Helping a friend is reciprocal

After I published my blog last night I had a little bit of a scare. Sassy suddenly started sneezing and not just once, but over and over and over again. I was really concerned, but I noticed that she had just gone to eat some of the hay I had given her, which I had pulled from the barn the other day to start giving her when the stuff I brought from England ran out.

I pulled the hay out immediately but she kept sneezing; I managed to pick her up (not an easy thing as she doesn't really like you doing that) and checked her nose but while it was a bit wet, there were no secretions at all that I could see. I put her back and she kept sneezing therefore I got really quite worried. Fortunately I was assisted via skype and twitter and sent this link and this really did calm me down. She continued to sneeze on and off through the evening but, after getting me really worried when her eyes showed her whites and she was seemingly unable to breath, she has now calmed totally and stopped sneezing. So thanks for the help; you know who you are!

So, panic over, I headed to bed and slept through until the alarm woke me at 7am. I should really mark with a tag all the days I have to wake with an alarm, huh. It isn't many so far though I suppose when workmen are arriving it could become more regular. The reason for my early start was my plans had changed; rather than collecting the furniture with my friend on Sunday we had received word that it was ready now so she decided to ask me if I was free today and of course I said yes.

The first thing I did was go to check the weather; it had been forecast to rain most of today and, while I knew I was going to take the monster tarpaulin with me, I still wanted to see what it was saying. No joy; the application on my phone wouldn't reload. I couldn't get anything working on the internet on my phone. Oh dear. I went to Room 13 and tried the laptop and I could get facebook and google to work, but not twitter, hotmail or my studio website.Very strange indeed. I had a brew and muddled it in my head for a bit, and asked my friend what she was seeing and it was exactly the same behaviour, but then I had to leave so I headed out. On the way I asked twitter for a DNS server I could use and, when I arrived at her house, I went and changed the router to point to 8.8.8.8 (we ARE close to Turkey here, you know). Strangely I was now able to ping and tracert to these sites, but still couldn't get any http connection (sorry, went all techincal there).

After a bit of time spent with my troubleshooting engineer head getting frustrated with no understanding the problem it became time to leave and we had arranged to give a friend of my friend a lift to town so I hitched up the trailer while she was collected and then it was off to town. Now I had noticed, as if my internet breaking wasn't a bad enough start to the day, that my car had developed a rattle from the rear end and I had diagnosed the problem upon arriving at my friends as the exhaust vibrating against a support which it had become entirely separated from. Before anything, therefore, we went straight to the garage and showed it to the guy there who just smiled, nodded, drove the car into the workshop and returned it about 5 minutes later with the rattle fixed and the strut welded to the exhaust, and charged me 5lev (about £2.30) for the pleasure. Amazing.

The artisan in his workshop

The little man who is friends with the deaf/mute artisan was ready a bit quicker today, probably because I sat in the car and my friend went to fetch him. Apparently they were all set for us to sit have coffee with them however with other stuff to do there was no time to spare. I remembered the route to the guys house and this time pulled Thomas right inside his property and round so the trailer was closer to the workshop where the items were stored.

Photos looking around his workshop

I snapped a few pictures around the workshop while I was in there and the first item was being carried out to the trailer. It looks very traditional but I know from the previous visit that he has a load of electrical tools hidden away that he uses, as well as the hand tools on display.

He doesn't look impressed, huh

The two men then came back to lift the second item over to the trailer and so I went after them and helped by taking their picture as they struggled up the slope. These items of furniture were really solidly made, with thick backs to them and not light at all. I helped get the second unit positioned on the trailer as it was awkward for two people to manouvre it and I think they appreciated that more than the photographs.

Strapped down and ready for the off

With them both on the trailer it was my job to secure them with the straps and I did this with two going over the from side to side and one in front, and then a couple more going from front to back. I attached them to the chassis as I had been recommended and it all seemed fine so off we went. We had got back onto the track leading past the top of the guys land when I noticed one of the straps had slipped loose so we stopped and I retightened it, double checking every single one again and I couldn't get any of them to move at all.

Happy again we drove away and I was super careful all the time; this is not my own furniture and I was aware that any large bumps might jar it and cause damage which I did not want to do. We were OK until just as we were driving past a little bar and shop area when I heard a pop, looked back to a cloud of smoke, and all the men sat outside the bar ran after us. I pulled over and it was as I thought; a tyre had blown out on the trailer!

Shredded tyre and knackered strap

True to form the men were super helpful and one ran to his own car (he turned out to actually be the owner of the pub) to get a jack while I went to find the tyre iron to remove the wheel. It was quickly obvious what had happened. The strap which I had hitched in front of the wheel had jumped off on the other side and the hook and ratchet on this side had swung back and wrapped around the axle before shredding the tyre by the simple action of the metal being pressed against the inside side wall. That tyre is not mendable, and will shortly appear in my garden with something growing in it I think. I can tell you that I will never again be hooking the straps to the chassis and will be forcing them inside the squares of the walls of the trailer where they will not be able to slip out.

