Wednesday 2nd August

So last night I was in an hotel in Sofia after driving from my home.  It's not that I didn't think about writing up the journey but that I fell asleep after a very adventurous day.  I think it's the first time I've missed doing an update so sorry....it was a very hot day yesterday.  It started off when I balanced a bottle of water on the top of my hand luggage in the stairwell next to me and when I reached over to have a drink on the way, the bottle was empty and I had to pull over to take everything from the bag and managing to rescue my boarding pass, computer, and tablets.  They dried out successfully, but I shall have to print my boarding pass for the return journey.  The temperature gauge was playing up again but no major hiccups but I do hate driving on the motorways in BG, the locals regard it as a racetrack and drive accordingly.

I slept well, set the alarm but didn't need to.  I had a shower and was down for breakfast for seven thirty, lots of choice and had already booked my transfers but unfortunately the driver never showed up so had a taxi voucher to the airport.  The transition to the plane was good, we boarded and unfortunately there was a very noisy four-year-old that decided it was going to scream for most of the journey but fortunately he wasn't directly behind me so didn't kick my seat back but upset the people next to me.  I settled for another bacon sandwich and coffee, the journey was very bumpy over France and the winds in the UK and lashing rain was a 'Welcome to the UK'.  This is going to be a short update, my daughter and SIL were there to meet me which meant that I didn't have a train and a taxi to get back home, I stopped off at ASDA and was amazed at the choice of commodities and I was introduced to self service tills with my daughter giving me a training course on how to proceed.  Can't say that I shall be using them.....the CO-OP in my village will do for me.  

I've just put on a sweater, my body has yet to adapt to the temperature change, I'm very sleepy since Bulgaria is two hours ahead and it won't be long before I get into my sleigh bed and pull up the quilt.  No photos tonight, I'll get back to normal eventually, allow me a little slack.  LN.....Lazy day tomorrow and then start to make plans for my time here.....LN  

Thursday 3rd August

So much for my lazy day today and what an interrupted night.  It might have been due to to flight yesterday, but I had foot and toe cramps that resulted in a very disturbed night.  It wasn't just painful, I was trying to push my toes into the mattress to alleviate the discomfort and nothing seemed to work.  Morning came eventually and the day went well.  I noticed that when I arrived the drive was very overgrown and needed love and attention and the hedge needed cutting.  The neighbour had cut his side and the top but this side seems to have gone silly with the weather and put out new growth that definitely needed cutting back and foolishly I offered to do it.  What started off as being a quick task turned into one that started at nine thirty with a hedge trimmer, rake and a broom that turned into a shredder, bags of rubbish and a trip to the dump to dispose of the garden rubbish officially.  I've been spoilt, mine goes over the wall at home and the trash gets put into the bonfire....makes life so much simpler.  It took two slices of buttered toast to get me going and then I didn't stop until three when it was tools away, bags of shredded tree cuttings and the long hedge still has to be done.

After the dump we headed to Lidl.  I'd fancied melon for breakfast and ham to make sandwiches with so I left him to park up, bought far more than that including a small chicken to cook for supper.  It went in the oven at five and came out at six fifteen and served it with mayo and Tabasco for those that liked it.....not fussy but effective and it filled a gap.  Dishes in the dishwasher, sat down to watch television and realised that Netflix is a much better bet that trying to organise what to watch in the UK.  

Off with my daughter shopping tomorrow.  She's redecorating the bedroom at home and wants new curtains to match the paint that she's applied to the one wall and new sheets and duvet covers.  It's going tp be a girlie day and I'm sure that we'll find other things to get up to.  Just after nine my time and I'm still adapting to the two-hour time difference between Bulgaria and here. Not a bad day weatherwise, feint glimmer of sun which dried some washing, noisy afternoon with a small plane practicing his loop the loops and the pilot was obviously enjoying him or herself.  No camera shots...far too busy on the end of several pieces of gardening equipment and a big garden tidy-up.  LN.....Bed is calling or at least resting my weary bones with a book on the Kindle......LN

Friday 4th August

Got to bed and went to sleep with the light on and still wearing my glasses.  Mine host came in to switch off the light to save electricity, I woke up and forgot where I was, gave him some abuse for disturbing me and off he went.  I'm just not used to anyone interrupting my sleep whether the light is on or off...living on your own makes you that way.  So I awoke at five which would have been six in Bulgarian time zone, read for a while and eventually got out of bed and down for coffee at seven.  First thing that I spotted in the kitchen was the honeydew melon so I found the largest knife from the draw and cut a large slice, cubed it up and had that for breakfast followed by two slices of toast.  There was no other sounds from the house, except for the kettle boiling so I made coffee and started my day.

I wasn't out with my daughter until eleven and I'm not sure what I filled the rest of the time with, she was on time and we set off for Shoreham by Sea to a very large confusing home wear shop.  No departments were labelled and it was more by pot luck and perseverance that we found what we were looking for.  She had also bought and paid for two items on the internet to collect, decided that she didn't want one of them so she wanted a refund and at that point the checkout froze up and we had to move to another checkout.  The poor assistant was almost pulling her hair out, that till point didn't work either and at the third we were lucky.  Everything went through properly.  Back to the car, my daughter wasn't too familiar with the area so spoke to 'Mercedes' and said 'take me home' and we were on our way.  Technology egh and 'Mercedes' was told she could take a rest and we carried on to Newhaven and finished our shopping, collected food from a shop within a shop and drove home for lunch.  My grandson was on holiday and we had a catch-up...it was a pleasant afternoon and we sat in the garden taking plants, flowers and shrubs and we've earmarked a day for market gardens.  

I was brought home around five by my daughter and SIL, got out my camera and took photos of the garden and now the thing won't connect up to the computer so again not pickies.  I think this little camera has to find a hole to hide in...I shall probably be shopping for a new one.....it's seen better days.  I didn't bother to pack my biggie...didn't think I needed it.....how wrong can you be!!  LN......More hedge cutting tomorrow unless we have rain overnight and then I'll be catching the bus into Brighton.....for a new camera......LN

Saturday 5th August

Six start and it's been a funny old day.  Wind, rain, only ten degrees, down for coffee and I didn't manage lunch until twelve.  I somehow found myself home helping and tidying corners that hadn't been done for a while, I've not been back since Christmas.  I had a conversation with my son last night and he's checking his diary as to when is the best time for me to travel to London to visit.  I didn't think today was a good day, Gay Pride has had a very soggy procession through the town and in some ways it would be described as a washout...but it won't be.  

I sorted out books that need to go to the charity shops, there must have been around four carrier bags to take.  One of his buddies buys them from the same shop, they do the rounds and then they get returned to the same shop and that's where I shall be taking them.  As for the photos that I promised to take, I've had to borrow a camera, no point in going into town today, and the new one was reacting badly to the program that I used to shrink down the pixels.  It just didn't want to play and it must have taken me around an hour to work it all out.  The question is now...will that transfer over and only time will tell.

Short update today.....I've done a good day, the hedge cutting was postponed because of the weather...definitely not the day for doing it.  LN....Promise the next few days will contain more detail.....my days are much different here.....LN  

PS.  The last photo of the clouds looked more like a 'fox face' on a smaller photo.....

