Wednesday 1st June

Restful night, waking up at six thirty and feeling much better but was waiting to wake up to see if I really felt OK.  I decided not to go to see the doctor today, the medicine had upset my tummy and I really didn't want to be away from a very comfortable bathroom.  I went out and took a picture of the morning, lots of mist around but it promised to be a good day.  I found bread that needed throwing out and walking to the wall to throw it over I was surprised to see Rosy out sunning herself which seemed quite early for her and more of a surprise is that I didn't tread on her, she was by the old veg garden near the wall and she's normally further down.  I decided to check on the others and only found little Purple down by the bottom wall but no sign of the others.

I hadn't eaten much yesterday so found a packet of bacon in the freezer and fried half of it with an egg and that set me up for the day.  I washed up and tidied the kitchen and mostly today I've been drinking ginger honey with hot water and the medicine seem to be doing the trick.  'I'm coughing better' as my mother would say.  Avatar has been over twice to check that I'm still in the land of the living and the second time she came with a battery from her solar lamp.  It wasn't lighting so I suggested that she took the old one out, I didn't want to do it, she's more like.....my son will fix it when he's here.  Anyway she took the bull by the horns, I gave her a standard AA battery since I used that in mine and told her I'll go over at two to check out if it's lit or not and wake her to tell her...pah...that's going to happen.

Most of the rest of the day has been spent on the sofa and I seem to have been in and out of sleep and I think that's done me good.  I did have a list for today but as with most of my lists, they can wait for me.  I've got a small portion of meat from the freezer but not really inclined to slave over a hot stove so that's going into the fridge for tomorrow.  LN.....It's been a pool day, if only I felt up to it.....LN

Thursday 2nd June

Better night's sleep, headed for the kitchen and hot water with ginger and honey....One could almost get hooked on it.  I had a few slices of bread for the birds so went out to throw it to them and then decided to walk the garden and found CS under the mulberry, Rosy was about five meters away and sunning herself and Green God I spotted about five yards from Rosy and I hoped she was safe from our amorous hard shell.  I carried on to the bottom to check up on the red hot pokers and I noticed that another head had appeared making five in total on the one plant that I'd put in but obviously over the winter the tuber had multiplied.  No views of the other hard shells in my garden but noticed that the grass at the bottom had grown considerably especially round the burning bin so before the next bonfire I'll have to get the strimmer out.

I cooked and ate breakfast, finished the kitchen, intended putting washing in which didn't materialise, made my bed than ran out of steam.  This bug has really knocked me for a six.  I took my medicine and that was and has been my sole achievement for the day and I slept for a good few hours but as they say, sleep is healing. I gained consciousness and stumbled on a Netflix for the clothes designer Halston documenting his rise and his eventual decline and how he managed to sign away his name making it impossible to work for himself again.  It was rather a sad story of a damaged childhood, convoluted life story and eventual decline mainly due to drugs and alcohol.  

I might go into Kardjali tomorrow, food is running low and so is bottled water.  I still need potting compost so I'll check out Kaufland.  Not much to report today and hopefully the weekend will set me back to normal and my energy levels will get back to normal.  LN.......Fingers crossed.....LN

Friday 3rd June

So this morning I decided I was definitely going to see the doctor, the rash that had started on my arm was looking very angry and itched like fury. The royal 'we', me and the doctor, had put it down to the tablets for blood pressure but since I hadn't had any for one week and still came up with blotches, maybe we need another solution.  I was up and about by seven thirty, watched the tortoise under the mulberry obviously feasting on the droppings.  I suppose they'll move to the cherry tree next, they're beginning to turn red I noticed as I did my evening walkabout.  Before setting off for Kardjali I decided to print off my document that needs to be presented before any specialist takes a look at you.  I printed three and drove into town, very little traffic on the road in, I seemed to have missed the rush, and managed to find a parking spot on the free carpark behind the hospital.  

