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 :)
Hello! Today was a lot more productive and the majority of it has been spent in the veggie garden.
I have been a bit neglectful of the garden since everything was planted out - not through choice, but just because there is always so much to do and I never got back to it again. Whilst looking the other day I did notice how many weeds were sprouting up and I was conscious that they needed clearing to allow the onions and spuds the best chance to grow. I was up at a nice time today - 7.30am and I had some coffee and caught up on everything online before feeding Sassy and the chickens.
I got straight in there once I was sorted out as there was another storm forecast for the afternoon. I dragged the wheel barrow in and plucked away. They look so much happier now they can breathe!
They can breathe!
The bed where I had planted broad beans and peas was horrendously overgrown with grass mostly, so I set to clearing that too. As I got past the bean section, to which the plants were very obvious, I realised that I had no clue what a pea plant looked like. I had left two different lots of plants before going upstairs to google it. As it turns out, the peas must not have sprouted at all, unfortunately. But the bed was clear and I was feeling great.
Beans
Between the bean bed and the onions and potatoes there had been a LOT of weeds, so of I went with a barking Rambo (at the wheel barrow) to empty it.
First load
I arrived back to find our neighbour stood tooled up at the gate with a pick axe! Now, as a woman living alone in a country you don't speak the language in, I could have got scared! Haha. Bless her. She had come over to tell me to dig out a bed and that she would bring me some tomato and pepper plants! Well, the peppers here are fabulous and the Mr eats tomatoes like they are going out of fashion, so I agreed gratefully! She left me her pick axe and I had a go. This is hard work. People here really do work hard and it would put half of the UK to shame!
I will admit to taking a lunch and nap break before finishing it, but it was an easier job with the pick axe than I would have made of it with a spade to be honest. Here it is, ready for the implants!
New bed
After I had a bit of a rest, fed the chickens and played a bit with Rambo I heard my name being called across the lane. Oygul was there, watering can in her hand and Sanie was wielding a buch of plants! It was time. She set straight to work and Rambo was being very obedient by staying on the porch. He's such a good boy, most of the time! She set to work on the pepper plants and in no time at all, they were in.
Sharing peppers
She had a wooden spike that she dug into the soil, leaving a hole and dropping the plant into it. Very efficient. I suspect I will have to watch and learn from this lady to become as efficient. They make it look so easy!
Tomato anyone?
I think we are going to have a lot of peppers.
More peppers
And the last got planted into the spare raised bed box. We are fully peppered!
Even MORE peppers
They are such a kind family. We are very lucky to have them next door. After visiting the chickens and showing me the grain she uses for hers, also leaving me with a pan full of it, Sanie and her family left with as much thanks as I could manage. It really touches me how kind they are.
I sat on the porch with Rambo for a while to unwind a little and was thinking of what I may do tomorrow. I realise now that the men will probably not be coming back to clear all the debris from the drainage, so tomorrow, I will have a go at clearing the patio a bit. It has been bugging me for weeks and now I have the opportunity to do something with it all.
Tomorrow's task
Whilst sitting with Rambo the swallows were irritating him and while he was off chasing them I spotted a lizard run like the hammers from under the car to the pile of broken slabs on the patio. After a while and Rambo having calmed, the lizard made a dash for it from the broken pile of slabs to the bricks and roof tiles stacked up beside the table tennis table. It was almost it's last trip; Rambo was up and on it so fast that I barely had time to blink. I have never seen him move so fast - hahaha. Bless him. The lizard escaped, only just and I did spend a good 15 minutes laughing at Rambo trying to move bricks to find it and then look at me as if to say "well, help me then!". So funny.
It has been a great day.
It will be around two weeks before the arrival of the Mr and Thelma & Louise. Cannot wait!
Well as I type this (having stared at a blank page for several hours attempting to build energy to type for a bit) I am still exhausted. What a full on day and hot as well, but so satisfying. I know I can buy a tool to do the hay cutting but this scything is just so healthy for me; I feel so much better for having the exercise. Anyway, onwards with the blog.
Two shots of the moon
The tale of today starts last night, quite a long time after the blog was published. I rang Chaz (having spoken to him during the day but at that point I was totally battered so I wasn't very talkative) to follow up on our brief conversation and find out what he had learned during the day and I'm glad I did. First of all, Ivan had spoken to the lawyer in my local Obshtina and it has been absolutely confirmed that the land problem is not a problem. All 9000 odd square metres is definitely mine. Good relief when he told me that. Secondly, the PuP is currently being discussed in Sofia and we'll have more news on that later next week maybe. So all good.
