Monday 28th June

No high tide here Trevor, only intide and outtide....I was more worried about the wind from the hillside and broken windows.  Anyway, calm down, laughing takes a lot of energy but I'm pleased that you enjoyed my little escapade.  Please note that the typos are sometimes down to fingers hitting two keys at once and old age....

So seven start this morning and I was in bed at eleven last night and slept straight through.  My sleep score on the Fitbit should be good.  I made coffee and sat on the balcony enjoying the morning, no tortoise in view....lazy bones or shells. There were a few clouds in the sky, I thought about going to the pool but I had one or two slightly 'pink' patches so settled for a day in the garden instead.  Washed, dressed for the garden, scrambled eggs for breakfast, more coffee, load of washing into the machine and it was eleven thirty when I'd pegged out the washing and prepared for the task in hand.  I filled up the log carrier with almost every tool that I had and wheeled it to the bottom of the garden, connected up the extension cable to the outside supply and took down the electric lawnmower and was set for business.  The beds at the bottom of the garden have been neglected, the wooden edging needs replacing and I weeded the rest of the garden, these I didn't.  The wild bushes at the bottom have also grown wilder and have been covered with vetch, pretty but smothering everything it grows round.  Firstly I went round with the electric mower and ended up taking the grass bucket off it and avoiding and projectiles thrown up....I call it living dangerously.  Eventually there were two many stones so I took to the new little strimmer and I'm very impressed with it.  

I came in for water and Wimbledon to see the start of the tournament but was good, I went out to continue with my self inflicted challenge.  I can now get round the paths around the beds and can see the wooden surrounds, the bushes are all trimmed, there's one solitary day lily that's survived what the garden had to throw at it and tomorrow I'll replace the wood and engine oil them and dig the beds over.  I also need to think about putting some muck on them and might have to engage the help of the sheep farmer and his tractor.  Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Rosy near the bonfire and a minute later I saw Blu near where I'd been working and they'd both gone AWOL all day.  They're probably both appraising the new layout and wondering where the heck they go for safety.

Tools away at six and my watch buzzed to confirm that I'd reached my ten thousand steps.  Workshop and woodstore locked, washing in and put away and now back to Wimbledon and an unseeded Brit having a good go and knocking out the American.  Unfortunately they've abandoned that game and I can't get I-Player over here and they've switched to Andy Murray.....so I've concentrated in getting this finished.  Lovely evening, not a cloud in the sky...let's hope it's not too hot tomorrow.  LN....I think I'll have pizza later....LN

Tuesday 29th June

Six start this morning and straight out to the balcony with my coffee.  The sun came up putting a rosy glow on my little world and the moon was still up and very clear so I had to take a pickie of that too.  I knew what I was supposed to do today, my self imposed 'continue with the garden' slog but I knew I wouldn't do it. I'd had a pretty hard day yesterday and didn't really want to push myself.  There were a few clouds about and thought about taking myself off to a pool for the day but that seemed to require a lot of effort, not really but it wasn't what I wanted to do either so until twelve I did very little.  I did make boiled eggs for breakfast, tidied the kitchen, put the computer on on the landing, checked emails and FB, washed and dressed and decided to go into Djebel, see a few people, have a few conversations and pick up a few items of shopping.  I also checked the documents for the Beast and they're all in order and my MOT is around the thirteenth of the month, I turned the car engine over and everything sprung to life without any issues, not like last year when the alternator had to be fixed.

I toyed with the idea of taking my swimming bag with me just in case I changed my mind but didn't and took the Nipper into Djebel.  I stopped off first at my student's mums shop but my mini-student said that his mother was at the other shop next door pricing up new stock.  I popped my head in, she invited me to sit down but could see that she was busy so said that I would go and do my shopping and catch up with her later when she had more time.  I set off for the leva shop and on the way went to visit my friend who has just returned from the UK and is now running a gift shop and noticed that she had pot plants for sale.  I bought a white hydrangea and Rudbeckia (also known as Coneflowers), most gardens have them both but when you ask for a root, it's normally not the right time to be given it.  I asked her to put them to oneside and I'd call in later.  

