Exploring, then a meal

Well here I am again, and here you are again (if you haven't got fed up of the regularity of these updates at the moment). It's late on here so I'll be as brief as I can be but it's been a good day so I want to get the update out of the way now and not wait until the morning to do it.

The sun is already well up

I was woken briefly in the night again by the thumping bass from that new nightclub about five miles away but with the fan on it wasn't so bad and I got back to sleep pretty quickly. A was up and about early once more with the puppies but this time I got up and met her in Room 13 as the kettle was boiling. We forgot about the balcony briefly but after about ten minutes of sitting at our computers drinking our brews we remembered and immediately moved outside. We'd got a little bit of a lie in actually and the sun was well above the ridge by this time.

A flock of birds settling,then dispersing

There are loads of birds around at the moment and a flock of house martins and swallows had settled on the power lines running down to the farm next door. I snapped a load of pictures and waited in the hope that they would fly off in pretty shapes but they just scattered and it didn't look that great. Never mind, it's always lovely to see the wildlife that flourishes around here.

More progress on our wood chopping

We had just finished our first brew when I announced I was going down to start the wood chopping for the day before the heat got up any more and A followed me out bringing another brew. I started off just swinging the axe and preparing a load of smaller wood for A to bundle up. Once I got close to my limit prior to breakfast I went to the chainsaw and chopped until it started making a funny sound which caused me to stop and find that the oil was running a bit low. This was a good time to call it a day so we gathered everything together and moved it onto our slowly growing pile of chopped wood on the bank.

Daddy cooked breakfast

I went straight in for a shower after this and then A had hers and while she was in the shower my dad cooked us breakfast. A was not wanting a fry up so it was just the three of us eating it and it was very nice indeed. We took it out onto the balcony and munched away in the amazing peace and quiet of a weekend. I was still hungry after mine so had some toast with blackcurrant jam made at Beckondale a few years ago now.

The Old School is somewhere out that-a-way

Our plan for today was to go to a place called Dambala which we have seen on signs. There was supposed to be some fountains up there, and also there was a hotel that a friend had stayed at and which was run by someone that Lyubo the architect knows. Unfortunately A came down with a pretty nasty headache that developed into a migraine and so she had to take herself to bed sadly. The washing was going so we waited for that to finish and once I'd hung it out it was into Thomas and me and my parents went on our adventure. The road took us up up up into the mountains above the river first of all by tarmac roads and then onto a really rough track that was barely a cheren put.

Puppies left in the car

We were following signs for these fountains and climbing up rougher and rougher roads. I had to change into four wheel drive mode a couple of times and we went past a few smaller cars that had been parked up as they couldn't make the grade. Eventually we drove past a larger open area which I thought was not the fountains as it just looked like a normal road side water place so we cracked on out the other side up an even more rough track; barely a loggers trail. Thomas was game though and other than one quite sweaty palm stretch of road where the track was above quite a steep cliff I was fine with the driving. The parents were doing very well as well being bounced around by the rocks and ruts. After ten minutes or so we reached an open meadow with cows on it and decided to at least take a break there as we hadn't seen many places suitable to turn round at all. Because of the cows I left the puppies in the car at first and they were not best pleased.

Stunning views shared only with some cows

Thomas in isolation

The views from up here were outstanding out across the next valley from ours and over the reservoirs and dams. It was very quiet with only the cows for company, no people at all, and I for one felt like staying there for quite a long time. There was a water fountain here as well so we carried the puppies over so they could drink (Louise did, Thelma just got scared she was going to be put in the water) and my dad got a few pictures of the frogs swimming around in it.

Our road in and out

After resting here for a little while and enjoying the views we decided that turning round would be the best idea rather than pushing on. We were now pretty sure that the underwhelming location we had driven past ten minutes down the track was almost certainly these fountains and anyway it was getting towards lunch time so getting home was starting to intrude on my thoughts.

Here are the "fountains"

The drive back was easier than the drive out, as is often the way, and pretty quickly we emerged again into the carpark only to find that the people who had been milling around there earlier were now well into their BBQ. It is obviously a spot people like to come to even at this time of year when the complete lack of water anywhere has turned the fountains into trickles.

A small frog hugging the wall

The trough where the frogs were swimming

We had a good explore around the fountains while we were there but it was too hot to follow any of the paths that invited us into the woodland. There were the small spouts shown above, protruding from a cliff face, and then a trough with lots of little frogs in it. Just past that was a little building with drinking water in it above which was a seating platform and behind which the most tempting of the tracks. We decided that if the parents do get back next year at a cooler time we'll give that path a try.

And that is how we get back down again

After a little while we were back in Thomas and heading back down the bouncy track. The corner that I had expressed some concern about the descent was actually quite easy and then we went past the old school that is now the hotel however I wasn't in the mood for meeting new people so that will also have to wait for another time. Soon enough we were on the tarmac road and speeding towards home. The puppies had coped quite well but Thelma jumped on my lap for the descent and stayed there all the time until we were on the new road when she jumped back to my mum in the back seat.

The sun going down over the lake

When I got home I found A was still in bed shading her eyes and not fully recovered. She wanted ice and crisps which I got for her then I left her to it while I ate some lunch. After this I was also feeling exhausted so I went through and fell into a very deep sleep which lasted for a fair while in the end. I woke up feeling quite dopey and really needed the shower I had after to wake me up. My parents wanted to take us out this evening to the fish restaurant on the reservoir and they also wanted to drive which was great and after her long sleep A was feeling well enough as well so off we went. We got the same table we have almost always sat at however the menus were different with no English which presented a bit of a challenge as they also didn't have pictures. Fortunately there was an English speaking waitress who helped us out and we all selected something very nice.

My Sturgeon, grilled

I selected Sturgeon which I had never had before and when it arrived I was very pleased with my choice. It's quite a meaty fish which I like and also it didn't have too many small bones to annoy me while I munched. My parents had trout and A had carp and they were also very pleased. The service was really good and it was noticeable how much every single one of the staff was smiling and happy, such a contrast to the super grumpy service we had in the town centre for our Princessas.

Lovely evening right by the water

The view from the restaurant is outstanding across the lake towards the sunset and once the sun had gone behind clouds so it wasn't glaring they pulled the shutters up so it was easier to get a photograph. What a stunning place.

Gorgeous A

We didn't rush off but sat and enjoyed the view for a while before paying up (my mum asked for the bill in Bulgarian which brought a huge smile to the face of the waitress) before we headed out. The level of the lake is about 20 or even 30 foot lower than it should be and it was actually quite a climb up to where the road begins. We did have a bit of excitement just as we got going as the car was making a horrendous noise but I went climbing underneath it and found a big stick trapped in the undercarriage that was grinding as we drove. The drive back was very well done by my mum and when we got back I jumped out, did the gate, locked the chickens away and then ran up to the bedroom where the puppies were howling to be let out of their cage.

And so that's that update done. I'm sipping a brew, sweating away as it is still nearly 30 degrees at 10pm with very little breeze making it into this room, and after I publish this it'll be straight to bed as even with our snoozes today we're both very tired.