This is my blog about emigrating to Bulgaria. It starts with the idea and will take you through all the steps I am taking to create my new life in this wonderful idyllic country. Thank you for reading.
Please make use of the comments box to ask questions or suggest blog subjects too :)
First of all, however, are two pictures of the incredible moon rise last night - it was so beautiful but sadly my camera really doesn't do it justice. Stunning. The men were in on time this morning and set themselves to splitting logs and doing some tidying up while they were waiting for the crane to arrive. Someone else was also very excited about the arrival of the crane and she sat up on the swinging chair all morning waiting and refusing to move. The men had had enough of splitting and went to another small task I suggested to them which was painting the frame for the vine. It has been out there unpainted for years now and the steel was getting very badly damaged. They did a great job of this and hopefully now this'll last a long time.
Everyone is watching the crane. Literally everyone
The first beam is lifted into place
Bekir puts a quick spot weld in to hold the beam steady
More lifting of beams
Putting the end one in place
Everything is finished for the day, and Rosie loves it
Late morning finally the crane arrived. It was the same truck who delivered the steel to us and the driver was very complementary of Bekir and Halil saying they were excellent "maisters" and the best he'd ever seen working, so that's a thing. The task went really quickly, and just as efficiently as I had hoped with getting a crane. They lifted each beam into place then quickly spot welded it at the bottom to prevent it sliding before moving onto the next. They were not going to spend lots of time positioning to the mm with the crane as they could do that final by hand later. Rosie watched it all and was so excited, though at first a little concerned that it would knock the house down. By just after lunch the whole thing was done and the driver left to another job. The men spent the rest of the day positioning each beam exactly one meter apart and then securing it in place. They haven't quite got every one done but I think only a couple remain for tomorrow. What a great day and Rosie was so impressed!
Very big birds flying over head
I'll leave you with this picture of three eagles, or maybe vultures, which flew over head and circled for a bit. Bekir said they were looking for sheep - big birds!
Today has been another glorious day, with one short shower just as I was about to mow the lawn (but more on that later).
Moon rises above sunset-lit clouds
A photograph for Angela (wait for her to paint this!)
And the morning comes round once again
Let's start off with moonrise last night; just as I finished up publishing the blog and was doing some work into the evening I saw the moon rising over sun-set coloured clouds and grabbed the real camera (most pictures now I take on my phone) to get this shot, and another of a distant storm cloud also lit by the setting sun. Glorious. It was also beautiful this morning as the sun was just rising. I was awake early and got to enjoy all the stages while sat at my desk on the balcony.
Bekir grinding out the wedge
Needs a little more trimming to be perfect
Halil fits the new crocodile clip
Working hard on a production line
A little brush fire is kindled and then extinguished
This day can be truly summed up with two words: "Grinding" and "Welding". That is what Bekir and Halil have done all day. It has been a very efficient production line with both of them constantly busy. They went to the shops before arriving to pick up a new crocodile clip for my welder, and a bigger circuit breaker for the chicken house fuse box. Then they got to work. Bekir was first of all tasked with cutting a wedge out of an 80cm long length of pipe and bending it into the exact same angle as the exemplar. He was doing this free-hand, I've got a video a bit further down. When these angles were correct Halil then took the part and welded it together completely. This took all the morning and into the afternoon. Just before lunch there was a bit of a fire as a spark from the grinder caught in the dry brush but it was put out really quickly.
Getting stuck in removing overgrowth
Cucumber frame in place
Angela got out into the garden for a good chunk of this morning and into lunch; she trimmed back all the tomatoes and refreshed them a lot and also put a frame up for the cucumber plants. This garden is looking amazing now, and we are already eating carrots and peas from it. Superb.
Welding like a champion
Loads done, more still to do
Now Bekir is tidying up the welds
All afternoon the grinding and welding went on and on. Halil was cracking through the angles while Bekir finished off making them and then, once he was done with the last one (the video above is one of the last ones he had to do) Bekir went to the little grinder and worked on cleaning up the welds that Halil had done. It was non stop and relentless and really hard work! Today was a tough day for them.
