Saturday 1st October

Eight start but I was watching Netflix until one thirty this morning so I could be excused.  Another lovely morning, sun shining, gentle breeze and nothing much to do, well there was lots I could do but it was all about choice and in fact, I chose to do very little.  I got dressed with the intention of going in to Kardjali.  My painter had been round this morning to ask how I was, he hadn't heard that I had had Covid so we kept our distance.  I mentioned that I thought that I had a wasps' nest and that I'd bought spray to see them off, showed him where it was and he said that he would be round in the morning to spray the nest.  Apparently there is an election tomorrow so he'll be coming round early before the wasps warm up and start to get active and off he went.

I now had a problem.  I searched where I thought I would find the spray that I'd bought just after my daughter arrived for the holiday, searched several other places and eventually ended up in the wood store and found the cans partially hidden.  Today has been very good on communication, my grandson dropped me a message asking how I was which was a surprise, so I messaged him back to let him know that I'd read it.  Now that I'd found the spray cans I didn't have to go anywhere but decided to take my Covid test anyway and I'm clear and thank goodness for that.  I thought I'd let my  daughter know so phoned her and no response so I dropped her a message and she phoned me back after around ten minutes.  I mentioned that I'd had trouble finding the spray cans and she said that she had hidden them, frightened that I'd take on the task when they'd just arrived.  

So this afternoon I sorted out the suitcases that had accumulated in the corner of the bedroom and now cases that are not needed are stacked, money is all in one place and I've even sorted out my jewellery.  Netflix this afternoon binge watching Last Kingdom, and so involved in it that I missed the first forty minutes of Strictly......but it's on now.  Supper was spicy pork ribs and chippies, the air fryer is certainly coming into its own and just having received my electricity bill for the period when the family was over, only forty one leva though, so manageable. Let's see what I can drive it down to next period.  LN.......And now back to Strictly....LN

Sunday 2nd October

I didn't have a good night....I was woken up by thunder, lightning and the heaven's opening around three thirty this morning.  I couldn't manage to get back off again, not sure if I'd eaten too much last night but the other thing on my mind was that I was expecting my painter to spray the wasp nest that has been plaguing me for a while.  I filled some of the early hours with sudoku, Facebook , etc. yet still couldn't get off so moved to the lounge and settled down to Netflix.  By seven he hadn't arrived, his theory was that you had to be up and at 'em before the wasps got active but since it was a very damp morning, not much was up and about.  I got washed and dressed and just before eight he turned, I found the spray cans from the little house, I carried his shoes up, he carried the step ladders up my upstairs bedroom and off we went on to the balcony.  

Up the ladder he went, I hung on to his jacket as he hung over the balcony and one who can sprayed into the gap in the under roof.  The tiles have to be investigated, I've had damp coming through and the wood needs replacing, spoken to my usual man but to date he's not returned my call.  Maybe another phone call wouldn't go amiss, the work needs to be done.  I brought the chair in from the roof and left the bench just in case I need a perching spot on a good day, the ladder came back down the stairs and into the porch, off he went down to the election hall in the village suggesting that I went and placed my vote but not really interested.  The plan today was to cut back the lavender but when I came to do it it was still a little damp so I downed tools until it had dried off.  

I took a walk down the garden to see if the tortoise were about and came across Rosie and Green God quite close together and then I realised why.  Green God has still got juices flowing despite the fact that it's October but again, Rosie has no interest whatsoever and Green God really hasn't got a clue how to go about it, squeaks a lot but no real action to the effort.  I came back to the house to get the camera, took the photos and with the sun shining on the screen it was more by luck than judgement.  Back to the gardening, lavender done, jasmine repotted, teak bench cleaned down and teak oil applied and it's now in the little house for the winter.  One load of washing done, dried and put away, supper was tuna mayo with potatoes, beetroot and onion and that was prepared with not a lot of effort and washing up done and everything put away.  Everything locked up for the night, nothing to do tomorrow so might just go in to Kardjali and got the gas bottle filled and take out the petchka pipes and give them a good clean.  LN.....Relax for the evening.......LN

Monday 3rd October

Much better night last night and woke up at just before eight this morning.  It wasn't a bad start to the day, I made coffee and went back to bed and played games for an hour or so.  I had nothing pressing to get my teeth in to, no need to drive into Djebel despite the fact that the bread had started to turn colour so I ditched it and reverted to the loaf in the fridge and that was OK.  Toast for breakfast, I spread cheese triangles on it, the old bread went out for the cat but even she turned her nose up at it and went looking elsewhere.

