Sunday: Day of rest

It really has been a day of rest today. I did not surface from bed until 10am after a later night and one too many beers it seems and I awoke to a touch of a headache. I was feeling less than enthusiastic about doing any form of work and so decided that I just wouldn't!

As I said in a previous post, I am starting to feel more and more confident in being understood and also in understanding people. I was drinking my coffee and at around 11am I heard the mobile shop that visits the village a couple of times a week and so I thought I would go up and see what that was all about. It really does draw a lot of the villagers out and it is a social hub up there. The village has an ageing population and I suppose they find it difficult to get out to any shops unless they have family that can take them. It is quite a trek into town for someone older. I was welcomed and greeted and the neighbours arrived also, I grabbed a loaf of bread so as not to be seen as nosey and I came away feeling satisfied that I had made an effort to integrate again. This is important to me/us.

As I had given up on any form of physical labour today, the only other thing I had to do was go shopping. As I entered the edge of the larger town there seemed to be a very big police presence, with cars at most junctions and coppers standing at the edge of every few roads talking into their walkie talkies. Most strange and a little unnerving. This continued to be the case the whole way to the supermarket and I also noticed a severe lack of traffic. It is generally a very busy road and the roundabout is like a gauntlet of death. Today, nothing was on the roundabout as I entered and left. Very odd.

Shopping done and all the animal food was bought to last another little while. I also treated myself to some seafood which I will be having very soon.

So mostly, I have been either watching snooker or doing this.

And relax

I had a little doze earlier whilst watching the snooker and am about to cook up some salmon and prawns in garlic and butter to go with my salad and then I plan to light the fire, pick a movie and relax some more. Back to work again tomorrow and already the files are in and waiting.

Hope you have all had a good weekend.

Leka nosht.

A x

An easy day

Although the title of this post says that it was an easy one, it sure doesn't feel like it. I am feeling very tired due to being outside in the fresh air for most of the day. So let me tell you about it....

I woke at my usual time and nipped to the bathroom pondering whether to stay up or not. I decided to get another couple of hours in bed and what a good choice that was. I woke again around 8.30 and felt well rested, if not a little achy from yesterday's workout with the bottles. I started slowly and pottered around tidying up a bit and supping a couple of coffees, feeding the two animals and got myself dressed. It was around 10am and I thought I had better make a move to do something, so I grabbed Rambo's lead and thought it would be a great start to the day for us both to stretch our legs.

We got out of the village without any drama and started up the hill. Rambo was in a hurry and I clearly wasn't going fast enough. He turned and actually grunted at me - haha!

Too slow

The last time we came up this way I thought I had seen this, but there was snow on the top. I presume it to be a beaver's dam.

Dam

It is a lovely walk to take and the sun was doing its best to break through the clouds at this stage. Down in the valley there were still signs of the harsh winter with fallen trees and the high winds.

Fallen

Rambo has to remain on his lead sadly as there is a lot of livestock roaming around, mostly tended by sheep dogs and/or lady shepherds. When I saw there were sheep and that they were slowly making their way up the hill I stopped and made Rambo sit and waited. It's more a courtesy so as not to frighten them or worry them as they have lots of lambs at the moment.

Stopped

As we walked you could definitely tell that summer was not far away. The sun came out and I noticed a lot of the trees were starting to bloom. It was rather pleasant.

Blossoming

Up the mountain is a wood that we pass through to get to the lake. Again, signs of winter damage were very apparent, but a lot of the fallen trees have been cut up. I would be very reluctant to burn this pine as there is a lot of sap apparently and it is supposed to clog up the flue pipes. How and ever, I guess when you are getting it for free you just take it.

Cut off

As we approached the reed pond there was a shepherd with his flock of sheep and a dog just at the other side. Rambo was so excited that not only had he pulled me up the hill but he sat whining when I made him sit and wait until they had moved on. This was not hastened by the shepherd coming for a quick chat and telling me that his son (I think) was in the UK working, which is often the case with sons and daughters around these parts. Eventually, the sheep, lambs and the dog who was there to protect them moved on up the hill. Finally Rambo could swim and boy, did he enjoy it!

Diving in

Got it!

He thoroughly enjoys the water and it is surprisingly satisfying to watch him jump in and out, avoiding the dreaded shake each time! He is also a dog who likes sticks, Not only sticks, but tree sized branches! I had to take this one off him because it was full of nails. He was most annoyed with me!

Small stick

He eventually got me with a shake and then it was about time to move on again.

This one got me

Ready

Normally I would head back home but I was quite enjoying the walk, so I took a few nature shots and had the intention of heading to the other lake as long as there were not cattle or sheep around.

