Their last day

Well it's a little late to be starting a blog post, particularly considering how early we'll have to be up tomorrow morning, but I would like to get it done and dusted as loads has happened so onwards.

Blackpool balcony sunset

Hazy pre-sunrise in Bulgaria

There was a lot of barking and animal noise in the night which disturbed me a bit but A quite a lot however she was up before me as always to sort the puppies. I followed her not long after, however, to check the water but it wasn't on so it was back out to the balcony with our brews to watch the sun come up. Talking of which I promised a sunset view from my old flat on the front in Blackpool so that is the first picture above. The sunrise here was lovely; it was a bit of a hazy one but the sun had its usual effect and warmed us up (A was again in long trousers!).

Two very dirty puppies fighting

While we were sat there we were joined by my parents for their last sunrise on the balcony for this trip. The girls were outside as usual and we lost sight of them for a few minutes and then suddenly A spotted a huge cloud of dust in the burning circle and found them. They proved that while the steps had retained their shape during and after burning, it collapsed into dust as soon as it was touched, all over them.

Our doggie family

Rambo came up a bit later to join in the fun and took them with him round the corner towards the vehicle gate. We normally try to stop them going down there when we're up on the balcony as it'd be too easy for them to slip out and escape so I called them back. They are obedient so they came back pretty much immediately.

Mountaineering puppies

After this they went back onto the dust bowl, up the back bank, and then to a new place by climbing up and over the boulders that were saved by the bagga machine driver. Louise was the first to climb up and stand on top of the big stone in the centre and we didn't think that Thelma would try it however after Louise had gone up, danced a bit then jumped off she was followed and Thelma managed to climb up and get down without slipping at all. Good work for the tank.

Lots of brush for tying up

After A headed out to get the men I went straight down with the axe and chainsaw and again I only used the axe while she was out. I got through a fair amount before they returned and then stopped and headed in to make breakfast for me and my parents. A was already hard at work with her typing and didn't want anything as usual. It was lovely to sit out on the balcony with them eating but once I'd finished and let it go down a bit I went out and did the last bits of wood chopping with the chainsaw. There's a lot now for A to bundle up.

Bekir starts to lever up the platform

So with the bathroom completed it was time for Bekir to move on to the next job (Sally was still bashing away upstairs to knock out the bricks for the windows next to the roof terrace doors) and with much excitement, and I am not exaggerating I was over the moon and quite bouncing off the walls, I asked him to start taking the platform out so that the hole for the spiral staircase could be begun. Without any delay he was in with the crowbar ripping the concrete out in huge chunks. It was such fast progress as the slab, held together with wood not metal, just split up into chunks quite easily. After Sally finished up he came down and started heaving the chunks out of the window onto the spoil pile below.

Ooodles of hot water

I was on with work for most of the day again today so everything else occurs around that. At one point while working I heard some water in the pipes and so jumped up to wash up. At first I was disappointed as nothing came out the tap but after leaving it for five minutes suddenly the smallest trickle appeared and it never got any stronger however I was able to wash everything up in it eventually. It wasn't very fast, but it worked out.

Sun loving puppies, asleep

The puppies were snoozing on their chair for most of the morning but at one point Louise got up and lay herself down in the sunlight pooling behind my chair. I picked her up then Thelma came to join her and they both fell asleep with their heads on the desk in the sun. Unfortunately I was not able to work while sat like this so soon they had to go back to their beds after a bit. Louise didn't stay in there for more than 20 seconds before she was back in the sunpatch behind my chair. Bless.

A very old newspaper

Making good progress

I was so excited about the progress going on that I also kept bouncing up out of my chair to go and see the living room, snapping pictures every time and getting laughs from Bekir and Sally. I got to see lots of the struggles they went through to lift the larger pieces but the best bit was when we spotted a very old newspaper stuck to the bottom of one of the slabs. Bekir looked at it and said it was Turkish but we couldn't see any dates. So fascinating, these insights into the history of the building.

Dad wiring again

My dad was on with fitting the Bulgarian plug I had bought yesterday and also sorting out some anomalies in the other wiring he had done (a switch was glowing when no current was going to it which was caused by an earthing problem, apparently) and it has been really good to have him helping me with these things as his knowledge far exceeds mine.

