85.

And we're in the kitchen! Just on time too as the snow has arrived and the temperatures are set to be very cold from here on in...

 

Snowy fields

 

Just an average Bulgarian kiwi

Friday 25th

 

The usual market morning and it was a sunny but very cold day today. We did the usual shopping and stop for breakfast and a coffee at a bakery before getting home around midday.

 

Breakfast stop in Chirpan

 

Back home we unpacked the shopping and then decided to crack on with installing the kitchen. The sink was our main priority but in order to do that we needed to fit the work surface first - so we could make sure everything was level with each other, as we are building the kitchen units ourselves. So, we began by building a wooden frame for the work surface that we'd bought  We worked until it got dark and we're pleased as we managed to get the basic structure made and in position.

 

Beginning the kitchen cupboards

Walkies at sunset

 

In the evening we chilled out by the fire again.

 

Bilko loves the fire too

Saturday 26th

 

We were up early to carry on with fitting the kitchen. In the morning we finished off the wooden structure and made it sturdy with noggins - this work surface ain't going anywhere! We then went outside to cut the work surface to size, which we have been storing in the toilet block. This was easy to cut and then we bought upstairs to see how it looked. It was very exciting to see it in place and how it sat square with the walls - something we were slightly worried about as everything in this house is so wonky! We then held up the sink to see how it would look and suddenly it was looking like we had a kitchen! We also held up the back splash tiles we'd bought to check how they looked, and we were very pleased with them too. :-)

 

Wooden frame finished

Cutting the work top

Et voila - please excuse the awful outfit!

Testing our snazzy tiles

 

Then it was time for a quick lunch, which we ate on the floor in the kitchen as we had the gas heater going and it was relatively warm in there compared to outside.

 

Lunch time

 

In the afternoon we attached the sink to the wall and built a frame around that too. I then went outside to finish sanding our 'shabby chic' cabinet, whilst Pete did a bit of plumbing - we needed to take a pipe off towards the other side of the house that will later lead to another boiler on the woodburner. Once I'd finished the cabinet we gave it a good clean and carried it upstairs. We then cut another length of the work surface and put that in place above the cabinet. We had to cut the cabinet legs a bit shorter to get it level, but it fit perfectly and looks fab!

 

Another pipe fitted for the living room

Finished!

 

Feeling excited and productive we decided to do one last job today - which was fitting one of the wooden shelves we'd made. It was a long and busy day but we were so pleased with everything we'd got done.

 

First shelf up for our 'coffee bar'

 

In the evening I made a quick veggie curry and we watched a film and had an early night.

 

Sunday 27th

 

Another early start today - we were feeling very motivated to get into the kitchen this week! We started by doing the backsplash tiles, as we wanted to get these on before we put the tap on the sink. There were only 5 tiles in total so this job didn't take too long to do. Pete then wired in the boiler and attached it to the wall whilst I started to clear the hallway area of building materials and build the shelf unit we'd bought at Ikea. Together we then plumbed in the sink. Aside from the small area we had to work in this job was very simple and we got it done quickly with no problems. Annoyingly the plug hole needed silicon (which we didn't have) but we now had hot and cold running water up here - YAY!

 

Misty morning

Tiling

New shelves

Plumbing

And we have a working sink at long last!

 

Pete then cleaned up the kitchen whilst I finished clearing and re-organising the hallway area. We then undertook the scary job of carrying the washing machine upstairs - this was hard work and involved a lot of shouting, but luckily didn't end in disaster! It was forecast to rain and snow next week so getting the washing machine inside was top priority today.

 

Looking lovely and functioning

Washing machine moved inside

 

By the time all that was done it was about half three, so we called it a day and got cleaned up and ready to go out for 5. S & G had invited us over for a roast and we had a fantastic evening at theirs, stuffing ourselves with food and playing Pictionary by the fire.  

 

Great night at S & G's

Monday 28th

 

It was a grim morning this morning but there were a few last outside jobs that needed doing before the rain and snow this evening. We re-attached the chimney cover so that we wouldn't get wet in the house and whilst we had the ladder out we also put a cover on the vent from the extractor fan and turned around the toilet vent pipe which had also blown over last week.

 

I then detached the last outside tap and replaced the old insulation around the stop tap to make sure it wouldn't freeze during the snow. I then thought I would quickly plumb in the washing machine as this was an easy job to do. We stopped for lunch just before I did that and then when I went upstairs to cut the pipe I'd forgotten that I hadn't turned off the water! Disaster! I screamed for Pete to turn off the stop tap whilst I tried to contain the water with a bucket - not very successfully. Oops. I then mopped up all the water and lay out everything that had got wet to dry. Finally I actually plumbed the washing machine in, delayed by an hour or so.

 

The rain had arrived earlier than forecast today and by now it was quite wet outside (as well as in!) We needed to get a few building bits as well as do a big supermarket shop before our guest arrived this weekend, so we decided to go to SZ for the afternoon. We were out for the rest of the day and got home just before six.

