Thursday 9th March

Funny night, asleep in front of the television again, woke up, went to bed and not an ounce of sleep in me so played Sudoku on the Kindle until three thirty.  Amazingly I've not felt sleepy all day, have achieved quite a lot inside and outside and feeling fine.  Maybe that's the secret, sleep less during the night.  Ham sandwiches for breakfast before it got to the point that the ham was unfit for human consumption and was a feast for the cat.  I did put out the remains of last night's supper but not sure if it really likes chicken curry and rice....not the normal food that the cats get to try.  Kitchen tidied, the rest of the sauce from the slow cooker will go on the belly pork slices removed from the freezer this morning and I've added some vinegar to it so that it's going to be more of a sweet and sour sauce...hopefully.  If not the cats will have a feast tomorrow.  Log basket topped up and fire laid and I've just set fire to it and it's doing well, the first flush to the radiators has just taken place, I heard the thermostat kick in.  I chopped some of the larger logs up so that I have more small stuff to get fires going...it was hard work though, I had to resort to the lump hammer to help the axe on it's way....I must be getting weak in my old age.  I was also surprised by three helicopters flying over mid morning and heading towards Greece.  I'll have to look at the local on-line paper to see what that was all about.

Update on the wisteria, two of the four planted have broken through the compost and are looking OK.  I've still got two more to go so they should be through tomorrow.  The container that I put last year's roses in that spent the winter in the little house has been cleaned out.  The compost was very wet and smelly and spread on the ground by the compost bin.  I turned the water on to the outside tap, removed the drain hose and will buy a new one tomorrow, they're only plastic and it didn't fare well in what we have called winter.  It's all unscrewed ready for me to attach the new one.  So I washed out the old rose container, punched some drain holes in it and that was the problem...no holes.  I smashed up some old roof tiles and filled the bottom of the container, scooped some of the soil that the moles keep digging up and topped it up with potting compost.  The two new roses are planted up and the old one from last year are with them. the container is sitting on the terrace near to the porch so that it's sheltered and fingers crossed they'll all settle in successfully.

I came upstairs to put something away and away went another couple of hours.  The contents of the draw pack by the side of the desk was all  taken out, examined, some of it has gone but a lot of it went back in until a decision can be made.....to bin or not to bin...that is the question.  Six thousand steps today so that's an improvement, I couldn.t have a garden fire there was just too much wind about...better safe than sorry.  Time to check on the port to see if it's time to adorn it with sauce, have supper and then go back to Peaky Blinders in the absence of anything else worth watching.  My daughter has been updating my 'next to watch' list so I'll see what she recommends later.  LN.....Quick trip into Djebel in the morning, pick up a few more flowers, they're might be cheap ones left over from Ladies day when everyone goes mad.  LN....Time for kitchen duties....LN  

Friday 10th March

Woke up at seven, the Fitbit didn't register my 'time slept on the sofa' and again I had to check out how much of Peaky Blinders I'd slept through.  I did get on with the things I needed to do before I settled down for the 'final on Netflix', apparently there is another series on iPlayer but 'unfortunately it is not available in your area'.  I'll have to check if my daughter can put it on a memory stick for me and bring it out when she comes.

I opened up the windows to let air through, got washed and dressed for town, didn't lay the fire and then settled down to finish off the series.  I hadn't slept though much last night so not much back tracking to do and was ready to get into the Nipper at eleven thirty.  As I was leaving I noticed that the outside intruder light was on so went back into the house and switched it off, I would sort it when I got home so that it could reset itself. As I drove through the village there were two old men standing by a car and as I passed they flagged me down.  Now buses are so infrequent that that's what you do so I pulled over and one of the men got in and two seconds later the door opened again and the other one got into the back with him.  Unfortunately they'd both been on the rakia, needed a change of clothes or at least a wash and I'll know for next time.  I dropped them off near the petrol station and parked up outside the chemist on the High street and went into the hardware shop to buy the sink drain and was surprised that it now comes with a plug that fits.  Normally the locals don't fit a plug to the sink drain, they wash in running water so it's true, we are getting more European.  I left that shop and heard my name called and it was the owner from the flower shop, I'd bought her chocolates for 8th March celebration where everyone buys flowers for everyone but I settled on chocolates for her.  We walked back to her shop and she insisted on giving me a small plant for my garden since she didn't give me anything on the day.  She had customers so I went down to the car shop and had five minutes with my student's mum, she had just had a delivery so I didn't linger long there and carried on to Kardjali.

