating my cheesecake.  They updated me on the virus in Djebel and people I knew had been taken in to Kardjali hospital where apparently the 'nursing care' is none existent.  Complaints have gone in but to no avail and they've even reached the highest level and there appears to be a shrug of the shoulders.  Chemists have apparently stopped providing antibiotics without a prescription but the government had said that this has to stop.  Doctors will not see individuals if you so much as sneeze and tell you to call the ambulance even if it's only flu...it's categorised as 'the virus'.  Fresh home made bread for lunch followed by home-made cheesecake and I left at two thirty with another packet of the bread and that was supper tonight slathered with butter.

Kardjali tomorrow I think, I want to go and investigate Smart TV's now that I've got access to Netflix.  Winter is almost upon us John Snow.  I'm not tempted to watch the Crown....I still think it's an intrusion into the lives of people should be left alone and some people think that it's an accurate depiction of the affairs of the royals.  I'm not sure it is.  I've just watch Ronnie lose the first round of the snooker and he appears to have lost his will to win...such a shame and such a talent.  LN....Strictly and bed....LN

Monday 30th November

Miserable morning so decided not to go into Kardjali for 'stuff' so spent the day doing nothing of any importance, reading, playing games, keeping the home fires burning and putting the clothes away from yesterdays fashion show when I was trying to make my mind up what to wear.  I meant to go out and sort out the bird feeder station but didn't even get round to that though I did make sure that I had a bacon sandwich for breakfast.  I'd done a late load of washing last night and dried it in the bathroom so I put that away as well and in fact, there was very little to do.  I could have pushed the hoover round but I didn't feel the need nor found the inspiration so that will do for another day.

At one this afternoon I heard a noise outside and saw that Goudjan's mother was attempting to gain entrance but since I hadn't even opened up shop this morning she was having great difficulty.  Hampering her also was on oversized umbrella that she couldn't manage to put down so I went to the door, unlocked it, got her in leaving the umbrella outside, we sat down and I saw that the umbrella was heading for the garden so I went out and rescued it.  I offered her coffee but she settled for a couple of chocolate biscuits and she started to unload the bag that she'd brought with her.  I had goodies, minced meat, home-made cheese and yogurt so it was meat into the freezer and the rest into fridge.  I asked her about the family especially Gouldjan who is in Germany and whether they were free of the dreaded virus and everyone is currently safe.  I pressed her again for coffee but she said that she wouldn't stop, she had the cows to do and really had to get back before it got dark.  She used to have ten but has now only three but with babies on the way so her little herd will be increasing in the spring.  Off she went and was on her way to Zelinger's house, she'd offered me iran, the yogurt drink but I'd refused it.  It was about two litres and wouldn't have been used up so a shame to waste it on me.  Better that Zelinger has it and she can offer it to the rest of the ladies.

I had a bit of a frustrating afternoon.  I tried hard to order a smart television from the internet and since I hadn't used the company before created an account.  Unbeknown to me it's part of another company so I had to find log in details that I'd used a year ago and eventually managed to get in.  The trouble is that when they translate from Bulgarian to English, some of the screens need working through and then suddenly when you get into the payment screens it's all in Bulgarian. I did my best, both orders have been refused so I telephoned them and 'all operators are busy' so in the end emailed them and we'll see what happens.  I could go into the store and pay for it there but looking out at the weather tonight, that might be difficult....looks like sleet out there.  I'd not bothered much with the outside thermometer but having just checked it, it's on zero already and that rain looks a little white to me.

Supper is in...it's half of a prepared lasagne from Lidl that I took out of the freezer this morning.  Looks like winter might be here early after all. LN....I like snow.....LN