Patio door being fitted

We had planned to pop out at lunch to the hotel my parents had stayed at last year however just before we left there was a beeping and a tooting and the window men arrived, causing Rambo to have to be locked in the porch and me to decide I didn't want to leave him there. They had brought the patio doors, the internal kitchen doors, and the glass for the windows on the roof terrace and they cracked straight on. Bekir helped for a bit, then it was lunch and then after lunch he carried on watching and helping as they were working in the kitchen and the next task was to knock the actual hole down through the ceiling.

Swinging chair back in use

When I popped onto the roof to check out the progress I found my mum was sat in the shade of the chimney on a cushion so I helped her to rig up the swinging chair which she loved. I then was tasked with getting my dad to go and join her and after a few minutes he went up there and they had a lovely time sat swinging, reading and enjoying the breeze. I'm so pleased they got to do this as until today it has just been too hot up there.

Fitting the double glazing

It took several hours for the window people to finish their tasks today and all that time Bekir and Sally were unable to progress. We did manage to work out that the back windows could be shut enough to keep the elements out (though if they don't get replaced before winter I will probably still end up boarding them up) and also I showed Bekir where a few things were going to go in the kitchen. They left after doing everything on the doors but took the glass for the roof terrace with them as it had been made the wrong size. They'd better be back with that soon.

A being safe as Bekir starts to dig a hole in the floor

And so it was finally possible for Bekir and Sally to get started on bashing the hole into the floor for the staircase. They started out with the pickaxe and worked really well together, Bekir breaking it up and Sally getting in there with the shovel to remove the loose pieces. I had dragged A away from her desk to check out what was going on and she legged it to get her pink helmet which caused very much amusement from both Bekir and Sally.

Dad looking for his geocache with puppies in attendance

With the window men gone, and Rambo no longer confined, I was able to head out to the hotel with my parents (sadly A had an urgent file and really could not get away) and while it was a very short trip out it was really lovely. We looked for the geocache my dad had set the year before but couldn't find it, and strolled around briefly letting the puppies have a good old sniff which they loved. Afterwards we went past the petrol station to refuel Thomas and then it was back to the old school and less than an hour had passed. A lovely interlude on the last full day they are here.

When I got back it was to find a hole had appeared in the living room. A had heard a racket going on and went through in time to capture on video the first of the drilling that they did trying to get through the reinforced lower bit of the floor. We learned quite a lot during this process, actually. First of all the wall below extends 15cm further into the room than upstairs as it is made of stones and upstairs is bricks. Secondly the floor is a looser concrete on top and then about 10cm of thick reinforced concrete and stones below which is very hard indeed. It is a really solid construction, which is excellent to see.

Braver than I

What was less excellent, though rather awesome in a sense, was watching them both as they worked away to chip out the second strong layer of the floor. They were standing on the rebar while swinging the pickaxe, the sledgehammer, and the crowbar with all their might to dislodge concrete which was attached to the same metal. Amazing. Their comment was that this wasn't so high, it was higher when they were on the roof. Health and Safety?! Hah!

The hole what they made

And so the end of the day came round with us popping over to the neighbours for a coffee so they could say goodbye to my parents. It was a lovely little visit and the Little Lady kept saying that I was her son, to which I said "I have two mothers" which they liked. They're so lovely. When we got back to the old school Bekir and Sally were done and so I took them home, nothing exciting occurred, and then had a shower when I got back so we could go straight out to our evening meal.

Our happy group

We headed down to our favourite restaurant by the river and got a table. The same entertainers were there and they both waved as we arrived (and as we left as well) so we're definitely becoming locals. It was new serving staff however this time all of them were smily including the girls who often don't seem to want to crack a smile and as always the food was outstanding. It was really nice to not feel under any pressure, be sat in the warmth even after the sun went down, and just celebrate the last two weeks of such amazing fun and relaxation since they came over.

Mum cadging a lift on Thomas

They leave early tomorrow morning so we didn't sit around too long at the restaurant and I drove back but my mum wanted to have the pleasure of getting the ride back up on Thomas clinging to the side of the truck so she did the gates and my dad snapped the pictures. We had a brew and then they have gone to bed about an hour ago while I have struggled to get through this update which, typically for a night I want to do it fast, just hasn't been quick at all.

We'll be up at 5am to wave goodbye to them and the I'll probably be back to sleep again but we'll see. Time to put those pictures in place and then get to sleep.