Sunday 6th August

On the hunt yesterday and found my mother's bible given to her by her mother on her wedding day.  I knew it was in August and low and behold it was today so I was curious to know how many years they would have been married and it worked out to be ninety-one years.  Strange how things come into your head on or near the dates in question, almost as if something is prodding you with memories of people, not necessarily the events.

Another very early start, meandered around finding clothes that I've not worn for years and should really do something about, a few games of Sudoku until my host had risen from his pit.  I didn't bother with breakfast, planned my day, worked out the bus timetable to fit in with the Sunday morning service at the church I go to.  I was at the bus stop ten minutes before it was due to arrive, I'd not bought my ticket on the phone and the poor bus driver had to give me eight pound coins in change for the two-pound ticket.  I'd asked for a return but somehow he'd not heard it or absorbed it so I ended up with a single which changed the rest of my day.  It was good to see old friends and be welcomed into the church by the president but unfortunately not many people were out and about, the pianist hadn't turned up and singing hymns without music always seems to me impoverished.  The almighty's songs should rise to the heavens accompanied.  The service was OK, I had a few words with others at the end of the service and then the plan came into my head to walk back home via the sea-front along the undercliff walk so headed down to Brighton sea-front to commence the long haul home.  I took some photos but unfortunately the camera that I'd borrowed ran out of battery power so only managed a few, the others are on my phone and that's out of power to so you'll just have to know that I tried, oh how I've tried!!

The walk was long and it took me about one and a half hours to hit Rottingdean without a break, I stopped off at Tesco and bought a pork-pie, something that you can't get in Bulgaria, bread, coca cola and a great big bar of chocolate.  On arriving I checked my Fitbit and I've done almost fifteen thousand steps today and just over ten kilometers so deserved my afternoon nap but unfortunately woke up with horrific cramp in my legs so ran a bath.  I found an old bottle of Badedas and lingered longer than I probably should but felt much better for it.  Now to think about supper and check out what's available in the freezer.   LN......Almost time for bed and I should sleep well tonight.....so far nothing planned for tomorrow...... LN

Photo

Monday 7th August

Again I woke up really early but managed to get to sleep until six so not so bad.  I think I'm still wired into Bulgarian time, I should be OK in a couple of weeks and then it will be all change again.  I played a few games, went on the hunt for my glasses but no joy, I know that I had my readers yesterday but today, they remain hidden.  Another panic ensued, I'd lost the keys to this house, my own were in my handbag and eventually I found them in the folder with my passport where I'd obviously put them after I arrived so now they're in the pot with purses and glasses in cases.  I got into Mrs Mop mode quite early on and have spent a lot of the day on housework but this afternoon I settled into the BMX World Championship competition from Glasgow.  It wasn't what I wanted to watch, I'm more of an indoor track race person but that's not being televised until seven this evening so I'm setting myself up for that.

The weather's been OK today, a few clouds are gathering this evening but at least it's not so cold as it's been since I arrived.  Not much point in bringing half of the clothes I packed though, short sleeved t-shirts and cotton trousers haven't been the order of the day so far so fingers crossed, it might improve, it's August for goodness sake.  I think I've cracked the issues with cameras and uploading, my camera has given up the ghost completely and just won't play ball, the borrowed one is OK and Image resizer is doing what it's supposed to do.  I just have to make sure that the battery has enough charge in it or carry a spare.  I think I've been earmarked for hedge trimming duties tomorrow if the rain stays away, it's in the lap of the gods.  LN.....Surprisingly, not many aches and pains from my epic walk yesterday......LN

Tuesday 8th August

Another early morning start and that's getting to be quite normal.  I made coffee and took it back to bed and played silly games until l eight and then my day began.  I'd missed a phone call from my daughter and not picked up a message from last night so she'd phone the house phone and we were  planning the  day.  We were going to do  a trawl of the shops in Newhaven, go to the garden shop since I'd promised her a few shrubs for the garden.  We did Sainsbury for starters dodging between the showers, the garden centre where I managed to pick her up an identical version of one that I'd brought over at Christmas that she'd managed to kill so this was in fact a replacement. We'd planned coffee there but that didn't happen, the queue was very long so we gave that a miss, did the rest of our shopping and had lunch when we got home.  

My grandson home from the army arrived not long after we'd settled down to lunch, twenty five next month and defending the country for the next few years.  I can't get over how much he's changed,  He does take stick from all of us really well....youth of today egh.  So now the rain has set in again, I've just had to borrow a sweater from my daughter, the temperature has really dropped.  Lat week I was baking in thirty five degrees, this week it's down to eighteen degrees and my body hasn't yet adapted.

Staying tonight at my daughter's house, a sleep over and it's really good to spend time with her.  Tomorrow we are going to Asda, she's picking up a new phone....maybe I should invest in one for myself....my English phone should come with a warning  LN......Short and sweet tonight, no photos......time to socialise.......LN

Wednesday 9th August

So another lovely day wwith my daughter and we got on with loads in the garden.  She came into the bedroom for a chat, sat on the bed, printed off two copies of the Telegraph Sudoku and we carried it downstairs and sat at the  dining table each with our copies and started  to work in tandem.  I thought I was doing really well until I realised  that I had two sixes in one of the columns ....and it's still waiting there for me to have another go at it.  

We turned  to other things and made toast for breakfast and because it was such a super day we planned an attack on the back garden.  The first job was to plant the newbie that I'd bought her yesterday which entailed removing a chunk of grass from the lawn, digging the  soil over because it  was so compacted and edging it with some wood that  we found  behind the  shed.  In it went, we watered it in well and I made her promise that she would try her best not  to kill it.  I moved on to the side garden while she cleaned up some of  the pots, dug over a patch of ground near the fence and seeded it with meadow flowers.  I carried on weeding and the  mower came out and  she cut the grass while I held the cable out of the way,......team work.

Tools away for four o'clock, we sat in the sun and have both put on another  layer or suntan, supper is underway and tomorrow we are going driftwood hunting on the beach...she is determined  to made some shelving.  LN........Supper is ready, computer away....time to relax...photos of the garden tomorrow......LN

Thursday 10th August

So again I slept at my daughter's house but not such a good night last night.  Supper was really good, roasted veg and spicy sausages followed by half a yogurt but maybe a little too late.  I woke up at six and watched my SIL set off for work on his motorbike and shortly afterwards my grandson set off in the car to help a mate out for the day so it was just my daughter and myself to sort outselves out for the day.  She had a breakfast slimming world to attend, it was her day to take a taster food from one of the cookbooks so set off with her bowl of curried rice that she'd made last night for the rest of the gang to have a go at.  She'd printed off the Telegraph sudoku, we both struggled with it, gave up , she set off for her club, I rubbed out the entries on my sheet, gave up and settled for Netflix.  I'd only watched one episode, made myself a sandwich for breakfast and finished off the yogurt and she was soon back.  We tidied up the front porch, made new supports for the sweet peas, went back to sudoku and again ditched it and rubbed out the entries.We weren't doing very well.  The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to find a shredder, I suggested it, we found one that is coming next week, it then progressed to composters, I offered to pay for the shredder, she took on the responsibility of the composters.  By this time SIL had returned from work and had to write up reports so we left him to it and carried on with our plans for next week when the new equipment arrives....girls with power tools egh...we better carry out a risk assessment.