The owner of the leva shop came to meet me and I told her I wanted an umbrella for my balcony.  If it wasn't any use and if it was too windy for it up there, I could always use it when Greece opens up its beaches again.  I had a choice, big or medium and I went for big and need to find some method of keeping it upright and stable.  I also found some very cute trainer socks, four pairs, different colours so they'll be interchangeable for when I have the 'don't want to be normal' days and if there are any comment I'll say that I have another pair exactly the same at home....my quirky side surfaces now and again.  I walked back to the flower shop, picked up my new plants and went back to the car shop and now we had time for a chat and catch-up.  I've also agreed to go and watch the little one play in a school football tournament on Saturday or Sunday in Zlatograd...according to the schedule.  Such a lovely family.  I stopped at the supermarket and forgot most things on my list but remembered bread, the old stuff went out for the birds this morning.

I was home for four thirty feeling very relaxed,  watched some tennis and cooked an early supper and now I should really go and water the garden, there'll probably be a few thirsty pots out there.  Not sure what the weather is going to do tomorrow but I'll find something to do and might, just might, carryon where I left off with the bottom of the garden.  Very still night and time to walk the garden attached to a garden hose.  LN....A woman's work is never done.....LN

Wednesday 30th June

Lovely start to the day so I put the umbrella up on the balcony.  I secured it with an elastic bungy and no movement in it at all so result.  I didn't look at it properly in the shop and the material is very flimsy not sure how long it will last so I'll have to be careful and remember to take it down if a stiff breeze get's up.  It was one of those morning where you start one thing and end up doing another and somehow I was on the wrong end of a hoover.  I've seen some advertised that cope with long hair so that it doesn't cling to the rollers and am still wondering whether I should invest in one.  I think I used each nozzle to see which one would produce the best result and eventually I settled for one that did direct suction without anything spinning and thought for better performance I really should take it apart and empty the machine which I did throwing the debris over the wall. The birds should like the long hair for nest building, maybe a little late but who knows.  I started on the landing, did the three bedrooms and the bathroom and collected up the cotton mats and they've all been through the washing machine.  

I was just about to sit down for five minutes on the balcony when I hear a car pull up outside and I recognised the squeaky brakes.  Kettle on...I had a visitor.  We sat in the sun and had a catch-up, we tried to print off my new Covid passport but for some reason the system didn't want to play so I have to visit the polyclinic and get them to do it for me.  It's recommended that you get there at silly o'clock in the morning before the queues start building.  Off he went and i carried on where I'd left off and went out to the garden for some weeding around the Greek plant in the centre of the garden.  I went in because it was getting hot and watched some of the tennis catching up on a game that was continued from yesterday and the British player won and is through to the next round.  Another Brit is making his bid and Andy Murray was also playing but I'd given up watching the favourites.  

I went out again and into the little house search for the garden spray now that I'd put the hosepipe out.  For some reason I was drawn to a pot and in it I found the old plate from the battery strimmer and the screw was still inside it and it would mean that I could use the new one now that I'd got the blades. I had the devil's own job getting the screw out and resorted to spraying it with rust remover and going back to it about twenty minutes later. Everything seemed to come into play but eventually I managed it, fixed the new one and strimmed the yard just to prove that it works.  Emula came round, I haven't seen him for ages and he came to tell me that he's just bought one of the houses in the village.  An elderly couple from Turkey used to come over for the summer but they are both unwell and have decided to sell up.  I'm so pleased for him.

Eight my time and I haven't even thought about supper and I'm not even hungry.  We've had a few rumbles of thunder that haven't amounted to much and if it's good tomorrow, I might do the polyclinic, have breakfast in town, do shopping and go to the pool...I'll see what the weather has in store.  LN.....Time to relax.....LN