Sunday 1st November

Well no one knocked loudly enough for me to pay any attention...no trick and treaters here.  I had a mare of an evening with Transponder TV, or the Internet, or my computer but whatever it was I ended up abandoning the designated Saturday evening viewing and settled for Netflix and thankyou my lovely Princess.  It's still at it again....I came in after an afternoon constructing and thought I'd settle in to whatever was on and the only decent thing was a film and it's just frozen now.  I think another trip to the network provider is on the cards for tomorrow and a conversation with Transponder.  It's just so frustrating.

So five start and decided that it was far too early to become compos mentis so I snuggled down and second awakening was at seven...so much better.  The good news is that I've fixed the alarm clock but I admit I did lie awake waiting for it to go off at midnight...glass slippers and all that jazz.  I settled in for a few games and it was close to nine when I thought about getting washed and dressed and this time for gardening.  It had rained overnight, the terraces were still wet but the sun was shining, mist was in the valley but it was a cool four degrees outside and it felt it.  I decided breakfast could wait and walked the garden and somehow I found the garden spade in my hand and I was digging up the fir tree that I've lost in the Grave garden.  It was a long process, it's roots had gone down a long way but eventually it succumbed to the pressure applied and it gave up.  I tidied around the rest of the bed and I heard my name being called and shouted that I was round the corner out of sight.  I walked towards the door and my painter was there asking if I wanted to go ahead with the 50 lev tractor load of manure and I declined....Bekir has sheep manure for free, I just need to get bags and get over there.  We discussed that I don't really want to grow many vegetables so the soil I have is good enough for what I want to grow and I told him that the veg bed was up for redesign.  Off he went and I came back in the house, made bacon and egg for breakfast and sat on the sofa turning the food into a sandwich.  It would do me for the rest of the day.

I'd been thinking about changing it for a while and thought today was as good as any to start it.  Firstly I went down to the bottom of the garden and had a bonfire of the fir tree and some household rubbish and went to the workshop in the little house and came back with hammer, sledge hammer, nails and saw.....so let the work commence.  I'd decided to keep the beds nearest the house and the second set I was going to turn into a path between the rest of the garden.  Out came the saw, part of the outer plank was removed along with some of the internal wood and more was fetched from the workshop along with the old engine old preservative.  I came in for water at three and went out there again ten minutes later and eventually came in at five thirty.  The new bed is dug over, painted with preservative and one solitary lavender is planted.  I've more shrubs to go in and need to search the garden for a few more plants that I can transfer to a new home.  The rest of the wood was dumped on the other beds and at least I now know where I'm going with it.  

Toys away for five fifteen, I lit the fire, the boilers kicked in and heat is pouring from the radiators.  I went out on the balcony to take a aerial view of the garden and you could feel the heat escaping from the house so I came in quickly and shut the door.  The boiler is on for a long soak tonight.  My ribs have been playing up a little over the last few days and I think I've done a bit more damage pulling some of the wood out today so I might be visiting my doctor in Kardjali tomorrow when I go for my driving licence....maybe an x-ray to see what I've really done and some anti-inflammatory tablets to start the healing.  

Enough rambling....time to raid the kitchen to see what's available.  LN....It's been a productive day.....LN

Monday 2nd November

Seven start and a lovely sunny morning yet again...and it's November.  Coffee, back to bed and I played a few computer games and washed and dressed for Kardjali.  I had to pick up my driving licence today, I didn't bother with breakfast, was just putting the remains of my jacket potato and the chicken bones out for the cats and on the wall on the little terrace I saw my first robin redbreast so the potato went onto the table on the terrace so that the robin could have it over the cats any day.  I need to clear the bird table out, my guest put wire around the outside so that only the small birds could get in to take the food but I'm thinking it has to go and go back to my method of screwing up mesh to that it is less of a barrier.  Tomorrow's work.  I sat with my second coffee and wrote out my shopping list and putting the appropriate letter by the side of the object so that I would remember which shop to get it from.  

At ten I was ready to get in the Nipper, Djebel was busy being market day so I drove through it and headed first for the lighting shop which is on the way to KAT where hopefully my licence would be waiting for me.  I bought eight sixty watt bulbs, six forty and three of the odd looking ones for the bathroom light, total bill nineteen leva which is a bit of a bargain.  Over to KAT and managed to slide the Nipper between two cars and the owner of the one watched my get out worried about his door....but I managed it.  There was a long queue but I assumed they were registering not collecting licences so I went up to the top of the stairs and the police man was at the top.  I explained that I was there to pick up a new licence and he looked at the slip of paper and the woman had put the date that the documents had been delivered wrongly so he was at odds to let me in.  I explained that the woman had told me fifteen days and eventually he capitulated and sent me to another window that I'd not been to before.  I now have another five years of driving.  

I managed to park near the hospital and as I was walking to the surgery the doctor was off for a 'f**', registered I was there and said she would be in soon.  I explained that I thought I'd done damaged to a rib and asked for anti-inflammatory tablets and she decided that I needed an x-ray and I managed to negotiate the registration process, have the x-ray done and after twenty minutes I was handed a disk to deliver to the doctor who told me there was nothing broken but she was going to give me homeopathy tablets that would cure everything and I'll sell the name for a fee.  I parked up in the town centre and walked to the second hand shop and managed to find another pair of black jeans and some leather boots and paid just under four leva for both of them...result.  Kaufland and found reduced chrysanthemums so bought four and three solar tall garden lights that were a bargain.  Moved to Lidl and bought essentials, stopped off at Djebel on the way through and had ten minutes with my student's mum and home for four thirty.  Shopping unpacked and put away, coffee and cream cheese with crackers in the stairwell, fire lit and onwards towards evening.