My daughter drove me home around five thirty and I was greeted by the neighbour not exactly whinging about the over hanging shrubs on the pavement but as I got out of the car I caught my hair on a rose bush coming from our garden.  He said that one or two neighbours had complained so no sooner the word than the blow, I unloaded my clothes to the bedroom, said goodbye to my daughter, got the tools out of the garage and now the hedge is cut and no reason for anyone to complain except me.  My back is aching and I'm destined for the bath tonight to ease my old bones.  It wasn't the cutting, it was the shredding and the tidying up afterwards but at least it's all done now.  I'm having an easy day tomorrow...nothing planned so far, my trip to see my son has been put on hold with the train strikes and the onward journey from London in a confused state.  They also go on holiday next week so everything is close to the bone with difficult deadlines.  I think we'll save it for Christmas.  LN.....Lots achieved today....I like days like that.......LN

Friday 11th August

It's been a full on day.  I was out of bed at seven, washing in the machine by seven o'five  and kitchen cleaning after that until the machine had finished.  It wasn't a bad morning so I pegged the washing on the line hoping that the rain would stay away.  I made coffee and more coffee, checked emails and did 'stuff', toast and marmalade for breakfast and I was looking around for things to do.  I'd bemoaned the state of the conservatory ever since I got here.  It was unloved, the geraniums had been neglected, outside had come inside and it was going to be a gig job...and it was.  It was a place I used to sit when and read when it was raining outside but that was when I lived here, the sound of the rain on the glass made it feel like a protected area.  I'd made sky light curtains that kept out the glare but those too had seen better days and I don't think I shall have time to replace them on this visit....I' might get round to it.

The outside drive cleaning hoover came into its own and did the majority of the work, clearing up dead leaves and general dust and dirt. I had to clear one space to move things around and move on to the next until most of the floor was cleared and cleaned.  The machine is good but it did spit out the odd nail and clothes peg and didn't like the filler from under the door jam to the lounge so a black bag became the dumping ground.  Most of the old plastic containers had perished in the heat and crumbled when picked up but eventually I'd got it more or less sorted so set to and the geraniums in the wooden trug sitting on a table.  I firstly cut them all back and have now around fifteen cuttings that I'll pot up tomorrow.  They're sitting in a pot on the bench outside in water so I'm sure will appreciate a good drink before I sink them into individual pots.  I'm probably going to take some over for my daughter for her decking, they should just about be established by the middle of October and back to square one for them.  I worked through until four this afternoon giving the floor a final once over, stuck the cleaning cloths int he washing machine and then it was down tools.....spaghetti bolognaise had been made for me and it was unusual because my host had put chilli beans in it but without the chili powder and my brain was adapting well to it....I was expecting one thing and got another that was familiar but not quite.  Strange creatures aren't we.  I followed it with yogurt and that sorted me out and back to normal.

Saturday tomorrow, not sure what I'm going to be getting up to.  I decided not to head up to London to see my son and his family, they were busy socialising on Saturday leaving the grandchildren to 'granny' sit so I saved them the trauma.  They were also planning a holiday and my DIL injured her knee badly in a ski-ing accident and is not long off crutches, I didn't want to put too much pressure on her.  I did have a lovely long conversation with my son last night on the phone and later in the year or early next I'll come over again but land in Stanstead specifically to stay with them.  LN...I always seem to find 'work' to do here....but at least the car has got through the MOT and we have it back....Lidl here we come........LN

Saturday 12th August

Another early start and at six this morning I was making coffee, admiring my work that I'd done in the conservatory and pegging out washing to catch the morning breeze.  There was no movement from the rest of the house and somehow I managed to fill in my time until there was activity on the computer upstairs.  I made more coffee, cleared off the old potting bench and emptied the old pots into a bucket and that joined the rest of the pots from yesterday that I'd turfed out of the conservatory.  The sun was out but not very strong so I made toast, found the last few days local newspapers for searched for sudoku, crosswords and the likes and sat at the cleared off table completing the competitions.  It was about nine when I went upstairs to get out of my pyjamas and into day clothes, I didn't have much to think about so I checked emails and searched for one or two things on the internet and at ten thirty decided to go for a walk over the Downs to the sea front.  It had clouded over. I brought in the sweater that I'd put out earlier and put it on the line in the conservatory to finish drying.

I set off for the sea front around twelve thirty and the climb to the top of the Downs had me huffing and puffing.  It's quite a steep climb but once up there you get magnificent views of the sea, Brighton and beyond.  I went past the windmill, over the Coast Road and down to the Undercliff walk only this time I was walking on to Saltdean not heading back to the Marina and Brighton.   I found a bench looking out to sea and watched the waves crashing on to the pebbles and took a few shots with the phone, I'd forgotten to take the camera with me.  I carried on walking for about a quarter of a mile, turned round and started my return journey.  We had a few spots of rain but I could see that Brighton was having a deluge so stepped up the pace and managed to get home and it had finished without having really started....lucky old me.  I suggested to my host that we should go to see a friend in a near by town, she has to use a walker now to get anywhere so we phoned, we made arrangements to be there around six.  We managed to get a trip into Lidl between bookings to fill up on the things that you really can't live without, or think you can't.

Change of clothes and we were ready to leave around six, drove over Ditchling Beacon and decided to use a different fish and chip shop that the one we usually call at.  Arrived at our friend's house with supper at seven, I served it up, and we had a very pleasant evening in our first catch-up since Christmas.  I cleared away and washed up and put the kitchen back to its usual sparkly self and we set off for home around nine.  Lunch out tomorrow at my daughter's house, she messaged me to let me know that the garden shredder has arrived already and I reminded her that she wasn't to use it unsupervised.  It's in the shed and will come into use when I go round on Wednesday for a day of gardening.  LN.....Another good day and good to catch up with old friends......still working out how to get photos from my phone to the blog.....doh.....LN

Sunday 13th August

Early morning start at six, bathroom visit and then I went back to sleep until nine.....result, I felt so much better for doing it.  I headed for the bathroom and ran a bath and washed my hair, as I said we were out for lunch and I was filling in time until we were due to leave.  I have a very large corner bath at this home and enjoy wallowing, take in my sudoku book and my tablet, soak for an hour or so and that again is very relaxing but I had a shock when I rinsed the tub round. The shower head needs investigating, lots of black stuff came out of it so it may need a new hose, it only gets used when I'm in England.  Dressed ready for the day, I made toast with apricot jam and sat in the conservatory with an old copy of the local rag and made a complete pig's ear of both Sudokus that they print.  Fortunately it was time to leave so I didn't have to try to correct them...that for another day.

Lunch was more or less ready and we sat out in the garden while it was finishing off, the sun was out but the wind was chill, and I was pleased when we were ordered indoors.  Pork chops in sauce, roasted baby potatoes, salad and real mayo for me that I allowed others to share being the kind person that I am.  Everyone else has a points system for food intake and I have just an indicator that I finish when I've had enough.  We finished off with strawberries with meringue and cream followed by coffee and sat round the table for the next couple of hours or so chewing the fat so to speak.  My grandson's exploits the previous night in Brighton and we had a fashion show of the new motor bike gear that my daughter has for a forthcoming journey to a holiday in France on the newly acquired bike.  It took me back to when I was her age and my host and I went touring around Europe and my daughter used me as an example...well mum did it so I can!!

