Thursday 21st March

Eleven o'clock to bed last night and I went to sleep without any problems.  My biggest problem was waking up, I was in such a heavy dream that I can't remember anything about it but it just didn't want to let me go.   I eventually woke up and started my day, well started my imbibing for the day with my first cup of coffee but straight back to bed until the rest of my body caught up.  It was minus three degrees outside, the sun was trying to establish dominance over the cloud base and eventually the sun won but it was still quite nippy early on.  

Toast again for breakfast, washed and dressed and I'd decided to go into Kardjali to try to get either a  new strimmer or parts to get the old ones going.  I also took with me my banking information to get money transferred over to my card account from my main account and set off for Kardjali.  I'd remembered that the flowers that I'd taken to the shop for my student's mum were on their last bit of stalk so I picked forsythia, daffodils and a hyacinth that the wind had taken down and intend dropping them off on my way through.  I parked up and she came out to meet me, I went back inside with her and I asked if she could order me some more Oscar de la Renta toilet water, she has her favourite suppliers and the couriers have her address on file so it makes it much easier and you pay when the courier delivers.  We found it on one site but she was determined to get the best deal so she tried another and they have what they call 'testers' that have never gone out to store.  The first site wanted seventy five leva but the second, same sized product was thirty eight so done and dusted, and it arrives tomorrow so I left her the money to pay for it up front.  I carried on to Kardjali and stopped off at the first shop that sell strimmers but the service was atrocious so I left pretty quickly.  I tried the next one and that was really expensive and meant renewing the machine and a new battery for it which was more than I wanted to do so tried another shop for a new head for the later machine but they didn't have one so at two I'd achieved nothing so decided to drive round and park up at the bank in Kardjali which was another disaster.  Losing the will to live I tried Momchilgrad, the girl who did the last one smiled when I arrived, she knew she was in for a challenge and she took it on willingly.  Money moved over, where I want it and I was home for about four.

I'd stopped off in the little supermarket in Djebel and bought four chicken drumsticks and they're just finish off now with chopped up potatoes and onions.  I've nothing to do tomorrow expect sort out the strimmers and either use one of the little ones plugged into the electricity or get the mower going and attack the weeds that way...and all is weather permitting.  LN......Supper's ready, I'm off to the kitchen.......LN

Friday 22nd March

I checked my phone last night and noticed that I'd had a voice mail message left from my good friend in the UK.  She doesn't normally phone me, I phone her so I was a little worried as to what it could have been about.  Despite the fact that it was midnight here, I phoned her, there was no reply so I made sure that I phoned her this morning but not so early as to wake her up.  I meandered through my morning, it had been a cold night but the temperature was rising and the great ball in the sky was very welcome.  I phoned her at almost eleven my time so nine hers and she answered and she'd phoned to check how I'd got on at the hospital after my trip to the specialist.  I obviously should have let her know.  We spoke for about thirty minutes, she was off shopping today, delayed due to a washing machine failure so we wished each other a good day and got on with our individual pursuits.

I'd had breakfast so was ready to tackle loading of the strimmer heads and it's something I hate, am not good at and seem to be all fingers and thumbs when I'm doing it.  I tried the bigger one first, managed to load it and the line broke within the first five minutes.  In frustration I decided to try the smaller one and again, loaded and ready to go  until that line broke as well so at this point I gave up.  Instead I opted for the little electric grass mower, set it all up and was doing all right until bits of twigs started to fly since I was using it without a catch basket, so I found my protective head gear from the little house and must have looked as if they had landed.  The upside is it's easy to use, very light and I managed to cut most of the top half of the garden of both houses.  I did have to fiddle with the electric cable so that I could cover the garden but managed it.  The flower beds are mostly edged, the mower doesn't get as close to the wooden surrounds as the strimmer does or would if I could ,load the blasted thing.  I did get well and truly covered, the grass shoots out the back, hence the helmet but it does look so much better.  I eventually came in just before four, tools away, chocolate bar and a coffee and went to sleep on the sofa without the television to put me into neutral.

I woke up at five thirty, lit the fire since the temperature was dropping, just loaded it up again and the radiators are already hot to the touch.  I put the boiler on for a bath and once I post that's where I'll be, I have two chicken drumsticks left from last night so that will be supper.  The rest of the grass will be done tomorrow, I'll be searching the internet for strimmer loading tutorials....such a stupid design, the next one is going to be with a blade.  LN......My bath calls.......LN

Saturday 23rd March

So I was quite happy meandering through my morning.  It was going to be a beautiful day, perfect for gardening if I could only work up the enthusiasm to be out there.  I was awake by six, had breakfast at eight and was frantically searching for my little camera from then onwards.  Well it wasn't so much 'frantic' but I searched in all the usual places, desks, bags, little house, wood store and then put it to one side believing that it would turn up eventually but you know that niggling feeling and it still irritates.  Next thing that drew may attention was the pottery tortoise money box that I have so I emptied it out and it's now bagged up in denominations and destined for the local supermarket or chemist.  I've got in total around sixty five leva so that should pay for a mid week Lidl shop.  

