Week 32

Blog time again folks, the days just speed by. But it feels like spring is going and summer is following but a short distance behind as the storms are fewer and the temperatures are rising. Most days have been around the 30 degree area and night-time around 14 degrees.

That said Monday started very hot and sunny and we were out working by 0700 but only a few hours later we had big storms again, followed by glorious sun, followed by storms. Pammi made a start on harvesting our potatoes from the top land so that we could make space for the tomato plants and peppers that are still in the potting shed. Although not large, the potatoes are ideal for salads and freezing for the winter, which after harvesting them she then spent the rest of the day boiling then freezing them. Meanwhile I got on with lowering the mudbrick wall and then topping it with roof tiles. After a few tries I finally worked out how to get the angle right and managed to get them finished just as a big storm started. Whilst the rain lashed down I finally cleaned all the grout from the floor tiles in the Palace, another job that I had been ignoring for ages. When the rain stopped Efan popped in and I even got a bravo for my wall tiling, my first Bulgarian compliment! Then off up to Efans house, Pammi being told to bring her harvesting basket with her. He then let us pick as many raspberries, cherries and strawberries from his garden as we wanted. It is the beginning of June and the raspberries are going over already. Once he was satisfied we had taken enough we were allowed home. So whilst Pammi continued cooking I got on with making plant canes out of the tree branches we had chopped down last week. Then a huge storm rolled in and that was game over for the day other than to sit and watch the rain from the sanctuary of our outdoor kitchen.

I think we are about to get wet

At least we will not need to water tonight. 

That stream of water from the guttering was from less than a few minutes rain.

This barrel was totally empty before the first storm of the day

Potato harvest from just a few plants

Mudbrick wall topped with roof tiles should preserve it for a while

Last nights storm was really heavy and unfortunately some plants were damaged and some tomato canes were torn from the earth. So a few quick repairs are the first job of the day. Luckily we only lost one plant and the rest were just knocked down so will recover. It is a beautiful morning but obviously the ground is far too wet to work on so Pammi does the domestics whilst I erect and paint the final fence panels for the sun-lounger area. Efan pops in again and has started to teach us a Bulgarian word a day, interesting as he has only one English phrase 'come on baby' so whatever Bulgarian word he teaches us we have to guess the English equivalent. Cannot see this method of teaching ever catching on though!

Final panels up and being laquered

Peas from the garden

Wednesday up nice and early, breakfast of fresh fruit from Efans garden with yoghurt, followed by boiled eggs, cheese and fresh bread, washed down with strong coffee and apricot juice in the courtyard is a lovely start to the day. But we have to crack on. The weather forecast for today is rain but it does not look like it will rain yet, as it turns out it is glorious all day with temperatures around 28 degrees and clear blue skies. First job is to get another coat of laquer on the panels which is soon done and they look great. In the garage we have an old oil drum which I then cut down to make two BBQ's, not lengthways but around the middle, the idea being that we can have one BBQ for meat eaters and one for vegetarians. A couple of bars are then cut to sit across the rims of the barrels to sit skewers and grills on. I then use the old bricks that I cleaned last week to make a table for it to sit on. Totally free and looks great. Whizzing through the jobs today!! Onto the tomato canes which all need cutting to the same height as they look awful and are driving Pammi insane. Also all the gardens here are totally symmetrical and so so precise. It makes you smile but also realise what is important to the villagers, their houses are make-do and mend but the garden, that will feed and provide you with food through the year are immaculate. Know who I think has got their priorities right. But it turns out both my hand saws are blunt and need new blades and when I go to use the chainsaw instead, overkill I know but needs must, that refuses to work too. The motor is running but the chain is not moving. An hour later of dismantling and fiddling I can see the problem but have no idea how to fix it. How can you put a tool away after it has worked fine all day then you get it out again and it is broken? Anyway this looks like a warranty job for the next time we are in Popovo. Off to Opaka then to the builders merchants to pick up some new saw blades and get a few groceries in the centre whilst we are there. A successful shopping trip and we are home again in less than an hour. New blade fitted, I get the stakes all the same height in no time and whilst doing so get a couple of oil drums alight burning all the old rubbish that we can to save space in the waste containers in the street. Nobody else seems to do this and they even put old garden waste in the containers which seems crazy as the bins fill so quickly and the waste could easily we dumped to decompose in compost heaps or in the woods. There must be a reason why they don't though. Work for the day finished. After our evening meal which we eat as usual in the courtyard (we could not imagine eating indoors now, even during the storms we always eat undercover outdoors. How quickly you adapt to your surroundings), we go for a stroll around the village. As usual all the villagers are sat outside their homes on benches on the street just chatting with each other. We bump into TH and then Efan who is grazing his horse down the lane. Back home we sit in the courtyard and enjoy a glass of wine under the stars.

