We've had a fabulous week this week with Pete's mum, Kathy, visiting. The weather has been cold but beautifully sunny and we've been mostly relaxing, walking and enjoying our kitchen.
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| Chickies in the snow |
Friday 2nd
We were up early this morning to get to the market first thing. We did a big shop, stocking up for Kathy's arrival, and then got home quickly to unpack before heading out again. We'd arranged to go to a friends house this afternoon - we'd not been there before and their village was abut an hour and a half away so we set off as quick as we could, around 12.30.
The drive to their village is gorgeous; going higher into the mountains and becoming, what feels at least, more remote. We got to the village in good time and followed the written directions they'd sent us. Unfortunately we did not find their house and we kept on not finding it for nearly another hour! I had no phone signal out there so we weren't even able to call them. Luckily, after an hour or so, our friend drove past - on the search for us as they'd guessed we'd got lost! Hooray! We jumped in the van and followed him back to their house (on the other side of the village) for a nice warming coffee.
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| Pretty drive |
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| Trying to find our friends house! |
After a catch up we had a tour around their house and garden and then got wrapped up for a wander around the village. Their village is very beautiful - it is much bigger than ours and with quite different architecture - much older and more traditional. It is also more higgledy-piggeldy and has a real 'mountain' feel to it, so it was lovely to walk around on a snowy afternoon. We got back to their house as it got dark and we warmed up with a bowl of goulash and a bottle of beer - perfect! It was a great afternoon.
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| Beautiful village and sunset |
The drive home was easy, even in the dark, and we got home around 9. We noticed, when we got back to our village, that almost all the snow had melted now, so it must have been quite a warm day here. We were both feeling pretty knackered so it was an early night and we watched a film in bed.
Saturday 3rd
We spent this morning tidying and cleaning the house. Pete was on bathroom duty and gave everything in there a good scrubbing, whilst I did the bedrooms and set the Yellow Room up for Kathy - including getting the fire going. Pete also prepared dinner for later - another goulash, inspired by yesterdays delicious meal!
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| Guest room |
We got to the train station slightly late (well actually it was bang on time, but for the first time ever the train was early!) to pick up Kathy. We did a quick shop for some extra things we'd forgotten yesterday and managed to get back home before it got dark. Back home we gave Kathy a tour of the garden and house - she hasn't been here since May - and then we had a beer and opened our gifts that she'd bought us (mainly British food goodies!) We then spent a lovely evening in the kitchen catching up and eating and drinking. We also tried our infused rakia, which I am very happy to report has been a great success. We did one bottle with aniseed and one with juniper berries and both have worked a treat - I recommend doing the juniper one if you (like me) prefer gin to rakia!
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| Hello mum! |
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| Goodies from England |
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| Welcome dinner |
Sunday 4th
We had a great lazy morning today. We were up early but sat inside keeping warm, having several cuppas and doing the crossword. We had eggs for brunch - sat at our kitchen table with sunshine flooding in through the window. :-)
In the afternoon me and Pete started to work on our big 4 metre shelves that we were making for the kitchen. The wood we'd got was quite rough so needed a lot of planing and sanding back to get smooth. We worked together to get the first piece finished and then I varnished one side of that piece using matching varnish to the wooden kitchen wall) whilst Pete started on the next.
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| Big (frosty) shelves to work on |
Whilst we were doing that Kathy was in the garden with us pulling up the old tomato plants and sticks. Once these jobs were done she enjoyed the sun and sat on the balcony reading. After a couple of hours of working Pete and I stopped and joined Kathy on the balcony - this was meant to be a week off after all! We didn't go out for a walk today as weekends are often busy with hunters and this can be slightly dodgy with Lucy running wild in the countryside.
So instead we just chilled out for the rest of the day and went inside as the sun went down and the temperature dropped. It was then another lovely evening enjoying good food and good company.
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| Bulgarian style chicken and rice for dinner |
Monday 5th
Another relaxed morning with a big breakfast. Late morning we got in the van and set off to a nearby village for a walk. Pete and I had been to his village recently and noticed a walking route, which we hadn't had time to follow. We had been intrigued by it though and decided to go back today to follow it. I'd Googled the village and found some information about an ancient monastery that used to sit on the hill above it, which is where the walk lead to. The walk lead through the village, along a frozen stream and then up into the hills. It was a gorgeous day and a lovely walk, although there were no signs of the ancient monastery at the top as it had been long destroyed and grown over by a forest. We stopped at the top to enjoy the view and pick rosehips before heading back down to wander around the village and then drive home.
