Sunday 21st April

Another horrible night.  I woke up at two and still found myself playing games at four thirty...just no sleep in me.  I think it was the noise of the rain that was unsettling, it was throwing it down and has been dull, cold and miserable all day.  I felt obliged to provide myself with ample sustenance so got bacon from the freezer and fried and egg and a slice of bread and felt much better for it.  I also swapped the duvets over and brought my other feather pillow from downstairs to upstairs hoping that might help me stay asleep.  I took the remains of the curried chicken legs out for the cat.  I didn't see her when I initially went out but she appeared from nowhere before I'd even finished putting it out for her and she was there ten minutes later still gorging on it...one day old and it's not for me.  A load of washing went in the machine and upstairs to dry.

First job on the computer was to order a card for a dear friend who has her eighty first soon.  We became friends when I took my first job after leaving school and we've remained friends ever since.  She's the one that I went to stay with when I flew into Manchester Airport for a Christmas visit and try as I might, she's not willing to travel out here.  Next job was to do the circuit to see which tortoise were out and about and I found three of them, hiding under the greenery trying to keep warm.  It's been such a change from the last couple of weeks, I didn't bother with a fire today but wished that I had but at eight o'clock, it's now worth lighting it now.  I'll put extra thick pj's on tonight.  This afternoon I spent curled up on the sofa watching films, I seem to have run out of series for the time being.  I did nod off for an hour or so catching up on lost time overnight and the rest of the afternoon has been spent transferring more music over from my old p.c. to my old external drive and I've got Jacques Loussier playing in the background now  Takes me back a few years.

I'm eating supper as I type, chicken fillets in cornflakes cooked in the air-fryer with a side dish of mayo......very tasty but I think that they are now off Lidl's offerings, I couldn't see them in the shop the last time I went.  I'll be regretting it tomorrow and cleaning the keyboard...ah well.  LN.....No pickies, nothing worth capturing and no sightings of any unusural birds......LN

Monday 22nd April

Late bath last night, straight to bed and straight to sleep....result and slept through until six thirty this morning.  I made coffee and took it back to bed, played Sudoku for an hour or so but my brain hadn't woken up so not very successful so at seven thirty I was ready to start my day.  I was cooking breakfast by eight, the bacon is no more and the eggs are depleted by one and followed it with brioche with butter and orange, lemon and ginger marmalade which sat very heavily until twelve.  I did the usual computer house keeping and then settled on the sofa, it was too cold for me outside and I was waiting for the sun to break through even slightly and it took until twelve thirty. just enough time for me to finish a short Netflix that I'd started yesterday.  Unfortunately, I think I'd not been paying attention so missed the punchline and the reason for producing it..may be another shot at it later.

I ventured out around one and worked through until five this evening.  The lemon is now repotted along with the bougainvillea and I dfid have to investigate how to get rid of chaffer grubs that have overwintered in the pots and the simple solution is to shake the old soil from the roots, dispose of the compost and renew.  That looks like it can be a costly exercise so I settled for the alternative which was to use diluted washing up liquid to upset them...so let's see how angry they get.  I also tidied up the workshop and cleared the table.  I'd left quite a few jars with screws in on the table and they usually live on the shelf so now they're back home.  I keep looking at the cacti that are still over wintering....Spike lives up to its name and I dread moving it in and out and the other things that I inherited from D of S are longing for some sunshine but there again, aren't we all.  Haciber came round this afternoon with four photographs but A4 size.  I thought she wanted them reducing but no, she wants me to get her frames for them when I go into Kardjali so looks like I'm going tomorrow before the student's lesson.

Everything tidied and locked away by seven, I came in and lit a fire, it is cold and I need comfort.  I' cooking spicy kebabs tonight in the air-fryer with chippies and they should be ready in around five minutes.  Time for another log on the fire just to make sure that it ticks along nicely all evening and then all that's left to do is settle in for the night.  LN.....Time to plate up supper....LN

Tuesday 23rd April

Yesterday evening seemed particularly long and by eleven I was ready for bed and sleep so I climbed the wooden hills as my mother used to call the stairs and straight to sleep.  I suddenly woke up, bot sure of the time but thought it was about five but no.....it was half two, no sleep in me so settled for Sudoku for what turned out to be the rest of the night and early morning.  I made more coffee at six, it was pouring down with rain and had been all night and it wasn't much to look forward to.  At eight I made beans on toast for breakfast and that was the sum total of my morning.  I did manage to put the washing away, settled on the sofa and carried on with the programme I was watching last night, thought I might get a few zzz's in but didn't and have kept going ever since.

