68 & 69.

Hello all, sorry for the delayed post again. I had intended to update last weekend but our volunteer contacted us and said he could make it after all, so I haven't found the time to write until today! The last 2 weeks have been great - we've done more work upstairs, had our first camper and (not so great) had a forest fire come within a kilometre of our house. Our volunteer, Dan, was also fantastic- really helpful and an interesting and lovely guy. Except for a short spattering we've still had no rain - that's 2 months now and another dry month forecast - I never thought I'd want it to rain so much! I'm going to keep it brief for this post or I'll be sitting here writing until next weekend!

Tuesday 26th

 

First thing we went over to do gardening at our friends house - let's call her N - and were there until 10ish. After a quick trip into Chirpan for building supplies we were back home to start work on the campsite washing up sink. We planed and sanded the planks we'd bought and fitted them all into place. It was then time for an afternoon chill out - Pete had a siesta but I decided to spend a couple of hours making a curry. At about 4ish we got started on chainsawing the wood from the upstairs ceiling - unfortunately our chainsaw is still having problems so we only got about half of it done. In the evening we took Lucy out for a walk around the village and stopped in the bar for a beer, before heading home and eating a curry feast.

Hanging in the garden

Table top done

Some of the old ceiling chopped up 

Very dry landscape

Walkies in the village

Walkies in the village

Beer at the bar

Curry time!

 Wednesday 27th

 

Another early start and the morning was spent upstairs chipping the old plaster off two of the walls - one wall we want exposed stone and the other wall will be demolished. We got the majority of it done but it got way too hot up there so we scooped up what we could of the huge amount of rubble and we were off to the dump to get rid of it.

Plaster coming down

A lot of mess to clear

All the rubble down the stairs... and back up the other stairs to the van.

Flower bed weeded - sage plant is doing great

Blackberry covered car!

 

Todays progress

We'd been invited over to S & G's for afternoon tea so after weeding the flower bed, getting cleaned up and (yet another) trip to Chirpan for more bits and bobs we went over to theirs. S had gone all out and made cucumber sandwiches, scones and cake! It was a lovely afternoon and after a beer or two we headed home for the evening. Back home we scooped up the rest of the rubble from upstairs and loaded the van ready for the morning. Once the sun had gone down we also sprayed our tomatoes with a calcium fertiliser we'd bought - we'd found that a lot of our tomatoes were going brown on the bottom and after some research found it was a problem called Blossom-end rot, caused by lack of calcium. We've since sprayed them again and it seems to have soled the problem - yay!

Tea party

I made G & T ice lollies!

Blossom-end rot

Spraying the toms with calcium

Thursday 28th

 

Back to N's for a few hours gardening this morning and another trip to the dump to unload the rubble. Back home we chipped away the rest of the old plaster and bagged up the rubble. We again had a siesta/afternoon chill out and I cooked another curry for lunch (curries are a tasty way to use up all the veg we've got!) Late afternoon Pete went up to fit the washing up sink into the table we'd built whilst I got to work on making more camping signs to guide people all the way through the village. I also made a welcome sign for the campsite entrance. In the evening we drove around the village putting up the signs and I did a few hours watering down the road whilst Pete made dinner.

Morning at N's

Peaches and cheese for brekkie

More chipping

All bagged up

Sink looking fab!

New camping signs

Signs up around the village

'Welcome to Kukuvitsa Camping'

 

Friday 29th

 

Market day so we were busy shopping until after midday. Once home and unpacked we were sweaty and way too hot so it was time for a couple of hours lying down, inside, in front of the fan! Once we'd recovered we went outside again - I made a screen (to match the others) for behind the washing up sink and Pete finished chopping the ceiling wood using the circular saw instead of the chainsaw, which worked fine and was much safer to do! We fitted the screen and then once it had finally cooled down (slightly) we got a fire going to make dinner. We also used the fire to grill some veg in preparation for easy lunches when our volunteer gets here.

Scary looking spider in the garden

 

Market in Chirpan

Watermelons for sale

Foraged hazelnuts

Nailing a new screen together

All wood chopped

Screen in place... still need to fit a 'back splash'.

Sunset BBQ

Quick sketch of Pete!

Saturday 30th

 

Not such an early start today as we've were feeling exhausted from getting up at 6.30 every day! But after a lie in of sorts (8 o'clock!!) we got up to start plumbing in the washing up sink. This was very simple and we had it all finished in a few hours - eventually we'll put metal pipe to the taps but we need to go to SZ for those so the plastic will do for now. After that was finished with no leaks it was time to do a big tidy of the house and garden and set up the spare room for our volunteer tomorrow.

Water!

Plumbing

Connection hidden behind the screen

Washing area to the left of the block

 

Then it as time for a quick afternoon nap, some food and then off out to the next village for a Rock Festival! It's the first year this festival had been held in this village so it was quite a small event but the two bands were good and we got to do a bit of head banging! We met some new people, who were really nice, and had a fun evening. Not out too late though as we didn't want sore heads for our guest in the morning!   

