Monday 21st March

Ridiculous night last night.  I just couldn't go to sleep, tried playing sudoku until two, tried again and ended up moving to the lounge, rekindling the fire and watching Netflix eventually going to bed at half five this morning.  Absolutely wide awake and only managed to sleep through until seven thirty and no sleep during today so should sleep well tonight...hopefully.  I cleared the fire out, the house was warm and the sun was up, minus three outside but soon rose to zero but again the wind was icy cold.  Checking up on Accuweather, there was and still is a red warning out for wind and tomorrow we have snow forecast for the rest of the day so I might not be visiting Djebel and my student.

I settled for flakes and fruit for breakfast and went back for a second helping....unfortunately it didn't fill the gap so ended up having buttered fruit loaf.  I set a load of washing off, put the light items to dry on the clothes airer in the bathroom and the heavier ones I put out on the line but with extra pegs in each one...it was really blowing a gale.  I filled up the log basket from the carrier and filled up the carrier from the supply in the little house.  I'd intended doing some work on the pot plants, trimming and repotting but it was just too cold to be out there.  I tidied up the large water bottles, watered some of the plants and brought the log carrier into the conservatory...I was stocked up for the evening.  By this time the washing out on the line wanted rescuing, one jumper had escaped but hadn't travelled far down the garden, all was safely gathered in and put to dry with the others.....my work for the day was done.

Quiz night tonight and it's getting towards the end of University Challenge,  A few of the teams stand out but this year I've not managed to get favourites but it still amazes me how much some of the youngsters know.  I might even have to set my alarm so that I stay awake for the program and fingers crossed that I get a good night tonight.  LN....Let's see how much the weather hampers me tomorrow.....LN

Tuesday 23rd March

Better night's sleep thank goodness, awake at seven and my only commitment today was to get to Djebel for three for my student's lesson.  Very cloudy start to the day, the snow didn't materialise but the 'yellow warning' for wind was bang on.  I made coffee, sat at the table in the stairwell drinking it and swearing at the Good Morning programme until eventually switched over.  I was slow to get dressed, more coffee but eventually the hunger bugs started nibbling so I made poached eggs on toast.  I tried to lift them from the base of the pan and managed to break one of the yolks in the process.....they still tasted OK though, I cleared the kitchen and washed up.  

Dressed in a thin and thick sweater, I hadn't bothered to light the fire since I was out this afternoon and fortunately that sun came through the clouds and the temperature in the house went up but outside it remained the same.  I checked my phone and noticed that my daughter had phoned me twice yesterday and I'd missed the calls.  It was before school time so I phoned her back and there was no reply and at this point I was a little bit stressed as to why two phone calls in one day.  She phoned me back after an hour, was in the doctor's surgery hence that's why she didn't answer when I phoned.  She's down with Covid, is working her way through the protocol to get her back to school and it sounds really complicated to me.  So we giggled our way through forty minutes and the old jokes are always the best and somehow we got on to how things have changed with regard to 'politically correct' speech and I reckoned that I wouldn't pass the test....much too old.

So popped over to see Avatar to check if she needed anything from Djebel and we joked about clemantines and she showed me that she had only got one bag left of the ones that I got her on Friday.  Got to Djebel just before three, my student got back from school, went up to the apartment and I joined him after twenty minutes.  Firstly we checked over his last English test from school and I've never seen such silly question and with spelling mistakes from the teacher on the paper.  We talked through it and somehow he'd missed three questions that overwrapped two pages and were easy to miss except that if he had ready the paper properly he would have been OK.....and I told him so.  So today we change the format and followed one of the books that I'd bought from Lidl and it worked well.  It was soon five fifteen, we'd overrun again and I was itching to get back home to light my fire,,,,,that wind that was still batting around was very cold and I had a drive through the forest to negotiate.  I stopped off for bread, clemantines and a few packets of biscuits, journey home was OK, parked up, shopping unpacked, curtains drawn, fire lit and it was six fifteen, I had a blog to write,

