Sunday 11th June

By the time that I'd done the update last night it was very late. I slept through until six as per normal, had a bathroom break and then got my head down again and it was nine fifteen when I woke for the second time.  I felt pretty jaded, I'm not used to being out late at night. in a smoke filled, noisy atmosphere, drink is being consumed eagerly, young girls with older men and so this is Bulgaria at night.  I consumed one bottle of water all night, happy enough watching my passenger go back to the stamping ground from previous days and enjoying herself while I'm a voyeur.  I'm a little too old for that now...like my quiet life, I did enjoy the music though.

We were circulating around ten thirty, my compatriot in crime stayed the night, coffee was consumed and I prepared poached egg on toast for breakfast and sent her on her way around twelve.  Cracked Shell appeared on the terrace so was air-lifted on to the grass and was last seen near the low wall at the bottom of the garden.  They certainly cover a lot of ground and very quickly.  The weather has been mixed today.  It clouded over, the wind which had been quite strong this morning dropped this afternoon but I felt cold, probably the tiredness.  I settled on the sofa this afternoon and managed to get my head down for an hour or so and I shan't be too late tonight.  Trouble is that I didn't have an early start and the day just rushes along, it's almost nine now and I've done nothing today at all.  I've just checked the weather for tomorrow and we are supposed to have clouds and sunshine with a high of twenty four degrees so if there's more sunshine than cloud I'm off to find a swimming pool.  There's not much to do in the garden and a day relaxing by a pool would be just right.  LN.....Camera charged so will update you with what I get up to.......LN

Monday 12th June

So my plans for today were blown to smithereens when the clouds started to roll over around twelve today.  I saw the sun rise at six more or less. there were a few clouds in the sky, it came out, hid itself, clouds dissipated and so I made breakfast of beans on toast with a view to going to the pool if the clouds rolled away.  Instead I settled on the balcony in a body, lashed on the sunscreen and baked for a couple of hours or so until the clouds came over again....only this time it seemed more serious.  The thunder started around one this afternoon so the pool was out, more clouds gathered and they got very black so I brought the chair and cushions in and settled on a film on Netflix to fill my afternoon.  I suddenly realised that I'd left my camera on the box outside so rushed out and came back very sodden, wiped it down and took a picture to make sure that it was working OK.  

Along with the rain it also got very cold so at five I lit the fire, it seems silly to be doing this in June but I still find it very comforting.  So after I'd lit it I pan-fried a couple of pork chops that I'd taken out of the freezer this morning, used the rest of the can of beans and served it up with the prepared potato salad from Lidl, eaten with the plate balanced on my knee watching a Barbara Streisand film,  I checked my ready to watch list and it was on there....maybe my daughter added it.  So this morning's efforts have left me with 'redness' on the tops of my legs which as I always used to tell the children....'it will be brown tomorrow' but in this case it might just disappear.  I've just checked out the weather for tomorrow and again it's predicting that we'll have another stray thunderstorm in the afternoon....this is getting a little boring now.  What's happened to those long sunny days?

Student tomorrow so have to print out a text and must make sure that I have all pages covered.  I think also some questions for him to work on for his homework.  It will be gardening for me tomorrow morning or another couple of hours in the sun to build up the tan gradually if it shows its face.  LN......Might even start watching Last Kingdom again or start reading the books.....LN

Tuesday 13th June

Five thirty start and it could have something to do with the fact that I went to bed early for me.  The weather had really closed in and I could hear the drip. drip of the rain onto the balcony railing.  It's only in one place and there used to be an old sock there but obviously removed when I had the railings painted.  Note to self...new sock required.  I played a few games, out of bed by seven thirty, washed and dressed, washing into the machine and put on the clothes airer in the guest room.  I finished the beans off on toast for breakfast, washing up done and my day was mine.

