Monday 20th May

Got out of sync this morning....I'd set my phone for Sicily time so I was late for breakfast and only just made it.  I use my phone to sync with my Fitbit and it wasn't until I got in the car that I realised that I was an hour behind everything else and everybody else.  I dreaded going to get the Nipper, the rain was pouring down and the parking is on a field and yes, my feet got very wet but at least my luggage wouldn't, I'd left it in reception and loaded it in having parked up at a reserved 'space'.  I was also dreading that I would put the key in and something would have gone wrong but it fired up first time and was good to go.  I'd settled the parking account and breakfast, the room I'd paid for on booking so it was quite a gentle bill, parking for the days was only fifty five leva which I think is really good since two nights are paid for with the hotel booking.  

I set off for Sofia centre and it felt very odd driving again and by now everything was very dull and Sofia is very busy so you have to keep your wits about you.  I made all the right road junctions and got on to the motorway without any problems but it's notoriously fast and furious and there was lots of spray being thrown up and lots of lorries.  I'm used to a three lane motorway so the lorries sort themselves out and rarely come into the outside lane but in BG there's only two lanes so it gets dicey.  All was going well until it went down to one where they were digging up the other carriage way and that lasted for about two kilometers but fortunately it was clearing up a little by then.  It's quite frightening at times, some just don't stick to the speed limits and because of the amount of lorries on the road you have to stay out because if you pull over you never get out again and as you can expect. some of the crazy drivers git miffed but you have to stay your ground.....and I did.  

I came off at the correct junction and pleased to say that they've improved the road and signs to Asenovgrad and I sailed through and by now it had dried up.  The road through to Kardjali has lots of twists and turns but sign posted well for recommended speeds and with a dry road it was easy.  I hit Kardjali in good time, stopped off at Lidl to get a few things and now that my Avatar has returned while I was away I bought her a bag of mandarins just because I know she likes them.  I stopped off at the car shop to tell that that I was in residence or would be soon, my student doesn't want a lesson he wants to go to football practice since the season is coming to an end and that was fine by me.  I pulled up outside the house and Avatar was sitting with her daughter sorting herbs to dry to make tea. I gave her the mandarins and she was so pleased, but I didn't stop long, I had things to do.  Unpacking sorted, three loads of washing done and drying, Avatar's other daughter came over and gave me the money that I'd paid to the local guy to cut the long grass down.  I'd actually forgotten all about it so it was a nice surprise.  LN.....It's nice to be back home but the grass is going to be a hard job tomorrow, it's amazing how long it's grown in a week......LN

Tuesday 21st May

Woke up really quite early and felt OK after yesterday's 'washerwoman' achievements.  I slept well, it was good to be back in my own bed, didn't bother with coffee but had water and settled down with my book.  Unfortunately I'd not had enough sleep so nodded off again but it was still early so generally sorted a few more things and went on the hunt for things that I'd put safely away while I was away.  I washed up things left from last night and made two ham sandwiches for breakfast and now I did made coffee but in a small glass just to cut down on my intake.  I was actually wasting time, I was waiting for the sun to dry up some of the grass so that I could get started on it and really wasn't sure how to tackle it.  Firstly I did the yard using the little mower and the strimmer seemed like everything was coming into play today and carried on to the first space between the house and the wall using the little electric mower.  I didn't do the second part and didn't want to move on to the 'grave' garden, I wanted to start on the main garden and clear round the flower beds to generally tidy it up.  I started about half eleven but it was really slop going. The plan was to strim the garden and round the beds, but by twelve I really hadn't done much, it was slow going.  I tried with the electric mower but it really wasn't very effective so I gave it a go with the petrol mower at first with the grass box but that was full after one run so I sat down and thought about it, got up again and tried the petrol one without the grass box and this was cooking on bas so to speak.  I gave myself targets and had planned to finish at six but I was just too knacked, I put the tools away and locked up, stripped off in the conservatory and went for a shower and have since added a cardigan to my bed gear.  I did another walk round the garden and I was really surprised by the red hot pokers, there were no flower heads showing before I went away.  The main ones have flowered but two that I transplanted have also flowered for the first time and they usually last for ages.  Both wild philadelphus and the cultivated one are all in bloom and the smell is quite overpowering.  The three yucca heads look like they're about to burst forth...and should be stunning.

