Friday 10th April

So after my discussion with my ex-student last night and the proposed visit to Fanari and Greece I decided to check out the weather to make a firm decision whether to go or not.  I checked my phone and at seven thirty this morning I had a message telling me that she might be going down to do something with her friends later and that she would let me know later when we were going to get together.  This somewhat let me off the hook, the weather was going to be fine so the day was all mine to do what I wanted to do with it.  

I made breakfast, phoned the garage to ask if they were working today and if my student's mum had spoken to her husband about checking out my old mower and she had so that was my first job this morning.  To get the mower out of the little house, clean it up and get it in the back of the little car.  This was going to be a challenge, the little one is quite high off the ground but I emptied the boot, put the back seats down and took the head-rests out, took the lid of the wooden chest that is now sitting on the terrace and put if from the boot to the terrace creating a slope.  If nothing else I am imaginative and with great effort it worked.  I unscrewed the handle half way along it since it splits into two parts while still staying attached, realised I would need the handle to manipulate the machine into the boot so screwed them bolts back up again.  Holding the handle firmly I started pushing the machine up the slope towards the boot and with a monumental push got the front wheels into the boot giving me time to move my position and heave the rest of it in.  Job done.

I drove to the garage and remembered to take the manuals that came with the machine with me, parked up and told them it was theirs to take out and the owner and son removed it and then slowly and surely the repairs commenced.  They cleaned and fixed the bit that forces petrol into the plug to fire the machine, emptied the old fuel out and filled it up with new, the oil was changed, the top lid was removed to clean everything that needed cleaning and the plug was replaced.  Eventually it fired after I remembered that there was a bar that had to be held tightly against  the handle when firing it up so that the fuel could be released.  When the bar is released from the handle the machine stops.  The garage owner gave it a field test, said that it was much better than using a strimmer for cutting the grass and much easier.  I offered payment and the agreement is that if I find it hard to get it to fire then the garage can have it.  I gave them the petrol strimmer when I realised that no way would I be able to use it many moons ago.

They put it back into the Nipper, I  drove home and getting it out was much easier than getting it in.  The weather had clouded over and I thought I'd done enough for the day and even my Fitbit said that I should be taking it easy today and a few strenuous days.  I didn't argue with it, I filled up a container with wood, chopped a couple of logs for starter wood, put the machine away in the woodstore and went back into the house and put the television on....it was almost four so it was time to put my feet up.  I made supper around six thirty, a portion of the mince, onions and tomato paste I'd left in the fridge so that went into the microwave.  I put the chippie pan on the stove and threw a handful of frozen chips into the pan, ten minutes later supper was done.  LN.....I've just got to get up the strength to get the big one to fire up, the weather has clouded over again so it might not be tomorrow....I'll keep you informed....LN

Saturday 11th April

I was awake very early this morning, checked the time on my Fitbit and decided to snuggle down again and second awakening was at seven, the usual time.  I got on with 'stuff', put the last of the washing away, the fire was still in so gave it the kiss of life with one firelighter and another log and it's been going all day.  I spotted cat so it had the rest of a packet of bacon that was coming to the end of anything that I would savour, I cooked poached eggs on toast for my breakfast and sat in the kitchen to eat them, I didn't want cat watching me in the stairwell when the bacon came to an end.  It was obviously enough, there was one small piece left but something has had it.  I tidied the kitchen and since I had nothing left to do decided to tackle another Sudoku from the ones that my daughter has sent over for me, settling on the sofa with my rubber and pencil to hand and obviously my pencil sharpener all contained in the pencil case that my daughter brought over for my last big birthday.

My peace was soon disturbed, my friend who wants everything from my garden arrived asking if we could go down to Greece tomorrow but since the weather has turned, I said that I wasn't going.  We walked the garden and she was trying to persuade me to dig up a clump of narcissus but I refused, they are still fully in flower and I told her to wait and I'm not sure that word fits in to her vocabulary at all.  We were joined by my next door neighbour and then friend disappeared, my neighbour said that she had been cutting down brambles and that something has flared up on her hand, they were very red and looked sore.  I hadn't anything for it so didn't mention it but offered her my long handled cutters so that she stayed out of the way of the thorns.

