Thursday 11th April

Woke up on the sofa at twelve last night....it must have been the hot tuna and potato salad that put me to sleep.  Staggered off to bed, didn't bother playing any games on the iPad but in retrospect I probably should have done and I'd have gone straight off to sleep so I suffered the consequences.  Light on again, then it was time to play games and it was four before I managed to get off to sleep and awake by seven.  In total I probably got more than my eight hours but it was in dribs and drabs.  I made coffee, toast and marmalade for breakfast out on the terrace, the sun was up, it promised to be a beautiful day again and I enjoyed my morning although there was a head on breeze from the mountains and it was a little cold.

Back in the house where the temperature had risen considerably, even now it's twenty four degrees in and twenty one out and at least the breeze has dropped.  A few tortoise out this morning....Green was in the sun nestled in the ground honeysuckle and the two Blues were down the bottom snuggling up together.  I thought I knew the sexes of all of them but now I'm beginning to wonder.  Yesterday was quite an eye opener and looking at the tail end of Rosy when I spotted her later in the day, I think that I might have got it wrong and it's now definitely Roland the Rat.  The shell at the back is a little more pointed and curls under and it was showing aggressive behaviour.  Red was also down the bottom of the garden where I've left the weeds alone and I think I need to put up a 'Love Nest' sign.  I've been clearing out the remaining beds, the under terrace is free of clover and sticky willy as we used to call it and it's left a few patches of bare earth that need filling.  I've got a huge clump of red hot pokers that can be split and it I can always find space in other garden areas.  

By three this afternoon I'd had enough but I left the tools out just in case I had another burst of energy.  I was hungry, I'd worked breakfast off so made myself some local corned beef and brown sauce sandwiches followed by tinned peaches and cream.  As they say a full stomach deserves rest so it was on with Netflix and two hours of mind numbing  television.  By now it was heading for six so I cleared up outside, tools away, tried to water the plants with a hose where some of the connectors need replacing, got frustrated, tidied up the hose and came in....jobs for another day.  I did notice though that the maple that I brought over from England planted against the wall between me and the old lane is looking as if it really needs a good drink.  It's attempting to put leaves on so tomorrow that's my first job for the day.  No need to think about supper, I'm still stuffed from my late lunch.  LN.....Time to tidy the kitchen for the morning and get settled in for the evening......LN

Friday 12th April

Six thirty start and I was slow off the mark.  I took some food out for Ms Cat, still in my PJ's, the sun was up but that wind was coming from the north and was cold and quite fierce.  I soon came in again, made more coffee and came up with a plan....I would go into Kardjali today, I had a telephone bill that needed paying and I wasn't going to debtor's prison for the sake of a few leva.  I made toast for breakfast with blackcurrant jam and I've not had that for ages. It was a family tradition that grandmother and mother would make it, I never did develop the 'provider' mentality except for my weekly trips to the supermarkets and buying stuff in.

I tidied the kitchen, got washed and dressed but that was after my second cup of coffee on the terrace out of the wind.  I put a blouse on with jeans and boots, a sweater but I should have remembered that Kardjali is always 'out of the wind' and I roasted, perspiration beginning to seep through even in an air-conditioned supermarket.  I managed to park up more or less outside the phone shop, the bill for two months was fourteen leva which is roughly six fifty so not so bad.  I then decided to leave my car where it was and walk down to the garden machinery shop to see if I could buy a new battery operated strimmer with plastic blades.  I'd seen one on the internet that morning, I was doing research, and it looked OK.  Unfortunately the shop didn't carry any stock, the assistant didn't live up to her name, not a lot of assistance so I gave up and will probably order from the internet.  Went into the cheapy clothes shop on my way back to the Nipper and bought a navy blue very fine cotton shirt for one lev.....it will be good for the hot days to come.  Next stop Kaufland, then Lidl and I have a few more plants and some potting compost, made a mistake and bought electric string lights and I thought they were sola so might have to try and take them back to Lidl or knock a hole through so that I can plug them in somewhere.  I used to have two outside plugs but then the conservatory went in.  