Glass found in Rambo's compound
I slept through again, though when I went out to go to bed it was so bright with the moon it was almost like daylight. On the walk to Julian I saw some fireflies, three or four satellites and a bat which flew past very close. Wonderful. My morning started off pretty standard though this time a full brew had to be made, and sipped, before I went out to start the chores. I had bought a second watering can yesterday for some reason but I wasn't too clear on what for however I filled both up before walking over to Rambo's cage. When I stepped out of his house with his food bowl, having filled the water bowl, I glanced down to where the dog house had been and was surprised to see loads of glass. Now I went over this area loads before the fence was put up and Rambo arrived and I am sure I did not miss this much glass. Anyway, it's gone now.
Hammering out the blade again
As I walked back towards the house to fill the bowl with food I heard a whistle and there was Usmivka, standing at the side gate a waving. I waved to wait and did the food for Rambo then walked him back as usual but this time locked him into his enclosure. Poor lad keeps getting locked away at the moment. Anyway, Usmivka was over, as he had promised yesterday, to do some hammering on the scythe blade.
He settled himself down and set to it, while I pottered around picking glass and doing other small jobs though I was midway through my normal morning chores I didn't want to wander off and leave him to it. He bashed away and was making good progress but then his little hammer started coming loose. His first trick was to pour water on it which caused the wooden handle to expand a bit but then it started slipping again so I got him a nail and he secured it properly.
It didn't take him that long and then he reattached the blade to the handle (nice and firmly, and I watched carefully so I could see how it was done) and then he sharpened it and tested it out. I did a short video while he was swinging away because I want to be able to study the technique - mine feels like it is getting better all the time however I'm still not able to get the short simple pulling action that he uses, or at least not all the time.
Using a length of string to ensure accuracy
One trick I mentioned before was how he worked out that the angle of the blade was correct. He used a bit of string to ensure that the length from the handle to the blade remained consistent along the entire length. His huge smile when he got it right and looked up at me was a sight; I didn't have the camera ready and he probably wouldn't have liked me snapping it anyway. He's such a cheerful chappy.
Mmmmmm marrow
I went to get Rambo out and then, as we were walking back, the Little Lady appeared. I managed to stop Rambo from charging over too much (she's getting used to him now, but still he is very bouncy and large when he is enthusiastic) but she didn't want to come in this time and was just offering me a marrow. This is now sat on my desk and I need to get some mince out so I can try and stuff it for dinner tomorrow. Finally, for this part, I had arranged for the Special One to come over and work for me today (or at least I thought I had) however he has not appeared and I have not even seen a hint of him all day. Very strange. Oh well.
And so to the main task for the day (other than my paid work but that, which did take a fair amount of time, is really boring to talk about so I'll not mention it again I don't think): Scything.
The beginning and the end of the day
I did loads today, in about four or five separate sessions, and I am now (as I said earlier) now exhausted and have blisters but it is such a satisfying thing that I am not complaining at all. I took the camera with the tripod and set it up to take pictures however I have been doing a really wide stretch so it took two pictures to get the whole width in. I had set myself the target of cutting all the grass up to the edge of the green building and down to the front fence as far as the end of the green building and I managed this. What I didn't do was collect all the hay together but left it in piles to be moved later. I really will need to start a couple of hay stacks because I have so much hay it is ridiculous. It was really warm today and I wore a vest and my sun hat at all times while working; it was so hot that I took a cup of tea with me one time, left it on the side, and when I went to drink it found that it was actually hotter than it had been.
Other than working, I didn't do much else today apart from have a nice chat at lunch, eat some of the new cheese (it's a bit tasteless, sadly) with nardenitsa on bread for lunch, and drink lots of tea with slightly gone off milk in it. I thought I was buying UHT. It wasn't. Tomorrow there will necessarily be a trip to the shop, and I will feel really stupid as I pour nearly 2 litres of milk away. What a shame.
Fly screen doing its job
After finishing the scything I came back in (did some work) and sprayed flies with my fly spray as there are LOADS around at the moment. This is just a quick snap taken of them clustered on the fly screen of my window. Eventually all the windows will have flyscreens but at the moment some of them don't even have glass in them so I have very little chance of keeping them out of here. I just have to be patient while I can, and bash them when they get too annoying.
The sunset never fails to impress
So I spent a lot of time watching the cricket (what a flat pitch) and talking on twitter and not as much time as I should have been writing this blog which meant it has stretched out and taken AGES to write. I made myself a spaghetti carbonara with nardenitsa instead of the bacon as that hadn't defrosted yet from being pulled out the freezer this morning but bacon is better than nardenitsa. I also did my usual thing of bouncing up every now and then to check the view of the sun going down and I was not let down with several gorgeous photographs at various stages of its descent. This one was taken very late on, and I was having to stand on the windowsill again to get the correct angle. I was safe though and didn't fall out. Honest.