I went down to the basement which is where the doctors have their surgeries and was surprised to find that my doctor wasn't in today so back to reception to check in, one leva handed over and was designated to another doctor and not the usual substitute who speaks English.  So I took my turn at the first designated and asked her if she spoke English, off she went at a tangent and I was turfed out and back to the beginning.  I was then added to the list of my usual substitute, waited my turn, he examined me, noticed the mark on my arm and I reminded me that we spoken about it before but that I'd stopped my tablets a week ago so he took my blood pressure and said that it was well within the safety zone.  He directed me to x-ray and within ten minutes I had my CD copy of my lungs.  He then sent me to see the specialist so sent me up to the second floor but didn't give me a room number so I went to registration to find out the room number and off I went again knocked and went in.  She asked me for my number which I didn't have so back to registration, she struggled through entering the details into the system, a queue was building behind me and eventually she made it.
I apologised to her and and returned to the second floor.  First time, the specialist reminded me of how I thought communism appeared to the western world.  She examined me again, looked at my arm and noticed the rash and said that I was obviously allergic to something so gave me the details of the specialist in Plovdiv and said that I should only go during the autumn-spring months and not now and she said this in English so I immediately jumped on it.  She'd obviously warmed to me, said that my Bulgarian was good too and ended with 'I like you' so I think I'd won her over.  Back to hand the documents to the doctor in the basement, they were at lunch so I waited, saw my doctor's receptionist, left the paperwork with her and off to the chemist for the tablets that had been prescribed.  I have antibiotics and one for food intolerance and even the assistant in the chemist told me the total to be paid in English.  Some do like trying it out. I thanked her in Bulgarian and we both smiled and off I went.

The Nipper was still there, I drove to Kaufland and did a little shopping, on to Lidl and back to Djebel to see my student's mum in the shop.  A little shopping in Djebel and as I got back to the car one of the locals asked me if I was going to the village and asked for a lift.  Usual fashion, he started to undo his seat belt as we left the main road and I asked him to put it back on, my car, my rules and it had nothing to do with the police.  I dropped him off at the bottom of the village where the locals were out on the bench and one of the ladies approached me and showed me her foot that looked like she'd stepped on barbed wire and I said that I wasn't a doctor, only a taxi and laughed and drove home.  Five minutes with Avatar in her garden, unpacked shopping, watered the terrace plants, cooked chicken cutlet for supper and slapped it between two slices of bread, just taken the first of my antibiotic 'bullets' and now thinking about bed.  I feel much happier after being examined and diagnosed and left the hospital with positive vibes after negotiating difficult circumstances with new doctors and specialist.  LN.....I'm definitely on the mend.......LN

Saturday 4th June

Five thirty start and it's been full on except for an hours recuperation around three thirty until four thirty.  It was such a good day that I stripped my bed, the nest is now back to being cotton sheets and lightweight duvet and the zebra quilt cover and bottom sheet is all washed and put away for next winter.  Three loads of washing in total, everything pegged out by ten, dried and put away by five.

I'd lacked energy for the last week and suddenly it's back, I'm still coughing but no headache and my motivation is back.  Last night I'd heard a bit of shouting going on but had taken no notice, I was a little curious but that's as far as it went.  Poached egg and ham on toast for breakfast, I tidied the kitchen, found one of Avatar's dishes in the fridge so washed it up and took it over and she's in the garden with the little woodburner going making strawberry jam.  Suddenly there was a screech and Avatar said that it was one of the ladies from the bottom of the village and se told me that the fuss last night was because a large stray b**** had made a home under the large tree in the centre of the bottom square, had had pups and was in a large drainage pipe under the tree.  She obviously was protecting her pups, was barking furiously and threatening my peace loving neighbours and most of them can hardly walk let alone run from an angry b****.  We went down to look, one of the ladies phone Semile the sheep farmer and his son arrived but she'd obviously moved the pups and herself further into the pipe.  

We went back to Avatar's garden, she stuck another log on but I tasted the jam, too much sugar in it and the seeds from the fruit were very hard and I'm not sure if it was old or unripe fruit.  I came back with the same metal bowl that I'd taken over filled with jam and left her to it.   My task to day was to have a bonfire but first I had to strim the grass around the bonfire to make sure that nothing untoward happened.  I got the bonfire underway and supervised it and when it was going well and there wasn't anything else left to burn I put the lid back on it and carried on strimming the bottom of the garden.  I noticed that one of the shrubs at the bottom of the garden was looking a little 'crispy' so put the hose with holes  around the bottom bushes near the wall and connected up the rest of the hoses and no leaks and that was a first.  I trimmed the round orbs that I've created around the garden and really set to and old ones that I'd missed last year and my attention was drawn to the small bed by the roof tiles.  The wild plums had gone really wild so out came the loppers and that bed just needs stimming and digging over but that's a job for tomorrow.

I've just given the flower beds and pots a good watering, I'm about to find something for supper and then heading for the bath for a soak.  I've had a really good day, I've notched up just under sixteen thousand step and I've planned out tomorrow already.  LN......I like days like these.....LN

Sunday 5th June

Another early start, I made my normal morning hot water and sat on the bench outside enjoying the sun.  All was quiet in my world, an eagle was circling finding a thermal to ride.  I'd watched the concert at the Palace last night and Britain did just what Britain does, produced a magnificently slick programme, wheeling out some of the oldies, the newbies with great perfection.  The lighting of the Palace with images of the queen was spectacular and the 'tea party of the Queen and Paddington Bear enforces the great confidence that the she has, finally divulging the  secret that she has marmalade sandwiches in her handbag.  A lovely sense of fun which hasn't diminished over the years.