I went up to the second hand furniture warehouse first but didn't find what I was looking for.....lots that I would like but nowhere to put it and the prices are sky high, almost on a par with Germany from whence most of the furniture came.  I know the lady quite well and she insisted on chaperoning me round, eventually another lady came into the warehouse and she must have thought that she was on to a better proposition so left me to meander.  I actually want a small table to replace the large one that currently sits in the stairwell since that will be moved out for the summer, but found nothing suitable.  I'll measure up the space and get my thinking cap on,  I went back to the Kardjali and parked up in the central car-park and went to pay my phone bill.  The trouble is, there are only two tills that process bill payments, both were being used and then one of the people in front of me heard the patter of 'how about our internet offers?' and she was off to another counter to discuss it and try to get his to sign up.  She obviously saw commission floating her way.  I waited in the queue, there were grumbles form others waiting in front of me and eventually she returned to carry on doing what she was supposed to do.  

I made my way back to the car, drove to Lidl and bought a few items that I needed, drove back to the supermarket in Djebel and bought a few more and was home for five this afternoon.  Shopping unpacked and put away, made a coffee and ate an éclair, turned on the intruder light when it got dark and it reset itself successfully.  It's just after seven thirty my time, the storm clouds have gathered and we might have rain after me bragging to a friend in Latvia, complaining about the snow, that we were experiencing spring.  Looks like it might have been and gone.  Not bothered too much about supper so far, most thing I bought have found their way into the freezer so it might be a yogurt or a flavoured rice pudding dessert.  LN.....Time for a hut in the fridge......LN

Saturday 11th March

What a day....eight start and everything in my garden looked rosy.  It wasn't a bad start, the weather looked as if it might improve and I laid out plans, washing me, breakfast, washing that would go on the airer, temperature around ten, wind around five but still good enough and calm enough for a bonfire.  Everything was going to plan and on schedule, I watered the wisteria seeds that have now all shown their little heads and can now be referred to as plants, went out to cut a branch from the Acacia that's near the well, I'd noticed that one of the branches had broken off over the winter.  I didn't fare well with the long handled saw so instead used the loppers to cut most of the broken branch away, didn't fancy going up a ladder so close to the well...ding dong bell and all that!!  I dragged a couple of the overwintered pots outside and tidied them up, cleared the old bed in the yard and noticed that I have lots of little aquilegia plants starting, so I should have a good display later on.  The wallflowers are being to show signs of flowering, the spent daffs are now in the bed for next year, washing on the airer in the bedroom and it's just as well that it was.

The clouds started rolling in from all sides and the thundered came as well.  At around two we had the first drops of rain and the rest happened very quickly, hail showers. horrendous rain, overflowing gutters and that one more reason to get them sorted and I need a man for that. The yard was fairly flooded but it went over as quickly as it had started but we still have very dark skies and I think there's more rain to come.  In the absence of anything more interesting to do I put on the Netflix, watched a new episode of Blacklist and it appears that they are releasing them in ones and twos and nothing more forthcoming for a while.  I searched through the listings and came upon a film based in Ireland, a bit of a romantic drama and I spent two hours of pleasured viewing...no murders, no Vikings, no threatening gangsters, just gentle viewing that comes out alright in the end and we all love those.