The guttering is a bit rotten and falling down
An earlier trip for the sun took me out onto the balcony (the first time today, actually) and I did a bit of wandering around looking at the cracks in the surface and trying to work out how bad they actually are. I think that it is just the skim on the top which is damaged but I won't know for sure til that is removed and part of me thinks it may be wise to refresh the supports and brickwork below anyway at some point particularly as I want to put a big water tank on the balcony to use for irrigation on the top bank. While I was going back inside I noticed this remnant of metal on the floor; it is a bit of the guttering which has fallen down in the last day or so. I really need to get this roof done.
So, about that. I was hoping to hear today if Bekir and Sally are going to be back on Monday (T is, as I spoke with him today) because my friend was going to ring him today if he didn't ring her however I've not heard anything so I have no idea yet whether I'm on for roof or not. I really hope that I am on - I want to get this started now I've been here long enough waiting.
Red moon rising
I was just writing that last paragraph, and then about to publish this, when I looked up and saw the moon was rising and it was a stunning red colour. I grabbed the camera, the zoom and the tripod and went to the balcony and played with a few settings while trying to get the best shot I could. This is that shot but it doesn't really capture the colouration of the cloud around the moon which had a red tint to it at as well. Beautiful.
Tomorrow I will be up and watching the next England rugby match, and then I want to do some more scything. I also have to get to town to put fuel in Thomas and buy some milk so I may do that earlier rather than later.
Wow what a day. I'm really quite tired now and (to warn people who aren't interested in the planning permission and other paperwork struggles that I am having at the moment) I have a fair amount to record here so I remember what is going on. So, here goes.
One trip across the patio got me this harvest
Last night there was the now becoming quite usual distant flashes of lightning as I went to bed however there was also some thunder which could be heard about 60 seconds after each flash. I never heard it get closer than this though and I slept right through without interruption. I was woken by my alarm which I had set because I wanted to give Rambo more time out this morning as my plan was to be out all day. I went and let him out immediately, threw his kong for a bit, then came up to make a brew. I did my morning round, though the free water was off so I had to use the inside tap, and also managed to get myself quite badly sidetracked in the glass pick, which really can easily become an obsession. Today, every time I have walked along the patio I have had my head down and have collected loads and loads more glass. Every bit I pick up is one less to find in the future, or in someone's foot.
Breakfast was a really uninspiring mix of the last of the (quite soft now) cornflakes and some muesli. It was food as fuel and definitely not about to excite the taste buds. No matter I poured tea down my throat to wash the nasty away and then, about 8, set off. I got half way down the cheren put before I realised I'd left the adaptor to plug the sat nav into the lighter. I turned round and legged it back. It was a good thing I did, as you will find out later.
First of all, for something different, I took the right turn that the sat nav always tells me to take when I'm going towards Chaz and Ivan's but I never do because I know the route at that point and it is only later that I need the directions. I was quite pleased that I had as the road wound up and over some really pretty passes and it was far more interesting than the normal route. I obviously couldn't take any pictures, and was in traffic so wasn't able to stop while I was driving, so I'll go that way next time I have a passenger I think.
This thing is bigger than my village
Regular readers of this blog who have excellent memories will recall that the last time I went up this way I regretted not stopping to take a picture of a massive seemingly abandoned factory or warehouse next to one of the motorways. Today I was ready and pulled up on the slip road to snap a picture. It is absolutely huge and would definitely be worth a longer pause to get better pictures with the zoom lens. As it was I only stopped for a minute or two then was back on the road.
Their place is really coming along
Not much further on my Bulgarian phone started ringing so I pulled over to answer it and was glad that I did; it was Chaz and they were changing our meeting point from in town to at their place. This is where I was happy to have the satnav as I would have no chance of finding it otherwise but had it saved as a favourite from before. It was not long before I pulled up at theirs and was impressed to see just how well they are going. Yes, they have a school but it is at least twice the size of mine, and also is being converted into a hotel.
I sat down to a brew and we had a chat and then we got to the main business of the day. Ivan has been dealing with this whole PuP situation for him and Chaz and he was keen to see what it was that Lubo had sent to Sofia as I was sure Lubo had sent what the office there had asked for, but the lady had claimed to not have received a load of the documents that I had seen. He muttered and chuntered and worked his way through them all (while Chaz was in the kitchen making a Thai curry for lunch) and eventually declared that, while some of the letters were a bit strangely worded and not that clear, and maybe one should have been split into two separate letters, everything was there that had been requested.
When he tried to ring Sofia there was no answer as it was lunch time so we ate the absolutely gorgeous lunch, washed down with some welcome cold beer, and then he rang her again. This time the conversation was quite short and very onesided, with Ivan doing most of the listening. Myself and Chaz watched with bated breath and waited for him to come off the call and tell us what was going on.
