Sunday 20th July

Another very slow morning.  I boiled the kettle for my morning beverage and then went off doing a thousand other jobs.  I'd had a late night or early morning.  Computer issues led me to contact my security company, they are very thorough but left one question unanswered when they closed down control of my issue so we had to go through the whole process so that I could understand why the problem had arisen and I had to contact someone else today and report the issue to them...The company couldn't help me, they didn't have access to the server.  I'm just waiting for the 'How did we do survey?' and unfortunately I shall be obliged to tell them....it costs me enough annually.

Breakfast over in Avatar's garden, I had two dethawed spicy sausages that were going into the slow cooker and my only onion that I had left had gone soft so I was on the hunt.  She found me three or four which she insisted I had, I finished off the breakfast that she couldn't manage with the offer of more tomatoes in vinegar which I refused, I've got too many tomatoes to do something with.  I realised as soon as I'd opened a tin of tomatoes to join the sausages, potatoes and onion in the slow cooker, I could have used fresh ones and saved money.  I think I was still on automatic pilot from last night and the fact that my part-time neighbours had arrived in a very large van from Turkey and I relived all the possibilities of the van blocking the green space outside of my wall  but instead it drove off again.....I'd have had trouble getting the Beast out if needed.  Supper in and breakfast acquired I walked the garden, filled up the watering holes for the tortoise and only managed to spot one of them.  It was another hot one and fortunately they have lots of shelter under the bushes against the wall, I'd had my sun this morning when I opened up shop and sat on the balcony, opened the umbrella and spread out the metal bits again and put them in the right place so that the umbrella didn't open inside out.  I must go and check on it  it's now furled up for the night and not going anywhere, the balcony door is locked, the curtains remain open, who would want to shut out the view.

As for this afternoon, despite the clouds rolling over it was still too hot to be out there so I took up a horizontal position on the sofa in the lounge and struggled and succeeded in finishing a sudoku that's been rubbed out so many times that it was almost abandoned but it's done....another achievement and only four more difficult ones to go.  I shall be asking my daughter for a new supply plus having to buy a few more erasers and leads for my pencils.  Supper was ready when I was so I put some into a bowl, tempted to take Avatar some but she did say no when I asked her this morning so didn't want to pester her again.  It was good but unfortunately I didn't have any tomato puree and that would given more flavour to the chopped tomatoes....I'll be using real ones while they're plentiful and free.

Radio two is blasting out and will be enough for tonight, I think I've exhausted the obvious series and films on Netflix that I want to watch and not in the mood to delve deeper tonight.  I might even rub out another sudoku!!..LN.....Nothing scheduled for tomorrow, might take the Beast back to the garage to see if they can fix the speedo, it stopped working on my way back from the MOT and the radio needs re-connecting, they undid the contacts so that the battery didn't run out while the Beast was standing  when I wasn't driving after the accident. LN......Eight my time, time to close down for the night and it's an early night for me....it was much too late last night and young techies are not very good with older people following instructions.....LN

Monday 21st July

A normal start to the day, I took my hot water out on to the balcony and stretched out in the sun.....it was going to be another hot one and it didn't disappoint.  The holidaying neighbours were up and about, it was market day in Djebel and I guessed they were getting ready to catch the bus.  It was also the third day of the holiday and I knew there would be lots of people with the shops very busy.  I noticed one of the tortoise at the bottom of the garden so I took the half cucumber and a couple of tomatoes from my haul and headed down with kitchen knife to hand to see if I could find others and distribute breakfast for them to make a change from grass.  I found a few more of them and also found Rosy on the workshop terrace and put the last of the cucumber down along with a tomato.  Rosy immediately set about the cucumber and I didn't stay around long enough to see if she wanted the tomato.  It was much too hot for me outside.

