This is my blog about emigrating to Bulgaria. It starts with the idea and will take you through all the steps I am taking to create my new life in this wonderful idyllic country. Thank you for reading.
Please make use of the comments box to ask questions or suggest blog subjects too :)
The title refers to the wonderful time my mum spent here with us; she left last week and it is strange to not have her here. It really was a lovely visit.
Again this update will be brief and to the point. We have not yet done any work around the place, I've not even been back into the old tool room to finish tidying it. This is mainly down to lack of cash and also lack of Bekir - he's hopefully coming for a week or so to do a few small bits around the place that are becoming urgent however we have decided to build up reserves, and also focus on Rosie, with the aim of maybe having a late building season to install a new toilet in the guest suite.
Mum doing some gardening
Out for a really lovely lunch
The waiter gave us this note - HOW AMAZING!!!
Dippy Duck Eggs on the balcony
Rosie with Grandma
Another Balcony Breakfast
Cuddles with Grandma at Elite
Play time, while Thelma waits patiently
Out for fast food
Final breakfast on the balcony with my mum
The pictures above tell the story. It was a relaxing time for us all, though I was working the day job every day. Mum had a totally relaxed time, with no pressure to do anything. She enjoyed herself pottering in the garden doing some weeding and helping me with collecting twigs together (I did some stuff in the garden, dragging more of the wood off the front grass area to clear it for strimming) but mostly she chilled, read, cuddled Rosie and had a lovely holiday. We were able to get some dippy duck eggs into us, the first of this year, but then Bekci killed our last duck and so now we have no ducks to produce eggs. This has led us to decide that we must find her a new home as she is also a little too clumsy around the little dogs and as Rosie gets to toddling we're a bit worried about that also. All in all it was a very lovely time, though there was some weather and we had a few lovely rainbows to enjoy. It was a sad moment to wave goodbye to her onto the bus back up to Sofia but hopefully she'll be returning sooner rather than later.
A dramatic cloud forms
A getting some chainsawing done
Power lines on the floor means no power
Thelma when she really wants to play
Nice to have breakfast on the balcony
Looking at the top bank
Strimmer repair in progress
Making a start on clearing the weeds
Front grass area cleared about half way along
Bekci and Rosie make acquaintance
Other than that I've a few pictures and videos above to share. It really hasn't been all that productive a time however that is perfect. Rosie takes our attention and when she isn't being cuddled I'm spending time on my D Day display piece (aiming to get it done for the 75th anniversary) and also getting an army ready for ArdaCon. A is back in the art room as well, producing wonderful amazing paintings. It's been a lovely few weeks though I miss my dad more every day. We had a major power outage one morning which prompted much panic trying to get the generator to run; I didn't get it to work, sadly. I have got out onto the front to use the strimmer, having got them both fixed in town (one is still at the shop as it needed a brand new engine as the previous one was seized totally).
Hacksaw to trim off a joint
Louise with her bone
Beautiful sunset
BBQ Bank Holiday
Looking back through the pictures I realised I missed out on showing the photograph of the huge goat leg, bought ages ago from Bekir for when Mum and Dad were both going to come to meet Rosie. It was so big I had to hacksaw it down to get a joint to roast. Suffice to say it was lovely, and the curry made with the rest of the meat was also amazing. There's loads in the freezer for another time as well. The girls also enjoyed the bones. Yesterday we had the first BBQ of the year. Rosie was out in her travel cot but by the time we got to eating she was asleep inside; it was overcast but warm and such a great way to spend some time.
Lastly I'll leave you with these videos; first of all a cheeky sparrow that was helping itself to our leftovers on Saturday, and secondly a video of Bekci playing with the rope with A and the puppies.
And so it is to work for me, while Rosie kicks and gurgles and giggles in her bouncer next to me.
Home is where the heart is, as you can see from this picture.