This is when "welcome to Bulgaria" becomes a valid trope to repeat again; this is bizarre in the extreme. Please bear in mind that Ivan has rung this lady multiple times, and even put her on the phone to the architect in the local Obshtina, and this lady has consistently said that there is no problem getting a PuP for this building. You got that held firmly? Good. Well that isn't wrong, it's just not QUITE right. The truth is what Lubo has been trying to tell me which is there is no way of getting a PuP into a house.
So why had this lady sent two letters to Lubo (in which she acknowledges that he is asking for a PuP into a house) saying "yes you can do this if you send me these letters" I hear you cry. Well the list of letters was littered with references to a certain act (which I have referred to before, which says about humanitarian use) and the key was that she was obliquely pointing out that the PuP can only be for those purposes. Why she didn't just reply with "thanks, but you can't PuP to a house" I don't know; that would be way too easy I suppose and have saved a whole heap of stress.
Ivan's comment was "well if I was Nostradamus I may have understood what she was trying to say". This is a wonderful example of the bureaucratic mindset. We haven't worked out why she has only just decided to make this clear over the phone to Ivan. Maybe she liked the sound of his voice.
Anyway, there are still major questions over all of this as to my reading (and to everyone else's) this act clearly does not refer to my property. It says "government owned buildings" and then "funded by the Obshtina, or the Department of Education" and neither of those things apply to me. So Ivan is going to go above this lady's head and talk to the Department of Education and find out just why they are applying it to me.
So there you have it; I was right to trust Lubo yesterday (it's funny, I knew when he was lying to me and yesterday I just knew that he wasn't) and the advice that I have been given from the people I trust has turned out to be valid and good.
The other thing, which I'm actually more concerned about (or rather, was) was the ownership issue. My contract of sale (and the official plan of the property) states over 9000 square metres of land come with the school however Lubo has uncovered a document which suggests that, several years ago, this amount was actually nearer 5,500 square metres. My concern was that this would make the contract null, and therefore negate my ownership. I also didn't have any idea on the next steps to take.
Now I am far more comfortable. I think the contract protects me from any inaccuracies and, if there are any (and I'll get on to that in a second) I can declare the contract void, claim my money back and also claim compensation for their mistake. I think that should also include any money already spent on the renovations. Ivan thinks that I have a very good case should I need to go down this route, and thinks that it would take two or three months at most.
I obviously do not yet know whether there is a problem and this is where my next steps are clear. I just need to ask the Obshtina "it says this in my sales contract, and that in this other document from years ago. Which is correct please?" and from that I will know whether I have been missold. I will be talking to Lubo tomorrow to ask him to put this request into the Obshtina for me urgently.
With all of this sorted out we settled down and then the concrete pouring machine arrived for their terrace so Ivan went to deal with that and I sat with Chaz and chatted. After a bit a couple of his friends popped in and we spoke briefly then, just after they left, I took my leave as well as it was getting on and I had a long drive ahead. I'm glad I left when I did as I was seriously tired and at one point was very close to pulling over for a twenty minute nap. As it happened I felt better after that and then suddenly I was really close to home so there was no point.
Happened to catch this just at the right time
When I had left their place there was a huge thunderstorm raging and the rain was torrential; the sort where the road actually develops several inches of film on top of it from the bouncing water, but it didn't take me long to leave that behind. The picture above was taken as I was right near home, just going up the cheren put, and I slammed the brakes on and parked Lucy up to get out and take a picture because it was just beautiful how the rays were projecting from behind the cloud. I'm glad I stopped because it had all cleared by the time I got parked up and could have take a picture from my house.
So I'm sat here, feeling much calmer than yesterday, and looking forward to hearing from Chaz and Ivan about what the minister says about this confusion, I will be back over that way again next week to pick up Rocky so that will be nice as well.
Today has been epically busy but not in a "lots of different stuff" sense but in a "lots of progress made" sense. I'm really late starting typing this as I haven't really been around at all today so you may get treated to a relatively short blog. You lucky people you.
Glorious golden sunset
The blog starts last night however as I had published so long before sunset I didn't feel like adding an "edit" to show this picture as it was so beautiful. I am so blessed every day with the sights and sounds of this house that I love sharing it with you all. I did have another thing I was going to add which is a bit of a funny story about my generator which myself and T got sparked up and pulled an extension to Room 13 to plug the fridge/freezer and router into and then realised I don't have the right plug adaptor to put a two pin into a three pin. Foiled by a simple stupid. Oh well.
Sleeping Rambo
My evening was lovely as ever, with a pizza, some beer and a brilliant conversation and then, relatively early again, I headed out to Julian to read for a bit while gym-ing was going on and as usual Rambo was laying on the earth waiting for me and followed me back to his cage nuzzling my hand the whole way. Earlier in the evening I had been to the toilet and spotted him laying down in a really funny position with his entire body on the porch and his head hanging off over the edge. This was the best picture I could get sadly and when I opened the door to try and take a clearer one he woke up and moved.
