Safety Second

I slept like the proverbial log last night, waking at about 6am when a woodpecker kicked off at high volume in amongst the tea trees. I needed a wee so got up and didn't take my camera with me then went back for it so I could try and take a video and, typically, just as I approached for a second time, I heard it fly off and didn't get any video at all. What a shame.

Rambo at his waiting station

I went back to sleep, heard it again about 6.30 but didn't shift and then blinked and it was 7.30; so much for me getting up and ahead of the day. Oh well, I struggled out of bed and, as I had slept a bit longer, I think I was a little slower to get moving once I was finally up and out of bed. I put the kettle on, made a brew (there was enough water out of the tap upstairs to fill the kettle which was great as too much walking must be bad for you I reckon. While the kettle was boiling I popped out onto the balcony to snap a picture of the mist in the valley; I know this is a picture that has been taken many times now by me but I can't get over it and love to share it.

My morning was dominated by other people and first up it was Lubo. He arrived dead on time (as usual) and looking very breezy and summery in a colourful red check shirt. I had been round marking on the plans he left last week and today we spent twenty minutes or so confirming my measurements and discussing various things, mostly around the spiral staircase between the kitchen and living room. I was also able to explain the change around the guest suite which he really liked and he left smiling, having told me that the kmet had been seen going to town as he was on his way up.

That was a pain because I needed to catch him to fill out a form for my residency. I have decided to just crack on and not wait for him to come over to help me. As soon as Lubo left I jumped into Thomas and headed into town. I had a list of things to achieve and first was to put more credit on my Bulgarian mobile as I was out. I achieved this easily, the serving girls in the shop know me and one of them speaks a little bit of English, and then with this credit I rang and arranged to meet the Kmet. This was completed very quickly however I have since realised that he hasn't done everything I need so I will be going back down there tomorrow (or ringing him first thing in the morning) to find out what house number I actually am in the village.#

T, Thomas, and the work station

Anyway, after this I scooted over to the builders merchant and bought another six bags of cement which were loaded into the back of Thomas by a burly assistant and then I was up and home before time for my morning meeting. Excellent timing. When I got back first of all Rambo came and jogged really slowly in front of Thomas and round to the passenger side, causing me to have to emergency brake and this meant he was put in his enclosure in disgrace for a bit. Secondly T was on with moving a load of materiel up to his working site so I drove Thomas up with the cement bags in the back so he wouldn't have to hump them up there on his own. Here he is looking particularly dapper up the top of the land where he is making excellent progress.

That should be easy to shift....

While I was out I had realised that at some point a blister had developed on my big toe (the same one that was battered twice yesterday) and it was agony walking around so that put a stop to my plan of doing some scything today; I'm not going into that long grass bare foot as I expect to disturb a snake or two on the way. Because of this change of plan I finished my phone call, did some work and then, while I was waiting for an email reply, decided to go and have a look at the ceiling in the bedroom which needs the plaster pulling off it. I grabbed the ladder, the iron bar and the camera and climbed up to have a look.

... and it was - right onto my head

It looked pretty simple to do so I picked a bit that appeared loose but not too big and, having put the camera in a safe place and grabbed a plastic tray to hold over my head just in case, stuck the iron bar in and wiggled it. This was not the best idea I've ever had to be honest as a much bigger chunk than expected broke away and a portion of it plummeted straight through the tray and right onto my head with the thump. What an idiot. I knew I would need a hard hat for this and why I even thought it clever to disturb any of it without one I don't know. I went straight outside to the stand pipe and washed my head thoroughly, finding that there was blood, and then asked T to take a picture so I could see the damage.

Simple ice pack

It wasn't hurting that much but the lump was starting to develop so I went back upstairs and pulled out the bag of peas (I have no intention of eating these; they are in there for emergencies such as this) and sat for the next our or so with them balanced on my head, shifting them every now and then to achieve the best cold-to-injury ratio I could. It was a salutary lesson (and fortunately not a drastic one) in not being careful and making stupid decisions. Maybe some sense has been sunk into my thick skull.

Anyway I did a bit of paid work while balancing the peas and then it was lunch so a lovely set of cheese and nardenitsa butties with mayo was put together and taken outside onto the balcony, with my book, and I spent the next hour reading, sipping my carroti juice (I am now completely out of this, so this must be sourced again) and soaking up the sun. When I went back inside after this I felt so much better for it.