I came in and cooked my breakfast, I had bacon and fried tomatoes done on the skillet which cuts down on the oil and sat in the stairwell listening to BBC Radio 2.  I tidied the kitchen, put a load of washing into the machine and dried it on the airer in the porch and noticed Mrs. Cat lying in the shade near the Beast so put out the tray of chicken bones that she hadn't had the previous day since she went AWOL.  They've all gone now so not wasted.  I took to the sofa in the lounge and rubbed out another sudoku but didn't manage to achieve success with it so it lives for another day.  At twelve I decided that I would take the Beast into the garage to have the radio connected and the speedometer looked at but when I arrived, the garage was heaving and there was no chance of getting anything looked at.  I did have a warning light come on while I was driving in and checked it out, it was the automatic transition advising me that it probably needs topping up....they didn't have time for that either.  I left the garage and set off towards the Leva shop to get more mosquito tablets for the machine but streets were closed off because of the fete worse than death so I ended up at the supermarket, bought bread for the freezer and a few more items including carrots and bananas.  Total bill twenty leva....I'm amazed sometimes how cheap things are.  

Sleepy time on the sofa this afternoon, I took a bottle of Balsamic vinegar over to Avatar that I'd bought thinking it was wine vinegar since the label was in Turkish.  It's a new thing I'm trying, vinegar in the hot water but I'll stick to the ones that I have or check out if Lidl have normal vinegar when I'm next in there.  I came back with more cucumbers for the tortoise so that's there breakfast sorted and I also fixed the time that I picking her up in the morning to go into Djebel, she has some work to do with the council, needs a cash point since she's got visitors expected and then we're going for lunch.   Sun has gone down, clouds have all rolled away, the wind has dropped and it's a super evening.  There's been a man screeching at his noisy dogs in the field down the road, I think the neighbours have all taken to their beds, all quiet to the north east of me and I shan't be long....I've only just realised how late I am tonight with the update.  LN....Must remember to put second load of washing on the airer.....LN

Tuesday 22nd June

It's been one heck of a day.  I woke up at five and for some reason my brain was trying to work out what age I was doing what and almost as if I had to get it in chronological order.  At five thirty I was out of bed making coffee and was out on the balcony drinking it before the sun came up.  It was a gentle reddening of the sky but the red ball appeared and the camera had problems catching it but it soon turned almost white and then we were into the day.  I did the rounds of the tortoise around seven.  I found Rosy where I'd left her yesterday more or less and the one that I think is Little Purple was out and about but didn't really like the cucumber but Rosy dived in and demolished almost all that I gave her.

For some reason I didn't bother with breakfast but settled for more coffee, I moved the Nipper out onto the grass outside the house and Avatar was here by nine forty five, I was taking her to Djebel today, she had paperwork to do, wanted tablets from the chemist, money from the cash machine and a little shopping.  She'd also promised me lunch at my local cantina which she tried to avoid saying we could eat at her house but I insisted and she gave in.  We did everything we needed to do, I parked the car and we walked to the restaurant.  Now it's not usual for older Turkish ladies to be see with older English ladies but I know the restaurant well and they know me so there's no problem.  I ordered my chicken and rice, she had chicken soup, yogurt drink for me and and Fanta for her.  She insisted on paying since I'd taken her in and done most of the transactions for her and it worked out that the waiter's mother knew her mother and were from the same village and she was so happy with that.  She was extolling my virtues to the waiter saying how much I help her and that we live near each other....I've known him for years but he knew nothing about me...now he seems to know everything.  Back to the car and we were home for around twelve, the morning had taken a lot out of her so I left and drove home, parked up, changed into house clothes, sorted out three birds that found themselves in the chimney, lay on the sofa with Netflix on and went to sleep for the afternoon.

At five thirty I heard a fire engine but the programme on Netflix had police action in it and I wasn't sure where it was coming from.  I went outside, it got louder and it was definitely a fire engine, followed by a police car.  I was walking over to Avatar's house to see if she had ice-cream, I'd finished mine but she didn't have any either but her grand-daughter is visiting later and will bring some for me.  You know what it's like when you just fancy it and I was too lazy to get in the Nipper and get some.  On my way over my visiting neighbours asked me if I'd see the fire in the next village, I said I hadn't and she told me that there were lots of flames from one of the house.  I could see it from my garden and it was really going well but there are lots of fields surrounding the area, everything is so dry and another fire engine headed down towards it.  It obviously crossed the road avoiding other houses but is still burning fiercely and there's quite a large forest which stretches towards Djebel.  I've just been out to the yard and another fire-engine has joined the other three down there.  Thank goodness the wind was in the direction it was otherwise it could have flashed across the fields between me and the next village....I'll just send up a prayer of thanks.  LN......Still waiting for my ice-cream to arrive....it's getting desparate now.....LN

