The last day of the visit

Today my guest went home which was sad as we have had a really brilliant time from beginning to end. She said she loved it and will come back so fingers firmly crossed on that. Last night (after I posted the blog) we sat and watching a few music DVDs while drinking very nice whisky, including the whole of the Ray Charles Live in Paris DVD which was incredible. What a great way to spend an evening. Sleep was easy to find and we both slept really well.

We ate the others too quick to take a picture of them

Our hoped for lay in this morning was interrupted by Rambo actually barking for attention which is unlike him; I hope he isn't learning new tricks from the barky dog next door. I went out, fed and watered him (via a toilet break for myself) and then went back to bed; no way was that dog going to spoil my morning. I made a brew and brought that back with me too. Finally the thought of breakfast became too strong to stop getting up from happening and so we went inside and I cooked posh scrambled eggs with bacon bits, olives and chilis and spring onions. It was absolutely gorgeous and filled us both up rather more than expected.

Putting my back into it

After breakfast my guest started cooking a chicken chasseur she had been planning on making for my freezer, and I decided that I absolutely had to plant another silver birch for my tree lined driveway so I loaded the wheel barrow with the tools and headed down there, Rambo following me as he loves when I'm pick axing at bedrock. It was hard work as usual but I worked a new technique out which made the pick axe much more efficient than I have managed before. I then wedged the supporting wood into the hole I had chiseled with the iron bar and, having returned Rambo to his enclosure, grabbed the barrow full of manure from the Little Lady's heap. After this my guest arrived to take photographs to prove that I was actually doing some grafting so here I am shoveling the spoil from when the digger had dug the hole originally to fill it up again.

The third tree

It is quite hard work, this tree planting lark, however it is so worth it particularly now I have three of them in a line and the whole vision is starting to take shape. I am liking the way it looks with the stone water-catchers around each tree and then the large boulders being positioned between the trees as a guide; it is tied together really rather nicely. I am now half way through this, though on of the new trees needs to go where there is another tree already so that'll be some work to remove. I had been out and bought some tights to use to tie this tree up (as per advice on a previous blog post) and they have worked very well. I need to buy some more so I can re-do the other trees, and use this technique on all future plantings. I also saved a tiny seedling that was in with this tree, which is apparently another huge tree waiting to grow. I've put it in a pot and will decided where it should go maybe next year or the year after when it is a bit bigger.

I also did an empty of the recycling box in the kitchen, and the two full humanure buckets, which didn't take me long and my guest was most amazed at how there is just no smell anywhere from the whole process as I am because I thought that the collection point may get a bit pongy with the quantity of stuff I am dumping there. My new hay fork really was awesome to use and sped the process up no end so that was a really good buy.

The church in town

With that job done it was nearly lunch time and we finally made plans to head down into the local town for one of the amazing kebabs I'd had with my friend last year. We drove down and parked in the centre but there was no little man waiting to take our 1lev for parking which I presume is because today is St Georges Day and a bit holiday. We were still not really hungry after the outstanding breakfast and so took a bit of time to walk around the town and see some of the sights. We found a big board with a huge list of tourist attractions and things to see in the area which was mainly news to me.

Awesome kebab for lunch

After a bit of time spent wandering, and looking with interest at a couple of shops for sale on the high street, we headed back towards the kebab shop and I managed to order us two large, amazing, wonderful, full house kebabs. Now these are not the kebabs you would buy in any British town. They are actual meat and they actually taste NICE! My guest was so impressed she said she could easily have one every day and I must admit I am careful to limit it to a luxury.

After this very enjoyable repast we drove past the window place in the hope of finding out when they were coming to do the balcony door in the bedroom but they were padlocked and shut so it was back up home for the afternoon. By this time the weather, which this morning was positively arctic with the wind, was absolutely lovely so we went and played with Rambo and enjoyed the sun until it was time for packing to happen and us to head towards the airport.

Broken down Lucy and me shading my eyes, honest

As we were driving up the hill out of the main town Lucy started making a strange noise; my guest thought it was a flat tyre but there was no other indication like shaking wheel or what have you. When I changed gear the sound reduced and then stopped however about another hundred yards or so up the hill I saw that the battery light had come on. Hmmm. I figured I'd make it to the next petrol station at least and kept going but then the steering started getting heavy and then light as if the power steering was starting to go. This last made me worry that the sound had been the alternator giving up and I would soon lose brakes (not a good idea on these mountainous roads) so I pulled over onto a layby that was just ahead and stopped and turned the engine off.

Sat in the sun

It was then that we heard the grinding bubbling sound coming from under the bonnet and I popped it open to see steam and drips and bad things happening from what I think is the top tank for the radiator. What a pain! We looked at the time and it was immediately apparent that there would be no way now of getting my guest to the airport. I rang my friend to come and collect us (though after I felt bad because we could have walked into town or hitched a ride, and got a taxi) and then we went and sat in a field just down from the road to catch the last of the sun before it settled behind the mountains. After this it got too cold and so we went, pushed Lucy (with some trouble as it was uphill) to a slightly safer place, and waited for her to get there.

Super tasty dinner

She arrived, laughed that my guest had just wanted to stay anyway, and then we were off and back to home (driving past the Little Lady in the village who was very surprised to see that my guest is still here) and then it was time to show her the work which had been done and she had a good suggestion to make about the internal window which I think I will be taking her up on. She headed off and I sat myself down to write this blog and my guest pulled together an uber tasty meal of cabbage and bacon with tatties on the side. Wow.

So now we're supping a beer and she is booked on a flight back on Thursday. Tomorrow is now going to involve me going to the garage and hopefully getting a tow back there or maybe even getting Lubo to do a roadside fix. Fingers are firmly crossed.