Saturday August 1st

Not quite so early this morning, tortoise were out clacking shells again as I read my book on the balcony.  My morning drink was only clove water with a pinch of salt and a spoon of honey and I put cloves in hot water in a jam-jar so that I've got enough for tomorrow as well.  I was full of good intentions today but everything slipped to oneside and I didn't really spring to life until this afternoon when I found the secateurs and cut the dead flowers from the hydrangea and managed to have a few that will provide cuttings.  They're now sitting in water and I'll find some good compost tomorrow from the soil that the moles excavate then stamp down their runs.  I do need to get some mothballs to put down the holes, it's supposed to deter them but it seems like wasted effort and the mole smokes that I bought for a few years are just as unproductive.  

It was so hot this afternoon that I settled in to watch The Night Manager on Netflix.  I'd watched the first series and never followed it up but the seconde was down today and now into the third.  Avatar came round this afternoon and bought me a pack of seeded buns, I've not been over for a few days and have felt very solitary.  I really should be taking the mower back, getting a simpler model, either electric or with a battery pack and obviously remembering to get two batteries.  I used to have one with plastic blades and much better than a cord, I might have a look at the internet to see what I can come up with.

Supper is in the oven, tonight I have small jacket potatoes and barbecue pork ribs.  None for Avatar, it's against her religion so more for me.  I have put a very large apple that she brought over with the buns and I've stuffed it with raisins, brown sugar and honey and have a pack of cream that I'll be opening.  I might even take half of it over to Avatar, it's quite a big one.   Nothing much on the agenda for tomorrow, it's just too hot to be out there so I'm building my strength up for Monday for my trip to the dentist.  LN......Supper and then Night Manager.....LN

Sunday 2nd August

I had good intentions when I woke up but the 'notifications' from online time wasters was very active and I spent more time that I really wanted to that than I ought.  I had birthday messages to send, respond to messages received and got involved in a friends search for another friend.  I suppose the world just got in the way of me becoming active in gardening chores and instead I had a shower and washed my hair, sat out on the balcony in a towel and let nature carry out the drying process for me.  I made poached eggs on toast for breakfast using up the last of the eggs, they're on tomorrow's list of purchases.  I did notice that Avatar has returned the dish that I used to take half the stuffed baked apple over to her last night, fully washed and ready for the next food delivery.

I phoned the bank this morning to confirm that I would have access to the money that had been transferred from the account I'd had to close to make the transfer.  This was confirmed by a very pleasant young man but I did ask when the changes had been introduced so that I couldn't take some of the funds from one account and move it to the other.  All he did was to confirm that this process wasn't allowed under the banking regulations any longer....if I wanted to 'launder' money I've got a washing machine at home and when did banking become such a difficult process?  I was intending going in to do some shopping in Djebel but I really didn't need very much so instead lay on the sofa and after finishing one book that had been pretty hard going.  Instead  I found an old one that I bought years ago and finally managed to find on Amazon making it easier to read and it's occupied most of my afternoon.  I did eventually make it to Djebel, a large bottle of water, chicken, bread, cheese (two types), crisps, fizzy water and chocolate and of the hoard I'm down a packet of crisps, a glass of fizzy water and two squares of dark chocolate. ( I'm rationing myself).

It's a beautiful evening, the wind has dropped, there's not a cloud in the sky and it seems more settled than it has for ages....summer as I remember it.  Not seen much of the tortoise today, they've probably been hiding in the undergrowth....it must be baking in those shells in the summer.  Didn't see Cat this morning, wasn't around for morning feed but has just sauntered across the terrace and might be looking for a biscuit top-up before bed-time.

Dentist tomorrow and I only hope I'm pleased with the result.  I'm not looking forward to the extractions, I've been taking my blood pressure tablets as requested and fingers crossed everything will be good.  LN...Fully rested, nothing much achieved today but I'm not too stressed out about it....I'll keep my energy levels to cope with tomorrow.....LN

Monday 3rd August

Lovely gentle morning, Cat was around and only had biscuits but they were all gobbled up, it must have been very hungry. I dressed for Kardjali, I had my dental appointment at eleven and I popped over to see Avatar to see if there was anything that she wanted from town.  As it happens, she now has the rest of her family over and her daughter in law that arrived on Saturday was off to Djebel in the car that gets stored here while she's in Germany....my services are on hold.  I sat in the garden with them for a catch up, I've watched the grand-daughters grow up and now the eldest is married with a family of her own and the younger one has decided she is not going down the same path. We joked about us both being single, bit of a difference in ages but situations are the same, we are both without men....and love it.  We discussed the parking app that they use here and I believe they are about to install it on their phones, it makes parking cheaper and is convenient.  If you have time left and want to move to another parking spot, it tracks the number and as long as you have money left on your phone, your new spot is noted.