As for my day, I finally set about sorting out the pots where seeds haven't germinated, planting those that have in other larger pots removing some of the deep rooted weeds from others.  These were mainly in the ones that had overwintered in the little house and I'd not really paid them much attention but now it's done.  I got the strimmer out and attached the battery but that's as far as it got.  I had a visitor around ten thirty, we put the world to rights in our usual fashion, sat on the terrace with coffees and watched a couple of the tortoise heading towards the mulberry tree.  I'd spotted them earlier and had found Green God, CS and Rosy but no sightings of the others so far today.  Little purple is difficult to find at the best of times and Blue is probably deep in the bushes where I'm watering with the pipe with holes in so that I don't have to stand there for ages to give them a good watering.

Off he went around twelve thirty,  On my list for today was to mow the grass but that didn't happen either.  That sun was very hot so I just went back to sorting the pots and potting compost, came in at two for a drink and a sit down and found that the end of the celebrations was happening later that afternoon so I plumbed that into my memory bank and watched most of it until I went to sleep just catching the end of it.  Most of the decades I remember, I was six when the Queen was crowned and have photos of the street party that we had to celebrate.  There was a football match on the field where the men dressed up in their wives clothes and my sister who was nineteen years old more or less played against the men.  I found the photo the other day and it brought back memories of those times, hard but happy.  People didn't have much but they shared.

We were also reminded that we were living in the second Elizabethan age and I'd never though of it like that before.  It seems significant some how...two great queens with the same name.  And now to find something for supper...it's almost nine my time and I can't say that I've got hunger bugs nibbling,  so maybe go without and settle for a good breakfast in the morning. I've just checked on the MOT date for the Beast, no panic, I have until next month so it's now on the calendar.  LN...Time for a shower and bed......LN

Monday 6th June

Ridiculously early start and it's set me back all day.  At five I was playing Sudoku and should have tried for more sleep yet didn't feel tired enough to get back off again.  The weather was back to rain, thunder and lightning so much so that it took the power off for a short time just as I'd decided to make toast for breakfast.  Fortunately it had just popped up, the kettle had reached boiling point so I opened a new jar of black cherry jam following it with a sour cherry yogurt,  By now the heavens had really opened up, the sky was black so that lawn wasn't going to get processed today.  The power came back on, I settled on the sofa and on to Netflix and stumbled upon the Bodyguard.  Not being in the UK I'd missed it first time round, a bit stilted in places but I enjoyed it with a very good twist at the end.

Eventually it cleared up, the grass was only dry enough to get the strimmer out.  I cleared the patch of long grass behind the old toilet block, trimmed round the boarded beds, some of the long weed heads and between the house and front wall.  It was very damp at the back of the house so not really much grass to mow, I carried on clearing the yard and worked until the battery ran out so put it back on charge intending to finish later.  It didn't come to pass, instead I settled back on the sofa and went to sleep for a couple of hours and was woken by my garden neighbour who'd come round to collect the cherries that I'd offered earlier in the day.  We picked around two kilograms together, they really need about two more days of sun but who's to know whether they're going to get it or not.  I did catch up on the gossip regarding the stray dog and her puppies, it involved the police, the sheep farmer's son getting bitten and a shotgun but I didn't really understand the details, she struggles with Bulgarian.  She's a very hardworking woman and her garden at home rarely has flowers in it, she's got cows that demolish everything and she was amazed by my garden, the number of flowers that she's never seen before and I sent her back with some sweet smelling philadelphus and her cherries.

I walked part way home with her and stopped at Avatar's garden and had twenty minutes with her.  I joked with her that I'd tried to wake her up. which I hadn't but she'd had a few hours on the bed this afternoon.  I found out that the strawberry jam that she'd made had eventually set, she wasn't too pleased with it and is keeping it to herself.  Again we discussed the situation with the stray dog but we settled on being like the three monkeys, see no, hear no and repeat nothing.  I came home at seven, the evening was beginning to get cold so I cooked a chicken fillet for supper, grated a carrot, sliced beetroot and a red onion and chunked a tomato and put it all together for a fresh salad.  It was rubbish, the carrots didn't taste fresh, I finished the chicken and the rest will end up in the compost heap.  My taste buds rebelled.  

