I’ve had a fabulous festive season, hence getting even further behind here.
Christmas Day was spent here in the Big House, which really was a picture in all it’s decorations. I increased the outside lighting by about 500 % and the place was lit up like a country dunny every night. Finding decent outside fairy lights here has just proved to be almost impossible, so I decided to go for the coloured strip lightinging that you see around towns and cities, often framing buildings. I was in an electrical supplier when I saw them strung up around the shop and made the decision that this what just what a house like mine needed. This stuff is so cheap here so I opted for 15 metres of lighting in the colours of the Bulgarian flag, white, green and red, and they looked fantastic when I put them up. Jesus, these things are so bright, you can see them for miles.
I strung them across the front balcony of the house and this bought all my neighbours out for a look. Were they impressed ?? Seemed to be…I received a round of applause and a few ‘Bravos’ when I flicked the switch on. I also found out through Christina’s sister, Donna, that she had gone to Yambol to get some for her house, but was unable to find any. As you know I’m always looking for things that I can do to thank Christina and Volcho for all the things they do for me. This was a perfect excuse to give them something, so back to Yambol I went.
Damn and Blast !! obviously half of Yambol had decided on strip lighting in the colours of the Bulgaria Flag. With help from Ivan, who took me to every lighting and electrical supplier he knew in Yambol (and there’s plenty) I eventually found three metres of Green and three metres of red…but not a scrap of white to be found. My Taurean mind kicked into action and a solution was forthcoming. I had so many metres strung across my house that, without my display losing any of its impact, I just cut half the white off mine and attached it to Christinas….Voila !!!
I had Bo staying with me, so dragged her over the road to give them to Christina. She looked slightly stunned when I appeared with them but looked very happy indeed when we plugged them in and she had her very own display of festive lights in the colours of her country…and I noted them on every night over the festive season.
I also received an invitation from the Mayor to attend the lighting of the village Christmas tree. Miladinovtsi boasts a national politician and he donates various stuff to the village…this year it was some computers for the community centre and lights for the village Christmas tree. I had seen the Christmas tree when I went to pay my phone bill at the post office and had decided myself that it looked a wee bit sparse and could do with a few more deckies. I invested in rather a lot of decorations for very little money at the One Lev shop and donated them to the village as well. So with the extra decorations and the fabulous new lights, both coloured and white, the tree looked very festive indeed this year. I reckon it would have taken out the award for the best Christmas tree in a small village, if such an award existed 🙂
I was honoured to be invited to the lighting up of the tree as well. When Bo and I arrived at the Mayors office, we discovered that besides the Mayor, his wife and the staff involved with his office, we were the only outsiders there. We were made comfortable and once again a couple of substantial Rakias were squeezed into my hands and once again, some time later, I tottered out of his office and back down the hill to my home. I can only hope Rakia is good for me ‘cos if it isn’t, I’m probably killing myself with the stuff.
Christmas Eve, Gary and Louisa arrived from their village with Carlos the fantastic. Bo went over to see Christina to get some pickled cabbage to make Saarmi and invited her and Volcho over for a drink. They duly arrived with some saarmi that Christina had whipped up and we all settled in for a large glass of wine and a faltering chat. I was so chuffed that they had come over. I’m a bit shy about asking the villagers over because i’m not sure if they will want to eat any of the food I make or if they’ll want to spend extended time with someone with as little Bulgarian as I have. They stayed for a good couple of hours during which time we were visited by the Koleda singers
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And this year I got them right in the house, singing as loudly as possible in the hope that 2007 will be a better year for me thatn 2006 was…..Christ, I could do with some good luck.
Had a really enjoyable evening and tottered off to bed full of expectation about what Christmas day would bring.
Christmas day dawned…wintery, but not a flake of snow to bless ourselves with. Gary, Louisa, Bo and, of course, Carlos were all staying here, so it was a merry little household that surfaced on Christmas morning. Once we’d breakfasted, got the fires started and got ourselves cleaned up, it was present time and food preparation time. Christina had presented me with the Christmas bird the day before…..it is a strange feeling to be handed a deadun knowing that earlier that day it was running around the streets of Miladinovtsi having a damned fine time. Christina’s turkeys often sit on my front fence and as Gary amusingly observed ‘that christmas bird had probably sat out there wondering what it was like inside my house….and well, now he/she knew.’
