Cast of Characters

I have been asked to do this multiple times and never got round to it due, mainly, to laziness. However I finally got the motivation up and so I present to you a list of who's who in my life.

A

Her :)

What can I say about A. She came into my life last year and since then has made the Old School into even more of a special place than it was on my own. With her everything is more.

Bravely she has spent the first part of 2015 on her own at the Old School, battling rats etc and getting the building work started. What a star.

S

On the catwalk

This is one half of S and S, the lovely couple who have bought a school not that far from me and who I am thus very much sharing this adventure in unison. He is very proud of this top that he is wearing.

And S

With beer

The other half of S and S is S, here seen with a beer but it was after 11am so it is OK (and I had one myself as well so I can't really comment).

Bekir

Well balanced individual

Bekir is one of the dynamic duo who built my friend's house and are now working on mine. He is a cheerful fellow, learning English and the easiest to communicate with after years of practice. I also feel I can trust him with everything as he has proven this over and over; worth his weight in gold

Sally

Lovely smile

Sally is the other half of said dynamic duo. He is a slightly steadier personality and just cracks on with every challenge with a smile and, if possible, a fuss and play fight with Ralf. He is always Gore Dolo in the morning but having him around is mnogo dobre to me.

Orhan

Handy helper

Orhan joined the pair for the middle section of the roof and I think he will probably continue to work with them and for me over the project. I hope so, anyway, as he is a very good worker and also seems to cheer both Bekir and Sally up. For example, since he has arrived we now have a radio hanging in the roof space and there is a lot more laughter and talking during their work.

Mahmet

Picking up the pieces

Mahmet is the newest addition to the working team, having been brought on at my insistence to finish off the work which T (below) walked out on half way through. He is young (or maybe I'm old) but has cracked straight on and we'll see what happens over the next week or so.

T

Handyman and friend

T is the son of a friend of my friend. He has been helping my by being a labourer while I've had the men, collecting them in Lucy-Kola and has been a real help with his varied skills and can-do attitude. He is also a really welcome friend who I know I can rely on.

EDIT - Sadly T walked out one lunch time without a word and hasn't been back since; it seems that I was wrong. He has since been in touch and I hope we can remain so.

MY FRIEND

There she is, helping me out

My friend helped me from the first time of thinking about going to Bulgaria. She has been a source of knowledge and encouragement and it was through her that I met Bekir and Sally. She helped a lot and I remain hopeful that she will do so again.

GOULDJAN

Smiling as always

Gouldjan is a friend of my friend who taught her a lot of her language skills. She lives near my friend and is always smiling and lovely. I have used her as a translator before and she helped me feel welcome when I first came alone.

RAMBO

Mad as a box of frogs

He's supposed to be a guard dog but all he does when I let him out to guard stuff is sleep on the front porch. Oh well, he's lovely at the same time.

SASSY

Definitely does not go well with bread

Despite what Bekir, Sally and my friend say, Sassy is not for the BBQ. She has an entire room to herself and is the subject of quite grand plans for her house in the living room.

Ralf

A very naughty rescue dog with a heart of gold

Ralf was rescued by the lovely man who brought Rambo from England and, so far, has settled in well though he is struggling with the concept that the sofa is not his bed. He is calm unless Rambo stands on him which happens more often than it should, and he is a cheeky little fella. Much loved already. Sadly Ralf ran away late in 2014 and has not been seen since; we think he was maybe attacked by a wild animal while he was out chasing a bitch. Poor little fella; much missed!

Mo

Mo is the crippled Tortoise

While T was doing the low stone wall around the garden fence he found Mo sat on a rock and saved him. Mo has two very good front legs but his back ones don't work so well. This doesn't stop him getting around however and he is very used to humans, though he keeps tipping himself and needing saving.

Sadly Mo died on 16th of June 2014. He is buried in a marked grave next to the silver birch at the sunbathing spot. He is missed.

Jesus

Jesus is bigger, but less brave

The Special One brought me Jesus one afternoon; I presume he had been in their garden. He has four working legs but is less used to humans so hides a lot.

LITTLE LADY AND USMIVKA MUZH

Smiles all round

She seems intent on feeding me up, continually bringing food and drink over. Usmivka means "smiley" and he has a permanent huge smile whenever he is around. I am not sure if that is the rakia or not, though.

THE SPECIAL ONE

He is so awesome

His smile is only slightly less luminous than his father, but he really is a special one. His birthday is the day before mine and he likes beer more than rakia, however he drank plenty and slurred and stuttered more than usual. A really lovely bloke, this one.

THE OTHER BROTHER

The Special One obviously worships his brother, and he is a pretty nice guy too. He got the log on for my WiFi pretty quickly, and is also part of the group of people who have made me feel so welcome here.

THE YOUNG FARMER

Standing around and idly smoking

He owns the sheep, goats and cows which were always on my land and I seem to have a strange relationship with him. I try always to be friendly, but he was par of the group who tried to screw me over the price of manure. He has a young wife and a young child too.

THE HERDER

Hard working herder

This is the guy who is out with the cattle and sheep all day (mainly the cows I think) and who started off chasing the animals off my property when he got the message I didn't want them there. Rambo barks at him, and he does wave to me sometimes.

CHAZ AND IVAN

Lovely couple who have helped me loads

I met Chaz on a forum when I asked about buying a school and he was super helpful then and continues to be now. He is my got-to-guy about PuP and planning and also someone I like personally. The same can be said for Ivan who has proved himself with his knowledge and his curry making skills. Really great people.

LUBO

Not really an architect, but still

Lubo is my second attempt at getting an architect to get me the change of use and relevant approvals. He says he wants to be my friend but he needs to be honest with me before I'll trust him that much. He does seem to be doing good work after I threatened to fire him.