Another Year….

And so 2007 comes rolling in and I find myself still in Bulgaria….is that a good thing or not ??? Time will tell.

The incredibley mild weather continues….we’ve been getting temperatures up to 10+ degrees.  Compare this to last year and it’s amazing. The calm before the storm perhaps ????

Started the year in Slavyantsi, the village that Louisa and Gary live in.  Bo headed up there on the Friday so I could have a couple of days to myself, and I headed up there on New Years Eve to join the kiddies and their lovely neighbours to see in the New Year. We had a beaut evening with Shelley & Evgenny, Lou & Gary’s neighbours, with far too much very good food supplied by Shelley and a few damned good Rakia’s provided by Evgenny.

I have to confess that once I returned to my house later on New Years Day I then spent the next couple of days doing absolutely bugger all…..stoked up a nice big fire, assumed crash position on the sofa and watched all sorts of things including a plethora of movies that I’ve downloaded and Sponge Bob Square Pants…I’ve become a big fan…God, I love that show  🙂

and even though I’m feeling a little low, mother nature has a way of bringing a little joy to ones soul.  This is the sight that greeted me when I looked out the window the other night

[photopress:DSC03030.JPG,full,pp_empty] [photopress:DSC03026.JPG,full,pp_empty]

And,of course, some things haven’t changed…note in the foreground the contentious shed…and yes, it still leaks like a sieve….piece of expensive shit !! Speaking of sub standard work, Ivan has basically stripped the useless kamina, that I paid a fortune for, down to basics…it looks damned ugly just now but you have no idea how much more heat it’s putting out compared to last winter. He’s repairing all the dud work, that was previously done, and at a very reasonable cost……something that I should not be paying for, of course, but I guess that’s was one of the downsides of 2005. Once Ivan started work here in 2006, everything just kept getting better.

Ivan’s a good man and is proving to be one of the best friends I have ever made, not just here in Bulgaria, but probably in my life. I’ve got some great friends out there, so praise like this for Ivan is really saying something about his treatment of me and generousity towards me.

Tomorrow I’m off to join him and Kremena to celebrate Ivan’s name day, a day that holds more importance to Bulgarians than their birthdays, it seems. Looking forward to that…….

Life in the village is moving from festive celebrations to day to day living again and cute little lambies are being born all over the place.  I can hear them bleating around various houses in the village and this year I will get some photos.  Ivans Mum’s sheep have had seven so far, including two sets of twins, so I’m going to head up there next week and see if I can get some baby pics  🙂

I’m not really sure what’s going to happen in the next few weeks so there will probably be little written here.  There’s a lot going on, but most of it I’m keeping very close to my chest…not for open discussion, but I’ll certainly keep you posted if any radical changes are about to occur.  If nothing changes, I’ll wander back in here and let you know that as well.

for now, dovishdane

mercer