I eventually thought about expending energy and picked up the rubbish basket in the porch and carried it down to the bonfire.  By now the wind had dropped and so I set fire to the rubbish, put the lid on the basket, it went out so I removed the lid, gave it a poke and set fire to it again and it was soon burning fiercely and I replaced the lid.  While I was down there I decided that the shrub hose was not really necessary any longer so I coiled it up and it's ready for winter storage and that's how my brain is working now.  I went up to the balcony to check on the wasp nest and no sign of anything up there so I opened up the balcony umbrella, gave it a good shake and that's now in the upstairs bedroom and it will join the hose in the little house.  The elastic cord holding the bench to the railings has had better days so I put the elastic one round it until I bring it in for the winter.  

The clouds started gathering around four this afternoon and now it's really clouded over and looks like rain.  It's still warm though, I haven't put down the winter carpets on the tiles, they are just so nice to walk on and very warm from the sun.  Having said that, I would have been going to Morocco tomorrow if the company hadn't cancelled it.  Such a shame and they are still advertising for similar holidays for next week and the week after but how can you trust them.  Yes the money is back in my bank but when I think of all that effort to get the documents translated so that I could understand what I was signing up to, it will be a while before I engage their services again.  

Supper thanks to the air fryer, chicken fillet, with chippies and beans from the microwave and the nice thing is that it all feels healthy and not greasy at all.  I did spoil it with a lump of mayo but it just had to be done.  Kardjali tomorrow to get my gas bottle filled and buy some new bulbs for the two new lamps that I bought for the guest room.  I'm very tempted with bronze glass hanging lamps and they're going in the lounge for the winter.  I also need to pay a trip to the chemist for some more of the throat tablets from the prescription, they're homeopathic and very effective.  LN.....Not much else to do in Kardjali but a walk will do me good.....LN

Tuesday 4th October

Six thirty start this morning and there seems very little routine in my wake-up times.  Maybe when I've got this virus out of my system completely I might feel better.  Everything I'd planned for today went out of the window, I didn't go to Kardjali, I didn't fill my gas bottle and it's still sitting in the porch but I did manage to make my plans, book my flights and contact most of the people that are going to make it happen.  Normally I fly into Gatwick and centre my Christmas round there but I've decided that I'm going to fly into Manchester, catch up with my sister's children along the way and with my very good friend that I used to work with when I was sixteen.  Friendships need cherishing.  

On my route down I have this great urge to visit my parents' grave in my home town so I contacted the local council.  I worked my way through the options on the automated system and anticipated failure along the way but eventually a lady answered, she transferred me to Sarah a very helpful lady who listened to my request and within thirty seconds she gave me the information that I required.  I explained that I was travelling from Bulgaria and asked if there was anyone who could direct me to the exact location and she said that if I phone her nearer the time, she will make sure that there is someone available to take me to the grave.  I'm not that sentimental about death, I know that only the bones remain and who's going to hang around a grave in winter and if anything, both of them are more likely to be here in the sun with me but I just want to put some flowers on the grave and maybe tidy it and make arrangement for it to be looked after and if that costs, so be it.  Finally I will make a visit to my sister and brother-in-law's grave and my aunt and uncle, my mother's brother is also buried there.  A few more flowers will be left, it's been a long time since I did 'family' things.  It also occurred to me that I'm the only one remaining of my father's line except for children and off-springs.  The only fly in the ointment is that when I get to visit my old friend, she goes to a jazz club on a Sunday lunchtime and I picked the Sunday that the venue to handed over to a darts tournament...we'll have to find something else to do or find another one.

As for the rest of the day, I've managed to chop two large containers of starter wood and one is in the porch already.  I've also managed to get the chop saw working so the next few should be easier to achieve...chop the wood into the correct lengths and use the chopper to split them but I'd done enough for today.  Tools away, woodstore cleared and ready for operational requirements and all locked up and secured.  I went back into the house and found the toast that I'd put in the toaster this morning and never got round to eating so back in the toaster it went and that became an afternoon snack.  I settled on the sofa and that was me done and dusted for an hour or so, eyelids southwards and I felt much better for it.  My energy levels are OK but chopping wood took it out of me.  LN.....Let's see if I can knock anything off the list tomorrow....LN

Wednesday 5th October

Another early start, not a bad morning, not a slice of bread in the place and didn't managed to her the bread van so I had to go out today.  I telephoned my doughtier this morning to share my Christmas plans with her and managed to wake her up from her slumbers so I asked her to regard it as an alarm call.  I'm still not sure that she did but after the call I got a message from her telling me that I'm on her calendar so she couldn't have been that upset.

