Sunday 19th March

A Happy Mothers day to all mothers out there.  I'd forgotten all about it until my daughter phoned me and reminded me, we'd discussed it earlier, decided that Moonpig and it's delivery processes need revaluating so we've settled on a celebration and we'll celebrate when my daughter and co.  It wasn't a cold morning but by the time that I went out to work outside the wind had got up.  My first sojourn out was to take out the bones and fat left over from my last night's supper and my goodness was it fatty.  I ended up with three very short chops still left in a block because no way could I cut through the bone but I had managed to cook some very tasty small roasted potatoes.  Nothing wrong with the lamb, a little chewy but when I checked after about thirty minutes....not even the main bone was left only one lump of fat that even the cats couldn't manage.  I washed up the roasting trays and they went back in the cooker and drain cleaner followed the water down the sink...I didn't want any blockages.

As for the rest of the day, I managed to get outside around ten thirty and searched for some garden rods to make supports for my sweet peas that are rocketing in the little house.  I brought them out into the sun, used string, supports and twigs for them to climb up but we haven't reached the tendril stage yet.  I put them back in the little house at close of play, they're not very strong yet.  Second thing to come out was the garden bench.  I'd sanded it down last autumn, I found some old brown paint which turned out to work well with the pine and the bits that wouldn't sand off.  It looks very original and tonight it's in the garage and Ill find a space for it soon.  I toyed with the idea of letting down on a rope its counterpart which is currently in my upstairs bedroom and it does required a new overcoat.....another day and it will get done.  I really need someone on the terrace to catch it when I let it down from the balcony.

I came in at a four this afternoon, it was getting colder and I thought it was time to light the fire but firstly to get a load of logs in.  Fire going by five, I put Netflix on and carried on with Suits and suddenly remembered that I hadn't tidied up outside so I put the TV on hold and did what was required.  Another job was to uncover the cover from the Beast and remove the rug from the bonnet and strangely enough, everything was dry but I'll take the Beast in on Tuesday for a wash and brush up and give it a good run to charge the battery.  I might be needing it when my daughter and co are here.  No supper for me, last night's lamb is still sitting heavy, phone call from my daughter and text from my son for mother's day....and sun into the bargain.  LN......Feel I've had a day of achievements.....lawn mower service is the next on the list.....bring it on....LN

Monday 20th March

Seven thirty start and I noticed the sheep marauding across the hillside, some skipping, some hobbling and some stopping to munch and then rushing to find a new patch to munch on.  They made their way down to the lake, all stopped for a drink and then the dogs barked and they all made there way back towards where they'd come from, through the field next to my wall and to the main road.  After that they followed the road to the farmers field between mine and the next village under the watchful eyes of the dogs patrolling the main road and barking at every car that passed.  Noisy things...that's the sheep and the cars.

It was going to be a good day, the washing went in, food went out for the cat, I made toast and jam for me, washed and dressed for the garden ...it was going to be a good day.  The temperature outside must have been sixteen today, I was tempted to take off my sweat shirt but remembering that it was wrong to' cast a clout until May was out' but that can only apply to the UK....but I was wary today.  It was one of those days when I start a job, notice another on the way and do that one, remember what I was about and start something else.  Things get done but not necessarily in the right order.  I did manage to clear a path through the woodstore to the little terrace and took the mower outside, the bench that I'd painted yesterday was moved to the little house terrace and somehow the then found myself on the wrong end of a garden fork and I'd attacked the old bonfire garden.  I cleared most of that and planted up some poppies that were in the wrong place, went back to the mower with the petrol can and topped it up with fresh stuff, checked the oil and topped that up too and took the bull by the horns, primed the machine and first one, it tried to start up, second time it did.  Success on a plate and I could strike the job off the list.  I left it running for a couple of minutes, turned it off and left it in the sun to get used to being outside again.  Back to the gardening and finished clearing the bed I'd started, moved on to the old vegetable garden and cleared another two sections and by now I'd had enough so went in for coffee and cake.

Washing in at four thirty, tools away, mower back in the woodstore and I've just spent time going round the garden admiring the number of different types of daffodils that I have and realising the garden is coming to life.....I love spring.  I also realise that I have a lot of chickweed near to the walls so this year it might be a case of removing the old wooden garden surrounds that need replacing and mowing up to the wall...it makes more sense as I get older, it's more to keep on top of.  Having demolished a large lump of cheese I'm not even considering supper yet.  I'll see how I feel later.  LN.....Today has felt like a real spring day......LN

Tuesday 21st March

Very early start this morning, I woke up, couldn't get back off so started my day early.  There was a red horizon but clouds obscuring anything that was going to happen and when the sun eventually broke through, it didn't do much to raise the temperature,  I did most of the chores, made a cheese omelette for breakfast and it was still only nine thirty so wasted about an hour on Sudoku and eventually turned to Netflix.  Main task this morning was to prepare for my student's lesson, I photocopied the first story in the book, typed up twelve questions about the text.  

