Thursday February 1st

So white rabbits....here's a punch for the first of the month....not sure where these sayings came from but as I get older they keep coming back to me.  February is my month, so many birthdays and lots to remember.  My grandmother, my mother, my daughter, my son, mine, we all have birthdays this month and grandson only missed it by a few days having his birthday at the end of January.  We cornered the market in Aquarian birth signs and all so much alike in many ways yet different in others.  My special month.

So what happened today?  Minus seven on the outside thermometer and fifteen inside at six this morning.  I lit the fire and moved the inside temperature up a few notches but then the sun did the rest for me and it was thirty degrees at one this afternoon and the fire was out.  I put the remains of my supper out for the cat, I'd had advice from a dear friend that I shouldn't feed bread to the birds since it has no nutritional value or calories to keep them warm so I shall have to be buying wild bird foot tomorrow otherside they will get pretty wild.  I tidied round a little, my older student was coming today to copy a disk from the hospital on to a flash drive and we were both going to try to do it.  She arrived around twelve, I made coffee, she loves the house and checked out each room and then we went out to do a tour of the garden.  The list was in....she wants rosemary to make a rinse for her hair and I was happy to oblige, I gave her a plant for the garden from the little house, a cutting I'd taken before I went to the UK and used secateurs to cut her a branch from mine for her hair rinse.  She also admired the winter flowering jasmine that I brought in from the garden and so she went home with a rooted cutting of that too.  I also gave her one of the jasmine plants that I bought the other day from Lidl, the buds are still there but not opening but we shall see.  She also wanted to advise me on a new beauty serum that her friends were raving about, she showed it to me via the internet and it was made by Estee Lauder.  I surprised her by knowing the company and secondly by saying that I used to use it but didn't rate the products and at fifty eight pounds a bottle, I shan't be buying it either.  My night cream is by Nivea and costs me fifteen leva and last for ages...that's more like it.

We tried with the disk and had no joy.  I think it really needs to be copied to another disk and I don't have dual disk drives and no method of burning it.  Off she went with her goodies around two thirty and will speak to her mother and tomorrow I'll take her into Kardjali to an expert in these things that she knows.  I'll await for the message to come through.  As for the rest of my day. I filled up the log basket from the logs that I'd chopped yesterday and the log carrier with larger logs from the little house and use the cut logs sparingly to keep the home fires burning.  I've not thought of anything for supper yet, it will probably be potluck and will go into the air-fryer for speed of delivery.  I've had a very pleasant, calm and enjoyable day.  Viking's series is no more and thank goodness for that, I was pleased to get to the end and might find something more useful to do that watch television when it's cold....or maybe a new series.  LN......It's in the lap of the gods...and Netflix......LN

Friday 2nd February

Sorry it's late, the internet was playing up and I've only just managed to get connected.  Good night's sleep, woke at six this morning, not a glimmer of the day to come but eventually when the day started the colour in the sky were very gentle and the photos don't really do it justice.  It was bleak out there when I eventually took seeds out for the birds so I didn't linger long, I'd lit the fire as soon as I'd got out of bed so it was warm to get back to.  I'd not formulated plans for the day so didn't bother to get dressed and went back to the warmth of my bed drinking coffee and playing games on the Kindle.  Eventually I saw the glimmer of morning so grabbed the camera and took a few, the moon had a halo round it and that foretold the pattern for the rest of the day.  The sun showed it's face briefly but the temperature never went up much above freezing and it was a day for warm sweaters and being inside.  I made scrambled eggs for breakfast and despite the fire my hands were cold sitting in the stairwell while eating it.  I made more coffee, washed up the breakfast things and went to get dressed.

The upstairs bathroom is the warmest 'little room' in the house and a good place to get stripped off, washed and dressed again.  The washing from yesterday was dry so put it away, found a very warm sweater with a hood in the upstairs wardrobe space so that went on top of my fleece pyjama top.  I'd decided to go into Kardjali to pay a few bills which turned out not to be necessary since there was a deposit sitting on the account that I'd made when I went to England.  The phone shop had more staff than customers and we joked about it.  Apparently there are lots of people ill in Kardjali according to the staff, lots of flu bugs hanging around and I did see shoppers with masks on.  From there I withdraw money from the cashpoint and checked my balance and the bank were correct....I seem to have more than I thought I had so no need to get money transfered from my other account.  While I had time on my parking meter I went down to my stationery shop and bought 160 gram weight paper and between us we worked out that to buy two hundred and fifty sheets in a packet was less than buying two hundred loose sheets....it was a no brainer, I settled for the packet.  I also bought white board marker pens in the four colours and somehow I seem to have lost two of them so need to search the car and the front seat.  It's too cold to go out and look this evening.  I went down to the cheapy clothing shop and bought a top for my student for two leva....not exactly braking the bank but I liked it and so did she.

Shopping at Kaufland and Lidl, drove to my student's home and delivered the item that I'd bought for her, stopped for coffee and then carried on to the carshop to deliver two pomegranates that I'd got for her since they were on special offer.  I only popped in, carried on to the little supermarket for bread and spicy sausages and then home to a warm house and a fire that needed love and attention...which it got.  Again not really in the mood for supper....I'll have to go on a scout round for something easy to prepare.  My daughter's birthday tomorrow and it's a milestone one.....I remember mine being supper at a Mexican restaurant and ending up in a nightclub in the centre of Brighton, with the car parked in Nationwide undercover car park and leaving the chauffeur asleep while waiting for us to finish the evening.  Now as a teetotaller I look back and laugh at what we used to get up to, riding bikes to parties and surprised that we got back safely and telling fortunes with one guy setting his sleeve alight on one of the candles.

Seven thirty my time and time to head to the kitchen on that hunt for supper.  LN...I love February....it's got such memories for me.......LN

Saturday 3rd February

Late to bed last night and not necessarily late to sleep,,,,the sofa was very comfortable.  I snuggled down and slept through until seven this morning so I did very well on the zzzz front.  I lit the fire, it was minus three outside, the sun was there but finding it a hard job to climb and get on with its day job...the heavy cloud base on the horizon meant that it had to climb further to do anything like heating up this planet.  Eventually it made it and was obvious most of the day but at sunset it was trying hard but the clouds had followed it.

I made a bacon sandwich for breakfast, could have eaten a second one but too lazy to cook it but I did get on and peeled leeks, potatoes, carrots and mushrooms towards supper.  I found a couple of chicken legs in the freezer, thawed them out in the microwave and set about making the stew/soup.  I put the sliced potatoes and leeks into the frying pan that I'd taken the bacon out of to give them a coating and some flavour and those went into the slow cooker.  I sliced the carrots lengthways and halved the mushrooms and they went in too, I added hot water with a couple of stock cubes dissolved in it and put the thawed chicken in the frying pan to colour it up a little.  Everything in the slow cook, switched it to high and then down to medium after an hour or so.  I tidied the kitchen and washed up, messaged my daughter to wish her a happy birthday, I didn't phone since she might have been having a lie in or on the road for somewhere as a birthday treat.  She was about to open her cards and then going shopping for with birthday money for 'a nice piece of jewellery  so I told her to choose well.

I got wood in, settled back on the sofa and switched on Netflix and I'm back with Peaky Blinders and around one I fell asleep for an hour or so.  There are lots of things I could do but instead I found  book that i'd brought back from England the last time I was there on Reincarnation.  I must have bought the book at least twenty five years ago and it's one I've dipped in and out of and this time I decided to read it from cover to cover especially since I really do have the time.  I had an early supper from the slow cooker, cat has some bones and skin for tomorrow morning since I've stripped down the second leg and put it back in with the remaining vegetables.  I've got my supper for tomorrow sorted.

Six thirty and the sunset looked more like the sunrise, it's only the foreground that makes them different.  I relit the fire and that's chugging along nicely, curtains drawn and I'm in for the night.    LN.....I hope my daughter has had a good day...moon and back Princess......LN

Sunday 4th February

Happy birthday mum, it was the first thing on my mind when I woke up at six thirty.  It was cold outside, minus two again and not that warm inside so I lit the fire to warm the place up a little.  It didn't take too long, I went back to bed with black tea instead of coffee, I'm going to give it a miss for a while...a change is a good as a rest.  The second call to life came at eight thirty, I threw another log on the fire, bacon and egg breakfast with fried bread, washed up and I was set for the day.  No need to get logs in, I'd got enough to last even though the sky was telling me that there wouldn't be much sun about and there certainly hasn't been.  The sunrise was a poor show but at least the sunset tonight was worth recording.