Time to hit kitchen and find something for supper, it's supposed to be warmer tomorrow so fingers crossed, I need to be more active outside,  LN.....And another early night......LN

Wednesday 23rd March

Just after six thirty this morning when I woke up and I got on with the normal routine tasks.  Emptied the ash can, laid the fire but I didn't light it, the sun was up, it was sixteen degrees in the house and it got better.  I didn't make coffee, I've decided to give it up for a while and settled for hot lemon and honey and added cinnamon to it, it's supposed to reduce blood pressure and I'll give anything a try.  As for the new tablets, blood pressure is reduced, so far no red spots indicating an allergic reaction to them but the pulse rate has increased slightly.  Perhaps the cinnamon and no coffee might ultimately mean I can forego the tablets which would be really good and more exercise with the summer coming on...eventually.  I made tuna potato salad last night for supper but put aside some cooked potatoes and I used them up with a potato omelette adding some cheese before I served it and it did me through until this evening.

I went upstairs to get washed and dressed and changed my mind and went back down for a shower instead and to wash my hair.  Back up to dry off, get dressed and dry my hair and I was ready for the day.  I popped over to Avatar's house to deliver the clemantines that I'd bought for her yesterday and sat with her until twelve with general chit-chat and it's amazing how many topics we cover remembering that I'm speaking in Bulgarian and so is she but she's more used to speaking in Turkish as are my neighbours.  Somehow we manage!!.

I settled on the sofa and put Netflix on and started watching a series that my daughter had put on my playlist when I was over in the UK.  It was OK but I found that Bridgerton Series to is airing on Friday and I must let my daughter know since we're both fans of it. I put the washing that I'd done on the airer, went back to the sofa and got my head down for an hour or so....the temperature had shot up with the sun being out but if only the wind hat dropped it would have been a brilliant day for gardening but the sofa proved a veritable substitute.

Countdown, Tipping Point and The Chase to keep the brain active and I shall be settling for an early night tonight.  The weather report for tomorrow indicates that we shall be still hanging on to our hats if out and about, not many of the birds were in flight just scrabbling around for food at the base of the plants and keeping watchful eyes out for the patrolling cats.  Nothing on so far for tomorrow...I'll see how I feel in the morning.  LN.....I just feel so lazy, just too cold outside to do anything.....LN

Thursday 24th March

Just before seven start, sun was already up and I managed to open a few windows since that wind has dropped. I washed and dressed quickly, made toast for breakfast and a lemon and honey drink with cinnamon but unfortunately I tipped the pot too quickly and it was horrible so poured half into another glass and topped them both up to the brim....much more palatable.  Tele went on and I watched it until I got fed up of opinions and turned it off.  Not many birds about this morning only sparrows and not many of those.  As I mentioned the wind had dropped so I waited for the sun to do its stuff before I headed out to see what I could get up to.  

I filled up the log carrier from the ones stored in the little house and sorted out some of the plants.  I've got quite a few weigela cuttings that have taken and they will be going in soon but the first job is to remove the weeds from the flower beds before I start putting anything else in except that I did plant the pomegranate bush that I bought.  It has sat in the wood store for a week or so so in it went into the shrub bed in the grave garden.....and hopefully it's not a fitting place for it but there do not seem to be many signs of life on it.  I cleared one of the beds near the well and moved down to the old vegetable garden and cleared two of the six sections.  Unfortunately there were some poppies that had germinated that I didn't notice in the weeds, I've put some back but I'll have to wait and see.  