It appears that I fell back asleep and woke up at nine thirty my time, just time to wash up and clear the kitchen and then it is time for bed.  Hopefully despite my nodding off at at various times of the day, I shall have a better night.  It might be the antibiotics that are upsetting the system, they appear to be very large and very strong...only two more days to go.  I'm definitely coughing better which reminds me that I have to have the last one of the day.  LN.....Kitchen duties call....LN

Tuesday 7th June

At last a really good night's sleep, it was eight when I woke up.  It was a slow old morning, I did sort the fridge out, sliced up two of the spicy sausage and put it with the remains of the rubbishy salad that I prepared for last night.  Everything went in the frying pan with oil, browned it all off and it went into the slow cooker and this was the basis of supper.  I rinsed the pan, fried off two large tomatoes and that became breakfast on toast leaving only to of the five tomatoes that I bought the other day.  No flavour so now I'll wait for Avatar's tomato plants to flower and flourish and enjoy the result.  Apparently flowers are on them already so I'm waiting with baited breath.  Washed up after breakfast and left it tidy, the sun was out but there was a fair wind blowing across the prairie.  

I didn't feel like doing much so didn't.  I was into the third episode of a new Netflix, a spooky ghost come murder mystery when Avatar appeared on the terrace.  I think she fully expected me to be out and about in the garden but the mood just hadn't taken me.  I went out and she was standing breathing deeply with an 'in - out' murmuring coming from her and saying that my air was just so much better than hers.  Now she only lives over the road but it probably helps to be able to see from whence the wind commeth, like straight over from the mountains with nothing in between so I offered to bottle some for her.  She'd come over for nothing in particular, just that she hadn't seen me out this morning so just checking up on me.  I asked her if she had anything on the menu for supper, she hadn't so I said I'd got enough for both of us and would take it over when I got back from my student's lesson this afternoon.  Off she went and I returned to the TV and watched one more episode and started to get ready for my next trip into Djebel.  

I arrived at two thirty, Yusti's girlfriend is down from Sofia and I apologised for asking her on Friday 'what are you doing here' which in English humour is another form of 'hello' but fortunately she hadn't taken offence.  She's back to Soria this afternoon and Yusti is going with her, she's flat hunting and it's like a jungle in Sofia with shark landlords.  They went, I went upstairs for the lesson, the boy had done his homework, we went over it, read through the next text and fought over who could find the words from the text in the word search.  He got some, I got others...lessons should be fun.  Lesson over for six, more friends were in the shop when I went downstairs so we had a catch-up and promised to see each other again in the next three to five years.  I stopped for a few things from the supermarket, arrived home, put the pasta on and leaving it to soak while I was out made it much easier and quicker to do.  I took Avatar's over and she was just working in the garden on the tomatoes and fresh home made bread had about another thirty minutes to finish so I'll get mine in the morning.  Supper acceptable, washing up done and now I'm ready to go back to my Netflix.  LN......Not a bad day at all......LN

Wednesday 8th June

Well another late start for the day but funny old dream again and I remembered it on waking.  It was more like a nightmare and so real and I'm putting it down to too much spooky Netflix.  Binging wastes so much time again it happened today but at one it was much to hot to be out there mowing the grass and it was an excuse I know but I did go out there again at five and finish the job that I'd started at ten this morning.    Bacon and egg for breakfast, everything washed up from last night and the remains of last night's supper went over the wall and one ginger cat was already waiting for breakfast to arrive.  I dressed for the garden, managed to get a brush through my hair using one of the oils I brought back from England and I must put that on the list of 'things my daughter has to bring over'....and promise it won't be too long.

So out with the mower and I was just getting settled into the rhythm when I caught a glimpse of my neighbour from the next door's garden with a little girl.  I switched the mower off, his wife that had the cherries the other day was with him and I have trouble understanding him, he tends to have a 'rakia' brain most times of the day.  The girl was sweet though, she's only eight or nine, learning English at school so I asked her her name and she asked me mine but grandfather kept interrupting her so I told him to be quiet, we could manage.  I worked out that she lived in Turkey with her parents, another of her relatives lives in the UK and after around ten minutes they left with me ushering them out of the gate and making sure it was closed properly.  I went back to the machine and was surprised when it started first time, usually it's reluctant when it's hot.  Stayed out until I was bored going backwards and forwards, settled for yogurt and peaches from a jar and a packed of mixed nuts and raisins.  As I said, Netflix got the better of me and I watched 'Behind her Eyes' which has a very peculiar twist in the end and it obviously ripe for a next series.