I didn't have a spare so we unhitched the trailer, my friend and the little man went into the bar for a drink, and I sped from there back home and then returned with the spare wheel to refit it. It took a couple of minutes tops to do this, including having a couple of the men lift the trailer so we could refit the wheel as the jack was a little too small, and then everyone was smiling, the trailer was better again, and I went to join my friend in the bar. I had another turkish coffee (slightly nicer than the last one) and then we bought a few bits for lunch and headed on back to town to drop the little man off and then onwards towards hers.

The four wheel drive vehicle after climbing the weir

There was some kind of cross country race going on involving serious off road vehicles which we had encountered in the mountains on the way down and, as we crossed the bridge over the river in town we saw some vehicles going under. Typically it was the last of them and we stood waiting for more in vain, but I did snap some long range pictures as the car tried (and eventually succeeded) to drive straight up a weir. They were amazing looking vehicles with independent suspension and huge engines. As we stood there the gaggle of people watching dispersed and so on we went, to unhitch the trailer and have lunch.

Lunch was nardenitsa with onions on bread with seranai and butter and mayonaise and was really nice; I had missed breakfast so, after all the excitement, I was really quite ready for it. After dinner my friend started on the task she had promised to help me with; making a blind to hang at the very top of the window in Room 13 just to stop the glare from the sun in the mornings if I am working here. She did a cracking job on the material which we had bought in town last week, first of all putting hems all around it, then working out where the folds should be and sewing across so I can insert poles for rigidity at these points. I have no pictures, as I was helping (hah) to keep the material moving however I will get some when I hang it which will be tomorrow as I need to get some dowling for it to hang from.

Pretty much as soon as this was completed I headed home as I was tired and so was my friend. I have since just pottered around, made myself chips again with the advised method however they did not come out as nice as my ones so I'll be doing it with them in from cold oil from now on *glares* however my dinner was very tasty and the second glass of beer really helped to wash it down.

So the fire is cracking, Sassy hasn't sneezed once since I've been back (and I have another thing on my list which is a mesh bag so I can boil and wash the hay to try and make it not allergic for her) and now it is time to chill and chat and then head to bed and sleep and not have to have an alarm tomorrow morning.

A much more relaxing, productive, day

Today's blog starts off in the night as I was woken at some point (and fortunately not for that long) by the sheep dog going on a barking rampage. It obviously set off all the other dogs as well. I could hear him going along my lane, up into the village, round the corner and down the hill, and then back and then across the fields. And he was barking all the time. Who knows what set him off but I suppose I would rather that, than the sound of some imbecilic teens kicking my car wake me up.

There was another thing about yesterday which I forgot to detail and almost went back and edited the post but then decided to drop it in here. When my little lady neighbour was showing us where the drainage went she said that, 20 or 30 years before, she had been involved in digging out the drains and laying the pipes. What a fascinating thing and lovely to meet someone who was involved in this building right from the beginning.

The sheep being walked to pasture

Anyway, to today; I woke early and dozed back off and woke about 8am feeling rested and relaxed, particularly after having got so much dealt with yesterday which had been on my mind. As always I made a cuppa before anything else however today I was straight outside into the warm sun to get on with my task for the day. The farmer guy was just walking his cattle out when I went down to the gate and he stopped and watched me starting work for a bit before saying goodbye and then, a little while later, disappearing in his car. I am sure he thinks I'm insane but never mind.

Trying to show the depth of soil on the steps

And so I set too with my trowel with digging away at the deep compost which buried the bottom couple of steps down near the gate. This was really good soil down here and I wasn't really throwing much un-composted material into the wheelbarrow, though there were a fair few stones as you got down to the path; these stones have come from the steps higher up which haven't been buried and therefore have been weathered more and collapsed. This picture is attempting to show how deep the soil was on one of the higher steps; I'm not sure the perspective works but hey. The lower steps were completely submerged and I was digging a good six inches to eight inches of soil by the end.

A grub, and a long millipede

As I was digging I found various little creepy crawlies and bugs. These were a couple of them which I snapped a quick shot of. All these went into the wheel barrow, along with as many worms as I could find, to be added to the compost heap to assist with the decomposition there. If anyone can identify what the grub will become that would be great. I found maybe ten of them in the end.

Fried bacon and eggs on fried bread

It got to about 10am and I decided I was hungry and, because I am grafting today, I treated myself to fried bacon, eggs and bread. It was absolutely lovely. A few months ago I would have said I couldn't make good fried bread but now, after that first experience while the roof was being patched last year, I am more and more confident to do so.