I stood for quite some time watching a beautiful calf while it patiently waited for its mother to stop feeding until it eventually took to the grass and waited in comfort.  I think it actually nodded off, it can only be a couple of weeks old and amazing what they do in such a short time.  Eventually she'd finished and headed towards it, it got up had a little nuzzle and then off they went toward the bottom of the field.  At four I noticed that the wind had left several large piles of oak leaves on the little house and woodstore terraces so I  used the snow scoop to put them in the log carrier and take them down to the bottom of the garden and tipped them against the wall.  Around four I tidied tools away, popped over to see Avatar to tell her that I'd seen photographs on FB of her family and I thought it was a wedding but I was wrong.  One of her grandsons has got engaged and it's customary in Turkey to make a big thing of it and it was a lead up to the wedding.  I offered to show her the pickies if she comes over and she said that she might.  Haciber's daughter is over from Turkey so we have another chance of re-infection, Beyser is back home and so is Zelinger so it looks as if Avatar and myself will remain in our bubble and won't be paying much interest in the returnees.....safest plan Batman.

Fire lit by five thirty, chicken breast and potato and onion put to roast in the oven and supper was ready for six thirty.  I had a visit from two of my neighbors wanting to borrow the car tyre pump, I managed to find it in the woodstore, handed it to them and they set off returning five minutes later saying that the woven hose had worn so I took it back and off they went.  I spend fifteen minutes trying to mend it and now it's sitting in the porch awaiting attention.  Looks like it might be another good day tomorrow so it might be another gardening day.....those weeds have certainly got their roots down.  LN.....Nine thousand plus steps today....that's more like it......LN

Friday 25th March

Seven start and it was a silly evening.  I fell asleep on the sofa and woke up to Question Time which is a programme I used to watch but it's normally too late with the two hours difference but since I was awake anyway I carried on watching it.  I was really impressed by one of the panel who was representing a news paper/ journal who took a very balance view where others were slagging off the government for all sort of things from the latest mini-budget to the lack of delivery of Ukrainian migrants and also making them responsible for the sacking of the P&O workers.  I was surprised that Lisa Nandy didn't blame Conservative for the pandemic.....

I slept well despite the input and started my day with a mug of tea, still wishing to refrain from the several mugs of coffee.  I found bacon in the freezer so fried it off with an egg and that did me through until I started on the biscuits around three this afternoon.  It was a beautiful morning, the wind had dropped and round the back of the woodstore on the terrace it was very warm and calm.  I had in my head to carry on with the gardening but instead thought I'd turn my hand to getting the mower going.  I'd tried to fire it up when I put it away last year and there was no life in it, I'd looked at a new one in the local shop and was thinking that was going to be my option but thought I'd give it a go.  I emptied out the old fuel and the oil and took the filter out and used kitchen grease cleaner in boiling water, soaking it well.  I did this twice, out it to dry in the sun and it didn't take long and it was ready to be replaced.  I turned the mower upside down and gave the blade housing a good soaking in machine oil and I could turn it without any problem but I'm thinking that a new blade would make it work more efficiently.  So new fuel, oil, filter replaced and the moment of truth was here....I fired it up and it started first time so that's another item to add to my CV.  Having started it I decided to take it for a stroll down the bottom of the garden and on some of the new grass and it confirmed that I really do need a new blade so I shall be doing that probably tomorrow of I go into town.

Having done one job I set to to remove the leaves from the back terrace.  The wind has brought them down from the oak tree in next doors garden and this lot went over the wall for the cows.  I also swept the log store and moved a few thing round, one of the benches has gone outside ready for sanding down and the cloches have to have new polythene stretched over them.  I have lots of seedlings that need to go outside but they do need protections so the cloches are on the list for this weekend.

I came in at three and flicked through Netflix to find that Bridgerton was airing so I watched the first episode of the new series and disciplined myself to turn over to Transponder and then I had a visitor so Countdown was switched off.  I made coffee and we sat in the lounge catching up on the news and off he went at five.  I tidied the tools away and locked up the shop, not decided on supper yet but I probably shan't bother considering it's half eight at my end.  I've just had my mother's day cards delivered by Moonpig and Funky Pigeon and nice as they are, the companies don't make it a simple process to print them off which is a shame.  I eventually managed it by saving the images and text, putting it into Open Office and with some jiggery pockery managed to print both off.  My daughter has posted it but goodness knows when that will arrive, I'm still waiting for a birthday card that was due in the middle of February.  That's Bulgarian postal service for you.