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| It was still snowy here |
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| Sunshine |
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| Pretty view to the village |
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| At the 'ancient monastery' |
Back home it was time for a late lunch and then me and Pete got another shelf sanded back and another side or two varnished. In the evening I put the rosehips we'd collected on to boil whilst Pete made dinner (we can do two things at a time now with our 5 hobs!!) and then we had a cosy evening inside playing Scrabble.
Tuesday 6th
It was another long morning this morning spent slowly sipping tea and then enjoying a homemade bacon sandwich - we could get used to this! After brunch Kathy took Lucy out for a walk around the lavender fields and was out for a couple of hours. I got another layer of varnish on the shelves and then gave the garden a good tidy up. Tidying the garden seems like a never ending job and now we somehow have another huge pile of rubbish for the dump. Whilst tidying the veg garden I got distracted by my Jerusalem artichoke plants and decided to dig one up and see what I could find. One plant supplied a large bowl of artichokes, which I took inside to scrub clean and roast for lunch. I also finished off the rosehip syrup - I passed the boiled and crushed fruit through and old stocking (washed!), added sugar and boiled again before decanting into sterilized jars.
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| Passing rosehips through an old stocking |
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| Varnishing the shelves |
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| Rosehip syrup |
Pete was having a good day too - he prepared meatballs and sauce for tonight's dinner, and he also roasted a load of beetroot to make soup. He loves a cooking day and for the first time since we got here he can really enjoy it in our new kitchen!
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| Beetroot soup in the making |
When Kathy came back from her walk we stopped for a cuppa and had roasted Jerusalem artichokes for lunch, which were delicious.
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| Freshly dug up and roasted Jerusalem artichokes for lunch |
In the afternoon our gas heater ran out of gas (we had been blasting it out constantly for a week) so we decided to go into Chirpan to refill it and do a few other bits of shopping. The Christmas market was open in the centre so we had a wander through there too - the first sign of Christmas we've actually seen this year! It was dark and cold by the time we were home so we warmed up with meatballs for dinner and a few glasses of red wine. :-)
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| Cat |
Wednesday 7th
This morning we had (shock, horror) an early start! We'd planned a day out to Perperikon, which was a good hour and a half drive away so we wanted to set off around 9.30. We had a cuppa and I made a packed lunch to take with us, including a flask of tea as it was forecast to be a cold day. We set off on time and, apart from being slightly cramped with the 3 of us and the dog in the front of the van, the drive was good and easy.
The first stop was to a small village as we wanted a coffee and the map implied that this village was set on the side of a lake. We drove to the end of the village and found the lake, which was slightly further away than expected by still very pretty. We got out for a little wander aroundm but it was very windy and the wind was like ice, so we got back into the van pretty sharpish. We then found the local bar in the village centre and stopped for a welcome hot drink. The tiny bar was full of men drinking their morning Menta so we had to sit outside, but at least it was less windy there.
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| Walk by the lake |
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| Little cafe |
The next stop on the way was the Stone Mushrooms. You might remember that we visited here last month, so I won't explain what they are again. There is still quite a lot of snow down here so the landscape is quite different to when we were here last, but still just as beautiful.
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| At the Stone Mushrooms |
Once we'd got too cold at the mushrooms we headed on to the main destination - Perperikon. We carried our packed lunch up with us and spent a great couple of hours exploring the ancient city. For lunch we stopped in a little hut where a Bulgarian man (selling fridge magnets) got a small fire going for us to keep us warm - the icy wind was unescapable at the top of the hill! Despite the cold it was a wonderful day out and we were happy to show Kathy this amazing place.
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| Going up at Perperikon |
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| Kathy on the stone throne |
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| We made friends with this lovely stray dog |
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| Incredible views |
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| Lunch in the hut |
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| Saying goodbye to our doggy friend, she was so friendly |
We got back home, after the long drive, just as it got dark. Dinner was beetroot soup, already prepared yesterday, so was easy but delicious. We were all tired after the days activities so it was an early night for everyone.