When I was walking to Julian I noticed immediately that the fireflies have appeared on my land; there were loads of them, some sitting, some flying past but all pulsing with ghostly light. I put Rambo away, dumped my stuff in Julian, and then came out to shoot a video. It isn't the best but you can see a few fireflies, one sitting on the roof of the green building and another flies past. While I was out there I could also see the strange flashes coming from over the horizon. I'm pretty sure these are lightening however it has just occurred to me that the military jet sounds have been coming from the same direction.
High cloud and hazy, cooler, sun for starters
I slept the sleep of the just and woke up at 6am very briefly followed by 6.20, 6.45 and then 7. I was very aware of not wanting to sleep in past 7 like I have the past few days, so I can get my morning started in the way I like. That morning dawned with lots of high cloud and the sun not really burning through very much until much later in the morning than when there is low fog. It was still a gorgeous start to the day, however, and I snapped this picture from the balcony after I had done my rounds. The mains was still running very slowly, and the free water was off, so I actually used one of the 11L bottles that had been left filled from the previous day by T to do my rounds and I only just had enough; I could have done with maybe 15L so that is an interesting bit of knowledge as to how much water I'm actually using for these few plants.
A bit of really good news is that Sassy seems to be much better indeed. Today she banged for her food again and when I went to put the water down she bashed it out of my hand and then drank it from the pool it made on the top. I obviously refilled the water bowl and put the food in and she has eaten it all and thrown the bowl downstairs so I think we can safely say she is better. I may have to feed her a bit more for a few days to get her weight back up, and hopefully stop the baldness from getting worse.
T with Rambo in attendance with his stone
As you can see from the previous picture T was up and at it early this morning as per usual and I snapped this shot just after I had eaten a fantastic breakfast of the last egg from my Little Lady and bacon on bread. The white thing in Rambo's mouth is a rock that I watched him carry as he followed T along, taking a path that took him directly through the mock orange tree (which smells absolutely amazing). Rambo obviously has not yet grown out of his rock obsession.
Flame just taking hold
My main task of the day was getting into the immigration office in town to meet a translator there at 10.30 but before this I decided to burn all the rubbish which has been piling up for a few days, including more bottles of beer than I want to admit having drunk. Some of them are from when The Electrician was still here to be honest.... please believe me. I have lots of pictures of the fire (as per) but I love this one as you can see the beer bottle starting to drip in the heat and the drip is itself on fire. I like things like that.
It caught really quickly and I was also able to burn the ten or so empty cement bags so they aren't cluttering the place any more. Now I just need to empty the two full buckets of humanure and I'm up to date with my irregular chores. I've not done this as the water had been off and I need to wash the buckets. Honest. I'm not being lazy at all.
Anyway, after the fire was lit I returned to Room 13 to chatter and then heard a beeping which I thought at first was the mobile shop but it turned out to by my friend trying to encourage the sheep to get out of the way as they had settled in their customary shady tree which actually involves blocking the track. She was here to come with me to town, with a few chores of her own, and we were just about to head off when my phone rang and it was the kmet. He seemed to be asking me to go to the obshtina locally so I said I was off to town, he went then I walked outside and there he was, with three people from the obshtina including the lady from planning and another lady who had been at the auction, and they were waving at me over the fence.
I'm still not totally sure what they came up to look around for as they only walked along the front and up to the big pile of spoil from digging the parking out, commenting on how much work it'll be but how lovely it'll be, and then they said goodbye and left. T suggested maybe they had been looking at the progress of the road and the kmet decided to show off what his anglachenin was up to. Either way the brevity of their visit didn't delay us too much and I made it to the steps in front of the immigration about two minutes before the agreed upon meeting time. Two minutes later the translator showed up and she was a bit surprised I was on my own.
We headed into the office and after a short wait were in front of the same grumpy woman who had been so spectacularly unhelpful the previous visit. This time, with a Bulgarian translator who knew her, she even cracked a smile or two and we made progress, eventually heading off to the office of the translator so she could do her thing with my EHIC (which is enough to get residency) and photocopy a few things as well. I filled a form out there with a bit of prompting from her and then we were back down the road (this time with my friend who had returned from her chores) to the immigration to hand it all over.
As the lady (a slightly younger, more pleasant, one) was stapling the file together I realised that they wanted to keep all the documents and I had turned up with the original of my Notorelien. This it the main bit of paper that proves that I actually own the school, think of the deeds in the UK, and seeing them disappear into a filing system was not on my plans. I shouted and they were duly unstapled and passed to me whereon I had to run back up the road to the office to get copies made. When I returned I was ushered to have my photograph taken (and I was called handsome too! *blushes*) and then I was told to return tomorrow after 3pm to collect my finished 5 year residency card.