Budding

Pine cone 

Noisy Lake

We arrived at the top of the field to the lake and I thought I could hear a lot of birds. I suddenly thought of storks but couldn't see any around. As we walked closer the sound was getting louder and louder so I got my camera ready in case I was able to capture them from a distance. This will hopefully make you laugh. I could see no birds. None. Nada. I even got my zoom out when I reached the edge of the lake to see what I could find in the trees. Nothing. I stood and listened; I could swear almost that there was a human around saying "stay back, stay back, stay back,". I was totally freaked out. Even Rambo just sat down beside me and didn't even attempt to get in the water. I scanned the area over and over again wondering if it was someone playing a trick. As I am deaf in one ear, it is difficult for me to tell a specific area of where a noise comes from but I was certain is was coming from the clearing. Odd! We both stood and listened a little longer, looking and surveying the area. There was no point trying to work it out any longer, this country is full of weird and wonderful creatures that I have never heard before. I took Rambo towards the clearer water at the other side of the lake and suddenly I saw hundreds of frogs jump into the lake! It was them making all that noise and telling us to stay back! Well, I laughed so hard, both in relief and in finding it hilarious.

Rambo just jumped in.

Up to his neck

He also got me on the way out.  He is starting to really tone up and lose that winter fat. Looking good again, Rambo.

Toned!

We started off for home soon after and I spotted this tree. It really amazes me that a tree that looks so strong and established can have been so badly damaged by the snow we have had here over winter. I hope this was a rare fall like they have said. Such a shame.

Old oak

Making our way back down to the village you can get a great view. You can see the school's new roof here and the terrace, just left of centre. Beautiful backdrop also.

Almost home

As we arrived back into the village there seemed to be a hive of activity going on. Firstly at the village mayor's house and also at his next door neighbour. I spoke for a short while with the mayor (kmet) and moved along. Parked up by his neighbours house was the horse in a trap and the foal alongside. Rambo hates the horses and always barks at them from the bottom of the garden so I was nervous of going past. The old farmer who lives beside us assured me it was ok, but he didn't realise I was worried about Rambo and not the horses! He surprised me. I had him by his collar and he didn't pull or even look at them; what a relief!

I had been out walking for two hours. It was absolutely lovely to get out and enjoy the air and he loves getting off the land to have a good old sniff. I wish I had more time to take him out.

Back home and I spotted a message from S&S on Facebook asking me to go for a kebab. Sent 40 minutes previous I had 20 minutes together my stuff and head into town,. I was starving as it was 12.30 and so I text them and legged it after getting changed.  They had their intern with them who had arrived the day before and we were soon inside ordering kebabs after initial introductions. Her English is very good and so I hope she followed the conversation as much as I think she did. We just caught up, found out about poor Simon's accident with the tree, enduring a broken nose and ten stitches! We took our time and had a good natter with the promise of S coming up to the school at some point to help me move the bottle trailer back out of the way and also showing the intern around.

I was supposed to go shopping afterwards but when I was finished getting petrol and topping up the air in Lucy's tyre, I really didn't want to wast the rest of the afternoon in a shop, so I headed home. When I got back I started watering everything and decided I would dig another bed out in the veggie garden. I still have swede to plant and I will also need to replant various other things once they have grown big enough.

The sweetcorn for example, has babies!

Sweetcorn

And the sunflowers have started to really come along.

Sunflower

When I came back in to get a drink I noticed that Sassy has been doing up her bathroom!

New bathroom

I went out and started to dig and dig and dig. It was hot again with a warm wind blowing from the west. Rambo was playing Kong and I was throwing between digs. It was a perfect balance of work and play. I gave up less than halfway through the bed though as I was aching and still sore from yesterday. This is a long bed and will take a couple more attempts I think.

Starting it off

I did notice a bloom that I have never seen before. It looks like a flower of sorts but it is growing from a tree that looked to be dead a week ago. Can anyone identify it?

Unknown

Looking around further and I was delighted to actually notice that the tea trees that were so badly damaged have really started to look healthy again. This is a great sign.

Fighting back

I promised the Mr that I would show him how well the silver birch trees were doing and so Rambo and I headed down to the front. Along the way I saw another patch of daisies, but with this little fella on one.

Wassup!

One of them was snapped in two after the snow and so I have tried to patch him up by attaching the trunk back on and tying it up to try to repair it. Here you can see that it is still fighting with a small and slower leaf growth up top. I hope it makes it!

Determined

The rest are looking very healthy indeed and have had their support poles removed.

Healthy

So, even though I was supposed to have a busy day clearing out the garage, I have actually been out and busy, ish. Apart from lunch, that was pure indulgence in the best kebab EVER.