I thought about going in to  Kardjali and getting the picture frames for Haciber but the rain was still falling so that went on the back burner.  I was in the Nipper for two, stopped off at the dinkydoo shop to see if I could get the frames for Haciber's photos and found four rather jazzy ones in black and white A4 and two for me.  I wasn't sure about them so I carried on to another shop and found four plain black ones so I thought I'd give her the option of mix and match.  I arrived at the shop before I went up to see my student for the lesson and everybody was in a sombre mood.  One on their relatives suffering with cancer had passed over and it was all rather sad so I carried on upstairs, we finished the book and now need to find another.  We ended up talking about the last book that Dahl wrote which was Esio Trot and I explained the story to him about a middle aged man who was in love with the lady downstairs who kept a tortoise on the balcony and it took me ages to realise that the name of the book is 'tortoise' backwards.  I might try and get the book for him.....and now to find another or maybe we'll just concentrate on football...I'm getting much better.

Home for five thirty and noticed Haciber walking home so went over to her house and showed her the frames and she asked me where the photos were.  I told her that they were in the house, I showed her both types of frames and we settled on two black and white and two black ones and I arrived home and framed the photos for her and took them over around six thirty.  I lit the fire and it's going well, made tuna mayo sandwiches and that was supper over and done with and I've just realised that its just after nine my time so the posting is late.  Hopefully I shall sleep well tonight....I need a whole night.  LN....Nothing on the agenda so far for tomorrow without I head into Kardjali to top up the fridge and the goody box...it's like Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard.....LN

Wednesday 24th April

I had a better night last night and woke up at six this morning.  Coffee, back to bed with the phone and sudoku and my real morning started at seven thirty.  The plan to go into Kardjali faded, the weather was still dull and cold, the terraces were drying up but I didn't hold out much hope for much of an improvement.  I made beans on toast for breakfast to use up a half can that was lingering, washed up and cleared the kitchen, walked the garden and had a bonfire.  No sign of any tortoise on the first lap and it took until around twelve before there were any sightings, four present when the register was called but two AWOL and who could blame them.  There was a lot of activity round the nesting log this morning, battles ensued and while one was preening itself one snuck in behind him and went into the log.  There were three hanging around it at one time, birds with nesting material in their beaks so I centred my activity this afternoon around the grass area to leave them to fight it out.  The beauty of it is that it's watertight.  There's a baking dish that cover the top entirely and its placed under the roof overhang so doesn't get much rain down on top of it.  We did raise chicks successfully last year, fingers crossed we'll do the same this year.

Around twelve I made a tuna mayo sandwich to use up leftovers and thought I'd settle on the sofa and watch Netflix.  Apparently it has changed it's login and even though I'm listed as a user, you have to be at the same address.  So now I'm stuffed and might have to take out an account in my name, especially since Transponder TV went to the wall 'due to the war in Ukraine blowing the servers up' and tell that to the marines.  I think that was a scam, licences not paid and haven't heard anything about it since and would love my money back.  Anyway that's water under the bridge but I had this black mood come over me, I sat on the sofa and got my sudoku book out and knocked about three off but then realised I had to get out into the garden and get going....so I did and feel much better for it.  The sun had broken through and it was quite warm in the sun but the wind had a nip in it.

The forsythia in the frog garden had grown too well, had finished flowering but was blocking the rest of the garden so out with the hedge trimmer.  The japonica was turning more into a tree so now it's cur tight back but I have put some of the shoots in water to see if I can get some going,  I also attacked another couple of forsythia and dug out the weeks round the escalonia at the base of the little house terrace and hopefully it should flower this year, it's looking very healthy and should do better now the weeds have been removed.  Tools away at six thirty, I split a few logs to make the fire easier to light but not sure that I need it tonight.  I had trouble with a couple of the logs though, they are from the bottom of the pile and probably been there for quite a few years.  I brought the axe down onto it with a fair swing and it did absolutely nothing and didn't even make a mark.  I gave it another go just for luck and again nothing so that's gone back into the log store, I'll put it on when the fire's going well.  Not sure about supper or even if I want anything and now to think how to fill my evening....I might even have to take out my own subscription.  LN......Boiler going on for a bath......LN

Thursday 25th April

Slept really well last night, had a late Badedas bath and nodded off which is the norm, put myself to bed, slept with the light on, glasses tucked under my pillow and tablet on the floor.  Thank goodness my bedroom is carpeted with a thick rug otherwise, goodbye tablet.  Mist was obscuring some of the mountains but it soon burnt off until we were overtaken by a very thick cloud around two this afternoon.