I had a shower and washed my hair so it looked like I was going out today but that doesn't mean a thing...sometimes the intention is good but the follow through doesn't always happen.  I dried my hair, sat on the rocking chair in the bedroom enjoying the sun and eventually got out into a pair of jeans and a roll neck so things were looking positive.  Downstairs and found some muesli that I'd bought for the children for holiday and they remained intact until this morning and I had fruit muesli followed by chocolate and hazelnut variety with fresh milk and that kept me going until this afternoon.  I collected my gear together, on with a jacket even though by now the sun had peaked and I was feeling overdressed, remembered to load the gas bottle into the Nipper and headed into Momchilgrad to the garage.  It was either that or Kardjali since the local garage is no longer operational for gas and when I pulled in the garage owner looked at me strangely, I parked up and asked him if he had gas for bottles and he pointed to the gas pump and came over when he'd finished with the car he was filling up.  I put the bottle by the pump, he fetched the adapter and put thirty levs worth in the bottle which he said was 'normal', I paid the man and we both carried it to the Nipper and lifted it into the boot space.

I drove back to Djebel and parked up in the main car park, went to see my flower lady but instead there was her husband scratching his head and trying to undo the lock...there obviously was a problem so I carried on to the car shop and had a catch-up and did we cover lots  of topics.  My student really wanted a tread-mill and now has one, parents have coughed up half of it and he's funding the rest from a forthcoming birthday.  She did point me in the direction of the website that they bought it from, I want a rowing machine and that appears to be the place to get one from and I've been told to look out for bargains. Apparently they have super offers occasionally.  I went to the chemist and bought more of the homeopathic tablets prescribed by the doctor, went down to the hairdressers and bought the super spray in hair conditioner and then made my way to the flower shop and by now the lady was inside and the door lock completely removed awaiting a new one to be fitted.  Her husband was on the case!!

I stopped off at the supermarket and bought bread for tomorrow, the novelty of muesli is already wearing off.  I settled for crisp sandwiches for supper and coca cola, lay on the sofa watching Tipping Point and went to the land of nod so I'll never know if the jackpot was won or not.  LN.....Need a man to fit the gas bottle, my hands just aren't strong enough and it's important that it's done properly.....LN

Thursday 6th October

So I went to bed at one and just couldn't get off to sleep.  It was lights out, I lay there for a while and thought what a waste of time that was so light on again and played sudoku until it was time to beckon the sleep god again.....and this time it worked until seven this morning.  I washed and dressed quickly, had nowhere to go and nothing pressing to do so walked the garden and there was nothing much happening down there.  No tortoise about and even my pesky cat that demands food with an annoying meow was nowhere to be heard or seen so I walked back to the house.

I now had bread so could make breakfast and found a half tin of baked beans in the fridge so the beans went in the microwave and I was sitting down and enjoying breakfast within quicksticks.  The gas bottle is still sitting in the kitchen, I need to find someone to fix it for me but the village seems pretty empty of men at the moment.  I'll have to give my painter a ring.  I went out again after breakfast and took off the flowers that had finished from the sun daisies and geraniums, watered some of the pots that were looking battered, it's still very dry with drying winds.  The grass is looking particularly shabby and let's hope it recovers over the winter.  I meant to get out the rake and collect up the walnuts that have dropped but forgot all about them until tonight, I mentioned that I had some and intend collecting them and giving them to my student's mum.  I also mentioned to her that I have medlar fruit that she is welcome to, asked her the best time to collect them since they're still quite hard but apparently you can pick them early and put them in a warm place to ripen.  The fruit is supposed to taste like apple butter, with hints of cinnamon, and vanilla.....she's welcome to them.  I tried one but I don't really like the texture.

The Last Kingdom is no more.  The series only covers to book eight so I've decided to take to the written word for the remaining books in the series.  They are supposed to be coming out with a film to cover the last three books but not sure when.  Apparently the filming is finished and will be released next year.....but since they've gone away from the books in series five, I shall just have to wait and see.  I did manage to devour some very good tuna mayo sandwiches while I was watching the series and there'll be no supper required tonight otherwise I'll have another sleepless night.  LN....Really bad step-count to day...must do better tomorrow....LN

Friday 7th October

Lovely sunny start to the day, but everything ought to have been secured down.  Leaves were blowing everywhere and ending up in the yard, on the terraces yet surprisingly we still have lots to come down.  The one big one in the yard that delivers the linden tea holds on to its leaves heroically until the first frost and then they all drop at once which is a real hazard in the yard...so far, no frosts.  