Hard headed man

The rest of the afternoon was spent on paid work and I got quite into it, with a new task finally being assigned, before I suddenly noticed it was raining and legged it downstairs to help T bring the cement in. This done I tasked him with popping down to the shop and buying some safety equipment for both of us, including a hard hat, some safety glasses and some masks. He did this quickly and returned with a bright yellow hard hat for each of us. If only I had waited I wouldn't have a lump on my head right now.

Stunning cloud formations

The rain had passed while T was out so he took Thomas back up the bank and cracked on with the wall. I popped outside onto the balcony at one point as I had caught a glimpse of the sky from the side window of Room 13 and was just amazed at the formations of the clouds that formed the rear edge of the storm. For a fair while after this the rumbles and burbles of the storm could be heard and I had a message from S and S suggesting that they had caught far more of this one than we did.

Rambo cooling off

Also while I was up on the balcony Rambo came to say hello, bringing his kong with him obviously, and then went round to his pool next to where the trailer is now parked for a quick cool off. I have been wanting a picture of him in there for a while but never had my camera so finally here it is.

A spider down his hole

Finally it was time for T to head off and I was going downstairs anyway to grab a picture of this little beasty. This morning, when I woke up, I saw something just by the step skitter off into the undergrowth and a little investigation revealed that there was a hole spider (they aren't called this but this is what I call them) living just there. I will probably stake his hole out and try and get a better photograph than this but this was the best I could get, with T holding his phone light up to try and illuminate down the hole. Spooky looking fella isn't he.

T had caught another funny video of Rambo and sent it to me. Apparently there was an injured butterfly, which had probably been attacked by a bird, and it was fluttering around near the ground. Rambo was not sure at all what to make of it and kept starting away when it moved, and then batting at it. He is a funny dog sometimes.

Sunset two ways

So I headed inside, put the chicken thighs I had been defrosting over today in the oven and started this blog. It has been slow to write this evening as I have been distracting myself a lot with various other things however I'm now drawing to the end. I did my normal leg it out to get some shots of the sunset however this time I went to the balcony as well and took a picture looking both ways; with the sun on the hills and its last rays through the trees. What a sight. I can't wait for my bedroom to be done so that will be my view every day.

Sassy back out of hiding

Sassy has not been well for a couple of days and she still isn't right. I wish I knew what was wrong with her but she isn't eating her food and spent the previous two days hiding under her lent over windows. Today she has emerged and I saw her nibbling on some straw which is an improvement. I really hope she is just having a bit of an upset and will recover; I'd be so sad if she was really ill and didn't make it. I don't think the vets here are really set up to cater for rabbits though. She is better than she was, for sure. I'm keeping a close eye on her.

And so the blog is over and tomorrow I will don my hard hat and pull that ceiling down. I may even have some visitors to spice the day up. We shall see. One thing to add for my memory banks is that today I have killed three mosquitoes in here, and heard a fourth. The wind has been low the last couple of days though so that might be a factor. Also, some really awesome decisions were made today which will become apparent over the next few weeks. Watch this space... very exciting times.

Bank Holiday for some

The end of another day and time to start tippy tappying away at this keyboard again to bore you all to tears with the extended reportage about my day. What a wonderful time I am having here.

It was bigger than it looks, honest

The blog, however, starts off last night as I was sitting eating my dinner and chilling out after posting. I heard a loud buzzing sound and a few "clonks" and at first I was ignoring it. Then I decided to look round and there was a huge hornet which was trying to get in to the light. It flew at the window, hit it, landed on it and crawled up until it got to the top of the glass pane and then repeated the exercise. I took this picture to show the size with my thumb on the inside of the glass and this monster, thankfully, on the outside.

Fortunately it didn't work out to just go in any of the many open windows in the building and fly through to come in. Big beastie, that one! It didn't stop me sleeping and I really did sleep deeply, only waking once for the toilet before becoming alert and realising that I was really really REALLY thirsty, and it was almost 8am. I got straight out of bed and went inside to make a brew and then I took that brew and went and sat on the balcony and drank it all before even thinking about doing my morning chores. Normally I make it, have a sip, and then head out but today the dehydration was too great.

Poppies around my property

After that brew I felt much better so I filled the watering can from the standpipe (still no water inside) and went to sort Rambo out. On the way around I snapped loads of pictures of the poppies which all seemed to have survived after that hail, and are flourishing everywhere. This was a request as well. I hope they are appreciated. They were taken (from left to right): In Rambo's enclosure, at the end of the green building, next to the doors into the green building and just near the porch. I have more than this but I only took pictures of the ones I saw on my rounds.