It was four when I got back, shopping unpacked and put away, walked the garden and remembered that I needed to water the Maple and walking round to the passage between the wall and the house I almost flattened Ro(land) so moved him back to the grass.  I did a bit more research on the Stihl website, I'd seen a machine that's got and internal battery and it can be plastic cord or blades so needs further investigation.  Supper in, tonight I have Chinese style ribs with jacket potatoes, I've just turned the oven off before it all ends up cindered.  LN.....Gardening tomorrow if the weather is good but the clouds are gathering as we speak.....LN

Saturday 13th April

Up at six thirty this morning, made coffee, went back to bed, made more coffee and sat at the table in the stairwell and suddenly saw this green woodpecker having its breakfast on my grass.  I thought it would have probably gone when I found the camera but no, it was still there,obviously something worth waiting and digging for.  It must have been there for about five minutes and eventually hopped over towards the lilac and then off over the wall.  The cuckoo was out as well, it's been here for a week or so but this morning I heard my cuckoo with the stutter.  It's been around for a few years now unless it is 'son of' with the same dialect.  Now time for my breakfast....I'd bought bacon yesterday from Lidl, real Irish smoked so had a couple of slices with fried bread and fried egg to set me up for the day and it did.  Food went out for Ms Cat, the remains of last night's ribs and jacket, washing up done and now to decide where I applied my efforts today.

My efforts went in a totally different direction for the first hour or so.  I realised that my winter wardrobe was still out and normally by now the sweaters are away and t-shirts are out so I dug in the chest in my upstairs bedroom and found some of the things I was looking for.  I've got my eye on a holiday for May and was test driving a few outfits that I could put into a suitcase quickly if I decided to go.  Job sorted and then on to the garden.  It was such a good morning that I sat out in the sun putting my boots on, this wasn't a crock sort of day.  The strimmer might come out if I could get one to work, I really do hate them and my fingers aren't as nimble as they used to be to load them.  The long cable came out along with the electric mower and I headed down to the bottom of the garden.  Also in my arsenal was the old engine oil, paintbrush, loppers, nails, hammer and garden fork,  There was work to be done and done it was.  As predicted the strimmer played up instead of playing ball so I used the mower to edge round the wooden surrounds on the gardens, nailed them back together where there was enough wood to do it and painted over them with the engine oil.  I removed the weeds from the beds and tomorrow I'll add some of the mulched wood to stop the weeds growing and maybe some compost....the soil is looking very poor but the weeds still grow so it can't be that bad.  The clouds came over, went away again, I'd had enough by five so tools away, I'd managed to avoid the tortoise, they were catching the last rays of the sun and they knew what I didn't.  The clouds came over, there were a few warning shots of thunder, no sign of rain at this point and it was only when I was sitting on the terrace around five thirty that it started to rain.  I didn't come inside I just sat there, it was pleasant enough and it was raining from the odd clouds, not a deluge.  Eventually I went in, noticed the rainbows and took photos.  I settled on the sofa with Netflix for half an hour or so, put the boiler on and went in the bath at six thirty and woke up when the water was cold, in the dark, dried off and just realised how late it is.  No supper for me, I finished off one of the cream cheeses with dip sticks and I'll manage until breakfast.  LN....Back to construction and maintenance gardening which I love, weeding I hate.....LN

Sunday 14th April

So last night I woke up ion the bath, water was cold and it was dark....I'd started my bath in the daylight.  First job was to guide my toe to the hot water tap and slide it on, top it up somewhat and then get out, drop the blind and put the light on...in that order.  I stayed there until I'd warmed up, went downstairs, sofa, Netflix and bed waking up at six this morning for the first time but dog-dozed until seven to start my day.  Mountain to mountain mist this morning but it swiftly burnt off and became a beautiful day.  It's not so good for the grass though, you can visibly watch it grow.  I made an early breakfast of bacon, mushrooms and a fried egg and sat in the stairwell at the table and looked out and noticed that two tortoise were intertwined and one being shoved round the garden so went out to investigate.  I think I'm back to calling her Rosy since she was on the receiving end and Green was the pursuant left stranded as Rosy put on a rapid dash and escaped into the undergrowth of the Frog garden and green slunk away towards the low wall.   I really must check out the possibility of strange happenings in the tortoise world.  

