Wednesday 1st May

White rabbits, a pinch and a punch for the first of the month....say whatever sits comfortably with you.  I was up and about at six this morning, made coffee, a bit of a cloudy start but the terraces were drying off after yet more rain.  Topsy turvy weather but it looks like the sun is heading this way next week.  I didn't bother with breakfast, I had documents to scan in and send off to the holiday company but I'd forgotten that I'd updated my computer and I had a mare of a morning. I tried to download a scanning application to go with the Brother printer but that seemed to knock out the normal method of printing and I ended up taking photographs of a thirteen page document and another two page declaration and sending them in an email apologising and asking her to confirm if they were OK.  She responded quite quickly so the pressure was off but I was determined to sort out the printer function but nothing seemed to work and at two I gave up.  I opened up my laptop and from that one I can print so all is not lost.  The upside is that I managed to get the scanning working properly using the Brother application so that's one thing solved.  At ten I made more coffee, got washed and dressed and started my real day.

By now I got on with normal tasks, tried to chop a few of the old hard logs but they're now in the log basket, no way would the axe go through them, I could get no purchase at all.  They're not too big so should burn so long as there's smaller stuff round them.  At three I fired up the lawn mower and managed to do down to the bottom of the big house grass and tomorrow morning I'll do the little house grass and that should mean that it won't be too long when I get to cut it before I go away.  It was pretty hard work, I was having to empty the grass box every two rows but I was puffing a little on the uphill and on the bank between the gardens.  I stuck with it though, can't give up but I might use the little electric tomorrow, it's so much lighter,

I came in at five thirty and lit the fire and it's going well and then I settled down to sort Netflix and look at taking out a subscription for here.  I dropped my S.I.L. a message and got a phone call from my daughter saying that they pay for my subscription so it would be OK to sign on as 'I'm travelling'.  I tried it and all it needed was a code which was sent through to his phone, I entered the code and lo and behold it works.  As he said I'm on his account and if they have a problem with it, they'll contact him.  Not done anything for supper so far, not very hungry so might even forego it.  LN.....Now what can I find to watch tonight....LN

Thursday 2nd May

Another six start, coffee, more coffee, Sudoku but I gave up, my times were absolute rubbish this morning.  Downstairs at seven after changing my bed, was going to put the clothes in the machine but I just got too busy.  I didn't bother with breakfast, tidied round, sat outside on the bench since it was quite a good morning.  I made a phone call to Germany to confirm that my Avatar had another set of keys to get in when she comes back on the thirteenth.  I have a set but am probably going to Sofia on the eleventh, flying out on the twelfth and rather like last year, we crossed over in Sofia but this time we were heading in different directions.  I also sent a thank you to my student for helping me with the documentation for my holiday and received a lovely reply and then since Netflix is again available, I carried on watching Night Agent that I'd started and slept through last night so back to the drawing board Cecil.

At eleven the day was slipping away from me so I got the little electric mower out and set about the bottom of the big house grass that I hadn't managed to complete the other day.  I'd left it until later in the day, the grass was wet from the overnight dew and since rain was predicted, I worked through until around one thirty, came in for some bun loaf and toasted it and that was a late breakfast with lots more coffee.  Two more episodes of Night Agent and then back out there with the big one this time to do the rest of the grass, eventually finishing at around three thirty.  I thn found other things to potter with, the little bushes have been rounded off, the sticky willy has been removed from a lot of the low wall, I found five of the tortoise over the course of the day and the 'highways' next to the walls are more obvious now that the rest of the grass is cut.

Down tools and everything packed away, I got inb enough logs for this evening but there's no need to light a fire tonight, the house is warm.  I made cornflake chicken and chippies in the air-fryer and that chicken seems to remain moist and from frozen to plate it's around fifteen minutes...result and tasty.  Boler is on and I'm in the bath as soon as I've posted this, I've finished the Night Agent so am looking for something else to fill my evenings thanks to my daughter and SIL.  LN...Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow so far, maybe more pottering in the garden or maybe shopping, I'll see how the mood takes me......LN

Friday 3rd May

Six start, played silly games for an hour or so , more coffee and started my morning.  It was a dull old day, had rained overnight but looked as if it might clear up but that was wishful thinking on my part.  I threw some bread out that had an unhealthy tinge of green on it for the cat but after yesterday's chicken blow out it moved on to fresh pastures with more chance of success.

