Sunday 1st January

So another night of sending and receiving New Year messages until around two this morning and I was awake around five and waiting for getting up time.  As the morning broke, I noticed that this was the first morning without rain and fingers crossed that it would stay that way.  I had some lovely pictures sent  last night of the party held in the square in Djebel, it looked a cold starry night, I got homesick and reckon that I shall be, God willing, spending next year's eve there.  At six I was out of bed and adding a few more people to the ancestry chart that I'm drawing up for a friend, it's getting quite big now over one hundred people but the company that I use appear to have changed the view of the chart.  At one time you could see all of the family members on one screen but now the different branches appear when you click on a family icon but the others disappear.  It means that the view is larger but difficult to see the relationships.  I went downstairs for coffee and toast for breakfast, brought it back upstairs and carried on with the chart and at ten went into the bath to freshen up for the day and to wash my hair, I was out for lunch today with my grandson.

Hair dried and more or less dressed, I suddenly had a problem, I couldn't find my belt for my trousers anywhere.  I searched the bedroom, bathroom, took the place apart and not a glimmer until I remembered that I hadn't searched the downstairs cloakroom and must have taken the belt off when I was heading for the washing machine leaving it on the chest near the toilet.  At around eleven I suddenly had a thought.  My grandson might have been partying until the early hours and might not be in a fit state to drive anywhere today so I messaged him to ask if he was OK to drive and was still up for lunch offering him the let out clause if he wanted it.  He responded quickly that he'd only sipped the dreaded stuff last night and was fine and looking forward to lunch and arrived early, came in for a short while and then off we went.  He'd booked a table at the Pizza Express in Brighton Marina, the car park was jammed full and we eventually found a space, walked up two flights of stairs and crossed the bridge to the marina village and the restaurant.  It was so busy, we were directed to a table near to the window overlooking the marina, ordered our starters and mains and had impeccable yet friendly service.  We shared a platter of dipping dough balls which I'd not had before, individual pizzas and settled for coffee and no puddings and left the restaurant around three in a leisurely fashion.  Unfortunately, by now the weather had changed it was throwing it down with rain so it was a run back to the car park with people scurrying everywhere to get into the dry.

We carried on back to my daughter's house, I'd put the copper bucket into the car before we left home with a few books from the book shelf and I wanted to see how she was.  Her cold had really got the better of her but I found her on the sofa, watching television and eventually we noticed that ET was on so settled down and watched the end.  I was amazed that the film is forty years old yet doesn't seem that dated, I'd taken the children to see it when they were little and now both are heading for major birthdays...what a wakeup call for me....where does time go.  I suppose that forced me to look at how I'd filled the years since then reminiscing on how my road had twisted and turned.  My grandson drove me home, it appears that after our conversations in the restaurant I might have summer visitors to BG and this weekend he's driving up to Scotland, weather permitting to try to see the Northern lights with a couple of mates.  They're going to take camping gear with them which I don't think is a good idea but the things you do when you're young egh.

Off he went, I settled on the sofa and promptly got my head down until around nine tonight, update time and then hopefully a better nights sleep.  LN...A final Happy New Year...and onwards to the next......LN

Monday 2nd January

So I noticed my first mistake of the year by labelling yesterday Monday instead of Sunday and I've corrected it.  Ever since I've been back I've lost track of the days, it's just seemed like a big long holiday and now perhaps I'll get it right.  I woke up at seven, the sun was shining and I kept my promise to walk over the Downs which I did but firstly I started the morning off with a bacon sandwich.  I dressed for the occasion, a thick chunky sweater, tights under the trousers, hat, scarf, gloves and to top it all my thick body warmer and boots.  I set off about twelve and headed for the long hard climb that takes me to the top of the Downs and from there it's a gentle descent towards the sea.  There were lots of people about and it amazed me how many dogs were being exercised and most of them in little coats...so many more people seem to have them as pets where in Bulgaria most of them are working dogs.

I took the camera with me, it's all very familiar but I love the walk.  There was a fresh wind blowing, a helicopter circling and small planes obviously taking off from Shoreham airport, people that said hello and others that were obviously on a fit mission training for some event or other.  There were lots of clouds inland and several dotted over the sea, I carried on down to the windmill, our famous landmark and then over the crossing towards the undercliff walk.  Again this area was very crowded with very long queues outside the coffee places and I'm guessing several had come down without breakfast to beat the traffic thinking they'd get something when they arrived.  The undercliff was also crowded, children with Christmas present bikes, scooters and electric cars, some people were on the pebbly beach, dogs on and off leads and as for the coffee bar on the beach, jammed.  It used to be a very quiet place to have a snack as Mikey B, a good friend will vouch for when we met each other down there several years ago.  I walked towards the next place on the undercliff, realised I'd had enough so started to walk back towards the village centre.  The queue had decreased by the first coffee bar but the village pavements were crowded as I made my way along the High Street, it thinned out as I hit the main road and I made it home by three thirty.  I'd been out a long time, completed around eight thousand steps and felt much better for it....I'll give you an update on the knees tomorrow.  

I got my head down this afternoon for an hour or so, we were heading up to the chippie in the next village but unfortunately it was closed so down to the village and the local hotel and we had fish and chips there and all finished by eight more or less and drove home.  My Fitbit is showing ten thousand and two hundred so not a bad achievement for a first time of real activity due to the weather.  I'll be doing the same tomorrow it that ball in the sky is out again.  LN....I should sleep well tonight....LN  

Tuesday 3rd January

A reasonable night's sleep and awake at six.  I didn't want to disturb the household, so no making coffee until I heard movement and passed the time on ancestry searches.  Eventually I was able to make my morning brew, had toast and marmalade for breakfast, watched a little morning tv, got back to shouting at the news and the news deliverer's opinions and then turning it off and settling down and sorting a few things out.  I've partly packed the large bag that I'm taking home with me and that prompted me to log on to EasyJet on and book a hold bag to take the dressing coverall that Princess picked out for me. It's dark grey with a hood and will be perfect for sleeping in.  I checked the weather forecast and it's supposed to drop to minus ten on my first night home, the coldest it's been so far this year with day temperatures of up to twelve degrees so that house shouldn't be that cold to get back to.  Normally with the big windows and the sun, you can add another five degrees to my inside temperature.  Fingers crossed...but I already have the solution....big grey hoodie.

So the bag is booked, I went to print my boarding car and realised that the computer in my bedroom isn't connected to a printer so I had to moved to the other computer in my old office and logon to that one.  Eventually, a boarding pass was printed showing the hold bag I've paid extra for and now I hopefully will be travelling lighter when getting on and off the plane.  I really struggled this year and have decided that I will pay for the extras, some of the Dunkirk spirit has deserted me and at my age, I don't need the stress of lumping suitcases around.  I also phoned the taxi company that I use, I came up on their system and we booked one for three in the morning, earlier than I normally go but with the potential go-slow at Gatwick, I don't want any hassles.  I was amazed how much it's risen in price but that's the way of the world at the moment.  One bit of good news, I was expecting a thumping large bill after using my BG mobile in the UK and was surprised that the new bill for this period is only eighteen Bulgarian lev which translates roughly as just under nine pounds, cheap at half the price.

The grand plans of going for a walk were shattered when the rain started, the wind got up to gale force so I settled on the sofa and promptly got my head down and I've only managed just under three thousand steps today.  Supper of steak mince and onions with broad beans and sweetcorn was prepared by 'mine host' and it went down well.  I did refuse the choc ice to follow, I've got a figure to look out for.  So now I have everything in place for going home next week I feel much happier, it's seemed much longer this time, I'm normally heading home around the fifth.  So all I have to do is fill every last space in the suitcase, I think my ladies might be having Cadbury's chocolate, I didn't give them their presents before I left this year so have some rapid actions to take to catch up with myself.  New little lap-top arrives tomorrow all being well.  It's a Windows eleven machine so that's something new I'll have to get used to but at least it's a machine for taking away with me with a decent keyboard attached and USB ports unlike the one that I use now for travelling.  Apparently the battery life is good on it too...winner, winner.  LN....TV and bedtime and hopefully for a better night.....LN

Wednesday 4th January

So I slept through until seven thirty this morning and knocked up at brilliant sleep score on my Fitbit.  I went to bed earlier than normal which was a start, but no starting and stopping in the night.  I was up before mine host, went down and made coffee, toast with marmalade and carried it upstairs to check a few emails etc and on was from the company that I'd ordered my new computer from and the delivery was scheduled between ten to eleven and twelve ten.  The knocker went at eleven fifty and here it was...a new toy to play with.   I opened it up, fired it up, checked some of the information as to what to do before you fire it up and obviously didn't read the literature thoroughly.  I was getting myself set up with FB, Hotmail etc., working my way through it when suddenly I checked on something and it showed that it was for a Windows 10.  Now I knew that I'd ordered the Windows 11 version and now alarm bells were ringing.  I checked on the machine build and sure enough, it was a Windows 10 so I gave the company a call.  Sure enough she confirmed that I'd been sent the wrong one so a new one is on its way tomorrow by courier, this one is now boxed up and will be returned to the company, so get one - send one...and what a waste of time that was.  They were very apologetic but that's not the point and such a waste of money for courier services.

