Still alive and very much so!

I am still alive.

I haven't written in a long time because well, we have been SO busy and I have just not taken any time out to do so.  I am currently having a few days off and so I am about to sift through some photos to post here and show you the best and the worst of my time here. I won't go into to much literary details as the Mr has updated you all on the day to day goings on (and I know most of you will have read some of that), so I will process some photos of life in Bulgaria so far.

Let's start with some sunrises and sunsets - there are many to choose from and never fail to make a bad day good.  Sunsets first.  What awesome sights I have had whilst eating or just relaxing with a drink at the end of the day.

I think this one is my favourite so far.

We have also been lucky enough to have seen some amazing moons.  A blood moon, viewed from the balcony.

I suppose I had better update you on the whole family.  Hopefully these two bewts will start laying in a few months.  Meet Ginger (left) and Baker (right).  Baker has been ill with a cold and we still cannot determine, as we have been unable to catch her, if her swollen eye has been damaged in the whole process.  The eye is no longer swollen but we had thought at one point that she had lost it.  She has made a great recovery though and is back with the flock again.

Still going strong are the two tortoises I was given a couple of months ago now.  Mercury and Hermes.

Of course, there is the relegated man of the house who we cannot forget - Rambo.  He continues to be a massive clumsy lump, but so lovely with it.

Here is the first photo of the Mr after he arrived back from his cross-European trip with the puppies. Lovely.  And of course, the rest of the family:

Now for the two terrors who are forever with boundless energy and always making us smile.  Look at them practicing on each other for when the rats arrive in winter.  Vicious!

Of course, if the puppies fail to wake us up before the sun arrives over the mountains, there are always the ducks - Beaker and Balls.  If I am even ten minutes late in the morning, they kick up an almighty racket.  No need for cockerels here!

It did not take long for Rambo and the Mr to settle into their love-hate relationship, as you can see from the "don't jump at me when I am running" look on the Mr's face.  Rambo never learns though, bless him.

Now for some of the local wildlife and things we have spotted from the terrace and the balcony.  This year we seem to have a better variety of birds visiting the land.  Particularly pleasing are the Golden Oriels who whilst are shy, have been much more plentiful than I remember from last year; some are even coming a bit closer to us than they used to.

I have come across a lot of randomness here also. Like a turkey in the middle of the road on the way to pick up the men one morning.  I think that would look well on a platter at Christmas, don't you?

Another more frequent visitor have been storks.  We have not really had many fly around here last year and we had not expected to see many anyway because of our location, but this year has brought a few more flying overhead.  they are huge birds and I would not like to be underneath in the line of fire if one dropped a load!

I cannot take credit for this next shot as the Mr had stolen my camera to capture them (it was on my camera though; possession 9/10s of the law and all that).  Bee Eaters, apparently and we were graced with a small flock of them for around two days as they passed through the area.  Beautiful birds.

I thought this was a woodpecker when I took the shot but I am not sure - maybe just because of the angle I have taken the shot.  Very pretty whatever it is.

We have had guests this week (and for another week) so here are a few shots of what we have got up to.  Basically, we have been exploring and marveling at the landscapes and the views this beautiful country offers up.  Stunning.  Most of the following shots are from a trip to Perperikon, 3000 year old ruins of a settlement.

We were not alone; these archaeologists were digging away in the heat of the day, discovering bones and all sorts of exciting things whilst others were working towards rebuilding and strengthening certain parts of the structures.

To finish, an arty shot of what I just thought were some clay pots ( I guess they are) but I have been informed that they are Amphorae.  They are still clay pots, so I was not completely wrong, obviously.

So there you have it.  It has been a very busy time and there is still a lot going on with the building work at the School.  I don't believe I will do many updates, but perhaps I will get myself in order more often to share some photos and a few words.  There is never a dull moment here and always plenty to do, so I best get on and do something!

Cíao
A x

The good life awaits us.

Here I am, writing my last blog in the UK for hopefully a very long time.  This one is going to be a little different and I know some of you will lose interest when I start to get sentimental and that but that is fine with me as this will be the final post here for a while and I will be continuing to post on behalf of him on a daily basis whilst I am there alone.