I came home and picked up the documents for health cover that I have between England and Bulgaria so that I could give the dentist copies to see if I am able to claim part of my treatment from Bulgarian health cover....I don't think this dentist has come in contact with this before.....and why shouldn't I use it....I paid into the British system for long enough.  So as to the treatment.  I thought he was taking out four teeth today but instead only trimmed back four of them and added caps, he's only taking two central ones out on Thursday and then will fit the bridge with two new teeth on it.  I did complain about one part of the treatment.  He was trying to put a guard in my mouth so that he could use a hand held scanner to have a visual of my teeth but I knew that this guard to keep my mouth open was just too big and I told him so before he tried.  As he was manoeuvering the last part in I complained, it almost felt as if my top lip was about to split so he removed it, and he managed with a wand which was much easier for me but not so for him.  I came out of the surgery numb as anything yet feeling OK and he did  tell me that once the drug had worn off I might feel pain and to phone him but I've had worse.  

I left the surgery and went to a flower shop and saw that they had hydrangeas that needed love and attention so I bought two, one for myself and the other for Avatar and two gerbera that unfortunately don't think will last too long.  I was back in the car and the traffic was horrendous, lot of  aggressive Romanian drivers heading down to Greece for the holidays.  I stopped off at Lidl and picked up a few items that I can't get in Djebel but came straight home, parked up, put the flowers and hydrangeas into water and put then under the balcony in the shade.  Mine are still sitting in water and I'm looking for an uplift and this afternoon I took the one over for Avatar, the family were all out and about so we had half an hour to ourselves.  I also took over six apricots from the bag that I'd picked up cheaply in Lidl, she immediately ate three of them and said that she'd save the other three for later.  

I've just put two chicken legs in the oven, one for tonight and the other for tomorrow and it should be ready by eight.  I did managed to find a container of potato salad in Lidl, it used to be a favourite of mine in the UK and it's a special here, they don't normally stock it so I bought it.  The rest of the afternoon I watched Netflix and fell upon Ghost Town with Ricky Gervais and I'd never come across it before....probably one of his older ones.  LN....Time to go into the kitchen and do some preparation and find some pain killers, it's started to kick in......LN

Tuesday 4th August

Cat spent the night on the sofa under my bedroom terrace and as I put the chicken bones out from last night, there was movement, a huge yawn and a slow saunter over to the dish.  I'd sprinkled biscuits over the chicken but she was hungry and wasn't specific over what went in first.  I did go out to check the plants on the table under the balcony and a chicken drumstick was dragged to the grass and it was devoured on the lower level until I gone back into the house and cat went back to the food sauce.  The was very little left after ten minutes or so and then the hunt was on for anything else that might be available in the village.

I made boiled eggs with toast for my breakfast and sat at the table in the stairwell.  The toast was difficult to chew on my mouth was very sore from the dental assault yesterday and it's still very tender this evening so I shan't be partaking of much tonight.  As for the rest of the day, I settled in on the sofa and put on Netflix, it was a super hot day and no way was I tempted to get stuck into anything outside.  I toyed with the idea of driving into Djebel and ordering my winter wood but the idea sooNetflix reprn passed, before that I need to prepare the wood store, bring the old wood away from the wall, clear the rest of the area and simplify the task.  Tomorrow is another day so that's been put on the back burner.  

At eleven Netflix displayed that I wasn't connected to the internet so I checked on 'settings' and sure enough, I had no internet.  I popped over the road to see if Avatar was off the internet and the daughter said that they were and that their internet was running very slow anyway.  I was a little confused when they said that they had two control boxes, one for the television and the other for the internet and I thought that could be the reason that it was one cable going into the house and split between the requirements.  There again, I'm not an engineer so I'll leave it to the experts.  I searched for my internet provider card with my customer number on it and obviously I'd put it somewhere safe so at twelve thirty I set off with the daughter and we went into Djebel and to the office.  Unfortunately it was closed for lunch, we got there just after one and had to wait until two for it to open again so sat in the main square in Djebel in the shade with soft drinks and watched the world go by.  At two we set off for the office, a man that I hadn't seen before was filling in so I let daughter lead the conversation since her was more complex where my complaint was that I didn't have internet.  I now have a new card with my customer number written on it and was told that my intern had been restored but Avatar's issue became more complex so I left them to it.  Meanwhile another lady had come into the office and was shoving her card onto the counter pushing herself between the two of us and started to really give the man stick.  I gave her a withering look which did absolutely nothing so I moved to the back of the office....my request had been satisfied and what was being said to the daughter I didn't understand anyway.

