Wednesday 21st September

I missed the end of the programme I was watching last night, the sofa was very comfortable so at eleven, straight to bed and woke at six thirty and was ready to face the day.  Buttered toast for breakfast, the jam was wearing a fur coat so that went out to anything that wanted it on the grass, Ms Cat turned her nose up at it but something may have fancied it.  I watched a little of morning television, put a final load of washing in of things that might go on my holiday with me and that ended up on the airer, it had the feel of rain about it and I didn't want to risk it.  

I was in the Nipper by ten, drove into Djebel and popped in to see my student's mum to see if she wanted anything from Kardjali but she didn't so I carried on and first port of call was Kaufland and they had a suitcase which was 'just right', the price was OK, the size was OK and it matched the hand luggage that I bought last year.  My other bargain was Argentinian steaks so I doubled back for some mushrooms and that's going to be my supper when I get round to cooking it.  I carried on to the phone company shop to pay for my home phone and used my mobile to pay for the parking.  Such a good system, you send a text and it goes on your mobile bill and I managed to get back to the parking bay with one minute to spare.  After paying my bill I walked down to the market area, bought a pair of trainers, tested make-up and bought nothing so headed back to the Nipper.  I drove to Lidl, felt sorry for a reduced to clear plant so adopted it, bought a few essentials like frozen chips, turkey dippers and tinned tuna that was on offer and finished off in Djebel for Coca Cola and more mayo for tonight.  

I arrived home at four thirty and had done most things on my list and managed to get a suitcase and trainers so all was good in my neck of the woods.  The frozen chips and dippers are portioned up and in the freezer ready for the air fryer, I managed to get half an hours sleep in missing the end of the program I was watching but no worries.  Seven thirty my time, it's gently raining, the wind has dropped and it looks like it might be set in for the night and it will do the garden good.  LN.....Final packing sorting tomorrow...organised or what.....LN

Thursday 22nd September

Sorry it's late....power has only just been restored to my hillside along with lots of other properties.  Thank goodness for solar lights in the porch, much safer than candles.

Silly night last night....I woke at two thirty and just couldn't manage to get back off to sleep again.  I read for a while, felt my eyes going but suddenly I was awake again so in the end I got up, made coffee at five thirty, watched some rubbish on the television and got on with a few chores.  Another task completed as part of the migration, underwear sorted along with the sock box and everything that I want to take with me from these two areas got washed and hung out to dry.  It was a line of lots of lightweight trainer socks and looked quite funny out there.   By now the mist had cleared and the sun was up so I took the rubbish that needed burning to the bottom of the garden and set fire to it in the container.  I conducted my tortoise check and was surprised to see Rosie under the little tree in the centre of the bottom of the garden and found Blue sunning itself in the bonfire garden,  Unfortunately by the time that I got the camera out Rosie had made a run for it and wasn't to be seen again.  I thing she's getting ready for winter, the nail varnish on her shell looked very dusty as if she's been getting out of the way of the rain, etc.  My phone was going so I answered it not recognising the number and it was my friend from the flower shop in Djebel and she had an invite for me from some of the Djebel ladies who are going to Turkey for three days on the 21st October and so I said yes.....and why not I thought.  It will be good to go with them, they've obviously been before so know the place.

I came in and made breakfast, l did manage to cook the steak last night and that's probably the reason I couldn't sleep, I ate too much so I used up more of the mushrooms and had them on toast with a fried egg on the top.  A full tummy requires rest so I worked it off in the garden and eventually settled on the sofa, got an hour's kip in and watched Eggheads, Countdown and then it was time to go into Tipping Point and prepare supper.  Tuna mayo tonight with potatoes, chopped onion and beetroot and the Coca Cola has taken a battering.  I finished off with The Chase and it was at that point that I came upstairs to write the blog and that's when the power went off.  All better now, the boiler is on for a bath so I shall be lingering for an hour or so, relaxing before I go to bed and hopefully get a better night's sleep.  LN.....Stars are all out and temperature dropping....winter's coming John Snow......LN

Djebel tomorrow to top up on the items that I need from the chemist to take with me namely Imodeum and mosquito tablets, I have the cream.  The market is on tomorrow so I'll have a quick trip round and then get some Euros, I can't image they'll have any Dirhams at the currency exchange.  