It's been a really full on day and the hospital is difficult because they don't often deal with the paperwork that I'm provided with to cover my health insurance  here.  I paid my dues...the x-ray cost me one leva and I know that we consider the health service here as being not up to standard but at least I get it all on one visit.  In the UK I'd still be waiting for an appointment to be arranged.  The chrysanthemums are in water and will be planted tomorrow and the lights will be out for charging....I'm looking for an easy day tomorrow.  LN.....A lot packed into one day......LN

Tuesday 3rd November

Seven start and no sun this morning.  I'd done the washing last night and it had dried overnight on the radiator and airer in the bathroom so it was just a matter or putting it away which I did. Usual start, coffee, games, washed and dressed, bacon and egg for breakfast and there was a serious wish for the weather to change.  The terraces were damp, it hadn't really rained so I started off with ancestry and chasing dates and confirming births, deaths and marriages.  The relative in New Zealand had posted a tree on one of the sites and we diverged around the time of the problem I had finding my Thomas back in the days.  He has one of the sisters married to someone else and was going way outside the area that they were living in and dates didn't match up so before I contacted him....I wanted to make sure of my facts.

Once the weather picked up I was out there.  I put one of my old fleece jumpers on, first on the agenda was a bonfire and I got it roaring well and then set about planting the new bed.  The chrysanthemums are in, I've emptied some of the pots out and the yucca is now established along with primroses, a rose that's been sitting in a pot for around three months now has a permanent home and I've moved others to fill out the bed.  The last flourish was to plant around one hundred mixed bulbs that had been sitting in the little house for the summer.  I've left enough bulbs to go into pots but as the day wore on the weather deteriorated and I put the tools away and came in at four.  I'm still amazed at how many shrubs and plants are still flowering and some even flowering for the second time.

I lit the fire, made a coffee and watched another episode of The Lost Kingdom...and it was the first of Series Two.  I really must start reading the books again.  Time to throw a log on and head for the kitchen to see what I might concoct for tonight.  LN....At last the bulbs are in.....LN

Wednesday 4th November

I was up quite late last night watching The Last Kingdom and not an ounce of sleep in me.  It had rained again over night but I suppose it's good for the new garden I've created but not good for me to go out there again to carry on with the next section.  I looked, assessed the job that could have been in front of me and decided to ignore it.  Washed. dressed down for breakfast of bacon and egg and didn't do much more than that with the start of the day.  I took my breakfast upstairs and ate it watching the morning news and when I got bored with that I watched another episode of the series and then I settled into ancestry.  I've done a lot of research on paper and such a lot of links that need marriage partners confirming and children adding to the live chart so that's what I decided to do.  I am now back to fifteen seventy seven and his father but I think  I've run out of parish records to search so I have a Richard that I have no dates for yet....so I'll have to search for the earliest parish records by area and hopefully come across something that a decipherer might have missed.

I realised that I was getting cold sitting still so I went down to light the fire.  The time had moved on, it was three thirty so there was no way that I was going out there despite the fact that the weather had picked up.  I banked the fire up well and soon got the radiators up to temperature and put a cardigan on....I get very absorbed in my ancestry.  I've just been out and moved the new solar light that I put out yesterday in the new garden...it's an area that I can't see from the house without I look for it so it's now where I can see it.  I might even have to see if they have more....I bought three at four leva each....there are so bright with a very yellow glow.....warming for winter.

I was going to cook supper but with very little activity today the bacon and egg had not moved far through the system so it's going to be cream cheese and biscuits.  Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow so far....if the weather is good I might be out 'constructing', I did buy some extra long nails to complete the job...we'll see.  LN.....I need that sun....LN

Thursday 5th November

I was so late going to bed last night and so late waking up again this morning.....it was just after seven thirty which for me was amazing.  My biological clock is getting itself sorted and I'm beginning to keep winter hours.  Washed, dressed and I decided to clean out the wash basin water drain pipe.  It's got one of the pipes that keeps a sump under the downpipe and I'd noticed that it was beginning to smell despite putting bleach down it so....I unscrewed the base of it under the sink and remembered not to empty it down the sink...which I've done before but not this time.  I put the water down the loo, washed out the container, put a little bleach into the bottom of it and screwed it back on, there was one washer ring which didn't seem to want to go back so I tried it out and yes...it did leak so I unscrewed it, put the water down the skin...yes...I'd forgotten so ended up cleaning up the shelf.  The drain is now watertight....the other ring went on top of the part that I was trying to replace.

Scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast, kitchen tidied and I set about tidying up the terrace and brought in the big red pot that I'd bought earlier in the year.  The quickest way in was through the door on to the lounge terrace, I moved the stool and now the pot stands in front of the bookcase and that's were it's going to stay.  I sat looking at it and remembered that I'd thought about making a wooden top for it and using it as a table so I went into the workshop in the little hours, found some suitable wood, went back into the house and measured the inside diameter of the pot and the top is ready to be cut into a circle.  I got distracted, I came in at three thirty, made a purchase on the internet and got frustrated because I'd used my local card and the message to confirm the purchase from the text message received was in Bulgarian and I just didn't get it so I ended up paying with my other card and understood the English instructions.  During the telephone calls I'd accidently rung Princess and apparently I'd screamed out and she phoned me back in a panic thinking that there was something wrong and was relieved when I was still breathing.  

