Wednesday 1st October

Lovely start to the day but it was downhill after that.  After taking the photos this morning very early, I went back to bed and woke up at eight thirty and felt much better for it.  I had not plan for today, there were jobs to do but nothing specific but the first was to provide sustenance for cat so one sausage for the cat and the other went into an omelette with two slices of soft cheese for me.  I had two loads of washing done in quicksticks and onto the airer in the corridor and despite the sun didn't put in much of an appearance, it didn't take too long to dry.  The thick stone walls of the house absorb the heat and despite the fact that it was only nine degrees this morning outside, the house still maintained twenty two degrees and is still holding at twenty three at eight this evening.  

Today was all about putting things back in their places, moving furniture around and checking out still more places that has been hiding things for around ten years.  The upstairs computer and sewing desk in the third bedroom has a work surface that I haven't seen for a while.  The repaired printer is set up along with the shredder and I found curtain and upholstery material that I'll get some use out of this winter.  I want to make covers for the lounge sofas and recover the cushions with brighter colours....winter warmth.  Good news, my passport application has passed scrutiny and is now being printed.  I must complement the department, it has kept me informed throughout the process so hopefully it will be back soon.  I was checking out cruises from England today and found one that has an overnight stop in Gibraltar and it would give me time to catch up on friends, some of them going back fifty years when I was living there.  When I get the passport back, I'll give it serious thought.

Afternoon nap in front of the television again and didn't wake up until four and then it was back to it.  The downstairs bedroom is ready for the winter should I choose to move down.  I had no option last year after the fall but this year, it depends where I am and when.....Christmas in the UK is normal and then back the middle of January.  While I was asleep we had the pillow clouds back again but this time they were scudding over the sky.  I caught a glimpse of the moon, grabbed the camera and headed up to the balcony to take the shot and by the time I got there, the moon had gone and it hasn't been seen since.  There is supposed to be an exceptionally bright moon this month and the closest it's been to earth for a while so I better get the camera at the ready and take note of the specific dates.  A girl guide has to be prepared.  

Supper was beans on toast, quick to prepare and the washing up is already done and now it's almost time for bed, after a little Netflix that is.  Just hoping that I don't fall asleep while watching otherwise it could be another late night.  LN......Must plan that trip to Plovdiv, need to phone my linguistic support tomorrow to see if she is available.....LN

Thursday 2nd October

I woke up this morning at seven after a full night's sleep without any interruptions.  It was another dull lifeless morning, heavy clouds covered the sky but first thing there was not rain falling...that came later.  It arrived around nine, not really rain but 'moisture falling' which never really gained momentum until much later.  The wasn't any wind, it was around ten degrees, cat was sitting on the grass waiting for 'the one who provides' to provide but there was no left overs today.  I only had dried food so I put some into a bowl, added a stock cube to add more flavour, added a touch of hot water to soften them up a little and headed out to the terrace with dish in hand.  I put it down on the terrace and with a few clicks cat came up to investigate, sniffed it, tried a little of it and then with disdain went back to the grass and sat licking lips.  I came back inside, it was time that I had breakfast so I sliced up one of the larger tomatoes that I'd brought back from Greece,  fried it with lots of black pepper and salt and served it on toast.  I retrieved the cat's bowl from the terrace and threw it over the wall, I didn't want to encourage others to my territory....mine all mine. I washed up the breakfast things, put a load of washing into the machine, got washed and dressed with warm clothes, I had the feeling that there wouldn't be much sun about today and the temperature would remain low....and I was correct.  At eight o'clock my time it's already eleven degrees but the house is holding at twenty and although I was tempted to light a fire tonight, I've yet to organise a chimney sweep....i.e.  Bekir.....but just put another sweater on instead.

I had quite a productive morning.  I finished tidying the third bedroom, moved the old printer from the desk set-up at the top of the stairs into the third bedroom and connected it up to the old computer.  I installed the repaired new printer to replace the old printer and managed to get it going, tested it and the print cartridges seem to be still working so that's a bonus and went downstairs and tried a test print from an email from my daughter and the wifi connected and the Sudoku printed out.  The repair man had done his job successfully.....thirty lev well spent....and now back to normal with a wifi printer.  I carried on clearing out the third bedroom, the long table in the bedroom is now back to being an extra worktop space and the sewing machine can now be used.  

