Bulgaria 16/09
Biz, biz, busy………cuppla days getting the lounge area painted and late last night I struck the last brush stroke and completed it….AND I managed not to have any late night disasters…
Not absolutley sure about the colour..it’s a result of a spot of experimentation on my part. I didn’t like the red that I’d bought ….it was too orangey red, which is not one of my colours…so I added a small dash of dark blue and an even smaller dash of white. It looked great going on but looks a wee bit murky by the cold light of day. Not about to do it all again just now though, and I figure once I get a few paintings up and the fire place built against the wall, the colour wont dominate the room quite so much.
the beginning the end
Today, it’s floor scrubbing and furniture placement and a chance to put my futon together so I’ve got somewhere comfy to throw myself of an evening…I’m sick of sitting up like jackie on a straight backed chair every evening..it will be so good to be able to slump :o)
I’ll still have a few boxes stacked in the corner of the room until I get some shelving built, but at least the place will be mostly comfortable and relaxing.
I’ve had marginally more success on the internet issue……changed from infa red to a cable for my mobile and Da, Da !!! it works…..well, it kinda works. I have been able to log on and check emails…very slowly. I can even send emails as long as I don’t try and attach anything to them and I can’t open anything that has attachments, so I’ve basically been thrown back into the stone age of internet technology. It’s very frustrating and I’m trying to retain my sense of humour about it…….
I re-explored the satellite option…£1000 for the kit and £60 per month…so not really an option at all, especially given that I don’t have any income just now.
On the good news front….I’ve managed to make contact with my sister Helen, who lives in Italy, and she’s coming to visit me sometime in mid October, so I’m very excited about that. So I’ve got two weeks to finish making the house as welcoming and comfortable as possible for the arrival of Kerry & Jane at the end of this month. Once they arrive, I’m going to take some time off and do a bit of relaxing and continue to relax until my sister leaves….a chance to jump in the car and get out and see a wee bit more of the country and just basically sit about with a glass or three of wine and speak english for three or four weeks. Then it will be time to get ready for Christmas and the arrival of another sister, Jillian….Oooo, it’s all very exciting :o)
I’ve warned everyone that’s coming that they’de better be prepared to be objects of great interest to the locals. I’m guessing that my visitors will be the most strangers that Miladinotzi will have seen in a long time, possibly ever.
I’ve mentioned in previous diaries the incredible storms that occur here…well, I got caught in one driving back from Yambol the other night….bloody hell !!! I was truly frightened. The big fat drops of rain were pelting down and every so often a great, savage fork of lightening would strike the ground, far too close to me for comfort. I was trying to calculate the chances of getting struck by it while desperately trying to see the road and keep a wary eye out for crazy Bulgarian drivers…..the twenty minute drive home felt like it had taken hours and I was completely shattered by the time I pulled into the driveway. These storms are definitely to be watched from the safety of a good solid building, not in a fragile, metal box.
When I got home I found my washing scattered about the yard and dangling from grape vines. In the pouring rain I headed out to retrieve it and discovered that, when a lot of water is added, the soil here turns into a thick, sticky black goo…..I was wearing sandals and my right foot sunk about 4 inches into the ground. I had to physically wrench it out and found my foot and sandal encased in gunk, which promptly started to set solid….stuck like shit to a blanket….. Icky !!
Reminder: buy a pair of gumboots……soon !!
Checked my pots of herbs…there’s loads of little green shoots appearing. Are they herbs..or are they weeds ?? I guess I’ll have to wait to find out. It’s very exciting seeing things grow again….Even though my brother Jack reckons I’ve got the blackest thumb in the world, I missed being able to grow things in Scotland…well, trying to grow things anyway.
OK..it’s time to get to work…indulging in a little creative procrastination here as the floor cleaning is going to be a long hard job, and I’m trying to avoid it…but I can’t be sitting around here chatting all day or my visitors will find themselves propped up on packing boxes & surrounded by crap when they arrive :o)
Later that day: the lounge room is done and I now have somewhere to throw myself when I want to watch the idiot box.
It’s starting to look more like a home and less like a squat everyday.
There’s still furniture to be built and boxes to unpack, but I at least now have somewhere to relax after a hard days slaving :o)
Didn’t even make it into the kitchen area, so the floor in there is my job tomorrow…if indeed I can move.
I know why I don’t go to church anymore…..6 hours on my knees and they are killing me….severe granny-itis tonight.
Hark….I hear a relaxing glass of vino and crash position on the couch calling……..
Cheers now
Mercer
Sue Mercer,
Bulgaria 2005
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