I walked the garden, planted up some of my 'seeds with no name' that hed germinated in the metal and wood trug in the new garden, thought about getting the little mower out and doing the rest of the grass but the idea passed as soon as it had come into the brain.  Instead I lay on the sofa, found a new serial on Netflix and started to watch it and promptly fell asleep for an hour or so....well it had been an early start.  The camera was still on my brain, I went into the downstairs bedroom to put something away and for some reason I was drawn to my brown leather coat. I remembered that I'd worn it when it was really cold last week so I checked the pockets and there it was....my guides had taken me to it or my subconscious had kicked in.  Next job was to check out the timer devices I'd accumulated and at last I've managed to get one to work on the lamp in the porch so that when I go out I leave a small light on for the expected arrival time not all the time burning electricity.  

Fire lit at five and still trying to get a decent blaze out of it.  Last night's log was only charred and it had no intention of burning or so it seems, I went through enough starter wood to do it but no go and now it's hanging in there, requiring attention......the demands of rural living!!  Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow and really nothing pending for next week as it stands at the moment.  My tester bottle of perfume has arrived and my only commitment is my student on Tuesday unless he has physio on his foot as prescribed by the football trainer.  Chicken fillet sandwich for supper and served up with mayo and it will do me for tonight and George Michael playing in the background.  LN......Time to get back to the fire...if it's still going....LN

Sunday 24th March

Another silly night...I woke up at half four, played a few Freecell, tried to go back to sleep, didn't manage it so started my day early.....and the rest of the day has been like that.  A little bit of television and then I listened to my newly brought over music from' My Book' copied from my original Apple iPod....a trip down Memory Lane.  Beans on toast for breakfast and I remembered that the fire was a little reticent last night and I promised myself that I would take the pipes out and give them a good clean.  In my world, no sooner the word than the blow and at ten thirty everything was in full swing.  Pipes removed, cleaned, boiler cleaned thoroughly inside and outside, pipes replaced and fire set for lighting this afternoon when the temperature starts to drop.  It wasn't too bad this morning when I got up but the wind was whipping round the terraces and my Lonesome Pine was making whooshing sounds.

By now it was getting on for twelve thirty and the rest of the day was mine.  Breakfast had gone down so I settled for cream cheese and pretzel sticks as dippers and finished off with a chocolate mousse.  It was such a lovely day that I felt I should be doing something outside so I took the bull by the horns, fired up the grass mower and decided to use it until the petrol ran out, turn it over and then put in the new blade.  Another plan to go wrong, the fuel was old so I wheeled the machine to the little house terrace, found an empty bottle and filled it with the fuel from the machine, collected the tools from the workshop and the blade from the porch, turned the machine over and changed the blade without any problems.  Turned it back onto its wheels, adjusted the height of the machine since the grass was long in places, put new fuel in that I'd bought on Friday, wheeled it back to the main house grass and continued where I'd left off on Friday.  It was slow going but eventually I'd finished so moved to the little house grass and worked on that until I'd had enough.

I came in at four thirty, lit the fire and it's ticking along nicely with no hint of smoke from the pipes. No too bothered about supper so put the boiler on to have a bath and thought I'd just sneak the blog in but that went pear-shaped.  I'd had a strange message from my security company about my internet not being secure and under attack and not sure what they did about it.  The downside was that when I went to sign in to do the update, it wouldn't let me in advising me that the site was taking too long to respond so I entered it in the permitted websites but still no access granted so I phoned up support, Mary came on, logged into my system, checked it out and for some reason we were able to get in.  Whether it was my entering the site details we shall never know but at least it works.

Eight o'clock now, just about to run that bath and then a not so early night otherwise I'll be up and about at four again....and that's not good at my age....I need my beauty sleep.  Tomorrow I'm going to put the Nipper in the garage for an underneath inspection, I've felt juddering when I've been going round right hand corners at want him to check out the bearings....better to be safe than sorry.  LN....Boiler's up to temperature......LN

Monday 25th March

Just before seven start and slept straight though which is a bonus especially after going to bed at eleven.  Bath, a little bit of the oblong box and bed.  I'm watching a series about a detective called Monk who solves peculiar cases with a female sidekick, he is completely OCD, she's my sort of woman and it works well.  His job is to act as a consultant to the local police force, he's especially good and reading the clues and coming up with the results.  I think it's because the scripts are well written that he has all the answers.....