I should detail that normally it takes a month to receive this but I had said I was in a hurry (I need to sort both cars out with Lucy needing registering in my name post purchase, and Thomas rapidly running out of insurance cover from the UK) so they said "pay double the normal and we will do it quicker". You have to love a bureaucracy.
I got me some brand new shoes!
And so we left, grabbed a quick kebob (sorry) and then did a few little chores in town, getting some stuff for A for her garden, and picking up some new sandals for me. Here they are, modeled by my own feet and having been worn pretty much ever since. They are quite comfortable but having cost less than a fiver I don't know how long they will last. They certainly look like they are made of leather so maybe they'll be OK. Watch this space.
After this I decided to go and look at the prices for beds as I have been getting warmer and warmer in Julian at night and it isn't even really summer yet. This viewing trip ended up with me driving away with a huge mattress with a solid base strapped to the top of Thomas. All other aspects of the trip were then thrown out of the window and we just headed back home to unload it. T helped and then there was a short bit of chit chat and my friend left to do more chores while I went upstairs to get ready to scythe.
This did not happen - I suddenly felt completely wiped out and after sitting on the internet for a bit I decided I wanted to read and then, having sat and read on the balcony for a few minutes I decided I wanted to lie down and so I was laying on the airbed, with pillows, and the reading turned to dozing and while I didn't actually sleep I didn't read much either. I'm not sure why I was so exhausted but I just couldn't get any energy up at all. I only got off the airbed because it started to spit with rain so I moved everything inside and then, at exactly that time, I had a lovely phone call.
It was after this that the second best news of the week arrived. It has been Feis Ile week on Islay (which I went to the week after winning the auction for the school last year) and I have been sore at missing it, though obviously still really pleased to be here. Today was Kilchoman day and this is the distillery I have a particular interest in collecting. My mate had said he'd try and get me a bottle but normally it is very limited in release and he had also said publicly that he wasn't going to be able to get any bottles for anyone.
Anyway, I saw that I had received a notification on Facebook and it was my mate, sat with the two other good friends we made last year, holding a bottle and smiling at the camera. Then I was tagged "this is yours". I almost fell off my chair. Wow. I was chuffed to bits and almost immediately started feeling a little more alert as my blood started pumping with excitement. I know this seems like a small thing and in once sense it is, but I am so bloody touched that my mate would do that for me. What a guy. I can't wait to pay him back some day, and also to see them all next year as I will be going for sure to Feis Ile 2015. Maybe now I'll not moan and whinge so much about not being there this year.
I was cheered up even more by the fact that the water has returned and I can put the washing on tonight, and have a proper shower in the morning. Things are all coming together, huh.
After this my evening trek began with taking Thomas to the garage (with T driving Lucy in front) so he can get new tyres on the front, and also have his headlights swapped for driving on the wrong side of the road. I was assisted by a friendly chap who was having his car cleaned by Lyubo and once again I commented to T about how in England you would be frustrated at waiting but over here it's just chilled and you don't feel bad at all. He said it may be done by tomorrow or maybe Monday which is fine, and I am waiting for a call. After this and a brief stop for eggs and fresh bread at the shop, we went over to my friends as we had her chair in Lucy, and I was taking Bekir home. We sat and had a coffee while the workmen finished their tasks.
Not great camouflage for this one
While we were sat there admiring some of the plants I spotted a smaller version of the huge grasshopper from yesterday sat on one of them. I was asked to flick it off so I did but not before snapping a picture. I can't help it.
And the one tonight
T drove on to his and then I took over and drove back here, tired and hungry as it was past 7pm by then. I had taken some pork belly out to defrost earlier and so I set about making my amazing pork and mushroom pasta dish, while starting this blog, and I have eaten the lot (like a fatty) while typing. It seemed right to bookend this blog post with pictures of sunsets so here is the one from tonight; a totally different shade with lots of lovely pale yellows and golds shading to blues and black.
Today has been the last day of any workmen for a week, with T spending time with family and Bekir having requested a couple of weeks off after finishing for my friend to do stuff at his house. I have hopefully arranged to meet him this saturday to get some chickens though so that could be good. I'm gonna sign this off now and look forward to a quiet day tomorrow.
This day has been so brilliant it actually started off last night. There were some random flashes of light which kept occurring and the normal night birds and the Spring Peeper were unusually quiet. Then Rambo started barking and the sum total of this encouraged me to get out of bed and go and see what was happening. What a great decision. First of all the stars were out really brightly (as was Mars) and we spent a lot of time just stood staring at them. Secondly the flashes turned out to be really distant lightening - so distant that even in the dead quiet there was absolutely no sound of thunder. It was forked and sheet and flickered for ages until bed called again.