At three I made a sandwich and at six I was cooking fish and chips for an early supper followed my yogurt and jam.  I think the weather is such that it encourages hunger and I must admit that there hasn't been a lot of activity this afternoon.  I went back to watching the American version of Shameless on Netflix....I never watched it in England but I've become quite attached to this family and the antics that they get up to....very original scripts.  I went out to take a few photos this afternoon and was amazed...someone has stolen mountains from all round....hardly one to be seen.  Dull low cloud and such a change from last week when I was still having a final day at the pool....and now all that has gone....not a snowball's chance....but in a few weeks time....who knows.  Good news this morning....I received an email to let me know that my passport has been printed and will be despatched by 'ensured delivery' whatever that means.  The bad news is that it could take up to one month so not sure if it's a man on a bike with my solitary passport.  Anyway, it was good to let me know.  LN......Back to Shameless. another few episodes before I head off to bed and I think my winter pj's will be on tonight.....LN

Friday 3rd October

We had rain most of the night and I heard most of it.  There was a continuous drip and I remembered that I had that before, rain falling from the roof and landing on the metal railings round the balcony, it used to have a sock tied on to the railings, that came off for the summer.  It was put on the 'to-do' list for later in the day.  The rain was still coming down really hard and outside the door to the yard, under the concrete level fortunately, I had a pool of water which I meant to go outside and dig holes with the garden fork to clear it.  It was where the manure had been dropped earlier in the year and unfortunately I must have taken the top layer of soil and gravel and that was where the depression had formed.  It's gone now that the rain has subsided but I'll need to do something about it.  I've been holed up in the house all day, I really hate these damp, dark days and hopefully we won't have this until winter arrives.  It seems to have suddenly gone from autumn to early winter.  

I messaged my student to see if we could manage to phone Plovdiv to arrange an appointment with the specialist and she messaged me back this evening.  She has taken a job as an accountant, she's fully qualified but has had not real luck finding suitable positions but at last she has.  I don't know the company yet....I'm sure she'll fill me in later.  I think on Monday I'll try and make the appointment myself....I only hope she or her secretary speaks a little English.....my Bulgarian is OK on a conversational level but when the person speaking it is totally grammatically correct, I find it hard to understand but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I put supper in the slow cooker this morning, I'd taken chicken drumsticks from the freezer last night and didn't realised that there were eight of them in the packet.  Into the  slow cooker they went with curry powder and a tin of chopped tomatoes and a little ginger spice.  It was in by ten, cooked on high until twelve and then down to medium until five thirty this evening when the aroma was tempting and the hunger grubs were nibbling away.  I was too lazy to make pasta or rice to go with it so I took the end of the loaf and had bread with it dipping it into the sauce ....four more still in the cooker so cat will have the remains of my supper in the morning and I might even throw in another leg for it.....it didn't fare too well this morning.

Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow so far, I might head into Kardjali if the rain eventually stops for a mouch just to get out of the house....or if the rain stops, I'll be doing some tidying up putting the summer furniture away into the little house and changing things around in the little house to put the pots away.  Maybe a visit to the local spring to fill up large water bottles to water the plants in the winter.  

The water heater is on for a bath tonight, I'm feeling cold already, twenty degrees inside and down to ten outside, I've still not given in and lit a fire.   LN......Chimney first and I've remembered that Bekir has to do a little work on the top of the chimney so that he can take the capping off and put it back on easily.....LN

Saturday 4th October

Early four thirty wake up and I messed around on my phone for a while, did a Sudoku, realised that my phone would sent to the printer which makes it easier to print without striking up the computer.  You live and learn and this is the printer I had repaired the other day....and so pleased to have it back.  I didn't go back to sleep, made coffee and generally took the morning easy, the sun was up and about when I drew the curtains, I've taken to closing them to keep in some of the warmth that I generate overnight under the duvet.  I'd had my bath last night, put on a fleece coverall over my PJ's and didn't bother to take it off when I got into bed...I was toasty.