Tomorrow I will attempt the garage. There are a few areas of the house that I refuse to tidy until the Mr gets back. One is the wood room by the bottle room and garage, another is the old relic store where he has stored some papers and bits and bobs from the school and another is under the stairs. All of these areas I deem rat havens, so that is why. Plus, they are not very inviting and something might jump out on me! Look.

Under the stairs

Not only am I exhausted from today, but I am exhausted writing this. I apologise for the 28 photos, but I took 140, so count yourselves lucky!

It is time for me to chill now and enjoy the last hour of my day before I have to collapse. I hope you haven't been too bored,.

Leka nosht.

A x

Bottles and bottles!

This morning began just like all the other mid week days with an early start and off to collect the men who were finishing up the guest suite. As usual, they cracked on and before I even had a chance to feed Rambo and Sassy, they had put up a top layer of plasterboard.

Boarding

My task today was going to be to tackle the garage and after feeding the big lumps I took myself down in there and gauged my energy level; it said 8, so I decided to go for the bigger task of the dreaded "bottle room". I made a coffee and brought it down to prepare for the task at hand. Wheelbarrow, old snow shovel and gloves all at the ready and after several attempts at moving the trailer on my own up a slight slope I gave in and went to get the men to help me.  Whilst I was letting them do all the hard work of moving it, Rambo's pond looked a little low!

Dried up

There were a couple of frogs hopping around and they were tiny. One even dived into the mus and sludge just to hide from me. Anyway, thanking the men for their help I got myself organised. As there is now a trench around the house I was wondering how I would get the wheel barrow in and out when I spotted Lucy's old tailgate. It fitted perfectly across the gap. Wonderful. Then was the task of going into the equally dreaded "Wood room" and pulling out some wood that I could use as a ramp to the trailer. Finally all set up and it already felt that I had done a day's work!

Ready to rock n roll

So, here it is, the dreaded bottle room. Not that much work to do really, huh? I must have stood for five minutes just staring at it and wondering should I do the garage after all!

Bottles everywhere!

More bottles!

I took regular breaks as it was very dusty in there and I often needed a drink. Heavy work and it was warm again, but once I got into the swing I motored through it and at a steady but determined pace. I can be very stubborn, for those of you who don't know me and it was only this that got me through, I can tell you!

Halfway mark arrived and I was exhausted. Haha.

Halfway

I sat with Rambo a while and then I heard some commotion. I heard Little Lady shouting and she had someone with her. It was the sheep farmer from the bottom of the hill looking to see Bekir about something, so I showed him in and pointed him upstairs in their direction. Next thing I know, they are coming towards me and the farmer is shouting something very fast in Bulgarian and Bekir comes across to tell me that he wants to have some old roof tiles to tile the roof on his sheep house. I agreed, not knowing if he was buying them or taking them. At the end of the day, we were just going to dump them, so giving them to a local who can make use of them makes good sense, doesn't it? So off he went for a bit of a natter with Bekir and he left a happy man.

Happy farmer

I cracked on again with a real determination to just get it finished and before I knew it, I was almost there with the bottles all out and a few piles of dusty rubbish left. I was elated.

No green bottles

As I did my "woohoo" to Rambo who was outside, he strutted over to see what all the fuss was about and probably to check the madness level for the day.

Whole lot of bottles

So all I had to do was dispose of the dust, cardboard and very oddly, sheep droppings! I wasn't quite sure where to put them and then I thought about the dip in the middle of the big pile of rock. This would help stop it from blowing all over the place and so with about ten trips up the bank and up again to the top of the rock pile, I was done. Who needs a gym when you can work your legs and core like this?!

A final sweep and it was completed! Another moment of elation, touched with exhaustion. It had been very hard work, but very rewarding. As you can see, it was very dusty work.

Dusty but empty

I went for a break feeling very chuffed with myself and took my well deserved praise over Skype. Tomorrow will be another day for tidying and clearing and then on Sunday I may well just rest and relax, who knows. Tomorrows task is the garage, if I can move!

Garage part one

Garage part two

Now, I may get told off, but I did not take any more photos of the work completed by the men this afternoon as I forgot completely, but they have finished plaster boarding with the exception of a few small cuts they need to do for the second bedroom to the ceiling. Very pleased with that, they work so hard. I had a chat with Bekir towards the end of the day and he asked me if there were other things that I wanted him to do, which of course we have, loads of it. But he had mentioned having to do some work for one of our friends a couple of days ago and so I explained what we wanted them to do next but that it was a big job and so he should go to do the other work first as it would need them to be here for longer to complete, so he seemed happy with this arrangement.