By now it was getting on for three o'clock and it's been another of those days where you feel that you achieve nothing.  I did find myself delving into my bookcase and looking at the beautiful books I've collected on Ancient Greece, the Mayans and ancient Egypt and have put one book to one side that if I can manage to fit it in the bag. I shall take back with me, it's 'The Times book of Ancient Civilizations and I've just been down the school day route of learning about Mesopotamia, the land between the two rivers and my teacher Miss Knight.  And I've just reckoned it up, that was about sixty five years ago.  

Not sure what's on offer for supper.  It's time I went down to the freezer to see what I can find and then aske the 'chef' to prepare it for me.  I didn't give you a weather report earlier but you are getting it now....rain, rain and more rain forecast....thank goodness I managed to get out for my walk when I did.  So now I'm waiting in again for a parcel, I've got another friend coming round tomorrow who I've just found out has self-published books on Ancient Egypt and so I shall be picking her brain about the process.  I used to write poetry and reading them through again, some were good and I might be tempted to put a few together and have a go.  LN.....The kitchen calls.....I'm hungry....LN

Thursday 5th January

Seven thirty when I woke this morning, wend down and made a coffee and came back upstairs to play Sudoku for a while.  At eight thirty, I got dressed and went downstairs and decided to walk down the village to get some more money from the post office so that I had cash for the taxi on Tuesday morning and to get some packing tape so send back the computer.  I set off eventually around nine thirty, it was a damp foggy morning but at least it wasn't raining and I went via the main road not the Downs route.  I made good progress and was amazed at the number of cars heading down to the village and the main Brighton to Eastbourne road and again I noticed how many people were out walking dogs.  I did notice a man using an industrial window cleaning on the shop windows on the Hight Street and remarked that it was just the machine that I could do with at home.  He was running the machine from his car and apparently used used only clear water and no detergent at all and I joked that if he were ever in Bulgaria, I could find him work.  

I carried on to the post office, it was open and no queue when I got there, the lady behind the counter never appears very happy but I made my transaction and went into the hardware shop next door to buy the packing tape.  The lady looking after the shop didn't know where it was so we searched together and couldn't find it and she suggested that I try the post office so I went back and found a reel of the tape.  By this time there was a queue so I waited my turn and paid for the item, carried on to the small Tesco store and bought a few items, started walking back home and by this time the window cleaner had moved along the High Street so I asked him if he remembered a shop run by a Turkish lady and if he knew when it had closed.  He replied that the shop had closed down but that she was online and he gave me her second name.  I left and went into the charity shop and mooched around for a while finding a handbag that was the same colour as my boots so bought it, and by now my window cleaner had moved further along the High Street fulfilling another contract and we had a few more words.  We laughed and I explained where I was when he overtook me, we introduced ourselves to each other, discussed Britain versus Bulgaria, how easy it was to get to Turkey and Greece from where I lived and this time I set off for home without any danger of bumping in to him again.  

Back home I put a couple of crumpets in the toaster for breakfast, took out the Daily Mail that I'd bought in Tesco and sat down to a leisurely breakfast.  I finished parcelling up the laptop and went up stairs and have more or less finished packing up the bag that I'm taking home.  This afternoon a lady that lives in the cottages at the top of the street came round to pick up a table that my host had mended for her and she stayed for quite a while, has self published books on Egypt which I found very interesting.  Eventually she left around five thirty, we made supper of steak and Stilton pies and chips but neither of us identified any Stilton in the filling.  Tomorrow I'm going to have a go at trying to set up the new computer, I'm finding the set up quite confusing and need to get it right.  I've just been told that there is a program on the television about Gibraltar so I'm off downstairs to catch the end of it.  LN.....Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow so far...just the way that I like it....LN  

Friday 6th January

It had the promise of a good day, we had a blue sky etched with pink and white but unfortunately it didn't last.  We ended up with grey murky skies and fog which eventually turned to rain.  I'm sure that trench foot is about to take hold.  I got dressed pretty quickly for no particular reason, made toasted crumpets for breakfast and sat doing a crossword at the dining room table unfurling my morning.  Eventually I made it back up stairs, collected a load of washing that I wanted to do before I leave especially a couple of sweaters staying here, got them going and returned upstairs and started going through one of the cupboards in my wardrobe that somehow I'd missed.  This cupboard was a treasure trove of all my school reports, references from the police force when I left Gibraltar, my first book prize hand stitched by my mother to preserve it and received from Sunday School at chapel, my first driving licence, birth certificate and other memories.  Having gone down nostalgia lane, it all went back in the cupboard and at some stage it has to be sorted and passed on to my daughter before the event.  

And now to more pressing things.  The new computer that arrived has to have a few things sorted before I can get going on it.  I needed a new USB memory stick that needs to be loaded so that it can be used as a boot if at any stage it develops and issue and the external drive is to made a copy of the original disc so that it can be reloaded as a virgin copy.  I know it's belt and bracers stuff but apparently with the latest version of Windows it's quite usual.  Unfortunately my expert and guru is no longer in BG so I want to get this done before I go home.  This afternoon's journey to Argos was a success, an eventual success, the computer ordering system they have installed phased me completely and I had to ask one of the assistants for some help.  Eventually I read the screen properly, managed to order and pay for my three items, the third being a new computer sleeve so that it didn't get bashed in transit.  We came back over the Downs and at four this afternoon it was still raining and foggy, not nice at all but thinking back, I can count the number of good days that we've had since I've been here on one hand.  The laptop back-up will be done tomorrow while I'm not around.  There is a medium at the church that I usually go to giving twenty minutes readings so tomorrow I'm heading out at nine in the morning on the bus into Brighton.  You can't make an appointment so I shall wait my turn, depending on how many people turn up and when it's over I'm to phone home and get picked up in time for a Lidl shop and afternoon tea with my good friend Angela.  We were going to do a fish and chippie lunch but apparently her system isn't coping too well with fatty things at the moment.  I wish I could say the same thing....supper tonight was beef, roasted potatoes and sweet corn followed with a almond ice-cream which should add a few more pounds to those already collected.  LN...Time to diet when I get home and back to normal....LN  

Saturday 7th January

So this morning I was on a mission.  I was out of bed at six thirty, into the bath and a hair wash, dressed to seven thirty...I was catching the bus to go to my church in Brighton.  I wasn't sure what time it stopped at the bottom of the road with it being a Saturday, so I watched from my bedroom window thinking that if I spotted it going down the road, it would go into the village and then make it's way back the same way.  Now after a while I got bored with this, nothing went down to the village so at five minutes to nine I thought I'd risk it and check the timetable in the bus stop.  It was blowing a gale out there with rain lashing so on when the hat, the duffle coat and with hood up I walked to the bus stop, only a matter of about one hundred and fifty yards, checked the schedule and it was due at ten minutes past nine so not long to wait and it was on time.  I normally get a day rover ticket but instead only wanted one way, my host had agreed to pick me up afterwards if I phoned him and I was amazed when it only cost two pounds to go into town.  The rover ticket is five fifty and thereby a saving.