The final week

Finally it is my final week in the UK and tomorrow is my final day! FINALLY!

Watching paint dry

So just a quick overview of the last week as my excitement builds for the awesome day that tomorrow will be. As you will remember Thelma and Louise had done a little bit of damage in the kitchen in the time when they were left there during the day; the linoleum was not something I would be able to fix sadly so I have left it to the landlady to get it replaced out of the deposit money, but the walls where the rubbish wallpaper had been torn were easy. I bought a tester of Magnolia Kitchen paint and was able to cover over everything with some to spare. By the next morning it was dried and matched perfectly. As well as doing this small amount of painting I also spent time cleaning, hoovering, scrubbing carpets and getting the kitchen clean including the cooker and work surfaces. I'm really not cut out to be a cleaning person but by the time I left I was relatively happy with the result.

Brave explorer heading off into the unknown

This was my final week in the office as well, obviously, and while it was very busy with pressure to get things done before I changed to remote working we also had a lot of fun. One of the guys, Ade, was joking about me being an explorer and ended up buying me a pith helmet for the journey. I wore this off and on over the last two days to much hilarity and it is now packed to come with me. Suffice to say I am not going to wear it while driving; it won't actually fit on my head in the car, but it will go with me now on my travels as a reminded of some really good times in the office.

Gorgeous evening sky on the walk home from the pub

My plan was to do a half day on Thursday so as to be able to spend the afternoon doing the final cleaning but I got a head start by spending three or four hours on Wednesday night putting the last bits in the trailer including the sofa and almost everything else that would be taken. This mean that the only thing left to be put in on Thursday was the girls' hutch. Just as I was finishing up the neighbour who I have spoken with most came past on his way home from the pub which was a shame but we had a brief chat and I agreed to send a postcard. Ten minutes later I was on my way round the corner with the girls where I spent a really enjoyable hour or so sipping a few beers (much needed from my efforts loading) and chatting to the locals. The girls get so much attention. On the walk on the way home the sky was stunning so I snapped a few pictures of it. Then I was almost straight to bed and to sleep, exhausted.

Eating lunch in the sun in the beer garden

Thursday arrived and I ended up only being in the office for a very short time as finally A's new phone was scheduled to be delivered and I didn't want to miss it. It arrived at the scheduled time which was good as I was able to get it charged up and then put the time lapse software on it for the journey, but more of that in my next update. Lunch time was a last minute decision by the people in my office to go to the pub for lunch so I walked round, again with the girls, and met them there. It was really nice as we were able to sit outside and the chef, who had been quite sad that Thelma and Louise were leaving, got ANOTHER chance to say goodbye.

The train is ready to leave the station

After lunch Loz walked back with me to the house to give me the final bit of help. I had already taken the hutch down in the morning and so we shoved it in, not very efficiently in the end, after packing the freezer in and then he helped as I reversed to hitch the trailer to Thomas. This actually went very well and it only took a few manouvres and it was all safe and securely attached. I waved Loz off with a man hug and then did the last little bits of rushing around and throwing things in the car so I could leave to get to John's where I was staying for the remainder of my time in the UK.

The drive over was pretty easy however I did see that I would need some more straps on the outside of the tarpaulin as it was flapping a bit on the motorway. It towed fine though which is the main thing and I found that my top speed won't be much more than 50mph just to be on the safe side. When I got to John's I was happy to find that the keys I had did open his front door and therefore was able to gain access to his gated carpark. I then got straight on with reorganising the trailer again which involved stripping the tarpaulin right back, putting the hutch bits in a more sensible location, and then shifting the straps so I had more for the outside however I still was short so I knew I'd be shopping for straps again shortly. I finished this in very short order and settled down in the house to work for the last bit of the day.

A very good ribeye steak

That evening I went into town to meet up with Jamie which was nice as I haven't seen her at all since I got back. It was a good evening with lots of catching up, over fantastic steaks, and I'm glad that I got to see her before going back for good. I returned to the flat to find that Magda had been spoiling the girls as per usual and they were very happy indeed.