Not a very good photo but this bird is an incredible bright yellow

New BBQ

Old twisted and gnarly wood beam becomes a solar light holder

All nice and neat

Thursday is a scorcher. Breakfast in the courtyard at 0730 and it is 25 degrees already, it is going to be a hot one, although storms are forecast which thankfully never arrive. Of course the downside to no rain is two hours of watering every night, next year we will put in a network of ground level hosing which will be connected to waterbuts and a standpipe, so it will just be a case of turning on a tap. Already we have learnt so much on how to improve and make more efficient our garden for next year and are planning it already. We forget sometimes that we have only been here a short while and this is a massive learning curve for us. We both do things everyday that we have never done before but by trial and error we get there. To make the most of todays weather I decide to do some woodwork on the gable end of the Palace, but is about 10 meters high and I have no ladder that big. I do have two homemade wooden ladders that I thought I could nail together and would just reach. But after nailing them together and then collapsing as I was going up them, I abandoned that idea and so that job can wait for another time. Efan told us the other day that we should not put our tomatoes and peppers in the top land and that they should be in the bottom garden. But that meant clearing a new piece of land so that became my job for the day. It did mean however that I could do that and finish burning all the rubbish we needed to. Meanwhile Pammi makes some empanadas and quiches for freezing. Already we have a good stockpile of food for the winter. She picks brocolli, peas and peppermint for the quiche which we have that night for tea and it is gorgeous, with really refreshing flavours. By early afternoon it is far too hot to work in the sun so we retire to the sunloungers for a lazy afternoon before our scrumptous meal and, after watering the garden, an evening watching the stars and the dozens of fireflys that visit our garden every night now.

Empanadas filled with chickpeas, peppers, onions and tomatoes

Brocolli, pea and peppermint quiche. Delicious.

Friday is a hot one and we get up early as we plan to do some work in the morning then try out our new BBQ area in the afternoon. I give the new tomato beds another dig over to breakdown the soil, this area has never been dug and although the soil is dark and rich, just below the surface is bricks, broken tiles and other building debris. It is tough digging, especially as the temperatures start to nudge 34 degrees. Pammi is weeding which is another of her full-time jobs, along with cleaning, freezing produce, baking, planting and still finding time to meditate every day. At lunchtime we stop work. I make some vegetable kebabs whilst Pammi prepares new poatoes with chilli. We also have some homemade beetroot burgers which we take from the freezer. The BBQ is a success and works great. After an afternoon of jazz music on the laptop, BBQ food and ice cold beer we are feeling very relaxed, a much needed break and a really different day for us. Our evening stroll, followed by a sit in the cool shade of the courtyard completes our day.

