A proper settling in

Now that we are back properly we will return to daily updates of the blog. I'm only here until Tuesday, sadly, so A will take over after that I think while I will possibly do a weekly update from the UK for the five or six weeks I have to be back in England. So I sit here listening to Andrea Bocelli (the traditional music to play when I first get the sound system working again) at my desk in Room 13 and I feel happy to be back... here goes the update.

Last night was pretty cold; we don't have a petchka in the bedroom so the warmth of Room 13 gives way to dragon breath and huddling together under a duvet and two blankets when we go to bed at the moment. We did sleep OK however, being really rather exhausted from yesterday (and to be fair from the entire week before) and when we woke up A was off to light the fire and put the kettle on while I got ten minutes more in bed before dragging myself up and to work. And it was to work; now that internet is back on I was going to be back to the day job today and over the weekend if at all possible. I managed to stick at this most of the day and made some good progress and I think I'll be able to finish stuff off over the weekend though I'm just waiting for my boss to do something for me.

Nasty rats have munched on my wire

Other than paid work there was quite a lot else achieved around the place today. Our first task was to start cleaning from the rats which had got into the jam jars and other items in Room 13. Not only that, they had found an extension lead and chewed it quite badly so first thing I got some electrical tape and made it safe again. We've not yet tested it however so that's something for tomorrow.

The dried chilis worked out really well

Before I could work properly I had to clear the desk of all the crap and set up my workstation including the 27" monster monitor that had been brought from the UK. If you remember last year and the mad rush before we left we had harvested loads of chilis and stored them to dry on a rack set on my desk. Well, this worked very well and we now have a large box of dried chilis to use in our cooking (A used three tiny ones in the slow cooked stew for dinner today and it was rather hot so they definitely have some kick to them).

Getting stuck in cleaning up the jam jars

A was leading the charge in cleaning up after the rats, boiling the kettle over and over to keep a regular supply of soapy water to wash down the things that were surrounded by rat droppings. As each shelf was emptied she sprayed it with disinfectant and scrubbed it down. Of course we could probably do with more aggressive cleaning materials but we have to make do with what we have got. I helped by taking each box of preserves and stacking them outside on the storage in the corridor; we have SO MUCH left and I admit to grabbing a jar of plum and apple jam for breakfast on toast. Very nice indeed.

Rambo now likes to sit just here

Rambo has loved the snow however it has limited the places where he can settle down in the open air. His new favourite place, at least until the snow disappears, is the space next to the water tap. Several times I've looked out today and he has been laid here. The other place he likes is right by the side gate which is strange as the snow is particularly deep there and he must be cold sat on it but he does what he wants to.

Digging out around the burning drum

Part of the push to defeat the rats is to get our routine for rubbish back on track however with all the snow we weren't sure how easily we would be able to use the burning drum. Around lunch time I took the snow shovel and made my way around the side of the building, Rambo in tow, to clear a path back to the back door and get the fire going again. It actually wasn't that bad and didn't take me much more than fifteen minutes to do the lot. As I was clearing the steps by the back door A came running with my phone and it was the solicitor who had made a mistake and needed me to go in to his office today to re-sign the papers I had gone through the day before. I was able to tell him that I would be in as Lubo was coming to see me and give me a lift around town so I could add that to the itinerary.

The walls have got quite damp in the snow

The fire started very quickly as usual and was burning merrily as I spent a short while with Rambo and climbed up to the top of the land to reprise my "roof progress" pictures. Looking at it now (and I didn't notice this in real life) you can really see just how damp the walls have got from the snow. It is OK, but that needs to be sorted before next winter. We need the downpipes in and feeding into the french drainage which will be started come April fingers crossed.

The pear tree is still standing, just about

While I was up there I also took a picture looking across the back of the house including my favourite tree which is just about still standing after the snow. This view remains one of my favourites. While I was up there Rambo started bouncing around like a lunatic but as I set the camera up to take a load of pictures of him the battery died so I couldn't. What a shame, but it has lasted very well with only a short charge on the in car charger I think on the journey.

Snow is nearly gone now from the balcony

I was back in working from then, with a break for lunch which was chili beans on toast which were really nice. I had arranged to meet Lubo at the bottom of the hill at 2pm local so about 1.40 we left the house, A bringing Rambo on his lead for his first official walk since getting back (and he was just as excited about this as you would have expected) and we headed to the hill. Just as we got to the water tap and were making our way past the cows that were hanging around there I saw that he was actually driving up the hill and he pulled up, parked out, and greeted us warmly. It was lovely to see him again after so long but we didn't hang around and I left A to walk Rambo down the hill while we headed first to the solicitors (which didn't take long) and then into the big town to reinsure Thomas and Lucy, buy some rat poison, and book the bus to Sofia for Tuesday. I can't believe it's so soon til I have to go back. We got everything done, as well as getting some more clothes hangers for A, but the bus ticket will have to be bought on the bus as there was no one there to sell one to me. I did find out that I can get a bus within walking distance of the house, however, so that is good though it is a 5am start on Tuesday. 5am on the bus, that is. When I got back to the house I found A out on the balcony shoveling away and she had pretty much cleared the whole area in front of the bedroom. I grabbed the shovel and did the last bit while she settled in the weak sunlight and finished a glass of beer.

Roof terrace is totally cleared of snow as well

Not only had she done all of this snow on the balcony, but she had also been on the roof terrace and shoveled ALL the snow off, including knocking down what she could of the overhanging snow on the roof. I had been out for about two hours tops and this is an awesome amount to achieve in that time; no wonder A was so knackered.

Squirty expanding foam fun

The final thing which I bought was a big can of expanding foam. I had been looking out of the window in Room 13 across to Sassy's room and saw that some birds were going into what looked like holes next to the middle window. A went in and checked and sure enough there were four huge holes which the birds were coming through. I was up the ladder with the can and filled them all, which was great fun. Expanding foam is awesome stuff.

The last of the snow on the roof

Dinner was the absolutely gorgeously tasty beef stew with extra potatoes which had been in the slow cooker all day and it was marvelous. I had two bowl fulls and it really hit the spot. We then had a wash at the sink, as there is still no water inside, and we're now settled with beer and the fire thrumming in the background and so happy to be here; I know I keep saying it but it is true. The snow is nearly all off the roof above Room 13 and we have still not sledded so hopefully it'll be not raining tomorrow and we can do that on the back bank before it all disappears. We have planned a daytime BBQ with S and S and they are hoping to bring Sassy home so then the family will be complete, if only for a few days.

I'm going to put the pictures in place and sign this off now and sit and listen to the fire and relax. Til tomorrow....