The rest of the afternoon I settled on the sofa and fell on a podcast about herbs, spices and when to take what and found it very informative and I took notes while I watched it.  I also decided to watch a film that I'd started but not finished and just enjoyed my day.  This evening I was surprised to see Emula one of the local lads at the door.  I'd mentioned to my friend that I could do with him and his strimmer and he'd come round to see when it was convenient for me and he's already made a start on it.  Half of the garden will be complete by tonight, he's got a strong machine and I can then go over it with my grass mower to tidy it up.  

I've cooked two pork chops and they're ready for when my strimmer buddy has left for the night and tomorrow he's coming back to do the rest.  What good is money if you don't use it to make your life easier.  LN.....I'm just off out to check on progress and not to check up on him......LN

Sunday 12th April

It was such a cold night last night, I was pleased that I'd got a fire going and again I've just done the same thing. It was six degrees last night, it's ten now but falling.  It started off with sunshine this morning but there wasn't much heat in it...it was sweater and cardigan weather.  I thought about getting the mower out and finishing off where my man had left off but changed my mind, he makes such short shrift of it that I'd rather pay and save the energy I've got.  Lovely surprise, I'd had a message from my software engineer in the States, the one that I'd sent the message to and he wanted to know the details.  He apologised that he hadn't replied sooner but had lots of work on which was good to know.  I replied straightway and outlined the problem and see what else he wants sending on to him when he replies.  He remembered me and was surprised that the website is still in use, it's been about sixteen years since I started it.

I made toast for breakfast with cheese triangle topping and it filled the gap.  I took the two remaining pork chops that I'd cut up the night before and placed in the slow cooker from the fridge, added a chopped onion, tomato paste, tomato juice, curry powder and half a bag of lentils.  This was going to be an experiment, I'd never done this before.  I switched the slow cooker to high and left it at that temperature until I was ready to go into Djebel with my shopping list.  I got ready for town, checked with my neighbour next door to see if there was anything she wanted while I was shopping and she said that she had everything she needed.....lucky lady.  I stopped off at the supermarket first since it's on the way in, bought some small Easter eggs and decided to pop in to my student's parent house and it was only when I parked up that I realised that her sister was visiting with the daughter.  The little one was shy at first then opened up, my student had been asked to go and help out training a new lady who had joined the office set up in another supermarket and she was due there at one o'clock.  I was ready to leave with her but her mother persuaded me to stay, the sister is very pregnant and I'd struck lucky with the six small Easter eggs, the little one had the figures enclosed in the chocolate eggs on her anorak....apparently it's a cult thing for four year olds.....how would I know.

Father made me Turkish coffee, there was cake that my student had made, father and grand-daughter went for a walk, mother made Russian salad and I chatted with the child's mother in Bulgarian.  By now the grandchild had returned and lunch was served but I refused, it hadn't been that long since my breakfast and I was fine.  I stayed until around three thirty, stopped off at the supermarket and bought lemons, potatoes, more chicken drumsticks and a few other items, drove home and made coffee. I needed to find a new series to watch on Netflix, I'd finished the old one and suddenly I noticed that the noise of a strimmer in the garden, my man had arrived and had almost finished.....another job out of the way, I only have to hand weed where the machine wouldn't go.  I paid the man and off he went, tomorrow he's doing Avatar's garden when he finishes his other job in Djebel.

Supper was OK, I put the potato in the microwave to made a jacket potato, dropped it as I was getting it out so I used a spatula to scoop it off the carpet, I put it skin down in the dish and added the topping from the slow cooker.  I left the potato skin and threw it away but there were no gritty bits so job was a good'n.  Yogurt for pudding, everything tidied and now relax.  The radiators are warm, the house is OK and it's half eight my time and it's an early night for me after a little television.  LN....I'll send the scan results from the hosting company for my website, my web master said that he's had a quick look and spotted nothing wrong but will have a more thorough look when he sees the results of the scan......LN

Monday 13th April

I was lazing around in my PJ's this morning but fortunately I had a reasonable top on over them that looked like a jogging top so my first visitor wasn't shocked by my appearance.....grey top and pink pyjama bottoms.  It was Emula, the man with the strimmer that's given my weeds a headache.  He was supposed to be working in Djebel this morning but his plans had changed, the wanted the key to Avatar's gate to gain entry to the garden to strim around the house before the family arrive in May.  I'd put it ready for him and off he went and the plan was that Haciber would pay Emula and the key would be returned.  All change, he had phoned Avatar's daughter and she had said that she wanted me to pay him so I searched my wallet and the change that he'd given me yesterday I returned to him.  I asked why I paid thirty and they paid twenty and I was very close to asking whether it was because I was English, but I didn't...