The terraces were drying off but the mist was really slow to lift.  The sun did break through so at around ten thirty I did a walk round the garden to see if any of the tortoise had made it out from the proximity of the wall and I found all five of them.  Rosy was the first one just below the mulberry and Little Purple was very near to her.  Blue was near the walnut tree bed, Cracked Shell was near to the bonfire pit and Green God half way near the base of the high wall and they were all trying to find a little patch of sun.  Too cold and they freeze, too hot and they cook in their shells and I suppose the garden is perfect, there are many places to hide away.  Avatar popped over mid morning with two cards and she couldn't work out which was the bank card.  I looked at them and spotted that, yes one was a bank card but the other was her health insurance card for when she's in Germany.  I told her that I had my student this afternoon and did she want anything from Djebel, se mentioned tomatoes so I gave her two of the four that I had in the fridge and said we'd settle up later.  She did say that if I could get any spicy sausage that she liked, would I, so it was added to the list along with the tomatoes that I knew she wanted more of.  I printed off the lesson planner and when I got to the shop he was in deep conversation with his mum.  Apparently he'd had his final assessment to see if he was changing school and going to Kardjali next term which he wants to do.  I asked if they'd had a mock exam to prepare for the final and nothing, absolute tosh and he felt quite disappointed with how he'd performed in the written Bulgarian and there is only a maths paper to do...that's all they are measured on.

We did the lesson, another chapter of the book and it was another funny one.  There weren't many difficult words in it and he does read with such feeling that it makes me smile.  We finished up fairly quickly, went downstairs to the shop and he fetched ice-creams for both of us and I sat with his mother for a catch-up.  I stopped off at the shop on the way home and bought bread for the freezer, spicy sausage for Avatar and myself and tomatoes for her.  I took them over with the bill so that she can see what I spent and I told her we'd settle up in the morning.  I walked home, cooked a spicy sausage with onions and had it with the prepared potato salad and I'm hoping that Lidl have more when I go there next time.  It's turned into a very pleasant eventing, not a breath of wind and hopefully we will restore the June sunshine and fingers crossed for a pool sometime this week.  LN.....Time to  switch off and relax.....my work is done for this week......only need to track my Fitbit replacement sent today......LN

Wednesday 14th June

Another five thirty start, load of washing in the machine, things to take with me for my weekend away with the ladies from Djebel.  I played silly games but managed to get out of bed by seven, washed and dressed, washing pegged out, it looked like it could be a good day but it didn't turn out that way.  I had self suggested the swimming pool but as the day wore on the clouds gathered and althoug threatening rain, it hasn't so far but that doesn't meam that it won't.

Breakfast was a tomato sliced and fried in the pan from last night.  I had used it for a spicy sausage with onions and there was a slight tinge remaining but, salt, pepper I managed to cover two slices of toast with the tomato and I sat at the table in the stairwell to eat it.  I looked up and there was Avatar lingering on the terrace, she'd come to pay me for the shopping that I got yesterday but since I didn't have any change and only a twenty note myself, she went home with her money intact.  I'll catch her another time.

I settled down and watched what I'd slept though last night on Netflix, made a call to the UK around one and then felt that I should do something constructive or destructive so I unravelled the cable, connected it to the supply and found the man-sized hedge trimmer from the workshop and it was a day for cutting back the shrubs that had finished flowering or put on spurt growths.  I'd been looking at them for a few days, the forsythia in the little garden had shot up and so had the one near the lonesom pine and the lavetera behind it was going to have a rough time so now it has more light as does the potentilla next to it.  And it didn't stop there...the hydraenger has more light, the lilac and its mate next to it have lost around two feet and the cows over the wall have lots of new stuff to go at.  It's quite a heavy machine, I tried the hand held battery trimmer but it just didn't cope with the thickness of the branches.  Around four it really looked like rain so the washing came in but the heavy clouds disappeared, I think Avatar tacking her grass has frightened them away.  Tools away by seven and now I'm thinking about supper and I think it's going to be chicken dippers with chippies...the diet can start after the weekend away.  It's just hit me that the lily season is upon me....I have white ones, yellow ones, apricot and the orange day liles that are scattered round the garden.  Note to self....must transplant more of those to the rest of the garden and also the hypericum to the bottom beds as ground cover.  LN.....Late start but I achieved more than I set out to do....even bringing into play the stepladder at one point......LN