Six o'clock I lit the fire and I'm down to big logs again so I'm having to treat it gently, I'll be having to chop some up tomorrow so that they wrap themselves round the biggies and attack from all angles.  It's been another day for biscuits and treats so not too much in the mood for food at the moment....maybe later.  LN....On the whole..not a bad day.....LN

Sunday 12th March

So I settled for an early night last night and my Fitbit recorded it as an eighty two percent sleep score.....not had one of those since I had Covid and slept days away.  I was awake at six though which was a little early but by seven thirty I was wondering what to do next.  Fire sorted ready for the night, curtains drawn and windows open, washing put away so I found something on Netflix and watched a film for an hour and a half.  Sunday after all is a day of rest.

I settled for a ham sandwich for breakfast, just one cup of coffee and it's been water for the rest of the day.  I went out at around eleven to chop logs and finished it around eleven thirty......too much like hard work for me so I might be getting in a man to do it.  The beauty of having a few smaller logs is that I can put a thumping great log on and put a smaller one to keep it going but the large one forms the backbone for the evening.  I've done it today, I lit the fire around three thirty, put a large one on and a smaller one behind it and at seven have just loaded it up for the evening,  The big ones burn slower and I'm not running backwards and forwards like a demented being.  I put the axe  and the sledge hammer away, locked up the woodstore and thought about servicing the lawnmower but decided to leave it for another day.  After all, I've got lots of them to fill.  Instead I took the secateurs down to the bottom of the garden, cut back the few brambles that are against the wall and one of the wild roses that is sited next to my stepping stone to get up to my perch on the stone wall.  I thought about sitting in the sun but that wind was keen so I made it back up the garden cutting back my favourite Greek pink shrubs that are starting to shoot from the bottom.  Spring is definitely coming to my hillside, the forsythia is at last beginning to turn yellow and noticed that there are just so many daffodils dotted around the garden.  I also noticed that my wild plum trees have started to flower and the cherry tree won't be far behind.

Inside by three, I got my head down for around a couple of hours after I'd lit the fire and felt much better for it.  It's been a running buffet for most of the day ending with a rice pudding dessert and I don't think I can manage anything else before the morning.  I've also hit the water and my head feels much better without the coffee.  Seven fifteen, the boiler is on and I'm thinking that a long soak will be just what the doctor ordered and another early night.  Nothing much on the agenda for tomorrow, maybe more logs and the lawnmower if the weather is warmer and much less wind.   LN.....I'll have a day of seeing how it works out......LN

Monday 13th March

Beautiful morning to wake up to.  The rising sun was more dramatic because of the dark clouds surrounding it but the sharp wind blew them away as the day progressed.  My morning checklist was more or less complete by eight thirty, breakfast of spicy sausage, fried mushrooms and egg. fire laid, supper in the slow cooker and I was thinking about Netflix and decided against it.  I washed and dressed, put on a warm sweat shirt and fleecy hat and grabbed the tools....I had weeds to pull up.  I delayed on that though for a while, I hadn't worked up to tackling it so I moved more pots outside and the big wooden chest that I keep the outside pots in is in situ, near the seating area outside the porch.  It's a useful table top if I need a surface to work on.

So down to it, the little garden between the steps is now weed free and has more day lilies planted in it from another part of the garden.  It's looking a little bare so I'll be buying more plants tomorrow.  I also attacked the under terrace bed, the old forsythia is now longer struggling for life but there was a new plant growing beside it so that's been replanted.  The Festuca has been removed, spit up and some put back and the rest is under the low wall and it can do what it does best, spread and take over.  I really hate weeding but at least I've made a start and certain plants have really over wintered well since the temperatures haven't been so bad and will need planting up in the garden, they're too big for the pots.  Checked on the sweet-peas seeds that I put in a couple of weeks ago and I've got about twenty germinated in a big green bucket.  Not sure if I'm going to leave them where they are and put supports up so that they can climb....last years were a failure so fingers crossed for this year.

Tools away by four thirty, I'd had enough, it was getting colder and time to get the fire going for tonight.  I watched the film that I'd started last night about Eichmann and his capture from Argentina....I couldn't tell if it was going to end with him making it to Israel for a trial so I Googled it and was quite happy to watch to the end once I knew it.  Short interlude, I've got to go down and give the fire the kiss of life or rather put more air up the chimney, there appears to be a lull in proceedings.

