Monday 26th December

Minus twelve again and feels like it outside....inside, both fires were just about going and I take bets with myself as to how long it will be before the first of the hot water races round the radiators.  And this morning....I started to count down from twenty when I thought it should be up to temperature and then got spoke to it rather sharply and started down from ten and when I got to three, the pump burst into action.  You really have to be firm with these foreign boilers.

Forgot to mention yesterday that I came home with a beautiful hand made crochet blanket that now adorns my recently moved inside activity centre (wooden sofa).  Curled up on it in front of the big wood burner and wrapped myself in it.  Also acquired some 'special' soap that has 'Relax' and 'Inspire' written on the boxes but not sure which to do first.  I think I'll meditate and look for a solution or perhaps I'll just go back to my activity centre and get stuck into my book.

Snowy and grey this morning....BBC predict more snow for today and tomorrow so let's see what the day brings.  I'm supposed to be going down to Gouljan's house later in the morning to shorten the curtains lugging my sewing machine with me...might just go down there with a box of pins and do the shortening here.  Got more of a table here to work on.  

Monday continued

Dug out more of my road access so that I didn't have to drive into the village to turn round again to go to Gouljan's house.  You can only just pass on the road at the best of times but the tractor / snow plough has left two food high banks along the road with no passing / turning places so now I can get into the space outside of the house from both directions.

Went to Gouljan's with the intention of measuring the curtains and bringing them back to do but when I saw the fabric, no way was I going to risk it on my machine.  It is very flimsy material that will probably move every which way and that so I suggested that we take them in to the curtain shop in Djebel or the one in Kardjali and get them done professionally.  Now Gouljan's mother insists on feeding you up every time you go and fusses over you.  Cake and coffee at 11.00 and then veal and chickpea soup with her home made bread.  To follow there were pancakes with yogurt and pear syrup.  She also opened a jar of wild damson fruit juice that she had made.  I still feel stuffed and the chicken wings that I got out of the freezer this morning will have to go into the fridge until tomorrow.  Sorry ...no space left.

I got an email from Princess with a photo of the remains of a slice of toast asking me to guess what she had had for breakfast.  Our favourite for Boxing morning was turkey dripping on toast and she had it and I didn't.... .  It's almost worth going out and buying a turkey for....

Fires going, wood in, home toasty, stuffed so no need to cook anything.   Fancied a beer this evening, wine would lie heavy since the chickpeas haven't moved very far down the digestive tract so I'm helping them on their way.  LN....I'm down for a shower, pj's on and back to that book....

Tuesday 27th December

Looked like being a grey day again but as I sat and did my emails at early o'clock I noticed the sun between the mountains and the clouds and I knew we were in for a good one since there wasn't another cloud in the sky.

Sorted the fires, cooked poached eggs and settled down with a coffee infront of the fire and back to my book.  Thought then that I should burst into action and get rid of the rubbish firstly digging out the bonfire site but then continued and cleared the steps to the garden and another bit of the terrace.  It was such a lovely morning so moved to the swinging chair under the cherry and when the mood changed I went in, got my book and sat out on the lounge terrace in the only outside chair that is still weathering the elements.  Book is finished, the traitor has returned to his sister and she now has to find the courage to forgive him.  Now on to the third but I'm going to savour this one.  Not sure when the library is open again...

Tuesday continued

Didn't want to do my lesson with my student today..I don't know why but the gods know and I am a  bystander.  I phoned his mum and asked if he had said that I had decreed a holiday and he obviously hadn't...so made the decision and felt better about it...no lesson....supper, keeping the home fires burning, radio two and life in general.