Cat was out and about today and really enjoyed her chicken bits and bones with the chicken juices soaked into the crust of the loaf with hot water on it.  It was waiting for me on the wall, jumped down when it saw me approaching but is still very wary even though I'm carrying food.  I looked from the house around ten minutes later and nothing was left at all...it had scoffed the lot.  I haven't done much today, I played around with ancestry program and filled in a few more gaps but the research is now taking me into the fifteen and sixteen hundreds and you really need to look at the Parish records for those.  The option to look at other people's trees is given and I'm sure a lot of them are fantasy fiction, there are some where the male is married to the male with the same name, I'm sure some just want to get the biggest tree possible.  I don't, there are only about eight hundred people in my tree but it to me a long time to search and one record eluded me for about a year until I found a mistranscribed record and an assumed age on his marriage certificate.....I know he's mine Thomas.

I had to relight the fire around four thirty, it had gone out while I was upstairs but it didn't take long to get it going again.  The chicken in the slow cooker is no more, I reheated it in the pot and finished it all so sorry cat, nothing for you for tomorrow so far.  I went out to take photos of the sunset as it was going down, thought I'd capture all there was to see and as I went out to get wood for the fire I noticed that the sky was red all the way round so back in the house and grabbed the camera and it was really beautiful but it didn't last long.  More like a swansong since the rest of the day has been so poor. Temperature is dropping now.....just after seven thirty, the boiler is on for a bath tonight.  LN.....At the moment...it's going to be another leisurely day tomorrow.....unless..!!...LN

Monday 5th February

So despite my best efforts to keep awake last night I didn't manage it and woke up on the sofa at two thirty this morning.  I didn't manage the bath that I'd promised myself either and left that for this morning. I was most surprised when I didn't have my usual six start but slept straight through until eight thirty and it's been a very relaxed day throughout.  First job was to set the fire for tonight, clean out the ashes and check on the wood situation in the porch so those jobs were added to the list for today.  I didn't bother with breakfast, I'd been outside to throw out bread for the birds and was surprised at how warm it was and was even tempted to sit for a while but the mood soon passed.  I ran a bath at ten and lingered in it until eleven thirty, put a load of washing in the machine and read my book on reincarnation lying on the sofa waiting for the washing to finish so that I could put it on the airer.  I could have pegged it outside but there are little bugs around and don't want to get bitten this early in the year.

So not the best job in the world after having a bath, I decided to clean out the top of the woodburner where the soot collects and this time I did remembered to put on my gardening gloves for protection.  Next job was to get the axe out and chop some of the larger logs for when the fire is a little low, bring in enough starter wood to get it going and some of the really old wood from the wind damaged trees that came down in the last storm.  It's really just to use them up and now I'm set for a blizzard if the weather changes.  By now it was nearly four so I lit the fire and got it going really well, so well that I settled on the sofa with Netflix and followed more of Peaky Blinders.  

Just topped up the fire again, I'm thinking it's time to head to the kitchen and find something to eat.  There is cold ham and mixed pickles but I'm fancying making potato salad.....and only wished that Lidl would reintroduce the potato salad with creme fraiche but apparently it's only for the larger stores or when there is a promotion on.  At well....I've got potatoes and mayo....and the will.  My student tomorrow and more of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the compulsory game of lounge football....it wouldn't be a lesson without it.  LN......I've had a very relaxed and enjoyable day and a beautiful sunset to finish it off......LN

Tuesday 6th February

Another late night to bed falling asleep in front of Netflix but straight to sleep and woke up at seven.  The morning was breaking, the cows had been sent out to scavenge for the day to save on feed and it looked as if it might turn into a good day.  It had been forecast and was plus six this morning outside when I got going, I'd got nothing for the cat so had to break into a packet of ham with a gone-over consume by date.  I took some slices outside, made my familiar noise to attract the thing but nothing emerged from the shrubbery so I put the food down and five minutes later it had gone.  Not sure if it was my cat or not but at least something got fed.  I made toast for my breakfast, sorted the kitchen out from last night, thought about a bonfire but instead decided to watch the last episodes of Peaky Blinders, there were only two episodes to go and I've yet to find out the follow on summing-up film that was made.

I went out and sat on the terrace in the sun and it was almost like a summer's day.  I eventually got washed and dressed to face the world, put the washing away, was tempted to have a bonfire but that will wait for another day.  I didn't want to arrive at my student's house for the lesson smelling of bonfires.  If you  remember I bought two jasmine plants from Lidl at the same time but the one always looked healthier than the other when I got it home.  My ex- student decided to take the weaker one home for her mother despite my best efforts to get her to take the healthy one so when mine started flowering this morning, I decided to take this one to her mother and bring the other one home.  The weak one is to undergo surgery in the morning. get watered with special 'stuff' and see if we can raise the 'almost dead'.

I arrived on time for my student but he'd gone into Kardjali with his father so sort out a bank account for him.  Apparently schools put monthly payments into students' accounts to incentivise them to study.....what a good plan, maybe we can suggest it for the UK in some areas.  We started the lesson late, five minutes football and then on with the book and we managed to read thirty four pages.  I'd not read it before and there's so much more detail in the book than in the film that even I was laughing at some of the phrasing.  Down to the shop by five thirty and home for six, fire going, bolognaise sauce from the freezer, thawed out and served with mashed potatoes from a packet and I was washing up at seven.  I've just watched the 'Boy in the Striped Pyjamas', I've read the book but it was the first time that I'd seen the film.  In this case I think the book was better.

Just after eight thirty my time, no late night for me tonight, I need to get settled for a good night's sleep.  Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow except for my bonfire and then the rest of the day is mine but I think I need to chop more starter wood from the old wood left by the builders.  I've also got a lot of wood in one of the rooms in the little house that I could used to save it going to waste.  It's been there for a few years, one of the neighbours said that she wanted it but since she's not been round to collect, I think I'm going to make use of it.  LN......Now back to the warmth of the fire......LN

Wednesday 7th February

Beautiful start to the day, the opening temperature was five degrees but there was still a nip in the air when I went to drop the food off for the cat.  It was lucky this morning, it had more ham slices as an opener and then the remains of this morning's breakfast after I'd eaten all that I wanted.  I'd fried a spicy sausage, an egg and some mushrooms and it got a bit of all of it....lucky cat.  I went upstairs to get washed and dressed, and somehow found myself on the hunt for an elusive roll neck that still remains elusive....it just doesn't want to be found but another one came out of the chest and that's been comfortable to wear all day.

I had my bonfire and it was quite a good burn-up, walked the garden and made my way to the little house with the intention of clearing out some of the old wood but that went by the way again until this evening and I brought in enough to last tonight.  It's very old but throws out lots of heat, in fact it's better than the bought stuff from earlier in the season.  I think I got the previous, previous years wood that had overwintered in his yard....I'll but it later this year.  I put the jasmine into the hospital bay and sorted it out..there are new shoots at the bottom that can see daylight now I've cut the rest back....so it should be fine.  I put cosmos seeds in compost to see if they will do anything, sorted out seeds and I think that it's time that the old ones went and I had a cull.  The other way I suppose is just to throw them at the bottom of the garden and see which ones germinate...a bit early for that but Californian poppies should still do well they're very hardy.

Came inside and settled on the sofa and watch the film 'The Pianist'.  I'd felt I 'd seen the main character before but it took me a while to realise that he was the 'baddie' in 'Peaky Blinders'....Adrien Brody and I much preferred him in the film I was watching.  So I was doing OK unil more or less the end when the emotion took over and I shed a tear for this poor guy, gave myself a good talking to and then went out and got the second lot of wood in.

Six thirty my time, supper is ready and tonight on the menu there's pork spare rib chops in barbecue sauce with a hasselback potato ....and it's a big one.  Got to go, don't want it to spoil.  LN.....Nothing on the menu tomorrow so far just more of the same if the weather is good.......LN

Thursday 8th February

What a horrible disturbed night.  I woke up at two and realised that for some reason my mouth and lips had reacted to something that I must have eaten and I was on the hunt for anti--histamine tablets.  I get this occasionally, haven't a clue what I'm allergic to and neither do the doctors but it worried me enough to not go back to sleep and so I played games until five this morning.  The other remedy is to drink lots of water and with that comes lots of visits to the little room but does flush the poisons out of the system.  I'd  made sweet and sour spare rib chops and nothing unusual in the sauce since I'd made my own so knew everything that went into it.  The potato was sliced and butter added and cooked in the oven so nothing different there.  I did follow it with a shop bought vanilla pudding and I suppose something in that might have triggered and combines with something in the meal...I just don't know.  I went back to bed and slept through until eight thirty, didn't feel good so spent the rest of the morning in bed.  I didn't bother going to the doctor, I've reported it before and it's been put down to the tablets I was taking for blood pressure, the doctor threw her hands in the air and said that she didn't know what the next step was so I control my own intake.  I was off them for a year but England this year was quite trying so put myself back on them for the blood pressure but being back here for three weeks, I'm back and have decided to put them to oneside again.