New patch ready to be cleared

All cleared 

Pammi in the new sunlounger area

BBQ in progress

Kebabs, new potatoes and fresh chilli's 

Maizi and Marple take shelter from the sun

Just chillin with Maizi

Saturday is forecast for thunder and rain all day so I head off into Popovo to get the chainsaw fixed. As it turned out the forecast could not have been more wrong and it was a hot and sunny day. As usual I have to wait around for the chainsaw parts to arrive but it is amazing that they will fix these things for you there and then rather than them having to be sent away for weeks. Whilst there I visit the veg market but apart from local strawberries which are in abundance, there is very little local produce here so I buy a few not so brilliant carrots, which we have to have as we use them as dogs treats and the girls love them so much. Four hours later the chainsaw is fixed for no charge and I am on my way home. I stop off in Opaka to see what veg they have and manage to get some apricots and some fresh chillies. Back at home Pammi has done her morning meditation and is doing the weekly deep clean of the house. It is amazing how dusty everything gets, in the winter from the log fire and in the summer from the dry dust in the air. Saturday night is now construct a pizza night so that is what we do from local fresh crusty bread. Most Bulgarians are obsessed with hot chilli and raw garlic and have dishes of them at the table with every meal. The garlic here is fresh, not the dry bulbs that we were used to in the UK. They are almost slimey here, they just pop out of the skin by squeezing and are incredibly flavoursome. Chilli is another matter. I am trying to accustomise myself to the taste whereas Pammi is not so keen. So now at every opportunity I will bake or fry or grill or have raw, chilli. Tonight is no exception and I make a spicy pizza for myself. Wow, it was hot but I think my tastebuds are now getting used to them. I may make it as a Bulgarian yet. Then we have to water the garden, despite the huge storms we have had recently the ground dries out so quickly in this intense heat. Then a nice surprise when Samantha Skypes us. Later as we are sat listening to evening radio in the courtyard Efan and Eva, his grand-daughter visit. We get the swing out for her and give her some chocolate ice cream which after a few attempts to get her to try, she eventually does. The bowl did not last long. She is only about 3 and is really cute and very shy but by the end of the evening we are getting her to at least say hello and thank you in Bulgarian to us. We even teach her how to shake hands. Then off they both go to collect Efans horse that has been grazing just around the corner. We stay up till midnight as the air is so warm and the sky so clear that there are thousands of stars tonight.

Salad and Potatoes from the garden with homemade pizza and chilli's

Maybe that was one chilli too far

Eva on the swing having ice cream

Efan and Eva. How does she stay so clean?

Sunday morning we lay in till 8am and the sun is streaming through the windows. A leisurely breakfast of egg on toast, coffee and apricot juice in the courtyard confirms that it is going to be a scorcher of a day.  Pammi takes the rubbish to the container and meets Efan who gives her a ride home in his cart pulled by his horse which she loved as it was her first cart ride. This morning Pammi wants to weed and I have to get the blog written as well as a few internet based tasks that need doing. One of which is that we can now pay our electricity bill online. The guy still has to come to read the meter but no money changes hands unlike the water man who comes every month with his little brown book, takes the readings then calculates what you owe, pay him in cash, sign the book and off he goes till next month. By lunchtime it is too hot to work in the garden any longer and Pammi calls it a day. As a treat we head for the restaurant in Opaka for a meal but there is a wedding on so detour to the local swimming pool instead as they have a new restaurant there too. What a find. The pool area is gorgeous with lots of sunbeds, a bar and large restaurant. There is an extensive menu and we both order a fish dish, chips and a salad to share. As usual this is far too much food but it is really well cooked and very fresh. It is even served in the right order and with our meals coming out at the same time. Another first. Somehow though my diet coke order got translated into hot chocolate, not what you need when it is over 30 degrees. But is was very nice just the same. Having eaten we then headed home for a few hours in the sun. But as I write this the wind has picked up, the sky is black and thunder is rumbling just over in the next valley. We are about to end the week as we started. At least no watering tonight. Every cloud as they say..........

The swimming pool at Opaka overlooking the stunning countryside.

 We are so lucky to have this just down the road. 

Our first plum tomatoes

2 days ago this was a flower. It is now 15cm long

Peas

Cabbage

Vine leaves bigger than my hand

So for now we will bid you a safe and happy week. We are going to sit and watch the storm now from the outside kitchen with a glass of something cool and refreshing..........