A beautiful vista from the balcony
Vine is growing really well
Moving the remains of the manure off the lawn
I had a crazy busy work day but today I was able to get away from my desk for 5 minutes and tend to the vine. It is growing really well and needs training every few days to keep it growing as a shade. I really do need to get another vine planted and established next to it as only half of my trellis is being covered (the one I did plant died a few years back for some reason). After work, and before Rosie got back, I tried to mow the grass but the push mower didn't start and then before I could look into why it started raining so I put that back and got the wheelbarrows and shovels and shifted the manure pile over to where Angela wanted it. Rosie helped when she got back from school as well.
Halil still welding away
I'll leave you with this picture of Halil on his final task of the day (and what he'll be working on tomorrow as well). Here he is attaching the angles to the top of each upright. What a hard day work.
So there you are; a really productive day for all, and hopefully tomorrow will see this welding and grinding task completed so they can get onto less noisy and unpleasant tasks. Thanks for reading. Back tomorrow.
It has, indeed, been another hot day today and as I sit on the balcony writing this Angela and Rosie are outside with the water pistols having a great time. Soon it'll be pool time again as well!
Pink sky before the sun showed up
The sun chases the haze into the sky
Starting work on removing the wooden shutters
Bekir chipping away at spilled cement
Still working the boards loose
Halil cuts the grass
I was up very early this morning for some reason and at work before the sun was up; this was good in that I got to finish a bit early, and also I could watch the lovely sunrise as it took place. I was working away when the men arrived and started the long and very difficult process of removing the boards around the cement poured yesterday. They were chipping away at it with crowbars for ages but kept at it through the heat and progressed pretty well. I think they finished by about lunch time. After work I pulled Mo out again to finish the top bank and found that Halil was scything the grass that had grown up in front of the wood shed; that's one task I won't have to do tomorrow now.
Half the sand we had delivered today
Halil sorts the planks, Bekir shovels
Xena barking at Bekir as he shovels
While I was away cutting the grass, and learning that driving Mo as slow as possible through long grass was the best more efficient way of working, two truck loads of cement arrived and was dumped out. Rosie was very excited to see this later on. All afternoon Halil was cleaning up the timbers, removing nails and sorting it into a pile, while Bekir shovelled the dirt in around the edges of the new cement footings. It was hot hard work but it is really starting to come together now. I think they'll be doing this clearing for another day or so before they actually start laying the blocks.
The garden is really starting to produce fruit...
But also producing nasty weeds like this
Rosie found an alium in the tortoise garden
Rosie pushes Puppy in the swing
Thelma and Louise join in
Louise and Xena chilling in the shade
Shade from the vine
I wrapped up my mowing shortly after Rosie got home from school and then it was time to play with her while Angela prepared dinner. We all went down to the raised beds to harvest some peas for dinner and then I noticed that the pile of sheep manure was growing lots and lots of spikes. I pulled every one out and got rid of them before spending an enjoyable time by the tortoise garden first of all with Rosie admiring the flower, then pushing puppy in the swing and finally I pushed her for a bit while Thelma, Louise and Xena had fun on the grass also. The final task before we came in for our dinner was to water the grapevine and then I spent some time training the vines a bit along the trellis. It's coming on so well; I love that I've got a successful vine as some of my earliest memories involve my dad growing a vine in our back garden at the house we lived at when I was born. It's awesome!
So there you have it; another day done and summer is rushing in. Thanks for reading, back tomorrow.
As the title of this update suggests it has been a lovely long weekend indeed. Sunny and very enjoyable, though not relaxing.
Rosie places a feather behind the fairy house
Such a lovely display
The vine is growing well again
Saturday is Daddy Day and I was up with Rosie, though Angela didn't end up having much of a lay in anyway. Rosie and I were in the garden early, playing "catch you" and she moved her fairy house to a new location and then started to collect feathers behind it. The garden really is slowly coming together; when we have the new raised beds done it'll be awesome but already Angela's flowers by the path look so stunning. Rosie and I played in the sandpit and she also helped me while I checked the vine and clipped up some of the new growth to encourage it along the right path. After her nap we got to play on the balcony again. It was a good day all round.