I went out to do some hand weeding, the intentions were good today but the interpretation of the intention faded.  I did plant up the fuschia that I bought yesterday and the new lavender went into the reclaimed garden.  I watered everything well, cleared out a few more pots but it was a big temptation to sit out in the sun on the terrace and just enjoy the day and temptation got the better of me.  I really should have got some shorts on and stripped down to my underwear on the top, my face and hands are really quite brown but the rest hasn't had the opportunity to catch up and I'll be getting a farmer's tan if I'm not careful.  Not much chance though next week, Wednesday cloudy and the rest of the week we're in for rain so guess I'll be doing the grass for a couple of days next week.  I got very sleepy sitting in the sun so took up position of the sofa and promptly fell asleep for an hour or so, remembered that I had photos to print and frame for my friend along the road so at five I started, by six I'd finished, looked up and noticed the deer that runs with the cows going home for the night.  The sheep were also wending their way home along with the sheepdogs and the shepherd and I'm amazed how many of the sheep were limping.  There doesn't appear to be much animal husbandry here sometimes.  

I'd had a reply to my message to my friend along the street  so I headed down with the three framed photos, one of her mother and two sketches done by her son.  We sat in the mother's garden while my friend finished digging a patch of ground to plant onions and then went on to cover the wood ready for the deluge to come in the middle of the week.  Her mother is very frail and she does a lot for her but the daughter has to work in Kardjali and has an apartment there so can only come when she's not working.  Back home for eight, not too hungry so might be tuna sandwiches later with chippies in the air fryer.....that sounds like a plan.  LN.....A plan that needs to be put into action.....LN

Monday 15th April

Another six thirty start, slept OK but this was a little early so did emails in a horizontal position with a coffee by my side.  It looked like it was going to be another good day and I had to get a wiggle on with the rain due mid week.  I was putting off clearing the weeds from the grave gardens as the side of the main house and I managed to put it off until two this afternoon filling in the morning with attacking and burning the evidence.

First job was to clear the bits of wood from the garden that I played around with at the bottom of the garden.  I had soil in the big red container left over from the repotting of the oleander that had burst it's pot when I was putting it away at the end of last year,  So this was back to me in-box exercise where the way that you tackle a project is all about getting things in the right order and this is more or less how it went.  First job remove wood from garden and put into the red bucket. tip the soil from the broken container on to the garden, take wood to bonfire in the wheelbarrow, get the fire going and this is where it came unstuck.  The fire was so reluctant to start, the large container is almost full with unburnt rubbish but eventually it started. I put the lid on since it was very full, went back and smoothed over the soil taking the surround away from two sides of the garden and then back to the bonfire.  I broke up the plastic bucket, put some of it in the bonfire to get it really going, replaced the lid and left it to its own devices.  

I suddenly realised that I'd not had breakfast so cooked the rest of the bacon and fried and egg and was amazed that it was only ten thirty and lots had been achieved.  I went out again, the bonfire took more rubbish and it's still burning now.  I'd noticed that the laurel near the front wall by the well had died off but new shoots had come up from the base so I removed the dead branches, scooped up the new growth and attached it to the railing with plant support coated wire.  I also moved the juniper from lying over the path and that's now attached to the wall and not leaning on the maple so two birds and one stone.  By now I couldn't put it off any longer, the grave gardens are cleared, more or less, I didn't risk frustration with the stimmer but used the little electric to go round the surrounds and ended up mowing the rest of the grass down to the end of the terrace and the wild plum tree.  Tools away at six, not sure what to do for supper or whether I actually need anything, it's been a hot day but the wind did pick up a little this afternoon.  Eight my time, just about to put the boiler on for a quick bath, I'll wash my hair tomorrow in the shower, student in the afternoon.  LN...Cheese and biscuits might suffice.....LN