What a beautiful evening...it's that grey glow of evening....I unleashed the Beast from the snow today and it only clung on to the bits I couldn't reach.  Tomorrow I will get the engine going and clear the rest of it... Five fifteen and a lovely evening..fits in well with my book of Bodecia...LN...back to my book...it's a very calm cool evening here and I have no will to change it....LN

Wednesday 28th December

Off to the big city (that's Kardjali not Sofia) and I hoped that the freezing fog lifted before I set off and it just about did.  When I got out to the car though the windows were frozen inside and outside and it took me a while to get it so that I could see out enough to head down to the next village to pick up Gouljan from the bus-stop.  When I got there her father was with her and it transpired that they were going to see the water board after receiving 'a very, very large bill'.

The story goes like this......in BG you have a water meter and in some cases these get buried and you get an estimate.  Some houses have two if one of the properties was once a house and is now a barn and the procedure is to go to the water board and tell them to 'stop the clock'. Now for eight years no one had read this meter but about a month ago, someone decided to dig it up saying that it was about time it was read and so they did....why it took eight years ...who can say.... but they were then presented with a bill for over seven hundred leva.  They explained that it had  been buried, that it hadn't been used but as the man from the water board said......well it's gone somewhere and you should have told us eight years ago.  The local man could do nothing so today's trip was to see the 'big cheese' and we have a result.  They have a thirty percent reduction and installments arranged.  Father thinks it should have been fifty percent...I think they have been very lucky but I would still ask the question as to why it took them eight years to get round to reading it and no bills sent during that time.

So on to my next shop...my favourite dress agency had nothing worth buying today so then on to my curtain material shop and I now have ten meters of cotton sheeting, two meter twenty wide for five leva a meter....can't be bad.  Tomorrow's job...curtains for the second bedroom now that I've bought the lining....and I might even get round to making a blind for the upstairs bathroom. Next on to the Leva shop and got six more wine glasses and six brandy goblets for one leva each and a super large stone glazed pot for six leva.  I think that the man thought it was Christmas when he took twenty two leva off me and I reminded him that it had just gone... Went to Lidl and Billa and both were pretty hectic.  The New Year is what it's about here and the race was on.

Back home...the big fire was hanging on but the little one was out and was a bugger to relight....both going now though and as I suspected, the temperature is dropping pretty rapidly.  Going downstairs to the fire ...back to my book and I do happen to have a box of Belgium chocolates which just happened to slip into my shopping this afternoon...LN...off to munch...

Thursday 29th December

Cold one overnight again but thanks to the zebra quilt cover...didn't feel a thing until my foot touched the tiles...no not the roof...the floor times so quickly on with the pink fluffy slippers.  Both fires still going so topped them up and headed up to log on and have a look.  Got the pc booted and looked up and the first glimmer of morning was showing and I watch the sky change and colour red but the sun only briefly showed itself but now, what a lovely day.

I suddenly remembered the beans that I had soaked and slow cooked yesterday and had this urge for beans on toast.  Sauteed an onion, added some of the beans, tomato paste, little salt, honey and let then simmer while I did a couple of slices of toast which I buttered.  Banged the beans on the toast....delicious and at least I know what has gone into them.  Finished breakfast and again sauteed another onion but this time with some veal, the rest of the beans plus the other stuff but this time with water and it's now in the slow cooker for supper.  

Washed up, tidied the kitchen and settled down with my book. Still in my pj's as we speak and I have this great longing for a bath....now I have one, it's sitting in the third bedroom waiting to be installed in the upstairs bathroom and I'm thinking what a waste....but needs as needs must...if we hadn't worked on the other house, this winter would have finished off...so at least I have a bath to look forward to...eventually.

Now I'm feeling slovenly...going for a shower in the absence of anything better....didn't do the curtains....my student this afternoon and wanted a full day on them....I might just happen to pass the chocolate box on my way to the bathroom...not looking too healthy...might just last the day.... and that's the chocolates not me...

Thursday continued

Gave my student his lesson and went round to visit my restaurant lady.  I have an invitation for New Year's Eve and unsure whether to accept of not.  If I do...I'll go back to my Djebel hotel which is round the corner and ever hopeful that they don't put me in room 301 on the third floor....by the time that I managed to climb the stairs dawn would probably be breaking....I'll give it some thought.