I made coffee and got partly dressed.  I'm in two minds whether to book the holiday to Egypt that goes out next week so I spent the morning parading and checking out clothes that would work, working out which would need ironing and clothes for versatility.  Three days are spent cruising the Nile, two near a beach and one night on the sleeper train back to Cairo and all the tours included.  Pyramids, Valley of the Kings, Cairo museum and although I was there about thirty years ago, I'm so tempted to go again.  Eventually I made toast for breakfast with lashings of blackcurrant jam and felt much better for it along with more coffee.  

I had a bonfire and went out to check on the tortoise and all were present and correct in various parts of the garden.  There was only Rosy and Blue getting close and again I'm thinking there might be a name change coming on.  I was pretty startled by a lizard sunning itself in the bush I cut back near the little house terrace.  I was about to pull a few dead leaves from the top of it where I'd used the hedge trimmer on it and spotted it.  Taking the photo was another issue, I seemed to get it's body and no head on a few of the shots and you really have to look very closely to see it on the one that I took.  I sat on the bench in the sun for a while until a very large cloud rolled over, there were a few claps of thunder, a few spots of rain so I moved inside, settled on the sofa and went to sleep waking up at four thirty.  About half an hour later Haciber was at the door complaining that one of the pictures had fallen and I gathered the frame was damaged.  I asked her which one but she didn't understand since she only speaks Turkish so I grabbed one of the black ones and went back with her and changed it.  When she took it into the other room I worked out that it was the black and white one so I'll change that tomorrow.  I also had another problem, my lady with the garden next to the house couldn't get the key to turn in the badlock on the garden gate, it was thoroughly rusted up, so I found the machine oil in the little house, drenched the key and lock with it and eventually I got it to open so that she could go to work on the garden.  I came back and thought about it and made a cover for the chain and padlock to protect it from the really heavy rain, wnt back and fitted it and all's good.

No supper for me, the toast is sitting heavily and it's half eight now and soon time for bed.  It's been a funny old day, thinking about that picture frame, I brought it back and it must have fallen on the corner and pinging the joint because the glass was OK unlike the one that I took over as a replacement.  LN.....I did come back with biscuits though as a thank you.....LN

Friday 26th April

Six thirty start this morning, no light on, tablet on the bedside table and glasses next to it....result.  It was a dull morning but what else can we expect in this topsy turvy world of weather, it did pick up later but there were still clouds around.  I was late with breakfast, I was still deciding what to put in a suitcase if I ever booked the holiday so eventually I checked out the holiday website and all places were taken so the decision was made for me.  I checked the websites again for others and came across one touring Sicily, I've been there before but not done the tour of the island, I stayed in Taormina up in the mountains so thought it was worth investigating and I did.  It's better in a way, it doesn't leave until the twelfth of May so gives me more time to put things in a suitcase, take them out again and have a last minute meltdown.  So tomorrow I formalise the arrangements, send off my passport details and my Bulgarian registration information and receive documents in Bulgarian that I don't have a clue about but have got the old ones from when the tour to Morocco was cancelled and I developed Covid.  They should help me to understand what I'm signing up for and where I have to fill in the gaps.  I will go to the bank on Monday and pay for the holiday..no luxury here of handing over a card and payment is taken, the transfer has to be made from my IBAN to the company.  I've decided which suitcase I'm taking and my hand luggage carry on, the remainder have been sorted and stacked until I have too much for the one that I've selected so all change.

I made a late breakfast of boiled eggs and toast, cleared the kitchen, listened to music and played Sudoku...it's been a very gentle day.  I noticed one of the tortoise walking across the grass so went out to check which one it was and did a lap to find the rest of them, four out of six isn't bad.  I heard clattering and thought that Rosy was at it again but she appeared to be having trouble negotiating where she's managed to get herself and there were some steep rocks involved.  I left her to it and went back to watering my seeds that have come in in leaps and bounds and I've made a special mix that I found on the internet for sorting out non-flowering pot bounds and it means that you don't have to change the compost every year.  The recipe includes, beer, sugar, white vinegar and water and I've made a couple of bottles up and I'll be reporting on results.  I also went over and swapped the picture frame for Haciber and she's under strict instructions not to break this one...damages will be charged.  Next job was to wash the windows of the Nipper, the last rain we had looks like it came from the Sahara and there is sand over everything, shrubs, flowers and house and car windows.  Fairy liquid on a sponge and a good dousing of water sorted it out, the house will have to wait.