The rest of the day has been very gentle.  The temperature both inside and outside has been very 'summery' and at seven thirty tonight I have twenty two degrees in the house and ten outside...unheard of for February.  There's been very little winter to talk about and enjoy.  I boiled a couple of eggs around twelve and had them with a slice of buttered bread, most of the swelling has gone down and so far, no reaction to anything I've eaten.  I took another tablet as a precaution, lay on the sofa and caught up on some more sleep. I lit the fire at five but not a huge on, I'm using the very old wood to start it and then one of the new ones to tick it over and it seems to be working.  Tomorrow providing all is good overnight, I'm going to try and empty the room that has the old wood and put it into the large containers I have with lids so if there is anything living in it, it's contained.  I get the feeling though that the wood is so old that nothing would find anything in there worth having.

So let's see what tonight brings.  I've discovered 'House MD' on Netflix, I used to watch it ages ago when a friend from one of the local villages used to deliver it for me on a memory stick.  It's been so long since I've watched it that I've forgotten most of the plots.  The only problem with it is that you can imagine that you have all the complaints going.....I'd have been worried if I had been working on the series.  LN.....No photos....mostly confined to the house and feeling much better than I did earlier.....LN

Friday 9th February

Went to bed at eleven last night, anticipated and got a five thirty start but when back off again until seven and felt much better for it.  Yesterday was another wake up call for me, I rested all day and today I felt the benefit.  I should take more days like those.  The last of the ham went out for the cat, not that I saw it eat it, it could have been any one of them but it had gone in quicksticks.  I made boiled eggs and toast for myself and I really should work on the timings.  They were better than yesterday...too squidgy and today, one a little undercooked and the other after waiting to be eaten was overcooked but the toast was fine.  Washing up done, kitchen finished and presentable for the day, washed and dressed, washing in the machine and time for sofa and Netflix.  I watched two episodes of House MD and then headed out to the little house after tidying up the corridor and polishing my Timberland boots.  It's not cold, wet and no snow around and the boots are very comfortable and I've put elastic laced in them so that they're much easier to put on and take off with the shoehorn to hand.

I took the keys to the outside buildings and opened up the little house and wood store.  I wheeled the empty log carriers from the porch to the appropriate buildings and first job was to split some of the larger logs so that I had smaller ones if the fire needed perking up.  I managed to split about seven of them using the axe and the chuck hammer and that gave me enough to fill up the container.  Next job was to tidy up the second row of logs in the wood store and add them to the first line but what I did notice was that they were really old and probably from two years before so best they're used up.  I filled up the space that I'd made with the wood chopping machine, the collapsible ladder and the hundred meter cable reel, swept the floor and generally tidied up.  The grass mower is now near the door to the back terrace and that will have an oil change and the fuel emptied and refilled but it's too early for that to be done.  The weather's good but it can change in an instant and minus temperatures are forecast for the end of this week and beyond.  I moved two containers of wood from the little house back room into the little house porch and this is really using up old wood.  I did say that I would empty this room but just now there's no where to store it so it's good where it is....a little and often should do it.

I locked up outside and noticed that a wooden board picture had faded in the sun and you could hardly read what it said.  I sat on the sofa, found some rollaball coloured pens in twelve colours and managed to recolour the drawing/printing in more or less the same colours and it's finished and back on the wall.  It hangs on the wall over the narrow bookcase at eye level when you come down the stairs and reminds me that 'no one gets out alive anyway'....quite thought provoking.  That must have taken me an hour or so to do, it's back on the wall and it suddenly hit me that I was hungry so I made tuna and mayo sandwiches, lit the fire and ate them finishing off with a chocolate bar.    The washing is now on the airer in the bathroom, it's seven my time more or less, I've achieved quite a lot and am very pleased that I did the poster thingy.  I've looked at it and was reluctant to start on it in case I messed it up but it's done and I haven't.

Saturday tomorrow, I did think about Greece but the weather is threatening rain so I might as well stay here....there's enough to do and like today, things I would enjoy doing.  LN.....I might even have a day doing my family chart on the white board.....it's much easier than on paper.......LN

Saturday 10th February

Relatively good night until three thirty this morning.  The night temperature is abnormally high, I have winter bedding on and I was roasting.  I went for a glass of water, played games for a while and eventually I went off to sleep again until seven thirty so not too bad.  This morning's temperature outside was eleven degrees, inside twenty six once the sun broke through so no need to light a fire or worry about more wood.  I had enough to last until the end of next week at this rate.

I wanted more than boiled eggs this morning so made a bacon and egg sandwich.  While I was in the freezer I found some bolognaise sauce that I'd made a while back and some sausages that I'd sliced into short lengths and left them on the worktop to thaw for later. I didn't find much to do this morning since there was nothing much to do and the anticipation of putting the ancestry chart on the whiteboard didn't' fill me with desire so I chose not to do it, Netflix went on and I immersed myself in House MD.

I made a few phone calls this afternoon, lit a very reluctant fire at four thirty but after a couple of attempts I won and it's still going strong now.  I put the bolognaise into a saucepan, added a can of tomatoes and one of baked beans and the sausages- and heated it up on the cooker.  When it was bubbling well I transferred it to the slow cooker and left it to do its own thing, all that I had to do was to cook the pasta and I did this around sixt thirty, served up and supper was over by seven.  Washing up done and kitchen tidied ready for tomorrow for Sunday....a day of rest like most days for me over here.  There's usually more to do in winter but it never really got going this year.  I did manage to go for a walk round the garden , I noticed the snowdrops, the winter flowering jasmine that's had a growth surge and saw that the lilac was beginning to bud.  Sunset was as gentle as the morning sunrise, nothing really dramatic about them...they just happened. Probably tomorrow is going to be the same as today except that I hope this nagging toothache has calmed down a little.  Looks like I shall be making an appointment with the man that can sort it out for next week, I think one of the teeth covered by gold crowns is becoming problematic.  LN.....Not good with this sort of pain......LN

Sunday 11th February

So I just noticed that I made a mistake in the last entry heading it up for Sunday not Saturday....and it's not corrected.  It wasn't the alcohol unless it's been lingering in my system for the last four years or so, it's been that long since I gave up the demon drink.  

Horrible weather today, pouring with rain all day and gale force winds and I'm hoping that the electricity remains stable until the end...then I can light the candles and settle in my the fire.  I was half way through using Moonpig for up and coming birthday cards, I'd done the hard work selecting them and editing and it was just at the payment that the lights went out and the screen went blank.  I edged my way gently down the stairs to the lounge managing to avoid the freesia pot at the bottom, found the candle lighter, set fire to the tea light and lo and behold, the lights came back on.  Not quite like the last big one when it was out for eleven days...that was hard going.  Bulgaria has moved on since then!!

Fortunately for me, the wood was gathered in yesterday and there was no need to struggle to keep the home fires burning.  I've just remembered, it needed topping up again now that the electricity is reestablished.....fingers crossed I won't be moving the logs over to the little wood burner in the kitchen later tonight.  I spent a lot of the morning trying to negotiate the Kruize BG website.  I'd phoned them yesterday to try to see what offers they had on cruises from Athens or Thessaloniki, the person that answered the phone spoke really good English.  Unfortunately that was the only good point that she had going for her, the advice was to put my enquiry into writing and sent it through to them....that's going to work since nothing seemed to be offered.  Perhaps I've been used to having the information presented to me and making a choice then making a follow up call to the office to confirm details and book the holiday.  Can't see that happening somehow.