I did the usual stuff on the laptop, emails etc., felt really cold in the house so set the fire ready to light it later but I didn't wait long.  Fortunately I'd got in lots of logs yesterday and starting wood and it didn't take long before I was feeling the benefit of setting a match to it. It's been bad all day....we've had thunder and lightning, a very heavy hail storm that surely has bashed down a lot of the neighbours seedlings and I bet the tortoise have been hidden away all day or even down in their winter holes.  I didn't check on them...it was too wet and too cold for me to be out and about.  In fact I've had a Netflix day and thank goodness it has been sorted.  I did managed to switch it off and get my head down for an hour or so this afternoon and then back to it.  I haven't checked the weather for the weekend, next week it's supposed to be back to back sunshine which will be good...only snag is that rain and sunshine cause the grass to grow and just having finished taking it down to a reasonable level, the process will start again.

I've just had a bowl of tuna, onion, beetroot and mayo salad, feel stuffed to the gills and am now ready to finish watching the last couple of episodes of the Netflix I started this afternoon.  LN.....It's still throwing it down outside so maybe I need to find the plans for the ark......LN

Saturday 4th May

Another early start, the fire was still going so I rescued it and kept it going most of the day except when my back was turned, I failed to put a log on.  It didn't take long though and it should last now for the end of the evening.   It's May, by now I've normally cleaned out the woodburner and the pipes and it's just on the odd occasion that it gets lit....this year it's been difficult to predict.  No sight or any of the tortoise but why would they be out and about, probably deep underground or under the thick clumps of grass.  At least there's plenty of food for them.

I did a load of washing ready for holiday, a purple lightweight fleece lined jacket for travelling unless we have a sudden heatwave that we not got an inkling of currently.  I've had another day of Netflix, too wet to be out, too cold to be in the little house potting things up and too lazy to find anything else constructive to do.  I did make poached eggs on toast for breakfast, put the washing on the airer and got more wood in to last for the day and I'll have enough until tomorrow. Didn't manage lunch and feeling as flat as a pancake and not really in the mood for food, I'll last until the morning.  Kardjali tomorrow, it's easier to shop on a Sunday than a Saturday, the Nipper is out of gas so that's the main reason for going in to town.  LN.....Back to the lounge and the fire but thank goodness for the central heating.......LN

Sunday 5th May

Another early start but I snuggled down again and it was seven when I opened my eyes for the second time.  Not sure I opened them for the first time...it was just too early.  I had a very slow morning learning how to navigate my old Kindle, it's got lots of books on it, was one of the first issued and I've decided to take it with me on holiday.  It's not a touch screen so it speaks for itself how old it is.  I've done the 'Last Kingdom' so many times on Netflix that I've decided to read the whole series again to see just how far it's removed from the book and it should be an interesting exercise.  

Toast for breakfast, cat was looking longingly at me but there was nothing.  I'd not bothered with supper last night so no left over for it at all and it eventually walked along the street when I drove my car out of the drive onto the road, it reckoned there was more chance of pickings elsewhere. I did a circuit of the very wet garden to see if the tortoise were out and about sunning themselves if only to dry themselves and warm up.  Rosy was spotted first in a grassy hollow against the high wall facing into the sun, CS was further along the wall, Blue was a little further on and they all seemed to be favouring this side of the garden.  I turned to walk along the bottom wall and found Red and Green but as for Shiny Blue who I believe used to be Little Purple not be found at all but there again, it was only half nine.  Walking back up the Frog garden, I've noticed that the Yucca has two other flower spikes on it making three in total.  It should be magnificent this year.