Had a little run in with Netflix this afternoon and had to phone the help desk.  I'm on my SIL's account and named and paid for each month.  When I couldn't connect last time because 'the device is not recognised', there was a tab to select 'I'm on holiday' and we were given a code and it worked until I tried today.  Speaking to someone which was an achievement in itself, I explained the problem, was told that the code was only for one week and had expired, that to be 'invited to take up an offer' from my SIL and was then advised I could only take out this account if I lived in England.  I think they should start chasing the ones that use an account and they don't even know who owns it.  Plus point is that if I take an account out in Bulgaria it's half the price but I shan't be doing that until winter draws in.

I sat in the stairwell playing solitaire, went out to take the photos and the noise from the calves was horrendous.  Most were calling for their mothers, the drone was overhead helping the farmers to search for strays and they were out with the land-rover making more noise than the cows.  Eventually they'd got most of them going in the same direction, over the hills and into the barns but some of the really new ones seemed really stressed out and obviously tired after a day out.  Looking at the garden from the upstairs desk there still seems a lot to do to get the garden sorted, it must have been perfect weather with the right amount of rain or may be the universe is telling me that I shouldn't have taken a week off.  I'll see how I feel tomorrow, I'm only going to use the petrol mower without the box and if necessary I'll go over the dried grass and pick it up next time with the new growth.  

Not really in the mood for supper so far, too tired to even think about it.  LN......Guess what I'm doing tomorrow......LN

Wednesday 22nd May

Well another glorious day filled with mowing the grass and pulling weeds but I did install the umbrella so that I could take rests on the bench and read my continuing saga of Uhtred of Bebbanburg.  I've had the series on my very old Kindle for years so started reading the books again and managed three on the holiday when I didn't understand what the tour guide was talking about as we went along and I've almost finished the one that I'm reading now.  I've got about five more in the series to go.

First job this morning was to fold and put away the washing from the holiday that was sitting on the two airers, put another load in and put that to dry.  It's been another hot day and by lunch time I'd gone over the grass that I'd done yesterday but this time with the box on the back of the machine and finished the one lawn.  I made tuna mayo sandwiches and sat out on the terrace under the umbrella and looking at what still had to be done.  I use time and motion, I try to guess how many runs it's going to take to do a certain area and used the machine so that it was pushing the grass over the run that had just been done.  I go along the short side and that doesn't count in the total, up the other long side which does and back to the starting point.  It gives me something to calculate while I'm pushing the machine. That side of the garden finished I took to my bench to about half an hour with my book and then attacked the grave garden to the side of the house and the rest of the space between the house and the front wall.  I'd finished!!

Tomorrow I've got to strim where the mower wouldn't go especially close to the wooden surrounds on the gardens and get weeding the beds and pulling the sticky willy from the shrubs on the low wall.  I've had a good day, pleased that I've broken the back of it and if the weather is this good tomorrow, the sunbed will be out and I could be swimming on Friday or a day in Greece over the weekend.  LN......Let the holiday mood continue......LN

Thursday 23rd May

So the best laid plans of mice and women in my case didn't happen.  The plan today was to go over the the grass again but this time with the grass box on the back to pick up the cuttings from yesterday but that just didn't happen.  I woke up at seven to thunder, lightning and a very heavy downpour that kept me in bed for a while carrying on with my book.  It was dull, miserable, fork lightning but fortunately not centred overhead but more over the mountains with only low rumblings.  I eventually made it to the kitchen, I'd put more washing away and another load in the machine and decided to sort out the storage baskets in the bathroom.  I'd mixed socks up with tights and underwear with winter pyjamas and face cloths and now the four baskets are now sorted.  Winter pyjamas are away, but still handy and summer ones that hopefully will get used.

