Shutter trouble

I marked this down as a subject to talk about a few weeks ago but have just left the title on the back burner as I didn't have much to say.

Today things have started moving on this so I figured it would be worthwhile to crack on with it; it is relevant and recent anyway.

As a quick catch up I have taken on a unit in the same yard as my studio where I am planning on storing Julian, and using it as a base in which to practice packing the trailer and Thomas under cover and in the (relative) warm.

The shutter which needs replacing

This has now been sorted out for a month or so however a problem occurred immediately as the shutter door (which I absolutely need to have working so I can drive Julian and Thomas and the trailer inside) is completely seized. This was identified quite early on as no one had a key for said shutter and the locksmith (who came out to look at it free of charge and I am happy to link to him here because of that - he was brilliant) said that while he thought he COULD open the shutter he gave it a 70% chance that it would never shut again; not the most secure of situations.

So I have requested that the landlord replace the shutter (as he has on all the other units) and to his credit he didn't complain and said "OK, it needs doing that is fair enough".

I have only managed to get into the unit once since I have taken it over (not a problem as Julian is in the garage, still) and this was quite an exciting experience.

A REALLY high gate

The person in the unit next door has padlocked the outside gate from the inside. This isn't a problem for him as he can go through his unit and out the back door to unlock it however it blocks off all the access. I solved this by getting out our large ladders and climbing up and jumping over. This sounds simple but for someone who is scared of heights (even heights this small) it did take some effort to transfer myself from the ladder to the gate and hop down.

Inside the (currently used as storage) unit

Once in it was clear that the person who had been temporarily storing their gear in the unit would need to move it as there was no space to drive any vehicle in, however it is also clear that the unit has plenty of space for everything which I want to do.

So today I have been speaking to the landlord and his secretary and due to various things absolutely nothing has happened for the last three or four weeks. The secretary is now in the process of arranging for a quote and I can tell you this is not going to be a cheap do! It is a huge shutter and those metal electric ones (which he'll have to get if it's to match) are pricey.

Anyway, this weekend I collect Julian so I will be putting a padlock which I have the key for onto that gate, parking Julian behind it, and posting a key to the neighbour so if he needs to get his bins out he can. Then, hopefully, the shutter replacement will arrive soon and I can put him in there and move the trailer and start the process of working out exactly how much space I have and what I can take.

I am going to start taking things over which I do not need in the house (my bedroom is getting more and more cluttered with packing materials and boxes and things I don't need could do well to go) this weekend too.

Regarding the mooted visit by Veselka to the Obshtina today I have not heard anything at all, not even to request further keys, so I am hoping that no news is good news and she had a successful day. I did here, concerningly, that it may be a holiday in that region today but fingers crossed the hard working employees of local government were there to help her. I do hope to hear an update soon though.

So, we wait wait wait for people to do things and rationalise my absense from Bulgaria by "I am earning now to pay for all this" which is the unfortunate truth.