My neighbour's horse, sadly shackled

After breakfast I headed back out for a bit more digging before my morning meeting with my work. As I was working away I heard the sound of hooves and noticed that the neighbour's horse was on the land, cropping away. As I went to take pictures he looked up at me and then started trotting to get to another part of the property. I managed to snap a quick picture as he trotted past which showed one of the few things I find uncomfortable around here; they have a habit of hobbling their animals. The chains on his legs are so short he can barely trot and when he wants to run it is an ungainly stagger. I wish they wouldn't do this, and rather paddock them, but I suppose this is their way of life.

I had managed to rearrange my missed meeting from Wednesday and so came inside in time to connect via Skype and go on video chat. It was really good to see my old colleagues who I will be working with again from next week, and they were all very amused by a few of the stories I told them; they wanted the walk through as well so I suppose I really had better get on to that and film it soon. Not today though as the wind has got up something chronic; it is doing the best it can to rip the plastic sheeting from my windows. Anyway, after the morning meeting we got my working practices sorted out and I am now quite looking forward to getting back to the development work next week. I have the task of getting all my environment set up this weekend but with the forecast being for rain that isn't really a problem to me.

Mostly done, I can finish this next week now

After the meetings I was straight back outside and cracked on with the digging. I was making really good progress but starting to run out of buckets and also getting a little bored of the process; I broke at 1pm for a a light lunch of the Edam I had left over that my mum bought me, and a couple of cookies dunked in a brew, then cracked on again pretty much immediately to get to the end of the task. I have not completely finished digging the bottom towards the gate out however I have run out of buckets to put the soil in so I packed up for the day when this happened.

Nine buckets, eight filled today

I filled eight buckets with good soil today, and only had one and a half wheelbarrows of compostable material. This is because I have dug right down to the bottom of ten years of fallen leaves and most of it has been completely broken down in this time. I uncovered some quite sizable roots going through the bottom of the soil as well which I am presuming are from the trees just near the path; I have cut them off and hope it doesn't damage the tree too much.

A lovely little flower

While I was tidying everything up preparatory for coming back in I noticed a tiny flower which was just beautiful so I snapped a quick picture. There are loads of these little things all over the property and it is nice to, as well as being so productive in achieving stuff, be able to stop and notice things and spend time observing the lovely nature around me.

Beautiful purple blossoms on a tree

Along the same lines I spotted at some point today this gorgeous purple flowered tree which I hadn't seen before; everything is really coming to life here at the moment and the change from one day to the next is quite outstanding. I'm not sure what this is either so anyone who knows please say. I think I should start to physically label my trees and plants actually, as my memory is not good enough to remember what I am being told.

So I am now sat here, nice and early on the blog (but with only a few inside things to do) being a touch concerned that the wind (which is gusting very high now) will test my plastic sheeting even further, and maybe even some of the more precariously balanced roof tiles. The forecast is for this wind to pass before tomorrow and I do hope it does; it could keep me awake tonight otherwise.

Life!

My plans for the weekend involve using a lot of that soil to plant loads of seeds (mainly chili I think, but possibly some other stuff too) and possibly continuing to dig out the coal store under the stairs. I am back with the trailer to help my friend on Sunday, and this will probably involve a visit to that family again so my head will probably explode with the overload of conversation in a foreign language. I aim to be ready for the men to come on Monday, though they may be delayed until Tuesday now, for getting the fencing done; I will probably be moving the fence posts for Rambo's enclosure at some point so there is a pile right where they are needed. The plans I repotted the other day are looking good though, as is the Hibiscus which continues to produce green shoots.

My very tasty dinner; as good as it looked!

I have had an exceptionally tasty dinner where I baked my pork chops for a bit, then poured the bottle of whatever-random-sauce-it-was over the top, rinsed out with water, and left it on a high heat for a fair old while. I thinly sliced a potato and, after putting salt and pepper on, roasted them, flipping them every now and then, until I couldn't wait any more. It was divine, and I still have half of it to reheat for tomorrow. Get In!

So, the fire has been on since relatively early today because the temperature has dropped and I am toasty and warm. I'm going to just chill out and wait and look forward to chatting to people this evening. It is such a lovely life, this, with so few real stresses so far.

Cheers

Getting to the bottom of the PuP

Today has been a day of no work at all on the house, but plenty of progress in other ways.

It started at about the standard time with me needing a brew desperately to wake me up and prepare myself for a bit of a nerve wracking day, to say the least. As regular readers will know I have had a long and complicated saga attempting to find a good architect who can complete my project through to getting permission to build, including getting an approval called a "PuP" (which stands for something but I'd not be able to tell you what) which comes from Sofia.

Basically, and also so I can clarify my understanding, the building is currently a school. This means that, at any time, the Department of Education can commandeer it for their uses, whether educational, health, social or humanitarian, and this would be without any compensation. So if they needed to house some refugees, and I have renovated my school, they could say "oh that's a good place" and bam I would HAVE to put them up by law.

This is not something that I want to even contemplate.