What a year it has been.  This time last year I was plodding along, doing my thing, working and living in London in a job I liked and with plenty to be getting along with socially.  I was “happy” and “content”.  Sadly, a few weeks on, I lost my beloved Pappy (grandfather).  Amidst the mayhem that was life at that time however, I was also planning a trip to Bulgaria to catch up with the Bearded one.  Little did I know at this stage that my life was due to make an even bigger turnaround.....

And so I went to the Promised Land to spend some time with what turned out to be one of the most wonderful men I have ever met.  I am a very, very lucky young (shush now) woman.  Between the visits and moving out on a semi-temporary basis in August last year we have had a wonderful time on the whole.  I’m not saying it was all roses and tulips, chance would be a fine one, as it was hard at times.  There were big adjustments for us both and there was always the chance that I had jumped too soon and this would never work out.  It did.  That is the main thing and despite the odd hiccup, as we all have, we survived and grew stronger which is actually very surprising given how we have both been miserable sods whilst back in the UK for four months!

Now we have spent the last few weeks preparing for my final trip back home to the school.  It has been exhausting, even for me, but more so for him as he has done ALL the thinking and planning and sleepless nights over it.  We are almost packed now and just making some final adjustments to the load this week before we set off next week on the final trek (for me.  He will make a further trip, alone, in a couple of month’s time) across Europe. 

I have missed Bulgaria and everything it is and has to offer us.  We are extremely similar with some of the things that make us happy and content, the most significant being the peace and quiet and very little noise.  Being back in the UK has been hellish on that score.  So much traffic, so many people, so much unnecessary noise!  It will be an absolute pleasure to sit on our balcony both in the evenings enjoying a beer and in the morning having our tea and coffee and just lapping up the silence, with only the birds to sing to us (and possibly Rambo howling for his breakfast).  You cannot buy that kind of happiness.  Not really. 

The beauty of the country astounds me.  You do not have to travel too far to experience the wild, untouched look of the countryside.  In fact you only have to look across the valley.  The hills and mountains, rivers and lakes, rocks and pastures; they all make me smile, even just thinking about them. 

The people too; our neighbours are absolute gems.  They have been looking after the place for us since we have been away.  I still remember when they came over the night before we drove off for our winter retreat.  They brought gifts, smiles, tears and a huge lump in my throat formed when we had to say goodbye.  I even shared a few tears with my adoptive father (his words, not mine).  I will be very pleased to see them again and this memory makes me feel secure in the knowledge that I will have them to look out for me when I am there alone whilst I wait for Himself to return in early summer.  I think this fact is also something that makes Him feel easier about this period.  He is putting a huge amount of trust in me and I would hate to let him down in any way so I will be on my “bestest” behaviour and do my utmost to make sure that everything is done right while he is away.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much we are both looking forward to returning.  There has almost been a part of us both missing since our return; it is very hard to explain.  It will be a fairly heavy wrench when he has to go back, but I am trying not to think about that yet.  I am just hoping that it won’t be longer than the amount of time we have been aiming for since we planned it all.  

I also hope Rambo will be as excited to see me as I will be to see him.  He has been in kennels for months, getting spoiled and having extra food.  So he is back to boot camp with me in a couple of weeks!  Hah!

All of this sentiment aside, we still have a lot of work to get through this year and next.  We have booked the workers to come and do our drainage in April so that is the first task sorted, although me overseeing this could be fun as I know NOTHING about drainage at all and, being a girl, I have to force myself to be interested.  I will have to pretend it is a pair of shoes being constructed, or something.  Only kidding, love!  Next on the list are the electrics and plumbing.  I have offered my cousins a paid trip to the School to get this started, so hopefully if they or one of them can do this we will have something in place, at least for the living quarters at some point this year.  If not, I have asked him to ask around his mates and colleagues, just so that we can have a system we can trust in place.  So it will not be a holiday like last it was last time, well, not that it was really, but sometimes it felt like it – how can it not when you love every minute of it.  

I am going to miss certain parts of being in the UK.  Not many, but some.  I will miss the fact that we are so close to family and friends, but with all of the modern technology these days, I guess you are not ever that far away really.  Still, it is something in my mind.  I have not had the opportunity to see some of the people who I would really like to have seen and spent some time with before this final transition but such is life.  It has been very busy here with the socialising, visiting family, preparing things and working but we have done as much as we could possibly fit in.  So to those I have not managed to see, farewell and I will be back at some stage.