Waiting for the UPS man in the car

I had planned on going out for lunch on Friday with Lee and Ryan but for various reasons this got postponed which meant I was able to get back over to the house earlier than planned. I had told the Landlady that I would be there at 8 meaning 8pm but when I got there at about 10.30 I found that the locks had been changed! This was not part of the plan as I had left a few bits and pieces the day before which hadn't fit in, most importantly the cherry tree which was finally showing signs of life, and I was not able to access them. After texting to ask just exactly what she thought she was doing I knocked on the neighbour who shares the side gate and was let into the garden so I could get the tree.

As I was loading it the Landlady turned up with her husband and the whole situation degenerated into a shouting match in the street which was really unpleasant and quite stupid when you consider it has all been prompted by a 6" tear in some cheap old linoleum. Anyway to cut a long story short (for once) it got resolved eventually though the husband was raging and quite irrational for large amounts of the time and best of all the UPS guy arrived dead on time with the delivery (the main reason I had gone over) and because I had already seen them I no longer had to wait around so it was back on the road to go back to John's flat and a cup of tea which was much needed.

Frying up for Saturday breakfast

At this time I still was not sure of when I would be actually returning as my invite to visit the baby had not yet arrived but I spoke to CJC on Saturday morning and we agreed that I would go past about 5pm or so on Wednesday. Immediately I was on the website booking my ferry and I have a flexible ticket based around a planned early Thursday morning departure. How exciting! Finally I know when I'm going home. In celebration I made a lovely fried breakfast for me and John (Magda is a vegie so had her own) which kicked Saturday into gear satisfactorily.

Magda about to spoil the puppies

The girls have loved being in this flat, though they haven't been able to have the exercise they were getting as the yard isn't as good as the old garden. Magda has been spoiling them rotten as expected with toys and treats and lots of fussing and this is good; they have really taken to her and even sometimes chose to fall asleep on her lap rather than mine. I can't wait for A to meet them and start to get to know them. They are so awesome.

Louise keeping hold of the hand grenade

Sunday morning John cooked breakfast which was lovely and then it was a relaxed day as he prepared Sunday roast for when my parents were coming past later in the day. We spent time watching films and relaxing, mainly, and there isn't much to say other than this amusing picture of the girls playing with the hand grenade toy for the last time. Louise carries it with her snout right inside the hollow and gets a really good grip that way. Thelma holds the whole thing in her gob as she is slightly larger. Sadly it really did start falling to pieces and when they started leaving bits of rubber and string everywhere it was tided up and removed.

Beautiful Roast Lamb Dinner

My parents arrived slightly later than planned but still in time for dinner and what a lovely meal it was. The lamb was cooked to perfection and the veg was all gorgeous too. It was really brilliant to get to have this time with my parents as well before the "big off" and I think they appreciated the opportunity as well. After we finished it was not long before they had to get on the road as they were only taking a brief break while on their way home after a week in Scotland.

Before they left we gave the bone to the girls and boy did they enjoy that. It took about half an hour only for them to completely strip the bones and crack them a bit for the marrow. This is the first time they've had a bone and I hope it won't be the last; I'm going to have to make sure we get them bones and things like that as much as possible in Bulgaria.

Sun lounger

I was working on and off all weekend to make up the missed half days on Thursday and Friday and I had some really good progress in the end, though often the girls wanted to sleep on my lap (as they are right now actually) which does make operating the laptop quite a challenge. Thelma in particular likes to put her head on the touch pad and move the mouse and click things. Louise just likes to be in the sun and was very happy to find a patch underneath a chair and completely collapsed into it.

Proper man sustenance

And so we get to yesterday and the postponed Last Supper with Lee and Ryan. I met them in a wine bar and had a glass of red which is unlike me but it was actually quite nice. There then followed a long walk as we went round the houses to get to the destination of our choice, Red's BBQ. Ryan chose the first drinks which was a lovely cocktail with chocolate icecream and maple syrup and whiskey and bacon. The most awesome thing, however, was the steak which I shared with Ryan. It was cooked to perfection and while it looks huge it was actually just the perfect amount.

It's not just the girls who can do this

Of course at the end I had to pick up the bone and gnaw on it like a caveman and under the pretense of taking a picture Lee got this video which I think might just be the favourite video of me I've ever seen. It was lovely and the meat I chewed from the end was so tasty it was worth the effort. Sadly I forgot to ask to take the bone back for the girls which was a real shame as when this was suggested to me (thanks A) I could immediately see just how much they would have loved it.