Work over for the day at six thirty and I put the hose on for the shrubs in the rocky part of the garden and had a bonfire. I didn't have much to burn but it keeps on top of it. I moved to the terrace and sat outside with a glass of water and my little Kindle playing Sudoku while the garden was watering itself, turned it off, put the other hose on and watered the pots and the boarded beds.  I didn't longer long outside, the clouds had rolled over and the temperature has dropped and there's a chill in the air, not usual for June.  I'm not needing any supper so far, the nuts are lodged, maybe warm up to the idea later.  LN.....Could have achieved more but not a bad day.....LN

Thursday 9th June

Eight start and this is getting to be a habit.  I've finished the antibiotics so maybe I'll get back to normal now.  Washing in, wanted to phone my daughter but too early for England so put it on the back burner and settled for a bacon and egg sandwich for breakfast to see me through the day.  I'd used one of the eggs that my lady from the next garden gave me when I gave her cherries and the yolk was so yellow...home delivered by her own chickens!!

Washing pegged out and I've just realised that I got washed but not dressed for gardening and went out in the t-shirt and cotton trousers that I'd slept in.  I had a late bath last night and just found something to sleep in, I've only just come out of winter p.j's. Just before ten the phone rang and it was my daughter returning my call but it stopped before I could get to it.  I tried to phone her back and got the answer machine, she tried to phone me and it was five missed calls before we managed to speak to each other....and then it was back to normal.  I knew that she had to get to work so didn't prolong the call, she updated that she'd have two more bouts of Covid but working with children it's hardly surprising but was OK now.  She's really looking forward to coming out later in the year and I'm really looking forward to seeing them all.  

Fun tome over, back to the grass.  I'd managed to finish half of it yesterday but that meant that there was the other half to go.  Firstly I cleaned the underneath of the machine with a very old chisel by putting the machine on its side, turned it upright and filled it up with petrol and good to go as they say.  It was very hot out there but I persevered and finished it by around twelve.  So far today I've spotted four of the give tortoise and hand fed CS with cherries from the tree remembering to take the stones out first.  When I start talking to them the heads go inside the shell but at the first smell of food, out it comes again.  Much cheaper than a dog or cat and no trouble, they look after themselves.  I did fill-up the water lids that I use just incase there isn't enough water in the greenery.

Tools away by one, I went over to see Avatar when I found one of the dishes that I'd given her with supper in but now it had a chocolate cake thingy in it.  I popped over to say thank you but the cake was from Zelinger, it was her birthday today so I shouted thank you and happy birthday as she walked near Avatar's gate.  A thank you was shouted back and she went off to her home.  At one thirty I was stretched out on the sofa and must have slept for an hour or so and I woke up to stormy skies.  Realising that the washing was out I went out and rescued it, brought it in an put it away and went back to the sofa and Countdown.  I'm not really sure where the rest of the day has gone, my blood pressure is a little up so I might as well start taking my tablets again now that I've finished the others and the 'little blue one' that's supposed to stop any reaction to any others.....time to give it a whirl.  Seven thirty my time, time for supper and a shower and then bed, I've just had a few more rumbles of thunder and we've clouded over again.  LN......Nothing so far on the agenda for tomorrow....I'll see how I feel in the morning......LN  

Friday 10th May

What a horrible day.  The thunder started at nine this morning and it's been rumbling around for most of the day, rain on and off so it put me off going into Kardjali, walking around in the sun is fine, in the rain not so good.  I only had toast for breakfast with cherry jam, I should have put long trousers on and a warm over sweater, I've felt cold all day and ended up with a blanket over my legs when I settled down for a morning session with the TV.

Avatar came round at twelve and we both moaned about the weather, she'd brought me round a slice of very sickly cake that Zelinger's son had arrived with last night for her birthday.  I had that for lunch and was sure I would have a sugar rush after it but kept going just the same.  A little news from yesterday that I forgot to pass on, apparently earlier in the week the top of the mosque was hit by lightning, all the electrics are out and the place needs rewiring.  I think that must have been the day that there was a flash and everything went off very quickly even before the thunder had started.

Again another afternoon of inactivity, the temperature is down to eighteen degrees today and after a few days of mid twenties, it's a good reason to feel cold.  It's just started to rain really hard again, the upside is that I don't have to water the plants tonight...another job off my list.  The mountains have disappeared and looking at the weather for tomorrow, it looks like the outdoor Jazz Festival might have to be given a miss.  There is an inside area but if it's like anything last year, there'll probably no room at the inn.  LN.....Not a very unproductive day......LN