Thursday 15th June

Early start again and I'm beginning to get tired of waking up at five thirty on the dot and instead of going back to sleep, I start my day.  Coffee, games, down to tidy the kitchen from last night, washed and dressed and at eight thirty I was going into Djebel to raid the cash machine.  There were only two people in the queue this morning so not long to wait and I dumped my car and hoped that nobody needed to go in or out and I was in luck.  I cleared the road for other users and drove to my student's mum's shop and she was surprised to see me so early in the morning.  She had a few customers but the streets weren't really aired and after fifteen minutes I made my move to the hardware shop next door but it didn't have what I wanted and then I remembered lightbulbs for the porch light.  It had pinged last night, I had forties but no sixties and I can't understand why I'm out of them.  The supermarket had them so I bought two and drove home, I had nothing else to buy or do.

I popped over to see Avatar who was sitting in her garden, she hadn't looked too good last night when I'd delivered supper, shattered from doing the grass yesterday.  I looked at mine this morning and decided that it can probably wait until Monday since I'm away this weekend with the 'ladies' from Djebel.  I sat down and on the table she had cheesy bread and told me that it was for me.  I'd had toast before I'd left for Djebel, now it was ten thirty.....heading up for elevenses.  It was a pleasant morning, I apologised that supper wasn't all that interesting but she said when you've not prepared anything yourself, anything is better than nothing so I agreed with her and we laughed about it.  

I came home and changed the lightbulb in the porch, made coffee and settled down on the sofa and put Netflix on and it wasn't long before my eyelids had gone southwards and I was out for the count for about an hour.  The next hour I was half asleep and half awake and eventually I get myself back together again and went out to work on the garden.  I took the branch cutter from the little house and cut some fairly big branched off the acacia that's near the well in the grave garden.  The poor acer that came from England was in the shade so now it's not and can see sunlight....that's when it's not raining.  It's gong to be a beautiful tree in about ten yeasrs and hopefully I'll see it.  I chopped the heads off the iris, tried to clear the brambles from the honeysuckle but it's in flower so didn't really want to disturb it too much.  I also took the honeysuckle away from the one lavender bush that's got really purple flowers on it, the others are more old English and grey tinged.  I sprayed a few pots with blue and green paint, took seedlings from pots and put them into other pots to make decent displays and another day, it will be finished.  No need to water tonight, we've just had a few spots of rain while I was putting everything away and as for supper, not really interested at the moment, bath and bed.

Avatar is having a few of us round for lunch tomorrow and then I have packing to do.  I have to be in Djebel by seven on Saturday morning so everything needs to be ready for lift off from here around six thirty.  LN......I'm going to run the bath, soak and relax.....LN

Friday 16th June

Another early start but I was slow getting off the mark and up and at it.I eventually got washed and dressed by eight thirty, cooked the remaining spicy sausage and had it with a couple of eggs, tidied the kitchen and remembered that I had apricots that were going over so the boys and girls were in for a treat this morning.  I walked the garden carrying the bowl and first job was to find my tortoise and first in line was Little Purple who showed no interest at all, I found Blue chasing Cracked Shell and an apricot took his mind off other things, Rosy was next and she had two of them leaving on in the bowl.  I went back to see how the others were doing and Green God must have been hiding so found half an apricot and moved it towards Green and he scoffed it down and all I found of the others were the stones.  