Fighting over who gets to kill the rat

After another couple of bars and a few beers, but not that many, it was back home for all of us and I hope that they can come visit The Old School soon. When I got back to the flat I found that there had been more spoiling going on and Magda had bought the girls a toy rat to destroy. And destroy it they have. Just now Thelma has torn both the ears off but in the first hours of having it the eyes and tail were removed. They love it though and fight over who gets to kill it again and again.

Final ever rice 'n' three

Today has been a normal working day for me other than lunchtime where I went into town to meet up with ex colleagues from another job for rice 'n' three. We went to my old favourite haunt but my favourite dish was not on the menu any more which was a real shame. It was still a really lovely time made even better after my first couple of friends left and I was joined by a late arrival who I don't get to see that much. MC is a top lad and we chatted and walked back to the car together and promised that we would stay in touch and that he would come and visit. After this I went past B and Q to get the ratchet straps I need and then it was back to work after a bit of a doze because of the curry.

And so it is Tuesday evening and tomorrow afternoon I'm off to see my namesake and best friend and his mrs and then it's the drive down the M1 to the ferry and I'm finally on my way! What a buzz, what a feeling, I cannot wait!

Last two days

Wow what a last two days and as I type this (mid afternoon Friday while sipping a brew and taking a load off before carrying on with stuff) it is still going. The blog didn't happen yesterday as I had hinted at due to friends visiting so this will go back to cover two days.

Little saved frog

Actually, in all honesty it goes back to the night before when I was taking Rambo I found a toad hopping across the downstairs landing so grabbed it and took it out to by the pond. Lovely. From what I can remember I slept well and when the alarm went off (as I was collecting the men) I was off out to make a brew and try and wake myself up.

The wild eyed bitch of our village

As I left to collect the men the crazy eyed dog was at the gate and I managed to grab a quick picture before it legged it. This is the one I thought had tempted Ralf out (it's a bitch dog) but as we haven't seen him at all, and she is around all the time now, I don't think that happened any more.

The stone BBQ table at the men's village

I was to the men's village a little early as usual so I had time to pull up just at the top of their cheren put and snap a picture of the stone table on the ridge where the men of that village sometimes sit of an evening and have a BBQ. I would like to make use of some of the stone in our huge waste pile to make something like this I think. We shall see if we are able to shift it. That plan could just be too much hassle.

Woman shifting wood

When I got back A was out on the wood pile that had been put together by Ohktay before the digger machine did its thing, burying the good wood that I had stacked up with lots of bad. She had made really good progress isolating the burning wood out so I took a picture then went out to join her. We cracked on and pretty quickly had finished that job, with a pile thrown over towards the back door for burning, and the good wood split again into planks and beams.

Bekir on the roof doing the chimney

Bekir, Sally and Ohktay were straight to work with Bekir going onto the roof to finish the chimneys and Ohktay mixing cement for Sally to put on the roof terrace after the rain had dimpled it the night before.

Huge load of huge logs

We were really slaving away and once the fire wood had been thrown down, and a load had been dragged through and stashed, I went straight back out to load the trailer while A carried on shifting the fire wood into the hole by the back door. There were some SUPER heavy beams in this load, some I could barely shift, but I got it all done and we were only left with the planks.

This is a bullet hole. Honest.

While I was pushing one of the biggest and heaviest of the beams onto the trailer the nail that was in the end went straight into his back. It looks a bit like a bullet hole though so I'll probably claim it is that instead. We emptied these beams and then went back round to load the planks. It was a really busy day but finally we finished and now we have about 6 cubic metres of old wood for burning inside for next year, and probably twice that or more in the green building for use in construction projects next year.

Another skim of concrete on the roof terrace

All this time Sally and Oskhtay had been working through the cement bags and getting the final concrete up onto the roof terrace. It was looking amazing now, and I can't wait next year to come back with floor tiles and finish it off; build the BBQ and the dining table and everything up there. It is going to be such a feature of the building and I reckon we'll use it a lot.

De-stalking the elderberries

With the outside tasks completed I set myself by the cooker and first of all reheated the apple sauce from the freezer then, after adding cloves and cinnamon, bottled it into jars. I then pulled the blackberries and elderberries out and made a jam from them. The one box of elderberries was already off the stalks but the other had the berries still attached so I stood there and separated them. This was actually really easy so next year I will probably do it this way; freezing them on the stalks then avoiding really badly stained fingers at the separation stage.