Finally, I would like to thank one person in all of this.  The Mr.  Thank you for sharing this experience with me and allowing me the opportunity to live it with you and not through you.  You have made me feel involved from the start and continue to allow my stamp to be put down on parts of this renovation and journey.  I do think there is a chance we won’t need that patio at all and I hope that you feel as happy and excited about the future as I do.  It won’t be long before we are living the dream for good.  One last push now.

Обичам те

TO BULGARIA!  HOME.

A x

**EDIT**
I apparently have to include a spud in each post, so here:

Just words

It is almost time now.  In six and a half weeks we will be setting off for the return leg to Bulgaria.  The time here has flown in and I can’t quite believe that we are already preparing for this.  We were both dreading being here, but it has actually been really enjoyable and that is mostly down to great friends and our insistence to make the best of it, which we certainly have done!

So, most of you will have read the updates from the Mr’s blog and therefore I will not bore you for too long or show you the shots which you will have invariably already seen.  I just wanted to jot down a few thoughts about where we are and how I feel about all the change ahead. 

Once again, we will be driving back across Europe as fast as we can in our new van, Harrison (Ford)....yeah, I know, it wasn’t my idea!  We have much to achieve once we are there, with several utilities to switch back on, pay the bills and of course, connect the internet again – my only way really of keeping in touch with anyone. 

What is the plan, I hear you ask?  (Well, probably not, but I’m telling you anyway)  There are various things that we need to achieve before Himself goes back to the UK and we only have about a week to get these things done.  This could be a struggle.

Composting point – we need a new composting point as the one we were using last year is now settled and working away, doing its thing.  So, we need something a little more robust and likely a little bigger for this year as we will both be spending all year there this time.  This is a blue job. 

Collect Rambo – This is a pink job for when the above blue job is being sorted.  Rambo has been in kennels over the winter with Ken, the guy who transported him from the UK to Bulgaria, but I need to go and get him as soon as I can really for two reasons.  I miss the big stupid lump and also, more importantly, he is my guard dog and will make me feel a little more secure and at ease after Himself leaves me to fend for myself.  This is a 4-5 hour drive there and the same back, so it will be a whole day of travelling.  I won’t be knackered at all!  I have had to promise that I will show him that I am the boss in this time and that I will also not spoil him.  I don’t believe in making promises, so only one of those is likely to be stretched a little.

Prepare for the chickens – We have talked about getting some egg laying chickens for quite a while now and I am going to take charge of this (and the subsequent drama that will unfold trying to get Rambo to not terrorise them).  I want to prepare a section of the green building with nesting boxes and sufficient hay and bedding for the chickens.  I am quite excited by this and hope that this is something I manage to achieve on my own.

Lucy – we hope to change the cars over.  I will have Lucy and Harrison when I am there.  Thomas the pickup is a perfect mode of transport for over there and with all of the trips to the builders merchant, but he will be back in the UK, so we need to get a small car that will allow me to do the necessary pottering around but that is able to take a small amount of building matter at times.   

Open a bank account – I need to be able to pay for any of the building works that are carried out, so this needs to be done.  This will also be the start of the process of getting a residency.  Woohoo!

Hopefully, after we have achieved all of this we can have a couple of days before He has to leave to enjoy ourselves, before reality kicks in and we have to part ways for a few months.  I am REALLY not looking forward to that.  It will definitely be tough not to be together, but we need to suffer it and get on with things as best we can.  There is a bigger picture to concentrate on and it will all be worth it when He finally arrives back again.  I’ll miss the cheeky big lump.

Of course, to help me keep my mind occupied I will have my work and I also have to plan the vegetable garden and dig out some more beds.  I have made a spreadsheet of the seeds and sets I want for growing.  I know that may sound a bit geeky, but if I don’t write these things down I forget things and then I will have sod all to eat when it comes to the summer!

I also have more parts to complete in the guest rooms.  More partition walls, sectioning off the wet room and also, with any luck, getting the electrics dropped down into our bedroom and finishing that room with a skim of plaster and the floor tiles.  That would be awesome to have that completed for him coming back.  But we shall see....

Having all of these things to do is great, but things don’t always go to plan, so I will do my best and hope I don’t let him down.

Anyway, that is about all I have for you now.  When I get back I will be doing his daily blog, mostly for him to be honest, as he will need to be kept up to date with progress and how things are. 