Friday 23rd September

Late bath last night, bed by twelve and slept through until seven so not a bad night.....making up for a lack of sleep from the last few nights.  Very red sky this morning but by the time I'd found the camera it had dissipated, the clouds had turned grey, it was a so-so morning but it didn't promise much.  I managed a cheese and potato omelette for breakfast using up the remains of the potatoes from last night and sat watching the news programmes slagging off the latest government announcements about the Health Service.  I do think it's bad though getting an appointment in the UK means a phone call at eight in the morning and probably joining a queuing system and you're probably twentieth in the queue already.  What has England come to!!.

Washing up done and kitchen tidied and I went out to open the gate to get the Nipper out of the drive and a cow was watching me and stood opposite the gate.  I went back to check that I'd locked the main door and as I started off the cow began to cross the road so I retraced my steps and sent it on its way.  Blasted things...any opportunity and eventually I was able to get the Nipper out.  I got out to close the gate and by the time that I'd got back one of my neighbours was standing by the Nipper and asked me if I was going into Djebel and two seconds later he was sitting in the back.  As I neared Djebel he offered me five leva which I obviously refused, inflation is definitely kicking in here.  I dropped him off, didn't manage to find a spot on the main car-park so drove to the back of town and got into a designated space, walked into town, joined the queue for the cash point and carried on to the money exchange place and got my euro for my holiday.  Went to see my friend in the flower shop to confirm where the holiday is going to in Turkey and it's off to Çanakkale, near to the battlefields in the Dardanelles and not a place I've been to.  She couldn't give me any more details but she shared with me an English text about Plato which is part of her Philosophy course at college and we had quite an interesting discussion about it until her next customer arrived.

Over to the garage shop to say hello, made my way back to the car and then back to the shop....I had bottles for them for lose oil and a couple of egg boxes.  I didn't stop long, by now the clouds had gathered and there was a rumble of thunder so I wanted to get home as quickly as possible.  I always dread driving though the forest when the lightning starts so said fond farewells, the rain had started coming down in buckets and I made it back in quicksticks, parked up in the drive and made lunch.  As quickly as the storm started it stopped, the clouds rolled away and the terraces dried up.  Compulsory nap this afternoon, quiz programmes are playing in the background and I've just chained the bed linen and put the fleece blanket and quilt cover on.  I just hate getting into a cold bed and until the chimney is swept, I'm not lighting the wood0burner.  Lunch was big so nothing required for tonight except water to keep washing it through.  LN.....It's been an enjoyable day.....LN

Saturday 24th September

What a day.  I woke up with a thumping headache, my voice was registering on the base clef and I ached all over so I took to the sofa in the lounge, I was freezing cold so wrapped up warm and promptly went back to sleep.  My phone went and I had an invite to Zlatograd for an antique market but had to refuse....today wasn't the day for e being sociable.

Two days ago I trodden on a very spiky dried twig in the garden and it had gone straight through my shoes.  I'd treated it with Germoline, there was no sign of redness but we have strange things here so I started looking up signs and symptoms of tetanus and now I was getting a little worried.  At two I drove to the hospital in Kardjali taking all my health documents with me, was directed to two young ladies, I explained the problem and no sooner had a mentioned tetanus, one of the young ladies came back with a phial and jabbed me in the upper arm.  I didn't have to sign any forms, stopped off at Lidl to buy more butter and got home for four.  By this time, the headache was still intense so back on the sofa, swathed myself in blanket and must have slept for about four hours.  The upside is that I shan't need to worry about Morocco, I've managed to get a tetanus jab in already.  My thinking might have been overkill but who's to say.  LN.....Eleven my time so I'm off to bed.....just hope I manage to sleep......LN

Sunday 25th September

Well I did manage to feel not too bad when I woke but it diminished during the day.  I did the washing from yesterday, went on the hunt for throat sweets and found a solitary five but I can get some more from Djebel tomorrow,  My heart monitor has packed up and my only activity was to manage a load of washing, get it pegged out and in again,  I haven't bothered with breakfast and not even managed a hot drink but I did note the beautiful sky and the washing blowing in the wind so my senses have not disappeared entirely.