The process for changing the purpose of a building is legislated in law and requires certain documents to be sent to the central Department for Education in Sofia where they will decide whether to allow or deny the application. This is where my situation gets a little complicated. It turns out (and was detailed in the rejection letter that Lubo showed me the other week) that the Obshtina who sold me the property had already attempted to get a PuP for this building about a year before selling the building to me and had been rejected. The reason for rejection that time was the same as the reason this time; the correct documents had not been filed.

Probably the reason the Obshtina did not continue at that point is because one of the documents is a detailed plan of the building and what you wish to do with the building; as they had no desire to actually DO the development (just sell it for more money with change of use already applied) they just let it lie and sold it to me. This was a little naughty and is a small thing to put influence on them to help me from now on.

Once I have the PuP then the Obshtina can give me full planning permission; to be honest they can do this without the PuP but then I would be at risk of the invasion of my property by the Board of Education as it would continue to be zoned a school and as such within their purview to purloin.

The other complication was this restitution issue. Now my friend had a really close look at the two skitzas (the plans for the property) and compared them very closely and he can see a very very small difference between the original I got when I bought the school, and the new one which I got the other week from Lubo. I am not currently sure what this actually means so I need to do some more digging. The bottom line is the vast majority of the land is mine.

So, to today (sorry if that bored you, but I'm sure you're all even more confused than I am with what is going on here). My friends turned up on time and we headed down to town and found the office straight away; they had someone already in so we had to wait a few minutes. While we were waiting my friend pointed out that the letter wasn't from just any bureaucrat, but actually signed and stamped by the Minister for Education; that Lubo told me this letter was "bullshits" (sic) when it was an elected minister who put her mark on it, is beyond me. Anyway it was pretty much on time when the two ladies showed us in, gave us a chocolate each (for good health and happiness) and brought an extra chair as there were only two guest chairs in the office.

Without too much ado the Buglarian friend started talking through the situation with the Chief Architect and established that the law was different to how the Obshtina understood it. He also showed her the rejection letter (which Lubo said she had been shown) which she had never seen before and which helped her to understand the situation as explained above regarding the previous application.

Once the conversation got going my friend really cleverly guided it so there was no confrontation, just a meeting of minds, and he led it towards the fact they were saying that there was no chance of a PuP being applied. It was at this point that he pulled out his master-stroke; a telephone call to the architect in the ministry in Sofia who was immediately happy to talk to the chief architect in the obshtina and explain that the PuP was COMPLETELY possible and all that was needed was the documents listed in the letter.

Here we have our first few direct issues as Lubo specifically told me that the chief architect had spoken to the person in Sofia three times and it turns out that they had never spoken before at all, and also the fact that the letter had never been shown to the chief architect either. I can't think at the moment of any reason for him to lie about these things as they are so easily verifiable.

The result of all of this was us leaving with a plan; firstly to get the roof plans verified and signed off (Lubo had given them to me but not validated them or got them approved by the Obshtina) and secondly for me to call him so my friend could speak to him directly and get a complete understanding of the situation from his point of view.

Watching the fishermen catching their fish

We headed off to one of my favourite restaurants around here; actually the place I went with Veselka when I arranged her doing this work first of all and also the place I went with my friend straight after winning the auction, and sat ourselves down. The manager came out to serve us and he spoke very good (if slightly profane) english and was quite amusing throughout the meal. We stood for a while looking at the river and admiring as two fishermen standing in the middle had success after success, pulling a fish a minute from the fast flowing water.

I had dialled Lubo and passed the phone to my friend however he first of all didn't answer and then answered saying "five minutes please" and hung up. I decided I didn't want to waste my credit on this call so sent him a text requesting a call back. Pretty quickly he did so and my friend got into an involved conversation where he explained the process slowly and clearly; even though Lubo has been employed and paid to do this process it seems that he doesn't actually know how to complete it.

It turns out the Lubo claims to have all the documents requested by Sofia already collected; if this is the case then our conversation when I see him next will be very simple indeed. I remain to be convinced that he actually has. Anyway, I have my path forwards though it is not for publication here. Watch this space for more.

Tuna and chili pizza

For my lunch I chose to have a pizza as I wasn't that hungry and have been eating pretty much traditional food at home anyway. It was pretty tasty and particularly good once I finished the coffee I ordered initially and bought a cold beer to chase it down with.

Super shiny cup holder for Turkish Coffee

After we had eaten the manager brought us out three Turkish coffees, on the house, which came in the most amazing ornate silver cup holders, but didn't taste all the amazing. Apparently you put all the ingredients (arabica coffee and sugar, in this case) into the cold water and bring it slowly to the boil, stopping just before boiling point is reached. I am glad I tried it but I won't be ordering it again.

And so we headed back home with plans laid and getting advice all the time. I made a brew and we got the skitzas out and the previously mentioned confusion with the exact boundaries was highlighted by the simple expedient of folding the two skitzas and trying to line up each boundary on each sheet. The boundary has changed maybe by a metre or two, but I still need to get this clear as I'm getting the fence put in and I don't really want to have to move my fence in case of a dispute. It is most strange as the changed boundary is with public land, or at least land I thought was public.