While I was watering the trees for the first time T arrived but he was driving his mum's new jeep and not Lucy. I followed him up and round to see if there was a problem with Lucy and he reassured me that he had just been testing out some fixes he'd done to the other car and Lucy was fine, which is good. Rambo was also pleased to see T and I had to shout at him to stop him from being run over as the car was driven inside. He's a very silly doggy sometimes. The rest of the round was completed quickly, with a few more seedlings up by the zinias and the repeated thought that I need to think about sheltering the Magnolias soon (I'm considering a woven wind-break with whippy branches between stakes in the ground but will see) and then I headed inside for my next chore.

First tidying chore completed

The last couple of days, as I have been using my balcony more, I have found myself hurting my feet when I went to and fro bare footed because of all the rubble that had been left from the inner doing being knocked through, and then the windows and balcony door being put in. I set myself the task of clearing all of this today so that the bedroom is ready to be started on in earnest once the internal window is done. First of all I attacked the small amount of rubble and bricks in the living room which didn't take long at all to shovel into the wheelbarrow and dump at the normal place, and stack the bricks along the wall.

Mo (L) and Jesus (R) in a race

My working routine today has been quite effective, setting myself little targets towards the bigger one, and then taking regular rests in between. I spent these breaks chatting to my usual person, playing with Rambo, planning a few things ready for the visit from Lubo tomorrow, and watching Jesus and Mo as they were exploring a little bit together. I like to call this picture "The Tortoise and The Tortoise" as I don't have any hares.

Another task distracted me briefly from the tidying and this was water. The free water had stopped when T came to refill the watering can to make some more cement and the dribble which was coming from the inside tap would probably have taken about two hours to get enough out so I gave him all the bottles I had stashed and then, when they were done, we went in Thomas to find more. At the first stop, just in the centre of the village, we found that the water was running and so all of the receptacles were filled (and I splashed water over myself to rinse the dust) and then we headed back with T sat in the truckbed stopping the bottles from being bounced around too bad. Sadly my picture of this didn't come out so you'll just have to imagine it.

Now THIS is a messy bedroom, mum

The bedroom was a bit of a bigger task than the living room with loads of old windows piled on top of huge mounds of rubble and this took me most of the rest of the day to slowly work my way through. I got T to assist me lifting the really large window frame out onto the patio and my concept is maybe to use it for a frame for Sassy's outdoor run. I then took about ten barrow loads of rubble downstairs (twenty steps, having to carefully lower the wheelbarrow down each one - it was a good workout) and finally I went through all the bricks selecting the whole ones for one stack and the half ones for the other.

Bashed toe

Most of the bricks were clear of mortar but some still had bits attached so I was knocking it off with the shovel. This is when I compounded an earlier bit of stupid (I went to kick a rock which Rambo had left on the patio out of the way and forgot I was wearing sandals - it was heavy and bent the sole back so I kicked it with my toe. Ouch) by missing just the once and giving my big toe (the same one) a glancing blow. There is now a lovely black lump on my toe where I abused it today. Silly me.

Nice and clean and tidy

This injury in no way slowed me down and so by mid afternoon I had finished the job and had a lovely clean and swept out bedroom to enjoy, and I can also walk through to the balcony without standing on sharp things. Success.

The look on my face is pure pleasure.. OK!?

Immediately after finishing this tidy I went outside and found that the free water was running again. I made use of the hot water to wash my hands and feet from dust and then watered the little plants. After this, feeling all grubby and really in need of a good rinse down, I turned the hose on myself and soaked myself completely. It felt great though typically just after I finished the sun went in and it hasn't been seen since.

Solid front of rain

Feeling cleaner I went back inside and then spent nearly an hour on the phone to my best mate which was really nice as I've not spoken to him for a good while (we covered subjects as diverse as politics, work, women and CDs but he won't read this because he thinks my blogs go into too much detail. The call was 54 minutes long, if you must know) and then I was on video to the special person and while that was happening I noticed the rain was finally falling so I finished the call and went down stairs to bring the cement in. All afternoon the thunder has been rumbling around and during my calls I had been marvelling at some of the awesome lightening I could glimpse through the trees however the storms had been keeping away. this turned out to just be the edge of one and it was only ever light drizzle however it was enough to stop T and shortly afterwards he headed off for the day however he snapped this photograph of the rain across the valley which was a sight heavier than we saw.

Awesome insect with huge antennae

I do have a picture to go back to which I took just after finishing the tidying (and is the main reason I was so completely covered in dust). I'm not sure where it emerged from but when I went back to take the picture of "clean room" I spotted an awesome looking insect sat on the floor. I grabbed the camera and took lots of shots from all angles, including getting right down on my belly to photograph it from in front (I was hoping it wouldn't charge me at this point as I was basically immobile). Amazing wildlife again.