S & G at SG Rock Fest!

Sunday 31st

 

We were expecting Dan anytime after midday so we got up and finished tidying and then chilled out for the rest of the afternoon. It was an absolutely scorching day so we were sat inside, by the fan, when he arrived at about 3 o'clock. We showed him around the place and then introduced ourselves over a late lunch. After a few hours of hanging out in the garden Dan went out for an evening stroll around the village whilst we stayed at home and prepared dinner. We then spent the evening chatting away with a few beers - as I've said Dan was great and we all got on really well, so it felt like having a friend here really! :)

Welcome BBQ for Dan

 Monday 1st

 

We had an early start as today was meant to be EVEN hotter - 40s at least by the afternoon. Pete and I started by building a new gabion - we planned to fill this with stone from the upstairs wall we want to demolish. Whilst we did that Dan dug a flat area for the gabion to go - very hard work amongst stone and rubble but he did a fab job. We then stopped for a coffee and scrambled eggs before carrying on work upstairs. We got all the stones out of the wall one by one - we didn't want to just smash them down as the floor is only a single floorboard and our bedroom is underneath - and then passed them out the window to be piled up close to the gabion. Once that was down we were able to smash the other side of plaster down (the internal walls are plastered with clay and straw) which was quite fun! It was then a massive clean up of all the rubble and getting it loaded in the van ready for the dump - this task was sooo much easier with a third person. After a big lunch we all relaxed and everyone had a well deserved siesta.  

All the stone taken out the wall

And piled here

First punch through the wall!!!

Coming down...

And it's gone!

 

At about 5.30 we roused from our naps to do a trip to the dump and a quick stop into Chirpan to get a couple of bits and stop for a cold drink. On the way there we saw black smoke coming from over the hills behind our house - I'd been reading about forest fires starting today in Bulgaria so this was slightly worrying, but we assumed it would be quite far away from us. However, on the way home we saw that the fire was getting bigger and spreading right towards our village - less than a kilometre away - with our house and garden the first place it would hit! We quickly drove home and got a couple of hoses set up at the top of our garden, but distressingly there was not much else we could do but sit and wait. We took a beer out to our land, where we could actually see the flames, and sat out watching it until it got dark. Thankfully it didn't seem to spread any further towards us, but it was pretty terrifying seeing huge trees suddenly burst into flame and everywhere just covered in black smoke. We came home in the dark and Pete made a quick, but very yummy, dinner and after a couple more beers we had an early night. It was not the best nights sleep we've ever had and it included a 3am walk out to the fields to check on the fire (which was thankfully fine.)  

First view of the forest fire

View from our land

Sitting out watching the fire

Short walk to the lavender fields to inspect the fire closer - see the flames!

Tuesday 2nd

 

Another morning watering the garden at N's whilst we left Dan to have a lie in, water the veg and start filling up the gabion with the stone from upstairs. Before we went to N's we drove out to check on the fire again, which was still smoking slightly but looked like it was dying down. Once home, at about 10, we all stopped for a big brekkie and then Dan carried on with the gabion whilst me and Pete were upstairs smashing down the old concrete sink. It seems that this was the strongest thing they built in the house and we filled 22 rubble bags once it was finally demolished! It was then all hands on deck to load the rubble into the van and then Pete took it to the dump whilst Dan carried on with the gabion and I did a few chores and started work on chipping away the plaster off the walls that had been behind the sink.

Sunrise over the last of the fire

Sink ready to be demolished!

Demolition man 

Gone and in bags

Gabion (at the back) coming along

 

Once Pete was back from the dump we all stopped for lunch and spent a couple of hours relaxing. Dan decided to get his gabion finished and amazingly there was only one bucket of stones left from the upstairs wall - it was a perfect fit! What a coincidence! At 5ish S & G came over - we'd asked them to come round so that G could have a look at our walls/beams etc upstairs and make sure we're not going to knock something down that is holding up the house! After he'd had a look and reassured us of what we can and can't do they stayed for a few beers. Whilst they were here it started to rain for about 10 minutes - which was very exciting, especially because of the fire yesterday, but it didn't last long before the sun came back out and it was hot hot hot again. Once S & G had gone Pete cooked a lovely pasta dish for dinner and we stayed up quite late having a few more drinks.

Finished gabion - looks great

And only this much stone left over from the wall :)

Wednesday 3rd

 

Not a ridiculously early start this morning after the late night but we were up at a reasonable time and ready to crack on. Pete was upstairs chipping the rest of the plaster away and Dan did an incredible job of back filling the gabion he'd built as it is part of a retaining wall. He used the rock/earth/rubble that was around and managed also to start flattening out the area in front of the gabion - great work! Once he'd done that he started painting the wooden archway until he ran out of paint and then he came to help me with weeding the veg garden. As well as weeding I harvested all our carrots, all the onions and a few other bits. We never thinned out the onions so they are too small for use in cooking, but they are the perfect size for pickling so we'll be doing that soon! We also all helped Pete clear up the rubble from the plaster and loaded the van again, ready for the dump.