I walked the garden and found myself pulling up the weeds between the strimmed areas and throwing the debris over the wall and I cleared quite an area.  I went to the little house to find my trusty garden fork to dislodge some of the bigger plants but couldn't find it so put it to the back of my mind....I could go on the hunt later.  Instead I made a start on tidying the shelving unit in the woodstore and found several things that I'd forgotten about or just in the wrong place, threw out somethings but what I did find was a cartridge for my trusty strimmer so now I shall be cutting weeds down not having to pull them out.  That should give them a sufficient shock to slow down.  I' d only had yogurt for breakfast which had moved along the system so found another giant potato that I'd bought yesterday and microwaved it, served it with butter and some of the local white cheese .  I settled on the sofa and put the television on, I don't keep going all day now, I'm slowing down a little and feel better for it.

At five this afternoon I was still watching a new series and thoughts about lighting the fire were popping into my head but yesterday I noticed some soot round the top of the burner and I thought all day about cleaning out the pipes to the chimney.  It was now niggling me, it was getting on for six and suddenly it became a must as opposed to a thought and I started the task.  Out with the pipes, all cleaned, fire box on the woodburner cleaned, all back in place and then I lit the fire and it's going well.  Tools away, workshop and woodstore all locked up, garden fork found so another problem solved so my weeding tomorrow will be a little gentler now I have the tool to do it.

Turkey nuggets in the air-fryer tonight and should be ready in around five minutes and will be served with a dish of mayo and that will be it for today.  Was thinking about Greek supermarket shopping tomorrow or Wednesday, a phone call to my shopping buddy in the morning to check out her schedule and then an entry in the diary.  LN.....Microwave has pinged, kitchen bound and then more television or a bath before bedtime....yet to be decided....LN

Tuesday 14th April

This morning was a 'just before seven' start, the early morning clouds that seemed to kick in after a cloudy dawn dissipated and it turned into a really good day.  I made breakfast, did a load of washing  and put in on the airer in the porch and generally lazed around after that.  I put the television and carried on watch 'Bones' a series I'd started last night and wasn't really in the mood to do anything to energetic.  

I answered a couple of difficult emails and decided that I didn't want to send them yet so put them into draft, I'll read them again tomorrow and make a decision as to whether to send them or not or change a few things round.  At twelve I burst into action, I opened up the woodstore, brought out the mower and strimmer and decided to finish off what my guy with the strimmer had missed and not offered to do when I pointed it out to him.  I'd found the strimmer cartridge yesterday when I was tidying up the wood store, fitted it to the machine so it was ready to go.  I did the yard first with the old green mower but the power kept cutting out and I think that it's the contact between the power in and power out.  Eventually I found one of the really old small mowers and managed too do the yard with that but without the grass catcher in place and moved to the strimmer to do the space between the house and the front wall.

I moved the cable to the front terrace, used the little yellow machine to clear up the grass left by the big strimmer and it really did look much better.  I need to go over all of the grass cut by my strimmer friend but not all today....it will take a few days either to use the mower or the grass rake to collect it up and throw it over the wall but anyway, today wasn't the way.  I did clear the side garden and cleared the weeds from under the shrubs on the side garden and it was four thirty when I was packing my tools away.  Two tortoise were out and about, Rosy and Green and I think Green was on the hunt for Rosy.  He seems to have got coupling on his brain, I heard the clatter of shells this morning and on following the noise, Rosy was trying to get away and Green was most persistent.  Yesterday it was midway down the short wall and this time there was a lot of activity in the side garden.  Tools away by six thirty and everything locked away, I've had a good day and I should finish the first pass on the garden by the end of the week.

Tomorrow all being well and weather permitting, I'm off to Greece with my Fotinovo friend and have checked with my garage lady if there is anything that she wants me to bring back from the supermarket for her.  At first it was that she didn't want anything so I suggested a couple of items and the response was affirmative.  Hoping for good weather, we'll go down to Fanari for a coffee and if the weather is good probably do some beach walking and tackle the supermarket in the afternoon so that fresh and frozen food won't be hanging around too long.  