After this we had our brews and then decided to have a look for the drainage and cess pit that would have been used when the school was operating. First of all we found a pipe which fed waste water directly onto the track; it turns out this is where the water from my trough is going. When a walk around the property looking for signs of a pit showed nothing my friend decided to head over to my neighbour to ask her, as she used to work here. She happily came over, with the grandchildren in tow, and helped us out. It turns out that the toilet waste used to go down through a long pipe and empty itself into a field on the other side of the track, one which she actually owns. She said she was happy for it to continue like this. I am not giving away my nutrients that easily, however, and Humanure is here to stay.

As my friends were about to leave she offered Ayran and this was accepted; she ran off to collect the glasses and a big bowl and fed it to us until it felt like my stomach would explode. I do like Ayran but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. She is wonderfully generous however and I cannot have asked for a better neighbour.

With my friends heading back to their village a few hours away I had to decide whether I was going to do any more work however with the Ayran sitting so heavily on my stomach I decided that I was in no mood for bending and lifting and I decided to have a look for a small car as a run around. I have found a few options and sent requests for information to them via the website so we'll see what happens.

As a bit of a contrast regarding my two neighbours, the other day my little lady neighbour said that she would give me manure and to help myself from her pile. I have just had a chat with the farmers from below me and they came up with a price of 50EU. I am not sure if they were charging this for shoveling it and digging it in however I am in no mood to be scammed by someone else. I smiled and said no.

I have had multiple visits from the grandchildren next door today, coming to see Sassy a couple of times and once turning up merely to use the standpipe in the garden and have a drink from it. They are charming kids, though, so I'm not too bothered and it'll be more difficult for them to come when the fence is up.

Early in the sunset, a lovely silvery light

My daily ding dong with the sheep and their guardian dog has entered a new stage today. I headed them off once from coming in towards my new trees and they went along the lane and onto my land by the other entrance, which isn't a problem. As I was passing the back window I noticed that the sun was going down in a rather lovely show of colours so I grabbed my camera and snapped a shot.

Just watching, not barking

The sheep were round the back and the dog barked once at me, and then just backed off and watched me before eventually wandering off and ignoring me. He ended up asleep in the middle of the field while the sheep cropped all around him and I snapped a few pictures of other views.

Baby sheep dog

This time the little puppy sheep dog, which previously has just stuck around the farm gate, had joined the big dog and was with the sheep. At first he was barking at me and jumping to make himself look a bit bigger than he was but then, when I held out my hand to him, he came and let me scratch and stroke him and he licked my fingers and now we are good friends. He is a cute little thing and after this attention he ran off to, it seemed, play at being a sheep dog. I suppose why train a dog yourself when you can let an older dog train the youngster for you.

And so my dinner is currently cooking and I'm about to light the petchka and pour a beer and maybe tonight I might watch a film; I haven't even plugged my hard drive with my films on it in since I arrived.

Evening sun on my favourite tree

My first visitor arrives 4 weeks today and my second only a couple of weeks after that and next week I start my 2 days a week contract and also the men while be here doing the fence (ograda) so everything really starts heating up from now on; I'm hoping that after the fence I can arrange the roof to be started pretty much following straight on and, if I have the car bought by then, the librarian's son can have it during the week to do the workmen collection and we'll make plenty of progress before said visitors arrive. I can't wait for them to be here and experience just how awesome it is here.

Banking and more clearing

After the energy-filled day I had yesterday (probably helped by the epic lie in) I have been a little less full of energy today, particularly this afternoon. One of the pleasures of this life is the fact that this hasn't really bothered me that much; if I want to do less I'll just do less.

Misty in my front yard

Anyway, the morning dawned misty and a little chilly however I put my shorts on anyway with faith that it would warm up, and so I looked like the complete foreigner in town. I had a brew to wet my whistle and was in Thomas and on my way to town by 8.45 local time, arriving about 9am at my usual parking spot. A few minutes of walking and I went into the bank and was shown straight to a desk where a very nice lady who spoke English very well (she said she had stayed in America, and the accent told me this) helped me to change the address on the account and set up my internet banking. The address had to be changed to my UK one as I don't have a residency card so I will have to go through a few steps now. First of all, get some money going into the account. Next, get a letter from the bank to prove this and use it to support my residency application and then, when I have it, change my address (and name into Cyrillic characters) at the bank. A bit of a long process but not too complicated and at least I know which person to go to in the branch in future for good help.

I left there happy with myself as it took about 25 minutes to achieve all of this and when I got back I had the email for the internet banking and I have been able to log in and check it out, which is great. Now I just need to ring my UK bank and start sending myself money. I had decided that I would get myself the mesh chair I had seen in the shop the other day, and also a USB hub with keyboard and mouse so when I start my two days a week next week I am fully comfortable and happy. I went to the shop and asked for a flat pack of the chair and the guy went and brought back a box with more than one chair in it and proceeded to pull out each part and show it to me and hand it separately. He helpfully went and got a box to put it in when I went through the checkout though. I parked in Lidl, got the IT equipment from next door and then dived inside Lidl to check if they had more of those buckets (they didn't) and pick up a few other bits.