My morning went well,poached egg on toast for breakfast and the last half slice of toast that the egg wouldn't stretch to got slathered in orange, lemon and ginger marmalade which saved throwing it to the birds.  It's been a beautiful day but again that wind was very cold and I went out well prepared.  First job was to get a bonfire underway. the roots from the new/renovated garden were still sittin by the bonfire bucket and I had household rubbish to get them started.  Fire underway I found the strimmer head that I'd loaded and hopefully took it into the wood store to try it out later.  Today's task that I'd given myself was to finish the rest of the grass so that at least it will all grow more or less at the same speed and will either look good or in need.  I did hook the strimmer up to the electric to test it and it worked but today's job required more that a strimmer so I brought the little electric out which is more like a strimmer with wheels without a cable to break.  I use it without the grass box which does need the channel from the blade to the outside world sorting but little price to pay.

I was doing well and came in for water and a chocolate bar and sat on the terrace viewing how much more I had to do. After thirty minutes I set to again and worked until I'd finished and I'd included down by the bottom wall and the grass by the tree under the big tree against the high wall.  I put the tools away and decided to sit on the stone wall at the bottom of the garden and the mayor's brother was walking home and stopped for a few words.  He said the garden was lookin good and while I'd got someone from the noisy village next to me I asked him about the dogs.  I gather that the owner works in Germany, has several dogs and keeps pigs and bees.  Perhaps the bees and pigs are upsetting the dogs.  It seems that the lower village is fed up with them too.  I asked him about his turkeys and he said that this year the eggs came early so he only has six babies this year and they're too small to take for a walk.  Last year he had about thirty and I suppose most of those made good New Year suppers.

I didn't have any trouble getting into my website tonight.  Maybe I fixed it by changing one of the settings, it's all much more complicated that in was in the old days.  Student tomorrow, so far unless the physio wants him again, I didn't take the Nipper in to the garage so might do it in the morning now that the grass is done, I've not checked out the forecast for tomorrow.  Not too bothered about supper so far.....maybe later.  LN......Another good day just the flower bed to clear of weeds and mow what I can't manage.....LN

Tuesday 26th March

Went to bed last night at half eleven and at two I was fully awake, back to sleep at three and again at five awake so played games for a while and got out of bed to get my day started by six.  It was nought degrees this morning outside, twenty in so the house had held the temperature well.  It was a dull old day outside, only a few birds flitting around so I threw out the end of the loaf to encourage a few more but even that didn't tempt them.

Most of my work for the week is finished.  I did think about clearing out the old bonfire bed, the gaia is doing very well but there's nothing else of importance in there. I cleared out the dead flowers at the end of last year, I haven't spotted any newly sprouting zinnia so far but the chickweed is doing remarkably well.  As for the rest of the beds, the big one by the bonfire can't be touched, the tortoise haven't come out of their winter hideaways and until I spot them I'm leaving the bed to its own devices.  Last year they came out in April and first spotted by the big stones and with sand on their shells hence I know more or less where they overwinter.  Cracked shell is under the first bush in the line of five at the bottom of the garden, I watched him disappear very late last year under the tree roots.  Washing done and put on to the airer in the guest room, it was only ten thirty and I didn't have to be anywhere until three this afternoon and since it was cold and miserable I didn't venture out.  There was enough wood in for this evening.

In to the Nipper around two thirty and drove to Djebel for my student's lesson.  I sat with his mother in the shop until three thirty and headed up and in the lounge I found a great big stuffed purple bear and the story goes that the two boys had gone to Plovdiv and the older boy had won it on a game where it was suspended and you had to operate a blade to cut the string so that it fell down.  I think he was surprised when he won it and his mother even more surprised as to how big it is.  We settled down into the lesson and this book is proving more difficult that the others, I've not read it before so am as surprised as he is where the story is going and the names and plot seem very convoluted.  He seems to be enjoying it though, I'm explaining the jokes and phrases and his voice changes as he read the different characters.  We had the statutory game of football, he tries out his fancy moves and I go for the standard aim and shoot and I managed to score five goals after each other.  He saw still way ahead of me though.