Weather for next week looks promising and no more frosts forecast after tonight.  LN.....Spring might have arrived.....better late than never.....LN

Saturday 26th March

Another beautiful day and what I thought was a six thirty start turned out to be five thirty.  Having said that I went round and tilt opened the windows upstairs and in the bathroom, I needed air throughout the place.  I managed to go back to bed with a cup of tea and sudoku for an hour or so, was eating bacon and baked beans on toast at eight and felt it was going to be a long day.  I washed up from yesterday and this morning and generally tidied round, not much to do when you live on your own, it was only a matter of folding the blanket that I used last night on the sofa and putting it back in the lounge.

I watched a little morning tele to catch up on the news and it seems to be getting more desperate for the refugees, what a horrible position the world is in.  I decided to wash the table cloths, it was such a lovely day with a gentle breeze but I still made sure that I pegged them on well just in case the breeze got up later and went into the little house to take some of the stored plants out on to the terrace.  The other plan was to set to clearing the weeds from the flower beds but that must wait for another day.  I did manage to get round to putting new polythene on the garden cold frames, armed with hammer, flat headed nails and large nails I repaired the frames as best I could but they really need some of the wood replacing.

Working away on the back terrace and I heard my name being called and found my neighbour from the bottom of the village clutching a 'mevlit bag' of rice and meat, halva and a drink in memory of her aunts passing.  It was round about lunch time so I sat on the bench on the little house terrace, picked the meat out of it, ate some of the rice and the rest went to the cats.  She's now given up work to look after her mother and I've been invited for coffee but with the Covid thread still in the village, I think I'll stick to my own garden, I've lots to do anyway.  So washing in and toys away by five thirty, logs in and fire lit and I settled down to watch a couple of episodes of Bridgeton and not sure if I'm enjoying it as much as the last series.....I'll wait and see how it pans out.

So tomorrow I'm off to Greece for the Sunday market and the fabulous fish restaurant.  I must remember to 'spring my clocks' forward so that I'm not late for lift off.  LN.....Passport and Vaxpass at the ready.....and camera......LN

Sunday 27th March

So this morning I managed to turn my clocks back, the rest of the stuff updated automatically apart from the temperature station that is supposed to be remote controlled from Germany so I'll have to get round to that.  I even managed to change the time in the Nipper with the aid of a twig to depress the button.  I was awake at six thirty so there was not rush on until it got to seven fifteen and then I was looking as to what to wear, it was going to be sunny but there was a frost last night, the Nipper was white over so | needed something warm over the sweater that was easy to take off.....and I found it.  My leather waistcoat covered everything and kept the wind out.

I set off just before eight, very little traffic around and arrived at my destination in Fotinovo at twenty after eight,  We were all set, we were testing out the new vehicle and it was so comfortable compared with the other one that once in it I had difficulty getting out of it.  Both the Nipper and the Beast are quite off the ground and easy to get in to and out of....this is of the same design.  There were three cars in front of us at the border, passports handed over on the Bulgarian side and delivered back to us on the Greek window complete with entry stamp.  We also had to show out booster certificates and poor chap ahead of us didn't have one so had to be turned round and he was heading back to Bulgaria.  First stop the market in Porto Largos, lots of stalls, fresh vegetables, clothes that were obviously from display windows or unsold stock and I had a field day.  I bought a cotton gardening top and an evening jacket at two euros each, a pair of sunglasses that I absolutely loved from the moment that I put them on and that's nor usual for me, I never feel comfortable in them.  Last purchase for me was a shrub that has red new leaves and for the life of me I can't remember what it's called.  Shopping done we headed towards Xanthi and to the market garden and I found a very large jasmine with lots of flowers on it and it was mine.

