And on the seventh day (they) rested

Today is my last day down in the area I'm moving to as tomorrow I am off to see Chaz and the architect and then Tuesday I fly home. Booooo!!!

The morning sun glints on the mist in the valley

There was very little planned for today so the alarm was left switched off and I woke at about 8am local time to another beautiful morning with mist in the valley and the sun glinting off it and quite a chill in the air. There had been a frost again last night and the ground was still frozen but what an amazing place this is to wake.

Washing had run through the night so I was on hanging-out-to-dry duty outside and then I cooked breakfast while my hostess tidied around as she has not had much chance to with the long days we have been having working at my school. Breakfast was fried bread (again, and better done this time), some ham which I sliced thinly and fried like bacon (as close to real bacon as you get without making your own; guess what I will be doing) and fried eggs. Wow it was tasty and the brown sauce was out on the table to assist with the flavours.

Butterfly

From then I sat in the sun on the terrace for a while and managed to capture a huge butterfly which was flitting from flower to flower; it was prettier than the picture suggests with lots of very subtle colours through its wings. My friends garden really is a lovely place and I take loads of pictures from it. I won't bore you with them all though.

BBQ lamb at the fete

The main thing we had planned for today was to visit the local fete which was happening in the centre of my friends village. We walked up just after midday and it was packed, with stalls selling everything from clothing to toy guns and food stalls everywhere.

The crowds at the fete; brilliant

As we entered the scrum we were accosted by two stall holders who spoke English and said they were from 'Belfast'. We established that this is where they worked sometimes. Such is modern Europe as normally no one around this area speaks any English at all. They are very pleased when they can, though. We made our way through the whole length of the show, stopping to talk to people (including the owners of the small restaurant from earlier in the week) and finally reaching the end and looking back down the road.

Then we decided to try and find a beer and took a table in the eating area. Beer was brought to us then I went to a stall selling lamb from a BBQ pit and bought a chunk. This we ate with bread and washed down with the beer it was a very tasty snack. We had enough left over that is now cooking in honey downstairs for our dinner.

It was nice that we managed to bump into Bekir and Sally as well as a few other people who my friend knows and we had some nice conversations with them, me struggling to keep up with the Bulgarian but I am getting better all the time, if not at speaking at least I am now giving it a go at making myself understood when they ask me something.

The dog sniffs some bread

This next is not meaning to be a judgement on Bulgaria but there are a lot of street dogs and they are all very hungry and act very much like they are at the bottom of the pack. One of them was pacing around just outside the eating area and we, along with a few other people, started throwing meat and bread to him. He must have thought it was Christmas. It was funny because he would start eating bread, and then someone would throw a bone and he would go straight to the bone, dropping the bread. Clever doggy.

After an hour or so we went back to my friends house and drove over the school. Bekir had left a bag which gave further impetus to our visit, but we also stopped at a shop on the way to buy some chocolates, and a bottle of drink, for my ever-so-friendly neighbours who had let me plug into their tok (electricity) without allowing me to pay for it.

When we got there we located Bekir's bag and then the first task was to roll the fire barrel (yep, still smoking) towards the dump site. My hands got FILTHY but I have no pictures because they were too dirty for me to use the camera. We emptied the barrel and it did actually briefly burst into flames but we were ready with water in bottles so put it out quickly.

The neighbour (and the quiet one) with coffee

My neighbour arrived with a tray of coffee for us so we stood around the table tennis table drinking and talking and then, once I'd finished mine I went to complete the other tasks; namely putting padlocks on the final two doors which were lacking them.

A padlocked door

I have spent a fortune on padlocks and ring bolts but I think it is worth while as the building is secure now and people cannot just walk in.

Finally I went and rolled the fire drum inside and put it into a lockable room; they are sought after and I am quite pleased to have one (even if it currently has melted plastic dripping out the bottom; I will have to give it a good clean next year).

And so I locked up for the last time and left; it is strange to think that the next time I drive up to that building it will be me arriving to stay there for ever. Wow.

We took an interesting route back to my friends house cutting off the new road up a steep bad road and finding our way though lots of small lanes until we arrived at her house; the short cut is established.

The sheep on the hillside

And so I am back at hers, pretty much packed, beer in hand, and about to eat the last supper. It has been an excellent trip and the peace and tranquility of her house just makes me excited to have it for myself next year. All you can hear in her back yard is the sound of the sheep walking home with their bells attached, and the gentle conversation of the ladies as they herd their cows back into their night time accommodation.

I do not know if I will be able to blog tomorrow; that will depend on me getting access to a computer at Chaz's so don't worry if there is no update.

I will be back in dear old blighty on Tuesday. More's the pity!