Kitchen tidied and washing up done I decided that I would go into Kardjali dropping off the dish drainer that I'd bought for my student's family along the way, I messaged her to let her know and got no reply and when I got there the gate was locked and nobody at home.  I managed to get it through the gate and propped it against the garden wall and much later this afternoon I got a photograph of her and her parents in Istanbul.  They'd decided to go at the last minute.  I carried on to Kaufland and bought very little but did pick up three little solar lights and thought they would make gifts for my neighbours.  When I got to the checkout, the girl said that she couldn't sell them she didn't know the code and gave me a total for the shopping while the lights were on top of her unit.  I said that I wanted them, she sighed heavily, picked up the phone, said that no one could help and that I would have to go without.  Now I don't like this, I worked in supervision in supermarkets for far too long to be fobbed off but in a different language is becomes more difficult so not to be defeated, I put my shopping in the Nipper, went back and took a photo of the item code and back to the checkout.  She took my phone,tapped in the code and I bought the items.  There was no apology but she said that it was because of the holiday, Easter Sunday here, I said it was because they were lazy in the office and didn't care about customer service and I managed that in Bulgarian.  One more shop to buy two pairs of new reading glasses for my holiday, tried to pull into Lidl and that was closed so carried on to my supermarket in Djebel and bought a few items for the goody box.  Shopping away, the sun by now was warming up so I stripped down and settled in a garden chair with the small table as a footstool and my first layer of suntan is on already, well will be when the 'pink' fades.

I put the boiler on, read for a while and went in the bath and slept for an hour or so emerging at six and getting out my summer PJ's., first time this year.  Seven my time, what was planned for tomorrow has been shelved because it's a holiday and St George's day and moved to Tuesday so if the weather is good, you'll know where to find me.  LN....Time to get the sunbeds out......LN

Monday 6th May

So yesterday was strange in that I was in bed for ten, no late night Netflix for me.  I'd had a bath, felt very relaxed so didn't want to spoil it with rubbish so lights out around ten thirty, slept through until five thirty, played games and read my Kindle and out of bed by seven.  I think it's the anticipation of the holiday and unlike the UK, I'm still waiting for the time of the flight on Sunday so that I can decide it I need to make a booking in Sofia if I need to stay in a hotel and the time of arrival back in Sofia the next week.  Again, do I drive or take the bus.  I'd supposed to hear early this week but tomorrow is Tuesday, I know it's been the Easter holiday here but it all seems so lax to me.  

I made poached eggs on ham for breakfast and so far today I've not succumbed to coffee and settled for water.  I've decided to eliminate it from my daily intake wondering if it's that that's been causing my numerous red patches on my arms...it could be anything but I'm starting to do my own patch tests or rather intake tests. Load of washing in the machine of potential holiday wear and on Wednesday, the suitcase and bag will be packed, I'm not good at leaving things to the last minute.  As for the rest of my day, the weather was so good that I carried on with the tanning process and have added another 'layer of red' which should be brown by tomorrow as I used to tell my children. It's been up to twenty four degrees in the sun and out of the wind and I've settled into the book on my Kindle and am now up to thirty four percent read.  The only trouble is that it's the last in the series so it's rather like reading the last chapter first.  As for doing the comparison with the series on Netflix, I've found a few anomalies already....especially when it comes to taking back his hijacked heritage from his uncle.  I'll keep you updated.

I had an early supper and tomorrow cat will have chicken and bones, i'd just decided to watch a rerun of Bridgerton on Netflix and Haciber appeared with a lady that I'm not really sure who she is but she gave me a geranium.  She might be Zelinger's daughter in law so I better ask tomorrow and in retrospect I was not very conversational. They woke me up for a start, with a start, and I didn't know why they were there and I still don't.  I'm out early in the morning sorting out car insurance for a friend and then my student tomorrow afternoon and then three days to sort out hotels and transport to Sofia and packing.  Fire lit, lovely sunset and today's excitement was watching the tortoise take the long walk across the grass from one wall to the next....might be better pickings under the high wall.  LN......Bath, Bridgerton and bed in that order......LN

Tuesday 7th May

Early to bed, early to rise and I've forgotten the rest.  Five thirty first time and six thirty the second time my eyes opened and the sun was just coming up, a big red ball.  It lost its colour as it climbed, had some heat in it this morning and then clouds formed, brief showers and after yesterday it was a complete let down.  Not that I wanted to take any more sun today, I was duty lobster last night but how it's given me a healthy glow ready for my holiday.  I don't really go in for the pale and interesting look.