We came home around nine and what a lovely day it's been.  I'm back there on Wednesday, staying for a few days and we have gardening days planned so fingers crossed for good weather.  LN.......I'm going to miss them when I go home......LN    

Monday 14th August

Funny old day weatherwise, sun, showers, rain set in and stopped play.  My daughter was out on the motorbike as pillion passenger for the first time, coffee in Beachy Head and they were home before it started chucking it down fortunately.
She's new to it so hope she didn't get buffeted too much.  I managed to peg the washing out for a quick blow but now most of it is sitting in the conservatory.  As for the rest of the day, breakfast of melon followed by toast and jam, then out to the garage, power tools at the ready and I did the hedge between us and the neighbours.  The upside is the hedge looks superb, but the downside was tidying up the cuttings, it seemed to take for ages, rain for a couple of minutes and then it would clear up buy eventually it was finished, all bagged up and last step is to take it to the tip tomorrow.  I chatted to the next-door neighbour for around half an hour or so and he was filling me in on the gossip of the village...interesting.

I came in for a late lunch and then promptly fell asleep on the sofa for an hour or so.  I didn't sleep too well last night and suppose I was catching up and filling up the energy tanks after this morning's effort.  Supper was prepared by my host and Now he's gone to sleep in the lounge.  Lovely surprise tonight, one of my delights was to catch Monday night's TV when I was in Bulgaria, it was my quiz night, Only Connect and University Challenge.  Only Connect was the same, the questions are still obscure and I'm surprised when I get any of the answers and University Challenge has a new presenter, Jeremy Paxman has retired and now we have a new one whose name I've not managed to put into my brain as yet and by the time that I do I shall be back in BG and not watching it any more.  It reminds me that I must find a new way of receiving British television when I'm over there.

No pickies tonight, the weather just hasn't been worth getting the camera out for.....I'll take some of me at the tip tomorrow before and after I've climber up steps to the height of the skip to empty out the bags...LN......I'll be going home for a rest.....if I last that long..... ......LN

Tuesday 15th August

Seven start and I sat out in the conservatory with my coffee and had another attempt at the local rag sudoku and eventually managed to do the hard one, the medium one I made a pig's ear of. As for checking yesterday's, I was completely off the mark.  I had yogurt and toast with marmalade for breakfast, it was pleasant in the sun and I'm so pleased that I cleaned it out thoroughly...it made it all worthwhile.  

I washed and put my scruffy jeans on, today was all about getting rid of the grass and hedge cuttings from yesterday that were bagged up and waiting for attention.  We loaded them into the back of the car, the tip is around four miles away and fortunately it wasn't busy.  My host unloaded the car and left the bags at the bottom of the steps, again I had the grand climb and emptied them into the skip.  I was amazed, there must have been about twelve of them.  Lidl was suggested but there's so much food in the fridge that nothing else would have fitted, we stopped at the chemist in the village to try to amend a prescription, but the pharmacist couldn't help, 'you'll have to phone the surgery'. which a joke in itself.  The system for ordering repeat prescriptions is so difficult to manage, I prefer the system in Bulgaria, everything in the UK is system driven..... not so good for the elderly to manage.

Home and the next job on the list was about to be tackled.  The motion detector that lights up the porch had failed, a new one was ready to be fitted but unfortunately it wasn't the same size as the original.  I again was on a ladder offering the new one to a pair of hands in the gap between the tiles and the porch floor/ceiling and it got more difficult as the time went on.  The fitting that was supposed to go through the hole was smaller but not so long as the original so it was a scratching of heads to make it work, For two people with fixed ideas....I retired to the lounge and caught up with 'This Farming Life'.  I did go some admin for myself, my Boarding Pass had got very wet on the way over when I was driving to Sofia so I've printed a new one, I shall be needing it in a week's time.  Off for two days with my daughter and SIL tomorrow.  We've got shopping and gardening to do and the new shredder/ chipper to take for a test run.  We probably need supervising, but we'll give it our best shot.  LN......Back to it.....I'm off up a ladder......LN

Wednesday 16th August

Slow morning start, nothing to rush for I wasn't out until approximately eleven.  The plan was to go to stay with my daughter and SIL, help out with the garden and a 'shop until we drop' in Lewes tomorrow.  I did a little preparation before she arrived, I dug up an Escalonia that had managed to grow roots into a bucket and took around seven geraniums that I taken from the original ones that were growing in a trug in the conservatory.  I'd got it wrong, she had a dental appointment tomorrow, I thought it was today so first thing I did was to change when we arrived at the house, I'd dressed for shopping not for digging.

First off we planted the shrub in the side garden but we had to remove the existing plant and make the hole bigger.  I watered it in well and it looks very happy there. Geraniums were next to go into a pot, they've not got roots on and fingers crossed they will soon grow some. Next job was to set about planting up several plants that she'd bought with her husband at the garden centre yesterday, they're all now looking very settled in very shiny new pots on the terrace.  The rest of the afternoon was spent sitting in the sun topping up sun tans and enjoying pleasant conversation with my grandson and daughter.  

The camera came but the photos are still in the camera.....I fell asleep on the sofa after lasagne and chippies, have only just woken up and am still half asleep.  I shall be taking myself up the wooden hills and to bed, we do have lots to do tomorrow.  LN....I'm just about to write my list, I have space in the suitcase that needs filling.....LN

Thursday 17th August

SIL off to work really early on his motorbike, grandson's alarm went off at seven and my daughter was waking him up at ten after seven to make sure he was leaving in time to pick up his mate and then the house was ours.  I washed and dressed and was ready for eight, my daughter had a dentist's appointment and an optician later in the day so we were forced to check out the charity shops in Lewes.  My daughter made a couple of purchases, I found a few children's books to take back with me, Superdrug had a few good offers on and then it was back to Tesco's carpark, I noticed a nail in the rear tyre so we knew that we had to find someone to fix it on the way home.  We carried on to Tesco and bought supper, at the checkout we mentioned to the operator that we'd found a nail in the tyre of the car and he recommended that we try Just Tyres not far from where we were parked, my daughter googled it, put the directions to the SatNav and we were there in quick sticks.  There was no one waiting so it was fixed straightaway, and we were soon mobile again.  

We were home for two more or less, unpacked the shopping, the new purchases were put in the washing machine then since it was a lovely day we sat in the sun until the boys got home.  We had jacket potatoes for supper each choosing our own fillings and I settled for cheese, coleslaw, beetroot and red onion followed by chocolate pudding.  Full to the gills.

Tomorrow we're off to Eastbourne, my daughter has a hospital appointment so she's getting her MOT's sorted out in the school holidays.  I'm just tagging along for support, it's really appreciated and it's good to be doing something good for her.  LN.......The days have started to move on quickly.....too  quickly......LN

Friday 18th August

Not a very good sleep last night.  We went to bed around nine thirty, I must have fallen asleep quite early and was awoken by my grandson coming home at silly o'clock.  From four onwards I was awake, managed to get off again, watched my SIL heading out for work, met my grandson coming out of the shower, he went off to work and then it was my daughter and myself with the run of the place.  I got dressed and had toast for breakfast and made coffee, she doesn't do breakfast so we sat down with the Daily Telegraph crossword and the sudoku until we were leaving at nine for Eastbourne.  It was a grim old day, rain, sea mist along the coast road, the SatNav took us straight to the hospital, we parked up on the street and were early for the appointment so sat in the car and made a dash through the rain at around ten fifteen.