At four I ran a bath and luxuriated for an hour and a half while replying to Messenger, did a few Sudoku, had a nap, dried off and lit the fire. It's not strictly necessary but very comfortable and supper is ready to go into the air-fryer.  Tonight I have spicy kebabs and chippies so now the kitchen calls me and also time to throw another log on.  Shopping tomorrow, out for lunch on Sunday, bank and Haskovo on Monday, student on Tuesday.  LN.....That's some of my little life sorted.....LN

Saturday 27th April

Six start this morning and it seems to be getting earlier.  Note to self...go to bed later, get more exercise so that you are more tired and sleep longer....let's see if it works.  Didn't do much apart from make coffee and play games for the first hour or so, it's been a reasonable day weatherwise but that wind has been cruel.  I made toast and blackcurrant jam for breakfast and sat out on the bench on the terrace eating it, Cat was looking longingly for anything so I threw out the crust of the loaf which in Bulgaria is about a fifth of the total but she utterly didn't move for that.  It's not my cat and if I have scraps it gets it but I don't want to make it dependent on me...I just don't like cats.  I noticed one of the tortoise sunning itself so took the first photo but didn't go on the tortoise hunt this morning, more interested in writing my shopping list, the fridge could definitely be likened to Mother Hubbard's Cupboard.  

I was just about to set off for Kardjali when I heard a strimmer and Mincho was attending to Avatar's garden or rather field with the length of grass on it.  I walked over to make sure that he had enough benzine and as I was approaching the gate, Haciber was out of her house like a bullet from a gun and involves herself in everything. The main gate into the property is locked, Avatar gave me a key but I didn't make it public but when asked I owned up, Mincho had to climb over the fence and I think he was going to involve his friend to take the grass away for his animals.  He also asked me if I had any grease, he'd forgotten his and needed it for the machine so I offered to take him home to get it but I think he didn't want to work all day so I left him to his own devices.  Looking at the work still to be done, it looks like he's coming back tomorrow to finish the job so I'll get the key back then.

I stopped off at the garage shop on my way through Djebel and had five minutes with my student's mum and ended up with a dozen eggs from their chickens.  I thanked her, headed on to Kardjali and think I missed getting caught by a speed camera on the way into town...we shall see.  Kaufland car park was a nightmare, it took me ages to park and the shop was absolutely rammed so I picked up what I needed and ended up with a sixty leva bill.  I did buy four pot of marigolds, two for me and two for my student's mum as a thankyou for the eggs.  On to Lidl, parking was much better and again I picked up what I needed including more solar lights for outside....some that I have outside have had their day and need throwing.  I also bought two jars of blackcurrant jam that on special offer, again one for my student's mum as a thankyou and I had a strange thought come into my head.'Exchange is no robbery' but played on the word 'eggs' and I smiled.  How do you explain that to a Bulgarian even thought she speaks and understands a fair amount of English so I gave it a go when I arrived back in Djebel.  I think she got it and then down to get bread and home, unpacked the shopping and put it away and by now it was three more or less.  Mincho had gone and the gate was secured so I wouldn't start looking for where he'd hidden it.

I made coffee and got my head down for an hour or so, I woke up cold so lit the fire and got it to the point of being able to put a very large log on and so nothing to do for the rest of the evening. I put a chicken in to the oven and that's ready now so chicken with bread for me tonight....can't be bothered with vegetables since I'm out for a late lunch tomorrow.  Seven thirty my time, if it stays dry overnight I'll make a start on the grass, the grave garden has started to get quite tall and it's better to do it before rather than leave it.  It's quite shady round there and out of the wind...perfect growing conditions.  LN.....Supper calls and then relax and find a film to watch on the laptop since Netflix has sussed me out....LN

Sunday 28th April

Seven start and it was a beautiful morning.  I put the remains of the chicken out for the cat but at the last check, it was still there....and hope she's alright.  I didn't bother with breakfast only the statutory cups of coffee to get the engine going, got dressed and sat out on the terrace listening to the cuckoos and there are lots of them around.  I decided to start on the grass, I heard Mincho's strimmer as he worked away on Avatar's garden and I went over and we discussed whether or not he was going to get someone to clear away the grass that he'd cut but apparently the guy wanted thirty leva for taking it away and Mincho refused.  Not quite sure of the conversation that went on between him and Avatar's son but the upshot was that I was to pay him and they would give it back to me when they arrive.