On a hunt for batteries to replace those in the heart monitor I found a bottle of cough linctus and that's been in use.  Changed the batteries and it doesn't, I think I need to run through set up so that will have to wait for another day.  I really don't have the patience.  I watched Matilda on Netflix this afternoon and it reminded me of how I used to watch it with my grandson.....happy days.  More sleep this afternoon and with a poultice of Vick on my front and back and under my nose so that I could breathe.  Not sure what the doctor can prescribe, possibly antibiotics although Monday is not a good day to see her, the world and all her friends are sitting it out.  I just made honey in hot water with a touch of salt and that's going down well.  LN......She lives was the rallying cry.....LN

Monday 26th September

So this morning I managed to sleep through eventually until five thirty and prepared for my visit to the doctor.  If it was a cold I wanted antibiotics and if it was anything else I wanted to know.  I arrive at the check in desk just after eight, explained that I didn't have an appointment and that I wanted to see my doctor.  I said that I would wait if necessary, I must have looked ill, she gave me a ticket with nine-forty on it and I went off to join the queue.  I asked her how much and it was obviously going to take a lot of effort to enter me in the computer so she said nothing but waved me to the corridor.  Well it's not fourteen days is it!!  I was now fifth in the queue and took my turn like a true Brit, and the first question was how was I?  I croaked a reply which worked the trick and she asked me if I'd considered Covid.  I replied that I hadn't since I was fully vaccinated and she said that those dates had passed and that I wanted another booster.  Now that's news to me and I have a friend who diligently scans the local paper and if he hadn't gotten wind of it ....not in our backyard or we'd have done something about it.

So now I was considering Covid, she however was still considering a thumping great cold so diagnosed me accordingly and I cam out with antibiotic tablets for the throat and parrots-eat-em- all.  The throat tablets were homeopathic so I had to take them every ten minutes and let them dissolve on the back of the throat.  I tried the translated leaflet for the antibiotics and nowhere did I see whether that had to be taken before or after food so thought why not, not eaten for a few days so I'll soon find out and I did sooner than I anticipated.  I had that distinct feeling of nausea, stomach cramps and made it to the bathroom in time.  It was a short lived spectacle.  I then sat in the lounge and considered my options.  If I'd got it I knew not from whence it came, there's only one new friend in my circle so I'll watch that space but from afar.  My other option was to take a test with one of the tests that my daughter gave me to bring back on my return to the UK....which I did and low and behold 'Covid'.  I let my nearest a dearest know, I need to tell the travel company that I am unable to travel so Morocco is out of the frame.  Better finding out now that when I'd arrived in Sofia with my suitcase packed and nowhere to go.  My philosophical head kicked into play...maybe I wasn't destined to go so I'll ask the travel company if I can bump the payment on to another holiday in the portfolio.  They can only say no but worth a try of at least give me my money back....I have a valid reason for not being able to travel.  

By now I was fancying food and it's been the first time in a few days so I made marmite toast and it went down well.  Having read the leaflet for how to treat Covid, first was don't take antibiotics so that's the best news all day.  I only took one and it decided that outside was better so shan't be taking any more. I also had my first coffee since Friday but I will be light on the supper....don't want to get off on the wrong foot.  I've lost four kilograms over the last few days and that's got to be right.  I've yet to print out a 'No-Entry' sign for the gate, and fourteen days of isolation....so what's different.  And my signs which I chose to ignore were cold-sores erupting on my lip, a very dry throat, and a general feeling of not being able to keep warm hence the change of quilts on Friday, itchy skin and more of the blotches that I had when taking the blood pressure tablets.  So I stopped off in Djebel as I drove back and bought three loaves of bread. LN..... I'm sure I can feed myself for a week from what's in the fridge, freezer and canned goods..... LN
  

Tuesday 27th September

A good night's sleep, I felt much better this morning, the head was OK and nothing ached.  I settled for poached eggs on toast, the telephone went while I was cooking it so I went to answer it, removed the saucepan with the eggs from the gas ring and when I came back to the cooker the ring was on but no flame......my gas bottle has run out.  I knew it was getting low but fortunately I have electric, wood burners and an air fryer so no panic, it can wait.  The telephone call was from the travel company advising me that there was a fuel tax that had to be paid for the holiday of one hundred and sixty pounds and that put me in a quandary. I mentioned that I had tested positive for Covid and that I might have to cancel and got confirmation that the holiday was covered by insurance but had to pay the fuel tax to finalise the payment.  I don't do internet banking so couldn't pay it myself, couldn't leave the house on principle and spent the next hour trying to work out how to do it.  I worked out that I should go internet banking and spent the next few hours trying to get through to the help desk and sort out sign up issues......what a day...and still not finished.