Later in the night, after the flickering had stopped, the Spring Peeper started up and then some of the other nightlife sparked up and that serenaded sleep finally our way. The morning "fear of work" hooter from the factory across the valley indicated in the morning that it was eight o clock and shortly after the usual impetus of a morning brew proved too great. Of course, first of all the morning ritual of feeding Rambo had to occur however this happened after the brew and also after I had hung out all the washing that had gone over the night. This was very much done on the hope that the one weather site forecasting good weather today was telling the truth and my eyes were lying as it was heavy overcast and even slightly misty when we were doing it.
Rambo, of course, wanted to be involved however I wouldn't let him out until we had finished; he is just too bouncy in the morning to have around when you have clean clothes and he would definitely have slobbered everywhere. After feeding him it was time for our own breakfast and, contrary to our original plan where I was going to cook a fry up the decision was made to go for porridge and what a good idea; it was really tasty and set us up for what would be a very busy and active day.
A picture of the fire, and me taking a picture of...
Before doing anything there was a huge pile of burning to be done so we carried all the bags out the back and after a few attempts I managed to get it going and within very short order it was blazing away as usual. It's really good having a guest here because she is able to get pictures of me taking pictures and that is kinda cool on a blog. For example here is the fire going and me taking a picture....
... a bee collecting nectar
.... and here is the little bee that I was photographing. The sun had broken through by this point and lots of bugs and critters had decided to come out to play in it and we spent quite an enjoyable period of time just potter around taking photographs of various things as they became apparent. For example my guest spent a load of time getting REALLY frustrated while trying to photograph the swifts that were darting around everywhere.
My guest taking a picture of some birds, probably
The sun really was coming out now and the fire was burning well. I threw the two empty cans of expanding foam onto the fire and legged it and we waited to try and get a picture. The first one blew with such force and noise that any picture would have been shaky and anyway there wasn't much of any visual indication. The second one blew its top off in a smokey spiraling motion but we were still shaken by the first bang so no camera was ready. I love blowing things up!
Basketball support, rubble pile, tree and the view
As were getting ready to leave for walking Rambo I snapped another of the view of the valley and my favourite tree. I really can't get enough of this view and make no apology for boring you with many photographs of the same view. I love it here.
Fortunately that wasn't over us
My guest had brought a couple of gifts for Rambo (always come bearing gifts, as they say) and one of them was an extending lead for walking him which was used for the first time today. We went through the village (putting off the Little Lady who offered us coffee; I said we'd come after walking Rambo) and out up the track I had driven last week with The Other Brother when on the wild boar tracking evening. As we climbed out of the village the clouds gathering in the distance looked very ominous however it was lovely where we were and I was glad of my shorts and sandals.
Butterfly, settled for a second
As I said there were loads of little animals making an appearance again and my guest was assiduous in taking pictures of as many things as she could. This was a particularly lovely picture of a little butterfly that was flying around.
Bird life
Just on the way up the lane towards the centre of the village we spotted a song thrush sat in a tree and, while I was attempting to control Rambo (he doesn't like sitting at the best of times, particularly when you have only just started walking him!) my guest took a large number of pictures of which this was the best of them. It sat still for quite a long time, which was helpful.
Mountains still hogging the clouds. Thankfully
It was still really cloudy around the perimeter of the valley however above us there was sun and warmth and LOADS of flies from the cattle which were attacking me and Rambo but not my guest. I suppose this was because I was wearing a black shirt and they seemed to just want to land on it and not move. The view back towards the village was really stunning, with my house the furthest building, and the hotel my parents stayed at in the far distance.
Two beautiful beetles in the blossom
As we were climbing we noticed some beetles collecting nectar from the trees by the side of the track. They were beautiful with the most iridescent colourings; and they were HUGE. There were loads of them, flying and settling and then flying again. There were also some tiny bees that we couldn't get a good enough picture of sadly.
He only likes dirty water
The main target of the walk was the lake I had driven past and stopped at with The Other Brother and we reached it far sooner than I had expected to. Rambo had been jumping in all the water he could possibly find on the way up and, after checking that it wasn't too deep, he was also allowed in here. He had such a ball and kept jumping out, shaking himself dry all over us, then jumping back in to get wet again. Typical dog. You should see him fight when you try and give him a bath.
Pastoral beauty
The sheep dog had been taking his charges out for their day as we left my land (they had been clumped together at the bottom of the lane, watching us) and as we got near the top of the climb you could see that the cows were out as well. The herder had his fishing line out and was attempting to catch something for his dinner that night. Such a peaceful and relaxing sight.