We left the office and walked back via the little supermarket on the back road to the Nipper and went in.  Earlier I'd spoken to the daughter about a cake shop that I always used when I need on, the make is good and is recognised in the area but she said she didn't know the shop that I was speaking about.  We went in, the owner of the shop recognised me, I showed the daughter where the cakes were kept, the owner came up to us and we had a conversation and the daughter said that she wanted one for her daughter's birthday next week.  After that I drove home, daughter came in to check if my internet was working and to see my internet setup which is upstairs.  She'd not been in my house before and so we had the conducted tour and she told me the plans they have for Avatar's house, making it two storey and putting on a new roof maybe next year.  LN.....She's asked me to help out with the planning....I'll be pleased to do so and I'll remember to ask Avatar......LN

Wednesday 5th August

Another beautiful morning and I was out on the balcony ready a book on the Kindle that I've recently purchased.....'Land between the Rivers' and it goes back five thousand years to Ur of the Chaldees and Mesopotamia.  I was doing really well with it and getting stuck into it but unfortunately the sun grew in strength, and the screen difficult to read so I came inside, had a warning that the battery needed a recharge so decided to make breakfast instead.  Eggs on to boil, toast in the toaster, a splash of mayo on the plate and I let the eggs to become really solid...very tasty.

I tidied the kitchen and went outside to water the plants on the terrace using one of my small containers and then realised how time consuming it was so attached the hose pipe to the outside tap and the job was completed in quicksticks.  It's been another really hot one so again I didn't stay out too long but I did start to unfurl the umbrella on the terrace cranking the handle and as it started to open I saw something green against the claret coloured material so I slowed down and got the camera.  It was a tiny frog and I think it must be a tree frog, how else would it have climbed up the pole that supports the umbrella and hidden between the folds.  I'm not one for picking these thing up, I've a natural aversion to things that jump or fly about and give them plenty of space so I got the very soft brush and gently put the frog on the ground.  It worked out its surroundings and then headed for the honeysuckle against the wall and that was the last that I saw of it.

I'd noticed that Avatar had lost her visitors, they were off to Greece for the day, so I walked over and sat with her in the garden for a while.  I mentioned the tree frog to her and she said that she gets a few on the grape vine and sometimes they just fall down....so I made a point of moving my chair out into the open.  We were joined by one of the other neighbours, the conversation changed into Turkish and I try to follow it but normally 'Bulgarian spoken here' so I came home.  I was surprised that it was almost twelve o'clock, I'd not much to do so I settled on the sofa with Netflix and carried on with the series I was watching, it's become quite compulsive.  Somehow the day just got away with me, tomorrow I have the dentist so a gentle day was really called for in preparation.

I've just been outside to take photos of the sunset and the cows sauntering home....they didn't seem to eager, it is still almost thirty degrees outside and I expect the farmer will be round soon in his landrover to encourage them home.  LN.......Time to thing about supper, it's been a long time since breakfast......LN

Thursday 6th August

Very quiet morning, nothing too much to do, had my dentist this afternoon and time to fill until I had my shower and washed my hair.  My Avatar came round with my breakfast of eggy bread that she cooks in the garage on her old fashioned cooker and she stays out of the way until the rest of the house wake up and the little ones get into mischief.  I charged my phone and Kindle, took my blood pressure tablet so that it would be in range before the dentist started the torture process, had water and half an hour later had coffee, the one would balance the other out.  I tackled my emails and deleted the junk that comes through but had an interesting one for two weeks cruise going from Athens but unfortunately it was gong on the 8th of this month...I noticed that it was for fourteen days but the first seven the ship was going down to the islands and back to Athens then continuing up to Dubrovnik and other places of interest and then back to Athens.  So tempting that I'm going to phone in the morning.  I normally have a balcony cabin but I could slum in in an inside cabin for seven days, it's Dubrovnik I want to visit.