I got dressed upstairs, found a couple of pairs of tights that the elastic had 'softened' in so made a gash in the waistbands and tightened the elastic, knotted it and that was another job done without a lot of effort.  Took pity on the cat and added a chicken leg to the left overs, went out to put down the food and called but it never appeared.  I didn't hear a 'I divorce thee, thee times' so I put the food back in the porch and there it remains and still no sign of it at all.  Poached eggs on toast for me, washed up and decided to bring in the swinging bench and the sunbed since neither has had any use this summer at all so next year they'll probably stay in the little house.  That took much longer than I expected, I was about to tackle the large umbrella but my back had had enough, it would wait.  I stashed everything in the little house and did a general tidy up of the lawn mowers and put them into one of the other rooms leaving the large area for the benches and pot plants.  I also did a tidy-up of the little house porch so that the starter wood is easily available....I'm getting to that time of year.  I put the cushions in the bench but left the chest out and the wooden chest is still on the terrace and took the covers from the sofa cushion and put it in the machine so that I could put it away.  I was surprised how much it has faded in the sun.

I came in at one thirty more or less, settled on the sofa with Netflix, two fluffy pancakes delivered in memory of Remsie's passing and a cup of coffee and yes you've guessed it, I reckon I nodded off around two thirty or so.  I woke up and put the duvet cover from the outside sofa on to the airer and it should be dry by morning.  Cat has still not appeared for food, the remains of last night's supper is being reheated for me for tonight and everything is locked away for the night.  Tomorrow is Dushinkovo's 'fete worse than death' so if the weather is good I shall endeavour to walk to the village or go in the car and park up to make a quick get-away.  There's not much to see or do, not like it was a few years ago but I'll support it.  LN.....Time to wind up for tonight....I've had quite an active day and thqt feels good, moon's up, no rain and a calm night....LN

Sunday 5th October

Seven thirty start, there was a sun and blue sky through the morning mist.  It had gone down to four degrees overnight outside and fortunately was eighteen in so not so bad.    There was mist over the river in the valley between me and the mountains but it didn't take too long to burn off....that sun was a welcome visitor after the last few days of rain, cloud and high winds.  I made coffee, came downstairs to feed the cat, looked out at the bench and noticed that the cat food was already out there...well it was, but not any more.  I remembered taking it out there late yesterday afternoon since I hadn't seen cat all day and I realise now that I must have left it on the bench and not sure what time it was consumed and whether it was cat or another but cat was here now, begging for food.  Mother Hubbard's cupboard was bare.....there was hardly anything for myself.

I washed and dressed and at nine phoned a friend from the village to see if she was going to the village fête, she replied that she had visitors, would be going but not until lunchtime.  I didn't want to invite myself along so around ten fifteen I got in the Nipper and parked up this side of the village and walked the stalls.  There wasn't a lot to see, it took me around thirty minutes to check out the stalls, lots of chickens roasting on spits, a sheep further down on one of the side walks to the square, the ardent drinkers already sitting at tables and some with coffee.  A coach pulled up with the dancers who looked like they'd been plucked from their beds and still wish they were back where they came from, they got out and were escorted to a safe place until they were t perform.  The village square looked decidedly bare, the school has been demolished, the old shops are empty skeletons of what they used to be, the mosque was going at full volume and it was obvious that lots of people had returned with fond memories of what this village used to be.  Many of the families have moved to Europe for better futures, good jobs and salaries and only the old return after they've retired in Turkey, to renovate houses and live on two pensions or to visit elderly relatives.  I didn't stay long, I walked back to the Nipper and went home, cooked mushrooms on toast for breakfast, tidied round and settled on the sofa.  I'd put music on the computer and played Leonard Bernstein, rubbed out a few unfinished  and unsolved Sudoku and managed to complete another four 'tough' ones and then went back to sleep until one thirty on the sofa.