Rest of the afternoon was on the sofa, playing games and relaxing.  I did managed to break off and do a little more family research but didn't have any dramatic findings, I'm still searching for the relatives that went out to Canada....it's a challenge but one day!!..Tomorrow I'm off to the dentist to arrange an appointment...the tooth has been giving me gyp all day so needs resolving one way or another.  I'm afraid that there might be quite a lot of treatment scheduled and not before time...I'm a bit of a coward and his approach is not really that friendly.  LN.....I'll report back how I got on.....LN

Monday 12th February

Not a bad night, I woke up at seven and it was still dark outside, the rain had stopped but it didn't look too promising for the rest of the day.  The wind was still howling, things were still being removed from their rightful places and deposited elsewhere...I would have work to do later.  I didn't bother getting dressed, I'd made up my mind that the doctor and the dentist would be very busy on Mondays with illness abounding in Kardjali so I decided to leave it until later in the week.  My tooth pain has also subsided and since I'd taken off my Fitbit last night, the swelling on my wrist and hand had reduced...it must be something to do with the Fitbit controls against the surface of my wrist.  I'm just hoping I haven't become allergic to that as well.

I checked my overnight emails and in junk I had one purporting to come from me, to me, so I contacted my security company to give my system the once over to make sure that nothing had been compromised and it hadn't.  I was supposed to pay money into a bitcoin account otherwise they would release the photos and my friends know they find it hard enough to get me to have my photo taken....didn't rise to the bait so delete and move on to the next....why oh why do such people get to breathe.  I made toast for breakfast and have given up on eggs thinking that they could have something to do with the rashes that I have on my arms.  I'm obviously allergic to something and should really have the spot checks done but that means going in to Plovdiv, it's not possible to have it done in Kardjali.  I eventually had a shower and washed my hair at eleven thirty, dried it and was ready for the world by twelve except that my world was going to be reduced in size for today.  The slow cooker pot was removed from the fridge and back to its control centre and supper was on it's way.  I put a load of washing in the machine and that went on the airer in the guest room when the sun had decided to break through and some of the bigger stuff I put on coat hangers around downstairs and those are now put away.  I lit the fire at four thirty, supper at six and washing up waiting until tomorrow, there's no one to be critical of what I do when.  

Nothing on the agenda currently for tomorrow.  I do have my student at three and before that I might to into Kardjali for a few items from Lidl and the doctors if there isn't a queue.  LN....Time to throw a log on the fire....don't want to get cold and I think House MD is waiting for me.......LN

Tuesday 13th February

So woke up at seven, too warm to do anything else but stay in bed and dropped off again until eight. I played a few games, I'd made my mind up that I wasn't rushing anywhere this morning so stayed where I was until around ten thirty.  We'd had a thunderstorm last night and rain, it was around eight degrees outside, damp and miserable was how the day felt. I didn't bother lighting the fire since I was out this afternoon but in retrospect I should have done.  The house has been slow to come up to temperature tonight.

I washed up, realised that for some reason my right wrist was painful so found out a very old wrist support that I'd used when I broke it lots of years ago.  So I finished the washing up and applied it, got dressed and went out to empty out the remains of last night's supper for the cat.  I made the usual noises that normally draw it to the trough but the cat never came so either it's either found a warm place to be or better pickings elsewhere.  I filled up the log basket in the house and went to the woodstore and filled the log carrier and brought it to the porch, went inside and set the fire for tonight.  It was cold so I went upstairs and got washed and dressed for my student lesson this afternoon, came downstairs and messaged my son to wish him a happy birthday, the card should have arrive by this morning's post.  I also remembered that a friend's daughter had her birthday today so I messaged the parents and asked them to pass on a hug from me.

I had a strange call from a door to door 'salesman' clutching two bed quilts and offering them for two hundred leva.  I said that I wasn't interested, that I didn't need them and the price dropped considerably, more refusals from me and again the price was halved and now we were down to one for twenty leva.  In fact it was a good price but after so many refusals I really didn't need any more bedding....he went on his way after I escorted him from the property and he mumbled as he left. It's odd, we don't get many callers of this type, maybe chancing his luck from one of the other surrounding villages.

So I was still cold so I upped the tog rating on my sweater and went for the polo neck, one hundred percent wool with body warmer, I was ready at two twenty to head for Djebel.  I managed to park outside the shop and waited for the son to come back from school in Kardjali.  He went up to the apartment, I stayed talking to his mother and it was four before I got to start the lesson.  Just a few minutes of football, one hour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and downstairs for five thirty.  I went straight to my car, said farewells, turned it round, stopped at the supermarket and bought a pizza for tonight and a few more items.  I lit the fire and it went first time, cooked the pizza and finished it but I shan't be buying one of those again.  I didn't enjoy it and I'm wondering if I shall be seeing it later tonight...hopefully not.

It's really cold and miserable outside, raining when I arrived home and hasn't stopped since.  I have the feeling that this weather is set to continue for a few days.  LN....It will be warm clothes on, fire going, hot chocolate, comfort food and Netflix......LN

Wednesday 14th February

Another cold wet day and my fire has been going non-stop.  I did hit twenty two degrees in the lounge but I've still felt cold all day and so much so that I put an early supper in the slow cooker just after breakfast time and was eating it at four thirty this afternoon.  Happy Valentines day to all those who still participate....and all those postmen who had fun delivering the mail but I'm guessing that more is done over the internet than in paper greetings this year.  The world changes and some of us who remember the old days do so fondly....our age seemed more personal.  

I've not got up to much today....a little holiday browsing and Morocco seems to be on the cards again.  The good thing about booking from here is that insurance is included so doesn't put the price of the holiday up so much as holidays in the UK.  The last quote I asked for, the company advised me that they couldn't offer me any policy and they were supposed to be a worldwide travel agent.  Two things were against me, I didn't live in the UK and my age and there was only one thing I could change but no way could I live in the UK again long term.  My old student has not come back to me about going away this weekend so I've cancelled the idea of it.  We were going on a Spa weekend with her parent, if they wanted to come, but now I don't want to go.  I imagined swimming in a heated pool looking out over snow covered mountains but after the performance of the last two days weather-wise....looking out over dark dismal hills wouldn't cut the mustard so to speak.

My slow cooker supper of potatoes, carrots and a chicken leg was delicious and very filling.  Cat won't have much to go at tomorrow but having said that, I haven't seen it around at all yesterday and today.  I'm hoping it's OK.  So now back to the fire, the wood held out today and it looks like I should have enough in for tomorrow unless I decided to take myself off to the dentist tomorrow to find out what's really going on under my gold crown.  It's more about making an appointment, my guy is very busy normally so not much chance of seeing him tomorrow but at least I can put something in the diary.  LN.....I just hate dentists.......LN

Thursday 15th February

Slept really well last night and woke up at eight fifteen...not been known for ages.  I went to bed at eleven last night, snuggled down clutching Eli...my Christmas present from my grandson a couple of years ago and that was it until late, for me, this morning.  I saw and fed my cat...well not mine but the black one that I feed....the wanderer has returned.  It was sitting on the grass looking at the house so out I went with the remains of last night's supper and put it down under the tree by the low wall, bones and all and it all went.  I didn't bother with breakfast for myself, I wasn't hungry just more coffee.

I somehow got involved in cleaning and delving into boxes and shelves and doing general tidying.  I found two blue hand towels that had found themselves where they shouldn't have done, I also found a machine for cleaning jewellery that I must have bought a couple of years ago and I still haven't used it.  I should do though, my earrings are very difficult to clean, it usually involves a needle and thread to go through the diamond supports to get out the grime.  I never take them out except when I'm going to give them a clean and it would make more sense it I did use the machine.  Next time....

It was almost one when I went downstairs after my mammoth attempts upstairs and first job was to get more wood in ready for tonight.  There was a wood carrier already loaded so didn't take long but I suddenly realised that I'd not had breakfast.  Two slices of bread into the toaster, can of beans opened up and beans on toast delivered to the table in the stairwell in quicksticks.  From there to the sofa, television on and a couple to episodes of House MD allowed the beans to settle.  After an hour or so I fired up the little laptop on the table downstairs and followed up on a cruise going out next week from Athens but in retrospect, I should have looked at the flights first and they are very high priced and not very regular, don't fit in well with a ten day cruise and it's about 500 kilometers to drive down there.  I did suggest that I could embark at Thessaloniki but the girl on the other end of the phone thought that the company wouldn't allow it.  Thumbs down for the holiday then!!

