Monday we are up early with the alarm as I have an hours drive and start work at 0800. After a quick breakfast Pammi cleans the house and courtyard before making cauliflower cheese for tonights meal. The wine needs decanting into bottles so using a sieve and funnel to separate the pulp and grapes from the liquid she extracts 12 litres of wine out of one tub. It is slow work as the pulp constantly clogs the funnel. The bottles are then stored in the warm of the house to continue fermenting. There is enough grapes still in the tub to make a second batch which we will do later when the tubs are moved into the warmth of the palace. Later in the day she took the dogs for a long walk up into the edge of the forest. It was a very cold but beautiful walk. As usual Marple found a branch to carry all the way, at least it is free firewood when she gets it home. That evening we have cauliflower cheese for our meal with fresh crusty bread. Then an evening of films by the fire.
Icy walk
Wrapped up against the cold. Her first selfie
Bottling the wine
Our first bottle of wine
Tuesday does not get off to a good start as the alarm did not go off but luckily I woke and we only overslept by 15 minutes. Pammi did the daily chores: set up fire for this evening, cleaning and washing up. To improve her Bulgarian language she now listens to a conversation learning CD whilst cleaning. It is freezing cold today but she takes the dogs on a one and a half hour walk again. The countryside looks amazing covered in deep frost which in the shade never melts. Back home she bottles another 18 litres of wine. Then it is too cold to be outside so does some knitting in front of the fire before I get home. She has made a lovely chilli casserole for our meal this evening.
Maizi and Marple having fun
Frost covered thistles
Lunch for one in the courtyard
Wednesday we are in the new routine already. How quickly we have slipped back into work mode. Alarm, breakfast, work, home, eat, sleep, start again. After Pammi has done her chores and walked the dogs she bottles another 20 litres of wine. There are bottles of wine everywhere. In the afternoon she makes a draught excluder for the holistic barn door and a new dog blanket. Tonights meal is leek pie and mash, real winter warmer food now. Last week the evening seemed so long, now they seem too short and it is soon time for bed.
Maizi and Marple try out their new bed
Thursday is shopping day so after her chores and taking the dogs for a walk Pammi gets the bike out and cycles off to Opaka for the weekly shop. It is cold and a little windy but sunny so she has a nice ride there. After shopping she stops and eats her banista lunch in the town square overlooking the weekly market. As usual one of the local stray dogs joins her and she shares her lunch with it. When she gets home she prepares our evening meal of aubergine stacks with pasta in a tomato sauce. Unfortunately she forgot about the pasta cooking and it boiled dry. The pasta was welded to the bottom of the pan. It will take days of soaking and scrubbing to get that clean! However the second batch was fine and the meal was delicious.
Lunch in the town square
Ready for the cycle home
Lunch companion
Friday is considerably warmer so she takes the dogs on a really long walk. She walks deeper into the countryside than ever and finds a hunters fire and a stream that has frozen solid. The dogs love it as they can just run free for miles. After her walk she gives the house a deep clean and prepares the pizza dough for tonights meal. Then time for a rest with a book before I get home. We make our own pizzas then sit down to watch a film. We are both exhausted it has been a long week.
Hunters fire
Frozen stream
We will probably just post blog updates every couple of weeks now as they will all get a bit 'samey'. When anything exciting happens we will let you know! Although it is forecast for snow next week so there may be some wintry pictures to show you.
So for now take care everyone and stay warm.
Hi. Hope the job is going well. The wine looks good, great colour. I had a look through your blog and couldn't find if you mentioned how you made your wine or posted any photos about it. Maybe I missed it (not unheard of, in my case!).
ReplyDeleteMaybe this will be too late to be of help but, here's a couple of things I do when I am making wine at home.
If the funnel is clogging when you are bottling, you can do a 'pre-filter by tying a clean cloth (clean muslin, an clean old tea-towel or even an old pillowcase) over the top of a suitably-sized clean container then decant the wine from the tub through the cloth into the clean container.
When you get down to having all the wine racked off and you have only skins left, tip the skins into a cloth and twist it so that it squeezes out the remaining wine.
I'd love to hear the detail of how you made the wine but I appreciate you are quite busy now with the new job and preparing for winter. Enjoy your Chateau Gorko when it's ready!
Looking forward to the next update :)
ReplyDeleteHope all is going well for you both with the smallholding, the well-being courses and the 'outside' job. The Spring will bring lots of work in the garden which I'm sure will be very productive this year. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope everything is going well for you both. I have enjoyed following your adventure. The lack of posts for three months now is a bit concerning. I hope all is still going to plan and that you are both in good health.
ReplyDeleteSame best thoughts here. Really enjoyed your regular posts as we are planning our own move over and gain a good insight from the blogs. Hope you can give us all an update soon and hope you are both ok.
ReplyDeletehope all is well and look forward to next update
ReplyDeleteHi Pete & Pammi,
ReplyDeleteI really hope all is OK with you both. It would be kinda nice if you could post an update for the people who have followed your blog from the start.
Best Wishes !!!
Hi Pete & Pammi. I just discovered by chance that your house in Bulgaria is up for sale. I'm guessing things didn't work out regarding the wellness centre. What a shame. I hope both of you are OK and I - sincerely - wish you all the best in the future. They say 'every cloud has a silver lining', I hope that is true for you. I hope things work out for you, whatever you are now doing. All the best. Mike.
ReplyDelete