 

Gabion back filled

Front of the gabion cleared and scraped out

 

Sink gone, plaster gone

Dan painting and me weeding

Big carrot harvest

Good harvest day

 

Once it got too hot for working we all had lunch and then, again, had a few hours off. I wanted to make a curry for dinner so I got that cooking, with help from Dan, whilst Pete chilled out in the garden. I also wilted the chard harvest ready for freezing. Once that was done I joined Pete, where we diced all the carrots I'd harvested earlier, and Dan went out to do some training for a couple of hours. Once Dan was, at about 8, we went for a stroll around the village to pick up some goat cheese and stop for a beer at the bar. We ended up getting home around 10 and having a delicious (if I do say so myself) curry for a late dinner.

Veg prepared for freezing

Thursday 4th

 

Another morning at N's watering the garden, a stop at the dump and then a quick trip into Chirpan to get a few things we needed. We were back before midday and we all had a late breakfast together. The afternoon was then spent with everyone upstairs doing different things. Pete had the frustrating job of trying to take apart the old wardrobe, as it is too heavy to carry out whole and we want to keep it. I started scraping and chipping out the old mortar from the joints on the stone walls (so they are ready to re-point) and Dan had the job of hitting down the last part of the internal wall - the wooden beams. After advice from G we were confident to take these down and put up a temporary prop to support the A frame above. Having the wall completely down has made the space look massive - we are so pleased with it! :D

NO WALL!

Even more fire wood for chopping

Scraping out the joints

Both stone walls ready for re-pointing

 

Once the wall was down and the wardrobe was apart we stopped for a leisurely lunch and then all 3 of us carried on chipping out the old mortar until it was finished. In the late afternoon Dan went out to train for a couple of hours whilst me and Pete chilled at home and Pete made yet another delicious dinner - mince meat burritos with homemade wraps. Yum! We stayed up, chatting away, for a couple of drinks before an earlyish night. 

Fresh bread cooked over a fire

Friday 5th

 

Market day and Dan wanted to come and check it out so we all went out together and spent the morning in Chirpan. Once we were home we unpacked and then all chilled out for a bit before getting ready to go to the lake. As it was such a hot day we decided to drive half way and then walk the last 15 minutes. We had a great afternoon eating our small picnic, swimming in the lake, exploding bangers and throwing spears with Dan's spear thrower! We got back home after 6 o'clock and Dan went out to train again whilst Pete and I did a few bits around the house and got a BBQ going. Another yummy dinner and lovely evening - a great, and well deserved, day off. :)

Beautiful lake

Spear throwing!

 

Saturday 6th

 

It was Dan's last day already today so we had a chilled morning - we went for a short walk before it got too hot and had a nice big breakfast. We then all went upstairs together to start work on re-pointing the stone walls. We had music going and were chatting so it was not horrible work and Dan was interested to learn how to do it. I had forgotten, though, how long it takes and we seemed to have not completed much before it was time for lunch. After lunch I went back up to finish pointing with the lime mortar we had out whilst the boys went up to the orchard to fix the bike. Oh I forgot to say that we bought a second-hand bicycle last week! It needed new tyres and inner tubes but it is a Bianchi which I am told is very good and it looks pretty nice. Anyway, the boys got that fixed and now it is ride-able, which is great (now we just need to find one for me!)

Morning walk

Fixing the bike

Hoorah it works!

Re-pointing so far...

 

In the evening we took Dan out for dinner in Chirpan to say thank you for all his hard work and help. We got home at about quarter to eleven to find our first campers parked in the field! They were 4 Polish people and we welcomed them and told them to set up their tents where they liked. We then went and sat in the garden to have a final night cap with Dan.

Sun set on the way to Chirpan

Out for dinner

Sunday 7th

 

Dan was leaving early this morning and he needed to get a few things from a builders merchants in SZ. As we needed to go shopping in SZ anyway we decided we'd drive there too and show him the way. (We didn't see the campers again as they were still asleep when we left and gone by the time we were home.) Dan got what he needed in Stara and then we said goodbye and thankyou and wished him luck for his onward travels (to Mongolia!) Once we'd waved him off we got on with our own shopping which ended up taking all day. We didn't actually buy that much but we went to every shop we knew, and some we didn't, to scope out prices for things like ovens, kitchen worktops and kitchen sinks. Also our main reason for going was to take our strimmer to another services (the place in Chirpan had had it for over a month and done nothing) but we found they were closed on Sundays, so that was annoying and means another trip to SZ is planned asap. We were home at about 3.30 and I started to write the blog whilst Pete chilled out, until 6 when we Skyped my parents. After chatting with them for an hour or so we stayed up and had a glass of wine before having an early night.

So now it is just the two of us again - for a few weeks at least - and we've got plenty to be getting on with...! Until next time xx