Home for six thirty, the house wasn't cold but it took me ages to light the fire....it just didn't want to go.  Three logs on now, the curtain is drawn so I can't see the fire from here but it won't be long before I'm back in the lounge on the other side of the curtain.  I don't want supper, I had tuna sandwiches for lunch and I'm still pretty stuffed from them....I'm sure I can manage until breakfast.  LN.....Horrible change in the weather...roll on April......LN

Wednesday 27th March

Not a good day...the weather has not been one thing or the other.  It tempted me out mid morning but then by lunchtime it was a cold wind, the sun was hiding so I came in, cooked lunch and promptly fell asleep.  I was quite productive early on, the oleander are out on the terrace along with the abelia, the red oleander was due for a container change but it was holding so much water that I've left it on its side to drain and I'll do it tomorrow with some new compost.  I've moved some bulbs from the low wall to the new 'old neglected' garden, planted up another gaia and sunk the pots of daffs in to come up next year.  It should look good if it all takes.

Evening meal became lunch.  I took four hamburgers from the freezer but lunchtime brought about the munchies so I thawed them out, fried two of them, fried an egg and put it all between two slices of bread and I'm not sure I shall be wanting supper tonight.  I also found some frozen vishna cherries, heated those up in the microwave and had them with smetana, a local substitute for cream and that was dessert sorted.  And as I said, a full tummy deserts rest so I got my head down for an hour or so and felt much better for it.  It was six when I started this morning.  I lit the fire around four this afternoon and it's doing what it does best, heating the radiators keeping the house at a reasonable temperature.  We've had overnights of zero just lately and there was snow in Ardino town, about thirty kilometers away the other night, so it's still very unsettled.

More gardening tomorrow if the weather permits, otherwise I'm in for a day of ancestry to do a little more digging on my heritage.  I've managed to get back to around sixteen fifty bt need to do more research using the parish records.  They're difficult to read but sometimes you get answers when you leas expect it.  LN.....And now to switch off and relax.....LN

Thursday 28th March

Six thirty start and I sort of meandered through the morning.  Early breakfast of toast and marmalade, more coffee than I care to think about, set the fire but haven't managed to light it yet, the temperature in the house and outside were above normal but that wind was blowing quite strongly.  I ventured out to put the bread out for the birds, took a walk of the garden and checked for tortoise hidden in the shrubbery and lo and behold, I saw Rosy, head into the mound of honeysuckle, backside out but the pink on her shell was clearly visible but faded somewhat since she had been under the ground for the last four months. They should all be out soon meaning that I can clear the bed knowing that I'm not likely to be digging them up before time.

I found the keys for the little house and opened it up on the hunt for the bolt cutters. I remembered putting them away somewhere safe while I was in UK but as to where....a search was inevitable and eventually I found them in the wood store hidden away.  On my last walk of the garden, I'd settled on the bench on the little house terrace and realised that the last slat which should have been held in place wasn't.  The bolt had rusted through so had to be removed and replaced hence the need for the bolt cutters and now I could complete the job...and I did....well I did late this afternoon when I arrived home with the new bolts from the hardware shop.  And that's how my day went.

If I was heading into Djebel for one thing I might as well get other things sorted too.  I parked up near the hardware shop and bought the bolts having remembered to take the old one with me.  We got into a discussion as to whether to paint it or use a wood stain but since they hadn't got the colour I wanted in stock and I did need to sand the bench down first, I decided it could wait for another day.  I popped in to the car shop and my student's mum telephoned the garage to see how busy they were and was told I could take it down straightaway and they'd have a look to see if it did need new shock absorbers.  It was straight over the inspection pit, diagnosed, parts are ordered and will arrive tomorrow morning after ten, the garage will phone me and I can drive it for treatment.  I also need to have my summer tyres fitted so that the winter ones last longer and that will be done as well.  I drove back to Djebel and parked up on the main car-park, saw my friend from the flower shop and went to see what she had in stock and I came away with some Turkish tulips which are very bright yellow and a plant that she gave me which is in need of love and attention.  I was hungry about now so headed for one of the local eateries and ordered chicken leg and rice and a bottle of water and the bill came to seven leva.  I used to go there quite a lot but haven't been there for ages but I was made welcome.

Back to the car shop and we chewed over the fat for a while, then home stopping off at the little supermarket on the way out of town for a few item and to fill up the goody box, the cupboard was bare.  Not bothered with the fire so far and since it's seven, I probably shan't bother and will use a blanket instead if I get cold watching tv later.  So my tomorrow is sorted, I'll wait for the phone call, take the Nipper in and get it fixed and then head into Kardjali for more of a shop.  I'm still on the hunt for a decent strimmer, I've managed to get the little one working but it's still hit and miss and difficult to load.  LN......Coffee, sofa, tv and bed.....LN

Friday 19th March

Last night I was playing around with ancestry and decided to look for my grandmother's grave.  I put the details into the search, I wasn't sure of the church and churchyard but the grave was found and not only that, the headstone also commemorated my great grandmother as well.  I downloaded the image and attached it to the Census record from nineteen o-one...it amazes me what is held on the internet.  I have more to find now that I've started.  This was following back my mothers side of the family and now I want to see if I can find any records from my father's side.