Wish me luck....

A x

Settling back in to "civilisation".

So, we are back.  I cannot believe it is almost a month since we got here!

We had an epic drive back from Bulgaria and managed to drive it between us in less than three days, which was great going!  We had a good laugh coming back.  There was a fair bit of singing, shoulder dancing and shouting at idiot drivers on the road, but all in all it was fun.  I won't bore you with the travelling pictures as he has already blogged most of them and I know most of you see his blog also.

Anyway, here we are in Manchester.  Dull, dreary, depressing UK.  As a city, I quite like it, but to be perfectly honest, even though I haven't been away from it for as long as the Mr, I am really struggling to settle in again.  The noise, I think, is the worst part.  It actually sounds deafening to me at times and it might only be a bit of traffic, or the kids coming out of college and having a laugh, but the volume just seems extreme to my ears at the moment.  Also, moving to a city where I don't know anyone has been hard and remains so, I won't lie.  It's probably hard on him too, but bless him, he is trying to keep me feeling included by inviting me out with him to places and introducing me to all of his friends, which has been more help than he probably realises.  Still tough, for us both, I suppose.

Not allowing ourselves to get consumed in a deep depression, we have made sure to get out and about and to make plans to do things that we enjoy.  So, between whisky nights, gigs, meals and generally socialising, we have managed to keep the smiles on our faces and give ourselves plenty of things to look forward to.

We went canal boating with a couple of his friends a couple of weeks ago to help them out with a particularly tricky part of their journey, but also to allow him time to catch up.  It was a great couple of days, despite the rain and the threat of an ear infection for me!  I never knew opening and closing locks could be such hard work and I tell you what, we had plenty to open.  Have a look!

Stairway to heaven?

Taking a breather

These were heavy!

Stunning

A kingfisher that we followed for a while - Beautiful bird

Reflections

More reflections

This ended up looking like a portal to another world

Milton, looking less than impressed!

No crashing!

Guillotine lock - pretty old, this!

More of the kingfisher.  Look at the colours!

The week that we went boating was the first and last week himself went to his job in Sheffield.  He was so thrilled with getting the job, not just because it was a weight off, but also because his best mate was likely to be working up there soon ish, he loves Sheffield and didn't mind having to move back there again.  Sadly, the job was not as it had seemed and he made the decision to go after another opportunity (well two, actually) that had come up - I was gutted for him.  Thankfully, he is a clever cookie and landed an even better job, working with people he knows and now has something that will give him more of a challenge.  We will now be moving on somewhere new, closer to this new job so as to allow him the opportunity to walk to work instead of spending hours commuting.  I can work anywhere, luckily as I work from home, so I go with the flow as far as location goes.  Exciting times though.  His first day is today, so send him good luck!

Having had a week off between these jobs we had a bit of cabin fever, so we decided that this weekend we would take ourselves out into the Peaks and get some fresh air.  We did this on Saturday, but the weather was not in our favour.  So cloudy and overcast!  Typical UK weather!  No matter, we went on about our plan and I am so glad we did.  Even with the mist hanging low in the sky, the views were pretty awesome, although the camera has not really done it justice.

Low cloud

Beautiful colours, honest!

I love this view

More mist

Reservoir

Cormorants?

  As we drove along there was a sign for "Blue John Cavern".  He remembered that there was a tour on offer and we decided to go for a look.  What a place.  We walked down to a depth of about 100m and the sights of this totally natural cave network were amazing.  There was obviously more to this than the public are allowed to explore, but the rock formations were absolutely fascinating.  They still mine the caves today, when necessary, but we were told that it is the only known natural cave of this type - pretty amazing.

So, here I am, sat in the living room typing away in between working.  I hope our time here goes quickly, but then I also dread leaving, as when I do, I will be leaving him behind for an indeterminate amount of time.  That bit sucks, big time.  But it's all for a good reason and we will suck it up and get on with it when the time comes, just like we always do with any set backs we have had.

This sounded like a very depressing post, it was not meant to.  All in all, everything is better than we thought it would be here.  We are having a lot of fun, it's just a different enjoyment than we had in Bulgaria and I am very glad I didn't stay there over winter whilst he came back to work.  Who would I have nagged?  So every cloud....

A xx