I made toasted ham and cheese sandwiches for breakfast and yet more coffee.  It had stopped raining by now but no way could I attempt the grass so I moved a few pots around, opened up the umbrella so that it could dry out and went on a tortoise hunt and all have been located.  I think they must be as confused as I am with the weather but at least I left the grass perimeters intact so that they have food and shelter especially down the bottom of the garden.

I did more reading this afternoon but nodded off for a while, returned to the kitchen and took food from the freezer for tonight and then settled down to read the book of Sicily that I bought about two days before we were coming back.  The guide was probably very good if you were Bulgarian but I should have bought the book on the first day and kept a diary and the number of the photos I taken.  If it's like this tomorrow though, I'll be able to document everything,

Now back to the kitchen, I've got Turkish kebabs tonight with potato wedges and it's all going in the air-fryer.  It does save putting the oven on although the air-fryer doesn't heat the kitchen and I was toying with the idea of lighting the fire but instead closed the windows and put another sweater on.  LN....It's almost June for goodness sake...time for sunbathing and visits to the pools.....LN

Friday 24th May

So up and about by seven this morning, not much happening outside so I stayed in bed reading.  I did the usual morning routines, moved to the chair in my bedroom and carried on with my book until around eleven.  As I got up I felt a little strange, light headed so checked my blood pressure and it was really quite high.  I've not been having tablets for about four months now without any problems but I always have a pack of the usual prescription drug from my doctor and took one tablet, the normal dose,  I'm not sure but I think reading the Kindle and concentrating on the text had upset my balance but after an hour, the tablet had kicked in and I felt better but now I had gone down below the norm when I checked it again.  I also think that the effect of the holiday and the two hard days cutting the grass and getting the garden round had finally overcome me.  Today was going to be a day of rest.

I made toast for a late breakfast, sat on the terrace to eat it and rationed my coffee intake.  At one I looked round the terrace and it was time to get the furniture sorted, none of the old wooden stuff had padded cushions on and it was time to get my trusty old sunbed out from the little house and get another layer on.  Firstly the cleaning materials came out, I scrubbed it down and then realised that the outside sink was blocked and the pipe taking it away had broken so out came the screwdriver to remove the waste pipe fitting and in no time it was all back together again and working.  So not it was my time on the sunbed and I was soon down to my underwear covered with suntan cream and fortunately I have no overlooking neighbours, only sheep and cows for company and I lay there for about an hour until I thought I'd had enough.....then the hard work started.  I found the cushions from the little house for the furniture and the foam for the sofa, all present and correct and now it feels like summer is here except late this afternoon the clouds started to roll over, looked like rain but didn't.  I'd heard Avatar's daughter and saw Avatar sitting in the garden so went over to sit with them for a while.  I've not really been over much since I've been back, her daughter lives in Turkey and she doesn't see her very often so I've left them to it.

We were joined by other family members that live along the village and a couple of neighbours and I join in where I can.  They are so used to speaking Turkish but for my benefit Avatar will translate some of it for me into Bulgarian and she said that she's learnt it from me which I laugh at.  A lot of it goes over my head but it doesn't matter, it was just pleasant sitting in the garden under the pear tree, me saying that when Avatar goes back to Germany in September, I'm going to scrump the pears and sell them and keep the money.  I came home at six thirty, just started writing my blog when the power went off so had to start again.  We don't have many power cuts these days, probably someone just switched the wrong switch.  Very busy hummingbird moth attacking the Sweet William and also very fast and didn't really get a good shot.  It was probably topping up before it went to bed for the night.  LN......Zlatograd tomorrow so a few more pics for you.......LN