Wednesday 23rd July

Six thirty when I woke up this morning and I was out with my coffee on the balcony.  The sun was mostly up and I was enjoying my morning, there was a smell of smoke from yesterday's catastrophe and the news this morning delivered by my Avatar was that there was one who was dead and four had been taken to hospital with burns.  She also came over to tell me that the ice-cream that I'd requested had been delivered last night but they'd decided not to bring it over so I walked back with her to her house to collect it.  She also insisted that I had a cream croissant for breakfast, a banana and I also came back with a box of Toffee and a bar of chocolate.  I never say no to sweet things.

As I walked down to feet the tortoise and fill up the watering holes I looked towards the fire site and noticed that there was fresh smoke rising on the hillside and a few minutes later the fire engine was heading down into the next village to sort it out.  I had my breakfast alfresco as I was walking down the garden, only three tortoise about some of the favourite ones are missing or hiding because of the heat.  It's still thirty five degrees at eight tonight and it was a scorcher this afternoon.

I packed my bag, had my swimsuit on and was off to my friend's house in the next village to take advantage of his pool.  I was taking his mother out after out swim but since I forgot to pick up my bag before I set off and put it in the car, most of today's plans went out of the window.  We had coffee and by now it was eleven thirty, we hadn't had a swim, she'd not had breakfast so we had an early lunch and took it upstairs on the terrace but soon went down into the shade of the downstairs lounge with mugs of water, it was hovering around forty degrees which for two oldies wasn't ideal.  By now her son arrived back with his daughter, he took to his bed, he'd had a long couple of days and we entertained his daughter and it quite took me back following a book with his daughter, fingers under the words while she made them out and filling in the gaps or correcting her when she got it wrong.  It was also quite fun and grandma thanked me for making it enjoyable for her too.

I took my leave around five thirty, stopped off at the garage shop on my way through and booked in my MOT for the Nipper next week.  She also suggested that I used a fuel additive, apparently the MOT machines are really hot on petrol cars and this helps them clean out the bad fumes before the values are taken.  I was home for around six thirty and drove down to see if I could see the damage done by the fire.  I couldn't see the houses from the road but the banks where the fire had leapt over the road and into the fields on the other side looked really scary.  I turned round and drove home, parked up, it's a lovely still evening, I just caught the tail end of a tortoise heading home for the night and having a last nibble.  I'm not hungry and have just had a bowl of the ice-cream that I should have had last night and that will do me until morning.  LN....Not much activity but good to catch up with grandma and the six year old....it took me back to motherhood which was years ago.....LN

Thursday 24th July

Slept well but it was a very sticky night so the first job this morning was to strip the bed, bedding into the washing machine and it's already made up ready for tonight.  I had my time on the balcony with my coffee noticed one of the tortoise making its way across the grass looking for a patch of green grass which it managed to find.  I'd got cucumbers left so I went out with my kitchen knife, fed the one that I'd seen and went on a search for the rest and found Blue, Green, Red and Rosy leaving them each with chunks of the cucumber which they dived into immediately.  Next step was to go round with the water, empty out and fill up each one with fresh water and even put a new one out in the side garden which is where Rosy seems to have moved to.  They do cover some ground, Rosy was on the workshop terrace for a couple of days but obviously wanted a change of scenery.  The bee-eaters were out in force and last night I noticed that the man that keeps the wild boar caged up also has around thirty hives on the land and I was tempted to put up a sign in bird-speak.....This way boys and girls...For some reason I found myself in my downstairs bedroom and noticed that the hoover was pretty clogged up so took it outside after hoovering the bedroom, the lounge and the day room finishing off with the porch.  Final step was to clean it out completely, wash everything including the filter and put it out on the terrace to dry.