I dropped the men home and as I was driving back, having had another conversation with them and sending the Mr's thanks for their hard work, that I realised just how far my vocabulary was coming along. I have been making a lot more effort of late and trying to learn the link words (prepositions, Geoff/Liz?) as well as the nouns and some verbs. When I first got here I was embarrassed and scared of trying to speak to them in case I got it wrong and then ended in a fluster, but now, my understanding is ten times better, so long as they slow their speech a little and I am much more confident in trying to communicate back to them. 

All in all, today has been a good day.

So I will be here for a while on my own with only Rambo and Sassy and maybe the drainage guy, should he ever turn up again! I am quite looking forward to the break in all honesty. Much as I love them being here and having people around, it is a long day.

Mine has just come to an end.

Leka nosht!

A x

Gardening

Good evening. Today was the Mr's Happy Birthday, so make sure you raise a glass!

Happy birthday, my lovely xx

As I sat with my early morning coffee the phone rang and it was Bekir to tell me that they would not be working today. As I was off work myself, this suited me and it meant that I could get some things done whilst the weather was good. I took my time in setting myself up for the day and stuck around to speak to the boss and to wish him a happy birthday. I finally went for a nice, hot, long shower at around 9.30 and then went to feed Rambo, taking a coffee with me and enjoyed sitting listening to the birds while he ate.

My first task was to do the humanure. Again, no photos as it is a messy business but it went well. I think I am getting the hang of it.

I had just sat down after feeding Sassy and Little Lady was at the gate shouting for me. I went down to see what the matter was and she was holding a piece of cake and said to tell the Mr "Happy Birthday", bless her. It was her son's birthday yesterday which I didn't realise, so presumably this was his cake.

Birthday cake

I decided today that I would potter around outside and dig, plant and enjoy the sun. I went out to water the lettuce boxes and saw they were coming along slowly and the other box had been blown over, so I will need to replant that. How annoying.

Lettuce babies

The remainder of the bed where we planted beets and turnips last year still needed dug through and weeded so that was my task and I went to gather up all my gardening bits when I spotted this little fella, again.  he has been hanging around a lot lately and I am not sure if he is the new sheep dog, I hope not as the sheep had long since gone first thing. Rambo wasn't quite sure whether to sniff him or bark at him through the fence and after much marking of territory, one inside the fence and one outside, he wandered off. He's a friendly little thing and when he wags his tail his whole bum wiggles like he dances!

Visitor

The little Chihuahua then appeared down the lane and Rambo was unintentionally teasing it by following it inside the fence up and down the lane. What a racket from such a small dog. It definitely had little dog syndrome though. As I went up to get Rambo I saw him sniffing at something and managed to get him away from it. Poor pigeon.

Poor pigeon

I set to work on the bed and it was now a whole lot later in the day than I had imagined - typical of being here though, you just seem to lose time with so much going on. It was hotting up and it was hard work as the soil was hard from very little rain but here we have it, clear.

Bed cleared

In this bed I then planted some peas and broad beans. Just as I had finished watering them over the Little Lady and her Daughter in Law came to say hello and look at the onions and potatoes that are now starting to shoot up. I then showed them the seeds of what was planted in the other pots and raised beds. They really do take a big interest and look after me. As we were looking in all the pots we noticed that the sunflowers were making a show too. How exciting!

Sunflower

I was getting quite hot outside and it was then time for a drink and to rest. I didn't sit for long though and headed up to the top bank to where the older silver birch is and the flower bed.  I dug it through and planted some bee friendly blue flowers - hopefully they will look really good.  As I was up there and throwing the Kong for Rambo I spotted two birds flying around and gliding low to the ground. They were fairly big and I couldn't quite see what they were and hoped they would be a hawk of some kind, but I was later told that these are actually cuckoos. I really should learn more about birds if I am going to photograph them!

Cuckoo

The School roof looked great from up there and I just wanted to get a good shot of it to show you.

Roof looks great

In the midst of me kneeling and crawling on the ground trying to get a photo of the perching bird I had to tell Rambo to go away, so here he is huffing.

Rambo huffing

I rested on the terrace in the afternoon with a beer and my book. Just me this time. After a short while I dozed off and woke around half an hour later, I was quite drowsy and the sun was hot. I could feel my skin beginning to burn and so I went back in. The rest of the day has been spent doing a burn, preparing dinner - which I am about to eat and really just messing around and pottering.  The fire is lit to help the sunburn shivers and I am planning to watch a movie. Hopefully tomorrow will be productive as I tackle one or maybe two of the back rooms and clear them out.

Leka nosht.

A x