Shower and hair washed, I didn't have a bath last night mainly because to wash my hair in the bath is very difficult and a strain on the neck. I didn't bother with breakfast and was in the Nipper for eight, taking my rubbish down to the container and two table solar lights for Zelinger.  I tapped on the door very lightly, there didn't seem any life around so I put the gift bag with the lights down on the doorstep so that they would trip over it if they didn't spot it.  I met Haciber by the rubbish bin but didn't show her the goody bag, they'd all want one, back in the Nipper and at nine thirty I was off again and this time to help out with an insurance application.  That was easy to obtain, we went for a coffee, back to the house in Fotinovo for a chat and home for twelve.  Toast for a late breakfast, the travel company have sent me my documents so printed them off and now to make decisions as to how many nights I stay in Sofia, driving or bus and this will be decided tomorrow.  I need it set in stone so that there are no hiccups.

Lovely time with my student,stopped chatting with his mother until his father returned from the garage and home for seven fifteen.  Chicken in cornflakes with Duchess potatoes into the air-fryer, fire lit and I was sitting down in front of the fire eating supper by eight, washing up done and now time to relax.  Might do Karjali early morning, I do need so more casual shoes so might try the new shopping mall and then packing tomorrow afternoon.  LN.....Time to relax.....LN

Wednesday 8th May

Early start, five thirty and by seven I was knacked...it had been a long morning.  Cloudy start to the day, morning did break, eventually the sun came through but there was lots of most on the hillsides which obviously turned into clouds.  I really had trouble making a decision as to when I would go to Sofia, worked out several plans but nothing came together.  Eventually I gave up, settled for a toasted ham sandwich and at ten thirty I'd done two loads of washing, tried on outfits, transferred conditioner into a smaller bottle to make packing easier and started to pack my case.  Travelling arrangements were still bugging me so at eleven I went into Kardjali to pay my home telephone bills, moved parking and went in search of shoes and managed to find a black pair of enclosed slip-ons that will be perfect for my holiday and a pair of blue trainers to replace the one that I bought in Bangkok years ago.  I can finally throw them away.

Back in the Nipper, two trips to the cash-point and I now have enough euros to last me for next week in Sicily.  I contacted the hotel to make the reservation to be told immediately that prices were ninety euro per night so I said that I would try a booking company to see if it was cheaper.  The hotel itself had a saver scheme but the last time I tried to use it I think the website was under reconstruction and nothing happened so I thought I'd give it another go and bingo, I found the cheapest rate as a member, paid for the first night using my Bulgarian card, entered the details for the second night and at this point I think the system thought there was something funny going on and asked me for further information that I probably had but didn't know that I did.  I had a message on the screen to phone a number which I did and that got even more complicated so it was a 'no-help' desk.  While I was waiting I put in the details of the second night again and this time paid with my English card and the transaction went straight through and then I was advised by the lady on the other end of the phone to visit my bank to sort out the other card.  Just what you need!!

Thunder and lightning this afternoon but it seems to have slipped away....only hope it's not going to Italy and beyond.  Not about to prepare supper, the mid morning sandwich is still sitting heavily or maybe I'm just getting over my abstinence from coffee. News from my older student is that she really enjoyed Istanbul, she found the dish drainer and they are keeping it not giving it away as I suggested and that we are going to Istanbul together when I come back from this trip.  They have relatives living there so there is somewhere to stay and she speaks fluent Turkish, Bulgarian and we communicate well in English so there won't be a problem and we'll go on the bus...an adventure.  The rain came and went, let's hope it stays away and I'm happier now that I've got a hotel booked and the Nipper will either be at the hotel while I'm away or at Terminal 2 long term parking....waiting for me to come back.  LN.....I shall sleep peacefully tonight......LN

Thursday 9th May

Early start again but this time it was really dull, misty, threatened rain all day and nothing happened.  There was a brief moment of brightness around four this afternoon when I was getting logs in to make the fire, but that soon disappeared.  So last night my tablet fell to the floor from the side table and I thought nothing of it until I went to switch it on this morning.  It did switch it on and went to the home screen but that was all, there was no going further, the screen did nothing.  I went through the process of trying to check out the button combinations to try to bring it back life but nothing.  