I didn't do much this morning, I had a lunch date for eleven thirty at Avatar's house so headed over and landed a job furniture removing to the back of the house for more privacy.  We also had to borrow chairs from Haciber's house, the lamb had been cooked with rice and I remembered to take my camera, it needed a photo for the relatives back in Germany.  The lamb was tender, the rice cooked to perfection, ice-cream to follow with a chocolate cake to take home.  It had been a while since I'd seen some of the ladies and today was an event for them but in some ways a shepherd's pie might have been easier for them to eat.  I'll probably do that later in the year, there aren't many teeth left.  I helped tidy away when the ladies had left, they don't sit around chatting like at an English gathering...food is the priority and I was home for about three.  I was right, the photo had to go to Avatar's daughter in law.

Home for three, nodded off and was awakened by my friend from Fotinovo for a catch-up on the legal side of her life and everything is going swimmingly.  She had messaged me and because I was asleep hadn't picked up the message, she stayed for an hour or so and then I was determined to get my packing underway and now it's done.  I'm only taking my leather rucksack, just need something to keep the rain out and that's ready to go.  Apparently Sunday is going to be fine, Saturday showers but that seems to be par for the course at the moment.  Lunch fortunately was in the middle of two showers.  LN.....Early night for me...I have to be in the Nipper and away to Djebel by six fifteen, the coach leaves at seven.....switch on Bulgarian brain......LN

Saturday 17th June

So much for my two days away seeing the sights.  I set both of the alarms on the phones last night so that I could get up in time and have realised that going away for two days is almost as difficult as packing for a two week cruise.  I hadn't been given the information as to what happening when only that I was to be in Djebel by the school by seven and I was there for ten two so well in time.  The journey was OK, it was a small minibus and I had a singel seat which meant that I didn't have to disturb anybody for anything.  The weather didn't look very promising but I was prepared with a fully waterproof jacket which I didn't manage to get wet, and somehow I managed to stay out of most of it but missed one of the highlights apparently while sheltering with other people in the holy place.  

First pit stop was at eight fifteen and I managed to get a cheesy whirl but I think they forgot the cheese and a bottle of water that's kept me going for  the  rest of  the day and will do tomorrow.  The first place  that  we really stopped was Tryavna, I'd been there before, lots of dinky doo shops and we all seemed to go in different directions.  There was some confusion as to when we had to be back at the bus, at first it was two hours but some were told two and a half so some headed back early and moaned about it.  Unfortunately the heavens opened as we were walking back, I just got back in time so managed to stay dry.  Eventually all were assembled and  we set of for Dryanova and it was decided that we would check into the hotel first before we set off for the  monastery and this took some time booking us all in and paying upfront so by the time we got going it was late, the weather was really setting in and again splinter groups were established and I joined the  one that didn't see the caves that were also something you should not miss.

All back to the bus, no plan for supper and no breakfast served in the hotel so it's going to be a buy what you can locally.  I joined up with a lady and her grand-daugher and we settled for hamburgers that were food but not to be raved about, left that group and found more of the  group drinking near to the hotel, stuck it out for a while but am now esconced in my double  room, it's only half past eight and I suppose I've got Angry Birds and Sudoku for company.  I didn't manage to get the  program installed for resizing photos in bulk so you will have those to look forward to tomorrow.  I've asked for the  program for tomorrow but apparently there isn't one so I'm on a mystery tour.  LN.....I think it  might  be the first and last of my away days with the ladies......LN

Sunday 18th June

So bed followed shortly and I was awake at three thirty.  Unfortuantely the bed had got one of those waterproof covers on and I was in a wet patch so moved sides and settled down again.  The room was warm, I'd opened the window because I'm used to fresh air but it had been closed by mine host, there was 'climatic' but I don't like the noise.  I was out of bed by seven and by eight was buying a coffee at a coffee bar near to the hotel, the others appered in dribs and drabs and having done my packing was able to deliver it to the loading bay in good time for lift off.  Today seemed a little more planned but no sooner had we set off that someone must have told the driver that there were things to see where we were staying and we were offloaded and heading for the old school and the church with myriads of icons on show so lots were purchased and we climbed the stairs to the school.  It was set out in the ages that the education developed starting with sand trays, blackboards, paper and fountain pens on the last desk.  It was fascinating for the locals, the blackboard had old Bulgarian written on it and since most of the ladies were teachers, the visit went down well.