At four thirty I decided that I would watch an episode of TLK and at five thirty chicken and veg went into the oven and I lit the fire.  I got in another load of log, locked up the little house and will concentrate on the table tomorrow.  I need to get a piece of string, mark out the centre and make a circle of fifty centimetres diameter and then use the jig saw to cut it out.....alternatively....I might take it to the local woodworker. LN....Kitchen calls...my chicken is cooked.....LN

Friday 6th November

Seven thirty start. usual morning routines and the bread had to go over the wall.....little green patches are not for me and there was no bread van today...mosque day and he has a day off.  I settled for an cheese omelette, washed up, kitchen tidied and the rest of the day was mine.  It was a cold start and I went out intending to bring in the cacti for the winter and then got distracted.  I'd worked out how to find out how big the lid for the new pot had to be, I put the planks that were joined on top of the big red pot, went round it with a pencil so now I had my dimensions for cutting the circle out of the joined plants.  I went back into the workshop in the little house and started sorting through the motorised tools, I've not been really near them for a few years but sorted out the ones that I wanted.....the jigsaw and the sander.  It worked in my favour, from the blade to the outside of the frame of the jigsaw was the gap that I needed.  From the pencil line to where I was cutting was around two to three centimetres and it worked a treat.  It became difficult when I was cutting near to the edge and I'm using tongue and groove that didn't hold up to well so I resorted to the manual jigsaw and I more or less got there.  I worked out how to attach sandpaper to the sander so tomorrow I need to buy more from the shop in Djebel and I've had a thought to cover the outside edge of the table top with leather and use headed studs to keep it in place.....still on the drawing board.

Work on the project was interspersed with episodes of TLK and I'm really finding it very close to the book which is an achievement in itself.   I have to checkout how many series have been made after all there were twelve / thirteen books.  Alfred has just died, Edward has the support of Uhtred and we've just had another battle with the Danes.  I lit the fire at six thirty and according to the outside thermostat, the temperature is dropping.  No supper for me tonight so far and it's eight thirty my time so I might go to bed without but I did manage cream cheese and crackers at five this evening so I doubt I shall starve to death overnight.  Only heading in to Djebel tomorrow for a few things from the hardware shop.....not got much to go in to Kardjali for.  LN.....A successful day.....LN

Saturday 7th November

So biggest job of the morning was to manage to get a brush through my hair.  I had a bath late last night and washed my hair, put a towel round it, fell asleep as per normal and woke up at eleven, hair fairly dry so I scooped it up in a scrunchy and went to bed.  It had tangled up well overnight so I soaked it with a silicon hair oil, eventually managed to get the brush through it and plaited it and left it to it's own devices.  I washed and dressed and put on decent jeans intending to go into Djebel for bread and a few more things but it didn't happen, once I heard the bread van heading my way, the need to get the Nipper out was no longer necessary.  I met up with the ladies down in the square, Beyser is complaining about her knee giving her pain and I'm expecting to have to take her to the hospital soon,  Another injections or extra and she'll be fine for a while longer.  There were so many cats down by the bench waiting for the van and now I know why.  They were sitting on the bench like school children waiting for the teacher and once he's served everyone he got out the remains of his breakfast I think and fed it to the cats.  It seemed only to be bread and most of them turned their noses up at it, they either wanted something more or they were already full.  It didn't stop them having claws out at each other...but that's cats for you.

I made it home and made poached eggs on toast and really enjoyed it.  Kitchen cleared and washing up done and the day was now all mine and I haven't done an awful lot with it.  It was a sunny but cold day, I swept up the leaves from the yard and into the space between the wall and the garage, the compost bin is full and I do dig leaf mould from there.  I filled up the log basket ready for tonight, set the fire so that it only needed lighting, emptied the ashes and carried on sorting.  It started because I couldn't find my 'pebble' Fitbit and now that the strap of the Fitbit three has snapped I'm down to the Fitbit two and had three days without earlier this week.  It was part laziness on my side and disappointment with Fitbit...I really must find another make that's more reliable and lasts longer.  I also set myself a task to find another hard cover for my Kindle and that wasn't happening either.  'Pebble' found and next challenge was to find the Chuwi tablet and it was successful but the blasted thing wouldn't boot.  I tried the 'advice' for when it doesn't and that didn't work either.  I fear the battery is knacked and tempted as I was to unscrew the tablet and see, I'll take it to a shop in Kardjali on Monday.

Had a little sleep this afternoon and felt much better for it.  I put a match to the fire, went outside to bring in the log carrier and lock up the woodstore and noticed that the sky looked really beautiful.  If those are airplane trails there was a lot of activity up there this evening.  I walked to the bottom of the garden and saw how pretty the house looked at night with the lights on so I took a few pickies...it had to be done.  I'm now heading for the kitchen and getting supper sorted before I attempt to watch Strictly if the computer lets me.  If I have issues....I shall resort to TLK....and that is never a disappointment.  I couldn't think who Uhtred reminded me of and it came to me today....Stephen Hendry....a snooker player....now there's imagination for you.  LN....Time for another log on the fire.....LN

Sunday 8th November

Another silly early start...six o'clock and all was well.  I was late going to bed last night...I watched Strictly and the internet stayed up surprisingly well and turned over to watch the semi-final of the Voice and I'd forgotten that last year's winner was going to be singing her latest.  I like her, didn't like the song and don't see it heading up the charts...such a shame, she had such high hopes.  It was a cold one, six degrees outside but nineteen inside so I stayed inside except for throwing some bread out for whoever wanted it.  Mist covered the hillside so I went back to bed with a coffee and stayed there until eight.  Washed and dressed, put a load of washing in knowing that it would be dried inside in the bathroom, washed up from last night and make toast and my apricot jam for breakfast, emptied the water from the drain pump from the washing machine and found a ten stotinki coin and some fluff but not bad at all.  I'd put down a very shallow tray to catch the water and added some drying cloths to catch the water and the towels went in with the washing so nothing was hanging around.  I took another chicken leg out of the freezer and thawed it out in the microwave, peeled veg, all into the frying pan to give the veg and the chicken and into the slow cooker with all of it....and it's now ready.  Kitchen finished off and washing ready to go upstairs and it was still only ten o'clock.  The rest of the day was in front of me and I was unsure what to do.  

As it was, I did very little.  I'd had a few hints form the ancestry people which I attempted to follow up but there was nothing outstanding for me.  I did find a wife of one of my fifteen-sixteen hundred year relatives....and at the moment it looks like the same woman was married to one of the brothers before she became the second wife of the other brother.  I suppose it wasn't frowned upon in those days.  This afternoon was spent watch Uhtred and company, I lit the fire at four to take the chill off the air and it came up to temperature in quicksticks.  The light on the hillside tonight was just wonderful.  There's one yellow tree that just stands out from the rest and with the sun shining on the next village and my non-functioning volcano mountain was magic.  