I got off the bus and the door to the church was open.  This morning they had several mediums sitting in the church in the four corners so the meetings were private.  I paid my ten pound for a twenty minute session and joined the rest of the people waiting in the little church that is used when not many people turn up for services.  There must have been around ten people waiting, I thought I was early but obviously not.  The first four were called through and I was more or less in the next batch and I was shown to Carol's table and we sort of looked at each other.  She gave me some good information and it was relevant, I thought that in a different setting we could be friends and asked her if she did private longer readings and she did.  Unfortunately there was no chance of extending today's session, she had something arranged for the afternoon and lived in Eastbourne so a bit of a journey for me...so it's either a Zoom meet up but I'll save it for the next time.  My time was up, I phoned my host and he said fifteen minutes and I sat near the kitchen in the church and was quietly asked if I'd like tea or coffee.  The lady said that she's said it quietly so that the people waiting wouldn't take her up on the offer.

My host arrived and we did a Lidl shop, stopped for a car fill up and drove home, unpacked the shopping and had lunch or brunch since I hadn't managed breakfast.  Over to visit Angela my friend to say a final farewell, back home for five and I've just prepared roasted veg and chicken wings and they're in the oven.....a little taste of home.  Just checked it and turned the wings over, another twenty minutes and we shall be sitting down to eat.  Off to the lounge, a little TV, a good day and the thing about church is that it grounds me again.  LN.....Lunch with Princess and co. tomorrow....again another farewell that I'm not looking forward to.....LN

Sunday 8th January

A bit of a sleepless night, I woke up at five and had trouble going off again and eventually got out of bed at eight and wandered down stairs to make coffee.  I brought it back upstairs, it wasn't a bad morning but the wind was blowing unrelentingly and it didn't take long before the clouds came over again and the rain came down.  I played games for a while, sorted more of my packing out, found a Barbour Stocksman coat out from one of the drawers in my bedroom and put it ready to take to my daughter's house when we went for lunch.  It was her present to me around twelve years ago, I'd worn it once and intended to take it out to Bulgaria with me but it never happened.  I'd mentioned to her that she could try to sell it on the internet and also thought that when it was really throwing it down as she walked to school, it might be useful for standing at the school gate and welcoming in the parents and students and she thought it was a good idea too.  The rest of my morning was taken up by collecting up the rest of my packing and getting it ready to go in the bag tomorrow.  I'm normally very good at keeping everything contained and in my bedroom and for most things it seems to have worked.  I just have to remember the chargers, especially for new things like my Fitbit 5 when the charger is unique.  

Washed and dressed we were ready to leave around twelve thirty.  It's not a long journey to the house and we managed to park up over the road and by now the wind was blowing a gale.  Lunch was more or less ready, she'd put a casserole in the slow cooker, her husband had made fantastic mashed potatoes and lots of it and we were soon sitting down to a feast.  This was topped off with apricot crumble and cream and we soon settled down for the afternoon after everything was cleared away.  I helped tidy the kitchen and came back to my daughter cleaning an old brass miner's lamp and turning it from a very black object into a fine shiny specimen.  I think the fact that she's very proud of my old copper container that now takes pride of place in the lounge with a peace lily in it has spurred her on.  I must check the loft before I leave, I know that I've got a small brass container made out of  shell case that I bought when she was a child....she seems to be cherishing the old and putting it along side the new as I'm getting older.  Around four this afternoon the heaven's opened and we were almost getting the plans out for an ark.  It was still at it when we were getting out things together to leave, there were hugs all round, I'm on finals for departure on Tuesday morning at three a.m when the taxi comes to take me to the airport.  It's sad leaving, I miss them both but at least they have tickets booked for April and an early Easter.  

Home for six and I watched the program Pottery Showdown on Channel 4, Antiques Roadshow but unfortunately Mary Queen of Scots was too much for my constitution and then I suddenly remembered that I hadn't done an update and apologies are in order, I didn't realise what time it was.  Tempus fugit's when your watching 'stuff' on the television.  LN.....Bag gets finished tomorrow and then early night for the off.....LN  

Monday 9th January

So today has been a day of packing and unpacking, scouring the house for things that have gotten hidden or in the wrong place and deciding which clothes are going or staying.  I eventually finished at five thirty, the large bag is now downstairs in the hall waiting for a taxi, the others will follow it shortly.  I haven't done much else today, I toyed with the idea of paying my final visit to church for an afternoon session of clairvoyance but I just couldn't make the effort.  It will have to wait for next visit.  

The taxi is booked for three this morning and I'm now considering how to pass the time until 2a.m.  I've got to set the phone alarms, last year I slept on the sofa, ready dressed for departure and I might just settle for the same option but have a bath first.  It's a first time I've travelled with a large bag to go in the hold so I'm going to have to find someone to help me with bag drop....I've only done it once before and the case got stuck and we had to call someone to help us out so I'll go for the personal touch immediately and not wait until later.  It's all changed since my first sorties into the greater world.

So now bath time, the rest of the luggage is going downstairs now, into travel clothes and then down to the sofa.  If I go to bed I'm not sure I'll hear the alarm or the taxi when he's banging on the door.  LN.....Catch up with you in BG....LN

Tuesday and Wednesday, 11th January

Yesterday was long and arduous.  The taxi came at three in the morning, I hadn't gone to bed, I find that more difficult than sleeping on the sofa ready dressed for the off.  I walked out to meet the taxi, saw one pull away so struggling with the luggage and holding my hat I staggered out to the road and he'd parked about three door away.  We loaded the luggage in the boot, I settled in the car and halfway to Gatwick I remembered my hat, searched the front of the car and no, I'd lost it between the house and the taxi.  Now the hat was hand crafter by yours truly and it became my standby when I wanted to cover my hair and obviously to keep my head warm and dry, I came out with a few obscenities, very quietly and took it on the chin.  I messaged home but there was no sign of it today.  The flight was pretty standard except that there were four female flight attendants and it was like a mother's meeting at times on the plane, arms folded and standing outside the loo at the front of the plane.  Grumpy me but didn't say anything.  Just missed the twelve o'clock bus to Kardjali because of the volume of traffic and they've changed the schedule, the next was at one forty which threw my onward even further away.  Slept most of the way down, arrived in Kardjali, grabbed my luggage and my local next bus had just arrived, the driver recognised me and put my luggage inside the bus and late comers had to climb over it.  When we arrived in Djebel, the bus driver parked up by the taxi rank, I told him that my car was outside the car-shop so he got back in the driver's seat and carried on to the shop, unloaded my luggage for me, I gave him a note, and my friend was there with the key for the Nipper.  Everything loaded, I'd forgotten where the headlight switch was but eventually got the show on the road.  I forgot to mention that it had rained all day, was still raining but I got the car in the drive, unlocked the doors, switched on more lights, emptied the water from my underground stop-cock tap with a bowl and turned the water on, covering everything up again.  Luggage in, kettle on, fire lit, Netflix on, bed and a good night's sleep.

It had stopped raining this morning, a vague hint of sun in the sky, fire relit, breakfast of toast and jam, unpacking finished and washing done, batteries changed in the outside weather station so now I know how cold it is outside as well as how warm it is in.  I'd still got enough wood in for the rest of the day and will top up tomorrow, the house is about seventeen degrees in so not bad and it was eight out today.  Today was all about plugging things in, finding places for new stuff and trying to find where I'd hidden things while I was away, not urgent, things will turn up.  I ran a bath this afternoon and spent two hours in there and had my afternoon nap, nurtured the fire back to life, cooked some 'Grandma's meatballs' in passata and had them with croquette potatoes done in the air-fryer.  Sustenance complete and settling into my first evening home...I'm pleased to be back.  LN.....Now just waiting for winter to turn up....LN

Thursday 12th January

What a good nights sleep, I clocked up eight hours which is most unusual for me and felt much better for it.  So my day started at eight, I got my over sweater on over my very thick p.j's , I didn't light the fire straightaway, managed to sort out television and English programmes and decided to log in from the computer which was much easier and all I had to do was to remember the convoluting route through the buttons on the t.v.  Eventually I got there, watch too many experts giving too many opinions on Good Morning so switched over to Beeb 2 and watch a brilliant programme and cider making and taking it to the country shows and another like a Repair Shop spin off providing youngsters with expert advice on making jewellery and creating wooden pots.  Really enjoyable and then I thought about lighting the fire and realising that I had to find the keys to the woodstore, I'd squirreled them away so they were hidden while I was away.  I'd had a quick look for them yesterday, hadn't panicked but now it was really necessary...there was no wood in the log carriers.

