Week 23

A week of completed jobs, stunning weather and interruption after interruption after interruption..... just village life.

The weather is forecast to be absolutely scorching this week so up early to make the most of it and the first day of our long lunches followed by late evening working. Best laid plans and all that... I was hoping to start on the sun lounger area this week and as I could not fit the wood cutting trestle into the car last week I went off to Ruse to collect one and a few other materials. There is so much wood to cut that a trestle will make life so much easier. But there was still the hammock supports to finish and I cannot stand having jobs unfinished so when I got back I began work on the beams but the weather was so hot that it became impossible to work. Whilst I am out Baba B gives Pamela some wild spinach, which we now know we have an abundance of in our garden and more seed potatoes. So an early finish before the evening shift begins. We are having to water the garden daily now and it is a monumental task. Pamela uses the hose on the vegetable patch whilst I go to the local spring to fill our 11 litre bottles to water the vines and potatoes. The spring is only 50m away but it takes about six trips back and forth just to water the vines. It takes nearly two hours every night just to water and we are questioning whether the cost of the water and time taken makes it worthwhile, time will tell.

28 degrees soon stops this job

Love these new long lunches

Tuesday we are up early and chomping to get into our new routine but turkey herder has other ideas. Pamela is planting out her seedlings and I am cutting wood for the support beams when the 'horn of goodwill and delay' is sounded. Turkey herder has brought a bag of 'bob' (navy beans, so called because they were a cheap staple diet for the American Navy) which he has decided we are going to plant, but we manage to persuade him that it is too hot and we should wait for the cooler weather of evening to do it. Just this conversation has taken over an hour but nobody here has any concept of time and we seem to be the new focus of attention, TH even watches us from his garden across the village to see when we are out and about before ambushing us. Everybody is so kind and they are just helping us but their only concern is planting whereas we have the business to set up and think about, but they really don't understand what we are trying to do. Hey ho, just go with it. We really cannot and should not complain.

By mid morning I have finally finished the beams, another job ticked off. Meanwhile Pamela is planting yet more seed potatoes donated to us by neighbours but the land is rock hard from the combination of sun and the fact that the area has never been dug over before. It is so hard I have to use a mattock to break up the soil before Pamela can fork it over. To fill in the couple of hours before lunch I tried out my new bushcutter. This turned into an epic few hours of strimming as Baba B needed her front verges cut, then a neighbour across from her wanted hers done. It was a win win for everybody really, the lane looks so much neater now (which we will great for our guests) and we can pay back a little of the kindness they have all shown us. For lunch we had courgettes stuffed with feta cheese and walnuts from our trees, cooked in the clay oven. Served with salad and a beer or two, followed by a nap on the sun loungers. We could get used to this. The evening shift entails more watering but has to be abandoned when Baba B arrives at our gate with homemade wine. Another couple of hours socialising which was lovely and must be nice for the villagers to have some fresh blood in town to 'talk to'.

Trying to break up the soil ready for planting

Lane looking all neat and tidy

Stuffed courgette

An evening with Baba B

Wednesday we just get out into the garden when 'the horn' is sounded. Today we are going to plant 'bob', no excuses, he has even decided where they are going to be planted! So off we go, him and I with our tools and Pamela in tow to actually sow the seeds. Once we are both briefed and given our instructions we set to work. It is so so hot, 29 degrees today, but he has decided this is what we are doing and the scorching sun is not going to stop us. A couple of hours later and the seeds are all planted, a job really well done, just not on our to-do-list for today. Satisfied with his work off he goes. Pamela then starts on her work in the vegetable plot for the day and I start strimming the top piece of land. By lunchtime we have both finished what we had planned to do for once so had a vegetable moussaka for lunch before chilling out in the sun. Only the watering tonight on the evening shift so we are finished by 9pm then time for a few glasses of wine and cheese and biscuits under the stars.

TH starts to prepare the soil for planting 'bob'

Maizi, Marple and Me testing the new hammocks

Most of the new land strimmed, just needs a few saplings removed and the fencing to go up. You can just make out the vegetable plot in the distance beyond the holistic barn. We may at some point put a log cabin up here as the views are stunning and would be an amazing holiday let.

TH has given us yet more vines, we now have in excess of 100 so Thursday's job is to get the last batch planted. There are now so many that I have to extend the vineyard by another two rows. Incredibly some of the vines I planted a couple of weeks ago are already sprouting shoots and leaves. Pamela is planting out her seedlings at an amazing rate now and has cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage sprouting. Another section of onions go in, as well as peas and broad beans. It seemed a really chilled out but productive morning. We stopped early as usual but I needed a few bits to complete the hammocks so we both went off to Opaka about 9kms away. Whilst there we checked out the outdoor swimming pool in Opaka which has a lovely restaurant and bar overlooking the pool but sadly is not open as yet. It will be a lovely place for our guests to spend a day and admission is only 3 leva, just over a pound. We still cannot find a waterbut anywhere and as we were halfway to Popovo already, and we had some spare time, we decided to go there for a look around the market. We picked up some fruit and veg, Pamela got a new purse and nail polish, oil for the chainsaw and a waterbut! It was so hot and so we really spoilt ourselves and sat with an icecream in the town square watching the world go by. It was a lovely couple of hours. We had a late lunch that day so just did the watering again early evening before a few drinks under the stars.