I made my way over to Avatar's house to check if she had any large overgrown cucumbers to top up my supply but there was nothing.  I'd been invited to breakfast, noticed that she had put the skin of the watermelon on the floor, the rest of it now in a dish and will be out breakfast desert.  I went home to finish my outside work and ten minutes later I was heading back across the road and sat down in the garden to have eggy bread, enjoy tomatoes in vinegar, a shop bought croissant and the watermelon.  Haciber was returned home after spending the night in Kardjali with her daughter and joined us in the garden.  Our breakfast was over but she finished the watermelon and then went on her way to visit the rest of the neighbours and I went home.  The sheets from the machine were put on the airer and the dry washing was put away.  It was now getting on for eleven thirty, the temperature was climbing and I settled on the sofa with my phone, played a few reels and emptied the junk folder and answered a couple of emails.  I really didn't have anything to do today, I thought about the pool but instead stayed on the sofa and went to sleep for an hour and so waking up around two and went back to an old sudoku and even for the umpteenth time I'm due to rub it out and start again.  

I had a burst of activity around four thirty, I cleared the grass from the large pot of geraniums on the terrace, went round all of the pots with chemical fertilizer commonly known as 'white tor', cleared out the wooden trug that's sat looking neglected. I applied white tor on it, dug it over, put more compost in it and planted up some 'bits' that were sitting in other pots and gave it a good watering.  Next job was to sweep the terrace, I'm not sure what got into me today but it's been quite productive.  By now the sweat was making me itch so I had a shower, I gave my hair a quick shampoo, dried off on the sofa, put on a lightweight dress and found a rubbish film on Netflix eating tomatoes in vinegar and a chunk of cheese.  I'd checked my weight earlier and I'm still on sixty kilograms so I'm holding it.  Just about to go out and lock up the little house, I've noticed it's got dark very quickly, I didn't realise how late it was.  LN....Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow, probably more of the same, gentle gardening until the heat builds up and finding something to do inside....there's always something....LN

Friday 25th July

Another sweaty night slept in until six thirty, coffee and balcony and then went back inside to make another and then out again.  Mornings are so pleasant here, I wait for the tortoise to show their faces and unfortunately I've only seen two of them today, the temperature is still thirty four degrees at the moment and at it's peak today I think it reached thirty nine which is a little too warm.  I made my breakfast remembering that I had bacon that needed to be cooked after I'd started the tomatoes so rinsed the pan and cooked it on its own.  It filled me up for the day.

I went over to see if Avatar had any old cucumbers, well not old but too big and fat to be eaten...except by tortoise.  I only managed to spot Blue, gave it some cucumber and foot and mouth came into play immediately, next job was to fill up the water containers and distribute other food round the garden.  I'm quite fortunate, near the bottom of the garden is my toilet waste depository and there is always grass growing round it so the tortoise always have places to go and lots of shade near the walls.  I did manage to hear one and on checking it was Rosy so I threw cucumber and water melon in the general direction...something for it to have a go at.  As for me I took up stance on my bedroom balcony managing to carry my other sunbed up the stairs so that I could stretch out fully.  I put the umbrella up, put a swimsuit on, got settled but not for long.  I was trying to read the Kindle, started to fall asleep, the wind got up, the umbrella came down and I moved inside on to the bed and continued by reveries until I was woken up by someone knocking on the door and calling my name.

I went down and it was my visitor from the other night, friend of my teacher friend Guldjan who lives in Germany now.  I was handed a pack of rice and meat, it was a gift from the Mosque, someone's 'mevlit' or in memory of a passing and I feel blessed that I'm included as part of the village.  This new friend was going home to the Netherlands tomorrow and had also come to say goodbye so I wished her a safe journey and off she went.  I went back to bed, settled down with the Kindle and 'Russia and its People' until I decided that a shower and hair wash was in order, Avatar had asked me to help her move stuff from the garage to her roof space since she has more family arriving on Sunday.  When I arrived she was sitting in the shade so I sat on the chair that she'd put ready, I asked about moving the luggage and she'd done it already putting some young lad to use earlier.  I was now obsolete so I didn't stay long, watched the honey moth filling up for the night and wishing that I had my camera, there were several of them feeding on the zinnia and I was so close to them.  

