House fairies, Despondent Scots, New friends & food

And here I was thinking I could get my life in order AND keep up with the house AND my diary…..definitely getting my capabilities mixed up with my ambitions.

But I have made one positive move in the direction of perhaps getting things sorted. Ivan and Kremena have found me a house fairy…did I say fairy ??? I mean angel. They paid me a visit the other day and I was once again working like a bastard, mostly exhausted and glowing like a horse in the 30+ temperatures. Kremena gave me a lecture on keeping my health and told me some help was a pre-requisite if I was going to continue and stay well. Anyway, in the true style of these two fabulous people, a cleaning lady was forthcoming…and she’s lovely. Her name’s Galia and already the house is starting to take on the look of a professional accommodation residence. She’s working miracles here. I feel a bit embarrassed about what I’m paying her, but I’m told it’s the going rate.

She came last Saturday and left a few hours later with all the beds made, the rooms clean and everything looking just fine. And she’s is looking for more work and in the blink of an eye, she’s already working together with Martin, who also wanted work, doing a house cleaning, garden maintenance thingy.

On Sunday I had some Scottish friends over for lunch. They had come to spend some time in their newly renovated house in Tamarino only to find the yard a mess, no electricity and a number of other problems that made their holiday a disaster. They were deeply despondent when I spoke to them on the phone so I told them to get out here for lunch and a chat so we could get things sorted for them. I had already intended to make them stay the night…just so they could have one decent night with hot water, decent food etc while they were in the area. Invited Bill & Leslie and Martin over for the BBQ as well and had a damned fine and very social day with a group of fine folk. Got them all sorted and found them an apartment on the Black Sea Coast for the rest of their holiday. Took them back to their own place on Monday, where they were relieved to find that they actually had electricity, so at least their last couple of nights were a bit more civilised.

I’d also had contact from another young couple, Gary and Louisa. They organised to come out to the big house for a chat and I told them that if I wasn’t back from Tamarino, to just go inside and make themselves a cuppa and wait for me. Told them that if challenged by Ivan, just to get him to ring me. Anyway, I got later and later and by the time I got back home I felt sure they’d be gone. Came upstairs, no sign of them. Picked up the phone and rang them to apologise but when Gary answered, his voice sounded strangely close and slightly echoey….Sure enough, they were downstairs… in a room with limited facilities and probably wondering why I lived such a sparse existence. Anyway, I got them up into the really lived in part of the house and once again, had a really pleasant evening getting to know a really nice young couple who are, like many of us, toiling away to try and make a living so we can stay here in this fantastic country.

Anyway, bouncing back to the reasons for some help in the house…after Gary, Louisa and the gang of Scots had left, I realised that the house was right back at square one and that meant starting from scratch to get the place back in order. Oh, I was so glad when Galia & Martin turned up today. And five hours later, all the rooms are once again spick and span and the five and a half miles of windows are sparkling clean. 🙂

The work on the roof continues, with conditions getting no easier for the men up there. Jesus, it’s so hot up there. I take them drinks all day and every time I go up there, I come back down feeling quite faint.

Always happy to have their pic taken though……..

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And doesn’t Ivan look sweet in his hat…..at least he’s got the common sense to wear one up there so his brains don’t boil in their own juice. That’s Angel with him, and they are up really, really high…nestled in between two of the peaks on the roof…and yes, Angel did get a rollicking from me for not being tied on.

Had another night of rain last night, but so far, it isn’t causing any problems.

I did have a visit from Ivan’s mum on Sunday. She came down to stir the Rakia but as always, we had a wee Bulgarian/English chat and she is so worried about her baby son being up on my roof. How could I assure a mother that her favourite boy would be OK and I had every confidence in his common sense, but that I was very worried also? And I am, very…like I’ve said, I’ll be so glad when this roof replacement is finished.

The hot weather continues relentlessly. I was in Yambol the other day and I was just so hot and sweaty. I headed into a hairdresser with Stefka and told them to ‘take it off…short’… Ooops…perhaps I should have been a tad more specific. It’s very, very short indeed. I won’t be finding a ‘good Bulgarian man’ with this haircut….I suspect that only a ‘woman in comfortable shoes’ would be interested in someone with this haircut 🙂

And the garden continues to produce. The tomatoes seem never ending and I just can’t help but say it…they are bloody fantastic!!! Even if I’ve grown them myself.. The peppers are just starting to fruit as well and today I actually sent Martin home with this little lot for his dinner this evening……doesn’t it just look fabulous. Freshly picked today and the colours, the smells and the flavours are just so wonderful.

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I’m very excited just now…I have friends from Australia arriving next week. One of them, Deb Westerberg, is a very old friend indeed, one I’ve known for nearly 40 years !!! She lives in Scotland now, but currently has Deb & Marshall, a couple of mutual friends from Australia with her at the moment and they’re all coming to stay. I’ve had a lot of fun with these people over the years and am so looking forward to having them here.

I’m away to Stara Zagora for another check up tomorrow. Still feel a bit nervous about these, I guess because there’s always a small chance that things might change. But fingers crossed, I’ve had a lucky escape and will get to enjoy another few good years on this planet.

Just now, it’s time for some of those spuds I grew myself, with a nice shropska salata, also mostly made up of produce from my garden….bloody hell..what a great feeling !!!

Dovishdane

mercer