Having ice cream in the sun

Friday we are up really early to take the dogs on a long walk before it gets too hot. Our old route around the hotel grounds has been stopped as they now padlock the gates so we now go out into the woods at the bottom of our lane. It is beautiful and a safe place for the dogs for run around as much as they like. When we get back we have breakfast as usual in the courtyard before Borko and Ani come over for coffee and to drop off the stone pillars which we are going to use as front steps to the house. The pillars weigh 250kgs each and despite our best efforts we decided to leave the unloading to the builders next week when they come, so Borko just unhitched the trailer and left it by the side of the road. After Borko and Ani had a tour of Pammi's vegetable patch they left and Pamela then spent the whole day cooking. I decided to get the firepit built for the chill out area which was really easy to do and cost nothing as all the stone I used was just lying around. It makes a real difference to the feel of the area. Borko had also dropped off a couple of smaller pillars that Pamela wanted, although at the time we wanted them for outside the front gates. We decided to drill them and set solar lights in them instead and set them alongside the hammocks which at night looks really effective. The temperatures have been between 25 and 29 all week but it is forecast for rain tonight so no watering - yippee. TH then pops in and gives us some pumpkin and squash seeds along with instructions on how to plant them. He then surveys all the work we have done over the last couple of days and when he is happy we are following his instructions off he scoots. Just as we are tyding up Baba B arrives at the gate and brings Pamela some spices and Pansies that she has bought from the market. We then get invited back to hers for drinks. She plies us with homemade wine, fresh walnuts and locally produced goats cheese. Gorgeous. This socialising is exhausting, we are used to a few drinks then bedtime. However when we finally get home we decide to test the new firepit and open another bottle of wine watching the sky fill with stars. A great end to the day.

Maizi and Marple enjoying the countryside

Work starts on the firepit

Vegetable quiche for lunch with homemade coleslaw

Round at Baba B's

Pammi chillin by the firepit

Saturday I went to Ruse to get the summer tyres fitted to the car. Winter tyres will wear too quickly in the hot sun as they are a softer compound than summer tyres. I try numerous garages to find 4 that match or even have a bit of tread on them (some are even so bald they are showing wires!!), but have no luck. I will have to try the garage in Popovo when we are there next week. Pamela gives the house a really deep clean whilst I am out and I time it perfectly as she finishes just as I get home. Another gloriously hot day with rain forecast for tonight, so no watering again. This heat and rain is really helping the new lawns though. Early evening we even get to skype a friend back in the UK which was lovely as they used to live out here so could relate to everything we talked about.

Our dogs are obsessed by vegetables and will sit patiently until you give them a slice of carrot or tomato

Time for an evening vodka and tonic

Beans, radishes and beetroot

Spinach

Brocolli, cauliflower and cabbage beds

After breakfast Sunday morning Pamela and I left the dogs at home and went exploring the woods for new walks. We wanted to make sure it was safe before taking them. However every track came to a dead end or was too overgrown to go any further, but for an hours stroll it was lovely. On the way back we met TH and he showed us his vegetable plots before giving us some fine bean seeds and a jar of beans from last years crop. We also met his wife for the first time who seemed lovely. We got back home and just got started on a few odd jobs around the garden when Baba B called us round to her house. Somehow this was preplanned and we had missed the invite, or it was a very well organised impromptu meal for about 10 people. We had navy beans with fried onions and cabbage, banista, fish in a paprika and tomato sauce, breads, cheese, a bulgar wheat and fruit desert followed by brioche bread. All washed down by copious amounts of red wine and rakia. We had not even changed out of our work clothes as we had no idea what was about to happen. Thank fully we did take a good white wine with us as a gift to Baba B so did not feel too bad. As usual Pammi is introduced to everyone as Baba B's fourth daughter. It was a really nice meal and everybody made us so welcome. Back home early afternoon we pottered in the garden as it was yet another lovely day but within minutes the clouds gathered and we had a huge downpour. The gardens really need it so no complaints from us. Hence the blog being written now before hopefully sitting under the roof overhang and watching tonights forecasted heavy thunderstorms.

New woodland walk

Dense woodland walk

Baba B's feast

Enjoying Baba B's feast

The chill out area

More flowers as a gift to Pammi from Baba B

Have a great week everyone. Work here next weeks starts on the sun lounger area and the front steps and of course more plants going in!!

Take care.