Sunset here was just marvellous.  It's the wintry light that catches the mountains.  Sky is very clear tonight and not a cloud in sight so I think we're in for a really cold one.  Never mind.  Everything in that should be in namely wood and coal and me....and now time for supper.  That veal has been in the slow cooker all day with the beans and 'things' so don't have to do much to achieve the evening top up.  Red wine replenished and a bottle of brandy purchased just to check out the new brandy glasses.  One at least has to be broken in but not 'broken' in if you know what I mean.

LN....just a few pickies of this evening....

Friday 30th December

Well, a lazy day today apart from the usual chores.  Finished the third book of Boadicea last night stopping up until after midnight and managing to leave two of the chocolates for today...I did say I thought they wouldn't see in the New Year....and they haven't but I can recommend them...delicious.  Got out the axe and chopped some of the bigger wood to fit into the little wood burner in the kitchen.  The problem is that the big stuff goes in at an angle and doesn't managed to catch easily.  You need some of the smaller stuff round it to make sure that it really gets going but I don't want it roaring away though...I've got the central heating doing that.  

Stripped the bed down today....washed the quilt cover and under-sheet...the zebra is now prepared for the New Year.  Because the quilt and bottom sheets are made from fleece blankets they drys in quick-sticks so the bed is already made up.  

Dug out one of my films this afternoon that I hadn't seen before, Head in the Clouds and enjoyed it.  Supper was the remains of last nights that had been reheated in the slow cooker with some chili added to it to give it a 'lift'.  I now feel stuffed and what's left will go into the freezer.  

I think my plans to hit the restaurant tomorrow night have been scuppered looking at the weather report but I'll wait to make a final call.  If I go, the hotel will only cost me fifteen leva so won't break the bank but the forecast is heavy snow during the day and light snow at night with the temperature dropping. Looking at the sky, the clouds already seem to be gathering and if that's the case I shall be staying by the fire, getting out a little of the hard stuff and toasting it in watching everyone else's firework.  It's a New Year thing here....

Have I missed the hype?  No....and I can honestly say that.  Kardjali on Wednesday reminded me of the UK. Full shopping trolleys, lots of beer going in and topping up as if there was a siege going on...perhaps there is and no one has told me   I'll wait for the tank down the high street.... but listening to BBC 2 Radio, I'm surprised that anyone in the UK get's anywhere....LN....fire duty, washing up and let's see if there is another book lingering somewhere....

Saturday 31st December

So I said last night that the clouds were gathering and the BBC weather was right again....How can they manage it here in Bulgaria yet in the UK...no there is no chance of a hurricane...I remember the words well from Michael Fish as I sat up in bed at three in the morning wondering whether my house in England would survive it.  It did and still does.

White over...still coming down and it looks like I am spending New Year's Eve on my own..at least I don't have to share the bottle.    I shall sit and reflect on the outgoing year and watch the clock turn over to begin the new one.  What could I have done differently?  Probably lots but I feel that I am in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing and that can't be bad.  I have a peaceful feeling...my list of 'Things to do' is written and gets added to and subtracted from but there's no urgency or pressure.....I'm my own boss, worker, critic and I'm less harsh on myself these days than I used to be.  

May I wish you all that you hope for yourselves for the New Year.....but if you get what you deserve and not necessarily what you want...accept it and learn the lessons well otherwise they will come round again and again.....and I'll remember that advice when I need to.   

I'd also like to say...thank you all for your support for 2011...it didn't go unnoticed....

Chestitia Nova Godina,  Elsa!

Loved reading your blogs. Long may they continue.

All good wishes for 2012 and here's hoping your ugly duckling 'wreck' turns into a beautiful swan.

P.S.  Very envious of all that beautiful snow and would love to exchange it for our dismal Cornish rain at the moment!