My daughter was called through to a training room, there were two other people there and the lady running the session was quite happy for me to join the group and it was very informative.  The notes that we were handed out were very good and my daughter took a photo of the training material that was used and will print it out for me tomorrow.  Session over we drove back to Newhaven, went to Lidl and I was amazed how busy it was.  Unfortunately, that didn't have enough checkouts open and the delay could have been avoided with more staff.  Lots of grumbling customers but eventually we reached the checkout where the operator whizzed us through.  We drove home and had lunch, went back to crosswords and sudoku and spent the afternoon eating chocolates and rubbing out the answer and starting again.   My daughter drove me home around four, I ended up helping to fix the outside lights that required a new sensor which involved climbing ladders and holding things so that they could be screwed home.   I didn't manage to solve the sudoku and brought it home with me and now it's on the bed so I might try it again.

Nothing planned for tomorrow, I need another good walk so that could be on the agenda.  I must admit I've started putting things in my suitcase already, and just have a few things to buy to take back.  LN....Sorry, photos are very thin on the ground....need to buy a new camera to take back with me........LN

Saturday 19th August

Six start this morning and I set about collecting my things together.  They'd scattered round the house, it may seem early to be doing it since I don't leave until the crack of dawn on Wednesday but I like to get things organised.  I collected the washing and that went in the machine, I picked up things like a croaking toy from that I wanted to take back with me and then I went down to the kitchen, grabbed a coffee and old newspapers and opened up the conservatory.  It's a very good spot to sit, the morning sun had warmed it already and two coffees later, I'd done a sudoku and three quarters of the cryptic crossword that I was very pleased about.  Normally I go for the easy ones but this morning I was up for the challenge.  Breakfast was next on the agenda and I opened a can of beans and had them on toast, there was very little movement from mine host but situation normal.  The washing went into the machine, unfortunately it's a slow old machine so it wasn't on the line until around noon.  

My daughter phoned and suggested tea tomorrow afternoon and offered me to sleep over but I think I'll come back. I want to go to church tomorrow morning, I checked the schedule and who was leading the service and think it might be interesting.  The lady has a website and has a base in Seaford along the coast, the cost of a private reading is more than I would like to pay so I'll leave that for another day or year.  Never know, I might even get a message from the medium tomorrow if something needs to be said.  I went back to my room and was looking through old family photos, I find them fascinating, a lot I remembered but some it was good to bring them to the forefront of the brain again.  Then back to it...sorting for packing.

Washing in, onto coat hangers and on to the curtain rain to air before being either worn or put in the suitcase.  I've just watched a programme about Cappadocia, a settlement that I visited in Turkey around five years ago and it showed so many other Turkish ancient sites that I'd be keen to visit.  I think the way to do it is to book a tour starting in Istanbul or flying down to Cappadocia to start the rest of the tour.  Turkey is such a big country, empty excellent roads between the cities and perfect for coach travel.  This requires investigation.  Not sure, I haven't heard from my Bulgarian lady, I might even be going down to Bodrum if she can get enough people to go on the tour and hopefully it will go ahead on the 31st August.  Time to look for food, we were having fish and chips but the wine bottle came out, not for me might I add, so that's been shelved.  LN.....Sorry.....again no pickies, I didn't go for a walk...much too busy doing nothing important.....LN

Sunday 20th August

Fairly early start and I managed to get lots done before the rest of the house was awake.  In fact I left the house before anyone was awake and headed to the bus stop, I was off to church.  I arrived at the stop at ten and saw it head down into the village, it had to empty, pick up new and then come back heading into Brighton.  It was a beautiful morning, the sun was hot, no clouds in the sky and no wind...all was good in my little world.  I realised at the bus stop that I'd forgotten to pick up my phones, thought about running home but then if I missed this bus I would be late for church but nothing can be that desperate that people have to contact me.  This time I took a return, I had no intention of walking six miles home, it was far too hot for that.

When I arrived at church there were people waiting outside on the pavement, the lady with the keys was late arriving but was 'on her way'.  Eventually someone turned up and let us all in, only a little late but the service managed to get underway by eleven ten, more or less, at least we had a pianist this morning.  Nice talk by the medium, messages were not directed at a person and she waited for anyone to accept the message so that she could give further proof.  It's not the way that I like working, it's much better when the medium identifies who spirit wants to talk or communicate with...and you can either accept or refuse the communication.  One final hymn and we were heading home and on the way out I spoke to a young lady who I'd noticed earlier and I commented on her hair.  It was similar in colour to mine only age turned mine this way, I reckon that she has a very clever hairdresser, it looked so natural.  I asked if she was in a development circle and she wasn't but was interested so I offered to send her links to one or two websites that I use so took her email address.    

So homeward bound, I made my way down to the bus stop, the bus came after ten minutes or so and home for twelve thirty.  I made toast for a delayed breakfast and followed it with yogurt, settled on the computer and carried on searching the 1921 census to try and find out more about the house that my grandparents lived in.  I also checked out details of an accident where a horse crashed through the window of my father's mother's fish and chip-shop and the newspaper article appeared on screen and I've downloaded the file.  I have one copy of the incident from a newspaper but this is far more detailed.  Into the car and over to my daughter's house for an early evening meal or a late lunch followed by meringue and fresh fruit with cream for pudding and coffee to finish it all off.  We left at eight, grandson was out on the town after two night camping in the New Forest...the energetic youth of today.  

So I'm off to church again tomorrow for an afternoon of clairvoyance at three, I just have this feeling that I need to go.  I said goodbye to my daughter but she said that she would see me before I go.....another event is in the pipeline.  LN....I did take photos on my way home on my phone.....no success getting them over......technology is beating me.....LN

Monday 21st August

Again I woke up early but this time I had company.  A lorry turned up with scaffolding and the builders set to assemble it and then started to take the roof tiles off.  I was very tempted to go over and put my two pennyworth in but I'm not sure it would have been appreciated unless there was a Bulgarian working over there.  It did take me back to the time that we were roofing my first house and me delivering coffee to the 'boys' sticking my head up through the gap.  They were happy days, stressful but enjoyable.  I also remembered going to the hardware shop for items that had been written out for me in my 'builder's book' and hopefully coming back with what they needed.

I made coffee and went down to sit in the conservatory with a sudoku until there was movement from the rest of the house and it did take quite a while.  I moved things into the bedroom with the suitcase at the ready, remembered that I hadn't booked my taxi for the airport so that task was completed and will be arriving at two on Wednesday morning.  'One day more'.....Les Mis....but I won't be miserable, I'm looking forward to going home.  I somehow missed breakfast this morning and didn't get downstairs until twelve, breakfast was cooked but none for me so I set to and put three slices of bacon under the grill and had to manage with brown bread with things in it.  I did add brown sauce and have remembered to buy a large HP sauce to take back with me...rude not to.  