This afternoon saw me on the computer upstairs on my ancestry program and for some reason I found myself looking at the Lichfield Wills and Probate and reprinting three wills made by my ancestors in the 1750s.  It's quite good when you've done most of the research and can start delving in corners and putting meat on the bones, it's documents like these that bring them to life.  Better day but still cold, I've just lit the fire and I've got to have someone out to look at the wood burner, I think the thermostat is sticking and the water really starts bubbling before the pump kicks in.  Once it's going it's fine, just the first push through of the hot water.  Happy Birthday to my Aquarian grandmother today...never forgotten and grandmother, mother and myself all born in February along with my two kiddiwinkles.  LN.....It's been an expensive month.....LN

Friday 16th February

Funny old night, I woke up at three this morning, couldn't go back off to sleep but eventually managed it at five and slept through until seven.  It hadn't rained overnight but the temperature had dropped and it felt cold.  I washed and dressed, didn't feel hungry enough to bother with breakfast and was in the Nipper and heading for Kardjali at ten.  Driving in I ran out of windscreen wash liquid and the wiper on the passenger side was still playing up and a visit to the garage was on the cards.  As I came out on to the main road from the village I passed an old man walking along the high way and guessed he was off to Djebel for the bazaar and the mosque so stopped to pick him up.  He confirmed he was from the next village along when I asked him and he already knew that I was the English woman from my village, my fame goes before me.  I dropped him off in Djebel, I carried on tot he garage and the owner was busy so I found some screen wash in the boot and filled up the bottle, fiddled around with the wiper and put in an old blade from the compartment on the dashboard and I'm not sure if the wiper was replaced by the garage while I was in the UK.  Everything worked so I said that I'd fixed the problem and carried on to Kardjali, parking up behind the hospital which was where I was heading. As I entered the building I saw my doctor coming out and she said she was off for 'a rest' which I understood to be a cigarette.  I went down to the surgeries and sat outside her door with the others that were already waiting and I noticed that lots in the corridor, where eight doctors practice, were wearing masks and coughing and it's at times like this you wish that you'd got one.  I'm so protected in my village and Djebel.  

Eventually it was my turn, she couldn't find me on the computer and complained bitterly that they'd installed a new system and it was useless.  Typical, the ones that develop the programs don't really understand the processes and she couldn't find me on the computer.  She phoned the help desk, the number was engaged so I went back to the seats in the corridor and waited while she saw the next persone, back inside again and back out again and eventually I was examined.  Each year there are a number of tests that you can have that are recommended and I wanted a mammogram which I hadn't had the previous year.  Apparently she was told that I wasn't her patient and I have been for the last ten years or so, she examined me, the form was printed off, she had my record but none of my history and by this time it was almost one o'clock when I was heading for the x-ray department, I checked and they'd closed for the day so I have to go back on Monday.  

Back to the Nipper, Kaufland for a few items including beach shoes on special offer, then over to Lidl for my top up shop.  I drove to Djebel and parked outside the cake shop and bought two smaller ones, eight portions each, one for my village ladies and the second for the family, we're off to a restaurant tomorrow evening for my birthday.  I drove home, unpacked the shopping and put it away, put a couple of coated chicken breast into the oven, lit the fire and waited for supper to cook.  I used smash for the potatoes, added cheese and gave it a cheese topping and that went into the oven to brown off and supper was in front of the television leaving chaos in the kitchen which I'll sort in the morning.  Unfortunately I fell asleep catching up on the lost overnight zzz's so sorry the blog is late.  Cake run in the morning round to my ladies, relaxing afternoon and out for six and to the restaurant.  LN.....Hopefully I should be on the computer my Monday at the hospital......LN

Saturday 17th February

Birthdays come and birthdays go but this has been a most enjoyable evening with my students and the parents at a very nice restaurant on the far side of Kardjali.  I've been there several times before but this has been the best food that I've ever had there.  We took no prisoners but the salad went back, it arrived and we changed it to a 'native' variety instead of the one that the restaurant recommend and that was so much better.

So back to the day.  First job was to find out old birthday cards from my treasure box, the postal service to Bulgaria is absolutely rubbish and I've advised friends not to bother sending any...recycling at its best. I had a few text messages with birthday greetings which was nice and later a couple of phone calls from friends. It was a cold start, I made coffee, put the dishes away from last night, did a load of washing and got that on the airer.  I didn't have breakfast but got the first cake out from the fridge and cut and packaged it and was delivering it round the village at ten thirty and it was a surprise how few of my ladies are left....some are in Germany for the winter and one died and only six parcels delivered.  I also managed to take the non-combustible rubbish down to the dumpster at the bottom of the road and left the Nipper outside the gate. no point in bringing it in.  Next job was to have a bonfire since the rubbish had built up in the porch and it was pleasant walking round the garden while I supervised the burn-up and I'm surprised how close the lot of the shrubs are saying hello to spring.  The buddleia are doing particularly well and the forsythia hs tinges of yellow.  I then turned my attention to getting some starter wood chopped and this proved more difficult that I thought.  I should really make a proper job of it with the reciprocating saw and then use the axe when it's in suitable lengths not bludgeon it with the axe and then expect to split it.

The novelty wore off and I settled on the sofa and watched some more of House MD on Netflix until it was time to get ready to meet my garage family for out evening meal.  We met at six, both students turned up. I travelled with the parents and the boys went in the elder boys car and at six thirty we were seated with the menus.  The cake and candles went with us to the restaurant, five portions delivered and the rest returned to us and it's now sitting in the fridge at home. I had a beautiful azalea plant and rock salt candle holder from the family.  On the way back the elder student went off to find his mates in Kardjali and the younger on came back with us, into the Nipper which was parked outside the shop and I was home for ten more or less.  I lit the fire, brought the goodies inside the house and locked up for the night.  I'm about to finish the evening off with a drinking chocolate and then curl up in bed.  LN......I've had a very pleasant birthday with very pleasant generous people......LN

Sunday 18th February

So last night when I got in from the restaurant and published the photo of the birthday cake and mentioned that it was my birthday, the greetings came in thick and fast and I spent a lot of the morning answering and thanking friends for their well wishes.  It was a dull old morning, mountain to mountain fog and very cold so I lit the fire and it was still warm from last night ashes so didn't take long to warm through.  Last night I'd made arrangements to go to watch a league football match with my students family , my other student's family were coming to visit to bring me a pressie but I contacted and changed the arrangement that I would go to their house instead and then to my students' parent's house and then off to the football.  That all seemed to be working well until the bus service from Djebel to Kardjali that my young 'ball boy' was catching to the stadium hadn't started for the day and looked like it wasn't happening so the parents decided to take him to the stadium in Kardjali, they would then go shopping and I would go to Kardjali with the older son in his car.  And it all went well until we arrived at the stadium and his parents were still shopping in Kaufland but eventually it worked out well.

I thought I'd made an error in judgement.  I'd stuck to the original plan to wear a long down coat, Ugg boots and an extra sweater underneath. hat and gloves but as I was driving to Djebel the sun broke through, the temperature went up and I said this to my student while we were trying to find his parents in Kardzhali.  He said not to worry...at the football match the temperature would drop around four in the afternoon, I would be fine and everybody else would be cold....and that's how the story unfolded.  The match wasn't that good, apparently out local team has sold off key players the previous season and we were again cultivating a new city team and it really is early season.  We left the ground, found the car which we had to park quite a way from the stadium, drove back to Djebel and I drove home.  First job was to light the fire, put the boiler on for a bath, kettle on for a coffee and a slice of cake left over from last night filled a gap while I was waiting for everything else too come together.  I'm now going to linger over a long bath and tomorrow I'm off to the hospital in Kardjali for the x-ray since it had shut up shop on Friday.  Test results will be with the doctor that lunchtime and then we'll know what the next steps need to be taken.

It's been a very busy birthday weekend and I've really enjoyed it.  It makes me realise how lucky I am to have found such people when it could have been a complete failure travelling a few thousand miles and starting a new life here.  LN.....May the mutual support continue for some time......LN

Monday 19th February

So I eventually came down after my exciting day, didn't bother with supper, watched Netflix and went for a bath at ten last night.  I tried to concentrate on Freecell but couldn't manage to crack a difficult one so put the device to oneside, I don't want to screw up my win percentage.  Dried off, went straight to bed, slept well until seven this morning and today was the day for my x-ray.  It was going so well, I was in the Nipper just before eight, parked up and that's when the fun started.  Apparently the phone company that I use no longer add the parking cost to the telephone costs, the system has been changed.  I now have to register my payment card with them, it's good because if you accidentally go over the time, the leaving time is registered and you're payment is updated.  You just have to remember to exit the car-park and confirm that you're leaving.  I didn't want to do this over the phone, I'd not read the terms and conditions and I thought at first that I had a fine from the other day when I overstayed at the hospital car-park and then took out another charge for an hour.  I had my x-ray, the lady doing it spoke perfect English, she wants to work in the UK and I said that I'm sure she'd be made most welcome with the shortages happening.  Her daughter is working and living there already.