This sapling must go
Rubble dug out while removing the saplings
Tortoise garden starting to be removed
Hacked back the weeds here
The never ending mowing of lawns continues
Sunday is Mummy Day for Rosie and I did a small amount of hobbying but mostly was out in the garden. My first task was to take the pickaxe and remove a number of saplings that were growing in the wrong place, like really close to the house. This didn't take long and then I set to with the sickle and did a load of clearing around the entrance to the fenced garden. Rosie and Angela started trying to take the tortoise garden apart but it was too solid (go me, who built it 5 or 6 years ago) so then they went next door and I followed once I'd cleared even more by the gate out of the garden and behind the spud towers. It was very tiring indeed and I was very hot. After this I pulled the mower out, while Rosie was having her afternoon nap, and got the next section of the lawn mowed. While I was doing the first clearing of the day I unconvered a toad hidden in the undergrowth. After this video I covered him up and let him be. He'll keep down lots of pests, they are noisy but good to have around.
Rosie spreads her pizza around
Climbing the back bank
Tasty cheese (and pizza)
I was pretty exhausted and very hangry by the end of the day and Angela planned a lovely meal with shop bought pizza bases that we could build our own pizzas on. Rosie got completely involved as she added her tomato base, spread it around, and then scattered all the toppings for her own. She then helped build mine. While waiting for these to cook we went on a lovely walk around the village and up the back, as is traditional, and then it was time to sit on the balcony and eat (which I was VERY pleased about).
Halil shifts the last of the firewood
Rosie at the cement company
Lots of drainage
Hot hot today
Shifting the blocks
And so we get to today. It was a long weekend for me but the men worked the holiday, which is good. First thing this morning Halil finished off the moving of the wood from the outside woodstore and I went with Bekir (and Rosie, who insisted on coming with me, though I was going to take her anyway) to order the stones and cement for the patio. We got that resolved then went to the normal builder's merchant to get toilet pipe (it won't come until Wednesday) and to collect all the drains we've ordered. Lots and very expensive materials are going into this project. It was a very warm day today indeed. When we got back Bekir and Halil got stuck in to shifting the blocks that were stacked on the patio and these are now very neatly piled up by the green building.
Circling bird - what is it?
Halil starts to lift slabs
Quite a substantial stump I dug out
Continuing the trench
Burning up the old cement bags
Front lawn all mowed
Lunch was on the balcony again and while we were eating a bird flew over that I couldn't identify. I only had my phone so the pictures and video are rubbish, but maybe one of you can help me with what it is? After lunch Rosie had her nap and I went outside to continue the mowing. Bekir and Halil were getting stuck in to digging trenches for the toilet pipes which was very hot and very hard work. I also did a bit of digging as I swung the pickaxe to lift roots and stumps as I came across them. Bekir made a little bonfire of the used up cement bags which was a good idea and I pushed on and got the whole of the front lawn mowed before needing to go in and rest. It is pretty hard work but so satisfying and worth while.
Digging in the hot sun
Rosie watches the tractor drive past
The trench extends towards the downstairs toilet
I rested after this and Bekir and Halil kept digging. What hard work it was for them today. They finished the trench that will bring the pipe from the upstairs toilet and then got started on the one going towards the downstairs. With the pipe being delayed we may have to delay the stone delivery due tomorrow but we shall see. After Rosie's nap I took her to the front lawn for a picnic on the rug and she was thrilled by a tractor that drove past down the side path - we don't see many of those type things around here. She also got to wave goodbye to Bekir and Halil, and wave at Hus and the White Car Driver from the farm. We did catch you and hide and seek and sandcastles (Angela got me to pour water onto the sandpit which made these much more successful) then it was dinner time and then Rosie bedtime.
Lovely sunset
I'll leave you with this sunset shot taken while writing this update.