I made poached eggs for breakfast using a method that I'd seen in one of the reels on the phone.  It was suggested to crack them into cold water, put them in the microwave for a minute and supposedly you would have perfect poached eggs.  Unfortunately the person gave now setting so I popped them in for another fifteen to twenty seconds and the yolks were hardish but not bad for a first attempt.  The upside is, no smelly saucepan to wash out.  Cat was looking longingly through the window but this morning I had nothing for it....I'd put out bread earlier but it really is fussy and went nowhere near it.  In the Nipper by nine thirty in search of two things, a short handled shoe horn and another tablet to replace the broken one unless I could my man could replace the screen which he couldn't.  It's a really old Acer and has seen better days and my man pronounced it's death knell and sometimes it's more expensive to replace the screen.  Went to the local electronic store next to Lidl and got one, not too expensive but will do the job and then over to a shop I;d not been in before which had everything if you had the time to look for it.  I gave up and found someone working there and she took me straight to the display and several types.  Mine is metal with a spoon end on it and more to the point, it's telescopic so I can even put shoes on from a standing position...result

Next stop the garage as I drove back through Djebel.  He was in the new building so I left the Nipper running and he immediately knew that I wanted him to look at what was causing the noise, it sounded like a tractor.  He put it over the pit and fixed it, he'd mentioned that there was an additive that you could add to the oil to cut down on the smoke and fumes, he had it, showed me the bottle but I didn't look at the price, he added it and checked the oil, water, brake fluid and everything that needed checking and when he'd finished I asked him how much and it was quite a lot.  I'd not looked at the price of the additive when he showed it to me so he put it in front of my nose, it was fifty five leva.  I dug out sixty and he was looking for a fiver but I said for him to keep it, he tried to refuse but I said for him to get a coffee.  I stopped off at the shop, I've   borrowed a rucksack which is far better than the hand luggage I was taking and will be more serviceable during the holiday.  Tablet set up, Kindle brought back into action, my battery pack is on charge, cables and leads are all sorted and they;re ready to go into the case.  Packing done but I had trouble weighing it.  I thought the scales ready a little over ten but I didn't believe it, the wheels reached down either side of the scales so I stood on the scales and weighed myself with and without the suitcase and the first reading was correct.  Pizza for supper followed by some chocolate breakfast cereal without milk, I live inventively.

Little owl has just landed on the edge of my bedroom balcony but the camera wasn't to hand and then it flew onto the little house roof but when I came back with the camera, it had left but nice to know it's still around.  Got all day tomorrow to do final preparations, I've checked the weather in Sicily and it will be raining when we arrive and cloudy for the following day so I'm not holding out much hope of sun, sand and swimming.  LN.....Maybe I can do that when I get home......LN

Friday 10th May

Well what happened today?  Not a lot. The weather has been touching eight degrees outside all day and even the bonfire didn't raise the outside temperature at all.  I've packed, changed my mind on what to take with me but eventually I got there. The suitcase is packed, the safety strap is round it and I refuse to go in there again.  I've changed the laces on the new trainers and have settled for blue instead of the bright green ones that I chose yesterday, I'm taking them with me and might get more buoyant when the weather picks up.  As for the house temperature, I was feeling really cold when I came in from the bonfire so I lit the fire immediately and it's kept the house at about twenty two degrees for most of the day.

I did a check on the weather in Sicily and it's destined to be in the high twenties and night time temperatures of nineteen or so and I really can't wait.  It is back to being winter here....one day on the terrace sunbathing and thank goodness I did otherwise I would burn up and be duty lobster if I hadn't put down a base tan already.  The rucksack has been packed a few times and now it's sitting by the table downstairs in the stairwell and I'll go through the checklist and make sure everything is in,  I'll disconnect a few things, I've already turned off the water to the outside tap, I don't want any huge water bills when I come back.

So now to bed, I intend leaving around twelve tomorrow and setting off for Sofia calling in at both of my student's homes to say fond farewells even though I shall only be gone for a week.  So tomorrow in Sofia and then flying out on Sunday afternoon and then. let the tour begin.  LN....I'll try and keep you posted on the journey and add a few pickies of interesting places.....LN