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| Christmas time in Chirpan |
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| Dinner time |
Thursday 8th
It was another sunny day and feeling slightly warmer today. We had a chilled morning then each got on with a few small jobs. Pete planed and sanded the final shelf, Kathy hand sanded our homemade chopping board with a fine grained sandpaper and I fit the new plastic roof to the small shelter for the cement mixer so it was weather proof for winter. Once the last shelf was sanded back I got on with some more varnishing and when Kathy had finished sanding the chopping board she rubbed some oil into it to protect it. After some research we'd found that you can use any edible oil to protect a chopping board, so we used sunflower oil and have given it several coats.
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| Both of them are sanding away |
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| New roof for the cement mixer (to match the wood store) |
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| Pete helping me varnish |
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| Lucy soaking up the sun |
Pete was making bread and fancied staying at home so Kathy and I took Lucy out for a walk to the burnt pine forest. As well as having a lovely walk in the sun we also collected a bag of pine cones - some to make Christmas decorations from and the leftovers can be used as kindling for the woodburner.
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| Baker |
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| Walk in the woods |
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| Collecting pine cones |
When we were home Pete's bread was ready and he prepared a very late lunch (it was gone 4 o'clock already) of roasted garlic. We first tried this dish in Italy - whole garlic heads (you have a whole one each) roasted in olive oil and rosemary. Served with fresh homemade bread and balsamic it is incredible! Once we'd finished eating the sun was nearly setting so we went out to enjoy the sunset from the balcony. We spent another evening relaxing and I made a simple veggie curry for dinner, although we ate late and not too much as we were still full from lunch!
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| Yum yum yum, roasted garlic for lunch |
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| Sunset on the balcony |
Friday 9th
Up early for market day today, although we didn't rush so left a little later than usual. We had a nice morning out and about in Chirpan, stopping for brekkie and doing the usual shop.
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| Now is the time for making sausages and at the market you can buy everything you need to do so |
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| Waiting with the shopping |
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| Pay to get weighed |
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| The coffee shop |
Back home we all pottered about doing various things. Kathy enjoyed her last afternoon on the sunny balcony whilst Pete started to prepare some falafels for the freezer and I varnished the final side of the shelf - this job has taken ages as we have had to wait a day for each side to dry! Early afternoon our friend George popped by to say hello, as he was in the village for the day, and he stayed for an hour or so.
At about 3 o'clock we decided to go out for another walk - we wanted to go to SG as Kathy hadn't been there before and there is a lovely walk behind the village. We did the walk up the hill and got to enjoy the beginning of a gorgeous sunset before heading back down and getting a beer in the local bar. Back home we had our last lovely evening with Kathy and Pete cooked a real winter warmer of liver and bacon, which was very tasty. We enjoyed a few glasses of wine, listened to music and had a great night.
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| Looking back over SG |
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| Sunset over the Rhodopes |
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| Mum and son |
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| Beer at SG bar |
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| Kathy and Bilko |
Saturday 10th
The usual slow morning and yummy big breakfast to start the day (we will have to go on a diet when Kathy leaves as we can't go on eating this much food!) Kathy spent the morning packing whilst Pete finished making his falafels and got them in the freezer and I started to make Christmas decorations with the pine cones we'd collected. I had gold spray paint and gold glitter to play with so I was happy. I also fixed the bauble wreath from last year and hung it on the front gate. Baba V was also back in the village for the day and called us over to give us presents - she'd knitted us a pair of socks each, what a great lady!
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| Falafels ready to freeze |
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| Sparkly pine cones |
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| Bilko likes the wreath |
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| Socks from Baba V |
Around 2 we all stopped for a coffee and Hristo popped over to have a nose at our kitchen. By 2.45 he was still there and we had to usher him out as we needed to get to the bus stop to drop Kathy off. We got to Chirpan slightly early so Kathy could pick up a few bits for the journey and we stopped for an orange juice in a café. We had wanted to do a bit of clothes shopping but all the shops were closed as it was a Saturday afternoon - we still haven't got used to these Bulgarian opening times!