Supper is ready...a very hearty supper of chicken and vegetable soup with chunky bread and then early to bed...it's been a long old day.  Kardjali tomorrow for some wood stain and edging for the table if I can find some and also the computer to the menders.  He can perhaps open it up and see what sort of battery is inside.  LN....About to test the soup....LN

  

Monday 9th November

A bit of a frustrating day.  Woke up at seven thirty so that was fine, intending to go into Kardjali and that came to pass but I've almost walked my legs off waiting for a man to run diagnostics on my little Chuwi tablet.  Normal morning routines, I didn't bother with breakfast, it was cold outside so I was trying sweaters on with over sweaters, changing the top and changing the underneath and it all changes when I found a coat that I'd forgotten about and decided to wear,  I never did, I found a waistcoat on the way out of the door and that kept the breeze at bay.  It was ten fifteen when I set off and six this evening when I arrived at the docking station.

First stop was at hardware shop and I bought two tins of wood colourant, one for the table and another one to fill in where the men missed a bit.  I drove to the top of town and managed to find a parking spot near the phone shops and paid both of my bills.  Changed position and parked up on Kaufland car park and walked over to the computer repair shop that had been recommended to me and was trying out my Bulgarian and the young man said that we could speak English as long as I did it slowly.  I explained that it wouldn't boot, suggested that it was probably the battery.  I mentioned that if it was the battery that I would want to know how much it was going to cost to replace it before I made the decision and he came back with he would try to charge the battery outside of the machine to test it out.  He told me to give it two hours before going back.  I went to Kaufland and bought a few essentials and ended up talking to a Bulgaria who had lived in America, had moved back  to care for a sick mother and husband had gone AWOL.  We exchanged telephone numbers and will probably meet up in a safe environment and she was intrigued that I lived in a village in the south of Bulgaria and not in a well known spot...and that I lived on my own.

I went to Billa and another hardware shop just to kill time and after a couple of hours went back to the computer shop to find that it wasn't done and that they would phone me.  I asked whether it would be today or later in the week and she didn't know so I said that I would go back in an hour to see how they were going.  I walked up to the big leva shop, on to the cheapy Tuesday clothes shop, sat on a bench for ten minutes and walked back to the shop, the lady behind the counter asked me to sit down and after ten minutes the young man came out and explained the problem.  He said that the battery appeared to be OK, it might be the cable connector on the tablet or it might have been the charger I was using.  Full of possibilities.  Back to the Nipper, on to Lidl for a few more things from my list and home, emptied the car, put the shopping away, lit the fire, it was all systems go.  Supper was a cheese and ham baguette and a couple of slices of buttered bun loaf with a hot cup of coffee....and relax.  I put the tablet on charge and we'll see what happens overnight.  I'm knackered from killing time on foot,  LN....Home day tomorrow.....LN

Tuesday 10th November

What a grey old day....it was miserable this morning and miserable tonight but at least I didn't swelter in the sun and work up a sweat or a glow even.  Seven thirty start, coffee and games and at nine thirty I thought it was about time that I got the show on the road.  Washed and dressed and today was the first day of the 'Bulgarian vest' and tights since it was damp outside.  I hadn't decided what I was going to do today but I prepared for the worst.  Poached eggs and ham on toast for breakfast, I sorted out my shoes from the porch, it was now boots weather, that sun 'ain't gonna shine much any more'.  Bread out for the birds and my robin seems to have settled down well in the garden, the cat didn't seem very pleased with the remains of the vegetables from the slow cooker that I'd just put over the wall but the hooded crows went wild over the bread.  

I took the shoes up to the third bedroom and moved some of the pairs of boots into my bedroom.  I noticed that the white quilt covers weren't as white as they should have been and they really needed freshening up so I stripped them off and put them into the washing machine,  Despite the fact that it was dull and threatening rain I pegged them out and there was a fair wind and I suppose that's why it wasn't raining.  I toyed between finishing off the table top or attacking the rest of the veg patch and the veg patch won.  Out came the hammer and nails and the lump hammer and that was how my day was spent.  I took down the tomato supports, removed the dividers and started from scratch again.  I used existing where I could and picked the best of the wood to start creating the beds which I'll do later.  I dug over the bed with the broad beans which will need covering before the snow starts since they hate slush but don't mind the cold.  I used A lot of the weeds went over the wall and the rotten wood went down to the bottom of the garden and I set fire to it using the house rubbish to get it going well...too well.  I used a stick to press down one of the longer pieces and it went straight through the side of the burning barrel.  I left it burning and tidied the tools away, went back down the garden and sat on the wall partly to keep watch and secondly just to enjoy the late afternoon.

I brought the washing in and put it over the balcony to take some of the cold and damp out of it and lit the fire to make sure.  It's down to ten degrees outside but saying that it's not been much more than that all day.  I made another baguette, I was really hungry when i came in which is unusual for me...it must have been the fresh air and cold.  I was amazed outside today with the amount of flowers still blooming and the shrubs that are putting on extra growth.  It seems they're catching up on themselves after the drought of the summer.  I might find something for supper later, there again the ham baguette might be enough.  LN....Another good day....LN

Wednesday 11th November

Another miserable day weatherwise and I was unsure what to get up to today.  I made my usual trip to the bathroom, flushed the loo and ...the water was off.  That put paid to washing and cleaning so I used Micellar water to clear away the cobwebs and face the day.  I cleaned my teeth, had used all the bottles water in the kettle to make coffee and all that was upstairs was the black currant cordial drink that was left over from last night and I don't recommend it.  I dressed and went down and made breakfast straightaway,  bacon and eggs in the frying pan and as I was eating it sitting in the stairwell I noticed my robin was back.  I took pity on it and put out some cornflakes with the fat from the frying pan covering them and the dish was totally ignored,  Later in the day I threw them onto the veg patch, the black cat was sitting hopefully but wasn't tempted to try them and there was nothing else doing today.

