Another gorgeous sunrise
Thursday was spent writing the blog in the morning whilst Pammi prepared the let. Then it was off to Opaka for a spot of food shopping. It is so hot today and we are both exhausted so for the rest of the day we just chill out.
Up early Friday morning to tidy the outdoor areas and water the garden. It is forecast to be a scorcher again today and of course Samantha arrives for a few days stay. We head off to Ruse late morning and on the way stopped off at the bakery in Basarbovo where Vesco works to get some traditional breads. Baba B loves this bread so we got her a loaf too. We collect Samantha as arranged but there is a big rock concert in Ruse today so we do not hang around and head out of town as soon as we can. It is still so hot when we get back so we head straight for the restaurant at Opaka for a few cold drinks and a lovely meal. Back home, Pammi and Sam deliver the bread to Baba B and then it is straight into the pool which is where we all spend the rest of the day chillin (read frying) in the sun. We spend the evening chatting, eating and drinking.
Sun, pool and vino
Saturday we decide to just rest and let Sam enjoy the sun. Early evening we go for a walk around the village and stop for a beer in the bar. When we get home we make pizza before I bring the TV out into the courtyard and we have a film night under the stars. It was a really different night for us and we all had a great time.
Beer time at the local bar
Pizza making
Sunday we head out to Etara, about ninety minutes drive from here. It is a village with lots of traditional crafts and some of the very old houses were moved and reconstructed there. It is the only water powered craft centre in Bulgaria. It was really interesting, so well presented and great value for money. On the way back we stopped in VT for an ice cream and walk through the town. That evening we ate Moroccan lentil wraps and just enjoyed watching the stars and chatting.
Inside one of the craft houses where the crafts that are being made are for sale
Traditional craft demonstration, just before her smartphone rang and spoilt the illusion of us being transported back in time :)
There are about 50 exhibitions and old houses on display
Everything in the village is water driven
Beer time in VT on the way home
Monday is lovely and hot so the girls are going to enjoy a day in the pool again. Last night when we got back the car doors would not lock for some reason so I head off to the local garage to see if I can book it in to get it fixed. As usual, no problem, they will do it whilst I wait. No computers or gizmo's but he locates the problem and a couple of hours later the central locking has been rewired and is working perfectly. The rest of the day is spent reading and chatting in the sun before we have another movie night under the stars.
Today Sam goes home but has a late flight so we spend the whole day in Ruse. We walk along the Danube, show her the sand sculptures, walk through the parks, take her to meet Moni and Zo before we go for lunch. It is peak lunchtime and there is a powercut in the city centre so some restaurants are closed whilst others offer a limited menu. Thankfully for the restaurant owners half way through our meal the power is restored. Too soon it is time for Sam to get her flight, as usual time just goes so fast but we all had a great time.
We stop off at the rock monastery in Basarbovo on the way to Ruse
Wednesday we are back into work mode. The garden needs watering and weeding. The let will need cleaning and then there is all the washing to be done. Whilst I am watering TH arrives at our gate and tells us there is an English van in the village square and they need help as they have been there all night. So I get in the car and off I go, picking Baba B up on the way as she is going to the shops. It turns out the van belongs to a couple who have just bought a house in the village but there is building work being done and the house is not ready for them to move into. We have a good long chat, make sure they are OK and off I go. After we have finished our chores Pammi and I head off to the new arrivals house to see if we can help in any way. K&C are a lovely couple and we help them clean up a bit and construct some furniture so at least one room is habitable. We invite them over to ours for a meal and shower if they want to as they have no electricity or running water. That evening we cook them pasta so at least they have had a hot meal and we had a great time getting to know them.
Thursday Pammi gets back to work on the garden, the weeds are getting out of control again. At least we are not watering every day now but we still have tomatoes, lettuce, leeks, corn, peppers, chillies, beetroot and squashes growing. I have agreed to take K&C on a tour of the local area, showing them all the things we wish we had known and has taken the best part of a year for us to learn: where the shops are, banks, tax office, post office etc etc. Meanwhile Pammi has done all the gardening and deep clean of the house. I get back early afternoon so lunch is followed by meditation and reading in the garden. We take an early evening stroll around the village and the moon tonight is awesome. It should be a full moon tomorrow.
Huge moon rises over the village
Amazing old Russian bike towing a trailer.
The toolbox is a fixed feature, so I suspect a less than reliable bike
Friday I get on with clearing some old trees and the overgrown areas of the vegetable garden. Whilst doing that I come across a row of potatoes that we missed when digging the rest up. There are some really good sized ones in the crop totalling about 10kg in all. Pammi meanwhile is doing a deep clean of our home. Then I get a call from K&C to say their neighbour has a problem with his car and can I help. As I have mentioned before I am no mechanic to put it mildly, but take the jump leads as they think the car has a flat battery. They live on a steep hill and we try to bump start it with no success but eventually get it started with the jump leads. K&C are earning brownie points with the neighbours already! When Sam came over she brought us some Quorn products which so far we have not been able to get over here, not that we have looked that hard. We are trying to get away from anything processed but the Quorn is a real treat and we have fillets, chips and salad for our evening meal. Delicious. We then spend the evening playing with the dogs and watching the incredible full moon as it rises over the village.
Amazing full moon tonight starts out orange
A couple of hours later it looks like this
Saturday is another beautiful day. Borko pops in as he will be doing all the building work at K&C's house, we also have a water leak / cess pit problem outside the house that needs attention. Then we all go off to K&C's house to see all the builders who worked on our house. It was great to see them all again. But back to work. We have lots of tomatoes to pick and preserve today so we both get started on chopping veg for the relishes and sauces that Pammi is going to make. It takes nearly all day to do this. Tonight we have more Quorn that Sam brought over. This time we have hotdogs before another film night under the stars, this is becoming a regular event but we gotta make the most of the lovely evenings.
Sunday we both wake with stinking colds. Pammi has had hers rumbling for a few days now but mine has just manifested as a chesty cough. Pammi is going to have a well earned rest today, although it never works out like that and by the time she has done her 'pottering about' jobs it is lunchtime before she stops for the day. Meanwhile I have taken the car off for an oil service. As arranged I am at the garage for 0900. The garage finally opens an hour later and when the parts for the car arrive they are the wrong ones. Three hours of my life wasted but we arrange to do it tomorrow morning instead. We'll see. Back home, early afternoon Borko and the guys arrive to look at the leaking / full cess pit, we are not sure which. An hour of digging and investigation later our cess pit is indeed full. Borko arranges for it to be emptied tomorrow and for his guys to create a proper access point for the emptying equipment. A complete star as always. That sorted, Pammi goes to sunbathe whilst I write the blog.
This looks like a problem
Borko and the guys to the rescue again
If the forecasts are right, autumn will hit us next week. It has been mid 30 degrees every day this week, next week it plummets to 14 degrees. Now where did we put those thermals.........
Have a great week all. Take care.
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