I've had supper already, I cooked off some chips and had them with white cheese sprinkled on them and it should do me until tomorrow morning.  Washing is put away and the boiler is on for a bath tonight.  LN.....It's been a good day with good weather and hoping that the rain stays away for the rest of the week....LN

Wednesday 15th April

Just before seven start, into the shower, hair washed and in the Nipper by nine thirty to get to the meeting point by ten.  I picked up a stray from the village and deposited him on the main road to Djebel, I was going the opposite direction and up through the mountains to my friend's house.  We settled for coffee, she was determined to drive so I let her and we took her car, the road was more or less empty down to Greece but the diversion that's been put in place is a bit of a rubbish road.  The Greeks are installing wind turbines so the road has been closed so that there are no interruptions to interfere with the installation and I suppose the holiday season hasn't really started yet.

We drove down to the restaurant near the beach in Fanari, it was almost twelve when we arrived so we found one of the restaurants overlooking the sea and made our order.  I fancied musaka but they didn't have it in the kitchen, only on the menu and I ended up ordering swordfish but didn't read the small print.....it was swordfish soup not grilled as I normally have it.  All meals came suitable for two people and we had dips, chips and an ice-cream to end out meal on and he bill was very reasonable.  We went back to the car and drove to the little beach that we normally go to, it was deserted and the weather was warm enough to shed one layer of clothing and just sit there, chat and listen to the waves.  We did a little beach combing and I found a very pretty shell that will make a beautiful broach if it's mounted correctly.

We drove back towards Bulgaria and stopped at the local supermarket and set off in different directions with trolleys.  I mainly wanted lemons and biscuits but also bought toothpaste because if was much cheaper than in Bulgaria, sweet potatoes which I love and some cherry tomatoes.  We left the supermarket and on the drive back to Bulgaria got stopped by the Border police and had to produce out documents.  They wanted to know where we lived and I told him which village I lived in and he asked if I knew the local mayor and I told him I did.  I also added that he kept sheep, didn't speak much Bulgarian only Turkish and used the mayor in the next village if there were any problems to take to the weekly meetings.  He suddenly said that he knew me and asked if I had a big jeep and I confirmed that I had.  The penny dropped and he gave me back my documents.  My friend was still using her English driving licence which was handed back with her residency documents and we were on our way.  

We arrived to her home, had coffee and took it up to the garden so that I could see the vegetables that she was growing, it was warm sitting in the sun and we watched the birds and counted how many types there were.  I drove home arriving around six thirty, unloaded my shopping and put it away, had a jacket potato for supper with butter, have just demolished a few chocolate biscuits from one of the packets that I'd bought in Greece and have now settled in front of the fire that I set to go as soon as I'd arrived.  LN....Nothing to do tomorrow only more gardening if the weather is good....and fingers crossed that it is......LN

Thursday 16th April

I've been back-footed all day today.  Last night I settled down on the sofa watching the television ready for bed but with a cardigan on for warmth and a blanket over me, woke up at three thirty, made my way to bed.  I snuggled down into a deep sleep and woke up at nine thirty, three hours later than I normally would.  I felt refreshed, ready to go, made coffee and poached eggs on toast, fed the cat on the new food from Greece and it sat on the terrace as if wanting more.  I guess it hit the spot, every morsel was eaten and the dish licked clean.  I bought canned food and biscuits and combined both but used only a quarter of the can so it's quite economical.   Off it went for more pickings around the village, I tidied the kitchen and made my way on to the terrace to sit in the sun.

I eventually got round to pulling weeds from underneath the lilac tree that's just coming into flower.  The strimmer man had done a reasonable job where he hit where the grass ended and the garden began but he didn't go behind the shrubs and to the wall....that was my job.  I was out there until approximately twelve thirty and then decided to make my way into Djebel.  I needed more white cheese from the local supermarket and to deliver the goodies that I'd bought yesterday in Greece to my student's mum.  As I parked up outside the shop one of her friends went in so I decided to go to the flower shop instead.  The last time I was out of honey the lady from the flower shop had asked a friend of a friend and two jars had been delivered but when I asked her this time, all supplies had finished.  She said that the lady in the clothing store next door has some outside her shop but she wasn't sure how good or pure it was so didn't recommend it.  She did mention that there was a tour going in May to Edirne in Turkey by mini-bus, staying one night and costing minimal cash so I put my name down for it.  I'll go with the flower-shop lady and we'll share a room for the night, fingers crossed that there are places left on the tour, I've been with her a few years back and now I actually speak more Bulgarian so should fit in OK and the flower shop lady does speak English.