The weather stayed settled but the wind had picked up a little.  I toyed with the idea of going back to the fête but couldn't summon up enough energy to go there so did a few more puzzles and got in the Nipper and drove to Djebel.  I needed a few items like bread for the freezer, more yogurt, my large pot was empty and some chocolate bars for my goody box.  This was now decidedly empty and is now offering delights.  I did buy more yogurt and ice-cream and I realised that there were parking spaces outside the supermarket and the aisles were relatively empty and it suddenly struck me that they were probably in my village, eating and drinking.  I'd had to use the very bumpy back road to get out since there was no way to drive down the main street so retraced my tyre-prints on the way back just in case.  At least this year it didn't get rained off.

Supper is only going to be a chocolate bar, I had too much yogurt and honey this afternoon on top of too many mushrooms on toast for a late breakfast. I caught the sun going down and the moon coming up but it wasn't the promised harvest moon but a pale version of it.  It's very bright now and the clouds seem patchy, the temperature seems to be dropping, maybe this could be our first frost. Tomorrow I'm chasing up the location of my passport and documents with the courier company, there supposed to be coming back in different packages so no need for a courier to come out twice from Kardjali, I have to pick up my new driving licence this week so could pick up the passport and documents from the depot so could do both on the same day.  LN.....Photos of mainly sky, sun and moon and cloud formations except that I had to delete one photo, the cloud formation with the sun I had to delete.....its counterpart was perfect....skies are pretty magic out here....LN

Monday 6th October

From my bed this morning I caught a glimpse of the breaking dawn spreading across the mountains and I was forced out of bed to watch it unfold.  It was still quite early and on to the balcony, the sun wasn't up yet but the impact on the rest of the clouds all around made me keep the camera snapping.  Eventually the sun made it through but it didn't stop long, after that the clouds gained momentum, covered the sky and the rain started to fall around nine and it hasn't stopped since.  With the clouds and the rain, the overnight temperature stayed more or less the same all day and without the sun to warm things up, it's been a cold miserable day.  I went downstairs and made a health drink of honey, the juice of a lemon, some grated fresh ginger, a spoonful of turmeric and a pinch of pepper topped up with hot water.  I blitzed it in the liquidiser but I was still chewing fresh ginger at the end despite the fact that I'd grated it beforehand.  

I had mushrooms left so I made fried mushrooms on toast for breakfast and peeled the rest of them and put them in the slow cooker.  I wanted to have supper ready when I was ready and the slow cooker ensures that it is.  I'd bought chicken on skewers yesterday, popped them in the freezer but took them out again last night and put them in the fridge.  This morning they were just right for 'un-skewering' and dropping into the slow cooker minus the skewers, adding the mushrooms, a stock cube, a sliced onion and some water.  I turned it on to high and this formed the basis for a really good supper without lots of effort.  It was more or less ready by two this afternoon so I kept it simmering until five and added frozen peas and a packet of mushroom soup mix with more water, cooked multicoloured pasta in a pan, strained it and added it to the cooker.    Everything was ready around six, supper was served, I went back for seconds and finished off with yogurt, honey and a sprinkling of ginger spice.  I've come to the conclusion that I'm on a health kick and I blame it all on the 'reels' on FB.

The rest of the day has been very quiet, too much television, afternoon siesta and too wet to go outside.  I was tempted to light a fire this afternoon but I would really love to get the chimney swept before I do that more as a precaution than anything else.  I thought I would see Bekir at the fête yesterday but didn't and not sure what work he has on at the moment but I really need a dry day if he's to spend it on the roof and this week doesn't look too promising according to Accuweather.  It's gone down to ten degrees outside tonight and twenty in much it feels colder.  I'm in my PJ's already and picked out a particularly thick set, I haven't made up the bed with the zebra fleeces yet but the way it's going, it won't be too long.  LN....Still waiting for notification that the other passport documents have arrived along with the passport and then I'll be heading into Kardjali to collect along with my new driving licence.....LN