Really nommy dinner

And so my day has been, with only one other incident of note which was dinner which took absolutely ages to cook (not helped by me continually forgetting to put the tatty in the oven) but when it was finally done was so amazingly tasty it was worth the wait. I remembered to salt my butter this time and it made a big difference, as did being a little patient and leaving the tatty to soften a bit more than last time. I do eat well, here.

So there it is. Things which didn't happen today which were expected include the Kmet turning up to help me with residency, the window people coming to replace the broken panes and me getting the scythe out to start clearing the grass. What with the rain today I may not even get to start that last one off tomorrow, unless it is warm early. I've also given up on the Kmet helping and talked again to Sylvia who has offered to help so I'll probably just leave that there. Such is Bulgarian Time.

I have wardrobes

Last night after I headed towards Julian for my sleep I actually remembered to take my camera with me and I was glad I did.

Passing like creatures in the night

In the light of the torch (I don't always use a torch but I grabbed it when I had taken Rambo into his enclosure earlier in the evening) I spotted a frog jumping across the terrace. I tracked him with the torch and when he stopped in the grass I managed to swing the camera round and take a few pictures. He was quite a large one, I'm not sure it is the same one that I found in my store room last week and put outside, but it might be. Another quick example of just how awesome the wildlife is here.

The aftermath of Rambo's snoozes

The other amusing thing last night was where Rambo was when I went to take him to his enclosure. I have pushed one of the trays of soil that was collected with T at the abandoned military base to the side on the porch as I haven't yet needed to use it. That is now no longer the case as Rambo had taken notice of it last night and he was completely curled up asleep in it. I didn't manage to get a picture at the time as he immediately jumped out so I snapped this first thing this morning. He had dug it out to get a nice comfortable dip for him to settle in and in doing so had made a real mess of the entrance. Oh well, I just laughed so much when I saw him and he followed me back to his compound without complaint.

So to this morning. I slept in so much it was great. Nothing woke me, Rambo didn't bark or howl and it was only when I finally needed to have a cup of tea that I got out of bed and went up to Room 13. There was a more than a dribble of water coming out of the tap with the shower, but absolutely nothing upstairs - I did get quite excited as I thought the water may be on its way back. I have been getting a dribble out of the upstairs tap every now and then and was even able to fill the small watering can from it (though it did take some time). Just now I realised that I had left the tap on because it suddenly started running again. I do have some other updates on this water situation but you'll just have to wait for now as that will be later in the blog.

Such a pretty flower

I boiled the kettle and made my first brew but then before I even took more than a sip I was out doing my rounds. The bez pari water is still running ok (though a couple of times it coughed, stopped, then went for it again) so I was able to fill the watering can and go and fill Rambo's bowl. He was quite patient today, particularly considering that it was so late when I was getting started on my rounds, and he was also completely out of water. I grabbed his food bowl and then saw a lovely little flower that had opened since yesterday. As I was getting close to get a picture Rambo did his usual thing of bounding over right towards the delicate bloom and I was just in time to put my arm out and stop him.

They are working out how to open the gate

He is just so bouncy and inquisitive however he is also quite obedient really. We went down from his enclosure to start watering the trees and, because of my late start, the cows were just on their way out for the day. Rambo has a thing about cows and loves to chase them and bark however I was able to keep him pretty much under control and stop him from spooking them. I only had to grab his collar when we went to water the tree nearest the gate. The cows, for their part, were inquisitive in their own way and came right up to the gate as we walked away, watching us going and munching the grass by the gate. They would love to get into my land.

The latest edition looking amazing

I am now firmly into two full watering cans to complete my round and maybe even a third will be needed on the trees soon however I am able to water the pots on the table tennis table using the hose. The most recently bought rose has now got three lovely blooms on it and it smells divine. I am so very pleased I bought it (the other two roses don't actually seem to have done anything at all yet) and the rest of the flowers look like they have recovered well after the battering from the hail the other day.

The first wardrobe assembled

After my brew I decided to start making the wardrobe that I had bought from kaufland yesterday and I found that not only was it easy to put together, but it was a really good quality solid build. I finished off the construction downstairs in the store room and then decided that I should have bought more of them yesterday. My thinking is they will do me really well until I finish off all the renovations and after that they will be good for maybe plants or other types of storage.

