Sunday of fun

Ahhhhhhhhhh Sunday... the traditional day of rest. A day when doing nothing is actually written into the holy book. I don't hold for any of that religious stuff however today my body took over and it wasn't until just before 9 that I woke and realised that I should probably get out of bed. I must have needed it and I reckon the last beer last night, while listening to Gogol Bordello with The Electrician, must have been the charm that knocked me out for so long. Wonderful.

This was all over my house when I first woke

I peered outside and saw that it was misty but already burning off. Indeed, the view down the playground was amazing with a quality of light but by the time I went upstairs, grabbed the camera, found the filter, and got back down it had entirely cleared and the mist was only in the valley. No matter I returned, got a cuppa and then went and did the standard morning round with the watering can. Each of the Silver Birches is looking very good however something looks like it has had a bit of a dig in the window flower bed.

The incredible floating Rambo

On the way back down to collect his bowl and feed him (once again I watered him but didn't feed until after my circuit - I think this will be my new routine until I have too much watering to for one watering can and have to return to the standpipe mid round) he legged it ahead of me and I diverted to check on the interesting flower in the middle of the meadow and he came bounding up to check where I was and hurry his breakfast along. I managed to snap one picture and it has come out with all his legs off the floor. He's such a bouncy doggy.

He just doesn't stop

I had emerged earlier from my super lay in to find The Electrician was already hard at work and fitting the breakers and switches into the consumer unit. It is a bit dim still in that part of the house so he had his head lamp on and, for a Yorkshire lad, this is very fitting. Anyway, he had his iPod on and was so engrossed a couple of times I stood watching and he jumped when he turned round. Today was mooted to be the last day of electrickery and so he was really focused on cracking on.

Back in the recliner

Who was I to interrupt so, other than offering a brew which I supplied, I left him to it and took myself out onto the swinging chair with my kindle and laptop and had an exceptionally pleasant time on skype and reading and getting my pasty white legs in the sun. The shade on the chair keeps the sun off your body almost all the time so I can foresee that I will need something for a bit more of an "all over tan" however it is really really comfortable and I am so pleased I got it.

"Look at my bone, daddy"

While I was resting there Rambo was doing his usual of laying down sleeping then suddenly jumping up and demanding to be played with. Yesterday The Electrician had taken him for a walk and found a really old bone for him to chew on. He had left it by the porch and at one point he suddenly remembered about it and jumped up and I was just able to grab the camera and get a picture. Later on he was sat with it between his front paws, worrying away at it.

New location for the sun chair

After a while I realised I was hungry and went in and made bacon and egg butties for us both and also moved the chair out into the full sun and, post eating, went and read and dozed and all in all was a lazy so and so for another hour or so. I roused myself eventually and thought I'd go and see what my helpful magician was doing inside.

Consumer unit diagram

He was very close to finishing; just hooking the last bits up and when I offered a cuppa he said "when I've finished" so I went and put the kettle on straight away. He has drawn a very useful pencil sketch of the wiring in the consumer on the wall next to it, with my next extension (to the bedroom) catered for. This is a temporary installation however it could be a year or so before it is changed so it is good to see that I can make changes or add stuff without risk.

We have LIGHT!

On the way upstairs after finishing, to get the aforementioned brew, he proudly showed off the fact that the lights were working (though the vagaries of Bulgarian double switches has caused a little problem which needs to be put right). It is great that I now have lights right from outside under the porch through and up the stairs and also I have four bulbs in Room 13 so I won't be struggling with dimness any more.

The novo put going in

We relaxed with our brews and then, after a non-electrifying experience in the shower for The Electrician, we headed off over to the Abandoned Powerstation (or now, as we have investigated further, we think it could have been a water pumping station for drinking water) in Thomas. On the way down my cheren put I snapped a quick shot of the digger machines and the progress that they have already made widening and smoothing it down before tarmac is laid. The sheep farmer came out to say hello while we were parked up which was amusing.

My feet were FREEZING while I waited for the picture

It is about an hour to drive from mine all the way to the place where we park the car but the views are outstanding (as I have already gone on about on here) and I really love that drive. We chattered and I was way too animated about some of the things that we saw (including the fact that the bit of road which has ALWAYS been collapsed, and marked by some rocks, has finally been fixed) but I can't help it; this place is just stunning. We crossed over the old dam as soon as we got there and then climbed up and over and down to walk along the other bank to that which I have previously explored. A little way along there was a rivulet running down into the main river and we waded through it; setting the tone for the next couple of hours.