All good, there are flames and it's just been fed, I'm about to be fed on spicy sausage, onions and kidney beans that have been cooking with passata all day.  I didn't get that bath this morning so I shall have it tonight to ease out the aches and pains that I know I shall have brought on by my exercise today.....Badedas works wonders.  LN......Student tomorrow ....must get a decent text to work through.......LN

Tuesday 14th March

Another early start and again by eight most of the things on my morning list were crossed off or ticked as completed.  I was cooking the last of the spicy sausages for breakfast, originally it was going to be for a sandwich but I popped an egg into the pan at the last minute so it turned into a full breakfast.  I sat in the stairwell at the table enjoying the morning sun, the wind seemed to have dropped a little but the temperature gauge was showing as minus two outside so maybe I was a little premature with the few pot plants I put out.  Looking at the leaves there doesn't appear to be any damage apart from a couple of daffs that were looking bedraggled yesterday when I put the pots out.  I think it might be time to cut them and stick them in water so see if they will flower or not.

Breakfast over and washing up done. I was aware that I had my student this afternoon and hadn't yet found a text.  I was drawn to the upstairs computer and suddenly it struck me how many computers had become 'old' ones and I decided to boot up one of them to see what treasures it held.  First job was to try and log in to it which became rather a chore.  I thought I remembered the password so I tried it, and another, and another and not access was allowed so I tried the guest log in and that let me in but not to the Control panel.  Fortunately it seemed to get thoroughly confused, I control, alt. and deleted it, tried again, I was in and was able to change the password and I was hoping that that was the end of it.  Deciding to go 'belt and bracers' I set up another administrative account, remembered the password I'd set it up with so now everything is going to, hopefully, be OK.  When I checked on the files I found lots of photographs from my days in Cappadocia and others from Istanbul and I've now decided that it's time to start gathering up all of my photographs and putting them into years and possibly date order......the children might be interested at some point.

At one thirty I was racing around trying to find a text and came up with a Roald Daal book from the bookcase in the lounge.  I started reading the introduction and thought it would be interesting and different so took it with me.  It was all about witches so he read the introduction and I read it after him in a theatrical fashion and I really vamped it up.  Next stage was to get him to write it down as I read part of it to him and he'd absorbed a lot of it and was quoting the end of the sentences to me.  What a little star.  There were several mistakes and he counted them up and said that it would be better the more practice that we have so that's going to be the new formal.  I'll read it first, pick out the new words, write a few questions down and we'll have writing practice.  We had our statutory game of football, he won by twenty goals to eight and that doesn't bother me at all and I went down to sit with his mother.  He followed later and by this time I'd explained the book to his mother and told her about the lesson and she was quite surprised at the subject matter so I showed her the book, explained that he was a well known author so everything was OK.

Home for six thirty, fire lit, supper just needs warming, I made a hot chocolate so supper might not need warming after all.  More gardening tomorrow if the weather is good, apparently we can expect a few more cold nights this week and then we go back to how it was last week. LN......Supper or no supper....that is the question.....LN

Wednesday 15th March

So it was another early start and it was another day of going through the rituals and by eight most things were done.  I made the mistake of thinking that I could wash one of the quilts in the machine and after watching the drum in the machine struggle to go round I decided that it was time to switch it off, rinse it out in the bath and hang it out on the washing line to dry.  Not to waste the water in the machine, I threw in another load and it was all pegged out in a stiff breeze and back in the house by the afternoon before it got damp again. First part of the morning was taken up by taking photos of the dawn and it's amazing how the sunrise is reflected on the windows of both houses....quite impressive to see a sunrise panorama.