Tuesday 16th April

Another bath night but this time no falling asleep, I got out before the water was cold so success.  It was pretty late through, so no Netflix and straight to bed and woke up at seven this morning ready for the day but did nothing with the morning at all.  I made toast with blackcurrant jam for breakfast and sat out on the terrace to eat it out of the wind and only found Rosy, I've reverted to her original name after the antics of the other day.  I was still roaming around the garden in my PJ's around eleven, I needed to wash my hair for this afternoon but in the end I decided against it, I combed it through, put it in a plait and then up with a hair clip and reckoned that my student wouldn't notice. It was another good day, the wind was still blowing a gale but comparing it to what is forecast, I'm thinking that I shall have to be doing the grass tomorrow, the next five days look pretty bleak, rain every day until after the weekend and temperatures are dropping into single figures.

I'd taken a chicken leg from the freezer this morning and I intended to put it into the slow cooker with potatoes while I was at my lesson.  I prepared it around two thirty, into the slow cooker it went, I turned it to high and then had this dreadful thought that something might happen so turned it off and put the dish in the fridge.  The lesson was good, we've got only twenty nine pages left in the book and my student commented that he's read more English books than ever Bulgarian and I think that's quite an achievement.  We obviously had twenty minutes of indoor football before the lesson and ten minutes after and we both had a good workout.  I'm getting to understand his game and tactics, he talks to me hoping that I'll look up so that he can shoot but I've learnt the lesson, my eyes are firmly on his feet and the ball.  That's what playing for three years does to you.  I sat in the shop with his mother until six after the lesson and we worked out how much the repairs to the Nipper will be.  There's nothing drastically wrong with it but the noise from the front wheels drives me up the wall so to speak, I'd rather pay and get it sorted....so it's in hand.

Home for seven after a stop at the supermarket for bread and a few goodies for the goodie box, more chicken drumsticks and they're already in the slow cooker pot with curry powder and in the fridge, they'll go into the slow cooker tomorrow morning.  The original chicken and potatoes are in the oven and should be ready any time now so that next on the list, serve up and eat supper.  As I said gardening on the agenda for tomorrow, I want to cut the grass, it looks like I've acquired a new strimmer head and I'll try to fit it in the morning to get the job done before the rain arrives.  LN.....Kitchen calls....let's see how it's turned out.......LN

Wednesday 17th April

Supper was delicious last night except that I woke up at three this morning, couldn't get back off to sleep so I was playing silling games until five eventually laying down my weary head at five and woke up at seven.  I felt a little jaded but the day was already mapped out, the grass had to be cut, rain was on the horizon so it had to be done today.  I didn't bother with breakfast until much later in the day, everything was flying around, pots all over the garden, little pots getting wind scorched so battened down what I could and watered what was in desperate need.

I walked the garden looking for tortoise to see patches of garden that I had to avoid but only found Blue hiding in the honeysuckle facing into the sun.  I did manage to locate shiny Blue and CS but the others have been noticed by their absence.  I got the mower out from its home base, put some petrol in it and started the garden slog and working my way round the rest.  That wind was strong and it was difficult emptying the catch bin from the grass mower, the wind was lifting it back over the wall but I persevered and kept at it.  I finished the big house grass, wheeled the mower back to the top of the garden and switched it off, I needed water and a few minutes rest. That minute turned into half an hour and I know had something to aim for, I'd been invited for supper to my special family's home and then on to the sister's house in Kardhali for tea and bits and the invitation was for five thirtyish.  I worked out I needed to be in by four with the job done, shower, wash my hair and be ready to leave the house by five thirty to have time to stop and buy chocolates.  I went back to the mower and primed it, pulled the starter, it tried but no go.  I stopped for a moment and checked the fuel and it was empty,I must have switched it off just before it gave up the ghost.  I moved onto the little house grass, steadily worked my way through it and the engine seemed to be sounding rough so I found the special oil and topped it up, so much better and the rest didn't seem such a hard job.