I received my disk from the x-ray, took it down to my doctor who confirmed that there are no tumours but recommended that I go privately to a specialist radiologist and I've made my appointment for tomorrow afternoon....everything goes so slowly here.....not.  So tomorrow I have my student's lesson at three and then off to see the specialist and the parking should be OK because the charges finish at five thirty....just when my appointment is to start.  I've not heard back from the car-parking people.  Apparently I'm registered just have logged the vehicles against it or added the card details.....I'll think about that tomorrow....not into worrying about it today and I'll wait for their comments back.

Lovely day with chats with my ex-flat mate from Gibraltar when we shared an apartment in nineteen seventy...such a long time ago when we were both young and fancy free.  The nice thing is, our friendship is still the same despite marriages, divorces, children...we've not really changed and they may even be visiting with a gentle nudge and the temptation of visiting Greece.  The fire has been going since I got back from Kardjali, the house is toasty, I found two portions of the village cake and that did for a late lunch and supper is going to be tuna with potato salad so wont take long to do, the salad is already prepared, in creme fraiche by Lidl.  Not much sun about today...it's been dull and cloudy, hovering at around seven degrees and it looks like the same for tomorrow.  I did managed to go to the post office in Rogosche, my next village, with have a new postmistress and what a joy she is.  We've swapped phone numbers, she went through all the back post and found what i thought was a birthday card from my daughter but it was a Christmas card from my cousin's daughter in Australia.  It was posted early December so I suggested that next year she posts at the same time but makes it a birthday card for me as well...Just a practical thought on my part.  At least now she'll phone me when my daughter's card arrives.  It's been a good day, achieved quite a lot and also got a quote for an A-Z holiday to Morocco and if my friend doesn't want to go....the price is OK for me to go on my own.  LN.....This year has to be meaningful on the travelling front......LN

Tuesday 20th February

Woke up at six this morning and the whole morning seemed particularly long.  I lit the fire early and it's been going all day except when I headed out to my student for the lesson and carried on to the hospital for an appointment that turned out to be really complicated.

I did managed to sort out my little computer and put Image Resizer on it, the original access key which I managed to find from old emails proved to be ineffective, it had been used too many times but I had a reduced rate for a new one so that was really good.  I've got a few things that I need to work on on the little computer, tomorrow I'm going to install all my security company programs, most are for up to ten users and I'm using only about two of them.  The day was very pleasant, I made a bacon sandwich for breakfast, sat in the stairwell eating it despite the fact that the day was dull and miserable.  I've checked out the sweet pea seeds that I've put to germinate in damp kitchen roll in the porch and they're now ready to place on compost, roots go down and the cotyledons start heading upwards forming the first leaves.

Off to my student around two thirty, my appointment with the specialist was at five thirty so I had time for the lesson and then time to get into Kardjali avoiding the need to pay for parking since I haven't managed to sort that out yet.  It's on my list to phone the company in Sofia and she will explain to me exactly what I to do since they've really messed up the original system.  I parked up at the hospital car-park at five twenty five giving me five minutes to get to the laboratory where my consultation was taking place.  There were some people already waiting but I went in to see the receptionist and was told that she knew nothing about me.  I'd phoned the specialist yesterday, and he'd told me five thirty but told nobody else.  She said that he had a full list and that there weren't any spaces and that I should go home and she would phone me tomorrow with an appointment for next week.  I said it wasn't good enough, that I lived around forty kilometers away and I could have dropped that disk in at any time so she advised me to speak to the specialist when he arrived for his appointments.  When he did arrive he went through the reception area of the building like a tornado, he was running late already, the receptionist came out to ask me if I'd spoken to the specialist, I said no and told her that I was going to wait it out until he'd finished his surgery.  I waited and waited, thought the line was going down and then more came in and eventually the last one went in, I asked the receptionist if he would be seeing me and I got a yes.  

Check up over, nothing to declare, everything normal unlike the x-ray which had a few funny patches on it.  This was a gel ultrasound on to a monitor and he was very thorough.  I got dressed, he gave me photos and a report of his findings to take to my doctor, I paid over the one hundred lev which is cheap at half the price considering what it would cost in England outside the Health service and I was home for nine thirty.  It was a long wait but it's done and dusted and I have peace of mind.  Lit the fire again when I got in, found something for supper and suddenly remembered that I'd not checked in.  I did find a very large window poster for prosthetics so I took a photo of an artificial arm and leg and sent it off to my daughter quoting ' I hope this check up doesn't cost me an arm and a leg'.  LN....Photos to follow tomorrow, they're on the phone.....LN

Wednesday 21st February

Another seven start, I lit the fire, it looked to be another dull old day outside and by the time that I'd got it going it looked like the sun was going to break through...but it didn't.  Cat was sitting on the grass by the frog garden looking longingly in this direction and the only thing that I had was bread and it must have been hungry, it walked towards it and it looked like it was limping.  It ate a could of slices then sauntered off to check out the rest of the neighbourhood...and who can blame it.

At eight I was feeling a little hungry so made a couple of poached eggs and had them on toast.  I've been off them for a while, spring season and all that and that's when my father refused to eat them.  Strange thing though, since I've not had so many my red blotches seemed to have stopped but that also coincides with my taking off my Fitbit and doing without it.  I ought to check out if you can become allergic to any of the pulses that it gives off.  I cleared the kitchen, did a load of washing using the new sensitive wash liquid and the clothes are certainly softer but not sure if the product is cleaning as well as the others.  The new one is about a quarter of the price of the others that I was using so it might be the expensive one for the really soiled stuff and stick to the cheap ones for things that sit next to the skin...result.

So today I went through the loose papers that have gathered in various places and got rid of loads, some by filing them away and others into the trash to be burned.  Tomorrow's job is to go through everything that relates to my ancestry digging and filing it name related and in the case of my own, punched and filed in person/date order.  It's almost like a spring clean and later on it really felt that it was here.  I've planted up the sweet peas in a large container and they're now in the little house to carry on growing but this time in compost not in kitchen roll.  I've also cleared out a four drawer plastic unit so that if I need any for the printer, I know where to find it....organisation..it comes late to some.  Not sure what I want for supper, I had a packet of mixed nuts and raisins late this afternoon and they seem to have stuck on their way down...maybe something later.  LN.....Nothing very much to photograph today, the visiting jay took off just as I got it into focus......LN

Thursday 22nd February

Another house to mountain foggy morning, I couldn't even see the bottom of the garden.  It took a while to lift, at one point it looked like the sun would come our, eventually it did but it still remained cold mainly due to the wind.  I made coffee, got on with the morning routine and went back to bed for an hour or so to let the streets air as my mother would say, emerged again and made more coffee.  Two eggs were poached and had for breakfast, washed up and then looked around for things to do and settled on carrying on with the paperwork sort and now what's up is supposed to be and what's down is mainly to do with ancestry and needs sorting tomorrow.  Instead of getting on with sorting it today, I started going over the tree for the mid fifteen hundreds, the records are scarce, when you look at the original parish records they're either damaged or written in Latin so are difficult to confirm that the people belong to you.  It's very easy to go down the wrong rabbit hole.  I'd taken a joint of lamb from the freezer to thaw over night and into the slow cooker it went.  I brought it up to hot then turned it down to medium for the next few hours and hopefully it will be tender.

I had a brief interval after lunchtime, I went out to get more wood and ended up getting the axe out and splitting some of the larger ones so that they can perk up a dull fire. I must say though that when you have a good fire going with larger lots, it takes a lot less effort to keep it going but it does depend on the way that the chimney reacts to the wind blowing across it.  I brought the logs in and as I was walking back I saw the lady who has the garden next to my garage and wood store and she was off to do an afternoon's digging.  She commented on the jacket that I'd put on to keep warm and it was one that I bought from Brighton years ago but it's one that you throw in the washing machine and it comes out looking as good as new.  I must have had it about twenty years or more, it's a fleece jacket and well padded, the type that you can't buy any longer. Work done, I came inside, made more coffee and took the meat from the slow cooker and I'm not sure if I'll do anything with it or not...it didn't seem very tender and if not tomorrow, the cat will have a feast and can invite the neighbourhood or I'll mince it and make some lamb-burgers with it.