In the car for two thirty and I was off to a clairvoyant afternoon at the church, it was quite busy and I was only hoping that the medium targeted her audience, knew who the message was for and directed to towards them with a...'I'm coming to you'.... but instead, she threw the connection out to the congregation and it reminded me of fishing.  Bait the hook, cast the line and see what bites.  It must be the modern way, perhaps wifi is getting in the way.  She did come to me with a reference to cruise ships, I took something from and it has put an idea in my head that I'll investigate when I get home.  The proposed trip to Asda was over before it began, my host had been and done it already, I wanted to take some tablets back with me so stopped off at the local chemist and there was hardly anything ion the shelves and what they had was double the price that I normally pay.  We drove to another one in the next village and eventually picked up two packets for the price of one in the other....  

Supper is in, steak pies for tonight with potato wedges, nothing much to do now until the final push on the suitcase and then get my head down until the taxi arrives.  I'm supposed to be going out with my daughter for a final farewell which will be good.....I'm really going to miss her and my SIL.  LN......Now to try and post pickies of the garden.....fingers crossed...here goes....LN

Tuesday 22nd August

Late start this morning, I was just slow to get going.  I moved everything that needed packing into the bedroom with the suitcase, scoured the house for things that had gone astray so that I wasn't searching at the last minute.  My daughter phoned and suggested a last-minute trip down to Brighton Marina and I jumped at the change, I changed out of early morning attire and into tonight's travel gear and got on with other things until she arrived.  I phoned the doctor's surgery and made last a telephone appointment for him so that he didn't get confused and I'm surprised that appointments are carried out this way and accept that this is the UK's way of doing things....I'll stick with BG.

She arrived on time, I dropped off a carrier bag of books to the local charity shop to be greeted by 'we've just got lots of them' and I made no reply and left and thought how ungrateful it sounded, drop the price and sell more.  We parked up on Asda car-park in Brighton Marina and I was amazed at the methods of shopping.  People were self scanning and bagging as they went and it took me back to the days when I was a store detective and I just wouldn't know where to start now.  Perhaps theft is factored into the price of the goods before the prices are set....or perhaps everyone has become honest.  The shoppers can expect random checks so I'm told.  The number of self scan checkouts is huge and it appears to me that in their own way, all customers work for Asda.

Shopping packed away, we went into the Marina, settled on Nando's for lunch and this was a new experience for me.  She registered on her phone for the restaurant, we ordered from the menu, I paid with my card receiving a security code for the transaction, email address was added and the meal was delivered to the table.  The downside is that the staff do not receive tips unless you choose to leave one but the interaction with the staff is minimal.  We walked round the Marina and watched some yacht making a pig's ear of berthing up, walked back to the car, she dropped me off and now I've had a little sleep and set to finish my packing.  I'll maybe settle for another little sleep and then onwards and upwards, destined for home.  LN.....Next update Bulgaria....LN.....  

Wednesday 23rd August

So I watched television until the taxi arrived to take me to the airport and at two a.m. we were on our way.  I sailed through luggage drop off, security and made my way to departures and the flight was called, we boarded on time and only had a five minuted delay until lift off arriving just after eleven o'clock.  I phoned the shuttle bus to the hotel, got picked up and took my luggage to the Nipper, started the car and all seemed good until I noticed that the handbrake light was lit and didn't go off when I released the handbrake.  I drove round the carpark and the brakes didn't feel right, I had to press them hard to the floor to get any result so I parked up and spoke to the shuttle bus driver and he happened to  be talking to a young man who I found out worked at a garage and tomorrow he is going to come to the hotel and sort it out one way or another.  Back to reception, I'm not checked in for another night and have slept the afternoon away.

It's now time for a shower and go down for something to eat, I've spoken to Avatar's daughter, Avatar is flying out of Sofia today for Germany where she'll spend the winter but unfortunately there wasn't time for an airport catch-up.  The keys have been sorted and handed to another neighbour until I get home.  Just another hurdle to overcome, hopefully it will get sorted tomorrow, meanwhile I have the biggest bar of Cadbury's chocolate that you can imagine so I might not be needing much for supper.  LN......Wish me luck tomorrow.....LN

Thursday 24th August

Made my mind up...I waited until nine and no phone call from the guy regarding the garage so bit the bullet and found the business card of the young man who collected the Nipper when it broke down last time when my daughter was over, phoned the son of the garage knowing that they were friends and asked him to ask the low loader man if he would pick me up from the hotel in Sofia and if he did how much would it be.  He phoned me back, told me the price, said that he thought it was expensive, I quoted the cost of staying in the hotel for another couple of nights and may be getting ripped off by a garage i didn't know and said that I thought it was a no-brainer and to go ahead and book him.  He did, said that he'd given him the co-ordinants of the hotel and an hour later I got a call from the driver saying that he was on his way.  Problem sorted, I would be in my own bed tonight, the Nipper would be in the garage and one happy man receiving the money for a day's work.

He picked me up and the Nipper at one thirty, I'd explained to the hotel that we might need the big gates opening but he managed to get through the barriers, nothing to pay and we were 'on the open road, Toad'.  We stopped for something to eat and he paid for it, bought bottles of water for the journey down and wouldn't acccept any money.  Torrential rain about half way down and thunder and lightning and it's still at it now.  As we approached Djebel I got him to drop me off so that I could get to a cash-point, he carried on to the garage having already called the owner and his son, I got into a taxi and went to the garage, paid the man, moved the luggage from the Nipper to the taxi and went home in style.  

Suitcase unpacked, all keys found for the doors, windows on tilt and turn and balcony door open, washing done, Fitbit on charge, internet started and fridge and boiler going, fridge to cool down the chocolate that was in the suitcase and the boiler so that I can have a bath when this is posted.  LN.....It's been along day but well worth it - I'm home and the Nipper is in the place where it can be repaired by people I trust.....LN

Friday 25th August

Slept well until seven, very cloudy dull morning and very humid.  I made coffee, I'd forgotten to take the bread and butter from the freezer so I skipped breakfast and went on a walk about to see which of the tortoise wanted to greet my arrival.  I only managed to see Cracked Shell, much too early for the others, they only came out later.  Only Rosy has gone AWOL but maybe her timings didn't coincide with mine, I'll check tomorrow.

I made more coffee, started the Beast to make sure that I had transport to Djebel and found the pressies that Gemma and myself had put together for the family at the garage.  I wrote a message in the book for my student, I'd managed to find a really good copy of the Witches, the one that we're close to finishing as a keepsake.  I'd got Deep Heat cream for his father, Badedas for his mother and the other son had a pack of Mushy Peas as a memory from Gemma.  I'd also added a box of Bulgarian chocolates, the English ones had suffered in the heat and were still in my fridge.  I dressed for Djebel, stopped to buy the chocolates, bread and spicy sausage, coca cola and a chocolate bar for me for breakfast and carried on to the garage finding the garage owner with his head under the back wheel arch fitting new parts.  He explained what had gone wrong, I said I would pick it up on Monday since I was in the Beast and would go to Djebel on the village bus at eight from outside the house.  I left him to it, he knew what he was doing and went to the shop and handed over the goodies which were well received.  My student loved the book that I'd made a note in for him, thought more of the sweets that Gemma had sent and he went back to work in the other shop to earn his pocket money.