Tuesday 7th October

Silly night last night....I fell asleep around nine o'clock watching Netflix, woke up at one so decided to watch what I'd missed and went to bed at three. Don't ask why!! When you live alone you can do the oddest things and no one challenges you.....and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I woke up this morning at seven, checked my emails and there was one from the courier company handling the new passport and since I'd had two emails from them, I assumed that someone would connect the dots and they would hold on to both packages for collection.  I didn't have a phone number but was in the Nipper by ten thirty after a busy morning making more health drinks to keep me going, making toast for sustenance and strength to navigate my morning's programme.  I printed off both emails detailing the serial numbers that they would require to track the shipments and headed firstly to the office that had tried to rip me off with a sixty euro tariff to get my passport to the UK.  The one man recognised me but there was a new one that wasn't there before and he spoke English quite well and understood what I was wanting.  They searched the system and it transpired that they new nothing about the second parcel but the first one, my passport was out for delivery.  He asked me if there was anyone at home to accept it, I said that there wasn't, I lived alone and expected to find both packages waiting for me.  He checked with the courier, said that they would leave it at the Econt office in Djebel and I said that I wasn't too happy since it was a secure package and I didn't want it to get lost in anyone's system.  Eventually I suggested that if I gave him the phone number of my garage shop in Djebel to the courier, he could leave the package there and I knew it would be secure.  This was handled, I phoned the garage and asked her for the favour and it was granted.  I then asked about the second notice I'd received and the man said that he didn't have it, it hadn't yet arrived so I said that I would leave my phone number and they could phone me when they received it.  Problem solved and ....on to the next.

I drove to the police headquarters, parked up, had my slip of paper at the ready and went to where I thought I would be paying before I received my new driving licence.  The assistant was a delight to work with, we managed in Bulgarian, I handed over my slip of paper, she found the paperwork and the new licence, I handed over my old one, received the new and the best part was.....there was no charge because I was a pensioner.  I've been given ten years on the new licence and I'm hoping that I use up quite a few of them before the good Lord calls me into his service.  I went to the first desk where I'd been asked to fill in lots of forms and thanked the man sitting behind the counter for the help he'd given me when I made the application for the renewal.....he was surprised...he might be worth a box of chocolates when I'm passing that way again.

Next stop was the immigration office to renew my residency card.  There was no one waiting and again we managed the initial conversation in Bulgarian but she asked to see my English passport.  Now the passport was in Djebel and newly issued from the UK passport office, I said that I'd been resident for the last fifteen years but there was no moving the goalposts.  I established that I would be able to return at a later date, it's a month before it runs out and I suppose I should have asked if they required anything else like house documents.....I'll check it out on the internet later....I don't want a wasted journey.  Back in the Nipper with one hour wasted parking still on the phone so I called into Lidl, meandered around and managed to spend one hundred lev on things that I could have lived without but hey, it's only money.  Back to Djebel, picked up my package, drove down to the garage and offered her son money for his Netflix subscription since a warning message that it was about to run out but he refused it and said he would sort it at the weekend.  I drove home and immediately set about eating some of the things that I'd bought including some potato salad that they rarely stock, with some ham that was reduced.  Next job was to light the fire, there was starter wood in the fire basket so I added a fire lighter, a small log on top of it, it went straight away and I listened for the pump to start moving the water round the system.  Everything worked, the house feels much cosier and no need for a blanket while I'm watching TV tonight.

Not a bad day, passport done, driving licence done, residency card in progress and at least there weren't huge queues, most of the Turkish people had gone home.  LN.....I'll wait for the phone call to pick up the other parcel which contains my old passport and support documents and then move on to finalise my list......my outstanding residency card.....LN

Wednesday 8th October

Four thirty start this morning and felt wide awake so played a few games and was up and about by six thirty.  It was another cold drab morning with the mist shrouding the mountains and one in particular that I managed to capture.  I checked on the status of the support documents for my passport and they are still on hold in Sofia and are scheduled for delivery on Friday which upset my plans.  I'd intended picking up the documents, presenting myself at the immigration office with my passport to get the application underway but now that would mean two trips to Kardjali.  Everything can wait until Friday, I've still got a month before it runs out.

