1000 days

Today is a Red Letter Day.

The grand departure

It has been ONE THOUSAND DAYS since I set off from Blackpool with my parents on the long journey to get to my home. And what a thousand days it has been.

This is not going to be a normal update (I'll try and get one of them done tomorrow) but is going to pick out some entirely random moments from the time since we left. I've only just decided to do it this way (I was going to do a normal update) so this is totally unplanned.

I can't even work out any headings at the moment so I'm just going to go for it.

The day that we arrived

Celebrating my arrival in style

The great glass pick continues (to this day, actually)

The 'rents head home, leaving me alone

Spuds warming over an wood fire

Friendly cross country racers

The journey itself was memorable - six days driving with me piloting Julian and my parents taking it in turns to drive Thomas and trailer while spending their "rest" time sat in with me. We arrived at The School mid morning and I was welcomed at the top of the hill by Usmivka who gave me a huge hug through the window - now THAT is what I call a warm welcome. That first night held one of a few Moments when I clambered up onto what would end up being the balcony dragging a chair, tripod, glass and bottle of whisky and enjoyed the final sips of the 2013 Lagavulin Festival bottling while smiling like a loon and marveling that I Had Done It!. There followed much work, internet was fitted, S of SandS was met, stuff was burned, water and a shower and a washing machine and a fridge was all fitted, Room 13 walls were scraped (not for the last time) and glass was picked for hours and hours. And that is just a brief overview of the ten days that my parents were able to stay with me before flying home and leaving me on my own and not panicking at all. The day the cross country race came past through our village was another moment that will live with me - hearing the sound of engines and then rushing down the back bank and waving as they drove past - that was an interesting Sunday morning indeed.

It's hard to know how to continue with this update - right now I'm looking back through all the pictures and just grabbing moments out like that but at this rate it'll take me all day and probably turn into the longest blog of all time ever...

Heavy machinery at work at The Old School

Evidence of wild boar

The one

Egg in a Cup!

When Lucy broke down

Electrical work done by a professional

Work on the Cheren Put

Memories: I had the bagga machine digging out the driveway and starting the drainage ditch around the outside of the building around my birthday and actually on my birthday as well that first year. Another strong memory is being shouted by The Other Brother to go chasing wild boar through the mountains behind our village. I caught a glimpse of one, and we found hoof prints. Awesome. My guest (who morphed into "A" on this blog) also came for a visit or two and introduced me to Egg in a Cup; awesome breakfast. The first visit lasted longer than planned when Lucy broke down on our way to the airport - there was a bonus two extra days. Another visitor I had was The Electrician who came and put the wiring in that I have just started to replace with final fix. And the cheren put up to the village was worked on and became a smooth tarmac road. Such changes.

This photograph is printed out and on the wall

Mo's grave :(

Rambo and Ralf

Sassy in her room

The first time I ever met Thelma and Louise

My, haven't they grown!

Animals, we've had a few. There have been tortoises (the most memorable of which was Mo who sadly died and is buried up by the old silver birch in the top corner of the land) and of course there is Rambo who came here to retire. Then Rocky arrived, who was quickly renamed to Ralf. He was such a darling dog however one day just before he was to go on holiday to Ken's while we went back to the UK for winter he disappeared and he hasn't been seen since. We both miss him every day. Sassy came across with me in Julian in that first trip and has stayed here every since. In fact she is the longest continual resident of Bulgaria out of the whole group. And of course we now have Thelma and Louise; they make us smile every single day without fail.

The first of many windows is fitted

Insulation progress

What a lovely lounge we have

Dining room, nook and kitchen

Making full use of the balcony

So much has been done to the building in the past 1000 days. The fence around the property was the first thing to do, before Rambo arrived, but since then we've had a new roof, new windows, full external insulation and concreted parking area made. We've got a bedroom, living room and now kitchen/diner/nook completed. We've got a double guest room with attached wet room and the utility room / pantry / toilet / bathroom downstairs with a dragon foot bath. The balcony has been tiled and walled and the unexpectedly excellent roof terrace has also been done. Being worked on at the moment is Room 13 (me, doing electrics and waiting for the boiler to be removed) and the Men's Room (currently paused for cold weather, but a new floor and the walls being resealed) and once that is done we'll start work on the tool room / workshop. When I think back to the first viewing, the ground floor full of hay and the upstairs with mounds of detritus from the school, it's amazing to sit here in this lovely comfortable welcoming warm and homely home and remember how much has changed. What a 1000 days!

There are so many other memories over this 1000 days that it would be almost impossible to complete this update without getting over-long. I'm going to choose to end it here and say "here's to the next thousand".

The lovely A

Dedicated to the woman making it even more awesome than I ever thought it could be.