Week 8

Monday brings another gloriously sunny day but we are off to Ruse for a get us in a festive mood day. There is an ice sculpture exhibition in the main square, the decorations are all out, there is a small Christmas craft fair and we have to get each other a gift to open on the big day. The ice sculptures are amazing, carved out of huge blocks of ice by various skilled artists, each depicting a wonder of architecture from various countries around the world. However as it is so sunny some are starting to melt but still are very impressive. The craft fair is a bit of a let down, only half a dozen stalls and not really filled with Bulgarian handicrafts as we had hoped. After a trip around the market to buy our Christmas veg, a quick visit to Monica's office to drop off her Christmas present, a whizz around the supermarket and a stop off for a lovely lunchtime meal of creamed vegetable soup and a bowl of homemade pasta we are running very short of time. Pam knows exactly what she is getting me for Christmas but as usual I have no idea what to get her. We are running so late I will have to come back to Ruse tomorrow to get her gift.

Father Christmas with Ruse Theatre in the background

Pamela enjoys the Christmas display

The weather is sure to turn soon so this is the main water feed into the house insulated with a straw bale

Tuesday is back into Ruse so that I can get Pamela a Christmas present. No idea what to get, no idea how the sizes equate to UK sizing and a large rambling city centre mean that it takes me hours to get just one item. Finally purchased and off home again. Pamela spends the day cleaning the house then knitting in the garden as it was a sunny day again. The builders took a day off so it was lovely for Pamela and the dogs to have some quality time in the sun together. Pamela even makes me a Christmas card from wrapping paper as we have found that there are very few Christmas cards to be bought locally (she has been watching the Good Life DVD's again so is in the self sufficiency mode!!)

Wednesday is Borko's birthday so we get him a cake from the local store (a chocolate log and some fruit sponges), then for teabreak we all had cake and coffee. At lunchtime we all shared a beer in the sun.

Borko blows his candles out

Breaktime in the sun

Pamela the hostess

Break over and back to laying the new floors in the groundfloor bedroom

Washing machine and tumble dryer go into the Palace

Thursday is Christmas Eve and is regarded as more important than Christmas Day here as it is the last day of Advent so everybody takes the day off apart from me. I paint the front gates at last so that they match the garage and windows. It is a beautiful day again so when the painting is finished we open a bottle of sparkly wine and enjoy the sun in the courtyard.

Marple sunbathing on her favourite step

Internal gate painted

Main gates finished

Everybody is so kind to us. The local turkey herder who we met back in September and lives on the other side of the village, popped in to bring us a bottle of homemade wine, Stefan who lives up the lane stopped to wish us a Happy Christmas and Mrs B next door gave us socks, wine and homemade cheese pie. We are so lucky. Christmas Eves meal is traditionally a big, mainly vegetarian meal which should be of an uneven number of dishes. Each dish has a significance whether it be to ensure a good harvest next year or encourage fertility. We have traditional Banitsa (filo pastry filled with feta and spinach) salad, olives, feta and tomatoes, mozzarella balls, stuffed olives and a prawn ring.

Traditional filo pastry filled with feta and spinach

Christmas day and it has been a hard frost so it was very seasonal although not the thick snow we had hoped for. We walked the dogs through the woods then had a scrambled egg and smoked salmon breakfast. Bulgarians today will mainly go back to having a meat feast but being pescatarians that is not an option for us. After breakfast Pamela and I go for a walk around the village. Surprisingly the village is really busy. The local shop is open as is the usual Friday Market. There are many villagers sat outside the shops with their coffee and nip, it is busier than a normal day!! The weather starts to turn quite cold so we head home again. Whilst we were out Borko and Ani had dropped off a Christmas gift for us and a bottle of Rakia made from the grapes he picked last September from our vines. We have lobster pate followed by salmon with a spiced tomato topping for Christmas dinner followed by a lemon torte pudding. All washed down with wine from a local vineyard which was gorgeous.

Wine produced just up the road

Saturday and all the builders are back. By the end of the day most of the plasterboard is up on the walls. All the ceilings have to be treated for insects so will be done later. Monica comes over for a coffee and chat and with Borko we all enjoy the sun for a while.

Sun peeping through frosty trees in the forest

Ground floor kitchen starts to take shape

Monica enjoying a coffee

Sunday is a cold start but the sun is soon out again. The builders are continuing to work on the ground floor apartment and I paint the inside of the main gates. It is such a lovely day that Pamela and I take the afternoon off to visit the Medieval village of Cherven which is about 10km away. It is a stunning village with remains of Thracian and Byzantine churches and forts dating back to the 1300's. We spend a couple of hours walking around the site but we could easily spend a full day here. Another time perhaps, but  for our guests it will be a great excursion. In the afternoon we try the Rakia that Borko made from the grapes on our land and it is lovely and smooth but goes down too easily so just enjoy a glass in the late afternoon sun.

Cherven in the Lom Park

Ruins of a church and fort

One of the battlements