I made my way back to the garage shop, the friend was still there but I know her.  I handed over the bag of goodies, she opened up the bag and immediately gave one of the packets of biscuits to the friend for her son and off she went.  My student came into the shop with a friend and it was good to see him again, they were off swimming and I found out that Djebel has its own indoor swimming pool. The water is supplied from an old thermal spa pool about three kilometers out of town and now it's piped to the new building, mixed fifty fifty with normal water and held at a temperature that's comfortable to swim in.....and I didn't even know that we had one.  It's open every day except Monday from eleven in the morning until eight at night and I shall be trying it out.  The old pool I used to go to but it was complete with frogs, I'm hoping they've used a very fine filter and a decent filtration system.  You do have to wear a bathing cap though so that's the next thing on my list.

I stopped off at the supermarket and was greeted as 'Baba Elsa' by several of the staff so that's how I'm now known.  I find it quite engaging, I think I've cemented myself into the fabric of the town.  I drove home, unpacked the shopping, made coffee, set the washing machine off and made a couple of sandwiches using brown seeded bread and white cheese for a late lunch.  The washing went on the airer, I walked the garden yet again and checked out the morning's effort and there's not that much left to do, I can go round the rest with the strimmer if the weather holds.   I lit the fire, settled on the sofa with the television on and promptly fell asleep, woke up, more coffee, threw a log on the fire and then realised that it's very late and dark outside.  I shan't need more supper so I've put the frozen chicken wings that was going to be supper into the fridge and that will be food for tomorrow with roasted vegetables.  LN....Sorry for the late update and no photos..... but it is what it is.....I promise to do better tomorrow...LN

Friday 17th April

Early to bed, early to rise but then I went back to sleep again.  Washed dressed, spicy sausage for breakfast with a fried egg and that set me up until after my morning stint.

I  didn't venture out to the workshop too early.  I remembered that I'd bought a small shovel the other day when I went in search of a handle to apply to my father's garden fork.  The shaft on the old one was very worn, the T shaped handle had come loose and I'd tried to fix it several times but without success.  I removed the handle from the shaft of the small shovel that I'd bought and noticed how the shaft had been shaped to accept the handle and I thought I could use the same approach with the garden fork.  As it happened, I found another handle attached to a shaft but then I'd have the problem of attaching the fork prongs so instead I set about shaping the existing handle of the fork and using a saw, chisel and  hammer, I managed to get the handle to fit.  I had to hammer it home and it was a tight fit and then put a screw into the shaft from the handle and it was looking good.  So good in fact that I took it for a test drive in the garden and was out there for a couple of hours weeding, digging up huge dandelions and thistles.

I came in at two for rest and recuperation intending to go out to the garden again but instead made cheese sandwiches and settled on the sofa in front of the television and continued with my present series.  I did managed to switch the television off before I went to sleep this afternoon, woke up at five and decided to light the fire but the fire had a mind of its own.  It was slow to draw and by six o'clock and several firelighters I was still no nearer to lift off so I ventured out to the woodstore and found off-cuts from ancient woodworking that were bone dry, back to the house and put some in the fireplace.  I put the warmed wood and another fire lighter to the additions from the woodstore and within two minutes I had something that resembled a fire and it's just sent it's first lot of how water around the system.  It's not cold but it's comforting and makes the house homely until the light nights appear.

I shan't be cooking supper, I think I had one to many cheese sandwiches and it almost feels like a Saturday and I've had to remind myself that it's Friday.  Hopefully the weather will continue with sunshine but the wind still has a chill to it, more gardening tomorrow and it will be out with the strimmer to go round the wooden surrounds to the flowerbeds.  I shall be removing some of the borders down the bottom of the garden, the grass has grown round the shrubs and it's better than trying to control flower beds and much easier to maintain.  LN.....I'll also be going round with the old engine oil to the existing garden surrounds to give them a smartening up......LN

Saturday 18th April

Six thirty start but that was OK for me, I went to bed earlyish for me so the waking time was in the ballpark.  I still had some of my morning jungle juice saved from yesterday so I put it in the microwave, added more lemon juice and honey and that did me for today.  It was a dull morning, no cat in evidence and this is the second day that we've had no morning sighting.  I bought three tins of cat food and another bag of biscuits and the blasted thing deserts me....sod's law.  I hope that nothing untoward has happened to it but I can't admit to missing it....