The dis-assembled chair

From there it was home and time to try and get the chair build before I was due on the conference call to arrange my work for next week. It was actually pretty easy to put together and I had all the parts I needed which was a relief. It was just a case of using an allen key a lot and the only tough part was attaching the back to the seat. I am pretty pleased with the chair and it'll do for the next year or two until I get a really nice one.

The funky swinging chair which I really want

I did take a picture while in the builders merchant and home furnishings shop of the awesome chair which I really want for the summer. I may not buy it as it is 600lev and that is a ridiculous amount of money, but it really looks brilliant. I'll probably just make my own hammock and sling it from one tree to another. Who knows, the urge to buy it may overtake me. I also saw some AMAZING polished wood rocking chairs that I just love; I think (if the deaf/mute carpenter bloke actually has finished my friend's furniture and it looks good) I may commission one; I've always ALWAYS wanted to have a rocking chair on a terrace. Anyway, enough Deliverance style fantasies.

The assembled new chair

I installed my new keyboard and mouse and then sat on my new chair and waited and waited and the meeting never occurred. Rather I should say it occurred but they had a bit of a mare and forgot to set up the laptop so I could join in. I'm not sure I've ever actually been disappointed to miss a standup before but I was this time. We have rearranged for Friday and I really hope it happens then because I'm supposed to be starting next week.

Marmite and wooden pegs; my aid parcel

While I was sat waiting for the meeting I heard a banging on the door and went down and there was a different person to the Kmet, but he was delivering my post. It was an aid parcel from my parents containing some wooden tent pegs, and a little bottle of marmite. My first aid parcel! Thanks mum and dad, continuing to help me even though you aren't here any more!

One is inside,the other out

When I got back from town I found that two of the swallows/swifts/whatevers had somehow managed to get back in and were flying around the upstairs landing and corridor in quite a state of panic as they didn't seem to be able to find their way out. I realised that I had left a door open to a room with open windows so that must be how they got in. I spent a fair while trying to encourage them out, opening a window they flew past repeatedly without going through and eventually, with the aid of a broom to guide them, managed to get them out the back door. I really hope they get the hint and stay out now; I hate panicking creatures of any kind.

My first job outside was to empty the two full humanure buckets and this took me about ten minutes including rinsing them and then refilling each with sawdust. Being honest I think I was a bit lazy when I made my collection point as the liquid is seeping out the sides and flowing away; you're supposed to make the bottom concave and I didn't do mine enough. I am very pleased with the lack of smell, however; there is nothing from my waste, the only smell is from the waste from Sassy which I am also putting there.

Piles of leaves and twigs to clear

As I said yesterday I had set myself the task of completing the clearance of the gate and entrance stairs today; this is relatively time critical for next week when the fence is done so people can get in to see me. It turned out to be much more of a job than I expected with loads of rocks and large branches mixed in with the leaves and rotted compost. I filled three or four wheel barrows with this before deciding enough was enough and heading upstairs for a sandwich and a rest for lunch. This is where my lack of energy today really kicked in.

The composting area, temporary

After a nice relaxing lunch and some good chatting online I headed back out as I hadn't covered over the compost heaps with spiky branches to keep the chickens off and I decided to do one more wheelbarrow before closing up this task for the day. As I was doing it my energy returned and I was able to move nearly all of the twigs and branches and leaves and put it into compost heaps on either side of the humanure heap. In this way, the seepage will not be a problem any more and will actually assist in the decomposition of the second heap. Result.

I made a good dent in this task

I have made a good impression on this task and left myself with the task of sifting through the soil that is left for reuse as potting materials. I will do this on Friday I reckon, as tomorrow I am going to be sorting out the architect mess I hope.

Rubbish before being lit

My next task was to burn the rubbish I had collected as my receptacle was full in the kitchen area and with all the stuff I had bought I had packing materials to get rid of. There is no refuse collection service in this village (some have a central wheely bin you can put things in but not my village) so the only thing you can really do with things is burn them. Of course I am going to recycle and reuse as many things as I possibly can so as to not waste things but you can't have stuff piling up too much.

I also threw on the cardboard box that the chair had been put in and it created an interesting chimney effect so I grabbed the phone and took a video of it for those pyromaniacs amongst my readers. I know there are a fair few of you out there too.

The walnut which had started growing

I knocked the cardboard in with my fire pokey stick and went on to my next task which was to make use of the compost and leaf mold I have collected in the past couple of days to pot up the juniper and fir trees, and the clematis, however the first thing I did was plant a walnut that I had found while clearing the steps. Unfortunately I hadn't noticed it until I had broken the root a bit so I hope it recovers and grows; it would be great to grow my own Walnut tree from a nut.