Window fitters get to work

Myself and A then started the task of relabelling all the previously made jams and chutneys, and I selected those I wanted to take back to England either as gifts or for us to eat, and I then brought them in to be stacked in Room 13 over winter where it may be a bit warmer than out on the corridor. Half way through the afternoon the window people arrived and put in the last windows of this year. There was one drama in the kitchen when they took the wrong window out but we decided to just fit it there and leave the middle window as the old windows and next year, when they come to do the double door onto the patio, they can just swap it back.

Mixing cement, and Thomas with his lid on

Ohktay was still out doing the cement and when I saw him take a break I popped down and got his assistance to carry the back onto Thomas. I then put the fixings on but was in too much of a rush as today I have had to go and retighten them. No worries though as it never fell off in the mean time.

The door goes in for the roof terrace

I spotted the fitters carrying the double door for the roof terrace up to the attic so followed them with the camera and watched as they struggled to fit it at first, then suddenly worked out a solution and it fit like a dream. I left them to it and went downstairs as it was nearly time for my friends to arrive

Me and my friends at dinner

They had made really good time down from Sofia and I gave them directions where to meet, which they missed slightly but pretty soon we had met and I led them back up to the house, going across the narrow bridge which the comment was "that would be a foot bridge in most countries". Yes, well Bulgaria is better than most. We settled them with beer and a brew and then did the tour which went down well and then some of the slightly heavier spirits came out. A took the men home and when she got back we were sipping and talking and catching up. We then made our way to the restaurant and had an absolutely lovely meal, which I ordered as a selection of many different dishes, and then back home and into Room 13 for more snifters (A was very happy for her beer finally) and then bed. It was such a lovely evening and so great to spend time with them again.

Final sunrise we shall see from this position

With one guest in the guest room and the other on an airbed on the floor of Room 13 we all headed to bed and, other than the Room 13 guest getting lost trying to find the toilet early in the night, I slept really well other than apparently snoring a lot. The men, who we hoped would be finished yesterday, had said they had a few more bits to do so we had arranged to collect them at 9 rather than 8 which was nice as the alarm could be set a little later. When I got up the last sunrise we shall see this year from the balcony was just finishing and there was enough of a view for me to get the camera and capture it. I then went through, woke my Room 13 friend and put the kettle on for everyone.

A variety of drinks

My day started out tidying up from the night before and washing up and everything; I took some pictures of each of the bottles we had sampled the night before, though the measures I had poured were tiny so we didn't have too much and were all awake well; even my guest room guest appeared earlier than I expected him.

Friends in the morning, and as they left

The morning was spent with me and A pottering around gathering things together and packing and tidying, and our guests muttering together about the next few days as they are in a coding competition. I cooked a lovely (if I say so myself) bacon and egg butty breakfast for us and again it was nice to chat and have them there; soon enough though they had to leave to get back to Sofia in time and I waved them off knowing that I'd be seeing them in a week or two anyway back in blighty.

Just a few chilis

One task we had on the list was to go out and get as many chilis as we could off the Lidl plants on the Hugelkultur so we took a bucket and started pulling and wow there were a LOT of fruits on there. I stayed until this task was done then jumped in Thomas and headed down to town for my appointment. On the way I went past the builders merchant and picked up a large padlock for the front gate and then spent the next two hours wishing I could end the meeting and get on. Eventually we were done and I picked up some take away kebabs for me and A and got back just before she had toast in the thought I had abandoned her.

Selling more tiles

As I drove back onto the land I could see a van was pulled up by the tiles; Bekir had managed to find another person to sell some of my tiles to. After a while they headed off after paying me and I am now left with loads of tiles, but still fewer than before.

Spread out to dry over winter

Now it was time to set the chilis out to dry so I got a tray, spread some wire mesh over it and finally some kitchen roll and then (having supported the paper where there was no mesh underneath using some cups) I put the chilis on and spread them out. This was when we realised quite how many we had. Hopefully we'll come back next year to find loads of lovely dried chilis on the desk, and not a room full of dead flies and a rotting mess. We shall see.

The men keep working

Putting the roof box on Thomas ready for packing

Having done this we finished packing more stuff then I put the roof box on Thomas and filled it up right to bursting point with boxes and shoes and bags. We then worked out the straps that are holding everything to the edges of the truck bed while Rambo will be in the middle and then we were unable to put anything more in as it would go on seats needed to take the men. I pulled Lucy round to her winter parking place and removed the battery and then we had basically done what we needed to, or at least as much as we were able to.