Back to Fanari to a fish restaurant for lunch and then on to the beach but no way was I going to dip my toes in.  The wind off the land to the sea was brisk but once down at sea level in a sheltered spot, we sat on the stones and relaxed, collected shells and generally had a very pleasant afternoon.  Packed up at five and back to the border, we were stamped in again to Bulgaria, had the boot checked for goodness knows but we were allowed in and the rest is history.  It was good to be back in Greece...the bug has certainly but restrictions on travelling but at least with having the vaccines and booster, we face no problems.  LN.....Very chilled after a lovely day.....LN

Monday 28th March

Reasonable night's sleep considering that I stayed up to watch Peaky Blinders, not an ounce of sleep in me after that and it must have been two before I switched off the light and headed to the land of Nod.  I was awake just before seven, the sun was up just over the mountains and a fiery ball but I didn't take any photographs today, I really must get myself another small camera, the other one seems to be out of focus.  I spotted another Sony in Teknomarket about a month ago and must check out if it's made it to the 'offer' status.  I used up the bacon that was in the fridge and fried an egg, the bread went in the frying pan as well since it was 'fresh' out of the freezer, washing up done and looking for things to do by around eight thirty.  

I washed and dressed, opened up the shop. looked over to Avatar's house and noticed some chickens in her yard.  She didn't have them before I left for Greece and at this point I didn't know if they were strays or not so I decided to go over and find out.  She was just about to sit down and have her breakfast so I said that I would go back later but she insisted I stayed.  Her brother had delivered six hens and a little grey rooster plus food for a few months on Sunday and she was pleased as Punch that they were already laying eggs.  She'd had four each day so far and when we went out to look at them, we checked out the woodstore and there were four more eggs there already and we struck a bargain that if she gets more than she needs, I'm first on the purchasing list.  It's income for her and helps with the food bill for them and I do enjoy free range eggs at battery hen prices.  I also noticed that her clock was still showing the old time and hadn't 'sprung' forward so must take my glasses round tomorrow and sort it for her.

At twelve I headed out and my mission today was to have a bonfire, sort out the bed between the steps and plant out some of the stock that is ready for planting.  Unfortunately I got into other things and spray pained the one tall container that I have for terrace plants and a giant water bottle in green and blue for the new jasmine that's sitting on the stairs.  I also dug up a large clump of day lilies that have really gelled together and needed splitting and now they're split and replanted in the steps garden and the old vegetable garden.  They were so congested that I had to use the garden spade to cut through them and fingers crossed they will do better in their new homes.  I appear to have lost the tall pink swaying Greek flower that was in the middle of the steps garden, the frost was just too much for it and now there is a yucca where it used to be.  I'd noticed that my yucca in the Frog garden had produced two babies and now I've separated them from the parent and I'm not sure yet where to put the second.  I worked outside until four thirty, collected the washing, lit the fire, started to watch Tipping Point lying on the sofa and woke up towards the end of The Chase.  The fire was still red so threw another log on and I'm not really in the mood for supper and at nine fifteen, might have to wait for breakfast.  LN....Photos required tomorrow of hens and gardens and spray pots.....LN

Tuesday 29th March

Woke up to another bright morning at seven thirty, washed and dressed and settled for buttered toast.  I toyed with the idea of cheese omelette but couldn't raise the effort to make it.  I went out for a photo opportunity, the chickens were out so I went over to my Avatar's garden, didn't bother to tell her that I was in the garden but waved when I went by the window where she normally sits,  She spotted me, came out and we watched the antics and worked out the female boss who was chasing one of the others that had a very large worm in her beak and didn't want to relinquish if but was fought into submission.  It seemed to go round the group and eventually one managed to swallow it so claim possession.  I checked out the woodstore and there were already two eggs in there so I should be able to make a purchase soon.