Egg from the Little Lady

The decision was made that I would leg it back to Kaufland to buy a few more of these brilliant (and cheap) items of furniture and also some more bread and strawberry jam as I'd forgotten those yesterday however first I was hungry and so I set to making myself a half-sized breakfast but using one of the eggs I had been given by the Little Lady. It was really tasty and has whet my appetite for getting my own chickens in soon.

Spot Jesus in this picture

Before I headed out I decided to quickly check on Mo and Jesus as I hadn't seen them yet today; Mo was easy to spot, pretty much where he had been before but Jesus was nowhere to be seen. I looked and looked and picked up rocks and other items and still couldn't find him. Had he managed to climb out and escape?! It was then that I noticed where he was. See if you can spot him in this close up picture. He's so well camouflaged.

A bit relieved that Jesus had just dug himself a hole rather than having escaped and therefore living somewhere in Room 13 where I could tread on him at any moment, I went down to Thomas and headed towards town. In the little village centre just up the track all the men were gathered around and the Other Brother and the Special One were there so they came over to my window to say hi. The Other Brother explained to me that they were there because of the euro elections. I am presuming they were waiting for a mobile voting van to arrive but I'm not totally sure. I waved goodbye and headed into town, carrying out a super fast smash and grab raid on Kaufland which never-the-less resulted in three more bags of potting compost and four tins of tuna for my larder. There was another success too but that will also be revealed later.

Upon returning to my village I found that the men were still all sat around waiting and I was waved to by my neighbours and stared at by the rest; I did think that I should go back and sit with them and involve myself but I was both too shy, and also too focused on finishing my tasks, to think about it for too long. I set to putting the additional wardrobes together and was half way through the second new one when I heard voices and went outside to find the Special One standing stroking Rambo (who upon seeing me suddenly barked at him - he is good at defending me bless him) and over by the gate was the kmet and another chap.

I went over, putting Rambo in the fenced garden, and greeted them. It turns out that the other chap is from the village below mine and used to go to school in this building. Wow. I love meeting people who have real life links to the history I have bought into. It turns out this chap has been working Florida and he spoke pretty good english, better than the other visitor brought by the kmet last week. We chatted for a bit at the fence and I think I was invited to go and vote but I said "no". I still don't even have residency sorted so I'm not sure how that would work?

Anyway, I did manage to discover that the water problem is not just my village but at least the one below and has been caused by a failure of the pump to send water to the top storage tank, thus causing low pressure as after the pumping up, it is a gravity fed system. It is going to be fixed, apparently, but who knows when. I also made plans for the kmet to help with the residency. Now I think what has happened is a confusion; he didn't know I was expecting him to help - he just was saying "go to town and sort it out". Anyway, tomorrow he will come here (and this has been explicitly discussed and agreed) to help me. Brilliant.

I invited them in to come and look around the place and as I did so, Rambo managed to get the gates open and came to see us. I had to take him back to his compound as the kmet is, as you know, not good with him. At least Rambo was really good and didn't jump at him or anything when he got out - he just came straight to me.

I showed them round and told me some of my plans and he told me what the signs on the doors mean (they are classes five through seven), that the flat roof was a recent addition in about 1986 or something, that when he left the school it was shut and about the pigs they used to keep near the toilet block (which explains the concrete remains over there). He also described doing exercises on the yard that is now my patio, and that the really young classes were in the green building. It was great to hear so much about the place and I invited them for whisky some evening to share more stories; I hope that this actually happens this time.

After they left I had lunch (cheese and strawberry jam sandwiches - lovely) and then went to check on Sassy. She hasn't been out from behind her leant-over windows all day, not even to eat the food I put out this morning and so I was a little worried about her. I also had realised that I needed to get in there and tidy her a bit as I hadn't done that for ages so I filled a whole bucket with her droppings and then checked on her. She ran around a bit while I was there, and did so a little later in the day too, but she still hasn't gone up to eat. I am quite worried but not sure what else I can do. She didn't want picking up though if tomorrow she still hasn't eaten I shall have to, just to check on her. A concern, there.

Wardrobes done and in use

After this I went and got on with putting up the remaining wardrobes. I am now an expert at assembling these and can do it in ten minutes tops. The surprise was what I thought in the shop was a purple one but is actually a bit on the pink side - I am slightly colourblind to the difference between purple and pink for some reason. Anyway, it's bright and appreciated so I'm happy I got it. It also ties in with some other rather wonderful stuff which will become apparent over time, though I'm not going into details now, that has put a great big exclamation mark over today being a brilliant day.

I spent a bit of time putting my spare clothes into one of the wardrobes, my camping kit into the other, and realised I was very short of hangers (I'm sure I brought a load more but maybe not but at the moment I can't hang all my hawaiian shirts up which is a shame) and then brought the books that had been in one of the suitcases upstairs to put in the bookshelves. All done now.