I searched around and eventually found a jar of keys which were obviously duplicates of the ones that I was looking for but the duplicates opened the door that I wanted to open.  While I was at it I found the keys to the upstairs balconies and left them in the locks, but the main bunch of the little house and log store on a pink cleat were well hidden.  I gave up and had breakfast, I also put the rest of last night's supper into the slow cooker and added a tin of chili beans, turned it on and left it to its own devices until five this evening.  So two logs of logs in and the fire was soon going well, I put the washing away, washed up from last night and this mornings empty saucepan and went on the hunt again for the elusive keys.  I searched where I'd already searched, went into one of the chests and found an old Oxo tin which evoked a vague memory, rattled it and there they were along with the Pajero keys.  I could now relax.  I also managed to laminate my two road tax receipts and will put them with my car documents so if I get stopped, I'm now legal.

The log basket was loaded up, I made a call to the UK to respond to an email about a demand from someone purporting to be from the Licensing Authority in the UK demanding payment for the television license before it was cut off.  Since it goes out by direct debit it was obviously a scam so only a scam report to be sent off.  I did a little house work, took the dust off the furniture that had accumulated over five weeks and settled down to wait for the afternoon's snooker.  I watched it and thought it was going Ronnie's way, the next three I watched while playing sudoku fearing the worst, the last one at five games all I watched until Ronnie missed a pot and then cheered the other fellow on.  Shame but perhaps it's time that Ronnie hung up his cue.

Fire going well, I've only burnt about five logs all day, curtains drawn and I'm in for the evening remembering to lock up the woodstore and the little house with the usual keys.  I might go into Kardjali tomorrow if the weather is good, it did managed to get up to eight degrees today so still no sign of winter.  LN......Time to switch off, go back down to the fire and relax and get ready for, hopefully, another long sleep....LN

Friday 13th January

Not such a good night last night...I was playing sudoku from three thirty to four thirty, random sleep after that and eventually out of bed at eight thirty.  So I had my sleep but in stages.  I made coffee and got the fire going and sat watching Netflix 'Dead to Me' recommended by Princess and am still not sure if I'm enjoying it or not but if filled in part of the morning. It was a patchy morning, no rain but low cloud which broke up but then clouded over again.  I toyed with the idea of going into Kardjali and even made a shopping list but the furthest that I managed was Djebel.  More meat balls went in the remains of last nights supper and this is the third day of the same thing so I reckon I have to go main shopping at some point...it's getting boring.

At one thirty I'd washed and dressed for Djebel, it was only four degrees outside so on went a double layer of sweaters, a hat that my Avatar had made for me and I took phone stick on holders for the garage owners wife and one for my student.  When I parked up her and her husband were inside the shop and of course, the first topic of conversation was the weather.  I explained how I had to empty out the water inlet hole at the house to get to turn the water on the night that I arrived and we had a laugh about it.  It had rained all day and I mentioned that in England I could count the days that the weather was good .  They inferred that I'd ordered the weather for Bulgaria so that I felt at home as soon as I'd arrived.  He went back to the garage and I sat n the shop and we discussed myriads of topics...we normally do.  We discussed New Year and I was told that it was a wonderful night in Djebel.  A DJ was performing, lots of people there of all ages enjoying themselves, free wine and around five minutes worth of exceptional fireworks....so guess where I'll be next year with anyone that wants to join me.  She mentioned that they hadn't been to Pamporovo ski-ing, there's only artificial snow and the temperature over the holiday was around sixteen degrees.

I left at three and went to the little supermarket, bought lots of goodies for the goody box so that I've got nibbles, two loaves of bread, chicken drumsticks, eggs, cheese, fruit juice, mandarins, carrots and onions.  This should keep me going until Monday when I'll go into Kardjali. Home and unpacked by four thirty, sat down with a coffee and an éclair from the supermarket and there was a late burst of sunlight on the houses in the next village as the sun set,  I served up my supper around six with the intention of watching Tipping Point and the following program but missed most of it, waking up just before eight.  Still four degrees outside and toasty in which probably accounts for the fact that I nodded off.  LN......Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow so far...still recouping from my journey home.....LN

Saturday 14th January

Another disturbed night. more sudoku and then back to sleep until eight.  It wasn't quite raining but very threatening, the temperature outside was four degrees and I couldn't even raise the effort to top up the log basket until two this afternoon.  I did cook sausages and egg for breakfast, the cat got the stale bread and meowed desperately for something better but there was nothing that needed throwing out....but there will be tomorrow.  I made a stew out of the chicken legs, onions and carrots and into the slow cooker it went, the cat will have the bones tomorrow.

My first visitor came round at eleven and I was still in my pyjamas and it was Haciber.  She was very pleased to see me, we fist bumped, I've been travelling to long to be clear of everything so wasn't worth the risk.  We discussed the rest of the village, the health of the men and women, the women are OK but poor Remsie's husband has been diagnosed with a tumour in his lung and apparently an operation is out of the question.  He's the man that does the DIY for most of the old ladies and they will be looking for another without him and I'm not sure there is anyone to take his place.  My second visitor arrived at one bringing with her a complete tortoise shell without contents and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with it...maybe a 'To Let' sign.  She managed to eat a couple of the mandarins that I bought yesterday, didn't want tea or coffee and I sent her off with another one for her mother.  She hasn't any work at the moment so is staying and looking after her mother and has invited me round for coffee.

I filled up the log carriers and log basket and topped up the fire.  I settled down on the sofa and promptly got my head down catching up with the sleep that I lost overnight.  I started to watch a film on Netflix but was in and out of sleep so will probably have to try it again and leave it for another day.  The rain eventually set in this afternoon and it's very cold and damp and just the weather I love...not.  Give me sun or snow...there's not much in between I'm comfortable with.  LN.....Looks like we might have three days of sun to follow...fingers crossed.....LN

Sunday 15th January

So I had a better night but felt really dozy until after lunch time.  Haciber came round and delivered a chocolate croissant to me, it's in the goody box and I'm sure there'll come a time.  I lit the fire, it was another cold damp morning and unfortunately the sun never shone today...the weather men were lying to me again.  I didn't get up to much, I think I'm still getting over the journey and the change of scenery and tomorrow I know that I really must do something.

I have my shopping list at the ready and I might take my new computer in to see if they can set up a reboot disc for me and a back-up drive on my Windows 11.  I also need to get going again on my ancestry and pass on the results to my nephew and his new family.  The chart is completed on the ancestry site but I need to get it into a different format so that I can get the appropriate strands documented.

I watched the snooker this afternoon until they went off for a break, turned over to Netflix and carried on watching the series recommended by Princess and I have to wait until nine my time to watch the rest of the snooker. Chances are that I'll fall asleep and not know the result until tomorrow or maybe I won't even bother watching it.  My real interest fell at the first hurdle despite setting off really well, he was caught and over taken and that was really the end of my snooker interest.  I've caught some of the games and in some cases it cold have been played at the local snooker club....nothing very stirring.

So fingers crossed for better weather tomorrow if I'm off to Kardjali but if it's raining, even that can be delayed for another few days....it's not as if I'm out of food, there's plenty in the freezer.  LN.......mojo back in action tomorrow...weather permitting......LN

Monday 16th January

Back to normal...seven thirty when I woke up this morning....I'm getting used to the two hours time difference.  It was one degree outside according to my weather station and fourteen inside so the fire was more or less top of my priority list.  It wasn't cold inside, the brickwork is starting to warm up but if I was going out if would be fine but if I decided not to go into the grand metrolopes of Kardjali, I would be lighting it.  Looking out of the window towards the hillside, I could see nothing but wall to wall fog, the terraces were drying up but no way was I setting forth, cold and damp is not good for old bones.  