I eventually got in the shower and washed my hair, I'd been meaning to do it for a couple of days and felt so much better when it was done. dressed ready for my lesson and was in the Nipper by two fifteen and heading into Djebel.  I managed to park outside the fishing shop, sat down with his mother for an hour or so and went up to the apartment to start the lesson.  We had around five minutes of football before we started and I was whacked....it's too much like hard work these days and the spring weather is making my knees sore and tender.  Eventually we sat down and he managed to read around eight pages of text and with feeling, he wasn't only reading the words he was reading the story...thank you Roald Dahl.  We completed the questions and his homework is to write up the answers to give him writing practice and at five we went down to the shop, he went off to get some food form the café over the road, came down from the apartment and tried to put his mother over a barrel to go out for food when his father and brother finished work at the garage.  We managed to avoid it, she had prepared supper already so I sat with them until six thirty and then headed home.  

I burst into action, fire lit, schnitzels out of the freezer and into the microwave. chips into the air-fryer, a tin of beans opened and  supper was on its way.  I'm now stuffed to the gills, the update is late because I sat on the sofa and nodded off after my early morning start and will soon be heading to bed for an early night.  I'm taking the Beast up for a wash and brush up tomorrow and then might head into Kardjali for a few things or do some more gardening if it's warm enough to be out there. LN....... It would be lovely if Monday's weather could be replicated.......LN

Wednesday 22nd March

Sleep of the just last night and woke up very refreshed at seven thirty.....much much better.  Bad news was that all of the plans I had for getting the Beast spruced up went by the wayside...it was raining so what was the point of having it shampooed and hovered inside when I was going to tread mud throughout.  Instead I put washing in the machine and dried it on the airer in the upstairs bedroom and decided to catch the rainwater in the barrel which meant establishing the said barrel in the yard on the bricks and aiming the downpipe into the contraption that had been installed to filter the water from the roof.  It was easy putting the barrel in place, more difficult to aim the downpipe into position so I decided to undo the brace that hold it to the wall and with that the whole lot came crashing down.  So removed the bracket and the washer holding it in place so that I could position everything properly and then I dropped the nut and that meant a trip up to the upstairs of the little house to find another one from a new bracket.  So back down the ladder grabbing the  pincers as I came through the workshop and back to the job in hand.  Eventually the new nut was on the bracket, everything was back in place and the job had been more difficult, the falling rain was very cold and my finger had gone numb but success, the barrel was filling up and then the rain stopped.

Tools away and while I was in the little house I noticed that some of the pots were pretty dry so I moved them outside and watered them out there.  It's time the oleander went out anyway so I took the seed pods from them, neatened them up and out they went.  It's time I got some more seeds going anyway and they all need repotting, they've outgrown the ones that they were once babies in.  By now it was getting on for twelve so I went inside, checked emails and the likes and then took some of my ancestry papers that I wanted to review and that's when it all got complicated.  I signed up to Scottish People but I suppose I'm used to the programme that I use and I found this complicated.  It's not subscription based but you buy credits and then pay for certificates.  I confirmed and verified some of the information that I had previously but couldn't make head nor tail of some of the others and got really frustrated trying to work my way through it.  I also found out that some of the same records are on my ancestry programme so I was working out whether or not I need the other records....In the end I gage up since it was heading on for half four so I went out and locked up the little house, came in and lit the fire, put a belly pork chop in the oven, made a barbecue sauce from scratch, sliced up two potatoes into chunks and the pork and potatoes went in the oven  After half an hour the sauce went on the pork, I settled down to a few episodes of Netflix and one hour later, supper was ready, the washing up can wait until tomorrow.