So out with the little mower and I did the outside of the property, then the yard, the grass between the house and the front wall and the grave garden.  It was still damp so I had to empty the grass box fairly frequently.  Not content to leave it there, I did almost down to the mulberry trying not to leave too much of a line across the grass.  Hopefully I can finish it all on Tuesday before my student's lesson otherwise it will be Wednesday since I'm out all day tomorrow.  I drove into Djebel to go to the cash point so that I had money to pay Mincho and then a visit to the cake shop was in order, a gift for later when I went visiting Fotinovo for Sunday lunch.  I carried on to the supermarket and bought a bottle of red and one of rose as a thank you for inviting me and all gifts were appreciated and came in useful.  Lunch was ready for four thirty more or less, cooked by the daughter and what a good job she made of it, chicken with every veg you could think of, apple crumble for afters and then we all tucked into the cake, some of us more than others.  The humour continued and at nine forty five I said farewells and into the Nipper and home.  The road was empty except for one stupid idiot who overtook me where he shouldn't have done, he had the power to finish the job but it was just where I was about to take a right off the main drag and onto the side road.  No other cars were on the road as I drove home, uneventful fortunately and I was home for ten.  The temperature has dropped in the house but it's much too late to light a fire so it's fleece PJ's on, a hot chocolate and straight to bed.  LN....lovely afternoon filled with lots of British humour......LN

Monday 29th April

It's been a particularly long day..or so it seems.  I woke up at four, went back to sleep from six until seven and then started my day.  It was a reasonable morning, I did a tortoise hunt and only came up with three of them, 'Rosy' sunning itself and still undergoing gender re-assignment and Red getting a little too close to Green but who knows....they've really confused me this year.  I made more coffee and completed the details required for my holiday and sent the email off fairly early...I how had to wait and see if there were any places lift and it was the end of the day that I received a telephone call asking me to pay up as soon as possible and an email advising me which documents had to be signed and sent back tomorrow.  It's all a bit confusing since the documents are all in Bulgarian and the letter advising me which documents have to be signed and sent back, I need help with so I shall be asking my older student for help after I've been to the bank tomorrow morning.  I have to scan and process around sixteen documents...nightmare.

I was on time to take my friends mother to Haskovo this morning and pulled outside the house at exactly ten thirty.  We sat on a new bench that her son has bought for her and installed it at the top of the garden giving her a really nice view of the hillsides.  A couple of trees have gone in to provide shade but that will take a little while and we were in the car for eleven and heading out.  There were a fair number of roadworks going out of Kardjali with cars ending up on the wrong side of the road but we came out unscathed.  As we approached Haskovo I noticed that lots of things had changed but I managed to locate the market garden that I used to go to years ago but that's changed too and we came away with nothing.  We went into the local hardware depot, I wanted to look at strimmers but nothing of interest there and again, everything stayed on the shelf.  Next job was to find the Italian restaurant that I'd been to but I've not really driven much around the town.  We followed the signs for the town centre but suddenly there was no right turn where I think there should have been one and we ended up on a track until we ran out of road so turned round and got back on route.  Eventually I recognised a dual carriage way so I took a right turn, saw a Lidl and we made use of their carpark.  We stated to walk to where I thought it was, eventually asked two men with a van apologising for my broken Bulgarian but he got the gist and told me in broken English more or less where it was and we found it.  The menu was extensive and all Bulgarian but we settled for a couple of pizza and eventually worked out way through them.  Back to the Nipper, out of the carpark before anyone had noticed we'd parked there, managed to find the signs for Kardjali and we were soon heading home.  Dropped her back, I came home for find the documents for the holiday in an email and have just spent the last hour working out which ones need to be signed and scanned.  Google translate only does so many characters but I think I understand most of it.

I don't need supper, the pizza is sitting a little heavy but it will make sure that I don't eat any rubbish between now and breakfast but I did stop off in Djebel and buy a large bottle of Coke.  Fire going well, it was the first thing I did when I got home and ran around the housel closing the windows that I'd opened this morning when the weather was good.  Lovely rainbow on the drive to my village, dark clouds have come over and it's threatening rain but so far not much has happened.  LN....Short on the pictures again....promised for tomorrow......LN