I started to pack the suitcase just in case I was good to go at the next testing and decided to have a bath and wash my hair to make me feel better.  I had a message from my daughter wanting to check that I was OK since she'd had a funny dream that I had flu and she had to piggy bank me the the house.  I told her about Covid, shows how close we are, so we sent a few clever emoji and she reckons I'm getting better at them.  The holiday company phoned and the bad news was that they've cancelled the holiday offering a different route starting in Lisbon going out on the third instead of the fourth and did I want to join this tour.  Too close for comfort for me so I cancelled, the fuel tax doesn't have to be paid and I let them know details of where the money needs to be paid into tomorrow.  To top it all, my daughter phoned me for a real catch up this afternoon and we had a few giggles as all mothers and daughters should and sorted out the Christmas flight dates.

Just about to do supper....feeling hungry at last.  Just more admin to do tomorrow and I have another holiday to look forward to on the twenty-first so not all bad.  LN.....Must cancel my nail appointment....no one to see them until the next holiday.....LN

Wednesday 28th September

Sleep of the just last night, seven when I woke up and I felt that I was getting back to normal....whatever normal is.  Having said that Covid was horrible and I just hope that I've made enough antibodies to miss the 'opportunity' again.  I did my admin, sent details off the to the travel company confirming that I didn't want the holiday that was suggested as a replacement and that I would be willing to receive the payment back into my account.  That done I then set about organising holiday documents and putting them in a folder and found another folder for my printer guarantee and they're in the filing system where I stand a better chance of finding them.  I made another attempt at logging into my internet banking and still no joy and eventually I gave in and phoned the help desk but one of the operatives must have recognised the frustration in my voice and surprisingly, I got cut off.  So I phoned them back and this time I fell on a very genuine young lady who obviously wanted to sort me out and eventually did.  

So I then worked out that the house was tidy before I started off on this failed adventure so I set about putting it all back together again.  The guest room was easy. washing and ironing put away, ironing board folded away for another year or so and all the clothes removed to my upstairs bedroom cross the landing.  Next job was to empty the suitcase, I wasn't going anywhere in the next week or so and that was moved to the pile in the corner by the wardrobe.  So a new suitcase purchased, filled, emptied and been nowhere.  It now got serious....summer trousers sorted from winter ones, t-shirts folded and stacked in the unit space and then I dived into the chest at the bottom of the bed, out came the winter sweaters and in went summer trousers, t-shirts and the sweaters folded and stacked on the shelves.  Another load of washing went in, it was such a beautiful day that it would be dry in quicksticks.  

Supper went in the oven very early, two Turkish kebabs and a pork steak and two medium sized potatoes.  It was ready by five thirty and everything today has seemed very relaxed and I appear to be in a happy place.  Supper over, I couldn't quite manage the pork steak so Ms Cat will have a treat tomorrow....she enjoyed the turkey dippers from last night.....I certainly didn't, last time I buy those.  LN.....Time to put some lights on, the solar ones have just come on outside......LN

Thursday 29th September

A good night's sleep but I woke up before I should have done.  Didn't manage to get back off to sleep but it wasn't too early that I need to worry about it.  Cloudy start but that red sky in the morning proved a fallacy....we had wall to wall sunshine and at six tonight it was still twenty six degrees in and twenty out.  A stiff breeze did blow up late morning and early afternoon, a couple of the pots went sailing from the terrace onto the law but they were the bigger ones so no problem....nothing got broken.  Their demise was mainly because I hadn't watered them for a couple of days so they were very light.