I've just noticed the time...again I started looking at Trees on my ancestry site and nothing made sense any more and after an hour, switched it off, decided to do my update and sorry, no pictures, especially of a clean car....tomorrow is another day.  LN.....My fire needs attending to......LN

Thursday 23rd March

So last night I went upstairs to put the washing away from the airer and somehow I found myself on the computer and adding more details to my own ancestry chart.  I had the bare bones of my ex husband's family and  I remembered names and stories of his side of the family so I decided to add dates and put them in order and add them to the chart.  At two this morning I closed down the computer, hadn't realised what time it was, slept really solidly and woke just before seven feeling full of the joys.  It had rained overnight, the terraces were wet and it was cold outside and it took until ten before there was a glimmer of sun and it really only was a glimmer.  I wasn't sure what to do with my day so I dressed reasonably and at eleven I'd started the engine of the Beast and decided that it was time that it got cleaned off for the summer.  I left it running for around twenty minutes to make sure the battery was charged enough to get me to the garage, drove straight there but left the lights off until I hit the town so it didn't drain the battery...it had been a long time without a good run.  The Beast scrubbed up nicely, not many people about so I got good service and I also mentioned the oil drum and they had put one ready for me.  He moved it over nearer to the garage and I asked him to cut it about two thirds / one third so I could have the big one for rubbish and the smaller one for flowers and no sooner the word than the blow.  We got them both in the back of the Beast, tied them in place so that they wouldn't fall over and I set off back to the town.  I went to the garage shop and I'd thought about getting a radio with a USB connector so bought one at the shop , took it down to the garage and they fitted it for me....much better for long journeys.  

A quick stop at the supermarket for essentials including a bag of caramel chocolates for nibble times, bread and a fruit loaf.  Of course I had to buy an éclair to have with my coffee when I got home, settled down on the sofa and promptly went to sleep.  I woke up at four, lit the fire since it was now getting cold and damp and threatening rain and we're still waiting for it.  I've just been out to take photos and heard a couple of local ladies taking a walk and was surprised, it was my neighbour from the bottom of the village with her cousin from Turkey and I've been invited for fluffy pancakes tomorrow mid morning.  Lovely crescent moon tonight and one of the planets close by.  I never know which one it is,,,I've got an app on my phone but don't have much success with it.  Not really in the mood for supper, the fruit loaf took a hammering while I was watching the end of Suits on Netflix...it is no more so have to find something else to watch.  LN.....I really must start getting the house sorted for visitors......LN

Friday 24th March

What a day!!  I spent around three hours talking to my internet security provider and it cost me money to take out another subscription but this time for three devices so not so bad.  Tomorrow I shall be setting up my new computer and installing everything I need to.  Why are there such people in this world that try to scab off the backs of other to make a living.  Money is driving everything including junk mail and conning others out of money driven by getting one over on people by deceit.  Rant over.  I pay subscriptions so that it doesn't happen to me but the hoops we have to jump through to try to protect what is our own.

So afterwards I set to printing off old photographs for my neighbours that have been hanging around for too long.  I decided that scanning them wouldn't 'cut the mustard' so to speak and I ended up taking photos of photos,  printing them out and framing them and it worked a treat.  I tried to scan them but the photos were too damaged and too dark but at least I found the solution.  I'd arranged yesterday to visit my neighbour at the other end of the village and she was cooking the fluffy pancakes and I watched the whole process.  Normally they just get delivered.  As I walked down to her house the rest of the village ladies were bench sitting and they were taking the sun.  I'd got four photographs in frames for my breakfast meeting but didn't show the ladies what I had in the bag, too many other photographs would be taken out of drawers and delivered on my doorstep.  I can only provide so many picture frames...tell one and they'll all want one and the recipients were overjoyed.

We sat in the garden in the sunshine with the pancakes and two lots of syrup to dip them in.  My favourite is made from pine tips, the other was quince and I was surprised that it was red in colour....strange.  I set off for home around one, the ladies had gone back to their homes and I set about doing a few jobs that needed doing.  I had two little metal owls hooks for a birthday present, they needed putting up so I found some screws in the workshop and now they're attached to the oak beam over the outside of the kitchen window.  Temporarily there is a bunch of dried lavender hanging on one of them and more dried lavender in bags on the other.  I tidied out the porch, filled up one of  the log carriers and then filled up the log basket.  With the threat of my two ladies from this morning hanging over me, the hoover came out and I sorted out a few things that were in the wrong place and at four this afternoon I was sitting down with a coffee and trying to find a film on Netflix...series are too addictive.  I was just getting in to it when the ladies arrived so it was TV off, the one hadn't been in the house before so was given a guided tour by my other neighbour and she loved the house and was enamoured by the woodburner and the fact that it gave me central heating.  She lives in Turkey but it obviously hasn't caught on in her neck of the woods.  Now I have one more photo to print and frame of her grand-child, we used WhatsApp to get it to my phone and the rest will be done tomorrow.