Saturday 25th May

Awake at six, very chilled morning, made a three egg omelette for breakfast with triangle cheese in the absence of any break which went down very well,  I saw that my Avatar was having breakfast outside so I cut three roses from the front by the gate, put them in a little coffee jar and took them over for her and her daughter.  She'd mentioned how she'd loved the smell of them so that could have some over there.  I was still in my PJ's, it was around eleven when I came home so I tidied the kitchen and went for a shower and to wash my hair, I was out today in Zlatograd with the friend I'd made in Sicily.  She phoned when I was in the shower telling me that they were staying at the Crystal hotel and I'd assumed that it was in the old town of Zlatograd not in the main part of the town.  She'd mentioned that it was a tall building near to a bridge and I still thought that it was the tall hotel by the bridge that we'd spoken about already.....wrong.  As it happened I caught up with the big red coach that she was travelling in just before Zlatograd and it turned right at the island and I went left assuming that it was too big to go down the narrow streets but when I checked the parking in the old town the big red bus was nowhere to be seen.  I parked up and asked where the hotel was and was told that it was back int Zlatograd town so I drove back to the town and found a parking spot and saw the big red bus and going back into the hotel was my friend so I called her, she heard me so everything was OK.

We sat in the shade while she ate a very large something filled with cheese and at two thirty the group that she was escorting were gathering outside the hotel.  I left the car in the carpark and walked with the group back to the old town and it reminded me of being in Sicily where the guide was blasting forth only this time I knew quite a lot about the place since I'd been there several times.  She finished the tour around four, we went for a coffee, they had an evening's entertainment sorted and I said fond farewells around six and drove to another friend's house to deliver a cigarette lighter controlled tyre pump which I'd said that I would get for her.  We stayed chatting for a while, back in the Nipper for nine and home for nine thirty more or less.  Good to see my friend again even though it's only been a few days since we parted ways at the airport and she was in her element being the tour guide.  I can't post photos, the battery on my camera is out of juice so it will have to be tomorrow.  LN.....Tired but contented, garden tidying tomorrow and maybe help out my Avatar with her grass......LN

Sunday 26th May

So again the best laid plans didn't work out as expected.  Avatar's absence from her garden was clearly noted and no sign of any activity with the grass maintenance today.  I didn't want to push her into anything so stayed on my own turf.  It was six when I woke u, there were a few clouds in the sky and it was fine until around eleven when the clouds rolled over and the wind was surprisingly strong and cold.  I played around with my new tablet trying to get the hang of it without any visible progress so instead remembered that I needed to get some charge into the battery of the Beast and water into the washers of the Nipper so it was a day for car maintenance.  Firstly I looked for the car documents, the ones for the Nipper were in the car and the ones for the Beast I vaguely remembered that I'd brought them into the house before I left for holiday and for the life of me I couldn't remember where I'd put them.  I searched upstairs in the filing but without any joy and eventually found them under the television cupboard between the shelves.  I wanted to check the dates for MOT renewals and insurance so that I didn't miss them.  That sorted I put the Beast on charge and unfortunately there are two batteries and I can never remember which one to try first but I chose the wrong one.  It was charging for about an hour, I unplugged everything and tried to turn it over and nothing so I connected up to the second battery and set it going and after one and a half hours it was good to go.  Meanwhile I opened up the bonnet of the Nipper and filed up the water bottle and realised that the inside of it was in need of love and attention.  I'd bought some new seat covers ages ago so thought I'd have a go at fitting them which turned out to be disastrous so they're back in the bag and in storage in the little house.  Instead I got a damp cloth and cleaned down all the seats and the inside of the Nipper, tidied out the boot and put the beach folding chairs in it ready for Fanari if the weather is good this week.  Now the Beast was fired up I drove it down to the spring to give it a run and I really do like to drive it....it's just a pity that diesel is so expensive and gas is so cheap, hence the Nipper gets more use than it should.  