I had a cooking morning, I'd fetched mince out of the freezer last night and thawed it out so this morning I made a shepherd's pie for tonight and that's in the oven now and a pot of bolognaise sauce which will be for tomorrow.  Some baked beans that were hiding in the fridge went out for the cat but that only prompted more meows at the porch fly-screen so the rest of the bread went out for her, she nibbled it but obviously wanted more and that still sits on the garden under wild plum tree.  She can't have been that hungry.  I cleared the kitchen and generally messed around and at twelve realised that I'd had nothing to eat so finished off the tuna mayo with buttered toast and that's seen me through until now, it's six my time.  

I had a very pleasant surprise this morning, I received bank notification of my spending and interest paid to me and noticed a charge that I didn't recognise.  The only other thing that I'd spent was on my air fare to the UK and I'd obviously not noticed that the charge at the time was in euro and the charge to my account was in pounds.  It cost less than I thought...result.  I've just checked on supper, the shepherds has a mince meat and baked beans base covered with creamy mashed potatoes and they're just colouring and crisping up nicely.  The woodburner pipes still remain in place, despite the good weather I wasn't keen to be out in the wind today and tomorrow is another day.  LN.....My supper is ready and deserving of attention.....LN

Saturday 8th October

So last night's supper was much too big for me and at four this morning it was sitting very heavy on my upper carcass.  I only had one potato on top of the mince and beans but obviously it was too big and I did end up virtually pushing it down when I should have pushed it away.  I ended up playing game for a while and burping to relieve the agony so tonight I'm going to make sure that the cannelloni that I made for two nights is definitely going to be for two nights.

Lovely morning again, I sat out in the sun, Ms cat was plaintively serenading me until she thought I'd gone in and reckoned she would have better picking elsewhere.  I walked the garden and checked out the perimeter, the walnuts are still waiting to be picked up and the medlars waiting to be picked.  They were looking a little brown on the ends so maybe I've missed the peak...so I'll have another look tomorrow.  I didn't bother with breakfast and set about cleaning the woodburner ready for the winter.  I took the lounge pipes down and left the toilet ones in place until I'd cleaned the pipes and the woodburner.  I really gave it a good going over and had just removed the rest of the pipes when I had visitors.  My friends from the one of the local villages had arrived and he brought gifts with him, an attachment for a drill that cleans the chimney but unfortunately he hadn't the time to do it but explained thoroughly how it worked and I have a man locally who will be able to assist.  He did mention one but my comment was that I couldn't trust him with a knife and fork so no way was he going to get his hands on this.  Instead I phoned my student's mum, I had full permission to let them use it on their chimney and it's in their diary.  We sat in the sun for a while with coffee and off they went with other fish to fry so I reassembled the woodburner putting everything back in place.  One job he did have time for was to connect my gas bottle to the cooker so now I'm as you might say...cooking on gas!!

I've just made supper....it was going to be cannelloni but unfortunately the pasta tubes split when I boiled them up so now it's going to be a lasagna.  I made the white sauce from scratch., layered up the supper in a fairly big dish and it's finishing off in the oven.  Phone calls in the morning to see if I can find a man so that the chimney can get done, nothing else on the agenda so it might be a day pottering in the garden.  LN.....Strictly and The Voice tonight...that's if I don't fall asleep.......LN

Sunday 9th October

I was awake before the sun this morning and ready with my camera when I saw the dawn breaking.  There wasn't much wind at ground level but it seemed very breezy up there, the light clouds were being blown everywhere and changing very quickly.  Eventually the sun broke through and climbed and as it did the mist started up in the valley especially the river area but there appeared to be a very large bonfire adding to the mix.  I made poached eggs on toast for breakfast but got the timing hopelessly wrong and ended up with hard yolks that there was no chance of it falling on the plate and me being chased by pirates.  Just a little in-joke that I used to have with my children, if you got yolk on the plate the pirates would get you and this was brought to light by my son when the children were over this year.  They just didn't get it but it was probably better forty five years ago when my children were small.