A strange occurrence this afternoon, three helicopters came over in procession and I tried to photograph them around three weeks ago......I really mush find out what it's all about.  Supper is sitting on the kitchen work surface and I shall do something about it when I've posted.  More of the same weather tomorrow please...I've got wood to get in and starter wood to chop.  LN.....A woman's work is never done.....LN

Saturday 25th March

Half five start this morning and not really sure why.  I put the kettle on to make coffee and then made my way upstairs to the computer and spent the next hour or so trying to get the printer to print proper coloured photos instead of making the baby in the picture look as if jaundice had set in..  Eventually I gave up, this printer is good for black but its day had come, it's going to be relegated into the sewing come computer bedroom for printing off reports and records from my ancestry programme.  It will save me running backwards and forwards.

I never did get that coffee.....I spent more time on my security provider phone line and now all is good again.  My only beef is that it took fourteen minutes to get connected but at least it did tell me how long I would be waiting before an engineer was available.  Thank goodness for WiFi calls.  So now my problem was that I couldn't print the photo that I'd promised so I went down to the house at the other end of the village and told them that they wouldn't be getting the photo in the morning but I would do what I could to deliver. I was trying to remember if there was a photo studio in Djebel and I drove in and asked my student's mum and fortunately my ex-student knew where they should be operating and unfortunately, we found the shop but no one home.  I was now in a dilemma....drive to Kardjali and look for someone to print it off or to buy a new printer and do it myself hopefully before the recipients left for Turkey.  I went in the first shop and they had the product but no one came to help me in the sale so I walked out and on to the next shop.  The assistants were great, the manageress even tried to speak English to me but i think my Bulgarian was better, I made my choice, paid for it, went back to Lidl car park and job was a goodun so to speak.  I topped up with a few things from Lidl while I was there, drove home, set up the printer, printed the photo and delivered it around one fifteen so not bad.  They left for Turkey around two, called in to sat thank you again and invited me down to their home....and they live near the sea.

Despite the sun I wasn't tempted to go gardening, I put the TV on and slept for an hour or so waking up feeling chilled.  I'd opened the windows this morning, the wind had got up and the temperature in the house was dropping so I closed the windows, put a sweater on and made that coffee that I'd promised myself that morning.  I flicked through Netflix and got into the Musical section, stated to watch the new Matilda but wasn't enjoying it so a little more flicking and I found the new Annie, started watching it, put it on pause half way through, lit the fire and then went back to it.  Not at all like the original but really very enjoyable.  The fire is going well, I've got enough wood in for the night and now it's time to get some hamburgers on the go for supper.  It's been a good day but the clouds have rolled over now so not sure what tomorrow will bring.  LN.......So I shan't be wasting time trying to get the old printer working....frustration over......LN

Sunday 26th March

So again I was on the sofa at two this morning watching nothing...Netflix had turned itself off.  The downside was that I'd already had three hours of disturbed sleep so there wasn't much sleep in me so I was playing games until three and eventually nodded off and unfortunately woke at seven thirty, or so I thought....I'd forgotten that the clock had sprung forward and thankfully my outdoor weather station had updated. A quick trip round the clocks and everything was as it should be.....the Nipper I will change later.

It was a little windy but I had a bonfire to get rid of the rubbish, the washing had finished and was pegged and I was looking around for things to do.  I trimmed back one of the later shrubs that hadn't started its summer effort and used the trimmings to fill up the old bucket with the newly germinated sweet peas so that they had even more to climb up.    My next effort was to cut back the rose and honeysuckle near the entrance gate and re-tie the rose to the railings on the wall and make it easier to grab the rope that holds back the gate when I'm getting cars in and out.  Working out the front of the house I saw people that normally I don't come into contact with going about their normal business.  Zelinger was out with her son and on their way to the graves in the village and I saw one of the young girls and the update on her grandfather is not good. He's the one that that used to help out the old ladies but now he's on his way tomorrow to the hospital in Plovdiv for treatment.....his lungs are not good.

So tools away and I was out this afternoon so had a shower and washed my hair and was in the Nipper for two thirty.  It was a sad day, my friend from Fotinovo went to England for treatment and never came back....today was a day for his Bulgarian friends to wish him well on his journey over the other side.  I miss him too and was made aware that I was the last person to speak to him before he died, I'd had a missed call at two thirty in the morning so phoned him back and we spoke for about half an hour.  He'd come to believe that death wasn't the end and promised to see me over the other side.  I did ask permission to leave it for a while....I still have things to do...   It was good to meet his wife's family and to see our mutual friends again.  We sat in the garden, the sun was shining and when the temperature dropped we went inside and there was only a few of us left.  