A seed pod gets taken underground
Continuing the theme of little animals I noticed that my guest had stopped and was taking some time photographing something really close to the floor. It was only when going through the photographs that I saw that it was another ant hill and they were carrying a seed pod down into the depths, maybe to feed the queen or even use to shore up a space under the ground.
Me and Rambo
Another benefit of the fact that I have a camera toting guest is that you get pictures of me. Look at this one. Rambo was, on the whole, very obedient on this walk and we even let him off his lead as we got to the very end as there was no livestock around and he kept running round us in circle and almost tripping us up with the lead. As you can see from this picture he was also very damp from jumping in as many puddles as he possibly could; very much like a small child would do.
This cow means business
We were nearing the edge of the village when we came across a herd of cattle who were watching us very suspiciously. Rambo was suddenly being a naughty boy and I was having lots of trouble controlling him. He seemed to think that these cattle, semi-wild as they are, would treat him as a long lost friend and not in the way they would; by trampling him and charging us. As it was this one did turn and come towards us in a warning manner and as I was trying to control Rambo, my guest snapped a cracking photograph showing just how big its horns are.
He really didn't want to listen
I was left with the unenviable task of trying to tell Rambo off and keep him controlled; forcing him to walk behind me for a bit and generally making him know who was boss. The problem was he was far too interested in chasing after the woman who was with us than listening to me and after a while too much time had passed from when he had been particularly naughty so we had to just let it go.
Birds having a bath
Bearing in mind the trouble she had gone to in attempting (and failing) to take pictures of the swifts earlier, when I saw that there were a few having a bath in a puddle ahead I pulled Rambo away to allow some pictures to be taken. Finally, a good photograph of them. They move so fast. Just round the corner we bumped into the old kmet again and a lad who I presume is his son. He was very pleased to see us and came to say hello to Rambo. It seems I am slowly becoming accepted into village life, which is good.
"You looking at me?"
Just round the corner from there Rambo almost stepped on a proper sized tortoise, what our little one will probably (if he survives) look like in about forty years or so. He was sunning himself and allowed the indignity of being photographed for about two or three minutes before deciding enough was enough and heading into the undergrowth. Another example of the amazing flora and fauna we have in this area.
As soon as we got back and let Rambo off his lead we were hailed by the Little Lady who shouted about coffee and said something about five minutes. I didn't totally understand so we sat in the sun on the tabletennis table and waited. A few minutes passed and I put Rambo away in case she was going to come over, but then she came out and beckoned us so we walked across and into her house for coffee, ayran, and a lovely pancake. This was my guests first real experience of just how welcoming and generous they are and she liked everything we were given. The granddaughter and grandson were there, she sitting in the corner studiously doing her homework, and he trying to keep watching cartoons while the Little Lady fed him his lunch.
The new chair!
After about half an hour or maybe more I made our excuses and we left, with kisses and hugs from her,and headed back to the house. We had chair building to be getting on with. After a fair while, all of it in the baking sun so much that she has burned and even I'm feeling a little glowy on the back, and with a fair few curse words when things weren't done quite right, we finally achieved completion. Typically the clouds were coming over and it looked a lot like rain so we shifted it in under the porch just in case. It is so comfortable, and I'm really pleased I got it.
Some of our dinner
We rested for a bit after this and then I started doing this blog (hours ago now) while she got ready and then we headed out for dinner. We hadn't planned on going out this evening but didn't have anything easily at hand to cook. OK, we did but I couldn't be bothered. When we got there the sun was still out and it was lovely and warm but it quickly headed back behind the hills so the table we had chosen outside became too cold and we moved in just before the salad was brought out. I ordered for both of us (though she did pick something random which was super nice) and it was all so tasty though as per usual there was too much of it. We ate as much as we could possibly fit in without being sick and then paid up and left.
Most amazing view
As we were starting to run down the view behind me caught my attention and I went outside to take a picture. It was like an oil painting and you should be amazed that there is only one picture of this as every two minutes it was different and awesome and I wanted to go out and take more pictures.
Two storks flying into the distance
I did scrabble for my camera a bit later on when two storks flew over following the line of the river. I was too late to get a good clear shot however you can see them in this one, through the glass of the restaurant and therefore with lights from inside reflected and disrupting the picture. The same singer was performing as had been here when I was eating with Georgi Stankov of "Bulgarian Properties for Sale" and family and we both really enjoyed listening and being amazed at how she could walk in the six or seven inch heels.
And so we came home and I've just had a lovely glass of whisky and she is outside on the new chair reading while I finish this. It has taken a massively long amount of time this evening as we've also sat and listened to loads of music that I have recorded and produced was back in the day; a lovely trip back down memory lane and bless her she was nice enough to say she liked it. I hope she does; some of that stuff is really personal to me.
Anyway, enough of today. I'm bored of writing this and you're probably bored of reading. Tomorrow is another day. Here's to it.