So fire lit, I sliced up half of a spicy sausage, fried it off and made and omelette for breakfast and sat at the table in the stairwell to eat it.  I filled up the log carriers and it was just starting to rain so I'd made the right decision, today was a Netflix and fire day.  There was a little bit of a panic on, my host from the UK suggested that I'd packed on of his cables by mistake so I checked through mine and only found one that I didn't recognise.  I emailed him back, said that I thought he'd bought two watches from the same company so he should check the other box and there was probably, or should be, another cable in there. I said that I couldn't open the photo that he'd sent me of the cable but when he sent me a second copy, it wasn't the cable that I'd brought back in error so back to the drawing board Cecil.  Another email and he'd found the second cable so now he just has to hunt for the first, I know I don't have it.  So the to-in and fro-ing took up quite a bit of time but then I settled down to Netflix and got engrossed in the series I was watching,

The day cleared up but the outside temperature only got up to three degrees and started to drop as the day wore on.  I've written yet another shopping list but again, I can manage without most of the things and am only missing chocolate at the moment....it's on the 'wish list' not on the necessary/essential.  I've got my student tomorrow so my task will be to find another interesting text for us to go through....or maybe just a post holiday catch up.  I did bring a very interesting book about Ancient Civilizations back with me from the UK...I might just take it along and we can discuss it and look at maps.  LN.....Getting back into the swing of things...all I need is snow but the UK seems to be getting ours.....LN

Tuesday 17th January

Very pleasant evening last night, Monday is my quiz night and I watched Only Connect followed by University Challenge and what an exciting game that was.  At the final gong it was all square with both teams having one hundred and forty points each and it was down to the next starter question as to who was going through to the next round.  My four dizzy females answered it and now they're through.  It was cat and mouse for most of the show with one then the other going into the lead and it was a good finale.  I wasn't really sleepy so caught a couple of episodes of my Netflix 'current fix' and went to bed at twelve and it wasn't too long before my eye decided that the rest of me was tired.  I snuggled down and was awakened suddenly to an alarm ringing, I'd forgotten to cancel the taxi alarm for the previous week, I fiddled around with it and eventually I got the thing to stop, cursed a little and then settled down again and it was eight thirty when I became comatose.  A good if not disturbed night's sleep.

I fried off the rest of the spicy sausage and an egg and that was breakfast sorted.  It was nine degrees outside and fourteen in and since I had my student at two this afternoon I decided not to light the fire, once I'd dressed and became active there was no need of it.  Kitchen tidied, washing done and some was even pegged out despite the winds and the rest went on the clothes airer in the guest bedroom to dry in the sun.  I carried on walking the garden after pegging out and was amazed at how many mole hills I have, they've had a field day.  I've got a box of mole smokes so tomorrow might be a good day to start lighting a few.  Yes they've got a right to live but not in my garden, it gets very dangerous underfoot.  

At twelve I started to think about a text for my student this afternoon.  I've not seen him since before Christmas so there would be lots of catching up to do and I do think speaking is a good part of learning a language. The reading is easy but I think you need to educate the ears into listening and he's doing well.  We had our lesson, he'd done his homework which I'd set as a test to see if he would, asking him to translate a whole page of text.  He did it after his mother had chided him, I should have looked at it but didn't, he'd done it and that was all that mattered.  He showed me his presents from Christmas which were all based around training and getting fit for his football interest and of course, after the lesson we had to have our obligatory game of football.  Down to the shop at five thirty, his father had closed the garage up early so I got to see the family and was in my car heading home at six only stopping off at the cash-point to confirm that there was nothing wrong with my card.  It had been refused twice when I tried to pay for my road tax but the transaction went through OK, my purse is now topped up again and I've checked the account balance, I'm in the black.

Home for five thirty, washing in, fish finger and chips in the air-fryer, fire lit and by six thirty I was sitting down to supper in front of a roaring fire.  The washing from the machine was on the airer near the radiator in the bathroom and will dry over night.....all go and I've had a much better day.  Free day tomorrow so far, I want to start writing up the chart or typing up the chart, I'll see how it goes.  LN...Moving down to the fire and I'm sure by now the fire needs seeing to......LN

Wednesday 18th January

So I settled down last night to watch Winter Watch and saw none of it.  I slipped off into the deepest sleep, wasn't sure where I was when I woke so staggered off to the bedroom and t wasn't long before I was off again and it was a six thirty start this morning.  It was still very dark outside, not much of a glimmer of the morning so I made coffee and went back to bed until the morning woke up.  The outside temperature was nine degrees but the wind was rattling round, the trees were bending and swaying and leaves were collecting again in the garage.  I lit the fire, it wasn't cold but I needed the warmth to take the chill off the morning, it was miserable out there.  and the fire soon caught.  At least it was cheery inside.

I washed up the slow cooker that had soaked overnight and filled it up with the chicken legs that had thawed and some carrots and onions.  Supper was under preparation before breakfast.  More coffee, toast and jam was prepared, I sat down to watch morning television and soon realised that it was all doom and gloom, I was shouting at the 'experts' again and everyone seemed to be talking over each other.  Not as civilised as television used to be.  I put the washing away that had dried overnight in the bathroom, thought about doing lots of things and settled for doing very little.  I've done more work on the ancestry chart investigations and it's time to start writing it up.  I've got about five generations and in some cases more back and it's funny, the more people that you meet in the 'family' you begin to know them.  It's more to do with the occupations and one pair actually got married in a cathedral where he used to look after the organ.  I've just found another one that changed his occupation from farmer to landlord and I intend looking up the pub to see if it's still trading.

I've had supper already, I've been picky all day since breakfast, crisps have gone and it was close with another packet but I resisted.  The chicken bones are destined for the cat tomorrow which will probably be left for the farm dogs.  I had to relight the fire, it would have struggled to get going again so a firelighter made it easier for it.  The rain started again around three this afternoon and was lashing against the windows, that wind hasn't abated.  LN.....Where is the sun that was promised by Accuweather...it might have to change its name.....LN

Thursday 19th January

Well another wild and windy day.  It was dark when I woke up, twelve degrees out and it was a toss up whether to light the fire or not so I left it for a while.  I somehow forgot about breakfast, I cleared the rubbish bins from the house, toyed with the idea of a bonfire but left it for a while to see if the wind would drop.  I settled down to watch t.v and gave in on the fire which in itself drew some activity out of me.  I topped up the log basket, put some windproof gear on and made my way to the log store,  filled up the log carrier and found another log carrier that was being used for something else so filled it up and left it in the wood store.  I also noticed that I had a few very large logs so split about six of them with the big chopper and the lump hammer.  I may not have the strength but I've got a fool proof method.

The sun came out and the wind kept blowing and with encouragement from the Fitbit telling me I needed to do a few more paces, I picked up the rubbish container from the porch and headed down the garden with fire lighter in hand.  The lid is in a really sorry state, it's there to stop the wind blowing the lighted stuff over the hillside.  I removed the remains of the old lid, found a sheet of metal on the top of the roof tiles half way down the garden, got the fire underway and settled the metal lightly on top of it so as not to put the fire out.  It did the trick, no damage done, I walked the garden and tied up one of the shrubs that was being hammered by the wind, found some snowdrops and winter flowering jasmine so picked some of each and brought them into the house.  There are lots of budding daffodils and hopefully the snow wont come and cover them all up.  

Back to the house, topped up the fire, settled in to watch series four of another set that I was watching last year, it's only just been released.  This kept me quiet for most of the afternoon, at one point I thought I might be nodding off but managed to avoid it so should sleep OK tonight.  Chicken dippers for supper tonight courtesy of the air fryer, washing up done and now getting settled for a gentle evening.  Again we had rain but not as much as previous days, that wind was really howling but was coming from the south so not much chance of snow from that direction.  LN...Looks like England has my winter.....LN

Friday 20th January

Well it's not a matter of what weather we've had today, it's what weather didn't we have...snow but the temperature is dropping rapidly.  Thunder and lightning over night and still going this morning at six thirty when I opened the curtains, very highs winds, lashing rain with the rain tumbling from the gutters which means that I shall have to get the ladders out and clear them out or find a man who will.  The temperature was OK in the house, again it was a toss up whether or not to light the fire but I laid it ready just in case my resolve gave way.  

I decided to make an omelette for breakfast and used three eggs, when it came to a filling the only thing that I had in the fridge was a box of cheese triangles and out of curiosity I checked the date code and found that they'd expired in June.  They're now out of their silver jackets, sitting in the porch and the cat will have them tomorrow and she can take them or leave them.  I searched around and found a container of soft feta cheese that I'd bought the other day and it was a bit of a disaster, it fairly dissolve into the omelette but it did the job.  It didn't really taste of anything and this prompted me to consider going into Kardjali, despite the weather for a really good shop and I did.  I was in the Nipper by twelve, stopped off for petrol and was told by the 'dispensing technician' that I was ordering a very small quantity and I replied that it was a gas car and my running costs were much  better for it.  He did what I'd asked him to do and I carried on to Kaufland car park.  My first stop was the computer shop with my newly acquired laptop and I took along the drive that I wanted the system software putting on and explained that I wanted a boot program on the USB and was told that the kit I'd provided wasn't compatible but would be good for loading music or films on and a man waiting for his bits said that for thirty leva they would sort out any problems I might have.  I did buy a small keyboard for the new tablet so I do have something for my visit.