I drove home, made sausage and egg sandwiches for lunch, slept the afternoon away and am now going to have the bath that I didn't have last night.  The washing is still waiting to be put away but at least everything from the suitcase is finished with.  The holiday to Turkey isn't going ahead and in one way I'm pleased about it, the garden is in need of tidying and I need to water the shrubs at the bottom of the garden tomorrow....I couldn't raise the energy today...too much excitement in my life. LN.....I might go swimming tomorrow and a proper Lidl shop is called for.....LN

Saturday 26th August

Early start and a good night's sleep after my late bath.  The sun hadn't finished its worldly journey and the bee-eater were waiting for the bees to get active so that breakfast would be taken on the wing. The camera was at full stretch so not bad shots, I was willing them to come over to my electricity lines over the garden but they preferred the open hillside.  It was a very still morning, eventually the sky pinked up a little and then the sun appeared, it was promising to be a very hot day.  I toyed with the idea of going to the pool but reckoned the world and most of it's friends would be there so I got on with watering my plants, deadheading the oleander and geraniums and pulling up the odd weeds.  Things happen when you spend three weeks away.

I checked out the old veg garden and the shrubs were looking a little stressed out.  I didn't fancy standing there with the hose so found the black hose with holes in it that I normally use down the bottom of the garden on the shrubs.  I placed it around the shrubs and connected it and it worked.  I also decided to remove the new tufts of grass that had taken over the beds in the veg garden and managed to clear three of them completely, after all, they drink water too.  I disconnected the black hose and moved it to the pink shrub in the old bonfire pit and gave it a good drink and then on to the forsythia and another pink one near the lonesome pine.  My Avatar had concentrated on the pots not on any thing else.  I reconnected the extension pipe to the hose and water the buddleia at the bottom of the garden, the rest will have to wait until tomorrow...I was beginning to feel the effects of the sun.  I settled for toast for a late breakfast, two squares of chocolate from my frozen stash and lots of water.  I did have a lovely surprise, Rosy put in an appearance so all of my tortoise are accounted for and for some reason, Green was outside the woodstore door on the garden side.  I suppose he wanted somewhere really cool.

And so did I so I moved the tv into the lounge catching the draft from the lounge door through to the corridor and put on a series I've been watching and settled down for a nap.  I woke up at four, found 'Rocketman' on Netflix, the story of Elton John and put a chicken that I'd thawed out into the oven and now I have supper ready.  I'd missed that film somehow and really enjoyed it.  I'm about to have a quick shower before supper, seven my time and time to walk the garden to see what needs to be done tomorrow.  LN.....I'm catching up with my chores.....in my own time.....LN

Sunday 27th August

Back in my own bed, a quick shower and then straight to sleep and when I woke up the sun had beaten me to it.  The beaters were out and about, chirping merrily but too far away to get a really good shot of them.  I had to wait until late this afternoon to catch the one on the other side of the road and it was really heading into the wind.  I had a really lazy morning but managed a load of washing and that went on the airer in the guest room.  I do that because it doesn't pick up strange very tiny little bus that nibble and then start to make you itch.  It's now ready to put away.

Breakfast was the last of the nardinitsa with one of the eggs from the garage and it went down well.  I'd brought a very large bottle of HP sauce with me and I just had to try it to see if it was OK and of course it was...quality control and all that. I washed up and tidied the kitchen not that there was much to tidy with only me being here and then settled down at the desk to fill up a letter writing binder that I have and make it into a desk note book to save writing things on bits of paper and then searching for them.  The older I get I have to centralise certain things to make my life easier.  I went to open the shed and noticed Cracked Shell coming out of the garage and reckoned that it wanted somewhere cool to hang out.  I tried to tempt it with fresh grass but it really wasn't interested...it too may have just breakfasted.  As for the others, no sign of them today but I haven't spent too much time outside, I wasn't in for gardening and it's been another really hot day.  

I moved into the lounge and started to watch a Netflix new series and slept through the first two episodes so had to start again.  It was a fairly good RomCom that ended well.  I've just watered the pots, the shrubs had a good soaking this morning and are looking much better for it.  Tomorrow I'm on the bus into Djebel and picking up the Nipper from the garage after its time in the operating theatre.  I was shown the part but will describe in detail what it actually did when I find out.  From there I'm driving into Kardjali, I need to go to the opticians to confirm my appointment or make a new one if I missed the last one....that's one of the dates that should have been recorded properly but the delay in Sofia upset quite a few things.  I'll also take the swimming bag with me, and take a couple of hours of exercise and do a Lidl and Kaufland shop on the way back to top up the goody box and fridge.  Six thirty my time, shower, leg shave for the pool and toe nail spruce up.  LN...A girl has to do what a girl has to do......LN

Monday 28th August

Six thirty start, I had to have a shower and wash my hair before going down to catch the only one of two buses that we have each week.  I was out in front of my house, the bus stops anywhere, by eight, it used to come around that time, drive up picking up passengers as it went, turning round at the last village on the road and heading back into Djebel.  It's a happy bus with a happy driver, it's market day and probably the only day that some of the women leave the village.  It's still a novelty to me and I'm still one to the village but everyone is very friendly.  There are quite a few interlopers from Turkey for the summer, now that the Turkish Lira has taken a nosedive several of them decide to stay for the year.  My friend got off the stop after I'd got on, she was going to visit her mother so she relinquished her single seat at the front of the bus to me....I was settled and on to the scenic route.  I quite like the journey. you see the changes to the houses, a lot that were falling down have now been renovated, more people, more cars but I suppose they thought that about me back in the day.

We dropped off in the village, I walked to the car shop and the son that used to be my student was waiting to take me down to the garage to pick up the Nipper.  It was ready, they'd tested it several times and he explained that the pipe to the brakes had probably exploded under pressure since I'd left the handbrake on and it had been extremely hot.  I'm not technical but it sounded feasible.  Cost of the repair with parts, one hundred lev so I'm not going to moan about that.  I drove back to the shop, we then set about trying to process an insurance policy for a friend who is in England but needs it for when she get's back next week and because the company had made changed to the system, it was advising us that the insurance was completed but would not let us print out the documents.  A second attempt and we were advised that the insurance wasn't in the system, she contacted the local company by phone and sent of the system messages but the man couldn't help us so it was escalated to Head Office who found it deleted it and I left it in her capable hands.  I walked the market and found nothing that I wanted to buy and set off for Kardjali to make another appointment with the optician.  Now I had another problem, I book my parking with my phone and my provider advised me that there was no service, so I ran to the optician, made the new appointment and drove to the service provider, was seen straightaway, she removed the Sim card, told me the problem was with the phone, I said that it was with the Sim card since everything else was working, she pressed a few keys and suddenly we were in business.  We had a 'goer'.  A quick Kaufland shop and then on to Lidl and home for one two.  I checked the phone again and the insurance had gone through and the documents are ready for me to collect.

Shopping unpacked and put away, ham sandwich for a late breakfast and late lunch, I settled on the sofa and promptly went to sleep...it was a very hot afternoon.  I've watered the pots, found Blue off on his way to bed, found a yellow rose hiding on the little house terrace and am now watching the 'seven eights' moon come up.  The grass definitely needs going over with the mower to get rid of the long weed stalks to tidy it up a little.  Maybe it's a job for early morning before I collect the insurance.  LN.....Time to search for supper, not really hungry so far but might be later......LN

Tuesday 29th August

I woke up at seven and it was one of those days when I was unsure what I wanted to get up to.  I had things to do but I had other things that I wanted to do so I stripped down my bed, washed the under sheet, over sheet and pillowcases and in the second wash I did the mattress topper.  I dried all of them inside on the banister and clothes airer and left them to cook in the sun.  It was another beautiful day, a good day for going to the pool but something held me back and not sure what.  Instead I went into Djebel and picked up and paid for the insurance for my friend's car, made a call to where the car is stored and at two I was heading over to a village near Momchilgrad, I wanted the insurance with the windscreen sticker to be with the car.  The owners live in a school that they've converted into a home, I knew it from before and was with the current owner at the auction when he bought it....and that seems many years ago.  

