It's been a busy week

As the title suggests, it is a week since my last update and it has been a busy one. Again, as is the way of it when you are alone and there are no men around making huge amounts of progress, there is a mixture of lots of paid work, lots of running around feeding animals and keeping the garden alive (only just at times).  So here is a little more from the garden.

Tomato harvest

The cherry tomatoes are being harvested every day at the moment, or at the very least, every couple of days. This has been the biggest harvest so far however, and that bowl is a big one. I have around the same again to collect tonight after being away for a couple of days. I am not entirely sure what I will do with them all, but you will see over the weekend update as I am going to have to make a start on them on Friday.

New plants

I bought about nine or ten of these lovely little plants for along the front of the lawned area the Mister has been trying to keep cut back for us. They have really started to bed in and the flowers have popped out of late. As they bush out, they will be lovely.

Blue meadow flowers

I think these are my favourite wild flower around the School. They remind me of a cornflower, but are not, as far as I am aware.

What are these?

This is a tree that stands just to the right of the patio and every year it produces these spiky seeds. If anyone can tell me what these are and if they are edible, I would be grateful indeed.

Sick banana tree

Sadly, the banana tree that we bought just before winter has not taken particularly well outside. It is looking very poorly and even more so since I took this photo. I am unsure as to whether we have watered it too much or too little, but the trunk has lost a few layers and has gone a little floppy. I'm gutted.

So the majority of my time is currently being taken up with paid work. I have gone back up to four days a week again, which in hindsight was not a good plan given that I have twice the work to do around here now. Hey ho, we live and learn. The only task that I have got done in the couple of days I have not been working at me desk, is the wood stacking. Here is the pile.

Start stacking

And here is all my hard work. It took a lot of effort.

Another hard day's work

Only kidding. I did actually get stuck in and in this heat, it really was a chore! I should have got someone in earlier to do this for me. I am afraid to leave it when I am away because it will be sods law that it rains continually in that time! Anyway, not a bad start.

Ok, I did more

So the main highlight of the week was a barbecue party we had been invited to by our friends with the hotel up north. This has been something that was being planned ever since I arrived in Bulgaria and sadly, the Mister has unavoidably missed it. He was gutted, as was I. The barbecue was on Sunday evening and I was to arrive at lunchtime, puppies in tow. I was up at 5.30am. All of my daily chores had to be achieved by 9.30 and I did not want to have to rush, so that was how it was. Watering completed, chickens fed and watered, Rambo sorted with extra food and extra water, puppies fed, bags packed, car packed and I myself had to shower and eat. It worked out that I was even able to have a half a pot of coffee before setting off to the local supermarket, picked up some ciders and dog food to leave with them for the period I am away in the UK and Ireland and we were off.  It was a very hot day yet again and the drive is a fairly simple one that I can probably do without the SatNav now, but I used it anyway. Along the route we normally take they are doing some roadwork, major stuff and the last time (which I had forgotten about) we sneaked through the "blocked road" to save the diversion. This time however, there was a very insistent man with a stop sign telling me that I needed to take the diversion. Well, that was fun! One diversion sign and I was released into the deepest, sandiest, flattest part of Bulgaria with no further signage telling me where to go. What an adventure.

I took what I later worked out to be a wrong turn and ended up through a few little villages where the roads became gradually worse and also, narrower. Deep joy! I ended up here. At least it was pretty.

Lost in paradise

I drove across the dam in the hope that there was another road that would open out on the other side. There wasn't. There was enough room for a couple of scramblers to come screeching down the non-road and so I had to turn around.

Beautiful

With the SatNav refusing to recalculate a route and telling me that I must go back to the other (shut) road, I was beginning to get a little antsy.  Louise was picking up on my concern and was also getting antsy. It was an antsy 15 minutes.  I drove back through the villages and pulled up at the side of the road, pulling out my phone (thank goodness I now have a Bulgarian one with internet). I pulled up the maps and switched on the GPS and was able to programme the thing in to take me closer via another village. Finally, some progress.

However, I cam to this "road" and thought it was all happening again. I had no food and only one bottle of water. I was beginning to panic when I realised I was meant to stay on this road for 4.8 miles! Anyway, I put my trust in TomTom and off I went.

Off-roading

Finally, after a very slow and bumpy ride, I emerged at the ever familiar winery that we pass on our way to their gaff and the sense of relief was immense! We were not going to fry in the Bulgarian desert after all! (I know, a little dramatic, but it really was very remote).

I arrived at Chaz and Ivan's somewhat hot and bothered and was immediately handed a beer and told to get in the pool. They were both busying themselves with tidying and cleaning and food preparation, refusing to accept any help, so after about 30 minutes, I gave in to the orders given and got in the pool. A very welcome treat.

The party was slow to start, with people arriving from around 3pm onward in dribs and drabs and it was a very relaxed atmosphere indeed. The puppies were loving all of the attention, as usual.

It clouded over

The sun did disappear for a while and we actually thought it might rain at one point, but it blew over and all was well. The drinks flowed, the craic (as they say in Ireland) was great and everyone had a blast. They all even cheered for a photo before it got dark.

Happy people 

Later in the evening, much later around 2am, at which point I had had enough to drink and was flagging quite badly, Ivan was giving belly dancing lessons with a towel wrapped around his waist. I laughed so hard that I clearly couldn't take an in focus photo, but I wanted the memory here anyway.  It was hilarious. And such great fun.

Belly dancing lessons

Belly dancing done, I realised that he had not been in the pool all night and so I decided he should. Not having enough strength to drag him all the way to the pool, Chaz came flying across the terrace in a rugby tackle and threw him the rest of the way in, fully clothed! Funniest thing ever. It was all in good humour and he and I swam and nattered for a while before I took myself off to bed at close to 3am.  Shattered.

The next morning's lethargy was wiped after a few dips in the pool at 8am and throwing ball for the pups, who kindly let me have a lie in.  Then at 10.30, I was set to head off again, this time via a different route.  All went swimmingly and we arrived home around 2pm at which point I was fit for nothing more. I had a cuppa in the lazy boy, did the much needed watering as the plants we all wilting and I was in bed very early. 

Tuesday dawned with paid work, there was a little more wood stacked but only a small amount and the usual chores and today was mostly work again. I have typed this up in the early evening so as to get it done and hopefully have some time later on to relax. I am off to put the dinner on collect any more tomatoes that may be ripe enough. Then tomorrow will dawn and we do it all again. Thankfully, tomorrow is my last day of work and I may have a little more progress for you over the weekend.

Leka nosht xx