Slept well until six this morning, I had nothing to do until ten when the car parts were supposed to arrive so I poached a couple of eggs and had those for breakfast and watched the starlings fighting over who would be nesting in the log.  I received a message at ten thirty so headed into Djebel, picked up the parts from the shop and drove the car down to the garage, left the Nipper and decided to walk back into town, it was such a beautiful day.  I sat in the shop talking to my student's mother, the shop wasn't very busy this morning so we had time to chat until the customers started coming and then I went for a walk around the town.  It was Friday, mosque day, so lots of men around, not much of a market, more to see on a Monday and I caught sight of my birthday buddy that I knew when she was four years of age when I used to go to the restaurant when I stayed in the hotel next door when I first came out here.  She's in her last year at school, her parents have moved to Plovdiv with the younger children and she lives with her grandmother who's looking after the lottery shop and the childrens' wear shop at the same time.  The girl is now seventeen and works in the shop helping out her grandmother, I asked her how her English was coming along and she replied that she knows the grammar but is not able to speak it.  At my school when I was learning French, not a word of English was spoken during the lesson and we learnt to think in French and not stop to translate.  Unfortunately the teachers here do not speak it fluently themselves so no way they can pass on the the activity.  I offered to help her if she wanted me to but left it up to her, grandma said that she would pay for it but I offered her help, nothing in it for me.  The ball is in her court.

I popped into the flower shop and have picked up the details of a company from Kardjali that does organised tours which for me is much easier that going from Sofia.  I'm gong to contact them tomorrow to check out the website tomorrow to see if anything interests me.  Back to the shop, the Nipper was out of surgery, the bill was very reasonable and I even have my summer tyres on and it did feel different when I came to drive home.  I did think about going into Kardjali but really wasn't in the mood, I put the chicken legs in the slow cooker this morning and they're now ready to have for supper.  I added stock cubes and curry powder to the pot so it should have a bit of a tang.  LN.....Might be a trip to Kardjali, I need gas and some shopping......LN

[b]Saturday 30th March[/b

Another six start and it seems to be the norm.  I did play a few games, have an early toast and marmalade amd walk the garden in search of tortoise.  Rosy was out munching away on the grass, I spotted Blue, well I think it was the nail varnish on the shell was more a shade of grey after the winter burial.  Cracked shell was nose in and splayed out absorbing the morning sun but no sign of the others so far.  Perhaps their internal alarms haven't kicked in yet or I didn't spend long enough searching for them.

I was undecided what to do to day, I really wasn't in the mood to get gardening under my belt so watered a few plants, moved a few to different positions on the house and settled for going into Djebel, asking the garage to check out the rattles that have suddenly developed and if everything was OK to drive into Kardjali and fill up with goodies, basic food stuffs and gas and petrol for the Nipper.  I was low on both and I might even go down to Greece tomorrow if the weather is good...I need a day out...I've got all week to attack the grass and weeds.  First call was the garage, the owner drove it round the yard, said he wanted to check out the work that they'd done yesterday and put it over the pit.  He invited me to join him after his initial investigation and there was nothing wobbling around underneath.  The hardest part for me was getting out of the pit....the steps were around half a meter tall, the first three were OK but I think I fell up the last one eventually arriving at the upright position.  Age does hamper.  Next was to lift it up from the ground to check out the rest of it around the engine and it appears that the shocks are OK, the hydraulics need checking out but there is nothing crucial, nothing about to give way but I think it needs doing, turning up the radio doesn't solve the problem.

I carried on to Kaufland, bought a few cheap plant containers, toilet blocks and toothpaste on offer and almost bought a piece of garden machinery but they were sold without batteries and the store didn't have them in stock....brilliant service....not.  Went to Lidl and again didn't buy a lot but the goody box is now filled to the gunnels with mixed nuts and small packets of crisps.  Fuel station on the way out of town, fifty leva of petrol and thirty leva of gas and that should give me nearly three hundred or more of travelling...now where can I go?  Home and shopping unpacked, Haciber caught me in the garden and gave me two little cakes, it's her birthday so I'll have to sort something out for her tomorrow.  Cold chicken leg in the fridge so that's supper sorted and I've got chocolate pudding should I find room for one...or two.  LN.....Tortoise hunt around ten...have to give them time to wake up....LN