Anyway, he/she tasted fantastic 🙂
Our very late lunch was damned good. We had our very organic turkey, the fantastic Christmas ham, which I’d got in Sofia and all the trimmings possible squeezed onto the plates….well, except for the brussel sprouts. Not inclined to have anything that tastes and smells like dirty socks on my plate. 🙂
Then there was Puddin’ time. I don’t know if you remember me making ‘drunken berries’ earlier this year ? They were unbelievabley good. I had a good Christmas pudding, I’d made Christmas icecream and we had an extra boozy topping of drunken berries on top….Holy Moly !! Throw in some cream and you’re talking ‘Heart Attack on a Plate’ 🙂
We were a small party this year, and I have to confess it was great. Since about 1987 I’ve been holding ‘ophans Christmases’ for all my friends who either had nowhere to go for Christmas or didn’t want to spend it with their families, and numbers have ranged from as few as eight to as many as 35 people that I’ve cooked lunch for. My Christmases (sic) have actually been quite hard work and I’ve usually ended the day exhausted. This year, I was soooo relaxed. Cooking for four was a walk in the park and I finished my day in great shape and with enough energy left to consume vast quantities of champagne and wine….. 🙂
Boxing day was a standard sit around the house chatting, eating even more Christmas fare and a few early wines….Hey, we had breakfast first and then did things like light fires, but it wasn’t exactly late in the day when we all fell by the wayside and were tempted by the demon drink. A most enjoyable and totally relaxing day and night…just what I needed.
The 27th saw an invitation from the Mayor to attend a village function in the community centre. It was an all singing, all dancing and all eating affair with contributions from the young and the old.
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and I also seem to be turning into a bit of a Pied Piper with the local children and often find myself surrounded by them…or is it because they just love having their photos taken 🙂
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and I’ve just included this little fella because I think he has the most beautiful face and he’s a really sweet little guy…..very quiet, very sweet…well, with me he is. Probably the devil incarnate with everyone else 🙂
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and if the singing & dancing of the 27th wasn’t enough, December 29th bought the village ‘banquet’. This was the occasion that my sister Jillian got to experience last year, and this year certainly didn’t disappoint. What I didn’t realise last Christmas was that I was already becoming very ill with that damned disease I had and I was always feeling a tad below par. This year it was a completely different story and I was firing on all twelve cylinders. Not only did I get up voluntarily for the dancing, but I also help serve the food……much to the amusement of the locals
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The villagers can’t quite figure me because of things I do, like painting the house, lifting heavy things & all the housework in the house and now I’ve added waitressing to the list of things they don’t quite get about me. They keep telling me I must let someone else do these things for me….and I just say ‘why ?’ I’m big enough and ugly enough to do anything. One day I won’t be and then I’ll certainly ask for help.
Anyway, they allowed me to help and then we all settled in for a grand evening
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and this year it was lovely to see plenty of the village young people there as well
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and, as always, attended to by the lovely bloke that runs the bar, Michael
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This friendly smiling face is fairly typical of him all the time.
He runs the local cafe bar with his partner Dida and his son and they’re really pleasant, friendly people and I do enjoy spending the odd moment in their company. I don’t actually go the the bar that often, but when I do I’m always very welcomed and it’s always a pleasure to spend a bit of time there.
I guess that’s December done and dusted….the last few days of the month I spent fairly quietly, thinking about what I might do in 2007, where I might be in 2007, what might be around the corner.
2006 has been an interestnig year for me. It’s been a really tough year and certainly not what I expected. It’s been successful in that I’m still alive, but I’ve been let down by people I trusted, and this has tarnished what otherwise might have been a great year.
After I recovered from my illness, I faced the rest of the year full of hope and joy…that hope and joy seems to have got lost somewhere along the way and right now, I’m feeling somewhat disheartened…I have big decisions to make, and may very possibly be making them from Australia.
Before that happens, I have the start of 2007 to talk about….
until then
dovishdane
mercer
Sue you have accomplished so much in such a short time, and your blog has really given me a view into a totally different world. Life is full of ups and downs, and whilst you may be down now, I am sure you will soon have another up. Dont get disheartened. Maybe you just need a break and a holiday in Oz may be what you need, or a holiday somewhere where the people are not so helpful and friendly!
All the best.
Victor