Sun heated hot water. Ahhhhhhhhh

Now I know why the water is off the smell of my feet has started to really irritate me. I can cope with everything else but not that. Yesterday something occurred which I meant to blog about but completely forgot. When I went to do an afternoon sprinkle using the hose I found that the water inside it was red hot; almost too hot to put my hand in. Of course I had accidentally created myself a solar shower. So today I took some soap and went outside and used the water that had been heating (deliberately this time) to was my feet. How great. I didn't do an all over wash as I didn't want to scare my neighbours.

This ant is a poser

This done, and another lovely telephone call also, I decided to start writing this blog so set to and got about three paragraphs down before being sat in front of my desk got to me too much; the storm clouds that had been hovering around all day were continuing to do so but the ones which had shaded me from the sun most of the day had cleared and it was lovely outside. Decision made; I would go on the balcony again. I went to Julian to get my kindle and saw something moving on the patio. On closer inspection I found it was one of the large red ants pulling a big black (dead) beetle. After I had snapped a few quick pictures it stopped and so I was able to get really close for this one. Amazing.

There were many rumbles from this too

There followed a really enjoyable hour or so sat on my deck chair reading my kindle and enjoying the heat of the sun as well as the fact that the breeze being dragged into the storm behind me was a bit cooling. Talking of the storm, there were quite a few rumbles of thunder as I sat there and the clouds really did start to build a lot. I went back inside when the sun reached the haze on the horizon and the cooling breeze got a little nippier. It was good timing because I was starting to get a bit hungry so I put the stew (made by my special guest, and frozen) which had been defrosting very slowly all day onto a very low heat.

"What do you mean 'this isn't my bed'?"

And so I have been sitting here chatting away and typing this blog, and eating the excellent stew, and just now I went out to do my evening watering round which I need to get into the habit of doing. When I got downstairs wouldn't you know but Rambo was laying in the trough again and this time I was prepared and managed to get a picture of him. I haven't the heart to tell him off for lying there, though he is making a right mess.

Think it's getting drunk

I filled the watering can and threw his kong a few times while I was waiting, then headed round to the trees. As I got close it was clear that Rambo would have to be put in his enclosure as all the cows were congregated by my gate and about to be put away for the night. He very obediently ran ahead of me and straight inside which was brilliant. I turned to go back to water the plants and saw a butterfly on a thistle flower. I took loads of pictures but unfortunately my camera skills let me down so this was the best one I managed.

Busy like ants

All the trees watered I paused to take some more photographs of ants and specifically them around the next which is near the last tree (on special request, no less) and again I seem to be failing today with the camera as the focus is a bit out on this however the ants just emerging from the hole are carrying something in their jaws; maybe even eggs? They are so industrious.

Now they CAN get through the gate

As I turned to head back to get Rambo and finish the rounds I saw that the cows had been moved in but the two goats were still hanging around and one of them had stuck his head through the gate and was eating the grass on my side. I threw a stone near it and it ran away, then turned round and came back and even put its leg through this time. I threw another stone (never trying to hit it, just warn it) and it ran away again. I think I may need to put some mesh over those gates to stop them getting in.

The Special One and Usmivka Muzh gathering hay

The rest of the round was done easily and I walked back round the other direction today for a change and just to see some different parts of my land. I think I need to spend at least an hour every day this week scything my grass as it is getting quite long and also Usmivka Muzh and the Special One were out today collecting the hay together from the scything they have already done and I am feeling quite guilty about it.

So I have a beer in hand and am going to sign this blog off. Tomorrow should be a good one with the replacement glass going in and also hopefully me getting my residency. If the kmet doesn't show tomorrow then I have also received assistance from Sylvia so this should be sorted this week either way.

Rambo and The Stone and other stories

Because of the really late finish yesterday I didn't get time to add in the section about Rambo's walk while I was asleep yesterday so before I do anything about today I am going to repeat (as best as I can remember) the tale of Rambo and The Stone and other stories.

Rambo just loves the water

The Electrician took him out the side gate, up through the village and then down the cheren put that won't be one for much longer towards the river; it was a warm day yesterday and Rambo loves water. Rambo seems to have a major thing for some sticks but not others; I was told stories of a stick being thrown and he just looked at The Electrician as if to say "and...?" but another, seemingly identical, stick when thrown would prompt excitement like you wouldn't believe.