I sat out for a while after clearing the kitchen, that sun was hot but thought it best that I got washed and dressed, after all it was ten thirty.  I'd noticed that there were a few cobwebs on the outside of the windows so I found the really long extending brush from the little house and brushed them all away.  We must have had some very sticky rain at some point, I should really have cleaned the windows but with winter on its way...they will do until next spring.  Next on the list was to collect up the fallen walnuts from the bottom of the garden.  They've obviously been attacked by squirrels or the likes, there were lots of cracked shells and the ones that I've collected need cleaning up but for now they're in the porch.  The last time that I put any in the little house, I ended up with only shells so I was wary and these aren't for me but for my student's mum.  I ended up somehow on the computer and checking a few more dates and people on my family history program.  I'd still curious to find my relatives in Canada and remembered that my mother had a dish that came from there with the maple leaf on it.  I'm not sure where it ended up, my sister cleared my parent's house after my father died so it could have gone anywhere.  I must ask my nieces.

I spent the rest of the afternoon watching a film on Netflix, not sure I enjoyed it, it was an adaptation of a Steven King book and wondered why I'd watched it when I got to the end.  I was warming up the rest of the lasagna during David Attenborough so didn't really watch that either.  I don't feel too settled at the moment....I seem to have been left with a funny sort of cough that I can't shake off after Covid and my energy levels have been down too.  It's taken longer to get over it than I thought it would....time to find out about the next booster.  Ms Cat has got lasagna for breakfast or rather double-folded over cannelloni pretending to be sheets of lasagna and I didn't leave much of the meat for her.

Full moon up tonight.  I tried to take early photos but they didn't turn out well.  I was that funny time of night when it's just shady blue and nothing focused so I had to settle for the one on its own.  Market day tomorrow in Djebel so I might just make it and see if there is anything new on offer.  Alternatively I might make it into Kardjali, it's in the lap of the gods as to how I feel when I wake up.  LN....Strictly results....I can think of two that need ousting... but with no consistency between the judges, who knows....LN

Monday 10th October

So early to bed last night and slept straight through until seven this morning but it didn't stop me having an afternoon nap.  I settled for toast and Marmite this morning, the remains of a can of beans went out for the cat but haven't seen hide nor hair of it today and not even a plaintive meow.  They're still sitting under the tree, I hope nothing untoward has occurred, maybe it's found someone with better 'parenting' habits elsewhere.

Washing done and pegged out by ten, kitchen tidied so I sat out in the sun on the bench and sent out a few healing thought to someone who needs them right now.  The woodpecker arrived at the lonesome pine and soon departed heading for the walnut at the bottom of the garden.  I found the sweeping brush and the shovel and started to collect the leaves from the terrace, the wind had swirled them in clumps and had jammed them under benches and shelving so it turned out to be more intricate than I thought it would be.  I managed to collect quite a few and put them in the composter bin in the yard, that's really quite empty now so should collect more leaves up and fill it to the brim.  I moved to the workshop terrace and tidied up the area removing a concrete pipe that's lain there for a few years and moving another one nearer the bench, I'll use it to store tools when not in use but needed quickly.  I dug around in the tyres and came across a sleeping, or at least pretending to sleep, frog, was going to move it and put it over the wall but decided to leave it where it was for the time being.  I moved to the bottom of the garden and had a bonfire to get rid of household rubbish and next job is to dig out the tins from the cinders and get them into the container at the bottom of the village.  I pay for it so should get some use out of it.

I didn't manage to get anywhere today.  I reckoned Djebel would be full and it would be difficult to park and I really couldn't warrant the journey to Kardjali.  I would only have headed for the cheapy shops and quite frankly, I could do with selling some not buying more.  I'm still waiting for an address in Momchilgrad to take second hand clothing for distribution, I know it's supposed to be at one of the schools but not sure which one.  Tomorrow I have my student, if he wants a lesson, and will fill up my goody box which is currently showing empty.  I have no crisps or biscuits, not a bad thing, I could do with losing weight but there's not a lot of enthusiasm to stay disciplined at the moment...I'm still in recovery.  

Not sure what I'm gong to do with the chicken breast that I pulled out of the freezer last night so now I'm about to get creative in the kitchen.  I've just looked up and noticed cat emptying its bowels under the walnut, covering it up and wending her way up the garden and is currently devouring the food that I put out this morning....cheese and baked beans.  Waiting for the moon tonight, it's supposed to be a blood moon but there wasn't much 'blood' in it last night...let's see what tonight has to offer.  LN.....Kitchen duties call......LN