Telephone call with my ex today, it's his birthday, the card got there and also the present thanks to Moonpig.  Supper was the last of the potato salad from Lidl with a tin of tuna added, washing up done and now to take advantage of the warmth downstairs and the sofa.  LN......Again no photos....I got the camera out but failed to take any......LN

Friday 23rd February

Seven thirty start again, very pale sky and eventually very pale morning sunrise....Nothing really to write home about but it's been a pleasant day for the most part but that wind has been icy cold again.  I didn't venture out much except to feed some of the meat that I cooked yesterday to the cat who was waiting very still near to the wall sheltering from the wind.  It came towards the spot where I feed it, I put down the contents of the bowl and I'd mixed in some bread soaked in the juices from the meat and it was soon gone.  I tried to chew some of the meat, and typical of the meat that I'm given it was really tough, they just don't hang meat here, it's cut up that day and doesn't even have time to rest.  Looks like the cat is in for some treats over the next few days.

I settled for a yogurt for breakfast, didn't need to get wood in or struggle to do anything, I went up to the computer on the landing and did a little ancestry, thought I'd solved a puzzle but in fact I've added one more to the mix.  The relative that I thought went off to live in Canada in fact got married to a local lad, firmly shutting out that link and I'd not come across the name before.....it must have been a new record loaded.  It happens all the time.  I lost the initiative after that, closed down the computer and concentrated on the pile of papers that were left from my initial clear out and now the desk is clear.  I'm still left with the others on the desk downstairs, I did intend doing it today but instead I put on Netflix and slept through several episodes of House MD but felt much better for it.

The freesias should be flowering tomorrow and maybe the eventual bursting forth of the orchid will come to pass.  Te flower buds have been on it for ages, I didn't realise that they take so long.  As for the garden, I went out to check and there are lots of daffs about to come out, I also have crocuses and the tulips have put up leaves and so have the iris both the normal and variegated.  I'm just hoping that we get no real frost this late in the year...it will put everything back.  Not sure what's on the menu tonight...so far nothing is jumping out to the active part of my brain to go and do something about it.  Full moon is out tonight, the sky above is clear but there are dark clouds over both east and west mountain ranges so we'll see what we get tomorrow.  LN.....Photo gallery tonight of my walk round my garden......LN

Saturday 24th February

Seven ten start and I've had a very gentle day for the rest of it.  I fed the cat but it didn't come when called but maybe it was a little early for it to be around.  The foods all gone though so if it has been had by another, good luck to it.  I made my own breakfast, bacon and egg but unfortunately while I was finishing off the egg I frazzled the bacon somewhat so the cat had extra.  It's been a beautiful day but again that wind has been cold and even though the outside temperature has been recorded at fifteen I'd argue the point.  The outside temperature gauge is on the grape vine next to the little house and way out of the wind for it to make the gauge record the correct measurement.  

I concentrated on ancestry this afternoon, not to find out any more facts, I've got plenty to go at but to work out a filing system, get rid of duplicate print-outs and file the ones that I have into accessible and comprehendable order.  The first part is simple, it needs to be sorted into surname order and then into chronological order and that's going to be easier when I write out the charts.  I'm thinking that I'm going to have to invest in new versions of Powerpoint or Excel to work on my latest machines, the one that I did the last lot on in the spare bedroom on my really old machine is very clonky but knowing how much companies change programs, I'm guessing all will be a mystery to be solved.  The paperwork went away at around three this afternoon and I settled in to Netflix and House MD.  I did have a visit from Haciber clutching and offering a chocolate from a box, it was her grand-daughter's birthday.  I took one, apologised that I hadn't bought her her clementines yet, the ones in Djebel were rubbish so I'm waiting until I go into Kardjali.

So far nothing on the agenda for supper,  I'm going to have to delve into the freezer and find some chicken thingies that will go into the air-fryer.  I suppose if I'd have got organised I could have put chicken wings and a jacket in the oven....too much effort to switch House off.  Kitchen bound as we speak, the one freesia is still teasing me but should open tomorrow.  I thought it was going to be yellow but now it looks more like purple...I'll just have to wait and see.  LN....And now for that freezer......LN

Sunday 25th February

Another seven start despite waking up on the sofa at one thirty this morning.  I've managed to stay awake all day and got through an alarming amount of sorting out.  It's not quite spring but I'm having an early start on Spring cleaning.  I sorted out the small cupboard that stands in the stairwell between the table and the wall and it could be mistaken for a bedside cabinet.  I hadn't been in it for a few years and I found a surprising amount of treasure.  I had this thing that I was going to take up painting, always wanted to try it and did once when I live in Gibraltar at the tender age of twenty two.  Lots of water has gone under that bridge and was too busy having children, keeping finances afloat and forging a career that paid money to every get round to it.  Now having the time I thought it might happen so each time that Lidl have offers on paint brushes, chisel ended ones, straight ones, sketch pads I was there with boots blacked and having sorted out the cupboard I realise that I have the equipment and should do something about it.   They've all been put back in the cupboard but at least I know what it contains.....let's see what the summer brings!!

Bacon sandwich for breakfast followed by a yogurt, chicken wings and sliced potatoes into the slow cooker, all finished by eleven and a load of washing done into the bargain.  That's drying on the airer in the guestroom and will be ready to put away tomorrow morning.  The rest of the meat went out to the cat and it was waiting in the bushes under the wall for me to make an appearance.  I went out to fill the log carrier to bring into the porch and as I went to open the door to the little house there was a cheery 'hello' and a man that I haven't seen before had stopped in the road obviously out for a walk with another man.  He spoke in stilted English so obviously wasn't used to using  it so I asked him in Bulgarian where he was staying and where he lived.  He said that he was staying at a family house, that he was born in the village but was now living in Bursa which is in Turkey.  I got complimented on my Bulgarian and remarked that it wasn't much use in the village since all the older ladies speak Turkish and we laughed about it and off they went.  I carried on into the little house and watered the lemon and a few of the other plants, it's too early to put them out so I'm just keeping them going.

The freesia has finally flowered and the secondary buds are swelling up so shouldn't be long following it.  Supper was ready around five so I ate early tonight and I should really use the slow cooker more that I do.  I lit the fire although it was getting on for six o'clock but the radiators are warm so the wood burner is doing its stuff.  The boiler is on for a bath tonight and tomorrow morning I'll be making my way to Kardjali to hand the photos and letter from the specialist to the doctor and then probably sign up for a few more tests that are normally carried out annually such as an ECG, a blood and urine test.  Rude not to.  The washing up from today can wait, it's almost eight my time so the bath calls.  LN.....It's been a very chilled day and I've achieved a lot.....LN

Monday 26th February

Another silly night when I was playing games on the Kindle at three thirty this morning.  That said I didn't wake up until eight fifteen so my plans for today were scuppered.  I didn't want to get to the hospital while Kardjali and its friends were waiting to see my doctor, I could have gone later but the aftermath around lunchtime means that the other departments close down so nothing much would have been achieved.  Tomorrow is another day, there's really no rush now that I've seen the specialist and my mind is not worrying about what might be happening.  

The morning brought mist over the hillside which eventually cleared and the sun shone.  I suppose an outside temperature of ten degrees is brilliant for this time of year but the way the wind was blowing the few trees that I have left meant that there was no way I was going to get really active outside.  I thought about a bonfire but just added to the pile that needs burning by finishing sorting out the numerous notebooks that I have half scribbled in mainly for ancestry.  The rest of the afternoon I went through them, copied over the most relevant information to go into the individual family files and disposed of the originals.  At least now I know the dates that I need to confirm and I know that these are going to be the most challenging, I shall have to go through the original parish records entered around the fifteen hundreds, some in copperplate, others in old English and some even in Latin.  Now I did two years of Latin when I was twelve or so and a lot of it is similar to  Spanish following the same verb and noun endings so I'll be giving it a good go at some stage.  

Only toast for breakfast, I had the start of a lip allergy this morning which faded quite quickly and back to normal and the last time that I got this was three weeks ago when I cooked red potatoes in the slow cooker and what did I have yesterday, sliced red potatoes cooked with chicken in the slow cooker.  Red potatoes are now off the shopping list and off the menu..it might be a coincidence but once bitten, or twice bitten....The freesia has at last developed a perfume and the rest of the buds on the stem are swelling up and like to open in the next few days.  The orchid has also opened up and again, the others are showing signs.  I did manage one trip out to the little house for some more proper starter wood, I'm using the branches that I cut up when the men pollarded the trees and there appears still to be a lot of sap in them.