I also had an interesting time at the dentist, blood pressure taken and well within the range, two teeth removed, temporary bridge and crowns fitted and made an appointment for the actual to be fitted for just over two weeks time.  This may well interfere with the holiday plans, I shall have to check.  I was also sent with his assistant to the Polyclinic, I'd given the dentist the forms but he'd never come across them before and didn't read them and he thought that I didn't have insurance.  We didn't take the forms that I'd given the dentist but fortunately I had copies in the Nipper so I went down to the car and got the form and handed it over.  Perfect, I'm covered, I might not have to pay as much as I thought.  I am also in possession of a proper Bulgarian Heath record book which has to be signed by my doctor and stamped and that might be tomorrow if my friend is heading down and requiring a lift home after a flight from the UK.

Long conversations with my daughter this evening after my dental treatment and she mocked up a photo of herself with goofy teeth and sent it over and that started another stupid conversation that only mothers and daughters appreciate.  I sent her over a picture of mine and her and she thinks I'm very brave having explained the process to her.  One does what one has to do to get the job done.  Just been over to Avatar's house and a bench is being assembled by the DIL and one of the daughters, I'm staying out of the way....typical piece of kit where some parts don't fit properly, I'll give it one season.  LN.....Pate and toast for supper, I want something that's not going to put any pressure on my new teeeffff.......LN

Friday 7th August

It's been one heck of a day.  I'd messaged my friend to confirm that I would pick her up from the bus station in Kardjali and she said that the bus was leaving at ten.  She didn't give me an arrival time but I assumed it would take the normal just under four hours so I made my plans to be at the bus station around half one.  I had things to do so I drove to the Polyclinic, managed to park up outside, rushed to the ladies room wishing that I hadn't had two large glasses of water before I left, it was a hot old day again.  I went down to the surgery and again, there was no one there, either it was too hot for people to visit or the doctor was on holiday.  The whole area looked like there was hardly any activity...it must be the weather.  I gave up on that task and made my way to the bus station and parked up and went to arrivals but couldn't see her anywhere but she'd text me and said that she was in Haskovo and the bus would be about another hour.  I asked her for the name of the bus company and went and checked the definite time of arrival and was told it would be an hour.

I found a cafe and ordered a Cappuccino and sat in the shade of the umbrella but realised I had long enough to wait to go to the supermarket to kill time which I did leaving my car on the same car park, moving it would have been paying more charges to someone else so I walked to the supermarket, picked up a trolley to saunter round with and bought nothing.  It's the largest supermarket in the town, disorganised and really expensive but not that that would bother me.  At half two I went back to the bus station and was just in time to see it arrive, she got off, picked up her luggage from the baggage area under the bus, we walked to the car and decided that we would stop off at Lidl so she could buy essentials, she'd been away for three weeks, which we did.  I paid up as I left the car-park and getting into the traffic was a nightmare....the hot weather has made everybody short tempered including me and I did swear at some one who was insistent that she was getting in the line before me.....but she didn't.

Lidl again was busy, she bought essentials, back to the Nipper and home James, we were on the open road Toad and made it to her house in about forty minutes, water on, electricity on, food stashed away and then into the garden with a large glass of water and just coming down from the morning.  I stayed until five, drove home, made a sandwich, and decided to check out a cruise that I'd spotted this morning but obviously last minute departures appear to be more expensive.  The firm's website also seemed to be confusing and you couldn't find out the price until you were making the booking.  Better to find out first and then decided if you want to go through the booking process.  I abandoned all hope of sorting anything out today, noticed a message from my daughter so I messaged her back and a few more to and fro's.  Feeling absolutely exhausted I put the television on and sank into my current series and had myself a nap....hence the lateness of the update.  LN.....it's been a busy day, Saturday tomorrow and going into Djebel to get some bangers and mole smokes....I have hills and tunnels forming everywhere....they are doomed....LN

Saturday 8th August

Mentally I've been going over things to do in preparation for winter and so this morning I went into Djebel and to the shop that I order my wood.  I always go to the same man, the usual driver knows how to get his small tipper into the drive so I ordered two tons, paid the man with my debit card and it was delivered by twelve thirty.  I'd cut back the honeysuckle and rose growing by the small gate and I'm pleased that I had. It was a different driver and fortunately he had a co-pilot to help him bring the truck in and negotiate it out without any damage and off they went.  It was a bit of a mixed load but not too many that need chopping down to size fortunately.

