Spring has sprung

What a difference a bit of sun makes. It's been rather a good week, certainly the most positive and happy I've felt for quite a long time; it turns out that I really am a creature of the weather and my moods swing with the clouds. I know this has been tough for A as I've really struggled for the past two or three months with the miserable weather then with us both getting so ill.

Things really have changed, though, since my determination to work less and take more time for me and more importantly Us.

And so to the update...

It's a great pleasure getting back into our office - Room 13

The plum tree by the Green Building is budding again

This is always the first to start the year, and was yellow through the snow

Daffodils from Lidl start the year off

A smile for Spring

This view makes me more productive, honest

To prove that Spring really has sprung I took my break time during the day last Monday to come up and clear Room 13 in preparation for our return. Tuesday was lighting the fire to take the chill out of the room, as it's been empty for months, and also A mopped the floor. We had a bit of a disaster as the flue pipe bent and fell out while the fire was lit but with the asbestos fire gloves and a bit of care we got it back in place and wedged so it can't fall again. Outside the signs of Spring are everywhere, with buds appearing and the Lidl Daffodils I bought four years ago now (yes, this time four years ago I was driving across Europe with my parents on my way out here... nearly another anniversary is upon us) have once more put on a glorious display. On Wednesday the weather was so good I could sit outside grinning like a loon and eat my lunch on the patio while the sun warmed me and things became good again. To be able to sit at my desk and look out at that view across the valley is also really good for my soul; and now as I sit here typing looking out into the gloaming as the day draws to a close I remember once again why I fell in love with this property and this HUGE job of renovation.

The dawn breaks with plenty of clouds

Later in the day it threatens rain, and it did come

The Big Reshuffle of Stuff has begun again

A putting potting compost into trays

The tomato seeds have done so well again

In a tray in Room 13

Of course after the lovely sunny day on Wednesday when we moved upstairs it was less lovely on Thursday however every time the sun did break through the entire room brightened and that alone lifts ones mood. We have decided to invite Bekir to come back and do some more work around the place early this year, mainly get the Games Room and A's Art Room finished as I've massively failed in my challenge to get the electric in there over winter. To this end we lifted out the wonky unit I made and I've started shifting things out of there. He came over today (Sunday) to check out the tasks we have for him and may start a week tomorrow so that gives us some breathing space to sort everything out. A had started her seeds in the tupperware last week and so this week they are already ready to plant out, well the tomatoes are anyway. We're aiming on being overloaded with tomatoes again this year so we can make lots of home made ragu.

The Parents' hotel is somewhere in there

A really stunning morning

Puppies hunting for the shaft of sunlight

A planting more seeds

Me enjoying more sun

Louise loving being in the sun as well

Which ball (answer - neither)

Louise being really helpful as A weeds the beds

Look at this big lump!

This is how you get lots done

Thelma has had enough "helping"

After a hard day, Louise tucks her nose

The rain of the previous day and over night washed the air clean and it was an absolutely stunning morning on Friday; I was running up and down stairs looking for the camera for the first time this year. Of course with the sun out there's a time during the morning when I can't see my screen so I have to shut the curtains; the puppies were outraged and did everything to find what sun broke through the gap. A was able to get some more seedlings planted, I think these are for sunflowers, while I once again had a Happy Beard Moment in the Sun. Thelma and Louise are also both so pleased to get back outside more, though Thelma sometimes can't choose which ball she wants. That afternoon A got outside for a while and cleared out a number of the raised beds and she was ably assisted in this task by the puppies.

Final winter plumage photo

Summer must be here!

What is this, up the tree?

Thelma getting some fresh air

Beautiful valley with the stream running down the centre

Thelma showing she is better

The cows are wondering why we've stopped in their home

A true Bulgarian traffic jam

Another option for the list

Louise less than impressed at the wash

Stunning sunset to finish the day... nearly...