Tools away by four, I remembered to turn the slow cooker off with the curry that I'd started that morning, had my shower and did my hair and was ready by five and in the Nipper by five twenty.  Parked up at the supermarket and bought three boxes of chocolates, one for the family, one for the sister and one for me, all the same but different contents and I've got half a box left of mine.  The sister and husband have moved into a new apartment, the other was small but this was large enough to swing around anything you fancied.  Husband was shift working, the almost namesake daughter (same four letters but arranged differently was playing with lots of toys and eventually got over her shyness.  We left at nine thirty, back to Djebel just before ten and I was home for ten fifteen, absolutely knacked after a hard day in the garden and a very busy evening.  Just a few spots of rain this afternoon which threatened to stop play but it went over very quickly.  I can rain and do its worst for the next few day.....I'd finished what I set out to do.  LN......It might be a Netflix day tomorrow.......LN

Thursday 18th April

Sleep of the just last night, no night sweats, no silly games at silly o'clock, coffee at seven minus ten and it's been a gentle if not busy day all day.  I didn't bother with breakfast until later in the day, it had rained overnight but now the sun was shining, the wind was up and the terrace was drying off but would get rained on later in the day and would dry off again.  Typical April showers.  I walked the garden in my snow boots since they were the easiest to put on, didn't want to get my feet wet in my Crocks, only foundBlue, Shiny Blue and Red all hunkered down in individual places out of the wind facing all there was to see of the sun.  They must be most confused....not much winter for them, we've had very hot days early on and now we've reverted to typical seasonal weather.  Tomorrow's forecast is full on wind wind and really wet but maybe they've got it wrong again...I'll wait and see.  I did bring the bench cushions in though, they'd dried off mostly from overnight but didn't want them to get sodden again.

The curried chicken went back in the slow cooker and that three drumsticks became lunch.  I made soup out of the mushrooms in the fridge, it was either that or lob them over the wall and that's possibly going to be supper with the rest of the drumsticks.  Today's work was unplanned but once started, it had to be finished.  The winter sweaters are in the chest and the summer sleeping and gardening trousers and t-shirts in the shelving unit, spring has officially arrived. I took off the winter zebra bedding from my upstairs bedroom, put on the summer sheets, washed two others from the linen chest and they're on the landing drying.  I also washed the clothes that I'd put to one side as potential take on holiday stuff and that's not on the airer.....in fact the place looks like a Chinese laundry but it will all go away tomorrow.  

My work all done I settled down to watch Netflix and Baby Reindeer and that's now history.  Did I enjoy it?  Not sure and again the recommended 3 Body Parts, by the man who brought us Game of Thrones, and there's absolutely no comparison except that he brought one of the actors from G of T over to play in this one which spoilt it for me...to soon after the original.  I did close my eyes for about an hour this afternoon so I'll have to recap on Netflix, I think the state of mind might be classed as 'tired but content'.  Might go into Kardjali tomorrow unless it's really gale force out there and in which case, I'm sure I will be able to find something to do.  LN......Sleeping upstairs tonight....Eli won't be falling out of the super large kingsize......LN

Friday 19th April

My first night sleeping upstairs, the bed is different as it's huge, the mattress firmer but I sho0uld be OK tonight.  It was good to wake up to a view and the big windows, I would have been out on the balcony with my first morning cup except that the bench is still sitting in the bedroom and it was too cold to go out despite the sunny start.  The weather for today didn't work out as predicted, it had rained overnight but had dried up but those strong winds and  heavy rainfall didn't happen but most of the day I've been working inside not out so it mattered not.