I walked home, realised I hadn't put the chicken wings into the slow cooker so got on with the job, if I don't want them I know someone who will tomorrow morning....Cat.  Washed up, tidied the kitchen, need to start the washing and then time for a little Netflix.  I shan't need anything to eat tonight, the rice and meat will keep me going until morning.  LN......Time for me to switch off and cool down hopefully......LN

Saturday 26th July

Really early start this morning but it's not surprising since I spent most of yesterday asleep on the sofa but at thirty nine degrees it's to be expected.  I had early messages regarding plans for next week which I replied to immediately so I have entries in my diary already.  I had the customary tomatoes on toast for breakfast but not until I had sorted out the tortoises and Cat.  She was looking longingly at me at seven this morning....I think yesterday must have been light pickings.  She was in luck this morning, I'd put chicken wings that had sat out on the worksurface and I'd forgotten about them until four yesterday afternoon when I put them in the slow cooker and I'd also forgotten to switch it off over night but turned down to low and after I did the sniff test on them, they were ladled into a bowl and she got stuck in immediately.  The tortoise had the remains of the watermelon and a couple of 'gone over' cucumbers, lots of water.  I first found three of them together under the shrubs in the side garden almost like a gang bang or a group hug but when I went out with the food they had separated from each other and one had buried itself under the iris roots, and the others had found yesterday's food but soon changed to the new supply.

It was again too hot to get up to much, I had to go into Djebel to buy some petrol additive, lots of cars are failing the MOT on emissions, even new ones and I'd been warned.  The last time I was in the shop they didn't have any, this morning they did and the son noticed that I'd bought it and added it to the fuel tank for me.  I left the shop and went to the garage and put fifty leva of fuel into it and changed over to petrol from gas so that I could get the fuel additive working before I go through the MOT early next week.  If there are problems then the garage will have time to sort them before the MOT runs out.

From there I went on another hunt for mosquito tablets for the bedroom machines but the shops only stocked 'Raid' not the ones that I have and the size is different but I shall be in Kardjali later this week so will try there.  I stopped off at the supermarket on my way home, bought more ice-cream, meat for tonight, sparkling water and some white cheese so have things to nibble at.  There seemed to be an awful lot of confusion at the checkouts, I think the weather is getting through to people and short fuses are developing.  I settled down with an ice-cream cornet that I'd brought back with me, a glass of the sparkling water and settled down to watch Netflix.  I've watched this series before but had forgotten most of the plot so am enjoying it all over again.  I did managed to fall sleep but didn't bother replaying the bits I'd missed....I knew more or less where it was going.  

Eight my time more or less, garden pots are watered, tortoise containers filled up and managed to see Rosy in the side garden emerging from the undergrowth,  I guess the others have all taken to their beds for the night.  LN....I'm trying to find something to have for supper, I'm not that hungry and I think that's down to the weather.  LN.....I think I hear a cool bath calling me where I can stretch out with the Kindle......LN

Sunday 27th July

It's going to be a quick update tonight...I've just been invited to the local spa swimming pool in Djebel and the last time I went there around twelve years ago there were frogs in it and it wasn't for me.  I've now been told that it's been improved, no frogs, spa water and so I'm leaving at eight to go and check it out.  I'm taking my camera....and hopefully will be posting later tonight.....Wish me luck, I'm going with the friend that helped me out when I had my accident in the new year and we're taking her eighty year old mother with us.....this could be fun or a complete disaster.....I'll let you know....

Well that was a waste of time, we loaded mother into the car, drove to the other side of Djebel.  I'd been there before but didn't remember how bad the road was to get there.  My friend said that there would be lots of people but there were only two families, sluicing down an elderly man with a hose pipe and three in attendance and the other couple washing the dog and then the car.  We waited for a hose pipe to become free and the other people left and then mother was stripped and hosed down, I know it's spa water and healing but I didn't know mother well so I went back to the car and left them to it.  Mother was returned and then my friend went back to finish her ablutions.  The two pools that were filled before were empty and dirty, one of the smaller pools had water in it but that was also dirty and the other one was empty and also dirty.  I'm not sure who is responsible for its upkeep, but nobody seems to be 'upkeeping' it so I shan't be going again.  I'll go to a spa hotel next time and relax in comfort.

We stopped off at the supermarket on the way home so that she could buy bread and a thumping great watermelon and some bottles of water.  It was strange driving at night, I'm really out of practice and feel better by day.  Lovely moon tonight, it's a very small crescent but the camera didn't capture it well and since I'm modifying my original post, I cant put pickies on it...check the next post.  LN.....I'm off to bed soon, it was less of an adventure that what I thought it would be.....LN