I'd cleaned out the wood store in preparation for the delivery, swept the floor so at least I had a clear run at stacking them.  I moved a few loads in the log carrier but it was just too hot out there to stay out for too long with the sun being over head and not much shade from the trees so I came into the house and stationed myself on the sofa.  I rested for most of the afternoon, slept for some of it and filled the rest with Netflix.  At five I thought it was about time that I got back to the work, I didn't intend finishing it but I managed it at around nine, the last few logs are still in the log carriers and the wheelbarrow.  I had this feeling that it might rain so better in than getting wet outside, a few clouds had rolled over and the weather isn't so settled this year at all.  So tomorrow all that's left to do is stack the rest, chop the few that need chopping and clean up the yard.  A job well done and off the list.

I don't need food tonight, I pigged out on pate and toast before starting the evening session and I think that's what kept me going.  I've just made a coffee and am about to take it upstairs with me and I'm off to have a bath to ease out the muscles before any stiffness sets in.  I should have put gloves on today at the start not towards the end of my allotted task...the wood was very dry, and my fingers feel very sore and I did get one or two splinters that I removed with teeth during the lifting and stacking process.  LN....Tomorrow might be a day of rest but I do have a strimmer that needs exercising.......I'll  see how I feel in the morning......LN

Sunday 9th August

I had a very long bath last night, read and managed to hold on to my Kindle and didn't drop it in the water.....result.  I dried off and went to sleep quickly and woke up refreshed despite having shifted two tons of winter wood.  I didn't ache anywhere which was a surprise.  I didn't get up to much this morning, I had a few conversations with my daughter on WhatsApp, found a foot spa pack that she'd bought for me for Christmas and decided that I'd soak my feet, put the foot pack on and pamper myself.  I also found a razor in the bathroom, put a new blade in it and took the hairs from my legs and I'm now ready to show myself at the pool as and when.

The television went on, I haven't even cleaned up the yard from yesterday, it will still be there for tomorrow, my work is mine and to be be done in my time, no one to chide me here.  My son phoned which was unusual and we had a good conversation.  He's working in Brighton for a couple of days and since everyone is on school holidays were hoping to make and event of it but there was no response from my ex...he wasn't answering the phone.  I did suggest that they go down anyway and since he has a home help going in tomorrow there will be some activity and he has a key anyway so should be able to gain entry.  He said that he wasn't sure which key it was so I sent him a photo of the one from my key ring to the house and he confirmed that he'd found it in his 'collection' of keys that we all seem to have.

I went back to my television after the activity and promptly fell asleep waking up and having to backtrack through the episodes I'd slept through.  I looked over the road and noticed Avatar in her garden so walked over the road to take back a dish that her daughter had bought fluffy pancakes over this morning....I'd missed a small village gathering yesterday while I was wood stacking so the brought some over for me that she's prepared for the rest of the family. There children aren't there which makes it more pleasurable and it was just good to sit in the garden with Avatar and talk about nothing in particular and have a few laughs while she teaches me Turkish songs that she used to sing about going to work in the tobacco fields because there was a lot of work to be done.  All these want committing to book form, there's such a lot of history there....perhaps we'll get round to it one day.

I came back with the same plate but this time with chicken wings and lamb gooded on the barbecue.  I was invited to stay for supper and to have salad to go with the meat but for those that know me, salad isn't anything that would entice me to stay.  I'm home with my plate of meat and will finish it when I finish the update and then to bed.  LN....I've enjoyed my day, time on the internet with my children for a catch-up and pleasant evening with my over the road neighbour.....LN

Monday 10th August

Woke up at the crack of but really didn't feel very good.  My head was swimming, it was another hot day and I took to the sofa for most of the day.  I took my usual pills but I'm not sure what I had to eat yesterday that didn't agree with me but I'm, back to having raise red blotches on my arms that are beginning to itch like fury and scratching them doesn't really help at all.

For most of the day I've been lying prostrate, sporadic sleeping, drinking lots of water and obviously trekking to the toilet to get rid of the excess water.  This is going to be a short update, an early night and hopefully I'll feel back to normal tomorrow.  I really should go out there and water the pots though, some are looking a little crispy and why should they suffer while I do.    I think it's time for a cool bath to calm things down a little..LN......Here's to a better tomorrow... it's still thirty degrees....LN