I made toast and apricot jam for breakfast but not until much later and then I settled on the sofa to eat it watching Bones on Netflix.  I was waiting for the temperature to go up a little before I got out there and started work, it was a fairly cool morning.  The sun was out but the wind carried an edge to it so I put on my waxed body warmer and hat to keep my body heat inside.  I even took my hat out with me after reading that that's where most of the heat escapes from.  More weeding down the side low wall and then I moved over to the little house gardens and got stuck in.  These hadn't really been touched and the little one in front of the old roof tiles had a good going over.  I also attacked the concrete base to the old toilet and cesspit, removed the old moss and grass from the top of it and threw it all down the cesspit.  I'm thinking of moving the tiles from the rest of the concrete and putting another layer of concrete over it, building a wall round it and use wooden supports for a roof and using up the old roof tiles.  I could put outside furniture in it and make it a garden hideaway for reading etc or just for contemplating the garden.

I didn't use anything electrical today it was all manual labour and as I set about the garden near the bottom wall I noticed Cracked Shell still very dusty from his winter hole and it really has slept in.  I've got three others out and about and they were definitely about today.  There's Rosy, Blue and Green so outstanding we have Red, Purple and Little Purple.  Red is the Big Daddy of the outfit so probably needs more rest than most.  The other chore was to take down the cover that I had over the Jeep for the winter and now that's sitting in the wood store, the rope is still in situ with the cleats attached so that I didn't have to get the ladder out and tempt fate.  Next year all I have to do is attach a new waterproof sheet or get work done to increase the size of the garage and fit a door....and I've already discussed it with Bekir.

I'd put chicken wings with sweet potato, frozen carrots and peas into the slow cooker with barbecue sauce and that was ready by five this afternoon and that was supper sorted.  I've got the fire and it's ticking over nicely, the boiler is on and I shall be resting my weary limbs in a hot soapy tub very soon after I've posted the  update.  LN....More of the same tomorrow and then early next week I'll be repairing any garden surrounds that need it and daubing on the old engine oil to keep the wood going for another year or so......LN

Sunday 19th April

Eight start and for me that was fine....Sunday was a day of rest but it didn't feel like a Sunday.  I was slow off the mark, didn't bother with breakfast until two hours later but I was putting my evening meal into the slow cooker around the same time.  I peeled one of the spicy sausages, sliced it, peeled and sliced an onion and did the same to the remainder of the sweet potato that used yesterday, added a packet of tomato puree and some chilli flakes and put everything in the slow cooker.  It needed a little something so I put in some tomato ketchup and a little more water, switched it on and forgot about it until late this afternoon.  

I had emails to answer so I sat down and rejigged a draft that I'd already composed to make it more to the point and this took sometime to do....I really wanted to think about it.  I messaged my daughter and she was just on her way to the gym and we'll speak later for a catch-up.  I was still wandering around in my PJ's at ten this morning with a coffee when I spotted the cat while I was sitting on the bench on the terrace.  I went into the house and got canned food from the fridge and topped it up with cat biscuits and I had one happy fat cat.  It dived in, head down immediately and kept looking up checking on me.  It's so timid and must have been badly treated at some point and after all this time still is wary.  I walked to the woodstore and my neighbour and her husband and Haciber came to the gate.  Her husband only arrived yesterday from Turkey and goes back tonight, it really is a flying visit.  Next visitor was from two doors down and she was carrying a large tray of fluffy pancakes,  I asked what or who they were in memory of and she replied that it was for everybody....so I left it at that.  

I got dressed and set to in the garden where I'd left off yesterday.  I came in for a coffee around two, settled on the sofa and nodded off for an hour or so but was woken by the telephone.  I thought it was my daughter calling me but it wasn't, it was my friend changing out plans for tomorrow.  Originally we were going to Immigration to finish off her documentation but a neighbour wanted assistance with getting a cat to the vet in Kardjali so we're now meeting at one thirty to get her work done.  I went back out to the garden and eventually came in around six thirty, had had a bonfire and got rid of some rotten wood and dead tree branches, I'd had a good day.  I did find a very unusual moth and looking at the photo it reminds me of Jabba the Hun staring back at me and also spotted a lizard curled up on the ground cover under the lonesome pine.  I moved one of the branches and off it shot, down into the maze of branches.

I served up supper around seven and had a chunk of bread with it and there's enough left for tomorrow.  I lit the fire before I sat down to supper, it stops the evening chill setting in, it's still early in the year.  LN....The washing up can wait, post blog, quick dip in the bath and then more of my current series....I've had a good day.....LN