Soaking wet dog

Rambo can swim and he went right out into the deep water by the weir and was swimming around fetching sticks and having a great time splashing and dashing and cooling off. I think The Electrician may have even gone in the water but I'm not totally sure. I still haven't got round to taking him down there myself so I think tomorrow (if the weather holds) I may do so.

While they were on their way back up towards home Rambo started doing the crazy thing he has been doing recently which is playing with rocks as if they were toys. He found a very large rock and took a while to dig it out and then picked it up and started carrying it. Typically he dropped it as soon as the camera was pointed at him so there is a bit less of the funny in this than there was live but what kind of a dog plays with rocks like this. There are actually a few scattered over the patio which I wasn't previously sure where they had come from but now I think Rambo must have brought them. Silly dog.

So there you are; sorry I didn't get that into the update yesterday but I was ready for bed by the time I got home last night.

The sun glowing through the mist

So to today. The day followed the standard weather pattern of the last few with quite a heavy mist hanging around until about 9am or so when the sun finally burned through but this wasn't such a bad thing as today is the day The Electrician headed off to Sofia for the last few days of his holiday. It is always nicer to travel when it is a bit cooler. I woke and printed his details from inside Julian (WiFi printer for the win) and this alerted my imminent arrival so when I got up to Room 13 the kettle was on. The water, however, was still off.

Really bright spider and its web

I was slow to start this morning and had to have a swallow or two of my first brew before I could get myself outside to feed Rambo and water him and the trees and plants. It is good that the free water was still on as I really do need to try and keep my plants alive. One of the best things about my morning round is that I get to slowly walk around and look at things that, when you're in a more direct frame of mind you could walk straight past. An example of this was attached to the first Silver Birch on the right as you go towards the gate; this amazingly colourful spider. I put the watering can down and spent some time getting the best picture I could. I used all of the water on the six trees down here so I went to feed Rambo and refilled the can and then went up onto the top field.

Waiting for the sun to hit them

I have been told that I need to shelter my Magnolias as they don't like being too exposed (and where they are planted they are pretty exposed) however they do seem to be established ok at the moment. I also appear to have a few more zinia seedlings appearing in the window garden. I walk really slowly as well when I'm up there and I spotted these two little flowers that were still shut as the sun had yet to burn through. The possible orchid, however, is looking a little battered and doesn't seem to be flourishing at the moment which is a shame. I'll possibly get a picture of it soon for you.

After my rounds I cooked the last breakfast for The Electrician which was properly done Posh Scrambled Eggs including mushrooms and chili this time. We had run out of unfrozen bread so I had fun cutting slices from the frozen loaf for The Electrician to put in the toaster at the correct time. It was a lovely breakfast and fittingly awesome for our farewell meal.

The population just grew by one

Shortly after this it was time for us to head out to the bus station so he could begin the first stage of his extended journey back to the UK. On the way out he pointed to the foal that he had spotted yesterday on his walk and sure enough the horse has produced a tiny little horse baby. I didn't get a picture on the way out but I they were still stood in the same place when I returned so I snapped this picture. I'll get better ones over time I'm sure but I was gasping for a wee so didn't want to get out or spend too much time there.

We got a bit of the way down the road and then stopped. A big digger was filling up the back of a truck with soil from the side of the road. No worries, we had left plenty of time so there was no hurry. The truck driver acknowledged our presence and then wondered to stand in front of the digger but made no move to get in his vehicle. After about five minutes of sitting watching the digger carefully using its shovel attachment to smooth soil and then dig more out I finally lost patience and jumped out of Thomas, went to the driver, and said "aftobus, heidi, molya" while tapping my wrist. He got the message immediately and smiled and said "ok" and then started the engine. It is a lesson that I need to learn that patience over here doesn't always gain you anything; often it can just lead to extended suffering. They are more than happy to be asked to do things and he was very pleased to move when I explained so there was no problem with politely indicating my urgency.

A few minutes later we were pulling into the carpark of the hotel I used to stay in and with a big man hug goodbye, and heartfelt words expressing how much I've enjoyed having him as a guest, The Electrician walked across the road and into the bus station to get his tickets and onto his bus. It was a strange feeling to once again be alone and was bittersweet as much as I like to think I'm really grumpy, I do like some company. Anyway, he was off and I have a few weeks til my next visitor: The Man of Mystery.

From the drop off point I popped round the corner to Kaufland for a quick shopping trip with a list that included olive oil, dog food and butter. I also got some new clippers and the little wardrobe thing that I had looked at before was reduced so I picked one of them up; I can now maybe tidy a but more in the storeroom. I also got some more beer, some forks and a knife sharpener. I live the dream. I popped past Netto for pizzas and bacon substitute and then headed towards home.