He was working so I chatted to his partner, their daughter was at nursery and is growing up to be bi-lingual and at a young age is communicating very well in Bulgarian.  I handed over the documents, we had coffee and I was given a conducted tour of the property now that work has been done and I had strange memories of cleaning out the original stuff that was left in the school and lot of old slides of students.....it was as if one day it had just 'closed' and everything left in place.  The science room was still intact with lots of scientific glassware stored on very high shelves and I never asked what had happened to them.  I left at about three fifteen, the daughter had to be picked up from nursery and as I drove back too Djebel I remembered that my radio with the memory stick player had stopped functioning so i ask the garage owner to try it in his car and it worked.  He fiddled with it for a while and confirmed that the problem was with the radio so I drove to their shop and bought a new one which she discounted for me, I drove back to the garage, it was fitted and he didn't want any money for doing it so I gave him the discount and a little more from the radio and told him to have a drink when they're away.  No lesson today...it was far too hot and too near my student's holiday so I wished them all a good trip and drove home.

I made up the bed, had a sandwich for a late lunch and early supper and finished it off with a large black cherry yogurt.  That should see me through until tomorrow.  Definitely a pool day tomorrow if the weather is good.  LN..... I need to get another layer of suntan on before autumn really sets in and any excuse not to get the mower out...LN

Wednesday 30th August

Six thirty start, made a coffee and sat out on the balcony watching the morning unfold.  Lots of bee-eaters soaring high in the sky making lots of twittering noises and too busy eating to settle anywhere that I could photo them.  I'd made no plans to do anything, the pool was on the list of 'maybe's', I made boiled eggs for breakfast and sat in the kitchen at the table to eat them with toast 'soldiers', washed up, walked to the table in the stairwell and sat down and noticed that my receipt for Monday's shopping was on the table.  I'd thought at the time that it was a high bill but hadn't checked it as I left the till area, put it in my purse but now I really looked at it.  One single line for forty six plus lev stood out, I looked closer and saw that I been charged for thirty three bottles of soda water not the three I'd picked up.  Now things were getting serious, complaining isn't my usual forte but this couldn't be ignored and it sort of planned the rest of my day.  I dressed for the pool, into the Nipper and heading for Kardjali preparing my story as I went.  I suddenly occurred to me that they would have had to be counted by the cashier and didn't need to be or I'd have picked up multipacks and then odd ones to get this amount.  I had my story and waited for the outcome.

I spoke to one of the assistants and she took me to another aisle where someone looked very busy and really didn't want anyone interfering with her day.  I explained the problem, the first thing that she came back with was that it happened two days ago and why didn't I come back earlier.  I replied that I didn't live in town and that probably I should have checked it and come back earlier but that didn't change the issue I was reporting.  She heaved a sigh, got out her telephone and phoned the store manager I presume who eventually authorised a repayment and she told me to go and stand at any checkout and it would be sorted.  Clutching my receipt I joined one of the three queues, I handed over the receipt, she tried to scan in the barcode for the till receipt and eventually had to enter the details by hand.  She took out the payment for the thirty three and finished the transaction then put another through for the three items and handed me the money and not even a 'sorry about that' passed her lips.  So much for customer service.  

I carried on to the swimming pool and only a few people were there.  The barman welcomed me, said that if I wanted anything to let him know, lots of sun beds to choose from so I settled myself at the far end of the pool, set my Fitbit to work on the exercise program to record how long I spent swimming.  I've learnt the hard way, the manufacturers say that the watches are waterproof but I'm not convinced so I chose the record option.  The day looked as if it was going to be cloudy as I set off this morning but it turned out to be a beautiful day with very high clouds and enough breeze to keep blowing them over and keeping the flies away.  I stayed until four, stopped for gas since I'd run out on the way in, got served by one of the usual men who asked me where I'd been since he hadn't seen me for a while.  I said that I'd been to England for three weeks and had just got back and he asked me about my trip.  Total bill for fuel so that with the cost of the swimming had come to less than I'd got back for the overcharge on the bottles of water......money well spent.

Rosy was in the yard when I got back so I lifter her down to the garden and put her in a patch of greenery and she settled and started to eat the new crop of grass.  I had a shower and washed my hair, washed the swimwear and other stuff that was around, made some cheese sandwiches, had a yogurt and an ice-cream and that was my supper over and done with.  Netflix went on so that I could finish the programme that I'd been watching last night and off I went to sleep waking up an hour later.  I've just noticed that it's nine my time, the moon was very orange when it came up tonight and has now settled to a very pale yellow, not even one cloud in the sky.  Gardening day tomorrow, I need a revealing sun top so that the tan lines that I've encouraged today with my swimsuit get diminished.  LN.....Not much of this month left. autumn is on its way......at least my wood is in already......LN

Thursday 31st August

Seven start, played silly games for an hour or so, just couldn't get the hang of difficult sudoku this morning so gave up in disgust and got up to face the day.  The was a message from my ex-student giving me the dates that she is available for holiday but unfortunately everything is for seven night if you go by air and she only has five days in total.  Paris was on offer but I think that would be quite busy and expensive so it's either going to be me driving down to Halkidiki or taking a ferry over to one of the islands....I'll see her tomorrow and we can discuss it.  

It was about twelve by the time that I'd trawled the travel agents, so I went out there with a vengeance and started to attack the old vegetable garden bed that had been completely overcome with grass in the time that I'd been away and watering the shrubs in said bed only made the weeds and grass stronger.  It's in sections so easier to complete one and move on to the next but the spirit was strong but the flesh weak, it was getting really hot out there so I gave up around two thirty and settled on the sofa with a bottle of water and promptly fell asleep.  Two hours later of interrupted sleep consisting of dozing and then thinking I should be doing something else so at five I took myself back to the vegetable garden and finished it.  I'd got the mower out earlier and filled it with petrol and carried on the good work finishing the grave garden and down to the mulberry on the big house grass.  I think I picked up more dead leaves and dust than grass cuttings and it all went over the wall including the grass that I'd pulled up from the beds.  Tools away at seven thirty, I'd had the hammer and nails out to repair the surround to the bed but it really needs love and attention, all replacing and maybe I'll get round to it now that I'm back and the autumn is approaching.

Nine my time and not really thinking about food.  Breakfast was a honeydew melon, it was getting soft so I cut it up and cubed it, the outer went out for the tortoise but I noticed tonight that the ants have infested it.  I did spot Rosy in the yard as I was putting my tools away so I air-lifted her to the garden and landed her on a grassy patch, she raised her head and set off towards the high wall as fast as her little legs would carry her obviously thinking about a safe place for the evening.  Rain clouds seemed to be gathering but I've just noticed that the moon has begun to make its journey across the sky so it might not even rain tonight so more watering tomorrow.  LN......The holiday search is on.....and more gardening tomorrow......LN