Super rickety stair

We both wanted to see inside one of the towers that dot the river bed along here and The Electrician said "let's get into that one over there" and we waded over the river and stood looking up the super-rickety ladder. He said "oh it'll be fine, if it can take me, it'll support you" and clambered up like a very monkey. I snapped a picture (standard) then sighed and followed him up, feeling fine until the top where I had to avoid the top step - "I'd not go on that one, a bit dodgy" and then sidle along a a precipitous edge and inside the building.

Picture window

There was a large winch mounted high above with old twisted cabling dangling down and then a hole in the centre into which a ladder went and then, on the opposite side, some step pegs leading further down into the depths. We spent a bit of time saying "yes this would definitely be big enough to put a bedroom/kitchen/diner/whatever in" and then I snapped a lovely framed shot through the window and decided that I had had enough of being worried about how I was going to descend the ladder and decided to get it out of the day.

I got to the edge of the stairs and stopped, looked at it, turned round, froze and then asked The Electrician to come give me a hand. I am really not good with heights. As soon as he was standing there and before he had even offered help I swung out and was feeling much more confident and was able to descend without any more problems. I still felt a little shaky and weird though and it made me really wish I wasn't so pathetic about heights. Oh well.

Standing in the current

We continued along the bank to see what was further up and had to wade across another few times. This was actually really refreshing as, though the clouds were around, it was still warm and as time passed the clouds cleared and the sun broke through and it got much warmer. Here The Electrician is enjoying the effect that his presence has had on the flow of the water. I can't blame him for grinning like a fool; there is nothing quite like standing in running water and splashing around.

Tobacco farming, Bulgarian style

A little further up the bank there was a gate made of lashed together branches and with string for its hinges which we went through and on the other side there were extensive tobacco fields being tended in the distance by villagers. It was a really lovely view which captures what the agriculture is like over here (very manpower intensive and still relying on farm animals a lot).

Picturesque bridge

We had spotted a bridge up stream and set that as our target for rambling. It didn't take long to reach it and it was a really lovely one, though a bit battered and weathered. We both took loads of pictures from both sides but this is my favourite that I took. We crossed over and then made our way back up the other bank trying to not have to go back over any of the same ground.

Singing frog

On the way down we had heard what we thought were river birds singing and making a load of noise from an island in the middle of the river. When we walked back we made our way over to the island and, typically, it then sounded like the song was coming from the bank we had just been on. I then spotted a frog jumping into the water and wondered out loud if maybe it was the frogs making the noise, not birds. After a bit of investigation we reckon that was actually the case. I managed to get this picture of one at the extent of my long zoom lens as it hid from us in the shallows across the river.

Old man skimming stones (according to him)

While I was photographing the frog The Electrician was almost jumping up and down with impatience to be allowed to skim a stone and I wanted him to wait until I'd done with trying to capture images of the wildlife. Once that was done there was no stopping him and, when he found his "perfect stone" we set up the camera for continuous shooting and he went for it. It was a four or five hopper and he was very proud of himself, as he should have been.

Stork on the descent

So we made our slow way back to the car, wading across the river another two or three times, and climbing up the final bank to the road. We then did a little explore of the other buildings where it was obvious other people have been coming here as there is evidence of little fires, and some of the old casing I photographed the first time I was here has been pulled outside. Then, both of us a bit tired and me very hungry, we were back in Thomas and going home. On the way we saw a large bird that we identified on stopping as a stork. It was circling slowly and obviously looking for frogs; there were HUNDREDS up by the Power Station so it should just have gone up there.

Reflections on a lake surface

As I was driving I caught a glimpse of a stunning view across the reservoir and slammed the brakes on then we walked back to get pictures. It really is the most stunning of locations, this, and I hope this picture really illustrates well how amazing it is. In the distance you can see the bridge that I walked over with my parents on the last day before they left, all those weeks ago now.

Different clouds to normal

We got home and The Electrician went out to read on the recliner (he said he fell asleep and was woken by Rambo chasing the chickens who were stupidly on my land again) while I stayed upstairs and prepared my awesome pork pasta meal. I was watching out the window while Rambo did his thing and the chickens suddenly all remembered how to fly; he just loves running after them. Dinner was epic and once again we both had seconds and finished the lot. I washed it down with beer while he waited for a bit later, and we both set to with tippy tappying and getting on with the blog. The usual alert of beautiful colours reflected onto the clouds out of my window dragged me to the landing window. There were some fascinating clouds with what looked like skirts hanging down (Pannus Clouds, apparently) and those skirts is raining which falls but never actually reaches the ground. Cool!

It is now really dark outside but it is lovely and light in Room 13 as we have the two "office end" light bulbs on and the illumination is great; I'm no longer straining my eyes! Tomorrow there may be a little tidying up and we'll sweep through to get the job finished, and my guest still has another week in which he can actually have a holiday.