I cleared up outside and locked everything away, the cold was driving me inside and at four I was cooking two chicken breasts in the air-fryer and made the into sandwiches with Mayo and that's my supper over and done with.  I also decided to light the fire.  I'd had the windows open all day so ran round closing them up, set fire to the wood that the men had but from my trees last year which is beautifully dry and it didn't take long before the pump was swirling hot water through the radiators.  It's a beautiful evening, the wind has dropped and the fire is probably overkill but the wood was free so why not.  Just a few photos yesterday of the school yard in Zlatograd, there would have been more but the battery ran out on my little camera and it really does need replacing or at least get some new batteries. Shopping tomorrow, Avatar wants some bottled water and I'll ask her daughter if she wants to come with me.  LN.....I'm going to get chicken legs, Avatar is going to cook them and invite a few of the ladies from the village to share chicken with rice with us......LN

Monday 27th May

I woke to a beautifully calm morning, I did the usual put washing away and found a new load to put into the machine and didn't do much until around ten thirty.  I'd promised Avatar that I would help her with the grass but there wasn't much activity across the road so I topped up the mower with petrol and wheeled it over the road and into her garden.  There was still no sign of either her or her daughter so I set about the grass but I did nage trouble starting the machine.  It was reluctant to fire up so I cleared the air filter, put it on clearer ground so that more air could get through it, tried again and we were off.

She came out to speak to me, said it was too hot for me to work but I just ignored her and carried on.  The first part was easy going but as I carried on it was obvious that the grass that had been cut originally hadn't been cleared properly.  It had been done with a strimmer, the family had tried to clear it but there were still clumps of it intermingled with the new grass.  At first I was throwing the grass over the fence and was doing this every two runs but eventually I found the wheelbarrow, filled that up and started to heap it up near the back fence so that it could be thrown over to the field.  I was going great gums and keeping good time until I reached the part furthest from the house between the fruit trees.  Some of the branches that had been blown off in the winter had embedded themselves in the strimmed grass under the trees and made the blade clatter as it chopped through them.  That patch of ground took longer that half of the grass that I'd already done and by now I was tired.  Eventually I managed to finish it and we sat down to a late lunch or fluffy pancakes and honey, the daughter had prepared iran the local yogurt drink but I stuck to water which was just as well since my throat suddenly tightened and I started to cough.  I can only think that I'd had a reaction to the honey so I packed up my belongings and went home pushing my machine and first thing I did was to take an antihistamine tablet which seems to have sorted it out.  At three I was on the sofa stretched out and didn't wake until five thirty so had a good rest.  

I popped over this afternoon to check the time that I'm taking her to Kardjali tomorrow and Avatar's sister was there and we sat at the table and had watermelon which was very refreshing after my nap.  Home for seven and at eight Avatar came over here to present me with hot bread that had just come from her oven and some biscuit thingy that tasted like a custard slice so I'm stuffed ready for bed, almost ten my time so I should sleep well, hopefully without the bread keeps me away.  LN......A much gentler day tomorrow with my student tomorrow afternoon......LN

Tuesday 28th May

So again the best laid plans of mouse and anybody else involved changed this morning.  I was up at six again, woke at two thirty and managed to get off again fortunately and full of beans, watched the sunrise and thought my day was planned.  I meandered through my morning, finished my book, the twelfth in the series and realised that there was a final thirteen but couldn't find it on the little Kindle so thought I might have to buy it.  

Avatar came over at nine thirty and brought me half a cheesy bread, half for me and half for her that she'd got from the mobile van. It's a tradition that we had but I'd forgotten all about it since she was in Germany for the winter staying with her son.  I moved the car out to the grass outside the gate ready for ten when I was going with her daughter into Kardjali to get a few things.  Just before ten both of them came over and asked if I would take her daughter's blood pressure with my monitor, I sat her down on the sofa, got the machine and there was no way she was going anywhere today, it was sky high so told her to go home and I would go shopping on my own.  They both toddled off, I'd got the list from them so could manage and so on my way I took the pressure monitor over the the house so that they would know if they had to call the doctor or get me to take her later.