I put the rest of last night's supper out for the cats, they picked at the meat and left the rest so over the wall it went for any strays. I had my bonfire and found some more metal that I could cover the bin with to save any stray sparks shooting off anywhere and also to stop cats getting in and throwing the remains on the rest of the garden.  The rest of the day was a 'bitsa' day.  More pots are outside, the straggly daffodils are trying hard to stand perpendicular to the pot so I added supports to help them stand up for themselves.  The chest that houses the cushions I brought out onto the little house terrace having moved the pots from on top of it and then having second thoughts so brought it in through the other door to join the rest of the outside furniture in the little house.  I also cleared the debris from round the red-hot pokers and it looks like I have more individual plants that I can begin to transplant round the garden.  

I came in at around four since it was getting cold, the washing went on the airer and I lit the fire so that it would be completely dry ready to put away in the morning.  Chicken wings and vegetables went into the oven and supper was ready for six, eaten by six thirty and finished off with Greek yogurt.  I have had one visitor this evening, one f the village lads came round with a bag of meat as a gift from Zelinger's son, I shall go round and see her tomorrow and thank her.  I'm not sure what it is yet so it's in the fridge and will be in the freezer tomorrow or the slow cooker...I'll see when I open it up.  Just under six and a half thousand steps today according to the Fitbit and seven out of nine recorded for daily activity totals.  LN......The washing up can wait until tomorrow and overall...it's been a good day......LN

Thursday 16th March

Last night was a silly night again, I slept through an episode of Suits, my latest timewaster, woke up at midnight and went to bed.  Unfortunately that dreamy state that I'd got myself into dissipated and I lay there for a while, succumbed to Sudoku and eventually got my head down around three.  I slept quite soundly but then hit a recurring dream so woke myself up at seven and started my day.    It was seven degrees outside, overcast and sixteen inside the house.  I'd got no plans for today but the way it looked outside with a wind blowing I knew I'd be spending the day inside so the fire was lit around eight and it's been going ever since.

I did the normal things like washing up from yesterday, peeled the mushrooms that were still OK and fried them in butter with a little oil and had them on toast.  The stale bread went out for the birds or whoever else wanted it, some old cheese went out over the wall and I topped up the log basket.  Around ten I settled on the sofa to watch Netflix and the mother of my friend from the bottom village was at my door.  Unfortunately she doesn't speak any Bulgarian, was jabbering away to me in Turkish and with my limited vocabulary I worked out that her daughter had  tried to phone me and as I saw her to the gate her daughter phoned her on her phone and I spoke to her.  Apparently I had three letter waiting for me at the post office and the man would be there to give them to me.  I got in the Nipper and headed down to the post office in the village on the main road, he was there and handed me one Moonpig card, an telephone bill and one for electricity.  Not what I'd expected at all.  I opened up the birthday card and it was from my daughter, posted around six weeks ago...better late than never I suppose which meant that there were still two outstanding birthday cards winging their way across Europe or holed up somewhere in Bulgaria.  

So I topped up the log basket and once again settled down on the sofa and around twelve thirty the phone went again and it was someone else from the post office, I had another two letter and the man was still there and would wait for me.  Again I got the car out of the drive, went to the post office and was handed the cards, the missing two had appeared but he said that they had only arrived later that morning after my first visit and never mind, there was nothing else that I was expecting.  I carried on to Zelinger's house before I put the car away to thank her for the meat that I received last night.  I'd put it in the fridge so when I got home I opened up the bag and it was middle ribs of lamb with a little bit of kidney in there and streaky belly .  I cut off the belly and put it in the slow cooker with a stock cube and I'll switch it off tonight, let it get cold and remove the meat from the fat like my mother used to do...and probably make a stew tomorrow.  The rest is gong into the freezer.

