We have found a nice morning walk for the dogs which is safe away from the dawn hunters in the forests (both our dogs are black and we don't want them mistaken for wild boar!!) We walk into the woodland of a disused hotel at the top of our road. The grounds must have been very impressive once considering the hotel itself seems quite small. Although abandoned there are still curtains at the windows and furniture inside but no signs of vandalism anywhere. The grounds look out over the village and surrounding countryside and give a wonderful vista of the rising sun every morning.
Maizie and Marple on the approach road to the hotel
A village well just up the road from us
One of two churches in the village
Monday is spent in the sunshine clearing the top fruit orchard so that we can see exactly what we have. Over the next few days Pamela rakes and I dig over the land. By the end of the week we discover we have walnuts, hazelnuts, pear, apple, cherry, plum and peach trees with about six terraces of vines.
Pamela starts clearing the top land
Finished at last
A well deserved tea break on the new rustic seat
The view down our land from the cleared vine terrace
The builders continue to insulate the Palace, sorry laundry room, where the most pampered washing machine and dryer ever will be housed. There is as much insulation, care and attention being put into this outbuilding as our house but it looks amazing (hope our guests appreciate it!!). Monica also came for a visit today which was great to see her again.
Borko insulates the Palace
The bathroom starts to take shape
Thursday is a day out in Ruse with Borko and Monica. Borko knows the owner of a garage where we have seen a car that we like for sale. Monica will meet us later so that we can go shopping for a kitchen, bedroom furniture and tiles. The purchase of the car takes minutes although we end up with a totally different car than we expected. Ruse has run out of car registrations so if you buy an unregistered car it can take up to 90 days to get a number plate. No number plate and the car cannot be driven. Amazingly we find a car with registration plates (one of only two in a garage of about a hundred and fifty cars!!), has insurance (the car not the driver is insured) and a vignette. So off into Ruse to meet the Notary who draws up the purchase contract for the car. An hour or so later and the car is ours. Monica meets us at the Notary to practice her interpretation skills for us yet again and then we join her and Vlady for lunch at a lovely restaurant in the city. Next stop is the tile shop but we cannot agree on tile choice so abandon that job for the day. Off then to the furniture store. We buy a kitchen, two complete bedrooms, a sofa and table and chairs. A whole guest let furnished in minutes although the bedrooms will not be delivered until January. Borko will collect and install the kitchen for us next week. On the way home we pick up our new car. Happy days.
Friday Pamela and I head off to Popovo for some shopping. A stop at the market and we have our fruit and veg for the next week or so for less than £4 but the market is getting less and less choice as the seasons change. Cabbages though are in abundance but there is only so much cabbage you can eat. There are also crates of very fresh fish, most are still alive in crates or in a large watertank, as this weekend is Nikulden.
Nikulden is the patron saint of sailors, fisherman, bankers and merchants and the Day of Saint Nicholas is celebrated by Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria. Traditionally they eat fish, usually Carp, stuffed with onions and walnuts and their dining tables are richly laid as there is an open invitation for anyone to just drop in to share the feast.
Whilst at the market we dropped into a store where they sell tiles. We found the ideal ones and after some tricky 'conversation' we had purchased them. We were then ushered out the back of the store to where another gentlemen motioned for us to follow him in our car. Through the backstreets of Popovo we drove not knowing exactly what our fate was, until we were led to an industrial estate with a huge tile warehouse. Another potential murder / mugging avoided!! Tiles loaded and off we head home. On the way back we have to stop as a large herd of goats and huge sheep block the road so that they can devour the flowers in the garden of a roadside house. The shepherd eventually manages to move then on and we are off again. That evening Mrs B our next door neighbour beckons us over to the garden wall where she shows us some photos of her family and Pamela shows her pictures of her daughters. Mrs B then gives us a large bottle of homemade wine and a bottle of Rakia. It is very fruity and strong but is delicious and will have to be drunk in moderation.
In Popovo we were so happy to find walnut crackers........
.......but they didn't even manage to crack one nut before splitting themselves - back to using a hammer then
Saturday is a rest day for everyone, even our builders who normally work every day of the week. We have our Nikulden feast of fish stuffed with leeks and walnuts cooked in our clay oven. Pamela also makes some homemade coleslaw which she serves with fresh tomatoes, goats cheese and walnuts from our garden. Delicious and all enjoyed in the courtyard in bright sunshine with a glass of Mrs B's homemade wine.
Fish ready for our feast
Homemade wine and Rakia complete the meal
Floors being levelled ready for the new laminate
This massive oyster was found in the sand for the cement. That is my large cell phone next to it
Picked from the floor of our orchard
Marple enjoys sunbathing with her ball
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