Saturday dawned really bright and I finally made the decision to remove the Winter Plumage; what a change and it's been nice to not have it tickling my ears any more. We went out for a drive on Saturday before lunch towards some locations that A had spotted on the map. The first one involved an amazing drive through some stunning scenery but no house that we saw struck us as a good option; it was beautiful though and really enjoyable. As we drove back along that road (it was a dead end) we spotted something stuck up a tree and had to get a picture; it looks like a body! Very strange. Thelma was struggling a little bit with how windy and bumpy the roads were that far into the sticks and we stopped a couple of times to let her stomach settle; one stop in particular was at a lovely location next to a stream with stunning views down the valley; the cows and bulls which appeared along the road were not impressed with the puppies in their 'hood, however. We worked our way towards the second location A had spotted, stopping for a quick snack from a roadside shop as it was past lunchtime, and got caught in a very topical traffic jam. Finally we reached our destination and we were very impressed with this place; it has gone onto the list and we will investigate owners. The mud was pretty deep and both Thelma and Louise had to be washed off in the spring. On our way home we stopped for a brew with SandS which was just so lovely to see them; we think it has been four months since we saw them what with one thing and another. We were exhausted when we got back and had A had a nap while I did some hobby time and also rushed onto the balcony for the first time this year to get a picture of the sunset.

Very excited for kebab

The band gets going

Ivan getting into the groove

Rock 'n' Roll Star

Very nearly a smile

I have sadly forgotten his name. Bad form!

The night was not over, however, as Venko's band was playing in town; as it's been so long since we went out we decided to get dinner at the Turkish place A had found on her night out with Emma last year; this was a great choice as the food was really nice. We got to the venue and found almost the entire place reserved however we got a table, then were joined by a friend of Venko's who spoke a bit of English, and this guy's niece who spoke a fair bit. We did try our Bulgarian but they were very pleased to speak English; a bit later the rest of the family joined us and we sat with them for the whole night; they were really lovely - it's always nice to meet new people, especially locals, and hopefully we'll stay in touch. The band were on form and it was quite reluctantly that we had to leave as we'd left the puppies for hours; the fire was out by the time we got home so any later would have been bad.

First time we've had breakfast on the balcony this year as well

What a stunning location to play our game

Sassy hopped out and ran around the balcony

Rambo on his rounds

Table set up for the first game

Three orcs traverse the slopes

Traveling through a wooded area

Rambo chilled out in the shade underneath the balcony

Thelma in her sun trap, gasping in the heat

Louise preferred to sit on the chair near us

Shot mid-way through the final game

And so we reach today, another day we had awesome plans for. The sun rose bright however the fog rose shortly after which delayed us getting out onto the balcony but it burned off very quickly. Bekir arrived for his quick look at the tasks we have lined up while we were waiting for the sun to break back through so that was very good timing. A made some porridge for our breakfast and we were able to eat this sat out on the balcony before we set up for our game; we were going to play a new small quick version of the normal wargame we play based in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. It was a glorious day and we played two games before lunch, then had butties on the patio before going back up and playing a third and final game. We let Sassy have her cage open and for the first time ever she hopped out on her own while Rambo went on a round of the land before relaxing in the shade on the drive below where we were playing. All in all it was such a lovely way to spend time and certainly we will be playing games out on the balcony again; we have a new 4' square folding table on its way which will help a lot.

This is actually helpful from our animals

Getting stuck in to my digging chore

The flock in helping me out

Ming (front) and Blondie Bald Neck

The small task, completed

Very strong sun today

We were both exhausted by the time we finished, but more from the sun and fresh air than anything else, so had an hour or two kip which refreshed us quite a lot. I woke to make a brew and get out into the garden to start digging through the vegetable patch and while I was making the brews I watched the chickens digging into the raised beds. I targeted clearing the section that had the failed sweetcorn in last year and A brought the chickens in to help me out; they do a good job scratching and if we'd left them in here all winter we may not have as much to do now; there's a thought for next winter. By the time I had finished my targeted area for clearing I was pretty shattered, it's amazing how unfit I am again, and I came inside to start on this update. A caught the sun quite badly today which does show how strong that sunshine was. We forgot to get a thermometer out but it was certainly up to high twenties on the balcony.

And so there you have it; a rather long update but then this week has been surprisingly busy. We have a week remaining to prepare for the return of the workmen and then I'll have to up the regularity of these updates again.

Thanks for reading, as always