I returned to the car park and was approached by gypsies asking for money and a very small child with its hand out.  No I'm not hard hearted but I know how the Bulgarian government give handouts and no one should be begging so I carried on, got my trolley and started my shop.  I only collected a few items, my main shopping was going to be in Lidl or so my list said so made my way to the checkout and blow me down, three more gypsies were near the checkout asking me for money again to buy some food from the outside Kaufland café.  I controlled my temper, loaded the shopping into the Nipper, went to the top of town and paid my home phone bill, negotiated the town and went to Lidl.  This time it was more of a considered shop, everything on the list was found and blow me down, the same gypsy man was at the cashpoint and still asking for money and as I was packing, a little child was pulling at my jumper and the man was saying to her to ask for money.  The mans said that it was OK, maybe it was his way of teaching the child English but I turned to him rather sharply and said that it was not OK and he was quite taken aback.  Maybe it was OK for him but it certainly wasn't for me.  I found it all quite upsetting....it goes against my nature but I just can't give in.  I packed the shopping into the Nipper and drove home experiencing buffeting winds, lashing rain, beautiful rainbow, driving into the sun so having to drop my speed as the sun bounced off the wet road surface.    I stopped off at my little supermarket to get mayo, the bread that I like, chocolate that I'd forgotten and chicken drumsticks for the freezer.....an an éclair,   Shopping put away, kettle on, meat crammed into the freezer along with the chicken drumsticks, fire lit, coffee made and éclair demolished.   It's been a good day and at least I shall have more that out of date cheese to put in an omelette.  LN....No need for further expeditions for a while.....LN

Saturday 21st January

Not a very good night. a worrying time for some people and some of the angst has worn off on me.  I eventually got to sleep at four this morning, woke up at seven, up and active and made coffee.  I remembered that I'd found a pack of decent bacon in the freezer when I was putting the shopping away so I made bacon and egg for breakfast and then carried on with kitchen duties.  I washed up, took the pork belly slices from the fridge that I'd put ready for tonight's supper and made a marinade of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, passata, oil, tomato sauce and a little vinegar, poured it over the pork, covered it with cling film and put it in the fridge.  I also put a load of washing in the machine so lit the fire so that I could dry it in the bathroom on the airer.  Outside it was dry to start with but as the morning wore on the rain started to come down and it's done just that for the rest of the day.  The promised snow between seven and eight this morning I may have missed but don't think it happened.  I had lovely interchange on What's app with my daughter this morning....we were fighting it out with emoji as to who loved each other more and it ended up a draw.

I made my way to the bathroom and ran a bath.  I needed to mentally work through the sleepless night, thought I might go so sleep in there but didn't.  I emerged from the tub at eleven thirty, slathered myself with a new body lotion containing Argon oil for dry skin and it seems to have done the trick.  I get itchy sometimes, tried various washing powders and eventually gave up my blood pressure tablets and things seem to have sorted themselves out.  I keep checking my blood pressure and that seems to have settled down too.  I got dressed into warm clothes, the fire hadn't taken so that was my first job and took the washing from the machine and hung it on the airer.  I've just checked it now and it's ready to put away.

I caught up with sleep this afternoon, put supper in the oven around four thirty with jacket potatoes and that was ready around six so an early supper for me.  I followed it with a chocolate pudding, I'm stuffed to the gills, it's eight my time and I'm ready to settle down to mind numbing television unless I find a new series on Netflix.  Two that I've been watching should be delivering new episodes later this year....not a clue when, so it will be when it will be. LN.....Time to throw a log on the fire.....LN

Sunday 22nd January

Again I had a very sleepless night and was awake until four this morning despite several attempts at getting my head down.  Bad news this morning, a very dear friend has passed over, he's the one that I saw in hospital when I came over to the UK in December.  So sad, so young and so quick but at least I got to talk to him twenty four hours before his goodbye from this world...I hope I gave him some comfort before he left....I offered support for those that he left behind.  I'm sorry that he's gone but more sorry that the cancer got him, he had all his ducks in a row and the fox came and blew so many lives and dreams apart.

I lit the fire and got the morning going, made a bacon and egg sandwich, my phone turned into a little hotline and it was eleven before I'd looked round.  I was very calm. he was suffering terribly. I'm sad for the family's loss but not sad that he's no longer suffering.  He was and still is such a strong character, the body runs out of steam, in my world the soul carries on.  As for the rest of the day my only exercise has been getting two loads of logs into the porch, clearing the drainage pipe from the yard to the front of the house and making sure that the ditch between the road and my front wall draining into the underground pipe was clear, so that the water didn't spill through my front gate.  It rained all night and most of the day. there was a brief burst of sunlight but that soon went behind the clouds again and with the temperature at nine degrees, there's little chance of snow.  It's not normal...there again what is these days.  Not sure about supper, I've picked at biscuits and peanuts, might get round to cooking later but there again...maybe not.  LN.....Tonight I'm hoping to sleep well to catch up on the last two nights......LN

Monday 23rd January

So another bad night and a cold, dismal morning.  At least when the snow arrives you can go out and clear the terraces or remove the snow that the snow plough as left blocking access to the clear road...doh...I'm getting bored now.  I agree my brain isn't in the right place to tackle difficult issues, I did boot up my new computer that brought back from the UK but unfortunately they have made changes to the screens that I used setting one up there and I suppose that's the trouble with buying anything new, Microsoft is constantly making 'improvements' that the rest of us mere mortals have to negotiate.  In the end I closed it down...it's for another day.  

I did one or two things that needed doing and that included watering the pots of flowers and shrubs from last year that have overwintered in the little house.  I'd emptied the rain water butt into eleven litre bottles and it took five of them to top up all of the plants and give them a good post December drink.  I'd not really looked at them since I'd been back and only spotted that one was dry when I looked through the door from the little house terrace and I was amazed at how many are still flowering.  There are lots of seeds that have germinated and are now sizeable enough to go out except...winter hasn't arrived yet and they're about three months early for potting out.  Since there were no full water bottles left I decided to drive up to the spring so put the empties in the Nipper. went inside the house, made coffee and sat watching the television before I set off.  At this there was a knock on the window, my neighbour that wants cutting of anything that I have had arrived so I let her in and she came bearing gifts.  She'd made some fluffy pancakes and had brought me three to have later, I made her a coffee and we had a catch-up.  She gave up her last job to help her mother out doing some renovation work in her little cottage and starts her new job hopefully in February.  I mentioned that I was going to the spring and did she want to come and we agreed that I would pick her up at three, it was now half two.  I'm really not sure where the morning went.

I got the Nipper out and she was waiting for me in the bottom square, I loaded up her five bottles and we kept them separate from mine.  Mine had had roof run-off water in them, hers was spring water purely for drinking.  Just a few cows on the road as we made our way to the spring and when we got there there was so much water gushing out that it was really difficult to fill up the bottles.  Eventually we managed it but there was one heck of a catastrophe.  There are wooden seats either side of the two spring outlet pipes and I'm not sure how she managed it but the wood on the one collapsed. she fell forward grazing her shin on the concrete surround and fell to the floor.  I wasn't really paying attention, it all happened so quickly but she continued filling up the bottle that had shot into the base of the spring.  She tried to explain, we loaded the bottles and she pulled up her trouser leg and there was a trickle of blood running from the gash but there was one heck of an 'egg' mid shin.  She was going to use iodine on it when she got home but I bet she's going to hurt tomorrow.