I drove home and arrived at six thirty and it was all systems go.  The washing is in from the line, the chicken is in the oven and the fire is going and all that within half an hour of arriving,  It's been an emotional afternoon, some people are just 'missed'.  LN.....Hurry up chicken......LN

Monday 27th March

It was five thirty when I woke this morning and it's the first early one since the clocks went forward,,  it was so dark I thought I'd mis-read the clock.  I thought about going back to bed until the usual sky woke up but instead I settled in the stairwell with the Kindle and played Sudoku managing to complete and 'Expert' level in record time.  I toyed with the idea of phoning and making arrangements for my Fotinovo visitors suggesting that we visit Zlatograd....it would be a new place for them to see and they go home tomorrow so last opportunity to do something.  I used the potatoes that I'd cooked last night and not eaten to make a potato omelette for breakfast and it went down well and the thought kept nagging me so I made the offer and my friend thought that it was a splendid idea and I made the arrangement for eleven more or less at the house. It was also a chance to take the Beast out for a real spin instead of just driving it to the garage for checkups and cleaning.

The weather looked promising, I was in the Beast just after ten thirty and arrived at the allotted hour, the baby seat was transferred to the Beast and we were all in and ready to leave around twelve.  I stayed within all the speed limits, I had a baby on board and the Beast is so comfortable and easy to drive.  You forget that when it doesn't come out very often,  We arrived and parked up on the hotel car-park, we took a table inside and to the back of the restaurant, everyone ordered and the food, in typical Bulgarian  fashion came in drips and drabs and we eventually go our individual plates.  There seemed an awful lot of food but by the end of it everything had been hoovered up and I offered to pay the bill since the last time my daughter came over, they picked up the bill.  Meal over we went around the old town and the improvement to the old properties continues.  The an that bought up most of the old town has made substantial renovations to most properties and despite the fact that the season hasn't started yet, some of the shops were open but my favourite potter and leather worker weren't operating but perhaps because it was Monday and market day in Zlatograd town.

I drove back to Fotinovo and stopped off for a coffee with the family and left around four thirty and home for five.  The Beast is back in the garage, I was tempted to light the fire but instead sat on the sofa, put the tv on and promptly fell asleep waking up at six so just a short nap and then set the fire going.  It was then that the squall started,  The sky turned black, clouds swept over the hillside, the wind got up, the rain lashed down and the thunder and lightening started....what a change in the weather.  It went on for about an hour, obviously the tv was turned off and then it all settled down again.  No supper for me, I'm stuffed from lunch and only managed a yogurt, that should see me through until morning.  Student tomorrow so I'll have to get my next chapter of Witches sorted for the lesson and a few questions ready that we can work through together.  LN.....It's become one of the highlights of his and my week.......LN

Tuesday 28th March

Six thirty start and another cold, dark miserable morning.  It did start to dry up around ten but there wasn't much of a glimmer in the sky.  I settled for bun loaf for breakfast and I'm still trying to find the elusive cherries that are supposed to fill this purchased delight but to maintain the price, they've cut down on the dried fruit, cherries and anything else that supposed to be in it.  I almost felt like taking a photo at the various states of cutting it open, slice by slice and ask the manufacturers if it had been packaged incorrectly but it would probably make no difference whatever.  

When it came to topping up the woodburner I realised that all that was available was half log that were way too big to fit so the aim today was to get the axe and anything else to spit them to get the fire going.  I also needed starter wood and despite much effort I only managed to cut about ten logs in half to keep it going and others into thirds to get it started.  As for starter wood I've managed to fill one of the big containers so that should see the spring out and then we should me moving into summer.  It still feels along way away though.  Tools away and my next job was to get the book printed up for my student's lesson and some question sheets.  I was in the Nipper by two thirty, at one I could have willingly gone to sleep and forget the lesson but I was there with my boots blacked and it went well.  We had to have the statutory game of football but I'm getting much better at defending my goal but doubt if I'll be signed by anyone in the near future.

Back to the shop for just after five and spent time with his mother and we suddenly started to discuss perfume and the best Bulgarian sites to order from.  We checked out the price of one that I use but the toilet water not the perfume but with summer coming I probably need something lighter.  No sooner the word than the blow, she ordered it for me, it will be delivered to the shop, half the price of the UK and she'll pay when it arrives by courier so I left her the cash.  Home James and the smell of the curry that I'd put into the slow cooker before I left for the lesson reminded me that that was what I was having for supper.  I lit the fire and it was a goer first time, watched the rest of a film I'd started before I left for the lesson as I had supper.  Everything is in the kitchen and will remain there for the morning.  I've got nothing to do that's imperative, but I'm sure I'll find something,  I remembered to bring in the sweet peas, the temperature was definitely dropping as I came home and they're still very tender.  LN...Where's my Spring gone already.....LN