Fire lit and going well, that bath that I've been promising myself is about to happen tonight, the boiler is on bringing the water temperature up to peak performance, no supper tonight, not really in the mood and an early night and no up all hours watching Netflix.  Need to visit the other family tomorrow to collect my birthday plant that I forgot to bring home with me and then on to my student for the lesson.  LN......Another stress free restful day...what's not to like about being here......LN

Tuesday 27th February

So I was back to the seven start, washing up put away, washing folded and put away, and at eight I was eating toast and drinking my second cup of coffee.  It was a beautiful morning and it was fifteen degrees today outside which is great for mid-March but not for February.  A memory came up on FB today of six years ago with three feet of snow round the house showing I'd made a path to the wood store but this year nothing.  I fed the cat on the jelly from the chicken with bread and noticed that lots of the daffodils are flowering, crocus are out and the weeds are doing marvellously well.....I shall have to go out and sort them soon before they take over.

The flowers on the stairs are still looking beautiful and now one more flower is out the perfume from the freesias is getting stronger and while I was sitting in the stairwell admiring the flowers I notice lots of starling activity on the wall by the little house terrace.  Last year the log was used to raise a family and it looks like I'll be having another.  Several were checking it out and it might be a fight to the finishing post before residents are established and in place....I'll see how it pans out.  Several juveniles were in evidence, it is difficult to navigate to the hole in the log but it seems that a few managed it and the upturned pie dish on the top makes sure that it's watertight.

I didn't bother going into Kardjali and might do it tomorrow.  The fridge is looking remarkably bare so looks like I'll be starting my diet earlier, I bravely stood on the scales, I've only put a couple of pounds on the winter but if I can take them off so much the better.  At twelve I had nothing to do so put on Netflix and settled in to House and fortunately there aren't many episodes left to the habit will be broken.  I got up from the sofa and made lunch, Bulgarian corned beef sandwiches with brown sauce and pickles and I must of nodded off and woke up suddenly at two forty five, quick turnaround and I was in the Nipper just before three, I had my lesson with my student and I was late.  I managed to park up outside and was there for ten after three, sat with his mother for a while, she mentioned that they had visitors from Turkey but my student still wanted his lesson.  I went up to the apartment, we had ten minutes of football, settled in to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and we only have thirty pages left to read.  I was explaining that when my children were small they had a bookcase full of books especially the Ladybird ones and we seemed to add to it each week normally from charity shops...no internet in those days.  Lesson over at five thirty, I called round to see my ex-student to pick up my birthday flower and sat with the family for about thirty minutes and we talked holidays for April.  It's probably best that she comes here, we make a decision together and she makes the call and the booking in Bulgarian so that we don't miss anything.  She will also be able to help me with the documentation, they seem to want everything including inside leg measurements.

No supper required, lunch was very filling, the agenda for tomorrow is going to be fluid....I'll see what tomorrow brings.  LN....Another good day......and no fire required tonight so less work tomorrow......LN

Wednesday 28th February

Another seven start, coffee and back to bed for Sudoku and Freecell...what's not to like about my mornings here.  More coffee and not much to do so washed and dressed for town deciding to take my results to the surgery, didn't want to be too early, the world and all its friends would be there.  I'd put my make-up on and was ready to go but as I walked through the porch, the rubbish bin was beginning to smell somewhat so I put old shoes on and took the paper rubbish and house rubbish and headed down the garden.  A bonfire was on the cards.  It got going fairly quickly, where was still some in the bin that hadn't burnt last time round so I made sure that I started it off well and waited until was really burning before I added more to it.  I stood looking back at the house from the bottom of the garden and I'm still amazed at the place that I've created with only two local builders...the guys did well.  I have a framed copy of the derelict house once the roof had been removed, the starting point and sometimes looking back at the Blog brings it all back.  Nice memories.

So back to the house, city boots on, straight into the Nipper and off to town.  I stopped off at the car-parts shop to see if my student's mother wanted anything from town but she didn't.  Her guests had gone into Kardjali occupying themselves while they were working.  I parked up at the car-park behind the hospital and again I had problems with paying for the space.  First problem was that it was focusing on Sofia car-parking and it took ages to bring up a list of alternate cities.  Eventually I managed to select Kardjali, I added my car number details and then when I went to select the time required it would only show me nine hours which would have meant nine leva for parking when I only wanted to drop off the results from my specialist visit the other night.  Eventually I gave up, locked the Nipper and headed for the hospital.  There were only three people waiting all with slips of paper stating the time that they were supposed to be seen, which means very little in BG and I didn't even have one.  The doctor came out to call in the next patient, saw me there so I stood up and handed her the result saying that there was nothing more to be done, every thing was OK to which she asked me if I was sure.  So she opened the envelope with the scans and letter from the specialist, agreed that everything was good, she took in the next patient and I went back to the Nipper checking that wheel clamps hadn't been added.  I think the solution is to remove the original app and download the new one to see if that works or not....that appears to be the only solution.

Shopping at Kaufland and Lidl where the parking is free and then back home by three.  Shopping unloaded and put away, nothing much to do so lay on the sofa and promptly nodded off until four thirty when I realised that I was feeling chilled so lit the fire.  I then finished off watching the last episodes of House MD and enjoyed watching the last episode which was going through how the series was produced, how stunts were set up and documenting the eight years that it took to film the series.  What an achievement for all concerned and seeing the actors as people was quite enlightening.  No supper so far, I'm just about to head down to the kitchen to see what I can find in the fridge.  Tomorrow I'm making a pork curry, I bought the meat from Kaufland and there's going to be enough to add one portion to the freezer when it's made.  LN.....I'm beginning to feel hungry......LN

Thursday 29th February

So now I'm supposed to rush out and find someone to ask to marry me.....my last chance for the next five years.  Naaahhh...give it a miss....like I did every other leap year.  Five thirty start, had another attempt at getting back to sleep but didn't manage it and it's been a full-on eversince.  It started off with cornflakes with fruit and chocolate somethings with milk for breakfast.  I bought a couple of bags yesterday and thought it would make a change and it did but not sure how long the novelty will last.  Bacon sandwiches are rather special especially with brown HP sauce.

I'm not sure what was the motivator for today but I've got loads done. Washing went in at ten, bonfire not long after and I even cleared out the rubbish from the wood-store and burnt an old hose pipe so came in hoping that the blame for the smelly hillside didn't land on my doorstep.  I made a pork curry and it went into the slow cooker so supper was on its way.  Once the bonfire had subsided I went out again, it was such a lovely morning that I had to find something to do so I wheeled out the old lawn-mower and decided to check it over.  I'd been looking at new ones yesterday and was tempted and it really did depend on how the old one performed.  I emptied out the old petrol and checked the oil and all was good.  I pressed the impeller a few times to get the fuel through, gave the starter a pull to see if it would fire and it was more like a damp squib.  It suddenly occurred to me that the air filter really should be cleaned so I took the cover off, removed the sponge filter and it was pretty grubby inside.  The filter went into a liquid that they use here for removing grease and oil and low and behold, it was as good as new.  I cleaned up the outlet and the cover removing the grease, put everything back together again and fired it up and it burst into life.  My neighbour in the garden next to me popped his head over the wall and shouted 'bravo', I'd told him what I was doing and proved that I could do it.  Next challenge was the Pajero.  I removed its winter jacket and it's away for next year, got the keys and tried to fire that up and the battery was a flat as the proverbial.  I installed the battery changer, left it for half an hour or so, turned it over and it gave a cough and that was about it.  I switched the contacts to the little battery and left that for a while, tried it again and we had lift off.  left it running and will take it for some exercise when I go down to the spring to fill up some bottles for the little house plant depot.  

It was now time for a few sessions of the Blacklist while I had coffee and a packet of biscuits as a filler until supper time.  I went out again and cleared up some of the dead plants from last year, moved some daffodil bulbs into a hollow log to look pretty on the terrace, tidied up outside, swept the leaves from under where the jeep had overwintered and moved it back into the garage.  Everything locked away and at four thirty I decided that it was time to cook the rice.  I'd found some small packets that you boiled in the bag, thought there wasn't very much in them so put two into the pan on top of the cooker and how wrong can you be.  There was too much from one packet so the second is in the fridge and I'll do something with it tomorrow.  The meat has all gone, only the sauce and the rice remain and the cat will have first pickings tomorrow!!

The washing up can wait, I've had a full on day and really enjoyed it and achieved quite a lot.  It's Baba Marta day tomorrow so will probably be round the village with wrist bands for my ladies, it's the tradition.  I should sleep well tonight, I've had lots of fresh air except for when I decided to pollute it, but hey....it's a big hillside.  LN.....If the weather is good it's going to be a gardening day tomorrow.....tidy and clear the beds for the new plants....LN