I made poached eggs and ham on toast for breakfast, topped up with coffee and I think it's the cold weather that's edging me towards food.  I didn't rescue the fire, the house wasn't cold and I opened up the curtains to let what warm air there was in the lounge circulate.  I pottered this morning, putting washing away, putting clothes away and generally not doing much.  I made up for it this afternoon though, I decided to cut back the grapevine on it's first every flowering since I've been here and thought I'd bitten off more than I could chew.  There were lots of lazy bees feeding that became a little frenzied as I attacked the vine but I kept at it, moving the branches to the other side of my gate and the cows would have them on their way home.  I moved to the woodstore and found the shears intending to remove some of the shrubs that had started to take over the grass but they weren't sharp enough so I ended up using my electric trimmer which worked if I held on to the branch and was determined.....after all, it is a hedge trimmer not and edge trimmer.  That debris went over the hedge for the cows that weren't taking the highway home and I carried on and found other jobs to do.  The oak tub with the metal bands is now put away for the winter, I tried to move the wooden box that sits on casters but the wood is wet and it's too heavy....don't want to do any damage to my back and will wait for another day.  Next job was to turn over a couple of the big containers that haven't got holes drilled in them to drain the water.  The looked like they were drowning and I should have finished off by moving them to the little house but it's still a little early but I did take the flower head from the sun-daisies in the same pot as the freesias...I'd forgotten that they were in the green pot that I'd used last year when I had them in the house.  I'll move them to the porch to dry out a little and then into the house when they're about to flower....bugs permitting.

I brought more starter wood into the porch and a log carrier full to keep me going for a while, heard some funny noises and guessed that my garden neighbour was working and it sounded like she was picking up something and putting it into a bucket and I guessed right, she was digging up her potatoes.  I asked her if she had lots to do and she said that she had to the bottom hedge and another patch by the other hedge.....she really is a solid worker, supporting her invalid husband and never seems to stop.  She said that she also feeds the potatoes to the cows in the winter, hay is so expensive and they just don't have the money for the amount of cows they have.  

Time to put another log on the fire, I lit it about half an hour ago and the pump has kicked in a few times and warmed up the radiators ready for tonight.  The rain has started to fall again, not heavily but enough to batten down the hatches, think about a hot supper and a hot bath tonight.  I made up the bed last night with the fleece duvet cover that I refer to as 'my nest' because the bed is warm to get into and I had a thought today that I might make some pillow cases for the large feather pillows that I have of the same material.  My journey to Kardjali has been postponed, that would be something to do that's creative and practical and will keep me from watching too much Netflix.  LN....Now to switch off for the night, my work for today is complete.....LN

Thursday 9th October

Cloudy start but it eventually picked up and the sun was out.....but briefly and then we went back to dark skies, amazing colours at sunset and most of the sky had a red tinge to it.....most unusual.

I had my late bath last night but had an email from the UK which was a little disturbing and ended up trying to go to sleep at one this morning but really couldn't settle and it must have been three by the time that I eventually went off to oblivion.  Unfortunately I was awake at seven, lingered upstairs on FB and reels, went out on to the balcony to put the green umbrella up to dry it out, I'd forgotten it but it's now dry, inside and destined for the little house tomorrow.  I hadn't got much to do today, there was no news from the courier company that my support documents for my passport had arrived and the notification communicated that it should be delivered to me by the end of play tomorrow but since they have my telephone number, I'm hoping that the company phones and I can collect and then carry on to sort out my residency application and get that put to bed.  It's the only outstanding item on my 'must do' list as it stands at the moment.

In fact it's been a lazy day.  I thawed out one of the sausages in the microwave and put it on a dish for the cat along with bread from the oil from the frying pan before I washed it out, put new oil in and fried off tomatoes for my breakfast.  Cat was sitting on the bench outside the stairwell, absent for a few days but the other charitable enterprise must have dried up so it's back to familiar territory.  The dish didn't remain full for long, the sausage went but the bread remained and it's now gone into the burnable rubbish....I have a very picky cat.  I had my tomatoes on toast with lots of black pepper and finished off my breakfast with yogurt and honey and felt stuffed to perfection...and haven't done a lot to work it off, the rain set in so outside was out of the question,  I set to in the third bedroom and tidied up the shelving stack at the side of the worktop, I've got old computers that I need to sort out, take off things that are useful and get rid of them.  I started looking through old photos and going down memory lane and found one of me and school friends taken probably around 1960....such a long time ago.  I finished upstairs around two thirty, came down and settled on the sofa, had a catch-up nap, phoned the UK to see if I could help with the problems at my old house and the neighbours and I think I'll let the dust settle and sort it out when I go to the UK.....they don't involve me but I'm the padding in the middle.

