Hello! I started writing this post over a week ago but then got distracted and forgot about it. We've been snowed in for over two weeks now and are somehow (just about) managing to not go mad. Here's a bit of an overview of life in the snowy village and some pictures (mainly of snow - I don't think I've ever seen this much before!)...
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| The village centre |
So, all that time ago on Friday the 6th January we awoke to around 15cms of snow on the ground and a lot more still falling, fast. We also, joy of joys, had no electricity or running water. When you know these things are not your problem/there is nothing you can do about it there is no point in worrying, so we just had to get on with the day. First thing was to go outside to shovel a path down the garden to the wood store, collect a wheelbarrow of logs, clear the chicken run of snow and feed the chickens. Then back into the house to get a fire going, candles burning and put the kettle on top of the woodburner to heat up. With our gas hobs we were still able to have eggs for breakfast and we spent a nice morning reading and doing a puzzle. :-) We also braved a walk in the blizzard and stopped off at the shop, just to make sure that it wasn't only our water that had frozen (it wasn't.)
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| This is nothing - you can still see the raised beds! |
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| Face first into the snow |
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| Lucy loves it |
Around 2 or 3 in the afternoon both the electricity and water sprung into action and we were back to civilisation again. A quick browse on the internet told us we were pretty lucky as many villages in Bulgaria were still without power and looking to be without it for the foreseeable future. It was either today or Saturday that there was also a ban on driving in many regions of BG as high winds were causing huge drifts and it was too dangerous. We were planning on staying put anyway - what a luxury it is to not have to go to work!
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| Nearly finished my puzzle |
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| The sun sets on the first snow day |
Over the weekend the snow was falling on and off and got to around a foot deep. Although it was snowing it was not actually too cold so Pete spent some time cooking in the kitchen whilst I finished painting and oiling the beams in the mezzanine. Once I'd done that we decided to cut the hole in the mezzanine floor (for the ladder to eventually go up) and put in extra beams to support the new floor. Very frustratingly we were one length of wood short so were unable to finish this job, and therefore unable to put the new flooring into the mezzanine - otherwise it would be finished!
From Monday the temperatures dropped dramatically - the daytimes didn't even get up to 0 and night times were -15 or lower. One woodburner heats downstairs fine and we are sleeping in the Yellow Room again so we don't have to light the other burner. It means we are confined to one room, but it is okay as our bedroom has become a kind of walk in wardrobe/storage area and we do have the kitchen to escape to if needs be. Having said that, we have been using the kitchen sparingly as we're not sure when we will get to Chirpan again and the heater up there uses gas very quickly. But actually this hasn't been a problem as we have several frozen meals that can be heated over the fire as well as loads of already prepared veg that can just be chucked into the oven. Having a well stocked freezer and larder is ESSENTIAL to surviving the winter here in Bulgaria!
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| Keeping warm |
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| It's like Narnia |
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| The entrance to the garden |
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| The garden seating area |
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| Knee deep in the village |
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| I don't think we'll be driving anywhere for a while |
The chickens, by the way, are doing fine. We are feeding them a lot and making sure their water isn't always frozen. They don't have much room to run around, but our big garden table is a good shelter so I've dug a path for them to get there so they can hang out under there! Unbelievably they've even started laying again - all the eggs are freezing and cracking before we can get to them but they are still useful for baking or feeding to the dog.
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| Adventurous chickens |
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| Frozen eggs |
The very, very cold temperatures only last a few days and by the end of last week the sun even appeared and the snow began to thaw. This is actually not enjoyable as everything just gets wet and the snow becomes brown and sludgy. We can also hear the snow slumping and falling off the roof at night, which is a bit disconcerting. Whilst the sun was out we went outside to clear the snow away from the van and give it a rev! We were very pleased to find it started first time!
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| Digging our way out of the garden! |
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| Steps to the walnut orchard |
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| Snow slumping off the roof |
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| Some sunshine! |
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| Pete digging out the van |
Then the snow came again. I can't remember how many days it snowed for now but it is over knee height deep and starting to become rather annoying. The daily chores of clearing the garden path and clearing the chicken run are not enjoyable when you are watching the snow fall and cover your hard work as you do it! Wheel-barrowing the wood to the house from the woodstore is also a struggle. To keep ourselves active we have been out for a walk every day - even in the blizzards. Lucy loves the snow so she gets a good run around and we get some much needed exercise. We've also done a bit of sledging, which is great fun. We've only been walking around the village as walking through deep snow, with no path, is bloody hard work - you have to lift your knee up to your chin with every step! On this subject, our road hasn't been ploughed this year so getting the van out is actually impossible. We've tried to contact the mayor, but she is not at work so we are at a loss of how to get the tractor to come up and clear our road. Digging it out ourselves is not really an option as the road is too long.
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| Sledging! |
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| Bilko helping me play Monopoly |
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| Evening stroll |
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| Collecting wood |
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| The road out the village |
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| Camping sign (not looking too tempting in this weather) |
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| Village entrance |
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| The snow is deeper than Lucy |
I have kept myself busy doing a few odd jobs - pointing the stone wall in the hallway, re-grouting some areas in the bathroom and varnishing all the kitchen shelves. I even spent one whole day reorganising the bookshelves in the Yellow Room, just for fun! Big jobs are not really possible because we have no outside space to work in and are also unable to buy any materials. We've also been doing regular Bulgarian lessons, which is good and productive, and Pete is now an expert at Fifa! We were much better mentally prepared this year compared to last year so we've kept our spirits high and just accepted the fact that we can't do much at the moment. Having said that this winter is far worse and lasting far longer than the last, so there is still time to get cabin fever - especially as there is yet more snow forecast this coming week. :-( But yeah, it is really not so bad. TV series, films, books, food and wine are making it all enjoyable, and we've had no power cuts or long lasting water shortages, so that is also a bonus.
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| Back to work |
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| Wall re-pointed |
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| Bookshelves looking pretty |
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| Bulgarian lessons |
We've been eating very well too, despite not being able to do much shopping. I haven't been taking many pictures or food, but here are a few...
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| PIE |
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| Risotto balls |
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| Roast veg salad |
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| Homemade pasties |
Lastly, just to mention, that we did have one day out into Chirpan this week as S & G kindly came to pick us up - and boy was it good to get out and see some other people! We did a bit of shopping (only what we could carry back up the hill to our house) and we went to the pizzeria for a couple of beers and some dinner. We also bought some snow chains so that when we can eventually move the van it will be easier and safer to drive on the treacherous roads.
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| Pizzeria with S & G |
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| Foggy day in the village |
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| We've been putting bird seed on the window sills, which is driving Bilko mad as she pounces to get the birds and smacks her head on the glass. Entertaining for us though! |
This weekend has been sunny again and the snow has begun to melt, but, as I mentioned earlier, more snow is forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, so they won't be much change any time soon. We can only hope that that is all of it for this year (please!) Anyway, I think that is all for now folks. Goodbye!
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| The melting is creating crazy icicles! |
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| Everything looks gorgeous in the sun |
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| ICICLE! |
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| Horse and cart in the village |
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| Bilko's new bed - the cardboard basket |
