Monday continued

Cherry picking and bottling complete except that I ran out of vodka, gin and brandy but there again, tomorrow is another day.  And I've still go loads of cherries but need a small child to get to the top...

Tuesday 8th June

Today has been a day of gardening and woodwork....one after the other.  This afternoon it turned quite cool but the afternoon brightened up.  My marauding magpies are now digging in the channel down the garden where the pipes have been laid for my septic tank.  Let's hope they stop before they reach the plastic or there might be a pyroclastic surge if I flush at the same time...well not me but the loo.

My drawer pack that I am trying to create is proving to be more difficult than I thought.  When it was on my desk pre....renovations it looked OK.  Now it's turned into a nightmare where I believe there shouldn't be one.  As I've said before ....tomorrow is another day and maybe I shall manage it without the use of six inch nails which didn't do any good for anyone or anything.

My next job is to tidy up the mess I have made and I have put all electric tools away after opening a bottle of Ariana...the local brew...so all work stopped for this evening.  I have a very good book that I am into so ...tonight it could be a cheese sandwich and anyone local will know what I mean.....and I'll stick to the beer.

LN....need to get this drawer pack finished so that I can start something more interesting.  Beds, wardrobes, you name it...I need it.  

Evening,

I might take you up on the offer of cherries, I am really busy (Bulgarian busy), so mid morning ok.  Cheese and onion please!

Regards

Dom

Wednesday 9th May

Just a swift message to D, I'm just into Djebel to get the onions and to sort out my parcel from China for the Beast.  Late mid morning would be wonderful....I too am busy Bulgarian busy...with BulPost....and as for the rest of you....I shall catch up later and report whether there will be life in the Beast sooner rather than later..

Well the best laid plans of mice and me in Bulgaria.  D arrived early, worked on middle of the morning from when I get up at 6.00. Most of number one cherry tree has been harvested and I have approx 1 kilo for jam and the rest have gone to the distillery in Samovida firstly to be fermented and then we'll see what it tastes like before we go any further with it.  The tree has been trimmed, neglected for years and too tall to get some of the cherries, so branches were lopped and the operation will be finalised on Friday with a 'decent' saw.  Number two cherry tree will get the same treatment. Guess who found sloes at the top of her garden.....me and no polution on these not like in the UK.  Now what can I do with those???

As for the Beast and its transplant, the news is that ....it's in Bulgaria...but customer services for BulPost weren't at all helpful when we tried to raise the issue of where the part might be.  Needs a local with clout I think...

Wednesday continued

Photographic evidence...just a little bit concerned that in the second picture he looks like he was about to saw his arm off...can I assure you that he went home intact...LN...

Ow!  Can I have my arm back, or shall I call Accident helpline!  Where there's blame.............See you on Friday with a proper saw, Hikmet has offered his petrol one, think that might be over kill though!

Once more 'Nar-Da-Nitsa'

Have fun & thanks for lunch
Dom

Thursday 10th June

Now a missing arm is something I care deeply about.  So before I get charged one of those and a leg I thought I would take all the necessary steps to see if I could find it .  What did I do?  Called in the heavy mob for a wider search of the area as you can see from the pickies below.  I also had a thought that they could have found my septic tank and were taking precautions and spraying the entire area but I've only had it a week.  Leave it a bit longer boys.

So after the haircut I had a very confused bee-eater bird who seemed to be looking for his special branch and by the looks of my big tree, there is a giant hornet after it.  Don't land there.....you'll bring my special tree down.

Thursday continued

Well news from the garage...the part has arrived for the Beast...guess what...wrong part.  Now I'm miffed at this so now it's back to the drawing board Basil or square one or anywhere else where I might get the elusive part for my Beast.  Really hot today so I decided to ...do some more woodwork.  My sofa is just chunks of wood, on chunks of wood with a bed mattress on top of one of the old doors.  So now it's going to be chunks of wood planed down and the wood is going to be attached to the next piece of wood and I'm going to call it a sofa and get rid of the door, keep the mattress and use slats.  I've made my bed and it's not given way yet, my stool is standing after several months and six inch nails do wonders when the can't get the screws in and my chest is now adorning my bedroom hiding a multitude of sins.  More six inch nails please

Lecka Nosht....it's getting late here so I'm showering and off to my 'I'm still standing, yea, yea, yea', bed.

I've just seen my first fire flies of the year...sparkling in the garden....so I put all the lights out and watched them flashing away.  And now to bed said Zebedee...LN again.

Friday 11th June

Yet again a lovely sunrise and I decided that all the curtain remained open or not strung up last night.  Brilliant stars out here....little light pollution from the houses dotted on the hillsides.  Noisy bird though that doesn't know when to go to sleep and the crickets were going it for good last night.  Forgot to mention I saw my first lizzard yesterday.  Not sure if he/she made me jump first or I made him/her but I've logged the place close to my washing line and I'll go out with the camera.  He/she was beautifully coloured, about eight inches long and I think in the basement under my other house in the garden.  Today is a day of what I feel like getting up to

My plans were made for me...D arrived with saw in hand and then my phone went to say that my builder was in Djebel and we could sort the wooden surrounds for the doors and that my petchka (woodburner) was arriving with the radiators at 12.00.  Now in Bulgaria if it is arriving, the van is doing just that.  The driver does not unload so you have to make adequate provisions which my man had done.  He had five friends who just happened to be going out on the lush with a barbeque to hand and a sheep so mine was an interlude in business.  Any way....I now that the petchka and five radiators sitting in my hall and since it was about 30 today there is absolutely no rush....Builder went on his way, cherry tree mutilated, cherries picked and we have another 5kilograms off for wine which in total means that we have 20 litres of cherry wine brewing with the threat of the still if it doesn't behave itself.  Lunch was cheese, onion and chunks of bread and then D headed homeward for a siesta.  I thought about it but instead set about tidying the builders heaps and felt quite proud of myself when 8.30 arrived and I was having a bonfire.  Shower and off to bed...

Saturday 12th June

Last night I was trying to post pickies and my did my machine give me gyp.  Not sure if it was the connection or just too many people on in my little backwater....so I'm going to have another try.

Success....just to show my alcohol production area.....to add to the cherry wine that is currently being 'processed'.

Today I am continuing the tidying with the intention that it is going to be as comfortable outside as in where you don't keep tripping over boulders in the garden. I think I might even investigate a 'lawn' mower...sheep are OK but they're too selective....