I couldn't wash up...no water and I sat down and tried to sort out what I wanted to do.   The decision was...to bring the outside table into the conservatory, spray it generously with insect killer so that the earwigs that had made it their home for the winter were a little more than deterred....and it worked.  I did get wedged in the doorway so had to go out of the lounge, walk round and manoeuvre it in, managed to squeeze through the gap and it was in.   The newly acquired cane chair was put into the downstairs bedroom, the table came in, I found the tablecloth that I normally use in the chest in the downstairs bedroom and all that was left was to find a chair that would fit, Cinderella.  I wrestled the metal chair from my upstairs bedroom down the stairs and it was a tight fit between the table and the back of the sofa so back upstairs it went and I settled for one of the cane chairs.  All this took some time and it was almost two before I realised it but I did spend time sorting out pens that have stopped working and throwing them.....I just seem to gather them.

A little bit of ancestry this afternoon.  The relative of mine in New Zealand went off on a tangent and we have totally different results before seventeen fifty two.  He found another father for Thomas and found an Edward and I went with John backing up my dredging with a will that left money to his grandchildren.  You can begin to doubt yourself but I'm pretty sure I'm on the right track.  I've only had dealings with his mother to date so I'll have to pen an email and see what he has to say.  I tried to watch Transponder TV on the Chuwi to test it out and it kept freezing so I decided to get my old Dell out to see how that stood up to it.  I do need to sort out the anti-virus, I've got a five account subscription to I'll do that tomorrow.

I lit the fire, it's cold and damp outside and it's comforting when it going.  I did managed to see the sun go down and it cast lovely shadows on he hillside and gave everything a rosy glow.  The Beast is going in tomorrow for its winter check and I might even drive it back and take the Nipper in and that's another thing off the list.  We've avoided frosts so far but it won't be long before we get one.  LN.....But plans can change....LN

Thursday 12th November[b][/b]

So I've just checked something else on my computer and deleted the update that I was working on so now I have to dredge the memory banks as to what I wrote first time around...arrrggg...don't you hate it when that happens.

Late bath last night and woke up in cold water, situation normal and I toyed with the idea of reheating it from the tank that was now full or just getting out, dried off and slipping into something a little warmer such as PJ's from the radiators.  This first winter wood that I bought gives out tremendous heat but it needs feeding often.  I'm going to have to start using the second lot that I bought and mix it up a little otherwise it could turn into 'jack in the box evenings'...up and down like a jack in the box to keep it going...'Feed me Seymour;.....Straight to sleep and woke at six thirty, it had rained overnight but was starting to dry up.  Cold, damp and miserable and not my sort of weather at all.  I did get washed and dressed, the fire was still going but I left it to its own devices, I was going to the garage today with the Beast.  I went down to the little laptop that I'd put on the table last night and when I came to turn it off last night it had started to do some updates so I let them run on this morning.  I thought that support for Windows 7 had stopped and I'm not sure that I'm going to upgrade it..I'll probably get something to replace it since it's a pretty slow machine at the best of times but I will put an anti-virus on it.   Breakfast was toasted Brioche for a change and then it was out into the cold damp morning and the Beast started first time so I moved it into the yard and left it running while I moved the Nipper back towards the compost heap so that I could get the Beast out on to the road,  

I set off and it was good driving the Beast again.  I would drive it all the time but the cost of Diesel makes it expensive to run, it's just not economical.  I know that I've saved quite a bit by using the Nipper.  I stopped off at the Car shop and had a few words with my student's mum, asked her how busy the garage was but she had no idea.  We had a discussion on how she was going to teach the little one the English Past Perfect tense and I said not to bother because few people speak it.  Apparently they have to learn it here....so I must get my thinking head screwed on.  I drove to the garage and was seen immediately.  The anti-freeze was still OK, I asked him to put the winter screen wash in which he did, checked my oil and gave it a clean bill of health.  I'd noticed that it was a little warm when I started it up and at the garage, I lifted the bonnet and it had dried leaves on the heater pad....I must check it more often.  I stopped off at the little supermarket and bought a small cauliflower and red cabbage...normally they sell them by item not by weight and I decided I would make cauliflower cheese for supper.  I topped up with a few more items, parked up and managed to get the Beast back into its home on one reverse, toyed with the idea of taking the Nipper in but thought better of it.  It was an afternoon for lighting the fire and settling down which I did and even nodded off.  Four thirty when I woke up and made my cauliflower cheese and it was more effort than I remembered.  It was also much bigger than it looked in the shop so I'll turn it into soup tomorrow with a spicy sausage thrown in.

Friday the thirteenth tomorrow so I'll probably be staying home...nothing to go out for......the Nipper can wait for Saturday since no frost has been forecast so far. The fire is ticking away nicely with old and new wood on there, it seems to be slowing it down mixing the two.  LN....Post autumn and pre winter....not my favourite time of year....LN

Friday 13th November

Silly old night, woke up at six this morning with the light on and the Kindle on the bed so I must have gone to sleep playing Sudoku....despite having a nap yesterday afternoon.  I'd shut the curtains last night but from the side window I noticed as the light came up that we were covered in fog.  I went down to make coffee and checked on the outside thermometer and it was showing three degrees out and seventeen in so there was no way I was going out until it had warmed up.  Breakfast was a bacon and egg sandwich and I switched on the laptop on the downstairs table and caught sight of the wood pecker easing its way up the corner of the little house and pecking at insects under the eaves.  I was just hoping that it didn't start knocking seven bells out of wood under the roof.  