We visited Gaborvo and a craft village that had been specially created to show the work of the area.  There were lots of school children about and it was very interesting seeing the artisans at work.  A lot of work was looked at, they didn't look particularly happy perhaps they weren't selling enough,  After that we went to see another monastery and ended up at Shipka and the Shipka Pass.  I've been there a few times before so made the steps but not the tower but still happy to be making the one hundred and forty steps thereabouts.  We missed out on Kazanluc which I really love especially the Shipka Memorial Church but maybe next time and carried on to Stara Zagora which I really must pay a visit to.  Apparently it's the sixth largest city in Bulgaria and worth a look in its own rights.  

It was now getting on for five thirty so we headed back to Djebel and arrived at seven.  I filled up the car with the luggage and headed for home and by seven thirty I'd unlacked, the washing was in, I'd delivered buffalo yogurt to my Avatar as a present and watering my pots around eight.  Washing is on the airer and if it's a good day tomorrow, I'm destined for the swimming pool in Kardjali.  LN.....It's been a good two days and I'd join the ladies again.....Bodrum has been mentioned for September....LN

Monday 19th June

So my early night did me no favours at all, I was awake at three, managed to get off eventually and woke up at seven.so not so bad after all.  I didn't bother with breakfast, put yesterday's washing away, washed and dressed and ready to go places by eight but just a little too early to go anywhere.  I watered the pot plants, they're not used to being without water with all the rain that we've been getting and they perked up immediately.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it made my decision for me...I was off to the pool for a day in the sun.

I drove to Djebel and had a few words with my student's mum and delivered her a small present from the holiday.  She was over the moon with it, I'd bought some wind chimes thinking that she could put them in their sun house in the garage where they have their barbecues but instead she said that she was going to hang them in the shop and give them the occasional knock.  They've got a very pleasant ring to them...almost like a Buddhist chime.  I carried on to the swimming pool and was there for about ten thirty and there was no one swimming or even lying on sunbeds....it was empty.  The owner gave me a friendly greeting as did the other two that help him out, one of their grandchildren was swimming in the pool, it appears to be grandad's way of baby sitting.

I had the pick of the sunbeds, stretched out for a while and then slowly but surely got into the four foot end and started doing widths.  I managed to keep it up for about thirty minutes, went back to the sunbed, stretched out and just let the warmth get through to the bones.  It's such a nice feeling and nobody watching or competing,,,,just me ladling on the suncream.  I had my next swim around two thirty and did around the same length of time in the pool.  Last year it was taking me twenty five strokes to get across the pool and I counted them and I was still takiing the same stroke pattern.  Another stretch to dry off, more suntan cream and eventually left the pool at three thirty and headed into Kardjali to do a little shopping.  I paid my phone bill, bought a pair of Bulgarian shoes for pool days and hanging about, moved the Nipper to a new location and went to check with DHL as to why my package from Fitbit was, according to my tracking number, stuck in Sofia and when he checked it out he said that they had it in the office.  I confirmed my identity, he said that they only did runs to Djebel on Tuesdays and Fridays so I had it there and then...saved them a trip out to the sticks.

Shoping on the way back at Lidl, filled up with gas so that if I choose I can head down to Greece one day this week, stopped in Djebel for a few items and then tomato delivery to Avatar.  I cooked a couple of hamburger for supper and only fancied one so I put the other between two slices of bread, wrapped it in foil and took that over for her supper.  Share and share alike is our motto.  Grass cutting tomorrow morning while it still remains dry and student tomorrow afternoon, then my calendar is clear for the rest of the week.  LN.....Not a bad life egh and it's supposed to be sunny all week.......LN