On the way I decided to divert into my local town to go to ViK to ask them about my water. On the way out of the village earlier I had seen Usmivka and asked him about the water situation. He gave me to understand that their water was working so I was thinking that maybe the problem was with a bill that I hadn't paid (as I haven't received it) and maybe I had been cut off. I drove through town, ignoring a no entry sign and then, right in the centre, I was stopped by a policeman and directed through some back streets to the top road. I should really have just gone that way in the first place. Anyway, ViK was shut so I wasn't able to sort anything out; I'll just have to go in on Monday.

Mo showing his claws off

Determined to move forwards

I returned to the house and unloaded everything, letting Rambo out and having a bit of a fuss before heading upstairs for a chat and some lunch. I finished off the left overs of the pork on the now-defrosted crusty bread and almost completely wiped out my store of chipotle however they were really tasty and just what I needed. As always I was paying attention to Mo, just to make sure he hadn't tipped himself or got stuck or something silly and I caught him as he was moving across the enclosure. I watched and he got to a clump of clover and his efforts to get past were so awesome I snapped loads of pictures. I have selected two because I could chose between the one showing his claws off, and the look of determination on his face in the other.

It was around this time that the most exciting part of today occurred. I had just put the phone down from a quick call when I felt everything begin to sway and shake, and I heard what I thought was the roof as it vibrated. I immediately jumped up and assessed whether I should go under the desk but then I quickly decided to scoot out the back door and up onto the bank to get away from any potential falling roof which could land on my head. Even as I stood up on the bank I could still feel the earth shaking and wobbling and it wasn't for a minute or so that I felt confident to go back towards the house. I sat back down and it felt almost as if the earthquake (which is what it was; not my foundations about to collapse thankfully) was still happening; strange how you mind can play tricks on you.

The earth moved for me

I checked with a website and found that there had been an earthquake south of Greece and have since found that there may have been one further north even in Greece itself, and the shocks had been felt all across Bulgaria. I know this is an earthquake zone, and Lubo has told me this building has scored very highly when he put the stats into his computer program, but with the damaged roof and potential for chimneys to come down I hope I don't get any more before my roof is done.

A brilliant way to occupy an afternoon

After lunch I decided to drag my laptop outside onto the balcony and watch the Giro d'Italia while sitting in the sun and supping a beer; what better way could there be to spend the afternoon and particularly after I had decided that today was a day to do nothing at all like hard work. I ran an extension up from Julian and then worked out where the laptop had to be to keep a reliable WiFi connection and then settled back and relaxed. After I finished the beer (and had got a hat as the sun was quite strong) I dozed off for half an hour or so, waking with a start and a very sore neck but feeling rested and relaxed, if slightly thirsty.

Jesus (L) and Mo (R)

My evening since that lovely afternoon has been far more normal with a pizza for dinner (after days of wanting one) washed down with another beer, and hearing from The Electrician that he is safely ensconced in his Sofia hotel (with clean sheets, no less). I was chattering away on another call when I heard some voices outside so signed off and legged it downstairs. It was the Special One and he had something in his hand; another baby tortoise. This one is a bit bigger and more vigorous than Mo, with fully functioning back legs (confirming my concern that Mo is slightly disabled bless him) and has been called Jesus, in honour of the excellent cartoon. I was happy to see the Special One as I find it far easier to communicate with him than his father and I checked again about the water. It turns out that their free water is working, just like mine, but the paid for has been cut off. At least I can relax a bit about the potential unpaid bill but I think I'm going to head down to the office on Monday anyway just to check about when it'll come back on, and how I will know when to pay.

The sun setting past my favourite tree

So I've been sitting here blogging away and then doing my usual thing of popping out onto the landing to snap photographs of the sunset every few minutes except now I can go on the balcony too so I did so and just look at this; every night I can sit out there and watch that. How amazing is this place.

Another beautiful view of the sunset

I did also get one from the normal place and I decided to share it too as the clouds as they run around the sun as it sets are artistic in their arrangement.

So Jesus and Mo have been introduced and, after Mo struggled to climb up to his favourite spot, while I was watching him and cheering every laboured effort, then Jesus scooted up with no trouble and stood on top of Mo for about ten minutes, they are now at opposite ends of the enclosure with Mo asleep and Jesus trying to dig his way out. I think I will need to work out a more permanent arrangement now there are two of them and one is so active. I may build something outside over the next few days. Hmmm.

Anyway, I'm done with this blog post now so I'll say dovejdane and leka nosht and see you on the other side.