I was up and about just before seven, made poached eggs on toast for breakfast and sat in the stairwell at the table to eat it.  It was then that I noticed a wagtail sitting on the roof of the little house singing for all it's worth obviously trying to attract a mate.  I think they are fascinating birds and funny to watch when feeding on the grass but it went off to greener pastures just after I grabbed the pickie.  I put some music on from my old collection that I'm gradually bringing over from 'My Book' now that my Apple iPod has given up the ghost.  I think it needs a new battery but I must have had it over twenty years five ago and there's not anywhere in Kardjali that I could probably take it for repair....so I might try the next time I'm in England.  Checking my emails and I have visitors tomorrow mid-morning so it was spring cleaning today.  It gets a little neglected and the wood fires do make things dusty and I ended up washing the inside filter of the hoover this afternoon.  I'd finished downstairs by lunchtime and the whole house by three thirty, settled down for a coffee when my supper of meat and rice arrived in a plastic container.  He explained that he was delivering for 'Mevlit' which is a thanks to Allah for any reason you want but normally to remember the passing of a loved one.  I went to the gate to collect it and I recognised the man from Turkey who is working here, in the car but didn't know the driver.  We have so many new people who have returned from Turkey when the cost of living there ran out of control.  Pensions didn't go as far any more.

So Netflix late this afternoon and as predicted I slept through the end of the one that I was watching so need to do a recap again.  It's been very busy this week, the grass in one day because of the weather forecast, three loads of washing yesterday and moving from winter to summer wardrobes and the house today.  I've promised myself a gentle day tomorrow, just got an early morning trip into Djebel, the packet of biscuits that I thought I would be able to bring out for the guests is no more. I had the rice and meat early so no supper required and the biscuits were a top up just prior to going to sleep.  Somedays biscuits are the answer to everything.

Almost eight my time, not much of a sunset to write about and there has been a distinct lack of tortoise today.  Not one to be seen on my first early morning trip round the garden and this afternoon I only managed to see Red in the rose bush bed near the bottom wall and Blue cowering at the base of the bottom wall.  None of the others to be seen.  LN.....We've gone from non-seasonal to seasonal....topsy turvy world......LN

Saturday 20th April

Another disturbed night.  I was in bed by midnight but I couldn't settle at first, eventually I did and in my dream state had problems running round my head that I could not find a solution for.  I woke up at six and went to the bathroom, back to sleep and was amazed when it was just before eight and I had to get moving.  I was expecting guests mid morning, had eaten the only biscuits in the house last night so was in the car at half eight, supermarket ten minutes later and home for nine ten realising that I had forgotten to buy milk.  I don't take milk but realised that my guest might, thought about making another trip to Djebel but found some creamer in the cupboard and that had to do.  It was cold outside so I lit a fire when I got back, it's warm enough in the house but that extra level of comfort is so important.  I did have to go out to the wood store and chop up a couple of logs to make sure that it would burn, the logs are so dense that they need smaller stuff round them to ensure a good burn-up.

They arrived around ten fifteen, mum, son and daughter and she was clutching a new pot plant for me.  I showed her the one that she brought last time but I don't think she remembered.  We caught up on people that are supposed to be coming back and haven't made it yet, his wife's visit to relatives that I didn't know about and he was left with the little one so hence Mum was over to keep the little one amused while he was working from home.  We had a very pleasant interlude, walked the garden and she was intrigued by a couple of trees that she's not see before and we worked out that they were probably native Bulgarian varieties.  She said how much the garden had come on and maybe it was just the time of year and I didn't cut the shrubs back last year so that could be the other reason.  Off they went, I went back to the wood store and chopped up another few logs so that it would be easy to keep the fire going this evening.

I went back to Netflix establishing myself on the sofa, managed to stay awake and watched the end of The Gentlemen which seemed to get more confusing but in the end I think I got it.  No supper required this evening but for some reason the camera doesn't want to upload the pictures I took today so they might have to be an afterthought on the other computer, I'm on my new laptop in the stairwell.  LN.....Another gentle day but I really should make lists when I go out early morning shopping.....LN