The plants, potted up

I potted the rest of the plants quite quickly and easily, using up nearly two whole buckets of mold and compost in the process but it is there to be used so I just whacked it in and I hope all the plants survive. The base of the Clematis is a bit woody and weedy (is this normal?) so I will be keeping a particularly close eye on that. It does seem to be shooting up every day though, growing fast. I'll train it up one of the walls by the entrance as soon as the fence is in so I don't have to move it again.

And so I am now sat inside on my standard cattle-watch waiting to chase them off from destroying the trees I put in prematurely. I really am kicking myself for not waiting to be fair; I am worried that they have already distressed them so much they will die. My friend's ones, which are not being attacked every day by cows, sheep and goats, are looking very healthy and mine are looking a bit sad. What a pity if they die.

I'm going to be getting an early night tonight so this is a very early blog post for you to enjoy :) Tomorrow is quite a big day with hopefully getting to the bottom of the PuP fiasco and kick starting that process again. I can't say too much but suffice to say I am going to get to the bottom of it.

A day of successes

The day started in a really lazy way with a lie in til nearly 9am which is completely unheard of but obviously much needed. I wasn't up that late last night so I got loads of sleep. As is normally the case I was a bit dozy after such a long sleep and my throat was totally dry so my first act of the day was to make a large mug of tea and drink it down as quickly as I could.

What kind of beetle is this?

I have again managed to have Muesli for breakfast as I continue to try and be a little healthy if I possibly can. While I was preparing my breakfast and my brew I noticed a strange looking beetle wobbling along the tabletop. I snapped a couple of pictures and then saved him with kitchen roll and put him outside.

Hibiscus and Clematis

I also snapped a picture of the Hibiscus that I bought the other day, and the Clematis that I bought yesterday which appears to have grown an inch or so at least even since then. I have pretty much decided that this is going to go on my entrance porch, trained up the wall and hopefully spreading a bit too, to provide a burst of colour to an area I expect to make a lot of use of. I am not sure where I will put the Hibiscus though; it is putting very good looking buds out so is obviously healthy.

My main task to achieve today was to go and see the window people to ask them to come and measure up and quote for all the external windows and doors that I need. I will not get them all fitted at once, but at least I will have a quote to aim at for costings. Before doing this I decided that I should cut my hair and started shaving it off. After about three strokes the thing gave out and completely stopped working. I was now stuck with a section of my hair very short, and the rest uncut. Fortunately I had brought two sets of clippers with me and so I was able to just pop and find them in my store room, and finish the job. It didn't look too bad, considering I had no mirror. There followed an awesome shower which really helped me to wake up properly.

Sassy of the dusty nose

Lastly I fed Sassy and she did her usual of trying to jump on the bowl as I put it down which is really quite annoying and means I have to hold her while I feed her. However, once the bowl was in and she had her face stuffed in it I spotted that she had the normal dusty nose she gets while eating. It is so cute that I had to take a picture of it and share it with you. Aren't you glad I did...?

Feeling properly prepared to face the world I jumped in Thomas and set off for town. The first thing on my list was the bolt for the wheels which I had forgotten to get yesterday. I went to my normal builders merchant and the chap who speaks a very little English helped me, found the correct bolt and a washer, and then refused payment. You can't beat service like that.

After this I headed towards the window workshop which my friend had shown me to last year. I found it without any problems and was able to make myself understood enough to arrange for someone to come today or tomorrow. I was pretty sure they said tomorrow but that is fine as I have made sure these two days are empty of anything after the hectic weekend and yesterday. My second job completed and I was feeling really good about myself being able to communicate, even though I was aware that my friend had done the groundwork and pointed the place out to me.

Big bottles of my fave drink

Finally I needed some kitchen roll as I was nearly out so I stopped at the little market on the main street and bought a few rolls, and some bottles of the Carroti juice that I love so much. It is great that they stock it here because I haven't seen it in any other shops. Final job completed and I was home within an hour of setting off with everything I wanted, done. The only thing I forgot was a mask for doing the coal store but, as the weather was looking really good, I had decided against working inside again today so that wasn't a big issue.

He is waiting for me to leave so he can come in

I was about to head outside to start sweeping down the entrance steps when I noticed that the swifts/swallows (I'm never sure which is which) were flitting in and out a lot, going to their old nests. This is a big issue as I love birds and I don't want them to establish their homes inside my house and then lose them when the windows are done. They would also be massively disturbed by all the building work going on around them as the roof is done and the insulation installed. I decided to use the remaining plastic sheeting and cover as many of the windows as possible so they couldn't get in.

Bird proof, finally

I did the window in my bedroom, the window on the corridor and had enough to cover all the windows in Sassy's room which means that every window that is open to where their nests were is now secure. I hope they find another place to make their nests. It didn't take too long to do this and I completed it all before it was lunch time.