At 4 we said our goodbyes and waved Kathy off on the bus. It was an amazing and relaxed week and so lovely to enjoy our home (and kitchen) with someone else! Once Kathy had gone we headed of to the tyre shop where we got our winter tyres put on. Slightly later than you're meant to, but we were in a queue of others doing the same so I'm not sure anyone is checking anyway! ;-)
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| Sunset over rubbish in Chirpan |
It was dark and cold when we got home so we just threw some chicken wings in the oven and had them for dinner with a salad. We then had an early night and watched a film. We've decided to move into the yellow room as it is much cosier and warmer than our bedroom and now we have an alternative living area it doesn't matter if the sofa-bed is always out. It also means we can watch films on the big TV from our bed, which is good for winter! :-)
Sunday 11th
Today was planned as our Christmas decorating day! We went out in the morning to get a tree - we'd spotted a few saplings at the top of our land from the pine forest, so thought we would used one of them as our tree this year. I also cut a few extra sprigs to make a wreath out of for the front door. Back home I got one layer of varnish done before the festivities started - we'd decided to use the clear flooring varnish on the shelves to help make them more wipeable.
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| Can't wait to get this bloomin' varnishing finished |
I made a wreath and a few dangly things using my glittery pine cones and then went up stairs to start decorating the tree. Pete was making a load of stock for the freezer using chicken bones we'd been saving for the last few months. We also got a huge batch of mulled wine on the go, dug out our Santa hats and blasted out the carols! We decorated the tree and hung the paper chains I'd made and drank mulled wine for the rest of the afternoon. It was a lovely and festive day, followed by a film night.
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| Chicken stock on the go |
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| Mulled wine also on the go |
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| Homemade wreath |
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| Dangly pine cones |
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| Christmas tree! :-) |
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| (We've given ourselves a box of wine as an early Xmas present!) |
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| Gorgeous sunset this evening |
Monday 12th
Today we both spent the whole morning down the road getting our friends garden ready for winter. There is nothing for us to do now there until Spring, so we trimmed the trees, raked the leaves and pulled up all the dead plants. We got home at around 2 o'clock and stopped for a warming brew before getting on with putting up our shelves. Yesterday we'd found that the clear varnish had started to bubble - I think this was due to the wood being damp in the morning and then the sun getting quite warm in the day, whilst it was drying. I'd sanded the varnish back and tried again but found the same thing happened, so we decided we would finish the varnishing once they were inside and on the wall. We were slightly concerned about putting the shelves up as the wood was quite warped and twisted, but as it turned out they went up easily and only looked slightly wonky! We are very pleased with them anyway! It was dark when we finished doing this so we didn't get around to varnishing them today and instead just started to stack our stuff on them, which created more much-needed workspace.
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| And we have shelves |
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| Another amazing sunset, seen from the kitchen window |
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| Starting to fill the shelves |
For dinner I made a mini veggie curry feast of red lentil dahl and grated beetroot and coconut stir fry. The beetroot dish was a new one for both of us but it was absolutely delicious so will definitely make it again. It was Monday night so this mean TV night and we watched University Challenge as usual!
Tuesday 13th
We begun today with good intentions of getting some work done but as we were having breakfast a blizzard started outside, which gave us a good excuse not to! It was actually snowing but the winds were so strong that nothing could settle and it was absolutely freezing. I felt sorry for the chickens all huddled together outside in a corner.
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| Blizzard |
So instead of working we got the fire going and spent the day in the yellow room hanging out. Pete played Fifa (which he'd requested from his mum as we have an Xbox but never play it) and I read my book and wrote the blog. The blizzard didn't last all day and by late afternoon the sun had actually come out, but it is still very cold and the forecast says it will get to -10 tonight. In the afternoon I also started dinner - a sausage and bean casserole - so we could just heat it up later.
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| Chilled morning |
Around 4 we got dressed (!) and got ready to go out to Chirpan. We wanted to top up the gas bottle and we also needed to go to the vets so that both pets could get their contraceptive injections. Last time we had had to order the injections and come back but we decided to risk it and take both animals with us just in case he had it in already. Luckily this paid off as he had it available and we had both the girls injected within 15 minutes. Result. Gas refilled, a very quick shop and we were back home by the fire again. Pete played more Fifa and I finished writing the blog. We will get on with some work tomorrow (probably.)
Until next time xx