I got my head down this afternoon to catch up on the lack of sleep last night, I tried to phone my friend in England to than her for the card and after three no replies I'm about to email a friend to see where she might have got to....she's normally at home.  I managed to get through to another who's godmother had died to see if he was going to make it to the funeral but there wasn't going to be one...her body had been left for research.  Still very cold outside and the wind is still blowing, time I gave some attention to the fire.  LN.....I'm hoping for a better night tonight.......LN

Friday 17th March

A restful night, early morning, the fire was lingering on from last night and it was soon burning well and I've kept it going most of the day. It turned out to be a lazy day....I had one fairly big success though, I'd taken a photo when I was visiting my friend in Staffordshire, not quite sure whether it was on the phones or camera and eventually I found it but it took ages to get it from the phone to the computer.  By now the clock was moving on so I phoned my friend, who's not really computer literate, told her that I'd found it and decided that the best way to do it was to get the email of the person that wanted it on the phone and give her my email address.  I'm now waiting for her to contact me, I can send it to her friend and then she can print it out and post it to my friend.  Jobs-a-guddun so they say.  

I settled for toast and apricot jam, sorted out the contents of the slow cooker and removed the meat from the fat and that is earmarked for supper.  I mixed the fat with the bird foot, left it in the dish and the next thing I knew was the black cat was trying to sort the wheat from the chaff and eating the bird food.  I'm not sure that the birds will ever touch it again so it might all go over the wall and it will be a fresh start for the birds.  I cleared the kitchen, washed up the slow cooker and the rest of the things from last night, it had rained overnight and was still damp and dreary so any project I had with the garden had hit a brick wall, television went on along with Netflix and that has been the format for most of the day.

I've put my birthday cards up, I'd let the kiddiwinkles know last night that they'd been safely delivered and I had messages back on WhatsApp whishing me another happy birthday.  The messages were very suitable with a Post Man Pat message from my daughter...very saucy.  Another episode of Suits, I slept though it and had a very peaceful afternoon and had to rewind to keep up with the story but they do seem to be dragging it out some what so this afternoon I looked at the films and found a modern day Shirley Valentine type plot but dubbed from the Turkish and set in Croatia.  Passed the time and now I'm down to the kitchen to think about supper even though a packet of crisps that I had this afternoon is sitting very heavily above my stomach.  I'll probably settle for lots of water and nothing else to eat tonight...give my tummy a rest.

Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow, I'm hoping for sun and for the weather to get warmer, there's lot to do in the garden and looking at the grass it seems to have put a spurt on,,,the petrol mower is coming up to the top of the list to be serviced and the new electric needs to be set up, it's still in the box.  LN......I think it's boiler on and a long bath......LN

Saturday 18th March

So my first wake up was at six thirty, I crawled back to be and snuggled down again and it was nine twenty when I came to for the second time.  Late for me but well received.  I had two options on my plate, there was a folk concert in the new cinema taking place to celebrate March 26th which is a national holiday and I could stay home and clear more of the garden.  As the day wore on, the temperature was still down so I decided to make my way to Djebel, go to the concert and at least catch first viewings of our new local cinema and I was really impressed by both.

I left home just before eleven, it officially started at eleven thirty but instead popped into the car shop for a chat with my student's mum for a catch up.  The town was empty, most people either stay home or go into Kardjali shopping or over to Greece for the day and at twelve I took the bull by the horns and went to the concert.  I'd timed it well, the speeches were still taking place and mementos were being exchanged and so the party hadn't really begun.  I stood at the back of the cinema for and then the dancers came on, and my only complaint was that as the dance troops changed, there wasn't enough room for the dancers behind the scenes so they came and sat down with the rest of us and it was up and down like yoyos.  Next time they should save the first three or so rows for the performers....so much less hassle.  I lasted until just before two and went to my local restaurant for rice and chicken leg and then round to my ex=student's house to deliver the grand-daughters birthday present.  It's strange that her name is made up of the same four letters of mine but just rearranged.

I stopped at the shop to get chocolates and an éclair to have with my coffee when I got home.  I arrived around four, lit the fire and settled down with my coffee and cake and Netflix.  The lamp joint went in the oven along with potatoes for roasting, the lamb was very fatty and the cats and whatever else is in the garden tomorrow with have a field day.  The update is late, Suits took over and I kept saying to myself that one more episode and I'd come up to the landing and write up my day.  It's late but I'm here and a new set of photos to boot.  LN.....I've had a really good day...gardening tomorrow if it warms up......LN