I dropped her off. put the bottles into the little house, made more coffee and took to the sofa.  I suddenly remembered that I'd taken a pack of mincemeat from the freezer that morning so set about making a spaghetti bolognaise for this evening, I've made enough for tomorrow too, cooked my pasta, ate my supper, washed my cream coloured sweater (bad choice with tomato sauce) and cleared the kitchen ready for the morning.  Student tomorrow. English lesson and football training.  LN....Never thought I'd be doing that at my age.....LN

Tuesday 24th January

Well the temperature is definitely dropping and snow is supposed to be on its way....oh yeah.  Another night when I fell asleep watching my favourite quiz shows and woke up to the last ten minutes of University Challenge with one team running away with the win and on to the next round.  A reasonable night's sleep, not measured by my Fitbit since that was on charge but woke up  refreshed so that must have been OK.  It was very dark when I woke so played silly games for an hour or so until there was a feint morning glow but we still had rain but more of a mist coming down that raindrops.

Breakfast was the remains of the fluffy pancakes that my neighbour had brought round yesterday with peach and mango yogurt, breakfast things cleared away and the kitchen tidied until I remembered that I had ham in the fridge so I made a ham sandwich and that kept me going until lunchtime.  Another morning of hotline messages, people asking me things that I didn't know the answer to so I had to find out and circulate responses and it was soon one o'clock.  I did managed to have a shower and wash my hair this morning to be presentable for my student, printed off a text in readiness but I had a mare of a morning with the fire.  It burnt quite low but I thought there was enough just to put a log on but ...wrong.  Two firelighters and starter wood and this particular log just wouldn't light so I put on an extra jumper instead and at least this evening it's coming to life.

I was in the Nipper at two thirty and headed for Djebel.  My student was still at school so I sat in the shop with his mother and had a catch up, eventually when he arrived he went up to the flat and I followed him about fifteen minutes later.  We had a quick kick around before we started the lesson, when I realised that there was no way he was going to let me score a goal I pulled rank, pulled out the text and we were away.  The one that I had today was in two parts, the first told a story of a mother reporting her son and her car missing to the police and the second part was the police following the trail and managing to find him and his girlfriend tied up on the beach beset by people smugglers.  The intention was to complete part one but we both wanted to know the end of the story so we carried on with part two and acted it out together.  We managed the questions at the end of the text having to use parts one and two and then it was time to end the lesson, score a few more goals and go down to the shop.  My lovely little student had pestered me to ask his mother if we could go for a pizza early evening, I said that it was up to him, he did and she said yes.  His father had already closed up the garage due to lack of customers and at five thirty they literally closed up shop and we set off for the local restaurant.

A very gentle evening in the restaurant, four very large pizzas, drinking chocolate to start us off and warm us up since it's gone down to zero degrees.  She translates for her husband, I add my Bulgarian, the boy chips in in English and sometimes translates both ways and it turned into a very good evening with everyone included in the conversations.  We paid up and left the restaurant and walked back to the shop/ apartment, I got into the Nipper and set off for home, stopping off at the supermarket for bread after I threw the old stuff out for the birds.  Fire is lit and going well and am just waiting for the first run of hot water through the radiators and I'll bank it up well hopefully to go through the night.  I noticed today that the japonica has started to flower, I intended a photo but forgot this morning and it's too late now so it will have to be photographed tomorrow. LN....Fire needs a poke and I need water......LN

Wednesday 25th January

So another silly night.  I woke up at half four this morning and just couldn't get off again and it's been a very lethargic rest of the day.  I did make poached eggs on ham for breakfast, threw out all the stale bread for the birds and they've had a field day.  It was a cold morning and the temperature has hovered around nought degrees all day, the wind was bitter cold and there's snow on the top of the mountains over towards Greece and the promised drop of the white stuff didn't occur but might do overnight.  I managed to take my camera out and take shots of the japonica which led me too go round the garden and photograph the other flowers that I spotted.  Lots of daffodils on the verge of coming out so I hope the snow doesn't fall for their sakes.

I topped up the log basket from the log carrier and took both log carriers out to the log store so that I have plenty in if the snow does come tomorrow.  I've had the fire going all day and managed to get the house up to nineteen degrees and that encouraged me to get my head down and catch up on a few of the zzz's I'd missed overnight.  I woke up groggy but eventually got my act together, found the large sheets of paper I have for writing up the ancestry charts, also found out the folders for writing up individual family lines where there are lots of children and made a start on the one that I'm doing for my nephews ladylove.  Lots of children on some of those families and I've been following them through to see if I could find the ones that went off to America...so far no luck but there are more to go.  Around the years that I'm checking I was amazed how may records there are for those that did manage to get over the pond with the same names as in the chart but so far no one is related.

It's been put to oneside now, it's just after half six my time so I'm thinking of making supper.  I've still got half of the bolognaise sauce left from the other night so only spaghetti to do and heat it all through.  Having said that, I did attack the biscuit tin this afternoon with a hot cup of coffee so the sauce might live to fight another day.  Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow so far, no need to go shopping, the freezer is full, I bought bread last night so I've one in the freezer and one on the go.  Another day on the ancestry chart tomorrow and I might even get the old machine set up on the table in the stairwell, it's a bit too cold in the sewing room to sit there for a few hours.  LN.....Winter's neither here or there this year....please get back to normal.....LN

Thursday 26th January

So I reasonable night's sleep, seven thirty when I woke up.  I meandered downstairs, checked emails and FB, made coffee and since there was nothing else to do, put the news on and spent the next half an hour swearing at the Good Morning programme.  This morning's master or ceremonies has the very rude habit of speaking over the 'experts', asking questions before they've even had chance to answer the previous one so I had to turn over.  The Beeb wasn't all that good either so I switched it off and settled on the sofa with a book.  It was then that I glanced up to see that there was a very fine layer of white on the wall, the previously dry terrace was now wet and nothing was really settling and that was the story for the rest of the day.  The temperature hung on at about zero, so the flakes were dissolving as soon as they hit the ground.  I didn't bother getting dressed but put my fleece coverall on, the only place that I would be going today was to the wood store to fill up another log carrier, the height of the excitement for today.

I did a little work on ancestry and toyed with the idea of bringing the old computer down to the table in the stairwell and instead felt it was a better preposition to fix up my new one, take up the Microsoft offer of a few of the base components of Office and use that to write up the charts in Excel.  At least I can get to use the printer, save the file to a memory stick and get it printed off on the largest paper that they do in my stationery shop in Kardjali.  It will make a more professional product than me writing it out by hand.  So that's a job for tomorrow, I might even be snowed in by then.

I prepared supper for tonight using the spaghetti bolognaise left over from Tuesday, added more tomato puree to it, a tin of kidney beans and some chili flakes and into the slow cooker with it.  I settled on the sofa again, watched Countdown and around six I served up a portion of the new mixture and was really surprised at how spicy hot supper had turned out.  Fortunately I hadn't bothered with vegetables so had lots of bread to tone it down a bit and as I grew used to it, it didn't turn out too bad.  The rest of it can go in the freezer tomorrow and will come out and be made into a lasagna so that the chili is absorbed into the pasta.

The fire is going well, the boiler heater is on, all curtains are drawn and tonight I shall linger in a hot bath...and why not.  The snow is now coming down very heavily, the temperature dropping and let's see what the morning brings.  Nowhere to go so it's not going to impede me much.  LN.....Looks like my winter had arrived.....LN

Friday 27th January

Fantastic night's sleep last night, woke up quite refreshed at seven on the dot.  There'd been very little snow overnight, the temperature was going up and it disappeared very quickly through the day.  It's up to three degrees and we're back to wet and miserable and can't see much more snow heading our way for a while.  Bacon and egg for breakfast with fried bread which kept me going until tonight....I've just cooked croquette potatoes with some chicken nuggets but first time I've bought this type and it will be the last.  They don't really taste of anything but I'm hungry and if I don't eat I'll be waking up at silly o'clock and looking for things to pick at.  The remains of the chili from the slow cooker went into the freezer for another day....it was so spicy hot last night that two nights in a row would have been to much for my constitution.

I put in a load of washing since the fire was going well and it would dry near the radiator in the bathroom, while I was up there I ran a bath and was in there for about an hour.  Perhaps not a good time to have one but the house was warm and I was doing nothing else.  I'd fiddled with the tv and found nothing worth watching, got frustrated with the presenters and shouted at them a little, didn't want to disturb the sheep and cows, so switched it off and found an alternative...wallowing.  I did watch Countdown and then decided to get on with ordering cards for upcoming birthdays, sorted out an issue with FMP ancestry site and somehow I found myself carrying on with Ancestry and at last I've managed to write out a chart from top to bottom and I had the right connections.  I've only got to add in a few more marriage lines but throughout the chart, they have all had loads of children and I resorted to put first names only backing it up with census printouts which show the children in date order and so much easier to follow.  