I was really slow off the mark this morning and waiting for it to warm up.  I threw the old bread out, the black cat sniffed it, walked by it and went for better pickings.  Even the sheep were slow as they meandered down to the watering hole, the dogs were trying to move them on and so was the shepherd but they did it at their own pace.  At around twelve the sun looked as if it might break through and at one it did.  I'd filled the time with laying the fire and getting in more wood, emptying the ash can and washing up from breakfast.  I did toy with the idea of driving in and getting the Nipper winter checked but I really couldn't be bothered.  It was Friday and there would be lots of men around because it was mosque day and the garage might be busy so best left until tomorrow.

Once I got out there I was very productive.  I pulled the long bench from under the conservative window and put it into the little house, cleared the leaves from under the other bench and swept off the terrace.  Some of the leaves went over the wall when there was no more room in the compost bin.  The cuttings that I'd taken from the weigela a couple of days ago and were sitting in a bucket are now planted alongside the broad beans.  They have two chances...they will or they wont survive....only time will tell.  I filled up seven large water bottles from the water container that collects from the roof so that I have water in the little house for the plants over winter.  I emptied the rest on to the yard and used the hose pipe to clean it out before I put it away and then put both hoses away.  The covers came off the foam on the sofa on the terrace and it was obviously chosen as a safe place for lots of little beetles to spend the winter and now they'll have to find somewhere else.  The cover is in the little house to dry, I didn't want the beetles finding their way into the washing machine.  The yard is now tidy, I collected up the leaves and a lot have gone down the lane, I managed to find a little more room in the compost container and the remainder went between the garage and the front wall.  

Tools away and all locked up at five, fire lit and I headed straight for the kitchen and made the soup with the rest of the cauliflower cheese from last night.  I found the blender out and blitzed the cauliflower with more milk and cheese and put what looked like wall paper past in a saucepan, the spicy sausage was sliced and put into the frying pan, added to the soup and I made croutons.  It wasn't bad but quite a lot of washing up so won't be a weekly thing.  Fire is going well, I've just put another log on it and the temperature is up to twenty one in the house and very comfortable.  LN.....Another productive day although it was a late start.....LN

Saturday 14th November

Bit of a panic on last night. I went to bed at around ten thirty with the light on and was playing games.  I obviously nodded off, woke up suddenly, no lights on not even from the screens on the computer and from a dazed state didn't understand at first.  I went on to the landing and went to put on the landing light and it was at that point that I realised we were having a power cut and my first thought was to the central heating system and the fact that the pump needs power and the UPS last for two hours.  I wasn't rrelly clculating at this point but I had visions of doing everything by candle light so I found one of the larger tea-lights and lit it and the fire wasn't raging but I needed to think bucket and spade to empty out the fire box and lo and behold, the lights came back on.  I checked the time and it was only eleven so I must have only just missed the going down of the electricity but joy oh joy,,,,panic over....so I went back to bed, lights out and straight to sleep until seven this morning.

It was another cold start but there was a hint of what sort of day I might expect and I wasn't disappointed. Washing done by eight, the light stuff went on the clothes airer in the bathroom and the heavier trousers went out on the line.  I fetched them in around four, the light stuff has been put away and the outside stuff has taken its place in the bathroom.  Ham and cheese omelette for breakfast, the rest of the soup went over the wall along with some bread, washing up done and it's waiting to be put away.  I phoned Princess for an update on her father and all's good and phoned my guest to see if I'd left a cropped sweater there from the last time I was in UK. I'd searched for it this morning to wear with a new to me pair of trousers, couldn't lay my hands on it and before I took the house apart thought I would check with him.....it's in the UK so I had to find another one. I finished getting ready and drove in to get the Nipper's anti-freeze checked out and poor man was busy.  Eventually he got to me, told him what I wanted, he got the machine out, checked it and it was perfect so serviced without charge.  Back to the hardware shop and I bought six meters of sandpaper of various textures, a packet of mice and rat stuff to put in the little house and was home for two.  I settled down to start to watch a series that my daughter had recommended on Netflix, had just finished the second episode when there was an almighty roar outside so I grabbed the camera and went out to the balcony and thought we were under invasion.....two very low helicopters and this time I have proof.

Liver and onions tonight for supper with mash and carrots, I'm torn between Strictly and the Voice final tonight and tomorrow I'm on a fun run down to the local spring to fill up bottles for the locals so see them through the winter.  At this point I'm not sure if I should be taking the Beast and borrowing a trailer...these women can be quite demanding as to how many bottles they want.  I've asked the one who asked me to check round the rest of the women....she can explain it better than I can since few of them speak Bulgarian.  So kitchen bound, I lit the fire about an hour ago and that's chugging along nicely and am about to peel the potatoes and the carrots.  LN....Maybe a spot of gardening tomorrow.....LN

Sunday 15th November

Another dull start to the day which cleared up early despite the fact that the temperature didn't get up to much.  I managed to get out of bed by eight thirty, beans on toast for breakfast and was selecting empty eleven litre water bottles to take with me to pick up my neighbour.  We were off to the spring a little further on from the next village.  I parked up and she came out to meet me carrying only one large and one small bottle, the small one for her knowing that I was bringing bottles with me and the small one for Zelinger.   She mentioned that Zellinger's brother had died on Friday and that we would call in to take the water so that I could pay my respects.  So we set off and filled the water bottles from the spring but it was flowing very slowly due to the lack of rain.  I found a carrier bag in the boot and off she went to collect pine cones for her friend...apparently she want to spray them for New Year decorations....no Christmas in this neck of the woods despite the shops being full of it already.