I came home and as I closed my gate I noticed that the top bolt attaching the smaller gate to the pillar had come loose and the gate had fallen down a little.  My thinking cap went on, I needed to put some more wood where the dowel went into the wall so I grabbed some toothpicks, raised the gate on a brick, removed the bolt, rammed in three toothpicks, replaced the bolt and it held perfectly.  Job done.  The water butt is in back under the downpipe, it's supposed to rain a couple of days this week so I might as well start collecting it instead of paying for it.  The rest of the day was taken up with repotting plants from the little house, clearing the table and bench site underneath the two big trees and removing the branches that have blown off during the breezy days.  That's still sitting in the yard, I ran out of time, I had my student this afternoon.  

The homework that was set wasn't  such a good idea.....it was in a workbook that we should have worked out together as a guide.  We settled for a text that he read and we talked through together and his homework is to make sentences including the difficult words from the text,  He has a sheet of paper explaining the meaning of the words so he's got to use his imagination and he should be able to manage it.  I bought more spray paint from his mother's shop to clean up the pots on the terrace that I sprayed last year and to make a few more.  Stopped to shop and bought bread, chicken legs and biscuits for me and frozen mackerel for my Avatar.  They were sitting in a freezer and you had to pick them up and put them in a polythene bag and I just hated the smell of them.  Drove home, parked up, delivered fish, unpacked the car, lit the fire, chicken legs with a jacket potato in the oven, made a coffee and ate an éclair all within ten minutes of arriving home.  Tomorrow is another gardening day looking at the weather...taking the opportunity providing the wind drops a little...we have another warning for high winds but at least the temperature is on the plus side.  LN.....My chicken is ready and I'm ready for it......LN

Wednesday 30th March

Not a bad night, watched the sun come up from my upstairs bedroom balcony but I didn't stay long out there, it was a cold morning.  I went down to the downstairs terrace and took a few more pickies and it was warmer down there out of the wind. I settled for hot water without the addition of coffee and went back to bed with the Kindle and played sudoku until eight thirty and then thought it was about time to start my day.  I stripped the bed and put the duvet cover and bottom sheets into the washing machine and set it to go, boiled the kettle and had more hot water and decided to take my blood pressure.  I was surprised, it was very presentable and well before I'd taken my tablet.

I made a cheese omelette for breakfast, found out the receipt for yesterday's shopping and went over to Avatar's so that she didn't worry about the fact that she owed me for the fish that I bought her yesterday, two large mackerel point eight of a kilogram for six leva.  I might even take to eating fish.  I mentioned that I'd bought chicken drumsticks from the same supermarket and four of them amounted to two leva forty and did she want some next time I was in and she did.  She needs to get to the cash point after paying for the chickens so we've arranged that we go in on Sunday early....she wants to wait for her pension to go in.  I asked about the chickens, she said that they're still laying and did I want eggs.  I replied that if she let me pay for them I'd have some but she got quite irate and said that there was no way I would have to pay, she appreciates what I do for her especially the shopping otherwise she'd be stuck to buying everything from the van.

I came back and settled into the garden clearing the central bed, putting fertilizer on the soil and tipping a bag of potting compost on it.  The poppies that were growing there are now in the old veg garden and fingers crossed they'll transplant.  Next step was to move the seedlings from the little house to harden them off on the terrace.  I brought the washing in, came in for water, went on to the upstairs computer to check out the side effects of my tablets, had a late lunch, watched a little television and promptly nodded off and woke up at almost five this afternoon.  First job was to collect the tools up from outside, tip the weeds over the wall, put the seeds back in the little house and lock up the shop.  Next task was to make up my bed for tonight and put Eli back where he belonged.  

I lit the fire, don't think I'll need supper since my late lunch was very substantial and the boiler is on for a bath tonight.  The temperature has dropped tonight, the sky has clouded over and it looks like the forecast of rain for tomorrow might be on the cards and it if rains I'll be going into Kardjali for a shopping run and maybe a trip to the furniture warehouse, I haven't been there for a while.  LN.......I've had a good day......LN