I set off for Kardjali, realised that since I'd taken the steering wheel cover off it was really slippery so I stopped off in Djebel to by a new one from my student's family's shop and now there was no rush.  We chatted for a while, I went out to put the new one on the Nipper and couldn't manage it, she came out and couldn't do it either so I drove down to the garage and asked for a strong man and her husband did it in quicksticks.  I jokingly asked how much and we settled on a hundred leva and said I would pay him later which caused a few eyebrows to raise.  I drove back to the shop, asked to confirm that my student didn't have football this afternoon so that we could have the lesson and learnt that he was at home so I decided to go up to the apartment and we could get it over and done with leaving the rest of my day free.  We finished at twelve thirty, I bought what I had to from Kaufland, moved to Lidl and was back home for three having dropped off the shopping at Avatar's house.  I noticed that she had done the grass round her house, her daughter answered the door and said that she was feeling better and that her mother was asleep after two hours of pushing a lawnmower.  I unpacked my shopping, settled down on the sofa, found that I'd Archived Book thirteen so won't have to buy it, started reading it and promptly fell asleep myself waking up at six.

It's turned into a beautiful evening after a day of clouds, rainbursts, cold winds but at last the wind has dropped and everything is still outside.  Let's hope we can soon get back to normal, in May I've usually been to the swimming pool but this year, no winter or spring, a very mixed bag.  Not in to cooking so I'll manage through until breakfast.  LN......Not sure if Avatar is up to cooking chicken and rice for the village ladies, I'll check in the morning......LN

Wednesday 30th May

So today was the day that the village ladies would all join us in Avatar's garden for Chicken and rice and that idea was tossed to the wind, rain, thunder, lightning and whatever else the gods could throw at us.  We checked on the number of legs I'd bought yesterday when they came out of Avatar's fridge and reckoned that we needed five because they were big ones.  The rest went into the freezer, Avatar is having family over so they will soon get used up.  I think there were twelve in total and because they had an offer on at Kaufland they came in at around twenty leva which is so cheap that I'm thinking of going to get some for my freezer.  Before we started messing around with the chicken though, I'd arrived at their breakfast time and was invited to join them and had bread with melted cheese on the one wide and they leave the other untoasted and I really don't know why except that lots of local people don't have many teeth and toast is not a thing that they have.  I settled for black tea since I find Turkish coffee too strong for me, breakfast over I realised that they knew what they were doing so I wended my way home and went back around one when it was all done and ready to be served up.  The chicken had been cooked on the bone, the bones removed and then the rice added and cooked with the chicken.  It was also decided that the weather was probably not good enough to sit outside, it was cold, the clouds had rolled over and looked really threatening so it was served up in individual dishes, placed into plastic bags and Avatar took them round to the houses for the ladies.  We sat outside eating ours, I was wearing my bodywarmer over a long sleeved t-shirts so was OK but then the first drops of rain came so we moved inside and then the heavens opened.  The clouds were almost black, the wind was howling, the thunder very loud and the lightning really quite scary although I'm not really a fan of it at the best of times.  

We moved into the lounge and Turkish television was on for a while until the electricity went off and it got very cold.  I mentioned to Avatar that I would be going home to light a fire but that put paid to that idea....no electricity no pump to get the hot water round the system.  I eventually came home around four thirty to see that the bird feeder stand had been overturned by the wind and it had fallen on a container of very pretty tobacco with flowers around two foot high.  I've had to cut them down since they were all broken off and the sweet smelling flowers are now adorning the window sill in the lounge.  The upside is that I don't have to water the pots tonight but the downside is that the grass is bound to put on a few centimeters overnight.  I also brought back a dish of chicken and rice and I've just warmed it up in the microwave and supper is now over expect that I just might find a chocolate pudding lingering in the fridge...and why not.

Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow so far, if it dries up overnight I might get the strimmer out in the morning and go round the flowerbed surrounds and do some weeding ready to put the new seedling in.  They're getting to more that seedlings at time that they were allowed to develop longer roots.... especially the sunflowers.  It's been good today, first time I've done anything for the ladies of the village all at the same time and it was really appreciated.  LN.....I can hear that chocolate pudding calling me from the kitchen.....LN