Amazing how much you can fit in a tiny car
Setting off early Wednesday morning
Settling in the posh part of the boat
Waving goodbye to blighty again
First hotel of the journey
The last few days in the UK passed with me packing and getting ready for the drive back. I was going straight from work to my mum's and that journey went relatively well, being topped off with a Chinese Takeaway when I arrived. The final packing was done and in the morning we managed to get on the road with the potential for making the earliest ferry my ticket would allow us on. With a superbly quick drive down we reached Dover in time and the crossing was amazing as I'd managed to get access to the Premium Lounge with comfortable seats, table service for food and no screaming shouting passengers. The smoothness of the journey continued for the whole day as we sailed around the R0 past Brussels in record time; I have never known that road to be so empty. Making the early ferry, and having no traffic at Brussels, meant that by the end of the first day we were past Frankfurt by the time we found a hotel and stopped for the night.
Sun rises over Germany
Bacon sizzling in the pan
Mum takes a very welcome turn at the wheel
Waberer's were everywhere on our trip
Epic Bridge Porn
The sun sets as we get into Romania
Arriving at our hotel
Impressive high ceilings
The second bedroom of the night
The next morning we were up and ready to head off after a brew (made in the travel kettle - an awesome item to bring with) before the sun rise. The sun, when it did rise, was amazing and huge however the pictures obviously didn't do it justice. We paused for breakfast after a while, frying up our bacon on the little camp stove. The journey was again very good through the day, and we made excellent progress. Mum took the wheel for a bit as I was getting tired. We saw some Waberer's trucks, and I also got a picture of some bridges. Dad is never far from all of our minds. The sun set dramatically and we carried on driving, having got across the rest of Germany, all of Austria and Hungary and finally were into Romania. What a day. As we reached the end of the motorway I did a google search for a hotel and found one very close. When we got there we discovered an amazing building with marble stairs and really high ceilings!
All night on the roof of the car
Rattly Romanian passenger train
Fog clinging to the wooded hillsides
The dam on the Danube; traditional break point
Breakfast, and butty making
And into Bulgaria
The Roman Road leads towards home
I slept well, and so did mum I think, but we were up and out the door by 6.30 with a dream of making it home that day. I found that I had left the lid from one of our boxes sat on the roof of the car all night and it was still there when I went downstairs. It was a lovely morning and we had a glorious drive through the low mountains and then through the higher mountains. We saw a couple of trains, causing much excitement, and managed to railfan one with a video. My target was to get to the Danube for breakfast and we managed this, pulling into the same carpark I have stopped in on every journey. We had bacon barms again, and then mum made up wraps for the rest of the journey, and we hit the road once more. It was not long before we got over the Bulgarian border (they took their time checking our passports) and we driving as fast as possible towards our destination. Towards the end of the drive I started to feel tired again so, rather than stop, mum once more took the wheel and she ended up driving all the rest of the way. We got back home in time for dinner which was beyond all our expectations. It was heavenly to be home. As we pulled up at the gate A was there waiting with Rosie and I was handed my daughter through the window of the car; she proceeded to scream at me, which is to be expected I suppose.
The rainbow after the rain
So lovely seeing these two together again
A gets her chainsaw on
A quick game in the evening
Puppies found the sun
Since then I've pretty much been working most days and the weather, having been glorious the whole way across Europe, has been pretty bad with rain and thunderstorms, but also rainbows. My mum (Grandma, now) has been having a lovely time with Rosie and we've done some varied entertainments like playing games and the ladies have been out a few times during the day while I've been working. A got some chainsawing done of the wood from the land on Monday, and I have spent a little time every day dragging more wood up. We have also planted the last of our spuds and I'm back on Colorado Beetle watch; little buggers. The puppies have been their usual playful selves and today found the sun on the sofa back and stayed there as long as the sun stayed.
I'll sign this off now; there's a lot planned for the renovations this year and if even half of it happens this blog will be getting much busier and more regularly updated.