Ashes emptied, fire lit around six and it just takes the chill off the house in the evening.  It's twelve degrees out and twenty one in the stairwell, curtains in my bedroom are drawn, light on and everything looking cosy.  Settled for another bowl of yogurt, with honey and ginger for supper and that will see me through until morning.  I'm cutting out the fried stuff, have lost weight and feel much better, still not taking any blood pressure medication so that's good and maintaining good values in my monitoring record book.  LN....Time to switch off and relax, but having said that I don't seem to have much to wind down from today....it's been a gentle day.....LN

Friday 10th October

Another funny night, I woke up at four thirty, went back to sleep until eight so not so bad. I washed and dressed for town, today I was waiting for a phone call from the courier company which didn't come until later in the morning but I'd searched for the location of the package online but despite putting in various references could not find where it was in the system....the message was 'tracking numbers not found'.  Eventually the courier company phoned me, I said that I would collect from their depot and was in the Nipper just before ten and heading for Kardjali.  There wasn't much traffic on the road but there seemed a spate of police cars and when I to the Momchilgrad turn-off there were around six police cars all with lights flashing stopping all traffic in the opposite direction in which I was travelling so I could put my foot down, the emphasis was on the other carriage way.  I logged it just case it was still in progress on my return but as it turned out, all was quiet and I sailed through.

I parked up in the courier yard, was asked how my morning had been by the friendly guy in the office, in English may I add, told him it was fine so far and the second man produced my document and I signed the receipt.  As I was leaving I noticed that there was activity in the other part of the building and also that it was the new company that my Bulgarian friend had joined as an Accountant and asked one of the ladies outside if she was working there or in the centre office.  She didn't understand much English so went inside to find someone to translate and out came my friend and it's good to know that the English lessons that I'd given her were being put to good use.  We hugged, I explained that all I asked was if she was working down here or in the central office, she was obviously surprised to see me.  I asked her if she had time for lunch later but she replied that they ate in the office....what I call 'al desco' so said farewells and I continued to Kardjali centre and managed to find a parking spot without much effort.

I walked to immigration, there was no one waiting but the very pleasant young lady from the other day had been replaced by a frosty faced individual who took my documents, I explained that I had now received my passport and at this point the other lady appeared but sat in the background but at least 'we exchanged pleasantries'.  She found my details on the computer, filled in the application form online, handed me three sheets of paper and said to come back after one month to pick up the new card.  The pleasant lady addressed me and said that the fee would be forty lev and did I have a card for payment and I confirmed that I did so there was nothing more to be done.  I walked back to the Nipper, decided to find one of the other cheapy shops that I use to use but controlled myself and only bought a navy, green and white checked shirt but the prices have definitely gone up....that might be the last purchase I make....hopefully....I should be getting rid of not accumulating at my time of life.  I stopped off in Djebel and had lunch in my favourite local cafe, chicken and rice and at seven lev it's a steal and I shan't need anything until morning.

I slept most of the afternoon and woke up at four thirty, emptied the ash can, laid the fire but it was very reluctant to fire up and did so at the third attempt.  The pump has kicked in and the first of hopefully hot water has charged round the system.  I noticed that Djebel was packed and fairground rides had appeared in the square so I guessed that it was Djebel's 'fair day' tonight and tomorrow and I hope it stays fine for it but I shan't be going.  Now time to draw the curtains and block in the heat and block out the cold.  It looks like it could be another wet dreary day tomorrow....I hope I'm proved wrong and that all the visitors from Turkey have a good day.  LN.....On my tour of the garden I noticed that I haven't managed to cut back the lavender this year.....it's on the list for tomorrow but I shan't be stockpiling it this year......LN