So back to the village with the water bottles, all of them went to her house except for the one large one that was going to Zellinger.  I went with her and she came to the door along with Haciber and she was in tears,  It's still very raw, it's the third day and I was invited in but didn't want to go.  She has the photo of them together that I took around three years ago and I'm going to look it up and make a large one for her, the other one was quite small.  Home by eleven thirty and had a bonfire to get rid of the rubbish and then sat out on the terrace on the bench enjoying the heat of the sun.  I was still wearing a thick hoodie though and sporting a hat, went in for a bottle of water but decided that I would get active and continue with the vegetable garden and get the rest of it dug over and section if off.  All done, all painted with old engine oil and all section dug over.  I've cleared away the wood that's not been used and that's sitting on the back terrace of the wood store and I'll chop it for starter wood tomorrow.....or whenever.  

I came in at five and lit the fire, peeled potatoes and onions since I didn't get round to the liver last night so I had if for tonight.  I fried the onions, then the liver and had enough Bisto left to make the gravy, mashed the potatoes and I really enjoyed it.  Kitchen tided and washing up done, post blog and relax.  LN.....Another productive day....LN

Monday 16th November

So I had a late bath last night, dried off to watch Strictly departure bus go out and then went back into the bath.  I'd forgotten to switch off the boiler so it was going to be a waste of hot water so topped up and enjoyed the good soak after a hard day in the garden.  I remember waking up at round five, then off again until eight and lingered playing games until nine.  Nothing to do and nowhere to go today so no worries in any direction...no pressure.

I made breakfast around nine thirty and watched the sun break through the morning mist.  It turned out to be a glorious day and I didn't make the most of it and I did enjoy it.  I somehow found my way to the computer and watched a little bit of breakfast television and Pier taking apart the Health Secretary and asking him stupid questions about the departure of DC which no way could he answer....he knew the answer but why should he share it with Piers Morgan.  He'd be the last one to break it to the nation.  I then started looking for a photo I'd taken of Zelinger, managed to find it and printed it out as an A4 and framed it and will take it down to her when the emotion is not so raw.  I also thought about taking her a solar light to focus on...it might make her connect to his soul while it's shining in the garden.  While I was looking for the photograph I found a copy of a nineteen eleven census relating to my great grandfather on my maternal side of the family.  I've gone down my paternal line and now seems the right time to continue...makes things fair.  I've managed to get back to eighteen twenty three already with birth dates but not death dates but the skeleton is there and a few marriage dates as well.  I've charted it out and have decided to colour code the sections, this one is 'red' and keep the printout colour coded to match.  My research is more structured this time round.

I gave that up and walked the garden.  I intended taking a picture of the veg patch but forgot so I went out on the balcony tonight and used the flash.  I had my afternoon nap and woke up at four thirty and for some reason I had it in my head that it was half six until I checked on the clock.  I lit the fire using the the logs that hadn't burnt overnight and for some reason it's still not belting out the heat.  As for taking that photograph, I had a desperate search for the camera and suddenly remembered that I'd put it on charge in my downstairs bedroom so up on to the balcony and the deed was done.  Not sure about supper tonight, I was going to throw the remains of half a can of beans into the onion gravy with potatoes from last night but it doesn't seem so appetising as it did at the conception.  Nothing on for tomorrow so far but I've promised myself a more constructive day...I've got benches that need sanding and staining and the table top need finishing.  LN.....Monday is quiz night....LN

Tuesday 17th November

Would have been happy birthday to my sister today...gone but not forgotten.  

It was down to two degrees overnight, cold out but not in but the morning fog was very slow to lift.  I stayed in bed until eight thirty playing games, nothing to get up for especially with all that fog around.  I washed and dressed, cleaned the bathroom and went down to make breakfast.  I checked out the bread before I started to make breakfast and it was a beautiful shade of green in patches so out it went over the wall.  The black cat was meowing at me longingly but it was bread or nothing but I didn't stop to watch whether she went over the wall or not.  I'd watched her earlier eying up the bird table but now that  the wire is round it she would have difficulty grazing on the contents but the birds cold be a target.  I've also dangled the solar lights from it so those are an added obstacle.

So back to the kitchen and breakfast and I spotted a spicy sausage lingering so I skinned it and sliced it, into the frying pan with it and made an omelette finishing it over with a couple of cheese triangles.  It was very filling and probably better than the cat was getting over the wall.  The dishes are in sink, I didn't wash them up and turned my attention to the fire, cleaning it out and setting it for tonight.  I'd put a large log on last night and it was still there, not sure the first lot of wood is very good.  The small stuff burns very hot but the larger logs are very dense.  Anyway breakfast over I took the wood carrier out to the wood store and filled it up with some of the smaller stuff and it seems to be OK tonight.  On the way back from the wood store I noticed how many more leaves had fallen from the big tree in the yard so I collected the leaf rake and the snow shovel.  The two tools work in conjunction and I cleared the yard and then moved outside the gate and cleared the stream run so that it doesn't stop the water draining away down the lane.  

By this time it was getting on for two o'clock so I came in and used the downstairs laptop to do a little research on my grandmother's line...got thoroughly frustrated so powered down and took to the sofa with a book.  It produced the require result and I went to sleep for an hour or so.  The chocolates took a bashing when I woke up, I sorted the fire out, put the tools away that I'd left out in the yard and locked up outside.  Not sure about supper, I think it will be a jacket potato and I'll be starting it off in the microwave otherwise it won't be ready until midnight.  LN....Kitchen calls....LN

Wednesday 18th November

Another late night and I'm not really sure why it happened .  I was playing games and it was one before I put the light out and my head on the pillow.  It was seven when I woke up and it was another dreary morning and I think we'd had rain overnight so I got ready even though I'd got nowhere to go and it was too wet anyway as the day wore on....drizzly rain.  The birds were out in force despite the weather....the japonica was favoured by the blackies and the woodies stuck to my special fir tree and there seemed to be decent pickings.  