At nine fifteen I realised I was hungry, got the slow cooker out and prepared my food.  It's almost gone now, unfortunately I had Winter Watch on and there was a very good description of woodlice and earwigs....great.....I'm not very good with creepy crawlies.   Ten thirty my time so almost time for bed said Zebedee....I had to relight the fire since I'd forgotten about it but the radiators have warmed up already and it's just a topping up before I go to bed.  LN.....And it won't be too long......LN

Saturday 28th January

So where has this month gone...nearly into February and no snow to write home about...this year is all topsy turvy.  It was eight when I woke up this morning so even later that yesterday and I think I owe it to having a late, or should I say a very late supper.  I started the day with baked beans on toast, didn't bother lighting the fire but made sure that I had plenty of warm clothes on.  It was another dull old day, the snow's all gone except for the tops of the mountains and it's not so much rained today but has been exceptionally damp and the terraces haven't dried up.

I went upstairs and put yesterday's washing away and somehow carried on with ancestry that I was working on yesterday.  I've now charted most of the four grandparents back links and printed out most of the support documents, checking my work as I went/  Most of the names were very prolific and when you make a search even quoting the area of England, lots of records were presented and that's where the real detective work comes in.  It's easy to go down the wrong rabbit hole.

At three this afternoon I was feeling cold on the upstairs landing at the computer so I went down and lit the fire, topped up the log basket from the log carriers outside so that there's no running out tonight.  The house is up to temperature and I settled into Netflix and watched a French film with quite a few episodes and lots of twists and turns.  Villains fell and so did a few heroes but overall, something to spend the afternoon watching.  I started off a chicken curry for tonight but somehow didn't fancy it so that will sit in the fridge overnight in the saucepan, it's supposed to be better the second day anyway.  It will go into the slow cooker in the morning and will be ready for lunchtime.  Almost eight my time so time to shut down the pc and settle down for the night.  Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow except to start to write up the chart in Excel which might mean getting my new laptop sorted so that I can do both things at the same time, check the details and enter the data.  LN.....It will be good to finish it and present it and then on to the next.....LN

Sunday 29th January

Horrible, horrible evening and night....I watched the masked singer until the judging so missed it, slept through the next programme, woke up for the next they staggered off to bed and popped wide awake and really didn't get off again at all.  I was using all the techniques I know to nod off and nothing worked.  I was trying to concentrate on creating 'white light' in my mind's eye and only disjointed faces were appearing so instead made a coffee, played a few games of Solitaire and in desperation got out of bed at six, washed up and put the television on .  I checked on the outside and inside thermometer, it was on zero for outside and when the sky eventually lit up I noticed that  we were experiencing very fine snow, not much of it and with the terraces being wet, nothing was sticking.  I lit the fire from last night ashes and went to get dressed since it was only fourteen degrees in the stairwell with the big curtain closed, once it was open and the fire going, we sere soon up to eighteen degrees.  Eventually I made beans on toast for breakfast, used the remains of last night's tomato sauce with added curry powder and three chicken drumsticks to make tonight's curry.  It all went in the slow cooker and bubbled away nicely while I got on with other things,

By now it had stopped dropping 'stuff' from the sky so I took the rubbish from the conservatory and had a bonfire.  I eventually got it going, the burning bucket is getting quite full and needs emptying but I managed t squeeze the new bags on top of the old.  I noticed that the wind had changed from southerly to northerly and it was cold but with had, gloves, boots, many layers it was good to get some fresh air in my lungs.  I came up from the garden, grabbed the log store keys and the empty log carriers from the porch and headed for the woodstore.  Two loads of logs in in quicksticks, filled up the log basket in the house and exchanged the half full starter wood container for a full one from the porch.  I toyed with the idea of sitting out for a while but soon changed my mind...that wind was a little more than chilly.

So I played around with my new computer this morning and tried to sort out why my internet television programme was stop starting.  I reloaded the internet, played around with some settings and changed others but this evening it was working well and back to normal so I don't know if it was the internet having a wobble on or not.  Also I'd noticed yesterday that the house water pressure had dropped but again, it was down to the company, it was OK this morning.  

Fire re-lit, supper was very tasty, washing up awaits and then an early night for me.  I need to catch up on the sleep I missed out on last night.  Nothing much on the agenda for tomorrow, I've decided to invest in a new pair of wellies so might go to the market to check it out and get a few more sweet things for the goody box, it's looking bare.  I've just remembered I've got creamy yoghurt in the fridge....rude not to.  LN....Now time to relax....LN

Monday 30th January

So I nodded off watching the television last night, woke myself up and headed to bed and slept like a log until seven thirty this morning.  My Fitbit scored the sleep at good and just over eight hours and for me, that's not just good, that's brilliant.  So I set to straightaway, lit the fire, last night's leftovers out for Ms. Cat but even though I called she didn't appear so it was fair pickings for two of the others and the birds had a good go at the rice.  I made my coffee and took it back to bed until the house had warmed up and it didn't take long at all.  

I wasn't too hungry but suddenly the urge overtook me to make a couple of boiled eggs with toast and I took it to the table in the stairwell, I'd given them six minutes and expected them to be hard but they weren't...just perfect.  It's been a day of inactivity, I decided that I didn't need to go into Djebel so I've spent most of the day keeping the home fires burning and resting.  The temperature has hung around zero for most of the day, it started off in the house at fourteen degrees but once I'd opened up the curtain to the lounge and the wood burner, it steadily climbed enough to be comfortable without doing any activity.  I did notice that the two ginger sister cats were gorging themselves on the leftovers and there's been no sighting of the black cat all day.  Maybe it's found somewhere else with better pickings.

Supper of barbecued rack of pork ribs is cooking and a handful of chips will go in the air-fryer a little nearer the time.  I've just checked the weather report for tomorrow and it looks like we're in for some snow starting in the morning and on and off all day.  The terraces are dry so it might stick and enforced labour might drop from the sky...terraces need to be kept clear and so does my access to the road.  LN....Let's see what we get overnight......LN

Tuesday 31st January

Horrible night last night....I woke up at four this morning and realised that something that I'd eaten last night for supper had made my bottom lip swell up again, it was most uncomfortable and really painful.  I found the antihistamine tablets out, tried to wash one down with water and got more down my front than in my mouth so resorted to a bottle which made it worse.  Eventually I managed to swallow the tablet so went straight back to bed, there was nothing else to be done.  Woke up the second time around seven thirty, head down again and eventually it was nine thirty when I woke.  I inspected the damage, a lot of the swelling had gone down but the chin area was very numb and I didn't look or feel good so I cancelled my student for this afternoon.  I didn't want to frighten him and really I didn't feel like going, an afternoon in front of the fire was more fitting with my mood.

I didn't bother with breakfast, the precautions I'd made by getting in logs wasn't really necessary.  The snow that was supposed to fall must have fallen somewhere else, we had no sign of it.  It was still minus three at nine this morning but it warmed up quickly to just on the minus, I'd lit the fire at four this morning so it was gently going and very comfortable in the house.  Eventually a pale watery sun came out, not much warmth in it and when I went to walk the garden for a little exercise, the air was still chilly.  I did top up the house log basket though and get one more filled log carrier into the porch just for good measure.  I took another antihistamine around three this afternoon for good measure and it seems that the swelling has gone down but the inside of my bottom lip is still sore.  On my stroll round the garden I noticed some seed pods hanging near the wisteria and I looked them up in my book and it's something I never knew....wisteria have seed pods.  I brought one into the house with me, soaked it, opened it up and I had one big one and one very small seed and now I've followed the instructions in the book to see if I can get one to germinate....and then I'll try the others.

Had a little sleep this afternoon, came to and put fish fingers and chippies into the air fryer and that was supper.  I buttered some bread and tipped the contents of the air fryer on top of it and munched through the lot.  I should sleep well tonight, I fully tummy deserves rest.  Conversations with my daughter and grandson tonight as a catch-up....I'm well blessed.  LN.....Soon be time for bed....it's going to be another lazy day tomorrow...I can feel it in my water.....LN