I didn't do much this morning...I suppose I'm still recovering but feeling better than I did yesterday so on the up.  I managed to find The Last Kingdom on Netflix last night so why suffer the dross of morning television and people complaining that they're not sure how they'll pay bills while shaving the latest phones and internet connections....when we had the crisis in the late seventies and the mortgage rate went up to seventeen percent.....we somehow managed and I suppose we knew how to cook food.  So I finished series 1 and put an end to my viewing for the rest of the day.  I had a phone call from my flower shop friend introducing my new holiday buddy over the telephone who immediately phoned me back so that we could add each other as contacts.  I'd sorted the burning waste out earlier in the day, grabbed the igniter and headed down the garden to have a bonfire.  On the way down I spotted Cracked Shell under the giant pear tree, Rosie was a little further down taking the sun and I also noticed Blue in the bonfire garden.  I get the impression that they go underground at night ready for the 'big sleep' and come out when the weather's fine, I've noticed that the nail varnish on the shell is looking very scratched on all of them.  So with a spring in my step I came back up the garden leaving the bonfire with its lid on, it's still very dry in patches, toyed with curling up the hose pipes for the winter then but it back on the back burner.  After realising how dry the pots were I gave them all a good soaking and took off the dying geraniums neatening up the presentation and maybe it's time to take more cuttings, they do so well here.  The lavender is another job that hasn't been done this year but I don't think I shall bother drying it, I've still got a bucket full of seed that I've done nothing with.  I'll see how I feel when I've chopped it back.

I started supper at five but made a call to the UK to an old friend that I haven't spoken to for a while so I didn't get round to finishing it until eight. I'd taken mince out of the freezer this morning, chopped an onion and made homemade burgers, fried egg and air fried chips.... too much for one sitting so I have a hamburger for breakfast.  Just after nine my time so time to put computers to bed and go for a few more episodes of Last Kingdom.....I've watched all of the series but it only goes up to Bernard Cornwell's eighth book and the last four are coming out in a film next year.  LN..... Better read the books again....LN

Friday 30th September

Seven start, sun was up and it's been wall to wall sunshine all day.  Again the breeze picked up after lunch but I had the terrace door open and most of the downstairs windows by eight and I've only just shut up shop.  I went out with the food for the cat clicking to let her know that I had something for her but no sign of the beauty.  She was out and about again around ten minutes later when I went out on to the terrace to put bread sticks out for the birds and then I heard her plaintive little voice so I went inside to get the bowl, by this time she'd made it on to the terrace, then jumped off when I appeared and impatiently waited while I threw it on to the grass.  She grabbed a chunk of pork and shot away from the terrace so I went back inside and left her to it.  I didn't check but I bet there was nothing left.

The hamburger that I'd left from last night became my breakfast.  It was a quick microwave job and put between two slices of bread, only the washing up from last night to be done and my housework for the day was complete.  I'd fallen asleep last night watching Netflix and goodness knows how man of the series I'd missed so I was determined to get it back to where I was before the curtains came down on my eyelids....and I managed it.  Having got there I carried on watching it, two more sessions down and then I disciplined myself, I'm enjoying it so why shrink the enjoyable timespan.....meter oneself so I did.  I had one brief period of activity, I moved the clothes rail in the downstairs bedroom to the wall between the bedroom and the shower room and put the shelving unit back on the other wall.  It means that clothes are easier to get to, the shelving unit is currently empty so so I now have a new storage area for the winter.  We still appear to be between two seasons, we have summer outside but it's October tomorrow so time to gently slide into winter and time to think about winter schedules.  I've just remembered that it will be soon time for winter tyres, get my Covid test out of the way and then I can move on to the winter preparation list.

More sleep this afternoon, I'd moved on to the sofa in the winter lounge and suddenly one of my neighbours was at the door with a bag of food, somebody had had prayers for the departed said so I had a container of rice and meat, more rice than meat so I picked the meat out and the rest disposed of.  It came with a bottle of yogurt drink which I also disposed of, it's great when it's ice cold but warmed and then re-cooled isn't the same.  The two chocolate cake bars that came with it might be a snack later if the hunger bugs kick in.  Goodbye September, funny old month.....I finally make the plan to go away in October, struggle through the booking process and jump through the hoops and then it's taken away with a stupid virus but at least I didn't lose out financially and know now how to negotiate the system.  A similar holiday is being advertised currently by the same company going on towards the end of the month but once bitten.  LN.....I'll leave it for a while and concentrate on Turkey in three weeks time.......LN