I had no bread for breakfast so I didn't bother making anything.  I laid the fire thinking that it would be lit before long, it was a damp old morning. not especially cold but the sort of damp that gets into bones.  I settled into ancestry and still didn't manage to sort it out.  I was on the laptop at the table in the stairwell and I couldn't stand it any longer, the fire was lit at around twelve and at the same time more or less the huger bugs kicked in and I boiled a couple of potatoes and settled for tuna mayo, with onions and beetroot.  I made too much even though I only put half the potatoes into it and I still feel full up to the gills even now.  We had a surprise failure in the electricity supply and I was sorting out the little burner in the kitchen ready to accept the burning logs from the wood burner when my visitor arrived. Between us we devised a way of using the little laptop with the monitor from my old computer and now I just have to find the best place to site it so that I can watch Netflix from the comfort of the sofa.  I need to get some more speakers, the ones from the Poundshop that I bought ten years ago if not more, work, but I think updating them won't go amiss.  Two coffees later and a couple of roll-ups and off he went, it was good to have company.  

I needs to get up a little earlier tomorrow and not linger in bed playing games...I need bread and eggs from the morning van.  Looks like out first frost of the winter is on Friday night, four degrees tonight and climbing to eight during the day....looks like my fire is on for the next few days.  LN.....Looks like being home-based.....LN

Thursday 19th November

Early start mainly due to the fact that I had an early night last night.  My body seemed to require the same number of zzzz's.  I made coffee and went back to bed, my only challenge today was to get down to the van and buy eggs and bread and I was up, dressed and ready for the off more or less as soon as I heard the toot, toot of the horn.  I put on my huge sailing jacket and woolly hat...it was blowing a gale out there and I noticed that most of the leaves have left the tree and are now scattered on the big house terrace and outside in the river run outside the property but looking at the leaves that are still up there, I refuse to do anything until after tonight's predicted frost and I'll see how many are left.  The story goes that after the first heavy frost, every leaf falls....I'll tell you tomorrow.

So by the time that I got down to the bottom of the village, I'd had a few words with Haciber and the van had gone down the lane to the houses at the back so I sat in the bus shelter with another of my old ladies.  She was talking in Turkish, I was in the native to some (Bulgarian) and we managed to keep the conversation going until the van arrived.  I skipped up to the van leaving the other oldies behind and got served first, a sliced loaf, six eggs and a cheesy bun...joy oh joy.  That was my breakfast sorted, bacon, fried egg on half of the cheesy bun and the rest is for tomorrow,  I was salivating while I was cooking it and once ready I headed to the table in the stairwell and devoured the lot in quicksticks and I've had indigestion for most of the day.  It would have been OK but I fried off the bottom half to crisp it up and I think it just absorbed too much fat and added to its own fat content.  I threw out the contents of the slow cooker over the wall for the cats, came back in, washed up and then decided to use the cold potatoes to top off a opened tin of local corned beef and a half can of beans for tonight's supper and that's in the oven and should be ready by around five thirty.  Miss Efficient or what,,,,I know though that it won't last.

Ancestry until I decided that I needed to do something and with the predicted frost tonight, the pots from the terrace are all safely gathered in and won't come out again until next spring.  Harold Hare has to find a place in the house, I had to stick his ear back on last year and the pottery animals will live in the conservatory and they come in when I'm sure that the frost has killed off the woodlice that seem to be lingering in the bases of them.  More logs in for tonight, I've just lit the fire and I can feel the warmth already making its way to the upper level.  I'm just watching the stray sheep realising that they've been left behind on their way home and they're at a fair gallop up the opposite  hill.  Lovely light on the mountains tonight when the sun was going down....it's been a funny old day, the temperature has lingered at around six but the wind was exceptionally cold and biting but we did have patches of sun so for mid November. nothing to moan about.  

Supper smells good so I'm about to serve up.  It's in the dish that I cooked it in so no much washing up to do tomorrow morning.  LN....Productive day and another step closer to winter now the terraces are cleared....LN

Friday 20th November

Silly night. I had a late bath and was still reading at three this morning and was still awake at seven.  I toyed with the idea of trying to go back to sleep but it was no use so it was coffee. more games, washed and dressed and cooking breakfast at eight thirty, finished and was washing up at nine.  It was cold outside, not a bad morning but I wasn't ready to start collecting leaves.  The frost hadn't happened so there are still leaves on the trees but I'd remembered that I've got one of these blower, sucker leaf collectors so thought I'd give it a try.  I used it for the first time about three years ago and even bought a spare since they were on offer at a ridiculous price but hadn't got on well with it but this time I stuck with it.  I didn't realise that it chopped up the leaves and I was doing OK until the bag was full and it is a most stupid design for removing the bag from the machine.  You need to press very hard on two plastic lugs and then pull at the bag.  I ended up pressing the body of the machine against the outside table and managed eventually so decided to put oil round the inside of the pipe and the connecting section and that seemed to do the trick...slow but effective.  

Terrace done, yard done, the little house terrace done, little electric lawnmower came out and I cleared the little house lawn and chopped up the remaining leaves.  I'd dumped the chopped up leaves from the machine on to the vegetable patch but the rest went down to the bottom of the garden and added an extra level near the wall and it should give added protection if I have the tortoise overwintering down there.  I put the tools away and the petrol lawnmower...that won't be coming out again this year.  I need to give it a good clean before it's finally put to bed but that can happen anytime now that it's inside.  

The temperature was dropping and the light fading but I had to take a few of the sunset and the red glow on my mountains,  I've decided that I have my own pyramids and with the zoom on it really shortened the distance to them, they look so close.  I came in and lit the fire that I'd laid this morning, headed for the freezer and found three 'somethings' that I remember buying but didn't manage to translate.  I put one of them and put a jacket potato in the oven, had to resort to the microwave to give the potato a chance of finishing at the same time as the meat 'thing'.  Supper served, very tasty Turkish flavoured seasoned meat, really tasty red potato with mayo.

Really productive day and another one like that tomorrow leaves me only one job to do before winter.....my kitchen gas bottle needs replenishing.  LN....Tired but happy.....LN

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