 

Back home we siliconed the plug hole and, once it was dry, we did the washing up in our new kitchen. This was complete luxury compared to the outside/bathroom conditions we've been living with for the last year and a half! The usual relaxed night in the yellow room followed.

 

Washing up at an actual kitchen sink

Tuesday 29th

 

This morning we awoke to this...

 

Winter wonderland

 

It was beautiful outside and still snowing. We got both the downstairs fires going to warm up the house and then went upstairs to move into the kitchen. We only had the small gas heater going, but it wasn't actually too cold today and with a jumper on we were warm enough. Pete started by grouting the tiles whilst I painted a couple of things to fit later, hung the curtains and gave the oven a good clean. Once Pete had finished grouting we put up the rest of the wooden shelves and then started to put stuff on them - the most exciting part! We got all the mugs up from downstairs and bought in the glasses - which had been outside until now and were very dirty so all needed a wash. We also dug out some jugs that were still in boxes in the barn, cleaned them up and put them on display too.

 

Grouting

Painting

Shiny oven

Fitting the shelves

Shelves and curtain

 

In the afternoon we walked down to the shop and had a little wander in the snow around the village. Lucy loves the snow and with no one around we let her run wild.

 

Walk in the snow

 

Back home we spent the rest of the day moving all the crockery into the kitchen. We still need to put up big shelves for all this stuff, so for now it is taking up all the work surface and looking a bit chaotic. We also used a table as a temporary island and bought in a small table to eat at. There is still stuff to do and some things are a bit make-shift, but we are finally moved into the kitchen and we were even able to cook and eat in there (using our small oven.) Happy days!!

 

Crockery all moved in and taking up all the space

Tables and rug

First dinner in the kitchen!

Must stop taking so many cat photos.

 

When we finished eating we moved back downstairs as our gas heater had run out of gas and it was warm and cosy down there after having the fires on all day.

 

Wednesday 30th

 

This morning we popped into Chirpan as we had no gas heater and it was too cold upstairs without one. It took us a while to get going as the snow had completely frozen on the van and we needed to pour hot water over the windscreen. Once we were out we filled the gas bottle and also bought another gas bottle to supply the large gas heater S & G had lent us for the winter. As we were in town we did a bit more shopping so we could save some time on Friday.

 

By the time we were home it was gone 12 and we carried on in much the same way as yesterday. First thing was to get S & G's big heater hooked up - we got that going easily and it is now keeping us toasty upstairs. In the afternoon Pete boiled a big pot of water with caustic soda and cleaned the hobs for our big oven. He also finished the curtain railing and then wired a new plug onto the oven and got it working. Whilst he was doing that I started to clear out the other room (where the kitchen used to be) and got four chairs out of the barn that we'd been saving for use upstairs. We also re-organised the tables as the dining table we'd moved in yesterday was too small, especially for when we have guests. We used the island table as a dining table (as it is extendable) and put a long, thin table in as a temporary work surface. This worked much better and created more work space. We also brought through the fridge, which I cleaned it out completely.

 

Big heater :-)

 

Melting snow for free water

Chairs from the house

Fridge in

 

Newly organised tables

 

Early evening we finished cleaning the hobs and connected the big oven to the gas - this is the first time we've used it since we bought it. As it is second-hand all the numbers have rubbed off from the knobs so we can't tell the functions or the temperature. Luckily we were able to Google it and found out everything we needed - thank god for the internet!

 

Cooking on gas

 

In the evening Pete cooked his first dinner in his new oven and we celebrated with a few glasses of wine. The big heater kept us warm enough to hang out up there all evening and it was great! We got the animals up, who are both very confused with the whole situation, but they eventually calmed down and chilled out in front of the heater.

 

Animals enjoying the new room

Thursday 1st December

 

Another day pottering around doing little jobs and getting ready for Pete's mums arrival. I finished cleaning out the other room, which is now our temporary larder-cum-tool shed. Having this clear meant I could properly clear the hall way area and the balcony, which I have also decorated and put a bench and table on. Pete wired in the outside light on the balcony and has caulked the gap between two wooden beams, where there was a strong draft coming through. We also hung up a sheet of plastic in the mezzanine as it was still open to the loft and was also causing a huge draft. Since doing that the kitchen has stayed so much warmer.   

 

Caulking

Covering the chairs with scarfs to keep our bums warm

Cleaned and organised in the other room

New seating area on the balcony - with outside light!

Blocking out the draft in the mezzanine

It has been sunny but much colder today so the snow isn't melting quickly and is just turning to ice instead. We don't mind though! We've spent another evening in the kitchen - Pete has been cooking whilst I've written the blog and we've listened to a few podcasts - this is so nice as, until now, the chef for the night has had to be upstairs, cold and alone, so having a warm kitchen is a real game changer!!

Slowly melting snow

 

So we're ready now and looking forward to our next guest arriving on Saturday so we can have a bit of a holiday. Thanks for reading everyone, goodnight! xxx