An unidentified, very large, buzzing thing

While I was putting the sheeting up I heard a loud buzzing and saw a very large buzzy thing flying around the room desperately trying to get out. It was really hard to get a good picture so I gave up in the end and it must have found a gap to escape because pretty soon the buzzing stopped and I didn't see it again.

I was to clear all this

Lunch was the rest of the liver with red onions on bread covered in mayo; it was very tasty and very filling and I reckon I'll not be having a large meal tonight now. I let it go down by drinking a large mug of tea very slowly and then headed out for my afternoon task; clearing the steps and path down to my front gate.

Making progress

My first step was to sweep everything into a big pile with the big brush which didn't take that long. I then shoveled the big stuff into the the wheelbarrow and deposited it next to the humanure collection point to use as cover material. Finally I got my small hand trowel and collected together the fine soil where the oldest leaves had broken down completely into fabulous compost. This is exactly what I have been looking for to start my seeds off in.

Job done

After a couple of hours of good sweat inducing work I had cleared the top steps and all the path. It was a really enjoyable task as there was barely a sound apart from the buzzing of insects and the wind every now and then in my ears, and sometimes a distant cowbell (much to be preferred to the sound of one right close up about to eat my trees!) and with the sun out it was a perfect temperature; not too hot but warm and comfortable.

Good growing soil collected from the path

I had managed to collect two large buckets of the excellent soil while doing this so I will be able to mix it with the other soil, and the rotting sawdust, to fill quite a few pots and plant out the trees I got at the weekend and also pot up the Clematis which I want to flourish. I will also probably start some more seed trays off as well. There is so much to do, and I can choose when and how I do it.

Pile of leaves and twigs to use as cover material

I filled three wheelbarrow loads with leaves and non-rotted manure and deposited it, as I have said, next to the humanure collection point. While I was digging one of the hens got into the pile and started scratching around which is perfectly natural I suppose but not what I want to happen at all. I have protected this pile in the same way as the other one; with the cuttings from the trees which were blocking the entrance and I hope this suffices until I have the fences up, next week.

The rest to do tomorrow

I have by no means finished this job and have another section to do tomorrow. This will be slightly more difficult as I either have to pull the barrow up and down the stairs, or open the gate and go around. Either way I'll solve that difficulty when I get to it.

And so I came in to start writing this blog and then realised that I'd not cut my wood for my fire so off I went to work up even more of a sweat; if I don't get fitter living this lifestyle then there is no hope for me at all. While I was cutting I heard a banging and crashing and went down from the loft to find that the Special One was outside with two men; the men from the window place.

Once again the habit I seem to have of thing occurring much quicker than expected continues; I swear he said they would arrive tomorrow. Anyway I spent about 40 minutes walking around with them explaining what windows I want and how they should open etc. It is only when you do this with someone that you remember just how huge a place this is. I am a little concerned at what the quote will be, and I just remembered that I forgot to say "fly screens on all opening windows and doors" and "tilt and turn for the balcony doors". I may have to go in tomorrow and tell them this.

Damaged trees :(

I waved goodbye to them and finished my wood chopping so I have now refilled one of the buckets with wood chopped slightly smaller so hopefully it can lie flat in the fire box. I finally started typing this blog and then had to do my usual dash downstairs to chase the sheep off. One of the lambs had a good mouthful of my tree and just stood looking at me until I nearly ran into it. I then chased them off my land growling at the sheep dog and staring it down; the damage to the big tree is quite bad; I really should fence them tomorrow. I am being lazy putting it off.

Blossom, with Martenitsa in the background

While sitting back in Room 13 I heard the cows come down and decided to walk down and see they didn't come on my land. While I was down there I noticed that the Martenitsa from my Dad has already done the trick; there is a blossom on the walnut tree! This is great to see and I will keep my eyes on these over the next days and weeks to watch how they progress.

Raiders wondering whether to risk it

I stayed down there as I had also realised that the herder was with the cattle and I would be able to ask him about getting a load of manure for the garden. This I did, I think, though I don't know how or when it will be delivered. I also snapped a few photographs of the potential raiders as they eyed their usual path up and onto my land. My presence put them off and they all headed down the lane. Only a few more days and the fence will be up.

Stunning sunset behind cows

So it turns out that I didn't really communicate very well as the man has just turned up with a couple of buckets of manure; he has given them to me and I took him to show him the garden I wanted to cover and asked him how much for all that. He said he will see me tomorrow, or his boss will. So that could be good. The more manure I have the better as I want to spend all this year improving my soil. The cows are back and the sheep are loitering; the fence can't come soon enough. The sunset, however, is stunning.

I have just been out and warded the trees from the cows again; one of them seems to love using the middle sized sapling as a scratching post and this almost totally bends it in half as it is only small. Anyway, I also got to stand outside for a bit in the evening cool enjoying the view across the valley and sharing another incomprehensible conversation with the herder.