We have an edible melon!

A had been out in the garden and found one of our melons was soft and ripe and ready for eating so we brought it in, chopped it, and now it'll be our desert in a few minutes. Yes, we only got one fruit off these plants but they grew so well and have given us so much confidence for next year.

Carrying in the drain pipes

There had been a few bits and pieces left outside that needed bringing in; A had brought the small bits of wood in while I was out in town but now we pulled the metal downpipes from where they were sat and stacked them up in the downstairs corridor. With that, everything outside that needed to come in was done and away.

Standing on the porch for the last time

S and S were coming past to borrow some of the tools which would otherwise just be sat here over winter and they arrived as I was talking to an agent about a possible job. After finishing that conversation I joined them where they were sat with A on the balcony (actually, I forgot to say that me and A had sat out there for half an hour just before having a cuppa and making sure to wring every last bit of pleasure we could out of this last day - I had a vision of snow covering the washing line and that made me so sad to be leaving, but that is life). We didn't sit there long and then got things together, including nearly 2kg of processed plums that I have made them promise they will make use of, after the pain I went through to core and skin them. S was lovely enough to take a picture of me and A stood together on the porch of the last night of the year we are here.

Three guard dogs glaring

We have seen the Little Lady a couple of times today, once earlier while the guests were still here when we gave her our gifts (chocolate and a head scarf for her, whisky for the men) and later with one of the large melons for her cows, front door keys, money for the final electricity bill and other things. This picture is of their three guard dogs (for some reason they got another one today) as I was stood by her door waiting for her to bring out some chai flowers for us to take home.

The Little Lady with the men

The Little Lady came back with us one time and then popped onto the roof to talk to Bekir and Sally; you could tell how busy they were by the fact that they didn't stop once but chatted while working. You can see on this picture just how much they have done today, putting metal across to keep the roof edge safe and Sally concreting the outside wall to make it water and snow proof. As I type this (about 7pm now) they have just come down from the roof where it is dark and are now about to put the windows in the corridor window where there is no glass at the moment. They have worked like legends again.

There goes the sun

It has been a lovely day, weather wise, today and the sun going down as I was up on the roof with the Little Lady and the men was lovely over the mountain. I snapped a picture and as it happens I have missed any further photographs so this is your final sunset picture of the year.

A with the turnip and cabbage we grew

And so to harvest; our vegetable garden has gone so well that we have turnips and cabbage ready to eat, and the beetroots are amazing as well. Sadly the broccoli fell over in the storm but it grew so well also. Here is one of the proud gardeners holding some samples. As I have explained my idea is to leave the plants in the ground and see what is there when we come back. I hope to have LOADS of huge fruits of our labours to greet us in March.

Where we got to this year

One final task was for me to do the humanure and we had loads of food and other things to go on there as well. We also had some burning to do and I went onto the top bank for a final progress picture of the year. It has become too dark now to take another picture even though more has been done since this was taken.

Really tasty last tea

Dinner was a mishmash of mince and veg and it was absolutely awesome. We ate it even before the men had gone and while I was typing this so there has been no Father Ted episode for us this evening.

The roof terrace is weather proof

The men are just finishing off the window now, I've helped them a bit and they have used the windows we had put to one side for the raised beds but that is good, they are perfect. A went on the roof just now to get a picture of the roof terrace finished and you can really see just how dark it is now.

I am going to take them home, then we will load the last bits into Thomas by the light of the porch, have a night cap, and head to bed. I will highlight this in red so none of you worry if there are no updates for a few days. I will do my best but I can't promise anything.

It's goodbye for now from Old School Bulgaria.

Ciao ciao

*sad face*

postscript

When I got back from dropping the men I pulled Thomas back near the front door so we could load by the porch light, as planned, but as I got out I was hailed from the side gate and it was the entire clan from next door, the Little Lady, Usmivka, the Special One, the Other Brother and his wife and kids, come round with some pumpkins as a gift and to say goodbye. We swapped contact details and then did a lightning tour for the Other Brother's wife, and then with tears and hugs and many farewells they left, leaving both of us with tears. What a wonderful family and it just makes getting back here for good even more important.